Veteran - LVRC

The
Veteran
Leaguer
The official newsletter of the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists
LEAGUE OF VETERAN RACING CYCLISTS
The Veteran Leaguer
Vol 11 No 1:
Spring 2002
Contents
Editorial 2
Corrections 3
Point of View: Tom McCall 4
SGM Report 5
Executive 6
Chairman’s View 6
Les West story: Jim Golden 7
International Racing 8
The Feeding Station 9
Regional News 10
Call to Organisers: Mick Ives 10
Obituary 11
Results 12
Picture Page 13
Muscle Bound:
Auriel Forrester 14
Lardarse versus the mean
machine: Malcolm Coghill 15
Reviews 16
Letters 17
Cavanna on training 19
Nails on Toast: Neil Martin 21
God it’s hot: Brian Tadman 22
Regional Officials 23
Interval Training 24
Objective of the LVRC
The provision of a programme of competitive and social cycling events for male and female members
of 40 years of age and over

LEAGUE OF VETERAN RACING CYCLISTS
The Veteran Leaguer
is the official Newsletter
of the League
of Veteran Racing
Cyclists
Newsletter Editor
Ray Minovi,
45 Augusta Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8AE
Tel/fax: 0121-449-1347
email: raminminovi@cnews.freeserve.co.uk
No news is good news
For once the Editor is at a loss for words.
It’s true that there were four days of rain
in Mallorca, which was a bit of a downer
if you went for just that week but not
very earth-shaking in the great scheme of
things. We got back to the UK to find no
races wiped out by foot and mouth
restrictions, and then three weeks of
warm, sunny weather. The SGM went off
with surprisingly little fuss: no-one got
punched in the mouth, no-one was the
victim of an outburst of verbal abuse,
and no-one actually walked out shouting
‘You’ll regret this, mark my words!’. The
League’s second time-trial championship
was run off with an increased field and
no argy-bargy about funny hats. It may
not be normal, but we can live with it.
A warning that we’re running short of
photos for future magazines, so if anyone
fancies getting out to some early
season events and banging off a few
shots, we’d be happy to print the better
ones. We’ll even pay for the prints, or
you can digitise them and e-mail them.
An apparent increase in membership
means that we’re running low on Handbooks.
At the present rate we’ll just be
issuing a set of rules and the rest of the
Calendar to late joiners. All this information
is, incidentally, available on our
Website at www.lvrc.org.
We welcome all contributions from
anyone – letters, comments, results,
articles, reports, pictures, even abuse
as long as it’s in the bes possible taste.
We’d rather have your stuff handwritten
than not at all, but if you can type
it or supply it on computer disk we’re
even happier. Word, .rtf, or ASCII are
all fine.
Deadline for next issue:
15th June
The Lord taketh the cake
When she was Speaker of the Commons, Betty Boothroyd, now
‘Baroness Boothroyd’, was a generally well-liked and popular figure.
It now turns out that Baroness Boothroyd is another deranged
motorist who thinks that it’s OK to behave badly towards cyclists.
On 15th April the Lords had what they call a ‘debate’ on the misuse
of mobile phones by motorists. As if she’d been waiting her
chance La Boothroyd pounced: ‘Will the minister explain the position
in relation to cyclists who use mobile phones? I have witnessed
a horrendous incident in which a cyclist had one hand on
the handlebars and the other hand holding a mobile phone, dicing
with death around Hyde Park Corner. I confess to having taken the
matter into my own hands by using my horn so loudly that the
cyclist had no alternative but to drop the telephone. I am sure that
the House would like to know the rules and regulations relating to
cyclists, who cause great trouble and difficult circumstances by the
use of mobile phones.’
Leaving aside the question of whether the members of the Lords
are spending their time and our money usefully on this drivel, this
dangerous representative of undeserved over-privilege is certainly
right about one thing: we’re all dicing with death while people
like her are about. Baroness Boothroyd is one of our legislators,
whether we like it or not. Yet she apparently thinks that her appalling
behaviour (a sort of ‘mugging by car’) is perfectly acceptable.
What ‘matter’ did she think she was taking into her own hands?
Suppose the cyclist had actually fallen in front of her? Presumably
she’d have said, ‘What can you expect? There he was, dicing with
death, and I came along.’ We know the rules and regulations pertaining
to causing death by dangerous driving; we also know that
in the event of Boothroyd killing or maiming anyone these same
rules are unlikely to be applied to her. The poor cyclist’s real offence
seems to be that of irritating a member of the House of
Lords. Still, she has performed a valuable public service by warning
motorists how vulnerable they are to this horrendous new cycling
threat.
Deadlines & intended publication dates of future issues
Issue Deadline Publication
2/2002 Summer 15 June 6 July
3/2002 Autumn 31 August 27 September
4/2002 Winter 10 December 3 Jan 2002
1/2003 Spring 25 March 25 April
Cover picture: Neil Martin leads Jack Belcher, Nick Giles,
Ron Hewes and Nick Yarworth (hidden) over the rolling
Worcestershire landscape in the Abberleys Three Day.
Photo: Amanda Court
Page 2 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

Calendar:
new events, cancellations, date changes
Additional races not in Handbook
Lou Miller Series
Race One: Tour of the Masts, Sunday 23rd June. Start 1300 hr
Keith Wright, 29 Church St, Kirkham, Lancashire, PR4 2SE, Tel 01772499213
Race Two: The Elswick RR 21st July. Start 1300 hr
John Huddleston, 29 Park Ave, Euxton, Chorley, Lancs., PR7 6JQ Tel: 01257270639
Race Three: The Lou Miller Final 8th September. Start 1300 hr
Wally Hodge, 43 Wyre Ave, Kirkham, Lancs., PR4 2YE, Tel: 01772682531
Cancelled
Sunday 19th May, Oldster’s RR, Region 10. Organiser ill.
Sunday 14th July, Barnsfield Team Velo Vet Races, Region 10. MOD land in use for another event.
Sunday 28th July, Airedale CC, Boroughbridge RR, Region 2. Headquarters double-booked.
Date changes
C & D Championships at Stourport are
moved from 23rd June to Saturday 22nd
June to avoid a clash with a Peter Fryer
event
Start time
Start time for the Severn Stoke RR on Saturday 15th June will be 10.30 a.m.
A National Executive Committee Meeting will follow the event, beginning at about 2 p.m.
Other amendments and information
The Grass-track championships at Birmingham’s Cannon Hill
Park on Sunday 9th June will be a scratch race: the handicap
referred to in the report of the AGM is a different race.
Beacon RCC RR
in Handbook for
14th July will
now be on
Sunday 7th July.
All other details
as in Handbook.
Delivery of The Veteran Leaguer
The Leaguer is not distributed centrally. It is sent out to you by regional
distributors, whose names, addresses and phone numbers are in
the Handbook, and on page 23 of this issue of the Veteran Leaguer. If
you’re having a problem with delivery, please take it up with your
local distributor.
Executive Meeting
Executive will meet on Saturday 15 th June at the HQ of the Severn Stoke
RR near Worcester, immediately following the prize giving, approx
1400hrs.Executive will discuss agenda for the AGM and any other business
which becomes apparent in the next two months. Regions should
note that all members are invited to these meetings, and one member
from each Region is allowed a vote.
Distances:
Cat ABCD 38 m
Cat EFG 30 m
HQ for all
events: Elswick
Village Hall.
Ray Levers Trophy
in Handbook for 9th
June 2002 will now be
on Sunday 22nd
September. All other
details as in Handbook.
New Address
Yorkshire Coast RR
22nd September 2002
Organiser Phil Bramham has a
new address:
‘Chequers’
19 Horse Fair Lane
Little Driffield
East Yorkshire YO25 5XB
01377-253141
Phone number
Please note: the Editor’s
phone number in the Handbook
has the last digit missing.
The correct number (phone &
fax) is 0121-449-1347
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 3

Point of View
Iseem to have rattled a few cages
with my recent article about race
tactics, judging by correspondence
received – including that of the
venerable Dave Orford! It’s good of
you gents to put pen to paper, but
you must calm down a bit. You’ve all
assumed that my article was written
as a personal testament, when in fact
it wasn’t – it was made up from
numerous conversations I’ve had
with members over a period of time.
I agree with you totally that a rider
who wilfully does not contribute to
the workload in a break should not
contest the finish. In fact, my whole
ethos of road racing is to be fit
enough to be competitive, to to get
in a break if possible, and to contribute
to the work-load, in the hope of
a good placing at the finish. These
aims cannot be much different from
those of most racing members.
The one point I will make, however,
is that, due to the uncertainty
of road racing, things don’t always
follow a standard pattern. That is all I
intend to say on this subject, and I
promise not to mention it again – at
least not this year!
Let’s move on to more mundane
matters, like the necessary pre
season training that most of us are
trying to get on with in the face of
WANTED
purchase or
loan.:
A set of
Cycling Weekly
from 1942 to
1968
Will collect.
Maher
inclement weather. Down South,
we’ve had only a smattering of snow,
but there has been plenty of cold,
wind and rain to contend with.
However, there is one thing that has
always puzzled me at this time of
year – when I am out training, my
left foot always gets cold before my
right one – when I get home and
head for the shower, they are often
quite different colours, and the left
one takes much longer than the
other to thaw out. This in spite of
using woollen socks, thermal insoles,
and decent overshoes. In the Summer,
I do not experience any difference
in sensation between my two
feet – it only happens in cold
weather. Additionally, when it is
raining, my left foot always gets wet
before the right one. I use mudguards
of a decent width, and they
are usually properly aligned. Both
the above happenings are a mystery
to me, and I’d be interested to hear
from others with similar experiences.
One thing that caught my eye
recently was the letter in Cycling
Weekly from Keith Richards –
apparently an LVRC member –
although you’d doubt it from the
uninformed content of the letter. I
was pleased that CW at least had the
Tom McCall
decency to print a concise reply from
Ray Minovi the next week.
Mr Richards must have lived in a
closet for the last year to be so
unaware, although he obviously
reads his Cycling Weekly – that is
where he has picked up the information
about the SGM which made him
get up on his soapbox. He has since
written another letter in which he
says his intention was not to be taken
too seriously. However, it does give
me the opportunity to talk about the
importance of veteran competitors in
today’s sporting world. Seniors’
activity, and the relevant public
interest, has mushroomed internationally
in Golf and Tennis. Vets have
the right to be competitive in Cycle
Racing too if they want, and if they
bring home International honours as
Ian Hallam, Mick Ives and Clare
Greenwood have, it is no less
glorious than when they were young.
They don’t look or act old at all, and
they still race hard. If you were to
get out there with them, you’d really
find out for yourself!
Even if he doesn’t read his Veteran
Leaguer, I would have thought that
he would at least have picked up in
CW that we were now two-time
£1,000 donors to the David Rayner
Fund.
J.Scott
39 Montrouge
Crescent
Epsom
KT17 3BP
Telephone:
01737-352025
Page 4 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

