Thursday 4th February - Day 0
The adventure begins. I meet up with Gary Wootton and Jonathan Briggs to travel to Stansted and ultimately onto Lanzarote and Club La Santa (CLS) for our weeks holiday. We get to the airport and the check in clerk has the usual game of asking us to pay for the bikes even though we've already paid, plus the "you really ought to tell us you were bringing bikes" gag. Then there was the rivally as to who had the lightest luggage. Gary's bag was first on the scales at 12kg, then Jonathan's at 14kg then mine at 15kg. Oh dear. Then for the bike boxes. Mine first at 21kg. Bring it on. Then Mr Briggs' at 25kg, which surprised me, and finally Mr Wootton's at a staggering 30.4kg. That must be due to all the porridge he has packed for us for the week.A fairly smooth journey, 4 hour flight, no time zone change, baggage collection, taxi across the island, check-in, assemble the bikes and head out for an hour before it gets dark. Met up with the second Tri-Anglia contingent in a cafe. Should have taken that as an early indication of what their plans were for the week. We'd affectionately given the group name of "Saga5" to Simon Edye, Stewart Ingram, Graham Bainger, John Adams and Rob Gibbons. A little unfair perhaps seeing as Rob was the youngest of us there. Also staying at the Club while we were there were Richard Seargent and Dave Gilbert.
Route we used for our easy spin was the shortest, simplest route in the CLS Bike Ride book, and the course that they use for their weekly duathlons and weekly triathlons. Simply up the road, and hill, from CLS to the round about in Tinajo and back again. The 14k took us a little over 30 minutes.
I'll endeavour to get the same vertical scale on all these ride profiles, but I'm afraid I can't get the scale the same across the bottom. The hills on the shorter days will seem less steep. Route on Gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472586
Friday 5th February - Day 1 - Tabayesco
First proper day of the holiday and the schedule say's 4-4.5 hrs steady. Eight of us (Saga 5, plus my flatmates) head out for a familar ride taking in Tabayseco. Very quickly it becomes clear that there are different standards in the group and it fragments some what. Gary touches wheels with Simon and hits the tarmac 'cos he's paying more attention to the scenary than his companions and I get a puncture on a Simon Edye initiated detour. Basically I hit a pot hole on an off route bit of road that needed some attention at 20mph. On the climb up from Tabayesco I tried to keep the pulse below 80% HRM, but with Gary on my wheel and getting competative I did let it go a bit higher at times.Route: 53 miles (83km) with 3960ft (1200m) of vertical ascent. Heading out from CLS to Famara and on to Teguise. Take the turn for Tesequite and once through there the turn onto the quiet road through El Mojon. Though as this is where I had the puncture I'd advise giving it a miss until the roads been resurfaced, but have ridden worse (but not at speed). Through Guatiza, past Cactus Garden and Mala before rejoining the main road and then turning left for Tabayesco. Though the village, then up the hill. Wait for team mates by the restaurant at the top then though Los Valles and Teguise before heading back home through Famara.
Route on Gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472528Saturday 6th February - Day 2 - Femes
A 3 hour ride comprising 3x 20 minute efforts with 10 minutes between each after a 45 minute warm up. You can see from the trace that the pulse did go higher on the efforts and that generally we combined those with a hill. We had a horrendous head wind on the approach to the big hill of the day, Femes which pitches to 20% in the final 1km. Not a high hill, but sharp.Route: 55 miles (88km) with 1000m worth of climbing. Heading from CLS towards Famara but turning before then in S00 to Tiagua and through to Mancha Blanca. A right then left to get on the approach to Timanfaya where the first effort was done, only 12 minutes - was flying, and a fast straight descent towards Yaiza, The loop round the coast near El Golfo - known as the El Golfo loop, though you don't go into El Golfo. Well, not unless you turn off the loop. At the end straight other the round about towards Las Brenas and the climb to Femes. Left at the round about to put you onto the final part of the climb. Back to CLS passing past and through Uga, Mancha Blanca, Tinajo and La Santa.
Route on Gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472594
Run: 10x 400m on the track with Gary before heading to the bar to watch England stuff Wales in the rugby (well, we can exaggerate can't we?). Got a bit competitive and tried to beat Gary. He is a better runner than I with a half marathon time that I aspire to. Figured that if I'd developed my running to a point where I was level then I'd be really chuffed. We used the track with Gary in the inside lane and myself a lane out. I knew that if I could be ahead by the final bend and hold on I'd hold on to the end of 400m. I got the better of Gary on the first 6, running each as if if was the last. The last four he caught me on the first bend. It was hot. But that's no excuse. All the times were acceptable though. Pleased with the session though knackered at the end.
