The Mighty Watt...!!! (if you don't like numbers, don't read on)

I would say that it is pretty well know that I have a number of what can only be described as 'geeky' or 'nerdy' inclinations. It is for this reason that I love the numbers that my power meter spews at me during and after every ride.

Power, or more specifically the mighty "Watt", has become the focus of my training rides (I still enjoy the scenery and the taste of blood at the back of my throat, don't worry). Watts are the energy required to a move a mass a certain distance in a known time period i.e. me and my bike travelling along or up a road. The number that pops up on my bike computer essentially represents the force and speed at which I am pedalling the pedals on my bike.

Knowing this number, in real time and post-ride, removes most of the guesswork that goes into training and racing. Power meters allow you to test yourself regularly and establish a baseline from which to to focus your training and riding. As you will, hopefully, see below power meters can also provide highly accurate details about how your fitness is changing throughout the season.

See here for a better (and more complete) explanation of why you need a power meter...

But in order to save you from a long and boring post about 'critical power curves', 'functional threshold power', "circumferential velocity" I have tried to set out below my first three (and a bit) months of training this year in graphical format (click on them to make them bigger).

There are obviously a lot of (exciting) numbers behind these graphs, some of which I don't fully understand myself, so I will only briefly try to explain them. I have tried to keep it simple, probably at the expense of accuracy... However, if the graphs/charts are still incomprehensible, the rule of 'line going up = good' and 'line going down = bad' generally holds true. Thankfully the lines generally seem to be going up.... must be doing something right!

Summary in numbers...

Firstly, a brief summary in numbers.

It seems that I have been out for 53 rides totalling 90hrs, covering a distance of 1,990km and gaining 20,000m in elevation. Apparently I was only actually moving for for 77.5hrs of that; so question what I did for the other 12.5hrs?! Clearly my snooze on the beach on Lantau was longer than I thought! An average speed of 25km/h is relatively respectable given the hilly nature of Hong Kong and normalised power (essentially a fancy weighted average) of 199W isn't bad too. All of this was done at an average of 72% 'intensity'...

There appears to have been a large amount of soft pedalling though - almost 38hrs of it spent at 'Active Recovery' levels of intensity or 45% of the time! I guess the frequent descents in Hong Kong have contributed to that. The number I care about most is the time spent at 'Threshold' (that is in the range around the highest average power or speed that I could maintain for one hour) - 11.5hrs or 14% is pretty good but with room to improve over the next few months.

Time and Distance

Still keeping it pretty simple, the above graph doesn't really require too much explanation. You  can see that the majority of my rides have been around an hour in length - pretty much the time it takes to cycle up Mt Butler and the Peak or to do a good turbo session. Vicky and my ten day holiday sticks out too (more on that later). Hopefully these numbers will steadily increase over the next few months.

Power and Speed Trends

The above graph shows the average power and speed of all my individual rides. The larger points representing the 'best 25'. The graph doesn't take into account the length of the ride so the best 25 results for each are likely to represent the shorter, more intense rides with the lower values being the longer endurance rides. Two lines on an upward trend is progress.... in terms of power it represents an improvement from an average of 153W on 1 January to 197W on 11 April - a 29% improvement.

Critical Power Trend

We're moving into more geeky territory here. The above represents the best average power over a 60mins period during each ride, with the larger points representing the best 10. Again, the upward trend shows an improvement (165W to 207W, in fact - a 25% improvement) with the majority of the 'best' rides being the more recent.

Critical Power Curve

I promised it wouldn't get too nerdy and that I wouldn't be talking about 'critical power curves', sorry, this one is important...

The above graph essentially shows the maximum power output I have managed for a given interval of time over the course of 2013. The dashed red line is what I should theoretically be able to maintain for each period based on these results. Why's this helpful and why should I care? Well it helps me to establish just how hard I can pedal for a given period of time. For example, if I wanted to cycle at 333W for 20mins I would know I would have to cycle harder than I have so far this year. Conversely, 240W should be easy to maintain for 20mins (in fact, the curve tells me I have already held 240W for 52 mins this year).

From these you can establish 'zones' (e.g. 'active recovery', 'endurance', 'threshold') - the coloured shading above - and measure your effort over the course of a climb or ride to avoid exhausting yourself and blowing up.

[Note the sharp drop off in power at around 14-16 min - the climbs in Hong Kong take about this time - I basically just run out of road...]

Performace Management Chart

The last one, phew!

In essence the above graph shows my 'fitness' (and predicted fitness) up until 6 July and the start of the Tour de Force. Without too much detail (which I couldn't explain anyway), the green line represents my fitness levels (technically my, 'chronic training load'), the blue line my fatigue levels (or 'accute training load') and the black line represents that nebulous concept, 'form'.

