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BASIC CYCLO90 Challenge RULES:
1. Registration for the CYCLO90 Challenge is FREE for all. All entrants are eligible for the CYCLO90 Team Kits and Velo Ink prizes, however to be eligible for the TOP 3 GRAND PRIZES (listed below), you must be a user of one or more of the following Cyclo-CORE Training Programs or Complete Training Systems…
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*Basically, anywhere you can place your CYCLO90 unique link can earn you points.
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4. Qualifying for Prizes.
Prizes for all contestants include the CYCLO90 Team Kit (1000 points to qualify) and the Velo Ink Custom Stickers (500 points to qualify). WINNERS will be randomly selected every other week for each prize.
Top Three Prizes include the Bike29 Tires (3000 to qualify) , ROTOR Q-Rings (7000 to qualify), and the Veloforma Strada SLR Frameset (10,000 points to qualify). WINNERS will be randomly selected at the end OF THE 90 DAYS (June 29th, 2012) and announced via email, and on this site on July 10th at the latest. We will verify receipt of Cyclo-CORE program purchase and/or Cyclo-CLUB Membership for qualifying for the top three prizes. If a chosen winner is found to not qualify, then another contestant will be randomly drawn from each raffle.
Prizes include:
The VELOFORMA Strada frame (Grand Prize)
ROTOR Q-Rings (Second Prize)
Bike 29 Tires (Third Prize)
New Cyclo-CORE Team Kits, sponsored by Blackbottoms Cycle Wear. (Bi-Weekly Prizes)
Velo Ink Custom stickers for your bike (Bi-Weekly Prizes)
Graeme going to teach an old dog on the way of social media. Looking forward to pushing my limits digitally, cyclo 90 has push my phsycal limits. Testing for Cyclo 90 road after next week, last week of Cyclo 90HIT.
So excited to get going. I just finished block 1 and this should keep me going through block 2 and into the in-season program. I really want to finish with Fatty in Davis.
Graeme,
Absolutely love the programs. Found a slight glitch though. On the Training plan’s “In-Season” Video Asset List in the “Climbing Temple” Series 5.0 you have listed HIT sessions 14 (Climbing Energy Ass-Kicker – which I think is awesome by the way), 15 (The Climbing Attack) and 16 (The Climbing Wall) BUT on the Series 5 DVD the HIT sessions are 15, 16 and 17 with the same titles as above.
The Limited Testing DVD has HIT session 14 (Singlespeed Power Breakthrough).
Wanted to let you know so you could correct the PDF Training plans to correspond to the DVDs for everybody who buys from today on.
Keep up the great work and thanks for doing this. You are a great coach – a real guy with the same set of problems we all have).
Semper fi,
Scott
Where exactly do I put in my link on the Garmin Connect and Strava websites? I don’t see comment boxes.
Hi Annie, With Strava once you upload your session, click on the dashboard link which then will show your most recent activity. Under the detail/name of the activity there should be 3 options, give kudos, comment or share. I just drop my cyclo90 link into the comment box…seems to be working ok. I am having the same problem as you with Garmin Connect though as i can’t seem to find the comment box either.
I have the same question for MapMyRide. It’s almost better to posty here with the link and then let everyone click the link to view and respond.
^^^Thanks for pointing that out Scott! I saw that as well. Thought it was just me!
Looking forward to my favorite Cyclo-Core workout today – Cyclo RECOVER. A massgae after would be nice too!
I’m starting to love Cyclo-Recover too Scott. I have never done enough stretching so it’s starting to do amazing things to my body, in fact I feel like i’m going through a metamorphosis of sorts. let’s just hope I don’t turn into a butterfly…
Had a killer workout last night on the mtn bike. Perfect weather as well. Tomorrow I have a trainer session in the morning. Would like to do it outside but I have a hockey game to go to tomorrow night. Should still be a great session though!
HIT 10 – Sprinters Dungeon, you ask? Two words – Holy Crap! Can’t write much more. Need to go hurl.
Agreed, that one is no patty cake session as he likes to say.
Took a couple of days off – bad rider, bad. But, since program is so efficient I plugged in a Ride #1 (Tension builders) on a local hill. Great weather and tired legs.
MapMyRide is here: http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/114252181
Cheers.
Sometimes life get in the way, doesn’t it? When that happens, I just move on with the plan and know that I WILL get stronger and faster because of the quality of the workouts.
And you made your ride private! Can’t see it.
Did H.I.T.30 Technique Master+Climbing Wall+Single Speed Power Breakthrough this morning. My mtn bike is in the shop for at least a week and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get out for a road ride. Rain in the forecast later this week… I’ll just have to wait and see. I have a 100 miler coming up in about 3 weeks as kind of a primer for my event in June. Looking forward to it. The ride is called The Ups and Downs of Elizabeth. It’s in NW IL. Fun, scenic ride. I did it in 98 but haven’t been back since so I’m looking forward to it.
Great contest, getting ready for my first stage race. Using the Cyclo 90 in season to prepare.
Good luck Brad, you cycling Ninja!
Good deal, Brad! Kick some butt!
Just finished Single Speed Breakthrough, Climbing Attack and Climbing Wall. Yes, I know I supposed to do them yesterday but…. At least I am honest.
Graeme is so, so right in saying that if we think it we can do it. He helped me gut out the last 5 minutes of Single Speed and from that point forward it was game on! Glad I was hydrating with Secret Drink Mix too – no GI issues at all. 1.5 hours of HIT sessions is a butt kicker. The crazy part is, I don’t feel all that crummy. That’s either a sign I getting stronger OR, I wasn’t in the correct gear. Hmmmmmmm. I choose the former.
Keep it up everybody. We are all doing good things.
Those two together is a real challenge. I did them earlier in the week. Definitely tough that last 5 minutes!
Man! I know I’m late to reply to this…but you managed to do the THREE hit sessions back to back? TOUGH!! Nice work Scott.
Excited about this challenge.
I was originally going to do a hill training ride with a friend but with the temperatures as low as they are we decided to hold off until tomorrow when it’s going to be warmer… I hope. Today was scheduled as a rest day or #R4 so with my body feeling the pinch I’m taking it easy today.
Taking a rest day today even though it is not scheduled. I am pretty tired from the hill ride yesterday and I also am pretty limited on time today(Monday). So I am just going to burn a rest day and I’ll get it cranked back up tomorrow.
Jeff,
I struggle with “rest” but you are doing the right thing. Let the body recover and come back stronger!
Well, wasn’t a complete rest day, haha. I went to the gym at lunch and did some bench press, dips, bi’s and tri’s, seated rows and threw in some shrugs at the end. I used to go to the gym about 2-3 times a week until I started the Cyclo90 stuff so today was only the fourth or fifth time I have been to the gym since January. Strength was actually pretty decent but I can tell I’m not used to that kind of lifting! Gonna be sore tomorrow!
Sometimes it is better to take an unplanned complete rest day to recover when you are tired. I do that occasionally and do Myofacial Release only on those days. It hurts, but it feels good.
Getting ready for a Time Trial on Wednesday and wanted to “remind” my legs. Did HIT #7 and really liked it. Tough, but a good tough. Worked increasing tension with constant RPM. Looking forward to see how it will translate to TT as I do like to settle in around 90 RPM (Graeme called for 65-75). Hopefully it will be like the baseball players that use the swing weight in the On-deck circle.
Recovery tonight and another HIT tomorrow – maybe. Will talk to the legs before.
