How you want to ride is your business, but there are a few common things you might be doing that will annoy the people riding with you. I'm not being a jerk or judgmental. I've done 99% of this stuff before...most of it over and over again.
1. If you are on a group ride with me, wear a helmet. I don't want to be the one wrapping your head up with my jersey to keep you alive until the ambulance arrives. If you don't want to wear a helmet, that is your choice, but don't try to ride with me.
2. Try to ride 2 abreast when you can. The tempo will inevitably get fast enough that it goes single file. That is fine. When it slows down, form two lines again.
3. If you are up front, don't attack every climb and coast down the backside. If you aren't pedaling, you aren't training. If you are in the back and the guy up front is coasting down the hill, you'll have to ride your brakes all the way to the bottom.
4. Bring your own flat repair stuff. I've been guilty of this before :(
5. If you are too tired to pull, you don't have to pull. When you get up to 2nd wheel, pull out and head to the back sometime before the guy in the front tries to pull off. This will keep the flow of the group from being interrupted.
6. Know where the wind is coming from. If the wind is coming from your left, don't hug the curb and gutter your friends (unless you are trying to drop them). If the wind is coming from your right, don't hug the yellow line.
7. Be aware of where your snot/spit goes.
8. If the group stops to pee or regroup, do what you need to do and then get ready to go again so that they are not waiting on you.
9. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed if you get gapped or dropped. We've all had bad days and we've all had good days. Next time try to ride more conservatively and hang in longer.
10. Don't gripe about people on TT bikes. You sound like an elitist. If they are riding sketchy, let them know, but that goes for anybody regardless of what type of bike the are on. If they are in their aerobars at the front of the pack, that is fine. If they are in the middle, nicely tell them it is dangerous.
Edit: Some people are interpreting #10 as me saying it is okay to ride in the aero position in the middle of the pack. That is not what I'm saying. Being in your aerobars in a group is dangerous. The time it takes to get your hands back to the brake levers is too long, and if somebody slows down quickly in front of you, you can hurt a lot of people. If you see somebody riding IN the aerobars, ask them to sit up and explain to them why it is dangerous.
What I am saying is just because they are on a TT bike doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to ride in a group, as long as they stay up on their pursuit bars. I've heard from multiple triathletes who are great cyclists that roadies started talking smack as soon as they rolled in on their TT bike. I don't see a reason for that. We're all cyclists and we can ride together as long we're safe about it. Getting mad, yelling at the person, or not letting them ride with you at all isn't the answer. Educate them on why it is dangerous and I bet they won't do it anymore, and they won't even think you're an elitist.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Influence
It's fascinating how the environment you put somebody in influences so much of what that person becomes. You take a mediocre cyclist and have him train with stronger riders, and that mediocre cyclist will improve faster than he would have by himself. When a motivated rider upgrades to a faster category, that rider almost always has a big jump in fitness.
It's similar with skating. You get areas of the country that produce stronger skaters than the rest of the country. Sure, there are outliers, but one outlier usually ends up building a new group of fast skaters. Look at areas like North Carolina. They've had fast skaters since I remember. Sure, part of it might be good coaching, but I think that in a lot of cases areas have great skaters just because that area already has great skaters.
The same works out in other areas of life. The whole reason I started thinking about this the other day was because I realized what a positive influence Sarah has been on me. My wife is the most giving person I know. When we met I was as stingy as anyone could be, and even though I'm still very cheap when it comes to myself, she has really shown me the joy from giving to others. Her motivation is contagious. She sets a goal and has laser-beam focus on it until she meets it. It's how we got out of debt, how she won Redman, and how she qualified for Kona. Sure, there is a lot of natural talent there, but focus, motivation, desire, and a lot of hard work are the real secret. It is impossible to be around a person like her and not always strive to be the best you could be. I'm really a lucky guy to have somebody as caring, supportive, giving, and driven as Sarah in my life.
