Back from Rochester

Spent the weekend in western New York visiting family, attending an enormous Turkish Festival, and of course riding the bike. Rode for three hours Sunday, two of those hours with my friend and coach Todd Scheske, who is assistant race director for the upcoming Rochester Twilight Criterium on Saturday June 23rd. This event draws crowds of spectators numbering in the 30,000+ range. From what I'm told, this year will be even bigger and better. I'm on the fence about driving out there again next weekend for a 20 mile masters crit, but as I understand it, witnessing the Pros trade punches for two hours on this formula 1 style course is something to behold, and worth the trip in it's own right. I'd much rather stay in town and race at Cox (would be much easier on the wallet) but maybe it's time I raced somewhere other than New England for a change. Remember the tropical storm last year at? .. In case you didn't notice, the Cox PRO event has been changed to 6:00 pm this year. That's no accident. It was coordinated between Todd and the Cox folks so that those who race in Rochester Saturday can make the trip east to Providence in time for the Pro event here on Sunday. This should help make the Cox Crit a very well attended event.

Plymouth-Reebok

Does anyone remember the old Plymouth-Reebok junior team of the late eighties? I remember that their reputation was such that most junior racers would dread their attendance- they were very fast. Who was on that team? Who went pro? Who among them still races? The names John Loehner, Aaron Newland, Jonas Carney and Paul Pisani stand out in my mind, but not sure what team they were on back in the old days.. I do remember a young (15 year old) George Hincapie taking all the honors of every junior crit and then taking a top three or a win in the cat 2-3 races of the same event.. Nowadays I see Gavin Mannion of CCB winning in the same manner and it's like deja-vu. Mark that name down. You'll be hearing it again in the coming years. 

Squirrel goes on rampage, injures 3

A squirrel is seen in St. James Park in London in this May 2, 2007 file photo. An aggressive squirrel attacked and injured three people in a German town before a 72-year-old pensioner dispatched the rampaging animal with his crutch. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

This caught my eye only because these vermin in disguise populate the bike path I use to commute, in large numbers. They seem to have a short circuit with determining which side of the path is better, and at what time it's safest to cross. I kill at least one every year with a fatal bike tire across the neck... um.. regrettably.

Bike racer haircut? Pffffffftt!

I resolve to let my hair grow all through the summer, and forbid dear wife to cut our little one's hair as well. Long hair on bike racers is the shit.. and wrist bands. They rock.

Nutmeg Crit: "Not a rankable event" (?)

For a couple of days, I was given (everyone was given) ranking points for the Nutmeg Crit. I actually did well enough to average myself down to 272 points, enough to be ranked 7th in RI.. Then yesterday I discover that it's suddenly "not a rankable event" and that all points are erased. So now my 12 month average of my three best crit results is 295.. Grrrr. Still enough for 7th in Rhode Island, but what gives? These numbers do a great job of motivating me to chew through the handlebars in the last few laps of a crit.. so I'm naturally disappointed.

Functional Threshold: 268

268... that's the number of mean maximal normalized watts I can crank for an hour without blowing my wad. This is established from the [Peaks] Mean Maximal Normalized Power Chart for yesterday's field test ride. We move the cursor over the 60 min point of this chart and the value pops up: 268. Previously, my FT was established using the same chart generated by field test one, except we used the CP20 and deducted 5%, hence the 250. Now that there's a month's history in the MMNP chart, it's best to use the CP60 value.

I believe I could have performed better with more thorough rest, a less demanding work day, and warmer weather. To wit, the first field test was on a nice warm Saturday where I slept in until 10:00. Yesterday was much different.

It still confuses me that there are all of these different wattage numbers.. average, normalized, mean maximal, mean maximal normalized.. They all represent different things.. and you can't just look at your average watts or your peaks for any given ride and expect to see the whole picture.. It's all very confusing to this simple mind. 

Hartford Criterium pictures are UP..

at MJSTUART's site.. 230 photos from the Hartford Criterium, and I find only one which includes me. Serves me right for racing in the'nosebleed section' of the field. Apparently he was also at the Nutmeg Criterium and will be posting those pictures within a couple of days.

Field Test No 2 Results..

