Category Archives: training updates

November 15, 2015 · 8:48 pm

Enjoy the ride

So I’ve finally gotten around to pening some thoughts down. I’m at a stage where it’s challenging trying not to make honest sound negative. Well I CBF now.

I’ve always enjoyed sharing the journey and experiences. As much as I haven’t written much about it, I actually still do. Even if you DNF or come in dead last, you still take away lessons. In the society we live in, there’s usually nothing worth mentioning/sharing if you don’t win or podium. Everyone wants to read/cheer about winning stories. People either aren’t sure how to react to poor performances or feels it’s a waste of time.

I may not be a champion bike racer, but I’ve made it my goal to be a constant learner of things. However, if you don’t have a pro contract, haven’t worn yellow, green, polka or rainbow, it’s highly unlikely anyone will take you seriously. We whine about this city state being pancake flat with no real hills to train on. When I suggested to someone to think about adjusting his brakes on to hit the numbers he’s after, I got the eyebrow “that sounds ridiculous” raise. When I told him that was what a rider said in an interview about the year he won the rainbow bands, he looked away with a straight face.

I came into cycling with heaps of energy, negative and positive. The negatives have remained negative, the positives have now become negative. It’s pretty clear that the problem I’ve had with racing on the bike is all between the ears. The community involved in competitive sport is small and exclusive. I have yet to see the light, but I’m thankful to have a few who share the same philosophy to share the journey with. For now I’m just getting on the bike and enjoying the ride.

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October 12, 2015 · 12:13 am

Fading into the background. Getting dropped like a fly

I’ve fallen behind on SO many occasions that I can’t help but start to wonder how many times can someone actually get beaten down and still expect to get back up. What’s worst this time was that I actually worked my butt off going in. Numbers were constantly going up, the training was focused, confident I was on the right track. But I came out with a beating so bad, I’m struggling to find any positives at all to walk out with my head up.
You might be on the right track, getting faster, but not fast enough yet. People on the outside don’t care about the process, they just want to know the outcome. Like life, racing is brutal. If you get dropped, you’re not fast enough, period, don’t bother trying. That’s how people are on the outside.
While I would have preferred to have my trusted circle run through this difficult weekend with me, I have to settle for an exchange of wise words thanks to the wonders of technology. It will be a trying next couple of weeks as I look to dig myself out from six feet under.

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October 8, 2015 · 4:59 pm

Camp and the rest of it all

Went into camp with a positive frame of mind, both physically and mentally. The bulk of the work has been done and what I needed more was familiarity, with all the elements of the track, equipment especially. I probably should have psyched myself a little better because by the third day in, I was beating myself up pretty badly for the lack lustre times. Somehow I’ve always managed to screw things up between the ears. Maybe I’m not as mentally tough as I think I am. Okay, obviously I’m not.
As our host starts to prepare itself for the Bangkok edition of the Track Asia Cup, I can’t help but sense that the feeling of elitism is very much still present. I miss having that team element. Hell the last time I ever felt like I was in one was back in 2010, 2011 with Mercs.
It was great to touch base with my mentor and to hear of some awesome news. Words of encouragement from people you trust goes a long way.

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September 19, 2015 · 6:13 pm

Is it a level playing field

In sports, often or not, it’s unlikely a level playing field. At an elite or high competitive level, where top honours is at stake, the intrinsic or sometimes even tangible advantage is usually the make or break. Perseverance and determination is the building block for a tough athlete. But let’s face it, in this day and age, there is no middle ground. You either make or break. Your pat on the back is forgotten as quickly as the pat itself.

If you’re deemed to have natural talent, you’ll be served up on a silver platter. That’s talent ID. You’ll have all the resources at your disposal to develop that talent. That’s as good as a 30m head start in a 100m race. I was going to say 50m, but let’s be as objective as possible. How you choose to run the rest of the race is besides the point. The talent to suck up to people is also a talent by the way.

Getting into recreational sports and fitness, like competitive sport is all about how deep your pocket is. Gym memberships, exercise classes, proper coaching, injury prevention, equipment, use of facilities, going to races.The budget competitive athlete and/or recreational go-getter is tied to whatever budget he/she has. So if you’re born to a silver platter, but is a late bloomer, you still have a head start. Again, how you choose to run the rest of the race is besides the point.

The rest who are not and don’t display signs of natural talent are basically left with the message: Spend your life earning the big bucks and you’ll be able to afford whatever toys you want in the future and your kids might have a chance to be an elite athlete.

Even when we look at it on a global scale, depth of pocket is one of the major factors in elite performance. The more money you pump in, the higher the chances of bringing back silverware. Again, how you choose to run the rest of the race is besides the point.

The against-all-odds stories gives people a sense of hope. But it should not be used as a primary source of motivation because these cases are far from being the majority. Not only that, its effect varies across different sporting cultures and environment. Hard work pays off. Its how you choose to run the rest of the race. If you start the race 30m behind, is hard work going to be enough? What are the chances that everyone else you’re racing against isn’t working their butt off? Because at the end of the race, your hard work will be forgotten as quickly as the hand shake you get.

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September 3, 2015 · 7:05 pm

G8 Pro Series 2620

The long awaited Pro Series 2620 from G8 Performance came in the mail about 3 weeks ago.

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I’m going through a massive training block to put it through some serious abuse. More about the training block later.

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The foot bed is lined with a nice suede-like material to give the foot good traction while in the shoe. Another improvement from the 2600 is that the dots of the removeable arches have been shifted forward.

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I took this opportunity to do some fine tuning and went for a higher arch. For me, the positive difference it made was immediate: Greater comfort, little to no hot spots, the feel of connectivity with the footbed. I totally get the “no power data to back it up = not legit” approach. But when you’re no longer bothered by your shoes during 4-hour rides or motorpacing sessions, that’s certainly a step forward.

