john-on-bike :-)

Airplane Legs

2010-04-05T22:05:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything new. Oh yeah, since I've ridden by damn bike also. I was a city boy for the last 8 days. I spent all of last week in Philly and then spent some time off with the fam in NYC. Had some great times with the fam.

I got home early enough to slip in a ride. I was anxious to get out on the bike having not ridden one for a bit. I headed up to a local ride named Betasso. I knew, deep down, it was going to be a bit muddy with the warmer temps and the subsequent snow melt but I had high hopes nonetheless. I threw logic out the door and jumped on the bike.

Airplane legs were apparent about 10 minutes into the ride. Mentally, I was all there - ready for some Betasso hot laps. Physically - not even close. Funny how that works some times.

I was right: . I spent two minutes going counter clockwise on the Betasso trail and decided to turn around due to mud and snow much too often. The Link Trial was dry as a bone (and super tough I should add)Oh well! Still managed 2 hours of riding with 3k of climbing - it was great!

Front Range Mountain Bike Series

2010-03-24T06:38:00.001-06:00

I just saw this on the the ACA website. It looks like Race Pace Promotions will be hosting 6 mountain bike events at a few locations around the front range. They say the races will be short track and circuit length. The first kicks off in Lakewood with a 3-mile circuit and, depending on your category, will run for 40-60 minutes.

There are five other races: 2 in Golden and 3 in Louisville (see schedule below). This is fantastic IMO. I look forward to getting a few extra races in and not having to travel 2 hours to and from. Plus, they will be more spectator friendly, similar to CX races.

I would like to see them expand to more than CX or Short Track lengths but, hey, this is a great start and I plan to participate as best as I can.

There should be more, in-town, MTB races. Have you ever watched the world cup events in Houffalize, Belgium? - In town, massive crowds, a cool mix of streets and trails. I would love to see one in Boulder.

How Many Calories Do You Burn During a Day?

2010-03-22T20:43:00.001-06:00

Check out the Calculator. I built it on Google Docs for anyone to access. Simply update the shaded boxes and find out many calories you burn during a normal day. This formula factors your resting metabolic rate and your work lifestyle: Are you a desk jockey or the star of The Deadliest Catch?

RMR Calculator

Friends Don't Let Friends Do Crits

2010-03-18T20:23:00.004-06:00

I'll stick with the dirt!

More Power = Less Time: How much less?

2010-03-17T19:33:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: This is completely unscientific. The results compare some split times using my Garmin Edge 705 and Powertap. Undoubtedly the GPS distance is off by several feet in each of these. Regardless, it's fun to geek on the data.

I was doing some intervals up Lookout Mtn a few weeks ago and compared the Avg. Watts to Time it took to cover the same Distance. Below are the results:

You'll notice that it took me 8:02 minutes to travel 1.47m with an avg. power output of 294. The following two intervals I stepped up the pace slightly and demonstrated that I could cover the same distance in a shorter amount of time. Duh!

I then extrapolated the % faster data into a 2-hour ride to see what the impact would be, say, during a race:

So what? Just 3-Watts is meaningful over the course of an entire race. It may seem like a small improvement in performance but the results can be big!

The 8-Week Plan is Starting

2010-03-16T20:42:00.001-06:00

Ok-here we go: I'm starting the 8-week training block based on Chris Carmichael's, Time Crunched Cyclist. The key principles of the program are as follows (in my own words - sorry Chris if I'm butchering this!)

Most of us have day jobs and families - cycling comes third
You can be competitive on just 6-hours of training a week
Intensity is the key - it's what makes this program work
Rest is key- it's what makes this program work

Over the last few years I've managed, on average, 5-8 hours of cycling per week. I simply cannot ride anymore without negatively affecting the rest of my life. I've also found that I can have fun and be fit with this amount of riding. No, I'm not winning every race but I'm competitive, having fun, and every once in a while can get a top 5 or even a podium.

