Another Six Hours in the Saddle – Newport Beach to Oceanside and Back to Newport Beach

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My legs felt a little heavy after yesterday’s six hour training ride.  It took some time to warm up.  I was quite hungry on today’s ride and pulled over a couple of times to get some solid foods in me.

The training goals and actuals are almost exactly what they were yesterday so I won’t load any additional graphs.

One awesome thing that happen today was running into Isabelle Drake. I was experiencing a lull in my ride, just south of San Clemente, when up ahead I saw a Furnace Creek 508 vest.  I wondered who that might be.  As I got closer I recognized Isabelle.  The timing was perfect.  I snapped out of it and started riding better.  She has a knack for that!  At the 2009 Furnace Creek 508 the winds were gusting up to 60 mph and we motivated each other to keep riding as we played leap-frog through Death Valley.  Thank you Isabelle you did it again you got me through a rough patch.  When I post my Death Valley Double Race Report this is the Isabelle that I will talk about.

Six Hour Training Ride – Newport Beach to Hwy 39

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On Saturday February 26, 2011 I did a Double Century.  On Tuesday, March 1 a 30 mile club ride.  Today a Zone 2 Endurance Miles, 6 hrs pedal time 108 miles,  3,500 kjs Normalized Power of 180 watts. The club ride really hurt I wasn’t recovered yet! But I wouldn’t let myself get dropped no matter how much I hurt. My legs felt surprisingly good consider the abuse they took on Saturday’s double century.

Garmin download here

TRAINING GOALS: Endurance Miles 6 hours in Zone 2 training 160-216 watts.  2.35 w/kg – 3.17 w/kg, Average Cadence 90 RPM

ACTUALS: Average 162 watts (2.38 w/kg) Normalized Power 180 watts (2.64 w/kg). Average Cadence 86 RPM

HEADWINDS: Newport Beach to Long Beach and the San Gabriel River Trail. (about 15 Miles)

TAILWINDS: Long Beach to Hwy 39 Azusa (about 40 Miles)

HEADWINDS: Hwy 39 Azusa to Long Beach (about 40 Miles)

TAILWINDS: Long Beach to Newport Beach (about 15 Miles)

Preliminary Race Results posted for 2011 Spring Death Valley Double Century Southern Route

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My friend, Daniel, passed me the link to Montana Timing for the preliminary results, here. Looks like only 11 Double Century Riders finished.  Now that I’m home it’s back to life back to reality 😉  (who remembers that tune?)   I will get a report together soon.  Thank you for all your comments they are very much appreciated.

 

Thank you for choosing to read my blog!

Finally a First Place Finish at Death Valley

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I’ve been coming to Death Valley for the Double Centuries since 2003.  AdventureCorps holds two doubles a year with different courses. Today, under some of the worst winds I’ve encountered since 2009 Furnace Creek 508, I came in first.  I guess it’s true what they say, “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.” I will get a race report together and post it soon… stay tuned.

2011 Spring Death Valley Morning Weather Report

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SATURDAY High: 39°F
Low: 41°F		 MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL 3000 FEET DECREASING TO 2000 FEET IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS 32 TO 47 IN THE MOUNTAINS…AROUND 60 AT FURNACE CREEK. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT. OVERNIGHT: MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE EVENING. LOWS 21 TO 27 IN THE MOUNTAINS…AROUND 41 AT FURNACE CREEK. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. 

Source

 

All-Weather Training

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We’ve had some rain recently with more on the way. And there is rain and snow in the forecast for the Spring Death Valley Double Century this Saturday.  Often people ask me why I ride in the rain.  Why do I train in the rain when I could wait a day and it will  be sunny and warm.  First of all, I do it because most people don’t.  Most people just don’t like to suffer — they don’t want to do the work that it takes to improve.  Most people are lazy and expect things to happen.  Most people are fair weather riders.  And that’s OK if you’re a recreational cyclist.  But if you are competitive cyclist then sometimes you need to suffer a little to learn a lot.  You need to learn about yourself and your limitations.  What I believe makes me a successful Ultracyclist is I still haven’t found my breaking point.  I purposely go out on training rides or races seeking my limitations.  Even when I thought I had reached my breaking point like a Phoenix I rise up from the ashes and ride again.

Being a competitive cyclist has many different meanings.  I am competitive but really I just compete against myself.  I “race” with other riders on the course but ultimately I am competing against myself and MY results from previous years on the same course.  If I place in the top five I’m not going to Kona or some World Championship.  I’m not receiving prize money or primes (pronounced preems).  Nope I’m doing Ultras for my own personal sense of achievement.  I do Ultras for a sense of self-awareness or as is listed in the California Triple Crown website, Personal Growth Experience.  I can’t control who shows up.  I can’t control the weather conditions.  What I can control is my pace, my nutrition strategy, and my mental attitude.  While a good result is important to me when I “race” it’s much more important that my process through the event was efficient, smart and repeatable.  Once you have adopted the proper mindset for Ultras then you will be satisfied or not with YOUR results.

