Banality

Now that I've done all my base training in one day, I've decided to ramp up the intensity in my highly structured and well thought out training program. Thus, on Monday, following an 18 hour working day on Sunday, I thought I'd take advantage of the freshness in my legs to do a 40 km time trial at 80%. Strangely it was about 5 minutes slower than I can do when I'm fit. I can't think why.

Thursday I did some hills and after getting up the Wolvenberg in 1'09, I calculated that I was at 80% of my best. So I went back down and did it again in 1'03, which was 90% and better for the moral fibre.

Today (Saturday) it was a tad windy, and it slowed things down somewhat on the hills. Trap Op was only in 6'20, as we copped the full force of the southwesterly. Of course it was somewhat quicker on the way home. In an attempt to get knees like Jan Ullrich's, I opted for some big gear training in the 13 or 12. It will probably accomplish nothing, but at least I'll be able to ride around in big gears like all the Belgies do in the races. That's gotta be worth a few ruined knees.

It was also good to burn off a ridiculous meal that Reinhard cooked last night. After struggling through it at a pedestrian rate, I asked him the quantities of ingredients. Half a kilo of uncooked fetuccini (which we did cook) and three quarters of a kilo of chicken (ditto), and we ate it all. So I should have enough spare protein to repair all the damage I did today.

The cafe count is rising to 17 after we hit the Belga Queen (not a gay bar) and heard a kiwi by the name of Mark playing the guitar and singing at the same time, which I think is difficult. It wasn't so bad, and was worth the price of admission (free).

Vanille jenever for a mid-morning snack (there was a stand at the start of Gent-Wevelgem) is warming but it can make your head spin. Be warned. I guess you should drink four or five trappists first.

I could have theoretically ridden the Paris-Roubaix cyclo-sportif today, but I didn't. Even theoretically. It's only every two years so maybe I'll do it in 2008. It's all flat so it should be easy.