Remember to use Graeme’s home spa treatment occasionally. I am not a soaker, but an occasional soak along with some self-massage and my foam roller does wonders for me.
Completed an abbreviated (or slightly less hard) HIT #9 session. When I started the In-season program I wanted to concentrate on Muscular Endurance so I did that section first. Now that the section is over I feel stronger, with more endurance, and can’t wait to do the Speed/High Performance set.
I am still in the C90 base program after a late start. I am eagerly looking forward to trying the new HIT workouts with the C90 in-season systems. I am planning on diving into the climbing portion of the road plan. Have fun with your training!
Originally I was going to do some hills tonight but since my buddy can’t make it I’m going to do something different. I have a 20 mile loop mapped out that is relatively flat. Gonna put on the 20 lb vest and go out and hammer it. I am going to try and sustain a zone 4 with bursts of zone 5 and even 6 within the ride. We’ll see how it pans out. My mountain bike is in the shop for the next 10 days so I am going to try and shake up my riding a bit.
Did a 20 mile road ride/loop with my 20lb weight vest on. Fairly flat terrain. Some rollers and false flats. Ended up clocking in at 60 min on the nose including cool down. Lower back was killing during the ride. I need to focus on core/lower back strength. Even with the extra weight I wasn’t expecting that much discomfort in the lower back. I’m happy with the effort and result and at least my legs felt pretty stout for the entire loop. Sustained Z4 effort the entire way with bursts of Z5 and Z6.
My back would definitely not be happy if I did a 1 hour, 20 mph average-speed ride wearing a 20 lb weight vest! Z4 at least. Good job!
Thanks Mark. I’m still hurting! Using my rest day today! Truth be told, the loop was 19.6 miles. I rounded up!
Ur an animal Jeff!!!
24.6 mile road ride about to commence in about 40 minutes. I’ll have to deal with a 12 mph wind straight out of the north. That should give me a tail wind on the way back unless the wind swings around. Gonna take the vid camera and “check in” during the ride.
Hopefully you had enough daylight to get your ride in. And caught that tailwind on the way back!
Well, I made a vid of bits and pieces of that ride last night. Man, I had a hard time with it I tell ya! That north wind was a steady 12mph with gusts and absolutely peeled me for the first half of the ride. Coming back in it was like a giant hand pushing me from behind. I was motoring along at a steady 28-29 mph on seal coated bumpy road on the way back. If I would have been feeling better I would have tried to hammer it but I was cooked. I’ll post the vid later on and you guys can check out my weight vest, haha. Man, I look like damn idiot on the video. Oh well! Still clocked the ride at 1.5 hrs on the nose including cool down and various stops to video and also had to check my voice mail twice! Now it’s time to begin the rest…
Wow, that weight vest looks tough to ride in. That’ll heat you up. Good job on the video!
This is rest week #1 for me. Tonight is Core 2 – Recover and some foam roller work. That foam roller is a killer! But it feels so much better afterwards. I guess I need more time on the foam.
Aahhh! Much better after Recover and some serious foam roller work while watching the end of Stage 1 of the Tour de Romandie.
Completed the baseline FTP Testing as I start the Road Race Perform block. Average power using Kurt Kinetic trainer and their power computer = 320 watts. Zone 4 FTP = 305. That was a slight increase from 30 days ago so the numbers are going in the right direction and the plan works. No kidding, right? All of you help to motivate me and I hope I do a little of the same for you.
Semper fi.
Nice numbers Scott! That’s pretty stout for sure!
Just uploaded a Cyclo90 road ride vid.Check it out:
Really enjoyed that video Jeff…what an awesome place to ride, even if the roads are a little rough. Those speeds you are traveling at are just awesome…29 mph, thats like 45kmph and way in front of what i can sustain for any length of time….maybe i need a weight belt too man…:) Great work…keep it up mate!
Great video! Thanks for sharing your ride.
Love the on bike piece especially – looks like a great place top ride. Little to no traffic. Pea gravel is tough but no cars makes it bearable. Keep it up.
Thanks fellas! Glad you liked the vid. Yeah, those seal coated roads can be a real pain in the ass but there’s rarely any traffic. Maybe the occasional farmer. It did get a little sketchy running along there at almost 30 mph with one hand on the bars and one holding the camera, haha. Lots of loose rocks and shit on that road. But I’ll take that over a bunch of traffic any day. And yes, that area is really nice for riding. Thanks again for checking out the video.
Finished Ripped + Power last night after a couple day break. Ouch. I learned the importance of having the correct wieghts. Also, with Ripped adding in some trainer work I was pooped. Did them at 10:00 PM (I agree, not the best time) but it worked. Then, like a dumba$$ I decided to do Hit 7 and 9 in the AM. More ouch.
Way tired today. I might have bonked a HIT session. Does that count like a BONK ride? I sure hope so.
Scott you wouldn’t be the first of us to Bonk a HIT session. Your right about the weights though..I had to drop my weight for the STR session earlier in the week and then up them for ME. Pain in the ass when STR and ME are back to back on the same day. Supopse my legs are just a lot stronger then my arms..lol…typical cyclist problem.
Well, after a week of Cyclo90 imposed rest I was ushered back into the realm of pain this morning by our resident Marquis De Sade, Graeme Street. The new schedule opened up with HIT#7 Neuro Speed Endurance + HIT9 Neuro Speed Optimized (also known as the on the trainer TT). I have discovered a new most feared HIT session… #9. I had done #8 which is the hi cadence part of the trio but not the other two, as far as I can recall. I was feeling pretty decent after #7; I was definitely feeling the effects but I still felt pretty good. When #9 started and he went through what the sequence was going to be I picked my gear, which was probably a bit bigger than it should have been, cadence and went to work. By the final set of the 4 min of zone 4 sustained, I was really starting to hurt bad but I figured I had enough to gut out that final minute of Z5 effort. WRONG. He says the final Z5 effort will be 4 minutes. Well, I made it but not without some choice words spit out between the grunts and groans. Drenched my living room carpet with sweat. At the end of the video I saw the words “Holy $#!&” on the screen at the same time I actually belted out the expletive. What a way to start back into the program. Smoked my ass!
Isn’t it funny how we push ourselves for Graeme?! He is very motivational. I did HIT #4 and HIT #5 yesterday afternoon. They were tough, but I suppose all of the workouts are only as tough as we make them. You could have breezed through those workouts, but you chose not to. If we want to improve, we are willing to push ourselves. I think Graeme just makes it easier to push myself and more fun. Plus my wife thinks its funny when she can hear me throughout the house grunting and groaning and yelling! You have made me nervously anticipate getting further into the plans and doing the more advanced workouts. Keep up the hard work!
Jeff,
I can appreciate your fear as I feel that same emotion every time I am about to start one of Graeme’s workouts (or two of them as the case may be). I try to time the actual HIT sessions for when my wife and daughter are not home. That way I can grunt, groan, shout or do whatever I need to make the effort seem at least bearable and I am not being critiqued by said family members lol. There’s something quite personal about the suffering we put ourselves through. Most non-athletes probably can’t really relate to that and might think we are strange.
Great to hear your story of suffering, makes me feel like I am at least not suffering alone in these workouts.
Keep the updates coming!
There is a couple of things for me that have come out of the previous few comments. Personally I work harder for Graeme than I have for any other trainer I have had. I believe that is due to a couple of things; 1) Graeme is right there with us hurting and sweating, you can see the pain in his face. That makes him more relateable. what he does we can achieve through hard work. 2) I think most of us on this challenge have reached a point in their lives where we have made a concious decision to change and not go back to the people we once were and we will HURT to ensure that doesn’t happen.
