slowly getting into form

Hi all,

We are now into August and into the big international races are just round the corner! One in particular, the G.P Capodarco 16th August. My form has been improving steadily  and I've manage to churn out a couple of great results in recent races too, Trofeo Cita di Garrufo and the Giro delle Valli Cuneesi in particular. 

The Trofeo Di Garrufo was on the 14th of July near where I live. It's was a UCI 1.19 standard race but seemed harder to me with 8 circuits of a 16km course with 2 hills in a circuit. The race was pretty hectic in the beginning, with everyone trying to get a man up the road in the breakaway, but every time the break went away, the team without a rider would bring it back. Finally, after 40km a group broke away with 17 riders and then followed by a second breakaway with 12 riders (including me!). As we got closer to the leaders we started to climb, I felt this was the perfect opportunity for me so I jumped across the gap before the race started going down hill. I was the only one to get across to the leaders, so we now had 18 up front and the advantage had now grown up to 3minutes and stayed that way going into the finish. The last hill was 25% and spilt everything up, I tried my best to be savvy in the final km's and I got 7th position in the finale, something I was really pleased with and looks good for the next few months!

Next up was the Valli Cuneesi, another international race but this time up in the Alps, and a level UCI 2.12 on top of that. The first stage was the team time trial, 20km of holding on for dear life as my team mates racked up the pace on a windy circuit!  We were proud of our effort as we got 10th on the stage and that was without doing a lot of preparation for it beforehand. 

The second stage was only 130km but finished on a 15km hill with an average of 12%. The first 40km was 'same old same old' as the teams controlled everything. As the race settled and the wind picked up as so did the pace, so I got myself to the front ASAP as I knew  there was a little 2km lump coming up. On the crest of the hill it split and a breakaway of 30 had formed. I didn't really see the situation behind me as after the race progressed I was the only one from the team in the break, so I was pretty much hiding from going on the front and trying to look after myself for later in the day. The break had 4 minutes advantage and was growing so things were looking good. The hill was full on from the beginning so it was just a matter of survival of the fittest! At the end of the stage I was second under23, second foreigner and 8th overall after getting 9th on the stage. 

The second stage was set up to really split up the race as it was 150km with 2 hills. The first, a 6km climb with and a average gradient of 12% and then the second of 7km, with and average gradient of 10%. For the whole day my team mate where great, looking after me and working for me the whole stage. After the first hill it all split up and I was in the second breakaway, with 3/4 up the road and I was in a group of 15. On the second hill it split up further, with everyone in small groups of 2s and 3s. At the end of the Valli Cuneesi I ended up 2nd under 23, 2nd foreigner and 10th overall in the race after losing some time on the final stage. Going into the race I'd certainly have taken this result in such a big race, the team were great and I was happy with how I was feeling throughout, certainly building!

Overall, things are going well here in Italy, just trying to find time to relax with all the training and traveling. It's now reaching peak summer time so it's about 36-40 degrees everyday where I live, so this means being smart and training early in the morning before it really hots up! Anyway training is going well, life is going well and the results are coming now, just got to carry the form into the up and coming races! i.e GP CAPODARCO! 

CIAO AMICI!!

Back from England

This past month and a bit has been a lot of traveling. I finally managed to come back to England for a bit after six months in Italy. The main reason for coming back was to do the national cycling road race, and to see family. 

The national champs was up in Scotland. Pretty much a city centre crit in Glasgow. It's was flat circuit with three little hills in it. I say hills but they where more like speed bumps. In the race I tried to go with the right breaks but after the six pro's went of the front I was just a bit lottery. Ended up doing nothing and just go round in a group of about 30. 

After the nationals I was at home for another two weeks. I manage to see most my mates and have a couple of meals with some mates. It also gave me a good chance to rest up and go for the races in the last part of the season. 

The first race back in Italy was only yesterday. For me it was a chance to get back into the swing of things. Unfortunately I had to work for the Italian lads as it was there regional champs. But when you have team orders you have team orders. Anyway he lads felt really good and everything is heading in the right direction for a peak in August which I have planned. Hope it says on the right path as there are many international races and UCI 1.2 races. 

May 2013

Hi everyone, may was a month mainly preparing for the Pescanectoria u-23 race. The preparation was trying to grow the legs. Tuesday was 150km with sprint and the specific progressions. Wednesday power work 5 mins with 53✖13 then 5 mins spinning. Repeated 6/7 times. Thursday 200km. Then racing on the weekend. 

