Time-Out

The end of this week will mark my longest period of physical inactivity this season; this period has coincided with the beginning of my exams. Participation in some races throughout the season necessitated deferring examinations.

It will be interesting to gauge the impact of inactivity of my form. The break, thus far, has been just over a week and the allure of two wheels is almost overwhelming - absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.

UCD Hill Climb Championship.

Bad weather was forecast for this evening hill climb champs, to be held on Howth Hill. Contrary to the forecast for doom and gloom the evening turned out to be perfect conditions for cycling.

Our hill climb coincided with the boards.ie hill climb, being held on the same course, albeit from a different starting point. It was great to see so many folks out on the bike; participation levels in the sport really seem to be on the increase.

As a reference point for times, when the race was over we carried out some tests, at race wattage, to enable comparisons between the times posted. It took thirty three seconds to get from the UCD starting point to the boards.ie starting line.

A full list of UCD times will be available on www.ucdcycling.com tomorrow.

For now, I can tell you that I had the fastest time of UCD starters, posting 7.24 for the ascent to the summit shop.

My wattage for the duration of the race was a leg sapping 441 watts. The effort was made all the more painful due to the lack of a structured warm-up. The shorter a race, the longer and more intense the warm-up really needs to be.

Brendan Campbell Memorial

This past Sunday I made the short journey for the Brendan Campbell Memorial. The race was run off over an undulating 80km course on a handicap basis.

I got a chance to ride a lap of the course for a warm-up and it soon became apparent that I was going to be in for a tough day; the layout of the course provided little rest break with rolling hills, technical corners and fast decents.

The race attracted probably the best field of competitors for a one day race since the National Championships; when the quality of the field was combined with hot humid conditions and the difficult terrain, it was going to be a day that would sting the legs for a while.

The race was aggressive from the off in the scratch group with attacks going from the drop of the flag. Early in the first lap I followed the right wheels and found myself in what would become the main break of the day. The group was comprised of, amongst others, David McCann, Neil Delahey, Tim o`Regan, Paul Kennedy and Colm Cassidy.

The group didn`t work especially well together but the pace remained very high. I wasn`t having one of my best days and every lap was torture. The only rest bite came when we caught the A3 and A4 group. I was very thankful of the shelter provided in the larger group but this cease-fire would not last long. The elastic holding the scratch riders to the A3/A4 group soon broke and we were on our way again.

The race was thirteen laps long. In the early part I suffered really bad (as can be seen from the pictures) but as the laps ticked past my legs began to come around. David McCann made his move with 4 laps to go - no one in the break was strong enough to follow his `pro tour`legs and he soloed to a well deserved victory.

The rest of the placing would be decided in the last couple of kilometers. Keith Fox and Neil Delahey may a good move just before the group began to wind up for the sprint and secured 2nd and 3rd place. I finished in 10th position after poor position leading into the sprint effectively meant I never contested it.

I learn a couple a couple of lessons at the weekend. Although I did suffer, almost immeasurably, for over half the race I did come around and the legs were getting better.

Secondly; Sprints are all about position. Next time I am in a situation that requires a sprint I am going to try put myself in a bag to get good position into the sprint and hopefully that will be a more successful strategy.

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A long Week

The Irish road season is drawing to a close with only three races left on my Irish calender; this weekend I will travel to Drogheda for the Brendan Campbell Memorial.

The season always seems to drift away so fast. I was reminded of how close the end actually is this past wednesday evening when returning from the local Swords Club League race. I found myself in darkness as I nursed my sore legs on the return journey. The next time I venture out for an evening race I shall be forced to dilute the beauty of my felt road bike with the addition of crude winter lights.

As I wake on Monday morning I don’t even feel a touch of guilt about not getting out for a training spin and enjoying the rare August sunshine. The reason is simple – it was a tough weekends racing.

