Rich Carter Blog: Taking Advantage Of The Spanish Sun
Last week I went to Southern Spain for a family Holiday. I decided to get my Kiron Scandium posted out there so that I could take advantage of the warm weather. When my bike arrived the kind folks at Wiggle had added some of the new Me2 components for me to test. As I assembled the bike it certainly looked the part.
The new saddle, stem and bars were all white and gave the bike a distinctly “European” look. I was soon out in the Andalucía hills putting the Scandium through its paces. Actually the truth is that the Andalucía hills were putting me through my paces. I had travelled to the area before, but had never had a bike to explore. 5 minutes away from the apartment and I was in the 39/23 and I wouldn’t be getting out of it for half an hour. I was beginning to regret my slack attitude towards my diet that had set in post Etape.
As I climbed higher and higher above sea level the views were spectacular and the Kiron was a joy to ride. It had been a comfortable bike throughout last winter, but with the new stem, bars and, surprisingly, saddle it was a joy. I’m usually very particular about my seat and use a brand that had stood me in good comfort for a few years now. However the Me2 performed just as well, causing no discomfort after 2 hours serious climbing. I could have ridden all day. That would’ve upset Mrs Carter and the rest of the family though so I restricted myself to a couple of hours each day. I’m really looking forward to trying the 2010 Kiron range. They look good and I know they’re going to be so comfortable to ride.
One thing that was extremely noticeable was the attitude of the Spanish car drivers towards cyclists. They are a lot more sympathetic. As I approached roundabouts, drivers would stop a let me ride round, before moving. They also wait behind you as you approach junctions rather than overtake you then jam their brakes on as they do in Britain. It makes for a lot more enjoyable riding.
On my return to the UK I got stuck in to watching the UCI World Cup track cycling from Manchester. The Great Britain squad were on fire! Geraint Thomas came from an injury plagued season on the road to record the 3rd fastest 4km individual pursuit of all time and Sir Chris Hoy returned to winning ways with 3 victories. Victoria Pendleton won the sprint, but couldn’t add either the time trial or keirin. She looked very off the pace in the Keirin even looking a little timid in the latter stages. She will have to sharpen the tactical side to her racing if she’s to be a multi World Champion in March. The emergence of Lizzie Armistead was a highlight. Along with Jo Rowsell and Wendy Houvenaghel Armistead smashed the 3km Team Pursuit World Record to round off a wonderful 3 days for the home squad.
The road season is well and truly over and all the focus has turned to which riders are moving teams and which ones are staying. Cadel Evans move to the American BMC squad is a strange one and one that doesn’t guarantee him a place in the Tour. There was much speculation that team Sky were going to announce a huge signing at the end of this week. It turned out to be a “damp squib” as no announcement came (unless you count Dario Cioni – which you won’t). Alberto Contador is apparently unhappy at Astana. It will, however, represent a huge turnaround in the Tour winner’s fortunes if he is able to release himself from his contract in time to find a different team for 2010. Contador will need a strong group of friends to help him defend his title in July. The Tour route, unveiled in late October, has plenty of opportunities for him to attack, but these are also opportunities for the other strong climbers to isolate him. I applaud the inclusion of some cobbled sections of the tour in northern France and Belgium. The challenging road surface could shake some of the GC contenders early on. The Tour won’t be one there, but it could well be lost if they get it wrong.
The return to my nutritionist was not as bad as I had feared. Yes I was not as lean as I had been in July, but I’m certainly at a better starting place than I was last year. I have managed to get back onto the sensible eating plan that served me well throughout last winter. I had hoped that the weight would be plummeting by now, but unfortunately I have not been able to complement the healthy diet with lengthy rides. I managed to bring a virus back from Spain and a period of inactivity has followed. Not being able to ride has been a real pain, but the weather has not been fantastic so I’ve not missed much. I’m getting back to it next week for sure. I have the chance to test some of the new dhb clothing range and hopefully the new Kiron Rhigos. I’ll let you know how it goes next time.