OC Gran Fondo – Come Ride with George “Red-Eyed Vireo” Vargas

Posted on August 10, 2012 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

It is with surprise and great humility that I accept the offer to ride the 2012 OC Gran Fondo as their special guest. I feel honored and hope I am up to the task.

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On September 29, 2012 the event will feature several options. The shortest distance offered will be 11 miles which is great activity for families. Other distances offered will be 29, 64, and for those that really want to be challenged the OC Gran Fondo offers a 101 mile route. The event is in it’s third year and has grown considerably in popularity. The organizer is expecting close to 1,000 riders this year. I will be riding the century as my last long training ride before the 2012 Furnace Creek 508. I hope to see you out there having a great time!

See below for important event information and click here to register!

“We have not raised the price for the 101 and 64 mile rides and we have lowered the price for the 11 and 30 mile rides! However register before September 1st because the price goes up after that. Remember, if you want to guarantee your jersey size for the ride, please register by August 17th.

Before September 1st After September 1st

VIP – $199 $249

101 – $99 $110

64 – $99 $110

30 – $25 $30

11 – $20 $20”

I would like to hear from you! Feel free to post comments or questions on my blog and I will get back to you. Come ride with George “Red-Eyed Vireo” Vargas. Please support this local event right here in Orange County!!

Week in Review December 5 – Dec 11, 2011

Posted on December 12, 2011 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

Week Four of Base Miles (Recovery Week)

Performance Management Chart last 28 days

Ending—Dura—–Dist—- Weight— HR— TSS—- kJ——1min—-5’w—-20’w— 60’w

12/11—–14:24—–237——-155——-143—–516—-7577—-347—–281—206—-179

12/4—— 11:18—–207——-155——159—–529—-7167—-337—–279—-239—–204

11/27——8:39—–151——–155——-157—- 427—-4970—- 466—- 317—-211—-188

11/20——6:14——-99——-155——-154—- 292—-3458—- 468—- 286—-213—-180

This concludes my fourth week of a three-week build and one week recovery period. This week the focus was on maintaining the fitness gained in weeks one, two and three. I rode easy this week so that I would achieve full adaptation from week three. While my hours and mileage were more than last week the intensity was still low. You will notice a significant portion of my hours was spent in the Endurance Zone (lighter Green).

Notice in the graph above how week four has a significant portion of the overall training time in the lower two categories (Blue and lighter Green) My endurance zone is between 165-223 watts. I feel comfortable riding at that intensity.

Above is a graph depicting hours ridden with Bars and mileage ridden by the Line. The increase over the last four weeks has been moderate and consistent.

Above you will see how even though I did more mileage on my fourth week my IF (Intensity Factor) is much lower than any of the previous weeks. This type of building takes discipline and training with a purpose. My SRM Power Meter is the best tool for proper pacing.

Nutrition and rest are two very important components of a successful training program. I use AminoPure after every workout. It ensures I maintain good health as it boosts my immune system and helps me recover quicker.

I also increase my protein intake to ensure good muscle recovery for the next day’s training effort. Interphase from Sportquest has 34g of protein with only 190 calories. If I have been training really hard I make a smoothie before bedtime so I can sleep through the night.

I rode five straight days with no rest days for a total of 14 hours 24 minutes and 237 miles. A little more than three additional hours and 30 more miles than last week. Training Stress Score was down from 529 to 516 and kilojoules was up from 7167 to 7577. Remember the kilojoules is closely related to calories expended. Notice how on the Performance Management Chart my Acute Training Load (stress over 7 days) is up from 72.6 to 79.5 and the Chronic Training Load (stress over 42 days) was up from 39.2 to 47.9. Two items of notable mention:

1. A good 4.5 hour endurance ride in San Diego

2. Followed by another good 3.5 hour endurance in San Diego

Just for fun how about these statistics for the last four weeks of training:

I rode 737 miles burned 24,000 calories, 43 1/2 hours and averaged just over 17 miles an hour.

Thank you for reading my blog. Please pass it to a friend!

Product Review- Aminopure Newfield Nutrition

Posted on August 18, 2011 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

In the early part of my season I was suffering from colds every time I increased my mileage over 300 miles for the week. I was so frustrated because each cold meant at least a week off the bike. I even missed an early season event, the Hell’s Gate Hundred. Here is a post I made in between the Hell’s Gate Hundred and the Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic. I had heard of using L-Glutamine as an immune booster but as you know from reading my blog I’m a skeptic 😉

In late May, I began using Aminopure, which is 100% USP Grade (United States Pharmacopeia) L-Glutamine. I began with the prescribed amount of 5g after a hard ride. I increased the dosage to 10g after a 3-4 hour hard ride. On my longer rides 6-10 hours, I would take 10g when I first got off the bike and then another 10g before I went to sleep.

