Cycling began for me watching the Tour de France age 4, and wanting to emulate the great hero’s. I started racing age 12 with a mission to one-day win the Tour de France. Since this time I have excelled at the sport, representing my country, winning prestigious races. These have included the Junior Tour of Wales, the Junior Divisional Road Race Championship and the final round of the under 23’s national series, the Chase Classic, under 23 Dover International Cyclo Cross.
At the senior level of the sport I finished 6th in the National Road Race Championship twice and have proved my ability to ride with some of the top riders in the world. I have dedicated the last 5 years to realising my cycling goals.
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THE DREAM,
Its July 1985 I sit in front of the T.V my eyes wide my heart pounds with anticipation. I feel the butterflies in my tummy. I bite my nails and hide behind the cushion, the feeling is so intense. I see his hand move I shudder with excitement this is it I know it I watch as he attacks, his power, his force, accuracy, his cunning.
Hinault changes gear and speeds away from the remaining 5 riders on the world famous climb of the Alpe d’Huez.
As I watch him fulfil his dream, so my dream is set one day I will do the same. I’ll transform myself from a 6 year old school boy to king of the mountain’s gracefully conquering the world's toughest terrain, taming my competitors like a ringleader would a circus lion making friends and travels around the world.
Dream as I would there was one thing that I noticed that my dream would become more and more infectious the more I followed it. First my grandfather would follow me holding the saddle of my bike. I could see in his eyes that he knew one day I would be the one he’d watch on T.V.
My first race as I took the start line, I knew I was the next champion. I'd done my jumping jacks before the start. I was 12 years old, fit and ready. Even as the race went on and I was moving back down the pack I still thought I could win, but in the end I could do no better than dead last.
From a small acorn a big oak tree will grow in the same way my dream grew. More people believed in me. My gran kept a scrapbook of my race results, my mum would stand on the line at the Tour of Wales when, at 18 I won the biggest junior race in the UK.
And as the dream grew so would the infectiousness and the people sharing in my dream from little places to big races. In 2003 I would race in Germany in front of crowds of almost 300,000 with some of the worlds best riders and in a field that was over 200 riders strong. I would finish 23rd, beating Tour de France favourites to the line.
I could see my dream spreading. People would ask for my autograph. I could see it in the little boy's face as I signed his program, he jumped up and ran to show his mum. In the Tour of Al Salvador I gave away my track mitts to a small girl, it's hard to think that a smelly old pair of mitts can bring such a big smile.
There have been so many good times where I've seen the dream. As I won the Ixworth, bringing a tear to my grandfather’s eye or Fleeman jumping for joy as I won the mountain top sprint to take stage two and the king of the mountains in the Tour de Alsace.
As people have enjoyed my dream, I have enjoyed so many other people's dreams and shared in their joy. I've made so many friends along the way, people from all over the world from Africa to New Zealand from the USA to France.
I hope if you’re new to cycling my newsletter will help you follow my dream and be the start to your own dream if you are an old friend please accept a warm thank-you. I hope you enjoy what you read and long live our dreams and friendship.
CLARKES TRAINING TIPSTraining is tough it is hard to know what to do without the help of a full time coach. I try to pass on some of my wisdom in the hope that it will help you to make the best of your session.
Coming out of the winter having done a lot of long rides, well you will have a good base it is normal to have a lack of maximal power and an ability to work at a high percentage of your heart rate your threshold wattage will be down the session I have for you will help you work on this so when the break goes you will be in it not looking around as everyone seems to be riding away from you.
Threshold wattage session
Start your session with a 30 min warm up pedalling quickly at 100 to 110rpm with you heart rate at about 65% of your max.
Ride for 10 mins as hard as you can look to ride at around 90% of your max heart rate it is best to start gradually and build in to the interval over the first minute.
Take 10mins recovery at 60% of your max heart rate
Ride as hard as you can for 3 mins look to ride over 90% of your heart rate and then take 3 mins recovery repeat this 3 minute interval two more times.
After, finish by riding the rest of your session at 65% of max rate.
The time you ride after the intervals should be determined on your level and the time you have free can be anything from 15mins to 3 hours if you are of elite level.
COACHING
I offer a full coaching service over the internet to help you get the best from your cycling if you are interested please contact me for more information.
I also offer fitness and nutrition programmes for anybody from beginner level to a more advanced level of fitness, whether it be in cycling or any other sport or even just people looking to get fit and loose weight. I am a qualified coach in over 10 different sports and have qualifications in nutrition, physiology and many different aspects of sports science.If you wish to contact me for any reason, be it sponsorship interest, training-nutrition plans or just to say hi you can message me via myspace or email me directly on
[email protected] I look forward to speaking to you.
