Introduction: On Sunday 4th October, as part of the world track championships, I will take on the famous "Hour on the track". I am doing this for several reasons, foremost of which is to raise some much needed funds for my school, Roddensvale. Follow my journey as I attempt to turn myself inside out in the pursuit of the furthest distance I can cover in this time!
My opening blog is about me and why I’m doing the hour.
I have chosen to ‘turn myself inside out’ in pursuit of the furthest distance I can cover in one hour of hell on earth for a number of reasons. First and foremost I want to try to raise some money for Roddensvale School where I am privileged to be Principal. The school caters for pupils aged 3 - 19 years who all have severe learning difficulties. Some of the pupils have complex medical needs plus profound and multiple learning difficulties. They need additional resources which the partially delegated school budget just cannot provide. Hopefully the Hour will capture the imagination of those who appreciate what is involved in my humble effort and get behind the fund raising campaign for the pupils. A link to Roddensvale School Virgin Money Giving page, for anyone kind enough to wish to make a donation, is: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fu…/CyclingHourRecordAttempt
I guess I see this as my way of trying to combine two areas of my life which I feel passionately about. If I can achieve this and can give something back to pupils, from whom I and the staff gain so much, then that would give meaning and motivation to my attempt. Staff understand, plus appreciate, pupils’ considerable need and assist in raising funds in various ways throughout the year. I have an opportunity to contribute through my chosen sport. I can ride a bike but many of the pupils cannot!
My cycling and achievements to date:
Another reason for taking on the hour is my own personal motives. I felt I needed a new challenge this year. No stranger to pain, having been on the Irish triathlon team for 10 years prior to taking up time trial and road racing, I have pretty much sought out most of the hardest races about. I have always attempted to be competitive with regard to whatever I take on and have been fortunate to have achieved some success at a modest amateur level. I have a bronze medal from the world triathlon championships in Muskoka, Canada in 1992. I was Irish and Ulster triathlon champion numerous times at various distances throughout the 90’s although I stopped short of the Ironman, preferring the shorter races, so perhaps I have not endured real suffering!
When my wife and I had two children in 1999 and 2001 plus I became Principal at Roddensvale in 2003 I pretty much retired from racing. However around 2004 I started doing a few time trials to offer me the work life balance I felt I needed. I believe everyone needs an interest in their lives and the bike was always one of my favourite disciplines when I was a triathlete so it was a natural progression for me.
Once again I applied myself to being as competitive as I could at my newly acquired veteran status and was Ulster champion at a range of distances for a number of years. During this period I also attempted to do the same in road racing however a number of bad crashes, which resulted in many broken bones, curtailed my success in an aspect of racing I love to hate to this day. Like a moth to a flame I cannot resist the odd road event or two each season. I guess you might call it my guilty pleasure! With a clean sweep of Irish veteran records last year in time trial and a place to place record (in which I also managed to beat the Derry to Belfast train) I felt I wanted to try something new this year. As an aside if you are ever thinking of racing a train, as my friend Peter Jack persuaded me to do in conjunction with trying to beat Maurice Foster’s 50 year old place to place record, the secret is either to find a very slow train or one that takes a very convoluted route … or preferably both!!! I discussed my need for motivation with my coach at Dig Deep Coaching - Inspired Cycling, Stephen Gallagher, and pretty much straight away he suggested the hour on the track. At first I did not really entertain the idea since to me it seemed too far removed from everything I knew and practically, plus logistically, I did not really have a clue where to start or how to get going.
The hour challenge, and its place in cycling folklore
Chris Boardman, when he had his last ever professional ride, broke the world record by something like 10 metres and he said it was the most painful hour of his life. Bradley Wiggins distance of over 54km is mind bending for a mere mortal like me to contemplate. The Irish elite record is 46km and I am awaiting a minimum standard to be set for me by Cycling Ireland for a master’s record. I was kind of half hoping, because I really do not know what I might do, that this masters record might stand whatever distance I covered but apparently I need a benchmark. Hopefully it will be set at something achievable for me. If I had the ride of my life the world masters record is 47.8km which would be amazing but I am even scared to think about it because I have limited experience on the track and I probably cannot even conceive of how hard getting near 48km per hour might feel for one hour. I have not had the opportunity to test myself other than the two 8 minute efforts in Palma back in February. Thus I am going to have a crack at (a) the Ballycastle record! (b) the County Antrim record, (c) the Northern Ireland Record, (d) the Irish Record, (e) European Masters Records, (f) World Masters record and I will be concentrating on each and every one of these 6 aspiration/challenges during my 3,600 seconds of pure pain.
