Dear Alex,
Are you riding "Quad Dominant"?
Most Everyday Cyclists are and if YOU ARE, it could be:
*Making You Much Slower in the Hills.
*Increasing Your Susceptibility to Back fatigue.
*Decreasing your power and speed potential.
*Leading to Chronic Imbalances and Potential Injury.
What is Quad Dominance?
Basically, it refers to a very common, over-dependance on the
contraction of the quads through the pedal stroke and more
importantly, a decrease in Glute/Hamstring/Hip Flexor utilization
leading to most of your power, coming from the front--not the rear.
Very common for people in general, not just cyclists and is
a PRIMARY REASON for most peoples back pain/problems.
In cycling, I refer to it as "mashing the pedals" as opposed
to "levitating the pedals". Again, very common in cyclists.
Usually, we want a 60-40 split in action power between our
glutes/hams/flexors and our quads. However, most of us are
more likely to be 50-50 or worse, 40-60. The 60% being the
power supplied by the quads alone--WAY TOO MUCH!
If you cramp a lot, have trouble snapping out of the saddle or
getting low and hammering at high leg speeds--you more than
likely are QUAD DOMINANT.
IN A NUTSHELL: "You're Not Pedaling from your Hips & Core!"
Basically, you're IMBALANCED and you're not alone!
What can Quad Dominant Imbalances cause?
In my experience...
*Poor climbing power due to weak glutes/hams.
*Increased back fatigue, usually from a weak core.
*Inability to get aero and for longer periods. (poor flexibility)
*Increased susceptibility to knee pain/injury. (big one!!)
*Cramping! Cramping. Cramping! (insidious truth)
Not to mention, losing huge potential for MORE POWER!
If you use my Cyclo-TRAINER Sessions, you know how
much emphasis I place into teaching you to RIDE FROM
YOUR HIPS and CORE! (at nauseam) Keep doing them!
It's my "core philosophy" and one that works incredibly well
to help you re-balance your hip power, quad strength, and
leg speed for more efficiency, for longer periods of time.
I'll attack your hips, core, leg speed, & power in
every trainer session we'll do together...
**TRAINER SESSIONS #1-10 + BONUSES (special today)**
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**NEW 2.5 Hr "CLIMBING EPIC" TRAINER Special (#17):
http://www.cyclo-club.com/products/item124.cfm
***NEW Strength & Wt-Loss TRAINER Bundle (# 11-13 + IN 5')
http://www.cyclo-club.com/products/item120.cfm
My Cyclo-TRAINER sessions will systematically help you:
*Retrain your hips and core to ACTIVATE while riding.
*Increase Glute and Hamstring Utilization and Power.
*Strengthen the back and open the hams for aero stability.
*Decrease dependance on your quads for power.
*Open new channels for more leg speed & efficiency.
*Super-charge your climbing muscular endurance.
You see, to help you balance your quads and hips, I need
to attack your body in multiple ways, that do not always
utilize the bike--which is why in many sessions, we get off the
bike and I'll attack you with Cyclo-CORE like training.
In fact, the more you ride with quad dominance, the more
quad dominant you become! READ THAT AGAIN.
Use my Cyclo-TRAINER Sessions 1-3x week, and I promise
you, you will be quad dominant no more and finally begin
to MAXIMIZE YOUR POWER & STRENGTH by tapping into
your "Cottage of Wattage".
I use to be quad dominant for years and I always had back
pain, tight hams, and was weak in the hills. Really weak.
Then, I started Cyclo-CORE Training and Cyclo-TRAINER
sessions and not only are those problems solved--but I'm
climbing and riding stronger than I was when I was in my 20's.
I want you to feel the same!
Ride Hard. Balance Your Quads. Dominate!
--Graeme Street
Totally makes sense. There is a huge reservoir of power in the back of your body.
You just need to tap into it...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Quads
Interesting email I received from Graeme Street, owner of Cyclocore:
Saturday, January 29, 2011
I cracked...
and rode my trainer! Hey, it's been one of those winters. I've been keeping busy with the gym sessions, snowshoeing, and seemingly daily snow removal. "I challenge ye to a shoveling contest!" Sorry, had to get that in there. But anyway, when my buddy Craig asked if I wanted to come over and do a sufferfest video, I said sure, what the hell.
I've done more spinervals workouts than I care to admit and I will say Coach Troy is a good motivator. But I was willing to give this a shot. After warming up with an episode of Family Guy on hulu it was time to get down to bi-ness as they say in the more non-rural areas. The workout was "The Hunted" and I was immediately taken aback by how interactive it was. It honestly felt at times like I was Robert Gesink. (Well, maybe if I was 5" taller and 20 lbs lighter.) The first part of the workout was 10 minutes of tempo followed by a 20 minute climb with some over/under efforts and at the end were some reverse intervals done like this: 10 sec full gas/50 sec recovery, 20 sec on/40 sec recovery, and so on until the last two (which hurt) were 50s/10 and then the whole 60s at full gas. I highly recommend these videos if you're really hurting (like I was) to spin the pedals. They are WAY better than Spinervals and if you can get a group together, all the better. I just got my wireless internet straightened out at the house so if you want to come over to the Combes torture chamber and do one with me, hit me up. After all, it's still only January...
Desperate times call for desperate measures, sure, but riding outside trumps the trainer any day. One could argue that you're constantly pedaling while on the trainer, but to be honest I pretty much ride like I'm on a fixie anyway (I know, I know, CB2) so that advantage is effectively eliminated. Trainer workouts have their place- probably more so in the recovery ride realm. I honestly don't have any flat routes near me. It's all good when you're in the heat of battle in the Strava climbing competition, but if you're just looking to spin the legs, the trainer is where it's at. I think overall you lose your sense of exertion on the trainer. If you don't have the luxury of one of these, then you don't really know how hard you're working. Sure you can wear a HR monitor but HR is more of a response to the power needs of the legs. In other words, the elevation of HR is purely autonomic: You don't will your heart to beat faster. The heart beats faster in response to the physiological needs of the body. Another important positive of riding outside is exposure to light. At least for me, to get outside helps minimize seasonal affect disorder. The end of November and into December sucks when it's starting to get dark at 4:00. We've turned the corner in a big way in that regard. On a non-cloudy day, the sun is still decent until 5:00 now.