Plus, she made us some chocolate chip cookies today for Valentine's Day. I hope these cookies work some of the soreness out of my legs from skating on Sunday, because nothing else I've tried today seemed to work.
It's similar with skating. You get areas of the country that produce stronger skaters than the rest of the country. Sure, there are outliers, but one outlier usually ends up building a new group of fast skaters. Look at areas like North Carolina. They've had fast skaters since I remember. Sure, part of it might be good coaching, but I think that in a lot of cases areas have great skaters just because that area already has great skaters.
The same works out in other areas of life. The whole reason I started thinking about this the other day was because I realized what a positive influence Sarah has been on me. My wife is the most giving person I know. When we met I was as stingy as anyone could be, and even though I'm still very cheap when it comes to myself, she has really shown me the joy from giving to others. Her motivation is contagious. She sets a goal and has laser-beam focus on it until she meets it. It's how we got out of debt, how she won Redman, and how she qualified for Kona. Sure, there is a lot of natural talent there, but focus, motivation, desire, and a lot of hard work are the real secret. It is impossible to be around a person like her and not always strive to be the best you could be. I'm really a lucky guy to have somebody as caring, supportive, giving, and driven as Sarah in my life.
Plus, she made us some chocolate chip cookies today for Valentine's Day. I hope these cookies work some of the soreness out of my legs from skating on Sunday, because nothing else I've tried today seemed to work.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Race Wheels
Wheels seem to be the most sought after upgrade for road cyclists. In my opinion, there are a bunch of different purchases with more bang-for-the-buck than race wheels, but I can't deny the cool factor of deep carbon wheels. They will make the ugliest bike look pretty. When you're ready to pull the plug and buy some, there are a few key decisions you need to consider.
For triathlon and time trials, it isn't a very hard choice. Race a disc in the rear, or a disc cover if you are cheap like me. Run the deepest and fastest wheel up front you can handle. For road race/crits, the decision is more difficult.
The biggest is going to be whether you want tubulars or clinchers. There are plenty of purists out there that will tell you that you have to buy tubulars. They'll give you a list of reasons why. They will tell you that tubulars ride better, that they are faster, that they are lighter, and that you can ride out a flat.
In my opinion, only half of that is true. Yes, they are lighter. Quite a bit lighter in many cases. Do they ride better? It depends on your tire choice. There are clinchers out there that will ride just as well as tubulars and there are tubulars out there that ride like crap. The same is true when it comes to rolling resistance. Some tubulars are fast and so are some clinchers. A tubular probably is more safe to flat on a descent, but regardless of whether it is a tubular or clincher, you're still going to want to change the tire before the end of the race.
Then you need to decide how much you want to spend. You can spend $500 or $5000. In some cases you get what you pay for, but there is a point where you get very little return on your financial investment.
You have to decide how often you are going to ride the wheel. If you are only racing on it, are you cool with changing out brake pads every time you race? If so, you can get something with a carbon brake track. If not, consider a wheel with an aluminum brake surface. It will add some weight and hurt the aerodynamics slightly, but you won't have to worry with the brake pads each time you switch. Sure...it only takes a minute to swap pads, but some people don't want to do that.
If you are using the wheel every day, you'll want to make sure you get something with a quality braking surface. I bought a cheap Asian-made knockoff and I was amazed at how quickly the braking surface wore down, even though I always used the right pads. I wouldn't have gotten more than a few months of daily riding out of this wheel. The higher dollar wheel brands use a better resin that won't wear out as quickly. If you want your wheels to last, be prepared to spend some money.
With tubulars you are literally stuck with whatever tire you choose, unless you want to peel the tire off and re-glue it. If you have a flat, it costs a bunch of money to replace it.
With clinchers, you have the ability to select tires based on race conditions. Is the course well groomed? Use a fast tire. IS there a lot of debris? Take 5 minutes and put a more flat-resistant tire on. If you are doing an ironman on a course with broken glass and gravel, do you really want the same tire you use on a clean crit course?
The argument that tubulars can hold more pressure has been ruined too. A tire inflated to 160psi is actually slower than one inflated to 110psi unless you are on a perfectly smooth track.
