'Cross Power

There's an interesting article in this month's Road magazine by Hunter Allen on the power demands of cyclocross. (Sorry, I couldn't find an online link to the article). He quite correctly observes that 'cross is all about "microbursts" of high power followed by very short recoveries -- you're either hard on the gas or coasting. He recommends a couple of specific workouts, including one absolutely brutal workout he calls "30 Cubed." It's 30 seconds ON at 150% of FTP, 30 seconds OFF, and 30 seconds running for 10 minutes, rest and repeat. I guess you'd do it on a big grass field or a short circuit. Maybe incorporate a barrier into the "run" portion. If you can survive an hour of that workout, even incorporating recovery between sets, you'll be ready for 'cross season.

Dave Harris, endurance racer extraordinaire, has some profound insights from his 7 years of power data. A couple of observations struck home for me. First, years of endurance training will generate a pretty strong base. If you've been riding and competing for years, there really is no need to build a "base" of long, slow distance mileage in the winter. Unless you missed time due to an injury, you already have a significant base. Even in the winter, therefore, the emphasis should be on quality rather than quantity.

The second observation is that you need to leave some "headroom" above your chronic training load (CTL) to allow for training adaptation. Because the cyclocross season involves racing nearly every weekend, your CTL will drop throughout the season. My plan for next year is to build my CTL to a really high level by when the season starts. But it may be necessary to leave some "headroom" in the CTL for cross-specific training adaptation. Moreover, I suspect that the makeup of the CTL in the months leading into 'cross season is important. I came into this season with a relatively high CTL, but most of it came from long group rides and centuries (such as the Bridge to Bridge Challenge). As a result, I had great endurance, but not much "snap" in my first races. It took a few weeks of doing 'cross specific workouts before I started to come around. Next year I'll need to incorporate some more cross-specific work into my build up for 'cross, such as specific VO2max-level efforts and micro-intervals.

The attached PMC chart shows that I already have solid base, as represented by the blue area. My CTL (dark blue line) is not at the highest point of the season, especially since I've essentially been "de-training" throughout the 'cross season, but it is high relative to last winter and to when I was injured at the end of May. Bottom line? I have a good base, no I need to concentrate on enhancing the areas that need it most for the upcoming road season.

Do you believe in innertube karma?

On my 45-minute commute this morning, I offered help to a cyclist in the midst of changing a flat. Unless I'm in a hurry, or unless I know I cannot offer assistance, I usually ask the rider "do you have what you need?" Nine times out of ten they respond "yeah," and I'm on my way. But this morning the guy sort of says "uh, no," so I stop to help. It turns out he mistakenly purchased two 650c tubes for his 700c wheels. I give him my only tube and go on my way.

Of course, not 10 minutes later, I flat. Without a patch kit or extra tube, I'm effectively stranded. But then another guy comes along and offers assistance. I gratefully take a tube from him. While I'm installing it, a teammate comes by and I tell him my story. He loans me a quick patch and helps me inflate the tire, and we're off. With the patch kit, I should be able to limp home tonight even if I flat again.

So -- do you believe in innertube karma? Will there always be an extra tube for everyone in the cosmic tube universe? I didn't immunize myself from getting a flat by giving away a tube, but I did find another person willing to help. Hopefully the good karma will continue on the way home.

Tubular Tires for ‘Cross – More Than A Placebo Effect!

After pinch flatting my clincher tires in four ‘cross races this season, including a double flat at DCCX and flats during two different laps of the Tacchino, I finally took the plunge and bought a set of tubular wheels. I went the inexpensive route and bought a set of hand-built “Nimbus Cross” wheels from Excel Sports in Boulder, CO. The wheels are a solid combination of 14/15 gauge spokes, Mavic Reflex rims, and Ultegra hubs. Not the lightest wheels in the world, but quite strong and completely serviceable. Because Cyclocrossworld was completely sold out of 32cm Dugasts, I went with the excellent Challenge Grifo 32cm tires, front and rear.

One of the things that has kept me from joining the tubular camp is the dread of gluing on the tires. After Peter rolled a tubular at Charm City and after hearing multiple stories of rolled tubulars, I wanted to do it right. I did some searching on the glorious Interweb and turned up a variety of sites with advice on gluing tubulars for cyclocross. Unlike road tubulars, which are held onto the rim (in part) by tire pressure, ‘cross tubies rely almost entirely upon the glue.

