We've got your number

Ok, without giving away too much to the team about this coming Sunday's training session, all I'll say is that when you leave the session, you will know if you have the right wattage number for your training.

Ouch!

...candle lit, and so were my quads

Yep that's right, we had our first training session at TotalCyclist and it was everything I thought it could be. As Baker mentioned the mission of our first session was to establish our threshold power; the point at which your body begins to produce lactic acid at a rate it can no longer flush from your muscles. It starts to accumulate and most people feel that all too familiar burn. Our goal was to find this level and stay just below it, flirting with stepping over the line but not doing so. We completed three hard intervals lasting about 5min each at a level we perceived we could hold for no more than 20min. I spun those cranks at a rate I know I could hold for only 20min and not a second more. My legs were swollen and my heart rate was pegged at 185 the entire time. By the end of the session I was spent. Man, what a day, and from what I hear this wasn't one of the hard, ass kicking, beat you into a pulp days. After a session like that it was hard, for the rest of the day, not to feel alive.

C

Evaluation day

Step one, determine your threshold wattage. Here the group experiences the middle portion of a 7 minute interval at 100% of a predetermined threshold power number. If they can hold their cadence at 90-95 rpm through this session and have a perceived exertion level of around 8-9 then they are really close to determining their number for building future training programs.

Let's Light This Candle...

Even though it's been a few months since we forged a relationship and a 2011 MTB team with Chad Andrews at TotalCyclist things are just now beginning to feel substantial in our camp. Recently, the entire team got together to hear Make Kane from Kane Training talk about functional movement and how to assess one's ability to move correctly. We were all surprised to find we had areas of weakness and that assessments like these are instrumental in getting the most from training and staying injury free. It was also great because it was the first time the entire team was in the same room and it was easy to see the group start to cure.

I guess there's another reason I'm feeling things are starting to take off. I recently approved the artwork and placed our team clothing order with Giordana. Thanks to Andrew at Tank Design we'll be sporting a fancy kit design next year that will hopefully turn some heads......but that's not quite it either...


Oh, yea, that's right. The big potato is about to get pealed. Chris Baker already tasted the poison (or should I say lactic acid) on Wednesday at the Total Cyclist winter training series. and it's the rest of the team's turn to have a go on Sunday. I think I speak for the entire team when I say let's open this big nasty can of pain and all take a giant gulp. Pass the can around; bring your mom, your brother and your dog. Fun for one, fun for all. The party's begun down in TC town!

C

Garmin acquires MetriGear, adding cycling power to fitness portfolio

Garmin acquires MetriGear, adding cycling power to fitness portfolio

Winter training series - ouch!

To improve my cycling for the 2011 season I have signed up for two sessions of the Total Cyclist winter training program. For those not familiar with this process I'll try to sum it up.

The first step in the Total Cyclist training program is designed to determine your threshold power by using a computrainer(a computerized bicycle trainer). Through a series of increasingly harder intervals, the coaches are able to determine your fitness by discerning your perceived exertion level during this exercise. Once your number is determined, all future programs are based around this number. The sessions are designed to push you to your threshold and beyond for shorter to longer periods thus stressing the body to adapt to this heavier workload. By the end of the program, you have a better understanding of your threshold power, your ability to suffer for longer periods of time and an increase of power and speed on the bike. While on the trainer, you have a large flat panel TV that provides information such as heart rate, pedal cadence, current watt output, maximum watts, watts per kg of body weight etc. The most important part is keeping your pedal rpms in a consistent range during the entire exercise. It is the best hour you could spend training.