The last question is what you want to get out of the wheels. If you want something that looks cool, the Asian-knockoff will look cool. If you want something fast, again, you'll have to spend more money.
I did some aerodynamic testing using Golden Cheetah's aerolab and found that my 50mm deep carbon wheel was slower than a stock roval wheel that came on a specialized tarmac. I was amazed, but I tested it again and again and the results stayed the same.
I was looking for the wheel that would be the fastest. I believe (and any calculator will agree) that aerodynamics trump weight in almost every scenario. The only exception would be an uphill time trial like at Joe Martin. I wanted to buy the most aerodynamic wheel. I looked at tests from pretty much every manufacturer. They all rate their own product as the best (obviously) but they almost all have the same brand in 2nd. Independent tests almost always say the same. Zipp.
I ended up buying a set of Zipp 808 firecrests. It's hard to argue with Zipp wheels. SRAM is the parent company, and I've never dealt with a company that had better customer support. IF I'm spending a couple thousand on wheels, I want a company that will stand behind the product like I know Zipp will.
I went with the 808 firecrest because the new firecrest design is supposed to handle better in the crosswinds, and the 808 is the deepest and fastest firecrest model. The firecrest rim is wider, and it comes in a clincher model that has carbon brake tracks.
I love these wheels, but if I had to do it all over again I would probably do the 404 front and 808 rear. It might not be quite as aerodynamic as the 808 front/rear, but the handling would be much less sketchy. The 808s are great in crits, but in road races with 40+mph descents, the 808s can be a handful. If you aren't a big rider, a more shallow front with a deeper rear will work together to provide more predictable handling.
I'm not saying Zipp is the only option. There are lots of other good companies out there. I think HED, Mavic, and Bontrager all make nice wheels; but for everything I was looking for, the zipp firecrest came out on top.
For triathlon and time trials, it isn't a very hard choice. Race a disc in the rear, or a disc cover if you are cheap like me. Run the deepest and fastest wheel up front you can handle. For road race/crits, the decision is more difficult.
The biggest is going to be whether you want tubulars or clinchers. There are plenty of purists out there that will tell you that you have to buy tubulars. They'll give you a list of reasons why. They will tell you that tubulars ride better, that they are faster, that they are lighter, and that you can ride out a flat.
In my opinion, only half of that is true. Yes, they are lighter. Quite a bit lighter in many cases. Do they ride better? It depends on your tire choice. There are clinchers out there that will ride just as well as tubulars and there are tubulars out there that ride like crap. The same is true when it comes to rolling resistance. Some tubulars are fast and so are some clinchers. A tubular probably is more safe to flat on a descent, but regardless of whether it is a tubular or clincher, you're still going to want to change the tire before the end of the race.
Then you need to decide how much you want to spend. You can spend $500 or $5000. In some cases you get what you pay for, but there is a point where you get very little return on your financial investment.
You have to decide how often you are going to ride the wheel. If you are only racing on it, are you cool with changing out brake pads every time you race? If so, you can get something with a carbon brake track. If not, consider a wheel with an aluminum brake surface. It will add some weight and hurt the aerodynamics slightly, but you won't have to worry with the brake pads each time you switch. Sure...it only takes a minute to swap pads, but some people don't want to do that.
If you are using the wheel every day, you'll want to make sure you get something with a quality braking surface. I bought a cheap Asian-made knockoff and I was amazed at how quickly the braking surface wore down, even though I always used the right pads. I wouldn't have gotten more than a few months of daily riding out of this wheel. The higher dollar wheel brands use a better resin that won't wear out as quickly. If you want your wheels to last, be prepared to spend some money.
With tubulars you are literally stuck with whatever tire you choose, unless you want to peel the tire off and re-glue it. If you have a flat, it costs a bunch of money to replace it.
