Team Tom's Bicycles

Ride Plans for 2/4 and 2/5

2012-02-03T10:06:00.002-06:00

We are trying something a little new for our weekend rides, so be sure to check out this more extensive post on what you can expect. There is a 38 mile, 50 mile, and 65 mile option and we will be riding the routes counterclockwise on both Saturday and Sunday. There is no scheduled rest stop for the 38 mile ride but the 50 and 65 mile rides will stop at a convenience store in Mounds, OK.

Saturday's ride departs at 9 AM and Sunday's ride leaves at 1 PM. All rides leave from the parking lot of Tom's Bicycles at 68th and Peoria. I hope to see you there.

Training and Racing

2012-02-01T14:39:00.000-06:00

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

2012-02-01T10:49:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-31T16:13:00.001-06:00

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:

</div><div><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66884114">Tom's Short (38 mi)</a><br/></div><div><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK</a></div><div>

</div><div><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66884868">Tom's Medium (50 mi)</a><br/></div><div><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK</a></div><div>

</div><div><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66886364">Tom's Long (65 mi)</a><br/></div><div><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK</a></div><div>

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

2012-01-29T09:19:00.001-06:00

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.

<p>&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66515658"&amp;amp;gt;Sapulpa - Kiefer - Pratville&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Ride Plans for Saturday 1/27

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

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.

</p><p><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66185132">Tom's to Bristow</a><br/></p><p><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK</a></p><p>

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

2012-01-20T13:51:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-18T14:37:00.000-06:00

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.)

<p>&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/64936870"&amp;amp;gt;Hitching Post to Sand Springs&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;</p>

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.

<p>&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/64939150"&amp;amp;gt;Hectorville - Haskell - Leonard&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Weekend Rides for 1/14 and 1/15

2012-01-12T15:02:00.003-06:00

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.

<p>&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/64021190"&amp;amp;gt;Coyote to Sand Springs&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

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).

<p>&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/64080716"&amp;amp;gt;Mounds to Sapulpa&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Ride Plans for 1/7 and 1/8

2012-01-06T13:48:00.001-06:00

Saturday's ride will head include Coyote Trail. The "Coyote Corner" convenience store will be our first rest stop (around mile 30). If the group is broken up, we will regroup here. On the way back, some people may elect to return the way we came (Avery Drive) and others might elect to get some more miles. The additional miles will be gained by riding the Wednesday Night Ride route in reverse (I hope that is what I have mapped).

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://www.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;mapmyride&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.com/routes/view/63084080"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Coyote and &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;WNR&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Reverse&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://www.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;mapmyride&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Sunday's ride will head out to Skiatook. We will stop at a convenience store just West of town to regroup and refuel (around mile 25). From here, we will head over to Lake Rd. and preview much of the Tall Chief road race course.

</p><p><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/63081172">Skiatook (back via Tall Chief)</a><br/></p><p><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK</a></p><p>

67 degrees

2012-01-06T13:32:00.003-06:00

Seems appropriate that I post about cycling in cold weather and Tulsa has two consecutive days (in January) of weather in the mid-to-high sixties. Figures...

Cycling in Cold Weather

2012-01-03T16:48:00.003-06:00

Tulsa was blessed with some pretty amazing weather in December. I know quite a few cyclists that took advantage of the weather (and time off from work) to get in lots of outdoor saddle time. But we all know that sooner-or-later the weather is going to get cold and no one wants to log that kind of base mile volume on a trainer.

Bicycling Magazine recently posted this article that does a pretty good job of explaining why cyclists get so cold in the winter and how to properly prepare for cold weather rides. It is an easy but informative read.

The Rapha Festive 500 Recap

2011-12-31T14:25:00.000-06:00

I had intended to provide a day-by-day account of the Rapha Festive 500, but then I realized that would be pretty boring (for me and for those who read this blog). Now that it is over, I wish I had better documented this effort.

The timing for the Festive 500 could not have been better. I had time in my training schedule to do some longer rides and we (Tulsa, OK) had fantastic weather this past week. I started out strong the first two days but then took Sunday and Monday off for family Christmas-time activities. My family is pretty understanding of my need to ride but my legs were so tired after riding several hundred kilometers the previous two days that I welcomed the break.

Since I had to go back to work on Tuesday, I commuted every day and tried to log some extra kilometers on the way home. Commuting to and from work by bike is something I used to do all the time; however, I was letting the weather and lack of sunlight be an excuse to drive - instead of ride - to work. The Rapha Festive 500 reminded me that commuting to work is an excellent way to get some training in, save some money, and mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming day.

On the last possible day I logged my final 67 km to complete the goal. I had some help along the way and they deserve some thanks. Thanks to my teammates and riders of other teams who also participated in the Festive 500 for keeping me motivated and for joining me on several of these rides. Thanks to my coach for working with my training schedule to allow me to participate in the Festive 500 (although he probably thinks it means 500 miles instead of kilometers). Most importantly, thanks to my wife for pushing me out the door to make sure I got my kilometers in and for being understanding of the time commitments to meet this goal.

For everyone that took on the Rapha Festive 500, I offer my congratulations. I tip my drink to you and I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year.

Rapha Festive 500 - Day 1 Recap

2011-12-24T05:57:00.000-06:00

This is a team blog (not my personal blog), so I wanted to write this from the perspective of everyone who participated in this ride. Unfortunately, that is a lot harder than it sounds. Therefore, you are stuck with getting this from my perspective.

It was an atypical Winter day in Tulsa. Yes it was only 32 degrees outside, but on the plains, winter weather is usually accompanied by a bitter cold wind blowing at least 15 MPH. On Friday, we had plenty of sunshine and relatively no wind. I left the house on my trusty winter bike (a fixed gear with fenders and lights) and headed to the shop. Here I met up with Travis, Mike, and Jess. We continued along the river to the official ride starting point to meet up with 7 others interested in riding 500 km before January 1.

The route took us out to Skiatook where we refueled and then headed back via the Dam. I hadn't been on this road since racing the Tulsa Spring Classic - Tall Chief. I had forgotten how much climbing was involved and being on the fixie added some additional challenges.

I wanted to take some pictures but I was hesitant to take my gloves off and try to dig my phone out from several layers of clothing. It was a great ride with some great company. A great way to start the Rapha 500 and I look forward to more rides like this in the coming days.

Ride to Redemption 12/23

2011-12-22T12:48:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow is the first day of Rapha's Festive 500. If you are in the Tulsa, OK area, feel free to join us in the "Monday Night Ride parking lot" (just North of the Blue Rose parking lot) at 1:00 PM December 23 for a 44 mile ride to kick this event off. Some of us will be riding fixed gear bikes, so the pace should be pretty mellow. Besides, we are all just happy to be on our bikes.

See the map below for our route plan.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/61438228"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Ride to Redemption - 12/23&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Tulsa, OK"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Tulsa, OK&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Rapha's Festive 500

2011-12-21T06:48:00.000-06:00

Rapha is throwing down the metaphorical gauntlet and challenging us to ride our bikes this holiday season in The Festive 500. The goal of this event is to ride 500 km (about 310.7 miles) between December 23 and January 1. As I have stated before, it is a good time to get in some base miles, so the timing is perfect. Additionally, spending 17 hours (or so) on the bike between Christmas and New Year's Day means 17 hours that you are not at home grazing on treats and other fattening foods. The timing of this event is also nice as I have a couple of days off from work.

Since I am going to be participate in The Festive 500 I will try to completely chronicle my rides. Strava will be used to track my miles (I mean kilometers) for this event and I will update this blog with stories and (hopefully) pictures. You can check back often to see if there are updates or follow us on Twitter. Better yet, why don't you just give me a call and we can go for a ride?

For a Better 2012

2011-09-28T06:33:00.002-05:00

As the 2011 road and criterium season comes to an end, it is a good time to reflect on your past performance, determine what your goals are for next year, identify obstacles that will prevent you from achieving those goals, and seek solutions to overcoming those obstacles.

Looking around my team, I noticed quite a few people who "burned out" a bit this year. This is understandable. Our race season is pretty long with road races starting in late February and (important) races running until mid-September. It is impossible to be "on" for all of these races, so it is necessary to determine what races are important to you and create a training plan that will physically and mentally prepare you for these races.

For me, I approached this year with no known goals and expectations from myself...and my results certainly showed that lack of focus and commitment. I know I am not going to make money racing my bike and there are a lot of things more important to me than winning a bike race. But--since I have chosen to race my bike--I owe it to my family (who I "ignore" 12+ hrs a week to train), my team (who counts on me to perform), and myself to ensure that I getting the most out of this endeavor.

For most people, identifying identifying "A" races is pretty easy. Determining your race limiters, constructing a training plan to overcome those limiters, and executing this plan is definitely the hard part. So how do you go about making sure that next year is better than last year?

If the above paragraph does not make any sense to you, the first thing you need to do is buy and read The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel. The information in this book will provide all of the necessary information you need to understand how to prepare for your goal events and is a good foundation to all other training resources. This book should be read by any competitive cyclist.

