Stage 4 Lanzarote Bike Race: 80km

Really nice course with some technical trails. I found myself alone in the wind a lot which cost me time, but my legs felt good and I'm happy.

1. Langvad 3:33:36
2. Morath 3:37:08
3. Bigham 3:37:40

It was fun to have such close racing with small time margins between the women. It made exciting racing :) I finished 2nd overall in the GC:

1. Langvad 8:31:39
2. Bigham 8:37:04
3. Morath 8:38:06

The race has been great training. Now a couple of easy days before training starts again. I'm really happy with my form, which is much better than this time last year :)

Photos to follow....

Lanzarote 4 day stage race: Stage 3. 25km uphill time trial

Stage 3 Lanzarote 4 day stage race: 25km uphill Time Trial.
1. Sally Bigham 1:06:05
2. Adelheid Morath 1:07:39
3. Annika Langvad 1:07:53

I like time trials; a head to head race for the women without the influence of the men :)

Lanzarote 4 day stage race. Stage 2

Had another good day at the Lanzarote 4 day stage race. Today's stage was fun and had some nice technical singletrails. It was pretty windy again, so it was important to be in a group!

Stage 2. 60km:
1. Annika langvad 2:30:47
2. Sally Bigham 2:33:55
3. Adelheid Morath 2:33:57

My legs feel good and I'm looking forward to the 25km uphill time trial tomorrow. Only 1 second separates Adelheid and me in the GC. Close racing! I like it :)

So, now I'm resting after a short race and I have some time to update my blog!

We left Gran Canaria on Wednesday and came to Club La Santa for the Lanzarote 4 day off-road stage race. We had some really great training with lots of climbing in GC, the weather was perfect and the Canarian hospitality was amazing.

Post ride recovery :)

We met so many nice people including Cesar Acosta and Javi (GC marathon champ) who joined us for some training rides. We were sad to leave, but happy to be island hopping to Lanzarote.   



Thank you Javi for this lovely cheesecake, which we ate in just 2 days :)



My legs were treated to some speed work today! Super fast 30km stage 1 at the Lanzarote 4 day stage race. My legs were suprisingly happy with a short fast race :)

1. Adelheid Morath 1:19:24
2. Annika Langvad 1:19:25
3. Sally Bigham 1:19:25
4. Blaza Klemencic 1:23:26
5. Gunn Rita Dahle Flesja 1:31:47

Lanzarote 4 day stage race starts today

First race of the 2012 season: Lanzarote 4 day stage race starts today. Stage 1 is a fast 30km route. A strong women's field includes Annika Langvad, Gunn-Rita, and Blaža Klemenčič. Let's see what my legs think of some speed!

Tomorrow is a longer, 60km stage; Monday is a 25km uphill time trial; and Tuesday is a 80km marathon.

Biking, sunshine, and ice cream :)

After spending a couple of weeks training in Lanzarote it was really nice to have a few days riding at home in the Dorset countryside before heading up to my parents house in The Peak District over Christmas. We had some crisp, sunny rides as well as some very wet, cold rides! And with the exception of one day - when I very nearly had to call a taxis because I was getting hypothermic – I loved being out in the cold air; there’s something really refreshing and exhilarating about winter riding. After Christmas we had a few more days back at home before we headed out to one of my favourite places to train: Gran Canaria. During our first week we had some great rides, including ‘The Valley of Tears’ which is without a doubt my favourite training ride here in GC. However, during the second week I discovered that while you can escape the cold weather in the UK it’s not always possible to escape the cold viruses!

Nice climb to Soria :)

After a frustrating week with a chesty cough and cold, I am now better and back training. It’s amazing how a few days of forced rest (and sight seeing!) had me climbing the walls and desperate to ride my bike. The first day back in the saddle felt like the first in months, it was great!

While we’ve been here in GC we’ve had a few road pros as our neighbours, including Astana riders Roman Kreuziger and Enrico Gasparotto. Last week, Cesar Acosta (president of Canarian Cycling) organised a meeting and a ride with some local children who were all really enthusiastic about cycling - it was nice to see so many young children enjoying their bikes.