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
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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
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
Sunday, April 5, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Here We Go!
March 18th has arrived, and while for most people it is the day to nurse your St. Patrick's Day hangover, for me it denotes the start of my official training for L'Etape du Tour. The group that I will be traveling with, Velo Echappe has been kind enough to provide a comprehensive training plan to follow over the next 4 months.
Physically everything is going well, in fact I will actually have to dial back my weekly mileage these first few weeks while I train, because I have been building a great base over the past 6 weeks. While ramping up my mileage, I will also want to drop some more weight. At this point I have lost 25 pounds since October, but I would ideally like to lose another 15 to 20 prior to the ride. The bulk of my mileage will take place on Saturday and Sunday, but there are also some shorter rides scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Proper fuel and sleep will be a key element throughout my training, a balance of good calories and quality sleep will certainly help sustain my endurance throughout my training. Unlike most professional athletes, I still have a day job to perform while I try to reach peak performance.
What seemed like a dream last Fall is slowly becoming reality, and I hope that all of these elements come together for a successful ride. Special thanks to the guys at Cycle Film for putting together such a great recon DVD, it certainly helps knowing the exact terrain we will be riding.
Hopefully this mild weather we have been having the past few days will be a new trend, but in New England you can never tell when Old Man Winter will decide to piss you off once again!
Physically everything is going well, in fact I will actually have to dial back my weekly mileage these first few weeks while I train, because I have been building a great base over the past 6 weeks. While ramping up my mileage, I will also want to drop some more weight. At this point I have lost 25 pounds since October, but I would ideally like to lose another 15 to 20 prior to the ride. The bulk of my mileage will take place on Saturday and Sunday, but there are also some shorter rides scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Proper fuel and sleep will be a key element throughout my training, a balance of good calories and quality sleep will certainly help sustain my endurance throughout my training. Unlike most professional athletes, I still have a day job to perform while I try to reach peak performance.
What seemed like a dream last Fall is slowly becoming reality, and I hope that all of these elements come together for a successful ride. Special thanks to the guys at Cycle Film for putting together such a great recon DVD, it certainly helps knowing the exact terrain we will be riding.
Hopefully this mild weather we have been having the past few days will be a new trend, but in New England you can never tell when Old Man Winter will decide to piss you off once again!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Getting Started
As the snow falls AGAIN here in Massachusetts, I thought that I would take some time to write down a few thoughts and let people know what exactly I am trying to accomplish. As an avid recreational cyclist, and fan of the pro peloton I was looking for something a little more challenging than my weekly rides of 60 - 75 miles around town. I had read an article in Bicycling magazine a few years ago about a ride in France called L'Etape du Tour, which literally translated means "stage of the tour". Each year the organizers of the Tour de France pick the most challenging stage (usually very long with several mountain passes) and tag it as that years l'etape route. They open the ride up to 8500 amateur cyclists from around the world, to try and finish one stage of the actual Tour de France. The article talked about how challenging this ride is every year, but also added how it is the experience of a lifetime. After reading the article I still thought that I wasn't in good enough shape to ride, because I could stand to lose one, two or twenty pounds!
Then the motivation that I needed arrived on my birthday, September 10th. After 3 years away from the sport Lance Armstrong decided to come out of retirement and return to the pro peloton. Not only was he going to return to racing, but he was going to use this as a global platform to bring some much needed attention to cancer awareness. I started to get very motivated, but needed a few things to happen prior to making a commitment. First I would need to return to my orthopaedic surgeon to get the green light to begin training. I had knee surgery in August, and wanted to make sure that I was on track to undertake this mission. I would then wait for the Tour organizers to unveil the 2009 route in October to see which stage the 2009 L'Etape would be following.
On October 15th Dr. Richardson gave me the thumbs up to begin training, and the following week the ASO announced the route for the 2009 Tour de France. They chose stage 20 for this years Etape, which will take place on Monday July 20th. The stage will travel 108 miles from Montelimar to the infamous Mont Ventoux. For those interested in checking out the races official website please follow the link. http://www.letapedutour.com/2009/ETDT/presentation/us/index.htm
As I began logging plenty of base miles on the trainer in the basement, I thought a lot about what I had read about Lance's return. He had been out of pro cycling for three years and in that time 27.5 million people had died from cancer. That means that over the past three years the equivalent of EVERYONE in the state of Texas has died due to cancer. WOW! I was wondering if I could do anything to help the cause. I contacted the Lance Armstrong foundation and set up a grassroots fundraising campaign. My goal is to raise $3500.00 by July 20th. We surely all know someone that makes up that huge number, so let's try to end this once and for all. I am posting the link here to my fundraising page, and will ask everyone to please donate to a very worthy cause. 100% of this money goes directly to the LAF.
http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2009/kschneider
I will try to update this site weekly with pictures, training updates, and our status in our fundraising efforts. Although I have been building a good aerobic base, I will begin official training on the 16th of March.
Kyle
Then the motivation that I needed arrived on my birthday, September 10th. After 3 years away from the sport Lance Armstrong decided to come out of retirement and return to the pro peloton. Not only was he going to return to racing, but he was going to use this as a global platform to bring some much needed attention to cancer awareness. I started to get very motivated, but needed a few things to happen prior to making a commitment. First I would need to return to my orthopaedic surgeon to get the green light to begin training. I had knee surgery in August, and wanted to make sure that I was on track to undertake this mission. I would then wait for the Tour organizers to unveil the 2009 route in October to see which stage the 2009 L'Etape would be following.
On October 15th Dr. Richardson gave me the thumbs up to begin training, and the following week the ASO announced the route for the 2009 Tour de France. They chose stage 20 for this years Etape, which will take place on Monday July 20th. The stage will travel 108 miles from Montelimar to the infamous Mont Ventoux. For those interested in checking out the races official website please follow the link. http://www.letapedutour.com/2009/ETDT/presentation/us/index.htm
As I began logging plenty of base miles on the trainer in the basement, I thought a lot about what I had read about Lance's return. He had been out of pro cycling for three years and in that time 27.5 million people had died from cancer. That means that over the past three years the equivalent of EVERYONE in the state of Texas has died due to cancer. WOW! I was wondering if I could do anything to help the cause. I contacted the Lance Armstrong foundation and set up a grassroots fundraising campaign. My goal is to raise $3500.00 by July 20th. We surely all know someone that makes up that huge number, so let's try to end this once and for all. I am posting the link here to my fundraising page, and will ask everyone to please donate to a very worthy cause. 100% of this money goes directly to the LAF.
http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2009/kschneider
I will try to update this site weekly with pictures, training updates, and our status in our fundraising efforts. Although I have been building a good aerobic base, I will begin official training on the 16th of March.
Kyle
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