I took the Nokian Hakapeliittas off last night and threw on the Michelin Mud2s for the ride today. What a difference dropping over a pound of weight (per wheel) makes! At times it felt like I was flying compared to the Nokians. It's funny how your body and mind get used to something. Had I been running slicks, the Mud2s would have felt slow. It makes me wonder why racers train on ultra light bikes. Ego, I guess. I'll never forget showing up to a fast group ride last Spring and getting dropped like a bad habit. Needless to say, I didn't show up with that bike again. I might ride my 24 lb winter beater more this Spring though, so that my 21.5 lb mtb feels light.
On the weight loss front, I've managed to dump 2 lbs already. Hey, a kilo is a kilo. I've got to get in shape for my little Spring training trip with Hilljunkie. We're headed to Tucson for a solid 7 days of riding. This will be my first bike centric trip. I'm looking forward to riding, eating, and sleeping my face off. I guess we're going to drive north a bit and hit Sedona as well. You can check out the latest scenery there on Sue Haywood's blog. 6 weeks away and would you believe it, a mere 9 weeks until Hopbrook Dam which will undoubtedly be a mudfest. Get your ass riding!
I've done more spinervals workouts than I care to admit and I will say Coach Troy is a good motivator. But I was willing to give this a shot. After warming up with an episode of Family Guy on hulu it was time to get down to bi-ness as they say in the more non-rural areas. The workout was "The Hunted" and I was immediately taken aback by how interactive it was. It honestly felt at times like I was Robert Gesink. (Well, maybe if I was 5" taller and 20 lbs lighter.) The first part of the workout was 10 minutes of tempo followed by a 20 minute climb with some over/under efforts and at the end were some reverse intervals done like this: 10 sec full gas/50 sec recovery, 20 sec on/40 sec recovery, and so on until the last two (which hurt) were 50s/10 and then the whole 60s at full gas. I highly recommend these videos if you're really hurting (like I was) to spin the pedals. They are WAY better than Spinervals and if you can get a group together, all the better. I just got my wireless internet straightened out at the house so if you want to come over to the Combes torture chamber and do one with me, hit me up. After all, it's still only January...
Desperate times call for desperate measures, sure, but riding outside trumps the trainer any day. One could argue that you're constantly pedaling while on the trainer, but to be honest I pretty much ride like I'm on a fixie anyway (I know, I know, CB2) so that advantage is effectively eliminated. Trainer workouts have their place- probably more so in the recovery ride realm. I honestly don't have any flat routes near me. It's all good when you're in the heat of battle in the Strava climbing competition, but if you're just looking to spin the legs, the trainer is where it's at. I think overall you lose your sense of exertion on the trainer. If you don't have the luxury of one of these, then you don't really know how hard you're working. Sure you can wear a HR monitor but HR is more of a response to the power needs of the legs. In other words, the elevation of HR is purely autonomic: You don't will your heart to beat faster. The heart beats faster in response to the physiological needs of the body. Another important positive of riding outside is exposure to light. At least for me, to get outside helps minimize seasonal affect disorder. The end of November and into December sucks when it's starting to get dark at 4:00. We've turned the corner in a big way in that regard. On a non-cloudy day, the sun is still decent until 5:00 now.
I took the Nokian Hakapeliittas off last night and threw on the Michelin Mud2s for the ride today. What a difference dropping over a pound of weight (per wheel) makes! At times it felt like I was flying compared to the Nokians. It's funny how your body and mind get used to something. Had I been running slicks, the Mud2s would have felt slow. It makes me wonder why racers train on ultra light bikes. Ego, I guess. I'll never forget showing up to a fast group ride last Spring and getting dropped like a bad habit. Needless to say, I didn't show up with that bike again. I might ride my 24 lb winter beater more this Spring though, so that my 21.5 lb mtb feels light.
On the weight loss front, I've managed to dump 2 lbs already. Hey, a kilo is a kilo. I've got to get in shape for my little Spring training trip with Hilljunkie. We're headed to Tucson for a solid 7 days of riding. This will be my first bike centric trip. I'm looking forward to riding, eating, and sleeping my face off. I guess we're going to drive north a bit and hit Sedona as well. You can check out the latest scenery there on Sue Haywood's blog. 6 weeks away and would you believe it, a mere 9 weeks until Hopbrook Dam which will undoubtedly be a mudfest. Get your ass riding!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Making the best of things...
We've had it quite easy the last few winters in CT. Since I started riding, this is probably the "worst" yet. Excessive snowfall and arctic cold have produced several Jens Factor 5 days. But I guess in a way, it's a good thing- this whole getting off the bike for a couple months (well, not completely) helps to refresh the body and the nervous system as it won't be long before we're BLOWN from the hard rides to come. I can't imagine if I lived in Southern California; I'd probably be perpetually overtrained.
The offseason is a good time to work on things that are neglected throughout the year when we're turning the cranks tens of thousands of times. It's funny how unathletic I feel this time of year when I explore other arenas of fitness. Hip flexibility and core and upper body strength have completely hit the fan. I remember the days when I could run and jump like a deer but I suppose those days are behind me now. I often like to say, "the older we get, the better we were." So true.
I've managed to get out on the bike when there's Jens Factor 4 or lower and if there's significant snow, then snowshoeing it is. I think continuing to get exercise outside is good for the mind this time of year as diminished daylight can really get you down. (Although, we are heading back the other way now.) I've probably been snowshoeing a half dozen times or so and let me tell ya, it's a heluva workout. The movement is almost identical to climbing hills out of the saddle. I've actually seen HR's in the low 180's going hard up a steep hill with 2+ feet of snow. I went backcountry xc skiing once and my hip flexors were sore for 3 days. Skate skiing is tantalizing but I guess it's my unwillingness to travel to a good place to do it, my lack of gear, and my impatience in learning proper technique that have kept me away. I believe I blew out all my patience learning a new sport with swimming 5 years ago.
With nearly 19k miles in the legs over the last 3 seasons, I'm not so concerned about "base" at this point. I believe I have a base level of fitness in the legs. I'm just trying to work on weaknesses at this point which include but are not limited to core strength/flexibility and leg strength all while decreasing the old bodyweight. Apr. 2nd is the first mtb race of the season, a mere 10 weeks away.
