Today sees the start of the Pro season proper down in South Australia, at the Santos Tour Down Under (if you don’t count the Tour de Luis… and who is!?). Although the ‘People’s Choice Classic’ criterium has already been run the road stages start today and incorporate 6 stages which definitely suit the type of sprinter who still has it in the tank after a climb.

André Greipel took the People’s Choice Classic in a sprint against Matthew Goss after Lotto-Belisol bossed the final few laps and Greipel’s win never really looked in doubt in my opinion. The criterium is a little tease at what is coming but the stages of the main race should certainly see some more upsets due to the UNISA Australia team (the University of South Australia squad) taking part who always show well in this race with young talent and also the knowledge that if anyone other than a super strong sprinter wants to win this race they will need a lot of early season savvy, team work and also luck to stay away.

Looking at the stages and knowing how this race usually pans out the favourites are all big sprinters who can mix it up on short climbs. These are also guys who don’t need a big train and can survive on their own, picking off the best wheel from other teams and surviving on instinct alone. Simon Gerrans (GRE), Edvald Boasson Hagen (SKY), André Greipel (LOT) and Marcel Kittel (ARG) are the four main riders I would suggest will be vying for the top spot overall if the racing goes according to plan.

Due to time differences, the Santos Tour Down Under will be shown at all sorts of different times depending on your local provider. The race begins around midday in South Australia so it may be best to try and pick up the highlight show rather than a live feed but if you’re feeling wide awake ProCyclingLive are displaying links to feed you can watch the race from.

Hope everyone enjoys this season, it’s going to be a great year of racing!

Stevie

If you’ve read my ramblings for any length of time you’ll know I like a damn good flogging on the turbo trainer from time to time and 2013 is set to be no different.  This month we see the creation of the newest early season tour  - the Tour of Sufferlandria

Straight from the evil mind that brought you such monumentally difficult indoor training videos such as ‘The Hunted’ and ‘The Long Scream’ comes an early season race to rival the humdrum routine of the Tour of Qatar and the Tour Down Under. “Slotting in nicely to the UCI calender of early season races, the Tour of Sufferlandria was created to bring back the drama, agony and misery that the early season peloton deserves. Starting on January 26th, the 9 day event promises to turn even the softest rider into a true Sufferlandrian by the end, on Feb 3rd.”

The Tour of Sufferlandria has been designed by race director Grunter von Agony to be a serious test for those riders who have already been putting in the hard work over the winter and are looking to flourish in the first few months of the new year.

“The course is carefully balanced between agony, misery and despair. So, yes, the Tour of Sufferlandria is a worthwhile target for anybody looking for an early season goal. You really ought to have some solid training behind you before you start it, and you’ll surely go through a roasting in hell during the race. When you come out the other side? With a solid 9 days of effort behind you, you will be able to take an ox, tie him to your bike, drag him up and over Mt. Sufferlandria while he tries to run the other way, and drink a flagon of ale made from the bikes of all those you crushed on your way to a glorious victory. Or the Minions will eat you for lunch. But, whatever.”

- Grunter von Agony

Comprising of 9 stages, starting on January 26th, competitors will take on a different Sufferfest training video each day. And for those thinking that this sounds like a recovery week in the world of The Sufferfest, three of the days cover such a large amount of terrain that you will be required to complete 2 videos! 

Full Schedule:

• Saturday, Jan 26th: Hell Hath No Fury
• Sunday, Jan 27th: The Hunted
• Monday, Jan 28th: Extra Shot + Fight Club
• Tuesday, Jan 29th: A Very Dark Place
• Wednesday, Jan 30th: Angels
• Thursday, Jan 31st: The Wretched + The Long Scream
• Friday, Feb 1st: The Downward Spiral
• Saturday, Feb 2nd: There is No Try + Revolver
• Sunday, Feb 3rd: Local Hero

If you head over to The Sufferfest blog you will find a run down of each individual stage before you slog your way through it, some advice from athletes who have completed previous editions of the race and also some FAQ’s.

As an added incentive, if you sign up to TrainerRoad.com and log your stage numbers via their site you enter yourself into a competition with an absolutely outstanding prize pack…

For those who finish each day: we have three sets of Sufferfest decals to give away every day, as well as a free month of TrainerRoad.

For those who finish the entire Tour on TrainerRoad.com: we will put you into a pool and draw names to win the following prizes…

• The choice of a 32GB iPod Touch or 16 GB iPad mini (provided by the kind gents at TrainerRoad)
• 1 PowerBar Sufferlandrian PowerPack
• 2 sets of Sufferlandrian National Kit (Jersey + Bibs)
• 1 Sufferlandrian National Jersey
• 1 year of free TrainerRoad
• 1 Sufferlandrian Windvest
• 3 flags
• 3 Tour of Sufferlandria posters
• 1 full refund of all 12 videos
• 1 free entry into the TransRockies Challenge Mountain Bike Race in BC, Canada
• 1 x Cyclepassion Calendar 2013
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “The Italian Job – Gran Fondo Recon” – 6 DVD Set
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “Roads to Glory – Alpine Training” – Free download
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “Roads to Glory – Pyrenean Training” – Free download
• 5x Athlete Audio’s App (Mental Training)

If you can’t sign up on TrainerRoad (I won’t be as my rollers do not plug into my ‘puter) you can join the Facebook group and we can revel in joint misery! Hopefully I’ll make it to the other side and I’ll see you at the finish line!

Stevie

Last night saw Bradley Wiggins crowned ‘BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012′ despite an extended field of competitors. Great Britain has experienced a stellar year of sport which included the London 2012 Olympic Games and of course, a historic win by Wiggins and Team Sky at Le Tour de France.

The annual event has a range of awards from ‘Unsung Hero’ usually given to non sports stars who help members of their community to achieve their potential, to ‘International Personality of the Year’ which was taken home by Usain Bolt this year. Due to London 2012 being such a success for Team GB the normal shortlist for the main award was extended from 10 to 12. Some felt there should have been a separate title for Olympic competitors but this had the potential to water down the main award and I’m glad they chose the format they did. Contenders for this years main event included sailing legend Ben Ainslie, heptathlete and all round babe Jessica Ennis, the sensational Mo Farah, golf supremo Rory McIlory and track king Sir Chris Hoy.

The shortlist is compiled by a panel of male and female sports editors and journalists but the final vote goes to the public and is always hotly contested. Although not greatly appreciated outside the UK, for British sports stars the award is a big deal. London’s Excel Centre hosted the awards dinner last night and it looked immense! I have never seen a bigger sports awards ceremony and it did justice to the fantastic year of sport we have witnessed in 2012. And who better to award Wiggo the main prize but Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge or Kate Middleton to those not eligible for a stay in The Tower.

This award has been scooped by 3 cyclists in the last 5 years (Sir Chris Hoy 2008, Mark Cavendish 2011, Bradley Wiggins 2012) and goes some way to illustrate the upsurge in popularity of cycling in Britain. The only question now is if Wiggins does defend his Yellow Jersey in July despite initially stating he would focus on the Giro, can he make 2013 even more epic and take the top public voted sports award for a record second year in a row!?

UPDATE

Below is a link to a video that emerged on the BBC website of Wiggo jammin’ at the after show party! Such a dude!

There comes a time in every cyclists’ season when the gluttony of an extra spoon of sugar in the coffee or a cheeky pain au chocolat or three over the winter catches up with them and something snaps. When that happens and the balance of treacle sponge versus training regime swings towards the more energetic activities THESUFFERFEST are always round the corner waiting to pounce give you a darn good seeing to… and this time it’s no different!

THE WRETCHED works on the premise that you’ve had a terrible season, under performed at every race and the team are in desperate need of a win at the Tour de France. Unfortunately the French have gone on strike and in order to get the stage done, the TDF powers that be are going to condense the 7 hour stage into just 35 minutes, something that sounds ridiculous but you never know these days! After a quick warm up powered by the strange but enchanting rock sound of Banstead band Redados you reach the top of Box Hill, which featured in the Olympic Road Race. It was great to see the Box Hill climb in a Sufferfest video as I’ve ridden it many times and is fairly local to me, but it also highlighted the hierarchy of the climbs I’ve ridden in real life as this was merely a warm up!

On to the job at hand and all the Sufferlandrian DS had asked is that you follow every break, take the King of the Mountains competition for the day and win in the final sprint. Now if you’ve never ridden THESUFFERFEST before let me tell you it is very similar to real racing, just without the handlebars bashing into you or the crazy noob in front swerving all over the road. Throughout the video there is the feeling that something is about to go off. When you are not attacking, you know that something is going to happen and begin to beg the riders around you to give you a few more seconds respite before it all goes off again.

The early attacks ping off the front

Some slick new graphics and the great choice of music (as always) make this video one that you will love to hate from the word go. The music, all by bands that I’ve never heard of and frankly probably wouldn’t have done if they weren’t Sufferlandrian national treasures is one of two main driving forces behind this video. Everyone’s had that feeling at some stage where music cuts deep into your soul. A ballad you attribute to the ups and downs of your first love. The rock anthem that swells and makes you feel invincible. Or the fun summer tune that stays in your head for months and makes you dream of beaches and cold beer. This video has them all and with the change of scene comes a change of music and each time you get a new song you thank Merckx as it just fits so beautifully and either soothes those muscles as you briefly recover or drives you on like a lunatic.

10/10, full on, no holds barred

The other noticeable driving force behind The Wretched is the use of such recent Tour de France race footage. Taking officially licensed footage from the 2012 Tour de France makes this video a delight to watch whilst your legs feels like they are about to fall off. As with the on-screen stars of most of THESUFFERFEST videos, over the 35 minutes of pain I grew to hate Cadel Evans who backs you into the pain cave and then sets the wolves on you. Any stage that finishes with a 3 man battle between Tommy Voekler, Michele Scarponi and Jens Voigt has got to have been a tough one and this training video definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Having been an avid ‘Fest lunatic for some time now I’ve done my fair share of roller riding in front of the TV and would definitely say this is up there with the toughest of the videos that have emerged from the depths of THESUFFERFEST pain cave. There is a great range of videos in the series now with editions covering all aspects of racing and something to suit everyone. There will always be the classics, the favourite videos but if you are about to buy your first training video and get on the road to glory make THE WRETCHED your first buy and you won’t be disappointed. You’ll be flogged, abused and left crying in a pile in the corner, but you won’t be left wanting.

