The temperatures tried hard to finally beat the freezing mark and generally broke in to the mid 40's over the weekend. Hardly shorts weather and I was still using toe warmers. But at least I wasn't fighting snow and ice like last weekend.
Friday I was training by doing micro intervals, pushing had up the hills. I was supposed to do it on a trail if possible but we won't be riding on any trails for some time. So I used a portion of my back road route that had a lot of hills on it. I managed to see some of my highest wattage and HR numbers on this ride and was worn out when done. The intensity of the short efforts was not something I had been doing yet but is the phase I'm moving into now.
Saturday was a long ride and was intended to get used to riding at the endurance level I thought I would sustain for the 100 mile races. Trying to keep a steady pace while monitoring wattage as well as nutrition and hyrdration. Starting off in the morning my legs were definitely feeling the effects of the previous day.
I noticed that while I intentionally kept the effort in check I was only a couple of minutes off my pace of some of my faster times at the early checkpoints I use on my route for reference. I was slower by the time I hit my turn around spot but part of that was due to the roads becoming worse the farther I went into the ride.
The roads were starting to dry in spots but others were full of holes and water and mud were in quite a few spots. by the time I got home I knew my bike was going to need some parts replaced due to the constant wear of the mud and grit over the last few months. Even cleaning the bike after each ride does not prevent the wear that build up with repeated use.
The first local mountain bike race is supposed to be in two weeks but the condition of the trails is questionable. Every year the promoter has an early race and every year there is a debate on whether the race should be held, damage potential to the trails, etc. Last year the weather cooperated just in time to make the trails OK. This year we may not be as fortunate. And people may not wait for the trails to really be OK for riding so that they can practice for the race which will tear up the trails even more.
I wonder if the Cohutta race in TN will be the first time I actually get to ride off road this year? Although the dirt roads lately have made it seem like I'm on a trail :-)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Michigan Spring
Not having to work yesterday I got out for a 4+ hour ride on the roads to try and beat the snow due in later in the evening. The roads were finally clear of snow but in some of the shady areas the runoff from the previous day was frozen in the early morning temperatures. There was also a dampness in the air which seemed to work its way inside me by the time I was done.
Later in the afternoon I was reading reports of heavy snowfall to the southwest of us and hazardous road conditions. The snow started falling by us later in the evening.
This morning were were fortunate to only have about 3-4 inches. Sandy was disappointed that there wasn't more so she could go xc skiing but for me it was about the limit to navigate the back roads by bike. I was a out for a couple of hours but had to be careful in spots due to the snow on the roads, including the packed surfaces that would break apart as you rolled over them. I ran into Mike Simonson who is also getting ready for the Cohutta 100 next month. In fact, I've seen him every day the past two weekends I've been out. We train in the same area for the same reasons, relatively light traffic and some of the bigger hills around.
Later in the day I went over to Fraser bikes to check out the big sale they were having since the Cannondale rep would be there. The Cannondale demo truck was also scheduled but due to the snow they decided not to risk the drive. The store is impressive as it is pretty new and has an extensive training facility as part of their operations.
The rest of the weekend is reserved for Easter with the family although I will do an easy ride tomorrow to rest the legs. The next two weekends I will be putting in some long days to get ready for the first 100 mile race in a few weeks.
Later in the afternoon I was reading reports of heavy snowfall to the southwest of us and hazardous road conditions. The snow started falling by us later in the evening.
This morning were were fortunate to only have about 3-4 inches. Sandy was disappointed that there wasn't more so she could go xc skiing but for me it was about the limit to navigate the back roads by bike. I was a out for a couple of hours but had to be careful in spots due to the snow on the roads, including the packed surfaces that would break apart as you rolled over them. I ran into Mike Simonson who is also getting ready for the Cohutta 100 next month. In fact, I've seen him every day the past two weekends I've been out. We train in the same area for the same reasons, relatively light traffic and some of the bigger hills around.
Later in the day I went over to Fraser bikes to check out the big sale they were having since the Cannondale rep would be there. The Cannondale demo truck was also scheduled but due to the snow they decided not to risk the drive. The store is impressive as it is pretty new and has an extensive training facility as part of their operations.
The rest of the weekend is reserved for Easter with the family although I will do an easy ride tomorrow to rest the legs. The next two weekends I will be putting in some long days to get ready for the first 100 mile race in a few weeks.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Christmas in March
I have been hearing about Christmas in March ever since I signed up with the Sobe/Cannondale team. It's the day when out new uniforms and many of our sponor's products show up. Last week we got word the boxes were shipping and today it arrived.
