Poco Loco Cycling R.T. New Strava Activity Blog

Post Mallorca Results

The rewards of the Mallorca Training Camp 2013...

With Mallorca over a month gone, the guys are returning some impressive results showing good form gained on the camp:

Dave Spencer - Silver at the TLI National Criterium Champs

Dave Spencer - 13th overall in Brenig Road Race 2/3/4

Dave Williams - 3.56 in Anfield 100 a PB and 3rd overall

Dave Williams - First group in Brenig Road race 2/3/4

Ryan Morley -   Top rider in club t.t. series 

Ryan Morley -   Team prize and 3rd overall in Chester r.c 25m t.t.

Ben Amesbury - Finisher in Anfield 100

Congratulations to all of above and to the others who came on the Mallorca Camp, please let me know your results/achievements.

Mallorca 2013

Mallorca Classic Training Camp 2013

Poco Loco Cycling would like to thank the following people for making the 2nd Mallorca training camp such a huge success...

David Williams - 'bring it on'

Leah Williams - 'the determined one'                                                  

A relaxing and happy group enjoying a well earned drink

David Spencer - 'mr slice'
Susan Seller - 'the adventurer'
Nicola Collins - 'im lovin'it'
Nick Giles - 'the lizard'
Malcolm Giles - 'the teacher'
Richard Whitley - 'tan your dick'
Ben Amesbury - 'never say die'

Yvonne Amesbury - 'the joker'

Ryan Morley - 'man .v. food'

Also, I would like to thank all the staff at the Hotel Dunas Blancas for making our stay so enjoyable...

Jose Manuel, Charo, Andra and Marianne.

Last but not least Rolando from 'Sportbequi' for supplying the fantastic Wiler and Ridley Carbon Bikes and his excellent customer service.

Now for the week's review, oh where do I start....

With the excitement and anticipation of the Mallorca classic training camp finally arriving everyone was looking forward to the cycling adventure ahead, from the newbies to cycling to the hardened racers.

The various flight arrivals meant that i had to travel out early to make sure everything was in place and check out some of the routes that we were going to ride over the next week. Myself and Malc arrived at L'Arenal three days before our first arrival which was Richard (who was to become known as 'tan your dick').
As with the Newquay camp the weather was on our side, warm, sunny and temperatures ideal for cycling, albeit 15 degrees warmer than Newquay....happy days!

The initial few days it was myself, Malc and Richard riding together and with neither of them knowing the island by bike, i took them on 4-6 hour rides around the south of the island over the mountains and through the rolling hills of central Mallorca with Richard stopping every 10 km for a natural break on each of the rides... hence his nickname!

Myself and Richard with a stunning Mediterranean backdrop

The rest of the gang eventually turned up after some being on time and some being delayed which meant the hotel driver doing some extra shuttles out and back to the airport. Once all rooms were allocated and everyone was settled in, it was a case of meeting in the morning at breakfast and deciding the days 'parcours' for the two groups consisting of mainly the lads in one and the lass' in t'other and collecting the hire bikes pre-booked from 'Sportbequi'. After a few small sizing problems with the bikes we finally made it on the road with Sue Seller taking out Von, Leah and Nicola on a gentle ride up via the coast rode.

The gang all smiles on the first day...not for long!

I decided to take he lads on nice 'break-in' sort of ride, a little of everything, coastal rolling roads mixed with a few gentle climbs and some very fast flat stretches. The riding hours seems to pass so quickly with scenery to die for and weather that was just perfect, warm sun and little wind, no winter kit hear, just shorts and a jersey, happy days!

The evening was a case of fueling up for the next day from the vast buffet in the restaurant, which Ryan certainly made his own! Funny though, one thing I did notice during the week, people were coming down later for breakfast and eating became a little torturous trying to replace all the energy used on each of the rides! Saying that, the Aladins cafe stop, after a day's ride was just fantastic, out of this world cakes and real coffee, It was a place we took over in the late afternoon sunshine, to sit and chat and reminisce on the day's heroics!

This is the life

I must mention how impressed I was with the ladies, no moaning, just grit and determination not to let each other down and just enjoy the experience and see some of the island. Leah, must be given the award for tenacity, as she had hardly turned a pedal before she arrived, (mainly due to the crap weather here in the UK) and with wearing basic running trainers she completed all the rides...hilly ones to-boot! To me the lass' bounced of each other, a little competitive which is nice, but, all supporting each other at the same time, pure magic!