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July 22, 2015 · 7:28 pm

Over and Under

Nothing exciting to report to be honest: DNFed most or nearly all my races. The training block really only took off in the last 3 weeks. I struggled to find my feet at the beginning 3 with lack of direction and focus. Talk about a roller coaster ride, besides the rolling hills.

If I was going to chuck in any of the goals I kicked, at least I’ve worked up the grades. First crack in an open A grade race in the form of Pickering Brook. Well you gotta throw yourself into the deep end to know where you are and how far away the shore is. Working through the mental side of things alone isn’t a fun game at all. #characterbuilding

At track side, I definitely struggled to find any track legs. It could have been a combination of a number of factors, but I’ll remain focus on what’s within my control: my own progress and performance.

Push through, and good things will come out at the end. I left knowing and seeing that I’ve stepped up (with some valuable help) and made new friends. Cheers to the AvantiPlus boys for smashing me in the hills and the crew from BikeForce Success for looking out for me when I made the hike down to have a hit out at the Peel races. Top job by the Peel District Cycling Club.

It’s been a blast catching up with everyone. They say cycling is cliquey. While I won’t agree entirely, neither will I entirely disagree. More about that next time. Thanks Track Cycling WA for welcoming me back. Till we meet again.

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June 29, 2015 · 6:32 pm

Thrills and thankfully no spills

I’ve ridden the Speed Dome quite a number of occasions now but this year is my first Perth Winter Grand Prix. My first planned attempt at the GP was back in 2012, which was also my first go the boards. I ended up spending the day at A&E getting stitches. Rookie mistake.
3 years on, and I haven’t moved up the ranks to A grade. Disappointed? Yes. But if I count the days I’ve been bike racing, or actually rode a track, I know I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. It’s difficult to make a comparison with people from different backgrounds racing amongst the top ranks domestically in a cycling nation within 18 months and it doesn’t take sherlock to figure out why.
The less then healthy atmosphere within cycling back home at the moment is just turning from bad to worst. And lets face, because there aren’t many cyclist, competitive or recreational, you’re bound to get caught in the cross fire. It’s not top secret that I wasn’t welcomed with open arms into the world of two wheels. If you’re not willing to be someone’s biatch, forget about getting into the frat house.

My time working up the competitive ranks lacked focus and direction. Started off learning to put my foot in the water. Then thought I could dabble in the sprints (that obviously didn’t work out) Now I’ve moved on into the enduro path. You can’t take back time, but judging by the moves I could still pull off in a club level match sprint, my time with Carl and the aBoc crew hasn’t gone to waste.

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Photo courtesy of Tony Lendrum Photography

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Photo courtesy of Tony Lendrum Photography

There’s going to be alot of suffering in the next few months as I aim to be enduro fit. I’m just glad and appreciative that I have someone I trust and has faith in me on board now.

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Photo courtesy of Conor Sherwin

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Photo courtesy of Conor Sherwin

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June 15, 2015 · 2:43 pm

In search of the missing pair of track legs

Two weeks now in Perth. Can’t complain about thr weather. Yet. Definitely good time to get in those road ks.

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The boards haven’t been too great unfortunately. The 501 laps TourdeSpeeddome was canned due to lack of entries but there was Round 3 of the Winter Track Series to look forward to last Friday. Training on the boards haven’t been upbeat as I’m struggling to look for the speed I had. Not promising considering the plan was to find more speed from where I left off. Needless to say, racing on Friday was far from acceptable. Throw out the back, fought to get back on. Once, twice, thrice But there’s just so many times the legs can do that.
Apart from that, having to fiddle with my setup and hunting the second-hand market for the right bits to chuck on has put me a little out of sorts. The second-hand market here can be quite a pain to deal with.

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No racing pictures to go along with it cos there probably isn’t much to take when you can’t even mix it in on the action.
Brand new start to the week, let’s work towards some gainz. My Velotoze is probably going to come in handy this week. Look out for that.

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June 4, 2015 · 4:02 pm

Getting back into the enduro side of things

It’s been some quiet few months. Nothing eventful as the typical Singaporean lifestyle had taken over and attempted to suck the life out of me.
But the Perth Winter Track Cycling Grand Prix has come to the rescue. I’ve made the trip back down to get a solid 6-week block in. Being here just 5 months ago, I doesn’t feel like I left.

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The roads outback can be rough. But living in a city state, you seldom get to peddle for 3 hours non-stop without having to wait at the lights and face a block head wind. It sure is fun becoming an enduro.

The 2015 SEA Games are underway. Be sure to watch out for my man Wille in the triathlon on Sunday 7 June. Get amongst it!
And don’t miss out on the high speed action that is cycling! #OurTeamSG
Full schedule can be found here
http://results.seagames2015.com/

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April 7, 2015 · 4:39 pm

Just ride your bike

After a slight mishap with a vehicle on the road three weeks ago, everything is back in full swing. The scabs have all fallen off, the bruises have faded away. I’m glad I walked away from that. No matter how light the accident may be, never take it for granted that you’re able to get back on the saddle.
The new 11-speed components are pretty swanky. Though just minor improvements, the gains are pretty significant, in my not-so-professional opinion.
With sponsor’s commitments, riding hours are limited to before 12pm. You can do heaps before 12pm, if you’re up at 5am. Four hours on the road and still have time to make eggs and a second cuppa. Or a lung bursting, leg screaming sess on the wind trainer plus two hours on the road before heading into work. Or some big squats and deadlifts. Less of the bench presses nowadays.
Not getting too caught up with marginal gains. I’m keeping it simple: HR monitor, cadence sensor, get it right between the ears. Counting down to the Wintet GP.

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