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We’re delighted to bring you the following advice and guidance from respected coach and Condor friend Tom Kirk of Custom Cycle Coaching.

Read on to find out his answers to our burning questions!

Firstly, is it a good idea to take a rest from cycling for a while over the winter/off season?

In general yes, although many of us have some ‘enforced rest’ through other life commitments with work, family holidays etc so a strict end of season rest might not be needed by all. It’s often more a mental than a physical thing so if you feel mentally drained from a long season’s racing then a longer period will be needed off. In general I recommend 2 weeks off the bike completely then another couple riding as and when you feel like it socially etc. If however you’ve had an extended period off earlier in the season this might not be necessary. In a related question it’s often good to plan in a short break mid-season too as it can be a very long competitive season otherwise!

Is it beneficial to look at other activities such as running or gym work to be better prepared for the start of the competitive season, if so what do you recommend?

Again, this depends a bit on your schedule and goals, if you have limited training time it’s generally best to be as specific as possible to your goals i.e. cycling! However some weights/core work/yoga etc can work well to help strengthen your other muscles that are neglected from cycling. Running is a tricky one as it’s a very time effective way to get in a training session so if you’re time limited it can help to make the most of your time. However it’s also easy to get injured so if you want to include running in your training it’s very important to build it up slowly!

Are base miles a myth? Is it good to just go and ride or should I be focusing my time on shorter sessions of intervals or such?

Again, it’s all about your time availability and being able to train consistently over a long period of time to see the benefits. A long base ride can be great for your fitness when it fits in a balanced overall programme but if it leaves you too tired to train for 2-3 days after then it’s too hard! The best cyclists tend to develop a big base, whether that’s over a winter period or what they’ve accumulated from years of riding so no, I don’t think base miles are a myth. A mixture of controlled intensity (i.e. not a screamer every ride) endurance work and harder strength and speed work is best.

Is braving the cold, wet and dark really necessary or can you replicate all outside training from a turbo or rollers inside? How disciplined and frequent should the sessions be and what do you recommend to fuel yourself for inside sessions, pre and post?

Getting in some outside work is important as it’s very hard to get the endurance work done indoors (some people can cope with a lot of turbo work better than others, I hate it but others love it!). Obviously that requires weather conditions that are safe, when it’s bad out MTBing is a great safer alternative to consider too… Generally, indoor sessions are shorter but intense so require a bit less fuelling before and during. Hydration and keeping cool with a big fan and riding in a cool room is more important to keep the quality of your training up as you will sweat a lot! After any intense session it’s important to refuel to restore your body’s carbohydrate stores which deplete quickly when you’re riding hard! If you’re not training the next day the timing is a bit less important but generally try to get in a small snack containing a bit of carbohydrate and protein like a peanut butter sandwich or a specific ‘recovery’ food or drink ASAP when you finish then a proper meal within an hour or so. And don’t forget to drink!

Rollers or Turbo, and why…

Rollers for interest as they’re a bit more challenging but turbo for harder work as it’s hard to get enough resistance on the rollers and you can end up spinning top gear at 120rpm and it still not being hard enough. I’ve not used them but the rollers with resistance are supposed to be a good alternative…

What advice to you have on prepping your bike for winter, clothing or kit to take out on rides?

If you’re not great mechanically it’s wise to get a good mechanic to check your bike over. New tyres that are made for winter riding (not going to open the can of worms about which to choose!) can make for fewer punctures and standing round freezing with numb fingers for you and your mates! In the winter brake blocks wear out much quicker too so worth keeping an eye on them. Mudguards make wet riding much more pleasant too! In terms of kit, a good comfortable pair of warm bibshorts and a winter jacket with windstopper or similar material can make winter riding much more manageable. After September it’s very rare to see me in shorts in the UK until I race in March. I hate seeing people out in the middle of winter in shorts and short sleeves – for me it has to be about 18 degrees first! It’s always good to rep your club kit but I’ve also got a really warm jacket I got from Aldi years ago, I only ever use it on really cold days and it was cheap!

When should I really start picking my training up with a view of being ready competitively for the late spring/early summer?

