Tim Gudsell

Well if you’re after a racing licence in New Zealand you fill out the form and pay your money and voila, but in France it’s not quite that simple.   

To race at an elite or professional level in France you require some kind on insurance, but no insurance company will cover a rider unless they know they are fit and healthy.  Of course most cyclists would like to think they are fit and healthy, but there is the odd occasion that there can be complications with athlete’s health, due to genetics or some other reason. So to apply for a license you must go through a complete course of testing. 

To start with there is the standard body mass index (or fat test), which sometimes doesn’t bring quite the result your after damm it.  Following that your lung size and strength is tested on a fancy little machine connected to a computer that shows your results as you do it.  After that its time for a urine test, and a then you are hooked up to a few diodes to check you resting heart rate to make sure you are ready ride yourself to exhaustion on the test bike. So into the test lab you go, though there are about 400 questions to answer first, and this can take some time in French. 

Once the book work is done you have to lie down on a bed while about 20 diodes are hooked up to your chest and back to monitor your heart rhythm during the test, and a catheter in your vein to take lactate samples as you make you way through the pain barriers. 

Finally you’re onto the bike, starting at around 200watts and increasing 30 watts every 3mins until you’re at your limit.  Though the worst part I find here is after you finish you’re taken straight off the bike dripping sweat and laid back down on the bed for 10mins as the monitor your heart in recovery mode. So once you have been detached from all the cords there is time for a quick shower before a post test weigh in and a vision test.  So there’s an entire afternoon, though its still isn’t finished there. 

You are also required to have and echocardiogram or ultra sound of the heart done every year, and a full dental check every two years just for good measure. So as you can see it sure is some process, but at the end of the day I guess it is all just safety measures and keeps everyone in good check so they know they are all in order to smash themselves week in week out during the season. 

Below are a few pictures of me getting put through my testing in Toulouse just before I came home.

Well it’s taken me a while to get on to this one, and I think it is half due to how much the race took out of me. 

Eight months on from the Tour Down Under in January it was quite nice to be back with the kiwi boys for another race in Australia.  I always enjoy racing over there as it is always such top quality racing and organisation, but so close to home. 

For this trip my long time coach Graham Bunn was the Manager/Director Sportif, and did he ever thrive in the role.  Spending most of my racing days in Europe now it was great to race under Graham’s guidance again, and I’m sure the other boys enjoyed his organised but laid back style too. You can never underestimate the Australians as they have established themselves as one of the strongest cycling nations in the world now, and with a stack of international riders it was always going to be a tough 8 days. 

The Sun Tour covers a lot of ground around the state of Victoria but interestingly its longest stage is only 150km long.  This certainly didn’t make it any easier, but for many riders who are coming to the end of a long 9months season it makes the race a lot more inviting and primed for exciting racing.  Like last years addition this year the yellow jersey was still up for grabs in the final criterium, which made for exciting racing all week long. 

For me I went into the race with a pretty open mind, hoping for a result but also mainly to continue building my form for the upcoming track events in November.  The race started at furious pace, and we were hounded by cross winds for the first two road stages, which splinted the field from the gun.  Missing the main break away on the first day I was disappointed to be out of GC contention but as the tour would go on and we climbed to the mountain top finish at Falls Creek Ski resort I found myself really struggling to stay with the leaders anyway.      By the end of the tour I hadn’t picked up a result I was really after but was happy with the way my form had come up during the race, consistently finishing in the top 15-20 most days.   

One of the true highlights apart from the racing for most of us though would come in the form of a great sponsor, Mitchelton Winery.  These guys were more than just sponsors they were very accommodating hosts, and we got a feeling for this the night we arrived in Bendigo as they welcomed us at a very nice restaurant and presented us with our race jerseys and a little of the sponsors product.  As stage two started at the winery we were invited to a dinner the night before a tour of the winery, and obviously a little bit of taste testing though not to much as it was only two days into the race. 

I would personally like to thank Mitchelton for their hospitality and generosity, and really hope the New Zealand team can continue the relationship for future tours. I have added a few pics from the tour below, so you can see we actually did some hard racing but enjoyed ourselves at the same time.  Thanks again for reading, I will be in touch with some updates from the upcoming Tour of Southland and track events. 

