After being really tired yesterday I felt very good this morning. It might have been that unsecured jar of chocolate Easter eggs I "found" last night but whatever, I averaged 23.5mph on my 42.5-mile course. The last few out-and-back miles on the flat sections were done floating along at 27mph. I can't wait to open things up. I'm past due.
For my monthly totals I did sixteen rides, two of which were on consecutive days. All of the sessions were done on the Fogcom except for one on Tubby. I did a total of 782.5 miles in 37.18 hours. That's a whopping average of 1.2 hours per day. Whoa, I'm sure Jim Kern is shaking in his cycling shoes. Oh well, if nothing else I will have discovered one more way that doesn't work. I only hope I don't make too much of a spectacle of my self by sobbing at the side of the road at the 8-10 hour mark. Perhaps I should bring a capsule of cyanide just in case. I think I'd prefer death rather than hear Alan say, "Ha-ha! Who needs a coach now".
I just realized this is my ten-year anniversary of getting into recumbents. I was sparked by an article in Bicycling magazine in 1997. I had seen the ads for Easyracers and Lightning in the back but never paid them much attention. I saw a recumbent once before that was stopped at an intersection. My girlfriend and I watched it with interest but when we saw it shakily take off from a stop we just looked at each other and shook our heads thinking that doesn't look so hot. From what I remember it was an SWB with USS, probably a Haluzak.
Anyway, the article prompted me to purchase the RCN 1977 Buyer's Guide. As soon as I opened the pages I was hooked. I spent hours going through the pages until they were worn thin. I studied all of the designs and took measurements off of the pictures. I didn't know how to build bikes but I was sure going to learn.
Suffering from delusions of grandeur I decided my first attempt at bike building was going to be a FWD, rear-wheel steered, dual-700. I thought I was hot shit. Puny earthlings, let me show you how to build a real bike. To make a long story short it ended up being a case of "delusions, meet reality". The bike was unridable.
Next, I replaced the rear fork and single wheel with two wheels on a single pivot making a delta trike. It was "ridable" and I actually rode it up to Alum Rock Park in East San Jose but it left much to be desired. It had a bad habit of wanting to ride on two wheels at high speed. The fact that it had a 10" seat height and a 26" bottom bracket height made it a real ass burner as well.
I tried a single pivot tadpole trike next before finally settling on what I considered at the time a stretched out, monotube, lower P-38. In actuality it was a semi-lowracer with a 16" seat height and 24" BB with a 51" wheelbase. I commuted to work on that bike for the next six months straight as part of a one-and-a-half year solid commute. It had a P-38 Zipper fairing and a coroplast cargo box. I was in hog heaven.
One thing I noticed was how much my quads burned, even at low power outputs. Another was how low my heartrate was compared to the same effort on a DF. Stupid me, I used a 56-tooth chainring combined a 12-26, 7-spd cassette for my stop-and-go commute through Silicon Valley. After six months my legs were toast so it was back to commuting on my Litespeed Ultimate (poor me) for a while.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Fiesta Island Adventure
This is the story of my first visit and race at Fiesta Island in October of 2003. I made the 500-mile drive the day before arriving on the island at 4pm. After taking a drive on the 4-mile course I parked on the beach just off the road near the entrance where I thought I would enjoy a pleasant night camping in my truck.
Even though I make it a habit of not even looking at my bike too hard in the days preceding a race I decided to take a very slow lap to get a better feel for the course. So I do a lap noticing how god-awfully rough the north end of the long course is. I realize then that this will not be a high speed endeavor.
Afterwards I go back to my truck and settle in for the rest of the afternoon and evening. As I was sitting in my truck I saw numerous racer-types riding the course. After a bit a pickup carrying a tandem pulls up ahead of me and parks on the beach. A young couple get out and unload their bike and then the stoker proceeds to change her shirt right in front of me. It would have been a little less uncomfortable for me had she been wearing a bra. God-damned hippies. Does she not see me here? As I try to avert my eyes I can't help but feel a little emasculated.
Anyway, they hop on their bike and proceed to do three hard laps (20K) complete with the captain swearing as he blew a shift. It turns out they raced the next day. They load up and leave giving me an unobstructed view of some of the more PG-rated natural beauty.
After a while it gets dark and I mean dark. It's pitch black as I'm sitting in the cab of my truck listening to the radio at about 9pm. All of a sudden a someone drives by and BOOM!, something hits my door and I feel wetness. They drive off probably not realizing there was someone in the truck they just violated.
Unfortunately I had my bike out of the truck with the back of my shell open so I had to jump out and load my bike before I could give chase. Once I got everything secured adequately I burned rubber in pursuit around the island. It was very hard to see but eventually I could see taillights off in the distance. Since it was a one-way, one-lane road I knew it was them.
They took the short-course route and before I could reach them numerous vehicles on the long course fell in behind them. Since I had no idea what their vehicle looked like I counted how many vehicles passed by before I reached the junction. This way I knew how many I would need to pass, if I could pass, to reach them.
I finally make my way to the tail of the train and begin honking my horn and flashing my lights and eventually, one by one, they move over to let me pass. Finally, my prey is in front of me so I take to the beach in hopes of passing on the right since there is a hill on the left. I successfully pass them and come to a stop in front of them. By this time I'm frothing at the mouth as I jump out of my truck and am ready to inflict heavy damage on whoever is occupying this truck.
I guess they put two and two together and realized who I was so they four-wheeled it up the hill and made their escape around me. Unfortunately I was just out of reach to put my fist through their windshield. As I jumped back in my truck to continue the chase I could have kicked myself when I saw my floor pump sitting in the passenger seat.
So, they make a mad dash off the island and back on to mainland San Diego and I quickly catch up to them. It's a scene right out of the French Connection. They bob and weave but they can't escape. All they while I have no idea of where I am and am trying to make a mental map so I can find my way back. We're running red lights and stop signs and then they pull into a parking lot where they have to lock up the brakes and smoke the tires to avoid hitting a light pole as they try and turn for the exit. At this time I'm perpendicular to the truck with my lights shining in the passenger's (the likely thrower) face. I'm am most pleased at the expression of sheer terror on his face.
Eventually the driver backs out, makes it out of the lot, and finds an I-5 on-ramp where I decide to give up the chase. With incomplete satisfaction I find my way back and resume my place on the island. I decide to go to bed and hop in the back of my truck. At 10pm I'm asleep, surprisingly, only to be woken up by the cops on a loud-speaker informing all occupants on the island that it is time to leave.
About a mile down the road I see a relatively vacant parking lot of I-don't-know-what that I decide would make a good campsite. A couple of hours later a cop is banging on my humble abode and informs me that San Diego does not allow "freebies" and that if I'm caught again I will be taken to jail. While I respect the police, I don't care for this guy's tone. As I'm contemplating the concept of existence taxes I can't help but wonder if it would be worth it to try and punch this guys head across the Mexican border. I decide it's more important for me to compete in the next day's TT so I decide to leave town and drive 20 miles north. I find a nice spot in a grocery store parking lot where I mix in with the night shift's vehicles.
After a short and much needed sleep I wake up at 4am and head back to Fiesta Island where I grab a choice spot in the parking lot just off the island where registration is held. After all of this excitement the actual race is a footnote. I end up with the 4th highest time (26.08mph) and am beat by a 60 year-old. Rather than being disappointed, I found being beat by such an old man very inspiring. It just goes to show what can be achieved.
I was riding my original, steel highracer prototype. Even with the big wheels the rough, long-course section costs about 1mph overall (3mph on the section in question) as evidenced by the change in times when the short course was used. It was so bad that the tandems were suffering pinch flats. The long course section has been repaved recently and is now being used again.
Even though I make it a habit of not even looking at my bike too hard in the days preceding a race I decided to take a very slow lap to get a better feel for the course. So I do a lap noticing how god-awfully rough the north end of the long course is. I realize then that this will not be a high speed endeavor.
Afterwards I go back to my truck and settle in for the rest of the afternoon and evening. As I was sitting in my truck I saw numerous racer-types riding the course. After a bit a pickup carrying a tandem pulls up ahead of me and parks on the beach. A young couple get out and unload their bike and then the stoker proceeds to change her shirt right in front of me. It would have been a little less uncomfortable for me had she been wearing a bra. God-damned hippies. Does she not see me here? As I try to avert my eyes I can't help but feel a little emasculated.
Anyway, they hop on their bike and proceed to do three hard laps (20K) complete with the captain swearing as he blew a shift. It turns out they raced the next day. They load up and leave giving me an unobstructed view of some of the more PG-rated natural beauty.
After a while it gets dark and I mean dark. It's pitch black as I'm sitting in the cab of my truck listening to the radio at about 9pm. All of a sudden a someone drives by and BOOM!, something hits my door and I feel wetness. They drive off probably not realizing there was someone in the truck they just violated.
Unfortunately I had my bike out of the truck with the back of my shell open so I had to jump out and load my bike before I could give chase. Once I got everything secured adequately I burned rubber in pursuit around the island. It was very hard to see but eventually I could see taillights off in the distance. Since it was a one-way, one-lane road I knew it was them.
They took the short-course route and before I could reach them numerous vehicles on the long course fell in behind them. Since I had no idea what their vehicle looked like I counted how many vehicles passed by before I reached the junction. This way I knew how many I would need to pass, if I could pass, to reach them.
I finally make my way to the tail of the train and begin honking my horn and flashing my lights and eventually, one by one, they move over to let me pass. Finally, my prey is in front of me so I take to the beach in hopes of passing on the right since there is a hill on the left. I successfully pass them and come to a stop in front of them. By this time I'm frothing at the mouth as I jump out of my truck and am ready to inflict heavy damage on whoever is occupying this truck.
