Training and Racing

I am not sure what the deal is, but this is my third blog post this week.  No way this productivity will be matched again this year.  I read two articles today that I thought were worth sharing.

The first one is another gem from Michael Barry as he describes his experience at training camp.  You might not like it, but I can't read this without thinking that the weekend group rides should be a little harder...

A Team and a Leader

The second article has some "bad" language in it, but it is a hysterical read.  Never before have I read something that so perfectly describes an amateur bike race.  Tip of the hat to KitOrder for sharing this one.

Cal Aggie Crit: Not Even Max Jenkins Pro Bike Racer Could Make a Break Stick 

Tulsa: It's a Bike Town

Looks like this is the first video of several that will explore "why we ride bikes".  I spy a new member of Team Tom's in the video.

Tulsa: It's A Bike Town from Cassidy Cagle on Vimeo.

Group Rides 2.0

I am going to start out this post by thanking everyone who has been attending the Tom's Bicycles Group Rides on the weekends.  We have had some huge turnouts for these rides and we are happy to have you ride with us.  (I have noticed that there does seem to be a direct relationship between temperature and number of riders, but I bet that is just a coincidence.)

As the size of the group grows there is, unfortunately, a need to increase structure.  Additionally, as the weather does continue to improve and cyclists who have been hibernating over the winter come out to join the ride, there will be a difference in goals as well as fitness among the attendees.  Acknowledging these facts, we are going to try some small modifications to our group rides.  My hope is that these changes continue to move our group rides into a positive direction and everyone continues to have a good time while elevating their fitness.

Ground Rules
The first thing I want to do is point out some ground rules regarding our group rides that I expect everyone to follow to the best of their ability.  These ground rules are not necessarily new, but some of the newer people might not be aware of them.

• When on the Rivertrails, please observe a speed limit of 15 MPH, announce your presence to anyone you are going to overtake, and be sure that you have at least 3 feet to safely pass someone.
• The "peloton" will try to average a pace of 18-21 MPH when on the road.  Wind conditions and elevation changes will mean this is not always possible, but you get the idea.
• If you want to go faster than the group is traveling, feel free to attack the group and ride ahead.  We only ask that you do not attack (or respond to attacks) from the front of the group.  If you are on the front, your job is to keep the group together.
• If you do not feel like taking a pull, please stay at the back of the paceline.  If you find yourself near the front of the paceline and you don't want to pull, let the person behind you know that you are going to pull off (so they know to expect it) and wait until you are at the front and immediately pull off.  If you pull off anywhere else, it really messes up the flow of the paceline.  
• If someone has a mechanical, someone needs to ride to the front of the paceline and let the riders on front know that there is a problem.  The head of the paceline will then look for a safe place for the entire peloton to safely stop and wait for anyone who has stopped.     

The Routes

The second thing I want to do is make some changes to our routes.  I have developed three routes of different lengths.  All three routes follow the same route in the beginning and you will have an option during the ride to take the short (38 mile), medium (50 mile), or long (65 mile) route.  These rides can be ridden in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction so we really have 6 different routes.  In time, I will probably add additional routes, but we are going to stick to these 6 routes for a while (unless I get a lot of negative feedback).  Here are the routes:

Garmin Users

If you are a Garmin user, I have mapped the "counterclockwise" routes in GarminConnect.  You can upload these routes into your Garmin and have the course (with turn-by-turn directions) on hand.  This is especially helpful if you are afraid of getting "dropped" by the group and are not positive how to get back to the shop.  I will create the "clockwise" files before we need them.

Garmin Connect - Tom's Short (Counterclockwise)

Garmin Connect - Tom's Medium (Counterclockwise)

Garmin Connect - Tom's Long (Counterclockwise)

I hope you view these slight modifications as improvements to our group rides.  I am always looking for feedback and searching for ways to make our rides better.  Feel free to leave a comment on this post after we try this out for a while so that I will know if the changes are positive or if we need to keep tweaking the recipe.  

