Making the most of trainer time - Hah!

I am a bike nerd. I have a webcam. This was inevitable:

It's all part of my motivational campaign. If I'm going to get 12-14 hrs per week of training volume, I'm going to need sufficient impetus to ride the rollers enough, and the skills necessary to do so. This video kills two birds with one stone, so to speak. By making it semi-public, I'm revealing my own weaknesses, hopefully generating some drive for improvement. By only having a few intro "tricks" on there, I'm forcing myself to learn new skills and post a follow up video (I'm thinking in 2 months - stay tuned).

So, 2-3 weeks of steady roller riding has taught me how to:

1) Not fall off.
2) Ride with a high cadence.
3) Ride one-handed.
4) Take a drink.
5) Ride no-handed.
6) Ride out of the saddle (in the drops or on the hoods).

I'm pleased - but I'm also determined to add a few more tricks to my repitoire:

7) Spin one-legged.
8) Spin one-legged and no-handed.
9) Sprint.
10) Mount without a wall/handle.

So far I've managed to get enough miles on my trusty (read: ancient) Mclain rollers to break the belt that drives the resistance unit. That was an abrupt change of pace when it happened... Glad I've been practicing cadence drills. I found a place in Michigan that will replace it for a pretty fair price, and the new belt should arrive sometime next week. 'Till then I'm running slightly less tire pressure and practicing tricks to improve my balance.

I had a big day today - Gym time, sample prep at the NMR lab, 90 minutes of easy riding, and 3-4 hours worth of homework that I needed to get done earlier than later.

I'll keep posting more often once this semester wraps up - including some likely posts from a January trip to Telluride - More on that soon.

Best regards, thanks for reading.

Late thoughts

How's it going everybody?

So I'm up late tonight, probably becasue I decided to take a nice long nap this afternoon. Who can blame me - I managed to jam in a 2Hr tempo ride at an avg. of 220W on the trainer, a full day of classes, two lab reports, and some work on an end of the semester write-up for my independant research experience. Phew - see what I mean? That all equals "nap" in my book.

I've been loving the Madone - The guys at the Trek Store of Madison really hooked me up with a great ride. Thanks to Pete, Andrew, Matt, Bryan, Mike, Geo and Arthur for being such grade-A guys and helping me land the bike of my dreams. I can't wait to race it next spring/summer, and I'm planning on going back in to get my 'Pro' fit this next Monday just to be sure I'm all dialed in for those upcoming efforts.

I've had racing on the brain for the past couple of weeks, despite the fact that it's been getting colder every day, and finally snowed today. My dreams have been filled with recurring scenes of different ways that I might win some collegiate events, and have provided adequate training motivation for the continued base-building phase that I'm working on right now. As far as that goes, I'm basically trying to get in 14 hours of quality base (endurance/tempo) riding per week. I'm still throwing in some SST and a tiny bit of threshold work every now and again to keep things interesting though. I'm looking forward to the more intense workouts this spring though - they make the time on the trainer/rollers pass a lot faster.

Beyond the bike, I've been pretty busy with class work. Between surviving my chemistry course and trying to keep awake while reading American Indian law texts, I've been burning the academic candle at both ends. Luckily, I have an escape in the form of the NMR lab that I'm working at - which reminds me that there is more to academia than exam prep and monotonous literary works.

I've been putting a lot of thought into my future plans, and while I haven't really narrowed down a final decision, I've come to a few general conclusions:
1) I keep coming back to the health sciences. I'm not sure in what capacity, but I want to work with people, and be able to use my biochemical knowledge to improve health. Perhaps this means medical school, perhaps it means pharmaceuticals, perhaps it means food science.
2) I've been getting more and more interested in the role of advocates and activists in the world. I'm willing to bet that I could do well in the energy sector if I devote some more time to observing and understanding this whole green revolution as it unfolds. Knowing the potential impact that biology could have on our future energy consumption points to this as a good area for career growth.
3) I want to do something that I love. I don't mean to be cliche when I say this. I just want to be involved in something that I identify with, and recognize as being distinctly mine - Something that I do uniquely. I can't see myself being happy doing something that 1000s of other people do every day. While my main capacity/job title may be common, I want the underlying objective of the career to be something novel, an occupation that I can really sink my metaphorical teeth into.

Regards, thanks for reading

Madone Love

I recieved word this past Thursday (10/15)that my Project 1 Trek Madone had arrived at the Madison West Trek Store. I was hardly able to sleep on Thursday night - Far too excited about this new development in my history as a bicycle owner. Now I can't sleep because of the seemingly perpetual adrenaline rush I've been experiencing from the first moment of my first ride with it.




Okay, that's probably a bit extreme - But just try to look at this beauty and tell me it doesn't invoke some special feelings in the deepest recesses of your inner cyclist.




Just a bit? Come on... Be honest.













