Day 30 - trifuel and brl products

This is another post by a guest writer. Thanks Bob,  for writing this for me. This is my second season on trifuel. I love the stuff.

Proper nutrition is everything in endurance sports. Without it, nothing else matters. You can be the most trained well prepared athlete on the best equipment in the race but fail on fueling your motor properly and you will lose. I have seen many athletes far superior to myself doing the slow bonk ride back to the start.  I am somewhat amazed at the P1/2 level at how many racers I think sabotage themselves before the race even starts.  You would think people at this level would have it figured out but it seems to be a part of the training process that some are better at than others. I myself have inadvertently failed and experienced the results first hand as recently as last summer. I was doing a gravel 100 mile training race and had a flat in the first few miles. I lost a lot of time and skipped the first feed station at mile 40 to catch the lead pack. There was supposed to be another at mile 60 and 80. It was 100 plus and windy and the 60 mile feed was not there. I remember watching my speed go from 18-20mph to 10-12 mph with nothing I could do about it. I came into the 80 mile check limping.  I downed as much fluids as I could stomach but I never really recovered.  The good news is this is an area that can have the greatest impact and performance gains no matter what level you currently are at.
  Your diet has a very large impact on your performance potential but along with diet specific health supplements and race fuel are also key factors.  I remember my first year as a cat 2 being a very "learning" year. Being a former "fatty" I had no problem with eating good foods. I always thought that regular diet was enough and did not take so much as a multivitamin.  I did not understand the demands and depletion you subject you body to training 20 hours a week. I thought I was ready for my biggest race to date only to fail spectacularly.  What I did not know before the race was that I had become anemic. I fell sick during the race and went home lifeless. I went to the doctor when I got home and found I had a low red blood cell count, low iron, and developed gastritis.  I took a week off the bike and rested but even the next week, I felt weak, dizzy, and nauseous.  I was fortunate that shortly thereafter my current team came across BRL Sports Nutrition. The are the makers of EPO-Boost, TRIFUEL, and InVirgor8 recovery/meal shakes.    I started using EPO-Boost(no banned substances) and began to improve quickly. I went back to get another blood test a few months later and while my RBC was still low, it was above the min. I take the supplement all year two months on, one week off. I made a habit of getting a blood test every spring at the same peak training load time and every year my blood work has improved under the same training load.
  TRIFUEL is my go to race day and training fuel.  Throwing back to my first year cat 2 mistakes I used to only use water in my bottles. I had a hard time drinking with anything in the bottles as I always experienced that "sticky throat" problem and after 40-50 miles found the taste of the products I tried did not agree.  TRIFUEL was a huge factor in my performance improvement on the bike. I have a big motor but am somewhat of a slow starter. I started drinking a bottle of Wild Berry TRIFUEL exactly one hour before every race. It makes a HUGE difference. I actually set an alarm on my phone as my teammates can attest to as they find themselves going to their bottle like Pavlov's dog when they hear it go off. I am now much more physically and mentally prepared when the whistle blows.  I always race with two scoops in each bottle. I have shared many a bottle of TRIFUEL while racing and training and watched a struggling rider come to life in 30 min. I did an ultra endurance race last year called the Dirty Kanza 200. It is a self supported 200 mile point to point off road race in the rugged flint hills of Kansas. TRIFUEL was my only fuel source for the last 130 miles and me and a few others shattered the previous record time.
  Obviously weight is a key component in sports but especially cycling. This has been probably my biggest struggle. I have learned a lot over this winter and will be competing at my lowest weigh ever this season thanks to BRL's InVigor8 shakes. I eat small meals every 2 hours during the week and replace two of them with shakes. The taste great and have amazing nutrition!  They are also the absolute perfect food for post ride/race recovery. I have also found the shakes work great in your bottles for winter training as it is hard to eat in the cold with heavy gloves on. Incorporating these into my routine is going to be key for success in the events I am doing this year. Remember, fuel/hydrate/recover.