If it’s late spring/early summer then you can get away with a fairly light workload until the New Year then pick it up. You’ll thank yourself if you have been at least ticking over before then though as it can be a big hill to climb. Cycling is a sport that rewards consistent training over the years so if you take 3 months off every winter you’re losing a lot of potential development over the years! You can get away with a bit of ‘crash training’ but in terms of reaching peak fitness and importantly holding it for more than a few weeks a solid base is important.

Finally, one golden rule of winter training…

As with any time of the year consistency of training is key. Bashing out a big ride or a big week is great but consistency over weeks and months is best!

What next?

If this has inspired you to keep pedaling over the winter, but you’d rather do some work in sunnier climes with an excellent coach, check out Tom’s training camps here:

http://www.customcyclecoaching.co.uk/training-camps.php

They can be customised for different groups so even those who consider themselves social riders can get involved. If you’re interested please fill out this survey so we can get organising!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N36PRF2

Keep the training up x

So, the last of the autumnal weather is starting to dissipate (after an unseasonably warm October/November) and the bad weather seems to be settling in. Your season goals may be way past and your road bike either tucked up in mothballs or attached to a horrible contraption that allows you to ride in the company of your family/housemates as well as a haze of your own sweat.

Lovely stuff.

Through just a few small steps, you can get your bike “winterproofed”, get your mojo back and enjoy that camaraderie that just isn’t possible unless you spend a few hours out in the elements with a band of brothers/sisters, tackling whatever is thrown at you.

I’ve compiled a few top tips to get you back on the road.

The Bike

Your bike is incredibly adaptable. Most frames will take either clip on or fixed mudguards, which give the benefit of you not getting water splashed up from the road, your groupset doesn’t get as much flicked onto it and the person behind you doesn’t get a face full of “Belgian toothpaste”. A win all round. At a minimum, an “ass saver” (google it…..) is a good purchase.

You want to stay rubber down, and comfortable for those long, low level rides so get bigger tyres. Most frames will take at least a 25mm tyre, some up to 28mm. This gives you increased traction and more of a cushion. Check your tyres regularly for cuts and bits of grit in the rubber as this will save you much pain in the long run……

And finally keeping it clean….. It will get dirty. There is an emphasis on less is more, as you run the risk of sluicing out the essential grease from the bottom bracket bearing, wheel bearings and headsets (speak to J.Kirby for horror stories!). Wiping down the groupset (chainrings, chain, cassette, jockey wheels) with baby wipes is quick and easy, remembering to re-oil the chain afterwards. Dry the bike down when washed to reduce rusting.

You

Weather

Once you’ve decided to go out for a ride, or join another ride, be clear about one thing – the weather. This will guide your clothing options and fuelling. The other point is go out with an aim. This will keep your motivation to step out of the door.

If its cold and dry – FABULOUS! These are great days to get out, layer up (extremities need special attention – shoe covers and wind proof gloves help) but don’t go too over the top, as you may over heat. An extra layer in the pocket (gilet etc) can help if the temp drops. I love these days.

If its wet, don’t assume you will need every layer in your wardrobe – quite often this just means you will carry more water. Wetter days are often a little warmer than you think. And remember, you will get wet, that’s just part of the fun!

Fuelling

This isn’t rocket science, but you still require fluids in the cold and wet. So consider the intensity of your ride and plan accordingly. Are you planning to stop? What have you got in your pocket? Throw a gel in either way as a back up.

Routes

If going out alone, consider safety as paramount. You don’t have the luxury of endless hours of warmth and daylight if you have a problem. Let someone know you are going and charge your phone.

As to what route to plan, road surfaces are rarely good at this time of year, with mud from farms on smaller tracks and grit from the council on larger roads. If there is a risk of ice, stick to bigger roads where there is a likelihood of more vehicles having warmed up the surface, and being gritted. Maybe go out a little later, depending on forecast.

The Club

We ride all year. It can be a little more ad-hoc in the winter, but there is usually at least 1 ride out on the weekend and often on tues and thurs eves.

