| 2006 october november |
| Sunday, November 19, 2006 schwack Two hours at 200 watts and I am spent. Elvis has left the building. My heart rate was around 75% so we are definitely heading in the right direction. I was up around 19mph at 90 rpms. The goal is 23mph at the same intensity for 3 hours. A tall order for sure. Coach put me on another four weeks of base training with the RiverRide added for some intensity and some time on the time trial bike to get the legs comfortable with that position. Ciao, for now. Saturday, November 18, 2006 saturdaymorningworldcupfashionshow Today was my first winter RiverRide. There are many riders going waaaayyyy too hard for this time of year. Fairbanks and I decided there is a direct correlation between November/December RiverRide "wins" and DNF's in August. I was under orders, to stay off the front so I did and it did and now I'm tired AND unfulfilled. But it was good to see that I can ride near the front just from experience and I'm not too far off from killin it. Friday, November 17, 2006 clear for take off RiverRide tomorrow, woohooo! Thursday, November 16, 2006 ready to rock I'm ready for some intensity. Hopefully I find out tomorrow how much longer. I did two hours on the bike trail today just noodling along digging the sunshine and grooving to Bob Dylan. In other news...I decided to go with the Trek T1 track frame. We are a big Trek dealer and it makes good business sense to go with the company that supplies our bread and butter. I'm in the home stretch with my dental work. All my fillings are complete and I'm just waiting until I heal from surgery to get my crown. Then a good cleaning and polishing and I'm ready for the podium. Tuesday, November 14, 2006 knackered 3 hours 45 minutes from Downtown to Folsom and back and I'm wasted. Good grief. Starting from zero has really been a mental challenge. I'm trying to do too much outside of work and training and it's making me grumpy. I think I need a time line so I'm not so overwhelmed with everything that has to fall into place in 2007. More later... Monday, November 13, 2006 back to work Three days off the bike and I feel like I'm starting over. My heart rate was through the roof. I got in a little over two hours in the rain. I'm so ready to give it the onions. I'll meet with the coach on Friday to get my plan for the next month. I hope we get to add the river ride pretty soon, I'm dying to mix it up, though I know I'll suffer like a stuck pig. Sunday, November 12, 2006 my head is swimming I spent the weekend in Walnut Creek getting a semesters worth of performance physiology crammed into my brain by the good people from USA Cycling. Professor Andy Doyle from Georgia State fucking rocks. The guy is unbelievably passionate and engaging, not to mention funny, about bioenergetics and he can teach it in a way that's practical and easy to understand. Most phd's have their heads so far into their status that they can't relate to humans. We also covered periodization and training plan design, how to assess and monitor athletes, nutrition and hydration, over-reaching vs overtraining, and racing strategy and tactics with Coach Barney King and Sam Callan. Now I have several more books to read over the winter, yahoo! I've graduated from over the counter how to books into text books and professional journals. Sweet. Thursday, November 09, 2006 pure aerobic endurance Finally. The numbers lined up today. Watts, heart rate, and cadence were all in my pure endurance zone. My spin feels great, I hope I can keep coming back to these sensations when the dog days of summer set in and I'm fighting off the tendency to pedal squares. I will still continue to go by heart rate and cadence and let the power fall where it will, but it's nice to see the numbers coming together. The goal for heart rate is 60-80% of my max and the goal for cadence is 90-100. The long term goal for the winter is to get my cruising speed up to 22-23 mph at a heart rate of about 80-84% of max. I suspect my cadence at that speed will creep up to 103-105 rpm. I'm not really manipulating the numbers while I'm on the bike at this point. I'm spinning an easy gear, 39x17,19, 21 and concentrating on deep measured breathing. The numbers game, for now, is to measure the stress load. I've been very disciplined for three weeks, except for the candy binge during which I managed to lose another pound, and will take three days completely off. I'll start into a twelve hour week on Monday. Bona sera. Wednesday, November 08, 2006 birth of biketrailsavage Okay, yesterday's ride was a wee bit tough so I went super easy for two hours up the bike trail. Recovery pace. But my spin is good and I'm feeling some strength returning. I have a threshold test scheduled for mid December, that seems so far away. I'm eager to start working on the tt bike as that is the key to winning the Madera Stage Race, and of course I like going into the Pain Cave and staying there for 45 minutes to an hour. So what's the deal with the biketrailsavage thing??? In late June of 2005 I got a call from the perennial winner of the ironman division of Eppies Great Race. He had pulled his hammie and couldn't do the run so he got me and some whippersnapper