ETS and Darth's Training Update

Cycled 80km in searing equatorial humidity and heat.
Stopped at cafe and had beer and satay as reward.
No-one called "Terry" was involved.

We actually looked a lot worse than this.

GG's Training Camp

The wife and I have now been in Bora Bora for approaching 10 tough days now and the time here is sadly coming to an end. Whilst she has, for secrecy purposes, been describing the trip as a “40^th Birthday bash” or something, for me it’s been an intensive hot climate, low altitude training camp where I have been preparing the foundations of my core fitness for the upcoming cycling odyssey.

Each and every day has been filled with a strict training regime with individual milestones and goals to be achieved before I am allowed to call it a day and focus on the body sculpting in the gym.  As both Rocky and the Karate Kid will concur, with all intensive training regimes they must be preceded by focus and carried out with discipline. So in the footsteps and headband of Daniel LaRusso  the hard work has started and I can only report back to the slobs in “the bubble” and Aus.’s 2^nd City that “GG is back and looking meaner, fitter and more ripped than ever before”.

Like me, Rocky also liked his Wagyu rare.

I have appended a typical day from my training diary so as to put those wasters to shame and maybe inspire them into action.

Typical Day from Training Programme

Whoever said “Sleep is vital” (was it Mr Mayagi?) was not kidding and I decided to go long on the sleep and kept hard at it til just after noon. If it hadn’t been for housekeeping interrupting my training I would have had an even more intensive session.

Carb/protein/BBQ seafood loading session in the resort restaurant. Nutrition, or fuel as I like to call it, is essential to the highly trained athlete and I’ve fuelled up to the brim and even banged the nozzle against the car, so much so that I could be mistaken for wearing some long range fuel tanks around my mid-riff. Sadly the impact of repeated shuttle runs to and from the seafood buffet meant that it was 1 step back for every 10 forward. In true GG style, I persevered.

After the fuel tanks were full (I’m loving this petrol metaphor) I decided that I really needed to give my key cycling muscles a good work out…and what better way to do that than a 2 hour, hot oil, South Pacific Massage. It was fantastic! and due to the highly skilled and manipulative hands of the masseur (Terry) it actually felt like I had a run a full 42km marathon afterwards. Another goal “ticked”.

By that stage, and by strict adherence to Terry’s end-of-massage advice to ensure I stayed appropriately hydrated, I was straight off to do some work in the training camp pool.

 

Terry promised a free manicure/pedicure combo if I put his photo in my blog.

Now swim-up-bars are not everyone’s cup of tea due to the copious amounts you can drink without leaving the pool and the complete pain of having to frequently visit the washroom, but I’ve never found these to be issues in any of the pool bars that I’ve been to. In fact I once managed a full 12 hour hydration session and never once had to leave my stool. Now, tell me that’s not convenient!!  

So after 10 hard days of more of the above I’m ready to return from my low altitude training camp and continue my work at home. The habits that I’ve grown accustomed to in Bora Bora will keep me in good stead for the long hard Aussie winter ahead where temps have been known to drop to +15degrees on a bad day.

As I tap out the big miles on the bike in the upcoming weeks and months my resolution will be driven by the knowledge that the others have neither my will, my mental strength, my natural fitness, my shirts (with receipts), but most of all, my dedication.

If they have one, which I doubt, may their God help them when we start to hit the big ramps in Thailand.

 

L'Oreal. Because We're Worth It

Last Tuesday night in a charming pavement brasserie near Gay World Park, ETS and I reflected on the exertions of our ascent of Mt Faber the previous Sunday. Amongst the talk of power meters, dropping the peloton and entering the red-zone the conversation repeatedly turned to one recurring topic.

As ETS exclaimed at one point “How are we ever going to avoid dry unmanageable hair whilst cycling in the Thai jungle?”. “I know” responded Darth “ the prospect of lacking bounce, body and a lustrous shine for a whole week concerns me deeply!”

Our early fears and concerns have however been allayed with the exciting news that there will now be a new member of our cadre, namely Adam (abusive nickname yet to be assigned – GG input please) and as if luck would have it he is also more than familiar with the hair care industry! As Bradley Wiggins once said, “the key to winning the Tour is not just cycling really cool but to also have a well conditioned barnet and sideburns”.

"I'm so excited that the boys hair care needs are being addressed" says Herbert (27) a Barber from Liverpool.

Our new member is also a former pro track cyclist and currently owns the only mountain bike in the Southern Hemisphere with a solid disc back wheel and he also owns his very own teardrop helmet. “His addition to the team will add grace, finesse and straight-line speed to an outfit that had previously been lacking in all these departments” quoted a team insider.

So the 3 Amigos are now the 4 Musketeers, the recruitment drive continues in full effect and we soon hope to surpass the Famous Five, and the Birmingham Six and top-out at the Magnificent 7.