Yea - That's what I thought.

But enough with my soon-to-be illegal literary lusting; here's the build on the dream machine:

2010 Trek Madone 6-Series
Shimano Dura Ace 7900 Crankset, Rear Deailleur, 11-28 cassette
Shimano Ultegra 6700 Front Derailleur, Shifters, Brakes

Bontrager Race XL wheels with Bontrager RXL AC tires

Bontrager RXL Inform Saddle
Speedplay X-2 Pedals
- 15.76 lbs -
(Not that the weight matters... But that's pretty fantastic, no?)

Now... Where does one begin on reviewing this bombshell... How about the gorgeous aesthetics? I've really got to hand it to the guys over in Waterloo - They know how to paint a bike. The design on my frame perfectly weaves a matte-black and platinum base with sharp red accents and a liberal schmearing of Trek logos. I decided to complement this with white bar tape, a white saddle, and white cable housing. It's a cool and classy visual contrast - Kind of like a tuxedo. Pass the champagne.

Disregarding the visual sex appeal, though, consider for a moment what the real purpose of this animal is: going fast when you go hard. So how does it stack up?

The bike rides like a bat out of hell. The first thing I noticed when I first clipped in is what I can only describe as a sense of "rigid power." This bike literally wanted to leap out from under me when my cleat engaged. For such a light bike, this thing is remarkably solid. Nothing is squishy.

Given - I'm not a big or heavy rider (5'11", 147lb), but there's no sign of flex in the bottom bracket - which is likely due to the implementation of the BB90 integrated bearing system.

BB90 is amazing from what I can tell. It seamlessly interfaces with the crankset, and allows for a seriously beefy bottom bracket shell. Combined with the DA 7900 series cranks, this is a stiff and brutally efficient system for transfering power to the road. Be it on a relentless climb, a long pull at the front of a group ride, or (hopefully) the winning jump for the line - it won't hold you back. In lower gears, this is apparent in the "lunge" sensation that you get when ascending a steep incline. On the flats, you merely push a little harder and the bike meets your demand, accelerating to a new speed without hesitation.

Cruising is simply faster, and climbing is snappier. While I haven't had to throw down in a sprint yet, I'm sure it will feel amazing.

One of the many things that has really astounded me on the new setup is the feel of the freshly redesigned Shimano components. The hoods on the 6700 series shifters are remarkably ergonomic, and a great improvement over the previous 7800 grips. Perhaps the most notable feature is the flattened, widened, and elongated hood area between the bars and the lever module of the shifter.

It reminds me of the stuff Campy introduced a few years back, which won the Italian manufacturer quite a few accolades from the peanut gallery. This is a great feature for me, because I'm a fan of resting my forearms on this elongated amalgamation of bar/hood while riding hard tempo. It's a nice change of pace from riding in the drops, and makes for a somewhat aero position when cruising solo or at the head of a group. The lever shape, in conjunction with this new ergonomic design, still allows for the firm pistol-grip that Shimano is known for.

The shifting action itself is also a change of pace for Shimano. I've been trying to think of a clever analogy to describe the change from 7800 to the 6700/7900 mix, and this is the best I can come up with: If 7800 were like playing a piano, with smooth, fluid transitions from key to key, 7900 would be more like a PC keyboard. The shifts are more individual on the way up the cassette, and distinctly more mechanical on the way down - again, similar to Campy. This holds for the front as well, though as a side note, I do feel that the 6700 front derailleur is faster and more accurate than the 6600 on my previous ride.

Interestingly, the shifts don't feel like they are "jamming" the chain into gear like I've experienced with Campy - Shimano has still retained some of it's finesse, which is great considering the wide gear range (11-28) that can be accomodated by the new generation of 7900 series rear derailleurs.

The handling of the bike is pretty confidence inspiring. I usually have to adjust to a new ride over the course of a few days before I begin to understand it's finer qualities, but I found the learning curve on this build to be pleasanty facile. It's the kind of bike that does what you want it to do, before you realize you want to do it. Very responsive, but not unpredictable or twitchy.

Cornering is rock solid - point and shoot. I don't want to find the limit on my tires' grip, but I've already pushed this bike further in terms of cornering angles than any other bike I've ridden. I feel like a fighter pilot when I ride this rig. The ride quality is in large part due to the geometry of the bike and it's proprietary OCLV carbon fiber, but also relies mightily on the stellar set of Bontrager RXL wheels.

I'm obsessed with the look of the wheels. Just plain sexy. The lettering/decals remind me of those on Rolf Prima Vigor wheelsets.

In a change of style, Bontrager dumped the old paired spoke design in favor of standard lacing on the front and rear. I think it looks less distinctive, but I can't complain with the ride quality. The front wheel is radially laced, which I'd bet contributes to the feel and stability when cornering at speed.