Once you have read the above book, you might be able to put together a training plan to help you achieve your goals. (If your training plan is just a number of miles or hours per week, you did something wrong. Try again.) However, you might still find yourself unsure of what to do next.

One option you could investigate is finding an on-line training plan. These have the advantage of being relatively cheap and, when followed, will probably make you a stronger cyclist. The disadvantage is that they do not offer much flexibility, do not care if you miss a workout, and know nothing about your "A race limiters".

Yet another option worth exploring is getting a coach. This is by far the most expensive option, but it is also the best option. A good coach works with you to understand your race goals and even helps you set your goals. A coach will analyze your weaknesses and develop a training plan to overcome those weaknesses. A coach can help you get back on track with your training when illness or work derails your training schedule. A coach holds you accountable for doing your workouts and achieving your goals.

As I mentioned earlier, a coach is definitely the most expensive option, but it also has the makings to be the most successful option. I have recently started to work with a coach and I can see the benefits already. No...in three weeks I have not seen measurable improvement; but I have been more consistent with my training, I have been riding with purpose, and every time I get off my bike I feel like I achieved something. (Oh...and I have seen some improvement in my watts/kg numbers.) If working with a coach is an option available to you, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

Power Demands of Cross

2011-09-22T14:03:00.003-05:00

Last Tuesday was my first cyclocross race and I think I really liked it. But I also think I would like it if someone hit me in the face repeatedly and then, after several minutes, stopped. I am pretty sure that is why people like cross...it feels so good when it is over because it hurts so much while riding.

I decided to combine my interest in cyclocross with my interest in training with power. Google definitely makes this research easier and I found lots of articles that touch on the power demands of cross and how to utilize this information to train for this unique cycling discipline. When I get the chance to read through all of these articles, I will combine the collected information into a single post on this site.

In the meantime, I need to update the blog to keep things fresh around here. Therefore, I am going to share this video I found on Mud and Cowbells which specifically addresses this topic.

Pandora

2011-09-08T13:05:00.002-05:00

When I ride my bike, I like to listen to music. I don't do this when I am in a group ride or when I am on the road, but I definitely listen to music when riding on the trails and on my trainer. It doesn't matter how often I update my music, I eventually get tired of listening to my own library.

Last year I started using Pandora on my iPhone; however, I have not been able to create the perfect "station" for training sessions. This shouldn't be a problem anymore. Pandora has announced a collection of workout stations. I am listening to the "Alternative Endurance Station" right now and it is pretty good. (I just hope that "Train in Vain" by the Clash is not foreshadowing my results for next season.)

Catching Up

2011-08-28T19:59:00.001-05:00

I received this comment yesterday from "Anonymous":

Who ever up dates this site is lame. Come on now update since April????

You might think this would make me mad, but it doesn't for a couple of reasons. First, there is probably a 50% chance my wife left this comment. Second, they are spot on...I am lame. So with that in mind, I guess I will give this blog another shot.

I'm not sure where I am going to go with this blog, but cyclocross season is coming up and this will be my first year to race cross. Several other members of Team Tom's are going to be racing this year as well. My guess is that some hijinx will ensue and more than a few good stories should come out of this. In the meantime, here are some things I think are worth passing on.

This has been an unbearably hot summer in Tulsa. In fact, it might very well be the hottest summer in record (if not, it is close). I am not sure what the deal is this year (getting older?) but I have not been able to acclimate to the heat as well this year. One thing that has been really hard is hydration. Drinking 6-8 bottles of liquid during a 3 hour ride is hard. If I just drink water, I run out of electrolytes. If I try to drink sports drinks my stomach quickly gets irritated by the sweet taste. Enter Allen Lim and his "Secret Drink Mix". Long-time followers of this Blog (all 4 of you) know that I am a fan of Allen Lim and reading this article has resulted in me placing an order for this product. My hope is that this fills some missing piece of my on-bike nutrition. I will try to post a review once I get a chance to try this product out.
As I mentioned earlier, 2011 will be my first cyclocross season. I wish I could embed this video, but the site won't let me. Still, you should go check it out. It is a nice video about cyclocross racing in CO. Not only is the video informative and motivating, it is nicely produced. Check out the rest of the Mud and Cowbells while you are there...some good stuff.

I think that is enough for now. I have some more ideas of things to write about and links to share, but I don't want to waste 5 months worth of repressed content in one post. So whoever you are, "Anonymous," thanks for the comment and getting me to write again.

Paris Roubaix @ 4000 FPS

2011-04-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

If you follow this blog (and I wouldn't blame you for not doing so since I haven't posted since last Thanksgiving), you know that very little of what I post is original. Usually it is just sharing information that I find interesting and relevant in all of the other cycling websites and blogs that I read on a daily basis. Well this particular video has popped up on just about every site I follow, so I decided to watch it. If you haven't seen it yet, please take two and a half minutes out of your life to watch it. I think you will find that it is well worth your time.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-22T10:36:00.000-06:00

It's Thanksgiving week and I am definitely ready for some time off from work. I was going to provide some useful tips on training in the winter but I instead opted to re-post one of my favorite clips from last year. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Decoupling and Metabolic Efficiency

2010-11-12T06:43:00.000-06:00

The 2010 race season is all but over, the holidays will soon find us neglecting our bike and diet, and the 2011 race season will be here before we know it (I can't believe my first race is less than 4 months away). We have been blessed with some good weather and our rides have been more about hanging out with friends and enjoying the outdoors than they have been about "training". But the truth is, every ride should have specific objectives.

In order to help you understand what those objectives should be I want to introduce you to two concepts for base training: decoupling and metabolic efficiency.

We have all been taught that base miles are LSD (long, slow/steady, distance) in Zone 2 heart rate designed to build aerobic endurance. Joe Friel introduces us to the concept of Decoupling in this excellent post about the aerobic base ride. To summarize the concept, imagine a chart where you graph a straight horizontal line that represents your hear rate in Zone 2 over time. If you graphed power output on this same chart your power output would, over time, start to drop off while maintaining the same heart rate. The goal of the aerobic base ride is to build your aerobic endurance or, more specifically, increase the amount of time/distance before your power output begins to "decouple" from your heart rate.

The second concept I would like to introduce to you is Metabolic Efficiency. We have all heard of the term "fat burning zone". The idea is that you workout at a pace that burns more fat from our bodies. We are burning calories all the time, but the amount of effort that we are exerting determines if our body consumes those calories from fat or from glycogen stores. I will spare you some of the science behind this, but as intensity increases there become a crossover point when we go from using a higher percentage of fat than glycogen for these calories to getting a majority of these calories from glycogen. The problem is that there is a limited amount of glycogen stored in our bodies and burning it also has some negative byproducts (lactic acid for instance). This means that once our efforts exceed this crossover point, we have a limited amount of time before our bodies tell us to start slowing down. One goal of base training is to help push that crossover point to higher levels of effort. In other words, improving our Metabolic Efficiency. This is done through a combination of proper training and, more importantly, proper nutrition. If you want to learn more about this concept, I recommend this article on Metabolic Training for Athletes and this article by the same author.

Hopefully this will give you something to think about during those long, cold, dark, but fun training rides this winter.

Now This Information I Can Use

2010-10-25T14:23:00.000-05:00

Every morning when I wake up I grab a cup (pot) of coffee and start reading through my RSS feeds that follow many cycling-related sites. These sites present a host of product reviews (more often than not a re-hash of the manufacturer's press release), race reports (you are better off watching the last 10k of a race on YouTube than reading a race report), and training tips. The training tips are the things that I find most intriguing but more often than not, they fall a little short (in other words, I haven't found any tips that will make me really fast without putting in the necessary time and effort). But every once in a while, I find an article that answers a question that you have never actually asked and then wonder why you haven't. This article on BikeRadar does just that.

The Wattage List

2010-09-15T10:33:00.000-05:00

When I first started using a power meter to facilitate my training and measure my performance, I found two very helpful sources of information. The first was the book Training and Racing with a Power Meter by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan PhD. The second source of valuable informaton was the Wattage Google Group . As with all internet sources, you have to sometimes weed through the posted data to find valid and helpful information. For the most part, the discussions available in the Wattage List is very helpful; and sometimes, the discussions go down this path:

Thanks to the Peaks Coaching Group Facebook Page for being one of my newest sources of power training information and for sharing the above video.

Cross Training

2010-09-03T06:16:00.002-05:00

For the most part, the road racing season is behind us and the truly dedicated are gearing up for cyclocross season. The demands of cross racing are different than your typical road race, so your training should be modified to meet those demands.

If specificity is the key to training, then racing cross is the best way to train for a cyclocross race. Those of us in (or near) Tulsa, OK are lucky enough to have a weekly cross training race presented by Team Air Assurance. The first race is September 7 starting at 4:30 PM and will take place near the Skate Park on the West Bank of the Arkansas River.

In addition to the weekly training races, Mark Teruki of Teruki Training is hosting a Cross Seminar on September 12 to teach the basics. Check back for time and location, or follow @TerukiTraining on Twitter.

Finally, you might want to add some specific workouts to your training week to better prepare for your goal event. This recent article in VeloNews offers three different workouts to help make you a lean, mean, cross-racing machine.

