Wednesday Endurance Ride Before Work 84 Miler

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My legs felt sluggish this morning when I started out.  They weren’t 100% even though I had taken two rest days from my weekend rides.  I rolled at 5:08.  I arrived at the meet 7 minutes early (5:53 am).  I didn’t want to wait for the group so I rolled on.  I rode steady and spent most of the time in the aero-bars.  I thought the group would catch me but they didn’t.  I rode the entire “group ride” alone.  I arrived back at the shop at 8:30am and realized I still had time to get more miles in.  I then did the Warner Loop for an additional 20 miles.  I ended the day with 84 miles and Normalized Power of 210 or 3.13 w/kg.


Hour of Power-Hill Repeats

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I wanted to do an HOUR OF POWER to finish the weekend of training on a high intensity note.  My legs felt surprising well after the 130 mile and 10,000 feet of climbing ride from yesterday.  I found a hill 1.5 miles long with a gradual increase in grade, a slight relief in it and a steep kicker at the end. The hill was perfect for getting your intensity up gradually and then powering over the steepest part when you are most spent. It was perfect.

There were also two short kickers where I performed 15-20 second sprints ranging in the 800-900 watts range.  On one of the kickers I hit 999 watts and I wasn’t even going for a max sprint number.

Now that my legs are thoroughly worked I will take Monday as a rest day…a well deserved rest day.

ORANGE ELEVATION

RED HEART RATE

YELLOW POWER

Thank you reading my blog…please pass my blog on to your best cycling friend.

Encinitas Palomar Mountain Cole Grade 130 miler

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TRAINING GOALS FOR TODAY

Maximum time in aerobars

Minimum time off the bike

Sub 8 hour total time 130 miles

All three training goals were accomplished.

THE BIKE

Felt F2 with Di2 53/39 Crankset 11-25 Cassette.

Profile Design Sonic CSX Aerobars

THE ROUTE

130 miles 10,000 feet of gain almost 4,900 kjs with Normalized Power of 208 watts or 3 w/kg for the 7.5 hours.

Start Encinitas

North on Pacific Coast Hwy

East on San Luis Rey Bike Path

Camino Del Rey, West Lilac, Lilac

UP Palomar Mountain South Grade

DOWN Palomar Mountain South Grade

UP Cole Grade Road

Lake Wholford, Valley Parkway, Del Dios Hwy, to PCH

PCH to finish in Encinitas

THE RIDE

I only stopped twice on the full 130 miles.  The two stops were for water only– no solid foods, no nature breaks or anything else.  The difference between my rolling time and total time was only 12 minutes.  Below I have detailed my two stops which account for 4 minutes and 39 seconds the remaining 7 or so minutes were traffic controls.

My first stop (1 minute and 5 seconds) at Bates Nut Farm (mile 47).  I filled one bottle, topped off a half full bottle, downed a bottle refilled it and I was back on the bike.

My second stop (3 minutes 34 seconds) was at Mother’s, the restaurant at the top of Palomar Mountain (mile 67), refilled three bottles with Infinit Nutrition powder , downed a bottle refilled it,  said hello to a friend and then was back on the bike. I then rode the next 62 miles without stopping for fluids or anything else. For those that are wondering the mile marker at the top of Palomar Mountain’s South Grade is 47.8

Total bottle count 1.5 bottles to Bates Nut Farm mile 47.  I downed 1 bottle at Bates. Then 3 bottles on Palomar Mountain climb.  Down 1 bottle at the top.  Then 3 bottles to get home.  Total bottle count 9.5 24 oz bottles!

I had a good day on the bike.  My legs felt strong throughout most of the day.  I faded a little on Palomar Mountain but only near the top.  One reason might be that I didn’t stop at the store at the base of Palomar to refuel.  I had made my refueling stop 8 miles prior at Bates Nut Farm.  I rode hard from Bates through Rincon and attacked the climb just when the road kicks up by Harrah’s Casino (lowest elevation point of the climb).  Starting the climb in earnest from just past Harrah’s adds one more mile to the already long 11.6 mile climb.  This extra mile makes it a 12.7 mile climb 4200 feet of gain AND is in the steepest section (lower half) which can really put the hurt on you …but that’s why I’m out there right?

Garmin Player found here (click on the icon with four arrow next to the turtle and the rabbit slider for full screen view)

Screen shot from Training Peaks WKO 3.o from my 7900 Dura-Ace wireless SRM power meter

Notice the grey line (torque) in the above chart going way above the yellow line (power).  I was riding an 11-25 cassette today.  In this case the torque line is an indicator of  how steep Cole Grade is in certain sections.  Cole Grade was featured in the Tour of California on the final stage which also included Palomar Mountain.

Palomar Mountain is slotted in as 9th on John Summerson’s list of the California’s 10 toughest climbs.

