These days I feel like I live by the weather forecast. Sometimes it's fairly straightforward, as in when it's mid-30th's and rain all day I'll just make a date with the gym. This makes time for working on core and hamstring strength, running to build the tendons and just gives the cycling muscles an extra break.
Today however, was far from straight forward. Other commitments had me busy in the morning, when it wasn't too cold and plenty dry. Checking www.weather.wrong showed a massive storm swirling around Philadelphia, but not over the city. It seemed to be inching ever closer, but they can't tell any more than I when it will rain and how bad. A few drizzles I can live with, but no one wants to freezing cold, wet, dirty and have to deal with slippery descents for two or three hours on the bike.
So I waited.
I zipped up my rain jacket, went to the food co-op, bought most of a weeks worth of food, came back and still no rain.
Ok, I'll put my fenders on and if it's still not raining, then I'll go out. Of course, the fenders were off the bike because the rear mount broke and thinking I didn't have a spare I removed both. Naturally, I didn't look in the right crevice of my room because a few hours later I found my spare. Removing and installing fenders is a pain, but I've got it down to 15 minutes or so. The biggest challenge is removing the rear brake bolt because my allen key is so long I can only get 3/4 of a turn before hitting the seat tube.
With the last turn of the allen key, and the last brake adjustment complete the rain began to come.
Two hours.
It was two hours since I got back and could have gone out for rain free riding.
Oh well, off to the gym. More rowing, back work and now some hamstring work. I'm definitely coming up short for my February mileage goals.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Winter riding
The wind burns faces, forcing your cheeks tight against your skull while chilling toes and fingers to the bone. The air is cold and dense, like cycling through cold molasses instead of the warm air of summer. Vigilant eyes scan the road constantly for the patches of ice and snow who would cause a serious tumble. Cars give extra leeway as you must be insane to be out in this cold. Bikes return from rides filthy, but cleaning a very dirty bike doesn't take much more time than cleaning just a dirty bike so you stay on the road for longer.
Still, coming back day after day despite the dangers, the cold, the snow and sleet feels rewarding and progress comes quickly after time off the bike, making it more addicting than normal. After the first few rides of coughing and wheezing, the lungs become accustomed to the cold and react with suspicious surprise on the few warm days of winter. Even in sub-freezing temperatures you return from a hard ride soaked in sweat, once soft gloves become hard with salt and snot from the endlessly dripping nose. Yet after all this, a hot cup of tea and a long warm shower is more than enough to return to your former state.
Soon spring will come, and I may actually miss this unique sort of suffering.
Still, coming back day after day despite the dangers, the cold, the snow and sleet feels rewarding and progress comes quickly after time off the bike, making it more addicting than normal. After the first few rides of coughing and wheezing, the lungs become accustomed to the cold and react with suspicious surprise on the few warm days of winter. Even in sub-freezing temperatures you return from a hard ride soaked in sweat, once soft gloves become hard with salt and snot from the endlessly dripping nose. Yet after all this, a hot cup of tea and a long warm shower is more than enough to return to your former state.
Soon spring will come, and I may actually miss this unique sort of suffering.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Doubts
Because of the timing that flu kept me off the bike for 9 straight days, aside from the short commute to school and back.
Now, there is 3" of snow on the ground and promises of freezing rain for the next 8 hours.
That 150 mile training ride at the end of march is starting to look dubious, considering the longest I've ridden this winter is 70 miles. I'll try and get in a ride Saturday if the roads aren't too bad but who knows? Sunday is my brothers birthday ride which will likely be short, so I may head out for an extra 30 or 40 miles afterwards.
School commitments had me tied up and starving until 1:30 yesterday, so there wasn't much of a chance to get a good long ride in before rush hour traffic would come into play. Instead, I opted for another gym workout sans ab work. This time it was 30 minutes on the rowing machine with two short intervals worked in, back extensions and two different back machines. I feel somewhat sore today, showing I didn't overdo it yesterday and the next workout can be more intense. If the weather turns for the worse again, I can return to the gym and use the days the roads are too dangerous to ride on as rest days. Eventually I'd like to spend an hour on the rowing machine, the back strength will be worth it despite it's mind and butt numbing nature.
Now, there is 3" of snow on the ground and promises of freezing rain for the next 8 hours.
That 150 mile training ride at the end of march is starting to look dubious, considering the longest I've ridden this winter is 70 miles. I'll try and get in a ride Saturday if the roads aren't too bad but who knows? Sunday is my brothers birthday ride which will likely be short, so I may head out for an extra 30 or 40 miles afterwards.