One of the best sites I found for advice was the Park Tool site. It offered very similar advice to Cyclocrossworld.com. I basically followed their recommendations: 2 complete coats of Vittoria Mastik One, spread evenly on the base tape and rim with an acid brush, each left to dry overnight. Then a final coat on both the tire and rim before mounting the tire.

I took care to spread the glue to the edges of the rim using my truing stand to hold the rim. I partially inflated the tire to make spreading the glue easier. Don’t let any of the web sites fool you – mounting the tire is difficult. The key to doing it successfully is to pre-stretch the tire, either on a spare rim or with your knees, before attempting to mount it. I tried mounting it while wearing latex gloves, but the gloves stuck to the glue leaving pieces of latex stuck between the tire and rim. After removing the gloves (and the latex shreds) I used my bare hands. Finally, after applying some brute strength and using a twisting motion, I was able to seat the tire on the rim. After getting the tire seated on the rim, I found it difficult to center the tire on the rim because the glue had already started to set up and bond. I’m not sure how to avoid this problem, but I was able to move the tire slightly using a lot of hand strength.

I found the gluing process quite Zen-like and relaxing. I felt like I was participating in some timeless ritual steeped in the hoary old tradition of years of European cyclocross. Or maybe I was just getting high from the glue fumes . . . .

After letting the tires set overnight, I did my first race on them at the VA Cyclocross Champs at Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach. The tubulars were fantastic. At 40lbs pressure they hooked up in the dry grass and let me carry more speed into the turns that I’d been able to on my clinchers in similar conditions. I found that riding anything less than 30 lbs of pressure caused the sidewalls to collapse, making the tires too squirmy for most situations. In muddy conditions, like this past weekend, I ran them between 35 and 40lbs. I could have used a few less pounds in the front perhaps, but I still managed to stay upright. The bottom line is that, for me, tubulars are worth the extra time and effort.

Rockburn Cross - A Fitting End To An Excellent Cross Season

Finally a cold, wet, and muddy 'cross race. Ironic that the first "mudder" of the year is the final race of the year! I decided to race the Cat 4's in an effort to get more points toward my Cat 3 'cross upgrade. It was the largest field of the day with more than 50 starters.

The course was muddy and slippery with some woodsy singletrack, gravel, and a little pavement. Laps were more than 10 minutes long, which is a little too long IMO. But despite the length, I really liked the course, especially the way that it looped back to the start/finish area like a four-leaved clover, not like an endoplasmic reticulum. I lined up on the front row (no callups for Cat 4s) and got the hole shot going into the prologue loop. Being in front was the bomb - I slowed just as much as necessary to get through the turns upright, forcing everyone behind me to slow even more. I stayed in front for nearly 1/4 of the 10-minute long lap by staying upright in the slop and hitting the gas hard whenever I could pedal. I stayed in the lead until a DCMTB guy (Loren McWethy) passed me. By then the frontrunners had separated themselves from the pack and it was easier to keep track of riders. I stayed with Loren for awhile and then Alex Driscoll blows by us both on a single-speed. He would go on to win. Eventually, Matt Hennessy from Team BBC gets up to me and passes me. I narrowly beat him last weekend at Capital Cross, so I knew he was a good wheel. I kept him in sight for the remaining two laps of the race but I was never able to get back on terms with him. During the third lap my shifting began to act up, refusing to stay in gear. I nursed it along by shifting into my largest cog and then down shifting into the gear I wanted. It seemed to work and got me to the finish. Late in the third lap another guy caught me and passed me. But I dug deep and re-passed him over the barriers and managed to hold him off until the end. I ended up in 4th place out of 50+ starters, earning a few more points toward my Cat 3 cyclocross upgrade.

I managed to stay upright the entire race, although I rode the corners like a small child. With better cornering I likely could have finished better, although everyone seemed to have trouble out there. We actually did a podium ceremony after the race and I had my first podium experience. Kind of cool. I won a gift certificate to some bison meat company. Bizarre swag at these 'cross races.

