Resplendent in their new team strip* (or "uniform" as "Grumpy" Art Vanderlay likes to call it), Team Grumpy made a mid-season appearance at the North Bucks Road Club evening '10' on Wednesday evening. Intended to keep the team up to scratch, Team Grumpy was the only 2-up team in what was really the NBRC club '10' championship.
A blustery evening made the H3 trispokes "interesting" at one or two points around the course. Team Grumpy worked well, with very smooth changovers - perhaps one or two spells were rather too long, but that was dictated by circumstances. Team Grumpy were pleased at finishing with 22:24 on the back of severely reduced training, and felt encouraged to work towards the Duo Normand on 20th September. You can read Grumpy Bob's report of the event over at flies&bikes.
*No photos yet, but Team Grumpy has taken to wearing black and white Assos kit. Seems as though "Grumpy" Art's prejudice against Assos has dissipated. However, the amusingly named Assos Starbust Stradale skinsuits are so tight as to make standing upright difficult (but at least amusing, if a little disturbing, for onlookers).
Friday, 29 May 2009
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Beards, doping and Lance Armstrong
"Grumpy" Art Vanderlay is visiting (a Team Grumpy outing is planned for this evening - watch this blog for more details), and after a gentle leg-easing bike ride made quite an astute observation about beards and doping. You may have noticed Grumpy Bob's facial hair in the photographs accompanying the Team Grumpy 2009 launch event.
"Grumpy" Art observed a correlation between d
oping and beards, particularly 
goatee beards (which Grumpy Bob's beard is beginning to resemble). Citing as evidence Marco Pantani, Frank Vandenbroucke, and Floyd Landis as examples (not to mention the suggestion that Richard Virenque and David Millar became facially hirsute at around the time they got caught doping), he made the proposition that beards were a clear indicator of dubious practice. Grumpy Bob observes that Lance Armstrong (who of course has never tested positive) does not have a beard. Team Grumpy leaves it to the reader to make what they will of that factoid. In the meantime, perhaps it is time to lose the beard?
"Grumpy" Art observed a correlation between d
oping and beards, particularly 
goatee beards (which Grumpy Bob's beard is beginning to resemble). Citing as evidence Marco Pantani, Frank Vandenbroucke, and Floyd Landis as examples (not to mention the suggestion that Richard Virenque and David Millar became facially hirsute at around the time they got caught doping), he made the proposition that beards were a clear indicator of dubious practice. Grumpy Bob observes that Lance Armstrong (who of course has never tested positive) does not have a beard. Team Grumpy leaves it to the reader to make what they will of that factoid. In the meantime, perhaps it is time to lose the beard?
Monday, 25 May 2009
A week of increased mileage for Grumpy Bob
Grumpy Bob has persisted with his new stratagem to revitalise his bike training. In the last week, he covered over 230 miles as follows:
Monday - Grumpy Bob did three sets of five 1' intervals at race pace. Then commuted to work on the tandem.
Tuesday - 60' at level 2, and commuted to work.
Wednesday - As usual, a club time trial, this time over at Stony Stratford. With the riding to and from work and Stony Stratford, this came to about 50 miles, and Grumpy Bob felt quite tired when he got home. At least he got under 28 minutes, though he did suffer the ignominy of being caught.
Thursday - The grumpy legs were feeling a bit jaded so only a gentle commute to work.
Friday - Road ride, the commuted by tandem, then topped with an evening trip to the NBRC club room to discuss arrangements for the British Time Trial Championship (6th September).
Saturday - No riding - overhauled the touring tandem (cycle tour starts next week).
Sunday - A total of about 64 miles, about half on the road bike, half on the Longstaff tandem. A brilliant;y hot and sunny day - Grumpy Bob has begin to acquire a "cycling suntan".
Monday - Grumpy Bob did three sets of five 1' intervals at race pace. Then commuted to work on the tandem.
Tuesday - 60' at level 2, and commuted to work.
Wednesday - As usual, a club time trial, this time over at Stony Stratford. With the riding to and from work and Stony Stratford, this came to about 50 miles, and Grumpy Bob felt quite tired when he got home. At least he got under 28 minutes, though he did suffer the ignominy of being caught.
Thursday - The grumpy legs were feeling a bit jaded so only a gentle commute to work.
Friday - Road ride, the commuted by tandem, then topped with an evening trip to the NBRC club room to discuss arrangements for the British Time Trial Championship (6th September).
Saturday - No riding - overhauled the touring tandem (cycle tour starts next week).
Sunday - A total of about 64 miles, about half on the road bike, half on the Longstaff tandem. A brilliant;y hot and sunny day - Grumpy Bob has begin to acquire a "cycling suntan".
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Has Grumpy Bob balanced his work and life?
Sort of.
After the decision to take time in the mornings before going to work, he did the following:
Sunday: 1h level 2 session, before he spent the day helping Mrs Grumpy build an edifice in the garden. The weather then turned bad, which disinclined him from road cycling.
