I read in Simon Burney's CX book that one should lift your bike, as weight training, lift it in the same way as you would over a hurdle.

So I've been doing 20 min runs, coming back, nicely loosened up and bashing out 2 sets of 20 reps, each side.
I've been trying to keep the technique of the movement, working from a good solid core.
But unlike in a race, lifting the bike as high as a could. Just to work the muscles good time and trying to enable progression.

If I can handle 40 lifts, until my bike feels like a feather then a stupid hurdles every lap for 10 laps is a piece of cake.
I look like a flipping loser

Meaning
When a decisive point at which one's future course is determined.

Origin

This isn't a particularly old phrase. The first citation I can find of the phrase in that form is from The Times, July 1960:

"Even the holders of Government bonds turn out to be chiefly philanthropic institutions and trade unions when it comes to the crunch."

What is 'the crunch' exactly? Crunch isn't commonly used as a noun, but it seems that the word was taken up by Winston Churchill, who was fond of using it to describe challenges; for example, he was reported in The Daily Telegraph as saying in 1939:

"Whether Spain will be allowed to find its way back to sanity and health ... depends upon the general adjustment or outcome of the European crunch."

Of course, Churchill was a widely reported and influential author and speaker and his use of language was much imitated. The phrase when it comes to the crunch directly followed from his earlier mode of speech.

Rarely do I write about things I do outside of riding my CX or road bike or going to a bike related event. All those design things I leave to Benedict Spurrier and his team of colouring monkeys or the Condor Blog as it mostly relevant to that.
However I've completed another thing on my list in life. A book. I'm hugely pleased with the result ( i know big head!), thank $%!£ it stayed on budget, thank-you to everyone that assisted with providing their personal stories and to the photographers who gave me their time. Wilson Hennessy, Roger Stilman, Joe McGorty, Andy Waterman, Gerard Brown and Philip Sinden.
It was a pleasure to work with each one of them, from spending an afternoon with Joe pulling down boxes of fresh campag in the warehouse and seeing Joe's eyes light up to watching Philip make all the staff feel at ease with their portraits. To Andy and Gerard who capture bike racing in their unique style and Wilson and Roger who have taken still life to the next level. I was unsure about the coloured background for the historic frames but once they they mixed Hasselblad with magic touch they look even more vibrant even after 50 years. And to Roger -  I have never more badly wanted an orange touring bike.
We blew up the covers to huge posters 2m x 3m for the London Condor store window. They look popping. Take a look if your in town.

These are my current goals, but I don't have time limit on them, somehow I've had a pretty good year;  actually go to the tour de france; see the paris-roubaix up close; have a good cycle show and not get sick; go on holiday but not cycle; try mussels; race CX in belgium and get on the podium at the National Trophy CX.

Went to the crunch today.
On the journey I listened to Herve x Kissy Sell Out Mash Up Mix but on Crunch FM channels there was also Jaguar Skills  (free downloads) and Electro Swing that I can recommend.
I got drenched in sodium, chlorides, ammonia, bit of glucose and some H2O
It took 42 minutes to get to the crunch. I didn't like the journey but I'd actually like to go again.

My directions to the crunch
Straight on a Tabata after the junction for Warm Up
8x 20sec - 100% effort, each effort followed by 10sec recovery
Go easy through the town of Zone 2 for about 5 minutes
Now do go to long interval lane and follow directions as below
2 min - at threshold
1 min - easy
90 sec - hard
1 min - easy
1 min - flat out
1 min - easy
30 sec - flat out
1 min - easy
1 min - flat out
1 min - easy
90 sec - hard
1 min - easy
1 min - flat out
Go easy through the town of Zone 2 for about 5 minutes
Turn left and do another tabata and really make it count
Have a 5 minute picnic
Repeat the long interval lane combo (as above) and nearly immediately after getting to the end of the lane, you'll arrive at the CRUNCH

The crunch looks different to everyone. This is what is looked like to an outsider putting their head around the door of my garage.

I rode my final road race of the season at Hillingdon. I only needed to get a point for 10th and I wasn't contesting the overall series win so this was just a see how it goes, get as much high energy work in as I could.
I went for an out of control long sprint from basically at the club house I wound the pace and opened a sprint on the bottom corner.
I started to fade at 100m to go. I always hold the sprint off until 200m to go.  Meh, but I had nothing to lose and in the end 3 riders came past me just at the line.

Then I raced on Sunday. In a double header weekend. The cross was way more successful. But it was like an road race. The grass was hard and compact. I ran my pressure at about 38psi .
I got into a group on laps 2-4 but because it was flat the guys were just alittle bit more powerful and I was finding myself in and out of the saddle after every turn.
After lap 5 I had a good lead and I eased up, well could no longer hold the wheel of the group. My times went out from the 6.20 per lap to 6.42 and then I decided to knuckle down for the final lap and got a 6.33.

Having to dismount and sprint up stairs 21 times was good for the ol' technique though and my dismount to the steps I managed to refine to keep up the speed but not take more than a step before the stairs. 

She rode the Nocturne 2011 and various Tour Series races, National Road Races.
I've ridden cross against Miss Garner and she smashed me then. I cannot believe that I might one day turn up to a National Series race and ride next to somone that has a rainbow jersey. Such is the dumbness of the British Cycling scene for girls.
But at the same time, there is some serious talent, Armistead, Hannah Barnes and Garner. And they don't look like a horse, or an ugly butch boy under a helmet and glasses (if you know what I mean).
Chapeau to Miss Garner. May you lap me at a cross race whenever you want.

I have S-Work road shoes for racing and S-Works MTB shoes for cyclo cross. I train in Specialized Pro shoes to keep the race shoes crisp and white. I've spent alot of time in my training shoes and feel fine. I did two rides in my race shoes and now the lateral side left knee super aches even on my road bike.
My cleat on that foot for that shoe must be out a few mill or something.
I decided to use this roll of Garmin edition Rock Tape (a brand of elastic therapeutic tape) as an experiment. So I can keep on riding. Seems to be working out fine. Just look like a bit of an idiot walking around with an argyle pattern on my leg.


I'm no orthopedist, chiropractor, or physio but I have visited all three for a torn shoulder issue that has plagued my bike riding for the last five ish year due to an accident with a car (their fault). After an hour and 20 minutes of cycling I get this pain in my left shoulder. Usually painful numbness. From neck to the rotor cuff. I'm going to try the tape through the cyclo cross season and see how I get on.
http://rocktape.com/how-to-use/