Cheers 

Tim

I went into Tour de la Somme knowing my form was still on the up and sure I had fuel in the tank to do something for me and the team.  Still fighting a cold I had picked up the weekend earlier I knew for a one day race this couldn’t hamper me too much, and after 20km I found myself initiating the first major break of the day.  

A group of 15 of us took a minute lead and we rode hard as the teams missing from the group rode hard behind to get us back, and after about 30km that they did.  The race continued in an aggressive style until the feed at the 100km mark where a small group was let away as the peloton took time to refuel.  This was where my race was about over, I had some really bad stomach cramps and didn’t feel good at all, though as the race was not about to stop for me we hit a tough cross wind section and along with Bouegues Telecom we split the bunch into many a group.  I felt my legs were still there but stomach wasn’t playing the game and as the race really got serious in the last 50km I had no choice but to take relief in some near by bushes as it was not a sight anyone would appreciate. Well it wasn’t really the way I wanted to finish my last race of the European professional season but sometimes there’s just not a lot you can do about these things. 

After a very uncomfortable flight back to Toulouse and then quick drive up to Albi I finally stomached some food and went to bed a tired and skinny boy haha.   

As I only had a week to organise my departure from Europe to get back to NZ in time to recover before heading to track camp and the Sun Tour, it is fair to say I was pretty much flat stick getting things sorted. 

I did how ever manage to make it to Toulouse on Saturday along with about 20,000 other kiwis to support the All Black in their last pool match against Romania.  I went along with my Uncle Neil and we enjoyed a great afternoon in the sun watching the All Blacks, then the Fiji England game on the big screen at the World Cup village in the centre of

Well it’s been a very busy few weeks for me, and plans have been changing constantly so I have just been taking day by day.  Though now I am leaving France tomorrow to head back to New Zealand, though not to put the feet up just yet.  I will be in New Zealand just one week before heading to the Sun Tour in Australia and then will continue right through to the Beijing World Track Cup before taking a break. 

So it’s just brief for now but I will be back again soon with a real update with pics and news of my last week in

France is a country of great diversity and it certainly stands out for me when I fly north for racing near the Belgium boarder.  The dull block houses lining the streets resemble that of southern England, and the cycling fans are just as madly passionate for the velo as those you find in Belgium. 

Saturday brought one of the oldest semi classics in Europe, Paris Brussels.  First won by Andre Henry ofBelgium in 1893, it was contested over a parcour of 400km.  This sort of distance is just unheard of these days as the UCI has caps on how long races can be, and I know many of the peloton are happy about that, as the thought of racing from the Champs-Elysées in Paris to the center on Brussels isn’t that inviting.  However this year’s race was held over a respectable though still long 230km course.   

Over following eights days there are four other one day races on in the area, and for the riders who didn’t take part in the Vuelta a Espana or Tour of Poland these one day races are used as vital build up races for riders preparing for the World Championships in two weeks time.  So the fields are always strong and filled with quite a few motivated big names ready to mix it up. 

For me I went into the race preparing to help out our sprinter Seb Chavenal as there was a good chance of a mass bunch sprint with the fast rolling course, and sure enough it ended in a mad dash for the line through the streets of Brussels with a good part of the bunch still in tact.  With a few k’s to got I got Seb on my wheel and started to position him, though he was having an off day at left me to go on my own.  On the last corner with a kilometer to go I found myself on Thor Hushovd’s wheel about 7 back from the front and though here we go, just follow and you’ll be in the mix.  Though it wasn’t quite to be as the Liquigas lead out train set up for Luco Paolini stalled with about 700m to go and I got swamped from behind, I fought my way out again but was to late and didn’t quite have the legs to finish it as I died in the final meters anyway and must have been past by around 8 guys within 50m of the line. 

All in all though I was happy to get amongst the action at the front end of a race, as it’s sure has been a long time since I last did that, though hopefully not the last. 