All for now…please pass my blog on to your friends.

Product Review — PRO Turnix Saddle

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I have spent several hundred miles riding the Pro Turnix Saddle.  I am thoroughly impressed with its build quality, and its design.  I typically prefer saddles without padding. When the good folks over at Shimano/PRO handed me the Turnix, so that I could provide an evaluation, I must admit I was a little bit skeptical when I saw “all that” padding.

I put the Turnix on my bike midway through my mountain climbing phase of my training for the Furnace Creek 508.  As you well know, there is a lot of time spent seated on a 20 mile climb.  The saddle performed beautifully! The PRO Turnix has a subtle channel or relief in the center of the saddle.   I also like the way the back of the saddle curves upward unlike most saddles that curve down and away from the center of the saddle.  I find that this upward curve creates a backboard, if you will, to scoot back against while climbing.  The saddle works very well under the seated climbing test.

My training then went into my current phase which is working on my aero-position.  During this period I installed aerobars on my bike.  What I like about the saddle is get this…the padded nose.  Yes, when in the aerobars or in the road bar drops the padded nose is really nice.  Hence, I approve the saddle as not just a road saddle but I suggest it would work well on a triathlon bike.  The PRO Turnix performed very well as an aero-position saddle.

On the Epic Training scale of goodness  I rate this saddle as a five star saddle.

Canyon Velo 90 miles and 96 miles Solo- 186 Miles Total

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kj- 5625 — a huge day of calorie burn

TSS- 518  –It will take days to recover fully from this effort

Notice on the screenshot from Training Peaks WKO 3.o how the first 90 miles the power (yellow lines) is all over the place.  After finishing the group ride notice how my power is much more steady.  Also notice the last 15 miles how the power is much higher than the previous section.  I wanted to finish the ride strong and I DID!!  I am pleased with that effort and it is very promising sign that my fitness is progressing.  After 170 ish miles the last 15 miles were done at a higher intensity!

Garmin Player Download Here

Garmin Data Here

I had a good day on the bike today.  I started off with a 90 mile group ride — the  Canyon Velo ride.  But I didn’t feel satisfied with the amount of work I had done so I rode some more afterwards.  Riding in packs doesn’t really prepare me for my races.  The group rides are frustrating for me.  They stop to regroup, they stop too long, and the effort is very dynamic.  They ride at an easy to medium pace until they hit the hills.  When they are in hills they go balls out and it’s an anaerobic effort.   All the things that don’t translate well to in Ultra riding. Ultra racing in its purest state is a more akin to a time trial– a very long time trial.  For example the Furnace Creek 508 is raced as a 508 mile time trial!!

Ultra Cyclists shouldn’t or at least not often do the following things:

1. Stop

2. Get off their bike

3. Go anaerobic

4. Ride with their power or effort all over the map

I guess that’s why I prefer to train alone.  Just my SRM Power Meter and I going out for a 13 hour training ride. And on race day I guess that’s why Ultra Cycling appeals to me– it’s all about individual effort!  Just you and your bike against Mother Nature’s choice of weather and Planet Earth’s topography.

Ok all for now…thank you for reading my blog.  Please pass my blog along to your friends.

Century Day- Two rides today

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SUMMARY

In the morning I did the Wednesday Ride and then added the Warner Loop on the back-end.  I had a good hard ride of 80 miles.  Then after work I did the Warner Loop again just to keep the legs loose which added another 20 miles.  Total miles for the day was 100 miles Total time was just over 5 hours.

The first 5 miles of my evening ride were really a challenge.  I had been on my feet for 9 hours at work after riding the hard 80 in the morning.  I wore my Skins leg tights which helped but they were still stiff.  After the first 5 miles or so my legs loosened up and I had a very nice enjoyable ride.

THE MORNING RIDE

Garmin Download Here

I was 11 minutes late to the meet.  I chased for 1:12 and caught the group on Glenn Ranch as they were about to enter Santiago Canyon.  I felt good on that first hour, pushing harder than normal on a Wednesday ride.  Once I was riding with the group my pace was lighter for the next 20 miles or so.  There is a lot of energy savings while drafting …it can’t be overstated.

A few things positive things I notice in the data provided above:

1. 2600 kjs in a 4 hour ride that’s an average of 650 kj/hr.  Pretty high for me on a training ride and I like the data based on my perceived effort.

2.  Intensity Factor was (802) or 80% for 4 hours

3. PwHR:  3.63%– This is outstanding!  The goal should be around 5% and I am below that.  This means my HR and Power were consistent throughout the 4 hours, much more complicated than that but we will leave it there.