Got blood drawn this morning for 1st blood test in 15 years. I'm anxious to see really how healthy I am.
Saw a post from Todd Holland on Facebook last night:
http://www.ultracycling.com/events/GMD.htm
Never done a double before and that would be one mother of a way to pop the cherry on that. I know the word "epic" is probably overused, but if this isn't epic then I don't know what is. I might have to email that sicko Sandy for some details.
The offseason is a good time to work on things that are neglected throughout the year when we're turning the cranks tens of thousands of times. It's funny how unathletic I feel this time of year when I explore other arenas of fitness. Hip flexibility and core and upper body strength have completely hit the fan. I remember the days when I could run and jump like a deer but I suppose those days are behind me now. I often like to say, "the older we get, the better we were." So true.
I've managed to get out on the bike when there's Jens Factor 4 or lower and if there's significant snow, then snowshoeing it is. I think continuing to get exercise outside is good for the mind this time of year as diminished daylight can really get you down. (Although, we are heading back the other way now.) I've probably been snowshoeing a half dozen times or so and let me tell ya, it's a heluva workout. The movement is almost identical to climbing hills out of the saddle. I've actually seen HR's in the low 180's going hard up a steep hill with 2+ feet of snow. I went backcountry xc skiing once and my hip flexors were sore for 3 days. Skate skiing is tantalizing but I guess it's my unwillingness to travel to a good place to do it, my lack of gear, and my impatience in learning proper technique that have kept me away. I believe I blew out all my patience learning a new sport with swimming 5 years ago.
With nearly 19k miles in the legs over the last 3 seasons, I'm not so concerned about "base" at this point. I believe I have a base level of fitness in the legs. I'm just trying to work on weaknesses at this point which include but are not limited to core strength/flexibility and leg strength all while decreasing the old bodyweight. Apr. 2nd is the first mtb race of the season, a mere 10 weeks away.
Got blood drawn this morning for 1st blood test in 15 years. I'm anxious to see really how healthy I am.
Saw a post from Todd Holland on Facebook last night:
http://www.ultracycling.com/events/GMD.htm
Never done a double before and that would be one mother of a way to pop the cherry on that. I know the word "epic" is probably overused, but if this isn't epic then I don't know what is. I might have to email that sicko Sandy for some details.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Be careful what you wish for...
I was just saying to myself that I hadn't gotten a real good workout in a while and was hoping I'd get it today. Given the weather (17 for a high) and sub-par road conditions there were several exchanges of "What do you think?" and "What do you think?" before we finally pulled the trigger to ride.
Riding with Brian is never easy. Couple that with the fact that I still had the studded cross tires on and I was in for a ride to Hurtsville. Pulling out of his driveway, you're met with a nice 400' climb as a warm-up. Plain and simply, it sucks. Those tires seriously have to be worth a couple gears and with a 42x28 minimum, yeah, you know where this is going. ON top of that, I had to ride like I was on a fixed gear on the descents (Brian still effortlessly coasted away) and then slog back up the climbs. I initially thought that because it was so cold that my Garmin wasn't picking up my HR properly, i.e. it was running about 10 beats higher than normal. I tried a Fonzie tap of the unit, but I was still a regular vistor the upper 160's/low 170's. Well, it wasn't the Garmin, it was the goddamn tires.
The ride was nondescript, really. It was cold with a slight head wind as we headed north but my trusty Assos gear was (once again) doing its job wonderfully. I know everybody has their go-to gear, but let me tell ya, Assos is the best. Yeah, it costs an arm and a leg but there's a reason- It works. If you ride outside a lot, a Fugujack and a pair of bib tights will not let you down.
My water bottle was frozen solid 20 minutes into the ride. I think I was able to get the top off at one point and take a sip but I otherwise went without water for nearly 2 hours. Yeah, all the risers were taking their toll and for sure my mounting dehydration was only exacerbating things. I felt a twinge of a cramp coming in my right hamstring at one point and thankfully things just held together until the end.
For shits and giggles I weighed the cross bike with the studs. About 3# of rotational weight added over the Michelin Mud/Jet combo.
Also for shits and giggles I weighed everything I had on laden with sweat. I figured around 10# so nearly 9.5 was pretty close. And yes, I may have shot this naked.
For the metrics geeks: STRAVA
Note to self: Remove studded tires before riding with Brian.
Riding with Brian is never easy. Couple that with the fact that I still had the studded cross tires on and I was in for a ride to Hurtsville. Pulling out of his driveway, you're met with a nice 400' climb as a warm-up. Plain and simply, it sucks. Those tires seriously have to be worth a couple gears and with a 42x28 minimum, yeah, you know where this is going. ON top of that, I had to ride like I was on a fixed gear on the descents (Brian still effortlessly coasted away) and then slog back up the climbs. I initially thought that because it was so cold that my Garmin wasn't picking up my HR properly, i.e. it was running about 10 beats higher than normal. I tried a Fonzie tap of the unit, but I was still a regular vistor the upper 160's/low 170's. Well, it wasn't the Garmin, it was the goddamn tires.
The ride was nondescript, really. It was cold with a slight head wind as we headed north but my trusty Assos gear was (once again) doing its job wonderfully. I know everybody has their go-to gear, but let me tell ya, Assos is the best. Yeah, it costs an arm and a leg but there's a reason- It works. If you ride outside a lot, a Fugujack and a pair of bib tights will not let you down.
My water bottle was frozen solid 20 minutes into the ride. I think I was able to get the top off at one point and take a sip but I otherwise went without water for nearly 2 hours. Yeah, all the risers were taking their toll and for sure my mounting dehydration was only exacerbating things. I felt a twinge of a cramp coming in my right hamstring at one point and thankfully things just held together until the end.
For shits and giggles I weighed the cross bike with the studs. About 3# of rotational weight added over the Michelin Mud/Jet combo.
Also for shits and giggles I weighed everything I had on laden with sweat. I figured around 10# so nearly 9.5 was pretty close. And yes, I may have shot this naked.
