Privateer Diaries: *The* Unbound Block and Heat.
A little update from a slightly calmer May than normal.
I realise it’s been a little bit of time since my last proper update.
For those of you who are new here, I do a series called ‘Privateer Diaries’ which is a quick look into the day-to-day of life. They’re usually every six weeks and sit alongside the more feature style of writing I do.
Also, a quick ask. If you’re reading this and enjoy it, please do share with friends. I’m trying to build my subscriber numbers as the more people that read, the more time it allows me to focus on writing.
“The Unbound Block”
If you follow anyone who races gravel, you’ll probably see reference to “the Unbound block”. For the uninitiated, Unbound Gravel is a 200-mile gravel race in Kansas.
In its simplest form, the ‘Unbound block’ is a huge training block before the biggest event on the gravel calendar. It’s mega hours. This year will be my third Unbound, but my first doing the block.
May is usually the time of year when I send myself crazy going to races and travelling. It’s the Lincoln GP, then the Gralloch in Scotland, and finally Ras Tailteann - the five-day Irish stage road race which I desperately want to win.
This year, I’ve listened to my advice: less is more. I decided to take a few weeks away from racing and go full prep mode for the crown jewel in the gravel calendar.
It’s a lot of fun.
I love riding my bike, and doing an Unbound block is an excuse to ride a crazy amount of hours.
We’re currently up in Andorra, the place Maggie now calls home. I rode from Girona to Andorra yesterday.
It was 7hrs, 196km, and almost 4,400m of climbing. They were some of the best roads I’ve ever ridden. It never ceases to amaze me how spectacular the roads are in Catalonia. For the quality, range, and pure abundance, it just has to be the best place in the world to ride a road bike.
I rode so hard, like so, so hard. You can see the power breakdown above. It reminded me why I fell in love with riding in the first place. Quiet roads, heavy legs, and that sense of being nowhere and everywhere all at once. Equally, the blissful feeling of being absolutely f**ked after a big day.
Being a pro-cyclist is an honour, we get to see different places and roads every day. I love it.
Heat Training
I’m from northern England, and even though I’ve lived in mainland Europe for six years now, I’m still crap in the heat. Two big factors’ll dictate how I go this summer: heat and altitude. Altitude, I’m getting better at. Heat, that’s something I’m working on.
Heat training is all the craze at the minute, and I’ll probably write an article on it because it’s an interesting topic. It involves me coming home from training, loading a load of winter kit on and then putting a boiler suit over the top.
I hop onto the trainer and ride until my core temperature hits 38.5C. Then, I ride at about 100w until I hit the 40-minute mark.
While there are potentially other fitness benefits to heat training, my goal is simple: be better at hot races.
There’s more to come on this.
Prep and Logistics
May is that middle ground between my first two race blocks.
I spend all winter training and planning for the first few months of the season, and while the rest of the season is loosely
planned, the logistics haven’t been put in place.
The last couple of weeks have been booking flights, planning accommodation and travel for summer.I head back out to the US on May 26th, so two weeks from now, and then I’m over there until the middle of July.
It’s another big block with all the moving parts that have now become day-to-day life for me. I think I’m finally there with prep, but it’s the little things you always forget about.
For example, today I was on the phone with Elite to sort a delivery of race bottles. It sounds obvious, but bottles are one of those things you get used to being there as a roadie. Now it’s my job to get them ordered.
On paper, my August looks pretty smooth with some time in the UK. I’ll be trying to build a Gravel TT bike for an FKT Project. Then it’s off to Namibia for a UCI race and a little project that I still need to call Mr Dan Craven about to organise. Kinda content mixed with adventure riding.
September is a mix. I’m at a UCI in Wales, Sea Otter in Girona and maybe some other bits, then it’s back to the States for Big Sugar in October, and the season is done! Damn, time flies.
At some point in all of that I’ll have to start thinking about renewing contracts with my partners, maybe trying to form a team (I jest, kinda), training my butt off, trying to win races, all the normal stuff.
I love what I do, but it’s amazing how few rest periods there are in the year.
Until next time,
Joe
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Stole the Girona to Andorra route. We go to Girona for the duration of the Tour de France every year. Ride bikes in the am and watch the tour (usually at HCC) in the afternoon. If there’s anything you’d want to mention about that route you’d change. Don’t hesitate to let me know haha. Cheers.