No cross for me this year, but I will be out there with a cowbell and a beer to offer support.

Roll with a Good Crew

2010-08-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

It's the Friday before Hotter 'n Hell and I already miss my team. My season came to a premature end and I decided not to go to this race, but I am already missing the camaraderie that you can only experience by traveling with a team. Primavera, Mineral Wells, Wichita...these were my favorite races of the year. Not because the courses were killer, the weather sublime, or the results outstanding. These were my favorite races because of the experiences I had with my teammates on and off the course. I just stumbled upon this article from Embrocation Cycling Journal called Roll with a Good Crew and I realized that I shouldn't take these experiences for granted. So to all my teammates who are at Wichita Falls, TX this weekend, good luck and have a great time and thanks for all you have given me this year.

P.S. Back by popular demand is the @TeamToms Twitter feed gadget. Enjoy!

Finding the Right Saddle

2010-08-24T05:11:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just me, but the search for the perfect saddle is akin to the search for for the Holy Grail. Even if I am saddle sore and numbness free I wonder if there is not another saddle out there that would offer me additional comfort (especially on those 5 hour rides). I did find this article on finding the right saddle to offer some decent guidance on what to look for in my next saddle. I think this off-season is going to be a good time to try some new offerings and really find the right saddle for me. If you have any recommendations out there, please let me know.

Fueling for a Hot 100 Mile Ride

2010-08-11T13:08:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I passed on some helpful material in the blog. Coming back from the incredible Summer weather in Colorado, I find myself less and less interested in riding in the unrelenting hot weather of Oklahoma. But Hotter 'n Hell will soon be upon us so training in the heat is necessary to perform well in these conditions. On Monday, I received a newsletter from First Endurance and I found this article on nutrition and hydration strategies for endurance cyclists particularly pertinent. I have had some success with the Liquid Shot this year but I have not tried their other products. I would be interested in any first-hand reviews of the First Endurance products specifically the EFS Drink.

All in the Family

2010-08-03T05:11:00.000-05:00

I read this post on Glenn's blog--Sprinting the Bell Lap. I share the same sentiment as Glenn, so I am re-posting it here in its entirety (without his permission).

Joining a cycling club or team is a rite of passage for the fledgling cyclist. You have the choice of joining some clubs by just signing up and paying a small fee and then buying their kit, proving to the world that you ride for a team. Other teams are semi-selective and you get nominated by a current team member. Some of the elite teams ask, or invite you to be a part of their team.

I joined a small first time team, with a single bike shop as the sponsor, a little over a year ago. My wife knew one of the founding members and so I had my "in".

I had no idea at the time, but I didn't join a team or a club. I became a member of a family. We don't have a Mom or a Dad, but we do have Moms and Dads. There is a Godfather, an el Jefe, a Brown Bear, the infamous la Verde, and a Doc or three. We have "Workers" and "Winners", but no losers. We function as a family and we have our problems, but what family doesn't?

When I pull on the bib straps and zip up the jersey for a ride or a race, it is not for the sponsor on my kit. (Although they are very important). It is for my family. We ride and race together, but we also are there for each other off the bike.

We are leaving to go to Colorado to ride. It's not a race, it is for fun. We tell everyone we are going for "training", but we know the truth. Will we gain some fitness, sure, what we are doing is pretty much like the summer trips you went on with your family.

I was very disappointed when Frank crashed out of the Tour, because I love to see him ride, but more importantly I love to see Andy and Frank work together selflessly. They get so excited when the other wins. I see that with my team, I mean family. When someone gets a podium or does well we are ecstatic for them, as they would be for us. We are not driven by results, we do what we do because we have fun doing it. Together

More Felt 2011 Info

2010-07-28T07:13:00.000-05:00

BikeRumor.com has provided an additional look at Felt's 2011 line. There are some good looking bikes here. I don't think there will be many people buying the $12,499 Di2 equipped F1 or DA (I really want to...but it isn't going to happen) but I am anxious to see the rest of the models.

New Felt F1

2010-07-25T06:15:00.001-05:00

The 2010 road bike season is coming towards an end and companies have started to unveil their 2011 offerings. One bike of particular interest to me is the new Felt F1. The new frame is said to be 20 percent lighter than the previous F1 SL and is now stiffer than the F1 Sprint. The new bike should be available in Fall 2011 and I know a bike shop that would be happy to get one of these for you. Until it is available, you can read more about it here.

Get Dirty

2010-07-16T08:34:00.000-05:00

It appears that MC SpandX (who brought us the Internet sensation Performance) has taken his talents to the trails.

TdF 2010 Stage 3 (Spoiler Alert)

2010-07-07T15:58:00.000-05:00

The following recap of Stage 3 comes from Glenn. It is an entertaining read and an great recap. For the record, I don't have a problem with cobbles in a three week race. I think the winner of the Tour should be the best all-around cyclist and not just the individual that climbs the best with the least sucky time trial.

Cobbles, I love 'em and I hate 'em. The question is do they belong in a three week race, or save them for the classics? Talk amongst yourselves.

What a stage, my guy Frank hit the pave and broke his collarbone. Cobbles BAD I like Frank, he makes me look HUGE. ASO better apologize to Jens or he will attack and attack until he spins the world backward, goes back in time and destroys the ASO before they were born.

Chavanel looses the yellow because of multiple bike changes/flat tires. Cobbles BAD or BAD luck? Don't think for a min that he can't ride cobbles, he can Check out Flanders and Roubaix of '09 he put it down for his team. He is French, but rides for a Belgium squad. I say bad luck.

Saxo went FULL GAS and destroyed the field (looked like a classic). Cobbles Good Thor was in there, big surprise, Fabian owns the cobbles (really he does, he has two sitting on his mantel at home). Andy was glued to Fabian's wheel (tricky mechanics and tubular glue, sticky stuff, try getting it out of your jersey). Did I see a Rainbow jersey up there? I did I did see a Rainbow jersey. Where did Evans come from dude from down-under is killin' and no one is taking notice-- you better, this guy can podium. I will spare you the Contador/Lance line, you have already heard it 20 times by now.

Vino drops Contador (flat tire) in the last 250m. Mistake or Plan?

Ryder, Ryder, Ryder, there is something Canadian aboot that guy. Did you see the big hole in his jersey? He kept dropping HAMMERS out of it. He gets Caught by the World RR & TT Champs, and has enough left in the tank to hang on and then contest the sprint. Little known fact: Ryder was a b'dass MNT Biker.

Side Note: If Fabian was not babysitting he would have won the stage solo by 5min.

RAD

2010-06-04T15:56:00.002-05:00

I am behind with my race reports for the Windy 100 and the Wichita Spring Omnium. Additionally, Tulsa Tough begins tonight, so the butterflies are starting early. But BikeRumor.com posted this clip from the movie RAD and I felt obligated to share it. Hopefully this will keep my reader(s) occupied until I can fill everyone in on the race results.

McClure Elementary Bike Club

2010-05-24T10:04:00.004-05:00

Team Tom's Bicycles (with help from our sponsor Tom's Bicycles and other donations) partnered with Tulsa Hub, a non-profit cycling group in Tulsa, to form a "bike club" at McClure Elementary. Tulsa Hub provided USA Cycling certified instructors who conducted 8 weeks of bike training and safety education to 30 students who participated in this club. Team Tom's Bicycles purchased a bike, lock, and helmet for each child to use during this instruction and, on their last day of training, arrived at their school to let them know that these bikes were theirs to keep.

Joe Martin Stage Race

2010-05-24T09:29:00.001-05:00

I intended to do a real nice write up of the Joe Martin Stage Race that would do this race justice. However, I found it pretty difficult to write a good race report. I think this is because I did not race at this event and/or because there was so much to talk about. My fear was that I would lose the audience before the post was finished. However, this race deserves some commentary and I need to get something posted so that I can fill my loyal reader(s) in on some other--more current--activities. As a result, here are the high points in a nutshell:

Bryan Fissel finished 2nd in the Cat 4 Men's Road Race
Ryan Bowers finished 3rd in the Cat 5 Men's General Classification
Travis West finished 5th in the Cat 5 Men's General Classification

My apologies to everyone who participated in this race. I fully acknowledge that this post does not properly emphasize the amount of effort everyone gave in this event.

The Race of Truth (Lessons Learned)

2010-04-29T10:15:00.010-05:00

I got my butt handed to me during the time trial at the Mineral Wells Stage Race. I am not going to sugarcoat it because I am hoping that this humiliation will fuel me to perform better in future time trial events. So what went wrong? Several factors impacted my finishing time:

Lack of preparation.
Lack of sufficient warm-up.
Lack of equipment.

Lack of Preparation. Oddly enough, this time trial was my first ever "race against the clock". I guess I just didn't see the need to pay money to participate in a time trial. OKC Velo hosts several time trial events in Oklahoma City and the Tulsa Wheelmen are now sponsoring a monthly time trial series. So it looks like there will be some additional time trials in my future. In addition to understanding pacing strategies and pushing your physical limits, these "practice" time trials will help dial in one's warm-up protocol (2) and equipment (3). The goal of these events is to work on eliminating the 10 common mistakes when participating in a time trial.