JeanBean rode well - also getting the hole shot - but blowing it in the first turn of the prologue to put herself near DFL. She recovered throughout the race to finish 4th in a large field of 17. Kind of fitting that we both finish on the podium - a great way to end the 'cross season!

Jean Wins Gold at VA State 'Cross Champs

Jean rode away from the competition at the VA State 'Cross Champs this weekend, winning a Gold medal in the Womens Cat 3/4 field. After a tight battle with the second place rider, Sally Tempest of Tripower, Jean pulled away to win by a convincing margin. She was smooth over the barriers and relentless up the long runup which ascended the smaller of the two namesake hills at Mt. Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach, VA. Here's a link to our photos from the day, complete with captions.

The course was short but challenging with a good mix of pavement, grass, and gravel (including some very sharp stones!). It had lots of climbing and a LONG runup. Laps were about 4 minutes long, which meant we did the runup about 10 times in the B race and 6 to 7 times in the C race. I probably did it 17 times at race pace that day. Ouch.

I managed to nab second place in the Men's 4 before lining up, 15 minutes later, to do the Men's 3/4. I was doing well in that race until an untimely flat - of a brand new rear tubular - cost me several places. I did a quick wheel change after riding 3/4 of a lap on the flat and finished the race, but my hope of a top-ten finish was done. At least I got a solid workout in - over 80 minutes of racing!

Get Your Turkey Now!

When: Sunday, November 4th

Where: Leesburg, VA; Ida Lee Park

What: Squadra Coppi Tacchino Cross. Massive suffering. Fun.

Hey everybody: c'mon down to Leesburg on Sunday, November 4th for the Squadra Coppi Tacchino Ciclicross, so we can put una battitura vicioza on you. Hey, you didn't think Team Cinzano let up on Dave Stoller in the off-season, did you? Heck no, they broke his heart at the big 'Cross race too.

The Tacchino is brought to you by Squadra Coppi, the same club that steals your heart and breaks your legs year after year by putting on the Giro di Coppi. So you know going in it will hurt you bad, but that only makes you love it more.

"Tacchino" means turkey in Italian. Il Tacchino is a the second course in a MABRAcross weekend smorgasbord of cyclocross suffering. Go ahead, we're all friends here. Have a couple helpings. Our friends in The Delaware Cyclocross Coalition of Delaware are staging the Wayne Scott Cross in Fairhill, MD on Saturday the 3d. Mmmm... tasty first course.

Then on Sunday the 4^th, you can come out to Leesburg and get stuffed by the Tacchino! We've got an interesting course with lots of flow - rolling hills, sweeping turns, a couple hairpins, and some memorable slippery off-camber turns. It is a balanced course that rewards power but also rewards good bike handling. It will be a fun course for experts and intermediates, and also a great course if you are looking to whip out the mountain bike or borrow a ride to try 'Cross for the first time.

This BikeReg.com MABRAcross event features five separate races and runs from 9:00 am until 3:30 in the afternoon, with the showcase Elite/Professional race starting at 1:30. The 3/4 women will have sole posession of the course starting at 9:00, and it's all racing from that point on.

It's not just about you though. If you haven't been to Ida Lee Park before, it's a very spectator-friendly venue, and a great place to have a family picnic and watch cross. This may help you test yourself in two races in one weekend without having to test your family's patience. There are two outdoor playgrounds, and we will have a Li'l Belgians Race at 1:00 PM, which is free. Kids can ride any bike in the L'il Belgians Race, but must have a helmet.

And, for a perfect recovery activity, Ida Lee Park sports a fantastic fitness center with a pool, jacuzzi and shower facilities, available for a modest fee. The pool has lap and free swim areas, so this is another activity that is kid and cross-racer friendly. Treat yourself and the pit crew to a well-deserved recovery swim after the ride.

Downtown Leesburg also has many restaurants and shops, and the Leesburg outlet mall is nearby. Not that anybody would ever get bored at a cyclocross race, but it's nice to know in case you and the support crew need to find some place to spend your winnings.

Registration is available through BikeReg. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Granogue and Wiss 2007

Granogue ‘Cross – October 20, 2007

Known as the “Queen of the MAC,” Granogue is an unforgiving technical course that brings back racers year after year. This year, the previous night’s rainfall and the early morning dew combined to make conditions along the grassy slopes of the watchtower hill almost unridable. The flow was also disrupted for early races due to a silly chicane around the roots of a big tree. This particular course “feature” was taken out for the elite races, significantly speeding up the section leading into the road climb.