Inside was all sorts of goodies including team uniforms, socks, gloves, Uvex helmet, Diadora shoes, Smith Trace glasses, Marmot jacket, hoodie sweatshirt, hats, Hydrapak, wireless comoputer, Bear Naked products and more. At least I'll look good.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Weekend wonderfulness
The weather has finally cooperated in getting the roads cleared of the snow and ice buildup. But the melting snowbanks mean that rivers of muddy water are running down some of them and the roads are soft and muddy in other spots. But then there are those beautiful sections of dry, smooth dirt. But don't let let them fool you because just around the corner is a landmine of potholes, waiting to cause a flat or damage your rim.
Saturday morning my coach came out to ride and I took him on the first half of my hill route. We managed to ride down the snowmobile packed snow and parts of a rail trail that were covered with snow but also packed down from foot traffic. The road conditions ranged from great to poor, dry to very muddy. My partial fenders helped keep a lot of the mud off me but I was still covered pretty good in the front.
I hit one of the many pot holes a little too hard and flatted the front tire. It didn't take too long and we were on our way. By the time we were finished with the ride I was feeling a little tired but happy to ride outside. I was looking forward to doing it again on Sunday. But I took some full fenders off another bike in preparation for the mud.
On Sunday two of my Cannondale Midwast team members came over for a repeat of Saturday's route. They were both on single speeds while I took the easy way with gears. Hugh rode his fixed gear cyclocross bike with huge 44x16 gearing. My knees would probably be blown out if I tried that.
The roads were in better shape in spots but I managed to get a flat on the front tire again, from a hole on a different down hill than the previous day. After getting home and downloading the data from the ride I was pleased to find that the wattage output in various metrics were almost identical to Saturday's ride. It just hurt more to achieve it. But overall that is good that I could do the same work two days in a row.
I was going to relax once I got done riding but my son told me about a new TV that Circuit City had just gotten in, a 2008 model of a 2007 TV that he had been looking to buy. And he had gotten an email from CC with a discount. After I took a quick shower we went over to look at the TV. Bottom line, we now have moved into the high definition age with a 50" HD plasma TV in our living room. The picture is amazing and the HD channels are super clear, just like in the showroom. But of course it couldn't just sit on top of our old floor console TV, right?
Meijer was having a sale on TV stands and since my son works there that is another 10% off. After dinner we went over and picked one up. Or more precisely, picked up the kit. We spent the next hour and a half assembling the stand but once finished and in place it does look good. Plus the stand has shelves and drawers that will hopefully hold the video game stuff that seems to always be strewn about.
Now we just need to get another big screen for in the basement for when i'm on the trainer. I'm not holding my breath on that.
Saturday morning my coach came out to ride and I took him on the first half of my hill route. We managed to ride down the snowmobile packed snow and parts of a rail trail that were covered with snow but also packed down from foot traffic. The road conditions ranged from great to poor, dry to very muddy. My partial fenders helped keep a lot of the mud off me but I was still covered pretty good in the front.
I hit one of the many pot holes a little too hard and flatted the front tire. It didn't take too long and we were on our way. By the time we were finished with the ride I was feeling a little tired but happy to ride outside. I was looking forward to doing it again on Sunday. But I took some full fenders off another bike in preparation for the mud.
On Sunday two of my Cannondale Midwast team members came over for a repeat of Saturday's route. They were both on single speeds while I took the easy way with gears. Hugh rode his fixed gear cyclocross bike with huge 44x16 gearing. My knees would probably be blown out if I tried that.
The roads were in better shape in spots but I managed to get a flat on the front tire again, from a hole on a different down hill than the previous day. After getting home and downloading the data from the ride I was pleased to find that the wattage output in various metrics were almost identical to Saturday's ride. It just hurt more to achieve it. But overall that is good that I could do the same work two days in a row.
I was going to relax once I got done riding but my son told me about a new TV that Circuit City had just gotten in, a 2008 model of a 2007 TV that he had been looking to buy. And he had gotten an email from CC with a discount. After I took a quick shower we went over to look at the TV. Bottom line, we now have moved into the high definition age with a 50" HD plasma TV in our living room. The picture is amazing and the HD channels are super clear, just like in the showroom. But of course it couldn't just sit on top of our old floor console TV, right?
