Add a Quarq powermeter to your track bike? Yes you can.

After the first day at the track, you will quickly learn that there is a whole new cycling vernacular. Are you running a 94″ gear, do you warm up with an 88”? Those numbers are terms just about the bike, never mind the stayer’s line, rail, and others. Being a roadie, I wanted to do roadie training. I wanted to know how to add a powermeter to my track bike.

Getting together the parts

The first thing about the track bike is that it does not run a standard 110 or 130 BCD spider, it’s a 144. Since I am a big fan of Quarq, I went to their website to find out which Quarq powermeter is track compatible. The answer, all of them, sort of.

Back to the BCD. Yes, you can get an array of 110 and 130 BDC chainrings but nothing like the 144 BCD chainrings. You could use a 110 BDC and have a few chainrings, but the selection of 144 is much greater. Quarq only has 110 / 130 BCD powermeters. SRM has a dedicated 144 BCD Track Cycling Powermeter, but again, my preference is Quarq.

After a phone call to Quarq in Spearfish, South Dakota, I learned about an adaptor sold by a 3rd party. The 3rd party adaptor converts a 110 to a 144 BCD. After a little research, I found the BDop Cycling 110 BCD to 144 BCD Track Adaptor for $69.99 plus shipping. I ordered two and waited, but not long. The adaptors left China on DHL and were here in Virginia in 4 days. The shipping was a bargain, only $15. With my Quarq 110 DZero in hand and the BDop Cycling adaptor, I went to work.

Trial and Error

All the items put together snuggle — Quarq, adaptor, chainrings, nice and secure

My first “glitch” was the proper size chainring bolts. Remember you are going to put the adaptor on the powermeter, so you need to have an additional five chainring bolts. On the 56 Felt FK2, I used the SRAM chainring bolts without any issues. On the 51 Felt, I used the Sugino 75 knurled track chainring bolts to secure the adaptor to the Quarq. Then I needed another five to secure the Chainring to the adaptor. Adding these bolts was a little more difficult, because of the thickness off the chainring and adaptor, did not allow the 5mm bolts for enough thread to secure the back. I needed a set of 8mm chainring bolts which Sugino makes.

Getting them to fit was a little bit of a challenge. — Countersunk side to clear the frame on the 51 Felt

The first attempt at mounting the adaptors, I followed the instructions on BDops website. The video showed the adaptor mounted on the powermeter like a chainring and then the chainring on the adaptor. The issue was the chainline measurement was a little off and the chain did not fall directly on the sprocket and chainring. This resulted in an extremely loud drivetrain. I stopped by two bike shops and neither had a solution. After talking to a friend, Will Wong, I moved the adaptor inboard of the powermeter spider and then I mounted the chainring normally. This worked fantastic on the 56 Felt. I needed to do a little modification for the 51 Felt. I had to flip the adaptor so that the countersunk facing was toward the bottom bracket so that the back of the chainrings bolts went into the adaptor to clear the frame.

With the adaptor on, powermeter in place, I went to the track to collect data. This setup worked great. After my laps around the track, I can get data beyond, speed, cadence, and speed. If you are looking to add a powermeter to a track bike, I would highly recommend the Quarq/Bdop solution.

track

RACE REPORT: 2018 USA CYCLING MASTERS ROAD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – MICHELE DAMIANI

Michele showing off a little bling from Masters Nationals

With a late decision (meaning around the beginning of the 2018 road racing season, on the East Coast) I decided that I was going to accompany my teammates down to Georgia for the 2018 Masters National Championships. While my fitness was there, my racing legs were not quite there. So, I turned to KyleCoaching to help get me ready for Masters Nationals. Was it a little too late to be able to accomplish a podium finish at Nationals? After talking to Chuck, he acknowledged that my fitness was there and that we would have to work on building some of the other aspects of racing. Chuck was confident that working together I would be able to reach my goal at Nationals.

Fast forward to Masters Nationals in Augusta, GA in mid-June. The morning of the criterium, I saw my teammates leave the house, one by one, to go race and then cheer on each other. My race was at 3:40pm and I decided to stay at home in the air conditioning, making sure I was rested, fueled and hydrated. I hated sitting at the house with a stomach full of nerves, but I knew the Georgia heat would drain me. Chuck agreed that this was the best thing I could do to prepare for my late day race.

1:oopm came and it was time for me to head to the course. I packed up my bike and gear and got on the road. Upon arrival at the course, I found Chuck and Dana. I continued to stretch and hydrate, as Chuck talked me through the course and we discussed strategy. Chuck is extremely familiar with my strengths and weakness and was able to tell me exactly what I would need to do to make it on the podium. Ok, it was time to warm up, so I took to the streets (warming up on a trainer would be unbearable). I warmed up my legs, making sure I got some good efforts to wake up my legs. Post warmup, I found Chuck and Dana near the starting line and Chuck gave me a few more words of encouragement and reminders about the course and what I needed to do to get on the podium.

