Training Takes on Variety

Yea, I know, the last half dozen posts are headlined and/or in reference to TRAINING....well that is about all racers do this time of year. Today's ride was a bit different for me and accomplished a couple of personal goals even if most racers think it routine.

The Broomfield to Left Hand Canyon route was pretty uneventful until I entered the canyon. The usual thought process goes....plenty of time, legs still attached (30 miles in), and weather looks like it will hold out. I'm going to Ward. Or, not much time, legs squeaking and looks like a storm is at higher elevation. I'm going to Jamestown.

This ride the 2008 Yeti ARC CX is under me and I'm doing a loop on the mountain bike trails of Heil Ranch. Yeti has gone un-dinged long enough and the technical handling is yet to be tested. I'm riding an off-road virgin.
Plans were to actually use it for a couple of late season CX races but mister gimpy leg threw a wrench in the cog on that one.
Heil is among one of the more "rocktical" area rides especially on the top loop although the ascent is relatively mild and even. Having never ridden the CXer up technical terrain and steep grades, I had no idea if it or me would be up to the climb. No Granny MTB gears to fall back on when boulders need to be attacked. Maybe I would find out why the bike's shouldering ability was a major design consideration.
The Texas longhorn sized Salsa handlebars proved useful to power-jerk the front wheel up and over babyheads. The lost art of finding a "line" suddenly became important. My fore and aft Fox suspended ASR makes that a much less important task.

Through multiple stand ups and anaerobic sprints I made the first 2.5 miles to the start of the rock infested Ponderosa Loop with no major injuries or broken bike parts. On to the feared loop. Taking the counterclockwise route put me quickly into a rapid descent through loose rocks, tire slicing angled flagstone and an occasional snow crossing. Rough but I held on and so did the Ritchey wheels and tires. Stark reminder of why MTBers need to work the upper body more. It has been awhile since the arms worked harder than the legs on a bike.

A little more climbing and I'm greeted by the familiar benchs marking the highpoint (6,821 ft) and farthest end of the loop.

Visible below the benches, is Hall Ranch another Boulder County MTB meca. Rumors last year were that there are plans to tie the 2 areas together making an excellent multi-hour MTB ride.

The long descent back to the trailhead had me feeling like a jackhammer operator. Two guys on older Cannondales were impressed when I asked to pass on the left. Guess they thought I was actually in control.


On the way back to Broomfield, I was please to know the answer to the questions that had me wanting to do the Heil Ranch ride. Yes, my legs were able to push up the rocky stuff with CX gearing and no the bike did not fail under MTB trail conditions.
Constant bouncing of the seat bag did finally cause the zipper to fly open and deposit everything squarely on the cross over bridge. Two nice Boulder type ladies put down their field guides and helped me gather it all up. I made a mental note to zip tie the bag closed as soon as I get home.
Garmin stats for the ride were 67.5 miles, 6,494 ft of elevation gained, ride time 4 hrs and 40 min. Lets not talk about average speed.

Dodging The Scalpel........

Cornerstone Orthopaedics doctors High-5 after deciding Dave Strouse will not require major surgery to re-attach the tendon severed in an August 11, 2007 accident. The Retul cycling gait analysis data was taken into consideration.
After nearly 60 days of physical therapy, insurance denied orthodics and fingers-crossed promises by the patient, the judgement at this time is that I have shown enough progress in the "learn-to-walk-again" program that I can continue cycling and moderate running.
The surgery would not actually re-connect the tendon ends but would tie them to other tendons in the area. No promises of success and the surgery would most likely leave a nasty 8" long scar along the front of the right leg -dangerously close to the the Yeti man and COMOtion Sports logo tattoo.

Medically Based Fitness http://www.medfit.net/ physical therapist Marny Farrell administers the "cryogenic torture treatment" on the injury site to reduce swelling brought on by earlier physical terrorist exercises and stretches.
The key to recovery will be in working the entire muscular system to improve general fittness with special emphasis on those little used "side" muscles and tendons in the knee and ankle areas. Stretching the extensor hallucis longus tendon that is taking up the slack for the R.I.P tibialis anterior tendon and muscle is mandatory (test at end of this blog). Phase II of rehab involves the use of foot orthodics to promote even pressure as it is applied across the foot during walking and cycling efforts.

How do I get these things in??
The inserts are basically the same thing Ed McCaffery is advertising for the "Good Feet" people in Colorado. The foot is an amazing mechanism but is still in the R&D stage on the evolution scale. A little help from the smart bio-mechanics folks like David Hardcastles' Orthopedic Rehab in Littleton speeds the process.
Customized Orthodics-same price as a brand new 2008 Mavic Ksyrium SL front wheel. One year warranty.
Oh yeah, those big white things in the photo above are the molds. The actual orthodics are here and feel a little bit like putting a baked potato in your shoes at first.
Quit your whining....Fruita training camp is in 4 weeks.

