Pre season training camp and testing
19th November 2016 (Saturday) DAY 1:
Today was travel day and my flight from Perth to Melbourne approximately 4 hours, The Journey was with Luke durbridge and Rob Powes.
We met with the remainder of the team at around 5pm and set the bikes up and kit for the next couple of days in our first location, Nagambie. This was the teams annual social ride called the Winery Ride.
In the evening we headed to Michelin winery to have dinner and drinks. This was a nice get together and a nice way to meet everyone including all of the women's team.
Day 2:
Today was the Winery Ride at 140km with 1 big climb 70km in. It was a day for the orica team to socialise with the public and spend time with the fans.
It was a perfect day of 30degrees and a good paced group. I spent most of the day with Luke durbrige and Charline but I also met some great people and had some interesting conversations with fellow cyclists.
When we got to the Michelin winery we were followed in by a drone recording for a new video and then treated to a great lunch and much needed brew with the team.
In the afternoon we headed back to camp, went for a swim to cool down and just chilled out until dinner where we had steak, chips and a few bevvys. A very relaxing and chilled out day!
Day 3:
Today we head off to Canberra a 550km journey to the Australian national institute of sport (AIS). The team often go up here for testing and training. We will be here for the remainder of our trip.
Late afternoon we headed out for a spin to flush the legs after a long drive.
When we got back we had a talk on medical testing and other subjects.
After the talk we then all went down to dinner where the team chef prepared a buffet style dinner which was very nice!
Day 4:
Today was an early start for the whole team it included lots of medical testing and the start of the trial behind a new product and supplement. (I wont be saying the name of the product/supplement throughout this blog)
Most people were tested at different times so everyone headed out at different times to train in the day. I set off just before 9 for a nice 3and half hour ride with some stunning climbing in the Canberra mountains.
Once I got back we done our normal post training routine and then the chef had prepared lunch, so we all met up at the kitchen.
For the afternoon after everyone had chilled out for a bit we went down to play a game of wall tennis which was fun and allowed us to chill out and have a bit of fun.
After the game we went down to the team meeting talking about the future of the team which was very interesting to be apart off and I saw just how much the support staff of the team play a role in making these riders truly great sportsman and how they function as a team! Without the staff the riders wouldn't be as good as they are, it made me appreciate how much they do and how much of a team effort it really is! Hopefully I can bring back some of this knowledge to our team and make us better.
After the team meeting we went down to dinner where we had a great dinner of salmon, rissoto and salad.
Day 5:
This morning a few of us headed to the gym early (pre ride) to do a session set out by coaches. We used the Australian National Institute of sport facility. This has to be the best gym I have ever been too! The equipment was amazing and there was attention to detail so the athlete could do the best he/she could do and have a good training session.
After the gym we rode back to our apartments where we got ready for the ride and met the rest of the team at 9:45.
The ride was a rolling 3 and half hours with a couple of hills. We had rain and storms forecast so we all came prepared with rain jackets. The heavens didn't disappoint and it soon started to rain hard and gust winds which made the ride rather grim and much harder! Although the company did make it more bearable!
When we eventually got back we all jumped straight in to the hot showers and our bikes were taken to be cleaned and checked over. Getting the bike clean is a luxury I don't normally get after a wet gritty ride so I was very happy! Hehe.
Once we got warm we went down to lunch and chilled out until the late afternoon where interviews were happening and massages.
For dinner there was a big get together with all the riders, including all the U23 team from the development team based in Europe, Also all of the support staff. It was a big social event with lots of beers and a nice BBQ. It was a great atmosphere and a nice way to socialise with new people.
Day 6:
Today was the first hard day of testing everyone had different times from 8am through to 2pm. The testing started with a VO2 test then straight after that a virtual 32km TT of the World Championships course next year. Through the testing of the TT they will be testing a new supplement to possibly use next year. It was great to be apart of the project and hopefully some interesting results come back.
Overall we will be doing 3 tests over the 10days so that's 3x 32km time trials!!! Ouch.....
When i got back We chilled out and headed to the swimming pool to cool off and relax.
Dinner was served at 7pm and we all fuelled well due to a big 6 hour day planned for tomorrow. We also had a talk about the some of the results they had managed to find during today's trials. It will be a few more days until they are complete though.
Day 7:
We were up at 7am for a 8:30 start. Today we had a team car following with plenty of food, water and spare wheels. This was very useful on some off the gravel off road sectors where we had around 8punctures!