Meijer was having a sale on TV stands and since my son works there that is another 10% off. After dinner we went over and picked one up. Or more precisely, picked up the kit. We spent the next hour and a half assembling the stand but once finished and in place it does look good. Plus the stand has shelves and drawers that will hopefully hold the video game stuff that seems to always be strewn about.
Now we just need to get another big screen for in the basement for when i'm on the trainer. I'm not holding my breath on that.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Slipping but not sliding
This time I was able to ride for a few hours outside without falling down. While the roads were generally free of snow, many of the back roads had patches of ice on them. Some roads were completely coated with ice and I don't know how cars were able to negotiate some of the hills and curves. I left the studded tires on and didn't have any problems although I was still careful to not get too aggressive in the corners.
The trails were perfect for riding early in the morning, the snowmobiles had packed them down while the snow was soft and now that everything had frozen it was almost like riding on dirt. Too soon thought we will lose the little snow that is left and then we will have to wait for the trails to dry out. Unfortunately these trails take a long time to dry but there are others close by that do drain quickly.
The first big race is now less than six weeks away and the training is ramping up with longer time on the bike and higher intensity. Hopefully I can actually ride some trails prior to travelling to Tennessee.
The trails were perfect for riding early in the morning, the snowmobiles had packed them down while the snow was soft and now that everything had frozen it was almost like riding on dirt. Too soon thought we will lose the little snow that is left and then we will have to wait for the trails to dry out. Unfortunately these trails take a long time to dry but there are others close by that do drain quickly.
The first big race is now less than six weeks away and the training is ramping up with longer time on the bike and higher intensity. Hopefully I can actually ride some trails prior to travelling to Tennessee.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Exercise can help seniors avoid dreaded falls
The title of this post is also the title of an article I saw in today's paper. What timing, based on my post from yesterday. Maybe at last I could find the secret to staying upright. But then I read it and thought, exercise is WHY I fall down!
The article makes some good points about the need to continue to exercise as you age and also points out places to get more information. But I didn't see anything about how to keep from falling when riding your bike :-(
The article makes some good points about the need to continue to exercise as you age and also points out places to get more information. But I didn't see anything about how to keep from falling when riding your bike :-(
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Outside and upside down
After spending the week on the trainer I was determined to get outside and ride, despite the snow that seemed to have fallen all week, including on Friday night. On Saturday I took out the bike with the PowerTap so that I would have a good feel for the effort required to ride with a group of my friends.
It was kind of discouraging when you can barely make it out of the subdivision due to the snow. Since I got a late start I headed up to Chris's house in the most direct route, along a busy 4 lane highway through town. The sidewalks weren't clear I rode in the street and through the melting slush for several miles.
By the time I got to Chris's house he had already left so I kept rolling, knowing which way he was heading. I made a turn off a subdivision street and on to a cut through path only to have the bike stop dead and throwing me off. Naturally there was a lady walking her dogs right when I did it. I assured her I was OK and that it was just a part of winter riding. A little while later I could see Chris, Mark and Bryan up ahead. It wasn't too long before I caught up.
On the generally snow covered roads their fat tires stayed on top of the surface while my skinny tires would cut down and squirm all over, requiring a lot of effort to maintain balance and forward motion. I had no problems keeping the wattage up in these sections. When we would finally come to a hard, smooth stretch I would put the hammer down to keep up the required intensity. Overall the ride accomplished what I needed from a training standpoint plus I got to ride outside and with some of my friends.
Today I had a similar ride on the schedule but on the SS. With the fatter tires I was able to stay on top of the snow but there were more icy spots and snow covered ice than yesterday, due to the partial melt and overnight refreeze. It was another day to practice bike control and pedal technique; part way up some of the hills the rear wheel would suddenly spin from hitting ice and I would have to adjust my pedalling.
Coming down one of the bigger hills in the area I was riding in a lot of churned up snow due to cars spinning their wheels on the way up or locking their wheels on the way down. I was trying to be careful but as a car passed me going the opposite way I moved over and promptly slid out while they watched. Again, I assured someone that it's part of winter riding.
