Fiona looks like she means business

After quite a long silence Fiona posted some photos the other days from a recent training trip.
I must admit after so many injury stories I was beginning to worry if the team's star athlete had over done things but the latest photos show she is in fine fettle.

The Woking wow factor

My middle son has been losely following the Halfords Pro Tour Series that has been making its way around the country so when it came to Woking we decided to give it a go. I thought I might pick up some tips on pedalling technique and the like.
The orignal intention had been to cycle over in the evening as the start was at 7. But just days before my son had managed to knock half of his shin off jumping up against a wall and he also had his Duke of Edinburgh hike the following day so we decided to go on the train. What a fun evening it was. We missed the freebie hats and giant Halfords hands but managed a get a place next to a barrier before the race started. As the rave music thumped and thousands of fans banged on the barriers it got quite atmospheric. There was certainly a good vibe.

Everyone craned forward to get a good view and theye were off.When they arrived it was a bit of a shock and there was a collective leap backwards when the riders passed by as 50 sweaty cycling came thundering along just inches away. I have ridden in a pack but found spectating just as scary.

A good night out, especially if you are 15.

Crash, bang wallop what a puncture

The official Optician Triathlon team eye wear arrived yesterday. Some glazed Adavista


And some plano running shields

I wore the Adavista yesterday for a run at lunchtime and in the evening I was helping my son change the back tyre on his BMX bike. Like a good dad I made sure he was involved and asked him to put the tyre on before I pumped it up using my track pump. Now he might have checked it properly or the tyre may have been a bit bent from being folded in the post ( bought over the internet) but it exploded in my face.

Luckily I was still wearing the Adadvistas which took the blast away from my eyes. My ears are still ringing though.
A few lessons learned Check the tube is under the tyre and don't by stuff off the internet if it can be damaged in transit also, err... don't trust your kids to do a thorough job!!

We're jammin'

It's funny how your training diary becomes part of the annual cycle of life.
I had planned to end my post-Halvvattern rest from cycling with a ride at the weekend but after a run and a swim in the week and then a 12 mile hilly run on saturday I was in no fit state.
I always associate my early mornings in the summer for long rides down the A24 to the coast with dodging the jam pots in the morning and sitting in a kitchen sweet with the smell of freshly made jam.
It just so happened that Mrs Optician editor has been along to the allotment and picked mass of strawberries so while the jam was made the ride never happened.

Halvvattern half biscuit

Those of you who read this column(hello Mum) will know that in preparation for the Alpe d'Huez triathlon I have been entering as many events as possible.
The latest opportunity to get some miles in was along with the Transitions inspired optical team which completed the 150km Halvvatern bike ride in Sweden, see the post below.
This proved a feat of food as well as physical endurance.

The team was a great bunch made up of a mixture of Transitions staff and UK optical folk. The organisation of the team was overseen by the Swedish Transitions team of Lucia Grimaldi-Ohlander and her husband Hans helped along the way by her daughter and boyfriend and a lovely cook called Anna(?).
In the team were Matt (and Natasha) Dorling business director Northern Europe of Transitions, Darren Newth, Key Account Manager Essilor, Sue Cockayne, mananging director Leightons, Andrew Spiers, training manager David Clulow, Paul Maxwell, National Sales manger at Hoya, Pavel Prokopec, key account manager Transitions, Mark Harris, senior optician at Vision Express, Kristin Manor, key account manager and Luca Conte country manager Transitions UK and Ireland.
Getting to the race was a logistical excercise in its own right.Many of the team had never ridden road bike before let alone dismantled, packed, transported then rebuilt one. They had also been supplied with the biggest bike bags I have ever seen which they had to wrestle with constantly.
The team were all drawn from the optical industry and the bikes, which were originally bought as window displays, were pressed into service -- as bikes. The idea of riding an event just took off and the Transitions guys decided why not ride the Felt window dressing in a proper race --great idea.

The lead-in time for the event was very short indeed with some of the riders having a little over a month to get used to riding the bikes and clock up a few miles in preparation. They also arrived on the start line carrying a few injuries. We had a dislocated shoulder, flu, broken feet bones, sore knees and a few others.
But they all finished, still smiling, despite not really planning the race or deciding how they would ride the event.
Shortly after the race start I hooked up with Paul Maxwell who, as a teenager, had been a keen rider.