I guess they put two and two together and realized who I was so they four-wheeled it up the hill and made their escape around me. Unfortunately I was just out of reach to put my fist through their windshield. As I jumped back in my truck to continue the chase I could have kicked myself when I saw my floor pump sitting in the passenger seat.
So, they make a mad dash off the island and back on to mainland San Diego and I quickly catch up to them. It's a scene right out of the French Connection. They bob and weave but they can't escape. All they while I have no idea of where I am and am trying to make a mental map so I can find my way back. We're running red lights and stop signs and then they pull into a parking lot where they have to lock up the brakes and smoke the tires to avoid hitting a light pole as they try and turn for the exit. At this time I'm perpendicular to the truck with my lights shining in the passenger's (the likely thrower) face. I'm am most pleased at the expression of sheer terror on his face.
Eventually the driver backs out, makes it out of the lot, and finds an I-5 on-ramp where I decide to give up the chase. With incomplete satisfaction I find my way back and resume my place on the island. I decide to go to bed and hop in the back of my truck. At 10pm I'm asleep, surprisingly, only to be woken up by the cops on a loud-speaker informing all occupants on the island that it is time to leave.
About a mile down the road I see a relatively vacant parking lot of I-don't-know-what that I decide would make a good campsite. A couple of hours later a cop is banging on my humble abode and informs me that San Diego does not allow "freebies" and that if I'm caught again I will be taken to jail. While I respect the police, I don't care for this guy's tone. As I'm contemplating the concept of existence taxes I can't help but wonder if it would be worth it to try and punch this guys head across the Mexican border. I decide it's more important for me to compete in the next day's TT so I decide to leave town and drive 20 miles north. I find a nice spot in a grocery store parking lot where I mix in with the night shift's vehicles.
After a short and much needed sleep I wake up at 4am and head back to Fiesta Island where I grab a choice spot in the parking lot just off the island where registration is held. After all of this excitement the actual race is a footnote. I end up with the 4th highest time (26.08mph) and am beat by a 60 year-old. Rather than being disappointed, I found being beat by such an old man very inspiring. It just goes to show what can be achieved.
I was riding my original, steel highracer prototype. Even with the big wheels the rough, long-course section costs about 1mph overall (3mph on the section in question) as evidenced by the change in times when the short course was used. It was so bad that the tandems were suffering pinch flats. The long course section has been repaved recently and is now being used again.
more wind
The wind was worse than last week. I may not be too bright but I ain't crazy. This time I took the disk inserts off the front wheel. I still got shoved around a bit but not to the degree of last week. I was able to ride without having to lean so much into crosswinds even though they were stronger.
My average speed was higher, 20.9mph compared to 19.6, but that's likely due to better recovery since last week's windy ride came two days after my foray into the mountains. Whatever, I'm happy with that average speed given the conditions and my self-imposed power output limitations.
I'm going to go with a bare front wheel at Davis. Any gain using it will be lost if I have to stop and remove the inserts during the event. They won't help me in the hills and from talking to someone who has done the course the return highway (by an Indian casino no less) can get quite busy and there is a 15-20 mile stretch with no shoulder. Oh happy day! I hope motorists don't get too mad at me if I take a few extra inches of road space as a buffer. Perhaps I should have someone deliver blows with baseball bats as I ride up and down the street in preparation for a worst-case scenario. I'm sure there's at least three guys from Chicago who would be happy to help me out in that regard.
Speaking of guys in Chicago, my attack on the personal training industry was not intended as an insult to them. I felt the same way when I heard that Hans Wessels uses a trainer and could have easily used him as a reference. I believe all of these guys, given their experience, would more appropriately be giving advice rather than paying someone for it. That's the sore spot for me, paying for advice that should be given freely. I would feel no different if someone were charging for bike building or repair advice in the Technical Forum at BROL. I don't believe there is a person alive that couldn't use outside input when it comes to optimal training but there is enough collective wisdom in, and out of, the recumbent community to avoid having to pay for it. Unfortunately, people seem to be pretty tight-lipped. Visiting BROL's racing forum is like going to the morgue and just as depressing. A sure way of making tumbleweeds roll across your monitor is to ask for training advice there. It's not a whole lot better at WISIL either. That's unfortunate because it's the rare times they show sufficient life that have inspired me to drive or fly across the country to race. It's the "buzz" that's going to build the recumbent racing scene provided it isn't overly negative.
That's one of the reasons I started this blog. I have a nervous desire to talk about recumbent racing and training, even if it's just to myself, hence the subtitle "thinking out loud". I like throwing around ideas. Even if most of it is shit eventually everyone will find an undigested kernel of corn. Okay, I've got to admit that's a bad analogy, even for me. Oh well, you get the point.
Also, in the interest of being understood, I want to point out that I wasn't giving Warren, especially, a bad time. Unlike another poster at WISIL, I was not surprised that he got beat by John Schlitter. I know that could be construed as an insult in itself but I'm basing my opinion on past performance. I have to admit, though, that it's difficult to assess where he stands in the Monkey Island pecking order given his habit of pre-exhausting himself in a streamliner.
What did surprise me was the ten watts that was claimed to separate the three. The personal trainer's plan seems to be benefitting Warren the most. I know that Alan has posted higher speeds on the track than John Schlitter in the past but I don't think ten extra watts would have done the trick in Florida. Of course, prior training has a huge effect but they (the Chicagoans)are equally burdened by jobs and less than optimal training conditions. No matter, lack of relative fitness is on Alan and I stand by my opinion of paying for personal trainers and cookie cutter programs. As long as I'm not misunderstood, if a person is hell-bent on being insulted by what I say, I can live with it.
I don't know if more than three people are reading this blog but if there are (or not) I hope they're laughing at least half as much reading it as I am writing it.
My average speed was higher, 20.9mph compared to 19.6, but that's likely due to better recovery since last week's windy ride came two days after my foray into the mountains. Whatever, I'm happy with that average speed given the conditions and my self-imposed power output limitations.
I'm going to go with a bare front wheel at Davis. Any gain using it will be lost if I have to stop and remove the inserts during the event. They won't help me in the hills and from talking to someone who has done the course the return highway (by an Indian casino no less) can get quite busy and there is a 15-20 mile stretch with no shoulder. Oh happy day! I hope motorists don't get too mad at me if I take a few extra inches of road space as a buffer. Perhaps I should have someone deliver blows with baseball bats as I ride up and down the street in preparation for a worst-case scenario. I'm sure there's at least three guys from Chicago who would be happy to help me out in that regard.
Speaking of guys in Chicago, my attack on the personal training industry was not intended as an insult to them. I felt the same way when I heard that Hans Wessels uses a trainer and could have easily used him as a reference. I believe all of these guys, given their experience, would more appropriately be giving advice rather than paying someone for it. That's the sore spot for me, paying for advice that should be given freely. I would feel no different if someone were charging for bike building or repair advice in the Technical Forum at BROL. I don't believe there is a person alive that couldn't use outside input when it comes to optimal training but there is enough collective wisdom in, and out of, the recumbent community to avoid having to pay for it. Unfortunately, people seem to be pretty tight-lipped. Visiting BROL's racing forum is like going to the morgue and just as depressing. A sure way of making tumbleweeds roll across your monitor is to ask for training advice there. It's not a whole lot better at WISIL either. That's unfortunate because it's the rare times they show sufficient life that have inspired me to drive or fly across the country to race. It's the "buzz" that's going to build the recumbent racing scene provided it isn't overly negative.
That's one of the reasons I started this blog. I have a nervous desire to talk about recumbent racing and training, even if it's just to myself, hence the subtitle "thinking out loud". I like throwing around ideas. Even if most of it is shit eventually everyone will find an undigested kernel of corn. Okay, I've got to admit that's a bad analogy, even for me. Oh well, you get the point.
Also, in the interest of being understood, I want to point out that I wasn't giving Warren, especially, a bad time. Unlike another poster at WISIL, I was not surprised that he got beat by John Schlitter. I know that could be construed as an insult in itself but I'm basing my opinion on past performance. I have to admit, though, that it's difficult to assess where he stands in the Monkey Island pecking order given his habit of pre-exhausting himself in a streamliner.
What did surprise me was the ten watts that was claimed to separate the three. The personal trainer's plan seems to be benefitting Warren the most. I know that Alan has posted higher speeds on the track than John Schlitter in the past but I don't think ten extra watts would have done the trick in Florida. Of course, prior training has a huge effect but they (the Chicagoans)are equally burdened by jobs and less than optimal training conditions. No matter, lack of relative fitness is on Alan and I stand by my opinion of paying for personal trainers and cookie cutter programs. As long as I'm not misunderstood, if a person is hell-bent on being insulted by what I say, I can live with it.
I don't know if more than three people are reading this blog but if there are (or not) I hope they're laughing at least half as much reading it as I am writing it.
Monday, March 26, 2007
I'm fat
I weighed in this morning at 190lbs. In the words of Homer Simpson, "woo-hoo, woo...oh my!". Unlike Homer I'm not looking to get on disability so I need to pull in the reins on my dietary good times. In my defense, I did convert some of my gluttony into increased fitness. Now is actually a real good time to cut back. I have eight days until I begin carb-loading. I will deplete myself for those eight days which will allow super-compensation for glycogen storage.
I'm going to carb-load slightly differently for this race. I usually carb-load for three days before a race. This time I'm going to start four days before and stop the day before. The day before I will limit myself to maintenance calories and the only solid food I eat will be protein in the morning. All other calories will come from sugar in my coffee or maltodextrin in a carb/electolyte solution. The reason I'm doing this is I don't want to have anything in my digestive tract at the beginning of the race which starts at 6:30am. I don't want any extra stops since every three minutes will cost me about a mile on average. Since I'm riding self-supported I have to be extra-vigilant of waste.