I'd love to ooze a bit more Madone love, but I'll save a few more details for next week, after I have a few more rides in on it, and can report back on how much better the bike is than I can even tell right now.

Best regards, thanks for reading.

ありがと。

Weather

It's a fact. Wisconsin is cold.

I had originally planned a ride out to New Glarus for today - as per the usual Sunday tradition that I've been following since last spring. The route we take is low-traffic, somewhat challenging, and about 65 miles in length. Plus, there's this great little cafe in town which we love to stop at mid-ride for coffee and conversation - Fat Cat Coffee Works, in New Glarus.

These guys are super friendly to us cycling-folk, and I for one think they make a mean iced-mocha.

Despite the promise of a great weekend rid, I unfortunately woke up to a beautiful, blue-sky, 26 degree morning. That's farenheit. That's below freezing. That's a wind-chill below zero when you're traveling at 20+mph on a bike.

Now, I've been in the postion where my fingers have gotten too cold to pull the brake levers. It's scary. I don't want to repeat it.

So, instead of getting out for a real ride, I did some easy riding on the trainer, with cadence drills and one-legged spinning. I plan on hitting the weights later today after getting some studying done.

It's good that the "off" off-season (as coined by a friend of mine) - That is, the part of the off-season where you concern yourself more with how hard you avoid the bike, and any serious training - is coming to an end. I'm starting to get really motivated to resume training, because I've got this feeling that I could get wicked fast this year. Maybe everybody feels this, but it's nice for me to finally have a great season behind me, and be able to look forward, knowing that I'll be more competitive and stronger next year. This hasn't always been the case, and I'm going to savor the feeling.

The Week Ahead

Just got back to my apartment after a great time out with some friends. On a great ride with one of my teammates from Team Wisconsin this morning, I was made aware that a mutual friend of ours was celebrating his girlfriend's birthday, and I got the invitation to join up. Super glad I did. Turns out that the bar we went to was awesome, and I have every intention of returning there to actually try out the drink menu sometime. Unfortunately, with a huge week in front of me, I wasn't able to indulge much tonight, but had a couple of great conversations regarding bike racing, the Packers (who lost due to horrible offensive line play), and how pelvic X-rays tend to reveal much more than pelvic bones....

Anyway, like I said, this week is going to be hellacious. I've got three exams next week, Monday-Wednesday. I also just got an email message from my grad-student/independant research mentor informing me that we will be switching projects once again - Though, we'll be going back to one in which we have already invested a significant amount of background research time. On top of this, my off-season training plan is going to kick in this week.

Phew - tired already! I sense that coffee, sleep, and childhood memories of The Little Engine That Could will be my most valuable assets in the days to come.

Since this is mostly a blog intended to entertain/self-motivate, and inform about cycling pursuits and the two-wheeled life I live, I'll post my early stage for this year's off season training. This stage will last for the next three weeks. I'll probably start cycling-specific training again in November. For now, it's time for a break from training on ride, and a focus on relaxing fall spins.

I'm cutting back the time in the pool, but increasing intensity a bit. The swim workouts I do will need to fit into time I have before classes - usually between 7 and 8 in the morning. I'm planning on doing pyramid sets like this:

Warmup
300 yds free/breast (easy)

Pyramid
2x50
2x100
2x150
2x200
2x150
2x100
2x50

Kick/Pull Drills
200 yds

Warm Down
150 yds easy free

I should be able to squeeze that in. I hope.

To this I'll be adding 3x weekly lifting sessions on Mon, Tues, and Thurs. Back, Chest, Legs, respectively.

I'll squeeze in rides when I have the time, hopefully about 150-200 miles a week.

Rainy Day

Rain today. All day. Not that we didn't need it here in Madison.

This meant no chance to get out on the sweet Madone 5.2 that I'm borrowing from the LBS. Well, I was originally figuring on a tempo ride today, maybe 1.5-2 hrs, but instead I hit the weight room and played around with a new (to me) form of intervals on the trusty 'ole indoor trainer.

I took a soaking walk over to the UW Natatorium today between classes, and was relieved to put on some dry clothes - albeit smelly, workout clothes. Anyway, I proceeded to do an upper body workout with free weights and some simple compound body weight exercises. What???? Upper body for a cyclist? Yeah, I know - it doesn't make sense at first. I'm a firm believer that developing total body strength is a key to being athletic in any endeavor. So, in my eyes, this had it's place. Now, it doesn't mean I'm bodybuilding. In fact, I hope to add as little mass as possible, but retrain some forgotten muscle groups for additional on-bike strength and injury prevention.

So, thoroughly worked out - I went back downtown and handed in an assignment, and finished the rest of my school "work day" by completing some chemistry work and readings for various classes. I came home, and watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory (awesome) while stuffing in a little food (toast with honey, and some of TJ's omega mixed nuts), and getting dressed for my indoor workout.