from Cal Poly to go for the overall win. Well we did what we set out to do and I must say that I like being in the position of being expected to win, almost as much as I hate losing. Anyway the fun started on the following Monday at work when Rich Maile asked how it went. He says "oh great, it's official, your now the king of the bike trail." Then I take a load of bikes out to our Sunrise store and Jackson tells me I'm a savage, not king of the bike trail but rather the bike trail savage. So there you have it, it's a running joke that is turning into a career path. Buenos noches. Tuesday, November 07, 2006 not so flat to dutch flat and beyond I rode three and a half hours in the hills with my new club today. We had twelve riders, on a tuesday!!! The roads were little to no traffic and we did about 5-6000 feet of climbing. John Elgart knows all the cool roads. We did two out and backs on dead end PG&E roads. The new bike descends and corners like it's on rails. I've heard that phrase used before but never really experienced it. I was swooping through corners at 40+ mph with total confidence. I was mostly able to ride at a steady endurance pace but had to get out of the saddle for about six minutes on one steep climb. I ended up spending about 15 minutes above my threshold Monday, November 06, 2006 ho hum I took it super easy today in preparation for tomorrow's 3-4 hour Tuesday Velo ride. Tuesday Velo is a new club started by John and Linda Elgart and sponsored by Voler. So far it seems like a good bunch of hard riders who care more about racing fitness and less about posing for the Saturdaymorningworldcupfashionshow. The bicycle is not a fucking accessory!!! Sunday, November 05, 2006 guilty "I ran out of gas! I had a flat tire! I didn't have enough money for cab fare! My tux didn't come back from the cleaners! An old friend came in from out of town! Someone stole my car! There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!" Okay, okay, so I cracked one off today. Just a little five second taste. Twelve hundred watts, 23-30mph in seven seconds, pretty good for five weeks of no sprinting. Saturday, November 04, 2006 the beast on a leash Two and a half hours just riding along. Average speed 15.0, that's the speed limit on the bike trail. Average heart rate 140. Seems like a helluva lot of suffering for such an easy pace. I want soooooo bad to go fast. So too the beast. Friday, November 03, 2006 the beast On 6/6/6 Cannondale released the new SystemSix. I built mine up today and my power to weight ratio went up just looking at it in the stand. Now the real discipline begins cuz I'm dying to sprint and this is a sprinters dream and I still have at least two weeks of noodling up and down the bike trail. This extended break from riding hard is definitely proving to me that I have to race my bike. I've started to plan my assault on Hellyer Park Velodrome next summer. I have a buddy at Sinclair so I'll probably be rocking a Ridley Oval. Stay Tuned. Thursday, November 02, 2006 rain rain Funny thing, when it rains I don't drink as much water. So now I'm playing catch up. I only saw three other savages out training today, so I guess I gained some ground. I need all the help I can get. I cut the intensity way back and just did some high cadence pedaling efficiency work. My average speed was barely 16 mph and my heart rate was 65% and my average cadence was around 90 rpm. I got rained on pretty good for the second half of the ride so now I have a dirty bike, just in time to do the part swap to the System666. I finally got a chance to try out my new rain jacket and it rocks. It's the Sugoi Hydrolite Bike Jacket. It breathes when it's not raining and kept me super dry when it was raining. It has a full zip and no scratchy velcro. Now if I can figure out haw to keep the water out of my winter Sidi's. Wednesday, November 01, 2006 getting shit done Another day off the bike. I imagine there aren't too many of those left. I got four fillings in my grill this afternoon. So far that's five fillings and a crown lengthening. For those that don't know what a crown lengthening is here you go. The periodontist cut the gum and the bone down three to five millimeters so my dentist has room to hang a crown on my two thirds rotten tooth. Three bottles of vicadin and six weeks recovery. One more filling and a crown and I'm in the clear. Why am I posting this on a cycling blog? I had no cavities when I started cycling seven years ago and I blame it on consuming pounds of sugary substances and of course poor hygiene. Oh yeah, I crashed and hit my head hard enough to knock me unconscious and a week later two fillings dissolved in my mouth. That was two years ago. A couple thousand bucks later and I am flossing every day, brushing after every meal, and after every ride. I told the dental hygienist that I consume approximately 10,000 calories of sugar on my bike during peak season and she almost fell off her stool. She gave me a toothbrush to carry in my jersey and made me promise to use it. This is a good time of the season to take care of your teeth. Don't say I didn't warn you. Tuesday, October 31, 2006 zoinks Three hours in the saddle and I'm knackered. Slept in and did