For the metrics geeks: STRAVA
Note to self: Remove studded tires before riding with Brian.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Strava inspiration
Well, if you need any winter motivation, there's a climbing competition over on www.strava.com. I think it's $50 for the annual membership. The site is quite interactive in that it will automatically tabulate and categorize any climbs you hit on an uploaded route. I'm currently sitting in 15th as of press time. I think something like 10 of the 14 ahead of me are Aussies so while I'm swerving around black ice, they're riding around in shorts. The other 3 are Southern Californians. Bastards. Unless I start hitting Winsted Woods on a regular basis, I predict CB2 will be climbing (pun intended) the leaderboard seeing as seemingly 90% of his miles are on dirt.
I'm still weighing in at a buck fifty eight so that with my 26 lb winter bike and probably at least another 6-7 lbs of clothing/shoes, I'm pushing 190+ up the hills of northwest CT. My full intent is to go into Spring at sub-150 and hopefully when I jump back on the Cervelo, I won't be Battenkilled in April.
I've got one of these babies and I think that if I track my weight daily I'll do a better job of staying on top of my weight.
In other news, I'm going to be racing with Benidorm Racing in 2011. I was approached a month ago by some guys I ride with and it looks like the team's got a good group of people to hit the area race scene with so it should be a lot of fun. I'll probably do most of the Root 66 series and a few road races. I'll more than likely do a couple hillclimbs as well as the old standby, D2R2 and maybe another 100/10000'. Looking forward to it.
I'm still weighing in at a buck fifty eight so that with my 26 lb winter bike and probably at least another 6-7 lbs of clothing/shoes, I'm pushing 190+ up the hills of northwest CT. My full intent is to go into Spring at sub-150 and hopefully when I jump back on the Cervelo, I won't be Battenkilled in April.
I've got one of these babies and I think that if I track my weight daily I'll do a better job of staying on top of my weight.
In other news, I'm going to be racing with Benidorm Racing in 2011. I was approached a month ago by some guys I ride with and it looks like the team's got a good group of people to hit the area race scene with so it should be a lot of fun. I'll probably do most of the Root 66 series and a few road races. I'll more than likely do a couple hillclimbs as well as the old standby, D2R2 and maybe another 100/10000'. Looking forward to it.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Power:Too Much Weight and another Hilljunkie Classic
Well, yesterday was the Greylock TT, part of the BUMPS series. I had no expectations going in (as usual) and was sort of guesstimating where I'd finish. Based on past results, I was figuring ~48 min. Given my weight as of press time (157.4) I had no illusions of going much faster. Looking back to last year's log, I was 148 and change this time last year. I think I have a hormone problem. Like Oprah.
Anyway, I got a shit warm-up which apparently is my standard pre-race protocol. It's a good thing I don't take these things too seriously. I rolled up to the line literally <30 seconds before my start time. I spent the first 50 meters getting my right foot clicked in and away I went. It wasn't very long until I was passed by my 30 second guy. Have at it, buddy. Reservoir Rd. kicks up something fierce (in the neighborhood of 17%) and stays there. I was still trying to get my CV system opened up. It wasn't until I got through the gate into the park that I started to find my rhythm, well, whatever rhythm you can get at a steady 9-10% grade with steeper switchbacks. It was 25 minutes into the ride now and I was picking off riders. As I made it up to the upper slopes where the grade comes down a bit I went up into the big ring and began hammering, holding 20+ mph through this section. I probably went too deep into the well here because when I hit the turn with about a mile to go I had to spin for 30 seconds to recover. I had noone in front of me at this point and so I just put my head down to the finish. I crossed in 47:40, just under my pre-race estimation. If I have intentions of going faster on these things I have to work on the divisor in the power/weight equation. It's no mistake that the fastest guys are carrying the least amount of weight.
Post-hillclimb Hilljunkie Soiree
Doug seems to be coming back into form after his ankle mishap. I think he blitzed the TT in 44 and a half. I guess a week in Colorado at altitude will always help. Hanging around the summit, another young buck who apparently met Doug through his site wants to join us on our little "jaunt" through the Berkshires. I brought my buddy Paul along to show him just what these rides feel like. I knew Doug would appreciated this as he has this perverse satisfaction of ripping people's legs off on ridiculously steep climbs. Last year we did the Berkshire Boondoggle, a much longer version of the planned post-hillclimb route. A "fuck" may have slipped out of my mouth when the intended route would bring us over the famed Kingsley Hill Rd., aka meanest mile in MA. Great. My legs were pretty much toast from the hillclimb and I had serious doubts about even getting up this climb with a 34x26 minimum.
So starting out on 8 South after descending Greylock (fun, despite shivering for first 5 miles of descent) aforementioned young buck aka Aaron comes to the front and begins setting an "honest pace" at 26-27 mph. I began thinking, oh the climbs are going to feel wonderful if this keeps up. We make the turn for Hoosac Rd. and I resigned myself to backing off on the throttle as I knew this climb was a spanker and I hadn't yet flushed the legs out from the hillclimb. I took comfort in Doug saying that he was pretty trashed too and we rode up at conservational pace. Paul and Aaron were up the road a bit hopefully not burning too many matches for the ensuing climbs.
Hoosac Rd is roughly 4 miles, gaining ~1400' of vertical. The grade isn't too bad, maybe averaging 8-9% with a couple pitches exceeding 12%. My legs started to come around thanks to taking effort down a notch. The next 25-30 miles were nice as we made our way down 8a and West Hawley Rd., following the river.
Coming up Zoar Rd. heading toward Rowe, I was spinning with Paul and Dougie livens things up a bit by asking if we ladies are on an MS ride. I thought that was hysterical. Paul started to cramp and our water supplies were dwindling. A nice addition to the ride was Brittingham Rd., which gained over 300' in less than half a mile, the first couple hundred meters being well over 15%. It was here that I dug in a little bit and decided to see if I could catch Aaron who to this point had been KOMing all the climbs. I was able to catch him just as the road started to tilt downward a bit toward the top. Perhaps the standard gearing was getting to him or he was taking it easy.
Monroe Hill Rd. was next on the menu. The pace came down a bit on this one. A pall of anxiety descended upon us as the "Meanest Mile in Massachusetts" loomed just ahead. Descending Monroe Hill and coming over the bridge I quickly inhaled a gel hoping that it would magically transport me effortlessly over this beast of a climb. No such luck. Taking the right off River Rd., you see the worn out sign and you look up at a wall of asphalt. How the hell they paved this thing is beyond me. The first 100-150 meters the grade pushes 22-23%. I hit it out of the saddle in my 34x26 at a whopping 3.5 miles an hour. Aaron, pulling a move right out of the overgeared archive, dismounted and exclaimed, "This is so discouraging!" It really is if you look up. The road just ever so slightly snakes up the side of the mountain with exactly ZERO relief. Riding next to Doug his front tire was bouncing off the pavement. I'm probably a sick bastard, but I find these types of things highly amusing.