Training for the hour- discussions with my coach and various advisors
Martyn Irvine (world track champion) has given me a gear of 52 x 14 which the cycling geeks will know equates to about 100 inches for each full revolution. If I pedal at a cadence of 100rpm that should give me a speed of about 48 kmph. Martyn reckons it is the pressure of trying to maintain the constant load of the fixed gear, plus the difficulty in having to power the straights and drift the corners, that will ‘jump up and bite me on the ass’ with about 10 minutes to go if I am not well paced throughout. Go out too hard and I might do a Jack Bobridge (who likened the hour to the closest thing to a near death experience he had ever suffered) and fade spectacularly or hold back too much and I may finish a bit like Alex Dowsett who said afterward it wasn't that bad, which, to me, implies he might have pushed himself a little more? Whatever I do it will be linked to raising money for the school. If I muck up the start and don't even make it around the first corner, something that took former hour record holder, Jens Voight, three days to perfect (the getting around and not the falling off), then at least all my efforts might not have been in vain (mental note to self: get everyone to donate up front!) if I can make a bit of a difference to the pupils.
I appreciate I am giving away my data here but for those who can relate to the type of effort required for the hour I will provide a bit of detail. Perhaps anyone reading this from a non-cycling background will also be able to identify with the challenge I have set myself and get behind what I aspire to achieve for the pupils at the school. Within the limitations of my physiology Stephen reckons I will do well to hold an average of 380 watts of power for the entire hour. My heart rate maximum was 172 bpm when tested recently and I will be aiming to average around 165 bpm. My rudimentary calculations tell me that if I can average 20 seconds per lap, thus covering three laps per minute and complete 180 laps within the hour, I will achieve a distance of 45km. The standing start makes for a much slower opening lap and as stated the difficulties of remaining on the black line and not adding to my distance will need to be factored into the equation. Add in aerodynamic considerations of trying to get a big unit like me around the boards as efficiently and effectively as possible plus consider all the other variables including: the stresses of travelling with my mother and my family to Manchester that weekend, the emotions on the day, my form that morning, my play list and how it will influence my performance, the temperature and climatic conditions when I ride, managing the expectations of family and friends etc etc etc and you may appreciate that predicting a distance is far from easy. One thing I can predict is that it will likely be the most emotive and most physically challenging things I have ever done on a bike.
Hitting a velodrome for the first time
After a few more chats with Stephen and the buzz surrounding Jens Voight and the elite hour record I started to think a little more seriously about it and Stephen suggested he could build the ‘engine’ if I could somehow get it onto the track! I felt I needed advice and what better man to talk to than world track champion and friend Martyn Irvine. I didn’t even know what I didn't know as it turned out. Martyn began to talk a language that was new to me. He was very giving of his time, extremely knowledgeable, kind and generous. I ended up buying a frame and pretty much everything else I needed, apart from bars and saddle from Martin. He even allowed me to borrow a set of track training wheels on long term loan. Prior to this purchase I paid a post-Christmas visit to the track at Port Talbot. My good friend and inspirational Olympic para cycling bronze medallist, from London 2012, James Brown, persuaded me to try a ‘taster’ session before committing to trying to get out to Palma in February. I have to admit, on arrival, the steep banked track, which required being traversed by a fixed gear bike with no brakes, terrified the life out of me initially. I watched with awe as other more experienced souls glided smoothly around the curves and I thought to myself I need to just do this! The first time you approach a corner on a track you feel for sure you will never get around and the bike will just slide off the steep angles but you know what … it never happened. My confidence grew toward the end of the taster and I booked my flights to Palma immediately on return and went to collect my track bike from Martyn’s wife Grace. She was as knowledgeable as Martyn about track cycling when we finally met and chatted over a coffee. I headed over to Palma with high hopes and a training plan!