With clinchers, you have the ability to select tires based on race conditions. Is the course well groomed? Use a fast tire. IS there a lot of debris? Take 5 minutes and put a more flat-resistant tire on. If you are doing an ironman on a course with broken glass and gravel, do you really want the same tire you use on a clean crit course?
The argument that tubulars can hold more pressure has been ruined too. A tire inflated to 160psi is actually slower than one inflated to 110psi unless you are on a perfectly smooth track.
The last question is what you want to get out of the wheels. If you want something that looks cool, the Asian-knockoff will look cool. If you want something fast, again, you'll have to spend more money.
I did some aerodynamic testing using Golden Cheetah's aerolab and found that my 50mm deep carbon wheel was slower than a stock roval wheel that came on a specialized tarmac. I was amazed, but I tested it again and again and the results stayed the same.
I was looking for the wheel that would be the fastest. I believe (and any calculator will agree) that aerodynamics trump weight in almost every scenario. The only exception would be an uphill time trial like at Joe Martin. I wanted to buy the most aerodynamic wheel. I looked at tests from pretty much every manufacturer. They all rate their own product as the best (obviously) but they almost all have the same brand in 2nd. Independent tests almost always say the same. Zipp.
I ended up buying a set of Zipp 808 firecrests. It's hard to argue with Zipp wheels. SRAM is the parent company, and I've never dealt with a company that had better customer support. IF I'm spending a couple thousand on wheels, I want a company that will stand behind the product like I know Zipp will.
I went with the 808 firecrest because the new firecrest design is supposed to handle better in the crosswinds, and the 808 is the deepest and fastest firecrest model. The firecrest rim is wider, and it comes in a clincher model that has carbon brake tracks.
I love these wheels, but if I had to do it all over again I would probably do the 404 front and 808 rear. It might not be quite as aerodynamic as the 808 front/rear, but the handling would be much less sketchy. The 808s are great in crits, but in road races with 40+mph descents, the 808s can be a handful. If you aren't a big rider, a more shallow front with a deeper rear will work together to provide more predictable handling.
I'm not saying Zipp is the only option. There are lots of other good companies out there. I think HED, Mavic, and Bontrager all make nice wheels; but for everything I was looking for, the zipp firecrest came out on top.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The hardest workout I do
It's hard to compare one sport to another and say that either one is more difficult. All sports take a ton of skill to get to the highest level. It's impossible to say which is the best.
I've spent a lot of time skating, biking, running, swimming, and even wrestling. All of them have their unique challenges. I've always gravitated more towards endurance sports, probably because I've never been all that great at sports that involve throwing, catching, and kicking. I guess you could say any of those would be the most difficult sport for me.
Out of all of the fitness related sports I've done, the workout I get from skating is by far greater than any other. It doesn't make any sense really. When you watch somebody skate, it looks pretty easy. It doesn't really look like they are working all that hard, but it's like no other workout I do. I can't even describe it, but a 500m race takes between 45-50 seconds and it will destroy my entire body. It doesn't matter how hard I try and run or ride for 45 seconds, the feeling doesn't come close. Same with riding...it would take 5 sprints of the same duration to make me feel that way.
Since the bike racing season kicks off next Saturday, today was my last indoor skating workout for a while. It's a little disappointing because each week I could tell I was getting stronger, but cycling is my main focus right now. As much as I'll miss skating indoor, I'll enjoy racing the bike even more.
Skating really seems to compliment cycling. Both male and female skaters have crossed over to cycling recently and the transition looked seamless. Take a look at the career of Theresa Cliff-Ryan or Chad Burdzilauskas. Hopefully the indoor skating I did during this off-season will give me a little extra boost heading into the road season.
At our indoor practice we do a plyometric workout. Each week we seem to go through each exercise a little quicker, which makes it harder and harder. I guess if you do each of these exercises right you can get a similar feel to how hard a skating workout is. Your legs start to burn, your heartrate jumps up out of nowhere, and you fight for each breath. Instead of trying to explain each exercise, here is a video. This is about half of the workout we do. Do each exercise with 10 reps and between exercises hold a 90 degree leg bend for 10 seconds.
