Rouge Roubaix Redux (again)

Cycling bloggers say it again and again every year, but it's true: I can't believe the road season is back again. It seems like just yesterday that I was running all over Staten Island so that people could jump over barriers and run along the beach with their bikes on their backs. Since then there's been a whole off-season full of behavior that would make my coach cringe (Sorry, Roger) A few pigs worth of pork had been consumed, and I've lined the pockets of far too many Trappist monks this season.

When I speak to my fellow cyclists it seems that many of them have had a bit of a hard time kicking off training this year. Should we blame the weather? Sure- let's do that. The 12+inch dumps (I'm talking snow here) kill weekend rides, which are the bread and butter of base training. A winter full of wine, food, and regrettable decisions is hard to give up, but as the scale tips farther and farther away from your ideal and delusional race weight, reality must rear its ugly head. Before you know it, its time to give up your Friday nights in hopes of 6 am central park cycling glory. So how does one prepare for a return to the life of a spandex-clad monk?

For me, two words: Rouge Roubaix. For the past three years, I've made the hilariously stupid decision of having the hardest race of the season be the first race of the season. My teammate Tim and I can't stay away from this hidden gem of a Spring Classic: 101 miles, 30 of which feature offensive, minefield-like unpaved sections that make Battenkill's "un-pave" feel like a track velodrome. Oh, and by the way, even though this race is in Louisiana, it's quite hilly. Myriad short, punchy, unpaved climbs result in almost 4,000 feet of climbing. And what's not to love about an obscenely unpaved 18% grade at mile 85?

We got in two days before the race and stayed with a mutual friend in Baton Rouge. The most eventful part of the flight was realizing that I paid more to get to the airport and get my bike on the plane than i did for my ticket. Even though JetBlue's $50 bike box fee is relatively reasonable, I'm still infuriated by the fact that I'm charged for a sub-50 lb piece of luggage just because it's a bicycle. However, on the way back I discovered a fantastic way to bypass paying to get your bike on the plane: Simply say that your bike box is a massage table. There you go. Maybe I’ll have business cards made: “CJ’s love-you-long-time massage service. Where every ending is happy.”

We got suited up in our brand-spankin-new kits and went for a spin by the Mississippi Levee. It had been so long since i had ridden in warm weather- I couldn't have been happier. As we sprinted for telephone poles, a pressing questions was mulling around in the back of my head; Am I actually going to survive this race again?

Last year's Rouge Roubaix completely tore me up. Every part of my body was shredded, and I (like many) had been bonking by the end of the ride. I managed 18th place last year, but that was also with a week of Roger's Tucson cycling camp under my belt.

This time around I didn't have much confidence in my training up until 2 weeks before the race. Sure, I did a few reluctant 2+hr sessions on the trainer and got out for longer rides when I could, but I wasn't hungry for it like I was hungry for any number of delicacies I had been consuming all winter. I'd say my biggest obstacle as a bike racer is my torrid love affair with pork and foie gras products.

The night of the race we had two dinners. Sushi at 4PM and Pasta before bed. A small ocean's worth of water was consumed, and we slammed some endurolytes in preparation for the upcoming pain fest. A laid out the buffet spread for the race. I decided to bring an extra bottle of water, 'cuz bonking at a Roubaix is about as fun as carnal relations with This.

We woke up early and zoomed over to St. Francisville in our rock racing-esque SUV. We got to the hotel and registered. right by the registration tables was a course map with a lovely elevation profile that resembled tiger woods taking a lie detector test about his business trips.

The air was a bit cold and clammy and we spent about an hour debating wardrobe selection. I decided to be a little cold at the start and go short sleeves. it would later warm up to the mid-60's range, so it was a good call. After pinning on the number and slathering on a metric ton of Sportique, we were ready to go.

the first twenty miles of the race are relatively tame. our pack of about 60 cat 4's rode in a rather un-excited fashion. My biggest priority of the first 25 miles of the race was to initiate a tinkle-stop before the first dirt section. It's long been speculated that i have the bladder of a newborn infant, and I didn't want that to be an issue later on in the race. Tim and I informed the field we should take a pee break, and a few along with us pulled off to whizz. the rest of the field, though, kept going. after about 5 minutes of riding at threshold, I finally caught back on. Hilariously enough, that's when THE REST OF THE @#$!% FIELD DECIDED TO STOP FOR A BREAK. not being one to waste energy (lazy) I was a bit riled up. Tim calmed me down and we kept going.

photo by Allen Richard

The first unpaved section was around mile 25 and is an 8 mile-long, sandy, pebbly mess. it's also where a violent acceleration happens, and the entire field gets strung out and eventually disintegrates. I would say about 10-15 people rode away from where I was in that dirt section.