After a quick shower it was back across the boarder to France to the small village of Fourmies which we would start, finish and pass several times in tomorrow’s race.  With most riders having raced the previous day and feeling the long day in their legs we rolled out of town quietly too let the legs stretch out a little before the race began.  Though it didn’t take long for the fireworks to start, and they didn’t stop for almost 3hrs, it was just on as every group that would get away from the peloton never seemed to have the right make up.  Though when a break did get away it really got away, as 22 guys were joined by another 16 and all teams were represented, that was it race over.   As every team from the peloton was represented, some not as strongly as they would have liked, such as FDJ (whoops) though there is little you can do as a group of 40 is near impossible to bring back.  So as the front of the race started to do battle on the 5 laps of the finishing circuit me along with the rest of the peloton took an early shower. As the European Pro season is drawing to a close a lot of riders are starting to get pretty tired and a well earned break is just on the horizon, you will find a number of races finishing in this way.  There are the few motivated ones with Worlds just around the corner and those still searching for that elusive win to seal a contract for next year, but for many the season is starting to take its toll on the body and the need for another 50km training at the end of a long weekend just isn’t there so an early shower is quite often the only answer. 

I am now taking a few days easy before returning to the north on Thursday for Tour de la Somme in Normandie on Friday.  I was lucky enough however to receive my suitcase yesterday afternoon after putting it on the plane to Paris on Friday, “Thanks Air France”.   

Below are pics from the last couple of days.  First my two favourite soigners Aurélie and Sofie at GP Fourmies, always good value and look after the fellas very well.  Then a few from the freak hail storm I got caught in training yesteday, not really what your after on a recovery ride but there wasn’t a lot I could do to get away from this one than take cover under some trees and hope they didn’t fall over like many other others did blocking roads all around town. And finally the dark gloomy skies that were left over Albi that evening.

Will be back again soon with news from the next weekend racing. Cheers  

Tim

During the past week I also had a few decisions to make after originally being named in the team for the World Road Champs to be held in Stuggart Germany in three weeks.   

Planning is certainly an important part of being a cyclist and can also often be the difference between getting results or not.  My long time coach Graham Bunn has always helped me with this and like I been a big believer of trying to make the most of all the opportunities that come my way, though now times are changing and sometimes you have to know when to say ‘no’ to racing and stick to the plan. 

When I got back on the bike I thought maybe around October, November I could be finding some form and targeting races, and to be honest things have progressed quicker than I thought.  Though not quick enough to be able to mix it with the best over a very testing 260km course on the 30^th of September, so I decided I would step down and continue with my original plan.  I’m sure as I watch the race on TV I will be wondering how I would have stacked up but also know I made the right decision.  The World Champs will come round again and I do hope I will be able to pull on the black jersey for them again soon.

Late Friday night just after returning home from Poitou Charentes an Ambulance pulled up outside the apartment, and inside there was Pete laid out straight in his newly fitted corset, now kids don’t try this at home please, its not really a cool thing to do arriving home in an ambulance.  As Pete descended from the Ambulance and took virtually his first steps since straddling his bike the Saturday previous, our good mate Scotty Lyttle had come to welcome Pete also, and saw a bit of déja vu, thinking it was only about 3months since I had done the same. 

Well Pete didn’t stay long in Albi as he was able to fly home to NZ just three days later and an enjoy some real home comforts, though I’m not sure how comfy the couch really can be with a full plastic corset. 

For me with 10days until my next race it was time to get into some training and keep working on my form as I build up for the next couple months.  So it was time for a few of what we call bucket sessions (that’s where you put a bucket beside the trainer just in case you need to bring up breakfast when your finished) though I didn’t need it this time.  With a few erg sessions and also a couple behind the derny (pedal motor bike) to help work on my pedaling rhythm and top up a little speed for the weekends racing, I left Albi actually feeling like a bike racer for the first time in a while. 

Though only a few hours later I was reminded that there are many things that you have to remember to be a pro bike rider.  As I sat in Charles de Gaule airport waiting for my suitcase and half an hour later it still hadn’t arrived I remembered I hadn’t put my cycling shoes in my hand luggage, and in our team that’s almost a criminal offence.  If the Director found out that would be the end of me, well not really the end but he wouldn’t be happy.  Lucky we were passing service course for lunch, so I could have a quiet word with the good man Fred who hands out the kit and see what he could come up with.  It was my lucky day he had some shoes in my size, filled a bag of kit for me and off I went to the start village of tomorrows race, Paris Brussels.  The day after I race again in GP Fourmies, so it will be big weekend of velo with both races over two hundred kilometers long.  Will let you know how it goes soon.  Cheers
Tim