School commitments had me tied up and starving until 1:30 yesterday, so there wasn't much of a chance to get a good long ride in before rush hour traffic would come into play. Instead, I opted for another gym workout sans ab work. This time it was 30 minutes on the rowing machine with two short intervals worked in, back extensions and two different back machines. I feel somewhat sore today, showing I didn't overdo it yesterday and the next workout can be more intense. If the weather turns for the worse again, I can return to the gym and use the days the roads are too dangerous to ride on as rest days. Eventually I'd like to spend an hour on the rowing machine, the back strength will be worth it despite it's mind and butt numbing nature.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sick
This weeks training plans have been utterly wiped out by some sort of flu I caught on Wednesday. To make things worse, the ab workout I did on Tuesday meant that every time I coughed, sneezed or got up from a prone position caused searing pain in my abdominal muscles for the past four days.
Still, I have just under two months before my first 200k, and four or five days off the bike can be beneficial, I just wish I had upped the intensity before I got sick. I'm feeling better today, though the earliest time I can ride will probably be Tuesday, so that will make 9 days since my last ride. Much longer than I would prefer, but getting back on and getting sick again won't help either.
Still, I have just under two months before my first 200k, and four or five days off the bike can be beneficial, I just wish I had upped the intensity before I got sick. I'm feeling better today, though the earliest time I can ride will probably be Tuesday, so that will make 9 days since my last ride. Much longer than I would prefer, but getting back on and getting sick again won't help either.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Cross Training
After three or more hours in the saddle, there are muscles that are more tired than I'd like them to be. These are the muscles that tire independent of power output; the ones that you use to hold yourself up on the bike. In my case, it's generally the part of my back between my shoulders, my lower back and the back of my neck. Because riding intensity doesn't make these muscles any stronger, there are really only two ways to condition them.
The most obvious is to simply go on frequent long rides, increasing the duration each time. This is more time consuming than I can allow for right now because due to other commitments Saturday is the only day I can devote entirely to riding.
The other way is to fatigue those muscles with some other activity, the basic principal behind cross training. You can build them up without the long hours of ache and pain if you do something that uses them as the primary muscle group.
So today, I did just that.
For the first time in my life, I tried the rowing machine at my school's gym and after 25 minutes my upper back felt like I had been on the bike for 3 or 4 hours. Ironically, the main thing that stopped me from going longer was that my butt was uncomfortable. That's a pretty tough thing to do to a cyclist.
Then, to work my lower back I did 2 sets of 12 (2x12) back extensions followed by what I have found to be the most effective way to work all your abdominal muscles; crunches on a stability ball. For some reason the stability ball really lets you hit every muscle along the front of your stomach, where as you need two types of crunches and leg raises to do the same thing on the floor.
I didn't want to overdue it and be sore for longer than tomorrow, so that was the extent of the workout. By the end of it, my back and shoulders felt fatigued in the same way that four hours on the saddle makes them feel.
This is perfect for me, I can work my way up to a one hour session on the rowing machine, follow it up with back extensions and a light core workout and really strengthen my back without all the saddle time. Not only does it save me time, but the gym is free where as wearing out parts on my bike costs money.
Still, I will continue doing progressively longer rides on Saturday and a fun ride with friends on Sunday. If I have time, I'll get in hill repeats on Thursdays and any shorter rides I can on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The idea is to build my aerobic base with the long ride and increase my power output with the hill repeats and interval training. At the same time, I take Mondays and Wednesdays almost completely off with the exception of my normal commute to school. This should allow enough recovery time during the week to prevent over training, something many cyclists do.
The most obvious is to simply go on frequent long rides, increasing the duration each time. This is more time consuming than I can allow for right now because due to other commitments Saturday is the only day I can devote entirely to riding.
The other way is to fatigue those muscles with some other activity, the basic principal behind cross training. You can build them up without the long hours of ache and pain if you do something that uses them as the primary muscle group.
So today, I did just that.
For the first time in my life, I tried the rowing machine at my school's gym and after 25 minutes my upper back felt like I had been on the bike for 3 or 4 hours. Ironically, the main thing that stopped me from going longer was that my butt was uncomfortable. That's a pretty tough thing to do to a cyclist.
Then, to work my lower back I did 2 sets of 12 (2x12) back extensions followed by what I have found to be the most effective way to work all your abdominal muscles; crunches on a stability ball. For some reason the stability ball really lets you hit every muscle along the front of your stomach, where as you need two types of crunches and leg raises to do the same thing on the floor.
I didn't want to overdue it and be sore for longer than tomorrow, so that was the extent of the workout. By the end of it, my back and shoulders felt fatigued in the same way that four hours on the saddle makes them feel.
This is perfect for me, I can work my way up to a one hour session on the rowing machine, follow it up with back extensions and a light core workout and really strengthen my back without all the saddle time. Not only does it save me time, but the gym is free where as wearing out parts on my bike costs money.