I was able to organize a chase group with about 5 or so other riders and we quickly started chasing upon exiting the dirt section. We had 20 mi or so till the next dirt section, and everyone worked together quite nicely. short, sweet pulls were the name of the game.

Mile 65 would mark the start of the really nasty stuff- a short, 15% unpaved climb known as “Big Bertha” awaited us- some members of the group got dropped in the 2nd dirt section, and most were forced to dismount due to a lovely sand pit right in the middle of one of the climbs.

Between the 2nd and 3rd dirt section is a stretch of rolling asphalt- probably about 20 miles long. Last year this was the stretch where i started to hurt. I don’t think i was drinking enough or being disciplined enough about eating. I know- of all people, how could forget when you eat? This year i refilled all my bottles at every feed zone, stuffing water bottles down my jersey like a cuckolded domestique. I also brought along Nuun tablets and made sure to eat something every half hour. up until the last 5 miles of the race i felt great and had no problems staying smooth.

the 3rd and final dirt section comes around mile 80-something and goes on for about 5 miles or so. within that final hilariously bad stretch of road, you’re greeted with short punchy climbs between 10-18% and descents that should be reserved for MTB’ers and CX’ers. Many a dude wiped out or had their tires go pop. This definitely wasn't a good race for tubulars or carbon wheels. I stuck with my Campy Eurus wheels and the never disappointing Vittoria Pave Clincher. Those tires are bulletproof and are without a doubt the best tires for any unpaved road race.

the worst part of the race is most certainly the last road section up to the finish. You’ve just gone through the last unpaved stretch and you and your taint are hoping for a little solace. No way, Jose- while the last 10 miles are technically “paved,” the road is mostly chip seal and littered with potholes that make you wonder if you’re riding through a minefield. At this point all but 3 people in the chase group were actually taking pulls. Myself, a kid from Arkansas, and a dude from Natchez who looked like a bumblebee. I couldn’t tell if the rest of the group was pulling the douche move of waiting to attack at the last bit or if they were truly shattered.

The final stretch to the finish line is quite ugly: about a 500 meter uphill with a dip in the middle. as we turned into the final stretch, Arkansas gave me a nice little leadout and I sprinted my fat ass uphill for half a kilometer. I got a nice gap between me and the other guys who decided to sprint, and churned to the finish line as my legs filled to the brim with lactic acid. Note to self- never sprint for 500 meters uphill ever again. I was about to vomit when I crossed the finish line, but had a good 5 bike lengths from the rest of the guys.

The minute I crossed the line I rolled over to the curb and collapsed on a patch of grass. I started hallucinating and could have sworn I saw an ethereal Phil Collins telling me to head towards the light.

I had no idea what place I came in, and frankly I didn't care. I had finished in about 5 hrs and 13 minutes, and Tim had come in about 3 minutes ahead of me. We drove back to the start and shoved food and beer down our gullets. Everyone had a glazed look in their eyes and they all moved with a drawl that would make a normal Southerner seem like a coked-out NYC I-banker.

once we got the results, I was pretty happy: Tim came in 12th and I nabbed 15th. the first year I raced Rouge I came in 20th. Last year I got 18th. As long as I beat myself year over year I’m happy.

The next day we drove over to New Orleans to reward myself and undo all the good I did by riding 100 miles. Giant gulf oysters and Po’ Boys. Hoo-rah.

Call me a masochist, but there’s no better way to kick off the road season. Once the hardest race is behind you, everything else is a relative cakewalk. This race has also brought back my desire to train. Hell, maybe I’ll try and upgrade to 3 sometime this season. Sometimes, though, It’s just fun being an excitable cat 4.