Day 29 - Trek Emonda SLR Review

I’ve owned a couple great bikes. Each time I get a new one, I hesitate to think that there couple possibly be anything nicer out there. When I went from an S-Works to a Stork, I was instantly faster…which I realized later was directly because the drive side bearing in my campy crankset was completely seized. Even with vice-grips, I couldn’t budge it. Going from the $$$ Storck to the $ CAAD10, I didn’t notice any difference. The CAAD10 is the king of value. You get all of the performance of a bike 3 or 4 times its value. I wasn’t very excited about getting the Supersix Evo because I didn’t think it would feel any different than the CAAD10. I was wrong. The Evo (I had the non hi-mod) had a beautiful ride on chip and seal compared to other bikes I owned. It’s like you’re running your tires at 10 or 15 psi lower, but you aren’t. It’s a great bike for long rides on Oklahoma roads. 

I was a little nervous about buying the Emonda, but now I’m glad I did. It’s the best bike I’ve owned. Honestly, it’s not about the bike. Aside from an uphill TT, this bike may never get me different results than I would have had on the CAAD10; but I can still say this is a better bike. It’s crazy light. I only know of one frame (The Cervelo RCA) that weighs less. The cable routing isn’t quite as tidy as an aero-focused road bike, but it’s way more clean than the evo. It’s really the little things that much this bike a step above the rest.

The dual mount brakes are amazing. I had SRAM Red brakes on the evo. These Bontrager Speed Stop direct mount brakes are so strong. I can’t imagine wanting anything stronger. Plus, they are very light and should be quite aero. They don’t have arms sticking out in the wind like typical SRAM and Shimano brakes. 

The fork, chain stays, and brakes give you plenty of room for wide tires. On my evo, I had issues with 25s rubbing (my back wheel wasn’t very stiff. With a stiffer wheel this may not have been an issue). I have tons of clearance with 25s on this bike, and I think 28s would fit too. 

The bottom bracket on this bike looks enormous. I’m guessing Trek designed it this way to keep the bike as light as possible without having flex where it matters. I’m not one that can feel BB flex in frames anyway, but it seems like this one is pretty stiff. It doesn’t have the creak-prone BB30 BB standard. 

The ride characteristics are good. They have a seat mast that is supposed to tune out some road vibration. It doesn’t seem as effective as Cannondales SAVE system, but I wouldn’t call this bike harsh at all. On chip and seal, I can feel a little more vibration than the Evo, but not enough to complain about. The wheelbase is short on this bike. I haven’t gotten to race a crit on it yet, but it seems to have a great crit racing geometry that you’d really be able to throw into a turn. I’m beyond excited to take it through some of the twisty roads in the Arbuckle Mountains this weekend. 

Trek gives you two geometries to choose from. One (H2) seems a bit more “standard” and the other (H1) has a longer top tube and short head tube, resulting in a shorter stack and longer reach. Since I have a long torso and like to ride steep, the H1 is very good for me. It’s nice to be able to have a choice, especially for a team bike. Not everyone is built the same, so having two different geometries allows the bike to fit nearly everyone. 

I built mine with SRAM Force. Red is a little lighter, but I couldn’t justify the expense. The Force 22 shifts clean and crisp. In a blind test, I’m 100% sure I couldn’t differentiate Force and Red. Ultegra DI2 would have been a nice splurge, but I’m really happy with Force 22 so far. No regrets. 

I also switched up my pedals a bit…Well kind of. I bought Shimano 105 pedals, which is what I’ve been using for years. I like Shimano pedals, but I LOVE Shimano cleats. Shimano pedals have always been heavier than the Look pedals at the same cost, but shimano changed up their 105 pedals quite a bit this year. Now they are carbon (composite) instead of all metal. I didn’t do a direct weight comparison to Look, but I know that the weight is a lot closer now. The shape and feel is as good as it ever has been, but now you get some weight reduction too…and still a great price. 