Lack of Sufficient Warm-Up. Have you ever seen the Pro Tour riders warming up before a time trial? They have sweat pouring off of them as they prepare their cardiovascular and muscular systems for the effort that is about to be demanded from them. It was cold, windy, and raining at Mineral Wells; so my warm-up consisted of getting on my bike, making sure my PowerTap was working, and then heading to the start line. You don't have to be an expert to know this is not really a warm up. I knew better, I just didn't care...until it was too late. Searching the Internet for "time trial warm up" yields some pretty good articles, but I found this article from PezCyclingNews.com to be one of the better ones.

Lack of Equipment. I find it a little hard to believe that this was a limitation for me since I love to spend money on my bike and buy new things. But I did not even have aerobars for my bike. This is unacceptable. You have to be able to get low and narrow on your bike so that you can punch through the wind. The goal is to decrease your aerodynamic drag as much as possible without limiting the amount of power you can put to the pedals. Recently, VeloNews published an excellent article that analyzed the impact of individual equipment on aerodynamic drag. CyclingTipsBlog.com took this article one step further and did a cost vs. benefit analysis of this equipment. I highly recommend that you read this article before your next time trial.

Start Easy. Finish Hard.

2010-04-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

I guess I am going to have to change our weekend group rides so that we start out going with the wind and come back home into the wind. I found this article on Pro Training Secrets to be interesting.

Mineral Wells Stage Race

2010-04-19T13:56:00.002-05:00

Last weekend some of the Cat 4 men (Aaron, Bryan, Glenn, James, Kevin, Scott, and myself) descended upon Graford, TX to participate in the Mineral Wells Stage Race. This new event on the racing calendar was particularly intriguing because it offered rolling enclosures for the road race and a Team GC category. A stage race adds some additional variables to the racing equation and we knew that it would be necessary for us to be on the same page. We agreed before we left that our primary goal would be to win the Team GC competition for this race.

Let me just go ahead and get this piece out of the way...the weather sucked. I think Glenn described it best when he said, "Get dressed, jump in a cooler, turn a fan on, and have someone spray you with water from a garden hose." All weekend long the weather would be cold, windy, and raining. Everything I own is wet and I think every bearing in my bike needs to be replaced.

The first stage was a 50 mile road race (2 x 25 mile loop) with one big climb. 5, 3, and 1 point sprint bonuses were up for grabs at the Start/Finish of lap 1 and 5, 3, and 1 point King of the Mountain bonuses were available at the top of the climb on lap 2. A bad strategy and even worse execution of that strategy (my fault) would doom us in this race and our best placed finisher was Scott in 12th place. The only high point of this race is that I managed to place first in the intermediate sprint. We went back to the hotel, cleaned up, and tried to get mentally and physically prepared before going back out in the elements for the time trial.

Stage 2 was a 6.3 mile time trial that started with slight rise, descended for a bit, and then ended with 1.5 mile climb. I expected to see some bikes with aero bars installed but I was surprised to see how many people showed up with time trial bikes, skin suits, and aero helmets. Clearly these riders were taking this stage more seriously than I was. Glenn, by far, had the best ride of the team and he placed a very impressive 10th against some much better prepared (read: equipped) riders. If I ever do another time trial, I will be sure to install aero bars and—based on some studies I have read—probably wear an aero helmet.

Going into stage 3's road race (same rules and course as stage 1), we were out of the running for any individual GC honors, and in second place on the team GC by 16 points. We knew our primary goal (the team GC) was still in reach if we would just ride a smart race and place 3 people “high” and ahead of anyone from the 1st place team. In the final kilometer of the first lap, Glenn was sitting in second wheel and Bryan and I moved up the pack. Glenn burst around the lead rider and Bryan, myself, and then Kevin jumped on his wheel and we claimed all 9 sprint points. We then sat back in for the rest of the race. In the last kilometer on the second lap we were lined up with Bryan, Glenn, Kevin and me on the right side. The peloton shifted to the left and I yelled at Glenn to go. Glenn accelerated around Bryan with Kevin and me on his wheel. Someone tried to get on our train by riding through Bryan but he managed to stay upright. (I was right behind him when this happened and I have no idea how he saved it.) Glenn shot out of the pack leading Kevin and me out. Kevin was super strong and powered his way to first place. I was looking to make it a Tom's 1-2 when another rider came around my left side and pipped me at the line. Glenn managed to hold on for fifth and Bryan recovered from his incident to finish sixth. Our performance netted us another 75 points for the team competition and we secured first place in the Team GC.

It really was a fun weekend in which we all experienced some high points and some low points. The race was run very well as all of the volunteers, organizers, officials, and deputies (the Sheriff department managed the rolling enclosures) were friendly, knowledgeable, and supportive. If the weather had cooperated it would have been the perfect weekend. Ultimately this race reminded me that I am really lucky to be riding with this team. It didn’t matter if we were losing, winning, or just hanging out…we were selflessly supporting each other and we were having fun doing it.

Paris-Roubaix

2010-04-09T10:47:00.001-05:00

2 days until Paris-Roubaix and I have been anticipating this race all year. this race has never disappointed me in the past and I don't expect this year to be any different (although I wish it was going to rain on Sunday). Michael Barry has updated his blog with video from a training ride on the course. I am not responsible for the pop disco soundtrack.

I posted it last year, but it never gets old. Here is a clip about the 2001 race from "Road to Paris". When I watch this, I can't help but think that more Americans would enjoy cycling as a spectator sport if they had exposure to more races like the Classics instead of just Le Tour.

Cipressa Descent

2010-03-22T13:52:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday was the 101st Edition of Milan-Sanremo. Thanks to UniversalSports.com, I was able to watch this race while Mother Nature was dumping snow across Oklahoma. After 274 km of riding, the pros have to climb the Cipressa. The climb is challenging enough, but then they have to go down it. I don't think I have seen another pro race where downhill skills play such a pivotal part in the outcome. Gaps were opening up all over the place on this descent and had, in my opinion, as much to say about the final results as any other factor in the race. Michael Barry uploaded this video taken from Jaun Antonio Flecha's helmet cam as he descended this climb on practice ride. Pretty cool stuff.

Monthly Time Trial Series

2010-03-19T14:23:00.001-05:00

In addition to the Tuesday Night Criteriums, the Tulsa Wheelmen have organized a Monthly Time Trial Series for 2010. The time trial will take place on the second Thursday of each month at Mohawk Park on a closed course. I know many of you are keen on time trials (for the life of me, I don't know why) so I thought I would pass on this information.

If you think about it, we are pretty lucky to have an organization like the Wheelmen to promote and organize cycling events in Tulsa. So the next time you see a Wheelman (or woman) out on the road, take a minute to thank them for all they do. Be especially grateful to the volunteers that you see out at the Tuesday night crits and now the monthly Time Trials.

Primavera 2010

2010-03-02T13:43:00.000-06:00

Last weekend James, Scott, Johnny K., Bryan, Ryan, and I traveled to Austin to participate in La Primavera at Lago Vista. The two day race is made up of a 5.5 mile loop that travels around a resort community. On the second day, the loop is shortened to 4.4 miles and you increase the number of laps appropriately. The course is pretty straight forward with the first half being primarily uphill and the second half becoming a swoopy downhill with an up-hill kicker at the start/finish line.

Ryan went first in the Cat 4/5 race and did a much better job of representing Team Tom's than those of us that participated last year. There were some ringers in his field, but Ryan managed to hang on to place 13th on Saturday and 10th on Sunday. Since I wasn't in this race, I don't have many details to share with you. But it was impressive to see Ryan racing all by himself against some stacked teams and good talent. I think he learned some important lessons in these races and I am excited to see how he implements those in the coming weeks.

About 75 riders started the Cat 4 race on Saturday. Unfortunately, Texas likes to place blue reflectors in the middle of roads to indicate the presence of fire hydrants and they love implementing fire hydrants. These are placed in the worst possible place for a bike race and were the cause of a few crashes. The first crash came on the lap 1. I was able to slow up, ride around the crash, and then chase back on. Johnny K. had to come to a complete stop to avoid the crash and then chase back on. Unfortunately, this effort would take too much out of him.

At the end of the second lap, I got tired of being yo-yoed on the back and moved to the top 10 on the downhill. (If you are wondering what Scott, Bryan, and James are doing, they are chilling in the top third of the group and avoiding the chaos.) At the start of lap three (of seven), I was passing a rider on the left when he tried to sprint out of the saddle and he stuck his shoulder into my rib cage. Luckily, I was able to keep my balance but I lost some of my nerve. Right before the downhill, James rode past Bryan and I and announced, "it's about to go." As we turned towards the downhill, the pack was in a dead sprint. I pushed the pedals as hard as I could, but the distance between me and the pack continued to grow and the riders behind me started to pass…my race was over. I finished that lap and one more before calling it quits.

James, Bryan, and Scott continued to race smart and controlled. On the last lap, a rider hit one of the blue reflectors, lost control of his bike, and went down. James and Scott had nowhere to go and crashed into him. Amazingly, they did not get hurt and the only damage was to Scott's front tire and saddle. Bryan was not involved in the crash and sprinted up the finishing climb with the pack, crossing in sixth place, and picking up $40 in cash for his efforts. In that instant, Bryan fulfilled a dream of his and got paid to ride his bike.