I headed to the staging area where my teammate, Christine, was there to give me a little more motivation and cheered me on to my first ever Masters National Criterium Championships. After my call-up, I waited patiently at the line and just wanted to get out on the course. The whistle blew and we were off. The first few laps were painfully slow and I knew that I need to get my legs moving (and get them moving on my own terms). So, I did exactly what Chuck had told me to do. I put an attack in going into the 4th lap and made people chase, I moved from one side of the course to the other and made them chase again. At this point, the announcers went nuts and were announcing me as putting on an attack through the start/finish area. Other attacks came and went and the pack stayed together. I kept hearing Chuck and his advice in my head. I needed to make sure I was staying good position and didn’t want to burn all my matches. With three laps to go, and the entire field together, I knew I had to be aware of where everyone was and be ready to respond. Nothing was happening in the field, nobody was attacking, so I patiently kept my position and knew I could not be at the back of the field. At one point, I fell back and I had to put in a little effort at one point to be back around the front, but I knew it was necessary. Leading into the last lap, I was sitting 5^th. I knew sprinting wasn’t my biggest strength (as did Chuck), but he had been specifically training me to be able to do these kinds of efforts at the end of a race. As we entered the last turn into the finishing straight away, it was time to put in one of those efforts in. I knew it was still a little too early for me to go, so I was sitting on a wheel (in 5^th place) conserving as much energy as possible. Then, I knew it was time to go, it was now or never. I dug down deep and knew I could pick off the woman in 4^th place and all of a sudden I passed her. We were coming up to the finish line and I wasn’t going to let up. I kept pushing through the pain, and at the line, I took another one of my competitors at the line to capture the bronze medal in the 2018 Masters National Championships, something I never thought I would accomplish.

I will end this race report with……FRC pull: I hate them, but I love them. They crush my soul during my workouts but make accomplishments like this possible. Thanks Coach!!

race report

Race Report: Performance Evaluation at its best

The race is over, you have made it back home. Your to-do list includes cleaning your bike, looking over your training plan for the next day, and uploading your data to Training Peaks and maybe Strava. What else is missing? Your Race Report.

From a coaching perspective, race data is pure gold. Due to adrenaline, expectation, stress, and competition, racing provides excellent insight into an athlete’s potential. Tons of data, each bit, can be analyzed and interpreted. All of this is objective. However, there is a subjective portion of this analysis that is equally, if not sometimes, even more important. The racer’s evaluation and this piece of the pie are the one most overlooked.

Race Report Power Distribution Curve — Athlete Power Distribution Curve – WKO4

Quantifying performance during a race is easy with all of the gadgets available, from power meter to heart rate to SMO2 monitors. Training Peaks and WKO4 provide the analysis tools. However, the race narrative requires more information. What was your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)? How well did you hydrate before the race? Is work stressful? The mechanism to capture all this data is the Race Report.

Amateur racers come from all walks of life, switching from spandex to business attire come Monday morning. So when they take the preverbal pen to paper, the output is equally diverse. Race Reports range from the coldly analytical to the award-winning novelette. Some reports are informal storytelling around the coffee shop while others appear on a blog. While the style and means of dissemination differ, effective Race Reports contain the same item, the athlete’s reflection on their performance.

The Race Report helps the athlete reflect on his experience. What went well? What failed? Were goals met? Why or why not? The Race Report gives the coach invaluable information to be used in training plan development. It is the story behind that new FTP number or new 1-minute power number. For example, a CX racer felt he had mounting/dismounting down. During a race, he came into the barriers slightly ahead of three riders. Post-barrier, he found himself in fourth. How could this happen? That experience, not visible in just data, gives insight on the confidence and the speed the athlete could negotiate on this part of the course.

The Race Report also provides an interesting mental picture of the athlete and the race. Ironically, when an athlete does well, they respond with talking about tactics and making the break. When their expectation is not met, it shifts to fitness and preparation. The Race Report provides the ice-breaker for some tough conversations. For example, a female athlete wanting to podium at a major race has the power numbers to finish in the top 3 in most local races, yet lacks confidence during more aggressive crits. The power files show matches still left to burn, and the Race Report tells of losing position in the final lap. The numbers show it was not fitness that held her back, rather confidence and opens to door to the discussion of racing in a couple of men’s fields to overcome this challenge.

For a coach, the most useful aspect is the insight on their actual power numbers. If the athlete hit a new five-minute number, was it because they were trying to bridge and the “rabbit” in front of them was enough to get them not to sit up at the four and a half minute mark.

The ~~Formula~~ Template

There is no formula for writing a race report, but here is a simple template that I use.

The Event
– Name
– Where
– When
– Type
– Finishing position and the number of racers

Course description – nothing too long but note any key elements. An eight corner crit is very different than a crit on an oval track.

The content of the race reports provides the reflection of the athlete on their performance. A quick note on timing. Bicycle racing is like everything else. Ofter a day a good performance, becomes great, at the end of the week, it becomes eligible for the archives on Mount Olympus. For a bad performance, each day it worsens. So take the time, the evening of the race, or at the latest the next day, to write out your thoughts.

Warm-up / Prep – this is a significant category. What was the athlete’s mood? How did they sleep the night before? What was their nutrition? Did they follow their pre-race schedule? (More on this in a future entry)

Assessment of their training – this helps the coach and the athlete fine tune their training. Does the athlete think that they were ill prepared for the power requirements of the race? Did they get dropped because they just could not match the strength of the rider in front? Did they ride off the front because the other riders just could not keep up with them?