He was clearly keen to get a good time in and, after a slow start, we got a little routine going with me taking the front and hopping from group to group sheltering from the relentless Swedish wind.

At the first food stop I pulled up to grab some water and inspect a wasp sting I had picked up along the way -- Paul carried on. I then had a useful hill sprint to catch him up. He was a steady rider so that was not an easy task.
The others were taking it more leisurely but clearly enjoying it as much as Paul and I.



The real highlight of the weekend for me was picking up the slipstream of three Bianchi-themed club riders. They passed in a blur, I said to Paul let's try and catch them, he said go for it, and that was all the encouragement I needed.
I hung on to their tail for 15 hair-raising miles streaming through the countryside and the rest of the field at a typical 27, 28mph. This was a fantastic experience and probably the closest I will ever get to riding a proper race. I didn't manage take a turn at the front and stayed out of the way as they changed leaders, but got the opportunity to thank the guys in the bar afterwards.

I managed a 4hr53 finish, my time slowed by too many stops and too many stints towing others with no help back ( must be Karma for my Bianchi banditry). Paul came in just over the 5 hours ( bad luck no plaque) so in retrospect we would have been better off sticking together.

The rest of the team came in steadily after Paul and despite the heavens opening and soaking the riders after the 6 hour mark no one gave up and they all finished to colect a medal. All in all a good day.


There were a few sore knees, backs and bums that evening as the team celebrated. Probably wost was Mark Harris of Vision Express, an accomplished endurance rider, who completed the event with a footfull of broken bones. But all in all most were satisfied with their performance. Nice Job.

Thanks to Transitons for a great ride and useful training for the Alpe d'Huez.

Swedish Bike Ride

Look away now if you're not interested in bikes.




Swede success: The UK optical industry cycling team put together by Transitions prepares to tackle the 150km Halvvattern cycle ride last weekend. All of the optical industry cycling team invited by Transitions to take part completed the event, some with just six weeks of training. The Halvattern is part of a week-long cycling festival based around the world’s biggest cycle event, the Vatternrundan. The team were among nearly 30,000 entrants over the week who consumed their way through 160,000 buns, 25,000 litres of energy drink and 3,000 kilos of gherkins while riding around lake Vattern in Sweden.
Pictured are: Matt Dorling business development manager of Transitions, Darren Newth, Key Account Manager Essilor, Sue Cockayne, mananging director Leightons, Andrew Spiers, training manager David Clulow, Paul Maxwell, National Sales manger at Hoya, Pavel Prokopec, key account manager Transitions,LuciaGrimaldi-Ohlander, Transitions Sweden and her husband Hans, Optician editor Chris Bennett, Mark Harris, senior optician at Vision Express, Kristen Manor, trade manager and Luca Conte country manager Transitions UK and Ireland. Best performer in the optical industry was Maxwell who finished just outside the five hour mark. Elite riders finishing in under five hours are rewarded with a special plaque.
Chris Bennett will be putting his plaque on the matelpiece.

The land of the midnight sun

Those nice people at Transitions have invited me to Sweden this weekend to take part in the Halvvattern, 150km cycle sportive near Motala.
Although this is not a hilly route it will enable me to get some much needed miles in my legs before the Alpe d'Huez.
I must admit that I'm quite excited about going to Sweden. The only extent of my time there was a transfer at Stockholm while on my way to Finland so I'll be interested to see what the countryside is like.
I also have a personal goal to see the northern lights. Not too sure I will achieve this one given that there is unlikely to be any night time at all while I'm there.

The training is hotting up -- be careful

Reports are coming through from many of the team members now detailing their training exploits in preparation for the big event. My Ironman training of the last few years has made me realise the single most important element of training. Don't get injured.

Fiona has been in the wars after a hectic start to her season with shoulder, knee and calf injuries while, a great cautionary tale for us all.

Lyndon has been keeping up a frenetic pace on the training front while Nigel chalked up a great time in the London marathon.

Lisa has been providing updates on her progress as she gets to grips with the bike. Over the Bank Holiday weekend she was out in the South Wales hills. She reports that some were a little steeper than she had anticipated so much so that she came to a standstill while still clipped in. This lead to the inevitable sideways fall. Not a great look, as Lisa says.