We got to the venue later than we'd planned and we rushed to get Jean registered, pinned, and warmed up before her 0900 start. We found out later that I had pinned her skinsuit to her base layer and that she was trapped in the Port-a-john with 10 minutes before the start. Oops. She got the start line on time but without a decent course preview. She was rattled from the beginning, struggling with her cleats not clipping in and concerned by the difficulty of the course.


With all of the excitement with Jean, I only got 2 laps in on the course and nothing at speed. I completely squandered a second row start by getting swarmed during the road start and into the prologue loop. Up and down the watchtower hill, the slick grass and tight off-camber turns caused several traffic jams and slowed me down quite a bit. I struggled on that section and never really got into the “flow” of the course that makes Granogue so famous. Toward the end of the race, when I crashed on the off-camber yet again and former Coppi Kevin Kuzas passed me (after starting at the absolute back of the field), I even had my own little “Bjarne Riis” moment of throwing my bike on the ground in anger. Cathartic, but not really conducive to going faster! I’m beginning to understand the existential angst that is cyclocross – perhaps even understanding Dostoyevsky’s assertion that “suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.” Whatever. The suck-o-meter was pegged that day!

Wissahickon ‘Cross – October 21, 2007

I’ve heard that “the first lap is one-half the race” in cyclocross. That was certainly true for me at Wissahickon this year. After a front-row start, I was passed by a succession of riders throughout the first lap until I was barely hanging in the top 20. After that I just tried to hold my own and avoid getting passed. I had my traditional 3rd lap fade followed by my 4th lap burst of energy, but it was too little, too late to make up much ground. I ended up 28th out of 61 starters and about 6 minutes off the winner. BSNYC nails it when he explains that starting on the front row and then completely exploding on the first lap is “like you're an Alka-Seltzer and the race is a big glass of water, and everybody gets to watch your effervescent, frothy demise.” That’s how I felt - like I was fizzizziling away.

I obviously need to work on my VO2max power, because that’s what it will take to hold or gain position in the first lap. Although the first lap is only 6 to 10 minutes of the 45-minute race, your finishing position in the race is largely determined by the end of the first lap. To excel, you need to have a really high VO2max power and good recovery. You may get a few seconds of respite here and there during the lap, on downhills or other sections, but for the most part, you’re going at near VO2max levels for the first 6 to 10 minutes of the race. So – its time to bring out the big stick and whip up some intervals. Word.

Bridge to Bridge Challenge - September 16, 2007

Bridge to Bridge Challenge - September 16, 2007
Lenoir, NC to Grandfather Mountain

Some Background

The Bridge to Bridge Challenge is one of ten toughest century rides in the U.S. The course is basically 50 miles of rolling to flat terrain followed by 50 miles of climbing, with a final two miles that can only be described as insulting. The ride starts in Lenoir, NC and finishes on top of Grandfather Mountain, a privately-owned tourist spot and the highest peak in the Blue Ridge at 5924 feet. The final two miles consist of the access road to the top of the Grandfather Mountain. The entrance to the access road from Hwy 221 is at 5000 feet (100 miles into the ride), so you gain the final 924 feet in less than 2 miles of relentless switchbacks. The final 700 feet of the ride is a 22 percent wall. Many people fell over on this stretch as they succumbed to cramps.

Redemption Story

I last did this ride in 1991 when I was in law school. I was new to riding then and had done only one century ride. The night before the B2B ride, I slept too close to the motel air conditioner and woke up with a lung-wrenching cough. Although I wanted to quit about halfway into the ride, there was no easy way to do so because the ride was a point-to-point and I had driven down by myself and didn’t know anyone on the ride. So I soldiered on, stopping at every rest stop and hacking up a lung. In finished that ride in just over 8 hours, completely wasted.

This year would be different. The secret to getting a good time is to find a fast-moving group and suck wheel for the first 50 miles. If you can get to the 50 mile point (when Hwy 181 starts) in just over two hours, then you have a good shot at a sub-six hour finish. My goal was to roll with a good group and then find my own pace during the climbs. I also planned to stop as necessary to refuel, etc. during the last half of the ride. I had no specific time goals, except to beat my previous finishing time.

