Home is where your heart is.

My home is in Finland, this is just beautiful. I came here last Saturday and I've had so good time. I took an easy weekend just eating well and just hangin' at home. It is all good here and my bed is still comfy. Last week was definetly a hard one in terms of training, but I had this trip to wait for. I had the weekend off training, but today I was back on it doin' roughly 3hrs around my home city Espoo with mountain bike. It was definetly one of the most enjoyable rides for a while!

'The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.'
-Robert M. Pirsig.

Officially autumn.

Only because today was the first day I needed to wear my cold weather jacket when I went training. Despite weather becoming colder, darker and more often wet, stereotypical British weather (?), autumn and winter time also provide some delights – such as more often tailwinds on the way back home as the winds come from north now and I more or less always finish my rides coming from north. Another way to notice that the winter is coming is that I've been commiting myself to indoor training more often. Not that I'm complaining about it - these couple weeks have been better than I've expected really. And on the plus side is also that I've been able to get some consistent number out and they've been alright. Just gotta keep on. Anyway, it is only five weeks until the first training camp of the new season.

So as mentioned, the training has been fairly good, I've managed to avoid any flus or illnesses – knock knock and the modifications in training plans have been minor. Also the fact that we have found a really good system to detect the recovery and fatigue has helped me to balance the training load and recovery. I just to have to remember not to make it a rocket science. In near future it is just about training and progressing – this week is a tough one, but next week is easier after the three weeks of increasing load – that I'm looking forward to.

Not so glorious October day.

Yesterday the weather and conditions were quite the same as last Friday. The route was ashtonishingly beautiful. And everything went well, the annoyingly strong headwinds during the first two hours didn't bother too much, then a nice climb and an amazing ascent and I was looking forward to the tailwind section. That time I was 70km in to the ride in Monmouth where it all turned around. I almost collided with a Fiat, that suddenly wanted to park in front of me. It just stopped right there. I skidded and avoided the collision, but a kilometre or two later I felt a slight wobble in my rear tyre and saw that there was a couple centimetres completely torn bit, but no puncuture just yet, and I still had forty odd kilometres to home. Things just got worse before the tailwind section - how nice. I eventually decided to keep going trying to avoid any bumps or cracks on the road to save the tyre as long as possible. Actually I managed fairly well and after some 25 stressful kilos later the whole thing exploded. Luckily, I didn't crash or anything as it exploded and the wheel was alrgiht too. Then I had no option, but to call a taxi to home. At home I replaced the tyre and the tube, but the tube exploded whilst I pumped it, but thats another story. These days just happen, no worries – besides it was Monday and that explains a lot - I guess.

Torn and later exploded tyre.

Today has been a lot better though, despite the ever strengthening winds. This morning I did two hour plus including 18 high cadence intervals on my bike. Although, the legs felt a bit tired the rpm's seemed to come out rather well. And now it is time for coffee and to chill until at 6pm, then it is gym time.

'Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving.'

Wumen Huikai

Glorious October day.

Today I had the first longer ride of the season, meaning steady four hours in glorius autumn day. The only thing here is that holding steady pace is almost impossible. This country is just valleys, hills and mountains, which means going up and down almost all the time. And the hills differ from the ones back in Finland – here on a new route one just might take a turn to left and face 4km uphill, nothing spectacular but still loads of work. It ain't funny always, but I've learned to cope with it.

Anyway, today is 21st October and the weather was +13 celcius, partly cloudy with moderate winds. I just couldn't have asked for more. This week the training load has been slightly reduced and I just had rest day yesterday and I started to feel smooth on my bike for the first time this autumn, okay, maybe second. All in all, I rode the full four hours in Welsh autumn day. Next week it is time to get to the real business, as the preparation is successfully over and base training starts.

'Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike'

Fausto Coppi

When a reporter asked him what it takes to become such a great champion.