cfforum

I am targeting the months of January and February to prepare for riding four days of the Tour of California:

Sunday Feb, 17: Ride from Sacramento to Santa Rosa (110 miles)
Monday Feb, 18: Ride from Santa Rosa to Coleman Valley Road (40 miles round trip) to watch the hill climb (stage 1)
Tuesday Feb, 19: Ride from Santa Rosa to Sacramento (110 miles), (Stage 2)
Wednesday Feb 20: Ride from Patterson to Mt. Hamilton (80 miles round trip) to watch the hill climb (stage 3)

January:

Weeks 1 & 2 - Base building miles (4 days a week @ 3+ hours per ride; easy pace) and (1 day per week short, steep climbs - Iron Serpent route). If weather does not permit, then 5 days per week indoor trainer using 1 hour training program.

Week 3 - 2 days 3 x 15 minute intervals, 1 day climbing route, 1 day long ride (70-100 miles)

Week 4 - 2 days 2 x 20 minute intervals, 1 day climbing route, double-dip weekend (2 x 70+ mile rides on back-to-back days).

February:

Week 1 - Century ride with significant climbing beginning at mile 70; 2 days Disco Park, 2 days rolling hills.

Week 2 - 3 days of 35-50 miles, 2 day of 2 x 15 minute moderate power intervals.

Week 3 - Goal event!

I'm very impressed by your structure and commitment.

Thanks, I'm a quick learner!

Credit, however, goes to Scott McKinney. He sent me an email a few days ago outlining his goals and training commitments. Actually, he sent the same email out several weeks ago; his more recent email was to report on his progress. I found this to be a greatly motivating.

By doing so he has made himself accountable to his peers. I was impressed enough with his approach to adopt it and share it with Cycle Folsom. I encourage everyone to give it a go.

I am pleased to report that I have been more than equal to my training commitment thus far. Here are my results to date:



It's January 10, 2008 and my riding season has already been EPIC!

As 2007 was winding down I came down with the bug that was going around and chose to sit out two weeks to let the bug run its course, and then get in a full recovery.

In late December I managed to get out on the bike for 68 miles with the local talent (Curtis & Scott) to have a go at a new route: Mix Canyon. That effort wiped me out for another week.

On Thursday January 3rd I drove down to Curtis' house and bought his trainer so I could ride indoors on rainy days. This effort paid off enormously already. Here's how:

Jan 3, 2008
I setup the trainer, attached my bike and taped my one hour training program to the garage door. The training program is as follows:

10 minutes warm up
08 minutes steady state (85% of time trial effort)
05 minutes recovery
03 minutes fast pedaling (easy gear, highest cadence I can sustain)
08 minutes steady state
05 minutes recovery
03 minutes fast pedaling
08 minutes steady state
10 minutes recovery

15 minutes stretching and cool down (off the bike)


Friday Jan 4, 2008 - Indoor training ride (1 hour)
I put on Rick Wakeman's: White Rock and went on a one hour cycling journey through Europe. I climbed the Dolomite's, Pyrenees, Alps and Mount Ventoux. I felt good getting those lonely winter miles in and getting a good look at the climbs I would be doing later in the year. I bumped into Georgie Hincapie (how cool is that!) and he gave the skinny on his new team: Team High Road.


Saturday Jan 5, 2008 -Indoor trainnig ride (1 hour)
The place was a veritable wasteland; a moonscape of dirt, dust and rock. It was eerily absent of any veggitation and that's just how Mount Ventoux is known and remembered.

The race started with a few parade laps (my 10 minute warmup) and then headed off to the slopes of Mount Ventoux (08 minute steady state). As we started the climb the leaders pulled back and it seemed no one wanted to lead the group (05 minute recovery). Then Andy Schleck made a big move and caught everyone by surprise; I jumped on Popovich's wheel and rode like a madman as we closed the gap (03 minutes speed pedaling).

Our group (Pantanni, Popovich, Evans, Leipheimer, Contador, Ward) stayed together and kept our gap (08 minutes steady state). Pantanni had been doing most of the work and decided to drop back and sit in, to his chagrin, the group became disorganized because, again, no one wanted to take the point (05 minutes recovery). Marco was irate and personally let me know about it in no uncertain terms. Being the rookie in the group I felt like the Patron called me out. So I gave him the "look" and made a move (03 minutes fast peddaling). When it all shook out only one rider wasn't able to stay with the break (me). I watched the real men smash there pedals and lift away towards the summit. I was gassed and went into an eight minute steady state effort to get my heart rate back in order. Then came the summit where I rode around for ten minutes as Marco smirked in my general direction. He didn't say anything, he didn't have to. We both know he played me today.


Sunday Jan 6, 2008 - Indoor training ride (1 hour)
Much the same as Saturday; but being the rookie I tried another not so successful tactic. I went out earlier, got a clean breakaway, then faultered miserably when it counted the most.