The Race

This is a narrative of the race. In the athlete’s view, how did it play out? What were their failures and their successes? What could they have done better? Talk about the finish. Was there a sprint finish, how did they feel? Were they tactically sound?

If they were first, how did they get there? If they were on the podium but not the top step, why not first? If they were just field fodder, why did I lose?

Yes, writing a race report takes time and thought. I like to have my athletes either write them that Sunday night or reflect on their performance during their Monday recovery ride and then after the ride write it out. A good race report will give both the athlete and the coach a valuable means of evaluating their performance and should be completed after every race, from first place to a DNF.

Don’t wait too long to write the Race Report or it turns into a fish story….good races become Olympic Gold medal stories, and bad races are epic fails.

Want to read some of KyleCoaching athlete’s Race Reports? They are here.

Utilizing Power with your Cyclocross Training

Another cyclocross season is here and it’s time to step-up the training. Over the past three years, the science of cycling analytics has continued to expand. A spectrum of software and internet sites provide the means to analyze daily rides, identify strengths and weaknesses, track adherence to a training plan and a whole lot more. In late 2015, TrainingPeaks released the long-awaited WKO4. One item heavily discussed was an update to Dr. Andy Coggan’s Power Training Levels. The update was termed, Coggan’s Individualized Training Levels, iLevels for short. In a nutshell, it blends Coggan’s original training levels tied to a threshold and critical power model based on performance.

We, KyleCoaching, transitioned to iLevels at the beginning of the 2016 season, and it fundamentally changed our training philosophy. For those of you who race cross and have a power meter on your CX bike, we can use these Coggan precepts to refine your training plan.

To understand how KyleCoaching uses these iLevels along with your power data for cyclocross, we start with a discussion of periodization, how each phase is constructed, the requirements of a cross race, and finally, what your workouts will look like and how we will measure them.

For this discussion, I assume your cross season runs from September to early December. If you are racing US Nationals, then we can expand the plan out to that date, but for discussion, let’s assume the season will end around the first week of December.

The first thing to do is set the stage using periodization. Since cross season only lasts about five months, the traditional Annual Training Plan (ATP) does not fit. I will set it up using Base, Build, and Perform. We define Base as June to August; Build August and September, and Perform as September and November.

During Base, we focus on high volume, steady state intervals, and other workouts that build muscular strength. Cyclocross plans usually do not incorporate a Base period because most athletes are gaining a solid aerobic base during their road season. The high volume gives the athlete the aerobic base necessary to do more high-intensity interval work. I like to see most of my athletes coming off of a road season with a Chronic Training Load (CTL) of greater than 80 TSS/day.

The Build phase of a cross training plan consists of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), repeats, running (especially sprints) all done on a cross-like course, on a cross bike. During the Build phase, we focus on Functional Reserve Capacity (FRC) and Functional Threshold Power (FTP).

During Perform phase, we assume the athlete is racing almost every weekend. With that said, the Build and Perform phases may look similar. However, the target of each phase differs, as we shift from focusing in on the athlete’s FTP to the maximum power they can produce.

Why does this sound so different from your standard road training plans? Cyclocross places different demands on the rider compared to road racing. Your typical cyclocross race is between 30 and 60 minutes. Before you think, “Sounds like a grass crit!”, remember that one can sit in the group and recover in a road crit. In a CX race, there is nowhere to hide, which requires very specific energy systems.

The primary systems used during a CX Race are the ones that produce FRC/FTP and muscular endurance. These systems are supported by the athlete’s muscular strength and the force (torque x RPM) that they can supply to the pedals. As I mentioned earlier, a good aerobic base will help support high-intensity training but having significant stamina, being able to do long tempo rides, and active recovery rides just are not necessary.

How do we develop plans to support these systems? During the fall months, everyone becomes a Time Crunched Cyclist. The days get shorter; weather begins to change, and family obligations from Soccer practices start to interfere with nightly rides. The first thing we do is rank in importance the systems that need to be developed for cross.

The most important system is the FRC/FTP system. If you are used to the old Coggan training zones, this is VO2Max workouts. These are intervals that last between 2-5 minutes and are in the athletes FRC/FTP training zone. We start with three intervals and work up to about 8. These intervals mimic the stresses of VO2 efforts in a typical cross race.

The next system to work on is the athlete’s Threshold. Threshold training is fundamental in the KyleCoaching philosophy across all disciplines. Once again workouts consist of intervals of 10-20 minutes at one’s lactate threshold.

Equally as important is the athlete’s Fatigue Resistance. In short, how hard can the athlete go and how repeatable is this effort. In cyclocross, the rider is going full bore then rest, repeat, repeat, repeat. It is paramount in cyclocross to be able to repeat this action over and over.

Once of the factors of repeatability is muscular endurance, the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time. This is not tempo event; it is on and off as mentioned above.

On what do you need to focus to succeed in CX? As you would expect, the answer depends on your strengths and weaknesses as well as your time constraints. On some days, your training session may look like something you did for the road season. Other times, very different. Your workouts will target these two systems, as well as muscular strength. If needed, we can also add some beer hand-up practice.