I thought the forecasted storm would be rolling in earlier than it did so I took Tubby. Turns out it was beautiful weather for riding. That's okay though, it was nice to work some different muscles for a change. My average speed for the 34.2 mile ride was 18.6mph. That's quite an improvement over the 15.4-16.8 range I was doing in February. It's been almost a month since I rode Tubby.
I'm going to carb-load slightly differently for this race. I usually carb-load for three days before a race. This time I'm going to start four days before and stop the day before. The day before I will limit myself to maintenance calories and the only solid food I eat will be protein in the morning. All other calories will come from sugar in my coffee or maltodextrin in a carb/electolyte solution. The reason I'm doing this is I don't want to have anything in my digestive tract at the beginning of the race which starts at 6:30am. I don't want any extra stops since every three minutes will cost me about a mile on average. Since I'm riding self-supported I have to be extra-vigilant of waste.
I thought the forecasted storm would be rolling in earlier than it did so I took Tubby. Turns out it was beautiful weather for riding. That's okay though, it was nice to work some different muscles for a change. My average speed for the 34.2 mile ride was 18.6mph. That's quite an improvement over the 15.4-16.8 range I was doing in February. It's been almost a month since I rode Tubby.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
training 3-24-07
Another 42.5 miles with a 22.4mph average speed. I just have five rides to do before the race. I'll go every other day ending on Tuesday, four days before. That should insure that my muscles are fully recovered. I normally take five days but that's just how scheduling worked out. That combined with a full carb-load should have me feeling like a million bucks come race day.
For the event I plan on pedaling a bit different than I normally do in training. High cadences may be good for high power output in short time trials and muscle-sparing for regular training but I don't believe it's the best choice for long, slogging, fat-burning events. It's harder on the nervous system too. I plan on muscling my way through it. I realize this will be much more destructive but I also believe that it will result in a higher overall, average speed. Anyway, this is what I've been training (and sparing) myself for so it's when I need to lay everything on the line and hold nothing back. This very well could have a detrimental impact on my near-future, pre-RAAM, short TT's but I don't care. This is a kamikaze mission first. Future fitness and health concerns will be put on the back burner.
From here on out my average speeds will probably want to increase as my legs continue healing from the last harder ride but I'm going to try and keep it down some. I don't see the benefit of going any faster in the final two weeks. My heart and lungs are in good shape and are for the most part a non-factor. At 25mph they don't feel any different than they do when I'm watching TV. For me, recumbent riding is all about legs.
For the event I plan on pedaling a bit different than I normally do in training. High cadences may be good for high power output in short time trials and muscle-sparing for regular training but I don't believe it's the best choice for long, slogging, fat-burning events. It's harder on the nervous system too. I plan on muscling my way through it. I realize this will be much more destructive but I also believe that it will result in a higher overall, average speed. Anyway, this is what I've been training (and sparing) myself for so it's when I need to lay everything on the line and hold nothing back. This very well could have a detrimental impact on my near-future, pre-RAAM, short TT's but I don't care. This is a kamikaze mission first. Future fitness and health concerns will be put on the back burner.
From here on out my average speeds will probably want to increase as my legs continue healing from the last harder ride but I'm going to try and keep it down some. I don't see the benefit of going any faster in the final two weeks. My heart and lungs are in good shape and are for the most part a non-factor. At 25mph they don't feel any different than they do when I'm watching TV. For me, recumbent riding is all about legs.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
training 3-22-07
I have to pick up my daughter tomorrow so I did a back-to-back session today. Another easy 42.5 miles with a 21.4mph average speed. I felt pretty good for being two days in a row. At that easy pace I could probably get away with everyday training if I had to.
I got to thinking about recovery and the ability to process carbohydrates. I realize that glycogen replenishment is important but I've always considered (probably wrongly) recovery more of a mechanical/muscle repair issue. More likely, that's mostly the case for anaerobic endeavors and they have certainly given me no shortage of trouble. All else being equal I think that (glycogen replacement) is what separates the best from the rest in the higher intensity cycling endurance sports like stage racing. Unfortunately, that seems to be another weak link for me.
I've got no problem maintaining my bodyweight but the composition of that bodyweight is questionable. I need to use the shotgun approach to post-ride feeding and in doing so I seem to be hitting a lot of fat cells. My muscles just cannot take up glycogen fast enough and as a result the extra glycogen ends up in fat storage. In order to maintain a certain weight I've had to balance out the surplus days with deficit days. For a stage racer this can't be. This is why I can't race (intensely) two days in a row, the fuel just isn't there to support the neccesary intensity.
On the bright side, there is hope for my desire to progress into multi-day ultra-distance racing. According to the split times in an event like RAAM nobody is repleshing glycogen stores completely. It's a battle of attrition and it seems that, with all else being equal, he who burns fat best wins. Based on my extensive caloric-deficit training I've done in the past this seems to be one area I excel at. So, I have a glimmer of hope for doing multi-day events. That is, unless I'm wrong, AGAIN.
The main reason I'm contemplating this is because...(prepare to laugh)...I'm going to be alternate rider for Team Velokraft for RAAM.
...waits for laughter to die down...
...waiting....
...still waiting....
...and a bit more....
Okay, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Now, the odds of me actually having to fill in for Tim Woudenberg or Glenn Druery is microscopic but still, if the need arises I need to be prepared with a battle plan so after the Davis Challenge I will begin by incorporating more days into my training schedule. If nothing else it will give me a good opportunity to conduct experiments as I use that preparation to train for a pre-RAAM time-trial or two. It should be interesting.
I got to thinking about recovery and the ability to process carbohydrates. I realize that glycogen replenishment is important but I've always considered (probably wrongly) recovery more of a mechanical/muscle repair issue. More likely, that's mostly the case for anaerobic endeavors and they have certainly given me no shortage of trouble. All else being equal I think that (glycogen replacement) is what separates the best from the rest in the higher intensity cycling endurance sports like stage racing. Unfortunately, that seems to be another weak link for me.
I've got no problem maintaining my bodyweight but the composition of that bodyweight is questionable. I need to use the shotgun approach to post-ride feeding and in doing so I seem to be hitting a lot of fat cells. My muscles just cannot take up glycogen fast enough and as a result the extra glycogen ends up in fat storage. In order to maintain a certain weight I've had to balance out the surplus days with deficit days. For a stage racer this can't be. This is why I can't race (intensely) two days in a row, the fuel just isn't there to support the neccesary intensity.
On the bright side, there is hope for my desire to progress into multi-day ultra-distance racing. According to the split times in an event like RAAM nobody is repleshing glycogen stores completely. It's a battle of attrition and it seems that, with all else being equal, he who burns fat best wins. Based on my extensive caloric-deficit training I've done in the past this seems to be one area I excel at. So, I have a glimmer of hope for doing multi-day events. That is, unless I'm wrong, AGAIN.
The main reason I'm contemplating this is because...(prepare to laugh)...I'm going to be alternate rider for Team Velokraft for RAAM.
...waits for laughter to die down...
...waiting....
...still waiting....
...and a bit more....
Okay, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Now, the odds of me actually having to fill in for Tim Woudenberg or Glenn Druery is microscopic but still, if the need arises I need to be prepared with a battle plan so after the Davis Challenge I will begin by incorporating more days into my training schedule. If nothing else it will give me a good opportunity to conduct experiments as I use that preparation to train for a pre-RAAM time-trial or two. It should be interesting.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
and one more
I bought this bike (the stock version of it) new back in 1978 with my Taco Bell and 7-11 earnings.Between bike parts and speeding tickets a full-time income was required to support this bad boy. As far as money-sucking is concerned only a bad/ex-wife can compare.
Anyway, it's a 1977 XLCR-1000 Harley-Davidson Sportster (Cafe Racer) that I highly modified. It's got after-market engine components with a big bore that yields 1200cc's. I "chopped" 150lbs from the stock version for a new weight 0f 335lbs.
How I survived this bike I haven't a clue. I guess my number wasn't up but I've had numerous death-defying adventures on it. Looking back, there didn't seem a day that went by that I wasn't trying to earn a Darwin Award.
I've been hit by cars five times. Two of them were a week apart when I was rear-ended at a stop sign at the same place. The first time the front of the car wedged itself between the wheel and tail-section and the bike just stuck, upright in that position. The second, the car hit me and bumped me into the intersection. It knocked me back so that I was laying supine on the bike like a bronc-buster. As the bike began doing a low-speed wobble I was able to sit up and grab the bars before I fell down.
One time my friend and I were hauling ass from McKee Road onto the on-ramp to Highway 680 in San Jose. I was doing about 90mph and merging onto the highway. What I didn't see in the darkness, and my friend did, was a long, skinny divider in my path.
All of a sudden he's pounding on my back but it's too late. We hit that divider and are launched into orbit. While in flight our weight is thrown forward and I end up sliding up the tank where I'm caught by the handlebars at my legs with all of his 250lbs of weight on top of me. In the process the carburetor, which luckily at the time was a rubber-mounted Mikuni, was knocked off by my leg as it slid by. We land front wheel first and begin a violent high-speed wobble which I can feel every bit of on my legs. Luckily, I was able to grab the handlebars and control the bike enough to get it pulled over to the side of the road without crashing. Mind you, I'm sitting on the front edge of the gas tank with the carburetor dangling by it's fuel line (are you getting the visuals).