1 minute=574 watts
5 minute=315
20 minute=256 (264 norm power)
Previous Field Test Values on May 12th:
1 minute=564
5 minute=303
20 minute=234 (262 norm power)
I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one using a PT who has it set to record zeroes (while coasting).. Judging from the power levels of others which I read about here and there, it's hard to believe I am so low on the food chain. Makes it seem like a friggin miracle that I can finish a Pro crit or crack top 20 in a master's crit.. I feel like I would have done better if it was warm out.. I had no arm warmers with me and never felt comfortable in the cool 55 degree weather, which felt much colder with the wind.. I also understand that on warmer days, the PT reading can be elevated. Today I had no such advantage.. Oh well, the training program seems to be working. I see decent improvement for just a four week 'build'. Let's see what I can do in time for the New Britain Crit or the Attleboro Crit.. or BOB BEAL! I wonder what my watts were during last year's 3 mile TT.. I also wonder if I could beat that time today, and by how much? I also wonder if it's wise to share this information so freely. Now it's no secret how much I suck! (tongue implanted in cheek) One important distinction: the 20 min watts above represent FT, not the watts I could average for 20 minutes with fresh legs.. The first two one minute efforts take a lot out of you, as does the five minute effort which follows.. Weight is down to 165! Oh my! I was 175 when I did the first field test on 5/12.. What effect does this have on watts? I'm 10 pounds lighter, so it should be easier to do more watts? Or not? ... Whatever.. I miss my Polar HRM, which now resides dormant, at the bottom of my backpack.. Thanks for reading.

Field Test Day!

::Take note of corrections to the recovery times::
I'm cautiously optimistic about discovering a much higher FT value today. On May 12th it was established to be 250 watts. The test goes like this:
20 minute warm-up
1 minute: go as hard as possible
5 minute recovery
1 minute: repeat going as hard as possible
5 minute recovery
5 minutes: all out effort
10 minutes recovery
20 minute time trial
30 minute cool-down//recovery
The 20 minute TT is supposed to give an indication of what the average watts for a 40k or 1 hour TT would be. All of the above is done while seated, no out-of-the-saddle stomping on the pedals allowed.
It's highly doubtful that I'll be at 300 watts, but 275 seems realistic. I don't intend to be looking down at the average watts during the test. Just going to let the PT serve as a flight data recorder. The max avg watts for each duration are established by the software automatically.

Wells Avenue Criterium Video June 3 2007

Wells Avenue Criterium Jun 3 2007

I'll embed it later. Shows better in "original" size. I added some interesting music, all from the soundtrack of the movie "Gegen die Wand" ("Head On"), which is something I highly recommend putting in your Netflix que. Subtitles. Has won numerous awards. See it.

Official Gegen die Wand site

IMDB page

Sweatbands are in! Tennis players can't be wrong

I'll be going to Glastonbury and then Hartford shortly.. Took the shortcut to work this morning because sleep was feeling too good. Only 8 miles in. My hand is still numb and my crotch is still sore. Nice video of the cat 3 Nutmeg Criterium over at Sprinter della casa. Even the crash at the end which included Paul Curley can be seen.. Hopefully he and others who fell are not hurt badly.

In other news.. sweat bands for your wrist are back! I'll take full credit for making it hip again to use your wrist to catch nose drippings and wipe away sweat. I find mine at TJ Maxx or Marshalls for $1.99.. PONY.. In the winter I find that my gloves get very abrasive, so these arm bands are way soft and easy on the nose. Get some. Be cool. Don't be a dingus and wear two at a time though.. Let the revolution begin.

Nutmeg Criterium 2007 results...

...are found here. I'm thinking 26th out of 91 finishers in the 35+ is nothing to cry about... but it proves that having great legs is not the answer to an excellent result. Reading the competition, positioning in the field and nerves of steel are equally as important. Wet, slick conditions held me back (the watts are quite telling of this) as did the blurred vision due to my mistake of wearing glasses.. Big mistake.. Took them off for the 30+.

Time for some training crits! Also on deck this week, another FIELD TEST to assess the increase in watts over the past five weeks. That's gonna hurt.. but I can't wait.

Overuse Injuries: Hand and Skin

According to a book called High Performance Cycling, by Asker E. Jeukendrup, the two issues which flared up for me during the Nutmeg Criterium have names:
Cyclist's Palsy: "The common cause is a compression of the fibers of the ulnar nerve as it enters the hand through the canal of Guyon, which is situated on the medial (little finger) side of the wrist.. Ulnar nerve compression producing sensory symptoms or muscular weakness has been recognized in cyclists for more than 100 years with the first case reported in 1896."
Third Testes: "Subcutaneous nodules are unique to elite and pro male cyclists. They typically form on each side of the midline, just posterior to the scrotum. Because of their appearance and position, cyclists sometimes refer to them as a "third testis". The lesions are pseudocysts that contain little cellular material. They develop in areas of aseptic pressure necrosis in the superficial peroneal fascia and are due to chronic microtrauma of the perineum related to pressure from the saddle.."
I have both. Two medial fingers are numb and weak. (So much for "ergonomic handlebars!)
Aaaaaand there's blood in my shorts. It finally ruptured tonight while watching Sopranos. Must have been when Phil Leotardo's head was crushed like a melon. Now I gotta worry about infection too!
So in summary.. racing on the wet Nutmeg course with 100+ guys, many of whom should be named "Shifty", "Drifty" and "Brakey", caused me to have a white knuckle death grip on the bars.. And I raced so hard for so long on the nose of my saddle that I mutilated the soft tissues behind the nutsack. Oh joy.