I also tried a new saddle: Bontrager Serrano. I like it a lot so far. It’s as comfortable as my Fizik Antares, but less slippery. It's a saddle that has many comfortable positions. Its just as nice riding it on the nose as it is with your butt scooted way back.  Saddles are super individual, so this may not work for you; but I think it’s going to work really well for me. I did back-to-back centuries last weekend on this saddle with no complaints. 

My very first impression of the bike was “this is the best bike I’ve ever owned, but is it worth the money?” That’s a really tough question. I guess it depends on how much money you have and how much you like beautiful bikes. This is a very beautiful bike. I could stare at it for an hour. I was a little stuck feeling that the CAAD10 or Evo were better bang for the buck, but then Daniel Mesa reminded me that Trek also makes an Emonda SL. It’s just as beautiful as the SLR. It costs thousands less than the SLR, but you are still getting a 15.0 pound bike (with SRAM Red). Even the 105 Emonda SL5 is a heck of a bike, and its $2730 retail. The Emonda is a great bike, and there’s so many options to choose from, based on your budget. If you have a lot of money to spend, the Emonda SLR is amazing. There’s a reason VeloNews called it their bike of the year for 2015. On a budget, The Emonda SL will give you nearly the same performance with only slightly more weight at a much more reasonable cost. It’s a close call between the Evo and the Emonda SL, but for my money the Emonda SL would be a better purchase (if they made it in the H1 geometry, which they don’t). If you want a great bike for the money, the Emonda SL is it. If you want the best bike, the SLR is the way to go. 

I finally found one negative about the SLR. It’s not a good bike for the skate park. Too much toe overlap. :)

Day 28 - Smooth Legs

First off, there's nothing un-manly about shaving your legs. It doesn't change your sexual orientation. It doesn't make you less of a man. Male cyclists and speed skaters make up lots of reasons why they shave. We say stuff like "it's better for massage" (I haven't had a massage in over a year), "it keeps hair out of your road rash when you crash (possibly true), or "it's more aerodynamic/faster" (which it is, according to the Specialized Win Tunnel). Maybe all of that is true, but I think most of us just like the way it looks and feels, but we're too afraid to actually admit that.


I get pretty lazy in the winter time and rarely shave my legs. Most of the time my legs are covered with tights or knee warmers, so the extra few minutes of shower time isn't really worth it. Every couple weeks I'll just trim them down with electronic clippers and call it good.

Race season is just around the corner, so it's time to get smooth. If you're like me and have some longish hair now, do yourself a favor and trim it down with clippers with no guard (0) to get most of the hair off first. Then, take a hot shower to get open your pores. This will help prevent against irritation and it leaves your skin smooth. Then, apply some sort of shaving cream. I use Cremo Cream. It's super slick. Even with a dull razor, it feels like you're shaving with a new razor. It smells good, lasts a long time, and you can grab it at Walmart or Target.



I know it's all placebo, but as soon as I shave my legs in the spring I automatically feel like a bike racer again. It's like putting on race wheels. When you look the part, something internal just clicks and you feel the part.

Day 27 - Suffering

I started reading Pro Cycling On $10 A Day last week. It's a book by Phil Gaimon. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do. It's a fun read, and even talks about some guys that we get to race with on a regular basis in our region. In the book, there the author says "Sometimes I think I'm not stronger or more talented than anyone else. Maybe I'm just better at suffering." I like that. 

I'm not a masochist, but there is something about suffering on the bike that I love. I think it's most likely because in the back of my mind I always know that suffering pays off. In cycling, you get back what you put in. If you can really make yourself suffer in training (and then rest, of course), you'll get faster. If you put in garbage miles, then you really shouldn't expect to be very strong on race day.

