Mini Review: Protective Chamois Cream


This is maybe one of the overlooked areas of cycling as it is a very personal thing but if you neglect to use some kind of protection on your shorts then this can lead to all sorts of trouble including sores, rash and if left will need medical treatment. I do not want to alarm anyone but I have had trouble in the past when I got a saddle sore which kept me off my bike for a week which maybe to a weekend rider might not have been to bad but for myself meant my daily transport and training ceased completely until it healed up. To help prevent this a good cream will go a long way to stop this happening, I have been using the Ozone Protective Chamois Cream meaning now I do not suffer from any of the above problems I descibed.

The modern short pads of today are mostly all made from a man made material and not the Chamois material of old meaning you can shove them straight into a washing machine and dry off with no problems. I use the cream on any Cycle more than 1hr as below this I find you do not get any problems, apply the cream to all the areas where your shorts rub i.e. the inner thigh and buttock region try also to not hang about in your shorts to long after your Cycle as this is the time when bacteria has a field day. Always wash your shorts inside out and if you can not get a shower right away after a workout at least clean yourself in the private areas to kill any bacteria (I like baby wipes for this) , also apply talcum powder to dry out any moisture.
Using the Ozone Protective Chamois Cream and keeping to some of these personal hygiene tips above you should be rash free making sure you do not have any down time on the bike this season.

I have been tuning in to the AMGEN Tour of California the last few nights through their Tour Tracker from Adobe, the info is fantastic through the tracker and with the bonus of watching live streaming content of the race in full flight in the background.
Yesterdays stage from Stockton to San José proved to be a cracker with the race lead up for grabs right up until the line, looks like Johan's Disco squad will take some beating this year.

As the Racing season is looming I thought I would share some memories of myself when I was a team mechanic for the Recycling Team in 2005 in the An Rás Tailteann (The Irish Tour) or more commonly called just the Rás, we went on to win the Rás with Chris Newton taking the overall. The Rás is an annual 8 day stage race held over the demanding roads Ireland has to offer with Irish County Teams competing against seasoned professionals and international squads. The 2007 edition will run between the 20th - 27th of May starting out in the Kildare Town of Naas and finishing in Skerries after 1200km of hard fought racing.
The Rás has a deep history behind it with some top names in cycling winning this race such as Stephen Roche, check out his bike that he used to win the 1979 edition at the bottom of the pics>>>>>>.
One of the Riders of note is Phil Cassidy who won the Rás in 1983,1999 and was still up there in the mix for a stage win in 2005 which was his last Rás before retiring at 43 in some stages he even helped his son Mark, Fantastic.
Check out the full set of Pictures from the Rás here: 2005 Rás

Since I could not get out yesterday I took to the road on the fixed today to get a great workout the Picture is of my details from my Garmin 305 Edge and using the SportTracks software.

So as this week I have been well busy in the shop and today was chucking down with rain I have decided that this is my rest week and I will start building up the mileage again from tomorrow. I was due an easy week round about now anyway but the way the week went with the shop and weather it is a good time to refresh the legs before moving onto the next block of training.
This year my training is geared up towards the Highland Games grass track season which starts in May and runs till Sep with races every week and sometimes more as some Games are run on local holidays during the week.
The racing takes place on grass although there is one in Inverkeithing where the track is cinder and can be a lot faster if the conditions are dry. The tracks are oval of anything up to 400mts in length but some can be very tight at under 300mts with no straight as such meaning you feel like you are cornering all the time (interesting in the wet!) The racing is usualy fast and furious giving the crowds a great show of which some number in the thousands giving a great atmosphere.
If you have not experienced a Highland games before put it in your diary as it is a fantastic day out for not a lot of money. Check out some dates here: Highland Games 2007

Pictures are Halkirk Games 2005 from Caithness.org

Mini Review: Nike Pursue Glasses



The Pursue are a very good fit on the face and can be custom shaped to your head as the arms can be moulded to shape and this comes in handy for me as my head is quite small meaning some glasses hang out the back slightly. The other good point of this is the arms can be moulded down out of the way of some helmet securing systems as these sometimes can get in the way.
The other points on the design is that the lens has what Nike calls the flying lens system meaning that the lens is attached at only two points on the frame so the air can circulate to avoid the lens fogging over. The nose bridge has also got design points as it has grooves to again help the air movement and keep your vision clear.

The lens that the Pursue comes with is the Max Speed tint which is not a heavy tint meaning you can run with this in most low light conditions up to dusk, this is a good thing in Scotland as the sun can be out one minute and away the next meaning you can start out with this lens and finish your run even if the sun drops. If however you are cycling at night then a Clear lens will be needed and if you are going to start out with the weather dull/overcast then my favorite lens at the moment is the Hi-Vis Tint which are fantastic at bringing out all the detail on a dull day which gives you confidence on descents and low light conditions.
Cheers for reading.