Special General Meeting
It’s LVRC Ltd
No funding for international teams
Subscriptions rise to £8
The LVRC will not, after all, fund international teams of mem
bers. The Special General Meeting of 5 th January voted
against it by 42 votes to 12. The most influential opponent of
the proposal was Dave Watson who spoke eloquently of the spirit of
the LVRC. In general terms it was felt that the League is an association
of people no longer in their first youth (so to speak) who ride
primarily for enjoyment and most of whom can afford to fund their
own trips abroad, whatever the French, Germans or Italians may do.
The proposal that riders should be selected for representative
international teams was felt by many people to be divisive. One
regional registrar had taken a vote and recorded 115 against, only
12 for. Fairly large numbers of LVRC and other riders from the UK
already race abroad in Belgium, Austria and Spain. In addition
many members strongly oppose the imposition of a BCF licence
now demanded by the UCI for some events (the ‘Worlds’ at St
Johann, for instance). Having ignored the needs of veterans for
years the UCI (and the former BCF) are suddenly aware of how
much revenue they’re not getting. Paying another £25 for a BCF
licence will give you nothing – in effect, it’s a form of taxation.
Main points
V
V
V
V
V
LVRC becomes a
company with limited
liability
Annual subscriptions
rise to £8 to
offset slight loss
Regions retain £2 of
subscription
Race entry fee remains
at £5
1-mile Grass-track
Championship to be
added to the Calendar
V £1000 to David
Rayner Fund
V
V
No change to agerelated
category
system
100 members now
required to call for a
Special General
Meeting
Race entry fees therefore revert to
the £5 which has been standard for
the last few years.
But almost all other decisions
made at the AGM were ratified by
the SGM. There was no opposition
to the raising of the annual subscription
to £8. Indeed, Chairman Peter
Ryalls pointed out that, since the
events of 11 th September, insurance
premiums were likely to rise steeply,
wiping out some of the effects of the
increase.
The LVRC will still become a
company with limited liability, and
by the time you read this the process
will already be well advanced.
A One-mile Scratch Grass Track
championship is added to the LVRC
Calendar. It will be organised by
Roger Shayes as part of his grasstrack
meeting on 9 th June in Birmingham’s
Cannon Hill Park.
The LVRC will again donate £1000
to the David Rayner Fund.
Mick Ives was awarded the
Fourmies Trophy for success in
international events, particularly for
his second place in the Over-60s
Championship at St Johann.
Editor Ray Minovi, having done his
sums since the AGM, expressed
doubt that centralised mailing of The
Veteran Leaguer could be affordable
for the foreseeable future. Centralising
would cost around £3300 per
year at current posting rates. At the
moment the Association spends
around £100 sending the magazine
to regional distributors, and the
regions then pay for their own
distribution, often delivering by hand
to many members. But a central
database would have other important
uses, and a somewhat out-of-date
version already exists. It could be
quickly updated, and such a database
would be invaluable in the
event of a sudden change of officers
in a region, for instance. Colin
Dooley (Region 6) will look at the
practicability of setting up and
holding the database. Such a database
would, of course, come under
the provisions of the Data Protection
Act, and permission would be
necessary.
On the provision of first aid at
races, fears were expressed that
events could be cancelled because
the necessary first aider couldn’t be
found, or hadn’t turned up. As a
result it was agreed that the wording
of the relevant rule of racing would
revert to its original form: that is,
‘should’ rather than ‘must’ will
remain.
One new change was made to the
League’s Constitution. In future it
will require 100 members to request
a special meeting. The old figure of
20 had been on the books since the
League’s inception in 1986, at the
end of which year membership was
147 and no less than 14% of the
membership had to ask for an SGM.
By 2001, with membership over
2000, twenty represented only 1%.
Remarkably, the SGM only attracted
a dozen or so more members
than had attended the AGM.
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 5

Executive Committee 2002
Chairman
Peter Ryalls, 11 Devonshire Close, Dronfield,
Sheffield S18 1QY 01246-413515
Secretary
Peter Wilson 52 Knoll Drive, Southgate,
London, N14 5NE. 0208-368-0698
Treasurer
John Flear, 14a Water Lane, North Hykeham, Lincs.,LN6
9QT 01522-687738
Newsletter Editor & Coaching Secretary
Ray Minovi, 45 Augusta Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8AE
Tel/fax: 0121-449-1347
email:raminminovi@cnews.freeserve.co.uk
Registrar
Alan Corbet, 41 Coles Lane, Sutton Coldfield B72 1NH
0121-240-7307
Stock Controller
Chris Singleton, 23 Barnwood Road, Quinton, Birmingham
B32 2LY 0121-427-1912
Event Co-ordinator
Colin Willetts, 201 Mildenhall Road, Great Barr, Birmingham
B42 2PE 0121-358-6768
Results Co-ordinator
Tom McCall, 1 Norfolk Road, Thornton Heath, London CR7
8ND 0208-7680081
International Racing Secretary
Mick Ives, 78 Mill Hill, Baginton, near CoventryCV8 3AG
02476-304009
Website: www.lvrc.org
Webmaster: roy@roygardiner.com
Plus one representative from each region
Chairman’s
View
The re-run of the AGM endorsed
all previous decisions, except, the
controversial issue of funding International
Racing. The approved
increase in subscriptions, intended
to maintain the current financial
position, has already been eaten
into by a large increase in insurance
premiums, amounting to almost
£1 per member.
Keith Richards of Region 2 managed
to get himself and the LVRC
some inaccurate publicity in Cycling
Weekly. Replies from our
Editor and Derek Smith straightened
him out and produced a second
letter from Mr Richards in
which he made the suggestion that
we might increase our race entry
fee of £1, to be used as a levy for
the Dave Rayner fund. This, in my
view, has great merit. How about
support for it, by proposals for this
years AGM.? I consider that in the
light of BCF abandoning any support
for potential Tom Simpsons,
we can give real help to young riders
who are prepared to hack
it.Such a move will sit very easily
with the ideals of Percy Stallard
which was always for the promotion
of racing en ligne.
Following endorsement by the
AGM/SGM, our move to incorporated
status is now in the hands
of Solicitors
ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CYCLING COACHES
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For its qualified coaches the ABCC provides full insurance cover,
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For details of ABCC Courses contact:
Jim Sampson, 19 Forbes Avenue, Beverley High Road, Hull HU6 7AJ
Telephone: 01482-857774 E-mail: jim@sampson.karoo.co.uk
Be smart – make sports massage an integral part
of your training this winter
Sports Massage
Sports Massage can:
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e-mail: bryabi@hotmail.com
Page 6 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

One of the most talented roadmen Britain ever produced is now riding LVRC races just for fun, and
still giving everyone a kicking.
Life in the old West
Jim Golden
Those of you over 55s who have been
given sore legs by Les West over the
last few years have his son Paul and
another former top rider Phil Griffiths to
thank.
When Paul, now 26, decided to give
road racing a try four years ago, Les decided
he ought to return to the bunch, just
to keep an eye on his son. It was then that
Griffiths, who has always regarded ‘Westy’
as one of his heroes, stepped in to provide
bikes and clothing.
‘I’d been a Tunstall Wheeler all my life,
but Griffo said “why don’t you race for me”
and to be honest I thought if he was going
to take a lot of the expense out of cycling,
why not,’ said the twice Milk Race winner
and all round cycling legend.
At first Les, Potteries born and bred stuck
to what were then BCF events making it
up to second category on the limited training
he is able to do as a full time worker –
the morning after our interview he was
going to be literally up the pole out in the
Peaks wiring a telegraph pole for BT.
The silver fox, now 58, rode his first
LVRC race at Bridgnorth where he was
fourth (the editor won).
Les told me: ‘I really didn’t know what
to expect. I was really impressed. I was
going well, and you know I don’t often say
that, but I could not get rid of the others,
many of those in the race I didn’t know.
‘I thought I would just wait for the climbs.
I did not press too hard and I’ll you why.
They were making my legs hurt and then
ripped them off in the sprint finish.
‘That first year I really enjoyed my racing.
The funny thing is though, these days
I worry that so many of the others can train
when they like, I read about their training
and think hang on a minute at the moment
I am only getting out on Sundays.
‘Even in the season I don’t do what the
others seem to do and that plays on my
mind. Yet when I was younger it didn’t
bother me. When I rode the Milk Race
against the Russians, I was going out with
the chain gang on Tuesday, rode the track
league on Thursday and raced on Sunday.
But you don’t think about those sort of
things when you’re a young lad.’
Everyone who knows Westy has his own
stories about the great man. For instance I
can remember on chain gangs more than
20 years ago, out with him and other top
Potteries riders, flagging on a hill after more
than 30 miles of through an off – and suddenly
flying to the front of the group courtesy
of Les holding on to my saddle.
When I took up marathon running Les
decided to give it a try because his daughter
Joanne was a good runner. Even as a
runner, he used to come out with his immortal
words ‘I anna fit you know’ and ‘I
anna going well’ before effortlessly easing
away. (The ed knows all about this as he
and Les rode their first international together
in the Tour of Holland ).
In 1970 when he finished fourth in the
Worlds at Leicester, while the continentals
were preparing on a diet of hard races, Les
was hunting for people to train with and it
was a mutual friend Rhod Davies who accompanied
him on his last big ride from
the Potteries to Llangollen, over the Horseshoe
to Chester and back a good 120 miles.
When I reminded Les of this, he said:
‘Rhod was really going well that day – made
my legs hurt.’
Rhod, I have to say, remembers it somewhat
differently. So imagine his feelings
when early in the Worlds he watched Les
come round off the back. It turned out he’d
got bored with the circuit and it was only
when a continental train bringing a star
back from a puncture, came by that he regrouped.
What a man!
So when he says he likes riding with the
older vets, you have to take notice. He
says: ‘Unlike so many of the youngsters the
older vets never give up, I know from the
way they have chased me down. They certainly
go harder than in open 2/3 events
where when a break goes, that’s it. Yet in
our races it’s never say die.’
So will he be giving up some pain this
year? The answer is yes. First of all he plans
to ride the Peter Fryers he can drive to,
where he will look after the interest of
Team Afford-Rent-a-Car team-mate Ian
Hallam.
‘I have no chance of doing anything in
them, so I will help Ian out and having
dropped down to 3 rd cat I shall ride some
races to get back to 2 nd .’
He only dropped down after an accident
at home left him with damaged ribs. Then
it’s as many LVRC races as he can fit in,
which will include going for a hat trick in
the tough Woodbank Trophy.
Les’s wife Pat seems to remember the
details of every race he has ridden. For Les,
his only real regret is that he ended his
pro career at 35 and did not go into the
80s when he might have had a crack at an
open Milk Race.
‘The trouble was we were riding on a diet
of town centre crits. There were probably
only about six races a year that were suitable
for me. I liked the hard races but it
was difficult to be up for those 100-mile
events when you were normally racing for
only about an hour.’
Winning the Vaux in 1966, the year
of his second place in the World’s.
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 7

International Racing
ICF World Championships
The race this year will be in Grace Hollonge
Belgium on Sunday 4 th August
Grace Hollonge is on the West side of Liége,
close to Junction1/2 of the E 42
Start time is 10 a.m.
Mick Ives will arrange a block entry for LVRC
members.
Send entries to Mick on a standard LVRC entry
form with £5. DOB is essential
Entries to reach Mick by 13 th July
World Cup, St Johann, Austria
25th – 27th August 2002
Sunday 25th: 30 – 44, 116 km; 56 –
61, 76 km; 65 – 69 40 km.
Monday 26th: Women, all ages,
40km; 35 – 39 116 km; 50 – 55 76
km.
Tuesday 27th: 18–29 & 45–49, 116 km; 62–64, 76
km. 70+, 40 km
Start times 13.00 all three days
No UCI licence is required for these events.
World Masters Road Championships
St Johann, Austria 29th August 2002
Thursday 29th: 50–52 & 62–64, 76 km; women 30–
39, 45–49 & 50+, 40 km
Friday 30th: 53–58, 76 km; 40–44, 116 km; women
40–44, 40 km.
Saturday 31st August: 45–49, 116 km; 59–61, 76
km; 70+, 40 km.
Sunday 1st September: Elite men & women.
UCI (i.e. BCF) licence required.
World Masters Individual
Time-trial Championships
St Johann, Austria 28th August 2002
Wednesday 28th August. Men, Classes 1 – 8; women,
classes 1 – 6. UCI (i.e. BCF) licence required.
Details: www.masterswm.org
or by e-mail: harald.baumann@masterswm.org
or from LVRC International Racing Secretary Mick Ives,
78 Mill Hill, Baginton, near CoventryCV8 3AG
02476-304009
The Bald Eagles
Jack Watson
Since 1994 our group has made an annual pilgrimage to
Belgium, showing the LVRC flag in WAOD and VWF events,
and competing with a fair degree of success. Unable to converse,
we are now on nodding terms with our Belgian and
Dutch peer group, who give us no help whatso ever in races.
Regular members of the Bald Eagles are myself, Pete Ryalls and
Hughie Maguire and we have been joined in the past by Ted
Battersby, Brian Ellis and John Downing
In July and August there are many races on the calendar. We
normally visit for 10 days, racing most days and arrange our trip
to include the ICF World Championship. As a group we have
always managed to get amongst them, Ted Battersby, John
Downing, Pete Ryalls and myself all having won races. This year
I managed to win at Bazel and Merelbeke, with first six placings
at Wachtebeke, Bellingen and Ruselede and 8th place in the
ICF World Champs at Wetteren.
LVRC riders have had major successes at ICF Championships
in Europe, Dave Nie winning three times and Dave,Tony
Woodcock and George Windsor all being placed.
WAOD events are based on age category. We were originally
competing in Cat D which is for over 50s, then Cat E which was
for the late 50s, but always seemed to be very flexible in terms
of age. The last few years we have been in E+, which seems to
be mainly the young 60s and this year our peer group was F.
The rules are flexible and will be used in favour of the Belgians.
VWF events are run on a league basis. Local riders enter for
the season and accumulate points. Competing as guests the
highest placing you can get is 10th. We found this out when
Hughie and I finished 2nd and 3rd and then had the ‘rules’
explained to us.
We have also tried VWB events which are around Antwerp
and up to the Eastern Dutch border. Their age categories stop
at 50, so we have to compete at 50 plus. The speeds are
phenomenal and we just hang on for as long as possible.
Entry fees are usually £5 including £1 deposit on your race
number. The winner gets £5 and everyone else in the first 20
between £2 and £4. We
ignore the entry fee,
treat our winnings as
profit and spend it on
beer in the race cafe.
Accommodation in
Gent is very reasonable.
We have stayed at
Formule 1, north of the
City, but for the last
couple of years we’ve
used the Youth Hostel,
which is in the centre of
Gent in a much more
pleasant area. It is
necessary to book in
advance. Most events are
within 30/40 minutes
drive and are published
daily in the local papers.
The Bald Eagles will be
there again representing
the LVRC in 2002.
Jack Watson lines up for the
start of the ICF World’s at
Wetteren, 2001
Page 8 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