The Pescanectoria went well except for the first stage. The first stage was 150km with two 3/4km hills. Unfortunately I had a bit for bad luck and miss the head of the bunch when it broke away and lost 1:07. The second stage was the hill stage. 160km with 8/10km hills. The weather was awful with rain and -2 degrees. I manages to squeeze out a 15th position and 23rd overall. The last stage was a sprinters stage with is being 150km and all flat. After about 100km it started hail stoning and I ended up in the breakaway with three others. Unfortunately it stopped raining and hail stoning so the inevitable happened and they brought back the break with 3km to got. Still went well just the first day didn't go as I planned. 

  After all the racing and training the wasn't much time for anything else, anyway now on the June and the nationals. 

April 2013

Hi everyone, this month has been a busy one. It's started with a couple of doctors visits and him say I'm a load a crap more or less. I now have spent the last month trying to change my pedalling style, as he said I don't pedal roundly enough. So now after most training sessions I have to go and do an extra hour of exercise. I was told to think of it as a good thing as he said my body has a lot to improve on so I can only get faster.... Hopefully. The down side is that now for a month I can only do one race a week so my legs can recover from the exercise. 

   There has been a couple of good races latterly. The main one being the international race at Sora in Lazio. 175km done at an average of 45kph. It was a nice and hilly race with a long lap of about 20km with a 4 km hill then the short laps with a steep 3 km hill. Me and a team mate sore a break of about 20 go of the front half way through the race so we closed it and found ourselves there. After 90km in the break the last hill I helped my team mate as he had the legs that day. But ended up with a 15th. ( for weekly info on races go to my twitter page)

In general things are going ok, whether is getting better, and life is waking up in the village finally. 

March

Hi all, this past month has been a busy one. Over the Easter period it's been race after race. In the past 10 days alone I have done 5 races and have another this Sunday and Tuesday.
For all I have to do in the races is work of the others. This is because we have a few guys who have peaked for the spring races. My main objective in these early races is to get in the break as this is an optimum was to prepare my legs for summer, i.e when I plan to peak.
This last month I have also had to change my peddling style. Hopefully this means I produce more power by using every muscle in my legs.
Also this month I have booked my flights to come back and do the national champs. Been out for a few meals with the lads as well. And I've done my first appearance on tv.

Well this years cycling season is getting closer as my first race will be next week. From then it's pretty much racing every week after that. My preparation so far has been going well so let's see how it's goes in the races.
Team preparation this past month has been pretty hard. The sprints from behind the car and the standing start sprints have been breaking my legs. And that's just a Tuesday. Most Wednesdays we do power work which isn't so bad. Then Thursdays are quite nice as its just distance I.e 150-200km.
Also this past month I've taken the opportunity to finish off doing the things that I should do during the season. The diet kicked in in January but the drink has now been knocked on the head for a while. Hope it all pays off.

first one of the year

  
     Hi All, hope you have all had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. The Cycling season is nearly upon us so im now back in Italy doing team preperation. That basical means 11 guys trying to kick the shit out of each other. Fortunetly it's three weeks long then a rest week. So far it seems to be going well, but it is only the second day.
    It's been more then two months since I last wrote. Well all I've been doing is catching up with friends in the North East and trying relax as much a I can. I have been out on the bike a bit but mainly I was doing gym work, oh and playing takeaway bingo. I got them all except Chiense, but being since Im from Tesside I had a Parmo or two.
   For all readers on Facebook, I am now on twitter @matthewwoods92. When the season starts I plan to leave weekly staments about the races and I will to a blog monthly.
    

last post of 2012

This past season has been fantastic. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have helped me out this year. Especially the team and the Dave Rayner Fund. This year I have learnt so much and had a great experience thanks to them.
  My next blog entry will be the start of 2013 as now I'm rest till then. So see you in 2013 and thanks for reading.

    The past couple of weeks has pretty busy, with trips to Tuscany and other parts of Italy for races. Its been a long season, starting in February and now there are only five weeks left. It's mainly flown by with all the important races I've been fortunate enough to do, but now these last couple of weeks are dragging. I have got all my training programs for gym work and on the bike for winter when I get back to England. Thankfully it's all nice and easy until I return back to Italy in January to start the speed work.
   Good news is that when the season finishes I might actually be able to see some sites of Italy as I've booked a trip to Rome for a couple of days with a mate of mine from England.
   My plan was to have a good last month , but now I have a virus. So for the last month or so I'm just going to take it as it comes and then a whole month off... woooo.
    This has been a great year of racing. I was told that this year was only to be used as experience. Considering that I have do better than my expectations. I'm 21 next year so it;s the start of the make it or break it year's. Counting the ends for this season to end, but counting the days for next season to begin.

