Group Rides or Good Friends!

As much as I have read about cycling over the years, has always inspired debate over training alone or in a group. Since I have been training for several events, whether it has been the Marine Corps Marathon, Boston Marathon or one of the many triathlons I have completed, it has always been alone. I find that the solitude out on the road clears my head and provides a certain bit of motivation. I have read hundreds of running and cycling magazines that praise the camaraderie of group training, but to me it is the long lonely day in the saddle that is most grarifying....with one exception!

A few years ago my neighbor Eric bought a bike and began to accompany me out on my weekend rides. Eric and I would go out for several hours on the bike, each taking our turns on the front to cut the wind. Due to my training for the Etape this year, I started riding much earlier this year, which has prevented Eric and I from getting many training rides in together. We were able to get out on the bike yesterday, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. 85 degrees, sunny, and very little wind. Sunday was a recovery day for me, and we enjoyed a nice easy 21 mile spin through some very beautiful farm country. When I go riding with Eric, there is always an adventurous spirit about the routes that we take. We often try new roads, just to see where they lead us. Thanks again to my good friend, for all of the great conversation and laughs during our rides, I guess that some training partners are worth their weight in gold! Thanks buddy!

This week's training has included some very interesting elements. An indoor spin on the trainer, a very wet and dangerous 20 mile Wednesday night ride, and a very fast 55 miles on a gorgeous Saturday in 3 hours and 4 minutes. My bike came back from the shop on Friday riding better than it did the day I bought it! The weather looks good for this week........I hope these good training trends continue for me!

Kyle

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It's an Uphill Battle

When I often think of riding the Tour de France I envision stages in excess of 100 miles and mountains that never stop going up. Knowing that I will actually be riding a stage of this year's race made me quite nervous. First of all I have never ridden more than 85 miles in a single day,and second I have never rode an uphill ascent longer than three quarters of a mile. The challenge is to start logging in longer mileage while trying to simulate some steep climbs to go along with it. There was no way that the flat terrain of southeastern Massachusetts would give me the long ascents that are in the French Alps, but my job was about to pay off big dividends.


A few years ago I started a new position at work, that required me to commute to Clinton, Massachusetts everyday. Clinton is a very small town off of route 495. Each day I would drive to work over a very long and steep road called Watoquadoc Hill Rd. It was close to 4 miles long and gradually ascends out of the trees on to the hills of the Nashoba Valley Winery. Knowing that these steep climbs would aid in my training I began to plot a course to success. Using www.mapmyride.com I was able to plot an 8.8 mile loop that would provide between 500 and 950 feet of climbing (depending on what map program you utilize).

After a week that involved a lot of training, and a 24 hour whirlwind trip to the west coast for work, I wasn't sure if I was up to the task of a long uphill ride. When Saturday morning came, I ate breakfast, printed my map and packed my bike for the 1 hour drive up to Bolton, MA. After parking at the local church I suited up for a long day. The ride from the church up to the loop that I had plotted included a very steep section of road, that made me think twice about the days ride. Once out on the course, my legs had a chance to loosen up and I settled in for what would turn out to be 6 loops, 55 miles and close to 5000 feet of climbing. I learned a big lesson today that would prove to be very valuable.......when climbing a long ascent find a comfortable cadence, settle in and keep a nice easy pace all the way to the top. Not exactly rocket science, but it certainly works.

I had also read a great article this week that breaks down watts, power to weight ratio and climbing prowess...... http://www.astana-cyclingteam.com/fresh_brew/watts.html The bottom line is that Saturday's ride was a great confidence booster, with 3 months to go until the Etape I feel great, and the training is going well. My wife, Katie has been so supportive during the past several months, and does not mind my long days out on the bike. Cycling is definitely not a spectacular spectator sport, so I give her a lot of credit for her patience every Sunday in the Spring, and everyday in July when the TV is tuned to Versus for the Tour de France. She not only knows her football, but can probably name half of the guys in the pro peloton.

So heading into week 6 of my training plan, I feel confident and healthy.....let's hope that trend continues.

Kyle

Easter Sunday, Weight Loss and Shoe Testing

It's Easter Sunday and a very sunny and beautiful day in south eastern Massachusetts. I am starting the day out with some banana and chocolate chip pancakes that my wife just made, so I can have plenty of energy on today's ride. As delicious as these are, I am trying to be very mindful of what I eat, because I am still trying to drop considerable weight prior to the Etape du Tour.
I started this endeavour at 220 lbs on October 6th just after I returned from a long anniversary trip to Napa Valley and San Francisco. Yesterday I weighed in at 190 lbs and still think I have a long way to go. Everything I have read about cycling in the high mountains all gets back to the same basic principal.......power to weight ratio! That means to be as light as I possible can be without losing any of the power or muscle in my legs. Obviously the lighter you are, the less weight you need to propel up the mountain.
As an avid fan of the Biggest Loser I thought I would utilize the Body Bugg tool that the contestants wear in order to monitor my calorie burn. This device sits on your arm, underneath your clothes and can tell how many calories you are burning. The goal was to burn 1000 more calories each day than I consumed. For the first 3 months it was easy, my body was burning calories like crazy, just by fitting in 1 workout a day, then came 198. When I hit 198 pounds the weight loss just stopped, and I couldn't jump start it for anything. I stayed at 198 for a couple of months until.......the shoe test.
For the last year I have been testing running shoes for Nike, it is something simple that anyone can do just by applying online. They send you a pair of shoes, you log your miles online and send them back 6 to 8 weeks later. A few weeks ago Nike sent me a pair of shoes, I was little nervous thinking that I wouldn't have time to run in them with all of the bike riding I was doing. So each morning I would get up and run 4 miles, log in my training, and save the bike ride for after work. Low and behold, the extra aerobic workout has boosted my metabolism to the point of dropping 8 pounds in a couple of weeks. I will continue this process until I hit my next plateau. My goal is to get to 175 lbs by the time I ride the Etape.

Kyle

The Weather Finally Breaks

Anyone that lives in New England knows that April doesn't necessarily mean Spring has sprung, after all we have had 2 feet of snow on April 1st, and that was just a few years ago. After a very brutal winter, when it seemed that the snow was falling on a daily basis I thought the cold snap would never break. This week was the first week of April and it rained all week. The one good thing about the rain was............it was not snow! This might have been the Spring shower that finally broke the back of Old Man Winter. Eventhough it was 48 degrees on Saturday and very windy, it was a joy to be training in weather that was not bone chilling cold. Todays ride was a pleasant 60 degrees, and very sunny. Hopefully this is a sign of good riding weather.

As far as the training goes, I am feeling very good. I have been sticking to the training program that the Velo Echappe team sent out a few months ago. Saturdays tend to be the long ride of the week, followed by a nice easy recovery ride on Sunday. There are only two days of rest per week, and they fall on Monday and Thursday. The other days are shorter rides, but at a much higher intensity. Eventhough I have been feeling good, I am still very nervous about the long steep climbs of France, and without big mountains here in south eastern Massachusetts, I will have to figure out a way to simulate some long hard climbs. As you can see from the below chart, I am logging in as much mileage as time permits.

Mileage Week of March 30th
Mon Rest
Tue 10 Hard Pace
Wed 15 Average Pace
Thu Rest
Fri 13 Easy Pace
Sat 40 Race Pace
Sun 25 Easy Pace

Kyle