The other thing I love about these practices are how serious all the kids are. They are the same type of kids that show up at our Team Undiscovered kids tri. Motivated, dedicated, and extremely fun to watch. Here is a quick little video I put together from today's practice. We had a bunch of people travel from Tulsa to skate practice with us.
Some friends posted these two pictures on facebook today. Carnage.
I can't even explain what took place here. It looks more like rugby than women's bank track skating.
I've spent a lot of time skating, biking, running, swimming, and even wrestling. All of them have their unique challenges. I've always gravitated more towards endurance sports, probably because I've never been all that great at sports that involve throwing, catching, and kicking. I guess you could say any of those would be the most difficult sport for me.
Out of all of the fitness related sports I've done, the workout I get from skating is by far greater than any other. It doesn't make any sense really. When you watch somebody skate, it looks pretty easy. It doesn't really look like they are working all that hard, but it's like no other workout I do. I can't even describe it, but a 500m race takes between 45-50 seconds and it will destroy my entire body. It doesn't matter how hard I try and run or ride for 45 seconds, the feeling doesn't come close. Same with riding...it would take 5 sprints of the same duration to make me feel that way.
Since the bike racing season kicks off next Saturday, today was my last indoor skating workout for a while. It's a little disappointing because each week I could tell I was getting stronger, but cycling is my main focus right now. As much as I'll miss skating indoor, I'll enjoy racing the bike even more.
Skating really seems to compliment cycling. Both male and female skaters have crossed over to cycling recently and the transition looked seamless. Take a look at the career of Theresa Cliff-Ryan or Chad Burdzilauskas. Hopefully the indoor skating I did during this off-season will give me a little extra boost heading into the road season.
At our indoor practice we do a plyometric workout. Each week we seem to go through each exercise a little quicker, which makes it harder and harder. I guess if you do each of these exercises right you can get a similar feel to how hard a skating workout is. Your legs start to burn, your heartrate jumps up out of nowhere, and you fight for each breath. Instead of trying to explain each exercise, here is a video. This is about half of the workout we do. Do each exercise with 10 reps and between exercises hold a 90 degree leg bend for 10 seconds.
The other thing I love about these practices are how serious all the kids are. They are the same type of kids that show up at our Team Undiscovered kids tri. Motivated, dedicated, and extremely fun to watch. Here is a quick little video I put together from today's practice. We had a bunch of people travel from Tulsa to skate practice with us.
Some friends posted these two pictures on facebook today. Carnage.
I can't even explain what took place here. It looks more like rugby than women's bank track skating.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
A beet root a day keeps the doctor away
Ok...maybe it doesn't, but I've been seeing a lot of articles about the positive affects of beet root juice on endurance athletes. Sarah and I bought a Breville juicer a couple weeks ago, and I've been trying to drink about 12oz of fresh juice per day. Just in case the beet root doesn't keep the doc away, I put a couple carrots, some parsley, kale, and two apples through the machine for good measure.
The jury is still on on whether or not it works. I actually kind of like the taste (Sarah doesn't) and I like the fact that my pee is a new color. The pale lemonade look was getting old :)
I spent some more time yesterday getting my time trial bike ready for the Mineral Wells Stage Race. I never really liked the saddle I had, so I switched to a Fizik Arione Tri 2 Wing Flex saddle. I wanted a saddle that was flat, and as soon as I saw that shiny patent leather I knew this thing had to be mine. The old Selle Italia was kind of scooped at the nose and I could never get comfortable. Schlegel's has a few more of these that they've taken off new bikes when customers have another saddle they prefer, and they sell them for about $90, which is quite a great deal.
Quite a few other things have changed on the bike since this time last year. For one the fit is much different, but some equipment has been upgraded too. The bike had compact gearing before, and now it has my old ultegra 6700 crankset on. I also got some zipp handlebars. I topped it all off with a new chain yesterday, and between the bars, cranks, saddle, chain, and the zipp wheels, it hardly looks like a 5 year old bike.