So we're on the side of the road looking at each other in shock and disbelief at the fact that not only did we make it out alive, we and the bike came out of it unscathed. We then busted out it nervous laughter. I slapped the carburetor back on and tighted the band clamp with a dime then we were on our merry way. Good times.
I hate wind
Is there anything more joyous than riding into a stiff head/crosswind from the left with 55mph+ big-rig traffic getting between it and you while riding a bike with dual-disks? Oh well, it's good conditioning.
After half a night's sleep and a hard-ish ride the day before I woke up in a funk yesterday. I was tired and I could feel depression trying to overtake me. It was kind of expected and I know better than to allow depression to suck me into it's game so I just laid low and licked my wounds. I tried nursing myself back to health with oatmeal and octane-boosting brown sugar but by early afternoon it was apparent that I would have to break out the big guns. A long story short, I ended up consuming well over 7000 calories and felt much better.
This morning I felt physically fine but there was a nagging emotional discomfort. It's one of those feeling that you just can't quite put your finger on. You know the kind where you feel a little bit down but you can't think of any reason why you should? Well, I know the cure for that. After a few pedal strokes I felt like a million bucks.
I've had aspirations/fantasies of competing in an event like RAAM but I've always questioned my recuperative capabilities for doing a multi-day event. Given that it sure seems that I always feel better on the bike than off I might have to rethink that. Maybe it's being off the bike that is the culprit. What would happen if I just stayed on, never getting off long enough to let the funk set in. Hmmm.
Anyway, back to eating. I'm beginning to understand just how important eating is for an endurance cyclist. Well, I always knew it was important but I never appreciated the work that goes into it. On top of the huge amount of effort that goes into propelling a bike and fueling at the same time, there is the off-bike eating. That is something that can't be approached non-chalantly. It takes real work and is another stress imposed on your body. It reminds me very much of what bodybuilders and strength athletes go through; a need to push your stomach and intestines to the max. I'm just barely getting my toes wet, what's it going to be like if I put in real time on the bike? It's a good thing I like to eat.
Like I said, I felt great once I got underway this morning even though I was getting beat up by the wind. I ended up averaging 19.6mph for 42.5 miles. Some of that was 12mph on the flats. That's okay. At times like that I always imagine what it would be like to be on a DF and then be thankful that I'm not on one. My legs are beat up but, again, they're working fine aerobically.
The new Davis Challenge course elevation has been upgraded (or would that be downgraged) to 8000 feet in the first 100 miles. That's what I get for waiting four years to do this event.
I tested my richer carb/electrolyte solution today. Two hours isn't much of a test but at least I got to see how it feels in my stomach while riding. So far, so good. One thing I've noticed in my limited experimentation over the years is that the higher concentration stuff actually goes down better whether it be maltodextrin based or simple sugar. I have a tendency to want to drink more as well. Plain water is the worst I've noticed. Still, that means nothing in the long run and at higher intensities. Since it's impossible for me to train at that level and get away with it I'll just have to see what happens during the race and learn from that. Of course, I'll have a contigency plan or two as a backup. Hopefully, puking or crapping my pants won't be one of them.
After half a night's sleep and a hard-ish ride the day before I woke up in a funk yesterday. I was tired and I could feel depression trying to overtake me. It was kind of expected and I know better than to allow depression to suck me into it's game so I just laid low and licked my wounds. I tried nursing myself back to health with oatmeal and octane-boosting brown sugar but by early afternoon it was apparent that I would have to break out the big guns. A long story short, I ended up consuming well over 7000 calories and felt much better.
This morning I felt physically fine but there was a nagging emotional discomfort. It's one of those feeling that you just can't quite put your finger on. You know the kind where you feel a little bit down but you can't think of any reason why you should? Well, I know the cure for that. After a few pedal strokes I felt like a million bucks.
I've had aspirations/fantasies of competing in an event like RAAM but I've always questioned my recuperative capabilities for doing a multi-day event. Given that it sure seems that I always feel better on the bike than off I might have to rethink that. Maybe it's being off the bike that is the culprit. What would happen if I just stayed on, never getting off long enough to let the funk set in. Hmmm.
Anyway, back to eating. I'm beginning to understand just how important eating is for an endurance cyclist. Well, I always knew it was important but I never appreciated the work that goes into it. On top of the huge amount of effort that goes into propelling a bike and fueling at the same time, there is the off-bike eating. That is something that can't be approached non-chalantly. It takes real work and is another stress imposed on your body. It reminds me very much of what bodybuilders and strength athletes go through; a need to push your stomach and intestines to the max. I'm just barely getting my toes wet, what's it going to be like if I put in real time on the bike? It's a good thing I like to eat.
Like I said, I felt great once I got underway this morning even though I was getting beat up by the wind. I ended up averaging 19.6mph for 42.5 miles. Some of that was 12mph on the flats. That's okay. At times like that I always imagine what it would be like to be on a DF and then be thankful that I'm not on one. My legs are beat up but, again, they're working fine aerobically.
The new Davis Challenge course elevation has been upgraded (or would that be downgraged) to 8000 feet in the first 100 miles. That's what I get for waiting four years to do this event.
I tested my richer carb/electrolyte solution today. Two hours isn't much of a test but at least I got to see how it feels in my stomach while riding. So far, so good. One thing I've noticed in my limited experimentation over the years is that the higher concentration stuff actually goes down better whether it be maltodextrin based or simple sugar. I have a tendency to want to drink more as well. Plain water is the worst I've noticed. Still, that means nothing in the long run and at higher intensities. Since it's impossible for me to train at that level and get away with it I'll just have to see what happens during the race and learn from that. Of course, I'll have a contigency plan or two as a backup. Hopefully, puking or crapping my pants won't be one of them.
Monday, March 19, 2007
last day of hills...
...before Davis. I'm glad that's over. It's not that I mind hills it just those hills give me a bit of the creeps. Cyclist's have a funny way of ending up dead up there. Today's ride was as peaceful as I've seen. Light traffic and no hostile motorists. I don't know if it's the same everywhere but some of these hill folk are hostile to cyclists whereas the farmers down on the flats are all very friendly. I've had my run-ins with them on a few occasions but I've always had my hands full either going up a steep hill or down. I wasn't able to give them the full Randy experience. I'm not a trouble maker, mind you. I'm as courteous and respectful as can be but if they want to go there...okay calm down you lunatic...focus. Uh, I guess I just don't like my peace of mind being threatened. Truth be known, cyclists are probably responsible for a good percentage of the hostility shown towards them. I've been on a couple of organized centuries and I'm appauled by some of the things I've seen.
Okay, today's 80-mile ride average 20.2mph compared to 19mph on two weeks ago. On the way up I averaged 16.5mph versus 15.3mph. I noticed something odd though. On the steepest hills I believe I lost a couple of tenths of a mph. I suspect it was the gel that I was testing. I consumed 75 calories every ten miles on top of whatever I got from fluids and maybe that was enough to muck things up at the top-end. On the other hand, I was faster on the preliminary hills. On the last and steepest of those I was doing 9mph instead 0f 8mph. On the way back I was a little slower up Coastdown Hill at mile 75 than I thought I should be. Hmmm, who knows.
I only drank 1.6 liters the entire trip. I had to urinate once during the ride, at mile 24 and when I got home. My total caloric intake during the ride was 1005 calories. 525 from gel and 480 from fluids for an average of 250 calories per hour. I didn't have any breakfast, just coffee.
I'm considering just mixing a stronger solution and doing away with the gel. If I can get by with only 1/2 liter per hour (or less) like I have been that would require me to mix in 600 calories per liter if I want to maintain 300 calories per hour. What is that, a 15% concentration? I've read that maltodextrin (what I'm using) allows a significantly higher concentration compared to simple sugars and I was able to pass that amount of simple sugar for six hours. I'll test that next week on one of my flat rides. If it gets real hot and I require more fluid I will need a contigency plan. Perhaps I'll also send a bottle of pure water to each checkpoint and take as needed.
Mechanically things went fine. I was able to march up the hills without mishap so everything checks out on that front. As long as there are not any steeper hills on the Davis course then I should be fine. If there is, it will be interesting as I'm using every bit of my gear range now.
I hope I don't get smoked too horribly in the hills. I will be real happy if I can do the first 100 miles in six hours. That would give me six more hours of mostly downhills and flats from what I've seen on the elevation chart. The question is, what physical state will I be in after those first six hours? My gut feeling is telling me to travel on a very light stomach. What to do? What to do? It will be interesting (and likely painful), if nothing else.
Okay, today's 80-mile ride average 20.2mph compared to 19mph on two weeks ago. On the way up I averaged 16.5mph versus 15.3mph. I noticed something odd though. On the steepest hills I believe I lost a couple of tenths of a mph. I suspect it was the gel that I was testing. I consumed 75 calories every ten miles on top of whatever I got from fluids and maybe that was enough to muck things up at the top-end. On the other hand, I was faster on the preliminary hills. On the last and steepest of those I was doing 9mph instead 0f 8mph. On the way back I was a little slower up Coastdown Hill at mile 75 than I thought I should be. Hmmm, who knows.
I only drank 1.6 liters the entire trip. I had to urinate once during the ride, at mile 24 and when I got home. My total caloric intake during the ride was 1005 calories. 525 from gel and 480 from fluids for an average of 250 calories per hour. I didn't have any breakfast, just coffee.
I'm considering just mixing a stronger solution and doing away with the gel. If I can get by with only 1/2 liter per hour (or less) like I have been that would require me to mix in 600 calories per liter if I want to maintain 300 calories per hour. What is that, a 15% concentration? I've read that maltodextrin (what I'm using) allows a significantly higher concentration compared to simple sugars and I was able to pass that amount of simple sugar for six hours. I'll test that next week on one of my flat rides. If it gets real hot and I require more fluid I will need a contigency plan. Perhaps I'll also send a bottle of pure water to each checkpoint and take as needed.