I notice that it's times like these that I feely truly alive. Everything is stripped away and all you hear is your breath (and Doug hacking). Every pedal stroke is agony but you keep going, inching along in your own exercise-induced trance. I think you just have to have faith that it will all be over sooner or later. I can say that if I hadn't done all those lovely ski resort mtb races this year, I would have been walking up Kingsley for sure. We all made it up one way or another and forged onward.
Paul began suffering badly from adductor cramps and so I gave him the remainder of my water. We still had Tilda Hill to contend with before the Rte. 2 plummet down into North Adams. Tilda drags on at an ever-increasing grade until it hits ~10%. I believe you've hit the top when you ironically see the sign for Bliss Rd. Seeing that Paul now knew where he was, I descended Rte. 2 with Doug and we all made it back to the car safely, facial bones intact.
Here's the file for metrics geeks.
Anyway, I got a shit warm-up which apparently is my standard pre-race protocol. It's a good thing I don't take these things too seriously. I rolled up to the line literally <30 seconds before my start time. I spent the first 50 meters getting my right foot clicked in and away I went. It wasn't very long until I was passed by my 30 second guy. Have at it, buddy. Reservoir Rd. kicks up something fierce (in the neighborhood of 17%) and stays there. I was still trying to get my CV system opened up. It wasn't until I got through the gate into the park that I started to find my rhythm, well, whatever rhythm you can get at a steady 9-10% grade with steeper switchbacks. It was 25 minutes into the ride now and I was picking off riders. As I made it up to the upper slopes where the grade comes down a bit I went up into the big ring and began hammering, holding 20+ mph through this section. I probably went too deep into the well here because when I hit the turn with about a mile to go I had to spin for 30 seconds to recover. I had noone in front of me at this point and so I just put my head down to the finish. I crossed in 47:40, just under my pre-race estimation. If I have intentions of going faster on these things I have to work on the divisor in the power/weight equation. It's no mistake that the fastest guys are carrying the least amount of weight.
Post-hillclimb Hilljunkie Soiree
Doug seems to be coming back into form after his ankle mishap. I think he blitzed the TT in 44 and a half. I guess a week in Colorado at altitude will always help. Hanging around the summit, another young buck who apparently met Doug through his site wants to join us on our little "jaunt" through the Berkshires. I brought my buddy Paul along to show him just what these rides feel like. I knew Doug would appreciated this as he has this perverse satisfaction of ripping people's legs off on ridiculously steep climbs. Last year we did the Berkshire Boondoggle, a much longer version of the planned post-hillclimb route. A "fuck" may have slipped out of my mouth when the intended route would bring us over the famed Kingsley Hill Rd., aka meanest mile in MA. Great. My legs were pretty much toast from the hillclimb and I had serious doubts about even getting up this climb with a 34x26 minimum.
So starting out on 8 South after descending Greylock (fun, despite shivering for first 5 miles of descent) aforementioned young buck aka Aaron comes to the front and begins setting an "honest pace" at 26-27 mph. I began thinking, oh the climbs are going to feel wonderful if this keeps up. We make the turn for Hoosac Rd. and I resigned myself to backing off on the throttle as I knew this climb was a spanker and I hadn't yet flushed the legs out from the hillclimb. I took comfort in Doug saying that he was pretty trashed too and we rode up at conservational pace. Paul and Aaron were up the road a bit hopefully not burning too many matches for the ensuing climbs.
Hoosac Rd is roughly 4 miles, gaining ~1400' of vertical. The grade isn't too bad, maybe averaging 8-9% with a couple pitches exceeding 12%. My legs started to come around thanks to taking effort down a notch. The next 25-30 miles were nice as we made our way down 8a and West Hawley Rd., following the river.
Coming up Zoar Rd. heading toward Rowe, I was spinning with Paul and Dougie livens things up a bit by asking if we ladies are on an MS ride. I thought that was hysterical. Paul started to cramp and our water supplies were dwindling. A nice addition to the ride was Brittingham Rd., which gained over 300' in less than half a mile, the first couple hundred meters being well over 15%. It was here that I dug in a little bit and decided to see if I could catch Aaron who to this point had been KOMing all the climbs. I was able to catch him just as the road started to tilt downward a bit toward the top. Perhaps the standard gearing was getting to him or he was taking it easy.
Monroe Hill Rd. was next on the menu. The pace came down a bit on this one. A pall of anxiety descended upon us as the "Meanest Mile in Massachusetts" loomed just ahead. Descending Monroe Hill and coming over the bridge I quickly inhaled a gel hoping that it would magically transport me effortlessly over this beast of a climb. No such luck. Taking the right off River Rd., you see the worn out sign and you look up at a wall of asphalt. How the hell they paved this thing is beyond me. The first 100-150 meters the grade pushes 22-23%. I hit it out of the saddle in my 34x26 at a whopping 3.5 miles an hour. Aaron, pulling a move right out of the overgeared archive, dismounted and exclaimed, "This is so discouraging!" It really is if you look up. The road just ever so slightly snakes up the side of the mountain with exactly ZERO relief. Riding next to Doug his front tire was bouncing off the pavement. I'm probably a sick bastard, but I find these types of things highly amusing.
I notice that it's times like these that I feely truly alive. Everything is stripped away and all you hear is your breath (and Doug hacking). Every pedal stroke is agony but you keep going, inching along in your own exercise-induced trance. I think you just have to have faith that it will all be over sooner or later. I can say that if I hadn't done all those lovely ski resort mtb races this year, I would have been walking up Kingsley for sure. We all made it up one way or another and forged onward.
Paul began suffering badly from adductor cramps and so I gave him the remainder of my water. We still had Tilda Hill to contend with before the Rte. 2 plummet down into North Adams. Tilda drags on at an ever-increasing grade until it hits ~10%. I believe you've hit the top when you ironically see the sign for Bliss Rd. Seeing that Paul now knew where he was, I descended Rte. 2 with Doug and we all made it back to the car safely, facial bones intact.