See you guys in the park.

CJ

O' Bacon, Where art thou?

One of my new year's resolutions was to make sure I blog more- you'd think i wouldn't have a problem talking about myself for hours on end (ask any of my friends). But considering that my first blog of 2009 comes to you in mid February speaks volumes about how good i am at keeping resolutions...

I hadn't really taken the time to reflect on the end of 2008. To say the least, it was a blast. Somehow we banded together and put on an awesome race that made NYCX'ers proud. not even DFLing and getting hypothermia could quell the awesome time i had putting that race on.

And here we are, firmly entrenched in 2009. I have to admit, I'm pumped. We put together an awesome new team full of awesome guys that know how to race well and have fun, We're training with a dreamy Finnish coach who happens to be this year's National Masters CX Champ, our kits are fabulous, and there's tons of awesome races to get ready for!

I've also been dealing with the double-sided sword that is fame. ever since i was featured on the back page of a certain cycling publication this month...



Don't worry- being a fat kid in grammar school more than prepared my for the amount of anonymous hate and mockery this photo is going to get me. And while you people may THINK its fun to get accosted by attractive females every time i leave the G-damn house, it actually gets kind of old... wait, no it doesn't...


Now i know what you're dying to ask: How is the most famous mediocre cat 4 in the country going to train for a grueling season of "holja line" park races as well as hilly out of town races that he'll probably get dropped on?

Aside from a few rocky-style training montages, I've been hitting the trainer and the gym quite a bit when it's been below freezing. as riding the trainer is a miserable, lonely affair, I've been inviting friends over for "trainer dates," also known as "indoor trainer gang bangs." Everyone's favorite cat 3 sandbagger Colin Prensky joined me a few times, which i guess mean's we're going steady (he likes to spoon afterward)



Also, after suffering through 10 months of a baconless existence last year, I've decided that i will ESPECIALLY eat bacon this year! i just found out that bacon has Omega 6's in it- those are twice as good as omega 3's right?! they should invent more things that are delicious AND good for you.



The next few weeks are going to be full of training, and my first big race, the Rouge Roubaix, is only 21 days away. I did this 100 mile bastard of a race last year. Think Battenkill x 2, with rougher roads and shorter, steeper climbs, and then put the entire thing on in the middle of deliverance country in Louisiana and Mississippi. you get the idea. It's an insanely epic race that's laughably early in the season. It's also one of the best races I've competed in. Last year i came in 20th, including a flat tire and a pee break (i have the bladder of a 4 year old). This year, I'm racing with a vengeance. Roubaix tires have been purchased, and I have no qualms about going boom-boom or wee-wee in my bibs this time (bike shorts are pretty much just spandex diapers anyway, right?)




in order to get ready for the upcoming season, and to get out of the city, I'm flying out to Tucson, AZ to take part in our coach's training camp. i'll be out there riding for 5 days, up and down Mount Lemmon, crying and whining about how much i hate hills. hopefully this will transform my racing form from mediocre to a little better than mediocre. we're staying in a huge mansion in Tucson that Roger rented, complete with pool, hot tub, and sauna. Bonus- Apparently this house has also been used to film some movies that I've probably already seen on redtube, so you know it's got character! I'm just going to have to check the room with a blacklight before i go to sleep...



Tomorrow morning I'm celebrating president's day by making my way to Westwood Velo at the buttcrack of dawn to have a fitting session and Lactate Balance point test with Roger. Then it'll be TOC time. Just you wait and see- Big George is going to win a stage this week, and then dedicate it to me, his biggest fanboy (stalker).

photo by Ken Conley- kwc.org

Where Y'at?

it's been a busy busy past few weeks. There's been a lull in racing on my part, but there's tons to highlight. lets-a-go:

-last weekend I went for a (very slow) ride with my dad on the bike we got him for Christmas. It was great- no, he doesn't ride a $6000 De Rosa- we got him a Gary fisher Hybrid (courtesy of the boys at Metro bicycles on 88th). since it was cold and un-fun to ride during the winter, this was his first time out on it since we got it for him.



I admit, it may have been a silly sight seeing a 60-something guy on a clunky hybrid riding with a bike racer decked out in a (snazzy) team kit and a (very hot) Italian racing bike. i did a lap with him to see if the bike fit properly, and we strolled through the park. a nice Sunday stroll.




