Cycling: Hamish Bond takes high road with Colorado training

Hamish Bond. Photo / Photosport

Altitude training could decide the extent of Hamish Bond's cycling time trial dream.

Bond, wife Lizzie and two-month-old daughter Imogen have packed up and headed to Colorado Springs at an altitude of 1839m. That's where he will be based for the next month, testing his mettle in rarefied air.

The 32-year-old has previously only ridden at that height for about 15 minutes, through a pass in France. In Colorado, he'll hunt oxygen for two to three hours at a time.

Bond has previously admitted to getting satisfaction from doing things other people would not, as two Olympic rowing gold medals and eight unbeaten seasons in the pair with Eric Murray will attest. Cycling keeps offering a fresh canvas.

"Altitude training presents a big part of a lot of successful endurance athletes' calendars. It's something I've never tried before, so given my need to make improvements, it seemed an obvious thing to do.

"I need to work out whether I'm a responder to this sort of training. It's worked for other people and hopefully it works for me."

He's working with Jim Miller, a former USA Cycling coach. Bond's wary it's easy to overdo the acclimatisation process.

"Everything's harder when you try to push the pedals. Your heart and lungs let you know you are at around 2000m.

"It is all about working out how to assess my progress. After a month here, I'll go over to the UK and race the time trials scene as last year to get a gauge of whether I've made gains."

From there, after reconnaissance work on the world championships course at Innsbruck, Austria, he will head home to Cambridge in July, followed by a return to Colorado and Europe to complete the year.

Sorting the logistics has been key.

"It makes a change from rowing, where all those things are taken care of and you move into auto-pilot overseas.

"The decision to go to Colorado came at short notice. I didn't have plans after the Commonwealth Games, so to turn around and fly out in a month's time took some planning.

"Lizzie and Imogen are over here on tour and we have a wee house set-up like home."

Bond won bronze at April's Commonwealth Games time trial on the Gold Coast.

He completed the 38.1km course in 48m 45.45s, 32.41s behind Australian winner Cam Meyer. The result inspired a rare indulgence.

"I had a break. It was probably my first week of no exercise since ... a long time ago," Bond said.

"It was refreshing. On other breaks, the bike's been there, whereas this time, it got sent home with the rest of the team. When the team left, I had no choice without wheels.

"I had a bit of an itch. It's hard to get away from thinking you could be training, but as part of the bigger picture, it was really good. It helped me work out where-to-next."