For me, the coolest part of the trip was after this race. A rider from the Ft. Worth are came up to Bryan and asked him how he did. After Bryan told him he was in the top 10, the guy replied, "I think I got Top 10 as well. I was keying off of you guys since I knew you would be in the mix. I really like riding with you guys. You ride a smart race." It turns out that this guy was at Hotter 'n' Hell last year and was pretty impressed with our team. This was a huge compliment and I felt a lot of pride in our team after his comments.

Sunday's race was a little different. The field was smaller and probably had 55-60 riders in it. Luckily, we didn't have any crashes but the wind was picking up before the race started and continued to get worse throughout the day. On lap 6, the peloton ramped the pace in the crosswind section and I got gapped. I chased back on but was in the gutter and got dropped. I was able to work with two guys from Sugar Cycles to catch back on, but the damage was done. I moved up to the top third of the group on the downhill to better position myself for the wind on the next lap. But once again, I found myself in the gutter and got dropped. This time there would be no bridge. James, Bryan, and Scott continued to ride a smart race and on the last lap James and Bryan even attacked the group. Bryan crossed the line in 12th position (three guys managed to escape from the peloton) and Scott crossed with the peloton as well. James paid a bit for his attack and came in just after the peloton.

All in all, it was a good weekend of racing. We (Bryan) made some money, no one got seriously hurt (maybe just my ego), and we had a great time in Austin. It's going to be a good year...

Shut Up Legs

2010-02-10T08:15:00.002-06:00

An American in Belgium

2010-02-05T13:07:00.000-06:00

In late December and early January I was reading about the exploits of American cyclocross racer Pete Weber on Mud and Cowbells. Today I stumbled upon these videos of a slideshow Pete presented once he returned stateside. When I clicked on the first video and saw it was 10 minutes long I thought I would watch for a little bit and then lose interest. However, I found that the videos to be very interesting, informative, and entertaining. The whole presentation is broken down into 7 videos of about 8-10 minutes each. I think the whole presentation ends up being about an hour. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend watching this presentation.

Snow Day

2010-01-30T07:01:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week I planned on writing a post about how I was done talking about "off-season" training and that it was time to start "getting serious". Apparently Mother Nature wanted something else to say about that, so I am once again snowed in. This weekend I will fight a range of emotions that will include depression, anxiousness, boredom, and solitude all because I can't get out and ride. But there is some good news...

The UCI Cyclocross World Championships are taking place this weekend and you can watch the Elite Men's race on Sunday, January 31 at 11:00 AM CST thanks to UniversalSports.com. The World Championships are taking place in similar conditions to what we are experiencing in Tulsa, OK. So, not only will we be able to relate to the conditions, we might even get motivated to bundle up, grab the mountain or cross bike, and go for a ride (or at least get motivated to drink a beer and eat some frites like the spectators will be doing).

Cyclocross is growing in popularity year-after-year and it is expected to really catch on in the United States. In fact, Louisville, Kentucky has just been named as the location for the 2013 World Championships.

So get on your trainer, do some stretching, work on your core strength, shovel your driveway, watch the world championships on-line, or have a drink. Just be sure to do something that keeps you in a good mental state as we have a long season ahead of us and plenty of time to truly suffer.

Time to Ride

2010-01-15T08:08:00.000-06:00

Much like my training this winter, this blog has been neglected. Is it just me, or has this winter been a lot worse than previous winters? The good news is that things are starting to shape up. The ice/snow has melted, weather is improving, the days are gettting longer, and pro cycling has returned (the Tour Down Under starts on Monday, January 19). This means that it is time to get back on that bike and start puting in some miles.

I was checking out the Ritte Van Vlandanderen blog today when I ran across this gem. Sounds about right...

With Apologies to My Wife

2009-12-10T10:47:00.002-06:00

I was reading a "new to me" blog when I came across this video. As I watched this, I had to laugh at myself as I am sure that Jennifer and I have had a conversation very similar to this one in the past. Let's be clear, I am a 35 year old amateur Cat 4 cyclist that is trying to not get dropped by riders half my age (or worse, twice my age). Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in a hobby and you forget about what is truly important. This video is a nice reminder to not take cycling so seriously and that my wife must really love me to put up with this stuff. (Warning: there is some "bad" language at the end of the clip.)

Aerobic Base Training

2009-12-01T06:18:00.002-06:00

Anyone tired of me writing and talking about Aerobic Base Training? Joe Friel just posted a fantastic article about the aerobic base ride. Pay special attention to the section regarding the decoupling of heart rate versus power output. For those of you riding with power meters, this is a good way to review your workouts to see what adjustments you need to make to your training.

If you see significant decoupling at the 2 hour mark, then your endurance rides should stay in the 2-2.5 hour range until you see some improvement. If you are not seeing significant decoupling after 3 hours then you can decide if you want to ride longer in order to continue build your aerobic base or be content with your results.

Cyclocross Results

2009-11-25T14:18:00.000-06:00

I stopped by Tom's Bicycles the other day to purchase some necessities and our very own Daniel was working. Before I left I remembered that Daniel is the one member of our team that is racing 'cross this year. When I pressed him for results I realized that he has been doing really well and I have been completely neglecting this part of our sport. So next year I say we all race cyclocross. In the meantime, here are Daniel's results:

4th @ Chandler Park Cyclocross (Cat 4 Men)
8th @ Post Oak Lodge Cyclocross (Cat 3 Men)
2nd @ Oklahoma Cyclocross Championships (Cat 4 Men)

The next time you see Daniel, please be sure to congratulate him on his continued success in these races.

2010 Training Plan

2009-11-02T08:20:00.001-06:00

About a month ago, I started publishing some posts about building a training plan for 2010. These posts followed the outline for creating an Annual Training Plan which was provided to us by Joe Friel in "The Cyclist's Training Bible".

The other day I found Joe's blog and noticed that he was doing the same thing. So, instead of me trying to pass this information along, I think it makes a lot more sense for you to get this information from Joe.

You really should go to his blog and start reading from Sunday, October 25, 2009. If you have some free time, you might want to read his other posts as they are filled with nuggets of good information.

On the Way to Work...

2009-10-30T09:34:00.002-05:00

I saw the coolest thing this morning on the way to work...kids riding their bikes to school. When I was growing up, I rode my bike everywhere (and especially to school). I don't know if it is because the routes are more dangerous in Tulsa, the threats to our children are greater, or general laziness; but I just don't see kids ride to school anymore. And I feel sorry for them. But today was different. I am not sure what Lee Elementary School was trying to accomplish, but I am all for it. I saw kids of all ages and sizes riding tricycles, cruisers, BMX, and mountain bikes to school (with their parents walking/running alongside them). I also enjoyed the police escort crossing the streets, which was obviously arranged for this event. My only regret is that I didn't get a picture of this event, but I didn't want anyone to think I was doing something inappropriate.

Sick

2009-10-22T09:42:00.003-05:00

UrbanDictionary.com defines "sick" as "crazy, cool, insane". That might be a good way to describe this video. Of course, the more traditional definition of sick would better describe the nausea I felt by the end of watching the video. Don't let my weak stomach fool you...this is definitely worth watching.

Cycle Fandango 2009

2009-10-21T14:56:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Glenn and Bryan participated in the "Cycle Fandango" ride. Glenn was nice enough to put together this write-up and send me some pictures for the blog.

The Broken Arrow Chamber put on one heck of a T-shirt ride this last weekend. I had no intentions of going, but was coerced into the journey with some “crazy talk” by Bryan. I didn’t give it much thought, I was a little worried about having to camp, and if there would be food. It turned out to be one of the best supported rides I have been on. All of the volunteers really wanted to be there and were happy that we were there. I talked with several of the riders and found out that most of them were from out of state, some from Texas, Missouri, one from Chicago, even a guy that flew down from New York. Who knew? For those of you familiar with the “old MS 150” the route was very similar using many of the same roads, but camping at Greenleaf State Park was an unexpected pleasure. Our gear was trucked to the site and was waiting for us to set up camp. The camp had dorms for rent, bathrooms with several showers -each with privacy stalls, a large ranch house with dance hall, and the food was provided by a chuck wagon crew that was ready to feed a small army. All of this with scenery added in for ambiance; the back of the ranch house opened up with a down-the-valley view of Greenleaf Lake. Wait there’s more… Eric and the Adams, a local Tulsa band, came out and put on a great show. Did I mention beer? I’m sure I did in here somewhere. This was the first year for Cycle Fandango, and if they have it again next year be sure and put it on the calendar of things you MUST do.

Fenders

2009-10-14T09:26:00.001-05:00

I was talking to Marty yesterday at Tom's and he mentioned that he recently purchased some SKS Race Blade Fenders. He seems to be genuinely impressed with this product. After 2 weeks of riding in the rain, I think I am ready to invest in some fenders. Not only will fenders prevent my back side from getting sprayed with cold water and road grime, but anyone riding behind me can do so without being sprayed in the face. You might be thinking to yourself, "if it is raining...I am just going to ride indoors". But often times, winter rides will occur after the snow (more likely ice) has melted. The resulting combination of water on the road, cold temperatures, and salt/sand from road crews can make group rides pretty miserable. The right attitude, good clothing decisions, and some fenders can make winter training rides that much better.