The first week will look like this:

Mon: Easy Effort or 45-60min
Tue:   60-90 min with 3x10min Steady State (86-90% of FTP) Intervals with 5 min BI
Wed: Easy Effort or Off
Thu: 60-90 min with 3x10min Steady State Intervals with 5 min BI
Fri:    Off
Sat: 60-90 min with 3x10min Steady State Intervals with 5 min BI or Group Ride for 90-120 min
Sun: 90-120 min Easy Effort

SS efforts are just below or at lactate threshold - something that should be able to held for a long time. Over the ensuing weeks however, the intensity will increase but the rest will be consistent with 3-days a week off.

My workout today felt great if not too easy. I need to be patient because soon the intensity will pick up and with the goal of peaking for the race in 8-weeks.

Battle at the Bear Registration is Open

2010-03-15T09:53:00.000-06:00

It's a fun, early season race. You can register HERE.

Specialized S-Works Stumjumper 29er Build and Weight

2010-03-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

I've been able to put a solid 25 hours on the bike at this point. Still, not as much singletrack time due to the weather but enough to get a good feel for the bike and the consistent sensations I get from ride to ride. It's also built in final form. I had a few items that needed updating after I picked it up from Boulder Cycle Sport - namely, cutting down the bars, swapping front derailleurs, swapping the seat, and fixing a shifter cable.

The Build

SRAM XX Drivetrain

39x26 up front with 11x36 in back
Specialized S-Works crank arms and BB

SRAM XX Disc Brakes

160mm on both ends

Stan's NoTubes ZTR Crest wheelset

DT Swiss 240 hubs
DT Revolution spokes
Alloy nipples

Custom Rockshox Reba 29er

Carbon steerer
Carbon crown

Easton Monkey-Lite Handlebars

Cut to 660mm (from 690)

ESI Chunky Grips
Ritchey WCS Stem

120mm

Specialized S-Works Seatpost
Specialized Toupe Saddle
Crankbrothers 4ti Pedals
Specialized S-Works 2.25 Captain front tire
Specialized S-Works 2.00 Fast Trak LK rear tire

The Weight

20.5 lbs complete and with pedals - Wow! I've never had a bike this light.

It's Just a Ride

2010-03-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I did a hard workout doing 3x8 min intervals up Lookout Mtn. I felt great and was able to complete the 2nd and 3rd efforts faster than the first - generally a good sign. That afternoon - I knew a cold was coming on...sh*t!

I decided to take it easy and not push it so I didn't ride or workout until today. I did an easy ride in Boulder with my good buddy, Dave who was just coming off a cold as well. We didn't do anything epic, nothing super sweet, we didn't kill it - just nice and easy and we had a great time just hangin' out and breathin' some fresh air and catching up. It's amazing how a bike ride can set things just right.

What a day

2010-03-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I had the best day that I can remember with my family up at Devil's Thumb Ranch (if you haven't been there, it is FANTASTIC) and took our kids nordic skiing for their first time. Wow! They loved...we loved it... it was beautiful in every way.

Ward's "Bakerbars"

2010-03-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

I thought a good follow on to the pancakes would be a link to Ward's "Bakerbars" on the Justin's / Titus Mountain Bike Team blog site. Ward is one of Boulder's local fast guys and all around good guy. I haven't tried them yet but I've heard from others they are delicious.

Once I find some time, I'll make a batch and let you know how they are.

ESI Grips

2010-03-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite purchases last season was a pair of ESI Grips. My buddy, Ward, turned me on to them at last year's early season, man-weekend in Fruita, CO.

Here's the bottom line: These are the only grips I've used that I can ride comfortably without gloves. My favorite grips despite the cons.

Likes:

They are light at 60 grams
Comfortable
Good looking
Color selection
Once on, they don't move

Dislikes:

Difficult to get on and off (likely have to cut them off)
The foam shows signs of memory (indentations) after about a season. Likely will want to replace every season or two depending how much you ride.

I have smallish hands and purchased the "chunky version" which works well for me. It has a bit more cush which I prefer. I know Boulder Cycle Sport has them in stock or you can order them direct. Give them a try!