I find it interesting that people outside of the cycling world are aware of the benefits of L-Glutamine supplementation. The other day I had a gentlemen say to me, “Oh you guys carry L-Glutamine? Hmm…I give that to my patients in the ICU.” I responded, “Really?” He then said, “Yes I give my patients 30 grams a day.”

My experience with Aminopure has been positive and rewarding. It’s very rewarding to not miss training days because you’re sick. My good health has been a constant I can count on even when I’ve been training hard, stressed from work, or short on the proper amount of sleep. I haven’t had a cold since I began using Aminopure regularly in spite of the harder and longer training rides I’ve done compared to those in the early season. I recommend taking Aminopure as part of your recovery process. I think you will find you will recover better and be able to train just as hard if not harder on consecutive days.

More information on Glutamine:

Review of Glutamine
Let’s start with a brief review of glutamine. All body protein is made up of amino acids and glutamine is the most plentiful free amino acid in the body. Its unique structure and ready availability makes it a vital nutrient for optimal functioning of all organs and organ systems in the body. Glutamine works by providing extra carbon and nitrogen to organs in need.

The specific systems that depend on glutamine include the:

Blood system including the immune cells and the red blood cells
Digestive system including the intestines
Liver
Kidney
Brain
Musculoskeletal
Endocrine glands

Production and Decline of Glutamine in the Body
Although all cells have the potential to make glutamine, it is made primarily in skeletal muscle, followed by the lungs and brain. With most illnesses and under conditions of stress, such as over-training in athletes, glutamine levels in the blood decrease. This decline could be due to an increase in the need for glutamine by organs or it could be that skeletal muscle cannot manufacture it rapidly enough to fulfill the demand. Whatever the reason, there is a deficiency of glutamine in the body and that is the reason for supplementation with glutamine.

Below is a partial list of health conditions or illnesses where glutamine supplementation has been shown to have benefit:

Reduced side effects of chemotherapy including lessening of nerve damage to the hands and feet and decreases of mouth sores and diarrhea
Improved regulation of the immune system
Decreased infection rates
Restored muscle mass
Improved outcome following surgery, including fewer infections and deaths
Prevented HIV wasting
Reduced diarrhea
Increased nutrient absorption with short bowel
Enhanced recovery following athletic over-training
Improved blood sugar control in critically ill patients

Recent studies also suggest that glutamine may be useful for people who have heart conditions and individuals who are overweight. In follow-up issues of this column, I will discuss all of these topics in more detail

Source

Newfield Nutrition Corporation is a new and innovative company that was started and is operated by a group of physician scientists who believe that rational nutritional supplementation can play a vital role in preventive and restorative medicine

Day Two- 6.5 hour Training Ride Today in the Rain!

Posted on February 18, 2011 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

Today it rained on me for 5 plus hours of the ride. Quick Stats 6:25 pedal time, 112 miles, 4100 kjs, 5,000 feet of gain, Normalized Power 202 or 3.0 w/kg and 17.4 Avg moving speed. And this is the day after a 6 hour training ride the day before of over 100 miles. The rest of the data is displayed below. Now let’s talk about clothing. I knew it was going to rain today so I made sure I wore wool from head to toe! See below for my clothing choices. Why so many hours/miles? I have a Double Century in Death Valley on Feb 26 and wanted to see where I was in my fitness. I will make another blog post on the Death Valley Double Century in the next couple of days.

UPDATE 02/22/11– Death Valley Double pre ride info.

Rain for the previous 24 hours

I find it amazing the disparity between ride time and total time. I only stopped twice on today’s ride. Both stops were to refill my water bottles at a fast food joint with soda fountains in the dining area. I was in and out in less than two minutes. The rest of the stopped time is traffic controls! I really thought my ride time and total time would be much closer to each other.

What are the graphs above? Well I wanted to set the Garmin 310XT to Auto Lap every hour. Unfortunately you can only Auto Lap by Distance or Location. So I said well I want to do 17 mph average speed on the training ride and set it for distance but I would rather do it by time. Yes I could always hit the lap button but why not use technology right?

In Corona looking up to the mountain range I need to pass through.