Mechanically things went fine. I was able to march up the hills without mishap so everything checks out on that front. As long as there are not any steeper hills on the Davis course then I should be fine. If there is, it will be interesting as I'm using every bit of my gear range now.
I hope I don't get smoked too horribly in the hills. I will be real happy if I can do the first 100 miles in six hours. That would give me six more hours of mostly downhills and flats from what I've seen on the elevation chart. The question is, what physical state will I be in after those first six hours? My gut feeling is telling me to travel on a very light stomach. What to do? What to do? It will be interesting (and likely painful), if nothing else.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
training 3-17-07
For numerous reasons I forced myself to take an extra easy day today. One, I have my big ride in the mountains on Monday. Two, as much as I've been conservative in my training by not forcing things and letting my legs do what they want to do, I would be foolish to deny that there was a subconscious, phychological component at work here. I wanted to break that string of average mile-per-hour increases. There were too many good days in a row and it was making me nervous so I pulled back the reins. Better that I do it sooner than my body crashing and burning later. Thirdly, even though the contractile and metabolic components of my drivetrain are thriving on what I've been doing, my chassis, namely the tendons in my calves, hamstrings, and quads are ever so slightly sending me signals that they are lagging behind. This is possibly due to the lack of blood flow in those areas leading to slower developmental rates. The last thing I want is the cells in those tissues sending out distress signals shutting the entire system down. If that's going to happen I want it to happen during the race when it's too late for them to foil my plans.
Anyway, I averaged 20.9mph for 42.5 miles. That's not too bad. I was happy with just 20mph back when I was training for the Piru TT last fall. Now, that feels like I'm hardly touching the pedals.
There is something that has always bothered me from way back in my weightlifting days and since I'm trying to develop my rep as asshole extraordinaire I might as well vent my spleen. I believe one of the biggest scams of modern times, right up there with the Nigerians and pyramid schemes, is the personal trainer.
I don't know what it is. Is it a sign of the times? Is it our newfound need to have our hands held; to have our thinking done for us? Back in the days I trained at a gym I was shocked by what people accepted as a personal trainer. Other than time spent in a tanning bed and some gel in the hair there didn't appear to be any credentials; certainly no muscle, and I doubt any level of fitness. I swear, I'm sure I saw some of these guys (minus the tan and gel) sign up at the gym a month earlier as newbies under the tutelage of personal trainers of their own. What, did Amway get in the personal training business?
Even more unbelievable than that is that I've seen accomplished lifters with trainers one-half the size and one-third their strength. Never has the words "physician, heal thyself" rang more true. Now it would be a different story if these trainers had unique insights but that's not the case, at least from what I've seen. At best, they parrot the advice of the latest guru (think Friel, for the cycling version) and at worst, they are the product of certification mills that seem to believe that the ultimate in fitness is to be able to roll around on an inflated rubber ball or contort your body into various positions while holding a 2.5lb dumbbell.
Even if you wind up with someone very knowledgable and accomplished athletically in their chosen field, just how personalized is the personal training that you receive? Other than doing more or less than the next guy, is there any difference?
Recently, some of the Chicago area racers hired a coach, signed up for classes, or whatever. Given what I know about the guys involved, the first thought that came to my mind was that I hope they weren't all put on the same program. One of them is a completely different animal from the other two. If that isn't reflected in the recommended training programs then I hope they are wiping their asses with the money before they pay their coach. At least I'll feel better.
Given the results from the Florida races, I've got to wonder if the 10 watts that supposedly separate them is enough for the best of them to beat John Schlitter riding a highracer on the flats. I realize it's early in the season for them but I can't help but feel they would have achieved better results training on their own in their basements.
I realize that I surely don't have all the answers when it comes to optimal training but I sure know my own body better than any coach ever could. Unless a coach gave me access to high-tech diagnostic equipment and performance-enhancing drugs (if I were inclined to use them, which I'm not) then I don't see the point of paying him my hard-earned money. After all, I know how to read and I've read all of the generally available literature. What's he going to tell me? What options are there other than less or more of this or that?
Even if I were to hire a coach, just how long would I need him before I saw the pattern of what he was putting me through? How is it I see these people with trainers doing the same old thing month after month without them wising up? I've seen them go through the same steps over and over while the trainee needs to be constantly told what the next step is. I've trained with people like this. I think it goes back to needing to have a hand held and being thought for.
Even if Lance Armstrong offered to coach me for free I would turn him down. Getting cycling advice form him would be like getting running advice from Secretariat. His experiences just wouldn't apply to me. If I had to have a coach I would prefer it to be some no-talent, genetic loser who had to struggle to rise above his shortcomings. Now that is someone I could relate to. You can bet he's tried every trick in the book.
Whew, that felt good. Get ready to hand over your crown, Alan :-)
Anyway, I averaged 20.9mph for 42.5 miles. That's not too bad. I was happy with just 20mph back when I was training for the Piru TT last fall. Now, that feels like I'm hardly touching the pedals.
There is something that has always bothered me from way back in my weightlifting days and since I'm trying to develop my rep as asshole extraordinaire I might as well vent my spleen. I believe one of the biggest scams of modern times, right up there with the Nigerians and pyramid schemes, is the personal trainer.
I don't know what it is. Is it a sign of the times? Is it our newfound need to have our hands held; to have our thinking done for us? Back in the days I trained at a gym I was shocked by what people accepted as a personal trainer. Other than time spent in a tanning bed and some gel in the hair there didn't appear to be any credentials; certainly no muscle, and I doubt any level of fitness. I swear, I'm sure I saw some of these guys (minus the tan and gel) sign up at the gym a month earlier as newbies under the tutelage of personal trainers of their own. What, did Amway get in the personal training business?
Even more unbelievable than that is that I've seen accomplished lifters with trainers one-half the size and one-third their strength. Never has the words "physician, heal thyself" rang more true. Now it would be a different story if these trainers had unique insights but that's not the case, at least from what I've seen. At best, they parrot the advice of the latest guru (think Friel, for the cycling version) and at worst, they are the product of certification mills that seem to believe that the ultimate in fitness is to be able to roll around on an inflated rubber ball or contort your body into various positions while holding a 2.5lb dumbbell.
Even if you wind up with someone very knowledgable and accomplished athletically in their chosen field, just how personalized is the personal training that you receive? Other than doing more or less than the next guy, is there any difference?
Recently, some of the Chicago area racers hired a coach, signed up for classes, or whatever. Given what I know about the guys involved, the first thought that came to my mind was that I hope they weren't all put on the same program. One of them is a completely different animal from the other two. If that isn't reflected in the recommended training programs then I hope they are wiping their asses with the money before they pay their coach. At least I'll feel better.
Given the results from the Florida races, I've got to wonder if the 10 watts that supposedly separate them is enough for the best of them to beat John Schlitter riding a highracer on the flats. I realize it's early in the season for them but I can't help but feel they would have achieved better results training on their own in their basements.
I realize that I surely don't have all the answers when it comes to optimal training but I sure know my own body better than any coach ever could. Unless a coach gave me access to high-tech diagnostic equipment and performance-enhancing drugs (if I were inclined to use them, which I'm not) then I don't see the point of paying him my hard-earned money. After all, I know how to read and I've read all of the generally available literature. What's he going to tell me? What options are there other than less or more of this or that?
Even if I were to hire a coach, just how long would I need him before I saw the pattern of what he was putting me through? How is it I see these people with trainers doing the same old thing month after month without them wising up? I've seen them go through the same steps over and over while the trainee needs to be constantly told what the next step is. I've trained with people like this. I think it goes back to needing to have a hand held and being thought for.
Even if Lance Armstrong offered to coach me for free I would turn him down. Getting cycling advice form him would be like getting running advice from Secretariat. His experiences just wouldn't apply to me. If I had to have a coach I would prefer it to be some no-talent, genetic loser who had to struggle to rise above his shortcomings. Now that is someone I could relate to. You can bet he's tried every trick in the book.
Whew, that felt good. Get ready to hand over your crown, Alan :-)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
oh my god! oh my god! oh my god!
I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl. I woke up this morning to an email delivering fantastic news regarding RAAM. I don't feel at liberty to say much but it looks like I will be able to crew after all.
If that wasn't good news enough, things are going even better on the training front. After getting my ass kicked by that half-gallon of ice cream yesterday I thought for sure I would be worn out today. Back in my Haagen Dazs eating days I would typically eat two pints a day, three if I was feeling particularly brave and gluttoness. Normally I could have my way with a regular half-gallon of "premium" ice cream no problem, but this is a different animal. This is directly comparable to four pints of Haagen Dazs. After yesterday's mini-comas and bouts of dizziness I feared that I might have overdone it. In addition to the 4320 calories worth of ice cream I had another 500 calories worth of tuna and olive oil plus the ample amounts of Coffeemate I use in my coffee which put me well over 5000 calories (for a rest day). 5000 calories is overload enough but factor in that most of it was fat and you've got a pretty good workload going.
I guess my fears were all for naught. Today's 42.5 mile rerun was done with an average speed of 23.8mph. All I have to say is WTF? No, that's not adequate. WHAT THE FUCK? What in hell is going on? To achieve that average speed I have to spend the vast majority of time at over 25mph (on some crappy roads to boot). Mind you, I'm just easy-pedaling. I have yet to apply any real power to the pedals. I feel like I'm easily in the best shape of my recumbent life. If I were a gambling man I sure wouldn't bet that I couldn't do a 30-mile one-hour TT right at this moment. To make things even better, I ride around in baggy shorts and shirt with my watermelon-sized head sticking way up in the air. What would happen if I were wearing my racing clothes with my head down in an aero helmet. I also have my good rear disk and racing tire up my sleeve as well. I'm very happy.