I did HIT#1 & HIT #4 this morning and was pretty fried by the end of #1 so even before I started #4 I was already getting thoughts of quitting. However some of the things that Graeme keep saying such as, “You will not improve if you don’t push yourself past your comfort zone”, & “train as if this is your last traning session ever, how much effort can you put in” & “don’t be afraid of failing”. This got me over the line and I managed to really dig deep on the last half of #4…it hurt a lot but I didn’t quit and for me that is one of the biggest things this challenge has done for me. I can get past the excuses now, where as before they were barriers to my progression. Thanks to you all for your support!
^^^ Mark, Adrian & Tony… wow you guys are SPOT ON! Great comments and you all three nailed really what it’s all about when you’re alone in front of your television pushing yourself like we do. Graeme definitely has a great charisma and connection with those of us that are willing to push ourselves beyond what we would normally do. It’s not an easy thing and unless you’ve done it a lot of people don’t really “get it”. You can tell people about how hard you work trying to get in shape but unless they are doing something similar you might as well be explaining how to tune a top fuel dragster. It’s nice to be able to post what we do and have the feedback from other folks doing the same thing and suffering just as much. That in itself has helped me in my workouts. I don’t want to come on here and post, “well, I had to bail out cos I just didn’t want to go that hard, yada yada yada.” No way!
This morning I did RIPPED+POWER+ENDURE. It really pushed my limits. I just got finished with the rest week, had a tough two HIT sessions yesterday and, to compound matters, I haven’t done that particular trio in quite some time. I was actually quivering during ENDURE. I think that even if it’s not on the schedule that I am going to start including one or two of those every week. I could tell my body just wasn’t used to doing the three in a row like that. I made it, but it hurt. I think I am one of those people that need to keep up on things a bit more perhaps. I just turned 45 so maybe the ‘muscle memory’ isn’t as good as it used to be. Anyway, great feedback fellas and I hope everyone keeps up the great work!
Thanks Jeff..all great comments!! This is the stuff that keeps me motivated!
Right on Tony! Staying motivated is definitely a big part of the battle!
I just had a 60 min Z2 “recovery ride” on my trainer this morning. Followed it up with some biceps curls and shoulder press with the d-bells. Still feeling the CORE workouts from Thur. but I should be good to go for the event tomorrow. There’s a ton of rain in the area and more on the way. I sure hope we get a window to get this ride in tomorrow. I’d hate to drive 140 miles up there and then not be able to do it.
OMG there is not a cloud in the sky…! It’s going to be a cracker weekend for riding! Hope you all have some sun and good riding as well.
It’s 30:34am to be exact and it feels like D-day. I decided to do a TT mountain bike race today (I decided yesterday – bit of a last minute decision) So I am mentally preparing myself to race. It’s nerve wracking since its been several months since I raced the last race of the season last year. I just did CORE 2.0 recover as a last minute “mantra” if you will. I guess when it comes down to it I will just do my best and enjoy the sensation and adrenaline that goes along with racing. The really strange thing is, I am really confident that Graeme’s program has equipped me with the tools neccessary to get the job done.
I will report back later with the results from the day.
Everyone enjoy the rest of your weekend!
I hope your event went good man! Let us know!
Well,
I had a fantastic race. I felt strong right to the end. I already notice that I am riding better at this early part of the season, than I was at the end of the last season. Several times I had to pull myself back out of Zone 5, using the knowledge from the HIT sessions. Which did allow me to recover when I needed to. I completed the 16 miles in about 1 hour 14 minutes which was not terrible. I placed about 6th in my age group.
I did lose about 2 minutes due to my chain dropping off the front ring (to the inside) several times 5 times to be exact, I know because every time it came off I had to drag my bike off the trail to physically wrestle the back onto that front ring. I was cursing pretty loud each time it happened lol. The reason for the issue is that I have switched to a 1 X 10 setup and apparently I need some adjustment on the front chain keeper. to prevent that from happening again.
That notwithstanding, I had a great time. utilized all that I have learnt from Graeme to generate more power, rest when needed to and most of all – I have confidence! Racing is a big mental game.
Ride on!
Sounds like you had a great time. That’s what its all about, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter where you “place” or anything else, as long as you enjoyed it! That’s what being the Everyday Cyclist is about, in my opinion. Good luck at your next race!
Damn Adrian, that’s a really good time for 16 miles. Especially when you’re having mechanical issues. Did you race a Sport class? What kind of course were you on? Hilly, technical? rocky, roots, twisty singletrack?
Came back from Houston a bit stronger. Did 45 minutes on the Marriott trainer followed by good modified Core 2.0 – endurance focused. Power Zone 5 Drops and Sprinters Dungeon today. Survived. Core tomorrow.
Scott, I did HIT#10 and 11 Monday morning. Those two in sequence are tough for sure. Definitely a lung cracker! Good job!
So today I had to modify my training schedule a bit. I am supposed to do #R9 which is a muscular endurance chunk ride but I can’t do a ride that is 2 hrs long tonight. What I decided to do was some hill repeats after work and I will wear my weight vest… which has gone from 20 to 30 lbs now since I was able to kind of attach my 10lb ankle weight to it. Not the most comfortable to wear but these hill repeats are pretty much down and back up with not much recovery time. I also added in the 8 Min. Power Routine during my lunch break. I only went through it one time but that was enough to get me going. I had forgotten how tough that chair sit is. I think I’m going to try and do several hill repeats in a row, seated with hi tension, get a small rest then do another block standing, then rest, then another block that’s a combo. We’ll see how it goes.
My riding partner bought a weight vest like mine last night. He’s wearing it tonight as well. He needs to work on his muscular endurance so this should help him.
Completed a good Core 2.0 workout today – Endurance + Power + Endurance. I cring doing Ednurance every time though as Graeme always states that workout is his ‘favorite’. Ride #5 tomorrow. Looking forward to listening to some podcasts tonight.
That is a lung cracker for sure!
Nice one Scott! I have Endure + RIP + Endure in the morning…going to be a good wake up for my body after a couple of recovery days post my Monday century ride.
So how did that trio go? When I see those three HIT sessions on my schedule for the next morning, it scares me haha!
Man, that hill repeat workout smoked me last night! That extra 10 lbs on the weight vest made a huge difference. This hill is about .5 mile in length with 250 ft of vert. around 10-11% on average. I did two seated w/hi tension, 2 standing w/hi tension 2 combo 1 with tension 1 with less tension. I also did a couple extras; After the second one of each set I went back down then turned around when I ran into my buddy as he was coming up. So those two together added up to one full climb. So seven repeats in total with 30 lb weight vest…. and I wasn’t “playing pattycake”. I definitely put a hurt on myself. Got up this morning and did about 30 min on the trainer at Z2 then I did RECOVER.
And Adrian inspired me to try something and it works! I have an old CamelBak and I found out that a 10 lb d-bell fits in there perfectly and there’s still room enough for me to put the lead pieces of my ankle weight in there as well so potentially I can be carrying around 20 lbs in that in addition to my 20 lb weight vest for 40 lbs total! I’m not quite ready for that yet because doing this workout with 30 lbs had kind of a delayed effect. By 8 o’clock last night I was just kind of in a coma, haha! But if you want that training at altitude effect, add some weight cos it sure felt like I was in Colorado!