Today was a very cold ride. The windchill was right around zero for the whole ride. Pretty miserable, but it was nice not seeing many other riders. It makes you feel pretty good about your level of dedication. I tried using some of those handwarmer packets today. They seemed to work out pretty well. My hands never lose their feeling, but gripping the bars felt a little awkward with 2 layers of gloves (one of them being thick ski gloves) and the hand warmers. Once my feet became unbearably cold I put one of the warmers inside my left sock, on the top of my foot. It definitely helped. For about $1 per ride, these things are definitely worth using when the windchill dips below 20.
A few of our cat4 riders have REALLY stepped it up lately. I'm extremely excited to see these guys succeed this year.
The jury is still on on whether or not it works. I actually kind of like the taste (Sarah doesn't) and I like the fact that my pee is a new color. The pale lemonade look was getting old :)
I spent some more time yesterday getting my time trial bike ready for the Mineral Wells Stage Race. I never really liked the saddle I had, so I switched to a Fizik Arione Tri 2 Wing Flex saddle. I wanted a saddle that was flat, and as soon as I saw that shiny patent leather I knew this thing had to be mine. The old Selle Italia was kind of scooped at the nose and I could never get comfortable. Schlegel's has a few more of these that they've taken off new bikes when customers have another saddle they prefer, and they sell them for about $90, which is quite a great deal.
Quite a few other things have changed on the bike since this time last year. For one the fit is much different, but some equipment has been upgraded too. The bike had compact gearing before, and now it has my old ultegra 6700 crankset on. I also got some zipp handlebars. I topped it all off with a new chain yesterday, and between the bars, cranks, saddle, chain, and the zipp wheels, it hardly looks like a 5 year old bike.
Today was a very cold ride. The windchill was right around zero for the whole ride. Pretty miserable, but it was nice not seeing many other riders. It makes you feel pretty good about your level of dedication. I tried using some of those handwarmer packets today. They seemed to work out pretty well. My hands never lose their feeling, but gripping the bars felt a little awkward with 2 layers of gloves (one of them being thick ski gloves) and the hand warmers. Once my feet became unbearably cold I put one of the warmers inside my left sock, on the top of my foot. It definitely helped. For about $1 per ride, these things are definitely worth using when the windchill dips below 20.
A few of our cat4 riders have REALLY stepped it up lately. I'm extremely excited to see these guys succeed this year.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Vegan Rice Cakes
I mentioned yesterday that I would put together a little video on how to make the rice cakes. It didn't come out very well, but I'll post it anyway. I'd recommend watching Allen Lim's video instead at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UiuqIWGe_s. You can just substitute firm tofu for scrambled eggs and season it with some salt, pepper, and a little louisiana hot sauce.
These cakes taste awesome. If you are tired of gels and other sweet stuff, give these a try (the vegan version or the regular version). Unlike bars, they really don't take much chewing. The white sushi rice has a high glycemic index, so it turns to fuel almost instantly.
Last week I tried packing pancakes. I cut them in half and put some peanut butter and maple syrup on them. It was kind of like a sandwich. I looked forward to eating them all day...something I can't say about any gel or bar I've ever taken with me. These were a little more difficult to chew and swallow because of the peanut butter, but for a training they worked out great.
And here is the crappy video.
These cakes taste awesome. If you are tired of gels and other sweet stuff, give these a try (the vegan version or the regular version). Unlike bars, they really don't take much chewing. The white sushi rice has a high glycemic index, so it turns to fuel almost instantly.
Last week I tried packing pancakes. I cut them in half and put some peanut butter and maple syrup on them. It was kind of like a sandwich. I looked forward to eating them all day...something I can't say about any gel or bar I've ever taken with me. These were a little more difficult to chew and swallow because of the peanut butter, but for a training they worked out great.
And here is the crappy video.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Calories during workouts
A friend of mine asked me about my poptart eating from the mountain bike race the other day.