Sunday 7th February - Day 3 - 5 minute efforts
Schedule said 2.5 - 3 hrs with 3 sets of 5 minute efforts with 5 minutes rest between efforts and 20 minutes between sets. So that meant 30 minutes warm up to Famara, then heading out the other side from Famara 5mins hard, 5 easy, 5 hard, 5 easy, 5 mins hard turning right at the round. Then 20 minutes easy taking me through the centre of the island. I say "me", because Gary and Jonathan had decided to leave me to my own devices this day. I got to start the second set at Masdache and the third effort of the second set took me through Yaiza where traffic in the town slowed me down. Wasn't a lot of traffic, but one car doing 20mph when you want to do 25+ (was a descent) is enough to hold you up. Another 20 mins recover riding round the El Golfo loop, gosh this place is stunning, to start the third set by the coast and the lowest part of this loop. That means that the third set was all up hill. Yes I had more than 5 minutes rest between the 8th and 9th effort, but the 9th effort was from the Yaiza roundabout to the top of Timanfaya making that nearly a 15 minute effort.Route: 54.7 miles (88km) with 895m of climbing. I'd done well, must have been about the lowest amount of climbing possible for that distance ride.
Route on gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472564
Run: So having tired myself out with a ride I was to have a few hours rest then head out for an 8 mile tempo run at 7mpm pace. I opted for the loop from CLS round El Chuchillo that comprises a good portion of the CLS half marahton route. It's a bit of a tough run and at 8.8 miles (14.2km) 10% further than I needed to run. Went out fairly hard. Felt I was working hard enough to be doing 7 minutes miles. Got back to the felt to be told I looked 'knackered'. I felt it. Turns out I was only managing 8 minute miles.
Route on gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472650Monday 8th February - Day 4 - Recovery Day
A recovery day. Yippee. Gary, Simon and Graham had entered the CLS Duathlon in the morning, so I spectated and took photos. We then had an easy ride to Famara were Gary and I played in the surf. February, and we're body surfing in just tri-shorts. Has to be said, the sea was warmer than the CLS leisure pool. A tapas lunch before riding back via La Santa for a social trip to Pro Bike. My Scott CR1 was purchased second hand from the proprieter. It used to be his own personal bike. He'd taken it the alps, Bermuda and a whole load of other places. Then in the two years I've had it it's been to a few more. Headed to the 50m pool for a swim session. Had an idea in my head of what I wanted to do, but cut it short, I just didn't have the strength in my arms. Had planned to do 300m efforts on 5minute turn rounds and was barely able to. Only did 2k in the end.Route: An out and back to Famara with a detour to La Santa at the end. You'll not that the hill in Soo was 10m higher on the way back. That'll be due to the way the watch uses baromatic preasure to calculate altitude. When the air pressure changes it thinks you've changed your altitude.
Route on gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472606Tuesday 9th February - Day 5 - Mirador del Rio + Tabayesco
Big day today. A nice long steady ride of 4 hours. Took that as an opportunity to go ride some hills. Gary and Jonathan wanted to do Mirador del Rio and the obvious way there was over Haria. The not so obvious route back, but the one I wanted to do and they reluctantly followed was back up through Tabayesco. 65.5 miles (105.5km) with 1798m of ascent. Felt really good. Climbed strong and descended well. Even got ahead of Gary and Jonathan on the descent of Mirador del Rio. We then touched 50mph on the descent from Tabayesco.
Route on gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472543Run: Transition run of 3km straight off the bike.
Wednesday 10th February - Day 6 - Playa Blanca
Last full day of training. The schedule said 2.5 - 3 hours including 4 x 10 minute efforts which was combined with a sight seeing ride to Playa Blanca taking in Femes on the way home. We found a flatish bit of road. on the approach to Playa Blanca from the El Golfo loop. Then the most wonderful ice cream sat on the promenade in Playa Blanca.
Route: 53.4 miles (86km) with 1061m of climbing. Headed out from CLS to Tinajo to Mancha Blanca, over Timanfaya, round the El Golfo loop, but then right at the round about to take the quiet road to Playa Blanca. From there over Femes and back to CLS via Mancha Blanca and La Santa.
Route on gmaps: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3472581
Run: 5 x 1600m on the track. Aiming each effort at 6minutes with 5 minutes rest between each. Was truely knackered before this session started. Managed the first two in 6:28 and 6:24. Had to lie down in the rest. Started the third got 100m into it and decided to knock the session on the head and just did a warm down from that point. My legs felt like they were about to break if I'd continue to push it.Thursday 11th Feb Day 7
The idea had been to have an early morning swim before heading home. A lie in won over that. Really noticed the cold upon landing in Stansted. Another good week over. Managed 298 miles on the bike and 318 in total with the swim and run mileage added in.