Training Keeps Pace With Todd's Commands

This gorgeous Sunday is spent with COMotion Sports teammates Matt, Boni and Rob doing what team trainer Todd calls "mandatory base miles" before we actually start torturing our bodies into shape.

This week I made the 10:00 am start beginning at COMotion's only 10 year sponsor's shop Green Mountain Sports off Morison Road and Bear Creek Road. Corky sleeps in until 5:00 pm on Sundays but we used his parking lot anyway.


Our route began north on Morrison road then quickly turned northeast along pedestrian and canine infested trails until we cruised into our legal potty spot- the REI Flagship store in downtown Denver. We passed on the lattes and scones opting for POWERBARS and gel packs from the jersey's back trunks. A few garment were shed thanks to the 55 degree weather by noontime. On to scenic Commerce City, Thornton, Arvada, Golden and back to Lakewood completing the loop.
It may be my imagination but Rob seemed to draw all the barking dogs and middle finger salutes because of his red Specialized garb. Freshmen often have to endure such ridicule until they received their cool YETI splattered COMotion kits and race bikes.

Stats from the Garmin read 55.35 miles with 4,308 feet of climbing and a ride time of 3 hours 17 minutes. Average speed was 16.8 mph. Beautiful January numbers. Boni's computer reads 59 miles so that's what we're feeding Todd.

Training and Rehab In Style

This winter if you can't get out to ride on Colorado's unbeatable mountain bike trails and endless scenic roads, you just have to suck it up, get on the stationary trainer or spin bike and make the best of it. But why not do it is style? This winter I'm doing just that. I said good bye to the local crowded "rec" center and adopted Mountainside Fitness http://www.mountainsidefitness.com/ as the early morning workout location. The Arizona based company opened the doors to a brand new 40,000 sq. ft. facility on December 15th in Westminster just 5 minutes from la casa.

Tops on the training arsenal is the 25 station (Star Trac) flywheel bike equipped studio that features blacklights, thumping music and an I-MAX style theater screen.

Workouts vary between traditional follow the leader (New Year's resolution crowd) basics to specific Tour de France stage races with you in the mix. I just passed the Phonak dude...Much, much more tolerable than the basement wall and the stationary trainer.

Last Wednesday's DVD was a locally produced ride beginning in Boulder, heading up Lee Hill, back to Hwy. 36 and ending via return route on 63rd street. Having actually ridden this route, it was fun to sit in the fan cooled studio watching the familiar sights fly by. No flats this ride.

Ad in 120 pieces of cardio equipment each with a TV monitor, every conceivable weight machine and a coffee/smoothie shop and suddenly winter outdoor workouts become second choice. Yes there is also massage, steam room and sauna rooms and a salon attached. Bring on the snow...

First Training Ride of 2008

Beautiful thing about the Denver area is on occasion, you get to steal a warm sunny day in the middle of winter while the mountains and eastern prairies are getting pounded with snow and wind.

Saturday , January 5th was one of those days and provided the first real training ride of '08. For the first time since the end of the race season I felt worthy of calling myself a racer in training.

Having blown the 11:00 am start time to ride with a half dozen other COMotion Sports racers, I opted to just take a couple of laps around Bear Creek Park and Reservoir. Sitting at the edge of the southern metro, the wide open space has few trees, gets plenty of sun and has a great system of hiking and biking trails.

NO SHORTAGE OF BIKE STANDS AT BEAR CREEK!!

The my-own pace allowed me to fiddle with the new Garmin bike mounted GPS a gift from Teresa Claus. I was sceptical about it's accuracy so for the first few miles, I carefully compared speeds and distance to the tried and true Shimano Flight Deck setup. At the 12 mile mark, the difference was a mere 2 hundreths of a mile between the two instruments. Good enough. The GPS data can be downloaded to my PC and processed with a 3rd party mapping software. From there, I can get other information about the route including total elevation gain and loss. The route tracking feature and compass will come in handy when trying to re-trace steps and return to point "A". Or in the case of Bear Creek, I could also look down from the top of the dam and see the parking lot on E470 where I parked. GPS results were 21.38 miles in 1:34 minutes. Max speed 32 mph...I can beat that.

Great to be back in the saddle...more snow is due in today so back to the stationary trainer and Mountainside Fitness until the next gift of sunshine.