Johnny G's Famous Pancakes

2010-03-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well not really famous at all but I think they're damn good! I have two pre-ride favorite foods: Pancakes and Oatmeal. I do pancakes if I'm going big and oatmeal for a shorter ride like a CX race. Below is my most current best effort recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt
4 tsp sugar (or no sugar if using flavored and sweetened yogurt - e.g. vanilla yogurt)
2 cups milk (I mostly use skim but buttermilk, 2%, or whole are always good)
2 tsp baking powder
3-4 tablespoons butter (let's face it, the more the better)
2 tsp vanilla
2-eggs

Mixin' It Up

Sift the flour into a bowl
Add the other dry ingredients
Separate the egg whites and the yolks - whisk the egg whites until frothy in a separate bowl- dump the yolks in the the dry ingredients
Melt the butter in a small bowl
Combine the rest of the wet ingredients and stir in the melted butter
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir thoroughly
If it's a bit thick, add more milk. If too thin, add some oatmeal.

Cookin' Time

Let the mix sit for 15-30 minutes
Set the griddle to 375ish
Cook until lightly browned

This recipe will make about 15, 4-5 inch sized, high quality pancakes.

I keep the ones we don't eat and warm them up for the kids' breakfast throughout the week.

Enjoy! Also, if you have better ideas let me know.

Big Ride Saturday

2010-03-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I was able to get away for a great ride with some friends. More MTB time on the road. It's interesting, I've got a lot more road time on the MTB than the road bike - go figure. I met up with Rob Jason, Von, Tom, Matt, and Shep. We did the usual Gold Hill loop. Rob, Matt, and Von opted for the "THE double ;^)" as Rob dubbed it in the email. Translation: two loops to Gold Hill. GH has a lot of climbing - from my home and back with just one loop it doles out 4,200ft of climbing.

The weather was nice, if not too warm, as many of us overdressed. The ride started off with a more mild mannered pace than usual but that didn't last too long. The last 60+ minutes to the top was full gas - at least for me. Von and Shep led the group to the top at a pace that was too stiff for me. I hadn't been on the bike too much given my travel and work schedule but surprisingly felt pretty good. Rob, Matt, and I swapped the lead a number of times each time catching the lead wheel and trying to hang on.

As I said, I surprised myself but taking some good pulls and not getting dropped. I was hurting no doubt but I felt I had more inside which was a good positive reinforcement for me. I know Rob (and Matt, although I've never ridden with him before) is a stronger rider than I am so it proved to be a good test for me.

We bombed the descent back down to Poormans where the second lap was to to start. A few fist bumps later, I was heading back down and they were off for another.

I'm having so damn much fun on the MTB. I'm trying to decide if I need the road bike any longer. Every time I throw a leg over the Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper 29er, I'm more impressed. It handles great and just feels right to me. I can't wait for the trails to open around here and be able report on how well it performs on trails I commonly ride.

I'm going to start my 8-week, Chris Carmichael, Time Crunched Cyclist plan next week in anticipation of the Battle at the Bear coming May 8th. I'll report more on the progress as it unfolds. It will be interesting with the spring break family break, a NYC vacation, and Philly travel. Motivation will need to be high to pull it off!

Stans' Tubeless Road / CX Rims - Alpha 340

2010-02-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to trying these.

I've been running tubeless on my road wheels for about 2-years now without any problems. I converted my Mavic Open Pros using Stan's CX Rim Strips. I got them to work but must admit it was a bit challenging getting the Hutchinson Fusion Road Tubeless tires to seat. The Open Pros have a super deep rim cavity- much deeper than more modern rims. As such, harder to get tires to seat.

While I haven't had any problems, in the event the tire blew, I don't think it would stay on the rim very well, if at all. That being said, it wouldn't if I was using a standard tube setup, either. The ride, I must say, is very buttery. I'm sold on road tubeless for sure. Oh yeah, I have had one slow lead (read: no flats) in two years!

Could this the rim that can be run with low pressures for CX and NOT burp? The tubular replacer? If so, Stan will sell a gazillion of them. They go on sale in the Spring supposedly.

A great MTB ride...

2010-02-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

...on the road. Not ideal but fantastic nonetheless. I had been cooped up inside for nearly two weeks and I needed to get out breath in some fresh air. I loaded up the MTB and planned for a lunch time ride at work. It was cold and gray and motivation waned a bit but I managed to get out between meetings and enjoyed an interval set up Lookout Mountain in Golden. No dirt, no singletrack and snow piled up on each side of the road. No, nothing really epic, but the fresh air and just getting out made it great.