I haven't ridden through the park that slowly in years. It was fantastic. It made me so happy to see my father on a bike, enjoying the park- enjoying something I do- enjoying life. it was pretty awesome. He's now started riding the bike to work- go dad! he'll be rocking the masters' field in no time!

i also took my second Lactate threshold test last week- i improved a good bit, and there's further room for improvement.

Back in January:
Starting weight: 185
body fat: 16.5
Watt/kilo: 2.68
Watts @ Threshold: 225

Now:
weight: 174
body fat: 15.7
watts/kilo: 2.98
watts @ Threshold: 236

I'm happy with that- I'm looking to lose 5-15 lbs more by the new year. (whether that happens or not, we'll see)



I also had the (painful) pleasure of joining a few of my teammates on a ride with the Adler racing guys. It was only supposed to be a leisurely ride up to Nyack... riiiight- The adler guys rolled up and off we went hammering to the Orchards (about an 80 mile trip both ways). It was the toughest training ride I've been on yet- every time there was an incline, these guys would go for it. those adler guys ride a smart training ride...

i stuck on with them up until the final little climb up the the orchards. once I got there, i noticed half our team had disappeared. A delicious muffin later, we were back on the road, hammering it out. my fat ass got dropped on the climb right before the Toga shop. I tempo'ed back to the bridge, eventually catching up with the "shake" to my "bake", Matt. We both proceeded to bonk at the end of the ride- it was miserable and fantastic.


I was in New Orleans this past weekend for a friend's wedding- it was a great time, although i ate like a pig (as is the tradition in good old n'awlins)- how can you say no to beer, oysters, and po boys?? It's funny how not riding for two days makes you feel like a fatty-bobilatty.
I did get to go on a leisurely 30 miler with my old riding buddy Mikey. it was good to hit up the pancake flat levee path, and even sprint to the Huey P Long bridge on the way back. good times.



I hit up a spin class on Sunday with my buddy Luke. Sure, I may have looked a tad ridiculous doing a spin class in my team kit, but that's all i brought with me! It was a good interval workout. I was amazed at how few people that spin actually ride bikes. it's really too bad, cause I think they'd have a good head start over the average fred on a road bike...

out of the saddle Harlem hill repeats from a standing start was on the menu for today. probably the hardest weekday workout I've had to date. from a trackstand at the base of Harlem hill, you sprint to full speed, and hammer out of the saddle till you crest the hill. I started cramping after about 8 of them. ouch. At least i had some fellow teammates along with me to complain to.



It's pretty hilarious how much we (bike racers) complain. I think half of the time its geniune "i'm-in-pain-so-let's-share-in-the-experience" complaining, and the other half is the old "I'll complain that I'm tired just to make you look and feel bad after i kick your ass up that climb" sort of complaining. we all do it. it's pretty funny.

I might race the Kissena park race on Saturday. it's a short, sweet circuit race that favors sprinters. let's see what we can do with that.

Big race on the calendar is the Harlem Crit on the 17th. Combined 4/5 field. top 10 in that field is a goal- top 3 would make me go wee wee in my bibs. but hey- that's ok, cause bibs are just glorified diapers, right?

Right??

TMI.

later.

The Ultimate recovery drink:

Soaked

I just got in from a recovery ride with a teammate. Nothing crazy, just a few loops around the park. about two laps in, it starts to DUMP. pour. monsoon. it was a mini flash flood in central park. couldn't see through my sunglasses sort of rain. in a few minutes i was completely inundated with water- i had the squishy shoe going on (i love squishy shoe). I'm going to post pictures of last week's sunny ride while i talk about this, because being non-linear is cool!



I really like riding in the rain- i used to do it much more often when i was in college down in new orleans. then again, it starts to randomly rain there all the time, and the temperatures are perfect for riding in the rain. It's kind of soothing, i think. Sure, it's a pain in the ass to clean your bike up afterwards- but you get hardcore points for pedaling while everyone stays indoors. it builds character, i say!