The awesome foursome - Sue, Nicola, Leah & Von

Over the week, I had designed specific 'training segments' to give the riders that something different to their rides and help them prepare for their seasons targets. The rides broke down like this..hard day with segment, easy recovery day with the girls, hard day with segment, easy recovery ride and so on...

These were optional, but the pleasing thing everyone was up for it...BOOM (one of the camps new phrases)

Our first segment came on our 140km trip into the mountains, where after a few shall we say 'ups & downs' performed an 8km team time trial with everyone doing 200m on the front and then swinging off. It was great, good tempo on medium size gears and all of us in team kit, it must of looked like a pro outfit, just a shame we didn't video it!

As last year, I kept the popular 'cut & chase' where the riders team up in pairs (selected at the pub in a draw) and set off for a 5km 'two-up' and given 1 minute before the rest gave chase. If the pair make it to the roundabout (5km) they won a drink courtesy of Poco Loco....trouble is, all pairings made it, no one was caught! :-/

I must give mention to Ben...for drama and the most noise made in a two-up he's reigns supreme, man can he suffer...but valiant he is!

Don't get me wrong, even the recovery days were still fairly hard and on several occasions we were still covering 100kms and with the lass' even pushing on the front! It was great to see the improvement from the ladies as the week went by, more confidence and the capacity to do such long days in the saddle, chapeau!

Well earned coffee break with Spenno having the widest grin after seeing  the Cannondale Slice in a nearby bike shop

                                                                                 
Ever wanted to know how to stop Dave W in his tracks...place a fake Euro note in the middle of a mountain road with a bleeding great lorry coming down the opposite way! Nearly wiped out for what turned out to be monopoly money :-(

The hardest day came with two days left, Richard had already departed and his happy go lucky, cheeky wit persona was already being missed by the group! Yeh, this day was a mixture of segments (basically to confuse the body and incur positve muscle reaction). It consisted of 5 x 8 second hard sprints, ride recovery, 2 x 1500m overload mountain climb and finally the cream on top of the bundle, 2 x 4.5km road race with 9km recovery between each effort. Once again, Ben was in his detemined chewing stem mode, while in complete contrast Spenno was never out of level 2. Rymo & DW were showing their strength, with myself...just disguising my age!

The road races were great fun...painful...but fun! The first one going to DW after an awesome attack with 2 km to go and the second one going to Rymo, showing all that eating must go towards his huge turbo!

The man who changed the rule book for tenacity...Ben

                             

I would also, like to mention our kid...Malc was so nervous about the trip and was worried at not being able to keep up on the rides, but give credit where it's due, he rode every day, covering a very hefty 900km in 10 days! When the rides became too hard he joined in the slower group and helped them enormously with encouragement...some say it's the teacher in him, hence his nickname! He also credited with doing the photos which you can see above!

I hope the resume gives a decent read and apologies if I can't recall everything, but events upon my return caused a little melt down for me physically and mentally!

Till next time...

Adios.

N

Tour of Cornwall Review

Tour Of Cornwall 2013


I would like to take this opportunity in thanking the following for their support in making the 2nd TOC a huge success:

Phil Wilkins, Andy Parr, Marcus Walker & Cath, Dave Spencer, Graeme Cummings (Specialized Concept Chester) Malc Giles, Roger Squire & Mandy, Phil Cooper, Andy Hill, Tim & Chloe (support car + spares & feed) - A group, Debbie Cracknell (Support car + spares & feed) - B group
Riders from Newquay Cycling Club
Racheal Tyers
Mel King
Riders from Tri-Logic Team
Tony Rowell
Neil Eddy
Paul Reeve
Jason Lloyd King
Dave Cracknell
Alison Galloway
Mhairi Saville
'Princess' Linda Garbett          

  

We all had an extremely good 3 days of excellent weather which just made all the difference with the routes and enabled the riders to enjoy the beautiful views that were planned.

Saturday was the the first big day with a near 80 mile jaunt down the south coast to St Ives. Split into 2 groups with Tony Rowell from Tri-Logic taking the 'B' on a slightly easier rolling route and myself taking the 'A' group on the severe hilly route. With no incidents to report, everyone was riding superbly, with the B group sticking together all the way to St Ives for the cafe stop, while the A group were digging deep to climb the very steep coastal climbs that seem to come one after the other. Andy Parr (muncher) was giving it beans every time the road went up, showing some impressive early season condition! Roger Squire, Phil Cooper (E cat vet) & Andy Hill were all showing true grit to battle over the climbs and stay in contact...well done to them!

After a short but welcome refreshment break it was time to return to Newquay. The A group had whittled down to 8 riders with several dropping back to the B group to save energy for the next two day's hard rides.

