Pocomotion Road Club

This coming year the Poco Loco Cycling r.t. will be renamed to Pocomotion Road Club.

This has come about through the idea to widen the appeal of everyday cycling, whether it's Road Racing, Time Trials, Sportives, Leisure Riding or Virtual Platform.

Primarily i would like to welcome to the team the new members who will ride in the new Pocomotion Kit for the 2022 season...

John Sammut (Uk) - A prolific rider on the RGT platform scoring numerous top 5 placings and showing fantastic consistency in every TTT & ranking event he rides.

Kader Allouni (Uk) - Another very strong rider who always performs very well in the TTT & ranking events on RGT, scoring his first win after many sacrifices for the team.

Kristen Ege (Den) - Super strong rider who has again performed really well in all the TTT & ranking events, always pushing hard when in the front group of races.

Mads Schnoor (Den) - A very strong rider who has a super sprint pushing out well over 1200w in the finale of  races. Also been an integral part of the TTT successes.

Ian Slater (Uk) - Very strong rider, who will be part of the road & t.t squad.

John Robertson (Uk)- One of our elder statesman who will be riding the short distance BBAR...a strong consistent rider

Malc Giles (Uk) - on the return after long spell of injury through a car accident. Looking to start with some short distance T.T's.

Jan Van der Linden (Ned) - Super strong allrounder attaining some great results in the top 10 on RGT including the TTT & ranking events. TBC...

Lyndon Gommersall (Uk) - very strong rider who supported the team in the road Bike TTT near Telford which the team won.  TBC...

The team will be supported by....

Tim Woods - Echelon Cycles

Andy Tabernacle - Bishops Chartered Accountants

Alex Giles - 4 x 4 Autobarn Ltd

With the current climate being dominated with the awful Covid, I am still in hope for 2022 to hold several training camps with the inclusion of a team launch early Spring?

Welcome all the the NEW Pocomotion Cycling Club

Stay safe.

N

Team Pocomotion RGT Virtual Tour du Monde 12 day stage race

 In this unprecedented times we are all trying to get through, virtual platform cycling has become the norm for many to help with the physical and mental pressures of the enforced restrictions.

Team Pocomotion was formed not only to participate in various events on the RGT platform, but to be part of a community getting together from all round the World.

• John Sammut (Uk)
• Mads Schnoor (Den)
• Kader Allouni  (Uk)
• Nik Coppi  (Den)
• Nick Giles  (Uk)

This was the team that has already taken success in the #MRETT TTT series finishing 3rd overall and the 24hr relay challenge...now adding the Tour Du Monde 12 day stage race to it's team's palmaries.

The RGT Tour Du Monde was set up to give riders the chance to race over some iconic routes from around the World, many of which are used IRL in major Grand Tours. It demanded a lot of commitment form every rider taking part and with 647 riders and 13 teams signed on it was destined to be a very hard tour.

With 4 time slots allocated for each stage, riders from various countries could ride the stage according to their particular time zone...we decided to split between 12.30 and 18.30 which allowed for other commitments such as family and work.

The stages were very hard, incorporating a prologue t.t., 3 flat stages, 4 hilly stages, 3 mountain stages and 1 TTT stage...Pocomotion rode really well showing strong riding in all stages with John Sammut producing outstanding results, with support from all 4 other team members.

Several top 10 placings were had with the 'icing' on the cake being the 1st place in the penultimate stage the TTT.

Overall the Tour Du Monde was a success, a few glitches along the way, but that is expected with an event of this scale! 

Personally, it reminded me of the 12 day Tour of Serbia and Montenegro i rode with a GB select team IRL, albeit the stages are much shorter, the focus needed was exactly the same...you just can't miss a beat!

So all-in-all a success for Pocomotion Virtual Team and hopefully more to come...

