(More) Training for Crits

Accelerating out of corners, attacking, counter attacking, and of course sprinting for the “W” are all part of the dynamic power profile you’ll need to be successful in criterium racing. Therefore, criteriums can best be summed up as repeated short high powered efforts with minimal recovery. Intervals on the order of 5-20 s in length at high cadence and from a rolling start are specific to crits. Because of the short duration of the interval, really go for it with these intervals, all out full guns blazing!

If you are racing a 4 corner criterium for 40 minutes and each lap takes 2.5 minutes, that’s 16 laps and 64 corners. You can replicate this effort by performing a workout with 24 x 10 s sprints. For example, this might be broken down to 4 sets of 6 x 10 s sprints from a rolling start, with 30 s off between reps and 5 min between sets. An industrial park during the evenings or weekends are perfect low-traffic sites for these workouts.

Further refinements to your training can be made based on the terrain. If the criterium course has a 45 second hill, incorporate 45-60 second intervals into your training. Training with a purpose is all about specificity!

Victory Salutes

Yesterday's picture of Johan Museeuw's Paris-Roubaix finish got me thinking about victory salutes. There have been some interesting ones over the years but I wonder, "Which one is the best?" Besides, it has been a while since I did a poll on this site so it is time for another one. So you tell me, "Which victory salute is the best?" I am sure most people probably favor the simple "arms raised" finish but that is kind of boring so I am going to leave it off the list. Other than Johan's "leg kick" there are three others that come to my mind--Jaun Antonia Flecha's "arrow", Alberto Contador's "pistola", and Carlos Sastre crossing the finish line with a pacifier in his mouth. Review the pictures below and vote on the right. And if you feel so bold, click on comments and let me know why you like that particular pose or if there is another one that should be added.

Victory at the Practice Crits

The photo is for Paul (Ray) who appreciates a good "victory salute." Best wishes to our teammate Angela who had her first crash (no fault of her own). Her bike appears to have made it unscathed but her body was not quite as lucky. However, it sounds like she will be back on the bike soon. Get well soon, Angela.

Motorpacing and Sprint Training

During my daily review of the internet I stumbled across this old video of Gerolsteiner doing some motorpacing. I was in awe. You need to see this.

Entrainement sprint Gerolsteiner
by Petit_Brun

Thanks Tour de Tulsa

Unfortunately, the Tour de Tulsa was rained out and we were unable to participate in this great event. However, we were able to take advantage of the awesome route that this year's organizers put together for this event. Last Saturday, a large contingency of our team (and some individuals from other teams) took advantage of the marked 62 mile Tour de Tulsa route. It was a new route for me and I really enjoyed the roads. So, to whomever was responsible for this, "Thank you."

Tulsa Tough Registration

Don't forget to register for the Tulsa Tough. There is only 30 more spots available for the Men's Cat 5. Registration for both days was only $30. Even if you don't plan on racing, you should register so that I have fewer people to compete against.

The Giro on Universal Sports

Universal Sports has recently announced that it will be televising this year's Giro d'Italia. If you haven't watched the Giro before, it is--in my opinion--the most exciting Grand Tour of the three (with all due apologies to the Tour de France). This year should be even more exciting as it is the Centennial of the Giro and we will be witness to the return of Basso and Armstrong to the grand tours. Finally, let us not forget that American Levi Leipheimer is a favorite for this prestigious race. Universal Sports will air the three-week race -- which starts this Saturday -- with only live video (no commentary) at universalsports.com. (I am also looking for confirmation that UniversalHD wll air a taped, same-day show (with commentary) starting at 11 a.m. with re-airings from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 12 a.m..)

Riding in the Rain

This post might be too late as it looks like the week of rain might soon be behind us. However, I am willing to bet that we will all once again be faced with the prospect of riding in the rain. That's right...I said "riding in the rain." There is no reason to think that you have to call off a planned ride just becuase it is raining. Now, I am not advocating that you go for a ride in a torential downpour, but you can ride in these spring showers.

On Monday, Scott, James, Bryan, and I went out on the MNR. As soon as we left the parking lot the rain began to fall. We did contemplate turning around, but talked ourselves out of it. I think we all ended up having a good time and we were glad we rode. One of the best parts about riding in the rain is that so many people don't do it and you can really imagine yourself getting stronger while everyone else is sitting inside and dreading the weather.

Having said all of this, I think there is some information about riding in the rain that I can share. Hopefully, you can employ some of this on your next ride in the rain for a more enjoyable experience.

• Wear sunglasses. I was unable to wear mine last Monday because it was too dark out, but I kept having to dig dirt out of my eye. It might be worth getting glasses with clear or light colored lenses that you can use for these days. Oakley also make some lenses with a hydrophobic coating that repels water and dirt. They also sell this as an aftermarket treatment for other lenses. I wonder if applying some Rain-X to your lenses would work as well.
• Wear black socks. Alternatively, you can wear white socks and they will become black socks that you can wear on rain days from then on.
• Run less pressure in your tires (and make sure your tires are not worn out). I ran 110psi (I usually run 115psi) but I bet I could run a little less pressure. I will say that felt like I had adequate traction throughout the ride. If you think your tires are worn out, get to Tom's and buy some new ones.
• Brake early. We had some near misses as people didn't compensate for braking with wet pads on wet rims. This might be the hardest part about riding in the rain. Just remember to be thinking ahead and always know your "escape route". BTW, when was the last time you checked your brake pads? You might need to pick some of these up at Tom's as well.
• Wash your kit as soon as you get home. The white on my shorts looked pretty nasty after the ride, but they did come clean. On a side note, our pads are pretty comfortable when they are soaked in water.
• After the ride wipe your bike down, clean your tires and rims (lots of brake pad goo on those rims), and be sure to clean and lubericate your drivetrain.
• Rain jackets are optional. I find that these products do not breathe very well and I over heat when wearing one. If it is not cold outside, I don't think it matters much if you get wet.
• Wear shoe covers. Most cycling shoes are designed to allow adequate air flow, this means that they fill up with water fast. Some light shoe covers will keep your feet dry and might protect your socks as well. I am not talking about thermal shoe covers but simple lycra shoe covers.

I think that is all the advice I have for now. If you think of something I forgot, please comment on this post.

The Big Time?

Check out the list of upcoming races on VeloNews.com.

Felt's Prototype XC Racer

Felt is working on a new full-suspension bike for cross country racing.  There is a nice write-up about it on Velonews.  Currently, this bike is only available to Felt's sponsored riders, but I thought this next comment was interesting:

The brand’s dealers also had access to the frame for their own grassroots shop teams. 

Does that mean that Tom can get a hold of a protoype bike from Felt for our team?  If so, I might need to take up XC racing...

Joe Martin Stage Race

Don't forget that this weekend is the Joe Martin Stage Race.  There is no race day registration for this race, so if you want to participate, please be sure to register on-line.  Registration closes Thursday night.  

Monkey Light

I don't know...for whatever reason I feel the need to purchase some of these for a fixed gear.

Allen Lim's Rice Cakes

These rice cakes are great for carrying with you on long endurance training rides.  Having something salty and more filling is a nice alternative to sustaining on sweet gels and chews (not to mention energy drinks).  You will probably have most of the ingredients at home, but you should definitely use sushi rice.  I found that it was easy to make these after watching the short video.

1 cup sushi rice
2 cups water
salt to taste
2 eggs
olive oil for scrambling the eggs
cooked bacon bits
ham diced small (optional)
balsamic vinegar or soy sauce (optional)
ground black pepper
grated parmesan cheese