Miles and stuff

Holy crap. 1080 miles in the past 4 weeks, including today.. That's 1738 km for you metricians.. 34,027 kJ..

Nutmeg Criterium Results

Yesterday had it's share of good and bad.. and I'll tell you more later.. For now:
26th in the 35+ (105 starters)
20th in the 30+ (around 70 starters)
44th in the Pro-3 (91 starters)
Yeah nothing but a few anonymous mid-pack finishes, hardly worth mention, but there's more to it than that. That's 80 miles of crit racing in one day.. Including warm-ups and cool-downs, 100+ miles.

Why is it so hard to tell..

..if you're fully rested? No way to find out for absolute certain unless you get into a race and start drillin'it. Maybe I'm just a dumb f--k, maybe not, but I can't friggin tell if this "rest week" has me feeling fresher and stronger than four weeks ago, or four days ago.. Tomorrow is a big test.. Three races.. 30+, 35+ and Pro..and I'm keen on who has done well at previous editions of the Nutmeg Crit. I intend to be all over them like a bad suit.. Coach believes I'll be flying tomorrow. I have no choice but to believe him. I also have my eye on leapfrogging a couple of Rhode Islanders in the RI Masters Criterium Rankings. I know.. it's cheesy to care about this stuff.. but no one falls ass-backwards into a decent ranking.. even in a tiny state like ours. Good luck to everyone. Please no rain!

The "secret" to losing weight...(?)

.. according to the "Man Show" is STOP EATING SO MUCH!

Seriously.. one of the most enlightening and simple weight loss principles which my coach shared with me was this:

"Don't eat until you feel full.. instead eat until you are no longer hungry."

I may be repeating myself here.. but that's okay because it's worth repeating. Lately I find myself eating every 1-3 hours, instead of every 5-6 hours. (and no, it's not Kozy Shack or Shift bars or yogurt..) My office is well stocked with snacks such as fruit and pretzels and Powerbars (the "Nut Naturals" kind.. original Powerbars make me gassy) Stoking the fire every couple of hours keeps away that overwhelming hunger which makes us tend to overfill to the point where we can no longer breath as freely as we did before eating..

As bike racers, we often feel that all the calories we burn (according to out PTs and HRMs), is a license to stuff ourselves until we can't eat another bite.. No.

Keep the meals small and frequent. Avoid fried foods and fast food.. eat less bread.. add more protein.. moderate the fat and the carbs a little bit. weight loss will be yours.

Of course riding your bike at least 2 hours a day helps too.

When I returned from California, I weighed a surprising 180 pounds! That's after five days of training and a day of racing at Long Beach.. I weighed less before I went out there!.. Kind of bothered me, but some of this was from the bloating which eating at restaurants causes, all the salt they add to the food to mask staleness and add flavor..

Sure May was a huge month for me, with the addition of a coach, a Powertap, 60 hours of training, over 1000 miles etc.. But the frequency and amount I ate in that time was a very big factor.

Eat until you are no longer hungry... Try it.

I'm down to 167 and still losing... and I don't look like this in my skinsuit anymore:

    

Time for Timer.. and the Family Guy version

Vandenbroucke attempts suicide.. Quick Step raided..

Vandenbroucke in grave condition after suicide attempt I was just thumbing through a 1999 issue of "Winning" this morning and saw an article about VDB being the shit.. So sad to hear this news.

Police Raid Quick Step homes 

Nutmeg Criterium Video 2006

This is a very short clip of the Nutmeg Criterium in Walnut Hill Park CT.. this is either the 30+ or the 35+ event. I did quite poorly last year, finishing in the 30s and 40s overall. It goes without saying that I intend to do better this weekend. Keeping an eye on the weather forecasts though.. I won't pre-reg until I know it's gonna be dry. I can't embed from work, but if anyone else wants to, feel free.  http://vimeo.com/206866

How'd you like that wind last night on the ride home, Ge?

It's funny how my HR while riding to work is in the 120s and riding home it's around 100. Says a lot about where we want to be, eh? This morning, only one green light out of about ten intersections. This happens mostly on rest days where I'm putzing along.. just miss the greens by about 5 seconds. I did not race Ninigret last night, though originally I was intending to. Too tired. Need rest and sleep. In fact, I went to bed right after dinner last night, like around 7:30. What a difference a few extra hours makes. I actually don't mind being at work.

Here are the 2006 Nutmeg Criterium results.

Floyd Landis and AJ Soprano

Am I the only one who sees a resemblance between these two? Think on it if you plan to watch the final episode this Sunday on HBO.