Capodarco

   The past 10 day have just been racing and laying about. The most important race I did was the Gran Premio Capodarco, which is comes with the fraze, Who ever wins Capodarco become a professional. It was certainly one of the hardest race I've done.
The other races have been a mixture of international and national race dotted around the country.
  I have now started this new diet which isn't a whole lot of fun, but I guess you have to do it in this sport. It all depends on what I'm doing jurring the day for what I can eat. If I got out to do hard training breakfast consists of a caffe latte, one glass of fruit juice and a slice of toast, then take food on the ride. For lunch mainly carbs with a bit of protien, yogut in the afternoon or fruit, then for dinner protien with veg or salad. When I do nothing breakfast is coffe or tea with a glass of fruit juice and fruit and yogut to eat and maybe a small slice of toast if im still hungry. Lunch is an even mix of carbs and protien, then dinner is protien, with veg or salad again. I'm dying for some chocolate....
  Now I have atleast a week without a race so its just rest for abit now.

new news

  In the past two week life has been pretty quite here in Italy. Obviously I have sent most my time training, but have the Olympics to watch in the afternoon has keep preoccupied as well. Training these days mainly consists of one day a bit fast, then the rest just getting hours in on the bike.
  Racing has been on a Sunday, so Monday has been a rest day. Gives me a chance to recover from racing, and now since there are no more stage races, there's no need to go out on the bike. I spend the more lying in and doing hour and a half of gym work. The afternoon is sent in the sun at the bar.
  Tuesday is about 130km training with a couple of hills done at max heart rate minus 15. Usually on a Tuesday I try and cook something from Jamie Oliver or try to cook something new. Then head of to the piazza.
Wednesday is a late start with an hour and a half of gym work done before I go out on the bike. Then 90km done on the bike nice and easy. Wednesday just normal cooking because frankly, can't be arsed.
  Thursday is the distance day. nice 5/6 hours on the bike. After that there's not much of the day left so I slumber of to the piazza again with my mates.
 Friday is a rest day so in the morning I do another hour and a half of gym work, then I try and clean the house. I would like to say I clean the house every Friday but I don't.
Saturday I'm now trying 3hours30mins, as I seem to go better in stage races so trying a bit more the day before a race to see if it changes anything. Generally get 90km in with a hill.
 Sunday is race day. The past races it.s been going well with gaining experience and getting stronger.
The next couple of week got quite a few races coming up so I will keep you formed, also new diet is kicking in so i'll tell all in the next blog entry.

In the past two weeks I've have been trying to get a bit of form back, which isn't easy. I've been slowly getting it back though and have now been selected to do another stage race. This means I get my first experience of a team TT, which is a lot harder than you think. It's a short stage race of only 4 days but apparently it's hard, but should be good fun. Cycling still going well in general as well but these days with it being 40 degrees it means early start.

On the other hand my cooking has got a lot better with me whipping out a Jamie Oliver recipe every other day. Apart from that not alot really has happend. just a lot of nights at the bar and afternoon eating ice cream.

This week has been another week with little training. Now its started to be about 40degrees on a daily bases the hours of training come down and it just racing, then recover. Most of the time its been a mixture of gym work and going out for three hours, with one day of distance training. Wednesday was a good 5 hours on the bike.

starting training

This week finally started training again after a nice rest week. On Tuesday manage about 120km with hills done at max minus ten. Before I went out on the bike I tried the new gym routine, nice hour and abit before training doing exercises on the gym ball. Found it much better...
Wednesday a nice 3 hours nice and easy without any hills, Makes a change. Managed to get about 80km in after a lazy morning but still doing the gym exercises. Thuraday managed 160km with a 10km hill, but since we started early could be arsed to do the gym exercises. But the main thing on Thursday was Italy V Germany. It was a great game and afterwards went to San Benedetto to celabrate. Today has be a rest day, waking up late, doing gym excerises, going for a massage, and then clearning the house. Im starting to become a bit of a clean freak now.
Also about three times a week I've been cooking a Jamie Oliver recipe, mainly to try and learn how to cook, and to get new ideas because I've ran out. Cant follow them to the letter because some of them are proper fatty so I have to interpretate then which working 80% of the time, have made a few mistakes.
.......Anyway tomorrow gym and 40km and then Sunday of to Tuscany to race, just hope I dont hit a tree this time.