A green line going upwards is a good sign of improving fitness, and we can see that it has been creeping up over the past 3 months. Long may that continue! Periods of intensive training obviously help push up the green line, but will cause a sharp increase in fatigue/blue line and have a negative impact on form/black line. As the Tour de Force approaches it will be important to ensure that I taper my training effectively to reduce the level of fatigue and increase my form, without losing too much of my fitness.

One interesting thing about the graph is the impact a 10 day holiday had on all three of the lines. Clearly a nice rest meant that I was less fatigued and as a result my form went up, but no activity at all meant that I lost almost 4 weeks of fitness - it will take a little while to get back into shape....


There are more, many more, graphs and figures to share but I will spare you for now. In summary though, the training is going well and I am enjoying monitoring it and planning sessions with the help of the power meter -  a geek at heart.

Hopefully a more light hearted blog next time....

Hills of Hong Kong: The Beast

As the second part in the series looking at the Hills of Hong Kong, here is "The Beast" on Lantau Island.

Probably only second to The Peak in notoriety amongst the lycra fraternity, this aptly named climb is found at the centre of Lantau Island, connecting the north and the south coasts of the island.

For most it means jumping on the MTR or grabbing a 'man with a van' to travelling out to Lantau Island, the largest island in Hong Kong. Lantau Island primarily consists of mountainous terrain and is often referred to as "the lungs of Hong Kong", because of its abundance of indigenous forest and relative scarcity of skyscrappers and infrastructure (despite being home to Hong Kong's international airport).

Tung Chung Road weaving its way up past Lantau and Sunset Peaks

The Route

Leaving the airport town of Tung Chung you quickly hit Tung Chung Road, heading south along a pass bisecting Lantau Peak (at 934m the second highest peak in Hong Kong) and Sunset Peak (at 869m the third highest).

The road rolls along gently for a brief time before hitting a small roundabout that signifies the start of the climb to the other side of Lantau, cresting at 295 metres above sea-level before plummeting down an exhilarating decent to Cheung Sha Beach on the south coast.



There are more 'hidden' black sections to this climb than it appears.... honest


The climb is a relatively short 2.6km with an average gradient of 10.2%, but that doesn't tell the full story, the last 1.5km rarely dips below 14% with numerous ramps hitting between 16 and 18%. There really is no let up.

The Climb

There are few roads in Hong Kong that I enjoy cycling up less than the Beast. It looms over every trip to Lantau. Despite arguably not really being the worse climb on Lantau, it is invariably the first climb of the day and is a brutal way to wake up your legs.

A gentle first 500m to 1km gives no clue as to the leg burning gradients that follow. A brief ramp flattens out before the true climbing begins at 1km with the gradients constantly flicking between 14-16%. With the road carved into the mountainside there is not much to distract your eye from the asphalt wall in front of you and the concrete slopes to your left.

Looking back to Tung Chung having tamed the Beast

A brief hairpin to the right at 500m to the summit provides a slight flattening of the road (still not below 12% though...) and a mental milestone allowing you to power the final steep ramp to the top.

The climb is unrelenting and, in all but the winter month(s), is exposed to the baking sun and humidty of Hong Kong. The climbing is difficult, but cooling yourself down and keeping your heart rate out of the red can be just as challenging.

Summary

In spite of its diminutive length and deceptive average gradient the Beast is a climb not to be taken lightly; even experienced cyclists have underestimated the demands, been found wanting and needed to unclip. It is a classic example of the short, wall like climbs that are Hong Kong's forte. It deserves its reputation and name!

Its Strava leaderboard can be found here.

Hills of Hong Kong: The Peak

As the first part of a short series looking at the 'famous' climbs of Hong Kong, here is "The Peak" on Hong Kong Island.

Whilst Hong Kong does not offer long Alpine style climbs (5-6 km would be considered a pretty long climb here) it does have a number of easily accessible roads that are great for getting some climbing training in. Across a number of posts I will attempt to provide a brief (insightful?) write up of some of those climbs, from the more gentle and scenic to the some of the short, but brutal, 'wall' like climbs.

The Peak, a 'mountain' on the western side of Hong Kong Island with an altitude of 552m, is probably one of the most famous landmarks in Hong Kong, offering panoramic views across Central, Victoria Harbour, Lamma and outlying islands

Originally the exclusive retreat of wealthy (non-Chinese) residents who reached their homes by sedan chairs and later by the Peak Tram funicular which opened in 1888, the road leading up to the Peak now finds a plethora of cyclists grinding their way up it every morning via the circuitous Peak Road.

At 1.4km long and gaining just under 400m, the Peak Tram is the most direct route to the top...