Palma for the first time
Stephen Gallagher wanted me to do some 8 minute efforts at race pace to see the type of wattages I was putting out and the lap times these represented. I was fortunate to link in with Frank O’Leary and Neil Delahaye who happened to be at the track during my half term week training their respective squads. Martin O’Loughlin kindly took some splits for my intervals. I was finding staying down on the black line a challenge in the corners at the type of speeds I was required to hold. Martin Irvine had warned me about the G force and the wind resistance created at speeds in excess of 30 mph. He was not kidding and I was hurting way too much and way too early. My target lap pace was under 20 seconds and for 8 minutes I managed to sustain about 19 seconds on average but the effort was massive. The watts were in the 400’s and not something I can physiologically sustain for an hour. By the end I was gasping for breath, my throat dry (you cannot drink on the track), plus I was practically seeing stars! I spoke to Stephen again and he consoled me with the thought that with a set of double disc wheels, a warm track and a good taper (I was riding a lot on the road too in between track sessions on this trip) the watts might look less and the lap times might be more easily achieved. I had a fabulous half term break in Palma and learnt so much. Damian Shaw (current Irish road race champion) and Pete Ryan, his tandem partner, were staying in the same hotel and we became good friends straight away. The experience and ability that Damian has is awesome and humbling to be around.
My dad
I was about to travel home from Palma when I heard some devastating news. My father, aged 88 years, had taken a catastrophic fall in the nursing home in Ballycastle. He was in the final stages of prostate cancer and there was no more treatment available for him but he had stumbled and banged the back of his head. It was a fall from which he would not recover. I was told late on Saturday evening that I needed to get home as soon as possible and without even packing I just drove straight to the airport. Damien and Pete were very supportive when I told them that I was trying to get back home. I will never forget their kindness as they kept me company and consoled me in one of the darkest moments of my life. My dad was a strong man and managed to stay with the family until I returned home. He passed away peacefully the next day. He was surrounded by everyone who loved him dearly and it was a privilege for me to have been there to share that moment with my family at his bed side.
My dad was born in 1926 in rural Tipperary and he worked on the land in his youth before leaving for England to raise a family. It is from him I believe I have inherited my physical strength. My mother was born in Dublin and was terrific at running in her youth so perhaps the saying “if you want to be an athlete, choose your parents carefully” applies in my case? Whatever way the hour goes for me in October it is now bound up with wanting to make my mother proud and traveling as far as I can in memory of my dad. In order to inhabit the ‘pain cave’ and hurt myself more than I have possibly ever done before I will need to dig deep and draw strength from many different sources. The thought of doing this for my dad, in addition to family and friends who have made the effort to be there for me, will be a powerful source of motivation.
Back in Ballycastle on the roller and with the support of friends
As time passed and with a drastic shortage of track time I was starting to feel like a member of the cool running Jamaican bob sleigh team or the Eddie the eagle of track! If you want to train for the hour Ballycastle is not the location to start in an ideal world. Having bought a fixed wheel bike before Christmas Stephen had me doing a few sessions on the rollers. I thought of painting a black line on the front roller and calling it my Ballycastle garage track training but if you didn't laugh you might cry. Part of the problem with riding on the track is the fixed position which requires adaptations for the neck and shoulders. I have been doing some conditioning in the gym to strengthen the areas of my body which will be under strain but nothing beats track time. My most recent possible saving has been an introduction, by the Vice President of Cycling Ireland, Jack Watson (who has been very supportive to me over the years) to David Muntaner. I have just booked to go back out to Palma at the end of July and David has very kindly offered to allow me to hopefully link in with him the odd time and time my laps when required. Geoff Lilley has also agreed to lend me the double disc set I badly need on the big day.
Manchester
In addition to Palma, Liam Curran (Curran Racing) is also trying to arrange a weekend of track time in Manchester in August/September. I have booked into a practice session on the 3rd October prior to my attempt on the morning of the 4th October. My sleepless nights at the moment are spent considering the logistics and detail of what is involved. If you have ever read Michael Hutchinson book about his hour attempt you will understand my plight. The number of issues which need to be considered is mind bending and I will not bore you with the detail. It is perhaps just safe to say my head is turned as they say in North Antrim!
Oxygen tent!