Let’s discuss the weather shall we? The reality, my cycling friends, is you can’t plan the weather.  There will be times when you line up at the start line with rain imminent.  Or even more distressing, it could be raining before the start of your event.  You know the difference don’t you?  When you wake up and look outside and it’s raining it’s really hard to get out isn’t it?  When you can hear the rain pelting on your bedroom window it’s quite discouraging.  But THAT’S when you seize the moment to make the exception!  That is when you separate yourself from the rest. Get up get dressed and get rolling! It’s much different than when you’ve been riding and it begins to rain.

What about wind?  I know that fighting a headwind is mentally draining as well as physically exhausting.  I would rather climb than fight a headwind.  However, I plan routes so that the return leg will be into the headwind.  In triathlon they say to train your weaknesses during your off-season. As cyclists I don’t believe we have the luxury of an off-season so I train my weaknesses year-round.

What about cold?  I will ride up at higher elevations during the winter months because I love to climb but I also like to expose myself to lower temperatures.  Riding in colder temperatures requires a higher calorie burn, hence it allows me to test my nutrition strategy along with my clothing.

What about heat?  You need to train in heat so you know how your body will react.  In particular how do you stay fueled how do you stay hydrated and how much electrolytes do you need.  I’ve gone out on really hot days or ridden in really hot areas to test all those very things.

2004 Death Valley Double Century Southern Route more the half the field DNF’s based on 112 degree heat

I do all this suffering because I wasn’t given the genetics to be an elite cyclist so I train harder than most to make up the difference.  I think of Steve Prefontaine  who said the difference between him and other runners was the pain he could tolerate.  Go Pre!

We live in Southern California and to say that our weather is moderate would be an understatement.  However, there have been several years when my early season events have had awful weather.  Why do I train in the bad weather?  Because when you don’t know what to expect of yourself and your equipment the likelihood of riding a successful ultra may be compromised.

  1.  You have to know with absolute certainty what clothing works in the rain and cold.
  2.  You have to know how well your equipment will function with the abuse of rain, sand and mud in your drivetrain.
  3. You have to know how to handle your bike on wet, oil slick streets.
  4. You have to know how to ride fast through painted intersections.
  5. You have to know what are your limits or your equipment’s limits when descending a wet switchback mountain.
  6. You have to know how your brakes will function in the rain and not be alarmed when your stopping distances are almost doubled.
  7. You have to know that motorists’ visibility is reduced significantly and wearing passive reflective equipment and actual lighting is essential in ensuring your safety.
  8. And don’t forget you’re still racing an Ultra so rain, cold, wind, low visibility AND night riding is also possible in the shorter days of winter.
  9. You must know that your lighting equipment will work in all-weather along with your cycling computers.

On a recent training ride I purposely began a 6.5 hour training ride (112 miles 5,500 feet of gain) at 12pm.  I knew it was going to rain and wore wool from head to toe.  I brought my lights and reflective gear.  I knew that I would ride about 1.5 hours in the dark.  It was important for me to test my clothing, nutrition and lights.  In anticipation of foul weather in Death Valley I had to test my gear.  I wanted and needed to be prepared equipment wise and mentally.  Over the years I have gotten faster as such I have been finishing most centuries and early season Double Centuries in daylight lately so I had to move my start time to noon so that I would encounter some night riding.

Just one example of my equipment choice is I don’t like Speedplay Pedals because they can become sticky in rainy conditions (metal to metal engagement for the cleat and pedal).  Another reason is on supported events the aid stations are placed off the pavement and they can get quite muddy and all that stuff clogs up your cleat.  I prefer Look/Shimano pedals and cleats.

Now let’s talk about something more timely.  This Saturday’s event, the Spring Death Valley Double Century, put on by AdventureCorps promises to be epic.  There are weather forecasts of cold temperatures, precipitation and even snow at higher elevations.  Does this scare me off of a 200 mile event?  On the contrary, I’m looking forward to it.  The worse the weather conditions are the more everyone else is suffering as well.  I enjoy riding in stormy weather.  I enjoy the ardor of it.  The fact that I  will be suffering more than the usual amount on a 200 mile event is enticing to me.  The bonding that I feel with other riders when we’re riding in poor weather is unexplainable.  We suffer together and brave the elements and succeed where others fail.  I feel an immense sense of achievement when I’ve completed an event in poor weather.  Below are just a few examples, where I’ve actually taken the time to write-up a report documenting riding/racing in less than ideal weather conditions.  Of course there have been many other times that I just considered it part of life as cyclist and didn’t bother writing a report.

