Because of my tyre malfunction on Wednesday and because it happened so early in the race I thought I needed a training day on Thursday so I used my normal canal ride with the 'interval loop' for some high intensity work, basically short intervals and sprints.
I rode out to my loop at a combination of 'sweetspot' and threshold after a decent warm up of course. During the first two minute interval I got stung in the mouth, didn't know what exactly it was but in Australia I react rather badly to wasp stings, I need to carry a little bag of pills and cream. Mind you in Oz they are big mean things that sting first with or without provocation. Anyway I was half way through the interval so I had a quick feel for the stinger (the Oz wasp has a stinger that detaches and keeps pumping for about 20 seconds so the drill is get it out quick so that you don't get the full dose), couldn't find any stinger so finished the interval. I'm now expecting my mouth to start impersonating a melon or something but figured I'm out here I might as well finish the session so I did, B***** me, just after I had finished the last sprint I've got something inside my undervest stinging away like a good un. By the time I'd done an emergency stop and pulled up my top it had stung me three or four times. This time I got it of course and I'm not entirely sure what it was but looked like a small under nourished wasp alright, now slightly squashed of course. Now I'm riding home, my mouth already swelling up nicely, thinking that I will need to go straight to the pharmacy for the bits and pieces I needed, even a single Oz wasp sting knocks me about for 2/3 days. To my surprise the swelling in my mouth was already easing by the time I arrived back So I guess this particular European brand of wasp really is an undernourished imposter in the wasp world, I have to say I'm quite pleased about that.
Pretty boring stage of the tour but it looked really hard, maybe it was so hard everybody was nervous of committing too much, except for the break of course but they were only looking for a stage win. Its amusing that the tour seems to bring out all the armchair experts and critics, none of whom actually have any experience of riding a serious race but they are full of **** advice and analysis, personally I can't be doing with it so I've unfriended three people on facebook in the last 24 hours for being these 'experts' and inflicting their stupidity on me. I don't suppose they will care, they may not even notice that I've done it, but at least I've exercised my opinion and definitely feel better for it. Having initially been hesitant I now value facebook as way to connect with old friends and people that I've shared experiences with or indeed have similar experiences, plus family and extended family of course.
Friday has been a very lazy day, I only did one hour on the bike and I have to admit my legs hurt a bit, hope I didn't over do it yesterday, I have two races to choose from tomorrow (Saturday) both within 10 -15 km, so I am really spoilt. One course I have ridden a few times and have to admit that I don't particularly like it even though I did finish third there on my last trip, the other I have only ridden once, finishing second, really thought I was going to win that day I was coming home so fast, but got 'finessed' by one of the riders I was coming over. I don't have such high hopes this trip its more about enjoying the racing and just seeing how well I can do. Right believe that you are just too gullible. Whilst it is true I don't have particularly high hopes I would love to get some sort of result in one of these races.
I did notice on my little trip around the countryside that the police have put out a whole lot of 'No Parking' signs which usually indicate the route of an upcoming bike race, as far as I can tell there are two different races in the 4/5 days, I think one of them might be one for me. Rolling course just enough to make it interesting without being 'life threatening' so we'll see. I have been told that here is a race on Monday that takes in some 'real' Flanders hills, mind you experience would say that they aren't actually that long, a two or three minute interval maybe, I'll probably give that one a miss anyway.
Finished off the day with a Chinese for dinner having spent the afternoon watching the tour, after the excitement of the 'classics' stage and the drama of the mountain stages a transition stage is a bit of an anti climax. Not to the riders of course, its another stressful 200km, I feel sorry for Peraud he appeared to come down really hard.
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