Tenerife - Masca. The other way

 First three climbs felt very hard. Especially Monte del Agua climb. Almost 12 km at 5.7%. Not really a hard climb but I felt tired and unable to put any power. 

50 minutes of questioning my training, my recovery, the carbonara I had for dinner yesterday, and, of course, the bike (are the brakes rubbing?).

By the time I got to the top I said it out loud. “I’m cooked” 

I was really worried. Not only did I still have to go up Masca. 4 km at an average of 10.8% but I was also puzzled with how I was feeling. I couldn’t spot a reason for it.

I crawled Masca and welcomed every time I had to put a foot down due to the amount of cars up and down that narrow road.

We stopped for lunch at Santiago del Teide. Two cokes, a “bocadillo de tortilla francesa”, and a “café con leche” and I started to see the world with different eyes. 

In fact I also said out loud. “I’m feeling much better”

And that feeling became true as soon as we tackled the small climb out of Santiago del Teide. Not that we pushed the pace, but at least I was not struggling.

The miracle happened on the last climb of the day, Subida la Guancha. 10 km at 4.2%. An easy climb. But a climb that allowed me to set an easy pace and start to ride following my heart rate with GC Denis and TY. I pushed the pace to allow my heart rate to go up gradually. The pace wasn’t anything spectacular, we are on the fifth day of a training camp, but we were getting faster and it felt like a sustainable effort. I even allowed myself to sprint for the last 100m.

At the top of the climb GC Denis and TY were kind enough to praise the work I had done at the front and, with that, allowing me to get a bit of morale boost after a terrible morning and finish this training camp with a positive note. 

I’m sure there is an explanation for such a change in feeling and performance. There is probably a lesson to be learned there. But I have no idea what it is.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14127191023

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Tenerife - Anaga National Park

This picture says it all. The Pope taking pictures and having the time of his live. GC Denis making an effort and me seconds before blowing up in pieces half way up the climb.

Tim Krabbé expressed like no one else. “Hell is the pace of the others”.

Today, for me, hell was GC Denis’ pace going up Pico de los Pasos.

A stunning climb. Probably the most beautiful we have climbed in this training camp. Steady, with great views, fantastic tarmac, and the last kilometres surrounded by trees that cover the road, my personal definition of beautiful road.

It sounds impossible but it was all downhill for me. From “I’m going to lead all the way to the top”, to “let’s share the work with GC Denis, 1k each at the front”, down to “let him do most of the work and beat him over the line” to giving up and having to slow down to a more sustainable pace.

I still pushed as hard as I could all the way to the top. I’m still happy with my effort.

So happy that by the end of the ride I was reflecting on the privilege that is to have a group of friends like these to ride with. 

Everyone needs a group of friends that makes him feel like this group makes me feel.

There is pleasure in visiting hell if afterwards you go back to heaven.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14116789276/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Tenerife - Teide loop

In the end we had no choice but to declare the stage void.

Everyone but GC Denis and myself was (very) late to the start of the ride.

Everyone but JFW and myself refused to ride down to sea level to do a proper sea level to Teide climb. 

GC Denis decided to attack his own team when we were all working for him.

TY took another shortcut. This is becoming so common that his name is now “Shortcut” TY. 

The Pope decided to do hill reps up Teide.

JFW jumped on the wheel of a FDJ pro-rider. All the respect he won by riding the whole Teide in the big chainring lost in the less than 30 seconds he managed to hold his wheel. 

The weather didn’t play ball either. Very windy in the descent and reports of higher temperatures in London made us wonder what we were doing here. 

The Pope broke the group discipline not following the great pace I was setting with the aim of making the last climb enjoyable for everyone. 

GC Denis took a town sign sprint. I don’t want to remember which town. All I want to remember is that he attacked when I was taking one for the team and doing, for a second time in the day, a great work at setting the pace for him and The Pope.

The Pope didn’t allow me to take the final KOM. That was particularly malevolent after sitting on his wheel the 10km of the climb, listening to all the noises his bike was producing and the magnificent attack I launched. Yes, it was a bit too early, but the noise was getting in my brain. 

I must report the occurrence of a few cramps but I won’t name names (Javier wasn’t one of them though) to protect the privacy of those involved. The one I witnessed looked painful.

With less misbehaviours race organizers cancel stages nowadays. So the only option was to forget about sprint and KOM winners (I didn’t get any of either) and focus on the great day we had. 