The Route

Starting at the base of Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and halfway up Stubbs Road, Stubbs Road climbs west, merging into Peak Road, before continuing towards the leisure and shopping centres found at 432 meters above sea-level.

Lots of blue.... just what we like to see

It is 5.3km long with an average gradient of 5.2% making it a relatively tame climb, despite the audible gasps non-cyclists let out when cycling up the Peak is mentioned in conversation. Despite sounding impressive, it really isn't that hard to cycle up - there a certainly plenty of climbs in Hong Kong that are much tougher....

The Climb

As with most roads in Hong Kong it is a road that is best cycled early in the morning, as it quickly becomes heavy with traffic making the experience more fraught then most would like, but when quiet it offers some sanctuary from the bustle of the city below as you cycle away from it - often into the clouds...

Despite a few short ramps the gradient remains relatively constant, meaning you can quickly find a rhythm and a feel for whether your legs are good (or not). On days when the pedals are turning freely it is easy to build and maintain a pace that will keep you at your threshold the whole way, regularly making for a painful, leg burning last 1.5kms.

Once at the top you find yourself thrust into the tourist melee, keen to catch your breath and (having briefly taken in the views) to cycle back down and escape.

Summary

One of the longer climbs in Hong Kong, with a gradient that lets you ride at speed/threshold the whole way, making it a useful benchmark for your training. 'Testing' myself up here has left me barely able to stand and close to vomitting on a number of occassions - I always promise myself I wont do it again anytime soon.
The Strava leaderboard is pretty hotly contested that is for sure!

HK Island 100

Saturday morning saw another training milestone (of sorts) - my biggest ride on Hong Kong Island to date, clocking in at 100km over 4.5 hours.

A 100km ride is not exactly epic in distance, and is certainly something that can be bashed out with comparative ease on my home roads of Essex or Hertfordshire, but when you throw in 2500m of climbing and a physical limit to the amount of road actually available then it becomes a (little) more impressive. To put the vertical ascent in context - across a similar distance in Essex/Hertfordshire you would only expect to hit between 600-800m of climbing and in terms of 'bang for your buck' the ascent:distance ratio compares favourably to all but the hardest mountain stages of the Tour. By all accounts a big day in the saddle.

A 6am start saw me cycle over Magazine Gap Road, up Mt Butler and then up to Park View before meeting Janice, Pt, Simon, David and Jono at the Cricket Club for a gentle cruise to Shek-O. Simon, David and Jono had all cycled with Dan in Hong Kong at various points over the past couple of years and it felt appropriate that we should all have a brief spin together on the morning of the Black Tie Benefit Party that had been organised by Nic (with help from JK and Vicky) and would be raising money in aid of Dan's trust - DBMT. The only notable absence was JK who is still on the mend from her accident.

The Dark Knight pauses to admire the view....

And what a glorious morning it was, a stunning sunrise over Cape D'Aguilar and a clear, cool and sunny morning. Perfect cycling weather to make the most of before the all too familiar Hong Kong humidity makes a morning spin feel more like a brutal spin class in a maxed out sauna. A definite improvement from the wet and windy (I would say it was cold also, but at 14C that seems a little unfair for any readers back in the UK.... still it felt cold, but its all relative I guess) ride of the previous Saturday. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

One half of the bike powering system (note blurry road for 'speed' effect)

The group stuck together all the way to Shek-O were we fed and watered ourselves at our usual cafe. Gleaming bikes lining one side of the quiet street and suped up supercars lining up the other side (with their admiring owners in matching Ferrari/Lambo/Porche jackets, caps etc congratulating themselves at being able to open the throttle for more than 5 seconds on the run down into Shek-O). In fairness I am not sure who is worse, the lycra-clad cyclists or the team kit clad motorists - mid-life crises manifesting themselves in different, but at the same time very similar, manners....

"Horse-Dog" was also spotted again.... a photo is really needed to explain what I mean by that. Next time.

After stuffing my face with arguably the best french toast on the Island we all headed back off to Central at our own pace, with me diverting off almost immediately to climb up to Cape D'Aguilar's radio mast (a climb for some reason named as "Luke's Lament" on Strava.... I have no idea who Luke might be, but you can understand the possible reasons for his lamentations as you inch yourself up the 13-16% gradients)

Taking some time to deeply regret having climbed Luke's Lament

From there back to Central and the base of the Peak it was a pretty uneventful ride with little to report, other than my failed attempt to catch Pt and Janice. Only afterwards, when really thinking about it did it occur to me that giving them a 20min head start (by virtue of my lamentation) was a pretty significant deficit to overturn in little over 17kms! Still, I tried.