It also reminded me of doing cross races- I really can't wait for cross season to come back. I'm in much better shape this time around- so i think it'll be a different experience. full of suffering, for sure- but hopefully with better results this time around. I'm also excited to take the upgraded cross bike through some mud and see what it can do decked out with ksyrium elites, a campy gruppo, and bars that actually fit (i'm a bike nerd, but you all knew that already)



Kissena race in Prospect park tomorrow- it's short- 17 mi, and relatively flat. Hopefully i can make something happen in the sprint this time- although I'm still getting used to prospect. We'll see.

Bear mtn is sunday- I'm marshalling it as there's no 5 field. It'll be a great race if the weather's nice. I'll be bringing a case of beer for me teammates who are racing in it.

the ultimate recovery drink.

ok, time to wash the bike grime off of me.

instant winter- just add beer

Well, most of the things i was looking forward to in the last post didn't go as planned. a freaky winter magically appeared out of nowhere and ruined all our plans!
Last Thursday morning i was riding in arm warmers, knickers, and a wind vest in 55 deg weather; 12 hrs later, the temperature drops to the 30s and 4 inches of snow gets dumped the following day.

Grant's tomb? Canceled.

Gimbel's with Saul Raisin? Nope!

so, I did what any man would do when confronted with a situation such as this on st. Patrick's day weekend: I drank way too much Guinness!

I had a serious case of Guinness 'stache.



I did attempt to make it out for a ride on st. Patties- even though the city was nasty and full of snow, Central park was clear. I hopped on my greener-than-the-Irish 'cross bike and met up with my teammate rob. we went for a quick spin. I don't know why, but it was a rough ride. I felt totally out of it. Those Guinness's were definitely welcomed afterwards.

I spun indoors on Sunday and somehow ended up getting a chainring tattoo on the front of my leg (while i was mounting the bike on the trainer...)



I though i was done with the trainer for the season. Much like many things in my life, I was premature. (Zing!)

the interval workouts have been getting tougher. yesterday's trainer session was pure ugly. 3- 10 minute efforts over my threshold, with 5 min recovery in between. When doing an interval of that length and intensity, you're confronted with pain for an extended period of time. it's not a flash of pain like the one you find in a sprint- it's almost a meditative state- a painful, sweaty meditative state with heavy breathing and your heart rate in the 180's. It's an odd sensation to explore. It's interesting to see how your though process changes when you're body's under steady stress. does anyone know what I'm talking about? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

I'm supposed to TT a loop around central park tomorrow morning to gauge my fitness. I'm hoping I can do it in under 17 minutes. It's a rolling 6 mile loop.

it's supposed to get warm again starting tomorrow. I hope it sticks. The first race of the season (for real) is this Saturday. I'm pumped and ready to go. My heart start's a-beatin' every time i think of being in a race situation. It's time to see if this training has paid off. I think I've done a good job at sticking to the training. However, i think my weakness has been diet. I've lost around 7 lbs, but could lose more if i didn't eat like an ass. I think i may be a little hard on my self, but that's the only way to improve, right?


time for sleep. TT in the morn. hoo-rah.

Crank it out

Hey boys and girls,

So while this past weekend didn't go as planned race-wise, it turned out to be a really awesome weekend for training rides. I got out for 60+ mile rides on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday was a nice hard ride- I rode out to Rockland State park via River Road and 9 W. The weather was Fantastic. It was perfect arm warmer and wind vest weather.

I can't tell you how happy I am to not be chained to a trainer any more.

By getting out this weekend I was also able to gauge my fitness. The heart rate zone training that I've been following has definitely made a different. I chug along in the Low 20's on the flats in my endurance zone, and my heart rate is lower going up the climbs.

The workouts have been getting more intense. earlier in the training season it was a bunch of endurance work. Building the aerobic base. Now we've shifted our attention to threshold intervals- resulting in horrible workouts such as the one I have to do tomorrow:

85 Min Sub/Sup Threshold Workout: Warm up: 10:00 Min Endurance interval/ 5:00 Min Sup Threshold (max effort) interval/ 10:00 Min Endurance interval. 3 x 10:00 Min Sub/Sup Threshold intervals done 5:00 min Sup Threshold/5:00 Min Sub Threshold with >95 Cadence. Take 5:00 Min Endurance Recovery at >95 Cadence after each. Finish with 15:00 Min Endurance Riding at >95 Cadence.