Wow, excellent workout. I too like the R#7 inride workout witht the hill repeats. Has anyone tried putting on ankle weights and doing one of these sessions? I might try it some time and let you know how it goes.
Jeff,
a 10+ % grade is no joke either, especially with that weight.
I know the “coma” feeling well.
I’m starting to figure you’re a masochist! I thought 20lbs would be tough, but now you’re looking at potentially 40 pounds. If nothing else you deserve the award for “most extreme cyclist” during the challenge.
I’m going throw a 15 lb dumbbell in my camelback next time I ride. The only concern I’d have with off road is the dumbell making my camelback flop all over my back.
Adrian, throw an old shirt or some rags in with the dumbell so it sits firm inside the camelback and doesn’t move around. I’m nowhere near the stage to be thinking about extra weight on the bike yet. Still have a fair way to go with strength. For example in HIT 2 this morning Graeme keeps about 80-90 cadence in the 18/15 on the back, big ring on the front. I’m flat out keeping 70 at this gearing and find i’m starting sessions like this a few gears higher otherwise I blow out when having to shift down. Don’t get me wrong, i’m certaibky improving but still have some solid strength to build before I try any of you masochistic stuff Jeff…lol.
I’m like you Tony, I need to build a lot more strength. I find doing some sprint accelerations out on the bike helps, just 400m or so. I too am always a few gears larger on the back than Graeme and about 10rpm slower. I guess it just takes time to build muscle.
Stayed indoor today. 1st half of Epic Climbing followed by a HIT session (Hill Attack). I have a feeling I’ll be toweling off all day. Like you though Tony, I can feel myself getting stronger.
Up early today for CORE2.0 ENDURE+RIPPED+ENDURE. I don’t need to tell you guys how tough that trio is! Also went on a mtn bike ride last night. First ride on my mtn bike since about mid-April when I had to take it to the shop for $400.00 worth of repairs. Had a stretch of rain that closed trails down for a while but they finally opened yesterday. Had a decent ride but I feel like I’m fighting off a bit of a bug. My youngest boy had a 101.5 temp last night. Hope I don’t get it! Felt pretty good this morning except for my sinuses. Guess we’ll see!
Good luck in avoiding any sickness Jeff, it sucks when you get sick that’s for sure.
$400 Is a lot to spend on the MTB. What are the trails like that you ride?
Are they a good alternative for you to get some hill work on the old mountain bike instead of the road bike?
Tony Slater, I will definitely use that idea at wrap the dumbbell in a towel or rags. That way I can pad the camel back so it sits flat on my back.
I thought about doing that tonight but decided that since I was on a recovery ride that I’d just go easy.
Adrian, my last comment got deleted… probably because I included a link to the local mountain bike club’s web page.
Ya, I had to have new XT drive train basically…. chain rings, new chain, derailluer pulleys, cable housing and rear cassette. I also bought a Go/NoGO chain gauge. This way maybe I’ll save some money next time! The mechanic’s exact words: “I’ve never seen a chain as worn out as the one on this bike.”
Trails in this area are fantastic. There are six different trail systems and non of them are alike. There aren’t any real big, long climbs. It is pretty much all XC style single track. There is one park that has a downhill course and they do race it when they have their annual event. You are less than 200 miles away so if you ever want to try them out, let me know and I’d be glad to show you around! And there’s an event in Indiana I have been wanting to do for several years now but I just have not been able to… It’s south of Indy called The Brown County Breakdown. Looks AWESOME! I will get out to do that ride eventually. It is on my list!
Still fending off any germs my youngest has coughed on me! Poor little guy, he’s a trooper though! He just keeps on having fun!
Jeff,
Sorry for the late reply, I just saw your message today.
I would be really interested to know what you think of the new XT stuff. I have looked at it and debated over the 2012 XT or going to the Sram XO – mainly the crankset is what I am looking at.
The chain wear gauge will prove to be invaluable!
I would consider the drive to meet you and ride with you. I think that would be a great option!
By the way, I rode the Brown County Breakdown the year before last and loved it. I just did the 50 or so mile option and rode with friends. We had a leisurely ride, enjoyed the fantastic scenery, some Banjo music (lol) and a great belly full of food afterwards. If you were going to do that event I would make sure I would meet you there and ride with you also.
I actually booked a campsite that year but didn’t end up using it. I just drove down there the morning of.
Sounds like you are staying strong as far as avoiding the germs, glad to hear it. I hope your son is feeling better now. I know its worrying sometimes when you are doing all this training, the last thing you want is to come down with something and be set back a few notches with your fitness.
Stay well Jeff…listen to your body man!!
Modified schedule again. Graeme mentions taking advantage of those times when you feel like you’re making a jump forward so I did that today. I can’t ride after work so I did ENDURE+RIPPED+RIPPED this morning. Added 20 lbs to my ENDURE session and since I hadn’t done RIPPED twice in a row previously I figured I’d go for it. Felt pretty good. I’m desperate to drop more pounds before my event so I’m adding in the fast stuff more from here on out. So far I’ve been able to fend off the germs from my boys so lets hope it stays that way. It was a rough weekend for that though. I was home all day Saturday as it rained on and off and I probably got coughed on 50 times from my little guy. Fingers crossed!
Wow, adding 20lbs to ME. That’s tough. Sounds like you’re making improevements. Being fit cetainly helps keep the colds at bay. I don’t get as may colds as everyone else now (fingers crossed); and I did get a flu shot this year). Bets way to loose weight is lots of fibre and low GI food.
If that session doesn’t melt the extra weight off brad i’m not sure what will…tough doing back to back RIPS. Doubt I could do that session yet so really well done Mate. Inspiring stuff!!
I just got an email from Bicycling magazine. One of the articles they are promoting is “Train Smarter, Not Longer”. Hmm, where have I heard that before? They must be listening to Graeme, too!
Took yesterday off and I can feel it. I had HIT 12, 10 and 11 scheduled for today. Time got in my way and I only completed 12 and 10. Average power and peak power for 12 (Single Track Attack) = 272 and 371. For HIT #10 (Zone 5 Power Drops) = 232 and 366.
Strength + Ripped + Power in the morning.
Wow, nice work Scott. Do you do this after work or in the morning? I can only manage one HIT session on a work day.
My best time is in the morning. If I miss AM then it seems to never get done.
Mornings work best for me too. It may initially be kind of hard to wake up and get the blood flowing but once you get going it makes all the difference.
Did Power this morning and then came back tonight and knocked out a quick Ripped + Strength. Hate to break up the workout but that’s the way it all worked out. Will go for HIT #15 in the morning. 40 mile TT next week.
Which plan are you working on and how is it going?
40 mile TT? Holy crapola! That’ll be a white knuckler!
40 miles is crazy man…good luck with that!! I’m sure your training will pay off.
HIT 5 and POW yesterday, backed up today with HIT 6. My lower back is certainly improving and managed to really hold the final out of saddle sprints pretty stable without rocking the bike everywhere…:) the POW sessions really carve my lower back up but I’ve recovered a lot quicker this week than previous sessions which is a positive sign. I really like how progressive the core sessions are, eg…as a beginner they hurt and you struggle to do them or hold the positions but as you get better at them, even though you are getting stronger, they still hurt or hurt even more because you put more into them. Much like hill climbs I suppose, they don’t get easier you just get over them quicker..they can still kick your ass…lol.