I ended up finishing in 6 hours, 21 minutes. That is a solid time, but this year it was only good enough for 254th out of 500 because a significant number of the lead riders missed a turn on the course, cutting off at least 3 miles and a significant climb. The turn was not well-marked and the big group I was in missed it as well, but we almost immediately turned around and got back on course. I knew we were on course because my PowerTap mileage matched the course markings. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell who missed the turn and who didn't. But the guys who missed it will always have a mental asterisk next to their results.
http://www.rmssports.com/results/07Bridge.txt

An Inauspicious Start

The ride went exactly as I planned, except for a few minor mishaps at the start. I lined up toward the back which meant I had to slalom my way toward the front to get into a fast group. But then I dropped my full water bottle just out of Lenoir. I stopped, turned around, and scrambled to pick it up without getting mauled by passing riders. I then gunned it to get back toward the front. I was also struggling with my PowerTap - its display was fading with a weak battery and it was giving off insanely high power numbers. I finally got it zeroed and prayed that its battery would last until the finish. Note to self: replace batteries before long rides!

At this point, I had no idea where I was in relationship to the front pack. So I kept bridging from one group to the next before I settled into a decent 20+ group with some strong riders. I took pulls along with the other experienced riders (obviously racers, but not in team kits). With the aid of the group, I made it to the halfway point (and the start of the climbing) in 2:20 with an average speed of 23mph. A little slower than I would have liked, but a decent start.

Let The Climbing Begin

I stopped at the rest stop to refill my bottles and then started climbing. According to the other riders, Hwy 181 is the hardest part of the ride (except for the final two miles). Hwy 181 climbs for more than 11 miles with little or no respite and the gradient is steeper than on the Blue Ridge Parkway. My peak 20, 30 and 60-minute power levels were on this stretch. I basically rode for more than an hour at L4, just 10 watts below my functional threshold power.

I did most of this stretch on my own or in the company of a few riders, many of whom I passed or repassed multiple times following rest stops or descents. I kept leap-frogging with one girl, a semi-pro mountain biker, who’d been in the paceline with me at the beginning. I was chatting with her as we climbed and we discussed how we were both starting to cramp. My calves were twinging and my right hamstring was on the verge of seizing. I had only a few Endurolytes left and was drinking constantly. She suggested that I chew them instead of swallowing them to get them into my bloodstream faster, a trick she learned from an ultra-endurance racer. I thanked her for the advice but thought that I’d never do that! But about 10 miles later I was really starting to worry – the twinges were getting worse and there was still miles of climbing to go. So I grabbed 3 at once and bit into them. Bleh! An explosion of salt and nastiness! I grabbed my water bottle to put the fire out. I thought my mouth would be glued shut and my lips would start bleeding. But after I choked it down, the twinges stopped and the cramping subsided. I thought later that she made up the whole story to punk me, but the cramps stopped, so maybe there's some truth to it.

After 181 we turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was really spectacular. A portion of the road is suspended on rock ledges with gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The gradients on the Parkway were less severe than on 181 so I was able to ride at a decent pace but well below threshold. I had the leg strength and lungs to ride harder, but the rate-limiting factor was the lurking threat of cramping. After the Parkway we turned onto Hwy 221 and encountered some rolling terrain with a stretch of tailwind. I caught on with some guys and we had a paceline going for a few miles, nicely breaking the monotony of climbing.

At mile 100, we turned off of Hwy 221 and into Grandfather Mountain. At the base of the Mountain is McRae meadows, the staging area for the ride finish. Because parking on top of Grandfather Mountain is limited, they shuttle everyone (and their bikes) down from the mountain to McRae Meadows. From there you can take a bus back to Lenoir or your personal Sherpa can pick you up. Because my Sherpa was doing the ride with me, Jean and I would have to take the bus back.