References:

Critical Power Model
The Power Behind Cyclocross – 5 Key Analytics
What is the Performance Management Chart?
WKO4

Race Report: Tour of the Hilltowns, Windsor, MA Masters 40+ (Cat.1-4) – Tim Wern

Website

Results Page

53.8 mile road race
4,100 feet of climbing
July 23, 2016
14th place 41 starters

Conditions:

90 degrees, sunny and 10mph win

Equipment:

Pinarello F8, Zipp 303 Clincher Wheels, Continental 4000S-II tires 25mm front, 25mm rear

Cassette: Ultegra 11-32, 52/36 up front.

Race Course:

First time on this course. Course has 2 major climbs. The first at mile 21 and the final at mile 50. The start of the course is rolling with a few short climbs then rolls downhill for a long way to the mile 21 epic climb. This climb is 4.2 miles and is rated around 7%. It was steeper than I thought it would be. Lots of 10-15% sections. Also quite long. The final climb is a rolling uphill 3.5 miles. Not as bad as I thought it would be.

Race:

It was a pretty warm day so threw a 3^rd bottle in the back pocket. Very strong field with a lot of the usual suspects. Finkraft, Aetna & Minutemen were well represented. I drove up with Jim Elliott from Keltic. I was a little pokey getting ready and we rolled up to the back of the field at the start. After about a 2 mile neutral start, an attack immediately went off the front. About 6 got away. I was caught too far back to react. Frankly I am not sure I would have chased on or not. We were still well represented in the peloton. All the Finkraft guys and the sole ERRACE guy (Nedeau) were still with me. Finkraft had 3 racers that were all capable of winning and heavy favorites on this course. Nedeau tried to bridge late and I almost went with him as I was up front. However, with pretty good horsepower left in the peloton I didn’t want to burn the matches and then get caught by the favorites. After the break got away, I positioned myself at the front 1/3 of the peloton until the mile 21 major climb. I knew there would be a big selection there. I spent some time at the front, but never pushed terribly hard. Nobody seemed too interested in working hard to catch the breakaway. We also had Greg Galletta, who is typically top 5 in these races, in our group. He chased for awhile but then settled in with us. It was good for me to be on the front on the nasty long downhill. Some scary pavement and high speeds. I heard in the middle and back it was hard to see and even more scary. So they had to chase back on some. It was me and one of the Finkraft boys in front for most of the flats headed into the big climb. Again I didn’t want to be there but nobody looking to work much before the big climb. We hit the climb and the speed was very high. I stayed with the front group as we dropped roughly 2/3 of the remaining peloton. I almost crashed as Todd Bowden from Aetna just came in from my right and pushed me into the tightest little spot where I had nowhere to go. Somehow I was barely able to swing left and barely avoid a wheel and escape. The pain started to sear as the pace was still very high. I found Chris Crowell and jumped on his wheel knowing we are pretty evenly matched. But then a 545 Velo Rider wiped out Nedeau (over the bars uphill!) and then dropped back and took out Crowell’s front wheel forcing me onto the grass at about a 10% gradient. That little melee dropped us off of the front group.. So we regrouped and charged up the hill in pursuit. Me, Crowell & Nedeau. We passed a few dropped riders from the front group including, to my surprise, Jeb Fowler from 545 Velo……a buddy of mine….not the one that crashed us. The climb was longer and steeper than I had anticipated. The front group kept slowly pulling away from us. I wonder if I would have been able to hang on or not. So another 7 or so were now away from us. At the top of the climb we started to chase, but Nedeau (a world-class 1500 meter runner from the US team) wasn’t working. This is his home turf and he seemed pretty dejected at his poor luck. He burned a bunch of matches unsuccessfully trying to bridge early and then got run off the road on the climb. Two other riders caught us and our group became 5 for pretty much the rest of the race. Nedeau was not good to work with. Did not pull through smoothly in our paceline, often accelerating and generally not playing nice. I wasn’t sure if it was a tactic or just his frustration or lack of race experience. He is newer to the sport than me. Chris Crowell was the captain of our group which was fine with me. He was barking orders and, for the most part, worked. He was also berating Nedeau constantly.

We were moving along pretty good. We had a moto official with us for the last 3^rd of the race telling me we were still in striking distance. At mile 50 at the foot of the final climb we were about 1:15 off the front group. That’s when Nedeau attacked and my 1^st instinct was to go with him. But Crowell was screaming at him and us. He screamed at me “don’t go…he will blow up and we will ride right by him…it’s suicide..” You only have a second or two to figure it out and I reluctantly stayed. I will tell you partly for loyalty and the desire to build a better relationship with Crowell. I know it sounds silly but Crowell was very helpful pacing me up the first big climb when I was hurting a bit. We also worked very well together at Battenkill 2 months ago. But after a bit of thought, I was totally regretting it. Nedeau is a huge horse that would have led me away and I still had plenty in the tank. We never saw him again and he caught the front group finishing 8^th. Tip of the hat to veteran Crowell as I think he was a bit spent and kept me back to help tow him home. Big Mistake.

I also was a bit unsure of the exact mileage as I should attacked on the last steep part to dump these guys. Then before I knew it we were on the 1k sign and it wasn’t so steep anymore. I lost my chance. Soon one of the guys in our group attacked towing the rest of us along. Then there was a sharp right turn at about 250 meters to the finish where I got a bit hung up and lost my position. I got pushed a bit into the gutter which was sandy. Almost crashed there, lost momentum and then started a late sprint. I then finished 3^rd out of our group of 4 in the sprint. I also just missed passing a rider from the lead group who was going backwards badly. So all in all a terrible finish as I had plenty of snap left but the horrible turn and then short sprint…I simply ran out of road as I was closing fast and passed everyone just past the line.