If you are planning to come to someone else’s ride, consider a few points

• Can I deal with that speed and distance. IS it going to push me too much or perhaps not enough (both can be frustrating!).
• Is my bike going to be able to deal with this? As much as your legs might be willing to do 60 miles at 20mph, having mudguards and fat tyres will probably mean this isn’t going to happen!
• Are they stopping for coffee (important for fuelling considerations)
• Does this fit with what I want to do?

The key thing is that you may need to be adaptable. If a ride isn’t exactly what you wanted, but close, then go for it. If the weather has been saying all week its rain, you’ve said you are coming to the ride, then ride. No one likes a flaky Fred!

If you don’t see a ride you want to do – then set one up!

Think of a safe route you would like to do, advertise where to meet, what time and the plan for the ride and, voila! You are away.

Club no-no’s;

• If its going to be windy, don’t turn up with ridiculous deep section wheels. No one will want to ride with you!
• Put the hammer down with a tailwind and have nothing left for the return leg into a block headwind. We all have to do this at least 10 times to learn it 😉 Learn from the more experienced riders.
• Don’t spend all your time on the front half wheeling (google it, or watch Anthony) and remember safety outweighs a 0.001mph average speed improvement from risking a junction, wet corner etc.
• Bring your own food! No one minds that one time you forgot to pick up a bar on the way out, but they will if you are a repeat offender. Same goes for puncture repair kit and a way home if you have a serious mechanical.

Club dos;

• Schedule a coffee stop on your ride. It’s the best thing about going out!
• Enjoy some downtime from hard training. Enjoy being on the bike.
• Be brave and offer to lead a ride. There is less “performance” pressure in the winter, start with something small and build up your confidence.
• Wave at other clubs, KTFU!

Jonny

EDIT p.s. for any Condors looking for an alternative to Jonny’s ‘ride or die’ outside mantra, check out the British cycling article detailing how to get the most from training on your turbo or rollers here (shhh don’t tell him)

We know that we’ve got some pretty talented designers nestling in the Condor flock, so rather than rely on the board’s creative talents we thought we’d throw this one open.

If you think you can help, and want to put your skills to work producing the perfect pocket Condor, then here’s what we’re looking for:

Colours: pretty obvious – pink ‘n’ black all the way!

Dimensions: 85mm x 55mm – printed on both sides

File format: this is probably something you know more about, but a) and editable file format so we can use it again b) something that a printing service can use

Logos: You can download the Condor artwork from this Dropbox folder. We’ll add the new style horizontal bird (that you see on the website) soon, and you can choose whichever images work best.

Here’s the current card if you’ve not seen it before.

Key info we’d like to include:

• The club name! 
• Oxford’s friendliest cycling club
• Space for member’s name
• Expiry dates (we’ve moved into a rolling membership system now, so your membership runs for 12 months from when you sign up. This means that cards won’t be for a particular year).
• Space for club secretary’s signature
• Key member discounts: Beeline 15%, Rick’s 20% and a link to the membership page for info on other benefits www.cowleyroadcondors.cc/condors-membership
• And perhaps more controversially, we’d like to drop the KTFU slogan from the cards

The deadline for entries is Monday 30th November.

That’s it from us, over to you! Any questions, get in touch with Jon at [email protected]

President – Cheryl Reid takes over from Ollie Jaques

Club Secretary – Jon Harle takes over from Sam Hampton

Treasurer – Hari Lehal takes over from club hard man ‘Ron Damage’

Race Secretary – Daniel Bradley takes over from Jonny Revis

Women’s Officer – Aimee Fenwick takes over from Cheryl Reid and Laura Cee

Training & Development Officer – Michael Devaney takes on this post newly created for 2015/16

Kit Officer – Mark Glendinning takes over from Hari Lehal

Social Secretary – Dave Dyer takes over from Sam Elliott

Web Officer – Tom Woodforde steps down and the search for a replacement continues!

You can read more about the roles and what each person is responsible for here. If you’ve not met any of us yet, come and say hello next time you see us out riding (or in the pub).

We’d like to offer an enormous thanks to everyone involved in helping to run the club over the last 18 months, especially the fantastic ‘El Presidente’ Ollie Jaques. Many people also help behind the scenes to support the TT committee, women’s committee and other events such as the ORRL and Bike Oxford. We are extremely grateful for all your efforts, the club wouldn’t be the success that it is without you. Chapeau!