Team Picnic

2009-10-13T10:31:00.001-05:00

Team Tom's Bicycles recently had a picnic to celebrate the end of the 2009 racing season and kick-off the 2010 season. New members were introduced, awards were distributed, new officers were elected, and food was consumed.

Tom Brown and Jonah Panther of Tom's Bicycles were on hand and spoke to the team. These guys have been a top notch sponsor and we are lucky to have them. In 2009, sponsoring a race team was as new to them as operating one was new to us. But I think it was a successful year for all parties involved. I just wanted to take the time to publicly thank these guys for their generosity, guidance, and support. We look forward to a successful 2010.

Thankfully, some pictures of this festive event were provided by Robbin and Mike.

Scott reminds us that he used to compete in rodeos.

The legend of El Jeffe was told and an appearance was made.

Some hooligans tried to steal Liz's mountain bike and child carrier.

Mud, Sweat, and Tears

2009-10-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

On October 4, Dee and Julie participated in the Mud, Sweat, and Tears Adventure Race. This race looked like a lot of fun. Julie and Dee had to do a 4.25 mile trail run, a 17.5 mile bike ride, a 2.5 mile canoe ride, and other games. There is a great write up (and picture of Julie and Dee at the start) available here. Not only did they have a lot of fun, but they were the 1st Placed Female Team. Congratulations!

Some other pictures from this event are available here.

Bus Driver is Putting Kids on Wheels

2009-10-05T09:01:00.000-05:00

I read this article in today's edition of the Tulsa World. A Tulsa Transit bus driver is collecting used bikes to donate to children in need for Christmas. Asbury United Methodist church is helping to raise money for helmets and locks and Tom's Bicycles and G. Oscar Bicycles is helping with parts.

If you have a used bike to donate can call 582-2100 or deliver them to one of these locations: Denver Avenue Station, 319 S. Denver Ave.; Memorial Midtown Station, 7952 E. 33rd St.; Tulsa Transit Administrative Offices, 510 S. Rockford Ave.

If you don't have a used bike, I am sure you can contact Asbury United Methodist, Tulsa Transit, or even Tom to find a way to make a cash donation.

I am usually skeptical of big foundations/organizations that raise money for causes. It just seems like there is so much overhead involved that very little of my donation will actually benefit another person. But I am touched when I read about an individual who is trying to make a difference in our own city. Not to mention that I think all children should experience the joy of receiving a bike for Christmas.

Setting Goals

2009-10-01T18:53:00.003-05:00

In an earlier post I talked about the importance of using the knowledge gained from last year to develop an effective training plan for next year. By now you should have downloaded the Annual Training plan worksheet. The first thing you need to do with this worksheet is identify your season goals. Your goals could be to upgrade to a higher category or podium at an important race. A good goal will stretch you to the limits, and may require you to take some risks, but can be accomplished within the next season. According to Joe Friel, your racing-oriented goals should follow four principles:

Your goal must be measurable.
Your goal must be under your control.
Your goal must stretch you.
Whatever your goals, state them in the positive.

Once you have identified 1-3 goals for the next year, write them at the top of your Annual Training Plan. Everything you do from here on out should be deliberately done to achieve these goals.

Race Across the Sky

2009-10-01T13:21:00.004-05:00

What: Watch "Race Across the Sky"

When: Thursday, October 22 @ 7:00 PM CST

Where: Cinemark Tulsa @ 71st and HWY 169 (and select theaters)

EVENT DETAILS
Race Across the Sky – Leadville Trail 100, featuring Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens and other elite and amateur cyclists on October 22nd at 8:00pm ET/ 7:00pm CT/ 6:00pm MT/ with tape delay to 8:00pm PT in select theaters.

EVENT OVERVIEW
At 10,000+ feet, against the misty backdrop of a former mining town, Leadville, Colorado, 1282 cyclists line the starting line. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world. Some imagine victory. Most hope only to finish. But everyone will count.

The race that started 25 years ago as a running race to drive tourism in Leadville has now grown to a lottery cap of 1000+ competitors, many of them the world’s most elite cyclists. But the Leadville Trail 100 "Race Across the Sky" Mountain Bike Race is not just a race of man against man: it’s man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. elements, man vs. time. A clock set for 12 grueling hours slugs through 100 miles, over 14,000 vertical feet of climbing, some two miles above sea level, through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail, from rain to snow. To the racers, the risks of injury, fatigue and mechanical failure pale next to the chance that they will fall behind the 12 hour cut off mark and be eliminated.

Rivalries include six-time defending champion Dave Wiens vs. international star / seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Inspirational stories of human triumph include a Leadville woman rider who was critically injured by a car while training for last year’s race, another who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and 45+ rider who has raced all 15 years.

Whether they’re international stars of the sport or everyday folks with the will to finish a race whose difficulty is on par with the Ironman, the grit to push to their own physical and emotional limits strikes an elegant symmetry between racer and environment and a struggling former mining town whose very existence now relies on the tourism generated by this race.

Dickens of a Ride

2009-10-01T13:18:00.003-05:00

Dickens of a Ride is this Saturday in Claremore, OK. More information when you click here.

The Training Plan

2009-09-21T20:06:00.004-05:00

When we started this race team we acknowledged that 2009 would be a learning year for most of us. With only a couple of riders on the team with race experience, we were forced to come up with our own training schedules, tactics, and course reconnaissance. Now that the first year is behind us, it is important that we take a moment to reflect on what we learned and be sure we apply that knowledge to the next year.

One of the best pieces of information I gathered from last year was the race calendar. I had no idea that the race schedule would be comprised of 2 blocks of racing. The first block occurs in the Springand is made up primarily of road races while the second block is in the Summer and is made of criteriums. The types of events and when they occur in the season are important pieces of data for developing an effective training plan. But I am getting ahead of myself...

This is the first of several posts designed to help develop an effective training plan for next year. The information I will be sharing is borrowed heavily from The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joel Friel. I have mentioned this publication before and I want to repeat myself, "If you don't own this book, you owe it to yourself to purchase it."

Before we get started, you need to download the Annual Training Plan worksheet from trainingbible.com. Don't be alarmed if the worksheet is meaningless to you upon initial review. In upcoming posts, I will help explain the worksheet as well as provide some guidelines for filling it out.

The Fall Century

2009-09-21T12:37:00.002-05:00

This Saturday is The Fall Century brought to you by the Tulsa Bicycle Club and sponsored by our very own Tom's Bicycles. 100% of this year's proceeds will be donated to Therapetics. It looks like rides of 10, 25, 50, 62.5, and 100 miles are available and registration is available online and only $25. The ride will begin at 8:00 AM and all routes will depart and arrive at the Whirlpool Corp. at 76th St. N. and Yale (just East of Highway 75). Click here for additional information. If anyone is interested in riding in this event, please let me know.

Old Belgian Trick

2009-09-17T13:03:00.003-05:00

Interesting collection of Tweets from Jelly Belly's Jeremy Powers from the Tour of Missouri. You need to read it from the bottom up.

Tour of Missouri

2009-09-15T09:45:00.005-05:00

The Tour of Missouri concluded last Saturday in Kansas City and I was fortunate enough to watch this race in person. If you ever get a chance to see a Pro Tour peloton in the flesh, you owe it to yourself to do it. The speed of the grupetto is amazing and the ability to mingle with these superstars is unmatched in professional sports.

One downside--these guys are TINY. Stand next to them long enough and you will develop the self-esteem of a high school girl in a room full of super models. On the plus side, I think I met a lot of guys that I could take in a fight (and it is not very often that I get to say that).

Before the race started, we toured the tents of vendors and sponsors checking out the latest gear and products. Bissel had a bike on a trainer that was "connected" to a vacuum cleaner and a tube with liquid. If you could move the liquid far enough up the tube, you won a cycling cap. After watching several individuals score a hat but not a vacuum, Bryan decided it would be easy to win the hat. He needs to get the green liquid above the orange line in order to achieve his goal. I will let you decide if he was successful.

Eventually the race got underway. We moved several different times throughout the event looking for the best possible vantage point. Being in a corner was sweet because you could tell that these guys were just flying. Another plus was watching the caravan of cars taking sharp turns at too high of a speed. I am really surprised we don't see more car accidents in bike races. One negative about the corner is that the whole peloton flies by at such a high speed that you don't get to spot specific riders. We eventually moved to the top of a climb so that the riders would be going a little slower and we could see what position everyone was in (as well as allowing us the opportunity to sit in some shade). Our final position was in a glass walkway above the start/finish line that allowed us to see the final kilometer of racing and the bunch sprint.

Once the race concluded, we headed to the team buses to check out the bikes and the riders. My wife really wanted to meet George Hincapie and I honestly thought she had missed her opportunity. However, perseverance won out and she finally got her wish (I love this picture).

