Week ending 27/3/16

Monday I went to the track with my dad and couldn't fit a roller session in.

On Tuesday I did the second last roller session at rugby a really good roller session, we did race simulation so we had to react to people attacking.

I did a test run for the Flanders rollers on Wednesday to make sure it worked alright and I really liked it.

On Thursday we did a Flanders themed oovoo roller session and we had me,Ed and Harry at my house and Finn, Lotta, Josh and jack on oovoo. I found the roller session very fun and very hard especially the climbs on the route.

Friday I did a cafe run with my mum and dad which was pretty hard because the ride to the cafe was all into the headwind we did 35 miles but I'm feeling really good for tomorrow's race at Milton Keynes.

I did a race at Milton Keynes on Saturday were I finished fourth but the organisers got me down as second. I was feeling good for the race and set out for top six which I did so I was happy with my result.

On Sunday I did a Sunday best session about standing starts and found that I need a lot of practice because I did it all wrong. We looked at some videos that my dad had taken and compared them to pros and found a lot of things I could have improved on.

Milton Keynes 19/3/16

We turned up to the race later than planed because of traffic but I went and got signed on and gears checked. I did a good warm up and a few laps of the course so I could properly look at it. On the start line I had a set plan and I did that really well, we started with a rolling start behind a car and I got tucked up right behind it, then it pulled away and I attacked to get things spread out. On lap three there was a very vicious attack and I lost position but managed to get back to the front before the attacks on the hill started coming. With two laps to go there was another big attack and I didn't sprint to hold position so i got swamped and that's when thing started to go bad, with one to go I was scrambling to get to the front and managed it but I was pretty tired. Coming onto the hill I was in about sixth position which was to far back and when the kick went I couldn't keep that position so I was in twelfth coming into the last fifty metres but just managed to sneak around one to get 10th overall but 8th boy.

Week ending 20/3/16

On Monday I had a rest and went to the track with my dad.

I was at a birthday party on Tuesday so I couldn't go to the roller session at rugby.

On Wednesday we did a new loop that is about 6 miles long and has about 5 climbs on it we call this loop the chicken farm because I goes past one on the first climb. Then we went down my favourite road which me and Ed call the Aurenburg, its off-road but we still do it on road bikes.

On Thursday it was just me at my house but we had 5 people on oovoo, we did a new session with is called Ukrainian steps which are really hard and almost simulate racing.

Friday we went out on the road again and did 15 miles just to loosen the legs of for tomorrow's race.

It was my third race of the season at Milton Keynes  on Saturday and although I didn't win I was still pleased with how I'd ridden. I was 8th boy and 10th overall so that's my best result at Milton Keynes so far this season.

On Sunday we did the 3rd team ride which was at Owen house. We set off at about ten and once we got off the main road the hills started coming and they didn't really stop for the next 15-20 miles, when we got within about 5 miles of the cafe it was flat from there. After the cafe stop we went out and did an 8 mile loop twice the first time round doing sprinting where unfortunately Owen crashed and on the second time we did some really fast through and off.

Darley moor race 12/3/16

I had I good warm up with my dad randomly telling me when to sprint to liven my up. I got on the start line at 12:39 but we set off at 12:45 because of a parent on the track. When we set off I got a brilliant start and followed it through with an attack but I got closed down quickly, I did a lot of attack in the next two laps to try and make a small group and by lap four I'd got it down to about six of us. On the last lap there was six of us and I did one attack and got it down to five but I was quite tired by then I was in second place coming into the finishing straight and we got half way up and an attack went on the other side of the road and he got a gap instantly, by now we still had a chance of winning but I just couldn't close it and I must have been less than half a wheel away from 2nd. I ended up 3rd which I was annoyed with at first because I felt I could have won but then I realised that 3rd wasn't to bad for my second race.

Week ending 13/3/16

Monday I went to the track with my dad but managed to squeeze a roller session in before it.

On Tuesday I did the usual roller session at rugby.

On Wednesday I didn't do anything.