The plan on the return leg was to have a 'training race' segment over the last 5 miles into Newquay, with a finish flag waiting for the winners at the picturesque ganal estuary. Well, with the wind picking up and the last few hills taking it's toll, both groups split into two's & three's, scattered over many minutes. Roger Squire won the B group prize, with Phil Cooper and Andy Hill providing the most exciting sprint (short video to follow...)! Andy Parr won the A group prize after breaking away with Dave Spencer (Spenno) working well together until the 'big dipper' climb where he clipped off for a solo finish!

To show how hard it was Phil Wilkins (one of the best ex pro riders on the UK circuit) was cocooned in his duvet groaning to himself trying to ease the pain away!

*Congrats must go to the ladies, who showed some impressive fitness to complete the long ride*

The evening was spent having relaxing meal and a few drinks at Wetherspoons...just the ticket!

Sunday was another tough day, albeit slightly shorter at 70 miles. This time the route took us up the north coast to a cafe stop in Post Issac (a little fishing village where the Doc Martin series is filmed) and once again split into two groups with the B group taking the shorter and less hilly route whilst the A group started the hills straight away following the coastal road.
Today the wind was playing a huge factor in the progress of the riders with a cold strong easterly hampering any sort of speed, but hey, determination prevailed and everyone arrived at the cafe, only to find it was at the  bottom of a 3 mile steep climb, which after lunch, was not a nice prospect to climb out of!
Beautiful location as you can see >

The return to Newquay was going to be a rapid one with the wind behind us all the way. With 5 left in the A group and the B group still holding strong with the rest, it was a case to see if the A's could catch up with the B's before arriving back at Newquay?

Once on the A39 heading back to Wadebridge the A's were lined out averaging 45-48kph under the two-up impetus of Andy Parr and Dave Spencer, whilst the B's were splitting under the driving of Graeme Cummings (yes, brother of Stephen of BMC Pro Tour team) who was showing some top form on his newly acquired Specialized Venge bike.
Just after Wadebridge the A's started to split just in sight of a neat formation of the Tri-Logic riders, with Andy Parr once again powering away on his own to eventually catch firstly our kid Malc Giles who was on a very good day, then eventually catching and teaming up the Greame to form a duo all the way back to Newquay, leaving myself clinging onto Spenno with Marcus Walker and Phil Wilkins taking a short breather behind the remnant's of the B group before taking off in pursuit.

Top ride had by all, with once again the sunny weather just adding to the enjoyment!

Tony leading the B group with Phil & Marcus catching a ride







Andy & Graeme forge ahead towards Newquay

Dave Spenno on the chase with Nick & Malc

Monday, once again we were blessed with another stunning day, dry with blue skies, albeit very windy!

After a hearty breakfast we decided to set off on this last day's riding all together...well I say all together, Phil Cooper and Andy Hill, missed the departure and ended up riding the 25 miles to the Eden Project as a 2 up! In my defence the group did leave 15 minutes late, but in reality, I should have done a head count...let's put the blame on a equal footing!

What was meant to be an easy last day leisure ride, turned out to be just as tough as the previous days, with the strong headwind making the progress painfully slow and the last long drag over the disused clay pits was brutal causing the group to split into fragments with everyone just about turning over the pedals!

With a nice downhill to the cafe everyone eventually arrived, looking like they had just rode 50 miles instead of 25, but with the knowledge it was going to be a flyer back, smiles were still abundant. Not so Phil and Andy, they battled all the way together and arrived shortly after us, which, give credit when credit is due, was a superb effort!

We delayed the return to give Phil and Andy time to have a coffee and snack, which also allowed the rest to have a look around this famous landmark in Cornwall.

The initial start out from the cafe was very hard, especially after sitting down for an hour, the steep climbs made the legs hurt, but once over, it was 'pedal to the metal', the gears were rolling nicely and everyone was enjoying the tailwind push home!

The planned 4 mile team time-trial was a cancelled as most were too tired and just wanted to return to the hotel. Only one rider decided to have-a-go...yep, that man Any Parr decided to go solo and this time kick his own ass!

Back at the hotel and before everyone shot off home we (Poco Loco Cycling) had a small prize presentation for the riders who did well in the 'training segments' and generally over the 3 days of very tough riding. The following riders received their prizes from Graeme Cummings of the Specialized Concept Store who kindly donated the products:

Andy Parr - A group segment winner + overall

Roger Squire - B group segment winner

Alison Galloway - B group

'Princess' Linda Garbett - B group

Graeme Cummings - B group segment winner

Phil Cooper & Andy Hill - for their impressive 25 mile 2-up on day 3.