Some people can suffer more naturally than others, but I do think that the level of suffering that you can handle is something that you can train. When I was 12, I started speed skating. Like cycling, it's a sport that requires you to push it to your limit. I can't count how many times I've wished that my legs would just give out so that I would crash, because crashing would be less painful than the workout I was doing. I had some of the best skaters in the country telling me I couldn't quit. If I tried to get out of the pack, they would literally pull me back in. If I didn't make a pass that they thought I should make, they'd talk smack until I made it. When the drill would be over, I felt good about completing it, and realized that next time I could suffer even more; so I would push harder the next time. And then harder. And then harder. Eventually you find your limit. That's the place where your mind is strong enough to keep pushing, but your body isn't. That limit looks different for everyone. Some people vomit, some people crash, some people look like they are pedaling squares (it's not just a saying...if you ever see it happen, you know exactly how that saying came to be), and some people look like they are in la la land.

Guys that aren't willing to suffer will never find their true limit. I see some people on training rides getting dropped, and I can tell by their face and pedal stroke that they have a lot of untapped energy left. Other people have drool and snot going from their face to their handlebars, and they are still on the front, determined to crack everyone behind them. These guys are the ones increasing their suffer limit. When they get into a race situation, they'll be able to go harder and suffer longer than the other guy. They'll be able to hang on in the gutter during a strong crosswind. They'll be able to dig just a little deeper at the top of the climb where the group splits. When they are bridging the gap to a breakaway, they'll be able to get there, while the guys who can't suffer get stuck in no-mans-land. They'll have that one extra kick in the field sprint when everyone else is fading. 

Don't make excuses like "if this was a race, I would have pushed myself harder." That's just code for saying "I'm lazy." Lazy cyclists don't get fast. Determined cyclists who in training aren't afraid to hurt, who aren't afraid to take chances, who embrace the pain of hard work, who don't mind pulling into a headwind, who don't skip a training day because it's cold, who don't sit in the pack all ride, who are honest with themselves about they need to work on (and work on it) get fast. 

Here's one of my favorite motivational videos, featuring some of the best skaters in the US.

A few quotes from the video:
"Some people dream of success. Others wake up and work hard at it"
"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." - Vince Lombardi
"It never gets easier, you just go faster." - Greg Lemond
"If everything is under control, you're going too slow." - Mario Andretti

Day 26 - Wind Vests

When I first started riding, I thought wind vests were stupid. Why would I want to spend money on a sleeveless shirt to keep me warm, when I could buy something with sleeves for the same price? At some point I realized that all of the really good cyclists in the area did the majority of their training in a vest, and decided to buy one myself to see what the advantage was. Now, I wear a vest on almost every single ride I do in the late fall, winter, and early spring. It’s a really versatile piece of clothing.

A vest with arm warmers can cover a much larger range of temperatures than a jacket or long sleeve jersey. Paired with a warm base layer and arm warmers over the top, you can get down to some very low temperatures and still remain comfortable. You can roll the arm warmers down halfway or unzip the vest if you get just a little warm. If you are still warm you can take the arm warmers completely off and leave the vest on.

A wind vest blocks…wait for it… the wind from hitting your core. It’s almost strange how warm a vest can keep you on a cool day, yet you never really seem to overheat because most vests are breathable in the back and out the sleeves. 

A vest and arm warmers is going to be more aerodynamic than a jacket or long sleeve jersey. That makes it great for racing. Often I’ll wear the vest under a jersey so that it doesn’t blow around in the wind as much, but it still keeps the wind off my torso. I’ve done that in the rain too, so that the vest keeps the water off my chest. It works great. It’s also nice to have the vest under your jersey so that you can pin the number on your jersey, rather than your vest. A lot of vets don’t have much real estate on the back for a race number. And, since you aren’t putting pins through your vest it will last you a really long time. The downside is that you can’t easily take your vest off if you get hot. All you can do is unzip, which helps. Even when I wear a jacket, I usually wear a vest underneath it. If I get warm i can unzip the vest under my jacket and that allows a little extra ventilation, but not as much as it would if it was just paired with a jersey.

There’s a lot of different styles of vests. The Sugoi ones that I use (I have 4) have 3 pockets on the back, just like a jersey, and a mesh panel above the pockets to make it breathable. This works out nicely, because it allows you to store everything securely in normal pockets. The DNA team has new vests this year from LG that look pretty neat. The vest is completely open where the pockets would be on a normal vest. This allows you to access your jersey pockets. Wind vests made for runners typically don’t have pockets in the back. They are in the side. I would stay away from this style. 