On a brighter note I have recently received some support, which may well assist in me greatly, for which I am both extremely grateful and pretty excited. A good friend of mine, Aaron Ballentine, had been chatting to me about the hour and I mentioned that a few guys I knew had used oxygen tents to good effect in their preparation for key events. As luck would have it a company called ‘Sporting Edge’ contacted Aaron pretty soon after our discussion to see if he wanted to consider any of their hypoxic equipment in his place of work at Coleraine NRC. Aaron kindly told the guys what I was doing and they asked for my sporting CV which I promptly provided with great anticipation. Kevin, from Sporting Edge, also spoke to Stephen at Dig Deep - Inspired Cycling. To cut a long story short I hope to receive some top hypoxic breathing equipment very soon.
Aaron has run a couple of tests on me in the human performance lab and I have had bloods taken at Coleraine University by a lovely lady called Christine Simington. She informed me that my haemoglobin and haematocrit levels were low. Apparently a ‘dodgy’ doctor might love to get his hands on me, Aaron explained, since with low values like mine I would be an ideal candidate for EPO! Since my haematocrit level is only 40 it would not look suspicious, when I am tested in Manchester, until my values are registering 50 or more so I have a large range within which to gain improvement. Aaron was actually surprised I was recording the wattages and associated success on the road with my current values. The hypoxic breathing equipment, if I respond well, should naturally boost the amount of oxygen carrying red blood cells in my body prior to the hour. Aaron will retest me prior to Manchester to access any increase in performance. The other option was trying to find a high altitude training camp for a month before the 4th October but Governors at the school might have raised an eyebrow at me requesting that type of time off not to mention what my wife and children might say if I headed off to South America!
The hour- the devil is in the detail
The devil is in the detail when it comes to optimal performance in the hour and I heard, for his attempt, Bradley Wiggins even used the speedplay pedals which are dimpled, like a golf ball, on the base and recess into his shoes so that the sole profile on his shoe would be slightly more aero! My feeble attempts to shave off the odd second or two have kept me awake at night as I over think every detail and it is only July! I am thinking of buying a new teardrop helmet and possibly a new skin suit if the budget will stretch. I am self-funding my trips to train in Palma and the cost of my hour in Manchester is classified, for fear my wife will read this, but apparently it is a bargain price because all the UCI and drug testing officials will be in Manchester for the championships. However the hour has transcended financial restrictions, logistical difficulties, lack of track etc and become the personification of my struggle with my demons in general.
Work-life balance
For years I have attempted to balance work, family and sport and in spite of everything have managed to stay competitive until the tender age of 50 years! So much sacrifice, effort and dedication is now inextricably linked to the one pivotal moment. Prior to my inevitable physical decline, which must see me unable to achieve the personal bests I managed last year, I need to ‘get it all out of me’ on the track and measure myself against others at masters level.
Palma for the second time and in the present
August and I am in Majorca for the second time this year. I have been track training now for a week. I’m cooked physically and mentally. It’s in the 40’s and I have been drinking 1.5 litres of water every hour when I am on the road. In the Velodrome it was 29c. The sweat was running down the visor like rain water when I was doing my timed laps and I was coming off the track teaming with perspiration as wet as if I had just stepped out of the shower.
The day before yesterday, I'm losing track of days, Stephen wanted me to do 30 minutes at full gas. The night before we spoke on the phone. He said if I felt good after 30 minutes just keep going! We agreed I would push it out to 40/50 or even the golden hour if I was feeling ok. All of the above sounds good in theory. I started out too fast just like Stephen told me not to. After 20 minutes I was hurting big time. Worst of all there was what felt like a pressure sore giving me grief on the right sit bone. The track doesn't allow you to freewheel and adjust your skin suit. The pain kept building until at 30 minutes I could tolerate it no more and climbed off. As quickly as I could I applied half a jar of chamois crème and climbed back on to the bike. I lasted another 20 minutes before the legs began to buckle. I climbed off again. This time to drink water and gather myself for one last effort. I wanted to say I had done an hour even if I had broken it up. The last 10 minutes were hell and the lap times were up. I cycled back to the hotel a broken man. The hour was going to be all about pacing. Getting everything right. I felt empty. Stephen was great afterwards and helped me pick out the positives.