4.  Normalized Power was 220 watts which was 3.3 w/kg for 4 hours that’s also good for me anyway.

THE EVENING RIDE

Active Recovery

Today’s Training Tip

The power meter is essential for recovery rides.  I hear cyclists often say they don’t use their power meter because they’re not going hard.  WRONG! If you are on a recovery ride you need to ride nice and easy.  The Active Recovery is designed to promote blood flow and help in the healing process.  Going out too hard on a recovery ride will add more training stress and actually slow your recovery process.  I submit if you are not using a power meter during your recovery rides then chances are YOU ARE RIDING YOUR RECOVERY RIDES MUCH HARDER THAN YOU SHOULD.  Notice below 63% of this ride was spent at Active Recovery Zone about 36% at Endurance, most of that 36% was at the lowest levels of Endurance zone since my average power was 136 watts for the ride.

All for now…thank you for reading my blog.  Please pass it on to you cycling friends.

Video – California’s Toughest Climbs

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I finally got around to creating a video for my Eastern Serria trips.  I tackled the 10 toughest climbs in California!  Here are the links of my two trips:

Onion Valley, Horseshoe Meadows and Whitney Portal — 17,000 feet in 116 miles – IN ONE DAY!

Shirley Meadows and Sherman Pass

White Mountain

Thank you John Summerson for your list and inspiration!

Most Difficult Climbs:

1) Onion Valley —               DONE 6/10/10 !!
2) Horseshoe Meadows — DONE 6/10/10!!
3) White Mountain–    DONE 06/25/10!!
4) Sherman Pass–              DONE 6/24/10!!
5) Whitney Portal —          DONE 6/10/10!!
6) Mount Baldy–               DONE- too many times to mention
7) Shirley Meadows–        DONE 6/24/10!!
8) South Lake–                  DONE as part of Everest Challenge Stage Race
9) Mount Palomar–           DONE 6/06/10!!– too many times to mention
10) Mosquito Flat–           DONE as part of Everest Challenge Stage Race

Greatest Elevation Gained:

1) Horseshoe Meadows – 6,234 feet– DONE 6/10/10 !!
2) White Mountain – 6,204 feet  DONE 06/25/10!!
3) 190 – 6,199 feet
4) J21/245/180 – 5,750 feet
5) Mosquito Flat – 5,548 feet- DONE AS PART OF EVEREST CHALLENGE
6) Dantes View – 5,475 feet
7) South Lake – 5,445 feet- DONE AS PART OF EVEREST CHALLENGE
8) Sherman Pass – 5,316 feet– DONE 6/24/10!!
9) Emigrant Pass – 5,309 feet– DONE 04/04/10 – BLOG POST
10) Onion Valley – 5,169 feet DONE 6/10/10!!

Highest Elevation Attained:

1) Mosquito Flat – 10,220 feet- DONE AS PART OF EVEREST CHALLENGE
2) White Mountain – 10,152 feet DONE 06/25/10!!
3) Horseshoe Meadows – 10,034 feet DONE 6/10/10!!
4) Tioga Pass – 9,945 feet
5) South Lake – 9,852 feet– DONE AS PART OF EVEREST CHALLENGE!
6) Sonora Pass – 9,624 feet
7) Kaiser Pass – 9,184 feet
8) Onion Valley – 9,163 feet — DONE 6/10/10!!
9) Lake Sabrina – 9,141 feet
10) Sherman Pass – 9,126 feet– DONE 6/24/10!!

Tour de Francis Ride Report

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First off I would like to thank the Adobo Velo gang, and in particular Francis Ignacio, for inviting me to the Tour de Francis Summer Edition- Frazier Park. As usual, they put on a great event and I had a great time participating. Thank you Adobo Velo.

SUMMARY

100  miles approximately 9,000 feet of climbing

Long sustained climbs

Beautiful scenery

Very low traffic

Cities visited – Lebec, Frazier Park, and Ventucopa

Counties visited— Kern County, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, and Ventura County

Climbs– Lebec to Frazier Park, Mount Pinos and Apache Saddle. Lockwood Valley to Heartbreak Hill then back down to Lebec

Video may found here

THE WEAPON

Felicia, my Felt F2 with Di2, got the nod.  After 2,500 miles on the first charge of the battery I decided to charge the battery the night before the event.  In that 2,500 miles I had never missed a shift, I had never dropped the chain and I never experienced chain rub from cross-chaining.  For wheels I used my Zipp ZEDTech 2’s with ceramic bearings.  Now that I finally have a wireless SRM I can use them.  They had been collecting dust, figuratively speaking of course. They worked beautifully.  They are light (1060 grams confirmed) aerodynamic and stiff on the steep grades.  Drive train was 53/39 crankset and 11-28 cassette.