Over the past season I'd heard a lot from a friend and teammate of mine about SST, or Sweet Spot Training. The idea being that you can build an aerobic base without aiming your intervals directly at high percentages of your FTP/FP or MHR for 10-20 minutes at a time - Instead, the SST approach involves prolonged efforts in L3/L4 zones, closer to 85-90% FP. I read that a good starting point was to incorporate 2-3 15 minute SST intervals with 5-10 minutes of recovery between efforts. In what I've read, this is too short to elicit a major response, but serves as a way of introducing the workout style and familiarizing yourself with the level of effort. So I did 3 15min efforts at ~100rpm, in my 52x21 and 52x19 on my Kinetic trainer. According to the trainer's power curve, this put my wattage near 245-250 for the intervals (about 85-90% of my last tested FTP) . I'm sure this isn't perfectly accurate, but it felt like a good workout - here's how it broke down (time in hours:min):

0-15: Warm up with 20sec spin ups to 165rpm and ILS
15-30: SST at 52x21
30-40: Rest, spin at 39x23
40-55: SST at 52x21
55-1:05: Rest, spin at 39x23
1:05:-1:20: SST (2 min 52x23, 2 min 52x21, 1 min 52x19) X3
1:20-1:30: Cool down, spin

Ok. So, the first interval wasn't all that hard. It wasn't "easy," but felt like a less-stressful LT.
The second one was harder because I got bored.

Seriously, if this SST stuff were to go on for 1 hour straight, I'd fall asleep at a 170 HR. BORING.

The third interval I split into three 5min over-unders, with the progression shown above. I called this SST, because I was at or below SST pace for 2 min, at SST pace for 2 min, and then well above it for 1 minute. It felt more like a tough LT interval. I liked this better than the first two though. To be honest, I think I was closer to LT pace based on my HR, which averaged 165 during the SST intervals.

I have a meeting to get to now, and lots of homework to work on for this week!

Regards, thanks for reading.

Goal Setting

Okay, so the road racing season is over. Sad. Boo-hoo.

As much as it pains me to know that I won't have to suffer up any more power climbs, or dodge any more sketchy riders... It's also a great time of the year to do other things, and take advantage of not having to endure any of the aforementioned, uh, "finer" points of racing.

So, since I've been sick for the past week, and have been without a bike until a few days ago (due to an an unfortunate crash), I have been busying myself with school, chores, friends, and good books. Actually, right now I'm reading a great book - well, really it's more of a pamphlet when you look at it's physical size - called Plunder and Blunder. It came recommended to my by my dad, and covers the rise and fall of the American Bubble Economy from a number of interesting perspectives. The winners, the losers, and the political talking heads all have their say, though the overall tone of the book does tend to bash the regulatory systems that have (in the author's opinion) lead to the collapse of the housing market, and the economic recession that we've been in. Good book, and it gives me some information that I hadn't gleaned off of my great applied econ course from last year.

Anyway, all of this can only keep my mind busy for so long. There comes a point in every athlete's off-season (usually not too far into it), when they realize they'll need to start setting goals and prioritizing for their next cycle of competition. I've come to that point in the past few days, and have started thinking about exactly what I want out of my next year. So far I've come to a few concrete conclusions, and a few things I can do in the coming months to help myself get there.

First my general goals (in no particular order):

1. I need to maintain my aerobic fitness.
   - I'll swim 3-4 times per week from September through November.
   - I'll fit in at least one long base ride per week. 4-5 hours at a moderate sub-tempo pace. Only as school allows.
2. I need to build power.
   - Weight lifting, starting the end of September 2x per week, progressing to 3x per week at higher weights and more cycling specific lifts starting November 1st. January will be maintenance lifting 2x per week, allowing a transition to cycling specific training.
   - Intervals - TBD after a consult with a coach.
3. I need to manage my body composition and overall health.
   - Simple. Eat a healthy diet. I think I've got this one covered, but I'm going to make a much more concerted effort at watching my vitamin/mineral intake and keep my immune system strong.

Now my more specific cycling goals (in no particular order):

1. I will go under 54 minutes at the state championship TT next year. I feel this is a reasonable goal considering my performance this year of 55:22 in rain/thunder/wind.
   My true goal is to see 52:xx, but 54 seems reasonable for now.
2. I will race category A in collegiate. I'll do this by placing well in early B's races, and moving up.
3. I will win a Category 3 road race or criterium. I will train my sprint, and learn to time my attacks better. I will get to the line first.
4. I will help a teammate win a race. I'll take the wind, I'll block, I'll lead out, and I'll chase down counter attacks. I want to be a part of a team that backs each other up. I'll need to learn some tactics in order to make this happen.

I guess that's it for now. I'm going to get up and go swimming tomorrow, eat some more fruits and veggies, drink some extra water, and get plenty of sleep. Sounds like a good start.

Best regards, thanks for reading.