Alternative Training

The weather here is coming straight from the Antarctic - and I do indeed have the cold that's been doing the rounds. Sore throat, congestion, achy legs and testy mood. Last weeks training totalled a miserly 5 hours and this week won't be any better unless I come right in a hurry. Still, time off the bike is time to catch up on other preparations.

I'm finally putting together all my gear (with borderline obsessiveness). Carrying only what is needed has to be the key - maybe with some spares thrown in. Photos from last years GDR show a massive range in gear. Some guys looked ready for a day-ride, others for a pleasant cycle tour. One guy had spare shoes strapped to the outside of his pack. Another took a cooker. I wonder what else filled their panniers?

At lunchtime I'll head off to the local metalwork shop to get some work done on my custom rear carrier (an old front rack converted). My load won't be the lightest, but I hope to keep all my gear (clothes, tools, firstaid kit, camping gear, camera, etc) down to about 5kg and be able to carry up to 10kg of food and water. It'd be nice to do some loaded training rides on the new rig sooner rather than later.

Although I won't be on the bike for a day or two, training continues as I've just started a 15 day course of altitude simulation sessions. This involves breathing rarified air on and off for an hour (while catching up with email). Thanks to a voucher won at a race last year it doesn't cost much (although the rest of the clientelle look decidedly well-heeled). How well it works is anybodys guess - scientific studies seem hard to come by, but it seems like a good idea. A fair bit of the GDR is over 10,000 - high enough to hurt for a sea-level dweller. Being well acclimatised knocks one more thing off the 'worry list'. But I sure look forward to getting back on the bike.