The Bike

My bike is a Wilier Izoard Triestina 08. The Izoard allows riders to add a Wilier to their stable without breaking the bank too badly. The makers achieved its lower price point by using a more economical carbon fiber blend. The top tube flows nicely into the seat stays (as is seemingly the current fashion). Slightly curved seat stays add a touch of cushion to the rear end.

The Euro-inspired paint job leaves plenty of carbon fiber weave to see.

The bottom bracket section appears stout enough but serious racers might want more frame stiffness. The thin seat stays provide a noticeable amount of bump-eating flex. The front of the Izoard is fitted with a matching full-carbon fork claimed to weigh a competitive 360g.

Campagnolo's D-Skeleton brake design uses a dual-pivot front brake and a single-pivot rear for lighter weight and better overall modulation.

The 10 speed Cassette was originally an 11-26, however I changed this to an 11-28 for lower gearing so I could climb easier. When faced with the Alps this July I searched for something even lower - a 30 or 32 big ring. In February SRAM bought out two sets of lower gears that provided gearing equal to a triple crankset in an 11-32 or 11-34. But as I have Campagnolo wheels the SRAM cassette was not compatible. By coincidence my RD postman is a top grade cyclist and had a pair of MAVIC wheels suitable for Shimano/SRAM cassettes which he has loaned to me. The other issue was the gear changing system of Campagnolo does not work easily with the SRAM cassette, the shifting distance between gears is slightly different. However a small company in the USA, JTEK, is making parts for bikes to allow all sorts of problems to be solved. In this case a small wheel with a double diameter fitted to the derailluer that moves the chain the correct amount. Greg at my local bikeshop fitted the Jtek wheel beautifully and now I am zooming up the local hills with new enthusiasm.     

So the bike is ready to be packed into the solid bike case I am hiring from Eliteracerentals in Auckland.

Training Plans

Since the begining of December the aim of my training has been to improve technique and strengths for cycling, without long hours on the road which will come later. There are four different elements to my program. The first was the purchase of a Garmin Edge 705 Cycle Computer. This has GPS functions with  maps. Currently fitted with a map NZ and Australia and a map of Europe ready for July. A daily route can be uploaded. This will be done during the Tour so we can find our way. During ride the route map is saved and later downloaded onto a PC. All the ride functions are recorded and saved for future analysis. I have been setting up different rides of 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours as standards with a goal beat next time.
The second element of my training is the strength training in the gym and attend once or twice a week.
The third element of my training is a series of DVD's from CycloCore; eleven different programs take a specific element of cycling technique and show how to improve it. This series is designed by Graeme Street and is a mix of drills, spinnervals, mental toughness, breathing technique and massage.
The fourth and final element of my training is the use of a borrowed Tacx Fortius training system. The bike is hooked up to a typical indoor fixed trainer which is fitted with an electric motor that brakes your pedalling or drives the back wheel  for climbing or descending respectively. Added into this is a video of classic climbs or routes around the globe. The bike is wound along the route and the real time video is progressed from start to finish. I started this on New Years Day with a successful climb of Alp d'Huez. Subsequently I have added Mont Ventoux (twice), Galibier (twice), Telegraph (once) and Alp d'Huez (twice more). I have progressed from a stop every 10 minutes then every 20 minutes and finally non-stop. To date I have only done Alp d'Huez non-stop. Benefits are obvious, after seven climbs, I did d'Huez non-stop and my bpm seldom rose above 150bpm, except over the last 3k when I was pushing hard to go under 100 minutes for the 13.5k climb.   

The Itinerary

Since the Tour idea was announced the three of us (Me, Lyn and Margaret) enlarged to four (Vicky). The Tour idea is a celebration for the three Tarmac Tamers, respectfully we are 70, 60 and 50 in 2011. Vicky has kept her age secret but has a formidable athletic reputation having completed in Ironman events, but otherwise she is a peach. The final details of our Tour were sent out on Xmas Eve with Hotels and some of the Highlights. The details have changed slightly. The touring group will be 36, 20 guys and 16 gals, with  ages ranging from 36 to 70, mostly around 50, all Kiwis from Invercargill to Auckland. We meet up on July 11 in Toulouse and stay at the Mercure Toulouse Wilson Hotel for two nights. Then we move to Lourdes for three nights (13-14-15/7) staying at the Grand Hotel Modern; then we move to Avignon for three nights (16-17-18/7) staying at the Hotel Cloitre St. Louis; then we move to Serre Chavalier for four nights (19-20-21-22/7) and finally to Paris for two nights (23-24/7) staying at the Hotel Abba Montparnasses.
Prior to arriving in Toulouse I will be travelling to a small village near Lourdes, St. Savin to stay in a Cyclists B&B - La Lanterne Rouge. This is the name given to the last placed rider in any major event. I stay there for 11 days to get acclimatised to the summer heat and get some altitude training and sample some of the mountain climbs nearby - I will have, in no particular order, the Col du Tourmalet, Col du Borderes, Col du Soulor, Col d'Aubisque and Luz Ardiden to sample. The B&B can be seen at http://www.velopeloton.com/ . A feature of the climb up the d'Aubisque is the la Corniche du Cirque de Litor; the road has tunnels and otherwise cut out of almost vertical cliff face.
During the Tour we will have a choice of rides on most days of varying length and difficulty, not all days will be linked to the TdF however. We will have a chance to climb Mont Ventoux and Alp d'Huez.

Build up

The excitement is mounting. Getting ready for the Tour next year is fully underway. We have just had an email from Karl our tour director that we will stay in 5 hotels during the 14 day tour which means more than 1 night in each, with our start in the town of Albi, about 50k east of Toulouse. I think one hotel remains to be booked and we will get our itinerary toward the end of Novembers. I have been in KL with Angelique and Stephen at their Apartment since 30th October and move to Hertford, UK on the 12 November. There is an excellent gym so I am spending 1-2 hours a day working on basics getting more strength and flexibility in all parts, and working at maintaining cadence in the 100-110 range.
The most exciting news about the TdF route was the stage from Pinerolo, Italy to Col Galibier, 3 climbs of which the second one is over the Col d'Izoard. This was a hopeful dream of mine that I could manage this during this visit to France.As preparations developed it was not looking like it was going to happen. Then when the Tour route was announced the return from Italy was going to come over the Col Agnel into France and then over the Izoard. The landscape over the top is like a dessert with high rocky towers giving a moonscape feel. Apart from that landscape what has it got for me: my bike is a Wilier Izoard. Wilier brand many of their bikes by classic cols and mine by chance was the Izoard. Have a look at the photos on any cycling website such as www.steephilltv.com.
9th November 2010