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The Etape is possibly the nearest you’ll get to experiencing what the pro riders have to do for a living. The following riders are members of our RCUK Team. We will follow them from now until the big day next July. If you are riding the Etape next year and you are in the RCUK team (but don’t yet have your details up) email us and please include a picture.
Name:
From:
Age:
Job:
Years riding:
Club:
Bike(s):
Dream bike: Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race etc): Rowed to Elite level until 2 years ago. Raced bikes on/off road during the rowing ‘off-season’ for several years. Have you done the Etape before: No
How much time can you devote to training each week:
Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?:
Which ones: Do you have a coach?: No. Have you ever been fitness tested?: Yes (for rowing). If so what did this tell you: High V02 Max, good recovery, relatively low max HR (194), large lungs but sightly too much fat (12%). Tell us about your typical week’s training: Currently 2 or 3 ‘long’ rides of around 2.5 to 3 hours on Friday/Saturday/Sunday and then shorter rides to work and longer rides home during the week. MTBing up to a couple of times a week and some rowing sessions – around 175 to 225 miles (or equivalent) each week. Aiming to increase the mileage as I get fitter with better endurance. Currently averaging around 19mph on the longer rides. Hoping to be up to 21+ by the event. Do you use nutritional supplements?: Only energy drinks/bars, when racing or on longer training sessions. And which energy products (drinks, bars etc.) do you prefer?: Maxim, PSP22, Boots’ own brand.
Name: Neil Wragg Where are you from?: Marlow, Bucks Age: 34 Job: IT security specialist Years riding: 14 Club?: High Wycombe CC Bike(s): Road: Merlin Cyrene, Tifosi CK1 MTB: Kona King Kikapu, Kona Muni Mula Dream bike?: The Merlin above! Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race etc): First summer at road racing. Went from 4th to 3rd cat at the end of the season. I’ve done some time trials. Have you done the Etape before: No How much time can you devote to training each week: I ride to work most days which is 20 miles each way that takes an hour for each journey, so that’s up to 8 hours in one hour sessions. Plus Sunday which are usually club runs over 50 – 100 miles taking most of the day if necessary. Because I commute I dont go out in the evenings much apart from a weekly MTB ride around the Chilterns.
Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?: Which ones: I dont know yet. Do you have a coach?: No Have you ever been fitness tested?: No Tell us about your typical week’s training: Easy but long ride on a Sunday, 60 miles+. Typically four days of commuting which is a round trip of 40 miles. A couple of these one hour commutes will be at around 85% of HR max, a couple at >70% of HR max & the rest at below 70% HR max. The morning journeys to work have a 1.6 mile climb of around 10% gradient and the journeys back can be either completely flat of incorporate the same hill in reverse. Typical weekly mileage is about 150. Do you use nutritional supplements?: Just energy drink on longer rides plus Nutrigrain bars, bananas etc And which energy products (drinks, bars etc) do you prefer?: any…
Name: Kevin Donaldson
Where are you from?:
Age:
Job:
Years riding:
Club?:
Bike(s):
Dream bike?:
Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race
Have you done the Etape before:
How was it?:
Did you finish at your ‘goal’ standard:
How much time can you devote to training each week:
Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?:
Which ones:
Do you have a coach?:
Have you ever been fitness tested?:
Tell us about your typical week’s training: 1 night on the road during the
Do you use nutritional supplements?:
And which energy products (Drinks, bars etc) do you prefer?:
Name: Phil Jones Where are you from?: Near Peterborough (where there are few decent hills) Age: 46 Job: Run own consultancy business Years riding: 5-6 as a triathlete. Cycled casually and toured when I was a boy until motorcycles took over. Only back into cycling in last few years. Club?: PACTRAC Triathlon club, Peterborough area – Ride with cycle club members as well. Bike(s): Scott Waimea – tri bike, Ribble trainer, Trek MTB, and one coming soon for racing & doing L’Etape when I make up my mind. Dream bike?: Still looking – Carbon or Ti and very light, comfortable and fast.
Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race etc): Have you done the Etape before: No How was it?: A mate did last year’s on a double rather than a triple – and survived. He is lighter and fitter and madder than me. How much time can you devote to training each week: One or two long rides at the weekend and a couple of sessions (turbo) through the week – up to 10 hrs ish. Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?: Possibly. Which ones: Haven’t decided yet.
Do you have a coach?: Have you ever been fitness tested?: Not properly If so what did this tell you: It was a long time ago… Tell us about your typical week’s training: Swim twice for an hour. Occasionally run. Long ride Sat (55 miles, another Sunday if I get time). Odd sessions through the week. Do you use nutritional supplements?: No And which energy products (drinks, bars etc.) do you prefer?: High 5 energy powder, Orange juice & water, Maxim bars with yogurt coatings, lots of bananas
Name: Chris Sharp Where are you from?: Born Huddersfield, currently live in Fritchley, Derbyshire. Age: 30 Job: Structural Engineer Years riding: 15 Club?: Ex Holme Valley Wheelers, thinking of trying Matlock CC. Bike(s): 8spd Winter / Work Bike; 9spd Training Bike; 9spd Etape Bike – Ribble Frame. Dream bike?: Probably a Trek but not so sure now?
Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race Have you done the Etape before: Yes How was it?: Mixed ride: I rode the 2003 event with a 39×25 btm. gear. Started off well, Col du Soudet no problem – had to hold back on the climb!! The Larrau short but steep and then the Col de Bagargui hurt big time. Managed to get up but paid the price at the top. Lost lots of time recovering from the climb. Got going again and actually finished quite strongly in 10 1/2 hours. Did you finish at your ‘goal’ standard: No. Early Feb of that year I had a recurring knee problem which severely hampered my training. Built up my mileage gradually and managed only the one 100+ mile ride before the big ride. Happy to finish in the end on the 39×25 and proud not to have gotten off to push!! How much time can you devote to training each week: Prob. 10hrs tops. Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?: Yes Which ones: Phil & Friends Ride in the Peak; poss. some Audaxes. Do you have a coach?: N Have you ever been fitness tested?: Y – Trainsmart. If so what did this tell you: Max. Fat Burning Heart Rate @151 bpm; Burning zero % Body Fat @ 183bpm. Tell us about your typical week’s training: At the moment I cycle to work 2 x a week. Dist. to work = 9.0m Will start going out 1 evening and Sundays. After Xmas will step it up gradually right up to the Etape. Do you use nutritional supplements?: Collostrum. And which energy products (Drinks, bars etc) do you prefer?: SIS
Name: Dean Morgan Name: Chris Sharp Where are you from?: New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire Age: 29. Job: Software Engineer in the Telecoms industry Years riding: 10 Club?: Yeah, just joined the Glossop Kinder Velo. Bike(s): Santa Cruz Blur and an Airborne Zeppelin Dream bike?: Got them both I think but I may change my mind in a couple of years though Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race etc): Race 10mile time trials, mountain bike endurance races. Have you done the Etape before: No, have tried to enter for the past 5 years so I must be lucky this year! Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?: Yes, going to get in as much as I can. Which ones: Time trials, Kona 100km, 24hrs races Do you have a coach?: No, only my head saying “Get out and ride for lazy pig”. Have you ever been fitness tested?: No, I do have a Polar S720i HRM and it thinks I’m fit when I use the fitness test function. If so what did this tell you: Just thinks I’m fit, nothing much else.
Tell us about your typical week’s training: Do you use nutritional supplements?: Yes And which energy products (Drinks, bars etc) do you prefer?: High 5
Name: Mike Edwards
Where are you from?: Gloucestershire via London Age: 40 Job: Bits of a number of things Years riding: Properly, 15 years Club?: Willesden CC, about to join Cheltenham & County Bike(s): Road: Seven Alaris & Lemond Alpe d’Huez MTB: Turner Burner Dream bike?: My Seven Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race etc): Yes, Cat 3, Cat 2 on a good year. Have you done the Etape before: Yes, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. How was it?: Great, especially if you like being sworn at in French. Did you finish at your ‘goal’ standard: Yes. Got Bronze year 1 so went for Gold the other times and did it. How much time can you devote to training each week: 10 hours + Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?: Hell yes !
Which ones: Do you have a coach?: No Have you ever been fitness tested?: No Tell us about your typical week’s training: All based around a long ride (4-5 hours at the moment) and a long run, with as many longer, easy rides & runs as I can fit in the week, as well as around the races I’m currently doing. Do you use nutritional supplements?: No And which energy products (drinks, bars etc) do you prefer?: Anything but Teknofuel.
Name: Jeremy Tapp Where are you from?: London Age: 32 Job: Co-MD Magicalia Years riding: 20 years Club?: None really. Ride with RCUK. London Dynamo, Westerley and Sigma Bike(s): Ambrosio ‘Dream Machine’ with Campag Chorus. Rixon true classic steel with 105 Dream bike?: Something Titanium. Seven or Serotta. Carbon rear stays and Campag Record. Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race etc): Done 2 Cat. 4 races. Hope to do more next year. A few 10 TTs. Have you done the Etape before: Certainly not. How much time can you devote to training each week: About 5 hours. More on some weeks. Big variation, some weeks 10+. Summer Commuting easy. Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?: Hope to do a couple yes.
Which ones: Do you have a coach?: No. Not yet. Have you ever been fitness tested?: No. Would like to. Tell us about your typical week’s training: Erratic commuting (24 miles round trip). Do you use nutritional supplements?: Not really. Vitamins once in a while and a protein recovery drink after long hard rides. And which energy products (drinks, bars etc) do you prefer?: Powerbars and PSP22
Name: Kevin Davies Where are you from?: Originally from Barry in South Wales but have been living in Killinchy, Co Down, Northern Ireland for 11 years Age: 42 Job: Pilot Years riding: Well from age 5 till I learnt to drive then started again 2 years ago Club?: Not at the moment Bike(s): Trek 2300 Dream bike?: Trek Madone 5.9 (April hopefully!!)
Do you race? if so at what ‘level’ (e.g. best 25 time, cat road race Have you done the Etape before: No How much time can you devote to training each week: 12/16 Hours
Will you be doing any other rides or races next year?: Yes Do you have a coach?: No Have you ever been fitness tested?: Yes for work If so what did this tell you: Get fit! Lose weight, exercise (2 years ago)! VO2 Max now 72 Tell us about your typical week’s training: During the winter I aim to do 2-3 training rides of 2-3 hours duration. Loads of Gym work with weights, Swimming a couple of days and 4 Spinning classes per week, and running when the weather is kind! Do you use nutritional supplements?: No And which energy products (Drinks, bars etc) do you prefer?: I hate Gels but like Powerade and Power bar drinks as well as the Powerbar bars…and bananas by the bunch! Comment: Since I came into Cycling I realise that I have wasted so many years just doing nothing, Now at 42 I am making up for lost time, Look out Lance! (It’s also the only sport I can get by with shaving my legs in!) |