Ride Plans for 1/29

I am getting burned out on our standard rides, so I tried to find something familiar but different.  I am not the most talented navigator, so I hope some of you going on this ride take the time to undertand the map so that we don't get lost.  If we do everything right, the ride should be about 55 miles.  This ride is subject to change based on who shows up and our confidence in following the route.

Ride Plans for Saturday 1/27

I wasn't sure what to do this weekend, so I asked the Twitter community.  The Route 66 route to Bristow was proposed and that is as good an idea as any.

The total route will get you 80 miles but feel free to turn around at any point (just be sure someone who is staying with the group knows you have turned so that we aren't looking for you).  Our goal will be to maintain a pace of around 18-20 mph for the duration of the ride.  It will be chilly in the morning, but hopefully the wind will not be too bad.  Saturday's ride leaves Tom's Bicycles (68th & Peoria) at 9 AM.




I hope to post about Sunday's ride before the end of the day but know that Sunday's ride will leave Tom's at 1 PM.

2012 Kit Mockups

After three years in the original kit design, Team Tom's Bicycles will be in new kits for the 2012 season.  The new kits feature jerseys and bibs from Hincapie's Velocity line and new vests, arm warmers, knee warmers, and leg warmers from Hincapie's Element collection.

We had a "fit party" in December to try on the new products and all I can say is that the materials and workmanship from Hincapie Sports is top notch.

Last year was my first year as the team's "Apparel Chairman" and it was a huge pain to keep track of everyone's individual order, collect money, and place the total order with our previous vendor.  This year we used KitOrder.com to streamline our ordering process and I have to say that this service is worth every penny.  If you are reading this and you are responsible for placing kit orders for your team, you owe it to yourself to check out this service.

Designing a whole new look for a team can be pretty stressful, but I think we did a pretty good job of modernizing our kits while still maintaining a classic look (and of course we kept the Orange and Black).

Changes this year include even more Orange, contrast stitching, and a new logo that incorporates our team's Twitter handle @teamtoms.  (Right now you are asking yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?")

Weekend Ride Plans for 1/21 & 1/22

As usual, we will depart from Tom's Bicycles (68th and Peoria) at 9:00 AM on Saturday and 1:00 PM on Sunday.

On Saturday, the wind should be out of the North.  There is not a lot of options out North, but I am mixing it up just a bit this time.  There is gas station on the way to Skiatook (I think it is called the Hitch 'n' Post) that will be the first rest stop.  On the way back into town, you can stop at the gas station on Shell Creek Rd (the one you see on every WNR).  This route is short, but there is plenty of climbing in it.

EDIT: I am too lazy to map a new ride, but I just learned that the East Bank Trail is going to be closed where it crosses under the I-44 Bridge.  So, we will need to head North on the West Bank Trail.  (Hopefully, the construction I saw on the trail along 71st between Riverside and Elwood will be completed by Saturday.)

Right now the forecast for Sunday is nothing short of amazing.  Little-to-no winds out of the South and temps in the 60s.  This route is a little longer, but you are supposed to be doing base miles anyway.  It is the normal route out to Hectorville, but then you head on to Haskell before making your way back into town. 

     

Weekend Rides for 1/14 and 1/15

As usual, the Team Tom's Group Ride will depart from the Tom's Bicycles parking lot (68th and Peoria) at 9 AM on Saturday and 1 PM on Sunday.

We are getting closer to the race season, so I suspect that there will be some attacking during the rides.  If you don't feel like going too hard right now, do not fear.  I am sure there will be plenty of people looking for steady base miles.

It will be cold Saturday morning, so dress warm.  Since the wind is out of the West, will head out to Coyote Trail.  The "Coyote Corner" convenience store will be our only rest stop (around mile 30).  If the group is broken up, we will regroup here.  This week's ride will differ a bit from last week's as we will continue North  over the dam and into Sand Springs.  

Sunday's ride should be a lot warmer but with a strong South wind.  Hopefully, we will have a good turnout so that we can take turns pulling into the wind.  We will go to Mounds and then back North through Sapulpa.  Rest stop will be in Mounds prior to the overpass (and the really fast section of road between Mounds and Kiefer).