Pro..!

The remaining 30km of the ride at this stage was mainly achieved by going up and down the Peak/Mt Austin and Mt Butler a couple of times to eek out each km from the limited road space - a task that got more and more fraught as the traffic up to one of Hong Kong's prime tourist locations on a sunny day exponentially increased with every passing kilometer. A decent first ascent of the Peak was followed by a distinctly average second and it was becoming evident that the 100km marker couldn't come soon enough. With 3km to go I finally dropped down Magazine Gap Road back towards home.... only to have misjudged the distance by 100 or so meters. 99.9km is not 100km so I cycled straight past my front door, bagged the extra 100m and did a u-turn to finish the ride.

Some chocolate milk, a vat of rice and scrambled eggs, a snooze of the sofa and a bit of 'sorting stuff' later I was ready to knuckle down to the days biggest challenge and attempt to tie my bow-tie....

The Strava link for the ride is available here



Bumpy...



Tour de Force 2013 (Tour Taster 8)

So what have we actually got ourselves in for?! JK and myself will be taking on Tour Taster 8, which takes in stages 15 to 21 of the Tour.

Outside the full thing, this Tour Taster is definitely the most ambitious and provides a chance to ride one of the most exciting combinations of mountain stages that the Tour has put together for quite a few years. The Tour (for real) is very likely to be decided across these stages, with the course designed to keep the audience on the edge of their seats until the final mountain-top finish above Annecy. Whilst I would love to be able to do the whole thing again, this is definitely a good second choice.

In terms of what we can expect (and borrowing heavily from Phil’s fab write-up), we will be jumping right in at the deep-end. Whilst the first stage of our trip, stage 15, will begin with a flat run down the Rhone valley it is both the longest stage of the entire tour (at 242km) and ends with a pretty dramatic change in terrain! We will hit the bottom of one of the most iconic and feared climbs in the Tours history with 230 kms already in the legs! Mt Ventoux is a mountain that I have never climbed before.... this ascent will, hopefully, be the first of four in 2013 (details of the other three planned ascents is worthy of a separate post in the future).

Flat, flat, flat......UP!

Mercifully, there is a rest day the next day.

For stage 16 we will head towards the high mountains for what should not be a too taxing stage in itself and (beyond a gentle pedal on the rest day) will hopefully be a useful stage to get the legs back into gear. I have cycled through this part of France before and the scenery in this part of Haute Provence, and the towns and villages we will pass through, is just superb. I suspect it will be a bumpy ride rather than entirely flat.

It seems that stage 17 has been called “hardest time trial course ever in the Tour”. The fact that it is a time trail and is only 32km is actually pretty good news - we will be able to have a bit of a later rise and will be able to ride the course at a sensible pace, admire the views over Lake Serre-Poncon, and enjoy a satisfying ride along a great route. It certainly won’t be a race against the clock.

Stage 18 is the start of a trilogy of mountain stages that is the main talking point of this year’s Tour (and is where Pt and Janice will be joining us for the rest of the way to Paris). From Gap we head straight into the Col de Mense climb (I have been over this climb before and a certain QuickStep Rick reenacted the infamous Beloki/Armstrong incident) before joining the first of two steady, long climbs: the first along the Route de Napoleon to Lake Sautet. Just before the town of La Mure we will begin the second climb, on a quieter road, up to the Col d’Ornon (again a climb that I have been over before, albeit in reverse. Having been over the ‘steady’ climbs we then have the legendary Alpe d’Huez crest…twice! This Alpe Double is quite an exceptional event and with the a dramatic descent on the tiny Col de Sarenne road (which hopefully has been paved a bit better since I last went down it) behind the Alpe, the last part of this ride is going to be pretty epic!

The Alpe x 2..... Epic!

Stage 19 is arguably the Queen Stage of the Tour, tackling the Glandon and the Madeleine from their hardest sides (I have been up the ‘easy’ side of both and they was sufficiently long and hard…); the shorter but steep Col d’Epine and finally the harsh Col de Croix-Fry, where it can be so hot in the afternoon, all make for a stage of truly epic proportions!

More mountains....

Stage 20 will complete the trilogy, and has been chosen for the Etape du Tour – as whilst it is short it provides its value in metres-vertical per kilometre-horizontal. The route, that includes a stunning climb through the Mont Revard massif, ends with what I am told is one of the best climbs in the area.

The final hurdle(s)...

We will then be transferred to Paris to meet up with Vicky, Nic and Caroline and for stage 21 and a ride that will take in Versailles and bring us to the Eiffel Tower late afternoon. Plenty of time to celebrate and get ready for the Bastille Day fireworks!! Paris on Bastille Day should be busyawesome!