For the record, 5 minute max efforts followed by 5 minute sub threshold efforts hurt my soul. It's a tough workout but I think it'll pay off. gotta teach the body how to tolerate and flush out Lactic acid- raise the threshold!

I've been using the program that came with my Polar S520 to track all my metrics this year. I used to use an excel spreadsheet, but now that I've figured out how to upload my HR data, I'm never going back. The program is called "Polar Precision Performance." I'm able to track any metric I could ever want to follow, and can also put out custom reports mixing any of them. the interface is also fully customizable. check it:



(click on the photo for a bigger size)

That background pic is from the Chainbiter cross race i went to this last fall in CT. sweet!
Here's what the HR charts look like- this is from the last Threshold workout I did:



This is the input for the day's workout- it logs mileage, avg speed, time, and how much time was spend in your specific HR zones (also fully customizable). It's a great training tool and perfect for huge dorkfaces such as yours truly.



I've been riding hard this week. Having to get up at 4:30 am to get your ride in is grueling, especially when it's followed by a 12 hr work day. Such is the life of an aspiring yuppie bike racer, I guess...

Things to look forward to:

-Team kits are in! we pick them up on Friday! Weeee! Hell, that's the only reason I joined this team!!! (half joking!)

-Going to watch the Grant's tomb Criterium put on by Columbia University. Rooting our cat 4 teammates that are participating. Following that, we're going on our first team ride decked our in out fancy new kits (from Hincapie sportswear- hollah!)

-Sunday is going to be a special treat. Our team is doing the Legendary Gimbel's Ride in Westchester, and Saul Raisin is joining us! if you're not familiar with Saul, go HERE. He is a 23 year old pro, riding with the Credit Agricole team. He was in a horrible accident a year ago, fell into a coma, broke multiple bones, and had to re-learn to eat, walk, and bike. He's made a remarkable comeback and is set to race his ass off once again. Apparently on his last power test he was able to hold 400 watts for 30 minutes. Insane. I may just die on this ride, but it should be a great learning experience. It's a ride that quickly turns into a sort of race simulation, with team tactics coming into play. It basically turns into a big dick-swinging competition. I'll be find on the flats; I'm just hoping to survive the hills. Either way I'll be looking SO Pro in my new team kit!

-Chad and I are building our teammate/friend Cassie a bike from the ground up. we've found an awesome frame and we're going to built her a sweet racing machine to replace the hunk o' junk OCR 3 she's been riding. I'll document the whole thing for you kids, including where I found sweet deals on components.

-I think I'll win an award for most color-coordinated bike racer- my bike (saddle, frame, tires, bar tape), helmet and shoes all match my team kit. So pro! my stocky ass might be getting dropped, but I'll look good doing it!

I'm such a tool.

Time for bed, pain awaits me in the AM.

The Winter Cycling Ninja rides again! (sort of)

So the warm streak in new york has finally broken- the temps are finally in the 20's and 30's, and we're solidly in the winter.

We were supposed to have a short team ride yesterday morning. I woke up, saw that it was 24 degrees outside, and went ahead and dressed up. I took the cross bike out (it's maiden ride since i slapped the Campy components and carbon bars on it) and went to meet everyone at the boathouse. Well apparently I get hardcore points for being the only one who showed up! maybe it's because there was still snow on the ground...

I went ahead and got a lap in (about 6 mi) before saying "F That" and going home to ride the rollers.

rollers were fun- I didnt break my ass and I got the hang of doing it with no hands (for very brief amounts of time).

Today was two hours on the trainer.

boo. trainer time. so much trainer time.

being on the trainer for more than an hour and a half makes me suicidal. Thankfully, watching Kill Bill Vol 2 Dulled the pain a bit.

I think I'm going to start looking for a new saddle. A ong trainer season really puts your saddle to the test, and as much as I love my Fizik Arione (and as much as it matched my bike), I might need to look around, because I enjoy not being sterile.

