GROESBEEK GROEWELIJKSTE

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53 kms | 3 h 07 m | avg speed 17 km/h | avg hr 157 bpm | 1.996 kcal

Different ride today: 50 kms mountain bike ride on the hills around Nijmegen. A beautiful challenging ride with 630 vertical meters of climbing into mud, wood and sand. Lots of fun, beautiful views in the woods and hard work.

Check after the link.
  Treino diferente hoje: 50 kms de mountain bike ao redor das ladeiras de Nijmegen. Uma volta muito bonita com 630 metros de subidas em lama, raízes de árvores e areia. Muito divertida com vistas fantásticas e trabalho duro.

Dá uma olhada depois do link.

NO MUD. NO GLORY.

Mountainbike
17.8 kms | 0 h 59 m | avg speed 17.6 km/h | avg hr 153 bpm | 688 kcal

Today was mountain bike day. Since the Etape was finished we have been trying to stick to the weekly Wednesday ride during lunch time. It is a great way to refresh ones mind for a quick hour on the bike and away from the email and meetings.

Today, despite the constant rain, temperature of 15 degrees and the prediction of a very muddy ride in the forest of Laage Vuursche, we decided to go for it. It was a great active ride with lots of mud pools, slides and jumps.

Great team.  On Sunday we will face a 50 kms mountain bike ride in the region of Neimegen, in the East side of Holland. We are participating on an event, Groesbeeks Gruwelijkste, for awareness of the Syndrome of Leigh, a disease that leaves the cells with no energy. Worth checking the www.road4energy.nl website.

It is going to be very hard because the region is full of very steep hill but it is a good cause.
  Hoje foi dia de Mountainbike. Desde a Etape du Tour que estamos tentando manter o ritmo de dar uma volta por semana na quarta-feira. É uma forma excelente de quebrar a rotina e refrescar a mente longe dos emails e reuniões.

Hoje, apesar da chuva constante, frio de 15 graus e uma previsão de uma volta muito lamancenta, decidimos enfrentar a rota do Laage Vuursche. Foi uma volta muito divertida com muitas poças de lama, escorredadas e alguns pulos.

Muito divertido. No Domingo vamos enfrentar 50 kms de mtb na região de Neimegen, no leste da Holanda. Vamos participar do evento Groesbeeks Gruwelijkste, ou Groesbeek Hediondo, para chamar atenção contra a Síndrome de Leigh, uma doença que deixa as células sem energia.

Vai ser uma corrida muito dura por causa das subidas muito íngremes da região mas vale a pela por essa boa causa.

BACK TO THE HEUVELRUG

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80 kms | 2 h 44 m | avg speed 29.2 km/h | avg hr 154 bpm | 1.699 kcal

17 degrees mid strength wind cloudy day. Short and sweet back to the Utrecht Heuvelrug for a quick test of the legs on the climbs. All climbs went well and I manage to keep speeds always around 32 kms/h on the flat parts of the route. The number of traffic lights this route has is what brings the average down, I did get all of them red… Next weekend: 50 kms of mountain bike ride on the hills of Nijmegen.   17 graus com vento médio e um dia nublado. Uma volta curta de volta a região do Utrecht Heuvelrug para testar as pernas nas subidas. Todas foram bem e também consegui manter a velocidade por volta dos 32 km/h nas partes planas da rota. O grande número de sinais de trânsito abaixou a velocidade média… Próximo final de semana: 50 kms de mountain bike nas ladeiras de Nijmegen.

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OVERDOING IT

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150 kms | 5 h 26 m | avg speed 27.6 km/h | avg hr 152 bpm | 3.081 kcal

I totally super estimated  my fitness condition today and under estimated the wind strength. I overdone in the distance riding 150 kms, which is the first time over 80 kms since the Etape in mid July. And the headwind and cross winds didn’t  help. But good raining nevertherless.
  Hoje eu superestimei minha condição física e subestimei a força do vento. Eu fui além do que devia na distância fazendo 150 kms, a primeira vez que passeio dos 80 kms desde a Etapa em Julho. E a força do vento contra e cruzado não ajudou muito. Mas afinal foi um bom treino.

The idea of the day was to get a steady zone 3 ride and do a loop in a new route. I chose to take the road to Schoonhoven (photo above) and follow the river Linge in the direction of Tiel. The ride into Schoonhoven was nice and quick, pushing 32 kms/h in the cross wind. In there I cross the river by Ferry and then I got quite some tail wind for more or less 15 kms. It was fantastic to be riding 40 kms/h with little effort.

The ride to Tiel is cool. Mostly on top of the dike and nice views and nice turns to keep it interesting. Even with a cloudy weather the rain hold for most of the time and I only got  little showers. The wind was mostly cross and I enjoyed the feeling of keeping the pressure to maintain the speed.

Just a little after Waardenburg, I turned left and the fun stopped. The tailwind that was fun a little before turned into a constant headwind. Speed went down immediately to 28 km/h and it was a long drag to home. The original idea was to hit Wijk bij Duurstede and got on top of the dike over the river Lek, with more or less 40 kms/h to go home. But the wind was too strong and I decided to go thru the roads from the inside. I took the road to Odijk and straight Utrecht.