Thank you once again to everyone who supported the 2013 Tour of Cornwall and making it a success. See you next time....

For more photos and some short video clips please follow this link: Tour of Cornwall 2013

Mallorca Training Camp

Week Summary: 600km
3 x 5 hour rides with training segments inc: power riding, mountain sprints, cut & chase and team time trialling.
3 x 2-4 hour steady rides.
Thank you to the following for making it a success:
Dave Spencer, Marcus Walker, Warren Giddins, Kevin Ainsworth, Glen Ainsworth & Christine...(plus the Swiss triathlete who joined in on the training).
Gary Fry for meeting and guiding us through some great lanes.
The Bike Factory Chester for kindly sponsoring us with the vouchers.
The Hotel Dunas Blancas for making us very welcome with friendly staff and super food.

The only thing that could have made it better would have been riding with Gert Jan Theunisse!

Photos of the camp are available via Nick's Picasa Albums.

FWRC New Year Blowout - Thanks

I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who supported the fwrc New Year Blowout.

The group of riders were just fantastic and you all deserve a medal for the epic Saturday in Hell! It was more of a survival test than a training ride, but, what can I say, you all made it and still had a smile at the end...unbelievable,it makes me proud to be part of the fwrc...really!

Another BIG THANK YOU to Tim,Chloe, Rob & Jess for their fantastic support, they looked after everyone and drove superbly. Also Rob, for his post ride treatments and massage, I'm sure it gave everyone that added boost for the tough 'parcours' we endured today.

I thought you all rode brilliantly, especially in such harsh conditions on Saturday and I wish I could have waved a magic wand to rid us of that devastating wind and driving rain, it was torture!

Mallorca Training Clinic Report

A report on the Poco Loco Mallorca Training Clinic

12th - 19th June 2011

with Tour de France Stage winner Gert-Jan Theunisse.

Originally, Warren Giddins and I were looking for something that little bit different for our training week, a lot of fun, but with some serious ‘kick-ass’ training. After scouring the internet, Warren came across a site that mentioned training clinics run by former professional and Tour de France stage winner Gert-Jan Theunisse and his wife Nancy. Many emails and text were fired back and forth and finally dates were fixed and everything was put in place for a week's training including 4 full days riding and coaching from Gert.
We decided not to take are own bikes to save the hassle and stress of packing the bikes, flying, and then unpacking the bikes and getting them prepared, but rather hire two bikes from a local cycle shop in Cala Millor.

Leaving late on Saturday 11th we arrived at Palma to be picked-up and transferred tour hotel by Nancy in what I can say was pure luxury, a Mercedes…how professional did we feel! And to top that, we had another pleasant surprise when Nancy gave us each a pair of fantastic trainers…wow what a great start.
It was an hour's drive to the hotel so we all had time to get to know each other and what Gert has planned for the week. With no meal on the plane we were starving and with the first ride scheduled for Sunday morning we were getting worried, but, thankfully the hotel left out a small snack, which just took the edge off the hunger pangs.

In the morning we woke to a beautiful day, albeit a little overcast, the temperature was just spot-on at 24 degrees ideal for riding, and at 9.30 on-the-dot our bikes arrived as promised. Well, would you believe it, two top-end Pinarello full carbon bikes with Campag equipment…fantastic. On with the pedals, a few minor adjustments and we were ready for action!

Day 1: 150km – Cala Millor – San Juan – Cala Millor
Gert was very punctual as you would appreciate by arriving at 10am , and with him was another pro rider called Pedro, both were super tanned, and in excellent condition making us looking like a couple of milk bottles next to them! Quick introductions and away on our first real day of training, a 5hr tempo ride just to get the legs rolling. Well, the tempo turned out to 30kph, which considering the continual rolling roads, is not bad going!

Gert was in great shape, staying on the front for most of the day, but with only the four of us, we were all working hard. It was a great first day, 150km of beautiful roads, culminating with a nice café con leche at the local café…doesn't get much better than this…or does it?

Day 2: 50km Cala Millor - Cala Anguila - Cala Millor
On Gert's advice it was decided to have every other day as a recovery ride, with a cool swim to enhance muscle repair. So, with this in mind Warren and I set off from the hotel after a relaxing breakfast to find a nice beach where we can have an easy day and prepare ourselves for the next epic ride. After a short 25km ride spinning easy gears we found a picturesque beach called Cala Anguila, it was just stunning, albeit to reach it we had to go down a 20% incline, which obviously we had to climb afterwards…lovely thought! The sea was idyllic and it proved therapeutic on our aching muscles from the previous days ride.