I think I'll try out one of the New Selle Flites and the Fizik Gobi (I would try the Aliante, but that shit is wayyy too expensive)

I recently got my Fondriest Fitted by Mike Sherry at Performance Labs HC . It was a pretty Deluxe fitting, setting me back about $250. I feel much better on the bike. Mike took a ton of skeletal measurements and ended up raising my seatpost by almost 2 inches, and lowered my Stem height by about an inch. My hips are more open, and I feel different muscle groups in my legs being used. I'll be excited to get back out on the road for a real ride and see what the difference is. Overall, it was a great fitting experience. Mike was super knowledgable and did a great job. Highly reccomended!

Tomorrow's a rest day. Thank the frigging lord.

If this cold weather keeps going, I just might slap the knobbies back on my cross bike and go romping through central park on a snowy afternoon. Who's with me?!

All your base miles are belong to us

Ok, that may be a bit obscure of a title reference. Whoever gets it receives a cookie. Promise.

Base mile season is upon us. Countless hours of bland, heart-rate limited, small-chainring miles await us. We churn through the boring miles and horrific trainer sessions with the hopes that come race day it'll pay off. Until then, keep spinning- let those Freds in the park pass you- the guys that are going fast now aren't going to be fast when it counts.

My training's in full swing. The name of the game is plenty of high cadence time in my endurance zone (about 144-158 bpm for me). I'm training 6 days a week now, which is more than I'm used to, but it’s a good schedule. I've been getting on the road as much as possible, although it has finally started to turn cold, so I'm back on the trainer. I've also got a brand, spanking new set of Minoura Rollers to have fun with. Now I can crash indoors!

I tried them out for a few minutes in a doorway yesterday. It's a fun sensation. It differs from rollers in the same way that free weights at a gym differ from a weight machine: you have to stabilize yourself. No sloppy movements allowed, or else you're in for a world of hurt. Super relaxing, I know. These glorified rolling pins should help smooth out my spin and polish my control and balance on the bike, which is always appreciated.

The workouts my coach has been giving me are good, albeit complex. I had to create an interval chart just to keep track of the workout!


I'd like to start a fun little piece on this blog every few weeks where a bike is featured. Call it an ode to bike porn. The kicker is- I want to feature YOUR bikes. If you're in love with your bike, send an email to cjammet@gmail.com with pictures, a description, and why you love your bike so much. I'll make it a star, baby! I'll kick things off with mine in a few days, but then it's all you guys! (Marcella, I especially want to feature your disgustingly beautiful Guru on here!)

Time for me to jet- up at 5 am for more trainer time (or maybe rollers...). Before I go, though- here's my most recent trainer Mix:

Name	Artist
Bagpipes	Dropkick Murphys
Broken Glass	Buckcherry
Price of Love	Client
Dead Again	Buckcherry
Cochise	Audioslave
Angels Of The Silences	Counting Crows
Breakup Song	Cowboy Mouth
She Sells Sanctuary	The Cult
Cold	Crossfade
La Grange	ZZ Top
Take Me Out	Franz Ferdinand
Joe Strummer	Cowboy Mouth
This Much Fun	Cowboy Mouth
Glory and Consequence	Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Welcome to Paradise	Green Day
Absolut Kravitz - Breathe	Lenny Kravitz
Tu Dis Rien	Louise Attaque
Not Coming Home	Maroon 5
Queen- Bicycle race	Queen
Fat Bottomed Girls	Queen
To Be Young	Ryan Adams
I Summon You	Spoon
Crackerman	Stone Temple Pilots
Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head	Kylie Minogue
Drink the Water	Buckcherry
Everlong	Foo Fighters
Call On Me (Main Mix)	Eric Prydz
Whatcha Gonna do?	Cowboy Mouth
Danger Zone	Kenny Loggins
Times Like These	Foo Fighters
Over And Done With	The Proclaimers

What are YOU listening to on the trainer?

Trainer season is upon us

I woke up yesterday at 5 am and made my way to my computer. The obligatory early-morning weather check. Would it be too cold to ride? We had been really lucky here in NYC, enjoying a nice, long, pleasant fall.

27 degrees.

No thanks! 32 is my cutoff for bike training. It's not that I can't go out in colder weather (I have, and I probably will again), but it's not comfortable. As much as I love frozen booger icicles hanging on my nose, I'll usually pass.