Right at the end I got some cramps but managed to control it to be able to get home. Good ride to keep the fitness back up. Now back to the gym…

RELAX

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All races of the year are completed. No more training needed. It is great to just ride my bike with no computer, no heart rate monitor, nothing but relaxing and looking at the landscape. One little hour after dinner with a relaxing pace.

L’ETAPE DU TOUR TIME LAPSE

TIME LAPSE VIDEO OF THE ETAPE.

LACETS DE MONTVERNIER

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Rode this fantastic climb on Thursday. Loved to ride it and to see the peloton riding it today. Check the video below to know a bit more about it.

http://bcove.me/dgndgj9m

STAGE 17 ON BOARD CAMERA

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. ON BOARD CAMERA OF THE CRAZY YESTERDAY DESCEND.

L’ETAPE DU TOUR REVIEW

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142 kms | 8 h 30 m | avg speed 16.8 km/h | avg hr 149 bpm | 4.206 kcal

What a race it was the L’Etape du Tour this year. If last year was marked by freezing weather, this edition went to another extreme: 41 degrees Celsius in the last two mountains. It was a very hard day in the saddle, with 4 mountains to go thru summing up to 4300 vertical meters of climbing that the heat made especial challenging.

Check after the link how it went.
  A L’Etape du Tour desse ano foi uma corrida épica. Se o ano passado foi marcado pelo frio, esse ano foi o outro extremo: um calor de 41 graus nas duas últimas montanhas. Foi um dia muito duro e com quatro montanhas para passar e um total de 4300 metros verticais para escalar de bike com um calor infernal, foi uma Etapa duríssima.

Dá uma olhada depois do link como foi.

CRAMPS

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TOP OF THE COL DU CHAUSSY


Second team ride of the Nike team in France. Today was an extreme ride for me with lots of pain, cramps and suffering. Also it was a very hot day, with 37 degrees in the shade and a feeling of 45 under the sun. For the first time since I started, I end up a ride getting into a car instead of completing it on bike. Humiliating but better now than on Sunday.

Read more about after the link and see some nice pictures.
  Segunda volta do time da Nike na França. Hoje foi uma volta extrema de muita dor, câimbras e sofrimento. Também foi um dia muito quente, com 37 graus na sombra e sensação de 45 no sol. Pela primeira vez desde que comecei com ciclismo, eu acabei uma corrida dentro de um carro em vez de acabar pedalando. Humilhante mas melhor do que se fosse na corrida do Domingo.

Veja como foi e mais um par de fotos depois do link.

IN FRANCE DAY 1

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First team ride in France: hard & warm in the Col du Madeleine

Today was the first team ride in France for the Nike team. We left the hotel that is located 4 kms from the top of the Col du Madeleine, went to the top, descended 14 kms to the other side and returned. Sounds simple. Just got a bit complicated by the 11% gradients and the scorching 35 degrees, that felt like 50 in some places of the mountain. What a way to start.

Take a look at the pictures after the link.
  Hoje foi a primeira volta do time da Nike na França. Saímos do hotel, que fica 4 kms do topo da montanha Col du Madeleine, fomos até o topo, descemos 14 kms para o outro lado e voltamos para o hotel. Parece bem simples. Só ficou complicado pelos constantes inclinações de 9 e 11%, um calor terrível de 35 graus, que parecia 50 graus em algumas partes. Que forma de começar.

Dá uma olhada em algumas fotos depois do link.

BACK PAIN ON LAST WEEK

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Action photo from last year L’Etape du Tour at the bottom of Hautacan.

One week for race day and I don’t feel all right. My lower back is really painful and I actually have only three days to recover before the first team training ride in France. My consolation right now is that I feel stronger as last year and more rested, which should give me a better chance to recover and be in good shape.

Take a look after the link what are the plans for the week.
  Uma semana para a corrida do L’Etape du Tour eu não estou legal. Minhas costas estão doendo muito e eu só tenho três dias para me recuperar antes do primeiro treino com o time da Nike. Minha consolação é que eu estou me sentindo tão preparado como no ano passado e mais descansado. Mais chance de recuperar à tempo.

Dá uma olhada depois do link como vai ser a semana na França.

RAIN AND WIND

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126 kms | 4 h 37 m | avg speed 27.3 km/h | avg hr 1149 bpm | 2.630 kcal


In the last long ride training before the trip for the L’Etape du Tour in France, the Dutch weather gave me a nice gift: good temperature, a bit of rain and lots of wind. The wind was blowing from the Northwest at around 35 kms/h and if it helped at some point, it also made for a great training. Not for nothing the wind is said to be the Dutch mountain.
  Na última volta longa antes de embarcar para a viagem para a L’Etape du Tour, a clima na Holanda me deu um presentinho: boa temperatura, um pouco de chuva e muito vento. A força do vento estava por volta dos 35 kms/h vindo do noroeste. Ele ajudou em alguns momentos, mas foi uma grade força pro treino. Não é por nada que ele é chamado de “montanha holandesa”.