30 June 2015

Disaster Strikes The Day Before My ProCycling European Tour!!

Well before the Beat Cancer Tour I had booked myself on a procyclingtours.com European holiday.

The tour was called The Classic Climbs of Italy and France where I was going to finally live my boyhood dream of riding up the mountains used in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour De France.
Some of these mountains included Alpe d'Huez, Col d.Izoard, and Col du Galibier just to name a few.
I had done 00's of hours and 000's of kms training for it, and was definately in the best riding form of my life...and looking very forward to testing myself on these magical mountains.

30th May at the RAH
The day was Saturday 30th May.  As I wouldn't be riding until the Wednesday and due to fly out tomorrow, with the sun shining I thought I would get in one last training ride.  Ususally when I ride without Ollie I go with the Fast 40's group that leave from the old Megabike shop in Hyde Park, however I thought I would play it safe and go with the slower group that leaves from the current Megabike shop in Rundle St.

We had a very enjoyable yet uneventful ride out to the Bower Rd roundabout and back to the City for the after ride coffee (half strength skim hot chocolate for me!!)
After saying goodbye to my riding friends I headed off for home.  Riding along Anzac Hwy and passing over Greenhill Rd, the flags above the SA Power Networks were indicating I had a strong tailwind, and that combined with the slight downhill saw me get my speed up to 45km/h.

Coming to the next intersection at Leader St, my eyes firmly on the green light which I had, I saw out of the corner of my eye a car that was going to turn right.  Having lived in the area for 17 years, and ridden on that stretch of road thousands of times (as well as turned that same corner hundreds of times previously) I knew that he had a red light and would have to stop.



Broken pinky finger and bruising at 3 weeks
Unfortunately he didn't, went through the red light, and into my oncoming path.  I happened all so quickly that I don't know if I even had time to slam on the brakes.  I slammed into the side of the car and ended up on the bonnet.  With the pain I had I knew my European dream trip wasn't going to happen!!

Some other drivers got out and helped me to the side of the road, then two ambulances and a short trip later I was in the RAH getting assessed.  After a few examinations, X-rays, and a CT scan I had the following:
- Acetabular fracture of the pelvis (the top of the femur (thigh bone) pushed against the inside of the pelvis with such force that it caused a fracture)
- Broken collar bone (I had surgery the next day where the doctors told me that they removed 10 fragments and then inserted a metal plate with 4 screws which will be in there for 4 months)
- 2 cracked ribs
- Broken pinky finger which also required surgery to have two pins inserted into it (yes I am right handed!!)



The Day I Came Back Home!!
As ironic as it was, I arrived in hospital the day before I was due to leave on my trip, and got out the day before I was due to arrive home (two weeks in total!)

As I write this, four and a half weeks later, I am still in a wheelchair and will be for up to another four weeks, and still having constant follow up visits at the RAH.  I will be getting the pins out of my finger in two weeks time, and the shoulder plate in around three months time.

However, after having a lengthy discussion with my doctors yesterday, they are confident I will make a full recovery, and I can get back on the indoor trainer in two weeks where I can start spinning the legs and getting back on track for the Beat Cancer Tour!!



                                                                                             Six Weeks After The Accident......

 First Time Back On The Bike With My Support Crew!
 
To Make A Donation To My 2016 Beat Cancer Tour click here:
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13 May 2015

Beat Cancer Tour Website Released!

Official Tour Down Under Dates:
The dates for the 2016 Tour Down Under have been announced which are 16th-24th January!

Official 2016 Beat Cancer Tour Website:
Also, the official 2016 Beat Cancer Tour website has just been released and you can view it here:

www.beatcancertour.com.au


There is also a competition for those that donate which is as follows:



How would you like to travel in an official Beat Cancer Tour team support car, together with a spot on the finish line in the VIP hospitality tent, plus get behind the scenes access with the Beat Cancer Tour in the Tour Village for the day?!

To enter simply follow these two steps:

1. 'Like' the Beat Cancer Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BeatCancerTour

2. Make a donation of $100 or more to my fundraising effort

The lucky winner will be drawn 4pm Monday 11th January, 2016 (Aust Central Standard Time)
and will be contacted via telephone and e-mail.

Multiple entries are welcomed.

To Make A Donation To My 2016 Beat Cancer Tour click here:
 
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8 May 2015

Body Maintenance!

Riding 4 to 5 times and covering anywhere from 250 – 400kms, plus doing an advanced spin class, every week certainly takes its toll on the body.  Not only is a good night’s sleep imperative, which sees me in bed around 9.30pm most nights (and up at 5.45am on ride mornings), but I also need to make sure that I don’t get injuries that keep me off the bike.  Some things I do to maintain good health are below:
 
              Stretching


I find that stretching really works for me, but it isn’t until I stop doing it that I notice how much benefit it actually gives me!  This is my number one must do to keep me injury free.  I have a stretching routine that I do after each ride which takes me about one hour to complete!