2005

Butterfield Double Century (Rain)

San Diego 300km Brevet (Rain, hail)

2006

San Diego 300km Brevet (Rain and hail 50% DNF rate)

2008

San Diego 200km Brevet (Rain)

Still smiling at the start of the really wet 2008 200km

2010

San Diego 300km (Rain and cold)

UPDATE: 2011 Spring Death Valley Double Race Report

Epic Training Tip:  If it’s raining— go climbing.  When you climb you are going fairly slow.  Consider that if you are on flat ground you will at least be traveling at 18mph but uphill 8-10mph.  Everything is happening in slower motion.  You produce more body heat because you are working harder and won’t feel the cold–as much anyway.  Additionally, you are going slower so the rain isn’t pelting you which is nice when it’s hailing 😉  Riding skill isn’t really important until the descent.  When you summit descend at a leisurely pace and go up again 😉

Epic Training Tip: Wear wool.  This is always a conflict for me.  I have sponsors and I have to represent them with my clothing and equipment.  I have recently joined the Simple Green/Bike Religion cycling team.  And while I should be wearing my team kit on Saturday, I have some series reservations.  I will opt instead for clothing that I know works.  I will wear wool at Saturday’s event.  While I may receive a little grief from my team members I hope they understand the extremes of riding a 200 mile event in inclement weather .  What’s more important in the end is that I represent the team well with good sportsmanship, a competitive spirit and as a bonus a good result.  You have to FINISH to have a good result. My safety, my health and my performance as an individual are much more important than wearing Lycra.

Why do I train in all-weather conditions? Well because far too many riders Do Not Finish (DNF) when the weather is less than ideal.  We are so spoiled in Southern California.  Some of my close friends are Race/Ride Directors so I feel compelled to say this — please don’t start an event if you know in your heart that you don’t have the will to finish it.   Those that DNF put unnecessary load on the system.  For example, while the volunteers may be giving you a ride in the SAG vehicle because you were ill prepared, ill trained and/or ill clothed,  there could a rider “racing” the course that needs attention much more than you for a true mechanical or health issue.  Please be considerate of your fellow race mates it’s better to DNS (Do Not Start) than to DNF on the course.  Ideally, if you’re not attending an event then please let the ride/race director aware so he can find another rider to fill your spot. Then IMMEDIATELY  request to be a volunteer so you can help the ride/race director have a successful event. The race director will be very appreciative of the extra people when the weather, not the course, becomes the primary obstacle for a rider to finish.

Personally I hope the weather is abysmal this weekend.  I wish for a weeding out of riders who spook easily.  I would actually prefer that it snow.  If it snows instead of rain the riding conditions will actually be better.  Allow me to explain…it takes a perfect conditions for snow. In my opinion, snow is easier to ride in and comes down slower and you don’t get as wet.  Rain on the other hand has a much broader temperature range and you get really wet and that sucks more :p  There is a certain crispness to the ambient air a freshness and an eerie quiet when it snows.  I love being in the mountains climbing when it snows!

Why do I train in all-weather?  Because I’m an Ultra Cyclist and on race day I will be prepared!

Next up- Death Valley Double Century Spring Southern Route February 26

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On Saturday February 26, I will be participating in the Death Valley Double Century Spring Southern Route. Many thanks to my sponsor for making it possible for me to ride in Death Valley, one of the most spectacular places on earth.  I hope to do well.  I placed second last spring to a very fast Phil Kelley.  Here is the race report for last year’s event.  I was also in much better form than I am today.

In October, I placed third on the northern route.  First was Brian Davidson, second was Daniel Eitman and then me.  Daniel is on the roster to ride and Brian is volunteering thank goodness 😉  But my friend, Adam Bickett, Rock Rabbit, another very talented rider, is on the roster.  Looks like I will have to ride really smart to stay-in with those fast guys.  It’s early in the season so my goals are a top ten finish and a sub 11:30 time.   Anything better than that is all gravy as they say.  Stay tuned for the race report.  As always thank you for choosing to read my blog.  Please pass it along to you friends!

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

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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?

Six Hour Training Ride Today

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Six hours pedal time yielded almost 109 miles, almost 18mph moving average, with a paltry 3,000 feet of gain.  It took a long time to warm-up today I don’t know why.  But once I was warmed up I had a great day on the bike.  The weather was perfect for riding around 65F.  Tomorrow another six-hour ride is scheduled with a little climbing.  One thing I would like to point out is that my Garmin calculated 6,225 Calories while my SRM Power Control 7 has only 3,711 kjs. Of course I trust my SRM more than the Garmin 😉

Newport Beach to Oceanside then back past Newport Beach to Huntington Beach and then finishing in Newport Beach

 

Swiftwick Socks–Get some!

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I got a care package the other day from Swiftwick.  I simply love these socks.  They are so well made and so comfy.  Trust me a sock is not just a sock-that’s what I use to think.  If you look at my pictures from the FURNACE CREEK 508 you will see I am wearing Swiftwick socks.  I wore the same Swiftwick socks for the entire 508 mile non-stop bicycle race.  If you haven’t tried a pair seek them out from a local retailer.  I hope to carry Swiftwick socks at Bike Religion soon.  Take it from me you won’t be disappointed.  They are the best socks I have ever had the pleasure to wear in and out of competition.