3 hours in we stopped for a brew at the last town before we hit no where so it was the last chance to get some boost from a coffee to get us through 3 more hilly hours.
We got back to the villas at around 3:30pm and clocked 6hours 123miles, 2300m elevation at a fruity 35kmh!
The chef prepared a late lunch for us, by the time we were all ready it was 4pm.
Tonight we all went out for diner to a 8 course Asian restaurant based in Canberra city. It was like tapas and a nice way to share new foods. After dinner we went out to a bar and had a few drinks which was nice because after a Hards day training everyone was relaxing and having a good time talking about things other than bikes!
Day 8:
Today was a much needed rest day that consisted of a light recovery ride in the morning of around 1 hour and included the must....... a BREW stop!
When we got home there was lunch prepared for us and the start of our controlled diet over the next few days. This was happening for the trials taking place. There was a dietitian talking about and taking questions regarding nutrition and the controlled diet.
For the afternoon we went into Canberra for a group activity. It was called Sanbera a form of dance and martial arts. It was great fun and lots of laughs were had!
Dinner was served at 19:30 at the AIS because we had to have a controlled dinner before more testing tomorrow morning. We all got given our individual plans for the day which included all the set food plans, training and testing schedules. These next few days of testing are really important for the team so we need to ensure everything is given and we go as hard as possible.
Day 9:
To start the day we were kindly woken at 6am by the anti doping agency to check who was in our apartment and take tests.
Everyone was up at different times to be driven to the AIS for the testing. I was there by 9am to get blood drawn, get weighed, urine samples, controlled pre test meal and a canular fitted. The breakfast was a wonderful cold combination of white rice and plain omelette. Yummy!
Once we had digested for 2 hours we started our warm up which consisted of 3x5min efforts at a specific power depending on your VO2 results from the previous day. Once we were warmed up there was a 10min rest where we would take more blood and urine samples. After this we would get back on the bike and begin our 32km TT.
After the TT more samples were taken and then we were handed a controlled post race meal and shake.
*Overall there was 10 blood draws, 10 finger pricks, 2 weigh ins and 5 urine samples.
After we cooled down and freshened up we headed out for training on the road.
Dinner was at 7pm prepared again by the chef in preparation for a big 6 hour day tomorrow morning.
Day 10:
Today was a big day for everyone. Up at 7am for a 8pm start for 6 hard hours in the mountains. The route was 197km, 2800m of elevation and a solid speed of 20mph.
We only stopped today for water as the conditions were pretty warm around 34degrees! It's great when the team car follows because you can refuel whenever you are low on food or drinks and in convinient places!
We were back in the late afternoon just in time for a light lunch.
There wasn't any entertainment today because everyone was pretty tired and needed to rest!
For dinner we all headed out to town including all staff for a good dinner at a burger/grill restaurant. It was a great evening and the last time most of us would all be together as a couple of riders were heading home 1 day early.
Day 11:
To kick start the recovery day a group of us headed to the gym for some pre breakfast fun. It was pretty busy today with lots of athletes and a few Olympic champions which was cool to see and even say Hi too and Mingle with.
At 10am a few riders headed out for a nice recovery ride of around 2 hours including a nice cafe stop and the last ride most of us would ride together on the road until the season started.
For the afternoon we went out to the local lake to learn some sailing which was awesome fun! We had some competitive fun racing each other.
In the afternoon we were given our controlled diets again due to the final test day tomorrow morning.
Day 12:
Today is the last day! We were up at our individual times to go to the AIS testing centre.
The day was the exact same to the previous testing day on Sunday so the test was fair and no errors could happen. Everything was running smoothly and ahead of schedule so all was good.
We were all pretty excited to get the test finished with and get some interesting results back from the supplement we were taking.
After the study we all said our goodbyes which was sad because we've had some great laughs this week and everyone has been so welcoming and helpful. It feels like a big family and they welcomed me with open arms which was awesome because before I met everyone I was very apprehensive of how they would welcome me. Looking back now though I didn't need to worry! Hehe.
So after the goodbyes we jumped in the team van and headed back to Melbourne for another road trip, approx 700km.
I will now be based in Melbourne for 3 more nights before I start the next part of my journey to New Zealand!
Thank for coming, I hope you enjoyed the read :)
More to come so stay tuned! :D
Today was travel day and my flight from Perth to Melbourne approximately 4 hours, The Journey was with Luke durbridge and Rob Powes.
