Rain and Cobblestones

Coach's Tip 2 - Forming better habits

2011-10-30T15:48:00.001-05:00

This Coach's Tip is a continuation from the previous one posted below.

Carefully observe your base training quality. Ride in your base efficiency zone for the entire ride as best you can. This is the first step to finding your new level which is the fastest way to improve. Concentrate and ride diligently. Mark each successful day off of your calender and watch your improved method become a habit. A month will pass and you will be ready for the next step of improvement. There are many more steps. They are simple changes but you must take one at a time. If you tried several at once you would not successfully develop proficiency in each necessary habit. Take care and train smart. The smarter you train, the faster you improve.

Remember that your racing will greatly mimic your training. We all race and train and live through our habits. Habits are cemented in what we do every day and what we have done for years and decades. To improve, you will need to change your habits so that you focus on the quality of your base training. Your old habits will take time to change since you have been relying on them for a long time. It will take approximately 4-6 weeks of concentrating on your training style to make it a habit. It will take a great deal of concentration, but once you have gone a month or so you will not need to concentrate on it as much anymore. At that point it becomes a habit. When this new habit is solidified, it is time to develop your habits even more through further improvements.

As you begin your base training regimen you need to upgrade your training quality. After you have developed the habit of training in your base zone properly, as explained in the previous Coach's Tip, it is time to upgrade your training. You will keep training in your base zone but you will add additional elements to improve your training. The next step is improving what you do during your base training ride. We will examine this step in the next month or in the beginning of December.

I will add additional Coach's Tips as we build toward the end of this first month to your successful 2012 season. Your improvement will come slowly, and so will the new steps to your improved training. Each step will be kept simple so that you may develop with the least amount of additional stress. It will help you to keep track of your training and write down the summary of your training everyday in an organized training diary. If you have any questions feel free to ask.You may come to me for further support. Get out there and ride.

Coach's Tip

2011-10-27T16:53:00.001-05:00

October and the off-season have flown by. November is just around the corner. Your planning and preparation for the next season need to begin now. The key to your success next summer will depend on what you do over the winter. Base training is what your peak fitness will rest upon.

The important thing to remember when getting your first base training rides done is that you need to be fast in the summer, and not right now. Do not worry about feeling slow or being slightly out of shape. It is from your training that you will slowly improve. You need to hold yourself back to the proper base training speed that is right for you.

Base training is done at slower speeds. Ideally you should know at what level of exertion, in heart rate or watts, you begin to produce lactic acid in your blood stream. Lactic acid is the substance that builds slowly in your blood and burns in your muscles eventually causing your muscles to fail and you to get dropped. Most people have the physical strength to ride fast for a short period. Few people can ride at that top end for a long period.

What the "fast" riders have is this ability. You can stay with them at the start, but soon they drop you because you have built up lactic acid and they have not. The principle of base training is to train your body to produce less lactic acid or hopefully none at all; unless your are in dead sprint, of course. Only the top pros reach this level. You can greatly improve yourself too through careful base training.

You train yourself to produce less lactic acid or none at all by training your body to ride more efficiently. To train yourself to ride more efficiently you need to start training at the level where you are already efficient. This is also the level of exertion just below where you begin to produce lactic acid. Often this is around the standard "base conditioning" zone described in many gyms and exercise books which is roughly calculated as 75% of your maximum heart rate.

Find this level for yourself and begin your training just underneath this heart rate. Stay at this level for the entire training ride as best you can, and keep your training hours per week low at first. Your body will slowly adapt and become more efficient. Your body will begin to expand your efficient range of exertion. You may start your base training season with the ability to ride at 200 watts without producing lactic acid, or still inside your efficient heart rates. Later on in the summer after training this way properly through the winter and spring you may find you can now ride at 250 watts within your efficient zone. Think what that sort of improvement is like.

Concentrate on your base training now. You will build a basic ability that will make good results more consistent in the summer. Remember quality over quantity. You will know if you are training correctly because you will still feel good at the end of your ride, versus sore and worn out. Get out there and ride.

A February Digression

2011-02-24T15:12:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday I enjoyed a group ride in Omaha. The turn out and as well as the weather were unusually good. We did one of my old favorite loops to Glenwood, Iowa.