Nice job Tony. I agree with you on the progression of the CORE workouts. I feel the same way. With me, I really need to stay on top of them because if I don’t do any of the CORE stuff for a week or so then I really can feel it when I do get one in. I haven’t done any CORE since Monday and probably won’t unless I do a little bit Sat. morning after I pre-ride the race course for Sunday. Did hill repeats last night with 40lb weight vest. That was tough but I’m not feeling it as bad as I thought. Cranked out 6 repeats in various cadence, tension and postion.
Last R#12 45 minute opener ride until my race Saturday.
Tonight was the second set in my taper week. Tuesday night the set went kinda crappy. I’ve been eating crap lately and I can really feel that it affected my performance that night. I tried five times to perform a 1 to 3 minute burst of high intensity effort and I just kinda struggled. My hip flexors hurt from a previous workout which impeded my performance also.
I made sure I hydrated better and ate better today and POW!!! There it was, it felt like I had gone from driving a VW and had stepped into a Porsche, and I’m relieved because with my sub-par performance on Tues night I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to be ready for Sat. I managed three decent efforts with a peak speed of 34mph (tail wind assisted). But that left me satisfied with the weeks taper. Short 45 minute workouts like that R#12 seem more like fun than hard work because they are so brief!
I had similar issues with my diet this week. I felt like crap Wed. which was just as well since I had a day off but the bloated, crappy feeling was with me all day and night. It’s crazy when you have a decent diet and you decide to blow it just a bit how it can affect you. Sounds like you and I were in the same VW haha. Good luck with the race Saturday and I hope you have the Porsche feeling! I probably should have not done the weighted hill repeats last night since I’m racing Sunday but I did so it’s all done and now I just want to be able to recover enough for the race. I think I’ll be alright.
Good luck for tomorrow Jeff!
Good luck with your race mate!!
Must be a week for shit dieting …lol. I haven’t been too bad but have had a couple of gathering where the food was not really up to par with what I have been feeding myself for the past couple of months, so put on half a kilo this week and feel lower in energy too…damn fish and chips and too much beer…
Back to it next week though!
Thanks for the good luck guys. I’m sitting in bed reading your replies on my iPad and chuckling about the diet comments. It’s all very true though.
Tony – don’t tell me about fish and chips or I’ll get really jealous! You just cant get good “fush n chups” here in Indiana!
I have cooked so much rice to eat over the next few days to try some of t,he recipes in “the feed zone cookbook” I’m excited to see what they are all about!
I’ve tried a couple of recipes from Eating through the Feedzone. Pretty simple, good tasting and great fuel for rides. I love the Secret Drink Mix too. Not too sweet and all natural. Anybody getting on a Beet Juice kick? Thinking long and hard about it for several reasons.
Scott, did I miss something in the book? Is the secret drink mix recipe in the feedzone cook book? If not where would I find it?
Well my race was held in perfect conditions. The trail was a little dusty to the point where there were slide outs in the corners. My main issue was that I was so determined to do well that all of “technique” training for wagon wheels, shoe scrapers etc went somehow out the window. I actually went out to fast at the start and kind of screwed myself out of energy.
I did have more mechanical issues to the point where I dropped my chain “inside” the rear cassette and couldn’t get it back out of there. I lost about a minute or more dealing with that.
I still managed to place 8th so I am pretty comfortable with that under the circumstances.
Back the grindstone now and to work a little bit harder on my training.
Well done Adrian!. I made the same mistake on my second crit race. Went out too early and couldn’t maintain the pace. I gues we need to work out when to start our sprint for the finish. Better luck next time.
Thanks Ian,
There is definitely a big component to staying calm during a race. It’s hard because you want to psych out the other riders into thinking you may just be way faster than them. That’s kind of what I was hoping to do, thinking that they may just back off the pace and kind of give up a little bit. Silly me, I should know better than that. Next time I will revert back to my old technique which was to just go easy in the beginning and slowly work my way toward the front.
I can only imagine that in a Crit, there really would be no rest right? Since you are without the downhill sections in mountain biking that afford a few moments rest. I would like to try a crit but don’t really know where to start. I may look into it just for sh*ts and giggles as they say.
Great job Adrian! Glad you had a good race. Too bad you’ve been having the mechanical issues but once that gets sorted out you’ll really be flying. I hear you on the techniques… I was doing the same thing but I was real happy with my intensity management overall. Check out my FB post about my race. I was real happy with how it all turned out.
What and where was the race you did?
Yep, back to the grindstone. HIT sessions here I come…
Good result Adrian, 8th is something to be proud of. Shame about the mechanical but they happen. I’m always having to hold myself back when riding in a group…i think just having lots of people around all riding is a real psych up, so yeah it’s def something to watch out for when actually racing I suppose. Keep at it man!!
Jeff and Tony,
Thanks guys!
Jeff – the race was at Warsaw, IN. It was a relatively flat single track course of about 9 miles in length, the Cat 2 open class did 2 laps. There were some small “punchy” climbs that were maybe 50 feet in actual length but they were loose gravelly and stoopid steep. I have the low down power for those, I was actually in my 39 up front and 36 on the rear (big cassette on the back since I ride a 29′er) and made it up them. Where I struggled was mostly on the flat fast sections. A lot of the mechanical issues were because of the fast, rough rooty sections over stutter bumps where my chain was just getting hammered. I have some time now to try a coup,e of new things before the next race, which is at Brown County State Park – the same place they hold the Brown County Breakdown. I can at least get there in about an hour so I’ll be pre riding with friends and testing my setup on the course before the big day. One really hard part of that race is that they start on the road and have you do a flat out 1.2 mile “sprint” up a climb to the trail head. It’s a brutal way to start a race believe me. Tony, you’re right 8th is good and the pressure of racing is what it is. I just have to calm down. Overall I feel way better this year strength wise than last. I’ll keep u guys posted as I get nearer the next race.
Tony, it sounds l,e you guys are having an Indian summer there? Gotta love that.
Did CORE2.0 ENDURE+RIPPED this morning. I’ll be adding a mtn bike ride in after work. Ride probably won’t be real intense. It kind of depends on what my buddy wants to do. It was nice to get back to the Cyclo90 stuff today though!
Took some time off to reconnect with family and recharge the batteries – sorry. Climbing Energy A$$ Kicker this morning. 40K TT tomorrow night. Can’t wait.
Good luck with the TT. What’s your FTP and HR?
OK, so here’s how screwed up I am. The TT is NEXT week on Wednesday. Nothing like having the wrong day AND week. Ended up not being able to ride at all so I worked in a Core workout – Strength and Endurance.
I did however order a set of Q-Rings from the LBS which I hope to get in on Thursday (yes, the day AFTER the TT) which will be cool. I am also riding a 40 mile Ride2Recovery event with my company – UnitedHealthcare. Ride2 Recovery is great and as a Marine myself it is great to give back to the wounded vets who gave more than I did.
As far as FTP is concerned – on my Kurt Kinetic trainer it is 305. I don’t have a HR monitor so I would be lying if I knew. The TT will be a mother though as it is a 40K with hills. Should be fun, I guess!
Scott,
You’ve got lots to look forward to: the new Q Rings and a big TT. I’m thinking wit your power at 305 that’s a really solid number!
I will be really interested to hear your opinion on the Q Rings.
305W is a good number. I have Q-rings and they are great. It’s hard to notice the difference in feel but I am about 1.5 km/h faster and no knee problems. Just make sure they get your order right.
I’d also love to hear your feedback on the Q rings Scott. Good luck with your TT mate!
Heading back to Brown County State park tomorrow to pre ride the course again before next weekends race. I’m going to try to use the opportunity to get some solid intervals in while I am down there.