Science Meets Mountain Bikers In Training

Plum-bobs are overrated.............






I had the opportunity to be one of the first COMotion Sports racers to be analyzed using the awesome Retul http://www.retul.com/ 3D fitting systems.


The session began with the normal cycling questions then a comprehensive evaluation of body symmetry and flexibility. Because the problem may not be the BIKE!!
The software technology comes from the medical navigation arena and basically uses IR sensors to track moving points along a given plane. That data is processed into a 3 dimensional connect-the-dots structure that accurately follows and measures key fulcrum points of the rider. Sensors are place on the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows and wrists. The stick figure on the PC monitor shadowing your movement is very cool to watch.


Our own Todd Carver administered the analysis and came up with some very down to earth recommendation and observations.Employing some of the traditional methods of recording bike geometry both before and after adjustments, Todd dialed in the perfect saddle height and set back then went on to suggest "aggressive" arch supports for my Sidis.

The session lasted more than 2 hours with the bulk of time focused on the Road Project. This is the bike that I will spend more than 1,000 miles on this spring doing weekend 4-6 hour rides to building endurance strength.
Of special interest to me was the observation of how my right knee and ankle tracked on the pedal.
Since learning of the demise of my tibialis anterior (TA) tendon and subsequent loss of TA muscle mass, physical therapy and orthodics have become an every day part of overcoming this barrier without surgery.
Good news comes from Biomechanics guru Todd, in that the TA system plays a small part in the cycling world. To see what goes on in the foot/ankle area while cycling click here http://www.specialized.com/bc/microsite/bodygeometry/main.html?x=y follow the links to shoes and you. Then beat the hell out of the back button to come here.

I should be able to continue training and racing with the proper therapy and coaching.
Todd is busy setting up Retul fitters around the globe but if you want scientific data relating to how you spin the cranks and want to prevent long term cycling injuries, you got to make an appointment with the man.
The Retul personal fitting report offers 15 different measurements and angular references. Knowing these references will allow you to set up all the bikes you use from demo/rental nightmares, spin class Revmasters to brand new 2008 Carbon Yeti mountain bikes. Plum-bob salesmen will soon be a thing of the past.. Contact Todd at todd@retul.com .

Winding Down and Reving Up--Winter months

With the bulk of racing behind us I'll be looking forward to family holiday stuff the next few weeks. Plenty of cycling stuff coming up over winter including:

1. Training CX bike fit with Todd Carver's new 3D system http://www.retul.com/
   
2. Awaiting January delivery of the 2008 Full Carbon Yeti ASR http://www.yeticycles.com/Bikes/BikesASRCarbon.cfm -build planning


3. Opening of the brand new Mountainside Fitness http://mountainsidefitness.com/ center 1/2 mile from the house-IMAX spin classes ??


4. Course of heavy physical therapy to avoid surgery of important parts



5. Building and planning for the 2008 COMotion team-6th MSC Championship and activities expansion.

HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY..AND KEEP ON CYCLING !!!

Boulder Cup -Psyco Cross

For the 3rd weekend in a row, the scene has been cyclo cross racing in the Boulder area. This weekend was for the big boys al'a pro with big names at both the Saturday Reservoir race and the Sunday Boulder Cup.

Family stuff kept me away from the Saturday romp but Sunday me and the wieners spectated the elite groups under another stellar Colorado fall day. The COMotion trailer stayed home this round.

The UCI sanctioned event seemed a little more organized and well attended. Race results will eventually be available at http://www.dbcevents.com/Results.html





Screaming at Iles again and again...

Hot dog winner of the Elite men's division was Ryan Trebon.











Iles broadsliding in the sand-wich pit..good block!!!
Katie Compton taking the estrogen class.

Dual Purpose Bike Weekend

The weekend was split between Saturday's annual Veloswap meet and Sunday's Cyclocross race at the Boulder Reservoir.Lines were 6 blocks long at 9:00 am at one of the nation's largest gathering of cycle re-cycling fanatics. Over 15,000 riders of all types crowded the Denver stockyards to find their next road bike or dump the beat-to-death downhill rig. Four hours in to it, I had spent $67 and had a bag full of stuff I hoped would fit or come in handy later. Nuts, pins, tools and nothing of any real value. With that out of my system, we readied the COMo trailer for another fun cyclocross race.

The popularity of the sport is evident when you see signs like this one and massive 75+ riders starting lines.

Week by week, the Yeti ARC-CX bike sightings grow in numbers.

This Colorado Bike Law racer adorned what was most likely representative of the "goathead" stickers that plagued riders who ventured off the course main lines.

