Well the Giro is well under way, my apologise for not posting for a while. Work has taken over life and all training. I’ve completed all required design documentation for up and coming projects so it’s back to the land of cycling for me.

Right back to the Giro. Every morning I’ve been racing into work (on the train) and hitting my two prominent site for information. Cyclingnews & VeloNews for a full breakdown on the days racing. I’ve been impressed by a few young guns and am interested to see where they go from here. For me it’s been Jurgen Vandenbroeck, this 25 year old is currently sitting in the top 10 in the Giro. He clearly has potential and another positive is he has his own blog site… this kids got style.

He’s a pick for a spot in the TDF Silence Lotto’s team fir this year, If Cadel is to attempt a win in the 2008 TDF Jurgen is an excellent choice as a second lieutenant along with Popovych. I’m keeping my cards close to my chest for my picks at this year tour until about a week out. If Jurgen make the team then there is a good chance for Silence Lotto to get a result in the GC if not the podium.

The first Grand tour for 2008 is under way, I’m not going to post on the Giro but have a look at the resource below that has been provided by VeloNews.com. Watch the Giro live (if you have the bandwidth) and don’t miss a second of the action.

Training While Asleep. Well with the latest pro cyclist receiving bans for testing positive I’ve decided to break the news on my new… LEGAL, secret weapon. For the past 5 weeks I have been taking Optygen form First Endurance. After having a chat over a coffee to a few local elite riders that happen to mention in passing that there heart rates and recovery had improved while taking Optygen HP.

My ears pricked up… what I thought, I can improve my VO2 Max and recovery while sleeping (my preferred training method). I hit the 1st endurance website to learn more about this wonder drug. After reading the marketing blurb on both Optygen and Optygen HP I decided to kick off trying out the Optygen brand. Basically I couldn’t see the value in the HP brand as it was twice the price and an unknown product to me that I was trailing out.

I found a great deal on EBay at $10 off retail and in my home town. I picked up my first two bottles of 90 capsules each. I was underway on my new quest to train in my sleep! I was informed that I would not see any improvement or noticeable difference for the first 3 weeks and not to expect a huge change in performance. The news was that it is not going to give you wings but you’ll notice that you can work harder for longer and the recovery time will improve.

So I was a little sceptical going into this “experiment” to say the least. Knowing my current work load and lack of time to put more than 4 hours a week together I knew seeing any improvement with little training was near impossible.

It was straight into maintenance mode which comprised of shoving 6 tablets into your mouth each day for the first seven days. I was glad to see the initial week behind me. Now to the proof of the pudding.
After 5 weeks “on the gear” I can tell you this. My average heart rate is down, where I used to sit at around the 150-155 mark on a flat I’m now around the 137-142. Please note this hasn’t taking into account changing weather patterns. All rides have been conducting on dry roads, the only weather patterns I don’t take into account is wind and heat. My recovery time for my HR to drop after putting in a stink had improved out of site, after easing off the pedals the HR drops by about 20 bpm in no time at all.

Over all I’m giving it the thumbs up and an 8/10 rating so far. I’m now looking to actually start training and hoping to hit over 250-300k’s a week for a few weeks to see what takes place. Watch this space. I’m even starting to look into a coach… yes and Pro with proven track record that can be traced and provided a dedicated programs. Now only if I could dedicate the time.

Now to cover my arse: in no way do I profess to the above being at all scientific, these are only my thoughts on the product. I have not received payment nor do I seek to in regards to Optygen. Please research all details of any supplement you wish to take and see your doctor before doing so.

June 8, 2008 - June 15, 2008
Le Pontet (Avignon) - Grenoble (1092.7 Km)

After watching an interview with Levi on VeloNews.tv, this year Dauphiné Libéré will be Astana’s final one finger salute to the Tour de France and other cycling bodies. The three riders from Astana to take part will be Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer and Maxim Iglinsky. Quite a tidy team of climbers.