For my clothing I wore wool items from Woolistic I wore a long sleeve thin wool base layer 100% Merino wool, Cinzano Long Sleeve Jersey 100% Merino wool, and wool cycling shorts. From Swiftwick I wore the Merino 7″ sock. When riding in rainy conditions PLEASE wear wool. Your synthetics will make you even more miserable than you have to be. While I was wet, thoroughly wet, I was never cold. I felt the elements but I didn’t feel the constant overheating and chilling that happens when I wear synthetics in particular on climbs and descents. Take it from someone that spends a lot of time on the road in all weather conditions get yourself some wool and ignore the naysayers that think you’re not cool because you aren’t wearing the latest and greatest technologically wonderful whizz bang new fabric that “…waterproof and breathes….” nonsense! The Woolistic stuff is the best on the market– go get some!

And now for something completely off topic. Can you imagine telling your friends at a dinner party who you work for?

Exciting News –New Nutrition Sponsor- INFINIT NUTRITION

Posted on February 10, 2010 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

I am pleased to announce that Infinit Nutrition and I have come to a satisfactory and beneficial sponsorship agreement for the 2010 season.

If you haven’t heard of Infinit Nutrition you can become familiar with them at their site here. Their success is in creating customized nutrition solutions for endurance athletes. Whether you ride, hike, climb, paddle, swim, or you do multi-sports racing or training Infinit can tailor a formula for your specific needs. The convenience of having everything you need in one bottle is very key to me as an Ultra distance cyclist. Having to fumble for capsules for my electrolytes, or having an “off the shelf” formula that is too heavy in protein is not only an inconvenience but can hinder my overall performance.

With Infinit, I can have multiple formulas based on the racing conditions. Let’s say for example I am racing in really hot climate and I want more electrolytes but less calories because I will be drinking more than one bottle an hour I can dial in that formula and have a batch made. Or maybe I will be completely unsupported and need more protein and more calories I can have that formula made — custom just for me.

Please visit their site and work with the sliders and customized your own nutrition today! When you place your order use “Vireo” for your discount code and receive 10% off of your order!

Como Street

Posted on September 20, 2009 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

Brandy and I did a casual 3 hour ride yesterday. We visited her new place of employment. We got a feel for the route she might use on her commute. I’m a little worried because it has a few sketchy areas. People driving to work are always in a hurry and multi-tasking i.e. cell phones, texting, shaving, applying make up, and I’ve even seen people brushing their teeth.

On our way home we took Back Bay and merged into a memorial ride for a Steve Hedrick. Steve was a competitive cyclist, among other things. The turnout was impressive. There were many riders wearing their team kit shorts with a Steve Hedrick memorial T-shirt. My condolensces to the Hedrick family.

Today I did the Como Street ride. I get dropped everytime I do the ride but I keep hoping that one day I’ll stay in. I usually get dropped going through Santiago Canyon near Modjeska Grade/Canyon. I tried to stay on Jason Bausch’s andJamie Paolinetti’s wheel. I was successful for a while but eventually I got shelled. When I popped I was averaging 191 bpm for at least 2 minutes. According to my Power Tap download on Training Peaks Software I avg 189 bpm for 5 minutes before I popped. I was only 700 feet from reaching the crest of a roller where I could have recovered slightly.

My pacing was good, my positioning could have been better but I have to be happy with my performance. I’ve been doing Ultras for so long that doing rides with this type of intensity is not my forte. And of course there is the question of genetics. Do I even have the genetics to stay with these guys and girls? After the ride I rode home with Jason and he offered a couple of tips. I told him I would be doing less Ultras next year and possibly some USCF racing. I may focus more on Double Centuries next year and leave things like 400km, 600kms and 300 milers on the table. I did the long events this year and I believe they led to my burnout. Besides I have a goal to run more next year.

After my ride my recovery consisted of Fluid Recovery Drink and my Skins Recovery Tights. I am evaluating Fluid Recovery Drink. I like their simple formula, low calories for faster absorbtion, high levels of L-Glutamine, Lactose free Whey Protien Isolates, and heck it even taste great. Read all about Fluid Recovery Drink I think you will be impressed how they differ.

Stats of the ride.