More Cowbell

The final two miles were insane and are what give this ride the reputation as one of the hardest centuries in the country. The road contained multiple steep switchbacks with gradients over 15 percent. At the one-mile to go mark, you could look up and see the switchbacks towering above you, kind of like a mini-Alpe de Huez. Many riders were tacking back and forth like paper boys in an effort to keep up their momentum. Some had stopped altogether. Fortunately, my legs were holding up and my gearing (50/34 and 12-27) allowed me to hold a reasonable 60 rpm. As I rounded the final switch back I was confronted with the ramp to the finish. The ramp is about 700 feet of 22 percent gradient - as steep as any of the switchbacks below. A large crowd of spectators and fans were perched on a group of rock outcroppings near the top of the ramp. As I mentally girded myself for the final effort up the ramp, I heard my name being called. How can that be? No one here knows me .. . my fame can not have spread this far south yet . . .. But as I cranked the final pitch out of the saddle, I saw that Jean was there and had persuaded everyone around her to yell my name. Even as I wondered what became of her ride, I appreciated the cheering. I floated to the top and crossed the timing mat, stopping the clock at 6 hours 21 minutes.

Some Nits

Ride organization left a little to be desired, especially one poorly marked turn that a lot of riders missed (cutting out a 3-mile climb) and poor logistics for getting riders and bikes down from the mountain. Immediately after finishing I was stuck shivering in line to drop off my bike for transport down to the meadow. The security guys wouldn’t let spectators walk over to us, so I couldn’t get to Jean and the warm clothes she was carrying. Once they took my bike, we got in line for the shuttle down the mountain. Unfortunately, they had run out of food at McRae Meadows and we were stuck there again for almost two hours while we waited for the next bus to Lenoir. The hour-long bus ride to Lenoir was tough on the legs, but more tough on the bladder as I suffered the after-effects of my manic drinking to stave off leg cramps.

End Notes For Power Geeks

The whole ride was a mind-blowing 446 TSS points, which may be my highest total for a single-day ride. My 20, 30, and 60-minute peak efforts were only 10 to 15 watts below my functional threshold [my best 1-hour power], so I was definitely riding well. The Intensity Factor for the entire ride was 0.88 – again an indicator of an intense effort.

Bottom Line

This would be a great ride to do as a group. Sharing the work during the first 50 miles in an organized paceline would get everyone to the start of the climbing quickly and in good condition. With some Sherpa support, you could take feeds during the ride and avoid having to stop altogether. Support is critical post-ride to get back to Lenoir without putting yourself at the mercy of the provided transportation. Finally, having some company during the climbs and at the finish would really make a difference. I hope to return next year, but with a group of teammates in tow!

Wanted: 34 seconds. . . .

Sunday’s Church Creek Fall TT (9/9/07) was a bittersweet event for me. On the "sweet" side, I rode a personal best time of 1 hour, 34 seconds, good enough for 4th in the Cat IV field. My time would have placed me in the top 10 in the Masters 40+ and Cat IIIs as well. Because I started near the end of the Cat IV field, I had the pleasure and motivation of passing at least 6 guys during the race.

Other good things included Jean’s excellent second place ride in the Women’s IV field (netting her a silver medal and her first cash winnings), as well as our decision to stay in a fantastic local B&B in Cambridge the night before. The Mill Street Inn was conveniently located less than 5 miles away from Church Creek and its hosts were gracious enough to allow us to return to the Inn after the race for a shower and a late brunch before heading back to Arlington.

On the bitter side, I fell 34 seconds short of my personal goal of breaking the hour for a 40k TT. My failure was not due to equipment (I was riding a new TT bike and was sporting the new Giro Advantage TT helmet) nor to conditions (winds were a modest ESE at 5-7mph), but predominately due to poor pacing. In short, I went out way too fast. I averaged 305 watts for the first 20 minutes and was on a 56 minute pace for the first 10k. At 20k my wattage had dropped, but a tailwind kept my speed up and I was still on pace for 56 or 57 minutes. But everything fell apart between 20k and 30k. I had been consistently seeing 25 and 26mph on the PowerTap until the 20k mark, when I started seeing 23 and 24mph on a regular basis. The legs were fat, my saddle was hurting me, and I could not find a comfortable gear. I got back some speed a couple of times as I hunted down and passed riders, but I struggled throughout this section. I managed to pick it up a little in the final 5k, but by then the damage was done and I fell short of my goal.