Day 25 - Not Quitting

I did a long ride by myself today, so I had quite a bit of time to think about various topics. This is one of the reasons I ride -- to process the past, present, future, and life in general. I started thinking about the race finishes that meant the most to me. Were they special because I won? Was it because I left 100% of myself out there and maximized my result, whether I won or not? Was it because the team executed the plan and it worked? Was it because the weather was epic/horrible? Was it because the course was so hard? The answer is yes to all of those. Those were all special races, but the races that really stick out in my mind are the ones where I suffered the most, but didn't give up.

I've heard that if you quit a race one weekend, it's so much easier to quit the next weekend. I think that's probably true. That's why I try to never quit. Obviously if you're going to cause damage to your body or your in such bad shape that you're risking a crash, it's wise to pull the plug. Otherwise, I just don't see the point in quitting. You paid to race. You traveled to the race. You skipped a day of training to be there. Keep riding, no matter what. If you get dropped, who cares? It happens. It happens less when you're fit, so don't just quit. Keep riding to build fitness. Keep riding until you get pulled by the officials (sometimes I go by the official's table with my head down, as far away form the officials as possible, so I can't hear or see them trying to get me off the course. Just don't be jerk and get in the way of the other racers). Do you quit because you'r embarrassed that you got dropped? It's good to be embarrassed. That feeling will drive you to train harder. Don't make excuses to yourself. Just ride hard. Had a mechanical? Try and fix it on the fly and keep riding. Turn yourself inside out to get back into the race. Even if you don't make it back, you'll be stronger because of the effort.

So what's my most memorable race? Joe Martin 2010. It was my first big stage race as a cat 2. The previous year, I finished 3rd in the GC as a Cat 3, mostly thanks to my 4th place finish in the TT. I crashed in the first 5 miles of the road race, but chased back on and took the same time as the rest of the group. In 2010, the memorable year, I finished a very mediocre 47th out of 99 riders; barely in the top 50%. I thought I had good form, but racing with the cat1 and cat2 guys was completely different.

I think it was about 30 miles into the first road race when it happened. My right shifter started acting up. I rode up to Joey to let him know I was having issues. I was trying to put it into an easier gear, but the lever felt weird it and shifted into a harder gear. While we were riding (up a climb if I remember right) Joey looked at it, tried to shift, and dropped it into a harder cog. He tried again, with the same result. He tried again, and now I was down into my 11, the hardest gear. I noticed the shift lever looked a little weird, so I pulled on it and the lever/paddle came right off in my hand.

I knew the SRAM had some neutral bikes, so I dropped back to our follow car. I asked for a bike, but they said they were for the p/1 race. I was on my own.

So now have 80 miles left to race, and I'm only able to shift from my 39 to my 53 on the front, but not at all in the rear -- well, almost. I could hold onto my handlebars with one left hand and grab my cable with my right hand. If I pulled the cable, I could get it to go into an easier gear, but as soon as I let go it would drop back into the 11. So I had to hold the cable if I wanted to stay in a gear. If I pulled it only slightly harder or slightly easier, it would shift into a gear I didn't want to be in. Joey pointed out that I could use the barrel adjusters on the frame to put it into a different gear. I think I was able to get it into my 14, so I had the option of a 53/14 or a 39/14.

I think that most riders would have quit, but I wanted to test myself. I wanted to see how far I could go. I didn't know if I could finish the race. I didn't know if I could hang with the pack, but I was going to try my hardest.

If you haven't ridden the Friday road race course at Joe Martin, it's pretty hilly. It's in NW Arkansas. There's a lot of climbing, including Mt Gaylor -- an 8 mile climb. I made it to the base of the climb in the pack. I was already pretty proud of myself for sticking it out. It felt good. Some other riders had heard me talking to my teammates about it, and I remember feeling like they were kind of cheering me on, wanting to see if I could do it. Plus, it was hard not to notice the guy reaching down and holding onto his shift cable on every climb. I started too far back, but I didn't want to be in the way. The pace picked up but I was feeling pretty good. I don't remember who it was, but the guy in front of me started getting dropped. I was running on pure adrenaline at that point. I tried to come around and bridge into the lead group of 25 riders, but I couldn't quite get there. I was in a second group, I think with Evan Bybee) but we ended up getting caught by the 3rd group.  