THE RIDE

The first climb from Lebec to Frazier Park is about 12 miles of slightly undulating terrain.  It isn’t steep in any section that I remember.  The only difficult part is that it comes after a .25 mile warm-up 😉 which isn’t really a warm-up.  As soon as you leave the parking lot of the Best Rest Inn you begin climbing!  I felt good on the climb so I set a medium pace for myself.  I thought for sure there would be other riders coming up on my wheel but no one followed.  The climb is about 2,000 feet of gain in 12 miles– your data may vary. Summit first climb 1:00:00 total time about 7:20am.

The second notable climb was a little over 3.5 miles and gained about 1,000 feet.  I was still feeling good and worked hard to keep my tempo up.  I do remember a few steep pitches and I was glad to have the 28T cog on my 11-28 cassette.  I am working the 39T chainring and the 28T cog so that I don’t have to switch to a compact crankset (I could only afford one SRM 😉  for the FURNACE CREEK 508. Summit second climb 1:35 Total Time about 7:55am.

Next up is the long grind up to Heartbreak Hill.  As I was descending and heading towards the lunch stop I remembered the last time I rode this course.  I was doing the double century and Brandy was doing the century.  I had completely over-heated and was in really bad shape.  So bad in fact that on the last few miles to the lunch stop I was trying to stay on Brandy’s wheel and she was dropping me.  She was giving me the countdown of miles to go just as I had done many times in the past for her.  But on that day I just couldn’t stay on her wheel.

When we arrived at the lunch stop I dunked my head in the spigot of cool water and drank a Coke and got back on the road without eating lunch (rarely do I eat lunch in a 200 miler).  I recovered really well as the day went on.  Incredibly, even with the heat meltdown, I finished 5th that year with a time of 13:28! Race Report can be found here.

Today was different!  Today I was feeling great! I was only doing a 100 miles.  I also hadn’t been riding with faster guys that would have worked me over before reaching this section.  The weather was cooler, albeit a little windier.  I was moving through the course quickly.  The goal was to begin the Heartbreak Hill climb or Lockwood Valley, before 10am.  I was only five minutes behind this goal.  What was my reason for the haste?  I know how hot it can be in those lower elevations (2,500 feet).  It’s important to get through the hottest part of the course before the heat kicks up.  The next concern was the afternoon winds.  As the afternoon wears on, the winds can get really strong. Those were my two primary concerns for maintaining a fast tempo through the valley and the whole day for that matter.

No matter what the temperatures though, Heartbreak Hill will always take a lot out of your legs.  The 39T chainring and 28T cog were perfect for the last couple of kickers.  It was hot (95F) even at elevation (5,000 feet) but it was tolerable.  Summit Heartbreak Hill 4:31 Total Time or 10:53 am.

The big rollers you see in the graph above are always the toughest portion of the course for me.  The winds are stronger and the grades are steeper.  You roll up and down through beautiful wooded and shaded areas and eventually end up in wide open spaces where the wind can really put a wrench into your plans for a fast finish.

I was going as hard as I could because I was looking at a sub 6 hour finishing time on this course.  I had never done just the century.  I didn’t have a personal best time to shoot for.  But I thought sub 6 hours would be a good goal, especially with all the climbing and all the solo riding I had been doing. Summit last roller and begin descent 5:25 Total Time 11:45 am.

Looking at 2009 Heartbreak Hundred results I would have slotted in Top 20 with my 5:49 finishing time.  Considering I rode solo the whole day with no one to pace off of I am quite pleased with the result.  I’m quite sure many of the riders in the top 20 were in  pacelines throughout the day.  Not too mention chasing other riders on the course always makes me work harder and produce better results.

All in all I had a great day on the bike.  I actually enjoyed the scenery much more than I ever have on my double centuries on that course.  The weather was not a factor in my estimation.  Sure there was heat and some winds but hey you can’t ride 100 miles and expect the wind to be at your back the whole time…right? Total time 5:50:39 with only 3:16 off the bike all day.

Yesterday’s fast tempo century gives me hope since my last 155 mile ride to Palomar Mountain wasn’t promising.  I need to do something a little longer this week to see how my fitness is progressing.  All for now and thank you for reading my blog.  If you care to make a comment please do.  I love interacting with my readers.  Your questions are welcomed as well.

And then there is the food at the finish.  These guys ride to eat 🙂  I thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken Adobo and rice.  My son loved the Chicken Enpanadas!  Thank you Adobo Velo for feeding us so well!!!

Complete Video from Tour de Francis – 7/31/10

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I put together a video of the great scenery the Tour de Francis has to offer. The event was held in the Frazier Park area with a lot of climbing, including the always difficult but very gratifying climb up and over Heartbreak.

I used some photos from the Adobo Velo pre-ride on 7/24/10. I am still working on a ride-report and will post that soon. For now enjoy the video below. You may want to choose High Definition 720 and full screen.