On our way back to the hotel we spotted a Jelly Belly rider with chain grease on his calf. Since we give Scott such a hard time about this, we figured we should photograph it and submit it as evidence in Scott's defense.

Odds and Ends

2009-09-08T09:34:00.003-05:00

A collection of interesting items that I want to pass along (but too lazy to write an entire segment about):

When listing the team results for the Hotter 'n Hell 100, I mistakenly left Amelie Seneker's 2nd place finish in the Women's 35-39 10k Trail Run. Congratulations to Amelie!
Eurobike has recently wrapped up and there are two new products that have caught my attention. The CycleOps Joule for athletes that train with power and the Look KeO Blade pedal. Reynolds also unveiled a sub-900 gram wheelset, but I don't think any of us have an appetite for a $6000 wheelset.
Kevin Frankenburger's crash (see Frankencrashen below) has garnered some interesting attention. Levi Leipheimer commented on the crash via Twitter. And BikeRumor.com included the clip in their blog. No one wants to crash. But if you are going to do it, you might as well get some publicity out of it.

Hotter 'n Hell 100 Full Results

2009-09-02T12:52:00.006-05:00

I found full results from the Hotter 'n Hell Road Race and Crits on the Texas Bicycle Racing Associate website. One thing I like about this site is they also have a "Team" category in their results. I am pleased to announce that Tom's Bicycles was the top team in the Cat 4/5 Men's Road Race, Cat 4/5 Men's Criterium, Cat 4 Women's Road Race, and Cat 4 Women's Criterium. Proving just how competitive the Tulsa race scene is, Bicycles of Tulsa was the top team in the Men's Cat 3 Road Race and Criterium while Tulsa Tough/Wheelmen took top honors in the Men's Cat 4 and Men's 50+ Road Race.

HH100 Cat 4/5 Omnium Champion

2009-09-01T15:37:00.002-05:00

Tomination

2009-08-31T14:41:00.002-05:00

I am working on a longer write-up about last week's Hotter 'n Hell 100 activities, but I wanted to get our results posted for those people looking for updates. So without further delay:

Julie Ladehoff - 1st Place, Cat 2 Sport Female 1-29 Mountain Bike Race

Kevin McFarland - 2nd Place, Cat 4/5 Men's 100km Road Race

Gina Hancock - 1st Place, Cat 4 Women's 100km Road Race

Dee Ann Smith - 3rd Place, 35-39 Female Half Marathon Trail Run

Kevin McFarland - 5th Place, Cat 4/5 Men's Criterium

Gina Hancock - 3rd Place, Cat 4 Women's Criterium

Julie Ladehoff - 5th Place, Cat 4 Women's Criterium

Kevin McFarland - Champion, Cat 4/5 Men's Omnium

Julie Ladehoff - 3rd Place, Cat 4 Women's Omnium

Gina Hancock - Champion, Cat 4 Women's Omnium

The first thing that stands out to me is that this is a fit group of individuals who can mix it up and compete in a variety of disciplines both on and off the bike. Although there is only a handful of names listed here, this was a team effort and absolutely everyone did their part to help secure this list of results. The next time you see someone from the team, please be sure to congratulate them on a very successful weekend in Wichita Falls.

Frankencrashen

2009-08-26T10:51:00.002-05:00

I am reposting this without permission and I really hope that Kevin doesn't mind. Thankfully it sounds like he will be ok.

Stealth Training

2009-08-21T09:46:00.003-05:00

BikeRadar.com published a nice little article about some quick ways to increase your fitness and improve your on-bike performance.

Take the stairs
Perfect press-ups (anyone know what a press up is?)
Purposeful commuting
Cut out the caffeine
Pre-breakfast training
Go for an off-road hilly run
Sit Swiss
Recovery is key
Sneaky stretching
Make life hard

Read the article for more information.

2010 Felt and Giant Sneak Peaks

2009-08-20T07:47:00.003-05:00

It is that time of year when next year's products start to make their way to dealers. Since Tom's deals in Giant and Felt, I thought everyone might be interested in what these two companies have in store for 2010.

2o10 Felt Road, Cyclocross, and Track Bikes from BikeRumor.com

2010 Giant Catalogue (this is the Australian version, but I suspect the US lineup will look similar)

iMapMyRide

2009-08-17T10:12:00.003-05:00

Chances are good that you have used MapMyRide.com to view the route for an upcoming ride or race. But have you ever completed a ride and then wanted to create this route in MapMyRide in order to reference it at a later date? It is not the easiest thing to do.

Anyone who has ridden with me knows that I am directionally challenged ("Do we turn left here?") and I have been known to get lost on a ride or two (2008 MS150 ring any bells) so I now ride with my iPhone since it has a built in GPS and mapping software. Recently I downloaded the iPhone application for MapMyRide called iMapMyRide. You can find it in the App Store by searching for "mapmyfitness". Once this application is installed and an account registered (both free), you are ready to go. Before the ride starts, simply launch the application and start recording. When the ride is done, you will have a map of your entire ride. This map gets uploaded to MapMyRide.com and you can use it in the future to print turn-by-turn directions or at least sound a little smarter when your family asks you, "Where did you ride today?"

Here is the map I generated during last Saturday's training ride.

iMapMyRide Aug 15, 2009 10:09 AM
Find more Bike Rides in Kellyville, Oklahoma

SRAM 10-Speed Powerlock Recall

2009-08-14T12:33:00.002-05:00

I don't think anyone other than myself uses the SRAM 10-speed chains. If you do use these chains, you should be aware of the limited recall on the Powerlock. If your Powerlock is stamped with an "M" or an "N" you should return it to a SRAM dealer immediately for a replacement part. Remember, both sides of the Powerlock are stamped so you should check each side.

Bike Snob Responds to MC SpandX

2009-08-13T12:47:00.003-05:00

You know a You Tube video has gone "viral" when Bike Snob decides he needs to comment on it. His cynical review is worth a read if only because it makes you watch the video one more time.

Performance

2009-08-12T13:50:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine sent me the link to this video.

WNR Update

2009-08-06T10:02:00.004-05:00

It was a hot and humid day for the Wednesday Night Ride. To make matters worse the IDL construction has closed down the bridge we use to get out of town. This coupled with the Journey concert taking place at the BOK Center made for some interesting decisions on the best way out of downtown.

For the sake of argument, I am proposing an alternative path out of the city for the WNR. On the right side of the picture you will see the original route and on the left side is my alternative route. Let me know if you think this is a good route or if there is a better alternative out there.

The guys from The Bike Shop in Enid, OK brought a crew down for this ride. Unfortunately, they had already loaded up and departed for home before I got back to the parking lot. Hopefully, they will come back to Tulsa and stick around a little longer to enjoy the socializing that usually takes place after this ride.

River Park Cafe to Open by Feb. 15

2009-07-30T14:02:00.002-05:00

Many of us have bemoaned the loss of The River's Edge at 19th and Riverside since its closing. How many times have we completed the Monday Night Ride wishing we could wander over and grab a cold beverage? It was announced earlier that the Blue Rose Cafe won a bid to open a restaurant in this location and it sounds like plans are moving forward. The hope is to complete construction and be operational by February 15, 2010. The best part about this facility is that it should be operational all year whereas The River's Edge was closed during the winter. You can read about it and see an artist rendering of the building here.

Colorado or Bust

2009-07-30T12:25:00.002-05:00

A majority of the team is off to Colorado where they have planned a fun long-weekend of mountain biking, white water rafting, and riding the Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle.

The Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle course is a spectacular 78-mile loop cresting three Colorado Mountain passes - Fremont Pass (elevation 11,318’), Tennessee Pass (elevation 10,424’) and Vail Pass (elevation 10,666’). The course passes three ski areas and is littered with historic mining outposts and camp Hale, the training ground for the famous 10th Mountain Division. The total elevation gain for the course is 5,981 ft.

Power Drills

2009-07-29T15:28:00.003-05:00

I was watching a video on Saris's website about the benefits of training indoors when I stumbled upon this workouts to focus on power boosting efforts and strengthen pedaling muscles. It doesn't look like you need a power meter to perform these workouts.