Tomorrow’s stage will be great though. I'm sure at the very least we will start riding on time.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14089037818

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

KW - Extended Milk Churn

 You know that feeling when you are at the front of the group, putting an effort to keep the pace of the group and you hear someone in the group chatting effortlessly?

Well, you know your day is going to be a hard one when the opposite happens. 

That is, someone is in the front, ie. Dai in this ride, chatting effortlessly with Robbie, while you are sitting on his wheel out of breath and fully focussed on not losing his wheel.

The sting is when you realise he is riding on the big chainring. Which wouldn’t be anything special if it wasn’t because we were climbing Effingham. And yes, I know Effingham is not the steepest of the climb but I was on the small chainring from even before the climb started. 

I knew I was definitely up for a hard day. 

So hard that GC Denis smelled blood and started to go for the intermediate sprints.    

Almost killed myself to stay on Dai and GC Denis’ wheel up Leith Hill and they beat me up Juniper by quite some margin.

Still, the best sign that I had a bad day is that GC Denis finished the ride with more sprint points than me. 

It is going to take a long time to recover from this. 

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14020182697/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Sprinters

I imagine it will be different for pros, I haven’t studied that fauna yet. For club riders, in particular for Kingston Wheeler riders and being very specific for the Saturday Gang I have the hypothesis that there are two types of sprinters.

Machine guns and snipers.

That would be it. Easy to understand, isn’t it. I’ll add some colour for those not cyclists among you.

A machine gun sprinter is a sprinter that sprints for every single town sign. 

It doesn’t necessarily mean we are talking about a good or strong (two very different qualities) sprinter.

There are machine gun sprinters that sprint for every town sign just because they know where they are. They leave the discipline of a perfectly formed riding group to get the ephemeral glory of crossing first a line only they knew existed. They even celebrate the non-contested sprint for a split of a second before their legs become jelly and they end up swallowed by the efficient group. Embarrassing. 

They are not the worst though. The worst are the desperate machine gun sprinters. Those sprint for signs that are not town signs, or the town sign doesn’t have the speed limit sign. Some of them even sprint for no sign at all. Desperate for sprinting points, they just cross an imaginary line and celebrate. They might be bad sprinters, weak sprinters, or tired sprinters. Losers really. 

The snipers couldn’t be different. The Kingston Wheelers Back For Breakfast gang are probably a very good example. A route published in advance. Three or four sprints are clearly spotted, a one pager detailing each sprint sprint is shared so everyone knows how long it is, the profile, and, obviously, the sprint line. Almost pro level.

The Back For Breakfast gang are my north star, my inspiration. After every ride they publish a ride report where they detail the outcome of each sprint. I always read them with interest, fascinated by the intricate strategies of those clever and strong sprinters.

I don’t join Back For Breakfast rides. My declared reason is that starting the ride at 6:30 is way too early, the fact that the rules are a bit too clear and fair for me to have any chance at getting any of the sprints might also be a factor. 

After all I am a machine gun, sniper wannabe sprinter. 

I only know where a handful of sprint lines are and, as a very good sniper, I don’t have any problem hiding for ages at the back of the group waiting for my opportunity to strike at one of those sprints. I did that twice successfully today. 

But the reality is I was a bit of a desperate machine gun sprinter today. Jumped out of the group for a couple of sprint signs. I celebrated with big fanfare such prestigious victories and when Diego, eager to join the sprinting competition, asked where the next sprint was I had to confess I had no idea. 

Wherever you see me going first and celebrating that was a sprint line is the only right answer.   

ps. I wasn’t the only desperate machine gun sprinter today and, yes, that is a consolation to me. 

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13963323063/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

One Of The Best Cycling Strategists

 I am one of the best cycling strategists.

Give me a route and I’ll create a plan that will optimize my performance for the route and very often will end up with me taking the final sprint. 

My only flaw is that I probably should study Saturday’s routes a bit better.

For reasons I can’t explain I thought in today’s ride we had Whitedown as the final climb. 

Whitedown. A climb I don’t like (too steep) at the end of a never easy ride (https://www.unbiciorejon.com/2018/10/you-need-to-read-this-if-you-are.html).

I rode all day with that final climb in mind. 

And, of course, the final Esher sprint. 

Imagine my surprise when I realised we were heading towards Juniper. It would be difficult to find a hill more different to Whitedown. 

And, of course, to the Horton sprint. It would be difficult too to find a sprint more different to Esher sprint.