Still, I will continue doing progressively longer rides on Saturday and a fun ride with friends on Sunday. If I have time, I'll get in hill repeats on Thursdays and any shorter rides I can on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The idea is to build my aerobic base with the long ride and increase my power output with the hill repeats and interval training. At the same time, I take Mondays and Wednesdays almost completely off with the exception of my normal commute to school. This should allow enough recovery time during the week to prevent over training, something many cyclists do.
Monday, February 11, 2008
This season and last season
From what I've read, traditional randonneuring practice is to plan the year out in December, and begin training at around the same time. Obviously, what I do this season should be based somewhat around what happened last season, so I'll do a brief overview of 2007.
I returned from a 4 month study abroad in Ankara, Turkey in early January and immediately began riding after doing none while out of the country. I had a great time and will write a post about it sometime, but not tonight.
While in Turkey I stumbled upon the idea of randonneuring online and decided to give it a try. I built up a Surly Cross-Check with a mountain triple and 12-27, did some riding with my ex-rugby playing friend and tried my first 200k. Well, it was also my first 100k, and first imperial century. As you might expect, 126 miles and 9,000' of climbing destroyed my knees and took me off the bike for quite a while. When I did return, so did the knee pain in the form of IT band pain
Throughout the spring I would take time off, try riding again to some degree of success and the knee pain would return. While doing this I built up the fantastic ride I have now, after getting an astonishing deal from a friend on the frameset. I was apprehensive, but it worked out and I was able to complete a very flat night time 200k in late July with only mild knee pain. This was probably because the effort was very low in a paceline on the flats of southern NJ. Then in August, I made an attempt at a 150+ mile ride to my parents house, but a stick in the spokes put that to a hault at mile 80. Honestly I doubt I would have completed it without the stick, the ride was hilly and I hadn't paced myself very well and my knees were complaining.
In early September I was involved in an accident with a minivan, and while structurally sound the muscles in my shoulders developed severe knots. This prevented me from putting weight on the handlebars for more than a month, so the longest rides I did were the 2 miles to school. Oddly enough, I credit this break with allowing my knees to recuperate as I have yet to have the serious problems of last spring and summer.
In the Fall I realized my knees were better and began to slowly increase my rides. I used the fair weather we've had to a great advantage and worked on hill training and speed work in December and January. The idea is to raise the amount of power I am able to put out for very long periods of time, so I can raise my average speed and spend fewer hours on the bike or ride longer.
Now we're approaching mid February and I have a solid plan for the season based on the last few months of solid riding, or about 1,200 miles in 2.5 months.
Saturday March 23rd (rain date is the 24th) I will complete the 150 miles to my parents house. Two mechanic friends (one of whom sold me my frame and fork) have expressed interest in riding with me to Baltimore and parting ways after 90-100 miles to meet up with friends. At this point I don't put much faith in what people say, as everyone seems unable to put their commitments to where their mouth is.
Saturday April 12th Eastern PA 200k - This ride depends on my ability to get to the start point, I may be able to hitch a ride with someone from Philly. It promises more than an extra 2,000' over climbing over last years Princeton ride, so I'd imagine it will prepare me quite well for this years.
Saturday April 19th The Princeton Classic 200k - Keeping with the theme of completing last years failings, I will complete the death march that destroyed me a year ago in infinitely better shape and shave 90 minutes off my time to make the ride in 10 and 1/2 hours, for an over all average of 12.0 mph. Considering that an extra 1,000' of climbing has been added to the course this year, it will be an excellent challenge. My good friend Ben wants to do this with me and we've been riding a good amount together on weekends, but I'm not relying on his presence.
Saturday May 17th - The Princeton 300k is an extra 61 miles added to the 200 just to keep in interesting. It passes very close to where I grew up in NJ and comes close to entering New York State. This will be my toughest ride of the season.
June 21st - The NJ 400k is a break from the climbing and largely a flat course. The night riding should be fun, especially with my budget lighting system.
July - Bike tour in Italy for 4-5 weeks. I've been planning this adventure for a long time and am taking my second term of Italian. After Turkey I realized how important language is in traveling, so I will be somewhat prepared.
August 10th - NYC 300 - This is another climbing route out of NYC instead of Princeton. It sounds beautiful and will make a great late summer brevet.
I'm tempted to add in the PA 400 the week after the Princeton 300, but I'm worried that may be over doing it and still have many commitments in school to take care of.
Also missing is a planned ride to Connecticut to visit my aunts, uncles and grandmother. I may use the NYC 300 to scout possible roads to take, so that may have to wait until late August.
I suppose I'll finish this post off with my distance future ambitions:
2009 - Complete a full Super Randonneur series consisting of a 200, 300, 400 and 600.
2010 - Full SR Series with the addition of a 1000k and 1200k.
2011 - Paris Brest Paris
I returned from a 4 month study abroad in Ankara, Turkey in early January and immediately began riding after doing none while out of the country. I had a great time and will write a post about it sometime, but not tonight.