The Feeding Station
Are you getting enough CHO?
UP UNTIL THE 1980S cyclists were so
ignorant about nutrition that rare steak
was the standard pre-race meal for all
road-racing cyclists. Silly, really,because
the vital importance of carbohydrate
(CHO) had been demonstrated back in
1939. Cyclists fed a low CHO diet took
60 minutes to ride to exhaustion on an
exercise bike; those on a normal mixed
diet took 1 hr 44min; those on high
CHO took 2hr 50min. Carbohydrate is
the one sure, legal, performanceenhancing
aid that really works.
Carbohydrate is stored as glycogen in
the liver and muscles, along with three
times its own weight in water; but your
body is able to store very little – perhaps
2000 kCal. However you exercise, you
will use a certain amount of glycogen,
and the amount in your muscles will
dictate how long and hard you can
exercise.
You should therefore begin any
exercise with high glycogen stores. You’ll
use it up according to the intensity and
duration of the exercise. The higher the
intensity, and/or the longer the duration,
the more you’ll use. Clearly, if you’re
taking part in a strenuous, lengthy
Fruit & Nut
Porridge
50 gm (2 oz) porridge oats
400 ml skimmed milk
25 gm (1 oz) raisins or mixed dried fruit
1 medium banana, chopped
15 gm chopped mixed nuts
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Preparation time: 5 minutes
exercise like road racing (or hard
training), you will have to refuel. The
higher your CHO intake, the faster you
can replenish your glycogen stores. This
is particularly important if you train daily,
or are riding a stage race. If your food is
low in CHO you will take much longer to
replenish your glycogen than if it is high
in CHO. Unless you replace what you
used, the next day you will fatigue earlier
and achieve smaller training gains.
Sometimes you will need a rest day in
order to achieve this. However, a trained
athlete is able to store more glycogen
than an untrained one.
You should therefore base all your
meals on foods high in CHO. Choose
the CHO (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice)
first, and then decide what to have with
it.
Immediately following strenuous
exercise the body is particularly ready to
take on CHO. In this period muscle
glycogen manufacture increases from a
normal 5% to 8%. So you should start
refuelling immediately after exercise.
Don’t wait. You should aim at eating at
least 1 gm CHO per kilo bodyweight. If
you weigh 70 kg, that’s 70 gms. Start
Cooking time: 5 minutes
1.Mix the oats and milk and cook in a microwave (about 3 minutes,
stirring twice during cooking time) or in a saucepan (about 5–6
minutes, stirring continuously).
2. When oats are cooked, add raisins, bananas and nuts and stir.
3. Add extra milk or water as desired and warm slightly if necessary.
4. Turn into serving dish and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Serve with low-fat natural yoghurt or fromage frais
Nutrition per serving 315 kCal; 12 gm protein, 8 gm fat, 53 gm
carbohydrate.Ideal breakfast before training, a snack after training,
or a dessert. Moderate source of calcium.
with a whole bottle of your favourite
carbo fuel, 50 gm dissolved in water, plus
a banana sandwich. Then you need to
eat at least 50 gm of CHO per two hours
– more if possible. Don’t leave long gaps
– it will slow down the rate of recovery.
Grazing, eating little and often, is a much
more efficient way of feeding than is
eating one or two large meals.
Many people think that eating sugary
foods before exercise will trigger a surge
of insulin and low blood sugar. This is
not the case. Eating a banana (or even
two) immediately before a race will
improve your endurance.
Taking on CHO during exercise of an
hour or more is also beneficial, even in a
25-mile time-trial. What’s more, it’s been
shown that you recover quicker.
You should choose your CHO according
to your specific needs. For instance,
simple sugars (like glucose) will provide a
rapid rise in blood sugar which may be
vital in a race; but they contain no other
nutrients. Your everyday diet should be
high in CHO but should consist of foods
rich in complex carbohydrates (starches)
like bread grains, cereals, starchy
vegetables and pulses (beans); and
simple carbohydrates like fruit and milk.
These foods contain vitamins, minerals
and trace elements which are necessary
for your general health. A chocolate bar
and a baked potato may both be worth
155 kCals, but the potato contains
thiamin and Vitamin C, both absent in
the chocolate – and 33% more carbohydrate
Foods based on simple sugars which
are rapidly absorbed are said to have a
high glycaemic index. Glucose is top,
pasta is moderate, and apricots are low.
Cyclists will often have a problem with
the sheer bulk of a diet high in CHO.
Complex carbohydrates, particularly
high-fibre foods, can be very filling. In
order to get 3000 kCal per day, you’d
need to eat the equivalent of 32 shredded
wheat, or 11 tins of baked beans to
make up your recommended 450 gm of
CHO.
So you have to look at other ways of
getting your CHO without the bulk.
White bread and dried fruit are less
filling, so eat a mix of wholemeal and
white cereals, fresh and dried fruit. Boost
your CHO intake with biscuits and
carbo drinks – but use them to top up,
not as the basis. V
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 9

Regional News
Region 1
The last event of the Region’s season was
the Lou Miller Memorial road race on 9th
September, on a warm sunny day, with a
free meal for riders, and marshalls was provided.
At the AGM which followed, all officials
were re-elected.
The Circuit of the Fells on 10th October
saw a record turn-out, despite rain in
the morning. Fortunately, the westerly
wind aided the riders from Caton via the
elevenses stop at Kirkby Lonsdale bridge,
and a fast ride up to the barren fells of
Barbondale where the beck washed the
lane and the Spielbergian slopes were enshrouded
in cloud. Lou Miller would have
relished the Jurassic wonderland. Then a
tumble into Dentdale, the unforgiving
climb beneath the Settle-Carlisle railway
viaduct to Newby Head, and back into the
westerly to the café at Ingleton for the
drenched cyclists.
On 1st November a packed audience
gathered at the Priory to listen to a talk from
Gethin Butler. In December the Tuesday
regulars had their Xmas Lunch at Bells Farm
and are looking forward to the new season,
like the rest of the LVRC. The annual
Jazz Night on 5th February saw another
record attendance of 100.
Those Region 1 events omitted from the
Handbook (the three Lou Miller races) are
listed on Page 3 in this issue of the Veteran
Leaguer.
The Lady of Man trip to Douglas will sail
on Wednesday 22 nd May at 10 a.m. from
Fleetwood, returning at 6.30 p.m. For details
please contact Frank Waring, myself,
or any regional official. Harry Benson
Region 2
30 people attended the AGM out of our
current membership of 248, which remains
stable, despite the fact that about 70 per
year don’t renew. We all know someone
who’s lapsed, so remind them at the next
cafe stop, or engage them in conversation
on a climb, as I do, and keep the pace
down.
Jack Watson and a group from Tyneside
spent the winter getting in awesome miles
over the Pennines and Lakes to the youth
hostels at Aysgarth and Troutbeck. A vets
group meets Tuesdays at the Stamfordham
pub for lunch. On Teeside they meet at the
cafe in Catterick village, and on Fridays at
Great Ayton cafe, both 11 a.m.
Leeds Groups
Tuesday 10 a.m., Saturdays and Sundays
9.30, all at Lawnswood Crematorium.
Gargrave/Bradford
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10.30 at
Gargrave Cafe.
First race this year will be on 28th April at
Bishopwood, Selby. Bad news is that Leeds
Premier won’t be running their long-established
event this year as they’ve been unable
to find an organiser.
Ferryhill Wheelers celebrated their 75th
anniversary in style: Ian Hallam was guest
of honour, there were write-ups and pics
in the Northern Echo and Cycling Weekly,
and Tyne/Tees TV filmed them for three
hours at Catterick Cafe.
Many LVRC members turned out on 30th
October for the funeral of Pete Gannon,
Leeds St Christophers, former National Hill
Climb Champion.
Tim Teal has volunteered (!) to take on
the job of Treasurer, following my appeal
in the last Newsletter (see – the power of
the press. It does work! Ed). Tim was a
founding member of the Yorkshire Region
of the LVRC back in 1986, and before that
a founder member of Yorkshire BLRC in
1947. If I tell you about his five-year career
in the SAS (100+ parachute drops) I’ll
have to kill you all. Dave Hamilton
Region 3
The region will be putting on three events
this year:
Saighton Road Races, 7th July, based
on Saighton as in the past.
Bickerton Road Races 14th July, based
on Bickerton,
If you don’t care to race, you’ll be very
welcome to come along and help – we
never have enough people on the day, do
we. Please do offer to help if you possibly
can.
The third event will be on 2 nd June at
Llandyrnog and will be the Chris Knight
Memorial Day. It will start in the morning
with an event for TLI for all groups up to
vets, but not including the 40s. The LVRC
race will be in the afternoon, starting at
13.30 for groups: A/B, C/D, and E/F/G.
Please enter – it’s my way of saying
thanks to a very good friend both to me
and all those who rode in the many races
Chris put on in a season. Most of those in
Llandyrnog were for TLI, but Chris did put
on LVRC events from time to time, and in
any case we all rode them whatever they
were.
If anyone in Region 3 wants a regular
entry in our Newsletter, then write me,
phone me, or call in as you come along
the lane by the Lodge and I’ll see what I
can do.
Richard Lang
Region 4
All members are reminded that, if they
haven’t yet renewed their membership for
2002, this is the last Veteran Leaguer they
will receive. Renewal forms can be found
in the centre of the recently circulated
2002 Handbook. Please note that the
membership fee is £8 and that all requests
for membership renewal must be accompanied
by a stamped addressed envelope.
Nev Ashman
Region 5
Envious of our fellow members who emigrate
to Spain for the winter? Finding it
more difficult each year to train through
the winter because the roads are dangerous,
especially at night? Lacking motivation
or can’t face the mental anguish of
turbo training? Well the solution is SPIN-
NING. Cycling on a fixed wheel static bike
to upbeat music at different intensity levels
in a good social group is both enjoyable
and very hard work. Why not try a
session at your local sports centre – you
may be pleasantly surprised with your improvement,
particularly hill climbing and
sprinting.
Region 5’s first event of the new season
will be Barton Wheelers Australian Pursuit
promotion at Barton upon Humber 6 th
April 2002 followed by the Dinnington
Road race on the 21 st April 2002. See you
there.
Congratulations to Alan Pettitt on winning
a gold medal at the World Master track
champs in the 2,000m 60-64 category and
also to Pete Ryalls on re-election to Chairman
of the LVRC. Our commiserations to
John Otter and Ron Pyne, both casualties
of non-seeing motorists. Best wishes for a
full recovery and early return to racing in
the new season from the entire Region 5
membership.
Phil Etches
Region 6
Nearly 30 people attended the coaching
talks on Nutrition and Cross-training at
Bromsgrove on 16th January. More such
evenings are tentatively planned for next
Winter. Any requests for topics and/or
speakers to Ray Minovi, 0121-449-1347,
or by email (see page 2).
The Region promotes 14 open road races
16 racing days) and a grass-track championship
during 2002. With promotions just
across the borders into Regions 4, 7 and
8, members can ride 29 events within an
hour’s drive or less from Birmingham.
Colin Dooley
Region 9
At the AGM in December all regional officials
retained their posts except that, after
six years of newsletter distribution John
Scott has passed the task on to Arnold
Russell. John remains newsletter correspondent
at 39 Montrouge Crescent, Epsom,
KT17 3BP. Tel: 01737-352025. LVRC
Page 10 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