A cracking Club run this week at about 72 miles round the back of the Ochil Hills through Dunblane with a Cappuccino stop in Causewayhead. At one point in the run I managed to get up to 40.2mph going down to Gleneagles on the Fixie. Once you get to these kind of speeds on 49x18 it is like going through some sort of speed barrier as up to about 35mph it feels like your insides are in a liquidiser but once you go over the 37mph mark it seems to get smoother which is a bit bizarre.
Next week the first Reliability Runs start which I am looking forward to as it is a great test to see where you are sitting fitness wise. I will be back on the multi-gear machine for these as the speeds are generally a lot higher average speeds, anyway it should feel a bit easier as I have been on the fixed for a good month now.
Later,
Keep Spinning.

Cyclocross 2006/2007 World Cup 11 (Hoogerheide, NL)
Check this clip from the above race, Cyclocross = Hardcore Racers!

Out on Sunday past it was the first DCC Tourist trial of the year of 50 miles, a Tourist Trial is a fixed course with a pre set time to get round in.
The weather was very mild for this time of year which made it a bit sweaty by the end.
The pace was a bit brisker this week and as the Trials do not stop at the Cafe it was right roond apart from a stop for a puncture within the group.
Catch ya later.

It was a cold one on this weeks Sunday Run!!

A good workout of 70 odd miles again this week on my usual ride the Fixed steamroller. The side roads were a bit on the icey side so the group stayed on to mostly main routes as they were more likely to be salted. The main picture is passing over the Kincardine bridge with one of the platforms that are being used to build the new Kincardine bridge due to open in 2008 which could be named either
1. The New Kincardine Bridge
2. Clackmannanshire Bridge or
3. Kingdom Bridge once the local Councils have eventually stopped arguing. Behind the platform is the Ochil Hills which stretch across and down to the Wallace monument in Causewayhead.

The next few weeks I will start a few mini reviews on some of the pieces of kit that I use on a daily basis and think are worth telling you about. These reviews will be at random intervals so look back now an again to see if there are any new. The first review is the Shimano winter boot that I got at the start of the season.

Mini Review: Shimano SH-MW02 Mountain boot
The boot is a Gore-Tex lined leather upper with a Mountain Bike sole (also available in a road sole model SHR-W02) and neoprene ankle cuff to help keep out the elements that will be flung at you during the winter. When I first got these boots it was mid Oct and it was still quite mild so I thought my feet would cook but due to the Gore-Tex my feet were warm but they certainly did not get wet with sweat. I had only one issue with the boots when I got them was trying to get into my pedals but once I trimmed the sole slightly they went in and out fine 'n' dandy. Once into the real wet and windy weather I combine the boot with Planet-X Overshoes which helps with keeping out the wet, I use the boot with the Shimano road SPD pedal A520 on my Lemond Tourmalet commuter machine which is great for walking about when off the bike.
The boot does keep your feet dry up to a point but if it is chucking it down then eventually the wet will penetrate but what I have found that even if your feet get wet they stay warm throughout your run, (I wore them Sunday past in torrential rain with my feet staying warm for 70 miles) the other good thing about the boot is the use of full grain leather in the upper making keeping them clean and tidy using boot polish great with the side benefit of helping with waterproofing when using polish.

Till my next dribblings,
Cheers.

Well this week it was another Sunday DCC Club run and it turned out to be a wet one most of the 70 odd miles round, anyway it worked out that 9 riders(two on Fixed) out of 15 that started out continued round getting a good workout. I felt better this week and as it was wet we kept on trucking past the Cafe stop to keep the warmth up, I could smell the coffee as we passed the road end.
Once we had turned to get a braw tail wind the speed went up to 27-28 mph and that is when the naughty boys with their multiple gears can stick it into you, so as a few disappered up the road the rest of the group came together and it was just as well cause one rider blew his gasket and needed a bit of a help to get home.
Till the next installment,
Keep Pedaling.

Now that all the eating and drinking over the holidays has been done it is time to get back on the training waggon and yesterday was my first Sunday out on the fixed wheel
(49x18) the group that I was in did about 70 miles with a Cafe stop halfway.
I thought my legs would have been in bits today but they feel fine, good news as I intend to start upping my mileage on the fixed.
Till next time ciao,
Craig.

The local paper Dunfermline Press had a feature on me last week check it out here:
Dunfermline Press feature

Fixed wheel mania coming soon, follow me on my journey....

Stay Tuned.

Happy Holidays to anybody reading this, hope you all have a good one when it comes.

After all the Cyclo-Cross racing over the last few months it was time for a break so it was off to Euro Disney in Paris with the family although now that we are back running about in Disney for a few days is certainly not for people looking to take it easy.
Click on the small clip of me on Indiana Jones "Et Le Temple Du Peril" rollercoaster and get a birds eye view.
Till later.

