'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!