We stayed a couple of hours having a nice lunch after the swim and taking in the perfect scenery on a perfect day. Back on with the kit it was now getting our heads around the very steep climb off the beach… it really hurt the legs! The ride back to the hotel was predominately a rolling road but nothing too difficult, and riding on the cycle paths which are as wide as our roads, made it so much easier. Once back it was down to the nearest café for a nice cooling beer and to pass time before the evening meal…oh how life could be!

Day 3: 202km Cala Millor-Soller-Cala Millor
Another big day ahead with the aim of climbing the 20km Soller Mountain, but starting from where we were it was over 100km away. Gert arrived bang on 10am ready to roll and with plenty of bidons and pockets filled with bananas and gels, we set of to meet Gert's good friend Gary Fry on route. The tempo was already at 32kph and we had barely gone 10km with Warren and myself showing signs of worry about completing the distance if this paced was sustained. Gert knew every side road which sometimes felt like we were going down someone's drive and the initial route to Gary's was not so easy with regular steep climbs coming one after the other. Gary was there waiting for us, again looking very fit and with the obligatory Majorca tan, we all got introduced and had a quick chat before we set of on the long ride to Soller. Gary is a former triathlete who now lives in Majorca and now races regularly on the road and supports Gert with various training camps.

The pace was at a regular tempo but still fast and with just four of us there was nowhere really to hide, so it was just the case of smiling and getting on with it. Luckily with Gert the roads we took by-passed most of the busy areas, truth be told we saw no more than a dozen cars all day.

Nearing Bunyola with 100km covered Gert looked back to see Warren grimacing and asked him if he was okay to climb Soller, with a reply of a forced smile saying everything, Gert shouted to Warren ‘POWER!. Gert and I pushed on with Gary and Warren content to let us go. I’d forgotten how long this climb was and with Gert making the pace sitting in the saddle pushing the big gear he was forcing me to accelerate out of each hairpin to get back alongside him. Nearing the top, the pressure went on, and Gert pushed on even harder to make me react, screaming "come on Nick, go, go, catch me" which I did, just as we reached the top. Pushing back the obvious hurt, we posed for a quick photo together overlooking the fantastic view courtesy of a tourist, then started the long decent back to Bunyola picking up Gary on the way and then Warren soon after.

Stopping at the bottom for a drinks top up and a snack, we began the long haul back to Cala Millor. With the super hot day and distance taking its toll, we had to stop regularly to get drinks, legs were withering, but the tempo was still averaging an amazing 32km, not bad for just 4 riders.

A fraction under 8 hours in the saddle and nearing Cala Millor, Gert and Gary diverted home leaving us to ride straight to the café for a well deserved milkshake and toasted sandwich and a cold towel round Warren's neck to help the shakes! This was well and truly epic… a ride to remember!

Day 4: 50km Cala Millor - Cala Anguila - Cala Millor
Basically this was a repeat of day 2, down to the beach, a recovery swim and a nice lunch and chat about the next day's big effort. I must say the swim on the easy day was something very special; it was just so nice to exercise those muscles that remain inactive on long rides. The only difference with this ride from day 2 is that when we were returning from the beach to the hotel we saw a figure in the distance riding towards us. To our amazement it was Gert with no jersey riding only what can be classed as a shopping bike, and get this, it had a fluffy seat and a bleeding shopping basket on the front. We couldn't believe it and we just had to ask him “is this for real?” which he responded saying “hey man, this is my favourite bike, I love to ride it!”

Chatting on for a while, Gert decided that tomorrow will be the "Team Time Trial Training", something we were looking forward too as it was going to be along the beautiful coast road out of Arenal. So it was a matter of getting plenty of rest and prepare for the long day ahead.

Day 5: 200km Cala Millor – Arenal – Cala Millor
Today's ride was one we were looking forward to as we were going to do a practice team time trial along the beautiful coast road from Felanitx to Arenal. Gert turned up at the hotel on his team bike instead of his carbon mountain bike which meant it was going to be a serious bit of training. The only problem with this plan was that it was going to be a good 2 hour ride to get to the start as we had to do a small detour to pick up Gary. Fortunately the parcour before the time trial was not too difficult albeit the heat off the road still made riding very hard.

Warren was getting nervous as his usual warm up before a time trial would be a 20 minute spin with one short blast, not a 2 hour tempo ride in 30 degrees heat! Arriving at Felanitx we stopped for a quick refuel and discussed what we were going to do. With the first 5km being downhill the four of us set off in formation with Gert starting at the front and Gary following through hard which put the speed at nearly 60kph with Warren and I pedalling for dear life on our compact gears. Once it flattened out it became a little more settled with everyone doing good regular turns keeping the speed at a constant 50kph, but it soon became apparent we were gradually turning into a headwind and once we got onto the exposed roads, turns were being missed.