Here's the file for metrics geeks.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
D2R2 2010
Oh what a day! Weatherwise, that is. I mean, it's August 21st, it's in the 40's and I'm shivering at the 6 am start. I didn't have any plans as far as pace and even though I'm considerably stronger that last year, my climbing isn't great due to the 3-4 extra kilos I find myself carrying around this year. All muscle. Sure, keep telling yourself that, Alex.
I haven't done jack for distance either, having opted to try doing the mtb thing this Spring/Summer. So weeks would go much like this: Race Sunday, Monday off, Tuesday moderate, Wednesday a little interval session, and by Thursday I'd be already shutting it down for a race the following weekend. But I suppose "base" carries over year to year and I guess the 13k+ miles I've done the last two years would carry me through.
I fully expected road conditions to be at their worst as it has been one of the driest Summers in recent memory. (Though as I type it is in fact raining.) I opted to go with the Michelin Jet 30mm's but I think they may actually be a closer to 35. I ran moderately high pressure @60 psi to avoid possibility of pinch flats. They're moderately light at ~340 gms per, but I wasn't so much concerned with weight as I was with cornering washboard descents at high speed and traction on loose gravel at 20+% gradient.
We shoved off at 6:07, little did I know that Doug had planned on me riding with Pain Cave, Kevin, and the Corner Cycle boys. Sorry Doug. I ended up riding with 4 Benidorm guys, two of which were on 29ers. They are doing Shenandoah 100 in a couple weeks and figured this would be a great "training" ride for it. They were keeping up with us though we weren't going at breakneck pace, just a solid steady tempo. I did notice that their was a distinct advantage riding a mtb on the marbly decents, although lugging nearly 30 lb bikes up relentless climbing started to take its toll. I think by mile 50 or so and some 7000+ ft of climbing they told us to go on without them.
This was my 3rd stab at the beast and I still don't really know the route. Efforts to upload route to Garmin were unsuccessful. (I need to learn how to do that correctly.) Several times we would end up following people that we thought knew where they were going, only to end up a 1/4 mile up the road. Another time we actually added another 1/2 mile and missed the first covered bridge. Oh well, all good. It was funny to see the first timers hitting the climbs WAY too hard. I just repeated the mantra I always tell myself on rides of this nature, "There's alot of game left." Not to sound high and mighty, but rides of this length and difficulty must be respected or they will certainly tear you a new one.
I was hitting all the climbs right at or at times slightly above LT. The 34x28 minimum was perfect, though I was wishing I hadn't lent my 11-30 to Brian by about the 60 mile mark. Some of the climbs were quite loose, notably Archambo (cleaned, Yeah Baby!) and the middle and upper parts of Hillman. (I personally think that sector 2 between Heath and Green River is the worst with these 2 climbs and Franklin.) I frankly remember a guy coming into Heath (after climbing Mountain Rd) complaining he had to stop and walk. Apparently he didn't get the memo after I looked at his bike with standard gearing and 25s. One guy summed it up for him, "Poor equipment choice, my friend."
I was feeling pretty good, though I probably could have lightened my saddle bag a hair. I was prepared for Armageddon: 2 tubes, half a dozen zip ties, 4 tire boots, 5 patches, a multi-tool, a chain tool, 2 tire levers, and 3 CO2's. I think the bag weighed in at 3 lbs., pushing total bike weight up to about 22.5 with the Jets. Better to be safe than sorry I guess. I was very confident railing the descents at high speed and the CX bike performed flawlessly.
We took an extended lunch break at the Green River Covered Bridge. I found the Roast Beef sandwich hit the spot though I knew the 400' climb coming out of the stop would probably have me burping half of it back up. It's always difficult to get the blood back in the legs but after 10 minutes they're good to go but your body's pissed off at you again. Maybe it's just me but I get to a level of fatigue at about the 4-5 hour mark and it never gets worse. Yeah, I hurt but I feel I could keep going indefinitely as long as my mind keeps telling my legs to keep moving. Maybe it's the Hammer Perpetuum or I'm just better able to burn fat as fuel. I guess that's one thing I've found I'm particularly good at (relative to myself) - the long sufferfest type rides. Unfortunately for me there are no medals, awards or prize money for my "talent". Oh well, I've always been drawn to hard things and over my first 3 years of riding I've managed to try a little of everything- Road, MTB, and CX racing, hillclimbs, and 7-8 hour death marches like 6 Gaps and D2R2. I've always come away from the long ones with a tremendous sense of completion. No matter where I "finish" I'll always have that and that's enough for me. I had doubts this year going into D2R2 primarily because in the days before the event I had some freak back issue out of nowhere. It literally was so bad that it was waking me out of a sound sleep whenever I rolled over. I questioned my ability to be able to ride for 8 hours, on no less a course like D2R2. But I have to say, that JB riding two weeks off a horrific crash at Nationals inspired me to forge ahead.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. It reminded me when I was a kid when my buddy and I would seek out the biggest hills around just to go down the other side. It literally is climb for 10 minutes, descend washboard for 5, repeat 40 times. Brian, Paul, and I met up with Andi, Brian's wife, at the optional Green River Road water stop at ~mile 80. What are the odds of that? We cruised Green River Road at ~23-24 mph only to have an entire Bike Barn Racing Team blow by us at upwards of 30. Apparently they had no idea what was in store for them at Nelson Road because as we hit the climb, it looked like someone threw a grenade in their group as they were scattered all over the road. Paul and I were hitting the climb at a good clip and it was at this point that Brian wasn't feeling too hot. We took the turn where the 100k and 180k split and waited about 100 meters up the road. Apparently we did the stupid thing not waiting AT the turn. Brian waited for his wife to catch him and rode in with her. If you're feeling like absolute dog meat then you might as well pack it in. You made the right move, buddy, and don't worry we're well aware of your ability to rip our legs off at any time.