officials received racing jerseys as a thankyou
for their efforts and contribution.
If race organisers want to send out flyers
with regional Leaguer distribution, then
send them to Arnold Russell.
The Veta Race series is now re-established
on the Chobham circuit, starting
May 19th. Paul Gresham wants to hear
from riders when entering so as to set up a
marshalling roster.
John Scott (address above) is looking for
copies of Cycling (preferably a whole set)
for purchase or loan, 1942 – 1968.
John Scott
For organisers
Why not consider promoting road
events in the Autumn? Why does our
road season come to a sudden end in
early September? So often the October/November
weather is much better
than March and April. I personally have
raced Summer and Winter non-stop for
the past 46 years, and it’s never done
me any harm – on the contrary, I keep
a good level of fitness all year round.
Liven your event up – add incentive
awards: hill primes, sprint prizes,
points competitions, most aggressive
rider. It doesn’t cost much but it can
certainly put a bit of sparkle into any
race.
Consider providing some sort of
race back-up: riders will always provide
wheels if they’re notified in the
race programme. Usually the vehicles
have more than they can handle. The
same vehicle can be used for First Aid
personnel. Riders appreciate this gesture,
especially those who have travelled
a long way to ride an event.
Please think about it. Mick Ives
For all of us
Our courses are precious and it’s worth
taking care of them and protecting
them. The most important thing is to
make friends with the locals. They
think (with some justification) that they
have more right to be there than you
do – so if you tell them where to go
and amputate themselves you could
easily lose that circuit. It only needs a
complaint to the local police or a councillor,
and there’s another course gone.
Treat them with the same courtesy you
expect yourself: don’t park across people’s
drives, gates and doors. Don’t use
their gardens as toilets. Don’t scream
abuse at horse-riders. Don’t scream
abuse at anyone.
OBITUARY:Peter Le Grys
After a six months illness Peter Le
Grys passed away at St Helena Hospice
in Essex on Sunday 6 th January,
aged 70. Peter started his cycling
career in 1947 with the Streatham
Cycle Racing Club and made rapid
progress on road and track. Peter
was one of the early ‘maverick’ riders
attracted to the BLRC and competed
in their classic road races such
as Dover to London and London to
Glasgow. He leaves his wife Vida,
son, David and daughter Jennifer.
Peter and the family emigrated to
New Zealand in 1970 and he was
soon President of the P.N.P. club in
Wellington. His devotion and inspiration
to Dave spanned the whole
of his son’s career, and his support
will be sorely missed. Dave Le Grys
Peter was a BLRC member and a
member of Streatham Cycle Racing
Club in the 1950s, and was placed
in the first three of many events. I
met Peter in the 1950’s when we
were enlisted into the National Service.
We were at RAF Lynham and
we became the camp team, racing
on Wednesdays at all RAF stations
and in the South of England and
Mass start racing on aerodrome circuits.
Peter was a larger-than-life character
and a joy to be with at all times.
We would plan our event list in the
Salvation Army camp café for all RAF
and civil events.
We had the best of times, with little
traffic on the roads. Crew cuts and
DAs were in fashion and Peter and I
had a crew cut. Derek Lee and Ron
Payne had DAs. Blue suede
shoes……Jimmy Savile and all that.
Peter loved cycling and rode the
bike all his life, more recently competing
from time to time in veteran
events until his illness. He met his
wife Vida through the sport and of
course was immensely proud of his
son Dave’s competitive cycling
achievements and his recent outstanding
rides in Worlds Masters
Championships. Peter will be sorely
missed by all who knew him.
Peter leaves a wife Vida, and son
Dave and daughter Jenny.
Bunny A Bircumshaw
A rare gathering of League old-timers at Sport & Publicity’s Chiltern Weekend
last June. From left: Bill Bannister (who rode at Brooklands), Tom Saunders
(winner 1948 Brighton–Glasgow), George Beretta (regular ToB rider), Gino
Goddard, Derek Buttle (1950s Hercules pro), Johnny Brackstone (winner ToB
stage 1952), Dave Clift (organiser), Chas Messenger.
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 11

LVRC Track Championships
Calshot, 23rd September
Once again a well-supported event at Calshot Track, with several World
Champions entered. The event was somewhat overshadowed by the tragic
death of Brian Hawkridge in a road accident. Other reigning champions
defended well, World Champion Roly Crayford inspiring some of his San
Fairy Ann club-mates, and dominating three groups.
If we had more support from the Regions, say £100 each contribution,
we could transfer the event to Manchester Velodrome. If you all agree
please reply to the organiser as soon as possible and the Velodrome can
be booked for a weekend.
RESULTS
Category A
Category B
Category C
Category D
Category E
Category F
Category G
Graham Hindle
Tom Morton
Sean Bannister
Geoff Hodgson
Roly Crayford
Dennis Tarr
Ray Venis
22nd December 2001
Junior Vets
3 lap Sprint: 1st Robert McLean; 2nd
Steve Wakefield; 3rd Martin Harris
20 lap Scratch: 1st Robert McLean;
2nd Mike Fairest; 3rd Steve Wakefield
Keirin: 1st Mike Fairest 2nd Nev Pearson
3rd Steve Wakefield
25 lap Points: 1st Robert McLean; 2nd
Mike Fairest; 3rd Steve Wakefield
4-Event Omnium: 1st Robert McLean
15pts; 2nd Mike Fairest 13pts; 3rd S.
Wakefield 13pts
Senior Vets
3 lap Sprint: 1st Ian Murray 2nd Gordon
Helme 3rd Martin Bush
20 lap Scratch: 1st Ian Murray 2nd
Gordon Helme 3rd Mick Holmes
Keirin: 1st Gordon Helme 2nd Ian Murray
3rd John Butler
25 lap Points: 1st Mick Holmes 2nd Ian
Murray 3rd Gordon Helme
4-event Omnium: 1st Ian Murray 18pts
2nd Gordon Helme 16pts 3rd Mick Holmes
10pts
Super Vets
3 lap Sprint: 1st Frank Stead 2nd Wally
Collins 3rd Dennis Cunningham
20 lap Scratch: 1st Brian Bliss 2nd
Frank Stead 3rd Wally Collins
Keirin: 1st Wally Collins 2nd Frank Stead
3rd Brian Bliss
25 lap Points: 1st Wally Collins 2nd Brian
Bliss 3rd Frank Stead
4-event Omnium: 1st Wally Collins 17pts
2nd Frank Stead 16pts 3rd Brian Bliss 12pts
Present venue for 2002 is Calshot,
10th – 11th August.
Dennis Tarr, 30 Oakford Villas,
North Molton, Devon EX36 3HN
Tel: 01598-740626
LVRC Track Meetings at Manchester Velodrome
1st December 2001
Junior Vets
3 Lap Sprint: 1st Geoff Cooke 2nd Steve
Davies 3rd Colin Bell
20 lap Scratch: 1st Steve Davies 2nd
Nick Yarworth 3rd Adrian Smith
Keirin: 1st Geoff Cooke 2nd Steve Davies
3rd Nick Yarworth
25 lap Points: 1st Steve Davies 2nd Nick
Yarworth 3rd Mike Fairest
4-Event Omnium: 1st Steve Davies 18pt
2nd Nick Yarworth 12pt;3rd G. Cooke 10pt
Senior Vets
3 lap Sprint: 1st Ian Murray 2nd Gordon
Smith 3rd Ian Bell
20 lap Scratch: 1st Gordon Smith 2nd
Mick Holmes 3rd Ian Murray
Keirin: 1st Ian Murray 2nd Gordon Smith
3rd Gordon Helme
25 lap Points: 1st Ian Murray 2nd Gordon
Smith 3rd Paul Baker
4-Event Omnium: 1st Ian Murray 18pts
2nd Gordon Smith 17pts 3rd Gordon Helme
6pts
Super Vets
3 lap Sprint: 1st Roly Crayford 2nd Wally
Collins 3rd Frank Stead
20 lap Scratch: 1st Roly Crayford 2nd
Alan Whitworth 3rd Frank Stead
Keirin: 1st Alan Whitworth 2nd Roly
Crayford 3rd Wally Collins
25 lap Points: 1st Alan Whitworth 2nd
Brian Bliss 3rd Roly Crayford
4-event Omnium: 1st Roly Crayford 17pts
2nd Alan Whitworth 16pts 3rd W. Collins
9pts
LVRC Time-trial
Championships
Coventry, 23rd September
Road works forced a change of course,
but most riders said they preferred the
new one, despite the big climb up to
the turn on the Daventry road. And it
was a beautiful morning, warm and
sunny with little wind.
Most of the medals went according
to class and form. Keir Maris, Glenn
Longland (who’d done a 57 minute 25
the day before), Barrie Mitchell and
Brian Barraclough won their categories
comfortably. But hypervet Derek
Hodgin put 4.40 into his nearest challenger
in the Over-65s, and the mighty
Roger Iddles destroyed everyone, beating
his nearest challenger, Brian Sunter,
by four minutes and making fastest
time of the morning – and all without
any fuss about funny hats.
A surprise in the E cats where National
Vets BAR Champion Terry Coging
made a rare appearance and put 37
seconds into Mick Ives, with an unwell
Ray Minovi doing no better than third
in a close contest,a mere 55 seconds
covering the first four.
RESULT
Category A
1. Keir Maris 57.16
2. K. Miller 59.16
3. Rob O’Connor 1.01.46
Category B
1. Glenn Longland 57.54
2. D. Hudson 59.34
3. Merv Sperry 1.00.22
Category C
1. Barrie Mitchell 58.49
2. Steve Davies 59.14
3. Wayne Hughes 1.1.43
Category D
1. Roger Iddles 55.50
2. Brian Sunter 1.00.54
3. Tony Taylor 1.04.07
Category E
1. Terry Coging 1.01.37
2. Mick Ives 1.02.00
3. Ray Minovi 1.02.02
Category F
1. Derek Hodgin 1.04.03
2. Keith Gelder 1.08.43
3. Tom Oldfield 1.09.03
Category G
1. Brian Barraclough 1.09.41
2. Norman Wood 1.12.03
3. Jim Ogden 1.15.09
Page 12 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

Picture Page
From top, clockwise: Neil Martin takes the A Criterium title at Lichfield in September;
D Category Time-trial medallists: Roger Iddles, Brian Sunter and Tony
Taylor – and not a funny hat in sight; winner Lance Ravenhill leads Richard
Abbott and John Kenna in the D Crit Champs. All photos: Barrie Mitchell
Left: an anxious Mick Ives leads
the chase in last year’s E Road
Championship. Mick receives the
League’s Fourmies Trophy for international
performances, including
gold in the World Masters
Cross in Belgium, 2nd in the
Masters in Austria, plus two other
World Cup second places.
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 13