Being one of the best cycling strategists means I can adapt quickly to the circumstances. I welcomed the change. Suited me well.

Juniper was perfect. GC Denis led most of the climb. Cameron on his wheel. Me sitting comfortably on Cameron’s wheel. Dai, on tired legs after spending most of the day at the front, on my wheel. Difficult to find yourself in a better position.

As we were approaching the final ramp I sensed Dai’s attack. 

Perfect. This is too far away. I let him go and stayed on Cameron’s wheel.

Being the great cycling strategist I am, I knew Dai wouldn’t go far and Cameron would close the gap with me on his wheel, setting me up for a perfect KOM win.

A shame that Cameron didn’t try to close the gap and Dai just kept making it bigger and bigger.

I, of course, tried to close the gap to Dai. For a split second I even believed I was going to close it. But Dai kept pushing and making the gap even bigger.

To make things worse Cameron passed me just before getting to the top. 

Not great.

But the Horton sprint was my real opportunity to show everyone how it is done.

Somehow I found myself in the perfect position. In the final straight, with Peter L in front of me and with Cameron on my right.

The perfect position to admire the sprint between Dai and Cameron.

And I say to admire the sprint because seeing how those two animals sprinted, I knew there was no way I was going to take that sprint. 

I am, without a doubt, one of the best cycling strategists. But it doesn’t matter how good you are at cycling strategy if everyone else insists on doing what they shouldn’t be doing.

The route in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13953990566/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

KW - Almost Pilgrims Way

From the moment I jumped on the bike I knew I was tired and I was heading for a hard day. Riding with the Saturday gang when you are tired is like riding surrounded by wasps that move around you with agility and speed and that, from time to time, merciless sting you. I was there or thereabouts in the first hills but it was the ramps what made it hard. Short, steep, everyone out of the saddle. I felt stung again and again. As you would expect of me I wasn’t seen in the front. I always tried to have at least two riders in front of me. Being very conscious of where I was situated. Bidders is bigger than Peter, Dai bigger than Chris. Let JFW be behind Peter and Chris, put yourself behind Bidders and Dai. Of course my riding mates noticed my game and made sure they mentioned it at the coffee stop. Maybe hoping I’d feel ashamed. No chance. Yes, I sat at the front for about 1km after the coffee stop, probably influenced by the latte I had, but that was it. Back to the middle of the group. Juniper, the last climb of the day, created a few interesting situations. At the bottom of the climb GC Denis and Chris got a gap. I was behind Bidders, JFW and Dai wondering what they were doing allowing such a big gap to open. Luckily for me I saw Dai starting to accelerate so I jumped on his wheel. That was hard work but it paid off. Soon enough we were behind Chris and GC Denis. Dai was on fire because it didn’t take him long to pass both Chris and GC Denis. I saw GC Denis following Dai and I followed him. I think Chris dropped at that point. I kept looking back. I knew Bidders would be steadily closing the gap and I wanted to make sure I was aware when he was approaching. It didn’t take long to sense him on my wheel. Not a good situation for me. Dai flicked his elbow, GC Denis moved to the front, I stayed on his wheel, Bidders on my and Dai dropped at the back. Even worse situation for me. GC Denis almost dropped me at the steep bit but he eased a bit at the descent and I caught with him, Bidders on my wheel, Dai on Bidders wheel. That didn’t last long. GC Denis opened a gap. I could, potentially, accelerate and close it but I knew if I tried that would be the end of it. I only had one bullet. The gap grew bigger and I was starting to fade. I was taking too much air in my face. Nightmare situation for me. Bidders might have thought I was hopeless so he decided to pass me. Dai on his wheel. I jumped on Dai’s wheel and managed to stay there while Bidders was closing the gap to GC Denis. Dream scenario for me now. At the back of the quartet, very close to the final ramp, one match to burn. Bidders started to pass GC Denis. Dai on his wheel. Me following Dai. Bidders opened a gap. Dai flicked his elbow. That was the moment of truth and I went for it. Not very successfully though. The gap didn’t shrink. If anything it grew a little bit bigger. The joys of going against Bidders. I still claim I took the KOM. Yes, Bidders was soft pedalling for some seconds but I did a second mini-sprint and I crossed the line at the top first. Take that those of you that were saying I’m never at the front. Of course you don’t want to know how I managed to get third, behind Bidders and Dai at the Horton sprint. You only care about the really interesting parts of the ride.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13823622797

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González