So when Zwift announced that they were adding an Alpine climb, and it was based on Alpe d’Huez, I was probably the only Zwifter in the world who was a little disappointed! However the last thing I want is to appear ungrateful for being able to live at the bottom of Alpe d’Huez and run a bed and breakfast for cyclists 🙂 Instead of thinking ‘why didn’t they do the Stelvio?’, I’ve now got the opportunity to ride up Alpe d’Huez outside when the weather is good and indoors when it’s not so great! Continue reading “Alpe du Zwift – how realistic is it? (by an Alpe d’Huez local)”
My continuing low carb experience – will ketosis make me a better cyclist?
If you’ve not seen the previous blog posts I’ve written on my thoughts and experiences on a low carbohydrate diet, then this would be a good time to check them out! I’m going to go into some depth in this post so if you’ve landed straight here you might be better to come back after reading these:
Cycling on a Low Carb Diet Update
Continue reading “My continuing low carb experience – will ketosis make me a better cyclist?”
Swimming and Running Coaching with Take3 Tri
One of my & Delphine’s Christmas presents to ourselves this year was to book a swimming and running analysis session. We were due to be in the UK the week prior to Christmas, and found Mark Harvey (Take3 Tri Performance Centre) online. A quick read through the ‘About Us’ page on his website convinced us that as well as having a bunch of coaching qualifications, he clearly had practical knowledge, and was also possibly a bit of a nutter 🙂 I hadn’t even heard of a 5 x Ironman let alone met someone who was bonkers enough to do one!
Continue reading “Swimming and Running Coaching with Take3 Tri”
Cycling on a Low Carb Diet / Ketosis Update (before Christmas ruins everything!)
A quick update as promised, but I’ll keep it brief as we’re pretty busy (as I’m sure you are) prior to the Christmas holidays!
I’ve now been on my LCHF (low carb high fat) diet for around 6 weeks now, and despite not being in ketosis all the time (the state where your body is purely running on fat), I think I’m getting the hang of it.
Continue reading “Cycling on a Low Carb Diet / Ketosis Update (before Christmas ruins everything!)”
Exercise without Carbs? Can Cyclists use a Ketogenic Diet?
As I alluded to in my last post, I’ve come back to an interesting diet that I tried a few years back. Before all who know me exclaim “why would you want to lose weight???”, the primary goal for this diet isn’t weight loss but to experiment with an alternative ‘fuel’ to carbs – historically I’ve often had stomach issues at one point during the sportives round here, which happen to take about 6 – 8 hours for me. I’ve done a lot of them by now, and a common theme is that 5 – 6 hours in, my stomach rebels against all the sugary liquid, gels, and bars I’m stuffing down my neck. By that point I’m usually reduced to just drinking water, which means that the last portion of my ride is a gamble between serious stomach discomfort vs bonking massively.
Continue reading “Exercise without Carbs? Can Cyclists use a Ketogenic Diet?”
2016 Summary – No training, Triathlons, & lots of Fat
So it seems that this is the time of year when I get enough time to myself to remember that I haven’t written on my blog since…well this time last year. I promised to do better last year but perhaps I should just wait and see this time! Anyway, I’ve got a year to cover in one post so better get on with it.
We’ve had another great year at the B&B with lots of friendly guests but a few things were a little different. The main one is that this year we ran a few week long Training Camps. Continue reading “2016 Summary – No training, Triathlons, & lots of Fat”
Transition to Winter Training – the (dreaded?) turbo
I fully plan to write some ‘retrospective’ entries (races I’ve done this year, training effectively, etc., etc.) however right now, looking out the window at the not particularly inviting weather, my mind turns to – “how am I going to keep fit this winter without getting painfully cold hands / feet or soaking wet through?”…..
Continue reading “Transition to Winter Training – the (dreaded?) turbo”
Back to Blogging
Well apologies for neglecting the blog for so long…a lot has happened in the last few years! This is just a very short post to say that as it’s now our off season (it’s been a long and busy summer!) I’ll get back to writing. Expect to see some more of the usual (riding, racing and just living in the French Alps!) along with posts about training – as I’ve started a level 3 coaching course. Bye for now!
Coping with Time off the Bike
Normally, if I spend more than a few days without riding, I get restless, irritable, and eventually I just have to get out there (I’m typically sent away by my wife, who’s had enough by this stage!) Continue reading “Coping with Time off the Bike”
Getting off the beaten track
Most of the groups whom I provide accommodation for and ride with that come over to Bourg d’Oisans are very much focussed on getting up the ‘big name’ cols – Galibier, Glandon and Croix de Fer (as well as of course Alpe d’Huez). While this is entirely understandable – as it’s why they’ve chosen to come here rather than somewhere like Provence, for example, there are many other ‘unknown’ rides very close by that offer up some impressive scenery, quiet roads, and often a sleepy village at the end of the climb. Continue reading “Getting off the beaten track”
Pretending to be a Pro Cyclist….
I’ve written a blog entry on my website about the Dutch charity event ‘Alpe d’Huzes’ already – where 8000 Dutch ride up Alpe d’Huez up to 6 times to raise money to fight cancer. This year I managed to get a few photos during the ride up, and due to the enthusiasm and noise from the Dutch supporters it really is easy to believe that you are a pro about to win a mountain stage….. Continue reading “Pretending to be a Pro Cyclist….”
My First Ascent of Mont Ventoux…comparisons to the Galibier and Alpe d’Huez
I was lucky enough to get an invite for a space in my current guest’s van for their trip down to Mont Ventoux. It was a toss up between that and possibly getting on TV – as TF1, one of the main TV channels in France was doing a piece on the upcoming Tour de France stage, and our club had been contacted to provide local cyclists to film! However as I’m not interested in fame and fortune 🙂 I decided that Mont Ventoux was the way to go, especially as I’ve never ridden there before. Continue reading “My First Ascent of Mont Ventoux…comparisons to the Galibier and Alpe d’Huez”
Alpe d’Huez in the Snow
I’ve ridden up Alpe d’Huez a few times whilst snow was on the ground – but never when snow was actually falling. The weather is a little crazy here at the moment, but it’s safe to say that I wasn’t expecting snow when we set off this morning! Continue reading “Alpe d’Huez in the Snow”
A New Winter Biking Experience
It’s not snowed here for a while, but as there was so much (90 cm) and we’re up at 720 metres above sea level, there’s still a decent amount of snow & ice around on the more shaded trails. Which means that riding my recently acquired mountain bike is a bit of a risky proposition right now. Continue reading “A New Winter Biking Experience”
Turbo or Torture?
With about 25 cm of snow on the ground here in Bourg D’Oisans, my outdoor cycling options are pretty much nil (that is until I get a pair of studded tyres for my mountain bike!). In the meantime, the basement beckons….. Continue reading “Turbo or Torture?”
Mountain Biking for dummies….
I guess that I always used to look at mountain biking as not for ‘serious’ cyclists – just for people who like to muck about on a bike. Having now been out for a couple of rides on my first ever mountain bike – bought second hand from the local bike hire shop – I can see that ‘just mucking about’ is actually a lot of fun (I guess that’s not too surprising if I’d really thought about it). Perhaps more surprisingly (well for me anyway) is that it’s also quite hard work! Continue reading “Mountain Biking for dummies….”