Total mileage —58.4 miles
Duration——— 3 hours 9 mins
Total Elevation–1,900
Avg Speed—— 19.2 mph
Avg Power—— 163 watts
Normalized Power- 207 watts
Total Kjs———- 1784 kjs

Stats for just Como Street

Mileage———— 33 miles
Duration———– 1 hour 35 mins
Elevation———— 1600 feet
Avg Speed———- 21.4 mph
Avg Power———- 181 watts
Normalized Power— 231 watts
Total Kjs————- 1007 kjs

I’m a destination runner

Posted on September 7, 2009 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

I realized or rather confirmed that I just can’t run for time. I went out for a run today. As part of my plan to increase my mileage slowly I was scheduled to run 30 minutes. But once I got out on the road I needed some thing or some place tangible to feel satisfied with my run. 15 minutes into my run I was half-way between cross-streets. At that point felt like I hadn’t “gone” anywhere. I decided to run to the beach and ended up with 46 minutes and 5.2 miles.

As far as aches and pains my cardiovascular fitness is good. My left Achilles tendon started to hurt 15 minutes into the run and my right Achilles started to hurt about 30 minutes into the run. Let’s hope over time those things toughen up and those pains go away. In the meantime, I will put on my Skins Recovery Tights– I’ve got a long day on my feet tomorrow.

On my commute– reflective gear

Posted on September 3, 2009 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

I did a partial commute this morning. Partial commute means I take the train part of the way and ride part of the way. It almost splits up perfectly 35 miles on the train and 30 miles on the bike. It was just getting light out as I pulled into a Starbucks. Once in side a gentleman approaches me and says “Your reflective stuff works. Man I can really see you a mile away” That’s good to know since I leave the house before 5am on my commuting days.

Thank you Nathan Sports for the gear.

I really like the terry cloth ankle bands from Nathan. They are really comfy and very reflective!!

My wheels have reflective tape on them. I don’t worry about the “uncool” factor of having reflective tape on my wheels or my bike. I have a family and I need to get home to them. My I present to you Chloe, my Cervelo Carbon Soloist.

Detours Hightail EXP

Posted on April 14, 2009 by REV Cycling Directeur Sportif

DETOURS HIGHTAIL EXP

Thank you to the good folks over at Detours Bags. I now have a fourth Detours Bag. Yes fourth! I have paid for three of them in the past. Today I spoke to them about my race plans for Trans Iowa and how pleased I have been with their other bags. It came as a complete surprise when they offered me a bag for my race. YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT THE QUALITY OF THESE BAGS!

My personal experience with Detours bag began in late January on the San Diego 300km Brevet. On that event, Brandy and I used the Hightail on our tandem and were able to fit so much stuff in the bag that we were amazed. We were also very amazed at the quality of construction, weatherproofing (also comes with a rain cover) and the zippers. There we were the two of us tugging at the zipper and squeezing the bag and tugging at zipper to stuff all our clothing in the bag. The quality of these bags is without peer and the zipper is REALLY tough. The finger loops are a nice touch. You can tell these bags were designed by people who ride!

Thank you Detours!!

DETOURS HIGHTAIL BAG ON TANDEM ON THE SAN DIEGO 300KM BREVET

From the Detours website:

The full enchilada for Fast+Light Touring. From your first Fundraiser Century to springtime B+B hopping in Arizona, this puppy will hold your essentials and swallow the extras.

It’s the Big Bro of the HIGH TAIL. The EXP denotes the mid-riff expando bellows that considerably increases this bag’s volume . Meant to carry extra clothing on credit card tours or committed all day on or off-road rides. Simple-to-use, German-engineered KlickFix seatpost attachment. Only a small plastic adapter stays on the bike after you remove the HIGH TAIL EXP.
Waterproof bottom and top lid.
Waterproof zippers.
Removable raincover.
Reflective piping and patch.
Tail light tab.
Elastic gear spider on top lid.
Inside pockets.

It’s easy to share the HIGH TAIL EXP with your other bike when you buy another seatpost adapter.

USE fast + light credit card touring, all day off-road adventures, touring w/trailer, commuting, brevets
VOL 500-850 in3
DIM approx. 11x7x8 in
WT 29 oz
MAX LOAD 5 lbs – the seatpost adapter is plastic, not reinforced concrete – overloading the bag can cause the adapter or frame connector to break – particularly on bumpy off-road adventures. The extra large capacity of the EXP model is meant to accommodate bulky, but lightweight items such as extra clothing – not a six pack of your favorite microbrew.

NOTE The HIGH TAIL EXP will not fit frames of 54cm and under – use the standard HIGH TAIL or HIGH TAIL ULP for smaller frames

WARNING: Do not use the HIGH TAIL EXP and its adapter on a CARBON SEATPOST. Failure to heed this warning could result in serious injury or death.

George's Epic Adventures

it's about suffering and getting it done!

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