Have You Ever Wondered Why....

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I like to update my training every year not only to keep it interesting but also to take my time trial performance to new levels, hopefully. Here are a few things I'm doing for 2010:

1. Visit a Sports Psychologist: Dr. Barbara Walker at the Center for Human Performance is one of our QCW team sponsors and also a very accomplished cyclist and runner herself. I've had several appointments with her and our discussions have been fascinating. Keep in mind this isn't about laying on a couch while we discuss my childhood, although that could be an interesting journey. We've been looking at goal setting in terms of not specifically naming events where success is desired but instead looking at the overall goals needed to acheive the race goals. We narrowed this down to specificc training goals (ie, watts/kg), imrpovemenst in diet (see below), and improvements in aerodynamics 9ie, position, equipment). Each goal had numerous sub-goals. We're also working on focused and controlled breathing techniques, controlling stress during life in general so that more energy is available for training and racing, improved mental focus, and optimizing rest and recovery.

2. Diet: I met with Dawn Weatherwax at Sports Nutrition to Go to have my resting metabolic rate tested (2900 calories per day when I do nothing, over 5000 when training), body fat % measured (11%), sodium in my sweat measured (results pending), lung capacity measured (pretty high!), and my diet completey analyzed. Dawn is going to set up a diet plan for me so that I can better balance my protein intake (its too low) and tweak my lean body composition. If you haven't examined your diet, I highly recommend doing so. I'm very excited about this process.

3. Intervals: Coach Hoyt Halverson at Carmichael Training Systems is always adjusting my intervals and challenging me to push the wattage barrier. Its been a long winter on the trainer with 12-14 hours per week, mainly inside, but I've been right in the zones. Hopefully this will pay off in the spring and summer events.

If you're not updating your training and trying to go beyond your comfort zone, can you really expect better performance year after year?

This article was in Hyde Park Living, January and February and also on BikeWorldNews.

The VeloNews 2010 Buyers Guide had a great article on where your money is best spent when it comes to gaining speed in time trials. Here's a breakdonw in the seconds saved for a 40k time trail:
road jersey and bibs to a skinsuit 134 seconds
upright on regular bars to normal aero bar position 122 seconds
road helmet to aero helmet 67 seconds
normal tuck to improved aero tuck 56 seconds
no shoe covers to shoe covers 30 seconds
standard tt bike round tubes to aero tubing tt bike 17 seconds

This may explain why buying that expensive aero frame didn't make you go any faster.

Here are some numbers from the last three years at Cleves:
2007 average speed for all rides, 26.92; best three rides, 27.27 mph
2008 average speed for all rides, 27.04; best three rides, 27.54 mph
2009 average speed for all rides, 27.66 mph; best three rides, 28.24 mph

The average speed included no fewer than 18 rides. My equipment has stayed relatively the same with my HED rear disc (7 years old) and HED tri-spoke (replaced last year due to a crack but the same model as previously used). I did change my frame this year from the HED to a Kuota. My position is always being tweaked here and there but never dramatically. The bike weight this year is about 1 lb lighter than last year. I have changed helmets over the years from Giro to Spiuk to LG. I do know that my wattage last winter and through the spring into summer in my training was consisently higher with my steady states in the 290-315 range for 40 to 60 minutes at a time and my tt efforts during training in the 320 to 340 range. I was holding tempo wattage for 90 minutes in the 270 range. Wattage during tt events is around 350 for shorter 10 mile efforts and in the 330's for 40k's.

One again, I think that consistent training over many years is still paying off. You can only buy so much speed; at some point, you need to put out some power.

Along with my brother Tom and friend Dan Waite, I recently spent 5 days riding the Blue Ridge Parkway from its northern start in Waynesboro, VA to it terminus in Cherokee, NC. Starting on Monday, September 21 and ending on Friday September 25, we spent 30 hours and 39 minutes completing the 470 miles and 48,000+ feet of climbing.