We had a big roller session on Thursday with Finn, Josh and Jack on oovoo and me, Ed and Harry at my house. We did a set of Russian steps and then a couple of sprints after.

Friday was bike washing day but before I did that me and my dad did an evening ride.

On Saturday I had my second race, this time at Darley moor. I was 3rd and pretty pleased with how I'd ridden because I did lots of attacks. Then we did a road ride after the race on some really steep roads and we did 1 and a half hours.

I had the Beeston track cluster on Sunday and again I was put in the advanced group which I think I've  already settled into. In the first session we did the usual warm up riding around the blue doing half lap changes then lumps and bumps. In the next session we did threading the needle so the back riders had to move through the group then a really fun but hard activity called jail break  where the rider in the middle of the nine riders has to get out in ten laps and I failed. The last session was the hardest we did half lap catches then a fifteen lap burn up at the end.

First race of the season

I woke up on Saturday morning at 8:30 then had breakfast at 9. The race was a late start, it was 3:45 which is a time that I don't like for racing because I prefer to race in the morning so I don't have time to think about the race until I'm at the circuit. We left the house at 11:50 to pick Jim and Ed woodward up and be able to see the under 16 race. We arrived at the track at 1:20 so I went to sign on and get my number. I started preparing for the race at 1:50 and went for a few laps in between each race. The warm up was 5 minutes fast pedalling then 5x6 second sprints then ten minutes fast pedalling then 5x6 second sprints then race cadence for the rest of the time. When I was on the start line I took one drink then gave my bottle to my dad, I was on the second row but it was a neutralised start so I could get a good position anyway. The race started furiously with lots of attacks but they were pulled back immediately, the good attacks came on the hill and there was at least two attacks every time up there. It came down to a bunch sprint on the hill. I got a good position into the hill but I was shocked by how early they started, then I got boxed in and had to get out quickly I really started sprinting with 150m to go and just got 11th by half a wheel over one of my main rivals from 2014 Ruben snelson. I was pretty pleased with my race, I felt my strength was very good but fitness no quite there.

Week ending 6/3/16

I had a quick spin on my rollers on Monday just messing around for half-an-hour doing tricks like bunny hoping on(which I haven't mastered yet) rolling off the front and hoping the back wheel over.

On Tuesday I had a good session in rugby we did some one to two minute efforts which will be useful for my race at Milton Keynes on Saturday and five 30 second sprints which will also be useful.

Wednesday I did the 33 minute roller warmup for the 5 mile TT.

On Thursday I was me, Harry and Ed for the 5 mile TT and we did a good ten minute warm up before starting, I felt like I was going well but I could have gone a little bit harder at the start to balance the pace a bit. I did it in 10 minutes 55 seconds which i was pleased with because I got under 11 minutes.

I had a night of bike cleaning and getting ready for the race at Milton Keynes tomorrow.

saturday I had a pretty good race  where I finished 11th but I didn't feel as fit as I should be.

On Sunday I did a track cluster at Derby velodrome. I got put in the advanced this week for the first time but I felt that it would be a lot harder than it actually was.

Week ending 28/2/16

On Monday i did some mini biking now the days are getting longer and I've stopped fitness for now on Mondays. 

Tuesday is roller night in rugby and after the mini bike spinning I felt alright.

 It was a easy night on Wednesday so I just did a couple of sprints and fast pedalling section to make sure I'm good for tomorrow.

Thursday was a hard night and it was only ed who could join my this week but we still got a good session in with jack and josh on oovoo with us. We did 4 three minute efforts with 8 ten second sprints after.

On Friday me and my dad got our first evening ride in, we only did 10-15 miles but it was hard because we used one of my dads training circuits which is only about 4 miles away.

Saturday I did one of my last group rides from market bosworth. We did 30 miles but we turned off early because the main group were doing 15 miles more, at the end I didn't feel that exhausted because I've been drinking loads more while I'm riding.

We went to the best cycling cafe around on Sunday called the beehive and did 50 miles, but at the end of this ride I was pretty tired.