Still, I think it would be wise to limit my therapy doses to one quart. There is no need on going overboard with the calories. Not that I fear gaining weight, I just don't want it to be extra useless weight. To the contrary, I achieved my best cycling shape back in 1993 weighing 195lbs. One time I rode up the 19 miles of Mt. Hamilton Road to Lick Observatory with an average speed 12.2mph. The average grade, from what I've read, is 5.8% and it doesn't deviate a whole lot the entire way. Based on what I was reading off the cyclometer I typically held 12mph on the hardest grades. Given my bodyweight and weight of my bike and gear that requires in the ballpark of 400 watts. I developed that fitness training on the rollers in the Almaden area of south San Jose around the reservoirs. I used to have some good hammerfests out there. All of that fitness went up in smoke when I decided to implement sprints one day a week, and then a couple one-minute high-intensity intervals on another. After a few weeks of that I was commuting to work one morning and hit the wall. I was done. I then made a short and relatively successful comeback to powerlifting. I guess some things never change. I'm learning though. I'm also rambling.
If that wasn't good news enough, things are going even better on the training front. After getting my ass kicked by that half-gallon of ice cream yesterday I thought for sure I would be worn out today. Back in my Haagen Dazs eating days I would typically eat two pints a day, three if I was feeling particularly brave and gluttoness. Normally I could have my way with a regular half-gallon of "premium" ice cream no problem, but this is a different animal. This is directly comparable to four pints of Haagen Dazs. After yesterday's mini-comas and bouts of dizziness I feared that I might have overdone it. In addition to the 4320 calories worth of ice cream I had another 500 calories worth of tuna and olive oil plus the ample amounts of Coffeemate I use in my coffee which put me well over 5000 calories (for a rest day). 5000 calories is overload enough but factor in that most of it was fat and you've got a pretty good workload going.
I guess my fears were all for naught. Today's 42.5 mile rerun was done with an average speed of 23.8mph. All I have to say is WTF? No, that's not adequate. WHAT THE FUCK? What in hell is going on? To achieve that average speed I have to spend the vast majority of time at over 25mph (on some crappy roads to boot). Mind you, I'm just easy-pedaling. I have yet to apply any real power to the pedals. I feel like I'm easily in the best shape of my recumbent life. If I were a gambling man I sure wouldn't bet that I couldn't do a 30-mile one-hour TT right at this moment. To make things even better, I ride around in baggy shorts and shirt with my watermelon-sized head sticking way up in the air. What would happen if I were wearing my racing clothes with my head down in an aero helmet. I also have my good rear disk and racing tire up my sleeve as well. I'm very happy.
Still, I think it would be wise to limit my therapy doses to one quart. There is no need on going overboard with the calories. Not that I fear gaining weight, I just don't want it to be extra useless weight. To the contrary, I achieved my best cycling shape back in 1993 weighing 195lbs. One time I rode up the 19 miles of Mt. Hamilton Road to Lick Observatory with an average speed 12.2mph. The average grade, from what I've read, is 5.8% and it doesn't deviate a whole lot the entire way. Based on what I was reading off the cyclometer I typically held 12mph on the hardest grades. Given my bodyweight and weight of my bike and gear that requires in the ballpark of 400 watts. I developed that fitness training on the rollers in the Almaden area of south San Jose around the reservoirs. I used to have some good hammerfests out there. All of that fitness went up in smoke when I decided to implement sprints one day a week, and then a couple one-minute high-intensity intervals on another. After a few weeks of that I was commuting to work one morning and hit the wall. I was done. I then made a short and relatively successful comeback to powerlifting. I guess some things never change. I'm learning though. I'm also rambling.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful
This stuff is lethal. It's in my fridge yelling, "Haagen Dazs ain't got shit on me". Remember that line by Denzel Washington in the movie Training Day?
Check out these stats:
Ingredients: cream, skim milk, sugar, egg yolks, natural vanilla, carob bean gum, guar gum
Calories per serving-270
Calories from fat----160
That's almost 60% fat and 4320 calories for one-half gallon of ice cream. That's Haagen Dazs quality at one-quarter of the price.
There's a trick to using this stuff. I find the ideal time is after you have replenished glycogen stores with low-fat, high glycemic index sources. For me that is oatmeal with brown sugar. Once that is achieved you can commence ice cream/hormonal therapy and let the euphoric delusions of grandeur overtake you. You must be careful and cease therapy in time to allow gastric emptying before operating bicycles (or motor vehicles).
I know a lot of the sheep out there will say that's too much fat. I say BS, Wusstopher. I intend on gorging myself on this and showing my arteries who's the boss. In the process I intend on tearing up the road. If anybody has plans on "recumbent world domination" they're gonna have to roll over me and my box of ice cream.
Okay, that's what I mean about being an asshole. I'll try and be a funny asshole.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
training 3-13-07
I must be firing on both nads now. I thought for sure I would need a down-day on the bike after doing 100 miles. I woke up this morning and my legs felt relatively fresh, surprisingly. Still, I planned on erring on the side of too easy and doing no more than my legs wanted. Additionally, after last Friday's 21.8mph average speed on the backcountry course, I thought for sure the bottom would soon drop out. That proved not to be the case. Today's average for the 42.5 miles was 22.7mph. What's up with that.
It seems like every time I do a 4hr+ ride my fitness jumps a level. Today while riding I'm like, "WTF". If I didn't know better I would turn myself in for drug testing. I wish I knew for sure what the reason is. I'm pretty sure if I attempted this training a month or two ago I would be in deep shit. I don't know if maybe I was carrying something nasty and now I'm regaining full health or if this is just part of my normal hormonal cycle. If it is, I hope it lasts awhile. At least until after the Davis Challenge.
Anyway, I'm feeling really healthy unlike in the past where I felt like I was teetering on the brink of overtraining. I'm feeling very aggressive and confident which leads me to believe that my testosterone levels have risen. I hope I don't make too big of an asshole of myself.
About being an asshole (in this blog), for future reference, I do so in jest. It's all in good fun. Even though I realize my opinion means squat I still feel enjoyment in expressing it sometimes. Biting my tongue is as hard to do sometimes as seeing a DFer on the road ahead of me and not laying the smackdown on him. In the grand scheme of things it's meaningless but hey, when all is said and DONE, what has true meaning? Nothing! So I might as well enjoy myself. Should I let the fact that I'm not a world-class thinker stop me from philosophising and spewing my gibberish? I don't let the fact that I'm not a world-class cyclist stop me from racing so what's the difference? I'm mean really, is a guy riding down the road trying to be faster than the next guy any less foolish than the blowhard? I think not. Ahhhhhh! I feel better now :-)
I guess it's time to send in my registration for the Davis Challenge. I've been holding off just in case they start the race in order of submission. Since I'm unfamiliar with the course I'd like to have as many of the competitors start ahead of me as possible. There is a ten second gap between start times and from what I understand the initial miles are flat so I prefer not to get in front. On the other hand, that might be precisely what I want to do to delay the inevitable blow-bys in the mountains. Even though I know it's going to happen it's still not going to be easy to witness. I just got to keep telling myself that after 100 miles it's lowracer time.
I'm really looking forward to racing against Jim Kern since he has established himself as the premier recumbent ultra-cyclist. What a way to get my feet wet. Mike Trevino might be there as well. Well, there's no shame in getting smoked by those guys. I would think that Tim Woudenberg will be there as well. Maybe he will be on a Nocom; maybe a VK2; most likely both if he's doing a RAAM simulation. No matter what it will be fun and an epic adventure.
It seems like every time I do a 4hr+ ride my fitness jumps a level. Today while riding I'm like, "WTF". If I didn't know better I would turn myself in for drug testing. I wish I knew for sure what the reason is. I'm pretty sure if I attempted this training a month or two ago I would be in deep shit. I don't know if maybe I was carrying something nasty and now I'm regaining full health or if this is just part of my normal hormonal cycle. If it is, I hope it lasts awhile. At least until after the Davis Challenge.
Anyway, I'm feeling really healthy unlike in the past where I felt like I was teetering on the brink of overtraining. I'm feeling very aggressive and confident which leads me to believe that my testosterone levels have risen. I hope I don't make too big of an asshole of myself.
About being an asshole (in this blog), for future reference, I do so in jest. It's all in good fun. Even though I realize my opinion means squat I still feel enjoyment in expressing it sometimes. Biting my tongue is as hard to do sometimes as seeing a DFer on the road ahead of me and not laying the smackdown on him. In the grand scheme of things it's meaningless but hey, when all is said and DONE, what has true meaning? Nothing! So I might as well enjoy myself. Should I let the fact that I'm not a world-class thinker stop me from philosophising and spewing my gibberish? I don't let the fact that I'm not a world-class cyclist stop me from racing so what's the difference? I'm mean really, is a guy riding down the road trying to be faster than the next guy any less foolish than the blowhard? I think not. Ahhhhhh! I feel better now :-)
I guess it's time to send in my registration for the Davis Challenge. I've been holding off just in case they start the race in order of submission. Since I'm unfamiliar with the course I'd like to have as many of the competitors start ahead of me as possible. There is a ten second gap between start times and from what I understand the initial miles are flat so I prefer not to get in front. On the other hand, that might be precisely what I want to do to delay the inevitable blow-bys in the mountains. Even though I know it's going to happen it's still not going to be easy to witness. I just got to keep telling myself that after 100 miles it's lowracer time.