News this morning on VeloNews, it also looks like Astana may just get an invertation to this year Giro d’Italia which was considered off the cards at the beginning of the season.

As the Dauphiné Libéré is only two weeks out to the start of the Tour De France there are a number of big names that will be racing the Dauphiné Libére as a final check on how their form is looking heading into the biggest of Grand Tours.

Dauphiné Libéré 2008 Race Route

The Teams & Riders
Silence-Lotto (BEL): Cadel Evans, Yaroslav Popovych, Volodymyr Bileka
Quick Step (BEL): Tom Boonen, Gert Steegmans, Carlos Barredo
Team CSC (DEN): Alexander Kolobnev, Chis Anker Sorensen, Inigo Custa
Caisse d’Epargne (ESP): Alejandro Valverde, Oscar Pereiro, Luis Sanchez
Euskaltel-Euskadi (ESP): Samuel Sanchez, Mikel Astarloza, Haimar Zubeldia
Saunier Duval-Scott (ESP): Juan Cobo, Angel Gomez Marchante
AG2R (FRA): Vladimi Efimkin, John Gadret, Cyril Dessel
Bouygues Telecom (FRA): Pierrick Fedrigo, Laurent Lefevre
Crédit Agricole (FRA): Thor Hushovd, Patrice Halgand
Cofidis (FRA): David Moncoutié, Sylvain Chavanel, Samuel Dumoulin
Française des Jeux (FRA): Philippe Gilbert, Sandy Casar, Rémy Di Grégorio
Gerolsteiner (GER): Heinrich Haussler, Sébastian Lang
High Road (USA): Bradley Wiggins, Michael Rogers
Team Milram (USA): Igor Astarloa, Andriy Grivko, Niki Terpstra
Lampre (ITA): Mattéo Bono, Paolo Bossoni, Marzio Bruseghin
Liquigas (ITA): Manuel Beltran, Léonardo, Bertagnolli, Enrico Franzoi
Rabobank (NED): Robert Gesink, Juan Antonio Flecha
Astana (KAZ): Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, Maxim Iglinsky

With the Olympics on its final countdown I decided to go on the hunt for information around the road race course, in particular the race profile. I have read and interview that Evans gave about the course and was keen to have a look at some finer details of what lay ahead.

You would think that the Chinees would have a pretty smick looking website… It looks good but when you start to look for details… let’s just give it a 2/10, it’s written in Chinglish (no offence meant to anyone but I was over it by this point). A lot of propagator and very little real content. They built the wall so why not an informative site?

The hunt went on… from what I can tell there is still some conjecture around the actual race distance. The information I did find was this, and my I add that it was released in 2006 (I kid you not!)

The course starts near the Forbidden City and heads to the Great Wall of China. During the first, flat 80km, racers will pass Tiananmen Square. Near the Great Wall, the climbing begins in earnest. Racers are slated to tackle six or seven laps of a 24km circuit that climbs 520m per lap. Nothing is definite yet, organizers await UCI approval for the course.

The course sounds like a scenic ride that anyone would enjoy and then I came across this bit of info.

The Beijing Olympic men’s road race will be staged thirteen days after the Tour de France on August 9th (women’s road race August 10th) and the road time trials for both men and women on August 13th.

My frustration continued the longer I searched, plenty of news about Evans and Rogers snaring a 1 – 2 in the 2007 time trail course début. If you’re looking for a ticket you’ll find that info in second, all I’m after is a course profile, at this point I was over it. Time and time again coming across a Chinees based website with the same crap picture (computer generated) of a landscape that looks like it’s off a computer game.

40 minutes later I gave up… convinced that the iron curtain has with heal a seemingly tiny bit of information. I can tell you that the race will be held on the “Urban Cycling Road Course” and not much else. In my final desperation I turned to YouTube and found this. I’ll let you be the judge, I still don’t know if I should laugh or cry.