View From The Top

It's just the recovery from the pre-treatment prep I'm afraid which has been 3 lots of day surgery. The proper treatment, which starts in a couple of weeks, will have my on my a*se for a good few weeks alas.

Whilst I can appreciate how great it is as a dad I'm really delighted that none of my 3 have shown any interest in road cycling leaving it as "dad's thing". That said, the two girls are into horses which makes my carbon addiction look cheap. Quite week for me on the bike due to having some surgery on Monday and my body not quite recovering yet. Did a 60km charity sportive ride with my mate yesterday as shotgun for a group of ladies in appalling weather. It was slow, it was wet and the lanes were utterly, utterly miserable and two fords impassable but the cake was stunning at the hot food at the end, glorious. Back on the bike from Tuesday for some proper miles for a couple of weeks hopefully.

I am off at the moment and been off/on over the last few weeks, but might go for a spin shortly to see how I'm feeling. The amount of ride time will start to dip in about 3 weeks and most likely stay that way through to about October/November and then, hopefully, kick back in as normal. I do plan on being on the Smart Trainer when I can't be out on the road. Planning on doing Amstel Gold again in April and Chase The Sun in June so plenty to train for but I'm also racing again next year, fitness and health permitting, so Winter training is already being planned as by club has a proper race team now and I'm one of the big diesel rouleurs that will be dragging the speed bunnies around on the road races. I'm leaving the crits alone.

Nah, that's easily rideable as the average gradient is so shallow. The only concern would be the altitude but otherwise that's a big ring climb. I'd much rather do a long shallow climb like that than some of the Pyrenees climbs I did last summer which are half the distance but brutal in their steepness. https://www.strava.com/segments/1923 https://www.strava.com/segments/1162584 This is a comparable ride which some of my mates did this year. Again, they are far from mountain goats but found it straightforward due to the shallowness of the climb. https://www.strava.com/segments/707733 To tick off the highest paved road in the States though would certainly be bloody awesome though so fingers crossed for a great ascent and an awesome descent and stay rubber side down.

With everyone's long rides out of the way I've switched to doing some solo speed work. 40miles at 20+mph on rolling roads. Keeps the heart pumping an usually means 75% of the ride in Z4 which takes it's toll. https://www.strava.com/activities/628527021 Had a bit of a mental club ride on Saturday as all the quick boys were out in a peleton of about 28. Started of sensibly enough but by 1/2 way there were splits, attacks, counter attacks etc and the usual mental sprint finish. I'd buried myself bridging across to a big break after being caught at the back gassing so had no legs for the sprint which was a pity but did have them strung out in one line as I led out at 50kmph on one town sign sprint. https://www.strava.com/activities/627350622

Sagan, today, won the Green Jersey. No one is going to get close. The man is the ultimate rider.

Since I know where this will have come from I know it'll be correct.

Lazio apparently. Replacement for Klose.

Bless you treacle you little pudding. So sweet for someone so, so stupid.

We are losing the 2 players we all knew we would be losing. If it's coming as a shock to you you are even dumber than I suspected. We'd given VW over a year to sign a contract, he'd said no, I am a CL player and want to play at a PL club. We'd offered Mane the best contract ever drafted by the club and he said no as he wants to play at at "Elite" level club. It'll happen again, get used to it as we aren't a CL/Elite level club and we won't pay CL/Elite salary and nor should we.

The tw_ats moaning about this appointment will be the same ones who were weeping about MP leaving despite moaning about us appointing him as an unknown. Anyone who wanted "a name", any name it would appear, is, quite frankly, a retard.

He has. He'd be the highest paid player in the clubs history. He simply doesn't want to stay and wants to play for an elite level club, ideally MUFC. His agent expects a salary of an elite level player.

Nordic Saint and Mr X; Colossal bedwetting clueless co_cks.

Fu_cking hell you cretins, it's one story, put out by the dippers which is then picked up by all the media. Saints have already told the player and agent that unless their valuation is met, which is £35m, the same as Utd offered, then he'll be staying for the season. This is all a bit of manipulation by dippers and agent. The agent, I know as a fact, has also been in contact with City as he's desperate for Mane to move for ££ reasons.

The counter argument that I saw was that the Leave vote was always going to turn out regardless and that a high % turnout would benefit the Remain whose support was always more apathetic.

After last years fiasco with polling I think I'll just await the result!

The outers are really a bunch of dumb cu_nts on this thread. Shown up again and again. Perhaps it is true that those with a limited education are more likely to vote Leave.

My wife has put £5 of my money on Alaphilippe E/W. One of the positive things about my treatment is that I'm off work for the whole of the tour.

Not all outers are racist but all racists are outers. #justsaying.

I posted this elsewhere yesterday but since reading what has been post in L'Equipe about Garcia I'll post it here as well. Take or leave it as you please I give not one fu_ck.

You are, and always have been, an utterly clueless co_ck.

Went out for a spin with a new saddle which ended up as a 150km mix of smashfest club ride and social. I have my saddle all the way forward but clearly hadn't tightened it enough as when I got home it was all the way back. I wondered why my back was aching and my ar_se was getting sore. Schoolboy error.

I'm beginning to get concerned that you are a fu cking moron.

We occasionally get upwards of 25 during the warmer months depending on if anyone is racing or not. Our biggest issue is speed. Our pace is often too slow for the likes of me but my pace is too fast for 50% of the rest. However, road discipline is always good and we single up when required and never ride more than 2 abreast. To solve the pace issue we tend to keep it steady for the 1st half and then we start to build the tempo and as the group fragments the gruppeto is formed. This means the final 1/4 is balls out and the average speed will head up north of 40kmph. This is always the best part of the ride, especially as I have a good sprint. We also have a "prison rules" chaingang which is really brutal with people being shelled out from about 1/2 way. We also have lots of small group social rides of around 60miles with a cafe stop and mega 120-130milers up into the Peaks with 10,000 - 15,000ft of climbing. The latter have been used as C2C training rides and they will tapper out after next weekend when that's actually completed. On a personal note as treatment kicks in my distance/speed/endurance/ability will take it's toll for 6 months or so but I should end up at my perfect race weight for next season. No more, after the next few weeks, monster rides.

That's just about how I feel about it.