I was having problems with my rear brake starting to fade but still had some use of it. As I was coming to a stop on a slight downgrade the front wheel suddenly turned 90 degrees and threw me off the bike. Of course this time there was a car behind me. I almost couldn't stand up due to the ice I was on. The driver of the car said it was a pretty cool looking crash. Hmm, three crashes and every time someone right there to watch. I'm not too sure I would be a good poster child to promote the fun of winter biking.
After arriving home with no more mishaps I went right back out to get in some xc skiing with Sandy. She's sorry that the snow will soon be gone. I don't think that I can say the same.
The race at Lake Orion High School was written up and published in our local paper last week. There were more photos in the print edition.
It was kind of discouraging when you can barely make it out of the subdivision due to the snow. Since I got a late start I headed up to Chris's house in the most direct route, along a busy 4 lane highway through town. The sidewalks weren't clear I rode in the street and through the melting slush for several miles.
By the time I got to Chris's house he had already left so I kept rolling, knowing which way he was heading. I made a turn off a subdivision street and on to a cut through path only to have the bike stop dead and throwing me off. Naturally there was a lady walking her dogs right when I did it. I assured her I was OK and that it was just a part of winter riding. A little while later I could see Chris, Mark and Bryan up ahead. It wasn't too long before I caught up.
On the generally snow covered roads their fat tires stayed on top of the surface while my skinny tires would cut down and squirm all over, requiring a lot of effort to maintain balance and forward motion. I had no problems keeping the wattage up in these sections. When we would finally come to a hard, smooth stretch I would put the hammer down to keep up the required intensity. Overall the ride accomplished what I needed from a training standpoint plus I got to ride outside and with some of my friends.
Today I had a similar ride on the schedule but on the SS. With the fatter tires I was able to stay on top of the snow but there were more icy spots and snow covered ice than yesterday, due to the partial melt and overnight refreeze. It was another day to practice bike control and pedal technique; part way up some of the hills the rear wheel would suddenly spin from hitting ice and I would have to adjust my pedalling.
Coming down one of the bigger hills in the area I was riding in a lot of churned up snow due to cars spinning their wheels on the way up or locking their wheels on the way down. I was trying to be careful but as a car passed me going the opposite way I moved over and promptly slid out while they watched. Again, I assured someone that it's part of winter riding.
I was having problems with my rear brake starting to fade but still had some use of it. As I was coming to a stop on a slight downgrade the front wheel suddenly turned 90 degrees and threw me off the bike. Of course this time there was a car behind me. I almost couldn't stand up due to the ice I was on. The driver of the car said it was a pretty cool looking crash. Hmm, three crashes and every time someone right there to watch. I'm not too sure I would be a good poster child to promote the fun of winter biking.
After arriving home with no more mishaps I went right back out to get in some xc skiing with Sandy. She's sorry that the snow will soon be gone. I don't think that I can say the same.
The race at Lake Orion High School was written up and published in our local paper last week. There were more photos in the print edition.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Oliver's getting bigger
I'm not too sure about you
And YOU! Who do you think you're fooling? (in his best Alfred Hitchcock imitation)
What?
I can stick my finger in other places now, too!
Sandy and I drove down to Indiana this weekend to spend a little time with our grandson and daughter in-law and her mom. Emily had flown in to spend some time with her mother after her mom had knee surgery. Since this was only 4.5 hours away by car we wanted to take the opportunity to see the family. It is certainly a lot closer than trying to get out to Montana for a day.
We saw Oliver back at the end of November when he was about a month old. Three months later he has changed quite a bit. Of course he's bigger but he can now support himself and seems to be pretty strong. He's also developing a personality, with giggling and facial expressions to show his moods.
We had a nice visit but way too short. Hopefully we can get to see the whole family later this year if they make a trip back this way.
Friday, February 22, 2008
I see red people
Most of the 2008 Cannondale Midwest Team members gathered at the Scurr's last Saturday to get to know each other and listen to what was in store for the coming season. While I am not officially on the team this year due to my Cannondale contract, I still try to help the team where I can.
The 2008 team has really expanded geographically as it is now a truly Midwest team, with team members from Indiana and Ohio. We represent the shops and marketing area of our Cannondale sales rep. Several of the new members from both of those states made the long drive up to the meeting. Two of them raced at Lake Orion High School earlier in the day. I'm sure seeing all that red made the Hoosier and Buckeye fans feel right at home. I would have preferred something in blue.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Great day for a race
We were fortunate to have great weather for Saturday's running and mountain bike race. Blue skies made the chilly temperatures seem a lot warmer that it really was. Overnight lows in the single digits gave way to the high teens by race time.