Pocomtion results resume for the TDM>>>

Individual Overall Classification from 647 starters:

2nd        John Sammut

29th      Nick Giles

36th      Mads Schnoor

95th      Kader Allouni

176th    Nik Coppi

Team Overall Classification:

8th

Sprints Classification:

1st        John Sammut

2nd      Mads Schnoor

Stage wins:

1st        TTT

I would like to say congratulations to all the team for their outstanding achievements and unrelenting commitment to an event that proved very tough but endearing and with times as they are the event had brought people together from all parts of the globe into one community.

See you all soon...stay safe.

N

RGT CYCLING

#solestar #powertothepedals

Virtual Team Time Trials

 The reason behind virtual Team Time Trials

With 2020 being a year of struggle for all...the Covid Pandemic has all but cancelled-out the cycling season, with no trips away, no racing except for a few Roadmans t.t.'s in August and September!

Indoor training has increased two-fold with turbo trainers selling out in almost every cycling retail and on
line shops.

Luckily i managed to acquire a set of Elite Nero Interactive Rollers and Direto Turbo to enable myself to continue my training in a varied and motivational way.

Recently i teamed up with 5 riders...2 from Denmark, Mads Schnoor Nelson & Nikolaj Larson and 2 from the UK, John Summut, KaderAlouni, to ride a virtual Team Time Trial series on the RGT platform. Made up of teams from around the World competing over a varied distance and terrain, the racing has been fast and hard!

Why do this>>>

With the outdoor season being shortened by over 6 months, this allowed me to work outside the norm for this time of year...it enables the body to work in zones which is very difficult outdoors with the adverse weather. It's very important as one ages to work in the upper zones of the system, to encourage respiratory exchange, maintaining lung strength and above all 'spike' the muscular system aside the usual riding in the Aerobic/ Endurance zone!

The result is that you are able to cross-train, 'shock' the system into variable training adaptions, thus not losing all the gains from prior Covid racing/training, which only gets harder to retrieve the older one gets! 

*** So in nutshell... Mixing Aerobic Zone 2 base riding with at least 1 day of Tempo Zone3/4 and 1 day of Anerobic Zone 4-7 will encourage muscular adaptions and increase in FTP and VO2 ***

Note...Free movement, core, resistance and functional strength off the bike plays an integral part of my training!

Everesting Challenge

It's been over 10 yrs since i rode 3500km from Sicily (Italy) to Lands End (Uk) to raise money for Cancer Research...an epic challenge in my 50th year! The plan was to do another challenge in my 60th year but a severe injury a year prior made it difficult, so i decided to race myself back to top condition resulting in a great season.

With the Pandemic changing the World as we know it, forcing most sporting events to be postponed, i have decided to put my training to good use by attempting my 3rd charity ride... the Everest Challenge (8858m) in my home county of #Cornwall and maybe going for the Masters record...exact location is St Ives on the North Coast....a climb of 3.2kms with elevation of 193m.

The attempt will be this summer and date to be fixed once more restrictions on travel have been lifted?

***I'm doing this challenge to raise money for the #Bloodbikes an emergency service that coordinates fast links betwwen hospitals delivering essential support.***

https://do-it.org/organisations/the-nationwide-association-of-blood-bikes

I will be setting up a donation page and to add a little spice i will be offering a prize for the person guesing to the nearest second the time it will take me to complete the ride!

I would like thank

Tony Rowell

and Jake Rowell for taking time to find a suitable climb.

Sponsor and more relevant info to follow...

Thankyou and stay safe

N

#solestar #pocolococycling

Portugal...the country full of enchantment and surprises...

I have been lucky enough to spend 9 fantastic days at a little coastal village called Burgau in the Algarve with my good friend John Poole. John has been coming here since early 2000 and has always mentioned to me how good the area is for outdoor activities, especially road cycling and mountain biking!