Poptarts, in many ways, are NOT the perfect food, but they are pretty convenient. They are cheap, pretty easy to eat, readily available, lightweight, slim, and pretty dense in calories. Each poptart has 200 calories. Since there are 2 poptarts per package, that is 400 calories. If I have to choose between eating 4 gels or 2 poptarts, the poptarts will win every time. Are poptarts healthy? Probably not, but they are good fuel during a ride.
At the race I was eating one every time we hit the last fireroad before the finish. I carried 3 packages with one (a package in each pocket) and had them pre-opened at the top so I didn't have to fumble with them on the trail. I only hit the pit twice; each time to get another bottle of EFS and to restock my pockets.
The goal should be to consume as many calories as your gut will be able to digest. That is a tough number to come up with. The higher the intensity, the less you can digest. Same thing with heat. You'll have to lower your caloric intake (and increase water intake) on a hot day. For the 6 hour race, I knew I'd be in the aerobic zone the whole time, so 400 calories an hour wouldn't be an issue. I wouldn't even attempt that for a crit.
Ideally, you should enter a race with your glycogen stores topped up. The calories you consumed going into the race can get you through a pretty good distance, but you'll want to start eating early, before your body is depleted. Saturday was a pretty tough ride for me. It was 85 miles at a good tempo and I was averaging about 880 kilojoules of work per hour. That translates to about 850-900 calories per hour according to what most books say. If my body can only digest half of that in food, the deficit grows pretty quickly. Once your calorie stores are empty, you bonk. Your race is pretty much over. I experienced this at Hell's Kitchen last year.
Joey Mesa turned me onto Allen Lim's rice cakes a few months back. Do a search on youtube and you can find a video on how to make them. It isn't a rice cake like those Styrofoam things people eat to lose weight. It is a calorie dense, tasty little square that is full of quick burning fuel. The typical Lim rice cake isn't vegan, but since I'll be making my vegan version tomorrow in preparation for my weekend workouts, I'll try and take some pictures or video to show you how it's done on my next post.
Poptarts, in many ways, are NOT the perfect food, but they are pretty convenient. They are cheap, pretty easy to eat, readily available, lightweight, slim, and pretty dense in calories. Each poptart has 200 calories. Since there are 2 poptarts per package, that is 400 calories. If I have to choose between eating 4 gels or 2 poptarts, the poptarts will win every time. Are poptarts healthy? Probably not, but they are good fuel during a ride.
At the race I was eating one every time we hit the last fireroad before the finish. I carried 3 packages with one (a package in each pocket) and had them pre-opened at the top so I didn't have to fumble with them on the trail. I only hit the pit twice; each time to get another bottle of EFS and to restock my pockets.
The goal should be to consume as many calories as your gut will be able to digest. That is a tough number to come up with. The higher the intensity, the less you can digest. Same thing with heat. You'll have to lower your caloric intake (and increase water intake) on a hot day. For the 6 hour race, I knew I'd be in the aerobic zone the whole time, so 400 calories an hour wouldn't be an issue. I wouldn't even attempt that for a crit.
Ideally, you should enter a race with your glycogen stores topped up. The calories you consumed going into the race can get you through a pretty good distance, but you'll want to start eating early, before your body is depleted. Saturday was a pretty tough ride for me. It was 85 miles at a good tempo and I was averaging about 880 kilojoules of work per hour. That translates to about 850-900 calories per hour according to what most books say. If my body can only digest half of that in food, the deficit grows pretty quickly. Once your calorie stores are empty, you bonk. Your race is pretty much over. I experienced this at Hell's Kitchen last year.
Joey Mesa turned me onto Allen Lim's rice cakes a few months back. Do a search on youtube and you can find a video on how to make them. It isn't a rice cake like those Styrofoam things people eat to lose weight. It is a calorie dense, tasty little square that is full of quick burning fuel. The typical Lim rice cake isn't vegan, but since I'll be making my vegan version tomorrow in preparation for my weekend workouts, I'll try and take some pictures or video to show you how it's done on my next post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)