Warm Up 5:00 – Easy

Single Leg Builds to develop your pedaling efficiency and technique
With both feet attached at the pedals, perform 3-5 repetitions
Begin at appx 65-70% of Threshold Power

Right leg dominate 30s slow RPM; 30s fast RPM; 15s Both legs
Repeat on left leg
Recover for 1:00 and Repeat

Descending Ladder to develop your pedaling efficiency and technique
With both feet attached at the pedals, perform 3-5 repetitions
Begin at appx 65-70% of Threshold Power

30s Right leg/30s Left leg Now add more load and proceed to 25s each leg; Add more loadand proceed to 20s each leg; Add more load and proceed to 15s each leg; Add more load and proceed to 15s each leg; Recover for 1:00 and Repeat

Power Ups for developing the pedal stroke
Begin at appx 65-70% of Threshold Power. Perform 3-5 repetitions

30s @ 60 RPM; 70 RPM; 80 RPM; 90 RPM; 100 RPM; 1:00 recover and repeat

Super Power Ups for developing the pedal stroke and boosting power
Begin at appx 65-70% of Threshold Power. Perform 3-5 repetitions

30s progressively building RPM; 30s progressively building load
1:00 sustaining heart rate intensity, adjusting cadence and load as necessary
2:00 recover and repeat

Power Accelerations to boosPublish Postt power

Begin at appx 65-70% of Threshold Power. Perform 3-5 repetitions

1:00 with 3 transitions, increasing load with each
30s progressively building RPM; 30s standing; 30 seated progressively building RPM
Recover 2:00 and repeat

Explosive Efforts to boost power
Begin at appx 65-70% of Threshold Power. Perform 3-5 repetitions

1:00 progressively building load
10-15s transition and accelerate hard, with the goal to put out the highest wattage
10-15s seated, sustaining effort; 2:00 recover and repeat

Absence

2009-07-25T08:33:00.003-05:00

It has been about 2 weeks since I have been on the bike or updated this blog. My hope is that you are getting antsy for the next update; after all, they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Whoever coined this phrase was spot on. Two weeks without riding with my team has made me realize what an important part all of you have become in my life in less than a year. The friendships I have made--on and off the road--in the last 9 months have been forged by common goals, suffering, and celebrations. This makes for some strong bonds that are second only to my marriage.

I should be back on the bike next week and similarly updating the blog in a more consistent manner. I actually look forward to the Tour de France to be over so that cycling coverage will be less myopic. Stay tuned for new updates, keep training hard for upcoming races, start thinking about goals for next year, and be sure to have fun.

Tour de Payne Ride Report

2009-07-05T07:28:00.005-05:00

At 4:00 AM my alarm went off and I asked myself for the hundredth time why I was going to Stillwater with Scott to ride 105 miles. However, my training plan said I needed to ride 5 hours on Saturday, so I might as well have some company (but I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to keep up with Scott at this distance).

As Scott and I approached Stillwater it became clear that we would get rained on during our ride. Little did we know that it would rain on us the entire ride. We stopped at the McDonald's on the highway where we ran into several BOT riders who were looking at the radar and a massive red/yellow/green cloud covering the state. Ignoring the warning signs, we pushed on to Stillwater.

As we registered for the ride, we ran into Monty. I had not seen Monty since he left on his vacation several months ago, so it was nice to see him again and I was thankful that there would be at least one more person taking pulls during the ride.

Before the ride could start, the rain really started to fall. Lots of people decided not to start and many others began to rethink their plans for the day. Scott and I decided that we would start the ride with the knowledge that we could turn along the way and make it shorter if need be.

When the ride started, it was obvious people were in a hurry to get going. We started out at about 25 MPH and the lead group was soon whittled down to just a few. After 30 miles it was down to Scott, Monty, "Yellow Jersey Guy with the Schwinn from NWA" (you Cat 5's know who I am talking about), and me. The rain never let up, but we were already wet and making good time, so we pushed on past the 100k turn-off.

It rained on us the whole time, but this was probably a blessing as it kept the temperature down. The route was undulating and twisty and felt as if you were always going up or down and into the wind, but never had the wind to your back or a nice flat straightaway. Despite the constant rain and the road grime, we pushed on for the entire 105 miles. In the end we did 105 miles in 4 hours and 50 minutes (100 miles in 4:34) while averaging 21.7 MPH and burning 2475 calories. Not a bad way to get in some good training.

Cervelo Videos

2009-07-02T13:48:00.002-05:00

The Cervelo Test Team has been publishing videos throughout the year with a "behind the scenes" look at a Pro Tour team. All of these videos have been interesting, but I think this latest,"Flanders", has been my favorite. It is humbling to listen to Haussler talk about how hard this race is and how much he is hurting in the end. "Milan - San Remo" is also very good but a little depressing.

Bryan Rides Over the Competition

2009-07-02T13:05:00.005-05:00

Bryan is riding so fast these days that he literally rode over the competition at the practice crits.

Unfortunately...It looks like Bryan took the worst of it.

BTW...did you notice those sexy legs behind Bryan's?

A Ride with George

2009-06-25T09:14:00.004-05:00

Ask five American amateur cyclists who their favorite rider is and at least one of them is going to say George Hincapie. This upcoming DVD release looks like it will provide some interesting insight and pay homage to this classy rider.

Constant Power

2009-06-23T12:11:00.002-05:00

I read an interesting article today about proper pacing for zone 2 (Endurance) and zone 3 (Tempo) workouts. I specifically appreciated the chart that shows the power intervals and the effects on heart rate. I think this is why you see so many athletes training with power meters vs. heart rate monitors these days.

White Trash Bash

2009-06-22T10:15:00.002-05:00

After a long Winter and Spring of training, Scott was ready to return to his roots for some R&R. Hello ARKANSAS! I haven't heard many stories yet about the unofficial team camp out at Devil's Den State Park (this is probably a good thing), but this picture has me believing that a fun time was had by all. Perhaps next year I will go to this event and post updates from the campsite. (Do you think there is wireless connectivity out there?)

2001 Paris Roubaix

2009-06-17T09:30:00.003-05:00

Paris Roubaix is by far my favorite race of the season. And of course, every year, I join most American cycling fans in cheering for George Hincapie as he takes on his "white whale". In 2006 George looked like he was in position to win this race when his steerer tube broke. However, I think George was definitely the strongest rider in 2001. I know George doesn't win this race but it doesn't matter. Every time I watch this I find myself urging George on through crashes and punctures and I absolutely feel for him when it is clear that the win will not be his.

Vote for Tom's

2009-06-16T12:32:00.002-05:00

It is that time of year again when Urban Tulsa polls its readers for the "Absolute Best of Tulsa". Many categories have already been decided, but some categories were so close that a run-off ballot was necessary. One of the categories that has not been decided...Best Bike Shop. It is between Tom's Bicycles, Lee's Bikes, and Bicycles of Tulsa. I think we all know what bike shop is the best, so let's take a minute out of our lives to vote for Tom's Bicycles. Please forward this on to anyone else who might be willing to vote for Tom's.

2007 Tour de France Retrospective

2009-06-12T14:29:00.003-05:00

Tour de France Retrospective: The Good, the Bad and the Outtakes

Ride of Silence

2009-06-11T16:20:00.002-05:00

Saturday June 13 is a Ride of Silence honoring Christa Voss and MAtt Edmonds. The ride will depart at 9:30 AM from the Cherry Street Farmer's Market at 15th and Quaker.

The Bicycles of Tulsa Race Team has set up a fund for the Voss and Edmonds families. Donations can be mailed to:

Bank of Oklahoma
Edmonds and Voss Memorial Fund
PO Box 2300
Tulsa, OK 7419

Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight's ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride

- Mike Murgas

Safety First

2009-06-08T07:58:00.002-05:00

Before every ride, race, and departure from home, my wife tells me "Be safe." I don't know if she thinks I an an inherently risky individual or that she really loves me and wants me to come home in one piece. (Either that or she knows that I am a royal pain in the butt when sick or injured.) Whatever the reason, I find myself trying to heed her suggestions. But how many times have I left the house on a ride without proper identification? What happens if something bad were to happen and I was laying on the side of the road unconscious? (I know...it is not an image I want in my head either.) Heck...I bet some of my own team would have a hard time trying to contact my wife if they needed to reach her.

Julie has recently sent out some information about a product called Road ID and I think it is worth mentioning in the team blog. If you are not carrying your identification with you on your rides, please consider purchasing a Road ID or similar product to have with you. Of course, I also ask that you follow my wife's advice and "Be safe."

Another Tulsa Tough Video

2009-06-05T09:16:00.004-05:00

The production quality of this video is pretty high. I am pretty sure I see some Tom's jerseys in here...but I can't make out the riders. Any help would be appreciated.

The Team

2009-06-05T09:06:00.001-05:00

Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work a company work, a society work, a civilization work. --Vince Lombardi

Video from Sunday

2009-06-03T12:40:00.003-05:00

Someone put together a nice video of Sunday's criterium. You can see several members of the team throughout the clip and at one point you hear the announcers mention Tom's Bicycles.

Tulsa Tough - Part II

2009-06-01T20:43:00.003-05:00

VeloNews.com has published a Race Report on Sunday's Criterium. The article highlights the scene at the top of "Crybaby Hill". This party was something to behold and I pity anyone who did not experience this.

The raucous crowd along the hill included two live bands. The fans sprayed water from garden hoses and squirt guns on the leaders, then offered adult-beverage hand-ups for those falling off the back. They painted their own KOM line across the street and took collections for rogue primes in the hundreds of dollars.

Tulsa Tough

2009-06-01T13:54:00.003-05:00

I suspect that this will be the first of many posts about last weekend's Tulsa Tough. In short, it was a fun and productive weekend for Tom's Bicycles. Considering it was our first year to participate in this event as a team, we represented well. We were competitive in the Cat 5, Cat 4, and Women's Cat III/IV races (I think some of our girls surprised themselves). We had several team members participate in the rides. We had a team RV on Saturday (really...the definition of PRO). We had our own soigneur. We had a darn good time. And some of us even got paid.

Here are some links I found about this event:

(More) Training for Crits

2009-05-15T08:55:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-14T13:49:00.005-05:00

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.