 
Yoga

Every Monday evening I do a Yoga Class for Men (and boys as I do it with my son Oliver too!)  It is run by Samantha from Abundant Health and Yoga http://www.abundanthealth.net.au/

Sam is an excellent teacher who is very patient with us men/boys, and really concentrates on giving us a workout that really works on the flexibility for our legs and lower backs where we need it most!

 
           
 Massage

Allan Borman is my masseuse who I have been going to for over 10 years now and his business is Remedial Therapies with Allan Borman http://remedialtherapy.com.au

I get a Remedial Massage combined with a Sports Injury massage (depending on what little niggles I have at the time) every three weeks. 

 Allan will make a special donation to my 2016 Beat Cancer Tour fundraising effort for every hour massage booked so do yourself a favour and give him a call on 0419 862 188 and book in a Beat Cancer Tour massage!

           Physiotherapy

Whenever I have an injury that I know needs further attention I see Vanessa at PhysioFirst  SA http://www.aussieweb.com.au/business/physiofirst+sa/1590339/

Vanessa seems to have Mr Myagi hands (from the Karate Kid) as she is able to fix my injuries up very quickly giving me minimal, if any, downtime off the bike. 

I have had a host of problems over the years from ITB issues, calf issues, quad muscle issues, achilles tendon issues plus others, and Vanessa seems to be able to clear them all up each in a very short time frame!          
            
It must be said that each of these issues have been self-inflicted by me going too hard on the bike and riding up hills in too big a gear, and generally just overdoing it!
 

            Chiropractic
 
I will be the first to admit that I have a stuffed back and have had so for many years (since I was 26 to be precise (and I’m 42 now!)).  If I don’t do my stretching after riding then after a couple of days my hips will get out of alignment and I look like the elephant man!  It is not just the lack of stretching though, I could sleep on a crappy bed, do some sort of manual labour I am not used to, even jump over a fence the wrong way, and the same result will occur!

I see Adam from Bayside Chiropratic http://www.bschiro.com.au who manages to keep me in alignment until I do something stupid again – like manual labour!

 
So overall I have quite a team that I rely on to help me with my off the bike health, all of whom contribute to keeping me on the bike!

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge Thank You to Samantha, Allan, Vanessa, and Adam for all the work they have put into me and keeping me on track (or should I say ‘on the bike’)  to being able to complete the 2016 Beat Cancer Tour!



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10 April 2015

Spin SufferFest...

Indoor Spin classes are a great way to vary the training from being on the road all the time, and are also great in inclement weather.

I am curretnly enrolled in the Megabike Mega Spin Mega Advanced class - a long name for a long class of 90mins!!

It is an 8 week block where the first week is set to find out what your maximum and optimum heart rates are.  From the results, your own individual heart rate levels are set as follows (my actual bpm are in the brackets):
Zone 1: Recovery (127-142)
Zone 2: Fat Burning (143 - 158)
Zone 3: Workout (159 - 174)
Zone 4: Advanced (175+)
                                                              Max Heart Rate: 190


Once week 1 is over and your heart rate zones are worked out, the following classes vary between flat riding, sprints, time trialing, and hill climbing.

The beginning of each class starts with practicing pedalling with one leg only which is really helpful in perfecting your pedalling technique.  As kids, we learnt to ride a bike by pushing down on the pedals (stomping), but this is totally incorrect!! 

What you are supposed to do is scrape your foot as if you are trying to get mud off your shoes, and then lift at the same time.  Stomping only uses your quad muscles, where as scrape and lifting uses your glutes, hamstrings, and calves, thus making you go faster and not wearing out your legs nearly as fast as you are utilising many more muscle groups. 

So the reason why cyclists click into their pedals is so they can perform the correct pedalling technique - scrape and lift!




Also, no smiles for the camera today - this class was Advanced Climbing where I was in the second hardest gear on the bike pedalling either seated or out of the saddle at 60rpm for 75mins without a break!!



 
 To Make A Donation Towards my 2016 Beat Cancer Tour click here:
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23 March 2015

2015 Coast to Coast...

One of my favourite participation rides is the Coast to Coast - a 120km ride from Glenelg to Victor Harbour which is put on by BikeSA.

Unfortunately they discontinued the ride after 2011, but they have brought it back in 2015 after much protest from the riders!

Although not a race, there are those that do take it seriously, me being one of them!
The route is absolutely stunning leaving Glenelg, climbing up the Old Freeway past Eagle on the Hill, through Crafers, Stirling, Meadows, then down to Victor Harbour.