So all in all a good effort. The group behind us was about 10 mins back and we were only a few mins off the winners. Finkraft went 1,3,5 finish. As it turns out they didn’t chase much as they would have just towed the peloton along. They knew they could just hammer the big climb and catch the breakaway which didn’t have a lot of great climbers. Good call for them.

Lessons:

There are no “true” friends in the peloton. I have to race my own race. Yes, you have friends and help each other by working together some ….but do not……do not sacrifice your race for someone else. My race would have had me going on the attack with Nedeau and/or attacking with about 3k to go. Part of it was inexperience as I got lost in Crowell’s controlling commands. Couple that with not really knowing the course and exactly how it finishes and I had a terrible finish after a pretty solid race in tough conditions against a very strong field. I was the 3^rd Cat. 3 across the line. Mostly Cat. 1 & 2 guys up front. I can surely do better. I would like to think I could have dug deep and stayed with that front group on the climb if I hadn’t been run off the road and into the grass on a particularly steep section. And I also had plenty left for the final climb and we pretty much eased up knowing we were 10 mins ahead of the next chase group. Complacency. Another reason to attack…..ugh. Doesn’t sit well with me, but more lessons learned. Waiting to sprint with my group is not in my best interest. Tough course by the way. That first 4.2 mile climb is absolutely brutal. BTW, the group that we lost on the big climb caught the breakaway. We also passed some of the guys who were eventually dropped from the front group. So 14^th/41 for me. Literally gave away 3 spots at the end.

Road Race Report: 2016 Jefferson Cup Road Race – Men’s Category 4 – Robert Steele

Race: 2016 Jefferson Cup Road Race
Category: Men’s 4
Date: April 3rd, 2016
Race Start: 9:00 AM
Distance: 50 miles after neutral roll out.
Weather: Sunny, but cold and windy (low 38, high 48)
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Finish: 27/79 registered racers (I don’t have the DNS list)

Narrative:

Jeff Cup was my road race season opener this year, as the Black Hill Circuit Race was canceled, so this was the first time I have toed the start line on my Addict since last July. Jeff Cup is a semi-closed road race, so the peloton has the entire road on which to race, a first for me, and that facet definitely influenced my ability to move around once the race started.

The Road Race:

I met a couple of other Cat 4 racers before the line-up who, while racing in other team kit, were USMES teammates, and who agreed to work with me during the race if the chance arose, which greatly boosted my confidence, as I was the only USMES racer in my field racing for the team, in team kit. I wasn’t feeling too great about going solo for 50 miles, and knowing there were other guys in the race willing to help out really eased my nerves. However, after lining up and getting out on the road for the neutral rollout, I really never saw either of those guys again in the race. Oh well, just knowing they were there helped me emotionally.

After the rollout, there was an early breakaway of about 10 riders, at less than 5 miles into the race. The field had spread out all over the road (closed road race, remember), but there was still space on the extreme left side of the road. Since the field was still accordioning from the roll-out, I took a chance and passed by the clump and bridged up to the 10 man break. When I did, I realized that group was also moving pretty slowly, and there was a 2 man break walking away from the larger group. I moved up the line and shot off the front to catch the two.

Once I caught up, and caught my breath (it took me a few miles to really catch into the 2 man break) I told them I was willing to pull hard through the rollers if they would pull me up the bigger climbs (Both of them were much lighter than me, I am still sitting right at 205 pounds, over 220 with kit and bike). After one huge pull across a set of rollers (pegging 400+ watts even dropping through the roller) the other two conceded I was a useful member of the break and agreed to pull me up the big climbs. We rolled like that for about 10 miles before the younger of the two (I never got his name) fell back and was absorbed by the pack (we were holding about a 45 second lead on the field at this point).

For the next 20+ miles, Allen XXXX of Electric Banana (UNC team) and I swapped off pulling around the 10-mile loop, agreeing to not go too hard, since it was just two of us. However, the field wasn’t interested in catching us either, so we held our 45-second lead for at least two laps. After that, another pair bridged up from the field, and one of them still had enough gas to take pulls. At that point, the 3 of us picked up the pace again and eventually pulled away from the field up to a minute ahead.

This pace was wearing me out significantly, and I eventually started to fall off. Allen and the other rider helped me stay up until we crossed into the final 10-mile loop, and our lead dropped to 40 seconds. Allen dropped both me and the other rider on the long climb coming away from the finish line, though, with the help of yet another rider bridging up from the field, we were both able to bridge back up. Even so, neither of us had the necessary strength to stay in the break, and we fell back into the field with about 2 miles to the finish. I stayed near the front of the field, but, at the 400m mark, my left thigh cramped when I tried to sprint it out. Finished in the middle of the field, in 27th place.