A quick pre-ride "still life".

My philosophy, the first time I've ever seen it written.

C'mon Springtime!

2011-02-16T13:51:00.000-06:00

My thoughts exactly.

back on gravel

2011-02-13T15:05:00.000-06:00

Last week I was finally able to get outside on the bike for the first time since last year. The rumors about the gravel conditions currently are true, the roads right now are awesome. I hoped to get out this weekend but there appears to be too much else on my to do list. Maybe I'll do a short run instead. It would be wrong to not take advantage of this phenomenal warm break in the cold weather pattern, and I could always use more vitamin D.

The rural wonderland of gravel Nebraska may to much for me this weekend, but someone wise once told me; "When the going gets tough... the tough kiss a giant grizzly bear made of nails." Well wise one... touché.

Happy Holiday's 2011

2011-01-15T15:16:00.000-06:00

Simply too lucky, Annie and I took a few photos while snowboarding Aspen Highlands over winter break. She was right, Maroon Bells, the mountains directly behind my head, were breathtaking.

Later that day, we caught a glimpse of of this guy on a unicycle riding down the mountain! And I thought I was crazy! This is the most ridicules thing I've ever seen.

The riding has been a little slim this winter, but I think this picture says it all, Happy new year everyone!

Back in Cross, Lincoln CX Weekend

2010-11-26T10:41:00.001-06:00

Lincoln Cyclocross Weekend!!

2010-11-19T09:01:00.001-06:00

There will be NO Saturday Morning Cartoon's Gravel ride this weekend. Instead, please be strongly encouraged to venture out to the lovely Pioneers Park of Lincoln, NE where the Lincoln CX Weekend will be in living color and in full regalia from dawn to dusk both Saturday and Sunday. Bring your family, your friends, your friend's friends, and your neighbor's dog. Cyclocross races are as spectator friendly as it gets, and if you bring your bike you can still get a ride in on the actual race course in between the races. Top Cyclists of the region laying down the punishment for honor, glory, and shenanigans over grass, dirt and pavement will not disappoint! Don't be the person who misses this. Nebraska Cycling News has the scoop, www.nebraksacyclingnews.com

Saturday Morning Gravel Cartoons

2010-11-11T14:25:00.000-06:00

Basic endurance gravel group ride this Saturday morning.

Departing at 10:30 am
Leaving from Cultiva Coffee Cafe, located at 727 S 11th Street, Lincoln, NE

Bring your favorite ride food [one bar per hour], old school training legs, and a sharing attitude!

Saturday Morning Gravel

2010-11-08T08:21:00.002-06:00

Great turn out of fellow gravel seekers. Somewhere over ten country road junkies put the sunrise cartoon specials on DVR and tagged along. The group mostly stayed together into the wind thankfully. The return from Cortland was a bit faster, naturally.

In any respect, the group was behaved and showed solid form on which to build. Provided a mild winter and Lincoln should have some formidable endurance fietsers for the PCL Gravel Interclubs next summer.

The weather was unreasonably nice for the fall season in Nebraska. The tempo however was adequate for base miles. The group demonstrated high cadences and well developed hydration habits. The only recommendation is the typical one; to keep the miles coming lightly, eat one energy bar during each hour you will ride, take two days of complete rest a week, and ignore the urge to dig into the intensity. That is, unless you are cross racing, what will make you faster next season is base miles, quality over quantity. Intervals or intensity training will only hone your aerobic engine and racing psychology for racing mode once April is around the corner, and your aerobic engine is only built through scrupulous basic aerobic conditioning. But then its all up to who you want to be.

Enough preaching though, count on this ride weekly from here on, meeting at 10:30 am every Saturday morning from the Cultiva Coffee Cafe at 727 S 11th street. This ride will continue to attempt to get your week of endurance training off to a fair start and to partake in open dialog on the finer points of basic aerobic conditioning.

Everyone enjoy your week, remember to fit sleep into your schedule, and put some more vegetables on your pizza. See you Saturday.

Saturday Morning Cartoons, gravel ride style...

2010-11-04T10:47:00.001-05:00

Basic endurance gravel group ride this Saturday morning.