Monday Jan 7, 2008 - Modified Iron Serpent route (2+ hours Night Ride)
I was back in Folsom on Monday I went for a night time training ride with one of the local boys: Tim Zsoka. He saw the previous two days of racing on Versus and knew I could use a little encouragement. He gave me some training tips with regard to power and heart rate. I put worked that advice into my training program


Tuesday 8, 2008 - Indoor training ride (1 hour)
It was the "big day" - Team Time Trial. I get really jacked up for the TTT because no matter what happens, I just don't want to be the guy that lets the team down. It's no wonder that I broke my training routine today, modifying final leg (from 03 minutes fast peddaling and 08 minutes of steady state to 11 minutes of high cadence, heavy gear, Lactic Threshold mashing).

Cycle Folsom was the last team on the road and had fallen 4 seconds off the pace at the last check point. Greg Cook, Mark Dvorak and Scott McKinney were in posistion to ride on the front over the next 3 rotations and they were feeling it today. Greg wound it up I and I was finding it increasingly difficult just to keep on McKinney's wheel. With each rotation the pace increased and we cut into the time deficit. Fortunately for the team, Scott's pull was going to get us to the finish line and in so doing, he would get us there in first place, but not without a controversy and tragedy. With all the torque Scott was producing, his rear wheel spun out on the wet streets and he fell to the gound, as did we all. Greg got the worst of it as he avoided crashing into team members on the ground but, instead, crashed into the snow somewhere in the Sierra's and cracked his pelvis. The controvery came in the form of instant reply which appears to show four Cycle Folsom riders sliding across the finish line while the fifth came to rest on or about the finish line. Race officials ultimately determined that Greg Cook's 6' 7" body did break the plane of the finish line, giving us our 5th finisher and the top podium spot for the day.


Wednesday 9, 2008 - Indoor training ride (1 hour)
I couldn't get anyone to come out and ride with due to the tragedy of the Team Time Trial.


Thurdsay 10, 2008 - Modified Iron Serpent (2+ hours Night Ride)
Tim Zsoka's advice paid huge dividends for me in the TTT. Tim heard I was back in Folsom and rang me up for another night ride; I was only too glad to accept his invitation if only to thank him.


The Tour of California is 38 days away and I'm going to be ready to deliver for Cycle Folsom when our wheels hit the road on Sunday Feb 17th. Training programs rock because you don't have to wonder if you'll be ready. Create a proper training program, do the work, and then enjoy being prepared when the event arrives.

Commitment update continued:

The rain has passed and we've had two good weeks of dry but cold riding weather. Over the last two weeks I have recorded the following training stats:

1/7 - Night ride, 25 miles, 2 hours, 4k+ feet of climbing
1/8 - Lunch ride, 40 miles American River Trail, 2 x 15 minute intervals
1/9 - off
1/10 - Night ride, 30 miles, 2.5 hours, 4k+ feet of climbing
1/11 - 1 hour spinning on stationary bike
1/12 - Group ride, American River Trail and Iron Serpent, 80+ miles, 6,500+ feet
1/13 - off
1/14 - Night ride, 25 miles, 2 hours, 3,800 ft
1/15 - Night ride, 30 miles, 2.5 hours, 4k ft
1/16 - Lunch ride, 58 miles, 3.0 hours, Discovery Park
1/17 - 1 hour workout, trainer
1/18 - off
1/19 - Group ride, Folsom Lake Loop + Lake Natoma, 4 hours, 60 miles, 4,500 feet
1/20 - Group ride, Disovery Park, 60 miles, 3.0 hours

I felt like I turned a corner on 1/19, it was the first time I rode with aggression and power for a sustained period of time. I challenged Curtis on Salmon Falls from bridge to rhino, loosing to him by 5-7 seconds, but still making the climb in just over 17 and a half minutes. I was able to win a climb or later in the ride, most notably the climb from the Forresthill Bridge up to Auburn, and the short climb up to Beals Point on the Auburn Folsom road. Then, along with Curtis we made a sustained effort in the low 30's from Beals Point to Oak Ave.

The following day was a "double-dip" day (back-to-back 60 mile days), we rode with a group of twelve to discovery park. The pace was steady going down and back as far as the Train Park in Rancho (18.5-19 mph avg).

Then I took some long, hard interval pulls on the front to "liven" up the paceline. Curtis pulled through when I started to fade and kept the pressure on. After the zig-zags, I put on another interval attack that lasted until Sunrise. Curtis took the lead again and pulled us through the now open section of the trail and to the base of the climb just a bit further down the trail. I attackd on the climb and opened up a small gap that the boyz were able to rapidly close back down.

On the long stretch that leads back to the fish hatchery I was doing the pulling again and caught Curtis making his move out of the corner of my eye, I took off after him immediately and took about 8 seconds to finally run him down. We wondered what happened to the other riders since there we several very strong "crit" riders in the group that should have passed us.

We rolled into the Fish Hatchery parking lot and waited for the rest to arrive, which took a few minutes. Two of the riders rubbed wheels while making their moves to go after Curtis when opened his can of whoop-ass, and one of them went down. He was uninjured, but his top tube had a new ripple in it.

Lesson learned: staying near the front is safer, especially when the peloton starts to get excited and you anticipate that someone may be getting ready to make a move.

Training lessons learned: Put in the work, reap the rewards. There is no substitute. Committed, proper training doesn't guarantee a specific result, but it does prepare you for a good result. Anyting less does guarantee a specific result: a bad result.