Final Thoughts:

The road race course was lovely. Neutral roll out brought us out of the school parking lot, and down Route 20 into the race course. The course itself was primarily composed of rollers, with one 500m climb that was tough, and a couple of lesser climbs that still hurt. The final 1km was slightly uphill, but not a short steep pitch as is all too common in the races around DC. The toughest part of the race was the windy conditions; often, when cresting a hill, I looked down to see if I had a flat, as the headwind slowed me down that much.

Check out other Race Reports

Functional Hypertrophy for Cyclist: Power of Size

The Power of Size for the Sprint

During the offseason, many cyclists question the benefits of getting off the bike and ‘going to the gym.’ The list of excuses ranges from truths to folklore, all designed to justify avoiding the gym. From ‘I do not want to bulk up’ to ‘there is no necessity for strength beyond the legs’, cyclists with a strength and conditioning plan are few. Cycling relies mostly on cardiovascular fitness. Some argue that you can get all the muscular strength you require on-the-bike. I argue that cycling is a power sport, so you cannot. Power is defined as the torque placed on the pedals at a given revolution. If it was only a cardiovascular activity, we should simply go back to using heart rate monitors and ditch the power meters. Therefore, throwing out at a term like hypertrophy will have cyclists sprinting away when cyclists should embrace it as one does the top step of the podium. Why? Functional hypertrophy helps a cyclist’s sprint become more explosive and faster with minimal weight gain (Poliquin Group Editorial Staff 2013).

There are two different type of muscle growth. One is typically called “functional” and the other “non-functional.” Anatomically, non-functional hypertrophy training focuses on the sarcoplasm proteins, glycogen content, and all of the non-contractile parts of the muscle. By training these items, the muscle gains size, with the minimal growth of the actual muscle fibers. To achieve this type of pump, the athlete does 3 to 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions per exercise. A cycling analogy? To get the high volume of air in the tires requires lots of low-pressure repetitions on the mechanical pump, this is what they are doing. In this case, cyclists beware, this is all volume without the strength benefit.

The second type, of hypertrophy, functional is called a myofibrillar hypertrophy. This kind of muscle growth is highly comprised of fast twitch (Type II) muscle fibers. The muscle becomes larger because of more massive myofibrils and can provide more torque moving a greater load. The primary benefit of functional hypertrophy training is a neuromuscular strength.

What to do on those Gym Days

This first rule for the gym is you should use a variation of rep ranges. The second rule is even though we are endurance athletes, we need to do more than go to the gym and simply do legs. Make each day at the gym count and do a full body workout. Chances are you will get rid of the extra ounce or two of body fat before you start putting on muscle bulk that you are concerned when climbing Alp d’Heuz.

However to gain that leg strength necessary for both climbing and sprinting, use this protocol. First, we need to talk about movement’s speed or tempo. The descent will be a controlled down, with an explode upward. Think of this as an eccentric-enhanced squat, 4-6 seconds down with an explosive upward movement. If you were focusing on size and strength did not matter, you would use higher reps a focus heavily on the contraction and tempo. Whet we want to do is break down the muscle fiber while causing a great deal of both tension and metabolic stress.

At the end of these exercises, your should feel a burn that you have only felt on a 21% grade climb. You want to fatigue greatly the muscle, develop a huge ‘pump,’ and the feeling you have had when one more pedal stroke was not possible.

The Exercises

There are the primary exercises for the workout. Twice a week, one day is doing ‘A’ and the other ‘B’. Additionally, select two workouts from the Assistance list to promote muscle balance.

Use weights that are 80-85% of your max[1] while creating time under pressure for greater than 60 seconds.

This is not just a heavy load but also increasing you metabolic stress, tension, and muscle breakdown.

Functional Hypertrophy Workout

Exercise – Tempo – Sets x Reps – Rest

A1. BB Front Squat – 40X0 (Lerwill 2013)[2] – 5 x 5 – Rest 2-3 min Video

A2. Leg Press – 40×0 – 5 x 5 – Rest 2-3 min

B1. BB Squat – 30×0 – 5 x 5 – Rest 2-3 min Video

B2. Romanian Dead Lift – 3011 – 5 x 5 – Rest 2-3 min Video

Assistance Exercise

A1. Glute Bridges / Hip Thrusters

A2. Leg Extensions – 4 sets of 5-8 reps, 5011 tempo, Rest 2 min

A3. Lunges – 4 sets of 10-12 reps, 20X1 tempo, Rest 2 min

A4. Leg Curls – 4 sets of 5-8 reps, 5011 tempo, Rest 2 min

Conclusion

Leg strength is critical for cycling. We get frequent questions asking about generating more power for a sprint or how to reduce the burn on a steep climb. The most efficient way of developing this leg strength is off-the-bike workouts. However, these exercises need to be focused on what you are attempting to achieve, and that goal should be functional hypertrophy of the lower body. The added bonus beyond cycling is that the athlete will maximize their relative strength to their body weight. You will generate your greatest amount of watts per kilogram for the entire body while minimizing body fat.

References

Lerwill, Sean. Exercise Tempo Explained. 2013. http://www.seanlerwill.com/exercise-tempo-explained/ (accessed February 21, 2016).

Poliquin Group Editorial Staff. What is Functional Hypertrophy? 2013. http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/809/What_is_Functional_Hypertrophy.aspx (accessed February 21, 2016).

[1] You can determine your one-rep max several ways. I recommend using the following calculator.