A lot of time was spent trying to get the course ready to ride on as the foot of snow in the week preceeding the race would have made it mostly a hike-a-bike for much of the 3.2 miles. I was fortunate enough to get the use of a 4-wheeler with a plow and I spent quite a few hours Friday night and Saturday morning plowing the course. By race time I estimated 90% could be ridden on the first lap.
After the runners got through and awards given out it was time to send off the bikes. They course wound it's way up the drive and across the parking lot where you began the first section of snow covered trail. I was not able to clear this section very well so most were forced to dismount and run. Then came the signature feature of this course, down the sledding hill. Many riders chose to get off and run down but some did ride, with varying degrees of success. Check out the youtube video to see what they faced. The runners came UP this hill near the end of their race.
As the race went on the bikes broke down some some of the snow so the course became slower. I had calculated this into the number of laps required and as a result, the races were just about the ideal length for this time of year. Everyone, from runners to riders seemed to have a good time. T-shirts that the school had made up said this was the first annual event so soon it will be time to start planning next year's race. And maybe even one in the summer, this year or next.
A lot of time was spent trying to get the course ready to ride on as the foot of snow in the week preceeding the race would have made it mostly a hike-a-bike for much of the 3.2 miles. I was fortunate enough to get the use of a 4-wheeler with a plow and I spent quite a few hours Friday night and Saturday morning plowing the course. By race time I estimated 90% could be ridden on the first lap.
After the runners got through and awards given out it was time to send off the bikes. They course wound it's way up the drive and across the parking lot where you began the first section of snow covered trail. I was not able to clear this section very well so most were forced to dismount and run. Then came the signature feature of this course, down the sledding hill. Many riders chose to get off and run down but some did ride, with varying degrees of success. Check out the youtube video to see what they faced. The runners came UP this hill near the end of their race.
As the race went on the bikes broke down some some of the snow so the course became slower. I had calculated this into the number of laps required and as a result, the races were just about the ideal length for this time of year. Everyone, from runners to riders seemed to have a good time. T-shirts that the school had made up said this was the first annual event so soon it will be time to start planning next year's race. And maybe even one in the summer, this year or next.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
37 Yesterday, -1 and dropping today
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday afternoon Sandy and I were out skiing in the relatively balmy 37 degree weather but we could feel the weather front starting to move in. While we were out the wind was picking up and the temperature dropping as the trails started to get crusty.
This morning it was 7 degrees as I headed out to the MMBA annual meeting to set up the Hammer booth and spend the day there selling product, seeing everyone again, and picking up my Champinship Point Series award; the first time I've gotten one for the Expert class.
By the time we left in the afternoon it was down to one degree and the wind was still blowing. Right now it's -1 and it's supposed to drop even more. Time to button up those longjohns.
While the weather was warm yesterday I managed to get hold of a couple of snowmobilers and have them meet me at the high school where I got to drive one around most of next Saturday's race course while the other snowmobile followed. I don't know how much good it did but it may have helped some. I am meeting the school organizer tomorrow to walk the trail so I'll have a chance to check it out.
Hopefully we will have a decent turnout for the race. The school organizer was a little worried because there weren't many preregistrations yet but that is normal for a winter race. I dropped off some flyers at a few of the bike and running shops yesterday.
I wrote once before about having a bigger bullseye on my back now that I will be riding for the SoBe Cannondale team and it may be getting bigger. I was sent an email from the NUE series organizers with some questions to fill out and send back along with a couple of pictures. It seems that they are working on a race program to be distributed at all of the races which will include among other things a brief description of the contenders in each of the series' categories: Male, Female, SS and Masters. I can't be anonymous anymore.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
What's wrong with a little snow?
Unfortunately we did not get the amount of snow predicted this past Friday. It's too bad as there are plenty of things to do in the snow besides trying to ride a bike.
Yesterday Sandy and I headed back up to Roscommon to the XC Ski Headquarters to see if they could get Sandy on some skis that would work for her. The previous two tries at REI were unsuccessful. Since the Ski Headquarters only does xc skiing for the most part, they have a very knowlegable staff and a great selection. They were able to find several models for Sandy and had demos of each available for her to try.
After trying the various models several times Sandy was able to select one that she felt comfortable with and the whole package was cheaper than the ones we had at REI (not factoring in the cost of driving to Roscommon). I tried a demo set myself while we went out on the trails with Sandy's new skis.
