Form

Part of the road racing addiction is how form comes and goes.  The guys who start training and racing at the end of the winter have been starting to come into form and those of us who have had a really solid winter of hard training, depending on when we planned to peak, are generally in need of a rest.  After no form up until April, fantastic form through May and then a dip in form at the end of July, I have decided to give myself a few days off the bike to recover and then begin to build again for the second half of the season.  After peaking in April and September last year, I am hoping to bring the second peak a bit further forward so I can peak in March for 2012; very ambitious long term planning when I know I will take whatever form I am given.

It has been bizarre not training but I love how just by chilling out, sleeping, watching the tour and drinking coffee, I lose some weight as my body recovers, particularly after the school term.  I am currently sleeping 14 hours a day and needing every minute of it.  My race and training bikes are now immaculately clean and I really am itching to get them dirty again but I am trying my hardest to resist the temptation.

Hearing about the Toachim GP being switched from the Chilham course to Tenterden-Appledore means the race is suddenly much more of a target for me and I am hoping to get out and race in Belgium in August.  I may change my thoughts on this when a few more Sigma Sport-Specialized riders decide to enter as rumoured but having remembered how to climb again, a top 20 could be achievable.

Back to more coffee, sleep and recovery.  Can't wait to race next week.  I have been leaving races feeling a bit stroppy after feeling I have been heavily marked but realistically this is just from not being fresh and losing that little extra that helps you make a gap.    Bring on the rest of the season.




Postscript: Henry Bird, a constant source of amusement and bemusement, has been very constructive of late in asking before races "Will, can you let me know if you are going to be a little princess at the end of this race?" and so making sure I haven't been as much of a diva as I might have been after a bland run of results.  This week we have established that he isn't actually a complete spanner as long as you realise that he has no understanding of society after 1978.  For a guy doing a music degree, he barely knew who the Foo Fighters were but is somehow best mates with all of the Beatles.  His ambitions this year of 'dominating the Yorkshire cyclocross scene' are also very endearing until he admits he hasn't got a cyclocross bike, or ever done and cyclocross race and doesn't like training that much.  Henry, keep up the good work.  Lad.