So, where can I find that missing 34 seconds? Or better yet, where can I find another 2 minutes and 34 seconds? I realistically think I can ride under 58 minutes at Church Creek given my functional threshold power. After thinking about it, I can see three areas that need improvement (other than my functional threshold power, which I’ll always be working to improve). First, spend more time in the TT position. By getting used to the position and the bike, I’ll be able to consistently generate power similar to what I can do on my road bike and I won’t be distracted by the pain of being the TT position. Second, work on improving aerodynamics, both in terms of body position and equipment. Finally, work on pacing. I need to consciously hold back during the first half of the race. This is tough to do, even with a power meter, because you’re feeling great and the adrenaline is running high. But you can use the power meter to set a "ceiling" in the first 5k that will prevent you from burning through your matches in the first half of the race. I purposefully allowed myself a few watts over my threshold in the first 1/3 of the race because I riding into a headwind, but even given that, I think I overdid it.

It’s only a matter of time before I get that "hour" monkey off my back!

Pre-Excusing: A Time-Honored Tradition

Pre-excusing, the art of making excuses for one’s poor performance in an endurance sports event before embarking upon the event, is a time-honored tradition in cycling and other endurance sports. Being a cyclist, I am most familiar with the excuses offered by cyclists immediately before a group ride or race.

• I haven't been riding that much . . . .
• I haven't been doing too many high-intensity efforts recently, so I’ll just try to keep up.
• I haven't touched the bike in 2 weeks.
• I haven't raced much this season.
• This is my first ride on my new [pimped out carbon fiber] bike, and I don't have the fit dialed in yet.
• I broke my collarbone in 4 places and two ribs a few weeks ago, so I’ll just take it easy.
• I got really hammered last night, I might still be wasted right now …
• I got a few sticks stuck up in my rear derailleur a couple weeks ago, haven’t bothered to look into it, but I’m sure the auto-shifting and creaking noise will go away eventually.
• Work has been crushing me lately, pulling a few all-nighters last week, so I’m not as rested as I should be ….
• My newborn is colicky and my 2-year-old has been having nightmares so I’ve been up in the middle of the night all this week so I’m not as rested as I should be ….
• I did this epic 100 mile, 13,000 feet of climbing ride yesterday so my legs are a little fried, and not so fresh.
• I broke my big toe yesterday, it swelled to the size of a banana last night, but I’m sure it’ll be fine for today’s ride.

I suspect that triathletes have their own versions of these pre-excuses, something like:

• I did full Ironman race last weekend, so my legs are little flat today.
• I’m going to take it easy today, because I have to run 17 miles right after the ride.
• I forgot my compression socks, so my legs are not recovered from yesterday’s workout.
  

Feel free to chime in with your own pre-excuses - in the comments.

Power Geeks - you're world is getting more complicated!

There are a lot of new cycling technology gadgets on the horizon, many of which are likely to be introduced to the public at Interbike this Fall. First up is a new power meter called the Quarq. The Quarq measures power at the crank using a spider-mounted sensor. It has a fancy bar-mounted computer called the Cranium with a large LCD display. The crank-mounted power sensor communicates wirelessly with the Cranium using a new wireless communication protocol called Ant+Sport. Early reports are that the Quarq will be quite robust and will be competitively priced.

Next up are two new Garmin GPS devices, the Edge 705 and 605. Both new devices employ the Ant+Sport wireless communication protocol and will be compatible with the Quarq. There is no definitive word yet on whether they will communicate with the existing PowerTap Wireless 2.4, but rumors suggest that they will be compatible. Additional intriguing features include wireless downloading to your PC, wireless communication between devices (sharing waypoints and trackpoints between GPS devices), and a color display.

Wirelessly combining a GPS device with a power measuring device opens up a whole new realm of possibilities, including measuring the power requirements for climbs, wireless telemetry while riding, wireless weather data, etc. Now all we need is the ability to hack into our competitors' units to figure out when to attack . . . .

I'm immensely proud of the SquadraCoppi girls who raced Ironman Louisville this weekend. In short, they CRUSHED. Jean Colsant, aka IronBean, raced her first Iron distance event - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a marathon - for a total of 140.6 self-propelled miles in one day. She trained diligently all year with the help of her experienced coach, David Glover of Enduranceworks, putting in big miles on the bike and getting in high-quality long runs on the weekends. She executed perfectly on race day, setting her watch to eat and drink every 30 minutes on the bike and pacing herself appropriately throughout the race. Amazingly, given the 89 degree heat, she didn't cramp, bonk, or dehydrate. She finished in 12 hours 53 minutes, a fantastic time for a first Iron-distance event. She was smiling every time I saw her on the course.