The wind had taken it's toll and by the time we got to the coast road it was just Gert and I doing a 2 up, although that didn't last long as I had to sit-on whilst he turned over what only could be 54 x 11 with apparent ease! I stuck with him until we reached the approaches to Arenal near the end of the stunning coast road where we stopped to wait for Gary and Warren. Funny though, Gary was the only one to appear, telling us with a grin that Warren had decided to stop at a café and have lunch and we would pick him up on the way back(see the map and you can see where Warren’s Garmin stopped!).

Once back together and a quick photo shot at the café we set off through the cycle routes and headed back on the long route back to Cala Millor which we reached just in time for a quick shower and a well deserved meal, topped off with a couple of cool beers. A fantastic day but extremely tough with an average speed of 30kph!

Day 6: 50km Cala Millor - Cala Anguila - Cala Millor
Another welcome easy day and as before we decided to stick to the easy roads that we knew to our favourite beach. We were both very tired and this short ride was just ideal to spin out the lactic build up from the previous days efforts. Once again the sea was crystal blue and very inviting, and it was a matter of parking the bikes, off with the kit, and diving in…Pure heaven!
So all in all a laid back calorie building, Peroni supping day.

Day 7: 170km Cala Millor - Petra - Randa - San Salvador - Cala Millor
Today was another mountains day, but with a subtle difference. Gert punctual as usual, had something special in mind. We were riding out to three famous cycling climbs, Petra, Randa & the awesome San Salvador. Unfortunately the ride to these climbs was a fair distance and I remember Warren pointing to the distance with a worried look to the first climb, it was miles away and that was as the "crow flies"…it was going to be a very tough day in the saddle! Each climb was to be different, with the first one being Petra which was a average of 7 – 8% gradient, where we started 20 seconds on 20 seconds off sprints all the way to the top off the climb.

Then, gathering what strength we had left it was a short recovery ride to the second which was Randa (a very popular climb with Pro cyclists for training) again a tough climb, steep at the bottom with an easing gradient in the middle and finishing off steep at the top. This one was the power climb, where we had to put it in our biggest gear and grind our way up in the saddle, barely moving at times.

Again it was a gentle spin to the last but not least brutal climb of San Salvador. This was the longest of the three and was a constant but steep gradient. Already on our knees lol, Gert saved the hardest for last, which were a set of sprints every 15 seconds on a big gear & immediately 15 seconds on a small gear with only a very short rest between each effort. This certainly took the smile off our faces as it was unbelievably hard, the climb just went on and on and Gert's rest periods were getting shorter and shorter. With the training now finished, and the day drawing late, it wasn't the case of the a gentle spin recovery, as we had to leg it "so to speak" to get back to the hotel before dark… lovely!

Day 8: Summary. Flight Home
What can I say about this week… but superlative. Gert and Nancy were the perfect hosts. Gert's training was exceptional with his knowledge and route planning and not to forget his sense of humour lol, Gary a fantastic rider and who was extremely enjoyable company. The hotel was fantastic, very comfortable and great food.

Finally the bikes which Gert hired for us, Pinarellos… what a great ride :)

Thanks once again to Gert, Nancy & Gary… see you all next year. :) . N

Fibrax Wrexham RC Tour of Cornwall Report

A report on the  Fibrax Wrexham RC Tour of Cornwall

reproduced from Nick's own blog.

Before I start I would like to thank the following people for making the inaugural Fibrax Wrexham RC 4 day 250 miles "Tour of Cornwall" a great success:

Rob & Sue McDonald, Roger & Aaron Squire, Malc Giles, Susan Seller, Dave Spencer, Warren Giddins, John Mills, Howard Galloway, Martin Hackley, Mike McCann, Andy Hill, Philip Cooper, Andy Parr, Antony Lear, Marcus Walker, Tony Rowell, Neil Eddy, David Cracknell, Jason Beever, John Allen, Alison Galloway, Viv Bray and not forgetting the fantastic support crew, Alex Giles (driver), Tim Giles (Photo + Vids) and Chloe Giles (food drinks + flags).

Day 1: Newquay - Boscastle - Newquay… 85 miles

This was perhaps the hardest day of all the four days, with over 1500m of climbing. Worry coupled with a little trepidation was seen at the breakfast table, but soon the mood changed when the stunning view out of the breakfast room window, showed a spring like day, which was just what was needed on this tough day ahead.