This morning I tried to do an easy hour or so on the bike outside but the back roads had not been plowed so the packed snow made it a little difficult in spots to keep the intensity low. It was a session for practicing my balance though. Later in the day Sandy and I went out to a local county park where they groom the trails for xc skiing so we could gt a little more time in before the warm temperatures ad rain may mean an ealy end to the fun on the snow.
The warmer temperatures are expected to stick around for a while so it may mean that the MTB race scheduled for Feb 16 may end up getting cancelled due to soft conditions. The run poriton will still take place.
Yesterday Sandy and I headed back up to Roscommon to the XC Ski Headquarters to see if they could get Sandy on some skis that would work for her. The previous two tries at REI were unsuccessful. Since the Ski Headquarters only does xc skiing for the most part, they have a very knowlegable staff and a great selection. They were able to find several models for Sandy and had demos of each available for her to try.
After trying the various models several times Sandy was able to select one that she felt comfortable with and the whole package was cheaper than the ones we had at REI (not factoring in the cost of driving to Roscommon). I tried a demo set myself while we went out on the trails with Sandy's new skis.
This morning I tried to do an easy hour or so on the bike outside but the back roads had not been plowed so the packed snow made it a little difficult in spots to keep the intensity low. It was a session for practicing my balance though. Later in the day Sandy and I went out to a local county park where they groom the trails for xc skiing so we could gt a little more time in before the warm temperatures ad rain may mean an ealy end to the fun on the snow.
The warmer temperatures are expected to stick around for a while so it may mean that the MTB race scheduled for Feb 16 may end up getting cancelled due to soft conditions. The run poriton will still take place.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Weekend update
Additional snow Saturday morning so I decided to do my scheduled interval on the trainer, 70 minutes at a target wattage if indoors, longer and a higher wattage if outside. I could tell I was getting a little bored with riding on the trainer though as I looked for excuses to delay getting on the bike. Once I actually got down to it it wasn't so bad, especially as I was watching the movie Apocalypto.
Later in the day Sandy and I went out and snowshoed around the run course I am setting up for the race on Feb 16 at Lake Orion High School. The race seems to be getting some interest and I have a meeting with the school organizer on Monday to go over what still needs to be done. I'm not certain on the actual race distance yet but the course is pretty much settled.
Today I had the same workout scheduled as yesterday but I put on the studded tires and headed outside to the back roads. Thank goodness for the studs as I could tell I would have gone down a few times without them, especially as I was pedalling hard on the downhills trying to keep the wattage up. The studded tires even allowed me to stand of the up hills. I think I probably wasted some energy concentrating on keeping the bike upright in the snow and ice but it was good balance training.
Two of our dogs were as tired as I was in the afternoon. The black one weighs close to 90 pounds but definitely kept me warm.
Later in the day Sandy and I went out and snowshoed around the run course I am setting up for the race on Feb 16 at Lake Orion High School. The race seems to be getting some interest and I have a meeting with the school organizer on Monday to go over what still needs to be done. I'm not certain on the actual race distance yet but the course is pretty much settled.
Today I had the same workout scheduled as yesterday but I put on the studded tires and headed outside to the back roads. Thank goodness for the studs as I could tell I would have gone down a few times without them, especially as I was pedalling hard on the downhills trying to keep the wattage up. The studded tires even allowed me to stand of the up hills. I think I probably wasted some energy concentrating on keeping the bike upright in the snow and ice but it was good balance training.
Two of our dogs were as tired as I was in the afternoon. The black one weighs close to 90 pounds but definitely kept me warm.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Fueling worksheet
People have asked me about how much of certain products they should use in races. That is a unique amount per individual but some general guidelines are available. I developed a spreadsheet that not only gives guidelines by weight but also allows you to determine the proper mix to get your hourly caloric needs.
Remember that this is something that each individual needs to work out for themselves during training. It is better to err on the low side of hourly needs.
Unfortunately I couldn't get the spread sheet to load directly to this page. Here is the spreadsheet
Once there click on the Excel icon on the left to download it as a worksheet.
Remember that this is something that each individual needs to work out for themselves during training. It is better to err on the low side of hourly needs.
Unfortunately I couldn't get the spread sheet to load directly to this page. Here is the spreadsheet
Once there click on the Excel icon on the left to download it as a worksheet.