Purchase The Wretched or any The Sufferfest video right here.

Another double LovingTheBike thumbs up to THESUFFERFEST team!

Stevie

As regular readers will know I am a big fan of The Sufferfest training videos. They’ve seen me through some dark, wet winters and this year in particular the indoor winter training I’ve been doing has meant I’ve hit January feeling stronger and fresher than ever. As someone who spends a lot of time off the bike trawling the internet for articles and new up and coming ideas I was really pleased to see the new face of indoor training… 3LC. They were kind enough to send me two of their training DVDs to test and I have been very pleased with what I’ve found!

3 Legs Cycling

Based in the Isle of Man, 3LC has cycling passion running through their veins as cycling has been so popular over the years on the small rock off the north-west coast of the UK mainland. The committment shown by local riders and coaches has paid off and many riders have gone on to compete on both World Tour and Pro Continental teams; with the most being Mark Cavendish. For a population as small as 80,000 the number of top flight riders the island has produced in incredible and shows the emphasis they put on quality training and dedication to the sport. There are currently 5 DVD’s in the range that are aimed at improving your peak fitness for all aspects of cycling whether it be sprinting, climbing, time trialling, criterium racing, sportives or triathlon racing and to make the training even more beneficial, 3LC.tv treat you to a great line up of Pro riders. Current World Road Race Champion Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh of Team Sky are heavily featured in the series and their enthusiasm and energy is hugely compelling and the aim is that they will help you achieve your goals even quicker.

2 Legs Good, 3 Legs Better…

As already mentioned, there are currently 5 DVD’s in the range which ‘Sprinting’, ‘Road Race’, ‘Time Trial’, ‘Climbing’ and ‘Ladies Road Race’ and I have been lucky enough to test the ‘Road Race’ and ‘Sprinting’ sessions. I won’t list all of the different areas each DVD covers but click on the links above and you can see a detailed description of each DVD. What I was really pleased about was that the type of training done whilst watching the 3LC training DVD’s is very similar to what you experience and can achieve from other similar training aids. I don’t see this as a bad thing at all as it means the training I have been doing has been the type of thing that the Pro’s do and thus should be beneficial for me. What is different about the 3LC training DVD’s and what sets them apart from everyone else is the way they train you through interaction with Pro’s and coaches.

The 3LC training DVD’s are like a group spinning session with some of the worlds strongest and most inspirational riders as well as proven top-level coach, Peter Kennaugh Snr. Unlike other training DVD’s that use pounding soundtracks and beautiful vistas to keep you entertained and motivated, 3LC uses the personal touch of qualified coaches and the sight of top-level riders feeling the pain just as you do. There are some great moments of banter and chatting between the on-screen riders which is a nice way to pass the time. The DVD’s use the very useful measurement of ‘relative perceived exertion’ (RPE) and cadence to push you to your limits. This means that you won’t out-train the DVD and become too strong for the workouts… you just go up a gear or too and you are able to do the same workout but at a much harder level. This gives the DVD’s a great longevity and should keep you coming back to them year after year, however close to Mark Cavendish’s rainbow bands you get!

You also get a comprehensive warm down session with some stretching techniques which again tells me one thing… these training DVD’s are for WINNERS. These are not just for the recreational roller rider. If you want to be winning races and competing against your friends, you need to train the Manx way and follow the lead of the Isle of Man riders.

Watching these videos, for me, feels like a much more social way of training. Sometimes I do want to pull the blinds, pump up the stereo and push my body to its Suffering limit but when I know I need and want a session where I can push myself but also feel like I’m training and improving with others… 3LC is definitely the DVD I’ll be reaching for.

If you want to win… train with the best!

Stevie

As many of you will remember I spent a week in July at Le Tour with @SteamyWynndows & @AndyMWild and as a result of that trip, ended up the proud owner of a limited edition Team Sky jersey signed by the riders. Since returning from the Tour I’ve been determined to make that Sky jersey the centre piece in my lycra-man cave… less affectionately known as ‘the 3rd bedroom’. Now finally, the room is complete. The hand painted World Champion stripes are finished, the jersey has returned from the framers, the pictures are hung and the adminration has begun!

But this room isn’t just for looking at, it’s become my motivation. Where better to punish yourself in front of a Sufferfest video (or two if you feel particularly anarchic!) than in a room surrounded by memories of World Champions and pioneers of the sport!? Short of riding your turbo in Jens’ garage, you can’t get much more motivational than my new bike room! I’m very pleased with it and I hope The Sufferfest see fit to add me to their list of bike torture chambers.

So when a friend asked why I had decorated the room in homage to my idols… I answered, “Because I can!” Check out the video below and let me know what you think.

#IWBMATTKYT

Stevie