My training plan has me scheduled to be off but I transposed my days so I could spend time with my wife and daughter. They come first in the grand scheme of things.
Indeed Adrain! I know how that goes for sure!.
Finished 41 yesterday helping to push wounded vets up some hills around DC in the Ride2Recovery. Good tune-up for TT.
Awesome job Scott!
So for those of you anxiously awaiting my good news of a successful completion of my 1st 40K TT I have to disappoint you.
First, I forgot to hit start on my Strava app (my first time using the app) which is a total bummer. I have been a MapMyRide guy for about a year but really like the features that Strava has to offer. Second, as I was preparing to go up my first real climb, I went to go into my Small ring and around 14 on rear to keep my leg speed up and try to save some legs early, but as I shifted, nothing happened. I was stuck in my 50 ring the whole time. Not a huge deal but it altered my game plan a bit as I had to hold back a bit on the flats to conserve energy for the 4 climbs per lap. At this point I was in good spirits. I decided to do the 4 full laps and establish a 40K time instead of shorting the ride and going for 2 laps and trying to beat my earlier 20K time of 33:18. Then the dreaded 3rd bad thing happened when I flatted my front tire at the top of the first hill of the lap. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
You know what though? No big deal. I immediately tried to find the positives and take some lessons home with me. Here you go: 1.) warm-up is key. I did not prepare enough today so I got to the start late and had ZERO warm-up. First lap was little slow. 2.) I felt pretty good and felt as if I had decided early on to go for a PR on the 20K I would have beaten my time and gone under 33:00. 3.) I changed my first flat tire. Yah, I said it. After 1,200 miles I fad my first flat and changed it too. Pretty silly but hey, it’s a positive.
So, long story short. I failed but found a silver lining. I also get to prepare for my 400 mile ride across Belgium and Luxemburg and have another 20K TT the end of July to prepare for. That’s it.
Thanks for the recap Scott.Sorry it didn’t go as planned but your positive attitude is definitely inspiring. Like you said, there’ll be another day to get it done. Good job man!
HIT#11 Sprinters Dungeon followed by POWER this morning. I still have a lot of muscle soreness from my ENDURE+POWER session on Tuesday…. I had added some d-bell work in there as well doing some biceps curls, shoulder press and shrugs so probably a bit more soreness than usual because of that. Still it hurt doing these two today!
Rode a loop today that I haven’t done in a while. in the middle of the ride there are a couple of back to back pinchy hills…short but both are around 12%-15%. Normally I would have to stand to get up the last hundred metres or so, but today was so different. I sat and spun my way up and even at a reasonable pace. Kept focusing on pedalling technique and still had some energy/strength to rollover nicely. A really big difference to the last time I rode this route. I felt really strong on the hill itself. It’s a great feeling to be on a decent ride/hill/whatever and know you have reserve in the tank. Too many rides I have been on where you end up having nothing in reserve to call upon if needed. Really happy to see the training paying off in this regard. Now looking forward to the next few weeks holiday and uping the intensity!!
Well done Tony!
Nice! Always good to make positive progress!
They say the proof is in the pudding and you’re certainly witness to that. It really sounds like your hard work is paying off. Keep us posted Tony!
My bike is still in the shop getting cleaned, new derallieur and Q-rings installed. Q rings were a bit late in arrivng so I’m having to wait a bit longer than I’d hoped. There is a 25 ride coming up on Thursday with local race team. I’ve tried it before and no about where I get dropped. Going to borrow a bike and ride with the boys to see how much further I go before I get left behind (hey, I’m a realist). For now though, having to rely exclusively on Core. Everybody keep it up.
I’m off to do a couple of pre-race loops on the race course for the mtn bike race Sunday. Nothing too crazy. My main event is on the 16th and that is what I’m really gearing up for. Hopefully the race will take me over the top and give me the perfect final workout for the taper.
Good luck on the race today!
wow tough workout that HIT 14, particularly after doing my Z4 threshold testing this morning. Averaged 291 watts which puts me about 271 for threshold….i'm pretty happy with that. I think having the zones sort of worked out by power really helped whoop my ass in HIT 14…lol. Video up too.
Great job! Your numbers sound awesome!
271! Nice work Tony, that number is very respectable.
Good numbers Tony, you will see that when your on the road
Nice job Tony!
thanks guys…tight and sore today though..i'm sure i will find something to do to loosen me up…:P
Well today was Z4 testing and to be honest I thought that would be it..but feeling good, on holidays chilling and thinking I should be doing something else…raining outside…so no other choice than do do a HIT. So I pick HIT 14…was it a mistake? At the time YES!! lol, but now a few hours later and a couple beers I am feeling pretty good, in fact looking forward to what tomorrow might bring! No rain and maybe a real ride in ride? or rain and maybe another whoopass HIT session. Anyway, got my threshold and worked out my zones so now power training will really pay off…looking forward to re-doing those sessions i’ve only done with a HR monitor…BRING IT!!
Its always nice to finish a tough effort and feel like doing more! Too bad about the rain. Its been a gorgeous week here, but of course I have been on the final rest week of Cyclo90 Base before moving onto Cyclo90 Road so I have enjoyed the beautiful weather in recovery-mode. Keep up the great work. I will be doine Zone 4 testing again myself on Tuesday.
We’re really wet here in Sydney too. I was planning a long ride tomorrow but I think I might just pick a HIT session (probably H#11) and some core work and stretching which I’ve been neglecting lately.
Dragon Ride completly, but I'm not sure if the Dragon didn't slay me; not to upset due to recovering from the knee op 3 weeks ago (knee felt fairly good, but won't know until tomorrow), and I struggled up the last two mountains, but I've also improved the descending, and the organisation was A1. Rode 81 miles, climbed 6500' in 5:46.
Nice work Mike, i'm sure there was a bit of trepidation, not knowing how the knee would hold up so you have to be happy to get through nearly 6 hours on the bike man!
Just checked my results; came in 806th out of 1310 riders, not too bad….
Nice job Mike!
R1 on the trainer today + core and stretch work.
That stretching will help keep you in touch Dino…i for one know i don't do anywhere near enough stretching.
Keep at it man! Moving forward every day!
Well,
I have to admit – taking 2 weeks off due to bike in shop is NOT a great idea. I felt like crud on my ride today (yes, I got my bike back yesterday). I also used Strava fir the first time – nice app. I will post the link later for you check out the ride.
Some highlights though:
18 miles
moving time of 58:50
683 feet of elevation gain
18.3 mph
I got my Q-rings on and I have to tell you they were sweet. Very, very smooth through the entire pedal stroke. I can’t wait for the upcoming year with them on.
Scott,
Thanks for the update on the rings. Two weeks is a long time to be without your bike!
Strava is great, I’ve used it, garmins website and imapmyride. I like imapmyride since I can just run that on my cell phone.
Yeah 2 weeks is a long time but I bet you bounce back real fast. You guys are making me really jealous reading about the Q-rings!
Rest and Recovery today. Hard ride yesterday.
Check out the research on the benefits of beet juice and cycling. One study showed a 2.7% increase on a 10 mile TT when beet juice was consumed 2.5 hours before.
Going to add it into my diet this week and see how it goes.
i know beet juice activates the liver and can release a lot of toxins into you body if consumed too quickly in too. When my wife were on some funky diet many years back it was recommended to build yourself up over a couple of weeks to drinking about 250ml, too much to quickly can make you sick. So be careful Brad! But it is very good stuff!