To say it was a hilly ride would be a great understatement. I really don't recall more than 5-6 miles of truly flat road the entire way. While riding through Virginia for the first two days, the climbs ranged from short uphills and slight rollers to a 13 mile climb rising than several thousand feet. The sections through Virginia seemed to stay roughly between 2000' and 3800' but also dipped to the lowest point on the parkway at 650'. The landscape was divided between maple forests and rolling farmland. The vistas were filled with scattered mountains that stood among fields and pastures well below the parkway that traveresed the crest of the Blue Ridge.

Once in North Carolina, the landscape changed to almost exclusively that typical of the southern mountains. This included the complete range of forests from maple to beech to oak to fir/spruce. The elevations also increased with many of the gaps now not dropping below 3000' while the road frequently hit 5000' and finally peaked at 6053'. The days had multiple climbs of 5 to 8 miles and elevation gains of 1500' to 2500'. Highlights included Mt. Mitchel, Craggy Mountain, The Black Mountains, Balsam Mountains, Looking Glass Rock, Mt. Pisgah, and Richland Balsam Mountain. There were also many tunnels, all without lights, that made for an interesting riding experience, especially at high speeds.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a part of our National Park system. The road is two lanes and the speed limit is 35-45 mph. There are no stop signs or traffic lights its entire length. It is lightly traveled in most areas but around Roanoke and Asheville it is used by locals to access other roads. Still, traffic was light.

Food and accomodations are easlily found near the start in Waynesboro and finish at Cherokee. In between, Roanoke and Asheville offer big city amenities. The many miles between require careful planning in that there are no billboards along the way announcing stores or shops or hotels. There are guide books and maps available.

I'd have to say that the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the great riding experiences in our part of the country. Whether you ride the entire length ot just spend a day on it, you should make it part of your 2010 riding calendar.

I've been teaching an indoor cycling class for two years at the Cincinnati Sports Club as of mid-October. In that time, I've made 80+ different cd's ranging form 45 to 80 minutes using over 1400 different songs. Here are some of my favorite. keep in mind that these are good songs to ride to but not really songs about riding.



Jackon Browne: The Road and The Sky, Running On Empty, Boulevard, Doctor My Eyes, Looking East, The Night Inside Me



Allman Brothers: One Way Out, Revival, Whipping Post, Don't Want You No More, Hoochie Coochie Man, Black Hearted Woman (or just use the album Beginnings for an entire class--I did), Jessica



Little Feat: Let It Roll, Oh Atlanta, Easy to Slip



Santana: Dawn/Go Within-Carnival- Let The Children Play-Jugando (opening songs from the album Moonflower), All I Ever Wanted, She's Not There, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen



Led Zeppelin: Rock and Roll, Black Dog, Communication Breakdown, Stairway to Heaven, Achilles Last Stand, Misty Mountain Hop, Whole Lotta Love



The Who: I can See For Miles, Wont Get Fooled Again, The Real Me, Going Mobile, Squeeze Box



Jethro Tull: Nothing is Easy, Teacher, Living in the Past



Elton John: Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting, Pinball Wizard (by The Who, but I like his better), The Bitch is Back



Lynyrd Skynyrd: That Smell, Saturday Night Special, Freebird, Cal Me The Breeze



Edgar Winter: Frankenstein



Shooting Star: Last Chance, Hang On For Your Life Tonight



Focus: Hocus Pocus



Chicago: Alive Again, Beginnings, Make Me Smile



Stevie Ray Vaugh: Couldn't Stand the Weather, Tax Man



Robin Trower: Day of the Eagle, Too Rolling Stoned



Jeff Healy: Full Circle, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Hell to Pay, I Can't Get My Hands on You, Something to Hold On To



Bob Seeger: Roll Me Away, Hollywood Nights



Beatles: She Loves You, Help, Day Tripper, Get Back, I Feel Fine



Paul McCartney: Jet, Band on the Run



Tom Petty: I Need To Know, An American Girl



U2: New Years Day, Two Hearts Beat As One, Vertigo, Even Better Than the Real Thing, I Will Follow, Where the Streets Have No Names



Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run, Rosalita, Gypsy Biker, Radio Nowhere, Last to Die, Badlands, Candy's Room,



Elvis Costello: Pump It Up, Peace Love and Understanding



The Smithereens: Blues Before and After, Bllod and Roses, Girl Like you

I'll post more as I have tme. I haven't even started on the country songs.