Another tuesday – another cycling race.

The sun was out and about for tonights race beside Crumlin. Just a couple of minutes drive from my workplace we had to race 3,5 loops on backroads.

It was dry and cold and a good crowd lined up again. The wind made it very chilly but interesting to race.

I felt really good today and did a lot of work. Unfortunaltelly not many guys wanted to face the wind. When the speed increased in the last round it was really good fun. I tried to attack just a couple of kilometers from the finish line. Nobody came with me so i eased of and got caught again. All little attacks were covered by the field and when it came to a sprint finish i had nothing to respond.

That was the first race i was really satisfied with. I could not do any damage in the sprint finish but worked constantly throughout the race. Good fun again.

I was grinding down the road. The wheels are not rolling properly as the surface is rough and the little stones on the streets hit my frame here and there. I can not clearly see the road but far away i spot the finish line. A bit blurry and nothing left in the tank i still try to get more speed. Then it is one quick “swoosh” sound right beside me. The guy that started 1 minute behind me overtakes me. A perfect aero position a nice final punch and he got me. Bad luck. I could not escape the truth of time trialing…

Todays 10 Mile Time Trial was a pretty rough one. Rough for me and rough for the rest of the crew as well. Tough course mixed with heavy winds and the usual bad roads.

It is a UK thing – Road Time Trials during the week. The north of Ireland is well known for those events. So this weeks club race was a time trial. Usually the TT races are on a thursday night but the club decided to get one in today. I attended clearly knowing that this will be hard.

When i arrived at the meeting point the lads were setting up their gear. It looked pretty profesional. The finest TT gear from now and then. Guys on old Nolan or Raleigh Machines and boys with the latest Cervelo or Ridley swag. I did not care about the equipment. My aero bars and aero wheels are in Dublin and since my last Triathlon i did not use them at all. The only TT relevant gimmick on me were cover socks. It did not bother me. Normal road set up and here we go.

I was keen to race and keen to suffer. And i suffered. At the end i came in with a 26.25. Lots of space for improvement to be made. First i need to get my legs up to speed for such a thing, then i can think about the gear.

At the moment i can not RUN a marathon but i am well able to CYCLE the 42k 😉

Today was Bank Holiday Monday and Marathon in Belfast. It was a beautiful sunny morning. Not really windy but sunny and chilly. Perfect running conditions for the 3.300 people running the rough course throughout Belfast.

I decided to stay with the leaders, obviously on the bike. Belfast based kenyan John Mutai (pictured on the left) was on the hunt for another win at Ormeau Park but the 24 years old Ethiopian Urga Negewo (pictured on the right) ran a smooth and clever race. He was never leading and just drafted along as Mutai was running in the wind. He outsprinted him with 50 meters to go. Mutai was leading since the 12k mark.

It was no problem to stay with the leader until the finish. Interesting to see that they suffer badly as well. But also interesting to see how easy and smooth it looks when running 3:13 pace throughout a marathon.

See all the pictures i took by clicking HERE!

It didnt take Dr Alan Byrne long to find out what is wrong with my legs. The cause for the pressure in my legs is the Compartment syndrome. Compartment, what…?

Compartment syndrome is a medical term which refers to the compression of nerves, blood vessels and muscle inside a closed space (compartment) within the body. This leads to tissue death due to lack of oxygenation as the blood vessels are compressed by the raised pressure within the compartment. Compartment syndrome most commonly involves the forearm and lower leg. It can be divided into acute, subacute or chronic compartment syndrome. MORE…

First of all i am glad to know what causes the problem and second i would like to get rid of it now. Ill get scanned, hopefully, next week and then Alan decides on a operation or a therapie.

As the doctor of the FAI he is well experienced with the Compartment syndrome. He treated plenty of players, just a month ago Shamrock Rovers‘ Gary Twigg. After the operation one have to rest between 4 to 6 weeks. It sounds good and makes me confident.

In the meantime it is still cycling and swimming.

When i closed the door of my house in Belfast it just started to drizzle. Perfect conditions for a road race on a Tuesday night…

I cycled the 20k to the start just outside of Lisburn at a place called Maze. Also know for the infamous H-Blocks. But they were far away from the actual race venue just beside the scenic Down Royal (Horse) Racecourse.

Every week the local cycling clubs Phoenix CC and Maryland Wheelers have club races lined up. On the Saturday spin the lads from Phoenix CC invited me to race and after a short thought i gave them my heads up! A good decision after todays race. It was pure fun.

The weather and the roads were rough but that didnt bother me at all. It was more motivation then anything else. To stay in the pack, draft, cover breaks or get droped was a new but very exiting expierence.

We had to race 3 loops on backroads protected by marshals on all junctions but NOT closed for traffic. It was not busy but sometimes very close for some guys. Overall i complettly enjoyed it and the 42k just flew by.

I finished at the back of the main pack. When the group further increased the tempo just 6k from the finish line i could not respond anymore. A pure cycling race is different but exiting. Ill be back on the roads around Belfast for some serious midweek racing. Trully adictive!

Then it was 20k home on the bike. In drizzling rain…

Finally i am home.

The planned weekend trip to Boston took a bit longer then expected. Thanks to some serious pyrotechnic in iceland i had to extend my stay in America.

Instead of waiting in Boston i went to NYC to stay with Uli until the air got cleared off. Thankfully i had a great time there again. Went out for a bit of cycling around Central Park and New Jersey.

Weather in New York was great and i was a bit sad when i had to leave. It is always a pleasure to stay in the big apple – Thanks to Lidia and Uli for hosting me again!

Finally i got a nice business class flight back from JFK airport. I enjoyed some beer and good food in the lounge prior to the flight. When i left the lounge i was so ready to sleep. And i slept until we arrived in Dublin. Business class rocks – no doubt!

As my legs are still tight i am not running. To get the engine going i continued to go out on the bike. Met with a nice crew from the local Phoenix CC in Belfast on Saturday morning. We went out for good spin around County Antrim. I really enjoyed riding in a good group again. I might consider racing in the club league next tuesday night. I am not “bike fit” but the race in Belfast seems to be fun. We will see…

On sunday i was on my own. I skipped the morning ride with the club to watch the London Marathon and then went out for an easy spin along the coast towards Bangor. The weather was shit in the morning. Rain showers and wind. I stayed in the house watched the rain radar and waited. When i went out it cleared off and i had a sunny ride for 3 hours along the beautiful coast line. On the way back to my house the rain set in again. Lucky enough i was just 1 minute away from my doorstep…

I still try to get a doctor appointment. The legs need to be scanned. I want to make sure that my bones are 100% before i go out running again. The pain does not really ease off. That is what affraids me the most. I got the contact for a good laser clinic in Dublin. The negative thing is – that doctor has a 8 weeks waiting list. But i think i can squeeze in there soon enough.

Keep it up!