RockyMounts Offers ‘100-percent’ Fit with TieRod Rack

2010-02-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

As seen at www.singletrack.com

http://bit.ly/cjvCKu

RockyMounts is HQ'd right here in Boulder, CO. Check out their goods. The trays and heads are really nice stuff and they come in a bunch of colors to boot.

Teejay Van Garderen

2010-02-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's cool to see this kid make it big. I had the pleasure of riding with him a few years back. There were about 25 of us on the RockyMounts squadra including Teejay's father, Marcel. Teejay happened to join us. I was in the front of the pack with him for a while. I had no idea he was as good as he was. I think he was 18 at the time and pretty humble. We chatted a bit about various things and he told me he was going to try and become pro some day. Wow - did he ever. He's made it to the big time. I should have realized this when he dropped me and the other 23 people, like a bad habit, on the last 10k of the ride.

Read on in his HTC-Columbia debut at CyclingNews. The boy finished in top 10 (should have been better) with the likes of Contador and Leipheimer.

One of my Favorite Workouts - 20/20s

2010-02-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to be get on the bike for 4 days due to business travel. Actually, I did ride the Lifecycle bike at the hotel. You know the one with the seat that is more appropriate for a John Deer Tractor. I mean c'mon - really? It's so wide, I had to sit all the way at the tip so my legs wouldn't rub. Clearly a cyclist isn't leading the product management effort for this thing. "Comfort Curve Seat" - Ha! I ride on 160 gram seats that are far more comfortable.

Anyways, I was looking forward to getting home and burning some kcals outside in the fresh air. Well, that didn't happen - MORE SNOW :-0. 3-4" Friday night and another 4" as I write. So.... back on that damned trainer for one of my favorite workouts, 20/20s.

I like this workout a lot because time flies and it is very painful (in a good way). If you haven't done them before work into them with shorter intervals first and longer rest between intervals (BI).

20/20 Workout

* 10-15 min warm up
* 5 min interval x 4. Each interval starts with 20 seconds hard effort (well above your Functional Threshold or maximum sustainable effort for 20 minutes- i.e. push very hard) followed by 20 seconds easy effort and so on until the 5 minutes is up
* 5 min EE - ~ 60% of max
* 10-min warm down

This workout is effective because it forces you to ride well past your sustainable limit and over time forcing your body to adapt. Ultimately, it should help to increase your Functional Threshold Limit)

Throw this into your training mix once or twice a week and I guarantee you'll be faster.

Good to be Home

2010-02-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the week in Philadelphia. I'm glad to be back. Looks like a lot of folks agree Boulder is a great place. We just we're ranked "happiest and healthiest" city in the nation.

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_14404187#axzz0g30Lz9bb

Finding the Time

2010-02-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'll be spending a lot of time traveling to Philadelphia since the company has agreed to be acquired. Again, all good stuff but figuring out how to keep the fitness level up is going to present a new challenge and a new level of motivation. I feel it - I just need to keep the sensation there. I keep thinking Spring time when I know that the effort I put in now will make all the difference.

As an example, I completed a 6am workout on the trainer this morning before heading to the airport. I wasn't very motivated and more or less hate doing a forced workout that early - don't get me wrong, I like the AM but would rather be doing an early AM epic MTB ride.

It started off well intentioned - get a workout in as I won't have a chance to get on the bike until the weekend. The planned workout was a good one for the trainer - especially with limited time ( I only had 45 minutes)

10 min warm up

3x5 minute intervals with 5 min BI

Each interval consists of 1 min at 100% effort followed by 3 min at 85-90% effort, and then capped with 1 min by 100% effort with a sprint thrown in at the last 10 seconds.

After the first interval I was demoralized. Yes, I did it and could sustain the effort but it felt crappy. I decided to change things up given I wasn't feeling up to another tough one. Instead I did a 6 minute effort one-legged alternating each minute. These are not the hardest cardiovascularly however they are painful on the quad (upper area connecting to the hip especially). I was able to regain some composure after my next 5 min break and then was able to cap the workout with another 5 minute, hard effort, as planned. Warm down for 5 min - all is good.

Fed the kids, kissed the wife, and off to the airport.

President's Day Weekend

2010-02-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

No bike time for me this weekend. Instead the family headed up to Winter Park, CO and did some skiing and hangin' out. We spent the weekend with some good friends. Two days of skate skiing and one tele-ing. Five kiddies in total - they had a great time.

More to come soon.

Key Ingredients to a Decent Trainer Workout

2010-02-11T21:50:00.001-07:00

I had a good session on the trainer this evening. I used a fairly standard workout I picked up from The Time Crunched Cyclist by Chris Carmichael.

15 min warm up with 3x8min Steady State (SS) efforts (85-90% of functional threshold) with 8min BI (between intervals). Simple yet effective - I hope anyway.

Key Ingredients:

Entertainment - HULU on the laptop is fantastic I must say. Especially when you've watched the 2006 Tour 23 times.
A Good Fan - Unless you're taking it easy, a fan is critical IMO. It keeps you from over cooking and feels more like on the road with a breeze at your face.
Power Meter / HR Monitor - If you've got one or both great. Very useful for precision workouts and if nothing else it allays some of the boredom by giving you something to look at and concentrate on.
Something to Drink - Probably stating the obvious here. Remember to buy some of the Camelbak Podium bottles - no drippage / spillage.
Sweat Mat - Don't sweat on the carpet, stupid!
Sweat Towel - Keep that stuff controlled - no need to get it on the bike, floor, etc.
Imagination- If you get bored do something different to get the workout completed. I've often found myself mentally not into it. Switch things up a bit - change the workout on the fly:

1- legged intervals - you'll be shocked at how odd it feels if you haven't done them before. Those pretty circles you spin so well will feel like squares.
20 / 20s - 100% for 20 seconds then 60% for 20 seconds and so on for 3-5 minutes and an equal amount of rest. Trust me - these are hard and time does go by more quickly.
1 min All out x 3 min easy for the entire workout
Standup / sit down

It's not always fun or easy but you can make it more so by trying different things and being prepared and well equipped. I'll share some other workouts with you soon to help get through the Winter.

Lower Back Pain

2010-02-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Good write up at 303cycling.com on lower back pain. Most of us suffer from it. I'm guessing few of us do much about it. Personally, I tackled the problem about 18 months ago when I started doing yoga regularly. My back pain is now gone. It really works.

Training Program

2010-02-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

With all of the snow and cold hitting Colorado (and everywhere it seems this winter) I've spent far more time on the trainer than I would like to admit. I hate the trainer to be clear. It's an evil apparatus that spawns boredom and pain all at once. Luckily I'm feeling a lot more motivated than I was last year. Perhaps its because memories of our annual man-trip out to Fruita, CO where my buddies proceeded to drag me around the high-dessert terrain for 4-days straight. I will defiantly be better prepared this year - maybe I'll just be "pulled" rather than "dragged" ;-).

Another challenge, a new one, has to do with my company; we recently sold the company to a much larger company in Philadelphia. It was a good transaction and great for me and the employees. I will however be going to Philly a lot. Figuring out how to get some solid workouts in while traveling will be a challenge - hell, maybe I'll actually miss having the trainer available.

All this being said, most of us are challenged to remain speedy on the bike while managing family and work. I mentioned earlier that I will be following The Time Crunched Cyclist by Chris Carmichael. It's an 8-10 week program so I'll begin roughly in first half of March in anticipation of my first race of the year, The Battle at the Bear, followed 2-weeks after with the second the Gunnison Growler (although I need to pull a few strings to get in as it sold out in only a few hours).

In the meantime I've been getting my 6ish hours in per week with some intensity work (85%-90%) a couple of times a week, to make sure I maintain my fitness and have a solid foundation before cranking up the intensity. Despite hating the trainer, it works, and the anticipation of the man-weekend and the first race is keeping me focused.

I want to do well in the season opener at Battle at the Bear. In 2008 I finished 3rd in the Expert class. Last year, 17th. That hurt but I knew I wasn't in as good of shape. I'm hoping to improve this year.
I've learned a lot about working out and balancing family and career. I'm not the fastest guy around by an stretch however I do know what's worked for me and what hasn't. I'll be sure to share shortly and attempt to couple those leanings with what' I've read in the Time Crunched Cyclist (which is a great read by the way and spot on for folks like us, IMO).