And then there were 2. Paul was riding ridiculous. He was rocking a single 38t up front with an 11-28 in the back. I think it probably helped on the loose stuff when a turn of the crank actually equated to significant forward movement- kinda like trying to ride the granny ring through tech stuff on the mtb. I ripped Greenfield Road at almost 50 (49.8 to be exact) but started to feel a little insecure with the Jets as they chattered on the turns. It's funny how 112, Lyonsville Rd., and later Call Rd. take on this calm before the storm sort of persona. You're enjoying probably the tamest few miles of the ride when you can't help but look up at the ridge and you're hit with this sinking feeling- that is where I must go. Suddenly at mile 96, with upwards of 6 and a half hours in the legs you see the sign for Patten Hill. Patten Hill for me this year was all it's cracked up to be and then some. The paved wall at the beginning softens the legs up real freakin' nice and then the real fun starts when you hit the dirt. Forget about standing up. It was way too loose. The ensuing 10 minutes were a sight for sore thighs- churning away at 45 rpms while trying to pick lines through deteriorating road conditions, praying that my rear tire would hook up with something so I wouldn't waste another kj of energy. I entertained the idea of walking for about a half millisecond but then quickly realized I couldn't live with myself if I did. I know, ridiculous. I made it into the rest stop at top of Patten about 15 seconds after Paul.
Coming out of the rest stop we hooked up with a group that must have been among the first to shove off that morning. Matt Surch was there, a rider from Tall Tree Cycles in Ontario who finished in our leading group of 6 last year. Todd Holland, another strong rider from the area, was also there and I knew this was going to be a fast drive to the finish. It's all downhill from there anyway, so how bad could it be? Well, not really. South Shelburne Rd. is a bitch. It's usually at about this time that I'm completely sick of climbing and South Shelburne just gnaws at you. (Gee, it only took 100 miles and 11000'.) Matt, another rider, Paul, and myself upped the pace a bit. I was quickly entering the "let's get this fucker done" state of mind. Todd caught back on an ensuing descent and we hit Hawk's Rd. like it was a CX race for crissakes. It was getting real hairy in there as we were passing (or attempting to pass) 100k traffic. I backed off a bit and settled in behind some riders because a.) I didn't want to be "that" guy and b.) I didn't want to crash or cause someone else to crash. The problem is alot of these riders aren't great technical riders and they fishtail all over the trail, not realizing someone faster is coming up their side. Yelling "on your right/left" only unnerves them even more. It wasn't until a guy on a mtb behind me yelled "just hold your line" was I able to finally find a proper hole through. Whatever the case, I made it through unscathed though I have no idea how I didn't crash or flat on a pile of rocks I hit towards the end.
Seeing the group about 200 meters up the road, I gave chase for a while, but decided to just ride tempo to the finish. I ended up coming in about 20 seconds behind a group of 3 or 4, including Paul. I stupidly forgot to check in until about half hour after pounding a couple of ice cold Cokes. My ride time was 7:46, a bit slower than last year, but as I said we took several wrong turns and road quality was down a bit. It was probably a wash though, as the weather was ideal compared to last year when at times it felt like a convection oven. Here's the Garmin file.
Because the pace was much more civilized than last year I actually took in the scenery. Imagine that. If you are some semblance of a serious rider, this is a ride you must do before you die. Even if you opt for the 100k, you will not be left unfulfilled. There are countless scenes of rolling hills and breathtaking farmland that could be used as postcards. If you don't count Greenfield Road and Rte. 112, I bet I was passed by no more than a dozen cars in 111 miles. Support was again fantastic and it keeps getting better. I made one suggestion- a couple cases of cold Coke at the top of Patten would hit the spot. Food was catered by a nearby business and was also quite good. Sandy and organizers put on another incredible event and I look forward to D2R2 2011.
I haven't done jack for distance either, having opted to try doing the mtb thing this Spring/Summer. So weeks would go much like this: Race Sunday, Monday off, Tuesday moderate, Wednesday a little interval session, and by Thursday I'd be already shutting it down for a race the following weekend. But I suppose "base" carries over year to year and I guess the 13k+ miles I've done the last two years would carry me through.
I fully expected road conditions to be at their worst as it has been one of the driest Summers in recent memory. (Though as I type it is in fact raining.) I opted to go with the Michelin Jet 30mm's but I think they may actually be a closer to 35. I ran moderately high pressure @60 psi to avoid possibility of pinch flats. They're moderately light at ~340 gms per, but I wasn't so much concerned with weight as I was with cornering washboard descents at high speed and traction on loose gravel at 20+% gradient.
We shoved off at 6:07, little did I know that Doug had planned on me riding with Pain Cave, Kevin, and the Corner Cycle boys. Sorry Doug. I ended up riding with 4 Benidorm guys, two of which were on 29ers. They are doing Shenandoah 100 in a couple weeks and figured this would be a great "training" ride for it. They were keeping up with us though we weren't going at breakneck pace, just a solid steady tempo. I did notice that their was a distinct advantage riding a mtb on the marbly decents, although lugging nearly 30 lb bikes up relentless climbing started to take its toll. I think by mile 50 or so and some 7000+ ft of climbing they told us to go on without them.
This was my 3rd stab at the beast and I still don't really know the route. Efforts to upload route to Garmin were unsuccessful. (I need to learn how to do that correctly.) Several times we would end up following people that we thought knew where they were going, only to end up a 1/4 mile up the road. Another time we actually added another 1/2 mile and missed the first covered bridge. Oh well, all good. It was funny to see the first timers hitting the climbs WAY too hard. I just repeated the mantra I always tell myself on rides of this nature, "There's alot of game left." Not to sound high and mighty, but rides of this length and difficulty must be respected or they will certainly tear you a new one.
I was hitting all the climbs right at or at times slightly above LT. The 34x28 minimum was perfect, though I was wishing I hadn't lent my 11-30 to Brian by about the 60 mile mark. Some of the climbs were quite loose, notably Archambo (cleaned, Yeah Baby!) and the middle and upper parts of Hillman. (I personally think that sector 2 between Heath and Green River is the worst with these 2 climbs and Franklin.) I frankly remember a guy coming into Heath (after climbing Mountain Rd) complaining he had to stop and walk. Apparently he didn't get the memo after I looked at his bike with standard gearing and 25s. One guy summed it up for him, "Poor equipment choice, my friend."
I was feeling pretty good, though I probably could have lightened my saddle bag a hair. I was prepared for Armageddon: 2 tubes, half a dozen zip ties, 4 tire boots, 5 patches, a multi-tool, a chain tool, 2 tire levers, and 3 CO2's. I think the bag weighed in at 3 lbs., pushing total bike weight up to about 22.5 with the Jets. Better to be safe than sorry I guess. I was very confident railing the descents at high speed and the CX bike performed flawlessly.