I decided to go and see for myself after 20 yrs of riding and training in Mallorca.
Surprises galore awaited me upon arrival, first and foremost the very mild climate, which being so far south is expected...but not in late November!
Burgau was only 1hr 15 mins drive from the airport, following a good motorway system with little traffic once clear of Faro.
Arriving at the village was an instant ‘wow’...little old 'fincas' and quaint houses with a hotel perched at the top  overlooking the beautiful waterfront, with lots of little restaurants scattered around the steep cobbled streets.
John took me for a coffee to chat about some of the rides we would be doing and looking at possible training camps in this virtual untapped stunning rural area...it reminded me so much of my child hood home in Cornwall before it became commercialised...rugged, yet inviting...scenery that caresses ones heart and the feeling of complete freedom!

The culture here is one of self sufficiency, living off the land and sea. Like most of Europe, food plays an important part of everyday life...bringing family and friends together to eat and drink some of the finest cuisine i have tasted! The cafes and bars were sublime situated in some real remote mountains with friendly locals serving some amazing coffee and cakes...omg the cakes...just delicious...all for virtual pennies!

The riding started from day 1, a short but undulating ride out towards Sagras (famous beer named after this place) being the most westerly point in Europe...next stop USA
The evening was so relaxing, sampling some amazing food at a restaurant near Lagos. What they do with the fish and meat dishes would bring a smile to Gordon Ramsey!

The next few rides were a little more difficult, if i ranked each ride out of 10, they would all be above 5 with the hardest being the last mountain ride at 10! With this in mind, if riders came here for a training camp a good base of fitness is recommended! The climbs were steep, the descents sometimes technical but fast and the wind is always difficult being so close to the Atlantic.
It’s a complete contrast to everyone’s favourite, Mallorca...the roads are a lot quieter with most rides only coming across 1 or 2 cars for 4 hours! The terrain is a lot harder, have to be honest, you have to work with every pedal stroke...but the scenery just immerses you in a state of aww with the tired aching legs being replaced with reinvigorated energy!

In my time here i met some lovely people...locals and ex-pats alike...all giving their time to chat. I had a few initial bike issues when i arrived and the local bike shop at Logos called G Ride were friendly and so helpful to get my bike sorted by the next day!
Meeting John’s good friend Miguel Aguas was a real pleasure, the manager at the local hotel and a real bike enthusiast. He took us on a superb last ride taking in some of the most breath taking views i have seen aside the coast of Mallorca...a ‘bucket list’ ride if there was ever one!

So all in all, Portugal was a place im so glad and lucky enough to experience. I have come away already thinking about a return visit, to sample more of the culture and amazing riding...oh and the food...omg the food!

N

Poco Loco Cycling

Mallorca Cycling Training and Touring Breaks

Hi All,

If you and/or your partner are considering a cycling holiday, please take a minute to look through a new exciting cycling venture created by my friend in Mallorca...Marolina Esposito. She is keen in providing cycling tours for women who want to ride in a group of similar ability and ride some of the the best roads in Europe.
More women are now finding cycling as a great way to keep fit while at the same time ride with their partners and enjoy some stunning activity holidays.

**For those riders who actually want to do specific training with more intensity, this will be catered for...please ask for details upon booking your cycling holiday/camp.**

Hello,

I am Mariolina, an Italian cyclist resident in Mallorca with extensive experience in cycling groups and I want to invite you to cycle with me a new cycling experience on the beautiful island of Mallorca.

After the success of our training camps for all audiences and levels, we will pay special attention to our rocket girls, as it is what more and more women are asking for.

Join our groups and stay in the best specialized hotels, wheel with high-end bikes and let yourself be accompanied by the best guides.
Take the best memory of a holiday cycle in Mallorca.

Please follow the link to Marolina's website to sample the best cycling experience in Mallorca

LindabikeTours

If you have any further questions regards LindaBike Tours, please use the comment box below and i will do my best to answer them...

Enjoy your riding.

Nick

Poco Loco Cycling R.T. New Strava Activity Blog