I'm really looking forward to racing against Jim Kern since he has established himself as the premier recumbent ultra-cyclist. What a way to get my feet wet. Mike Trevino might be there as well. Well, there's no shame in getting smoked by those guys. I would think that Tim Woudenberg will be there as well. Maybe he will be on a Nocom; maybe a VK2; most likely both if he's doing a RAAM simulation. No matter what it will be fun and an epic adventure.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
2nd Annual Stickin'-it-to-the-Man Century
I decided to do a hundred mile ride today but I didn't want it to be an ordinary century. I wanted to buck convential wisdom (the "man" in this case) to make things more interesting. One of my pet peeves is people, who seemingly are incapable of original thought, that parrot information that's been fed to them. It would be bad enough if it was just cycling advice but these people vote (and scare the hell out of me in the process) based on what's been fed to them through the educational system and media. Oops, excuse my digression. Sometimes my asshole-gene expresses itself and I can't (or don't want to?) stop it.
Anyway, on trial today is the "you can only store 1.5-2 hours worth of glycogen. After that, if you don't ingest more carbs, you will bonk" and "fat burns in a carbohydrate fire". What a load!
So, after a breakfast of a can of tuna and coffee I set out to battle the "man". Just to make things more interesting I decide to limit myself to one liter of plain water with no electrolytes. I used my same backcountry road course with the same effort of my shorter rides. To make a boring story short I ended up doing 101.2 miles with a 21.6mph average speed. Other than my front Stelvio finally blowing up (I carry a spare) at mile 80 and a partial insect sting at mile 20 the ride was pretty uneventful. I ran out of water at mile 90 but it was smooth sailing from there.
Not only did I not bonk after 40 miles, I never lost speed and the last ten miles were the fastest of all, routinely hitting 24-25mph on the flats.
Unlike the inaugural Stickin'-it-to-the-Man Century's 104 degree temps that violated me in such a severe and thorough manner, the extent which would have made the aggressors of a prison gang-bang blush, today's temps were only 75 degrees. While it was sunny, I was able to avoid electrolytic disaster.
This will be my longest ride in preparation for the Davis Challenge. In eight days I will make another run into the mountains then it's easy street from there.
Anyway, on trial today is the "you can only store 1.5-2 hours worth of glycogen. After that, if you don't ingest more carbs, you will bonk" and "fat burns in a carbohydrate fire". What a load!
So, after a breakfast of a can of tuna and coffee I set out to battle the "man". Just to make things more interesting I decide to limit myself to one liter of plain water with no electrolytes. I used my same backcountry road course with the same effort of my shorter rides. To make a boring story short I ended up doing 101.2 miles with a 21.6mph average speed. Other than my front Stelvio finally blowing up (I carry a spare) at mile 80 and a partial insect sting at mile 20 the ride was pretty uneventful. I ran out of water at mile 90 but it was smooth sailing from there.
Not only did I not bonk after 40 miles, I never lost speed and the last ten miles were the fastest of all, routinely hitting 24-25mph on the flats.
Unlike the inaugural Stickin'-it-to-the-Man Century's 104 degree temps that violated me in such a severe and thorough manner, the extent which would have made the aggressors of a prison gang-bang blush, today's temps were only 75 degrees. While it was sunny, I was able to avoid electrolytic disaster.
This will be my longest ride in preparation for the Davis Challenge. In eight days I will make another run into the mountains then it's easy street from there.
Friday, March 9, 2007
training 3-9-07
I did the same old two hour feeder ride again on the same course. 42.5 miles with a 21.8mph average speed. I'm getting faster. My legs still hurt a little from not being recovered but they still want to go.
Since I plan on having two weeks between long, hilly rides I'm in no hurry for them to recover completely. I'm hoping that the contractile component of the muscle will eventually heal with this two steps forward, one step back approach rather than go for rapid, complete recovery using very low intensity. The way I'm doing it now allows for greater aerobic maintenance levels. There is no rational thought behind my decision to train this way, I'm just letting my body do what it wants and rationalizing after the fact. Whatever, so far it's working as I feel I'm making a quantum leap in fitness. I think that episode in the mountains really woke my legs up. Perhaps I've found a better way for myself to train for the shorter TT's as well.
I trained today without eating any breakfast or using any food or water on the bike. I did eat a half-gallon of ice cream last night for dinner though. I swear, if eaten at the proper time, there is nothing more power-producing than ice cream. It was my secret weapon during my lifting days. That combination of sugar and fat makes for one anabolic concoction. The light, low-fat crap isn't any good though. It's got to be the high fat stuff, at least 50% fat. Haagen Dazs, especially Vanilla Swiss Almost, is the cream of the crop. Like any good medicine though, you must use discretion.
I made a couple of small changes to the bike which helped its ergonomics. I moved the front shifter forward on the tiller some which gave my hands more, unimpeded room to work with. My headset was squeaking so I greased the bearings which fixed something that was plaguing my bike. My headset was malfunctioning. It wasn't allowing free rotation. It seemed as if there was a rut that was causing the the wheel to want to self-center. Since I don't mind the wheel wanting to self-center I was willing to let it slide but the handling was extra sensitive when I would turn. It wasn't bad, just sensitive. I attributed it to the fact that since this bike was initially just a prototype that didn't have a long life expectancy I didn't take the greatest care in cutting the headtube perfectly square. Anyway, I unthreaded the headset just enough to get grease in without letting the bearings fall out and when I screwed it back together everything fell in place and it moves as smooth as can be. Now, it handles like a dream in corners.
After all of the minor adjustments I've made this bike now feels extremely dialed in. It is easily the most road-friendly race bike I've owned. I've been riding it every session because of the changes in padding which affected my body position and knee extension. I need to acclimate my body to it as much as possible in this final month before the Davis Challenge. Now there is no slack when taking off from a start anymore. I'm locked in.
Since I plan on having two weeks between long, hilly rides I'm in no hurry for them to recover completely. I'm hoping that the contractile component of the muscle will eventually heal with this two steps forward, one step back approach rather than go for rapid, complete recovery using very low intensity. The way I'm doing it now allows for greater aerobic maintenance levels. There is no rational thought behind my decision to train this way, I'm just letting my body do what it wants and rationalizing after the fact. Whatever, so far it's working as I feel I'm making a quantum leap in fitness. I think that episode in the mountains really woke my legs up. Perhaps I've found a better way for myself to train for the shorter TT's as well.
I trained today without eating any breakfast or using any food or water on the bike. I did eat a half-gallon of ice cream last night for dinner though. I swear, if eaten at the proper time, there is nothing more power-producing than ice cream. It was my secret weapon during my lifting days. That combination of sugar and fat makes for one anabolic concoction. The light, low-fat crap isn't any good though. It's got to be the high fat stuff, at least 50% fat. Haagen Dazs, especially Vanilla Swiss Almost, is the cream of the crop. Like any good medicine though, you must use discretion.
I made a couple of small changes to the bike which helped its ergonomics. I moved the front shifter forward on the tiller some which gave my hands more, unimpeded room to work with. My headset was squeaking so I greased the bearings which fixed something that was plaguing my bike. My headset was malfunctioning. It wasn't allowing free rotation. It seemed as if there was a rut that was causing the the wheel to want to self-center. Since I don't mind the wheel wanting to self-center I was willing to let it slide but the handling was extra sensitive when I would turn. It wasn't bad, just sensitive. I attributed it to the fact that since this bike was initially just a prototype that didn't have a long life expectancy I didn't take the greatest care in cutting the headtube perfectly square. Anyway, I unthreaded the headset just enough to get grease in without letting the bearings fall out and when I screwed it back together everything fell in place and it moves as smooth as can be. Now, it handles like a dream in corners.
After all of the minor adjustments I've made this bike now feels extremely dialed in. It is easily the most road-friendly race bike I've owned. I've been riding it every session because of the changes in padding which affected my body position and knee extension. I need to acclimate my body to it as much as possible in this final month before the Davis Challenge. Now there is no slack when taking off from a start anymore. I'm locked in.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
training 3-7-07
I did another easy 42.5 miles with a 21.4mph average speed. I thought for sure I would be doing a 17mph ride with my busted up legs but even though my legs are busted up they feel really good aerobically; very free breathing.
21.4mph doesn't sound fast but my backcountry route, though flat, has more stops, slow-downs and lots of very rough, speed-robbing roads. It's actually a slower course than my hillier "performance" course. I'm usually hauling if I can average 20mph. 21.4 ain't bad for a recovery ride.
I think I can attribute part of my increased feeling of well-being and fitness to the fact that I replaced Splenda in my oatmeal with (lots of) brown sugar. Weight be damned, time to unleash the power of fat on the unsuspecting Dfers.
I decided to do away with the triple front set-up and go with a 24/40 double. It's no big loss since the triple was 24/34/44. A 40-tooth chainring will take care of speeds up to 40mph. Any faster than that and I'm coasting.
21.4mph doesn't sound fast but my backcountry route, though flat, has more stops, slow-downs and lots of very rough, speed-robbing roads. It's actually a slower course than my hillier "performance" course. I'm usually hauling if I can average 20mph. 21.4 ain't bad for a recovery ride.
I think I can attribute part of my increased feeling of well-being and fitness to the fact that I replaced Splenda in my oatmeal with (lots of) brown sugar. Weight be damned, time to unleash the power of fat on the unsuspecting Dfers.
I decided to do away with the triple front set-up and go with a 24/40 double. It's no big loss since the triple was 24/34/44. A 40-tooth chainring will take care of speeds up to 40mph. Any faster than that and I'm coasting.