Adrianne Kroepsch had a personal best race too. She won her age group by a large margin and finished 9th OVERALL among the women with a time of 10:47. She averaged 20mph on the bike and 8:22 miles for the run. Get this girl a PRO contract, folks.

Jean's coach, David, drove out with us and did the race too. It was his 3rd Iron distance event this season, and was only 2 weeks after his win at Vineman. He had a solid race, but I think he had a better time hanging with Jean's entourage.

I was on my bike the entire day (putting in 80 miles) watching the race. I caught Jean at the start, the swim-to-bike transition (T1), twice on the bike course, at T2, and at mile 12 on the run. I then hustled back to pick her bike and (smelly!) clothes from transition, shower, and change into clean clothes for the finish. The finish was amazing - a long chute with people 3-deep on both sides. It was set up in the 4th Street Corridor in the heart of downtown Louisville, surrounded by retail and food outlets. It was also a convenient 2 blocks from our hotel, the Galt House.

Jean had a huge entourage of supporters at the race, all dressed in home-made red t-shirts supporting the IronBean. Her entourage included her mom, step-dad, two sisters and their children (5 kids total!), her aunt and cousin, and a friend from D.C. And me - the Tri-Sherpa. The weekend was a huge blast.

Turning Around a Battleship

Raising your Chronic Training Load (CTL) after a long layoff or injury is like turning around a battleship. While my collar bone heals, I've been hitting the trainer five or six days a week but it has only served to stop the decline in my CTL. Even Saturday's 70 mile ride -- my first outdoor ride since my injury five weeks ago -- raised the CTL only 4 points.

But this season I've learned the hard way not to increase the CTL too quickly -- look at the middle part of this chart and you can see a radical rise in my CTL over a 3-week period that ultimately lead to a bad case of knee tendonitis. You can also see a fall-off right afterwards due to the enforced layoff from the injury. After about 3 weeks, the CTL begins to rise again, this time at a rational rate as I gradually built up my training volume as the knee recovered. Everything was on track for a fantastic mid-season: until I broke the collarbone on May 26. After that the CTL drops preciptiously for about 4 weeks until the trainer rides halted the decline.

Now that I'm back out on the road, my goals are to prepare for cyclocross season by increasing my CTL gradually to approximately 80 points by mid-September, approximately 10 weeks from now. That is a very conservative ramp rate of 2.5 CTL points per week and implies a weekly TSS of 560 points. Let's see if I can stick to that!

How we look when cycling

Riding with the tongue out appears to be quite popular -- excellent technique shown here by Chris Mayhew, who appears to be channeling Christophe Moreau.

My own "going hard" face is what I call "The Sneer" -- like I'm channeling Elvis.

How do you look when riding hard?

Much Progress - Four Weeks From Breaking Collarbone

What a difference a month makes! One month ago I broke my collarbone and two ribs in a mountain bike crash during a weekend mountain bike festival out near Harrisonburg, VA. That first week I felt as fragile as glass and did everything in slow motion. Now I go for periods of time when I forget that I'm injured -- at least until I try to do something like raise my hand over my head or push open a heavy door. Then my shoulder reminds me that it ain't fully cooked yet.


This week I went in for a follow-up x-ray of the clavicle. According to my orthopod, the x-ray looks "great." (?I) He says that the edges of the bones have smoothed over and are healing properly. I've attached the May 26 and June 27 x-rays for comparison -- can anyone see a difference? (The older one is on top).





Apparently, the bone healing process involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work that is not visible on x-rays until the 5th or 6th week when the newly-formed cartilage is replaced with "lamellar bone." Once the hard bone forms it will "remodel" over the course of many months and eventually the break will essentially be invisible. Pretty cool. One thing I've noted during the last four weeks is that the healing process requires a LOT of energy. I slept a lot more than usual and found that normal activities left me more tired.

I've been training diligently on the stationary trainer and hope to get back on the road next week. Mountain biking, and the jarring associated with it, will have to wait for at least two more weeks.

Ride on!