Departing at 10:30 am
Leaving from Cultiva Coffee Cafe, located at 727 S 11th Street, Lincoln, NE

Forecast for this Saturday Morning __ 41 degrees, wind SSW 12 mph

Call if you can make it, 402-659-0802 C.

Bring your favorite ride food, old school training legs, and Belgian Knee Warmers!

an off-season of on

2010-11-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

It is time I post an update. I last posted with my end to the 2010 season. My last race was a miserable experience chasing back from a flat tire over the Kemmel Berg twice. The flight home set me up for my final semester of classes at the University of Nebraska Lincoln beginning the following Monday. Making the move back to Lincoln and collecting myself and my thoughts from an up and down season left me in a tired place, slowly reconnecting with my life and friends here in the States.

September passed before I truly felt back at home, readjusted and organized. This has been the typical experience for me each fall for the past several years. That's where the pattern stops though. After the academic gears began turning again, and after my close family members had again had their sweet time with me, my usual off-season became a very full and new experience.

I'm finishing my degree in Economics. Three final classes are keeping me busy; Intermediate Macro, Intermediate Micro, and Econ Honors Thesis. Two are essential to my degree, and one has given me something extra. Somehow, in one of my classes, I met a girl from Colorado. She keeps getting sweeter, and occupying more of my time, both of these traits I think are wonderful.

On the cycling side, Fuji-Test team was planning Continental status for the 2011 season. This unfortunately won't happen, but on the brighter side Fuji-Test Team now becomes Geox-Fuji Test Team, official feeder team to Protour team Geox-Fuji. The bike pictured is the latest from Fuji and the new team bike, the Altamira.

Besides the new relationship, a second major development will transform my life as well as my cycling. The lately upgraded to Fortune 500 status, Mutual of Omaha, has hired me as a Financial Advisor starting January 1st, 2011. They found me via a career services website of the University of Nebraska Lincoln. My cycling was a large part of what drew them to me. I feel tremendously lucky. As an economics student, I see and pay close attention to the trouble in the jobs market. Also as a student, I see many of my fellow classmates out searching for their first job, let alone an entry level career position. To win the first job offer that came my way, in the industry I desired, in the position that will allow me to most help people is just incredible. The beautiful part though is that this opportunity to begin the career I wanted will fit nicely into my overall context. I'll have my own schedule, and the flexibility to travel. Mutual of O openly encouraged me to continue riding and racing if I desire, so the saga continues. How am I so lucky?

go ride a bike.....

Back in Nebraska

2010-09-24T17:00:00.000-05:00

Big open sky's

Husker games

Walking around campus

And double wide roads
I'm back, in college, and will finally graduate this winter.

culture

2010-08-07T14:01:00.000-05:00

Cycling enthusiasts from around the local countryside, gathering under a large tent to drink beer, watch the tour, and the kermis race, ah summer in Belgium. These I snapped while feeding a few teamates of mine who were racing at the kermis, about a month ago.

The later half of July has just steadily passed by me it seems. We did the Ronde van Vlaams Brabant, a five day stage race, and raced well but without much luck. That's sort of how its been, some very nice days, and not much happens. The friendly people in these photo's know how to make the most of any old day though. Well price and better brewed ale, handy service, and a flat screen tv raise festival going to a new level for a non Beglian bike rider. Whatever these people know, I ought to learn.

Besides this flowering example of enjoying life, I have a few races still before I leap'cross the pond in another week. No less than two single day races, as well as a four day stage race all packed inside ten tender days. When will I pack? no matter. After that I'll have to find my powers of learning again to complete my final semester as an undergrade, economics, and maybe I'll look forward to a try at gravel worlds or some psycowpath action. Either way, dust the gravel for me, I'll be home soon.

thats the racers lined up and ready to race, in the far right of the picture.