rest week

Frankly this week has just been taking it easy and getting adapted to the heat which has come along. Every day this week I have pretty much done the same thing. Get up at 7, do an hour of core excises etc, get 4 hour easy riding in, and go to the beach. Just a week of recovery for the baby giro really. Fortunately now its hot no one seems to stay in so I have plenty to do on a night. This week the has been a five a side tournament near me so I've been watching most night.. its better than you think.

stages

Sorry its been so long but I' ve been a bit busy.
The Baby Giro has been one of the best experiences I have had. Racing at a world class level for the stages I've done has been amazing....
The first stage of 150km went right past my house and was a nice break in with a 7km hill and a 5km hill. Helping out team mates and finishing with the first group was the aim of the day, and it went well.
The second stage of a 75km crit was too nice but I didn't get dropped.

The third stage along the beach was the TT. Finally manage to use Garzelli's TTbike and it flew, just a shame I messed up every corner....
The forth stage was the long one. 212km with 4 7-9km climbs all at 10%. I surprised myself that day and alot of others. I finished with the leaders. Killed myself doing it but I was pretty happy with what I'd done, and so was my director of sport.
The fifth stage was one of the hard ones.180km with 1 10km climb and at the end a 16km climb, and the bit in between was just up and down all day.
The sixth stage was 160km with the first bit of gravel roads, 4 bit to be exact. This day didn't go well. I manage to finish in a group but not the first one, and a team mate arrived out of maximum time.
Finally a rest day, but don't see how 80km was a rest day.
 the seventh stage. It ended up that this was the worst stage yet. 160km with another bit of gravel road. Unfortunately on the gravel road I punched twice and had to wait 2mins for the team car. Then afterwards going down hill the bike gave away and I hit a tree head first, didn't even hit the road. Ended up waking up in the bike of the ambulance with a light in my eye and a neck brace on......Baby Giro Over...but shit happens, I'm only 20 got another two years yet at under 23.

getting towards the giro

After a hard week of training and finishing the prep for the baby giro the race on Sunday went well. I was my first international race with the astana and katusha delletanti teams turning up. Today the TT bikes turned up and it looks pretty good just got to have the legs to use it. Tomorrow a nice easy day then Wednesday I leave to start the giro. First stage Friday....

end of may

Tried one of the stages of the Baby Giro the other day. All it consists of is uphill and downhill, and when we did training on it, hailstones. Sunday  manage a to get in 160km in with the lads with another 15km hill, this is getting tedious. After all them kilometers I was aloud a big ice cream and finally a trip to the beach, hopefully first of many.
Monday got in two hours nice and easy in the morning. Spent most the afternoon sitting in the sun with another ice cream and getting a massage. But I also did finally manage to clean the house, and get 1hour of gym work in.
Yesterday manage 150km in with another 15km hill. Got back about 2.30 so there wasnt much left of the day so spent it watching TV lying dead on my bed.
Today manage 3hours going slow. I was planned to do sprints but frankly theres no way, espescially considering the fiver hours I have to do tomorrow.

Training Training Training

Tuseday, 4 and a half hours with a 16km hill on a slightly cold day. Spent the afternoon falling in and out of sleep at the bar with an ice cream in my hand. Wednesday, 3 hours with sprints from behind the car and a couple from a standing start. Its only 3 hours and its not constent riding but its a bloody pain in the arse. Thursday, 7 hours and a 14km hill. Wasnt the best day my legs where still abit stiff from wednesday, but needs must....
Today a nice two hours on the bike a bit of gym work and a massage. Tomorrow an early start as we are going to ride one of the stages of the GiroBio, just to have a look at the hell i'll be going through in two weeks time.

Last Game Of The Season

Saturdays race was a good one, 180km of a sprinters paradise. After 120km I went with the break which seemed to be the good one. There was 30 in the break, me and one team mate where there. It all got pulled back together with only 20km from the finish and ended up as a group sprint. Spent the night recovering with a beer and the champions league final...what a game.

Yesterday a nice two hours turning the legs over. The afternoon was spent watching a local siera b team win the last game of the season....ASCOLI...


Today a nive 3hours on the bike with a few hills and a afternoon of gym work and ice cream. The next couple of days are looking like hard training. Tomorrow 130km with a 20km hill and all this week is training for the Baby Giro...cant wait.