I was very interested to hear both of your comments on beet juice. I've thought about growing or buying some. In "The feed zone cookbook" they talk about the health benefits of it. Gonna give it a shot at some point.
Thanks for the info Tony, I will take it slow. I don't think I can stomach it straight, it would have to be mixed with other fruits. So getting a full 250ml will not be likely to happen too soon.
Liver Toxicity
Beets have a powerful cleansing effect on the body. The Cancer Nutrition Center warns that large amounts of undiluted beet juice may dump toxins into the liver in such large amounts that the liver cannot process them efficiently. People with liver and kidney conditions should consume beet juice only in very small doses.
They also recommend mixing with other juice.
Everything in moderation.
Apple and peanut butter rocks!
Just getting a snack in before i train in an hour or so…:P
a tough of honey/cinnamon goes well too!
Granny smith apple? I like Graeme's apple/peanut butter on a muffin combo. As Mike mentioned honey/cinnamon (or even nutmeg in moderation) is great.
uho…a blog…suppose I had to find something else to do on my holidays…can't train all the time…:P
http://nothingtolookathere.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/the-journey-so-far-20/
Very inspirational blog!!
Wow, great blog Tony! Like Brad said, it's very inspirational. Thanks for posting it!
74.3 Kg down from 96.5 Freaking fantastic Tony Slater, I had no idea. You're almost at my weight – 69.9kg. I really enjoyed the blog. Keep it up.
Thanks guys, that means a lot. Not sure what my focus will be with the blog but I think talking about the fitness & training etc will keep me busy for a bit…:P
Well I'm hoping the next photo in the series will show some sixpack, or some semblance of abdominal muscle…it is under there somewhere…:P
Thinking about laying off the bike today and instead doing a chest and back workout.
Chest and back workout!
Nice one!
Recovery day today, put back to work as well.
work ugh!!…!st day of holidays here…3 weeks to go…:P
Good for you Tony, it was very tough getting back on my feet after 3.5 weeks off, but yesterdays' ride probably didn't help much either; I am wrecked today!
chin up man…as the guru would say…"throw it into the bike!"
Work is just an inconvenience to your cycling training!
Recovery day today for me following the mtn bike race yesterday. Although I rode hard and I was pleased with my effort and performance, I only managed 7th in my age group. There were around 20 riders in the 40-49 group and when I finished I was thinking I had cracked the top 4. Guess not. Very hard course with a shit load of climbing and it was pretty hot. My time was 1:24:52 and for that course I was pretty happy with that time. I probably should have made a move sooner during the first lap but it was just a full on red line effort for the entire race start to finish. I finally got "recovered" enough late in the first lap to really start passing some riders but by then the initial lead group was out of reach. And the guy that won my age group rode in 1:15. Sounds like someone needs to move up to Expert! I'd say that's some sandbaggn' right there. Not sure where I ended up overall in Cat2 Sport finishers because the results aren't posted online yet. Now starts the taper week before I go to WI on Friday.
Well done Jeff! Sounds like a tough course, and you've are gaining experience on the racing side, I agree with the sandbagging issue. Let us know about the C2 results.
Jeff, I am always delighted to hear someone else's race results. It sounds like you were racing under tough conditions. The heat doesn't agree with some people. If I were you I would be pretty stoked with 7th. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Any idea how long the course is? Keep us posted!
Thanks Adrian. Yeah the course was 13.5 miles. Not quite as long as the last race but a shit ton of climbing on this course. Once the results are posted it'll give me a better idea of what my time was like in the grand scheme! I know the guy that finished ahead of me was about 30 seconds up. Just from glancing at the sheets yesterday for the 40-49 group it seemed like most of the guys that beat me were 1:20 or more so it wasn't a huge gap. The heat didn't really bother me and I usually deal pretty good with the heat. It was just a matter of pure effort and being able to recover. I had the effort but there were times my recovery wasn't as quick as I would have liked. They guy that finished 6th was a guy I had passed earlier but he was able to come around me about halfway through the second lap and I just didn't have the legs to chase him down. This is where my 26 lb bike is a detriment! It doesn't help being a bigger guy on a hilly course and then to have a heavy bike to boot. And just to give you an idea of my lap times my first lap was 45 min. Part of that was the issues with every race of getting bottled up in the pack…. which I did for almost the entire first lap. So even though I was Z5 my second lap was much faster. Oh well, it was fun and now I get to take this week easy before I go to WI!
Well done Jeff…I haven't done any MTB racing, in fact i don't even own one, but i have been to watch a few and your right about the bottle necking that happens early on. Something to learn from and use to improve next time..:) Keep it up mate!
Just got the results on the website and I was 18 overall out of 55.
You had a great effort on a tough course – exceeded your goal time – all good!!
Thanks mom!
Just did HIT 15 for the first time…what a sonofa….that 30 mins whooped me big time…U are a cruel cruel man Graeme Street. But honestly, what an excellent workout. Cheers!
Lmao, I wish I was there to have witnessed the look of suffering on your face, that workout is a beeeeeeaast!
Did the H#11- Sprinters Dungeon this morning. Great workout! Just what I need for those sprint finishes.
HIT # 17 and ENDURE. HIT # destroyed my legs but then add the
Standing chair pose – twice…..aargh.lol.
Just thinking about standing chair makes me shake.
I threw a couple of those chair poses into the weight /core session I did this morning..ouch man…we all know how u are feeling Adrian, great work!
First the 4x onslaught now this!
Hey lol, it was on the schedule. Last night I just did one HIT (#10) and that was all I needed. I had to spend some time with the family and enjoy the amazing weather we've been having.
Are you up for a challenge some time? a "HIT OFF" if that makes sense? I say we each pick a combo of four or five HIT's that the other person has to complete in one session and we have to trust that the other person will complete their assigned task. I am up for that if you, Tony and Brad are?
Sure, I like to kick my own ass as much as the next person. It'll have to wait until I recover from my ride Saturday! You talking HIT & CORE stuff or just the HITS?
I agree, I have to wait until after this weekends race also. I am up for suggestions, I wrote HIT's but I think the CORE workouts might be better? what do you think?
Just followed HIT 15 with a core/weight session. 4 reps of 10 exercises, 6 of them on the weight machine for legs and upper body, 4 on the floor for core and legs…even threw in a couple of chair poses at the end of rep 1 and 4…is it beer time yet?
4on the floor; sounds like an old car! Nice work Tony.
my legs feel like i have been pushing an old car Adrian!…:P
Tony, that sounds like an awesome workout, you have a chance to recover today
You guys are all starting to make me feel like I'm not doing enough!
Great group ride today. First time out agter lowering my stem. Felt good but I was still in the drops most of the time. may need to slam it!
Ron, I have a 100mm specialized s works stem that can be flipped to as much as -17 degrees. Not that this is a place to sell stuff but I thought I'd at least mention it.
my bike came with a 110. I am using a 90 mm right now.
Today has become an enforced day of rest-knee feeling very sore after work yesterday , said to say it does come 1st.
Don't push it too much! Let it heal!
Today did an hour steady pace recovery type ride on the trainer. This is a taper week before the time trials this weekend.
Likewise. I did about 45 min on the trainer this morning. Going out after work for an easy spin with a buddy.
woo, great morning of training. HIT 16, yes that damned wall again, followed by 2 x 30 min technique rides where I pushed pace as quick as I could. I had to get my phone charger from work, so a great opportunity to do some riding too…:P Surprisingly it was the last ride where I felt strongest, cutting nearly 4 minutes off my previous commute time, which was about 6 weeks ago. Feeling decidedly knackered now though…:)
Great workout old chap! That's definitely working hard right there! Props.