Apart from the steep climb up Eagle on the Hill at the beginning, then the climb at the end up Hutchinson Hill Rd, the route is mainly flat or downhill.

 
The Course Map

The weather we had was perfect with it being 32c and a slight tail wind most of the way to help.

I managed to tack onto the back of the Steve Cunningham (of the procyclingtours fame & also who I am going away with later in the year) grupetto for most of the way, and although I got dropped going up the very last climb, another guy and myself worked together to get back to the group again.

Him and I had a sprint at the end of the ride as the rest of the group were just gently rolling in and I managed to pip him at the line.  However there was another person who must have broken away earlier.

As it turned out, according to Strava I was 2nd over the line out of the 1500 that started, and in a time of 3h24m55s.


 
Me at the Finish Line in Victor Harbour


To Make a Donation Towards My 2016 Beat Cancer Tour click here:
https://secure.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=880491&langPref=en-CA#&panel1-3
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19 March 2015

Why do Cyclists Shave Their Legs???

Have you ever seen a bunch of cyclists and wondered why they shave their legs - especially the males? 

Some guys even get them waxed - like me!!  Firstly, the reasons I wax over shave are:
1) If I shaved in the shower I would use up a swimming pool worth of water as my legs are so long
2) Following on from the above reason is time.  It would take me ages to shave my long legs!
2) Shaving can cause cuts - no thanks!
4) Waxing lasts longer
5) No prickles after just a few days with waxing



My Legs Before

Well they are the reasons that I get my legs waxed as opposed to shave, but why do it in the first place?  Acording to 'about sports' the 5 reasons are:


1. For More Aerodynamics

To make oneself faster is probably the most frequently assumed benefit of leg shaving. Less leg hair, less drag -- that's the thinking. The problem is that the aerodynamic advantage gained in this area would be so incredibly slight as to be virtually undetectable. This is especially laughable when you think about a guy like USA cyclist Dave Zabriskie shaving his legs to go faster, and then keepingthat huge moustache!!
But, regardless of what actual testing in a wind tunnel would show, like so many things in life, a cyclist who BELIEVES that having smooth legs is helping is likely to see (or perceive) a positive effect as a result.




2. Easing Healing of Road Rash
                  
One of the reasons for shaving is that it makes the healing of "road rash" -- that painful patch of skin that has been ripped off your body after a nasty fall -- that much easier. Cleaning the wound is simpler with no leg hair in it, and you lessen the chance of infection in addition to minimizing the painful problem of leg hair getting trapped in the scab as the would dries out.
                   




My Legs Half Way Through
 
 
 


3. Makes Massage More Pleasant 

One of the best things about being a pro cyclist is the massage sessions that follow a day's riding. Having clean shaven legs makes it easier and more pleasant for the trainer to perform massage. Plus, there's no pulling on the leg hair when they really start working the muscles hard.






 4. More Attractive Appearance                                                       
To many people, shaved legs simply look better than hairy ones. Tanned, muscular and lean legs are enhanced by smooth skin. After all, that's the same reason weightlifters shave their body hair -- to look better when they're strutting around stage. And anybody who has followed pro cycling knows there is no shortage of preening in the peloton.



5. Tradition
                  
Maybe one of the strongest appeals to shaving one's legs as a cyclist is the tradition involved. For years cyclists have simply shaved their legs, and to shave your legs as well marks you as one of that group, regardless of how fast you actually go on a bike. Half of being a cyclist, some might say, is looking the part.
                   

 
 
My Legs - All Done!!
 
One last comment: People ask me if waxing hurts - the simple answer is No, it doesn't hurt -
IT KILLS!! 
 
 

To Make a Donation Towards My 2016 Beat Cancer Tour click here:

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16 March 2015

The Bike...

The bike I will be riding I have had for about 3 years now now and I really enjoy riding it.

It is a Merida Scultura 909.

• The frame and forks are all carbon
• The gearing on it is all Dura Ace
• The brakes are Dura Ace
• The wheels are Dura Ace
• The front chain ring is a 53/39
• The rear cluster is an 11-25
• It weighs approx 7.6kg's
• I also use a Polar CS200 Computer (Heart Rate Monitor/Speedo etc)

Merida Scultura 909
 
 
My rides vary according to how much time I have and how the legs are feeling.  My favourite rides include climbing up Norton Summit Rd, The Old Freeway past Eagle on the Hill, and when I am fit, up Greenhill Rd.  All of these roads lead to Adelaide's highest point being Mt. Lofty (727m above sea level according to Wikipedia).
 
Climbing Norton Summit Rd
 
 
At the summit of Mt. Lofty

 
 

To Make a Donation Towards My 2016 Beat Cancer Tour click here:

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