While in Turkey I stumbled upon the idea of randonneuring online and decided to give it a try. I built up a Surly Cross-Check with a mountain triple and 12-27, did some riding with my ex-rugby playing friend and tried my first 200k. Well, it was also my first 100k, and first imperial century. As you might expect, 126 miles and 9,000' of climbing destroyed my knees and took me off the bike for quite a while. When I did return, so did the knee pain in the form of IT band pain
Throughout the spring I would take time off, try riding again to some degree of success and the knee pain would return. While doing this I built up the fantastic ride I have now, after getting an astonishing deal from a friend on the frameset. I was apprehensive, but it worked out and I was able to complete a very flat night time 200k in late July with only mild knee pain. This was probably because the effort was very low in a paceline on the flats of southern NJ. Then in August, I made an attempt at a 150+ mile ride to my parents house, but a stick in the spokes put that to a hault at mile 80. Honestly I doubt I would have completed it without the stick, the ride was hilly and I hadn't paced myself very well and my knees were complaining.
In early September I was involved in an accident with a minivan, and while structurally sound the muscles in my shoulders developed severe knots. This prevented me from putting weight on the handlebars for more than a month, so the longest rides I did were the 2 miles to school. Oddly enough, I credit this break with allowing my knees to recuperate as I have yet to have the serious problems of last spring and summer.
In the Fall I realized my knees were better and began to slowly increase my rides. I used the fair weather we've had to a great advantage and worked on hill training and speed work in December and January. The idea is to raise the amount of power I am able to put out for very long periods of time, so I can raise my average speed and spend fewer hours on the bike or ride longer.
Now we're approaching mid February and I have a solid plan for the season based on the last few months of solid riding, or about 1,200 miles in 2.5 months.
Saturday March 23rd (rain date is the 24th) I will complete the 150 miles to my parents house. Two mechanic friends (one of whom sold me my frame and fork) have expressed interest in riding with me to Baltimore and parting ways after 90-100 miles to meet up with friends. At this point I don't put much faith in what people say, as everyone seems unable to put their commitments to where their mouth is.
Saturday April 12th Eastern PA 200k - This ride depends on my ability to get to the start point, I may be able to hitch a ride with someone from Philly. It promises more than an extra 2,000' over climbing over last years Princeton ride, so I'd imagine it will prepare me quite well for this years.
Saturday April 19th The Princeton Classic 200k - Keeping with the theme of completing last years failings, I will complete the death march that destroyed me a year ago in infinitely better shape and shave 90 minutes off my time to make the ride in 10 and 1/2 hours, for an over all average of 12.0 mph. Considering that an extra 1,000' of climbing has been added to the course this year, it will be an excellent challenge. My good friend Ben wants to do this with me and we've been riding a good amount together on weekends, but I'm not relying on his presence.
Saturday May 17th - The Princeton 300k is an extra 61 miles added to the 200 just to keep in interesting. It passes very close to where I grew up in NJ and comes close to entering New York State. This will be my toughest ride of the season.
June 21st - The NJ 400k is a break from the climbing and largely a flat course. The night riding should be fun, especially with my budget lighting system.
July - Bike tour in Italy for 4-5 weeks. I've been planning this adventure for a long time and am taking my second term of Italian. After Turkey I realized how important language is in traveling, so I will be somewhat prepared.
August 10th - NYC 300 - This is another climbing route out of NYC instead of Princeton. It sounds beautiful and will make a great late summer brevet.
I'm tempted to add in the PA 400 the week after the Princeton 300, but I'm worried that may be over doing it and still have many commitments in school to take care of.
Also missing is a planned ride to Connecticut to visit my aunts, uncles and grandmother. I may use the NYC 300 to scout possible roads to take, so that may have to wait until late August.
I suppose I'll finish this post off with my distance future ambitions:
2009 - Complete a full Super Randonneur series consisting of a 200, 300, 400 and 600.
2010 - Full SR Series with the addition of a 1000k and 1200k.
2011 - Paris Brest Paris
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Why I made this blog
Yesterday, after a massive heart failure, one of the internet's most influential and positive cycling advocate passed away. Without the seemingly endless pages of his website, uncountable thousands would have had no where else to go for vital information not easily attainable at their own bike shops. You could easily make an argument that he single handedly enabled the single speed/fixed gear movement, which has both breathed new life into the cycling industry and exposed a car free life to young and old. Sheldon Brown was a both a wealth of knowledge and a patient, intelligent tinkerer who was not only a bicycle mechanic, but a frame builder, part-modifier and most importantly teacher. His death made me think about producing my own contribution to the internet cycling community, aside from posting more often than not correct posts on message boards. So here's to Sheldon, he will always be remembered.
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