That creak may be Nature’s way of telling you that your next frame should be a Zimmer – or perhaps
a good stretch will do …
Muscle bound
Auriel Forrester
MUSCLE IS OF THREE different
types: smooth muscle,
cardiac muscle and skeletal
muscle. The first is found surrounding
hollow organs such as in the wall of the
gut, around the bladder and womb, and
in the walls of arteries and veins. We
cannot control these muscles and hence
they are referred to as ‘involuntary’. As
its name implies, cardiac muscle is found
only in the heart muscle itself. One of
the unique features of cardiac muscle is
that it can contract repeatedly many
times a minute for a great many years –
fortunately without a rest. Finally, skeletal
muscles are those involved in movement
and support – a function often overlooked,
yet a crucially important role of
muscles and one where weaknesses lead
to problems. Skeletal muscle is also
referred to as ‘voluntary’, for fairly
obvious reasons.
A muscle is made up of thousands of
muscle fibres bundled together and
wrapped in connective tissue. While the
muscle fibres themselves are elastic in
nature this tissue is very fibrous – a type
of collagen. In young children this
collagen is very soft and its fibres run
parallel to the muscle fibres, helping to
make the muscle more pliable and
resistant to injury. As we get older the
collagen fibres become more knotted
and twisted – rather like hair that has
never been combed. Such tissue is very
inflexible and non-pliable and thus more
prone to tearing. Tears are then repaired
with further knotted collagen (a form of
scar tissue) making the matter worse.
These knots are what can be felt when
the legs are massaged – indeed massage
can help re-align the collagen
fibres, akin to combing the hair.
The analogy is a good one because
knotted hair could easily be
damaged if the teasing out was not
extremely gentle. Thus these
knotted collagen fibres can be blamed
for at least some of the loss of flexibility
in older people including athletes.
Furthermore, it is believed that knotted
fibrous connective tissue around muscle
fibres reduces the ability of a muscle to
contract forcibly and so reduces the
amount of power produced.
Things are made worse because the
natural fluid levels within muscle tissue
decreases as the muscle ages. This means
that the muscle is less pliable and more
injury-prone. Muscular aches after
training or racing can often be explained
by microscopic damage to muscle cells
and some of the valuable fluid leaking
out. This can best be treated using a cold
compress on the area followed the next
day by warmth to promote healing and
some gentle stretching and mobility as
described later in this article. Older
muscles are more prone to injury and
take longer to heal so every effort should
be made to reduce injury risks however
minor the resulting injury might be.
Movements where the thigh is having to
brake the movement of the body such as
in squash, running or badminton are
likely to cause micro-tears; similarly the
‘lowering phase’ in weight lifting is more
of a risk than the ‘raising phase’. The new
range of isokinetic and assisted-effort
machines appearing in many health clubs
are designed to reduce such injury risks.
Muscular pain should not be confused
with joint pain although the treatments
are actually very similar. The main joints
of our skeletal system are made up of
cartilage-lined pockets surrounding the
juxtaposed ends of the bones making up
the joint – not unlike the gaiters in cars, I
am told. These pockets are filled with a
viscous fluid. In young people the
cartilage provides a smooth surface for
the bones to move over each other, the
fluid lubricating the joint. As we get older
the cartilage becomes worn and less
smooth and the fluid becomes thicker
and therefore a less effective lubricant –
hence the creaking joints that are all too
familiar. The answer here is to reduce the
weight-bearing load on the joints (so
cycling or rowing are much better than
running), and to ensure the joints are
adequately warmed up before any load is
placed on them and kept warm through
sensible clothing. By load, I don’t just
mean weight-bearing load but also the
load placed by bigger gears. Warming up
is best achieved by a repeated action
with minimal load – such as gently
revving a low gear. Such repeated actions
warm the joint and active muscles
up through friction, increased blood
flow to the region and the heat
produced by muscular activity – the
burning of calories.
Muscles perform a supportive role
as well as movement. This is
achieved through a balancing act
between pairs of postural muscles –
such as the muscles of the back and
abdomen, or through stabilising a joint
by holding the bones together such as
the ‘teres’ muscle groups in the shoulders.
Weaknesses in these muscles –
either caused through injury or lack of
use – will inevitably affect posture,
mobility and strength. Your training
programme will therefore need to
include exercises to strengthen and
mobilise these muscles and associated
joints. In addition to an adequate warmup
the key to reducing injury risk is to
keep the muscle supple and the joints
mobile. This does not mean a rigorous
stretching regime but more a programme
of gentle mobilisation exercises undertaken
when the region is warm – say after
a bath or light exercise session. The joint
should be worked through its current
natural range of movement – say knee
raises assisted by hugging the thigh, then
gradually increasing the range as far as is
comfortable. Any position – in the
Page 14 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

example the hugged thigh – should not
be held for more than one or two secs as
the blood flow will be interrupted and
the risk of muscle damage increased. The
key is gentle movement – not static,
forced stretches. Key muscles and joints
are those used in cycling and other
everyday activities such as walking and
driving. The mobility exercises can be
backed up with strengthening exercises
using an appropriate resistance. Strengthening
exercises are particularly important
for the postural muscles of the back,
neck and abdomen and the stabilising
muscles of the shoulders and hips.
Finally we need to consider the speed
and endurance capabilities of the aged
muscle. You only have to watch an event
like the London Marathon to see that
older athletes can hold their own over
long distances yet Linford Christie was
considered a veteran at 30. Younger
riders dominate the top placings in shortdistance
time trials but the situation is
often reversed over the longer distances.
The reason is very straightforward:no
matter what our training programme the
rate of decline in our fast twitch (sprinting
and strength) muscle fibres is much
greater than in our slow twitch (endurance)
fibres. Riders who were good
sprinters in their youth are capable of
remaining top level sprinters but their
capabilities are reduced with age to a
greater extent than the longer-distance
riders. The reason these guys (and girls)
remain good sprinters is because they
had more fast twitch fibres to start with
than the rest of us and they keep the
ones they’ve got left in good order
through specific training. What this
means for the road racing veteran is that
speed and sprint training will improve
your finish and climbing abilities , as
when you were younger – but you might
need to devote a higher percentage of
your training programme to it to see the
results. Or you could admit defeat and
time trial. But even a pure time-trialling
veteran would benefit from speed,
strength and mobility training – a supple
injury-free muscle is able to produce
more power, train for longer and recover
quicker – no matter how old it is. V
Dr Auriel Forrester is Head of Sport and
Exercise Science, University of Luton. She
is a formerUCI World Masters (40+) Pursuit
Champion and VTTA Women’s Hour
Record Holder
For specialist coaching advice and fitness
assessments please phone: 01582
489179
Lard-arse v. Mr Thin
Malcolm Coghill
The Tub of Lard:
he can’t win
Where did Lance Armstrong’s
weight go? In the early 90s he
was this well-built guy, big muscles
on his chest and arms, sort of strong
as well.Then he had this unfortunate illness
and he came back as Mr. Thin.
Many men recovering from testicular
cancer lose a little weight, what with the
chemo and radiation therapy, appetite
naturally being suppressed at such a stressful
time. But Mr Armstrong? He appeared
to lose at least 10 Kilos, mostly from his
upper body. How did he do that?
A couple of years ago I was a lardy-arse
surviving on a combination of burgers, beer
and black pepper-flavoured crisps. It took
a dedication to fruit & vegetables, ending
the daily burger/beer/crisp intake and some
exercise to slough off the lard. I didn’t have
any real muscles as did Armstrong, just fat
to lose. So, how did Armstrong reduce his
muscle mass and yet become stronger?
Reverse weight training to thin down his
upper-body muscles? Surgery? To find the
answer we have to look at another Tour
winner, and see what was happening to his
body over the autumn and winter of 1998,
as Armstrong was recovering and getting
back to fitness.
Yes, Jan Ullrich! It was no coincidence:
there is a parasite/host relationship between
the Tour rivals. As Armstrong rids
his body of excess weight, Ullrich is feeding
on his rival’s weight loss. So as Lance
lost weight, Ullrich gained weight! No
matter what Ullrich did in his pre-season
training, Armstrong was always one step
ahead in pushing off the kilos.
Poor Jan could do nothing to turn back
the tide of lard. The harder he trained,
and the less he ate, the more tired he became.
And the more weight he gained, the
more Armstrong lost. So when they lined
up at the start of the tour, Ullrich was overweight,
overtrained and overtired, and
Armstrong was this born-again whippet.
The same thing happened during the
next two winters. What 2002 holds we
have yet to see. Maybe the lard swap-over
is wearing off.
In addition to the spell on Ullrich, there
are clues to weight loss on Lance
Armstrong’s website. The US Postal team’s
interval training on the turbo trainer could
explain some of Armstrong’s weight loss,
but not all of it. This is a once a week thing,
through November, December and early
January, or until the races start:
Start with a proper warm-up; (all at
100 rpm or faster)
5 minutes at 65% of your maximum
heart rate,
5 minutes at 75% of MHR,
The lean, mean
machine: no contest
5 minutes at 85% of MHR,
5 minutes at 65% of MHR.
After the warm-up, the real session can
begin.
A rep is 4 minutes at 90% of your MHR,
followed by 4 minutes at 65% MHR.
Then repeat reps for as many times as
you can manage, up to 6 reps maximum.
Follow the reps by 5 minutes warm
down. The warm-down is most important:
the muscles need to cool down and clear
out some of the lactic acid before you get
off the turbo. Then do a little stretching or
yoga.
Once you can do 6 reps, increase the 4
minutes to 5 minutes for each rep. If you
can do 6 reps of 5 minutes each, increase
to 6 minutes. If you can do 6 reps of 6
minutes, then you should consider riding
for a pro team, and you’ll be winning everything
you ride. V
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 15

Reviews
French Revolutions – cycling the Tour
de France: Tim Moore. Yellow Jersey
Press 2001. 277 pages paperback,
£12.00. ISBN 0-224-06095-3
Tim Moore. Sporting status: not a
couch potato. Previous experience of
cycling: commuting on a Bickerton; six
months on a girly bike from a stolenproperty
auction; four-day MTB trip
across Iceland with his brother-in-law;
ten-year seasonal ob-session with the
Tour de France. None of which
explains a rush of blood at 36 which
results in a ride round (most of) the
route of the 2000 Tour, suffering pain
and humiliation, but discovering the
hero inside himself and being very
funny on the way.
There’s plenty of inventive fun:
Captain Scott bewildered by his view
of South Poland; the contrast between
looking the part and looking a prat –
not just an anagram; the excitement
when a hotel proprietor identifies him
as Roger Moore’s son; the ‘deeply
poxy’ French breakfasts; his resort to
‘manual obscenity’ when his French
isn’t up to the verbal kind; ‘coq au van’
as a name for a roadkill; and Bernard
Hinault’s fearsome demeanour suggesting
that ‘he’d been told that some
bloke up the road was prancing about
in a wedding dress singing, ‘Bernard,
Bernard, je m’apelle Bernard.’
In the interests of comedy there’s a
good deal of literary licence. Charly
Gaul was by no means the first cyclist
to pee on the move. Percy Stannard
usually spelled his name with a double
L. Merckx’s cannibal year was 1969,
not 70.
But here are also moments of
revelation, little epiphanies: ‘In
conquering the savage beauty around
me I have become its creator.’ Heroic
legends: Eugéne Christophe, Tom
Simpson. Laments: the death of the
French small town as the young flee to
the cities. And learning experiences:
Moore is amazed to find that his
intestinal agonies are down to not
washing his water bottles. And did you
know that 18 th May is St Eric’s Day?
See. You can learn things from books.
What I find remarkable is that, with his
limited preparation, Moore does so
well, finally achieving 280 kilometres
in a (very long) day.
Moore is a better writer than the
much more famous Bill Bryson, and
his book is immensely enjoyable.
Enjoy.
Ray Minovi
Tour de France – the history, the
legend, the riders: Graeme Fife.
Mainstream Publishing, 2000. 255
pages paperback, £9.99. ISBN 1-
84018-284-9
Based on the writer’s ‘25-year addiction
to this unique event’ (half of my
own), this is, says Fife, ‘an attempt to
get inside the Tour’s mystique’ rather
than a history. History is there, but in
snapshots, or video clips, much of it
well known, some of it less wellretailed,
much necessarily left out. The
rest recounts Fife’s own climbs of the
major Alpine cols: L’Alpe d’Huez,
Télégraphe, Glandon, Galibier, Izoard,
Vars, while his thoughts stray to the
great riders who preceded him. The
accounts of what and who he’s
thinking about are much better than
the story of his own struggles, which
are often done in a sort of writing-bynumbers,
tricked out with literary
quotations unnaturally transplanted.
Fife is too good a writer to need these
pretentious supporting devices.
My heroes aren’t always the same as
Fife’s. I recognise talent in any performer,
but my admiration for
Virenque’s attacking style is limited; I
reserve my respect for those who can
hack it without being fuelled by
steroids and EPO. Fife almost despises
Indurain (‘Lovely man; no brain’ he
patronises) for husbanding his resources
and playing to his strengths;
but Anquetil, who did exactly the
same, plus being a druggie and a
cheat, gets his wholehearted admiration.
Incidentally, the latter emerges as
the most talented shit cycling has ever
seen – perhaps the instinctive recognition
of this is why the fans never took
him to their hearts as they did Vietto
and Poulidor.
It’s an attractive book. There’s an
insert of eight photos and a useful
index. Georges Ronsse (not Rousse)
was world champion. Big sprockets
give you a smaller gear, not a larger
one. Incidentally the story of Bartali
searching the route for Coppi’s discarded
bottle so he could find out
what the campionissmo was on isn’t
apocryphal – Bartali himself tells it.
A few errors, but a thoroughly
enjoyable book to add to your shelf of
addictions.
Ray Minovi
The Long Distance Cyclist’s Handbook:
Simon Doughty. A & C Black,
2001. 216 pages paperback, £14.99.
ISBN 0-7136-5819-3
You may think that covering miles at
below winter training pace merely for
its own sake is a bit like train-spotting.
But there are upsides: you do get to
enjoy a lot of scenery during the
daytime parts; there’s the undeniable
sense of achievement; it keeps you fit;
and there’s none of that aggressive,
beating other people – you’re competing
against yourself, the terrain, and
the weather.
For superannuated racing cyclists
Audax is probably the most attractive
alternative – stripped bike, higher
speeds, any distance you want, really.
Simon Doughty takes you through
equipment, bike set-up, clothing, food
and water, health and hygiene, safe
cycling, maintenance, travelling
abroad, and navigation – don’t blindly
follow others who ‘seem to know
where they’re going’. I wouldn’t much
enjoy some of the bikes photographed,
particularly the one on page 55 attached
to a trailer the size of an Eddie
Stobart truck, with a leather saddle
pointing down at 15 degrees – not my
idea of pleasure or safety. But then,
leather was what we made do with
while we waited for superior manmade
products to come along.
There’s training, from first principles
to periodisation, tapering and peaking.
Finally we look at training for specific
events, from 200 km randonnées to
the Race Across America, an event so
demanding that more people have
flown in outer space than have completed
it. No way, Miguel, as Del Boy
would say.
If you can learn anything from a
book, then this one gives you absolutely
everything you need, and it’s
always clear, lucid, no frills. Not really
for would-be racing cyclists, (though
they’d learn something), but the longdistance
aspirant will find it not only
immensely useful, but unique – I don’t
know of another book that covers the
subject.
Ray Minovi
Page 16 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