[2] The first number refers to the lowering phase (essential). The 4 is the amount of seconds to get to the bottom of the squat. The second number, 0, is the time spent at the lower part of the position for the lift. This of this as the transition from descending to ascending. Since it is a 0, then once the athlete is reaches the bottom, they should immediately begin the ascent. The third number is the ascent, ‘X’ is as fast as possible (with proper form). The fourth is the amount of ‘pause’ at the top.

Defining Success

Stay fit and healthy. Lose weight. Enjoy life to its fullest. Spend less and save more. Spend more time with family and friends. Get organized. Make zero resolutions. Learn something new. Travel more. Read more. According to a 2015 Neilson survey, these statements are the top 10 New Years’ Resolutions for 2015. Americans love to make resolutions and break them. Bloggers, writers and the random stranger standing in line for coffee with you on your way to work all seem to have some comment as to why most people fail with such things. Why do they not achieve success?

As data geeks, we ask a specific question about resolutions and training in general.

Define Success.

Sound simple?

Think again.

Some definitions are straightforward. Win a race. Some definitions are harder to quantify. Increase fitness. Some definitions seem easy but are not. Increase my VO2 Max or FTP.

Let’s address these definitions in order.

Easy to define: Win a race. Is that really the best definition of success? With so many exogenous factors, have you failed if you come in second but your data shows perfection?

More difficult to quantify: Increase fitness. How do you know you are fitter? How can we measure improved fitness in concrete terms?

Easy but not: Increase my FTP. After 40, FTP theoretical decreases by 6% per year. For some, FTP increases if it does not decrease. How is that statement for some odd math?

We encourage you to think critically about how you define success. Not only measuring your goals for the season but your journey toward the podium, pack finish, or gold medal at Masters’ Nationals.

Product Experience: RacerMate CompuTrainer vs. Wahoo Fitness KICKR and Snap

We have converted our garage into a make shift spin studio affectionately called the Bike Torture Chamber or BTC for short. We have four CompuTrainers (CTs), a Wahoo Fitness KICKR, and a Wahoo Fitness Snap. We normally use PerfPro Studios as a means to provide our interactive training sessions. This is normally done through their organic workouts or Sufferfest videos. We have also

started using Zwift running it through an Alienware’sgaming box so we can have two athletes on Zwift Island at the same time. While the end result – having a computer create trainer resistance based on some training profile is constant – the training experience across these different products varies.

DC Rainmaker provides an excellent product review of both the Wahoo options and the CompuTrainer. We provide more information about the product experience – after many hours of sweating profusely and pedaling to nowhere in the BTC.

I bought my first CT in 2008 and within minutes had it connected to an old Dell laptop spinning to RacerMate’s original software. As the first firm in the market, CT excelled at the actual product and, with little competition, did not have to develop quality software to accompany the trainer. As electronics moved from wired to wireless, the CT still requires 120v plug and the computer. Could you pack up the trainer and take it to a race to warm-up, nope not unless you dragged a Honda generator around with you.

Once I settled in DC, I got two buddies and my future wife to buy CompuTrainers, set them up in the garage, remodeled the garage, and the BTC was born. We used RacerMate’s software and I dusted off old computer skills to code a program to sync with a Sufferfest video. Setup was again with the software the weak part.

Then I found PerfPro, which opened up a different experience and helped the BTC earn that second word, torture! Now we had a platform that worked great for us. Then Drew (PerfPro) integrated Sufferfest videos and the four of us could ride to Revolver or Angels or Hell Hath No Fury. Friday nights became Bad 80s Movies night on Netflix, the winter went by much faster.

The next item that came out was the Wahoo Fitness KICKR. The appeal of this was that you could remove the rear wheel and it attached to the trainer, eliminating wear and tear of the wheel – especially if you used the same wheel to spin inside and train outside. I went to Freshbikes of Arlington and bought one. The KICKR is about the same price the CompuTrainer. I already upgraded the computer system, so the ANT+ technology was easy to use (and we did not incur any extra cost on that front). The first Wahoo KICKR was dead out of the box. I exchanged it at Freshbikes, took it home and discovered that the second was also dead. I called Wahoo. Their tech support was fantastic. They diagnosed the problem as a possible sensor and wanted to replace it before sending the entire unit back to Georgia. (The Wahoo KICKR is about 45 lbs, so moving and shipping is not the easiest.) I received the sensor, installed it, and it worked occasionally. I did really try and tried for several months to get this to work, but could not. I ended up trying for a few minutes then setting it aside, sliding the CompuTrainer forward and was IMMEDIATELY back to working out.

The KICKER sat in the BTC collecting dust. Technical support called me to follow up and was surprised to learn that I just gave up. Wahoo immediately sent me another trainer with a pickup tag on the first. I eagerly set that one up and it failed. Technical support was johnny-on-the-spot again and diagnosed that there was some type of interference in the BTC which was causing the problem on the third KICKR. They had me do a beta firmware upgrade and the problem was solved. Two years later and it is still running without issue. So I fibbed a little in the first paragraph, this is kind of a review.