Well on to the last Cross of the year for me and what a wet one it was. Auchentoshen is at the other end of Glasgow and is a great wee circuit made all the more challenging with the conditions.
The day started for me eating my porridge looking out the window at home with the rain pelting down thinking "it will be better in Glasgow" ha! ha! no chance if anything it was worse, riders were sitting in their cars waiting till the last minute to get out for a warm up if you could call it that!
So it was on with the warm up fluid on the legs and leg warmers on the top trying to keep some heat onto the muscles. The race got under way and I started to pull away from the chasers to get a lead which I kept extending till the end. I felt good throughout with no mishaps during the race and it is a good feeling to end the season on a high.

I would like to thank Alan Quinn, Jammie on the mike and all the band of helpers for putting on a race in shocking conditions so we can all slide about in some mud for an hour, cheers.
1st - Craig Hardie
2nd - Paul McInally
3rd - Andy Wardman

Now that it is the last race of the season it is HOLIDAY time hope everyone has a good time off and remember to get training again in Jan for the Cross season 2007!!!
Check back now and again as I will have snippets of what I am up to if your interested.
Till next time,
Craig.

So this week it was off to the Isle of Mull for the two day Cyclo-Cross race named Cross at the Castle as it was raced around the grounds at Glengorm Castle (thanks to Tom for letting us race round such beautiful surroundings)
The two courses were superb and both set out by Mr Cyclo-Cross himelf Davie Graham, hats off to Davie as he also raced both days.
I felt good going into this weekend after feeling that the cold had totaly left my system from a week and a half ago. The First day was squally showers but quite mild for the time of year, once the race was under way I pushed on and got a lead that I kept till the end with no upsets throughout the race.
On the Sunday the weather was kicking up a storm just to make the racing that bit harder, the start was held right underneath the Castle with the rain lashing and the wind blowing it was going to be some experience this proved right as we took off. The Sunday course was a bit easier but only slightly as the weather was making it feel just as hard.
Once I got into the groove I felt good and pushed on to my second win of the weekend so was well chuffed, this second win also gave me the overall Scottish Cyclo-Cross series title for 2006.

There is only one Cyclo-Cross round left at Auchentoshen Nr Glasgow this Sunday and then it is holiday time for a well earned break.

A big thanks to all that made this weekend possible and if you did not make it this year make sure you get the date for next year and get across.
Until my next ramblings,
see ya.

This week the Cyclo-Cross race was going to be interesting after being laid low last week with the cold.
The Race was the T.L.I British Cyclo-Cross Championships and held at Heath Hall woods Dumfries. The course was a great mixture of technical single track, run up's, open fast bit's and plenty of mud!
The start went well with myself leading the pack into the first bit of singletrack although I got passed by a few as we ploughed into the mud I did come out third, at this point Ross was on his way in first with Steve Ward chasing and me chasing Steve in third.
Going onto the second lap I had got myself into second and got a gap although Ross had about 30secs up front I battled on to see if I could make any inroads in the gap.

All in I felt pretty good considering that I was on my back with a bad cold last week, so I am chuffed that the fitness/form is still there meaning I should finish the season strongly.
Next week is the double header on the Isle of Mull at Glengorm Castle held over Sat and Sun
(www.crossatthecastle.co.uk)
1st - Ross Creber
2nd - Craig Hardie
3rd - Steve Ward

Well I knew it would hit me sometime this season, yes I have got a stinker of a cold which puts me out of racing this weekend at the Cross in Rosyth.
This is a bit of a blow as I had a good run of form and the Rosyth Cross is my local event, I am now just going to concentrate in getting fit and ready for the rest of the season.
The cold started to get a hold on Wed night but I felt a bit better on Thursday so was quite confident in racing at the weekend, by Friday though the cold had really got a hold and it only seems to be getting a bit better tonight (Sat). Anyway better to miss one race than four or five later.
The picture is of myself and Adrian at Dunfermline Glen Gates ready for the Thursday night run to start.
See ya,
Craig. ATTISHOO......ATTISHOO......ATTISHOO

This weeks Cyclo-Cross race took place at the Auchentoshen circuit nr Glasgow and run by the Glasgow United Cycling Club.
I had been at the Scottish Highland Games Association presentaion awards last night (Sat) meaning I stayed out a bit later than I would normally if I had a race the next day, so once up in the morning I was not sure if I would feel alright after getting a bit less sleep even though I had not been drinking.
Once getting to the race site I took a few laps to get used to the course and felt pretty good. The course was a bit of a cracker with all the Cyclo-X elements included, the off camber banking going round a tree into a fast chute section being one of the highlights for me.
The Race started and after about half a lap I hit the front and went for a break into the technical section only to take a wrong turn and let the chasers pass me again. After catching up with James I hit the front again and pulled away to about a 40 Sec gap which I kept till the finish.
Next weekend is my local Cyclo-X event which is going to be held at the Roysth europarc meaning that I will have plenty time to get ready as the course is only about 4 miles from my house.
Thanks to Alan Quinn, Glasgow United and all the helpers, cheers.
1st - Craig Hardie
2nd - James Fraser Moodie
3rd - Ian Nimmo