After a hearty meal courtesy of Alex & Will at the Quies Hotel of the usual coffees, teas, fruit, porridge and cooked breakfast all the riders were fuelled and eager to set-off. Two groups, A & B, were on slightly different outward route, with the B’s guided by Tony (Tri-Logic team) avoiding the unforgiving hills of the north coast, while the A’s guided by Nick (FWRC), took that route which entailed climbing virtually from the start. The idea was the two groups should meet at the Millers Café in Boscastle within 10/15mins of each other!

All went to plan, with no mishaps apart from the normal re-grouping and the support car reporting no incidents. The riders were finding the opening route tough, with some suffering more than others, but with a little easing of the pace and some helpful pushing on the hills, everyone survived and within 5 miles of the café the inevitable speed-up happened and it was a case of getting to the café in your own small groups. After 50 miles, the riders were welcomed at the café with complimentary bananas and coffees, which just hit the spot while the main food orders were been taken. The setting was fabulous, all made even more beautiful by the warm weather, albeit a little eerie with the few reminders of the famous floods that hit Boscastle in August 2004!

Once fed and watered, the B group began the ride back leaving the café 10/15mins ahead of the A group. The cruel thing about Boscastle is the Pyrenean-like climb out of the village, a 5km at 8% grade, which was not ideal after a filling lunch, it was tough, and once at the top we had a difficult headwind to hinder us the 30+ miles back to Newquay (thanks for the reminder Rob). Both groups were heading back on the same roads, to meet at an allocated point for the start of the planned ‘training segment’ an 8km team time-trial. With just 15 miles to Newquay and close to the t.t.t start, the support car came back to tell me that the overwhelming decision of the B riders was, I quote “they're all knackered and were going straight back to the hotel”…what could I do, but go with the decision! (The t.t.t. was changed to the last day.)

We all arrived back at the hotel with 85 very tough miles completed and everyone had a sense of achievement, relaxing with a nice cup of coffee deeply satisfied they had completed, perhaps the hardest day!  WELL DONE TO ALL.

Day 2: Newquay - Penzance - Newquay… 70 miles

Today, the route was taking in the stunning views of the south coast. Personally, I thought this day was as hard as day 1, but, with the slightly less miles, I suppose it was a little kinder!

Once again the weather greeting us was fine and spring like, so the riders were happy and keen to get going, albeit still finding their legs heavy after yesterday’s epic. The breakfast was again plentiful, which certainly helped keep the riders energy topped-up. Setting-off as per day 1 in two groups 10 or so minutes apart, the B group were again missing the brutal initial hills of the south coast and hopefully meet at the picturesque village of Portreath for a ‘team’ photo. Luckily, the rides were going smoothly, with the struggling riders helped along as much as required to enable the groups to stay together. Of course there were times when the splits amongst the riders were quite large, but with the wide range of abilities and the nature of the terrain in Cornwall, this was expected, but the support crew doing a fabulous job, driving back-and-forth within the groups, making sure everyone was safe and able to carry on…top job!

The script couldn’t have been written better and just as the A group were descending into the last few miles toward Portreath, the B group came-up from behind, fantastic, and with the speed high it was once again a ‘flyer’ into the village.

Here we had a short break to take a group photo, with its stunning sea backdrop, then, it was matter of the last real steep climb of the day out of Portreath onto the café stop at Penzance. Both groups followed the rest of the coast route together, and just short of Hayle, Aaron had one of a few mishaps endured by the Squire’s. This time his bike totally packed-up with the gearing mechanism breaking, making it impossible for him to carry on, so, reluctantly he had to do the rest of the route in the support car (1st incident). Just out of Hayle to two groups split, while the B group headed directly to the café stop the A group took a slight ‘dog leg’ route towards St Ives, a fairly hilly ride of an extra 5 miles or so.

The café was situated on the beach with a spectacular view of St Michaels Mount. It was a little breezy with a few riders taking shelter inside the small ‘shack’ like café, while others (mainly A group late arrivals) had to sit outside, but no moans thankfully, and the food was fantastic…oh, and Roger doing a demolition job in the café, with a shelf full of trinkets taking a nose dive onto the floor!

After lunch was the planned ‘training segment’ of the day, the 16km group power training (riding big gear, 100 rpm on front then change, staying seated at all times). We all rode together, albeit it seemed like cyclocross, with muddy lanes and tracks to take us to the start back near Hayle. The decision was to start in small groups of 4 or 5 riders to prevent congestion on the road. It nearly was text book effort by all, but for the local "plod" stopping some of the riders to read the riot act regards riding in a safe manner (on a course which is used all summer for time-trials…yeh right). We all eventually got to the chequered flag, with some teams arriving successfully all-together and some teams splitting or taking the slip road too early!