I remember being so disappointed at the top of the climb. I barely missed the winning move, which would have put me in the top 25 gc. I remember getting emotional shortly after that, because I was overcoming such crappy luck and I knew I was going to finish the race. It hurt so bad and I was totally turned inside out, but it was a great feeling knowing the odds were stacked against me, but I hadn't quit 80 miles ago when it would have been so easy to do it. 

Still fueled by adrenaline and emotion, I tried to attack out of our group with about 1k to go. There were splits in the field, but no time gaps were given to our group. Bummer. So I was 33rd in the race. At least it was in the top 1/3....better than the TT. SRAM neutral support installed a brand new shifter on my bike so that I could race the next day. Pretty awesome service. One more reason I ride SRAM/Quarq/Zipp. 

I also remember bring really proud of Brian that day. His day was actually worse than mine. He had some health stuff going on, and got caught out in no-mans land. It's a huge course that is easy to get lost on. He stuck it out and actually put in more miles than anyone else, but finished the race so that he could start the next day. 

Anyway, that 33rd place finish means more to me than any other result I have. More than any podium finish. More than any win. I'll remember it forever. It would have been so much easier to quit and get in the follow vehicle, go back to the hotel, eat a big meal, and relax. 

I've already gone really long here. I was going tell another long story; this time about Bob. I'll keep it short, but you should ask him the details sometime. It was at Iris Stagner (Mineral Wells) Stage Race. He finished 7th in the TT and 6th in the Crit in the p/1/2 race. He was doing very good in the GC. In the final stage, the road race, his saddle started to come off. He didn't want to lose it, so he pulled it off and took it back to the follow motorcycle. As he did that, riders attacked and he was stuck chasing, without a saddle. Just a seatpost. Somehow he finished that race, on bumpy roads. with no saddle. He finished 9th in that race, which put him 5th overall GC. He didn't quit, and that really won my respect. Honestly, that's probably one reason he's on our team now (he was on Park Place back then).

Moral of the story - don't quit. Try to overcome whatever crap you're dealing with. You never know what crazy story you'll be able to tell because of it. Those awful days end up being the most epic and most memorable. 

Day 24 - Being able to train with my wife

I’m really blessed to have a wife who takes training and racing as seriously as I do. I think we are able to have a much better standing about each other than couples who don’t share this as an interest. We understand why one of us might wake up at 4:30 am (usually that’s Sarah) to get in a workout before a long day of work, or why one of us is out unitl 10:00pm riding in the dark to burn off stress of a long day (that’s usually me). We can both relate to how the endorphins of a good workout completely changes our mood, and how missing a workout can really bum us out. When a race doesn’t go as well as we planned, we might not have the right words to say to each other, but at least we have a mutual understanding of how that person is feeling.

This is a tough season to sync our training together. She’s been working a lot and doing some travel, so it’s all about squeezing her training in when it fits, like very early in the morning. She doesn’t enjoy night rides outside as much as I do. For her, getting a very specific workout done on a trainer is better, and it’s super efficient. Plus, this is the time of year where my training becomes more specific. Her A race is later in the season than mine, so our training plans are a little off. I should be putting in more intensity than she is. 

With her long work days, inconsistent schedules, serving at church, and training, it’s a bit more of a struggle to spend as much time as we want together. (Trying to write this blog every day this month at 8:00 at night after training doesn’t help either). I really can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have the mutual understanding about training. Once the race season starts, my time spent doing intervals will decrease a bit. The days will also be longer. This will enable us to do a bit more riding together, which I’m really looking forward to. Riding together is something I never want to take for granted.