Hatherleigh Junior Road Race

Yesterday I raced the latest round of the National Junior Road Race series in Devon. I knew beforehand that warm weather and a very rolling course would make for a tough race. I was also a bit apprehensive as to how I’d feel having finished an 8 day track camp with the Olympic Development Programme (ODP) 2 days beforehand. 

Racing got underway, and attacks soon followed. 10 miles in, myself and 5 fellow ODP riders (Chris Lawless, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Germain Burton, Matt Gibson & Gabriel Cullaigh) managed to breakaway, gaining 45 seconds on the bunch. Unfortunately we were eventually brought back by a strong chase by the bunch.

As we were caught by the bunch, I kept an eye out for the counter attack and managed to get myself in the next break with Jake Kelly, Jake Scott & fellow ODP rider Joe Evans. We worked well together, gaining a lead of 1 minute on the bunch by the halfway point. 

With 40km to go, myself & Joe Evans were the race leaders.

As the course looped round to join the finishing circuit, we were passed by the bunch heading in the opposite direction. The gap didn't seem to be that big, and so I decided to go alone with about 20km to go. I managed to get into a good rhythm for the remaining two and a half laps of the finish circuit, and the gap started to increase.

Despite knowing that the gap had increased, I was still wary that someone could come across at last minute, having been riding on my own for 20km. Fortunately I stayed away & held off the chasing group by just over 2 minutes.

I was very pleased to take the win & build on my 2nd place at the Loughborough Junior RR. My next race will be the Bath Junior RR this Sunday. Huge thanks to my sponsors for their support:

Dolan Bikes - http://dolan-bikes.com/
Mavic - http://www.mavic.com/en
Aminoskin - http://www.aminoskin.com/

Link to the British Cycling report: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20130714-road-Road--Davies-wins-Hatherleigh-Road-Race-0
Photos: Guy Swarbrick

AminoSkin

Recently I've started using AminoSkin products, which build on three key areas of athletic performance; strength, endurance, recovery. AminoSkin lotions contain amino-acids which are meant to be applied directly to skin. There are three different lotions:

AminoSkin Power 
Ideal for high intensity efforts or intervals. Contains Arginine which is used to make Nitric Oxide in the body, facilitating increased blood flow. The vasodilation effect of Arginine reduces the overall load on the heart which will help increase cardiovascular performance.

I recently used the Power lotion on an ODP track camp and found that it was really affective in opening up my lungs before a session. Although the effects are initially difficult to feel, the power lotion is powerful allowing a higher intake of oxygen. Its should to be applied directly to your chest and upper back, until completely absorbed by the skin. 

AminoSkin Endurance

The Endurance lotion contains Taurine which is effective in decreasing lactate accumulation & increasing endurance. Taurine also increases muscle cell volume by triggering greater muscle protein synthesis & helps promote the conversion of glycogen into glucose.

I used the Endurance lotion for the first time in competition at the latest round of the National Junior Road Race series over the weekend. I was very pleased to win the race, and certainly noticed a reduction in lactic build-up. I've been especially impressed by the endurance lotion.

AminoSkinRecovery

The Recovery lotion contains glutamine, which is the most abundant amino acid muscle cells. Heavy training can cause intra-muscular glutamine levels to drop. This leads to muscle cell volume decreasing & causes muscle catabolism. Research shows that glutamine supplementation can enhance glycogen storage and hydrate muscle cells. 

I've been using the Recovery lotion for the past 2 weeks and found it to be particularly effective. The lotion causes a tingly sensation when applied to the legs, which feels quite refreshing after a hard session. I noticed that my legs felt fresher throughout the camp in comparison to previous training camps thanks to the recovery lotion.

I'm very pleased to have started using AminoSkin products, especially with the benefits they've given me. For more info visit http://www.aminoskin.com/