The difference on the feel between the CT and the Wahoo? Not much. I will say that the KICKR feels a little more realistic and it does “coast” better than the CT due to the Wahoo being a direct mount to a cassette. Can you take the KICKR to a race to warm-up? Well it would be just as easy as the CT and your little Honda generator, so the actual answer is no. If you are Team Sky, are sponsored by Wahoo, and have an RV with a generator – you are golden. For most of us, it would not be practical. Oh did I mention they weigh 45lbs??

In the last few months, Wahoo introduced the Fitness Snap. From the commercial, the Snap appears to not need a cabled power source. The athlete is pedaling along, in the middle of a room, without any cords. We thought – finally – something to take to races! When you go to their website it does not talk about needing 120v. Was it possible that Wahoo Fitness figured out a way to have a rechargeable battery on the trainer so you could charge it and move it? I guess since my lawnmower, weed eater, and leaf blower all have a 56v battery, Wahoo could too. NOPE. Bad assumption. The Snap still ties you to a power outlet. You don’t have to have a computer like the CT, but you still need 120v.

I unboxed the Snap, set it up in the BTC and nothing. It does not work, tech support says it is probably interference. So I am going to have to troubleshoot and find out what is going on. Right now I am working on Zwift since they came out with a Richmond course. My configuration this morning?? Wahoo Fitness KICKR, Alienware game box, and Zwift software. Took me about 2 minutes to get the CompuTrainer up and running using ANT+. I spent 2 hours getting the Wahoo KICKR to work. I had to go to BestBuy and get a 6.5 foot USB extension cable to drag the Suunto ministick almost beside the KICKR to pick up the signal. But after that was done I had a great hour long spin.I know I said the KICKR was working without issue for the last two years but I bought the Alienware gaming system so we could run two sessions of Zwift at the same time. They did not develop a multiplayer version so I have to have multiple systems. I was trying the KICKR on the new system.

Zwift Richmond course while watching the Vuelta

What does all of this mean? The CT is a tried system that I can get to work immediately. One CT is seven years, another is 4 years and the other two are about 3 years. I have a spare in case one of them needs to be repaired (Side note: a friend of mine has a CT from their first year in business….and it still works). I have only replaced one load generator the entire time. Wahoo Fitness, if it works, it works great, but … it doesn’t always work.

We continue to spin with the mixture of CTs and the one KICKR. Since we have people spin in our garage, the CT is more convenient since the ease of entry/exit for the bike is faster and does not leave one with grease on the hand from removing a rear wheel with a dirty chain. We also know that the CT is more likely to work.

UPDATE: 9/3/2015

Last night we were able to get the Wahoo KICKR and Wahoo SNAP both working. We had the KICKR going through our main system and the SNAP through the Alienware gaming system. I am assuming that getting the extra long USB extension cable and stretching in over to the Snap decreased the interference.

Next tech idea to work on?
Zwift / PerfPro / CT / Wahoo all working in harmony.

Coach: Is hiring a coach a good decision?

Coach Chuck talking race tactics — Discussion on the top four cycling tactics

The end of the road racing season provides an opportunity for reflection. Regardless of the degree of success this season, we always want more. From faster TT times to causing pain in the peloton, we start thinking about 2016 and what we should do differently. For many, one question is whether to hire a coach.

The average racer will buy a $1500 wheelset with the promise of gaining speed without much hesitation. The decision on whether to hire a coach can take the athlete months of internal deliberation. At a local time trial, I overheard a few cyclists somewhat bragging that they had bought a new Shiv and Zipp front 808 and rear disc to try and shave seconds off of the TT time.

After the race, I was curious to see what they had “bought” as far as time goes. They had successfully gained 20 seconds on their last effort, so it moved them from 9th to 8th place. Without knowing much about the athlete, but looking at their size and knowing the course, without a doubt a properly executed training plan could have easily shaved off far more than 20 seconds. If we define the return on investment for the cyclist, hiring a coach may yield a greater value than equipment.

A few years ago, while leading a discussion about the importance of an annual training plan, someone asked me who I had as a coach. A quote from Sir William Osler came to mind, “A physician who treats himself has a fool for a patient.” Within a few weeks, I too asked myself, should I hire a coach? I had made all the investments a cyclist could make, except one. I am no fool.

Once you decide to hire a coach, you should have a good understanding of what to expect. I use the term “hire” because you are paying the coach for their time and expertise. Reflect on the number of hours you expect the coach to spend on you on a weekly basis. Then extrapolate that to the full four-week phase or month. Divide the cost by the hours and ask yourself is it a good deal? Am I paying too much? Or the proverbial, you get what you pay for.

There are tons of books on the shelves that have basic training plans. You can buy some of our training plans on our website at a very reasonable rate. These plans are quite popular and are an excellent starting point for someone new to racing and training. However, the static training plan cannot take into account your fitness background, currently abilities, time restraints, illness, injury or other disruptions. A coach considers all these variables when developing your personalized training plan.

Stock book plans and downloaded plans are what we consider a “fire and forget” plan. The athlete just takes the plan and executes. When challenges to your training schedule or uncertainty about the best way to complete the workout arise, the athlete does not have any resources to assist. A coach not only provides objective feedback on training progression but also adjusts the training plan keep the athlete on track. Your coach will help you set goals and set up your season – from training to the race calendar – to increase the probability of success.

As you make your next racing year resolutions, commit to success and efficient training. Hire a coach!

coach