Monday, January 21, 2008
SoBe returns to Cannondale
SoBe has returned to be the main sponsor for the Cannondale MTB team for 2008. Some may remember the SoBe name from a few years ago when they were the sponsor prior to the Bear Naked team. My understanding is the Bear Naked will continue to support the team but in a different capacity.
The new uniforms look sweet, much better in my opinion than the green and yellow ones from before. I haven't seen them in person yet but pictures of the kits are in the Cannondale fall/winter clothing catalog.
There has not been any formal press announcement that I know of but I would expect something before too long.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
OK, it's Winter
Just a week ago I titled the blog "Seems Like Spring". And now this weekend we have had a high of 11 so far with wind chills in the negative numbers. I didn't bother to try and ride outside since my computer would probably stop working or the cold might damage the PowerTap hub.
Tomorrow it is suppose to warm up some and I may ride outside regardless since I have the day off from work. I want to get some idea of the distances and possible laps times for the course options I have set up for the race on the 16th of next month. Todd and Jay met me up at the school today to hike the course and give me their impressions. Even though it was bitter cold, Jay hung around after the hike to run a lap or two of the course.
Tonight the Cannondale Midwest Racing team is going to have a virtual team meeting. In addition to setting up a conference call Joel and Robin will also be using the computer to illustrate a few things. We should all be able to see exactly what they are doing while looking at our own computers. I have used a similar technology at work but never outside of it. It should be interesting.
Tomorrow it is suppose to warm up some and I may ride outside regardless since I have the day off from work. I want to get some idea of the distances and possible laps times for the course options I have set up for the race on the 16th of next month. Todd and Jay met me up at the school today to hike the course and give me their impressions. Even though it was bitter cold, Jay hung around after the hike to run a lap or two of the course.
Tonight the Cannondale Midwest Racing team is going to have a virtual team meeting. In addition to setting up a conference call Joel and Robin will also be using the computer to illustrate a few things. We should all be able to see exactly what they are doing while looking at our own computers. I have used a similar technology at work but never outside of it. It should be interesting.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Fueling for Success
I have done a few race nutrition strategy seminars for various groups and people ask me for advice fairly frequently. I am limited by my new contract with the Cannondale team as to what I can do with my previous sponsor, Hammer Nutrition, so I thought I would post the presentation I used in the hope that it can help answer some questions.
If you have questions about race nutrition strategies in general I can try to answer them, or point you in the right direction of someone who can.
If it doesn't display correctly on this page you can go here
If you have questions about race nutrition strategies in general I can try to answer them, or point you in the right direction of someone who can.
If it doesn't display correctly on this page you can go here
Friday, January 18, 2008
Studly
I picked up a set of Nokian studded tires yesterday that will fit my 29'er and road bike wheels. I have a set for 26" MTB wheels but since I'm now on the bigger wheels most of the time, I needed a different set. Maybe they will help to prevent me from crashing on the roads. They do add some weight but at this time of the year that's not a big deal. The current weather forecast of temperatures in the single digits may mean that these will get a workout real soon.
Here is the text of the tire description from Peter White Cycles.
My best, all purpose, do just about everything really well, no compromise tire is the 700x40 W240 from Nokian. Let's face it, most of the time we're out there in winter, the roads are clear of snow. So a full knobby tire like the 700c Extreme (below) is going to slow you down. But when there is snow on the ground, you'd like a tire with enough tread that it can cut through and contact pavement. And, if you try to always ride on plowed roads that shouldn't develop icy ruts, there's always the odd time you have to make a detour, or the plows didn't get through, or whatever, and you find your front tire heading down a rut. Icy ruts are extremely dangerous. If your tire can't climb the side of a rut and roll out of it, you'll hit the ground, and you'll hit hard.
TheW240 has wide enough tread blocks to keep rolling resistance to a minimum, and studs in the center as well as the sides of the tread to help give you grip in all icy conditions. When the tire gets into a rut, the studs on the side can dig into the ice and you remain in control. If your tire only has studs in the center, it can slide along the side of a rut, and never climb out. That's far less likely to happen with the W240.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Winter Race February 16 at Lake Orion High School
I have been working with the local school to put on a winter mountain bike race. As a bonus there will be a running race as well. Here is the race flyer so you can mail in your registration and save a few dollars. You should be able to print it using the printer icon.
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