Monday: 2 x 20 mins low level 3, plus the usual commute to work.
Tuesday: 1h level 2 again, also cycled to work.
Wednesday: to work on the TT bike, rode up to the club time trial, rode the club time trial, then rode home.
Thursday & Friday: Grumpy Bob let himself down while attending a training course in Birmingham. While the loss of training was expected, he gorged himself on far too much food. At least booze intake was limited to a glass of wine and a pint of Grolsch.
Saturday: The Lampard '10'. Very windy, very hard.
Sunday: Very much the same as last week - Grumpy Bob types this having done another 1h at level 2, again prior to some gardening work. Hopefully some tandem riding will be possible later on.
Of course, it's too soon to see if this will have any effect, and Grumpy Bob won't be riding an open event until returning from the grumpy tandem tour, in mid-June. However, it is possible that Team Grumpy will assemble for a club event in late May. Watch this space.
After the decision to take time in the mornings before going to work, he did the following:
Sunday: 1h level 2 session, before he spent the day helping Mrs Grumpy build an edifice in the garden. The weather then turned bad, which disinclined him from road cycling.
Monday: 2 x 20 mins low level 3, plus the usual commute to work.
Tuesday: 1h level 2 again, also cycled to work.
Wednesday: to work on the TT bike, rode up to the club time trial, rode the club time trial, then rode home.
Thursday & Friday: Grumpy Bob let himself down while attending a training course in Birmingham. While the loss of training was expected, he gorged himself on far too much food. At least booze intake was limited to a glass of wine and a pint of Grolsch.
Saturday: The Lampard '10'. Very windy, very hard.
Sunday: Very much the same as last week - Grumpy Bob types this having done another 1h at level 2, again prior to some gardening work. Hopefully some tandem riding will be possible later on.
Of course, it's too soon to see if this will have any effect, and Grumpy Bob won't be riding an open event until returning from the grumpy tandem tour, in mid-June. However, it is possible that Team Grumpy will assemble for a club event in late May. Watch this space.
Monday, 11 May 2009
Grumpy Bob's bikes fail UCI regs!
Shock news - Grumpy Bob's time trial bikes fail UCI regulations! I think Team Grumpy has to hope these stupid regulations won't actually be enforced at the 2009 Duo Normand...
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Work-Life balance and training
Grumpy Bob has been getting more grumpy as 2009 has proceeded. Having had a crap winter training programme, due firstly to 3 weeks of illness in December followed by Xmas festivities (all of which seem to involve high calorific intake and generally toxic behaviour) and secondly to the fortnight of snow and ice inflicted on England in early February, he has continued to find that his work commitments have eaten into the time available for training.
This morning, while walking home with Mrs Grumpy from the shops, Grumpy Bob decided to take a bit of a step back from working long hours. He's found that while his previously successful working system of getting to work around 7.30 to 8.00 am and leaving by 5.30pm allowed time for getting training done, his present lifestyle doesn't help - frequently not getting home till 7.30pm-ish leaves precious little time for training.
The new regime will hopefully see Grumpy Bob leaving the house later in the morning, thereby freeing up a bit more time for him to get some miles in, either on the road bike, or on the turbo. Grumpy Bob is aware that he's announced new training resolutions sporadically in this blog, and that these have rarely been adhered to. He's reasonable optimistic that this time, he'll stick to it, and that perhaps his time trial performances will improve slightly.
This morning, while walking home with Mrs Grumpy from the shops, Grumpy Bob decided to take a bit of a step back from working long hours. He's found that while his previously successful working system of getting to work around 7.30 to 8.00 am and leaving by 5.30pm allowed time for getting training done, his present lifestyle doesn't help - frequently not getting home till 7.30pm-ish leaves precious little time for training.
The new regime will hopefully see Grumpy Bob leaving the house later in the morning, thereby freeing up a bit more time for him to get some miles in, either on the road bike, or on the turbo. Grumpy Bob is aware that he's announced new training resolutions sporadically in this blog, and that these have rarely been adhered to. He's reasonable optimistic that this time, he'll stick to it, and that perhaps his time trial performances will improve slightly.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Is your Time Trial bike UCI legal?
The UCI are notoriously luddite when it comes to bicycle technology. This has the potential to cause a problem if you're competing in an event where your bike's required to conform to UCI regulations. This has the potential to affect riders at the Duo Normand, where it is rumoured that the regulations may be strictly enforced in 2009. (But I don't think Team Grumpy really expect that)
Grumpy Bob's reviewed these regs, particularly as they apply to time trial bikes, and has outlined the significant sections (How to make your Time Trial bike conform to UCI regulations). Read, and feel free to leave comments...
Grumpy Bob's reviewed these regs, particularly as they apply to time trial bikes, and has outlined the significant sections (How to make your Time Trial bike conform to UCI regulations). Read, and feel free to leave comments...
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