Letters
From Dave Orford
The idea that LVRC members should
support those who wish to race abroad
is an emotive issue. For instance, it is
not expensive to ride ICF events, which
are only just across the Channel,
mainly in Belgium, with Holland and
Northern France also contributing
events.
However, for 2002, the Austrian Federation
have withdrawn the one-day
licence system for the UCI events at
both St Johann and Deutschlandsberg.
This means that riders will need a full
BCF licence – which means that riders
who go to either location will be representing
the BCF! As the BCF are now
receiving all the monies for cycling
from the Government, it seems to me
that it is they who should be supporting
veteran international events, and
not the LVRC.
As the RTTC, to their credit, have
now entered the international scene,
via the Grand Prix des Nations, perhaps
they should also support veteran
riders who contest the international
veteran championship time-trials at
Woesten, St Johann, and Gray (Austria)?
Bearing in mind that the RTTC
do not support veterans to any great
extent (the VTTA do that), and as it is
generally accepted that more than 50%
of time-triallists are veterans, then the
levies from time-trials in 2001, £127,
710, should be able on principle to
support international veteran TT riders.
Again though, it is the BCF licence
which is necessary, except at Woesten
(ICF). I believe that all riders wishing
to race abroad should do so on a personal
basis as it has always been done,
making their own arrangements.
From Paul Tansley, Sheffield
There has been quite a bit of talking
lately about wheelsuckers and I would
like to know what distinguishes a
wheelsucker from a genuine rider in
the middle. What they seem to be saying
is that if a rider does not work at
the front or do his share he is branded
a wheelsucker. Well I think they
couldn’t be further from the truth.
There are wheel suckers around but
we shouldn’t all be tarred with the
same brush. I wonder whether they
see me as one? If they do then maybe
I’m in the wrong game.
I started cycling in 1997 and train hard
and regular and go on club outings
which are usually at a good pace and I
keep up with the lads that have been
in the game for some years so I am
quite fit and take my hobby quite seriously,
and please remember it is a
hobby.
I decided to take up racing last summer
riding the North Mids League with
the vets, and to be honest I did quite
well and shared the work load all way
through. I was pointed in the direction
of the LVRC and after doing my homework
I was pleased to find that they
were guys 10 years, 20 years older than
me and I thought, ‘Well I have a good
chance at doing something here.’ I was
in for a mighty shock.
I rode three races with the LVRC in
August and September and started with
the A group but got dropped to the C
group every time. I tried my best to
work and share the front but I just
couldn’t cope with the pace, so I
dropped to the back.
I wouldn’t dare contest the sprint because
its unlikely I would be up there
anyway, but believe me I worked my
guts out every race although I was always
amongst the pack.
What these so-called bullies need to
remember is the LVRC is an abilitybased
set-up. We’re not all ex-pros,
elites and guys that have been racing
for donkey’s years. I’m 42-years old,
new to cycling and very new to racing,
but I had a good go and although
I found it hard I will be back for more
punishment next season, possibly still
in the pack just hoping to survive. I’m
probably not the only one in that position
so I would appreciate not being
labelled a wheelsucker as I work just
as hard as they do but with less ability.
From Dave Clift, Region 9
On a rainy afternoon in January, with
the Thames over the road, I collected
Eileen Sheridan and Johnny Brackstone
(Tour of Britain stage winner) to take
them to the afternoon’s entertainment
that Charlie Woods and Ray Pascoe put
on at the Riverside Studios. On the way
we picked up Johnny Saunders who
starred with Diana Dors in A Boy, a Girl
and a Bike and, when not starring, won
Brighton – Newcastle. Despite the
floods we made it to the Riverside.
Sport and Publicity (I have to mention
them – they sponsor my race every
year) had a stand in the foyer. Charlie
showed his usual patience marshalling
everyone from bar to theatre.
The programme started with videos
compiled from 8 mm film, made by
Ron Kitching. Then came French silent
films of the Tour in the days of Coppi,
Bartali, Robic and Géminiani, and an
old Dunlop film of British cycle sport
of that era, with Harris, Sheridan, Joy,
Maitland, the Robinson brothers, and
many others. Every so often an old
coureur would stand up and take a
bow as he appeared on the silver
screen.
After the interval Eileen Sheridan
gave us an account of her career, and
Dennis Talbot, joined by team-mate
Derek Buttle, took us behind the
scenes of pro racing in his day. They
were joined by Dougie Collins, a man
so young he doesn’t get a free TV licence
or even a pension. Eventually he
took Eileen home in his leaky van,
while the rest of us retired to the bar
to re-live long-gone battles with old adversaries.
Next year some of you foreigners
from north of Watford should consider
the pilgrimage. Make a weekend of it.
Bring the wife, or someone else’s, and
pack her off to the sales while you ride
one of Doug Collins’ races. Then complete
the weekend with a visit to the
Riverside.
From Eddie Talbot, ex-BLRC
For over 30 years St Johann has been
promoting the definitive veteran series
of road race World Championships.
The Austrian Cycling Federation, although
affiliated to the UCI, ignored
completely the fact that the UCI did
not recognise veterans. The UCI did
not permit the organisers to use the
normal Rainbow Jersey for the winners,
and so St Johann came up with the
bands diagonally across the jersey. The
small-minded UCI stated that the colours
(blue, red, black, yellow, green)
were their registered colours – so the
Austrians reversed the colours. Eventually
the UCI realised that veterans
were the only growth category and so,
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 17

in 1994, they recognised veterans officially.
Of course they had left it far too late,
as veterans had made other arrangements
by forming their own National
groups, with the first non-UCI world
body, free Federations coming along
in 1985, changing soon after to the
current ICF. In England, of course, the
BCF were reluctant to take on the UCI,
knowing that the VTTA had around
5000 members, and failed to instruct
their own veterans organisation (the
VCRA) to bring in the now-accepted
age categories. And so first TLI (1983)
and then LVRC (1986) came into being.
In 1995 the UCI ‘World Masters
Road Championships’ came to St
Johann, but on advice from the organisers,
who told the UCI that only 30%
of veterans had UCI licences, the controlling
world body was forced to offer
day licences to all non-UCI riders:
what a climb-down for the world body.
However, with the establishment of
the time-trial Worlds, brought in in
2000, the UCI now feel strong enough
to do away with the day licence. Possibly
organisations like the BCF feel that
the day licence was costing them
money, and they wanted their pound
of flesh. Sadly, St Johann never needed
UCI recognition, as veterans worldwide
recognised St Johann for what it
was. Around 2500 riders compete
there each year, and with family and
friends the eight days is a major factor
with the Austrian Tourist Board. Let’s
hope that UCI intransigence does not
cock it all up.
From John Bettinson
I was out with the lads on Sunday
morning and as usual I was offering
some unsolicited advice and, as usual
getting the same response: ‘Oh no it
isn’t.’
‘Piss off. What do you know about
it?’
‘You always say the same old thing;
thousands of miles. Not everyone responds
to the same training’
I take it as an affront that these ‘no
knows’ dismiss anything I tell them. At
this time of
year I will specify bulk miles but
come end of March (pre-supposing
they ever were ready) I will tell them
the next bit.
Well, because I got home early, I
went for a walk around Tarn Hows.
Enjoying the sun coming down through
the trees a thought suddenly struck me.
There is such a variety of trees that that
I had to exclaim to my wife, ‘There is
no right way to be a tree, is there?’
And I couldn’t help but draw an analogy
with my understanding of training.
My heart sank and all self-confidence
drained from me. Maybe I do know
bugger nothing?
We walked on for a while, this revelation
tearing at me. Then just as suddenly
I thought about what the trees
do each have in common.
They all have strong root systems
(or else fail)
They all have trunks and branches
They all have leaves that reach up
for the sun
They all have seasons
They all have reproduction (No!
Best ignore that one)
They all have survival techniques
in adverse conditions
Oh yes! And they all know to bend
in the wind rather than snap.
Come to think of it, at least 90% is
common with scarcely 5% negotiable.
Just the way I feel about training and
improving ones fitness. Morale returned
immediately.
So, the next time they suggest ‘You
know bugger nothing’, I’ll just reply
‘You’re all wrong. I know bugger all.’
From Dave Moss, Dumfries
I was amazed to read the criticism of
the legitimate tactics of Tom McCall
(and others like him).What unwritten
rule is Dave Orford talking about? It
must be in the special rulebook for the
tactically inept.
The object of a road race is to win at
the slowest possible speed using the
minimum of effort. There is no point
busting a gut just to increase a break’s
advantage at the finish. How, I wonder,
do Tom’s critics think someone
who fancies their chances at winning
a bunch sprint, react to a break?
I would suggest that the correct tactic
is, a) if the break looks dangerous
try and join it; b) sit in and on no account
contribute to the work; c) if you
cannot sicken the others so that they
sit up, pop out and win the sprint at
the end; d) ignore all criticism from bad
losers and keep smiling. Any nonsprinters
in the break should come up
with their own ideas of how to get
away from you: if they’re not good
enough, it’s not your problem. A bit of
verbal abuse to try and persuade you
to share the work is all part of the
game,but you should develop a thick
skin and ride your own race. Only sad
losers continue to moan after the race.
You could drag the bunch up to the
break, but you can’t do that all day and
some other wheel sucking sprinter
might just take advantage at the end!
So, non-sprinters: get a life, remember
you’re in a road race, not a timetrial,
and get your tactics sorted: don’t
blame the winner for your failings.
As for me, I’d be back in the bunch
hanging on for dear life. In fact, I would
like to remind everyone of the other
unwritten rule: If there is an overweight
bearded northerner in the race, who
seems to be finding it hard going, you
MUST ease off and give him a push
up the hills.
From John Bettinson
I’m a bit miffed at Tom McCall telling
us to turn the other cheek to those famous
followers who squash every
move and sit in for the sprint. I’ve got
more enjoyable things I can do than
get up at 5 a.m., fill up with petrol,
drive to the other coast and ride
around with guys I don’t particularly
respect sat tightly on my back wheel.
From Ian Moore, Region 2
Now that the Special General Meeting
has passed and everything, we hope,
has settled down, I feel obliged to remind
members of the LVRC’s objective:
‘the provision of a programme of
competitive and social cycling events
for male and female members of 40
years of age and over’. Let’s get back
to basics and enjoy our sport, rather
than quarrelling.
From Terry Potter, Preston
I read about the ‘well-kept secret’ AGM
and note that most of the amendments
went through unopposed – so it seems
that most of those who attended were
in agreement. Where were those who
should, apparently, have been opposing
not only the amendments, but the
running of the meeting at all?
It’s as well Percy Stallard has left us
– the air might well have been blue at
the waste of time and money. Years ago
when the BLRC was formed, if we had
always gone strictly by the book, we’d
still be in black tights and well-kept
secret events. The meeting was democratic,
and this is what we’re all about.
Page 18 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

