Fitness

With more and more people buying smartphones and the proliferation of training apps now available for them, it’s never been so easy to accurately keep track of your training. Gone are the days when you kept track of your training in a notepad, with careful handwritten notes.

The latest generation of training apps makes it far easier to record and analyse your training, as well as setting goals and targets and reviewing previous performances. We’ve chosen 10 of the most popular apps so you can kick start 2013 with a digital thump.

...we saw a lady cyclist with her shorts round her ankles having an unashamed tinkle in the long grass by the side of the road. At least amid much boyish giggling, we think it's just a tinkle, and it emerges that this kind of entertainment isn't an upcharge on the holiday, just an unexpected extra on this Trek Travel Ride Camp in Mallorca.

It doesn’t hurt THAT badly. Getting a metabolic assessment where you cycle to your max with a weird mask strapped to your face is never going to be particularly pleasant, but I’ve known worse. Sure, you’re in pain, but it’s only really bad for a matter of seconds and, unlike an interval training session, you don’t have to start again after a little break. Just tell yourself that it’s all for the greater good and it’s fine. Well, ‘fine’ might be pushing it. It’s bearable.

The sun is shining, the roads are smooth and empty, and we can smell the sea as we pick up speed on the long descent. Even better, the word is that it’s cold and raining back in the UK. Bonus!

It’s all coming together. The Viner Maxima RS road bike that we’ll eventually be reviewing on road.cc, that is. The made-to-measure carbon frame has just been crafted in Italy and we’re getting pretty excited about slinging a leg over the finished bike.

You’ve got your bike set up perfectly? You’ve been riding long enough to know what works for you so you don’t need anyone to come along and tinker with it. They’ll just mess everything up, right? Wrong.

So the 2011 Etape du Tour route has been officially announced. For the first time, there will be two Etapes, with most attention focussed on ‘Acte 1’ mirroring Stage 19 of the Tour, crossing the classic Telegraphe and Galibier cols before finishing on the iconic Alpe d’Huez. Tempted to have a go? David Else looks back at some previous Etapes and offers some practical advice.

Keep your hands up, he’s hurtin

Keen and excited for the season ahead? Nervous about your impending form? Worry not; I have the solution, the Balboa solution. Simply follow these three steps and I will guarantee you a better season than last. No magic or potions, just a trio of easy steps and progress for any competitive cyclist will result. Measurable improvements in personal best times, stage race placings or club run sprints. 3 simple progressions.