From here, it was a matter of a supposedly easy ride back, so as not to ruin the effect of the training, but alas, the nearer we got, the faster it went, but truth told, everyone just enjoyed the moment!

Arriving back, it was again a matter of a sit down and a welcome cup of coffee and chat about the day’s riding…all good! Once again WELL DONE TO ALL.

Day 3: Newquay -St. Mawes - Newquay… 60 miles

Tired legs was the call of today, but spirits were still buoyant as once again the weather was favourable. Today the routes took us inland, from north to south coast & back with a stunning café stop at the St Mawes hotel.

The routes again were slightly different on the outward leg with the B group taking a slightly easier direction but roughly the same distance. It was a case of tempo today over the rolling roads of  mid-Cornwall, which made everyone happy as sore legs were making riding at speed a tough proposition. A few showers greeted us on the way, but they were short lived, and we all arrived at the quaint fishing village with the sun shining and a good 30 miles completed. The café was very nice with a buffet style lunch awaiting the riders, bacon butties, chocolate/plain croissants to satisfy even the hungriest rider, which as it happens wasn’t the riders but the support crew, or more direct, Alex & Tim, polishing-off several butties each!

Setting off for the highlight of the day, the King Harry ferry crossing (top 10 in the world) we stopped at St Mawes castle for another group photo and then rode the 3 miles or so down to the ferry, which unbelievably  was already waiting on our side. The crossing is slow, but that is the whole point, to allow people to take in the view and take photos. While on the ferry we had a hail deluge which was stinging, but once on the other side, sun was out and it was warm again…incredible!

The return back to Newquay was quite hilly, but with a short stop in Truro to admire the awesome cathedral no one was worried and just got on with it. Nearing Newquay, it was time for today’s "training segment", 3 x 2kms back to front sprints (sprinting from the back of group to front on small gear…high cadence). Riding in one group to allow plenty of rest between sprints, the first passage was, to say, erratic, the second passage was better although the group pace was too slow causing bunching, the third and final passage was great, with everyone sprinting well, it was good to watch (I’m sure no would mind if I mentioned Andy Parr taking the flag at the finish, arms aloft…good effort).

Luckily, it was only a short downhill ride to Newquay, ideal to spin-out the previous efforts! Again, coffee and chat at the hotel, before going different ways for the evening…Valentines Day for some! WELL DONE TO ALL.

Day 4: Newquay circuit…30 miles

At breakfast, some riders decided to not ride today, due to tiredness or just wanting to travel back home early. The weather was not so good today, with heavy intermittent showers, so it was decided to shorten the ride and stay quite local. So, with a dozen riders setting off we headed out of Newquay to ride the short but undulating route, culminating with an 8km t.t.t. (high cadence medium gears 53 x 17-14). The pace was nice and steady with the group staying together until Aaron had his final incident, a rear wheel puncture. I rode back to meet him but he was already in the car, calling it a day, leaving me to retrace up the hills once again to catch the group back.

Arriving at the start, and with the weather closing-in it was unanimous vote to ride the t.t.t. as one big team…so be it…with the support car setting-up at a lay-by 8km’s away, just shy of the Newquay welcome sign, we set off, all looking good with every rider doing a turn and powering through, only to split on the one and only hill on the course. Slowing slightly to allow all to get back-on we were soon up-to-speed touching 52kph and really moving, it was fantastic and once we saw the flag the speed went up again…motoring!

A nice relaxed 2 mile spin to the hotel was ideal and perfectly timed, as by the time we were entering the hotel car park the heavens opened and stayed the same for the rest of the day.

The remaining riders sat down in the games room, the usual coffees in hand and chatted freely about their epic four days of intense riding over some of the toughest terrain in the UK.

I realise I haven’t mentioned particular riders on the rides, except for a few incidents, but I think that is how it should be, BUT, I will take this opportunity to say, that I was overwhelmed with every rider, with their determination, spirit and effort to complete four very hard days riding. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of riders, all of which made the "Tour of Cornwall" a great success. WELL DONE AND THANKS. Hopefully see you all next time. N

This event was supported by Fibrax Wrexham Roads Club, Tri-Logic Cornwall and the Quies Hotel, Newquay. We have received great feedback on the event and decided to publish these reviews of the 2011 FWRC Tour of Cornwall.