nothing but ride today. How in the hell have I done 200 miles in one day? That seems so far away. Happy Halloween! Monday, October 30, 2006 off day Another day of rest, this time much needed. I get to sleep in and do three hours tomorrow, then home early for tricks and treats. I'm dying to crack off a few sprints but have been able to resist so far. My SystemSix is in and I'm collecting the necessary bits to get it on the road, then the temptation will grow exponentially. That bike is begging to go fast just sitting in the box! Sunday, October 29, 2006 back to back I did my first two day training block, another bike trail ride to Sunrise. Power, cadence and the sensations were good but the heart rate was drifting. I just let it wander and had a good ride in great weather. I feel stronger but am pretty tired, so early to bed. Saturday, October 28, 2006 break on through Two days ago I was all over my bike counting down the minutes and dreaming of hamburgers. Today I experienced a 21% increase in power and averaged two mph faster at the exact same heart rate (75% of my max) over the same out and back course. I have three more weeks of working exclusively in this zone and am hoping to get my cruising speed up to 23 mph. When Fred Rodriguez had his breakthrough season he worked extensively in this zone during his winter base and increased his cruising speed to over 25 mph. The rest is history. Friday, October 27, 2006 water water please So I think Coach is tricking me into eating less. He wants me to drink a gallon of water every day in addition to what I drink on the bike. Kinda leaves less room for food. First he tells me don't worry about my weight, and then he hits me with this water thing. So I'm drinking 5-6 24oz bottles a day. I am wondering about the balance of electrolytes though. Maybe a quick consult with Dr. Larry Armstrong is in order. Stay Tuned. Thursday, October 26, 2006 I'm knackered For 2 hours at an endurance pace all I could think about was getting off my bike and hamburgers. Goodnight. Wednesday, October 25, 2006 day of rest, sorta I was gonna come home early and kick it ps2 style but got stuck holding down the fort. Then the farging floor cleaners showed up and held me hostage for another hour. Oh well, it's money in the bank. Two more hours in the saddle tomorrow. Tuesday, October 24, 2006 cruising speed I spent two and a half hours cruising the bike trail at a high cadence in an easy gear listing to La Forza del Destina. What a way to start the day. Keeping the intensity up was easier today, but keeping my heart rate below 80% was tricky in the last 45 minutes. Monday, October 23, 2006 day of rest It seems totally ridiculous to me to take a rest day after only riding 2 hours after taking three weeks off. I guess that's why I need a coach. I get to sleep in tomorrow and go out for 2-1/2 hours before strolling in to work. That should scratch my itch. Sunday, October 22, 2006 and we're off Today was my first ride back from the mandatory 3 weeks off. I spent 2 hours riding easy up the bike trail concentrating on a high cadence and a smooth pedal stroke. I've decided to catch up on my 19th Century Italian Opera collection so Maria Callas' Rigoletto was the tunes for the day. I was able to keep my cadence high but really had to concentrate in the second half. It's amazing how tired I am after such and easy ride. I'm only allowed 8 hours in the first week and will build to 12 by week four. Saturday, October 21, 2006 The dreaded weigh-in Well, well, well. I hesitantly got on the scale for the first time since racing ended 2 months ago and to my amazement I gained a measly two pounds. The moral of the story: Make healthy choices, eat 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day, stay hydrated, get lots of sleep and tell your inner food freak to piss off. Training starts tomorrow, watch me go. Friday, October 20, 2006 tic-toc, tic-toc The d-train leaves in t-minus 36 hours. All of my bikes are ready to roll and I got a need for speed. This has been the first time in over 5 years that I've taken an expended break from training and I'm jonesing to get back in the saddle. I haven't broke a sweat in almost three weeks, what a trip. The Coach told me not to worry about what I eat, that our district is more about generating absolute power and not so much about the dreaded power to weight ratio. I was so pleased to be informed of this I went to Mary's and had a bleu cheese and bacon burger in his honor. Thursday, October 19, 2006 lunch with coach Rebirth, new beginnings, a clean slate. I love this time of year. I'm almost done with my three week break from training and am dying to get back on the bike. All the little aches and pains of a long season have melted away and the legs are feeling rejuvenated and eager to drill it. Too bad I don't get to go hard until the middle of December. I took my new coach to lunch today and we came up with a plan to ease back into training. 2007 will be my breakout season, starting with a win at the Madera Stage Race. Yep, you read it here, no turning back, anything short of a podium will be a complete disaster. Follow along and wish me luck. |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |