My World From a Bicycle

Comparative Measurements of Maximal Outputs for Cyclists

2011-09-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Maximal Power Output (W/kg) via Andrew Coggan, Ph.D
Click image to enlarge.

My adjusted data chart with additional estimated maximal cycling outputs
Click image to enlarge.

Above are two data charts that both show a wide spectrum of differing abilities of cyclists as athletes and different possible predicted output measurements. Not only do these charts give a snapshot view of the full range of power output of cyclists, but they can be used to help an individual realistically see where they fit into the big picture and help identify what "type" of rider they are (i.e. sprinter, time trialist, pursuit rider, kilo rider, all arounder)

The source of my data comes from "Power Profiling"by Andrew Coggan, Ph.D. (data can not be copyrighted, please feel free to copy and share!), and the Bike Calculator. A few important points to understand about the first chart (top): The four data columns of 5 second, 1 minute, 5 minute and FT (functional threshold or lactate threshold: maximal effort that can be sustained for one hour plus) are all maximal expected values for that particular level (pro through non-racer). Every individual cyclist will produce a measure for each timed maximal effort that will chart them at different levels for that result. For example: a world class sprinter can not also be a world class time trialist. This is because of the physiological make up of individual athletes, where sprinters tend to have higher ratios of fast twitch muscle fibers comparative to slow twitch fibers, which favors time-trialing.

This makes the first chart very valuable because it not only allows comparisons between all levels, it also helps an individual to use their scores to identify their natural strengths and weaknesses, and to thereby train and race accordingly.

Understandably, many cyclists do not use watt meters and may not be familiar with what wattage they can generate, especially on a watts/kg scale. I created a second chart (bottom) as a variation of the first to show speed produced from these differing outputs and an estimate of VO2 max across the spectrum of abilities. These 4 other data fields help illustrate the differences between cycling abilities (or levels).

I used the Bike Calculator to predict a maximum sprint speed and a 40 kilometer time trial time result in minutes and also average speed in mph for that distance for each wattage per level. Again, I think speed is an easier measurement to understand than wattage.

From personal experience, I have found the Bike Calculator to be very reliable (within several seconds) for predicting 40k time trial results when using full aero gear (helmet, wheels, and bike).

Note: For my chart above, I used the following values, bicycle weight: 15.5lbs, tires: tubular, position: aerobar, grade and headwind: 0, distance: 24.85miles (40k), temperature: 75F, elevation: 100ft, and transfer efficiency: 95%.

In order to produce a sprint number that matched my personal experience, I used results from the "bar end" position on the calculator, rather than the "drops" position because the later produced a much too high speed number. I'm sure that this is simply because it takes much much longer than a 5 second maximal burst to reach the maximum cruising speed of that wattage.

Instead I found that the "bar ends" position matched very well (within a few 10ths of a mph) to my personal experience of doing 200 meter sprints, with a starting speed of around 20mph and sprinting as if 200 meters was the finish line. However, it's noteworthy to mention that the world record for sprinting, the flying 200 meters, is actually 46.7mph (9.572seconds; much faster than the top of my chart's world class level) set by Kevin Sireau from France, set in Moscow, Russia, 30May2009. Still with that said, I would guesstimate his speed would be closer to my chart numbers with the conditions I have previously described.

The bottom chart also has an estimated VO2 max calculation value for each cycling level. I used the American College of Sports Medicine formula:

VO2 (L/min) = 0.0108 x power (W) + 0.007 x body mass (kg)

I used the wattage produced from the 5 minute maximum for my calculation of VO2 (L/min) and then

divided that result by the riders weight in kilograms to produce the result in ml/kg/min, which is a standard comparative measurement of VO2 max.

There are several ways in which my method for calculating VO2 max can produce error. For example: an unfit cyclists may only be able to ride for 3-4 minutes at their VO2 max and not 5 minutes, whereas fit riders can ride anaerobically above their VO2 max during a 5 minute effort
(most athletes can sustain a power that would elicit 105-110% of their VO2max for this duration). The first would give a falsely low number and the second would give a falsely high number.

With that said, I still think that this chart has value for guesstimating one's own VO2 max. The only way to get an accurate measurement is in a laboratory setting and measure oxygen consumption during different work loads.

It is ideal to know your physical abilities and where you stack up against your competitors. And of course it is desirable to have the physical advantage in a competition, but proper strategy and tactics typically (almost always in fact) trump the physical advantage alone. To learn more about bicycle racing tactics and strategies, click here.

To learn more about aerodynamics in cycling click here.

Bicycle Racing Tactics and Strategies

2011-09-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

There's not a lot of good material out there on tactics for bike racing, so I thought this would be a good a place as any to provide some, plus this format is ideal in that readers (and myself) can comment and add or correct points made here.

My first introduction to bike racing tactics was from Greg Lemond's Complete Book of Cycling (no longer in print), then later by teammates, reading countless race articles in the cycling magazines, books, watching many hours of race footage on tv and over two decades of personal race experience. Needless to say, I've learned a thing or two and I'm more than happy to share.

The importance of race tactics can not be understated. Typically race tactics determine race outcomes far more than just physical ability alone. The fantasy of beating your opponent by pure brute strength alone is just that.... a fantasy. One reason for this is that bike racing is organized by ability (categories), and the other is that most often proper race tactics will trump a physically stronger rider with poor tactics, because of nature of bike racing (particularly aerodynamics).

It is critical to understand the role that aerodynamics play in bike racing in order understand race tactics. For this article I am going to assume that you understand the specifics of aerodynamics and bicycling. (If you don't, please click this text-link to read my comprehensive article on the subject).

Here's a few definitions that the beginner/novice must know to understand cycling tactics:
*Attack: A swift acceleration designed to separate a rider from the pack
*Breakaway: An individual rider or a group of riders who have created a significant gap between themselves and the main peloton or smaller group of riders
*Bridge: The act of closing the distance to a rider or group of riders when they have created a gap.
*Chase: When the peloton or small group of riders is working to close the distance to a rider or group of riders who are out ahead of the group.
*Counterattack: The act of attacking from within the chase group immediately after the group has caught the rider or riders whom they were chasing down.
*Drafting: a position behind or to the side of a rider that enables another rider to stay out of the wind.

*Wheel Sucker: Competitor who stays behind other racers in their draft and will not move into a lead position and share the work load in order to gain a competitive advantage.
* Operation Drizzopple: Procedure for getting rid of a wheel sucker by collective gaping off the paceline and sprinting back on until the wheel sucker fatigues and falls off the pace, or begins pulling.
*Pacelining: A practice where a group of cyclists are organized to efficiently take turns riding in the wind and sitting in protected from the wind (drafting)
* Echelon: technique to make maximum use of another rider's slipstream in a crosswind, typically diagonally stacked in a line (variation of pacelining)
*pulling through: to move into a vacated lead position from second in a paceline or pack.
*Lead out: The act of riding hard and fast at the front to provide shelter for a teammate and set him up for a sprint to the finish.
*Blocking: Disrupting the competitors from chasing riders (teammates) up the road. This can be a subtle art. Typically it is done by being physically between the breakaway riders and the chasers and simply going a little slower than the lead riders which allows greater separation between the two. It's subtle because if blocking is done too aggressively (as in riding too slowly), the riders being blocked will simply come around and chase. (It is illegal to purposely impede the forward progress of a competitor, especially by swerving). Another form of blocking is by setting on the lead chasers wheel and not pulling through (wheel sucking). This form of blocking disrupts the pace and helps the breakaway gain distance.

There are multiple and interactive types of tactics in bike racing, namely psychological and physical, which can be divided into categories of individual and team tactics. Bicycle racing is typically a team sport (some exceptions may include track, mountain, bmx), but can be done as an individual without teammates.

Bicycle racing, like most sports, is like warfare without the killing. All racing tactics can be discussed in the context of Sun Tzu's masterpiece work, "Art of War". His principles and philosophies can be applied beyond warfare to many areas of life, but here I will apply it to bike racing specifically.

There are several principles from Sun Tzu that can be applied to racing tactics. The first being "Winning Whole". The idea is to win with your resources and objective intact. This is accomplished by 1. Removing your competitor's hope for victory, 2. Using all of your advantages, 3. Exploiting your competitor's weaknesses, 4. Attacking along an unexpected line.

Applied to bike racing, your resources includes items such as your physical and mental being, finances, and even relationships, while your objective is winning, which I will equate to idea of respect (one of the primary measures of winning). Winning by methods of any means possible, is against the first principle of Sun Tzu. Specifically cheating, which may lead to a victory, but an incomplete or false victory; one that's absent of respect (both from self and others). There is a similar moral code to both warfare and bicycle racing.

1. Removing your competitor's hope for victory. Example in bike racing: a.) Gaining a great enough lead that your competitor gives up, such as lapping the field in bike racing. b.) A lesser example is for a break-a-way group to have enough advantage that they are not visible to the chasing group. c.) another example is sitting on a competitors wheel when you have a teammate in a break (you (almost)never chase your own teammate). By sitting on a chasing competitors wheel, you remove some of his/her hope because they know that not only will you not aid them, but you are in a drafting advantage using less energy than them, and you will counterattack them when the opportunity arises (this can have a crushing effect if done repetitively).

2. Using all of you advantages. Examples in bike racing: (Too many possibilities to list all here) a). Great hill climbers attacking up long climbs, b.) great sprinters sitting in for the finish, c.) superior bike handler attacking a technical course, d.)large dominate teams sending riders away on breaks and then blocking for them, and then counterattacking the chase group if they catch their teammates e.) ability to learn the course by preriding, especially when your competitor can't. f.) getting a great starting position on a technical course because of hometown connections.

3. Exploiting your competitor's weaknesses. Example in bike racing: a.) if your competitor has no teammates, and you do, use your teammates to block (position themselves between) him/her in and send your riders away, cover your competitor as he/she chases and then counter attack if he/she catches the group. b.) attack if you see that your competitor has fallen off or is struggling to maintain contact with the group. c.) if your competitor is an inferior sprinter, try to make sure the outcome is decided in a sprint finish.

"Know your enemy and know yourself", Sun Tzu warns. If you do so, then you will win a hundred out of a hundred battles, Sun Tzu promises.

4. Attacking along an unexpected line: Example in bike racing: Making a run from behind, not off the front in plain sight. Using tactical variations. If you typically win by sprinting, try a breakaway win or the opposite (this can work very well if you are good at both disciplines of sprinting and time trialing)

Another principle is of Sun Tzu is "Way of Life". Engaging in battles you cannot win is a waste of time and resources and not in accord with the Way of Life. Applied to bike racing, one should generally seek out races that one is capable of winning or at least being competitive in. Going to a race above one's ability (happily races are ability/experience based) and getting spit out the back is a waste of one's time and resources. Getting beat up is not really character building. Do not let pride overrun good judgement.

To win whole, you must find the means to keep you and your teammates morale high while you destroy your competitors morale or make it easy for them to quit. In bike racing this is done by 1. competing in races you can do well in and doing well; winning. As for making it easier for your competitor to give up, sugar goes much further than vinegar. Meaning that being courteous and respectful to your competitor takes some of the steam out of their sails; reduces their will to fight. Remember, in bike racing we tend to race the same people repetitively over time. Nothing motivates a person more than the chance to defeat an asshole (someone you dislike). In bike racing it is far easier to ruin another racer's chance for winning than it is to help someone win (because of the nature of drafting). Again do not let pride overrun good judgement.

Sun Tzu says to defeat your opponent quickly so that won't become fatigued and lose your strength.
In bike racing the best application of this tactic is in the development of breakaways. The early efforts of a breakaway should be very near 100% effort so as to either lap the field or at least get out of sight.

With that said another principle from the Art of War comes from chapter 3, "Attack by Stratagem". This is the art of winning without giving the appearance of trying or winning with the least effort required to do so. This is done by drafting when possible and racing technically correct, such as not pulling competitors up hills or into headwinds, remaining hydrated and fueled, and timing effort correctly, etc.

Deception can be a major part of strategy, such as appearing strong when, in fact, you're weak, or appearing weak when you are strong. In fact deception forms the basis for all warfare. This premise from Sun Tzu applied to bike racing would be as such: Absolutely never tell your competitor that that your legs are starting to cramp up, or that you are dying (when this is the case). Instead present a good poker face and stretch and hydrate at the end of group out of site. Conversely when you feel strong do not show it by taking long hard pulls. Do the opposite, take short pulls, and feign fatigue (hang-dog facial expression, shaking out your quads, head low, verbally reporting fatigue, etc).

Keep in mind if you lie to your competitor that you are unable to take your turn to pull and then later attack, they will of course never believe you again (unless you later convince them that you recovered) and they will have a good reason (because you're a lying asshole..... their perspective) to spoil your future races if possible. Deceit should be used sparely and convincingly. A bluff should generally never be revealed if possible.

Chapter 5, Energy (or "Directing") in Sun Tzu's book focuses on the use of creativity and timing in building an army's momentum. As applied to bike racing, visualization is a very valuable and creative tool for improved performance. Additionally pacing oneself and using the proper timing of one's energy is critical for successful bike racing. For example it is critical to close gaps quickly in order to stay with the group, bridge up to critical breakaways, and time one's efforts in the closing kilometers and final sprint finish. (this generally requires experience). Additionally, a poorly calculated effort can result in "blowing up" and having to dramatically reduce your work load just to complete the distance.

Chapter 6, Weak Points and the Strong (or "Illusion and Reality"): "Strike the weak and avoid the strong" , wisely advices Sun Tzu. In bike racing being the first to attack puts you in the stronger position because you lead the way according to how you have chosen. In bike racing it is often better dishing out the punishment rather than taking it. Specifically being in the front of a race that has a technical course with lots of turns. The lead riders are able to choose their lines and generally can go through them cleanly without breaking (slowing), whereas riders in the back tend to bunch up and break into the corners and then have to sprint maximally out of the corners in order to keep up (this is progressively fatiguing) , like a giant accordion. This effect can lead to gaps and riders getting dropped from the group.

Also, it is typically best not to attack early in a race because everyone is generally still strong. It's best to get into breakaways and attack near the end of the race when your competitors are at their weakest.

Riders who will not "pull through" in a breakaway paceline are called wheel suckers. These racers often are sprinters and they are conserving their energy at the expense of their breakaway mates and greatly increasing their chances for victory by using their advantage of sprinting abilities.

The most ideal method for dealing with a rider who refuses to take a turn pulling is for everyone in the break to take turns drifting off the paceline with the "wheel sucker" on their wheel and then sprinting hard back onto the group If everyone does this repetitively, this will eventually cause the "wheel sucker" to fatigue and not be able to claw their way back onto the group (also called Operation Drizzopple)

Chapters 10 and 11, The Nine Situations and Terrain (also known as "Situational Positioning")
Use the best position and tactics in relation to the environment and to your opponent. One of the best tactics in bike racing is to "attack" with a team into a crosswind as pictured above.
Riders 1 through 4 represent a team that have created an echelon, and riders A and B would be competitors for this illustration. Riders 1, A and B are essentially all exposed to wind and are riding maximally. Riders 2, 3 and 4 are in the draft and are using considerably less energy (30-40% less). Rider 4 is the gate keeper. His job is stay as far right as possible so that rider A can't get any draft behind him while communicating to rider 3 to adjust left or right accordingly for his draft (helpful because the cross-drafting rider may not be possible to see). 3 tells 2 the adjust as well, who in turn, communicates the same to rider 1. All riders "hold their line", meaning ride relatively fixed lines with the road (no swerving). After a short period of time (30-60 seconds), riders 1, 2, and 3 take turns in the lead position by rotating in a counter-clockwise position. Rider 4, the gate keeper, holds his position to prevent non-teammates from entering the draft.

Gate keeper's are not always necessary for echelons to work, but it makes it easier for rider 1 to assume rider 3's position, otherwise there can be some difficultly with rider A, who will be fighting for a drafting position.

Tactically, rider 4 is also in a good position to block for his teammates by slowly drifting off. Or he could drift off and sprint back on to see if they can create a separation.

Another good tactic is to attack before a technical turn. It's even better when you have a teammate subtly block in response. The confusion of the peloton in the turn will give you much needed time to establish a break off the front.

Additionally, breakaway groups have a slightly better chance of success in wet conditions (the peloton tends to not draft as effectively because of water spray and navigates corners slower). And breakaways and solo riders have slightly better chances of success with cross-winds and tailwind conditions (both reduce the effects for drafting with larger numbers, as opposed to sections with headwinds and downhills because a large group maintain a higher speed by rotation of fresh riders.

Breakaway groups with all the major teams represented have a much better chance of success (compared to riders from just one team or a weaker team), and especially so if the team leaders are present in these breakaways. These are breakaways that you should try to be in. Not only will their teammates not chase, but in many cases they will actively block for them.

To learn more about Sun Tzu and The Art of War applied to sport click here. Or better yet, buy the book and read it for yourself. There are more principles that can be applied to both bike racing and your life in general.

To learn other helpful cycling and racing tips see my page above for topics such as what and when to eat for competitive cycling, psychology for competitive cycling, how to be faster with no additional effort, how to effectively high speed corner on a racing bike, and more.

Bicycle Trainers are good for you.

2011-07-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

A reader recently suggested that I write an article about bike trainers. I had never thought about this topic for a blogpost before, but I think it's a great one for several reasons.

The trainer I use.

First, I feel that new riders need to know the value of having a trainer. Many of the "old timers" in my cycling community really hate trainers and speak negatively against them (for reasons that I will address). Some of them wrongly suggest that riding a trainer isn't helpful for conditioning. As they are set in their ways, I'm afraid it's too late for them, but perhaps I can put some new riders on the right track with some good information.

Actually bike trainers are a great training tool for a serious cyclist. It allows a cyclist to pedal their bike any time of day or night, for as little or as long as they would like and avoid any kind of negative weather condition such as extreme heat, cold, wind, snow, etc. Plus the pedal time is 100% car free, there are no worries of traffic, stop lights, road hazards, dogs, etc, that can alter or halt a workout. It simply eliminates all geological and environmental conditions that can interfere with a planed workout.

And the workout can be extremely controlled concerning effort. Trainer workouts are ideal for specifically timed interval training at specific efforts. Plus they can be used for warming up for races or used to maintain fitness while recovering from an injury that would ordinarily prevent road riding, and stretching legs out after traveling. It's also an ideal way to burn more calories and reduce body fat (especially upon waking before eating). Most importantly it allows a rider to use a stationary bicycle that is properly fitted specifically to the rider (far superior to a gym-cycle).

Before I lose my readers, let me share 3 extremely important facts/tips about bicycle trainers:

1. You must protect your bike from sweat! Specifically the stem and headset area. Human sweat is extremely corrosive to metal parts and will destroy your bearings and such over time. This can easily be prevented by covering these parts with a dry cloth (change as necessary). Blam! I just saved you a few hundred bucks! (depending on your equipment). You're welcome!

2. Riding a trainer is harder than riding a bike on the road. Literally. The primary reason is that you hardly ever coast (not pedal for a period of time) on a trainer, but you often do when road riding (5-20% of the time depending) This means that your muscles do more work, and as a result have less time to recover. This can be hard on knees (tendons typically), if they aren't adapted properly over time and/or allowed to periodically rest and be stretched during a workout. A secondary reason is inertia. This topic can become rather long winded. In short, a trainer punishes a rider with a poor pedal stroke compared to a poor pedal stroke on the road. (It's related to the dead-spots of a pedal stroke and drive-train drag. I'll discuss it in more detail later along with other considerations).

3. You need a fan. A very good fan. Riding a trainer releases a lot of energy in the form of heat. Much of that is from your body captured in sweat. Do yourself a favor and run a fan or two on you as you ride. You'll be MUCH more comfortable and ride longer as well.

"So why do old timers hate riding the trainer", you ask? Well, the primary reason that they report hating riding the trainer is boredom. And that's legit. Riding the open road is much more ideal typically. Nothing can replace the joy of real biking. I would never suggest trading it for trainer riding just for the sake of it.

I've already covered reasons for choosing a trainer ride over outdoor riding. Now, let me discuss how to make it enjoyable or at least bearable: First prepare your trainer workout. Set up the fan, get some towels to capture sweat, set up a side table for storing items in easy reach, such as cell phone, music player, tv/stereo remote, bottled icewater, etc. Watching cycling related videos or upbeat shows can help pass time (for non-intense riding) Gadgets such as powermeters and or heart rate monitors are ideal. They not only provide something to focus on, they help quantify one's efforts, which when applied correctly to training can help a cyclist improve their physical conditioning.

Keep it short or break it up. An hour is pretty long on a trainer, but that is an fairly ideal workout period (10 minutes still beats zero though) . I don't recommend longer unless suffering is one of your goals. Periodically stop and stretch your muscles and ligaments. Also ride the trainer standing and or change positions frequently. This lets blood flow back into your nether regions and makes you more comfortable. Add intervals to your workout (there are too many combination/variations for this post). Mentally rehearse bike races or just meditate about different life issues. The trainer is a great place to contemplate life issues, especially one's that trigger you autonomic nervous system.

As a general rule, intensity of an exercise is more valuable than duration alone (this is a future topic to be discussed, a balance is required). For a specific set of intensity exercises on the stationary bike trainer see Selene Yeager's article, "How to Ride Inside: Indoor Trainer Workouts for Cyclists".

Without a doubt, the greatest tool for making a stationary trainer ride more enjoyable is music. However, one problem with trainers and music is being able to hear it. Many trainers become progressively louder. I've used some that sounded like a jet was taking off (or at least a mower). The solution is to use noise isolating earbuds. I have used many including the top of the line by both Bose and Shure (both are good but pricey) and I can tell you that the absolute best sounding earbud for it's price is the Koss KE29S Steel Isolating Earbuds, who's slogan is, "Hearing is Believing" and they got that right. They are freakin' awesome!

Unfortunately, I have destroyed every earphone set I've ever owned. Riding on a trainer is one of the ways, particularly due to sweat. Happily, the Koss earbuds are nearly waterproof. I've even machine washed and dried a pair that was accidentally left in a jersey pocket and they still worked! Do yourself a favor and buy one. I'll help you out...... just click the Amazon ad and they'll send it you to. You're welcome!

One reason that "old timers" list hating trainers is that they don't provide a real road feel. This is true and is mainly due the laws of physics. This is largely because the trainer is more difficult than the road due to inertia differences. Specifically, the trainer produces a more constant drag on the wheel/chain as the cranks rotate. Whereas a bicycle on the road will continue to move forward when power is removed, whereas on a trainer the wheel will come to a stop rather quickly (the trainer/wheel has less inertia). This becomes a big deal if a rider has a poor/inefficient pedal stroke. Specifically poor muscle firing (or contracting) during the revolution of the crank. The top and the bottom of the pedal stroke is the point of particular concern. An ideal pedal stroke should have a small amount of push over the top and pull at the bottom. Just the right amount, not too much, and should feel natural. Lemond describes the bottom stroke as wiping your feet off on a carpet. I would describe the top stroke as a floating slide. Please do not over exaggerate either, as doing so will become inefficient, the pedal stroke should feel natural. Dr. James Martin has done research showing that pulling up during a pedal stroke is not efficient (oxygen use for watts generated) for cycling. An exception would be sprinting, in which case you should use every muscle fiber in a properly timed fashion all the way to your facial expression.

I should probably mention the subject of cadences (crank rotations per minute) regarding trainers. It has been shown that lower cadences are more efficient (oxygen used per watt generated) specifically 60rpm is superior to 100rpm (this is going to upset the old timers). But I am going to throw the old timers a bone. Higher rpms such as 90 are much easier on the knees. Sprinting cadences are best in the 120rpm range. I would suggest mixing up rpms as you ride to keep things from getting boring. Also periodically stop and stretch your muscles and ligaments. (You can read more about proper crank length and cadences here)

I embedded the below video for a couple of reasons. One it is informative about several good trainers from the industry leader in trainers, and the other is that it is narrated by Robbie "The Rocket" Ventura. I've actually raced him a few times . Plus the trainer I purchased came with a dvd video of Robbie racing at Downers Grove. It was meaningful to me because I recognized several riders in the video (Joe Hill namely). The video was clearly pre GoPro era because Robbie was wearing a backpack just to film the race. Pretty funny from today's perspective.

Anyway, these are great trainers and I highly recommend the CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer. It's an extremely good trainer and is the quietest one that I am personally aware of.

Below is another video that Robbie Ventura is in (sorry CycleOps), discussing the Lemond Revolution Trainer:
I find the design of this trainer to be nearly ideal. The rear wheel is removed in order to connect the bike directly to the trainer. This is ideal because this method doesn't wear out tires like traditional trainers do and will not produce any slippage from jump starts like some trainers can. Additionally it eliminates the potential damage that can happen with certain skewers (or just poor clamping) with traditional designs. My only hesitation on giving it a perfect rating is that it is not quiet when in use. In fact it becomes pretty loud during higher efforts. Still it's among the best.

Of course the "old timers" probably wouldn't forgive me if I didn't mention rollers. Instead of describing them in great detail you can watch the below embedded video that shows some exceptional riding on rollers.

Riding rollers is pretty cool if you have never done it before. The primary advantages of rollers are that they are not so boring. It is necessary to pay attention so that you don't fall off, and they replicate a more realistic road feel because of the inertia of the wheels.

The down side is that is very difficult to stand and pedal (which is important in my opinion) and very difficult to do a good sprint effort. And of course you can fall off and go boom (sweat can make the rollers slick).

I can both ride rollers no handed and one legged (probably not combined). I've also ridden rollers on a ship that was rolling (best to line the trainer forward/aft against the ship's rolls), and on a flat bed trailer pulled about in a parade with nothing to grab ahold of (I had to have help starting and stopping).

If for some reason (superflurous use of parenthesis) you want to purchase rollers, here you go:

Time lapse from bicycle

2011-05-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'm just finally using one of the cool features on my GoProCamera HD Hero. Namely the time lapse photography mode of the camera.

I find it fun to experiment with. It's as if I have a new camera again.

I think this format would be cool to quickly showcase an area or capture some interesting scenes such as a sunset, rapid weather scenarios, low tide/high tide, etc.

I look forward to experimenting.

The above video was shot with the settings of photo ever 2 second mode and mounted to the handlebars of my mountain bike. I rendered the video at 7 frames per second.

I rode at a fairly slow pace of maybe 5-7 mph along the MKT trail in Columbia Missouri and traveled through campus and ended in front of a water display and tiger sculpture at the Mel Carnahan Quadrangle.

Below is a video produced by some students from the University of Missouri that briefly discusses some of the history of many of the buildings that I passed by in my time lapse video.

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The below video isn't time lapse, but it was made by me.

I must say, that I find the campus to be beautiful.

The campus has seen tremendous improvements over the last decade. Averaging about 100 million dollars per year in improvements, or 1 billion dollars total. Not too shabby.

Of course all of these improvements where done after I graduated :-(

The forward aft camera perspective gives a unique mobile view of parts of the campus.

The music is Beethoven (btw).
Symphony # 7 in A major, OP 92 II. Allegato , Artist: Philharmonic Cassanova

This American Bicycle Race

2011-02-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

This post is all about "classic American bicycle racing". Ladies and gentlemen, My World From a Bicycle presents for your viewing pleasure, "the criterium".

This type of bicycle racing is by far the most common form of licensed/sanctioned road bicycle racing here in the States. It's the easiest venue for race promoters to produce/organize. Criteriums are born from the necessity of having to operate many different categories of races (juniors (under 18), women, men, ranked categories (professional thru level 5 amateur), and masters (typically 30, 40, 50, year + ), and obtaining permits for race operation and street closure, combined with safety concerns of securing the course from cars entering, and placing crowd barriers and covering fixed objects (such as fire hydrants and electric poles) with straw bails etc. All racers are licensed and insured through the governing body, USA Cycling.

I would like to point out that the below series of videos were actually made possible from a sum mountain of technology. Beginning with digital technology of computers, internet, YouTube, Blogger, HD Hero cameras, SRM wireless watt meters, several computer software programs, carbon fiber, etc. And get this........ it's free to view, pause, rewind, jump around and skip, share with others (please do), comment on, or........... *gasp* ignore.

It's my thinking that this race is particularly worth viewing (in part or whole) because of several reasons including: 1. The forward and aft camera perspective gives a more complete view and understanding of the race activity. 2. The embedded speed, wattage, and cadence data. This information really shows how much a criterium is a "gas-on/gas-off" style of racing. (for the non-informed, this is fast and hard racing), 3. The level of competition is very high. In fact, unusually so. This particular race is typically a regional amateur/professional level race, but on this day it was very much a national level race. In fact, this race had at least 4 current National Champions including David Henderson, Jonathan Jacobs, Eric Young and Daniel Holloway (current USA Professional Criterium Champion - he's wearing the yellow leaders jersey), and other former National Champions and at least one former World Champion (Steve Tilford). 4. This race is viewable in it's entirety, and to my knowledge, this is the first and only place that this has ever been done (in this viewer friendly format)

This race took place on Saturday Sept 4th, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri and was the 2nd race of a 4 day race series.

click here to link to the race site

Race results can be found here.

I would like to point out that I have a music player device that you may activate at your liking (located on the right column, 2nd item from the top). The embedded video's audio can be muted or the volume can be controlled with the tool bar settings under the video. Additionally the video can be "full sized" by clicking on the expanding arrows on the toolbar and the video quality level can be controlled as well..

This is a lot of video time (the entire race is about 90 minutes) and I know most people won't have time to view the entire series, so I plan on writing a summation of the key points under each clip with a time point, so that viewers can skip to or choose which section might interest them.

The above video (first of 12 part series) opens with all of the racers at the line and the announcer calling up the top race leaders of the omnium series to the line, including 4th place Chad Cagle from team Park Place Dealerships, 3rd place Brad Huff from team Jelly Belly (professional cyclist), 2nd place Rob Bush from team Kenda Pro Cycling Team, and onmium race leader Daniel Holloway from Bissell Pro Cycling.

1:10 officials race instruction, 2:20 message from City Alderman Donna Barringer and introductions to Jimmy Mcevoy @ 4:10 who sings the National Anthem (well done btw). The race starts at the 6:00 minute mark.

(above video 2nd of 12 part series) I quickly advance around the pack @1:12 and bridge up to 3 riders @1:43. Daniel Holloway (in yellow leader's jersey) can be briefly seen returning to the field @2:25 (? possibly returning to the field after taking a flyer for a prime?)

I briefly take the race lead @2:41. Jonathan Jacobs pulls by me (too fast in fact) @3:30 and the peloton recaptures me @4:09.

This clip above (3rd part of 12 part series) opens with me advancing to the front of the chasing peloton (there are 6 riders off the front and out of camera view. This is noteworthy because the previous video footage doesn't show that riders have gone off the front of the field because of me riding in heavy cycling traffic. I am aware of a break-away because I can not see the lead pace motorcycle). I make a full pass @0:52. Daniel Holloway blows past me @ 1:01 (note how fast he blows past me. I'm at full throttle). I claw my way back onto his wheel @ 1:40 and I slide off his wheel to draft off the 3 riders who were drafting off of me (James Stemper #111 Kenda Pro Cycling, Jonathan Jacobs #61 Nuvo Cultural Trail, and Eric Young #131 Nuvo Cultural Trail.

I am completely red-lined (suffering hard) and I try to recover by skipping a few pulls. My next pull is @3:16. My chase group of four catch the lead break-away of 6 riders @ 4:09 Colton Barrett #120 Texas Roadhouse, Nicolas Coil #22 Tradewind Energy, James Stemper #111 Kenda Pro Cycling, Alex Wiesler #119 ISCorp Cycling Team, Robert White #106 Kenda Pro Cycling, and Josh Ginningham #122 of ISCorp Cycling Team.

From 7:40 to 8:00 is a good view of the newly formed winning break-away group. Note that we are riding single file and absolutely flying. This is the most ideal way for a group of this size to motor.
The effects of aerodynamics is HUGE in road racing, time trials, criteriums, and even sprinting. Drafting can reduce oxygen costs by 25 to 40 percent. Here's a great illustration of the effects of aerodynamics and drafting: a world class track team time trial riders can produce the following average wattages in a pace-line. First rider will produce around 607 watts, 2nd rider 430 watts, 3rd rider 389 watts, and 4th rider 389 watts. Notice that there is a decreasing advantage drafting in 3rd position over 2nd, but no further advantage after 3rd position. (See my post on aerodynamics for more information on the subject.)

The most interesting occurrence in the above clip (number 4 of 12) is @1:47, when James Stemper (#111) of Kenda Professional Cycling, sees me falling back, out of the rotation so that I can skip my turn pulling (I'm suffering pretty badly at this point from earlier efforts and I'm trying to recover a bit. I'm not certain that I am going to be able to hang.)

Mr. Stemper informs me that if I try to just sit on and not take my turn pulling, he is going to ride me off the back.

Perhaps because he knows that I'm filming this (I don't know), he is extremely polite about how he tells me this and I acknowledge him accordingly, and we do a sort of low "five hand" in a sporting gesture of acknowledgment. Based on his smile, I think he finds the whole thing amusing.

Note: The most ideal method for dealing with a rider who refuses to take a turn pulling is for everyone in the break to take turns drifting off the paceline with the "wheel sucker" on their wheel and then sprinting hard, back onto the group. If everyone does this repetitively, this will eventually cause the "wheel sucker" to fatigue and not be able to claw their way back onto the group.

I don't believe there is yet an official name for this procedure, so for the sake of discussion, hence forward, let's all agree to call this activity of getting rid of a wheel sucker, Operation Drizzopple!

So if you hear someone say, commence operation drizzopple on rider so-and-so, you will know exactly what to do.

In the above video (number 5 of 12) I skip a couple pulls, still trying to recover and begin pulling again (too hard from the looks of it).

Meanwhile @2:26 Holloway is trying to commence operation drizzopple on the Kenda rider James Stemper. In my reviews I was surprised to see how many times these guys were bumping heads. Also I now see the irony of Stemper warning me not to wheel suck.

@ 1:20 Texas Roadhouse rider, Colton Barrett gives a friendly hello wave.

Above video (number 6 of 12) is fairly routine. Most notable items are at 3:10 when Holloway jumps hard around Nicolas Coil who allowed a gap in front of him in the rotation (probably due to fatigue). Also the rider James Stemper is not only just sitting on, but also screwing up the paceline when riders are trying to get on the back of the train after taking a pull. This is evident at the end of this clip and running into the next below.

There is some cool moto/cameraman action @ 6:26 (above video, number 7 of 12).

Some riders get gaped off @ minute 7:32 by one rider slipping off the pace and causing a gap. Two of which are Nicolas Coil and Colton Barrett; they don't make it back onto the lead group.

James Stemper of Kenda Pro Cycling starts pulling.

Everybody is pulling hard. Very hard, and fast.

(Above video is number 9 of 12). @6:16 I sprint for and win a prime. I didn't plan on going for it, but I was in the lead position coming out of the final corner because of the natural order of the rotation. I went as hard as I could go and won the prime prize. I thought it was either $100 or $200, but it turned out to be a free night in a studio suite at The Residence Inn, Marriot, in St. Louis (I haven't used it and most likely never will).

Even though I was dying from the prime effort, I kept my speed up so that they wouldn't surge past me and drop me.

Incidentally, Josh Ginningham (#122) of ISCorp Cycling Team was dropped from the surge during the prime.

(Above video is number 10 of 12). I skip a couple rotations in this clip because I am way over threshold and I was feeling like I was about to die.

The rotation is quite smooth otherwise and of the group there are two teams with team-mates, Kenda Pro Cycling and Nuvo Cultural Trial. They almost always stay together in the rotation order, which is advisable. If an attack or opportunity to attack occurs, they can work together.

f
Above is the last video of this series; also the last 5 minutes and 51 seconds of the race for me. By the completion of this race we've covered 70 kilometers or 43.496 miles in 1 hour and 25 minutes and 35 seconds, averaging 46.884 kph or 29.1 mph. I averaged 317.5 watts. With out a doubt my personal best effort in my entire bike racing experience. I;m super glad that I was able to record this race as I have.

@ minute 2:15 of this video with 1.75 laps to go Jonathan Jacob takes a monster pull with me on his wheel and the rest of the remaining members of the break-away in tow. The riders include myself, followed by Daniel Holloway (Bissell Pro Cycling), Eric Young (Nuvo Cultural Trial), James Stemper (Kenda Pro Cycling), Alex Wieseler (ISCorp Cycling Team), and Robert White (Kenda Pro Cycling)

@ 2:46 I pull out of J.J's draft because of his monster pull. I didn't want to have to immediately "pull through" with the finish being so soon (especially after his surge). I wanted to get back in the draft. As a result, this created a gap that nobody closed and J.J. was gone for the win.

Keep in mind that J.J. had a team-mate, Eric Young, in the break and he's an outstanding sprinter. Eric certainly wouldn't pursue his own team-mate I wouldn't pursue for the previous reasons mentioned and additionally J.J. is personal friend. Other than me winning, I would choose him to win every time (and Brad Huff...... he's super cool). Daniel Holloway certainly didn't want to give chase and pull Eric and the others with him, only to be beaten in the final sprint. He probably thought as I, that J.J. wouldn't hold us off for the finish (which of course he did).

@ 3:25 Holloway makes his bid in response to the Kenda Pro Cycling rider James Stemper's attack (just before the 1st turn). We quickly make the catch and I produce a classic textbook counter attack @ 4:18 by launching a full effort through the inside of the 2nd corner of the course.

I cross the finish line @ 5:31 with riders quickly closing my gap, but not in time for the finish line.

To learn more about the camera that I use to film from my bicycle click here.

To learn more about the bike telemetry that I use click here.

Zipp 1080 Front Wheel Tubular

2011-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:00


Comparing the H3 to the Zipp 1080

Update: January 31, 2011: I was researching the Zipp 1080 tubular front wheel on Google so I could answer an Ebay buyer's question and surprisingly I found this very post to be ranked pretty high in the search results. So as a result I have decided to take this opportunity to change this post's primary purpose of being solely as supplemental to selling this wheel on Ebay, to a site that informs my readers about this amazing wheel (Apparently I am biased, but at the same time I try very hard not to make crap up).

To read about the details/specifications of this wheel see Zipp's website here.

To learn even more about the history of this wheel and it's manufacturer see wikipedia's information here.

Now here's my experience with this wheel. It is a fast wheel period. Under certain conditions it is the fastest front wheel ever produced (no single wheel is the fastest in all conditions) Yet it is a specialized wheel. It's sole purpose is for speed through aerodynamics. Aerodynamics can not be understated in the sport of cycling. To be sure, read my post on the effects and the variables related to speed and aerodynamics here.

Realistically this wheel is only valuable for the discipline of time-trialing (it's rim is too deep for the quickest accelerations and best bike handling comparatively). The 1080s single biggest Achilles heel is strong, gusty cross-winds. I would like to say from personal experience this wheel handles very much like a tri-spoke wheel. Both are spooky to time-trial on with gusty cross winds. For strong gusty cross winds I would advise running a shallower rim depth such as available by any of the major manufacturers such as Easton, Bontrager, Hed, Ritchey, Campagnolo, Lightweight, Zipp, etc. I've seen recent performance studies and they are nearly all a wash, with Hed and Zipp being slightly superior to other brands. That being said, Hed's website
claims/shows that their Stinger 6 being superior in aerodynamics ($2100 per pair) compared to Zipp's 404 ($2,400).

I'm throwing in this link because it has some really really cool graphics of what air looks like as it is passing this wheel when moving at 40kph

I'm throwing in this link because it has some really cool images of some time trial machines, wind tunnels and top riders (otherwise it's a bust from my point of view).

Here's a link to Zipp again, only this one is about the dimpled surface of the wheels and it's effects

You might notice that I have a sell ad at the top of this post to Amazon.com for a Zipp Tangente tubular tire.Zipp Speed Weaponry Tangente Tire - Tubular One Color, 700c/21mm A couple of things about that: Many bike shops don't carry them, so that is why I installed a Vittoria on my wheel, but Zipp says their data shows that this tire is the best for performance. At anyrate, I always recommend buying from your local bike shop if possible, but if not, then you should buy off the links from this site. (Hey, I have my own Amazon.com store at the bottom, y'all!)

Now back to the selling post
This should be a fun post. I'm going to share with everyone all the fun that goes with Ebay and the questions and answers that come from it when selling an item.

Be warned all correspondence related to the sale of this wheel will be public knowledge.

First my actual ad, it can be found here: Basically it's the above wheel for sale.

Here's my first two responses in the first few minutes:

Pretty funny Mr. Tenterelli! This is an inside joke. A friend of mine who I'll allow to remain anonymous, suckered me with a joke with the punchline "tenterelli".

The joke is as such: I saw a dent in a bike frame and asked my friend about it. He said the dent was actually caused by a bullet.
Incredulously I said, "No way. You're joking."
Sincerely he says, "No, I wish I was." and then he goes on with this long detailed elaborate story about how at some recent bike expo thing that was held outdoors behind the Hearnes Center (here in Columbia) under tents, there was a bizarre incident involving some thug kids who got into it with some vendor and next thing you know, shots were fired! It was a bizarre thing and one of the bullets actually ricocheted off the top tube of his bike.

He went into great detail, and even seemed to be a little upset recalling it.
He even had evidence. The top tube of his bike looked exactly like what I would imagine a small caliber bullet might do to a bike tube, with a glancing blow (I used to target shoot as a kid, so I had supportive experiential reference).

So he goes on with his story and says that during a police interview about the shooting he learns from the police that this incident is related to a group that travels around the country harassing and trying to extort money from venders, specifically outdoor venders that operate under tents.

I was hanging on his every word until he told me the name of this group of thugs.

"They call themselves, the Tentarellis."

I'm going to guess that Mr. Tentarelli isn't going to be the final high bidder.

Here's what I've gotten so far on facebook:

I'll update as I go. I may or may not delete this post after the auction. It depends on how good this gets.

The auction will end @ February 5, 2011 12:34:25 Central time (United States)

Good luck buyers!

Quick update: Sat. 29th, 6:20pm and I'm up to $5.50. Lookin' goooooood!
On my ebay description I clearly indicate no international shipping, but I've just received a request for me to reconsider.

It's not that I'm against international shipping because I'm a xenophobe. It's that international shipping is very expensive and I feel my risks go up concerning having a bad exchange.

Check out the image below of some Specialized Tri-spokes that I sold overseas (Hong Kong) last year.

You are probably thinking, "Why in the heck, did he package them like frozen pizzas?" The answer is shipping costs. If the box was even an inch wider, the shipping cost would have doubled from $50 per wheel to $100 per wheel.

I find it a huge hassle to ship large items overseas, the boxing, the long time shipping, and thereby long time clearing of PayPal fees. It's not my cup of tea.

With that said, I recently sold my sub-nine wheel, got the same question (during auction) to allow international shipping, saw that the buyer had a perfect feedback score, so I said sure. Of course he didn't end up with the final highest bid. I've noticed that folks who ask questions almost never end up with the final highest bid. I don't know why, but it's just something I noticed.

My suggestion: If you really want to win the auction ~~don't ask any questions~~, just bid really high (waiting until the last 5 seconds doesn't always work out).

Update January 31,2011 11:46am: Here's my latest questions and I provide my answers immediately following:

ski4ever: As per my Ebay ad: I bought this wheel used. My research tells me that it can not be older than 2008 because Zipp did not manufacture them before this date.

Really the manufacture date is inconsequential for several reasons. 1. It isn't a perishable item (time/age has zero effect on it's performance) 2. The manufacturer hasn't made any changes in it's design since releasing it [correction: the 2008 model had internal spoke nipples and therefore my wheel is a 2009]3. How the wheel was treated/used is the critical factor as to it's value, not age of manufacture.

As I've said in my ad, this wheel is pristine and hardly used. A wheel of this quality can literally be ridden for tens of thousands of miles before the bearings have significant wear. I've ridden it around a hundred miles and have given it the highest care. Typically timetrial wheels like these see very low use and mileage because they are so specialized to just time-trialing.

I would like to make the point that my used wheel is literally superior to a brand new one. Why? Because the wheel is of the exact performance and quality of a new one (possibly better with "broken in bearings".... not quite as tight) and most importantly it has a nearly new tubular tire already glued on. My wheel is ready to race right now! Not only does it's buyer not have to purchase a $100 plus tubular to ride it, but mine is correctly glued on with the most ideal valve extension. To be sure see my link on how I glue on tubulars.

To a1950fan: I never sell items that I put up for auction outside of Ebay's policies. In other-words, I will not stop an auction so I can cheat Ebay out of fees. My ad does have a buy it now price, so I've already indicated what I'm willing to sell the wheel for. Good luck bidding.

IT'S OVER!!!!!!

2010-12-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

The year known as 2010 will be officially history in a matter of hours.

It has been quite a year for me concerning "My World From a Bicycle"

It's all pretty well documented here in the contents of this blog.

In fact, I have a post called "The Best of GoPro and the Best and Worst of David Henderson"
This post is really my best and worst video experiences related to biking and bike racing (I tried to be heavy on the "best", but that is of course subjective).

Yet I feel that have I evolved this blog into a bit of a free coaching blog as well. I would say that my top ~~ten~~ thirteen posts related to coaching would be as follows:

1. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/10/psychology-for-competitive-cyclists.html

2. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/11/psychology-for-competitive-cyclists.html

3. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/05/do-this-and-you-will-win.html

4. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/05/question-of-day-week-uh-year-concerning.html

5. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/05/lemonds-sizing-chart.html

6. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/05/heat-management-or-how-to-race-when-its.html

7. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-care-for-or-treat-road-rash.html

8. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-glue-on-tubular-bicyle-tire.html

9. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-when-and-how-to-eat-for-cycling.html

10. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-determine-your-lactate-threshold.html

11. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/08/dude-your-crank-lengths-fine-you-just.html

12. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/08/bike-safe-my-survival-tactics-for-road.html

13. http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/09/aerodynamics-in-cycling-and-how-to-be.html

I have also learned quite a bit about the HD Hero camera and how to edit, share, and archive high definition video. For reference see this and this.

With that covered, I should announce that not only is the year over, but so is my racing career. And that's ok.

I am proud not only of my racing accomplishments for 2010; I am also proud of the contents of this blog. Yet, they don't pay the mortgage or any other necessary living expenses (although I've tried... believe me).

It's all good. I just need to focus on work and my kids. If anyone has raced at a Pro 1-2 level you know how racing is. If you are going to be serious about it, it is necessary to devote your life to it. I've done that. Blood, sweat, and tears. Literally. And now it's time for a new chapter for me (I'm no spring chicken). I'll always love all things bike related though.

I plan on still doing more posts on this blog over time. I will probably do a bit more coaching stuff. I do have a large video project in the works currently. (It's a completely new idea and I don't think it has been done before as I plan to).

My primary goals for 2011 is to develop contents for a new blog. This one. And of course ride my bicycle for fun whenever possible.

Oh yeah, if you are thinking about getting a video camera that can film both above and below water, shoots 5 MP stills, time-lapse photography (2,5, 10, 30, 60 seconds), several different video resolutions/sizes, and high-speed 60 frames/second, and can even record your biking adventures, click here to learn more at my blog post:
http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/2010/09/buy-best-high-definition-video-camera.html

Happy New Year everyone. PEACE AND LOVE!

The Giro Della Montagna Criterium

2010-12-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

I have produced two videos for this blog post (actually 3, I just added a new one at 9:20 Dec 26, 2010). The first is my "short" version at 1 minute and 51 seconds and my second video is my long version at 5 minutes and 7 seconds. The 3rd video is 8 minutes and 3 seconds and is without any transitions/interruptions and no background music.

I'm posting all three and adding a request from viewers for their opinions as to which is best, and what I could do to make them better. Feedback would be valuable for me for future video projects. I really would like to make videos that not only capture the excitement of bike racing, but are actually worthy of viewing.

A little about the race: First here's the race results. (This race is the Pro 1-2. results near the bottom of this link. I, David Henderson was officially 14th.)

Here's my watt data. First a race overview below:

And an image of the finish data from the last 8 minutes and 28 seconds of the race below:

And here's the course below (St. Louis, Missouri)

Here's the race flyer below: (My videos on this post are from the Giro Della Montagna Criterium which was held Sept 5, 2010).

To learn even more about these races, click here to be taken to the website that is pictured below:

It has been requested that I give a bit of supplemental commentary to the above videos and direct my comments to the topic of race tactics and the like. All righty then.

The most valuable thing that I can say about the 1st video is my quick field position change (:47 to 1:10). I went from almost the back of the field to the front in a matter of 23 seconds. I did this tactically correct. I used the timing of course location, point of the race (in duration/time), and physics to know when, where, how and why.

First, I choose to advance myself near the end of the race (this is when it is clearly critical). Secondly I choose the uphill side of the course because I would get more purchase for spending energy going up a hill vs going down a hill (speed from power related to aerodynamics and gravity). Third, I began my advance immediately after the corner. I was already going near full hard coming out of the corner. Instead of letting off and staying in the draft I remained full throttle (a body in motion tends to stay in motion) and charged up the left side. I could see that the pack wasn't all strung out in a straight line (this meant the pack was not at full speed. It is best not to advance when a field is single file). Lastly I tried to reinsert myself into the draft with ease before a turn. I try not to advance through turns, but racing sometimes requires this.

The most valuable thing that I can say about the 2nd video is toilet paper. It's one of the primary reasons that I started from the back (I was late to the line). Let me explain. I arrived at the race with just enough time to prepare for the race, which included "heaving a Havana" or "taking the Browns to the Super Bowl" (also known as "putting one through the hoop" or "pulling into defecation station").

To my chagrin all of the port-a-johns were out of toilet paper except for possibly one. A lady had entered it just before me. I had determined that all the others were sin paper. That particular stall was my only hope. All I had to do was wait for her to exit to find out.

So I waited. And I waited. And I waited. More than 10 minutes later nothing. I even knocked a few times just to make sure that she hadn't fallen in. I couldn't believe that she hadn't come out! It was near 90 degrees outside...... and the smell! Good God man!

Well, she never came out (as far as I know, she's still in there). I did come up with a solution, but I will leave a little mystery here. My advice to all (including myself) bring you own toilet paper to races. It is not uncommon for port-a-johns to run out of paper. In fact, it's probably a good idea to hit a public restroom somewhere just before arriving at the race site if possible.

Finally, the third and last video shows the last eight minutes of the race. It might of have been nice to show the last ten minutes because basically I was following Brad Huff (pro- Jelly Belly). He told me to stick with him and I did, which lead to us getting into a break-a-way.

I made at least two errors. One, I was touching my breaks on the lower two turns. This actually wasn't necessary. A few times I was ok, but overall I was poor in my confidence. The other error is a bit more forgivable. I didn't see the field catching us just before the last 2 turns. I wasn't looking back at all. I was just concentrating on making it through the last 2 turns.

You can see in the video that Brian Jensen bridged up from the field to us and then attacked my group just before the bell lap. Brad Huff reeled him back in and countered him. All I could do was keep my speed up and reattach gradually. Brian did eventually surrender, and my group of three were quickly swallowed up in the turns and following sprint.

After the race Brad said that if he hadn't been in the break that probably the field (several pro riders) wouldn't have chased quite so hard and Brian said that we all would have had a better chance had he not attacked us and instead we all worked together.

Who knows, it's not terribly important. There were two riders up the course who were successful, and we all gave it a good try.

For another perspective of the race read Steve Tilford's account.

Here's a few still images (more can be found from the link above).

The above image is a frame grab from my HD Hero camera that was mounted to my bike. This image can be seen in the longer video clip above around 4:35, which is the last corner of the race leading to the final sprint. Pictured here is Eric Young who won the field sprint.

Some other notable riders in this video include Brad Huff @ 4:00, Brian Jensen@4:10, Steve Tilford @ 4:33, Daniel Holloway @ 4:36.

Of course there are many other fantastic racers beyond my short list, including Jonathan Jacobs who actually won the race! He's not in my video because he was to busy winning this race with his break-a-way companion, Robert Bush.

Click here to learn more about the camera I use to video my races. They can do much more than just record cycling!

Stuff you need so that you can ride in the winter

2010-12-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

I generally love cycling. The cold.... not so much. Some additional gear is required to survive the cold when cycling.

In this blog post I list a few items that I think are necessary or will at least help you survive Jack Frost nipping at your you know what.

The cool thing is that you can click on the image and actually buy the product from a highly respected distributor at a price that will be very difficult (if not impossible) to beat.

Consider buying from your local bike shop first if possible (preferably Cyclextreme) .

Oh yeah, and the operator of this blog is rewarded by here-within linked to companies with rare gemstones, emeralds, exotic trips (or maybe that was exotic animals) and I think somewhere in the fine print there was something about my own private island (or maybe that was, I must indenture myself as a pirate on an island). Whateve....... just buy this stuff and go ride in the cold. By making a purchase, you'll feel all warm and tingly, whenever you think about how you single-handedly stimulated the economy.

This is a North Face Cable Fish Scarf (proximal to a "A Giant Neck Sweater"Sorry that was the closest I could find) It's not traditional cycling winter wear (as I know it), but I just learned that for a select few it is. If there is any doubt click here to see the evidence.

Wrap the Cable Fish Scarf around your neck for reliable warmth on cold, wintry days. It’s fashioned from a blend of wool and acrylic for a perfect mix of insulation, breathability and durability, leaving a scarf that will defend against the cold while keeping you itch-free. Match it with the Cable Fish Beanie for a great look and warmth that will stem the flow of heat loss from a key area of your body. $35

For the Ladies: The Pearl Izumi Women's Select Thermal Tights are designed for maximum warmth and comfort for cold weather running or riding. $70

For the Men: The Pearl Izumi SELECT Thermal Tights is designed for maximum warmth and comfort for cold weather activities. $65

Craft Pro WS Gunde Short Lg Black $32 (Also called Gore Wind Stop Gunde Boxer)
The ultimate base layer for cold and windy conditions. Our Gore WS Gunde Boxer features Gore’s lightest ever windproof, 4-way stretch fabric panel to date. Gore WS is strategically applied to Pro Zero fabric in order to maximize protection where you need it and ensure moisture transfer from the skin. Minimize your layers while protecting your core with our new Gore WS Gunde Boxer.

For All: Pearl Izumi Barrier Skull Cap - Featuring our PRO Barrier fabric, the Barrier Skull Cap provides maximum wind and water protection for cold weather runs in inclement weather. $29.99

For All: The Pearl Izumi PRO Barrier Balaclava is made with a combination of windproof Barrier fabric along with wicking Transfer and UltraSensor fabrics that keep the elements out while you stay dry. $35.

For All: The Pearl Izumi PRO Transfer Headband is the headwear of choice when you need your ears covered but anything more is overkill. $20

The Pearl Izumi Elite Thermal Cycling Toe Covers are a classic must-have toe covers set the benchmark for cool weather protection and have been updated with reflective logos. $20

Pearl Izumi's Thermal Knee Warmers feature PRO Thermal Fleece fabric on the front for warmth and a lighter fabric on the back to vent excess heat. $35

The perfect balance of protection and insulation you need for milder winter conditions. $49.99

Pearl Izumi ThermaFleece Arm Warmer - The soft plush ELITE Thermal Stretch fabric of the ThermaFleece Arm Warmer provides warmth and comfort to keep the arms protected and warm in cold weather. $29.99

For the Men: The versatile Pearl Izumi Men's Elite Barrier Convertible Cycling Jacket is a wind and water resistant shell jacket quickly converts to a vest, and features connected zip-off sleeves $100

For the Ladies: Women's Pearl Izumi Elite Barrier Convertible Jacket - This jacket converts to a vest, the zip-off sleeves are connected for the ultimate in convenience, packability, versatility and protection from the elements. $99

For the Men (a little warmer): The Pearl Izumi Men's Elite Thermal Barrier Jacket is a classic that returns with new materials and design. We strategically place Barrier fabric over the Thermal Fleece body to resist wind and water. $120

For the Ladies (a little warmer): The Pearl Izumi Women's Elite Thermal Barrier Jacket is windproof and water resistant, the comfortable and highly breathable W s ELITE Thermal Barrier Jacket provides lightweight core and thermal protection. $120

For the Men (this may also work for women with 5 fingers): The Descente Wombat Cycling Gloves offer protection for your hands when the weather isn't working with you. Their articulated knuckles, pre-curved finger construction and non-slip silicone. $27.93

For All: The Pearl Izumi Select Softshell gloves are our warmest wind proof, water resistant running gloves, keeping you comfortable and warm on the most blustery of days. $45

For All: The Pearl Izumi PRO Thermal Leg Warmers offer full coverage with our anatomic fit to eliminate bunching through your full range of motion. $45

For All with 2 feet: As the 'original air-flow design sock', the Aireator is the sock that kicked off the air-flow rage years ago. Today, the Aireator still leads in durability, wicking, drying, and air permeability. $6.93

Sunglasses are necessary in the winter. These are my favorties: Oakley sunglasses define a mixture of art and technology. $110

This is a serious light. The more the merrier: The new Minewt.250 Cordless raises the bar of what a one-piece, modular bike light should be. This compact light features best in class lumen per dollar ratio, tool-less quick release mounting, and with 250 lumens on tap, punches out enough light to hit the trail. The 250 Cordless optic design incorporates a reflector and Borofloat lens custom tuned for bike riding. This combination delivers a superior beam pattern when compared to total internal reflectors. Three light levels plus flash mode and USB charging round out the Cordless 250’s features. $129

Do not ride at night without this (or one like it)!: High powered LED's and a proprietary collimator allow you to be seen over a mile away. Internal reflector provides visibility even when the light is off. $24.99

When it's real cold out, this is what I ride: If it's important to you to make every workout count, the Fluid2 trainer is the most valuable weapon you can add to your indoor training arsenal.Our engineers designed the Fluid 2 to capture real road feel through the use of a 2.75 lb individually precision balanced flywheel for more momentum and stability of your rear wheel. We've also adjusted silicone fluid levels for better resistance and improved the position of sealed cartridge bearings for better inertia and an ultra quiet. $299.99

The Trakblock II is a wide, stable platform to level the front of the bike when riding a trainer. $11.93

If you have been a really good girl or boy, Santa might bring you this: Light, fast, stiff durable. All carbon rims and R2R spoke design provide excellent strength and stiffness. 40mm profiled rim, profiled carbon spokes and hub flanges provide optimum aerodynamics. Lists at $2,999.99 and is on sale right now for $1899.99

Or if you been mostly good and only a little naughty you might get these instead: Directly inspired from the Ultimate, the Cosmic Carbone SLR is quickly becoming the wheel to beat for aerodynamics clincher wheels. The optimized 52mm carbon/ aluminum rims are extremely light and flow perfectly onto the profiles R2R carbon spoke design. The perfect blend of aerodynamics, lightweight, stiffness and ease-of-use. Pictures just don't do these wheels any justice! Once you get your hands on them, you wont let them go!

Well, I better stop listing stuff because I'm thinking about buying one of each item. Well....... I've already gotten most of these, but it's always nice to have a spare. *wink* *wink*

I almost forgot (and Santa most likely will too because he hasn't biked in years.... hence his big gut), you'll be needing some tires for your sweet new wheels!

I have never used these particular tires, but they are a great brand name: GP Attack & GP Force - NEW and faster than ever ! Front and rear tires have different tasks. Steering and braking forces are transmitted on the front, while the rear transmits the driving forces and bears the majority of the cyclist's weight. Subsequently, the two tires in the Continental tire positioning system (TPS) have been designed differently. GP Attack Front Tire The tread compoundis designed for excellent grip, both on dry and wet roads. $112

I can verify that these are excellent racing clinchers: Corsa CX has proved successful in road races all over the world, but the new EVO version is bound to even greater success. With a handmadetubular structure for superior performance and comfort, it has also got a special latex inner tube that increases its elasticity and puncture resistance. Further features are the Kevlar SiO2 3D Compound with added silica - for reduced rolling resistance and better grip in the wet Our new high density casing - a true 320 tpi $64.95

I can also verify that these are excellent tubulars: The Zipp Tangente, the first tire developed in the wind tunnel. In its tubular incarnation, this tire simply flies. To cut through the wind, we've used our patented ABLC dimples to mitigate the "un-aero-ness" of a round shape at the wheel's leading edge. $89.95

Musten forget the tubular glue: Rim cement for gluing tubular tires. 30 gram tube. Enough for 1-2 tires. $3.95

Below are special discount links. They are time limited and only available by clicking the the link specifically.

30% Off Clearance Cycling Apparel. Offer Valid 11/24/ to

1/2/11

Save up to 50% Men's Cycling Jerseys, Shorts & Socks. Offer Valid 11/24/ to 1/2/11

Save up to 70% Women's Cycling Jerseys, Shorts & Socks. Offer Valid 11/24/ to 1/2/11

Psychology for Competitive Cyclists part 2

2010-11-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

Please read part 1 first. Or last. Or whatever.

Many people believe that we have complete control over our thoughts and thereby control our feelings and beliefs, which in turn help set our values and following behavior. In short, we have free will and we are our own master.

I do not believe that this is completely true for many reasons. There are many factors, such as individual values, personality, perceptions, emotions, attitudes, and stress that combine and interact with internal (knowledge, attitude, beliefs, core values, physiology, etc) and external (environmental stressors, socio-cultural, economic, biologic, etc.) factors to influence not only thought, but also behavior. In short, we may have free will some of the time, but not complete free will all of the time.

How much free will? I don't know. It is going to be variable, conditional and changing. Example: Your arm is lopped off. Or you are informed that your favorite relative has suddenly died. Now think happy thoughts. It would be impossible to think happy thoughts under these conditions. It is also equally impossible for an individual with severe schizophrenia to "will" their thinking. Examples of internal and external factors that influence behavior (often determinately) are far too many for this post.

Interestingly, behavior can influence thought and feelings as much or more than the other way around (thoughts and feelings determine behavior). In short, doing becomes being.

I really like Nike's slogan, "Just Do It". The slogan put into action is a simple and powerful method for altering our thoughts and feelings from "Just Do"ing a behavior. We have all experienced this phenomenon where doing an activity completely changes our mood and thought patterns.

Another variation of behavior determining thought and feelings is the phenomenon of "acting as if" . An example would be to make yourself smile and/or laugh out loud. Soon you will find "as if" becomes "I am".

Although we can certainly influence our minds and emotions, often we have little or no direct control over our thoughts or feelings, which are temporary and rise and pass like weather fronts. We do however, have significantly more control over our behavior - despite what we are, or are not, thinking or feeling. In fact, our behavior (how we move our arms, legs, and mouth) is the only thing we can directly control. This is a great secret of success - Dan Millam 1999

Ladies and Gentlemen, I submit to you the power of ........ "Just Do It!"

So with this in mind, as an athlete we need to focus heavily on our behavior (which can determine our values, feelings, beliefs and thoughts). Controlling one's thought should not be ignored, but (In my opinion) should be considered less reliable than controlling one's own behavior for determining our mindset.

Now let's talk a little about how and what to think about briefly and return to ideal behaviors for competitive cyclists later. It has been said that you get more of what you think about, and if you think you can do something, you may. If you think you can't, you won't. Henry Ford put it this way, "Those who believe they can and those who believe they can't are both right." (this is also known as self full-filling prophecy).

Here's what to think about as a competitive athlete: In general it is best for an athlete to NOT THINK! (particularly during competition). Yogi Berra put it this way, "Think! How the hell are you going to think and hit at the same time?"

Ideally a competitive cyclist (or any athlete) should be so rehearsed and practiced that conscious thought is almost unnecessary for the activity. Movements, actions and decisions are ideally instantaneous for optimized performance. An elite athlete should be able to operate on a near instinctive level in order to perform at the highest level. This is often referred to as being "in the zone".

For a cyclist to be able to get "in the zone" or race instinctively, they must practice cycling skills repetitively (both physically and through visualization) until they become instinctive. They also should learn a series or list of rules and responses to different scenarios and be able to automatically (or instinctively) react when these events occur.

Allow me to list just a few of my rules for racing that reduces my need for deep thought and thereby allows me to ride more "in the zone". Keep in mind that there are occasionally exceptions to these rules, but again decisions are best to be made on instincts and rapidly in order to increase cycling performance.

1. Never half wheel. 2. Stay very close to the wheel in front of me (stay in the draft). 3. Do the least amount of work as necessary to stay in the race (conservation). 4. Never chase down a teammate. 5. Never attack down hill or into a head-wind. 6. Attack or expect an attack up hills and with cross-winds and tail-winds. 7. Expect the 1st lap of a crit to be hard and fast. 8. When I am tired while "sitting in" (just drafting) alarm bells should be going off for me to get up near the front because a winning break could establish. 9. Expect a break away after a "Prime" (prize lap). 10. Expect a counter attack after a break is caught. 11. Hold onto a wheel (draft) no matter how hard it becomes or how long it lasts.... it will let up eventually 12. The inside line has the best survival rate during a crash in a corner. 13. When the peloton slows/groups move up to the front and be weary of crashes. 14. Bridge up immediately to break-a-ways that have the major teams represented. 15. If a break is being caught by the peloton group that I am in...... sit in and prepare for the counter attack. 16. Try to be in all break-a-way attempts during the last half of a road race. 17. Solo riders do not usually ride away. Go in groups. 18. Be up front during technical sections. 19. Expect to produce a maximal effort and suffer at the end of a race. 20. Break-a-ways survive best when out of sight.

The list goes on and on, but these are a few of my rules for racing, that I have adopted on a learned instinctive level. I do not have to debate in my mind what to do when these scenarios present themselves to me during a race. My best race performances are when I respond instantly and instinctively.

"Think! How the hell are you going to think and race at the same time!" - David Henderson

If by chance you are looking for the best video camera (for cycling, skiing, paragliding, skateboarding, ski-diving, scuba diving, motorcycling, race car driving or just general high definition hands free videoing) please click here, and read my post about the camera that I use.

Problems with Roxio 2011

2010-11-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

I'm currently having troubles with Roxio 2011 (I also own Roxio 2010). The above video and the rest of this post shows exactly what I'm talking about.

I've mentioned Roxio 2010 and 2011 before in earlier posts. I have mentioned it here and here. I generally think this software is incredibly cool (or is theoretically cool), but I am currently having some problems that I am trying to figure out with the help of Roxio. So far I'm on day 3 of problem solving. I have sent Roxio my phone number to speak to someone for help, but apparently they don't operate that way. The below posts show the entirety of our communications.

I had problems immediately upon trying to install my software on my computer concerning registry issues. I called my friend Kevin Bloom, he did a quick internet search, and found that I needed to download some sort of patch from Roxio and the problem was fixed.

I rendered a sample of my shaky footage in five different "stabilize video" (the sixth was raw footage as a control) settings using Roxio 2011. As anyone can see from the video above, the "stabilization" function of the software did not work.

I am trying to work with Roxio to fix this problem. The following is the communications related to this solution. So far they have been not only unsuccessful, but at this point have actually made things worse (I no longer have either Roxio 2010 or 2011 installed in any functioning capacity on my computer. I have paid about $200 for for both software programs).

Currently I am very stuck. My current messages that I get when trying to reinstall the software are discouraging to say the least. They are as follows and in order:

My hope is that this post will help Roxio to help me with this product. Normally their product is impressive. For some reason, mine is having problems. I think these images are going to be much more helpful for support to see what I'm seeing in order to trouble shoot the issue.

I have spent many hours on this so far (at least 10 hours or more, counting the testing of the software). I will update or delete this post as a solution comes.

Quick update (Dec 5, 2010): I hadn't received any responses from Roxio support, so I sent in another request and got this:

Shortly after I received a customer satisfaction survey. (That was prematurely sent). At the end of the survey I again briefly described my issues with their software and left phone and email contact.

Cold silence from Roxio's side since.

An Epic Bike Ride

2010-11-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have found that pretty much all trips with my two daughters tend to be somehow (or at least feel) epic.

The above video pretty much illustrates this and at the same time, sticks to the theme of this blog........ bicycles and my world from it.

The below video is the same video, but in 3-D. So grab your special glasses and check it out.

Here's a couple of video editing points that I think is worth sharing. The first of which is that that Adobe Premiere Elements 8 (the software I use) has a substantial music library and also contains special software that edits the music to the exact length that the user requires.

Actually the music software is created by "Smart Sound" which has existed for 10 years or so. Many different video editing software products use their technology. APE8 comes with it and has about 26 royalty-free musical selections. There are literally thousands of other musical compositions available from "Smart Sound's" library for purchase from the internet.

It's pretty amazing really. The only slight negative is that you have to pay a fee for a tutorial to learn about how to use the "Smart Sound" on the video editing software that I use.

Below is a few images that show how to find and open "Smart Sound" for adding cool, customized musical compositions to your videos.

Simply click "Click here to select music" and then pick one of the 26 different compositions that comes with the software or order something off the internet library ($14.95 per track). Then you can customize the composition in the "SmartSound Quicktracks". Each composition has several variations (depending on the length you select, also the variations are quite different) and you can preview/listen to them before you select.

A simple click and POW! the music lands exactly where the time-line indicator is positioned.

The video software that I choose to produce a 3D video with is Roxio 2011. It can apparently produce several variations of 3D rendering that is viewable with different 3D viewable sources.

Below is an image of the screen where the 3D source selection is made.

This software also boasts stabilizing capabilities for editing shaky video footage. I tested it and was not impressed. It certainly works to some degree, but my shakiest footage did not fully correct. In fact, I would estimate a half-assed job.

Technically I could fix the shaky footage myself by arranging each individual frame and then cropping the final product to clean up the perimeter, but this would take a DAMN LONG TIME!

I have been alerted to some software that will do it and it is supposedly free, but I can not imagine why it would be free. I'm to nervous to download such an item.

My dad told me years ago that if something sounds to be too good to be true, then it probably is.

To learn more about the camera I use click here.

I also have a video tutorial and blog post about editing with Adobe Premiere Elements 8 here.

Psychology for Competitive Cyclists

2010-10-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

The psychological aspects of cycling should not be ignored, in fact, you can not. Simply put, athletes are not pure machines. We have thoughts, emotions, feelings, beliefs and values. As a result, athletic performance can be greatly connected to psychological and mental factors. My intent in this article is to discuss psychology for bike racing and identify several skills and techniques that can improve performance.

Let's begin with visualization, or the technique of using one's imagination to picture or imagine specific behaviors or events that have or can occur in one's life. It is important to note, that the act of visualization can significantly improve an athlete's performance. The value of visualization or mental practice is well established in research.

One such study used sixty beginning basketball players split into three groups of twenty each. The first group practiced shooting baskets from the free-throw line, attempting a specified number of shots in a specified time for a period of two weeks. The second group was asked to do the same thing, but only as a visualization or in their "mind's eye". The third group was a control group and performed neither mental or actual shooting practice.

Each group was tested at the beginning and end of their two-week practice. As expected, the third group didn't improve. The group who only used visualization, or mental practice, however, improved almost as much as those who physically trained. (Dan Millman 1999)

In another well known study on visualization in sports, Russian scientists compared four groups of Olympic athletes in terms of their training schedules:
   Group 1 = 100% physical training;
     Group 2 = 75% physical training with 25% mental training
     Group 3 = 50% physical training with 50% mental training
     Group 4 = 25% physical training with 75% mental training

Group 4, with 75% of their time devoted to mental training, performed the best. "The Soviets had discovered that mental images can act as a prelude to muscular impulses." (Scaglione & Cummins 1993)

I should also point out that the act of reading has been found to produce a virtual experience in some reader's mind. EMG studies of brain has shown that brain activity can be identical whether reading about a physical movement or actually doing that movement.

The Brain Cannot Tell The Difference Between a Real and an Imagined Action

"According to Lynne McTaggart in her book The Intentional Experiment, electromyography (EMG) has shown that the brain does not differentiate between the thought of an action and a real action. In an experiment with a group of skiers, EMG discovered that when they mentally rehearsed their downhill runs, the electrical impulses sent to the muscles were the same as when physically engaged in the runs." (Chadwick 2009) This illustrates the power of visualization.

This information is HUGE in it's potential impact on athletic training and performance.

A few clear advantages of mental practice versus physical practice is that it's safe, you can do it anywhere, anytime, it produces no physical bodily wear, and because mental practice can be error free, there's no fear of failure. For competitive cyclists it's an ideal way to rehearse hairy field sprints, or dangerous mountainous descents, and high speed cornering, etc.

Here's how I personally applied visualization to my goal of winning a National Championship. Among many details, I used the internet and Google mapping, I found and studied the exact course that I would be racing on, and later I rode the actual course the day before the race. Throughout my training and racing season, I visualized the course and the riders that I had raced against the previous year repetitively in my mind. I also mentally re-raced the finish of the previous year's National Championship races in my mind with several variations of possible tactics and with as much sensory detail as I could muster. I did this over and over again throughout the year, on my stationary trainer, on long rides, sometimes before sleep and also during travel to races. This virtual training combined with my actual training lead to believe that I could win and become a National Champion, which in fact, I did and I now am.

I have added some more material to the topic of "Psychology for Competitive Cyclists". It can be found and read by clicking here.

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

The best of GoPro and the best and worst of David Henderson

2010-10-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have a "Music Player" gadget, 4th down to the right. You may run audio from it or the video as you see fit by pausing the music player or muting the embedded video. Enjoy!

Buy your very own GoPro HD Hero Camera buy clicking the link:
GoPro® Helmet Camera
The Giro Della Montagna Criterium

National Champion Forevermore!

Masters National Road Race Championship

Mountain Bike Fail

Missouri State Criterium Championship

The Benji

Mid-Town Alley Grand Prix (AKA: The Hipslapper)

Winning and Losing at the Same Time

University of Missouri Campus Split Screen

Hermann Criterium or a View from My Spleen

Look Out Sucka!

2010 Hillsboro Finish

Froze Toes Finish

Rhett's Run Frozen
To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

National Champion Forevermore.

2010-10-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is my Men's Masters Criterium National Championship video. The race was held at Jeffersonville, Indiana on August 7, 2010.

The best part is........ that I WON!!!! I Won a friggin' National Championship!!!! I'm a National Champion forevermore! It's in the record books Dude!

Now, I know there are plenty of people who would say, "Big deal, you beat a bunch of 40 year-olds at some bike race". Well, that's true, but that same kind of attitude can be applied to all achievements. For example, "You climbed Mt. Everest? Big deal, all you had to do was go up an incline." Or, "You walked on the moon? Big deal, try Mars, now, that would be impressive." Some people think this way.

For me, this National Championship win, was my crowning achievement for my entire career of racing bicycles. It was something that was very difficult to achieve and many others would like to do the same. I've had friends tell me that if they won a National Jersey, they would "sleep in it", and have "sex with it". It means that much and it's that good.

So here's my cliff notes from the race. First I must give a shout out to my friends Bob Cummings and Maurice Hessel. They both treated me like a true team-mate even though we aren't officially (it's not uncommon for local competitors to become allies while abroad). Both Bob and his wife treated me like family and offered me shelter and great company during the "off-times". Maurice played a key role in giving me critical information during the race.

Critical indeed, for most of the race I was hanging in the back (as per usual for me). Maurice let me know what's up from the side-lines. Actually, at one point I thought my race was all but over. About half-way into the race, a break-a-way of several riders had gained over 24 seconds on the field. Maurice's split times eventually told me another story. The gap was closing; the break-a-way was going to get caught. Game back on!!!!! And the rest was timing and pure effort on my part. It is well documented in the video above.

In my video, I should point out that at minute 2:34, I came up quickly on a group of riders while I am trying to bridge up to the winning break-a-way. These are lapped riders! At first it freaked me out. I had to be patient and wait to pass (@3:05) because of a series of turns. This allowed my chasers to reattach, but I went again. To some degree the lapped riders helped to slow my chasers, but not much.

I caught the lead break-a-way at minute 4:05 (in this video) and attacked at minute 4:21 and took Dan Martin with me. The peloton was closing on the break-a-way as we went.

According to my video time-line from my raw footage: At 63minutes and 45seconds Dan Martin and I took off from the break-a-way group with about 4 laps to go. We finished about 5 minutes and 30 seconds later with a gap of ...around 7 seconds. The race lasted approximately 69minutes and 19seconds. (I'm glad I have this on video).

Speaking of video: I wanted to show the entire last nine minutes, but the YouTube limit for video size is 2GB (and I'm right there). So I removed about one minute of me and Dan Martin during our final effort.

I should also mention that the music in my video is "Plastic Flashing Lights" by Professor Kliq and the last song is "Roller Coaster" by JCRZ. I have aquired licenses that allows me to legally use both tunes for my videos. (I don't want to anger "the man".)

The below image is a graph of my watt/speed from my SRM data (1% smoothing). As you can see, the race average speed was 27.47mph with an average of 272.4 watts. The last nine minutes I averaged 28.42 mph and 368 watts with a peak of 1262 watts and 35.7mph max speed (with some cross wind). The course was approximately one kilometer long. My data indicates that we raced for 50.81km for a total of 1hour and 58seconds or so.

One fact that I should mention is that the front camera video appears very shaky. This is because a piece of one of the extensions to my camera mount fractured during the race. This happened for a couple of reasons. One I added two extensions to the bar mount, in order to place the camera forward of the brake/shift cables. This made the mount a little weak and bouncy. So, in order to stabilize the camera, I added a heavy metal wire that dropped from the handle bars to the extension for support. I then added some rubber-bands for pull-down tension. Apparently, the repetitive road shock (from this and several others) combined with the multiple extensions, resulted in a fracture of the mount. Happily my support device kept the camera on the bicycle and filming.

The image below shows my forward mounting system.

The rest, shall we say is history! :-)

Wait a second..... did I mention that the race was close. I mean REALLY close. Check the below pictures and you'll see just how close.

I would say about 3 inches. But here's the weird thing, I knew I had won (or at least I had guessed correctly).

Interestingly, I thought I had lost the National Road Race Championship by about this same distance last year.

Oh, and here's a nice article written by Tom Carbone for the Missourian about my National Championship achievement.

And other nice article written by Joe Walljasper for the Columbia Daily Tribune.

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

National Champion!

Aerodynamics in cycling and how to be faster with no additional effort

2010-09-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

There are a number of factors that determine how fast you can ride. The biggest of course is your power output, followed by your position, the equipment that you ride (bearing friction and tire resistance for example), and your weight. Additionally the road grade, wind speed/direction, temperature and even elevation all play factors in determining your velocity on a bicycle.

Becoming aerodynamic is by far and away the best way to improve your cycling velocity with the least amount of effort. Below is a chart that illustrates the relationship between power and body position on the bike and how a cyclist's speed is effected. We basically all know this and hopefully everyone knows that the relationship between power and speed is not linear (straight line). In short it takes progressively greater amounts of energy (watts) for each mile per hour gained.

Above is another illustration of the effects of aerodynamics through body position. Two important points, 1. again the graph lines are not linear (as mentioned above), and 2. the bike speeds start close together at lower speeds and progressively separate. The aero-position becomes progressively faster than the less aero-position with each additional watt.

Aerodynamic equipment is far more important than light equipment. Two Kilograms of weight savings for me would only drop my 40K TT by 3.6 seconds on a flat course. Yet just an aerodynamic fork vs a standard fork can mean about 30 seconds and even more for an over-sized round fork (up to 50 seconds).

Weight does play important roles for climbing, and accelerating and for rotating parts such as wheels, shoes, pedals and cranks. To be quick about it, lighter is better. But keep in mind that once your equipment is up to speed it's weight becomes ~~significantly~~ incredibly less important (including wheels). Aerodynamics is again king for determining ultimate velocity when over the 10 mile per hour speed barrier (no wind). Below 10mph aerodynamics are generally not in play. See the below graph for an illustration of road grade, speed, position and aerodynamics.

The funny thing about cycling and hills is that you can not recapture the loss of speed from climbing by going down the same hill. Let me give specifics to illustrate what I am saying. I can ride 10 miles on a flat road at 26.2mph average in 22.91 minutes at 340 watts. If I travel up a 5 mile hill at 6% grade I can do it at 12.69mph average and 23.64minutes and then back down at 41.78mph average in just 7.18 minutes, for a total average of 19.46mph average and 30.82 minutes. In short, this hilly course slowed me down by 9.74mph and 7.91 minutes. Incidentally, if I didn't pedal down hill I would only lose about 6.5mph or 1.5 minutes (for the downhill section only). There's not a good performance return for pedaling down hills.

I have two more supporting charts and then I have a real treat for readers who are techno geeks like myself. The first is a chart that shows that narrower tires have greater rolling resistance, but yet are still faster because of aerodynamics!

My second and final chart shows that tubular tires have less rolling resistance than clinchers. (So tubulars are lighter, faster, and corner better.... yes they cost more).

And now the real treat (or at least I think it's the bomb) is a bike performance calculator. This handy calculator will determine your velocity, time, Calories, and weight loss after you plug in a few numbers. It is massively cool for allowing you to see the effects of wind, weight, power, temperature, elevation, body position, and even tires on cycling performance. It's amazing, but I should point out that it is only a model and is not without some degree of flaw. Judge for yourself.

Below is an photo image of the calculator , and if you click on the title you will be linked to the site that hosts it. I have also added it to my sidebar as a link titled "Bike Calculator" under "Links to people and things that I like".

Bike Calculator

Recap and a few additional points:

The effects of aerodynamics is HUGE in road racing, time trials, criteriums, and even sprinting. Drafting can reduce oxygen costs by 25 to 40 percent. Here's a great illustration of the effects of aerodynamics and drafting: a world class track team time trial riders can produce the following average wattages in a pace-line. First rider will produce around 607 watts, 2nd rider 430 watts, 3rd rider 389 watts, and 4th rider 389 watts. Notice that there is a decreasing advantage drafting in 3rd position over 2nd, but no further advantage after 3rd position. (From this and other points within this post you can deduce that your front wheel is more important than your rear wheel concerning aerodynamics and performance, yet the rear wheel still matters!)

Ideal drafting greatly reduces a riders energy expenditure as discussed above and is a critical component of bicycle racing.

In order to increase your velocity while sprinting it is extremely valuable to have a good aerodynamic form. Good form while sprinting would include producing the smallest frontal area possible along with a streamlined position. So head low, back flat, and ideally elbows in (if power can still be generated sufficiently). Mark Cavendish and all the sprinters pictured have excellent aerodynamic form while sprinting.

An aerodynamic wheel is more valuable than a lighter wheel for most racing applications. Weight plays a larger role concerning velocity during acceleration and hill climbing (especially for rotating parts such as wheels, shoes, pedals and cranks). On flat courses, after accelerating, the weight of a wheel (etc) is almost a non-factor when compared to the performance effects of a highly aerodynamic wheel.

A rider would be wise to ride in an aerodynamic position at all times where the speed is above 10mph even when drafting in a field (riding in the drops vs sitting up with hands on the bars).

Pedaling hard down descents is not very productive due to the increasing effects of wind resistance. Average speed can be increased on a hilly courses by careful disbursement of increased effort on uphills and lessening to no effort on descents vs a constant effort over that same distance.

Consider the information provided here and ride accordingly. Your senses can not perceive the energy savings or the speed increases from good cycling form, but all of the measures devices (speedometer, watt-meter, etc.) can and will. It can make the difference between winning and losing.

If I can think of any more useful points I will add them to this post over time. Any suggestions are appreciated!

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

Mountain Bike Fail

2010-09-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Usually I post my video first and then put the write up after. I think in this case a viewer would be slightly better off reading this build-up first.

The following video is actually not serious at all, but is meant to be humorous. I admit it's not Jim Carey funny, but more like David Henderson funny. Of course I'm not paid as much as Jim and this video may explain why.

At any-rate, it is important for my viewers to know that I am trying to be serious and that I am trying to stay focused to accomplish my goal of climbing a steepish rocky climb that's a bit difficult.

In my defense something distracted me. Damn it!

This is so embarrassing!

[ Special Note: I have a "Music Player" gadget, 4th down to the right. You may run audio from it or the video as you see fit by pausing the music player or muting the embedded video. Enjoy!]

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

Masters National Road Race Championship

2010-09-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

[Special Note: I have a "Music Player" gadget, 4th down to the right. You may run audio from it or the video as you see fit by pausing the music player or muting the embedded video. Enjoy!]

The above video of the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championship Men 40-44 was shot at Louisville Kentucky on August 6, 2010.

Before I can properly discuss this race I have to review last year's National Championship. Several people were affected by it (including myself) and I believe that the results had significance on this year's race.

Last year Roger Aspholm and I were in the leading break-a-way (leading by something like 20 seconds) on the final lap of the National Championship race. I jumped first with 400 yards to go up a moderate incline and into the finishing chute of the course. Eventually Roger inched up alongside me, until we were neck and neck charging to the finish line. We both threw our bikes at the line and I instantly knew that he had beaten me by a couple inches. It was so damn close! I missed a National Championship title by the closest of margins! Flashing through my mind were all of the countless hours of training, the expenses of equipment, traveling, and entry fees, along with the sacrifices, the suffering, and the hopes and dreams for this one moment, only to be beaten by a nip at the line! I let it out in a roar as I came to a halt.

But then, things went from bad to worse!

My friend Fred came up to me and said, "You better go protest."
"Protest?" I said, "I just got beat. There's nothing to protest."
"You guys did an extra lap." Fred says, "They've got it all screwed up."

It turned out that we had indeed done an extra lap. There were several reasons why. 1. The finish was on an attached chute or arm of the course (not on the main course). The course was never closed for the finish. In fact the pace motorcycle had led Roger and I around for another lap! Race officials said that the course was left open to allow lapped riders (on a 5 mile course) to continue racing. 2. The lap counter was at zero on lap two and one. 3. Roger asked the pace motorcycle/official what lap we were on. The official indicated one more to go (he was also confused, it was bell lap). 3. On the bell lap, there was no bell for Roger and me. Apparently the bell ringer thought Roger and I were not the lead riders, but instead were lapped riders (there were many). 4. The bell ringer did ring the bell for chasing riders behind us (several people told me this).

So on what was the actual finishing lap Roger and I were clearly in the lead by a significant margin. As we missed the finishing chute, spectators began yelling at us to turn back, but we had already made our turn and their shouting just sounded like cheering. (this next part is from spectators/friends accounts) The next group of three also started to make the wrong turn, but they were able to understand the crowd's pleas and they turned around and started racing to the finish line, but they were caught by another chase group and passed in the sprint.

My understanding is that what would have been 5th place became 1st place. Roger and I were officially placed at 53rd 54th. They denied our protest and said that, "it is the riders responsibility to know the course." And that was that.

I took it a bit easier than Roger, mainly because I felt I was only cheated out of second place. For Roger it was the National Title. He swore he would never do another Masters National race again. He wasn't too happy about the whole thing.

The next day was totally different. I experienced something that I totally didn't expect. In fact, even now, I'm still impressed by it. I don't think I have ever heard of something like it in competitive sports.

Daniel Casper was officially awarded the second place medal in our Masters National Road Race. He came up to me and said, "This is yours", and handed me the silver medal from the previous days National Championship race. I was amazed and I told him how much I appreciated it (and I really did). In my book Daniel Casper is the true definition of a Champion: first among competitors in honor and integrity.

So that's the background story leading up to this year's race that is featured in the above video. Some things did change and some didn't. The race officials went all out this year. The course was completely closed off and did not have a special finishing chute. The lap counter was high tech and digital. The announcers were highly professional. The officials even required riders to wear electronic chips to keep track of the riders in the race. I was told (but I can't confirm) that last year's chief official was not invited to return.

So what didn't change? The course was the same, and the race roster was nearly the same, including one Roger Aspholm. He swore he wouldn't come back! When I saw his name of the list of registered riders, I thought, "Damn it, he's going to be hard to beat!"

Damn straight, he won again! (Sorry for the video spoiler). I did the best I could, but I was pretty spent after a bridge-up to the lead break-a-way. I never really recovered.

After the race I saw Roger and I said, "How did you do?" (I really didn't know yet)
He looked at me and smiled, "I won."
I congratulated him. I was really happy for him and said, "Well, that ought to help make up for last year."
"A little." He smiled again.
To which I said, "I'll do well tomorrow. I always race better on the second day."

Damn straight!

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

BUY THE BEST HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO CAMERA FOR BICYCLES.

2010-09-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

The best camera for videoing your world from a bicycle is without a doubt the HD Hero camera from GoProCamera. Of course proof is in the pudding, or video as they say. Check my video samples and information below and decide for yourself.

This camera is hands free (or hands on if you prefer) and extremely versatile. It can be used far beyond just videoing and photographing cycling, ranging all the way from scuba-diving to skydiving, standard photography, time lapse photography and beyond. On this post you will find a detailed list of the HD Hero's stats and abilities, and several images showing a range of different mounting methods that I use for this camera (there are many more, especially if you are clever). I also have sample videos that I have produced from this camera using different mounts as references for videoing from a bicycle, and a couple videos showing this camera's ability to do live and wireless feeds, and the latest video display device that just came available.

I also provide buyers an incentive to buy their cameras off the links to "Get Yours" on this site. By clicking the links off this site and buying from the REAL company you get a REAL WARRANTY and a REAL GUARANTEE of product quality, and FREE SHIPPING reimbursed by yours truly. Clicking a GoProCamera link from this site simply shows the company that you came from this site and that I played a role in helping you decide to buy their incredibly awesome products.

Of course you can simply purchase your GoPro® HD Helmet HERO™ Camera or any item from the company without linking off this post to do so. The cost is the same to you (you can not purchase their product any cheaper anywhere. And there is no camera out there with the capabilities of this mini dynamo. But of course, do as you please).

At the very minimum I recommend watching the last video on this post. It's absolutely amazing! It's produced by the GoPro folks and it shows a bunch of different examples of what the camera can be used for.

A recent update: GoProCamera has develped and released an attachable/removable LCD video screen with a built in speaker for live viewing, and instant playback of videos (with sound) and photos. (see below).

Another update: GoProCamera has developed and released a battery pac device which doubles the recording time on their rechargeable lithium batteries. (see below)

Another update: GoPro Camera has added a 3D Hero System. It's the worlds smallest 3D High Definition Camera! (see below)

Another update: GoPro Camera is coming out soon with a Wi-Fi bacPac and Remote. This will allow wireless live streaming videos and photos for viewing on the internet or smartphone. And a long range remote control of up to 50 separate cameras.

SPECIAL OFFER: Either FREE SHIPPING (domestic only) Or free coaching on your racing tactics/strategy/style, from your bike racing videos (3 criteriums or 1 road race) by David Henderson (Masters National Criterium Champion). To receive either money or free coaching you must purchase a GoPro camera only by clicking on the "GET YOURS" links to GoProcamera.com from this blogsite and then actually purchasing a camera. Email me immediately (or soon after, this is required for my offer) at h4henderson@yahoo.com (so that I can verify the purchase and match it to you personally).   Please email me if you have any questions regarding this offer. Additionally, I will give you my personal phone number to help answer/guide you on operations of this camera and the software that I use (Adobe Premiere Elements ..... sorry, I don't have a MAC).

I understand that most folks want an awesome cheap camera. Here's the thing...... GoProCamera's are just that. In the last decade a high definition video camera cost literally a couple thousand dollars (or more) and were quite large, and couldn't touch the abilities of the GoPro. The technology vs cost factors are now at a premium for buyers. Inflation will not allow these (or any other camera for that matter) to become any cheaper. So if you are waiting for cheaper you will NEVER buy any camera because they will only rise in price. If you are looking for better, look no further because there honestly isn't anything better than a GoProCamera. The old saying, "You get what you pay for", holds true with GoProCameras.

GoPro's only real competitor is the HD Contour camera and GoPro honestly blows them out of the water. First of all the GoPro is more affordable because they include a waterproof case. With the Contour you have to pay extra. The video quality is the same because they both use the exact same technology however The GoPro is far superior because of their clever design for mounting systems and their expansion bus for accessories. Specifically the expansion port allows the attachment of a LCD video monitor for playback with sound. It turns the camera into a powerful everyday camera.

GoProCameras have 3 camera lines with different video levels (with different functional abilities)
    The HD Hero2 for $299.99 (1920x1080)
The HD Hero for $199.99 (1920x1080) *see below for differences between cameras
    The HD Hero 960 for $149.99 (960x1080) (minus the hero expansion bus for accessories)

I personally use the HD Hero and highly recommend it.

Below is a video produced by "Eye of Mine" that shows some of the differences between the standard HD Hero and the HD Hero2

GoPro's HD Helmet HERO2 is the world's highest performance wearable 1080p video and still photo camera. Professional quality 1080p / 960p / 720p WVGA HD resolutions record at 30 and 60 frames per second (60fps in 720p), . Record up to 2.5 hours on a single charge and up to 9 hours total on a 32GB SD card (not included).

The camera can also shoot automatic 11, 8, and 5MP photos at 2/5/10/30 and 60 second intervals during your activity, hands free. Press the shutter button once at the start of your activity and record up to 2.5 hours of poster-print quality photos of you and your friends, living it up.

Included are mounts for attaching the camera to three helmets and two pieces of gear or vehicles, as well as a head strap allowing you to wear the camera like a headlamp. You can also pull this strap over helmets for easy camera sharing between friends. One of the above mentioned helmet mounts is a lace-through strap-mount designed for vented helmets.

The HD Helmet HERO is compatible with all other GoPro Hero camera mounting accessories, so it's very easy to expand the functionality of your camera to also suction cup to vehicles, clamp to bike handlebars and seat posts, mount to surfboards, and even be worn on the wrist or chest.

Waterproof to 180'/60m and protected from rocks and other hazards thanks to its removable polycarbonate housing. Replacement housings and lens kits are available, making repairs or refurbishing your HD HERO camera affordable and convenient. It's a GoPro... go for it. (TM)

What's Included:
* 1 HD HERO Camera (5 megapixels)
* 1 Rechargeable 1100 mAh Lithium-Ion Battery
* 1 Waterproof Quick-Release Housing (180'/60m)
* 1 Headlamp-Style Head Strap
* 1 Vented Helmet Strap
* 2 Curved, 3M (TM) Adhesive Mounts
* 2 Flat, 3M Adhesive Mounts
* 1 Three-Way Pivoting Side Arm Assembly
* 2 Quick-Release Buckles\
* 1 USB Cable
* 1 Component Video (HDTV) Cable\
* 1 Component Video + Audio Out Cable
* Warranty: One Year

Camera Optics (HD Hero Standard):
* Lens Type: Fixed Focus (2ft/.6m - infinity), glass
* Aperture: f/2.8 (high performance in low-light situations)
* Angle of View: 170 degree ultra wide angle in WVGA, 720p, or 960p mode
* Angle of View: 127 degree wide angle in 1080p mode

Camera Optics (HD Hero2):
*2x Sharper Professional Glass Lens
*f/2.8 Fixed Focus
*170 degree FOV (including 1080p)
*90 degree FOV

Video (Standard HD Hero)
* HD Video Resolution Modes: (subject to change, pending final firmware release)
     * 1080p = 1920x1080 pixels (16:9), 30fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
     * 960 = 1280x960 pixels (4:3), 30 fps, 12 Mbit/s data rate
     * 720 = 1280x720 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
     * WVGA = 848x480 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 8 Mbit/s data rate
* Sensor Type: 1/2.5" HD CMOS, 2.2um-sized pixels
* Light Sensitivity: Super low-light sensitivity (>1.4 V/lux-sec)
* Video Format: H.264 compression, saved as Windows- & Mac-compatible MPEG4 (.mp4) file
* Exposure Control: Auto with user selectable center weighted average and spot metering settings
* White Balance: Auto

Video (HD Hero2)
* High Performance, 1/2.3" CMOS Image Sensor
*Light Sensitivity: .84V/lux-sec
*Exposure Control: Spot, Center Weighted
*White Balance: Auto

Audio (Standard HD Hero)
* Microphone: Built-in, mono with AGC (automatic gain control)
* Audio Format: 48 kHz, AAC audio compression

Audio (HD Hero2)
*same built in microphone as standard
*Stereo External Microphone Input (3.5mm)

Photo (HD Hero standard)
* Resolution: 5 megapixel
* Capture Modes: Single shot, photo every 2, 5, 10, 30, or 60 secs.; 3 photo burst; self-timer

Photo (HD Hero2)
*Resolution: 11, 8, and 5 megapixel
*Capture Modes: 10 shots in 1 sec., TimeLapse every 0.5, 1.2.10, 30,60 seconds; self-timer
Storage
* Memory: SD card, up to 32GB capacity (SDHC)
* Average recording times (using 32GB SD card)
     *1080p (30 fps): 4h 21m
     *960p (30 fps): 5h 26m
     *720p (60 fps): 4h 21
     *WVGA (60 fps): 8h 09m

Camera Connectors & Cables
* PC Connection: USB 2.0 (data connection and battery charging)
* HDTV Out: HD NTSC & PAL (component cable incl.)
* Audio Out: Combo 2.5mm jack with stereo audio and composite video out
* PC Compatibility: Windows Vista, Windows 7; Mac OS X 10.4.11 and later

Power & Battery
* Battery Type: Rechargable 1100 mAh lithium-ion
* Battery Life: Approx. 2.5 hrs
* Charging: via USB to computer or optional power adapter
* Charge Time: 80% capacity after 1 hour with optional power adapter; or 2 hours with a computer's   USB port

Waterproof Camera Housing
* Depth Rating: Up to 180 feet / 60 meters
* Construction: Polycarbonate and stainless steel
* Hardware: Stainless steel

Size & Weight
* Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.6" x 2.4" x 1.2" (42mm x 60mm x 30mm)
* Weight: 3.3ox (94g) incl. battery, 5.9oz. (167g) incl. housing

Click to enlarge to see camera comparisons

This blog site is dedicated to road bicycle racing, tips, training/racing information and of course lots of videoing of racing. I am completely blown away at how cool this camera is. The video quality is awesome, the camera is small and mounts in a ton of ways. I still can't believe how smooth the video picture is during rough filming. This camera is simply amazing. (check my videos for proof).

Below are samples of mounting methods for the HD Hero Camera that I personally use.

The chest mount


vented helmet mount, quick release


vented helmet mount


head strap mount


head mount


handlebar mount

seatpost mount

under stem off of spacer using bar mount

my front mount with homemade stabilization braces

tripod mount

There are literally too many mounting methods to list here, but I did show my favorites that I use.

The above video shows how this camera is excellent to record a bike trip.

This is a video I shot using the both the seatpost mount and the under the stem mount that is pictured above. The video settings was 960p (1280x960 pixels) on each camera.

This video I shot with the chest mount (also at 960p), oh, and a seatpost mount also at 960

I have a blog post that describes how to use Adobe Premiere Elements 8 software for editing. I spent many an hour learning this software. If you are new to video editing, my post can save you lots of time and frustration. Keep in mind, there are many, many other different video editing software products out there. This is just the one that I use and am most familiar with.

The above video is a good demonstration of the helmet mount while mountain biking. It is also notable that the temperature was only 6 degrees above zero Fahrenheit, and on snowy and icy trails. This was my first video with the HD Hero camera (I have since produced 80 or so more). My biggest lesson was to make sure that the camera is securely fastened. Later in the video the camera angle drops after and sudden and powerful jolt. (not exactly a masterpiece, but it still turned out pretty good)

To purchase your HD HERO Camera, just click the "Get Yours" button on this page. This takes you to the mother ship. Click on "HD Helmet HERO" helmet camera image (bottom left of the screen) then "ADD to Cart". You can easily pay with MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Paypal. Shipping is usually within 24 hours. This amazing, adaptable, waterproof, bombproof, high tech, high definition camera sells for $299 and ninety-nine pennies. The naked version (no cables/mounts, just bare camera/case) is only $259.

Or you can purchase the HD Hero 960 version (pictured above). The HD Hero 960 features the same professional grade 960p, 720p and 480p (WVGA) video & 5MP timelapse photo modes, and incredible sound recording system as it's big brother, the original HD HERO camera. Missing from the HD HERO 960 are 720p @ 60fps, 1080p video, and the HERO Bus expansion port in the rear of the camera that will let you take advantage of GoPro's forthcoming Bac Pac accessories - LCD screen & Battery Extension - both important features for film-making hobbyist & professional videographers that are compatible with the original HD HERO camera. The purchase price is lower however (than the 1080) at only $179.99.

You can do high definition live feed. See above video.
Wireless live feed is possible. See below video:

Lastly, below is a video produced by the GoProCamera guys that shows a multitude of other sports that this video camera can easily be adapted to.

Now The HD Hero camera has a handy video monitor with audio that can be attached or removed by your command. It makes this already incredible camera even more incredible.

I have to throw in this video too because it's soooo much fun to watch and pure GoPro.

Bike safe, my survival tactics for road cycling.

2010-08-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Safety first my friends. I mean that. It's pretty hard to ride injured. Even harder dead. I've had a lot of fun riding this year and happily it has been non-eventful concerning interactions with cars while training. That's pretty darn good considering the amount of time I have spent riding my bike on the roads with cars. This year alone I've spent many hundreds of hours biking on our public roadways.

If you are a grizzled professional rider or highly experienced rider you may feel that you can't learn anything from my list of survival tactics for road cycling. This may be true, but you might be able to add to the list and save someone some damage or general stress. Please review and add to the comments below. I'll update this list as appropriate.

I have several survival tactics for staying alive/injury free while bicycling. They are as follows:
1. I try to always wear my helmet.
1.5 Never ride against traffic (this is an update, submitted by a reader)
2. I try to maintain my bicycle, gears, chains, cables, brakes, tires and pressure. Cleaning a bike is a good way to inspect for damage.
3. I find that it is safer to know exactly where I'm going to bike ride. This has many many advantages.
     a. I know the road conditions such as gravel spots, pot holes, deep cracks, etc.
     b. I know where chasing dogs are in advance.
   c. I know the idiosyncrasies of certain intersections such as round-a-bouts, lane merges, etc.
4. Concerning dogs: I try to sneak past areas where I know that have dogs that chase. If an escape is not possible first try to vocally command the dog to "Go Home!"(this is an update, submitted by a reader) If this is ineffective, a water bottle spray to the face may halt a charging/snapping dog temporarily. Just long enough to make the escape.     I have found it generally best to slow down and in some cases actually get off my bike. Most dogs are not wild vicious beasts that attack people (even though some love to bite moving cyclists if given a chance). Generally the biggest danger is falling from tangling up with a dog. This can be much worse than a dog bite. If you do have to dismount your bike because a snapping dog is dangerously close and inescapable, keep your bike between you and the dog. The bike can become your shield (and even weapon) to allow you to back out a dangerous dog encounter.
4.5 Concerning dogs and group riding: Same tips as above with a few amendments.
     a. Inform others of known areas with chasing dogs in advance. This allows others to expect and anticipate difficulties, and bike more defensively.
   b. try to pass known areas with chasing dogs with stealth (quick and quiet)
     c. When a charging dog is spotted yell out to others "DOG!" and direction of the animal missile.
     d. large groups can not possibly get away from a chasing dog (the group will be in a line of some sort), so anticipate braking or possible erratic bike handling.
     e. It is ideal if an experienced rider would pull out of the line and block/shield the group from the charging dog. This person should vocally command the dog, use water bottle spray to temporarily halt the dog, or a frame pump for defense if necessary.    I personally would recommend using full caution, slowing down until a quick escape can be made.

I also like the pepper spray idea, but I've never used it. It's probably a good idea to contact the dog owner about restraining a dangerous dog or call animal control. I have contacted a dog owner after a teammate was rendered unconscious from a high-speed tangle with a pursuing dog. I explained that he could be held liable for damages that his unrestrained dog causes. I never saw the dog again.

5. I ride the same roads, the same time of day.
    a. This allows me to be able to predict/anticipate traffic conditions.
    b. This also allows the traffic to predict me. Often many drivers travel the same routes at the same times. Predictability is usually a good thing.
6. I try to obey all traffic laws. Not only is it the law, but it is much safer.
[Caveat this is written from a US/North American perspective. The rest of the English speaking world (UK, Australia and New Zealand etc drive on the left therefore most of my advice that I have given should be reversed on which side to go down etc]
     a. On left turns I fully enter a lane behind existing traffic. Wait my turn and signal just as though I were an automobile.
    b. When I'm able to ride close to a posted speed limit, I take the entire lane.
    c. I take the entire lane on very technical roads where cars should never try to pass anyone.
    d. I never try to impede traffic. When I see cars stacked up behind me, I will often pull over to let them pass quickly. I also tend to pull over when I'm aware of semi-trucks and trailers that are pulling big/heavy loads. I do this partly out of courtesy, and especially for my own well being.
7. I look over my left shoulder for traffic frequently. I have found that if I look back at an approaching vehicle, they NEVER buzz me (as in: come dangerously close). Let me repeat that with a slight variation. If a driver sees you look back they will not drive dangerously close to you, they will pass you safely. Strange but true.
8. I tend to ride relatively close to the edge of the road whenever possible. When riding with a cycling partner I tend to ride to the left of my cycling partner (for conversation), looking for cars and moving single file if a car is noticed.
9. When I see an oncoming car, I always check for cars coming behind me. I can't always do it, but I try to speed up or slow down to avoid being passed on my left, just as an oncoming car is passing as well. It may be appropriate to briefly take up a full lane in a situation where roads are so narrow that should a car choose to dangerously and unlawfully pass you, all parties lives are in jeopardy. Riding on the edge of the road in this case may encourage a reckless driver to make a dangerous and unlawful pass.
10. I try to wear bright colors, and avoid night riding. Yes night lights are a must for night riding(especially very powerful front and flashing rear lights), but I think it's safer NOT to ride on the roads at night. (The trail is great for night riding).
11. I try NOT to assume that cars see me at intersections.
     a. At intersections with heavy traffic I will often advance along side (but in a bike lane) and at the speed of an advancing automobile. This way the car is shielding me from all other cars except my right side (where both I and the car shielding me are both visible). Care must be taken that the advancing car is not turning right. I do this by not positioning myself in the blind spot of the driver at the stop. I pull full up to the stop line, just off to the right side of the front bumper and make eye contact with the driver.   The driver will see me, and signal appropriately (otherwise I let the car lead).
    b. When I see a car waiting to pull out, I am on my guard. If I can not see the driver's face look my way, I stop pedaling and begin to prepare myself for that driver to pop out into my path.
    c. I am also on my guard when I see a car preparing to turn left in front of me. (this is my least favorite, because it is hard to know if I have actually been seen or if the driver thinks he can beat me).
12. Before passing a parked car, I quickly look back for approaching cars and then move over just outside of a potential door swing (should it open suddenly).
13. I never "flip off" a driver of a car in retaliation. It's my opinion that there's clearly something wrong with this person, and not a good idea to indulge this person. (I haven't been flipped off even once this year..... pretty weird)
14. I almost always try to ride roads with the least amount of car traffic and consider that traffic is increased going away from the city around 4:00 to 6:00pm and less going toward the city at the same time.
15. I think mirrors are very valuable. I bought one and couldn't adapt it to my helmet. Recently my friend Bob C. let me use his that attaches to sunglasses and it was fantastic.
16. When crossing railroad tracks try to do so squarely (as in perpendicular) to the track (or as much as possible). If the railroad track is wet and you do not cross it squarely, expect to kiss the pavement.
17. Learn to "bunny hop" (jumping both the front and rear wheel off the ground at the same time). This skill can save you from crashing when crossing seams or deep cracks in the road, as well as potholes, and many other unavoidable objects that suddenly appear. At the very minimum always pop your front wheel over unavoidable objects. This will tend to keep you upright.
18. NEVER EVER EVER place a wheel on a bike without skewering it on properly. (This happens sometimes when transporting a bike short distances with the intention of removing the wheels immediately, but forgetting or getting distracted.    It's a very dangerous action. I know of riders who had severe injuries because of this innocent mistake.)
19. Here's a link to Bicycle Safety: How to Not Get Hit by Cars. It restates what I have said in this post (minus a few items on their part), but they have some helpful illustrations.
20. There is evidence that riding in groups may have a safety advantage. Here's a link discussing this topic. I must say that group riding can produce some safety issues, and I have seen riders sometimes less alert to automobiles with a group (perhaps they think others are doing it for them).
    a. it is best to ride known planned routes with riders that you know well.
    b. If you are riding with beginners take the lead and/or do not draft closely behind them
    c. At slower speeds allow room plenty of room for sudden decelerations or erratic bike handling.
    d. The lead rider is responsible for alerting following riders of safety hazards (i.e. potholes, roadkill, pedestrian, deep crack, glass, objects in road, etc). This is done by physically pointing at hazard and "yelling out" the hazard to riders behind. They should do the same for following riders.
     e. The last rider should alert the riders ahead when cars are approaching to allow riders to adjust as appropriate. Such as get single file or pull over to allow a back up of vehicles to pass or in some cases take the full lane to prevent dangerous passes by overtaking vehicles.
     f. Signal and verbally communicate all turns in advance to your group.
     g. anticipate a rider to decelerate when standing to climb a hill and ride off center of their rear wheel so that contact of wheels will not occur.
     h. All other safety tips listed here apply when riding in groups.
21. Never "bomb" (full speed/edge of control) a blind curving descent on an open road. There could be obstacles in the road or a your bike could have a mechanical and send you into or under an oncoming vehicle (depending on the road curve).

If anyone can think of additional safety ideas please add them in the comments section. I'll, in turn, add them to this list. Hopefully an idea will save someone some skin.

My survival techniques for racing are a bit different and they are as follows:
1. I try to never "half-wheel". This is where my front wheel overlaps the rear wheel of a cyclist in front of me. If they move over suddenly while I am half-wheeling, I could very likely crash (they generally won't crash)
2. Inside line (when cornering 2 abreast) is generally best when cornering. Riders that crash will slide outward. If you are on the inside of a turn, you can ride uninterrupted if someone crashes on your outside.
3. Faster races tend to be safer because the riders become single file. When the pack bunches up, I am on my guard for a potential crash caused by half-wheeling.
4. Run good tires with ideal tire pressures. For tubulars: 110/120 on non-technical courses, 90psi front and 105 rear on technical dry courses, and 85 psi front and 95 psi rear for wet courses. (I've heard of running as low as 80 and 80 for wet courses) Clinchers are all different and riders must consult the manufacturers instructions.
5. I personally skip technical courses in the rain. Professional riders can't do this. If you watch my videos you will note that I do sometimes ride in the rain and that I also sometimes crash in the rain.
6. I try to not ride behind someone who has just crashed or has a history of crashing.
7. For road races I tend to ride near the yellow line. If a sudden crash occurs I can potentially go left (assuming there is no on coming car). Riding the edge of the road can lead to punctures and possibly riding off the road.
8. Never cross the yellow line except for safety concerns. (on coming cars are, of course, safety concerns)
9. Look ahead for obstacles, barriers, cones etc. Do not fully rely on the person you are drafting off of.
10. When a crash is unavoidable try to react quickly and aim for the best landing and try to avoid fixed objects. Prepare to tumble, arms out for initial contact and tuck and tumble.

Again, if anyone can think of additional survival techniques for racing, please add them in the comments section.

That's it for this post.   Safe riding everyone. And fun riding.

Dude your crank length's fine, you just need to gear up

2010-08-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

"Myth and Science in Cycling: Crank Length and Pedaling Technique" by James C. Martin PhD, NeuroMuscular Function Lab, The University of Utah

I am sooo excited about this particular topic. I've been riding for years and I've never been overly confident that I was riding the ideal crank length. After finding this article I am very comfortable with my 172.5mm cranks. Of course there's basically nothing wrong with the other standard crank length sizes either. Dr. Martin's data shows that "170 mm cranks would compromise the power of the shortest and tallest riders by AT MOST 0.5%. For example 6 watts out of 1200."

Another important point 120 rpm is close to optimal RPM (or cadence) when sprinting with standard production size cranks. I'm not suggesting that racers observe their cadence when riding, I just want to point out that higher cadences are generally NOT MORE EFFECTIVE. This will become even more apparent with a later point concerning larger gears being better than smaller ones for sprinting.

The summary of the above three charts is that 1. effect of crank length is small and significant only at extreme lengths, 2. 170mm cranks will compromise power of the tallest and shortest riders by at most 0.5%, 3. Pedal speed and pedaling rate interactively limit power, and 4th and most importantly: Cyclists can ride the crank length they prefer without concern of decreasing maximal power.

The next chart is a biggie.

The above chart shows that cyclists are more efficient pedaling at 60rpm cadence vs 100rpm cadence. This is big news from my point of view, and frankly I think it's a big big deal. So let me repeat the point....... lower cadences are more efficient than higher cadences, specifically 60rpm over 100rpm.

UPDATE 28Sept11: The data from the above chart is correct, and has been supported in numerous studies, however there is some research that shows that a higher cadence is more efficient with higher watt outputs greater than 350watts (professional cyclist power outputs). I will link to my future article detailing this once it is completed.

This is amazing stuff. I've been told countless times to get my cadence up. Generally 90 is often touted as the ideal cadence. It may still be for speed changes in criterium racing, but I think not for time-trialing. I tend to find myself falling into the upper 70s when time trialing despite trying to remind myself that 90 is better (turns out that it's not necessarily so). I plan on doing more riding with lower rpms and examine my watt data.

I know that a lot of cyclists will reject the notion that lower cadences are more efficient than higher cadences. I myself had some initial trouble with it. Generally I have found that my heart rate and wattage will stay fairly constant with different gear/rpm combination from the range of 70 to 90s I have noticed an heartrate upward drift as I go upward into the 90s.

The findings of this research are impressive (in my opinion). I contacted Dr. Nate Means (biology professor), Dr. Pam Hinton (exercise physiology), Dr. John Bowders (engineering) all to discuss this research document (powerpoint doc. actually) and try to understand/discuss the findings and implications. Nate has referred me to another scientist, Pam basically agrees with the Dr. Martin and John and I are going to chat more about it tonight while biking.

I was concerned to the point that I contacted Dr. Martin via email for clarification. He confirmed the facts as such: "The effect of pedaling rate on metabolic cost is pretty well established. Heart rate generally tracks well with met cost but its not the same thing. Also, there is individual variability in responses so you may be a bit different than the mean." (Cool Dr. Martin!)

And that's not all! Check out the next three blocks.

The summary findings are that the "rate of fatigue was greater when cycling with shorter cranks than longer cranks", and "fatigue per revolution was identical for the two crank lengths". And here's the biggie: "Data suggest that a relatively fixed increment of fatigue occurs with each maximal contraction".

In short, this means a bigger gear is better when doing longer sprints. If anyone has doubts just set up some sprint repeats with different gears and look at the data from your SRM or Powertap, etc. The bigger gear will win on the longer sprints. This is cool stuff my friends.

Summary: Common crank sizes are nearly all equal in efficiencies. Cranks size can be chosen for reasons such as ground clearance for cornering/obstacles (shorter), aerodynamics (shorter), or rehabilitation/flexibility (longer). Sprinting 120 rpm is best. 60 rpm is better than 100 rpm aerobically (generally lower cadences are more efficient than higher). Natural pedal stroke is best (do not pull up), crank length has no effect on fatigue, no effect on metabolic efficiencies and very small effect on maximum power. A big gear sprint is better than a small gear sprint (for 30seconds) .

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

State Criterium and State Time Trial Championships

2010-08-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

[Note: I have a "Music Player" gadget, 4th down to the right. You may run audio from it or the video as you see fit by pausing the music player or muting the embedded video. Enjoy!]

The above video is from the State Criterium Championships that was held in Jefferson City on August 1, 2010. The race started at 4:00pm and was pretty darn hot, around 95 degrees. Joe Schmalz won the race, but I won the Missouri State Championship Title because I was the first eligible Missourian to cross the finish line.

Mostly I just sat at the back of the pack, lap after lap. It was extremely easy sitting on. My average wattage sitting on was only 241 watts even at the pace of 25.88mph.

Mid-way through the race I made a serious effort to break free. I didn't get very far at all before the entire pack was in my draft. I simply sat back in the draft until I saw another good opportunity to try again.

I was finally successful breaking free with only 5 or so laps left and I rode nearly full out, with the exception of letting off a little on the bell lap to try and have a good finish. It is notable that I timed my jump to spring up to 2 riders just ahead of me. I noticed my team-mate Ethan Froese was at the front of the group and figured he would slow the corner for the certain chasers. I drafted off the two ahead of me for a bit and just before the pack caught us I launched again, at a full effort. Joe Schmalz bridged up to me very quickly and I knew there would be no way to beat him once he had latched on. He's a much better sprinter than I am.

I was mainly concerned with winning the State Criterium Championship. Joe told be that he wasn't from Missouri. As a result my main concern was not to be caught by the pack.

In the video it may look like I was NOT trying to sprint, but in fact I was. I started early just after the final turn. I must admit that this was a poor strategy. A better strategy would have been to use "sprinter's tact". That is to start the sprint slowly and continue to slowly accelerate to the line. The idea is lure the drafter into either waiting too long to come around or to come around sooner so that they no longer have a draft and then go full out while you still have an advanced position. At any rate, I am pretty certain that the outcome would have been the same. Joe Schmalz is quite good.

A couple points about the course and the watt chart: The course is actually hilly, so it is generally best to charge hard up the hill and coast down the hill (catch a little recovery) on the opposite side of the course. This makes the wattage very jumpy. As a result I had to smooth the data at 1% so that it would be understandable/viewable. With 0% smoothing the graph is so up and down that it looks like heavy and rapid seismic graph. The smoothing only effects the graph appearance and not the numbers averages.

I also want to include my State Time Trial results from the day before.

Andy Chocha won the State Time Trial Championship with a time of 52:48, I was second with a time of 53:04. Great job from Andy! I totally forgot how good he is at time trialing. Now I remember!

I put a lot of effort into winning this race (it was the only race that I felt certain I would win), but still came up short. I traveled to Jefferson City and did 3 efforts over a three week period just to get dialed in and really know the course. Unfortunately I made some calculation errors and that lead me to believe that I was faster than I really was. (I thought I was doing 40k all under 52 minutes.... which is fantastic!) In particular, I didn't correctly calibrate my wheel circumference into my SRM device. This lead to incorrect distance measurements which lead to incorrect times and speed averages.

Check this out: my standard wheel measures 2105mm circumference, my Zipp 404 wheel measures 2073 mm, and my 1080 Zipp wheel measures 2040mm. So the differences in wheel roll out is 0, 33, and 65mm. Speed is calculated by magnet passes with each wheel rotation. Over 40kilometers my 1080 will have something like 19,607 rotations. Entering a 404 Zipp wheel circumference, but actually using a 1080 Zipp wheel, will give .647Kilometers farther distance measurement and .42mph higher average speed measurement than if the correct 1080 Zipp wheel circumference is entered. The standard wheel will give 1.27Kilometers farther distance than the 1080 calibration and .82mph higher average speed on the same distance.

Point is: roll out and measure your wheel that you are going to be riding, THEN enter the correct measurement into your speedometer device.

One last point that I would like to make concerning time trials: If possible try to be the first to start if the time trial is in the morning and last if it is in the evening. The reason for this is that wind always slows a rider (even on an out an back course). No (zero) wind is best for an out and back course. Wind speeds typically increase in the morning and decrease just before sunset (not always, but usually). Less wind means faster. Faster means better.

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

Queen City Criterium

2010-08-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Broken frame, same crit only last year.

The above photo is from last year at the same crit that this post is about. Needless to say, I wasn't too excited about doing this crit again this year.

To be fair, last year's crash was just one of those things that sometimes happens when you're racing.

Still, it was a bitter pill. Last year the MOBAR Championship was a close race between Justin M. and me. He had attacked and slipped away solo in the race. He ended up winning in fact. I tried several times to slip away as well, but I was heavily covered and forced to sprint.

I was in the top several racers coming into the last corner. Someone clipped a pedal and set off a chain reaction of crashes. I suddenly found myself on the pavement. Not only did I not place, but my expensive bike frame was destroyed.

The top tube was cracked all the way through. A swift kick removed the cracked tube entirely. I was able to replace the frame, rear derailleur, and handlebar tape for about a thousand dollars. I shouldn't complain too much. Retail cost for these items is over $3,000.

[Special Note: I have a "Music Player" gadget, 4th down to the right. You may run audio from it or the video as you see fit by pausing the music player or muting the embedded video. Enjoy!]

Race results

This race was won by Brad Huff. Professional rider for Jelly Belly. He, Nick Coil and Adam Miller successfully broke away from the pack and finished in that order.

I was very nervous about this course because of recent crashes this year plus crashing on this same course last year. So I ended up hanging in the back.

Late in the race I did make one hard effort to break-a-way, but the pack reeled me in quickly. This course has so many turns that it is hard to keep your speed and power up. The turns come too quickly. I was able to finally escape and finish 4th. I was pretty happy with that. I most certainly didn't want to sprint for a place.

Ozark Mountain Highroad Time Trial

2010-07-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

approximate location of the time trial

Note: the below video has music embedded in it that was created by me. It is neither the worst or the best. Because of copyright laws I can not embed cool copyrighted music, so this was the best that I could do. That was until now. Sorta. On this blog you can click the sound icon on the control panel of my video and mute it. Then select one of the cool copyrighted tunes from my ipod gadget that I have embedded on the right side of the blog. It is extremely cool and the price is right....... free. Enjoy!

Here's my video clip that shows the time trial course using Google Earth. It gives the perspective that the course was indeed hilly, but unless you ride it, you can't fully appreciate it's undulations. My maximum speed was 50.9 miles per hour. Over all my average speed was 25mph over the 14 mile out and back course. My average wattage was 297 which includes averaging in my zero wattages (or coasting). Basically once a bike is going over 40mph down a hill pedaling is of no real value other than soft pedaling in order to keep the legs loose. I'm going to guess my normalized power would be around 355 or so.

Oh, I almost left out a critical point. It was damn hot. Around 96 degrees. My chart below shows a standing radiant temperature of 108.7 degrees. Once I started riding it dropped to around 98 or so.

I placed 2nd to Brad Huff (pro rider for team Jelly Belly) who put 20 seconds on me. The results are here.

standard tt position

Turning around

climbing perspective


nearing the finish

Lastly I am adding a short audio clip that is to serve as a warning to all who travel with and sleep anywhere within 30 meters of my teammate (and all around good sport) Benji Bockting. Luckily for me I was able to find my earplugs after a wake up call.

I really don't want everyone who reads this blog to think that Benji is just a snorer. Oh he is soooo much more than that. I can tell you personally that he does a mean interpretation of James Brown.

Here's what the Benji has to say on the topic:

	"just to put it simple there is only one me. i consider myself a unique mix of rural and urban landscapes. i may have a more urban sense of style but i see more cows and other types of livestock in a week than most "cowboys" do all year. since i rode my bicycle nearly 3000 this year i have a lot of time to think and ponder the realities of life what is in it, what it can become. this may seem strange to many people but my riding has opened my eyes to the world and wondrous beauty of nature and what a perfect world we live (if we don't mess it up) and yes i like sheep. ok, some people are into music some are into art some into sports my true meaning of life is with the sheep it is just what i do(in a nonsexual way) this is my calling and they will always be a part of me. just remember there is more to me than meets the eye. there are a few things that annoy me in this world and they are: driving vehicles short distances, wasting energy, not questioning authority, people that are hateful to cyclist, people who litter, SUV's, rednecks, ignorance, "clean" humor (aka corny crap that is just stupid), people who call lawn mowers tractors, and rodeo. also eat locally produced beef, lamb goat, pasture-raised poultry and any other food that you consume and keep your dollars within your communities and support the local farmer this will benefit you and your family." To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

"just to put it simple there is only one me.
i consider myself a unique mix of rural and urban landscapes. i may have a more urban sense of style but i see more cows and other types of livestock in a week than most "cowboys" do all year.
since i rode my bicycle nearly 3000 this year i have a lot of time to think and ponder the realities of life what is in it, what it can become. this may seem strange to many people but my riding has opened my eyes to the world and wondrous beauty of nature and what a perfect world we live (if we don't mess it up)

and yes i like sheep. ok, some people are into music some are into art some into sports my true meaning of life is with the sheep it is just what i do(in a nonsexual way) this is my calling and they will always be a part of me.

just remember there is more to me than meets the eye.

there are a few things that annoy me in this world and they are: driving vehicles short distances, wasting energy, not questioning authority, people that are hateful to cyclist, people who litter, SUV's, rednecks, ignorance, "clean" humor (aka corny crap that is just stupid), people who call lawn mowers tractors, and rodeo.

also
eat locally produced beef, lamb goat, pasture-raised
poultry and any other food that you consume and keep your dollars within your communities and support the local farmer this will benefit you and your family."

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.

Wildwood Time Trial

2010-07-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here's my watt data from the 20 kilometer time trial on July 17, 2010. Race RESULTS.

This course was near Babler State Park in St. Louis area. 10k out and back on a VERY snaking road with two true turns separated by a few hundred meters (guessing) and a railroad track near the first. Over all the road was slightly uphill going out and had a slight headwind as well.

Here's some of the stats: 19.248 Kilometer in 25minutes 6 seconds, average speed 28.59, average watts 341.6, 514.5 Kj of energy spent, max speed 34.9, max watts 580, the air temperature was in the mid 80's.

Notable points: My measured distance was 19.248 kilometers on a described 20kilometer course. I suspect this difference is largely due to my straightening out of the course. This was a VERY snaking course and by taking straight lines (as opposed to riding parallel to the center line)a rider can significantly shorten the distance of a course and thereby create a faster time. I rarely, if ever, left my lane to straighten out the course..... it just wasn't safe enough. The roads turned so much that they frequently disappeared behind trees. I rode very controlled near my threshold. This allowed me to have a strong finish.

I didn't video my time trial because I thought it would be boring and I was going to video the circuit race the following day. I regret this for two reasons. One the circuit race was canceled due to heavy rains. The park ranger didn't want the the grass field to get torn up from vehicles parking there (legitimate). But I especially wished I had a camera to show you the point on my return where I shot between two cars while time trialing. A state trooper had stopped a car in my lane and just as I was in the process of passing the vehicle in my lane, an on-coming car car meet me at the exact point that I passing the stationary vehicle (with a trooper at the driver's side window. I dropped my speed from 30mph to about 23mph. It was still an extremely uncomfortable experience. I wish I had video that showed the facial expression of the state trooper.

To learn about the best video camera in the world for videoing cycling (which is the cameras that I use for my videos) click here.