The following club aims were agreed at the first board meeting on 2nd November 2015

Club Aims for 2015/16

• To always be the friendliest and most inclusive cycling club in Oxford
• Continue to grow the membership base whilst aiming for a 50:50 male/female split
• Identify training needs and provide support for all levels of ability, from social to developing in-house racing talent
• Maintain regular, good value, spinning classes for members during the winter

We have lots of exciting things planned for you over the coming year. Please keep an eye out for news about our spinning classes and Christmas party!

Keep the Friendly Up!

The Condors Board

While many of us will continue to cycle over the autumn and winter, for some it’s time to retreat inside for a winter of spinning, turbos or our new yoga sessions. So it’s a great opportunity to look back on a fantastic summer season of Condor riding, racing and socialising, and who better to take us through it than former president Ollie. I’ve put this together from Ollie’s ‘top 10 highlights’ at the AGM – you can see the slides here in all their multimedia glory.

Back in November we linked up with the Oxford Brookes Cycle Club and it’s been great to welcome some regular Brookes faces to our regular weekly rides this season. Even if it has meant many of us being ridden ragged by some incredibly strong riders! For the club it anchors us further in our local East Oxford community.

It’s not only been about the riding this year. Thanks to social secretary Sam Elliot we’ve had some great nights out, Joe Perks has become a regular haunt (and the hardiest of us have spent a few epic nights in Hilos too). It’s brought a whole new dimension to the club: you now get to see what people look like without helmets and lycra! And 20 Condors took the riding and socialising to the Brecon Beacons again in late September with beautiful early autumn days and some tough climbing.

Last winter the club introduced spinning sessions, led by Michael Devaney. And this year the indoor training has expanded to include a new series of yoga classes led by Becci Curtis.

This September saw the second Bike Oxford, not only great for Oxford cycling, but a great platform for the club. Thanks are due to the many Condors who helped get the event set up. It was followed swiftly by the annual Hill Climb Championships, which draw 36 riders – from the serious climbers to several in fancy dress –  and raised £280 for Helen and Douglas House. Once again, huge thanks to all the Condors who helped put the event on, and to Jo for our brilliant new series of Condor artwork.

It’s been a great season for racing, under the captaincy of Jonny Revis. Our fourth year at Silverstone saw us take four teams to race in the annual 9-up team time trial, including our first all-women’s team.  After several months of training, 36 riders took to the track on a beautiful summer evening, and a gaggle (or is it a flock?) of Condors shouted themselves hoarse from Condors Corner. 2015 also saw the second year of the Oxfordshire Road Race League – a series of races co-founded by the Condors and which we had an impressive showing. Michael Devaney took the men’s trophy, Laura Cee was second in the women’s, and the women won overall. It was great to see so much pink and black on show. Several Condors also had their first crack at racing this year, and will no doubt be back for more next year, and there was a great supporters crew at each race. Condors also raced across the region most weekends, and Laura went on to take 1st place in the South East Women’s Time Trial Series 25 mile event. In recent weeks the cyclo-cross season has started with Andy and Aron competing. We also had a series of club time trials this season, organised expertly by Cathy and Brett with many helpers on the day. The August TT saw 35 Condors pin a number on their back and take on the Stadhampton circuit and it has been great to see so many keen to have a go.

Condors.cc, this website, has had a complete overhaul, and is not only smarter and pinker, but will make it much easier for members to join, renew, and book events.

Ride leadership is the backbone of the club, and this year we’ve welcomed many more new ride leaders, with several ride leader training sessions organised to help new leaders build confidence to take groups out during the week. 

Our membership has really grown this year – hitting 138. But the year’s top story has to be the incredible growth in women’s cycling, thanks to the fantastic work of some committed Condors. Thanks to Cheryl’s Summer Sessions, we now have 58 women, more than double what we had last season, a new women’s committee. Perhaps most importantly of all, we’ve remained the welcoming and friendly club that we want to be above all.

Ollie Jaques, President 2014-15