Saturday 7^th August – Club Championships

The weekend started off with a feeling of panic. I was late for the Club Road Race Championships. A skipped breakfast and some broken speed limits later I arrived with five minutes to spare at the start line in Blessington. The course was an undulating one which took in some breath taking scenery around the lakes. As we raced through the picturesque landscape I made a mental note to spend more saddle time in the vicinity. My training routes lately seem to follow a very predictable pattern; the nature of the session dictates the route I take. The last few weeks I have been spending a lot of time on the first section of Howth Hill doing four minute pursuit intensity efforts (450-470 watts).

On the second ascent of a gradual climb I managed to distance myself from my UCD team mates and rode tempo to the finish to defend the UCD Road Race Title. New comer Robert Manning claimed a Silver medal with Niall Dwyer taking the Bronze.

Sunday 8^th August - Swords GP

As I lay in bed on Sunday morning after a long, hard weeks training the thought of suffering six times up the Nags head did not appeal to me. I forced myself out of my warm bed – on time. Missing breakfast this morning would be a recipe for disaster as the race was scheduled to be 150km. A large bowl of bran flakes, a few muffins and some fruit ensured I was well stocked for the long day ahead.

The attacks went right from the gun; I made a couple of early moves which I thought had all the right faces to give them a chance of sticking but they weren’t to be. The decisive break did go on the first lap but I wasn’t apart of it.

The main bunch split on the second ascent of the Nags head; I made the split which consisted of about ten riders along with my team mate Ciaran O Conluain. The race was a war of attrition with plenty of riders dropping out each lap. In the end I finished in a group of three chasers forty seconds back on the lead break, in 9^th position.

New UCD Cycling Website

UCD Cycling has a new home. www.ucdcycling.com

Check it out for some impartial reporting on the weekends racing and news on the road and mountain bike teams.

Need for Reform

There is a danger that WADA’s utilitarian approach to athletes rights, exemplified by the code, and justified by nebulous concepts such as ‘the spirit of sport’, has resulted in an imbalance between sport and the rights of athletes’. In my view, the current situation needs to change; From the sporting legislators point of view, an alternative to the current system of simply listing banned substances is needed. There has been a move toward a system which looks for general abnormalities in samples and I believe this is where the answer lies. This system will undoubtedly result in innocent athletes being caught up and tried for doping offences, however, the sporting community as a whole needs to move away from the stigma attached to a doping allegation and advocate thorough, impartial judicial proceeding. Athletes should be innocent until proven guilty and incur no ban for mere unfounded suspicion, prior to a hearing.

The current approach advocated by WADA needs reconstruction. I propose an altered version of the current system. The powers currently contained within WADA should be divided among three agencies; they could serve to act as a system of checks and balances. Each agency regulates the behaviour there counter-parts. This would ensure more democratic outcomes. The working relationship would resemble the legislature, executive and judiciary in Ireland, in terms of structure.

Any proposed overhaul must ensure that as sport increases its anti- doping regulatory framework the rights of athletes are protected and vindicated.

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Life time ban?

A system which operates a policy of handing out life time bans leaves little room for flexibility. The problem of doping in cycling has become so widespread that drastic action is needed and justified. With such a system in place there would be causalities, their would be innocents who, through stupidity and ignorance, are caught by the system. The question should be posed: Has the problem reached a level which necessitates such action? Drug cheats, in order to maintain their way of life, look to exploit any legislative shortcomings for their own gain. The system needs to be ‘excessively harsh’ to eradicate not only dopers but also the would-be dopers. The penalties for failure to comply with the rules must be so harsh that cheating becomes incomprehensible. Athletes at such a high level are subjected to so many controls that they are acutely aware of everything they ingest. Anybody who comes into modern sport or who aspires to participate in sport at its highest level must take responsibility. It is more important to protect innocent athletes from competing against dopers than to implement a flexible system to accommodate those lazy individuals who have failed to check the nutritional information on labels of food supplements correctly.

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