Interspersed with track sessions I have had some great 5 or 6 hour spins in the mountains. Valdamossa, Bunyola, Soller, Orient and Alaro to name a few of my favourite places on route. It is the hidden gems that appeal the best. The wonderful cafes and restaurants that nestle in the small villages and towns. The fabulous churches and ancient windmills. However the stunning coast line, pine tree lined climbs and smooth hairpin descents are the natural features that make Majorca cycling mecca. This has been my sixth visit to this fabulous island. Each time I leave wishing I could stay. Perhaps someday I will. In the opinion of many there may be better places to set up home but not many of them would be cyclists!
What a difference a day makes yesterday I did 127 laps in 40:30 that is almost 48kmph. I am at Palma airport and the difference in my confidence levels from this time last week is off the scale. I can attribute my positive change in mental attitude to a number of factors. The biggest singular difference was the arrival of Irish track coach Brian Nugent. He had rolled into town to work with the Irish ladies track team which was very lucky for me. Brian was so warm and welcoming when we met at the track. Immediately his incredible track knowledge and gift for all things related to numbers started pouring out. I drank it all in like a parched animal might gorge itself at a desert watering hole. He kindly offered to time a couple of the intervals Stephen had planned for me. Based on a number of variables Brian adjusted my pace plan for 4 x 5 minute efforts. I also did a 15 minute effort and even had former world champion, Martyn Irvine, turning the lap counter for me. Martyn had arrived the same day as Brian to the track and was the second big difference to my confidence. Martyn was so positive and full of helpful information. The day was Sunday and Brian said he would be at the track again on Tuesday. I explained I was keen to do an hour specific test for Stephen. Brian and I discussed the duration and he suggested 40 minutes was optimal which sounded good to me. He once again kindly offered to assist me with split times and stayed on well after his session with the women to time me. I was really motivated and Brian was pretty happy with the final outcome of nearly 48kmph as detailed.
Brian had discussed what he felt would be optimal with regard to preparation for the 4th October and he suggested 4 days on the track the week of the event would be the blue ribbon. Without hesitation I booked flights and informed Brian that I would be returning late September. Fortunately Brian said he would most likely be there too for a couple of the days at least with the men’s team. Once again he said if I booked time on the track immediately after his sessions with the lads he might be able to give me some help. I feel honoured and privileged to be given an opportunity from a guy I have very quickly recognised as a very accomplished track coach.
The final stroke of good fortune was meeting up with David Muntaner. He was in Omagh when I did the Irish Masters Road Race Championships and Jack Watson kindly introduced us. David and I had been emailing prior to my arrival in Palma and he was extremely warm and generous with his time when we met at the track. He has kindly offered to lube up my bottom bracket and ensure my bike is in tip top condition in general for the hour.
All the girls on the Irish team were really nice to me also. So young and enthusiastic. It was just great to be around. Today I had a great chat with Caroline Ryan and she gave me the benefit of her experience regarding equipment. I am always guilty of making changes in search of the next fastest piece of gear to give me an edge. She said she could relate to that but had found, to her cost, that often it was not always the most productive thing to do. “If it isn't broken don't try to fix it” was her basic philosophy. This makes good sense and has dissuaded me from spending more money of things I do not really need or might even end up leading me to underperform.
Two things Brian suggested I might need to look at was a new lid and skin suit. Apparently bang for bucks these are two areas to get a rider plenty of ‘free’ watts at a price! When I return in at the end of September I will have these items purchased and be ready for a final assessment on the track.
My return flight to Belfast flight, which was supposed to leave at 23:40, has been delayed by two hours. The accumulated tiredness of the last two weeks seems to be all coming in on me and I could well do without this on the run in to the national master’s time trial championships in Mayo on Saturday. At least I am off work and can sleep in late I guess. It will likely be 5am by the time I get to Ballycastle. Nightmare!
Roddensvale
Ballycastle cycling club have very generously linked up with the brilliant Gordon Parker to organise a sponsored charity cycle, Roddensvale is also a registered charity through our parents and friends association, on the 26th September 2015 which I am delighted to be associated with. Last year I managed to raise nearly one thousand pounds for the pupils through my cycling so hopefully this year I hope to achieve something similar or maybe a little more.
Closer to the 4th October I will record my thoughts and finally, after it is all over, whatever the result, I shall try to describe in detail the event itself and all that went with my hour for Roddensvale School.