Which brings us to indoor training.

I think we all have a love/hate relationship with our trainers. They keep us busy when we can't play outside, and they allow for us to train effectively in the winter.

But they're SO boring.

I decided to bite a big one and buy a Cycle-ops Fluid2 TT edition trainer on eBay for about $200. It was a good deal on a good trainer. The resistance curve is one that increases exponentially with wheel speed, so all you have to do to go harder is click into a harder gear.

The trainer came with the entire Chris Carmichael CTS training video line. Whoopee.

While I trust Chris and his training programs, (each video is tailored for a certain aspect of cycling- TT's, climbing, Criteriums, etc...) There is nothing, and I mean nothing more boring than riding a trainer indoors while watching other people ride on a trainer indoors.

Couldn't he at least put some decent bike racing clips in the videos? Holy hell! I'm not going to sit there watching some cyclists decked out in CTS gear sweat indoors. (Although I know a few women that might not mind...)

So what do I do to save myself from ITBD (indoor trainer boredom disorder)? Two things:

1) Action movies. Action movies are great for trainers because you can incorporate intervals into it. Here's how: Every time there's a fight scene/chase/ action sequence, Ramp it up. Presto! intervals in an action movie! Much more fun than having Chris Carmichael ask you politely to accelerate your cadence and raise your heartrate to zone 3.

2) MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE 3000! - There’s no show that makes the time fly faster than a good MST3K episode. What’s better than watching horrible B movies with hilarious commentary? If you haven’t seen any episodes, do yourself a favor and Check some out on Youtube.

What's your trainer distraction?

Whatever it is, keep doing it. As boring as they are, the more hours you put in on that trainer in the winter are going to pay off in the spring. You can laugh at all of your other friends who use the off season as an excuse to go into Jan Ullrich style guilt eating while you're gapping them up hills. (Sorry Jan, you know I love you). Stay strong, and keep spinning!

The Dreaded Lactate Threshold Test

As part of joining NY Velocity, we are given two Lactate Threshold Tests: one at the beginning, one right before racing season begins. I had the pleasure of experiencing my first one yesterday.

Hooo.


It's a pretty interesting test, but the whole experience is (rightfully so) humbling. Going into it, I know that I was a tad over trained from it being the off season, and my racing cyclocross for the first time certainly doesn't help. Ah well, such is the nature of the beast.

It was held at one of the coach's apartments. Francisco is studying to get into med school, and Is a cat 3 (i believe). The test is conducted on a Computrainer, which allows a specific wattage to be inputted as resistance.

I got to warm up for about ten minutes, and while he was calibrating the machine, he asked me to go all out for 30 seconds. I did as I was told.

I checked my max cadence to see where i stood. The fixed gear riding i started doing this year has definitely helped my spin. My cadence max was 188 RPM. hoo-rah.
I have a feeling that with my body type and leg speed, I should be training to be a sprinter. I'm going to construct this season's goals around that.

We got started with the test. The structure: 6 minute intervals with 1 minute of rest in between, during which you get your blood drawn to measure the amount of Lactic acid in your body. we started at 130 watts and went up in 30 watt increments. The first 3 or so were totally fine. I started to feel the effort after the 3rd interval, and it got worse from there. The test stops when you can no longer keep your cadence above 70 rpm.

Body 101: as your body starts to work anaerobically, your body produces lactic acid as a by-product of the anaerobic process. Your muscles use the Lactic acid as fuel as well, but as exertion increases, Lactic acid starts to accumulate at a faster rate than your body can use/flush out.

and in walks muscle pain, stage left.

at 310 watts, My legs started giving out. I had 1 minute left for that interval, but just couldn't do it. and there have it, kids. Pain, pain, pain.

And it's oddly satisfying.

I think that as a group, cyclists are some of the only people who engage in positive masochism. obviously our cousins in running and tri's know the deal, but it's different.

The most important and helpful output from the LT test is that now I know what my HR zones are. This'll allow me to train more effectively, and built up my aerobic base by riding at just-below threshold for extended periods of time.

Time for sleep. light spin in the AM. The temperatures are finally low enough that I can take out my new Castelli bibs for a test run. Here's to hoping they're toasty.