Early morning junior racers were treated to hot cocoa and cookies to replenish their sugar stores. Word of the cookies started lines forming until they were all but gone...quicker than the beer went in the afternoon.
One of my personal heros of the sport, Stephen Oliver has the perfect l-o-n-g-b-o-d-y geometry required for the running ,jumping and riding of this all-to-the-wall sport. Stephen finished in the top 10 to the delight of his wonderfully supportive daughter who always cheers dad on.

Word was that the best line was IN the water instead of the traditional pack line being taken 12" to the right. Or maybe it was just the free wheel and "arse" washing that resulted from the spray????Stephen Iles again proved to be one of COMotion's most dedicated post-MTB season riders finishing well a head of rival Rocky Mountain Racers boys and a respectable top 10.

CX season provides an excellent opportunity to scout MTB racers for the 6th MSC Series title. Who looks good here in the 40+ woman's category? Dev Peterson or Karin Barclay?
Brian and John put on a hell of a series. Find additional info at http://www.boulderracing.com/ . We all live on the same small planet. Beginning with this series, COMotion Sports team will always provide an opportunity to recycle cans and bottles (and kegs?) yes...wherever we go.

Cyclocross Comes To My Hometown.....Thank you City of Broomfield

A week after the 24 Hours of Moab (736 mile RT) the venue and disclipline changed to my backyard and Cyclocross.
Part of the Boulder Racing Series, http://www.boulderracing.com/ the high-tech home of Sun Microsystems and other Dot-com industries became a cycling haven for racers invading Interlocken's East Park and the golf course like scenery south of the Denver-Boulder Highway 36 Turnpike.

In an effort to diversify our race team participation, we hauled the trailer and set up to support COMotion CX racers Stephen Iles, Todd Carver, Gary Peterson and Seth Ramsbottom.

8 o'clock had the pit poised with percolated coffee, sugar infested sweet rolls and hydration for any tempted souls. Drop-in mechanicals ranged from ..dude---can I borrow your pump (frigg'n valve stem peeked out barely 10mm from the Ksyrium rims) to "what the hell is this wrong with my cantilevers?" Iles even preformed a derailleur hanger-apendectomy on a recently crashed no-name bike.

Rider's complained that they were being run through sewer on the mud- fest crossing but trust me...it's just pure ole hydrogen-sulfide produced from the entirely natural break down and composting of organic matter. Still smells like cau-cau. Use a little Fabreeze or actually wash 'em before the race next weekend at the Boulder Res.

COMotion's Pro racer Steve Iles astonished the crowd with his slingshot start and lead in the 1 hour grand finale contest. A crash later sent Stephen to the ice chest for an ice pack to calm a swelling knee instead of the podium. Next week brother........

24 HOURS OF MOAB AS I SAW IT

COMotion teammate Kris Lathrop is leading in the Le Manns style start and was first to mount the bike on lap 1 at the 12:00 noon Saturday start.

I didn't realize, until I drug out the old 24 HoM long sleeve, that it has been 5 years since I raced the Grandaddy of 24 hour races. It must have made an impression because it seems like yesterday. The honorary "poacher's" lap we took on the course Friday was very, very familiar.

No racing for me this year but all the same, there was a ton of work to be done in my support role for at least 4 teams camped in the "Butler Circle". COMotion racers included Chris Butler, Matt Juth, Bonnie Sandoval, Kris Lathrop and Kalan Beisel. Loose sand slowed the previous years average lap time by over 7 minutes.
I really have no idea how anyone placed, or how many teams were entered or any other worthwhile stats.

All I know is that if you set up a trailer with canopies, break out maintenance stands a 5mm hex wrench and chain brush they come out of the woodwork.

Cris Taylor and I took turns calming down wild-eyed races who all had the same story. "MY BIKE IS SHIFTING LIKE SH*@T!!

The Moab red powder AKA sand was working its way into every derailleur,cable and oily spot on the bikes.

I took a break between about midnight and 4 am but for most of the rest of the weekend stayed busy trying to keep riders riding instead of pushing the 14 mile course.

Two real heros of the weekend were the Honda and Coleman generators that allowed the wrenching to go on all night, re-charging of the critical lighting systems and providing watts to keep the yellow Topeak canopies glowing until dawn.

Mucho thanks to Mrs. and Mr. Joanna Butler for the beds, food and brewskis throughout the weekend. You guys rock.....

Dawn Sunday morning was coffee, smelly desert campfire smoke (no such thing as hickory and oak out here) and total BS stories about why we did not win and what we're gonna do about it next year. And we will......