We met with the remainder of the team at around 5pm and set the bikes up and kit for the next couple of days in our first location, Nagambie. This was the teams annual social ride called the Winery Ride.
In the evening we headed to Michelin winery to have dinner and drinks. This was a nice get together and a nice way to meet everyone including all of the women's team.
Day 2:
Today was the Winery Ride at 140km with 1 big climb 70km in. It was a day for the orica team to socialise with the public and spend time with the fans.
It was a perfect day of 30degrees and a good paced group. I spent most of the day with Luke durbrige and Charline but I also met some great people and had some interesting conversations with fellow cyclists.
When we got to the Michelin winery we were followed in by a drone recording for a new video and then treated to a great lunch and much needed brew with the team.
In the afternoon we headed back to camp, went for a swim to cool down and just chilled out until dinner where we had steak, chips and a few bevvys. A very relaxing and chilled out day!
Day 3:
Today we head off to Canberra a 550km journey to the Australian national institute of sport (AIS). The team often go up here for testing and training. We will be here for the remainder of our trip.
Late afternoon we headed out for a spin to flush the legs after a long drive.
When we got back we had a talk on medical testing and other subjects.
After the talk we then all went down to dinner where the team chef prepared a buffet style dinner which was very nice!
Day 4:
Today was an early start for the whole team it included lots of medical testing and the start of the trial behind a new product and supplement. (I wont be saying the name of the product/supplement throughout this blog)
Most people were tested at different times so everyone headed out at different times to train in the day. I set off just before 9 for a nice 3and half hour ride with some stunning climbing in the Canberra mountains.
Once I got back we done our normal post training routine and then the chef had prepared lunch, so we all met up at the kitchen.
For the afternoon after everyone had chilled out for a bit we went down to play a game of wall tennis which was fun and allowed us to chill out and have a bit of fun.
After the game we went down to the team meeting talking about the future of the team which was very interesting to be apart off and I saw just how much the support staff of the team play a role in making these riders truly great sportsman and how they function as a team! Without the staff the riders wouldn't be as good as they are, it made me appreciate how much they do and how much of a team effort it really is! Hopefully I can bring back some of this knowledge to our team and make us better.
After the team meeting we went down to dinner where we had a great dinner of salmon, rissoto and salad.
Day 5:
This morning a few of us headed to the gym early (pre ride) to do a session set out by coaches. We used the Australian National Institute of sport facility. This has to be the best gym I have ever been too! The equipment was amazing and there was attention to detail so the athlete could do the best he/she could do and have a good training session.
After the gym we rode back to our apartments where we got ready for the ride and met the rest of the team at 9:45.
The ride was a rolling 3 and half hours with a couple of hills. We had rain and storms forecast so we all came prepared with rain jackets. The heavens didn't disappoint and it soon started to rain hard and gust winds which made the ride rather grim and much harder! Although the company did make it more bearable!
When we eventually got back we all jumped straight in to the hot showers and our bikes were taken to be cleaned and checked over. Getting the bike clean is a luxury I don't normally get after a wet gritty ride so I was very happy! Hehe.
Once we got warm we went down to lunch and chilled out until the late afternoon where interviews were happening and massages.
For dinner there was a big get together with all the riders, including all the U23 team from the development team based in Europe, Also all of the support staff. It was a big social event with lots of beers and a nice BBQ. It was a great atmosphere and a nice way to socialise with new people.
Day 6:
Today was the first hard day of testing everyone had different times from 8am through to 2pm. The testing started with a VO2 test then straight after that a virtual 32km TT of the World Championships course next year. Through the testing of the TT they will be testing a new supplement to possibly use next year. It was great to be apart of the project and hopefully some interesting results come back.
Overall we will be doing 3 tests over the 10days so that's 3x 32km time trials!!! Ouch.....
When i got back We chilled out and headed to the swimming pool to cool off and relax.
Dinner was served at 7pm and we all fuelled well due to a big 6 hour day planned for tomorrow. We also had a talk about the some of the results they had managed to find during today's trials. It will be a few more days until they are complete though.
Day 7:
We were up at 7am for a 8:30 start. Today we had a team car following with plenty of food, water and spare wheels. This was very useful on some off the gravel off road sectors where we had around 8punctures!
3 hours in we stopped for a brew at the last town before we hit no where so it was the last chance to get some boost from a coffee to get us through 3 more hilly hours.
