Weekly update - debauchery has not been on the cards, but training hard has

Well with only 2 weeks that I can train all out before I need to start tapering for La Marmotte I have been rather busy this week.  Most days I have been on my bike and when not on my bike I have been doing yoga and Pilates, or in the case of tomorrow lunchtime, jogging.

This weekend will be my biggest ride so far this year - it will be a 4 pass route.  I cannot decide between including Nufenen or Gotthard pass in my route, but either way it will be in excess of 4,000 vertical metres of climbing.  The Gotthard is an interesting pass but with all the cobblestones it isn't as smooth as it could be.  At least if you start from the Airolo side you are climbing over the cobblestones rather than descending over them, which would be rather bone shaking at high speed I am sure.

I have noticed my legs have really started to grow in the last week, most noticeably the thighs.  This could be temporary or it could be increased muscle mass that will stay, but one way or another it will probably help my hill climbing ability.  My dreams of having twig like legs are going down the drain  - yeah as if that was ever going to happen with genetics like mine!

The big question for this week is should I shave my legs or not?  A lot of cyclists do, and their claim is that it is better in case they have an accident as then the hairs don't get stuck in the wound and it is easier to clean and dress.  However I fear that actually for most of them it is pure vanity, as when you shave off the hairs you can see the muscle definition better.  That's why I used to do it at least.  And if anyone claims it is for aerodynamic reasons then I really think they need to come up with a better excuse.

Tomorrow will be a very early start - 6.30am on the bike for a nice spin round the airport, and then if I still have a bit of time before work maybe a few squats in the gym.  I am very lucky to work in a building that has it's own onsite gym.  It is quite small and can get very crowded during lunchtimes and evenings, but usually in the mornings before work it is rather empty.  I am not someone who enjoys working out in a crowded, sweaty gym and would rather be out on my ownsome in the wilderness.  It would be nice sometimes to have some company on my day long rides though, so if anyone reading this is a pretty serious cyclist then maybe you would like to join sometime.  The problem is finding someone of a similar fitness as a lot of people are fairly slow casual cyclists, and then some people are lean mean racing machines that would whoop my butt.  I am somewhere inbetween these 2 extremes.