In Part 1 Cavanna, Coppi’s blind soigneur, talked about training. In the second
part of this 1953 interview from Miroir Sprint he turns his attention to diet.
What I call living
well…
Biagio Cavanna
I’M CONSTANTLY AMAZED at the ignorance
of some Italian managers with
regard to their riders’ diet. One young
rider asked me if he should swallow
whole eggs, like he’d heard Coppi did.
His parents kept a chicken farm, he
could have all he wanted. Then he
went to his directeur sportif, said he
didn’t feel too well – and the guy told
him to go and eat plenty of eggs! You
can imagine the state his liver was in.
My advice would be: if you like eggs,
eat them when they’re fresh, but
never more than one a day, and never
eat hard-boiled eggs – they’re poison
for racing cyclists. Don’t forget: your
diet dictates your results. I’ll just give
you a few pointers on the kind of thing
to avoid.
Cooked spinach can still lie in your
stomach, undigested, four hours later,
and it can cause stomach cramps in
the later stages of a race. Dried fruit is
also harmful to bike-riders, and pork is
poison compared with ham, which is
much easier to digest. So what should
you eat? I can best answer that by
telling you what I serve the riders in
my own pension, where nobody
complains about the menu.
An hour after getting up, breakfast:
half a litre of milk with just a dash of
coffee, and 100 grammes (4 oz) of
bread. I consider all food during the
morning unnecessary, as training is
completed by midday and the riders
then sit down to the following meal:
thick soup, or a minestrone with rice
and vegetables; 250 grammes of meat,
salad (all raw salads are excellent) with
an oil and lemon dressing; 100
grammes of soft cheese, fruit according
to the season, and 200 or 300
grammes of bread. To drink, beer or
wine, but only one glass. In the
evening: vegetable soup, half a boiled
chicken, salad again, gateau, fruit or
cheese, 200-300 grammes of bread.
Mind you, during the first two
months with me, my riders aren’t too
happy with so limited a diet. Carrea
ate enough for four, and as for Filippi,
my wife recently told me, it was a real
pleasure to refill his plate. You can
reckon that it takes two months for
them – even for the gluttons – to get
used to a regular and controlled diet.
It’s interesting to add it all up. If one
of my riders eats 7.5 kg of meat a
month, that’s 90 kg a year. Chicken, at
the rate of 15 a month, is 180 per
year. Add to that 200 litres of milk,
about 70 kilos of salad, and at least
120 kilos of fruit. Now that’s what I
call living well …
As you can see, there’s nothing
magic about any of this. It’s simply a
matter of following a regular regime,
and form will come.
Incidentally, let’s consider the
nature of this ‘form’, and how you
can tell when you’ve got there.
When the rider gets back after a
training session without being aware of
any fatigue, then you can say that he’s
approaching his best condition. If, after
a 150 km ride he can run up several
flights of stairs without feeling that his
legs have turned to wood, that’s the
first sign that form isn’t far off.
When I gave Coppi a massage I
could easily tell what condition he was
in at that particular moment. When he
was in record-breaking form it was like
stroking the strings of a guitar, my
fingers sliding from one muscle to the
next. But if his form was below par, I
would be able to feel under my fingers
a thin layer of fat.
I’m often asked how Coppi maintained
his form from the start to the
end of a season. The answer’s easy:
I’ve never known a rider to be so
meticulous. During his training cycles
Fausto carefully weighed all his food
and controlled his drinks, so as to
avoid any risk of indigestion. Then,
when preparing for the world championships,
he would drink every
morning, before breakfast, a glass of
mixed vegetable juices: celery, carrots,
radish and tomato. It got to the
point where he wouldn’t sit down at
table without having done so.
These were the means by which he
maintained his form: not just relying
on his instincts to govern his training,
but by maintaining a strict system of
control throughout the year. Thus
you can avoid the discomfort of
constipation and its consequences,
and the sort of boils which force so
many riders to abandon races.
It should go without saying that
riders should be seen periodically by
the doctor. I advise all managers to
be aware of the importance for their
riders of regular bowel movements.
If the intestines – which I call ‘the
engine of the champion’ – are
working regularly, the young rider
needn’t become over-anxious about
a few results which are below what
he expected. He shouldn’t be afraid
that he’s lost form, or has been
eating too much or too little.
Everyone feels unwell from time to
time. At such times I suggest a tisane
with barley-sugar (excellent for
stomach upsets), dandelion root (for
its laxative properties), or crushed
linseed with sugar and milk. You can
boil it up for an hour, and when it’s
cooled it can be drunk during the
afternoon at the time when the rider
suffering with the stomach upset
would be thirstiest.
Another of my little secrets: in the
spring, when my riders get back
breathless from their first rides, I
have ready for them a big glass of
hot lemon juice. The warm drink
prevents irritation of the bronchii, so
avoiding coughs, and soothes the
effect of the cold air in the lungs.
Lemon juice is an ideal disinfectant,
more easily digested than milk. V
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 19

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(don’t be put off if you get my answering
machine – I may be out on my bike!
Leave a message & let me pay for the call!)
Page 20 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

Neil Martin didn’t have to fix his bike in the blacksmith’s forge, but he suffered quite enough on
L’Etape du Tour…
Nails on Toast
Neil Martin
WE DROVE INTO the outskirts
of Tarbes through pouring
rain. No need to hunt for the
‘Depart‘ direction arrows – hordes of
already-soaked riders were pedalling to the
start through the 6 a.m. darkness. The
British constabulary would have had a
field-day with the light-less masses.
I’d signed on effortlessly two days
before: now the big day had finally arrived.
A quick change in the Galaxy; au revoir to
the crew with a view to seeing them
somewhere on the final Col (you need a
special pass to get on the climb, bagged at
the signing-on) and off into the gloom to
track down my start area.
We all lined up in our designated side
road; the countdown to the start could be
heard on loudspeakers a few roads away;
5,4,3,2,1 and......nothing. I had to wait for
the 4148 riders in front of us to move
before we could. Twenty minutes later we
passed over the start transponder mat and
were away, at a steady 25 mph. Initial preevent
fears that it would be dangerous
were soon dispelled as the thousands
barrelled along with very little switching
and a great deal of consideration for fellow
riders.
The first ravitaillement appeared to be
somewhat chaotic.I made the choice to
ride straight through. However, I did
manage to grab a couple of bottles of
Aquarel water from one of the many
roadside helpers handing up drinks beyond
the feed. By this time the rain had eased a
little, just in time for the first climbs of the
day: a combined 4th and 3rd cat (Tour
values) that seemed to go on forever. A
quick pose for the official Etape photographers
either side of the road and over the
top to begin what proved to be one of the
fastest descents ever ridden. I interrupted
my own descent to answer a major call of
nature behind a hedge and then back into
the fray. A few more drags and descents
and then it really chucked it down along
the valley.
Col d’Aspin. A sharp right and we were
on a fairly steady climb of 12 km using a
maximum gear of 39/21; I was saving the
23 for the brute to be negotiated later in
the day. At the summit I ignored another
even more chaotic feed station – just a
brief stop to put on the gilet for the wet
14km descent to St. Marie de Campan, the
town at the foot of the Tourmalet, famous
for the bloke who fixed his broken forks
only to be penalised because a lad helped
with the bellows in the forge. Nails on toast
for breakfast too, no doubt.*
An acute left and we’re on the 17km.
Tourmalet with a warm sun and a tailwind
to ease the agony. This is a monster of a
Col: fairly easy of gradient for the first few
k’s or so but then it kicks in to an average
of 8 to 9 %. Doesn’t sound much but a
major effort for a long time; the fastest I’ve
ever climbed it is 1.15, a true backbreaker.
The 23 came in to play for the 6-7mph
grind of the last km. up to the feed at La
Mongie ski station 5 kilometres from the
summit. A stop for bars, water, sultanas by
the fistful and an easing of the aching back
readied the bod for the final lurch to the
chilly summit at 2115 metres. On with the
gilet again for what some claim to be the
best descent in Europe; I’m with them on
that one. I’ve descended the 18km this
way quite a few times now, so knowing
where I was going was a real bonus,
especially on closed roads – and in the
company of a couple of riders who
obviously knew where they were going too
a terminal velocity of 54mph was reached.
The Tourmalet descends into Luz St.
Saveur, a busy little town nestling in the
valley that eventually leads to Lourdes after
a further 30 kms. of descent. The Etape,
however, swung left in the town , over a
little blip to descend again to begin the
final climb to the finish at the ski station of
Luz Ardiden at an altitude of 1715 metres.
This is where the backache really kicked in.
By this time I had started to see some early
start numbers
which suggested
either that I was
doing a reasonable
ride or that
they were
creeping. This is
a hard climb,
especially after
85 damp miles.
Approaching
3km from the
top I spotted the
family parked at
the roadside a
few metres
before the barriers dividing the road started
, providing a safe lane to descend off the
mountain while others are grinding their
way up to the finish. Heavy rain started to
fall again for my final 2 km, as did the
temperature on the back of a freezing
wind.
Eventually I crossed the Arrivée transponder
mat, a finisher’s gong was draped
around my neck and I was hustled around
the back of the changing tent to begin the
descent against the now steady flow of
finishers, back down to Maria and the kids.
Fantastic! I’d done it; and in a not-toobad
time of 6hrs 7 mins 53 secs for a Gold
standard and 328th finisher. All this
information is sent later in the form of a
certificate to commemorate your participation,
along with a sample of photos you
can send for. The first finisher home was a
Bulgarian living in France who has now
ridden all nine Etapes and ‘won‘ three of
them. Try to pick him out at the start next
year.
I’d certainly do it again but it would
have to be ‘a good one ‘ i.e. a big stage in
the Alps or similar. Popular opinion
regarded this edition as one of the classics,
despite the weather which apparently
turned the bad side of evil on the
Tourmalet for the later finishers.
As a footnote: the same Tarbes–Luz
Ardiden stage 148km. was won by the
Euskatel Basque climber Robert Laseika in
a time of 4hrs 24 mins. I wonder if he
spent the whole of the last climb in the 23
too? V
Drawing: Pellos
* Back in 1913 two commissaires were dropped off to supervise Eugene Christophe
while he repaired his fork and make sure he didn’t break the rules. After an hour or
so one of them complained of being hot and hungry. ‘You should be where I am,’
Christophe said. ‘Chew a bit of this coal – there’s plenty.’
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 21

God it’s hot!
Brian Tadman
God it’s hot! I’ve just topped the Col
d’Aspin. Armstrong and Ullrich are
200 metres in front – must get to
them before the Tourmalet. I click up
seven gears in one go, lock into 18 th .
The computer shows I’m doing 110
kph. Don’t touch the brakes. Get
into tuck, flick left, then right.
Approaching St Marie de Campan I
get to them. ‘Who are you?’ says a
Texan accent.
‘I’m Tadders of Abbey Life,’ I reply.
‘OK, today we ride.’
God, it’s hot. The noise is deafening.
There must be a million people
clinging to this mountain. It’s 18
kilometres long. I’m riding shoulder
to shoulder with the two greatest
Tour riders of their generation. The
heat is incredible. I’m focused. I
recall David Andrews’ words: No
Pain No Gain. One kilometre to the
top, we’re still two minutes down on
the Spaniards. They’ve been away all
day.
We’re at the top. God, it’s hot! The
Basque fans are out in their thousands,
hoping for a home win. We start the
descent to Luz Ardiden. Only – huh,
only! – the climb to Pla d’Adet. We
drop off the Tourmalet, swishing
through the bends – even the photographers’
motorbikes can’t keep
with us. On a straight stretch the US
Postal Directeur Sportif draws
alongside in his Alfa and tells us the
road temperature in the valley is 54
degrees. God, it’s hot!
Jan, Lance and moi are slipstreaming
at 100 kph. We’re into Luz and
we can see the Spaniards ahead.
Lance asks us to ride harder. We
overhaul the two escapees after two
kilometres of Pla d’Adet. Only seven
to the finish. God, it’s hot! Four
kilometres from the top Armstrong
attacks. I look at Ullrich – he can’t
respond! I launch myself after
Armstrong. I’m on fire. I’m on fire!
I’m on fire! Bloody bed’s on fire!
Moral
Do not drink two bottles of red
wine with midday Plat du Jour.
Do not have four Armagnacs as
digestifs.
Do not take fifth Grand Armagnac
to bed.
Do not spill Grand Armagnac while
lighting Gauloise.
Onwards and upwards.
Phil’s
Cycling
Hols
Tel: 00115 933 3920 ( UK )
Fax: 00 33 457 481124
(France)
Philip.Smith@wanadoo.fr
Look at our Website:
www.vercors-net.com/cycling
for details of travel by A45 from
Grenoble
or Lyon A49. Motorways – from
Valence -
A42 from Sisteron or Chambery
Train -TGV from Paris –
Grenoble & links SNCF shuttle from
Grenoble to Valence
Travel by Plane
– to Lyon
– to Grenoble
V Accommodation and
booking form –
Road Cyclists & Mountain Bikes
V The Vercors area -
How your week could go
Annual events & contacts
v Monte Pelpi — Ciclo Italia
v Self-guided rides (routes provided)
v Hills to die for (MTB/Road)
v Self-catering accommodation in
country or seaside
v Northern Italy’s best-kept secret
A warm welcome awaits you in
Bedonia (Pr Parma)
Phone Sandra for a brochure on
00390-5258-24354
MONTEPELPI
Page 22 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002