We took an extended lunch break at the Green River Covered Bridge. I found the Roast Beef sandwich hit the spot though I knew the 400' climb coming out of the stop would probably have me burping half of it back up. It's always difficult to get the blood back in the legs but after 10 minutes they're good to go but your body's pissed off at you again. Maybe it's just me but I get to a level of fatigue at about the 4-5 hour mark and it never gets worse. Yeah, I hurt but I feel I could keep going indefinitely as long as my mind keeps telling my legs to keep moving. Maybe it's the Hammer Perpetuum or I'm just better able to burn fat as fuel. I guess that's one thing I've found I'm particularly good at (relative to myself) - the long sufferfest type rides. Unfortunately for me there are no medals, awards or prize money for my "talent". Oh well, I've always been drawn to hard things and over my first 3 years of riding I've managed to try a little of everything- Road, MTB, and CX racing, hillclimbs, and 7-8 hour death marches like 6 Gaps and D2R2. I've always come away from the long ones with a tremendous sense of completion. No matter where I "finish" I'll always have that and that's enough for me. I had doubts this year going into D2R2 primarily because in the days before the event I had some freak back issue out of nowhere. It literally was so bad that it was waking me out of a sound sleep whenever I rolled over. I questioned my ability to be able to ride for 8 hours, on no less a course like D2R2. But I have to say, that JB riding two weeks off a horrific crash at Nationals inspired me to forge ahead.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. It reminded me when I was a kid when my buddy and I would seek out the biggest hills around just to go down the other side. It literally is climb for 10 minutes, descend washboard for 5, repeat 40 times. Brian, Paul, and I met up with Andi, Brian's wife, at the optional Green River Road water stop at ~mile 80. What are the odds of that? We cruised Green River Road at ~23-24 mph only to have an entire Bike Barn Racing Team blow by us at upwards of 30. Apparently they had no idea what was in store for them at Nelson Road because as we hit the climb, it looked like someone threw a grenade in their group as they were scattered all over the road. Paul and I were hitting the climb at a good clip and it was at this point that Brian wasn't feeling too hot. We took the turn where the 100k and 180k split and waited about 100 meters up the road. Apparently we did the stupid thing not waiting AT the turn. Brian waited for his wife to catch him and rode in with her. If you're feeling like absolute dog meat then you might as well pack it in. You made the right move, buddy, and don't worry we're well aware of your ability to rip our legs off at any time.
And then there were 2. Paul was riding ridiculous. He was rocking a single 38t up front with an 11-28 in the back. I think it probably helped on the loose stuff when a turn of the crank actually equated to significant forward movement- kinda like trying to ride the granny ring through tech stuff on the mtb. I ripped Greenfield Road at almost 50 (49.8 to be exact) but started to feel a little insecure with the Jets as they chattered on the turns. It's funny how 112, Lyonsville Rd., and later Call Rd. take on this calm before the storm sort of persona. You're enjoying probably the tamest few miles of the ride when you can't help but look up at the ridge and you're hit with this sinking feeling- that is where I must go. Suddenly at mile 96, with upwards of 6 and a half hours in the legs you see the sign for Patten Hill. Patten Hill for me this year was all it's cracked up to be and then some. The paved wall at the beginning softens the legs up real freakin' nice and then the real fun starts when you hit the dirt. Forget about standing up. It was way too loose. The ensuing 10 minutes were a sight for sore thighs- churning away at 45 rpms while trying to pick lines through deteriorating road conditions, praying that my rear tire would hook up with something so I wouldn't waste another kj of energy. I entertained the idea of walking for about a half millisecond but then quickly realized I couldn't live with myself if I did. I know, ridiculous. I made it into the rest stop at top of Patten about 15 seconds after Paul.
Coming out of the rest stop we hooked up with a group that must have been among the first to shove off that morning. Matt Surch was there, a rider from Tall Tree Cycles in Ontario who finished in our leading group of 6 last year. Todd Holland, another strong rider from the area, was also there and I knew this was going to be a fast drive to the finish. It's all downhill from there anyway, so how bad could it be? Well, not really. South Shelburne Rd. is a bitch. It's usually at about this time that I'm completely sick of climbing and South Shelburne just gnaws at you. (Gee, it only took 100 miles and 11000'.) Matt, another rider, Paul, and myself upped the pace a bit. I was quickly entering the "let's get this fucker done" state of mind. Todd caught back on an ensuing descent and we hit Hawk's Rd. like it was a CX race for crissakes. It was getting real hairy in there as we were passing (or attempting to pass) 100k traffic. I backed off a bit and settled in behind some riders because a.) I didn't want to be "that" guy and b.) I didn't want to crash or cause someone else to crash. The problem is alot of these riders aren't great technical riders and they fishtail all over the trail, not realizing someone faster is coming up their side. Yelling "on your right/left" only unnerves them even more. It wasn't until a guy on a mtb behind me yelled "just hold your line" was I able to finally find a proper hole through. Whatever the case, I made it through unscathed though I have no idea how I didn't crash or flat on a pile of rocks I hit towards the end.
Seeing the group about 200 meters up the road, I gave chase for a while, but decided to just ride tempo to the finish. I ended up coming in about 20 seconds behind a group of 3 or 4, including Paul. I stupidly forgot to check in until about half hour after pounding a couple of ice cold Cokes. My ride time was 7:46, a bit slower than last year, but as I said we took several wrong turns and road quality was down a bit. It was probably a wash though, as the weather was ideal compared to last year when at times it felt like a convection oven. Here's the Garmin file.
Because the pace was much more civilized than last year I actually took in the scenery. Imagine that. If you are some semblance of a serious rider, this is a ride you must do before you die. Even if you opt for the 100k, you will not be left unfulfilled. There are countless scenes of rolling hills and breathtaking farmland that could be used as postcards. If you don't count Greenfield Road and Rte. 112, I bet I was passed by no more than a dozen cars in 111 miles. Support was again fantastic and it keeps getting better. I made one suggestion- a couple cases of cold Coke at the top of Patten would hit the spot. Food was catered by a nearby business and was also quite good. Sandy and organizers put on another incredible event and I look forward to D2R2 2011.
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