We got back to the villas at around 3:30pm and clocked 6hours 123miles, 2300m elevation at a fruity 35kmh!
The chef prepared a late lunch for us, by the time we were all ready it was 4pm.
Tonight we all went out for diner to a 8 course Asian restaurant based in Canberra city. It was like tapas and a nice way to share new foods. After dinner we went out to a bar and had a few drinks which was nice because after a Hards day training everyone was relaxing and having a good time talking about things other than bikes!
Day 8:
Today was a much needed rest day that consisted of a light recovery ride in the morning of around 1 hour and included the must....... a BREW stop!
When we got home there was lunch prepared for us and the start of our controlled diet over the next few days. This was happening for the trials taking place. There was a dietitian talking about and taking questions regarding nutrition and the controlled diet.
For the afternoon we went into Canberra for a group activity. It was called Sanbera a form of dance and martial arts. It was great fun and lots of laughs were had!
Dinner was served at 19:30 at the AIS because we had to have a controlled dinner before more testing tomorrow morning. We all got given our individual plans for the day which included all the set food plans, training and testing schedules. These next few days of testing are really important for the team so we need to ensure everything is given and we go as hard as possible.
Day 9:
To start the day we were kindly woken at 6am by the anti doping agency to check who was in our apartment and take tests.
Everyone was up at different times to be driven to the AIS for the testing. I was there by 9am to get blood drawn, get weighed, urine samples, controlled pre test meal and a canular fitted. The breakfast was a wonderful cold combination of white rice and plain omelette. Yummy!
Once we had digested for 2 hours we started our warm up which consisted of 3x5min efforts at a specific power depending on your VO2 results from the previous day. Once we were warmed up there was a 10min rest where we would take more blood and urine samples. After this we would get back on the bike and begin our 32km TT.
After the TT more samples were taken and then we were handed a controlled post race meal and shake.
*Overall there was 10 blood draws, 10 finger pricks, 2 weigh ins and 5 urine samples.
After we cooled down and freshened up we headed out for training on the road.
Dinner was at 7pm prepared again by the chef in preparation for a big 6 hour day tomorrow morning.
Day 10:
Today was a big day for everyone. Up at 7am for a 8pm start for 6 hard hours in the mountains. The route was 197km, 2800m of elevation and a solid speed of 20mph.
We only stopped today for water as the conditions were pretty warm around 34degrees! It's great when the team car follows because you can refuel whenever you are low on food or drinks and in convinient places!
We were back in the late afternoon just in time for a light lunch.
There wasn't any entertainment today because everyone was pretty tired and needed to rest!
For dinner we all headed out to town including all staff for a good dinner at a burger/grill restaurant. It was a great evening and the last time most of us would all be together as a couple of riders were heading home 1 day early.
Day 11:
To kick start the recovery day a group of us headed to the gym for some pre breakfast fun. It was pretty busy today with lots of athletes and a few Olympic champions which was cool to see and even say Hi too and Mingle with.
At 10am a few riders headed out for a nice recovery ride of around 2 hours including a nice cafe stop and the last ride most of us would ride together on the road until the season started.
For the afternoon we went out to the local lake to learn some sailing which was awesome fun! We had some competitive fun racing each other.
In the afternoon we were given our controlled diets again due to the final test day tomorrow morning.
Day 12:
Today is the last day! We were up at our individual times to go to the AIS testing centre.
The day was the exact same to the previous testing day on Sunday so the test was fair and no errors could happen. Everything was running smoothly and ahead of schedule so all was good.
We were all pretty excited to get the test finished with and get some interesting results back from the supplement we were taking.
After the study we all said our goodbyes which was sad because we've had some great laughs this week and everyone has been so welcoming and helpful. It feels like a big family and they welcomed me with open arms which was awesome because before I met everyone I was very apprehensive of how they would welcome me. Looking back now though I didn't need to worry! Hehe.
So after the goodbyes we jumped in the team van and headed back to Melbourne for another road trip, approx 700km.
I will now be based in Melbourne for 3 more nights before I start the next part of my journey to New Zealand!
Thank for coming, I hope you enjoyed the read :)
More to come so stay tuned! :D
#OTEFUELLED @OTESportsGB @Specsavers@jeffbanksstores@jbsavilerow@mm_performance@scottssports@Edco_wheel@Contityres @aprirebicycles @OfficialLeCol