Monday, March 5, 2007
training 3-5-07
My legs weren't completey recovered so I loafed my way up to the mountains until gravity forced me to work. I got off to a bad start on the first hill. Before hitting the first climb I shifted to the granny with little force on the pedals and it went. I started up the hill and even though I could hear the derailleur rubbing on the chain I was still adjusting to the shock of the climb and the chain jumped off the granny before I could adjust the position. So I'm halfway up the steep mofo hill and I come to a stop and sit up only to realize that my thumb is not in a good position to grab the brakes. So I'm feeling all of my weight being pulled downhill and my shoes are doing little to stop me so I start rolling backwards. I end up laying back down and grabbing the brake while I fall to one side and catch myself with my hand on the ground.
I finally compose myself, collecting what little there is left of my dignity and proceed to do a steep uphill start. It turns out that in the melee the rear was shifted and I couldn't backspin to get a full power stroke to start. So, I get off the bike and spin it into ONE gear and try again. I successfully shifted into one gear but unfortunately it was a bigger one than I would have liked. Eventually I got under way.
Climbing was going fine for a while until I hit another steep hill and this time the chain wouldn't shift to the granny under load and in the process the chain was thrown off the largest cog in the rear. This time, with experience on my side, I stopped properly, pulled the chain back on and proceeded to do a perfect, steep uphill start. When you have low enough gears it's very easy to do on a lowracer.
That was the last of my shifting troubles. The front derailler is bottomed out but luckily it's mounted on a concentric (edit: make that eccentric) so I can rotate the mounting slug to move it in. This should take care of the front. A slight adjustment to the inside limit screw on the rear should prevent further trouble back there.
Other than that the actual climbing went great. I went farther up Fiddletown Road than I ever have. I don't know how high I went but I saw snow. I never saw any 4mph readouts like I have in the past. My lowest was probably 5.5mph. Considering the massive weight of my bike and gear I am very pleased.
All in all I did a total of 80 miles with a 19mph average. I averaged 15.3 on the way up. The last few miles on the rolling flats I was very comfortably cruising along at 25-30mph. I drank a total of two liters of fluid containing 600 calories. That's less than 1/2 liter and 150 calories per hour. I had no upset stomach and had to urinate three times (once less, yay!)
At this time I plan on doing a repeat of this ride in two weeks. Other than that it will be easy, feeder rides on the flats until raceday. I'm sure my legs will feel a little busted up in the next couple of days. On my next hilly ride I will experiment with supplementing the calories in the fluid with homemade goo made with the same recipe, minus the water. The intent is to get my caloric intake to 300 per hour regardless of how much fluid I take in.
Overall I feel really good. I feel aerobically stronger as the ride progesses even though my legs suffer a level of quad bonk. The quad bonk affects anaerobic power but I think I'm so efficient at burning fat that I can maintain high levels of aerobic output. Of course, 4+ hours is not twelve. I'm not going to touch twelve hours in training with a ten-foot pole. At the most I'll consider an easy six. As far as I'm concerned, endurance events (or any event for that matter) are kamikaze missions. I don't train for kamikaze missions by slamming my plane into battleships.
I finally compose myself, collecting what little there is left of my dignity and proceed to do a steep uphill start. It turns out that in the melee the rear was shifted and I couldn't backspin to get a full power stroke to start. So, I get off the bike and spin it into ONE gear and try again. I successfully shifted into one gear but unfortunately it was a bigger one than I would have liked. Eventually I got under way.
Climbing was going fine for a while until I hit another steep hill and this time the chain wouldn't shift to the granny under load and in the process the chain was thrown off the largest cog in the rear. This time, with experience on my side, I stopped properly, pulled the chain back on and proceeded to do a perfect, steep uphill start. When you have low enough gears it's very easy to do on a lowracer.
That was the last of my shifting troubles. The front derailler is bottomed out but luckily it's mounted on a concentric (edit: make that eccentric) so I can rotate the mounting slug to move it in. This should take care of the front. A slight adjustment to the inside limit screw on the rear should prevent further trouble back there.
Other than that the actual climbing went great. I went farther up Fiddletown Road than I ever have. I don't know how high I went but I saw snow. I never saw any 4mph readouts like I have in the past. My lowest was probably 5.5mph. Considering the massive weight of my bike and gear I am very pleased.
All in all I did a total of 80 miles with a 19mph average. I averaged 15.3 on the way up. The last few miles on the rolling flats I was very comfortably cruising along at 25-30mph. I drank a total of two liters of fluid containing 600 calories. That's less than 1/2 liter and 150 calories per hour. I had no upset stomach and had to urinate three times (once less, yay!)
At this time I plan on doing a repeat of this ride in two weeks. Other than that it will be easy, feeder rides on the flats until raceday. I'm sure my legs will feel a little busted up in the next couple of days. On my next hilly ride I will experiment with supplementing the calories in the fluid with homemade goo made with the same recipe, minus the water. The intent is to get my caloric intake to 300 per hour regardless of how much fluid I take in.
Overall I feel really good. I feel aerobically stronger as the ride progesses even though my legs suffer a level of quad bonk. The quad bonk affects anaerobic power but I think I'm so efficient at burning fat that I can maintain high levels of aerobic output. Of course, 4+ hours is not twelve. I'm not going to touch twelve hours in training with a ten-foot pole. At the most I'll consider an easy six. As far as I'm concerned, endurance events (or any event for that matter) are kamikaze missions. I don't train for kamikaze missions by slamming my plane into battleships.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
training 3-3-07
Did an easy 42.5 miles with a 21.1mph average. I added the spacer to my left shoe and it feels better. I feel like I'm making better power at the lower intensities. I think my left leg was coasting a bit by cutting the end of the stroke.
I'm glad I decided to do the longer ride last Wednesday. Not only did it expose the improper extension of my left leg it now seems to be letting me know that my tendons and such are ill-prepared for the rigors of high mileage. Luckily, I have time to rectify that. I probably would have made it through the 12 hours okay but I would have sustained considerable damage which could jeopardize future races this year.
My next ride, Monday, will be up in the big hills. I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking more and more forward to the Davis Challenge as well. What makes it so exciting is that there are so many aspects to it. Unlike a short TT where you have to be fast or else, you can make up for lack of absolute speed with endurance and just plain old toughness. It's like the mixed martial arts of cycling, or maybe the "rock, paper, scissors".
I'm glad I decided to do the longer ride last Wednesday. Not only did it expose the improper extension of my left leg it now seems to be letting me know that my tendons and such are ill-prepared for the rigors of high mileage. Luckily, I have time to rectify that. I probably would have made it through the 12 hours okay but I would have sustained considerable damage which could jeopardize future races this year.
My next ride, Monday, will be up in the big hills. I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking more and more forward to the Davis Challenge as well. What makes it so exciting is that there are so many aspects to it. Unlike a short TT where you have to be fast or else, you can make up for lack of absolute speed with endurance and just plain old toughness. It's like the mixed martial arts of cycling, or maybe the "rock, paper, scissors".
Thursday, March 1, 2007
training 3-1-07
I have to pick up my daughter tomorrow so instead of taking an extra day off I did a recovery ride on the Fogcom of 19.1 miles with and average speed of 19.8mph. This was the first time I rode two days in a row in a long time. My legs feel good after yesterday's ride and I felt like I could do an easy century today.
It's amazing how much faster the Fogcom is than Tubby. Tubby has a position similar to a Birk Comet. It's hard to believe there is a tailfairing made that can make that position competitive with the more laidback lowracers. I have my doubts but if they can I can understand the allure as the upright position is more conducive to everyday riding in all environments.
I don't think I'm going to use my chest-mounted water-bottle system for the Davis Challenge. I like carrying the bottle there but on the Fogcom the cockpit gets pretty tight and it makes sitting up difficult. Without the bottle in the way I can sit straight up when I need to for navigation purposes and such. The bottle also makes mounting and dismounting more difficult which could pose a problem at the checkpoints. I like the freedom of being unimpeded. Luckily, I have room in the panniers and the bottle will sit right behind my shoulder.
Speaking of the panniers, I sliced the top in half and overlapped the trailing edge so that it tapers over the wheel instead of being 4" wide it's entire length. I still have to seal off some of the exposed area on top somehow. As it is, it's in a position to scoop air.
Also (note to self), I had to urinate four times during yesterday's ride. That may be another sign that I drank too much. It's hard to believe that 1/2 liter per hour is too much under any weather condition?????
It's amazing how much faster the Fogcom is than Tubby. Tubby has a position similar to a Birk Comet. It's hard to believe there is a tailfairing made that can make that position competitive with the more laidback lowracers. I have my doubts but if they can I can understand the allure as the upright position is more conducive to everyday riding in all environments.
I don't think I'm going to use my chest-mounted water-bottle system for the Davis Challenge. I like carrying the bottle there but on the Fogcom the cockpit gets pretty tight and it makes sitting up difficult. Without the bottle in the way I can sit straight up when I need to for navigation purposes and such. The bottle also makes mounting and dismounting more difficult which could pose a problem at the checkpoints. I like the freedom of being unimpeded. Luckily, I have room in the panniers and the bottle will sit right behind my shoulder.
Speaking of the panniers, I sliced the top in half and overlapped the trailing edge so that it tapers over the wheel instead of being 4" wide it's entire length. I still have to seal off some of the exposed area on top somehow. As it is, it's in a position to scoop air.
Also (note to self), I had to urinate four times during yesterday's ride. That may be another sign that I drank too much. It's hard to believe that 1/2 liter per hour is too much under any weather condition?????
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