eyes to me

When we bought our new car last year, the space in the back for too little kiddies and the space in the boot for all their stuff was the deciding factor. However, I couldn't help notice the big square back end, huge back window and front windscreen, metallic paintwork.... a motorpacing dream!

Today I did the usual motorpacing loop with Shinobu, Luke and Mark. Out on the back roads, back on the coast road. If base training is the sponge, hill climbing the cream, intervals the jam, motorpacing is certainly the icing on the cake. Only racing is better training for racing.

From our place we are out into the rice fields in less than a minute. No time for a warm up today. We are doing fifty and my legs are on fire.

On the way out it's a headwind. If the car drops you, like the bunch in a race, it's torture getting back on. And she does drop me. How she loves to drop me. The sounds of Dreams Come True disappearing into the distance.

The bigger the gap gets the harder it is to get on. You have to go hard and go quickly. Onto the aerobars, 45 kmph, grit the teeth, close the eyes. Once you close the gap, you have to close the deal too. A weakness of mine is that I ease off too soon. You have to get in real close before you can relax a little.

The odd traffic light is a good chance to practice getting up to speed quickly. Out of the saddle. Clunk, clunk, clunk. Drop the gears until there are no more to be dropped. All you have now is cadence. The faster you spin, the faster you go.

Between Ishiji and Izumozaki there is a steady climb at about 5% for a kilometre or so. I love this climb. I fancy my chances against anyone on this stretch. Even the car!

Up we go. Get in close. Brake into the bends. I'm losing it. Drop a gear. Mouth wide open. Need more air. Force air out to draw it in. Bridge the hill. Look down. 50 kmph, 176 HR. All out!

Back on the coast road now. Lots of traffic on such a beautiful day. Wind on my back. Mixing it up with the motorbikers. They love to rev their engines. I love to show them how slow they are going.

We stop at Tenryo no sato for some ice cream and to stretch the legs.

Back on the bike half an hour later and it's hard to get going again. The climb over the bridge hurts like never before. Lock onto the car. With a tail wind, it's easy to hold 60 kmph. A car is closing in behind. He can't complain, this is a 50 zone. “jyonnobitime.com” written across my rear end must be getting read over time and time again. Maybe I should sell some advertising space to Strawberry Cones Pizza. “We deliver fast...”

On the hill behind the power station I can't follow the car. Shinobu is trying to draw me in, but I'm on the limit. Great training.

We stop at central beach and Luke and I are straight into the water. It feels so good. So cold and fresh. A cold shower, a change of clothes and back home for dinner.

Today's training: motorpacing loop (80 km, 250 m climbing, 44 kmph, 150 / 176 HR av / max)