2010-07-21T04:06:00.000-05:00

july

2010-07-13T05:36:00.000-05:00

This weekend I didn't race unfortunately because I was sick with flu. Getting hit hard by something microscopic at least helped remind me I'm mortal. Stuck in bed, unable to get up while my teammates were gone at a nice race was a different experience. It was with me for two days and lifting almost as quickly as it set. There is more racing this weeked as ussual.
I've pulled out some photos I snapped earlier this summer though, as its been a good summer, and a quick one. I haven't been able to post many of my snapshots. Most of what I've taken have been to and from races, at the races themselves, or of my rest days. I need to start taking my camera with me on a few light training rides, as it is really the countryside of Belgium that I would like to share, so much richness to show, but there is plenty of summer left, about a month for me.
the picture on top here is of Brussels. Taken from the team van on the freeway, I couldn't get the focus in well enough in between semi trucks passing by. In Belgium though all roads lead to Brussels, and we travel it's ring often. Brussels has a ring much like Washington DC has a Beltway.
The picture below is another of Brugge. I know my photo collection is a bit heavy with the Brugge collection, but it is such a cultural masterpiece. Below is the street to the market square. You can see the top of the Bellfort, the clock tower, which proudly marks sees over the market and its activities. Also, notice all the bike parking.

Brugge

2010-07-13T05:12:00.000-05:00

Brugge

2010-07-13T05:10:00.000-05:00

2010-07-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

2010-06-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

getting closer to the local laps

leading Peter on the first local lap climb

further up on the same passage

2010-06-29T10:25:00.000-05:00

leading up the finishing climb, second to last lap

and the finish

A win; Bourbourg, France

2010-06-27T02:27:00.014-05:00

The Team was a team yesterday. My Belgian teammate, Arne, and my US teammate Peter, were together with me in a breakaway lasting for most of the day in a race in France, just south of Dunkerque. We rode to cover each other like we had not been able to accomplish previously, and we came away with Peter taking the King of the Mountains Classification, and myself with the win.

The course began flat before leading to sequential steep climbs of 500 to 1000 meters. The finishing circuit of 11 km finished on top of a 10%, 1 km climb.

Early in the race, the break of 15-20 riders formed, maybe within 15 km of the start. Around 30 km into the race we began entering the hills. Peter seemed to had the best legs on the climbs, taking the first couple mountain sprints. I then started setting tempo for him on the remaining climbs to ensure he'd take the points.

This continued as we enterred the finishing laps. I held the pace steady at the front leading into the climb, and led Peter to the top. He was able to take the majority of the points handily.
Then on the final of the three local laps, Arne set the pace along the 7 km flat section, and my job was to drop back and then attack just before the base of the climb.
I feigned to the back of the group, loosened up my legs, and went when the 1 km to go sign came into view.

The course took sharp left directly onto the pitch of the climb. I didn't have but 50 meters on what was left of the group. I selected my best gearing though, and smoothly enough began my best pace up. Around a few steep corners, and at the 500 meters to go sign spectators were telling me "keep going... you win!". At 300 meters I shifted to a harder gear, and with 200 meters I looked back and didn't see anyone. I zipped up my jersey and crossed the line.

This again was a wonderful team result. Peter and Arne were together with me the whole time and each of us covered each other. It could have been any of the three to take the finish. I owe it to those two.
Salut, vriends

A yellow jersey was given to the winner.

Romse Reconnaissance part 1

2010-06-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

Serious racers typically will go and ride a course that they will soon race, often more than once for one race especially if it is important.
On Tuesday, the team will field a squad to Romse-Stavalot-Romse, which same as it sounds, is a race much like Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The same or similar hills and in the same area. This is a very hilly area. The race consits of climb after climb, each usually around 4 km long and upwards of averaging 10% with even steeper pitches. This as you may now understand is a naturally difficult course, so Peter, Nat, and myself found a time in our individual training plans to take a day and recon the course.

Here the car is loaded and ready for the 2 hour drive to Liege, an untipically long drive for European standards but any day of the week for those in the midwestern US.

Peter behind the wheel, counting down the kilometers. Can't imagine the days before GPS navigation, I wonder what the Romans or Napoleon would think?

Romse Reconnaissance part 2

2010-06-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

the countryside south of Liege

descending

some half wheeling, caught in the act!

Romse Reconnaissance part 3

2010-06-19T12:42:00.003-05:00

Peter setting pace

Nat tail gunning

poorly taken photo of your's truely

tot strucks vriends