Regional Officers
REGION 1. N.W. ENGLAND
CHAIRMAN Dennis Agnew 44 Commonside, Ansdell Lytham Lancs FY8 4EX 01253-739428
REGISTRAR Ray Groves 2 Locks View, Ince Wigan Lancs WN1 3HL 01942-495214
SEC, CONTACT & TREASURER Wally Hodge 43 Wyre Avenue, Kirkham Preston Lancs PR4 2YE 01772-682531
EVENT CO-ORDINATOR Jack Stokes 2 Orchard Close, Tag Lane Preston Lancs PR2 3TG. 01772-768234
N/LETTER CORRESP Harry Benson ‘Fylde Cottage’,1 Havenlyn Park Cabus, Preston PR3 1AB 01524-791604
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR Dave Edge, 123 Carrhead Lane, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancs PR4 2SE 01253-890852
QUARTERMASTER Keith Wright 29 Church Street, Kirkham, Preston PR4 2SE 01772-499213
REGION 2. N.E.ENGLAND and YORKSHIRE
C/MAN & EVENTS CO-ORD Derek Smith 15 Moor Grange View, West Park, Leeds LS16 5BN 0113-275-9733
SEC, & QM Alan Edmondson ’Seven Oaks’, Newlay Wood Ave, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4LN 0113-258-7194
REGISTRAR John Lawton 21 Nursery Lane, Leeds LS17 7ED 0113-295-6916
TREASURER Tim Teale, 1 The Birches, Guiseley, Leeds LS20 9EH 01943-878600
N/L CORRESP David Hamilton, 332 Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds LS16 5BA 0113-278-2093
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR Ian Moore 24 Rombalds Crescent, SILSDEN, BD20 0LE 01535-654070
REGION 3 NORTH WALES and MERSEYSIDE
LIVERPOOL ORGANISER Paul Paterson, 50 Ennismore Road, Liverpool L13 2AT 0151-259-6083
WIRRAL ORGANISER Brian Ellis, 1 Priory Road, West Kirkby, Wirral CH48 7ET 0151-625-8896
WALES ORGANISER Richard Lang, The Lodge,Cerrigilwydion Hall, Llandyrnog, Nr Denbigh, LL16 4LE 01824-790398
ADMINISTRATOR Geoff Brandt 29 Templemore Road, Oxton, Birkenhead, Mersey-side, CH43 2HB 0151-652-0217
EVENT CO-ORDINATOR Keith Boardman 19 Clydesdale Road, Hoylake, Wirral, CH7 3RP. 0151-632-3185
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR Eddie Hayes 45 Leominster Road, Wallasey, Merseyside CH44 5UT 0151-691-1458
REGION 4 MANCHESTER and NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE
CHAIRMAN/REGISTRAR Dave Watson 207 Manchester Road, Greenfield, Oldham OL3 7HX 01457-837113
CONTACT/EVENTS/N-L CORR Nev Ashman 77 Hulme Hall Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 6JZ. 01614-857969
TREASURER John Carter 41 Holthouse Road, Tottington, Bury BL8 3JP 01204-886635
QUARTERMASTER Bob Murray 7 Hoylake Close, New Moston, Manchester M40 3WU 0161-688-6152
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR Les Bailey 51 Romans Rd, Northwich, Cheshire,CW8 1DE. 01606-781760
REGION 5. EAST and NORTH MIDLANDS
CHAIRMAN, N/L DISTRIB,QM John Downing 33 Doncaster Road, Costhorpe, Worksop, Notts, S81 9QY. 01909-732764
REGISTRAR Jenny Downing 33 Doncaster Road, Costhorpe, Worksop, Notts, S81 9QY. 01909-732764
SECRETARY Colin Abdy 10 Forkedale, Barton on Humber, South Humberside, DN18 5NE 01652-633656
TREASURER John Flear 14a Water Lane, North Hykesham, Lincoln LN6 9QST 01522-687738
QUARTERMASTER Roger Hearsum Manor Farm, 6 Front Lane, Treeton, Rotherham Yorks S60 5QP 01742-694868
NEWSLETTER CORRESP Phil Etches, 12 Hereford Way, Grantham, Lincs NG31 8AX 01476-577262
EVENT CO-ORD Dave Gretton, 7 Lorimer Avenue, Gedling, Notts NG4 4BS 0115-987-8700 e-mail davegretton@hotmail.com
REGION 6. MID WALES and WEST MIDLANDS
CONTACT, EVENTS & QM Les Archer 14 Broadfield Close, Kingswinford, W Mids DY6 9PY 01384-273109
REGISTRAR/TREASURER Colin Willetts 201 Mildenhall Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, B42 2PE 0121-358-6768
N/L CORRESP & DISTRIB Colin Dooley 62 Gillhurst Road, Harbourne, Birmingham, B17 8PB3 0121-427-2149
REGION 7. S.E.MIDLANDS and EAST ANGLIA
CONTACT Ron Day 11 Kingsbridge, Furzton, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK4 1EH. 01908-501461
REGISTRAR Richard Abbott 124 Oxford Crescent, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7AX 01235-210178
TREASURER/EVENT CO-ORD Mike Burns 14 Briars Close, Long Lawford, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9DW 01788-567637
N/L CORRESP & DISTRIB George Bridge 30 Wilby Park, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 2UL. 01933-271234
REGION 8: S.WALES and WESTERN ENGLAND
CONTACT Chas Bland Poplars, Hillside, Long Ashton, Bristol, Avon, BS18 9LG. 01275-393696
SECRETARY Austin Heath Melrose, 12 Heol Morlais, Llannon, Dyfed SA14 6BD 01269-832975
TREASURER Kevin Green 107 Cherington, Yate, South Glos BS37 8UT 01454-881486
REG, N/L CORR & DISTRIB Ralph Wilson 42 Bradstone Road, Winterbourne, South Glos 01454-776062
EVENT CO-ORD & QM Terry Wilkins 71 Fflorens Road, Treowen, Newport, NP1 4DW 01495-244866
REGION 9: LONDON and S. EAST ENGLAND
CHAIRMAN Ian Tollady 9 Rosecroft Avenue, Hampstead, London, NW3 7QA. 0207-794-3410
SEC, EVENT CO-ORD,QM Fred Little 45 Hillhouse Close, Billericay, Essex, CM12 0BB. 01277-658807
REGISTRAR Bill Ollis 157 Cedar Road, Strood, Kent, ME2 2JR. 01634-721502
TREASURER Peter Wilson 52 Knoll Drive, Southgate, London, N14 5NE. 0208-368-0698
N/L DISTRIBUTOR Arnold Russell, 94 Thetford Close, London N13 6AU
CORRESPONDENT John Scott 39 Montrouge Crescent, Epsom KT17 3BP 01737-352025
REGION 10: SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
REGISTRAR Peter Rigby, 18 Dryden Close, Fareham, Hants PO16 7NJ 01329-822046
EVENT CO-ORD Paul Ruta, 5 Avington Close, Bishopstoke, Eastleigh SO5 6NW 02380-615405
N/L DISTRIB/CORRESPONDENT Richard Sydenham, 31 Maple Drive, Kings Worth, Winchester SO23 7NG
TREASURER Paul Woodburn 10 Willowdale Close, Stroud, Petersfield, Hants GU32 3PS 01730-265061
REGION 11: SCOTLAND
CHAIRMAN/CONTACT Ken MacDonald, 16 Charnwood Ave, Willow Bank, Johnstone 01505-337131
N/L CORRESPONDENT George Stewart, 472 Main Street, Bonhill, Dumbartonshire 01389-758260
EVENT CO-ORDINATOR Bob Wilson 9 Brierie Avenue, Crosslee, Houston 01505-690907
MARKETING John Wylle Fourwinds, Edmondstone Drive, Danderhall, Dalkeith 0131-6602969
QUARTERMASTER George Skinner 84 Kirkwall Avenue, Blantyre G72 9NX 01698-828469
Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 23

Coach: in the Interval
Anyone knows that if you ride
around at 15 mph you’ll get very
good at riding at 15 mph. But you
can’t then expect to feel OK racing at 25
mph plus. You therefore have to overload
your body’s systems to provoke overcompensation
during the resting/recovery period.
Intensive training is very demanding,
draining and exhausting. Training for a 40-
mile race by repeatedly riding 40 miles in
1.40 is not the answer. However, it was
shown many years ago that repetitions of
short bursts of high intensity work with
short rests between each were more effective
than a single long stretch of high
intensity work. This kind of training is
called interval training. Interval training
should not be confused with sprint training.
Sprint training aims to develop greater
speed: interval training stresses the body
to force it to adapt to greater physical efforts.
Interval training develops the cardiovascular
system, develops strength through
progressive overload of the muscles, develops
endurance and speed, and improves
tolerance to pain. It also reduces blood
lactate levels at given work-loads, and
brings about changes in slow-twitch muscle
fibres (the ones that you depend on for
endurance) with consequent improvements
in speed.
Interval training has always been based on
the principle that the high intensity interval
and the rest interval are of such a length
that the body does not have time to recover
fully before the next high intensity
interval begins. However, recent research
and training techniques by Dr Gordon
Wright, working with Stuart Dangerfield,
suggest that long er rest periods between
efforts may be beneficial: for instance,
flat-out efforts of four minutes are followed
by 12-minute recovery periods.
For cyclists intervals can be of many kinds.
Here are some. Note that before doing
interval training you should already have
reached a good level of fitness with a
large base of endurance training. Trying
to do high intensity speed work from the
start is like trying to build a house on no
foundations. Always warm up thoroughly
(30 minutes) before beginning the interval
work, and warm down afterwards. You can
do intervals anywhere, preferably on quiet,
traffic-free roads, or on the turbo. The advantage
of the turbo is that you have no
distractions or dangers and are in complete
control.
Short sprint intervals
Sprints of 6 seconds on a racing gear (53 x
15 or bigger), absolutely flat out as hard as
you can go, followed by a rest period (spinning
on a small gear) of around 1 minute.
Around a dozen is the maximum you
should aim at. Time starts when you jump,
so you’re better off counting seconds than
trying to look at a watch. If outdoors try to
pick a stretch with the wind. You should
not feel very tired afterwards.
Long sprint intervals
As for short sprint intervals, but the sprints
will be 12 – 15 seconds in duration. Leave
a longer rest period (2 – 3 mins) between
the sprints and do fewer, perhaps 6 – 10
depending on how you feel.
Power intervals
Done up an incline (but not a steep hill),
in a high gear (typically 53 x 12 – 14), for
up to a minute at maximum effort, with two
to three times the amount of recovery. Aim:
to build power.
Low intensity
Sometimes called ‘time-trial’ intervals. 5
mins at 80 – 85% of peak sustained power
with rests of only 1 minute. They should
not feel exhausting, and a fit rider should
be able to do six or eight. You can vary the
system with 6 x 5 min, 8 x 4 min, 10 x 3
min. Good for building power.
High Intensity
Usually short (1 – 2 min), five to ten repetitions,
always at 100% effort, with 1
minute rest periods. Exhausting.
Russian steps
Easy to do on the turbo. Start with 1 minute
on, 9 minutes off; then 2 on, 8 off; 3 on, 7
off; 4 on 6 off; 5 on, 5 off. If you’re still
fresh enough, do five more in reverse, finishing
with 1 minute on. Intensity: 100%.
Hill intervals
These are done on hills, preferably with
steady gradients. They may range in intensity
from 80 – 100% and last from 1 minute
to 5 minutes.
Points to watch
v Don’t be tempted into actually stopping
during the rest period, especially
if you’re on the turbo. Continuing
gentle exercise speeds recovery because
it promotes blood flow through
the muscles, removing lactic acid.
v
Don’t do interval sessions more than
twice a week. You might do a low intensity
session for one, and short intervals
for another.
Stuart Dangerfield’s pyramid of
interval training ends with four
2½-mile efforts in around 4.30
each (33 mph) with 12-minute
recovery intervals.
Short intervals
Typically 1 – 1½ minutes in duration with
rests of about double the interval in between,
i.e. 1 minute on, 2 minutes off.
Generally you’ll do these at 90% - 100%
of max heart rate, but always above your
threshold. They cannot therefore be longer
than 2 minutes. The principle is to do your
first interval at a set effort and time it. Subsequent
intervals should be at the same
effort and completed in the same time. As
soon as your time exceeds 10% of your initial
effort, then stop: further training will
not be effective. You will feel tired, probably
very tired.
v
v
v
Only do intervals when you’re fresh,
rested, and feel like doing them. Stick
precisely to the scheduled intervals.
Always allow at least two days after
interval training before your next
race.
For whatever intensity, choose a gear
that allows you to pedal at 90 – 120
rpm. The only training that should be
done at very low revs (50 rpm) is pure
strength training on very high gears.
V
Page 24 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002