Nice job Tony! Definitely a good session!
Beer!
It's 5 o'clock somewhere
5…who waits till 5. The pubs here open at 10am…:P
I second that motion!
Tony, I did a double take; your post showed up at 2:26am local time, for about a 100th of a second I was like "holy crap, why is Tony thinking about beer at 2:26am lol. Yeah, call me slow, just don't call me late for dinner!
Today I have just RECOVER and that’ll be it! Tomorrow I’ll be on the trainer early to do the R#12 ‘Openers’ session then that’ll pretty much be it until the event on Saturday!
Those leg openers can either be really good (if you only have to do a couple) or really bad if you do five sets! Good luck!
On your earlier comment about the Q-rings, I definitely would like to try them, they’re just relatively expensive if you find out you dont like them.
No workout today, resting up for the TBI Wednesday night crit. Hopefully the rain will have moved out.
Good luck man! I have the Horribly Hilly Hundreds ride this Saturday in Wisconsin. It's a crusher so I'm also resting up!
Good luck Brad, both on the race and the rain!
Like the name of that ride! Good Luck
Rode this morning and felt much better. Q-Rings are smoooooothhhhhhh. Maybe placebo effect, but I doubt it. I rode the same course as I did on Monday. Conditions relatively the same but a bit more wind today than Monday. By the way – wind SUCKS! I shaved about 1:30 minutes off my time from Monday and improved speed over 1 MPH. Probably just getting back into swing of things.
Will go for a couple of trainer sessions and Core sessions per the plan. Getting ready for Belgium.
Wind is your friend! haha! Nice job Scott!
Was in good position on the last lap. One of the guys up front went down in the corner. I was unable to avoid him and ended up going over the handle bars. Ended up on my back with my bike on top of me. I was able to get up and finish. Skinned up and sore, but no major damage to me or the bike.
phew, glad to hear you are ok Brad!
Thanks Tony. Well I can check that off of my list thing I haven't done.
When you say you were in "good position" on the last lap do you mean because you were on top of the bike instead of under it…….
Shit Brad, you gotta watch those novices lol. Seriously though, glad you're ok.
Sounds like you were have a good race Brad, tough luck on the crash though
That's pretty much par for a crit! Glad you're okay but that's the norm in a crit race. That's why I don't do them! Good job though and definitely give you credit for giving it a go!
Tony, great job man! Love the post and the 6 pack, keep inspiring!
lol thanks Dino!
This morning I did R#12 Openers. I went ahead and did 4 openers…. 2 min, 3 min, 3min then 1 min out of the saddle. Total time was right about 45 min. Followed it up with 3 sets of pushups w/vest, d-bell curls and d-bell shoulder press. The openers didn’t feel too bad, Adrian. I wasn’t sure how it would go after the first one but I warmed up and the rest of them went ok. Probably could have held off on the last one out of the saddle but figured it wouldn’t hurt to do it.
Tomorrow morning I am going to do about 45 min of spin with a couple of openers thrown in. Leaving around 10 am for Wisconsin. About a 4 hr trip. I’ll be up before 5 am Saturday morning and if I can force my buddy to move quickly I plan on being on my bike before 6 am to start this beast of a ride.
Glad everything went well in the openers. It sounds to me like your timing is perfect with you taper before the weekend. PUSH UPS AFTER the openers, I am going to say it again “MASOCHIST” lol. Maybe I don’t want to challenge you to a CORE/HIT fest after all.
All the very best for Saturday. Let us know how it goes.
HIT 2 yesterday followed by CS myofascial release. Really working on the standing drills. Heart rate really tends to shoot up during those.
Good to hear you are plugging along Dino. Keep at it my friend!
Good to hear you are plugging along Dino. Keep at it my friend!
Push up with the vest…i would say “BEAST”!. My skinny cycling arms would probably snap under the weight..lol. Good luck with the ride Jeff! Looking forward to hearing all about it when you get back.
hmmmm..STR + POW.that can wait till this afternoon…the weather is far too good not to ride. This week has been excellent for my core. I can tell…cause it's bloody sore…:) Legs feel awesome though!
The core is where it's at!!
ok so i cut my ride short a little bit…only did about 32km. Legs were feeling good but it didn't take long for my lower back and hip flexors to start singing a chorus of pain. Might rest tomorrow. You know what that means…Yes! a beer or three tonight…:P
http://app.strava.com/rides/10838647# Today's ride…weather is pure awesome at the moment!
Tony, what a great story and great results. Very inspirational for me as "Life" keeps telling me to give it up, it takes too much time… Even this FB stuff for the Challenge takes too much time…
While the wife's away the mice will play! Drink up buddy! You've earned it.
Nice ride Tony! Keep it going!!!
Wow tony you have a great story to tel with your journey, keep up the great work your results are outstanding.
Thanks Andrew!
Tony, you are a star! well done on the progress that you've made!
I don’t normally get too sore in the hip flexors or glutes but after today’s 32km ride and the training from this week (climbing block week 3 plus some extra core/weights stuff) they were smoked, as was my lower back. I have really focused on technique in all my rides this week and I think this is definitely driving the muscle soreness plus i’m on holidays and doing a bit more. But kudos to Graeme and the technique sets you have put together they really help target those weaker areas and I for one am certainly noticing the difference….now if I can only get out of this chair….:P
Entered a race to see how my fitness is and ended up getting my butt kick. Big blow to my ego. Everyone says "at least you were out there racing" but you know what….doesn't help. Unmotivated and depressed. I think my problem is that 25 years of racing, I know how good I was.
Had you been training to race Adrian? In my books just racing alone is a gutsy thing! Forget the past mate…Are you as good as you can be right now? If so then Happy days! If not, then you got some work some do…:P
I have been doing enduro and xterra races the last couple of years but this was a pure cross country MTB race so the level of racing was way higher. Plus, 95% of the field were semi-pros. Logically, I did as well as I could but I know I am capable of more. My downfall is inconsistency in training. I think my wife is trying her best to help me…she has to live with a grumpy husband.
Tony, what a great story and great results. Very inspirational for me as "Life" keeps telling me to give it up, it takes too much time… Even this FB stuff for the Challenge takes too much time…
Rest and recovery day.
You guys are ‘CRAZY’. Sometimes I have trouble pushing myself out of the rack, then I read about vested push-ups, masochistic hill rides, etc. I get tired from reading. Keep it up though fellas – great job to all who post here.
Ride #3 of Q-Rings. Same course (I am trying to gauge both level of physical fitness and trying to establish a feel for the Rings). Stats:
18 miles
Elapsed time – 57:15
Av. Speed – 18.8
This will probably be my last ride until Belgium as I just received an email saying the bikes must be packed and shipped by tomorrow. Core 2.0 from here on out – or borrow my son’s mountain bike which actually might be a good thing.
I will try and post from overseas and give you all some narrative about Belgium, the ride and how I am incorporating some of Graeme’s techniques.
Belgium sounds nice. Are you on Strava? Can we follow you?
R#4 recovery ride.
So much for having a rest day. http://app.strava.com/rides/10912656 Felt a bit tired but not so sore today which is good.
Ok, I gotta be getting faster. Did the R#6 – Zone 4 TT and set 5 PRs
I'll see how I go in tomorrow's race though. My legs are quite tired.
Just finished the TBI Summer Individual Time Trials. 26.63 miles in 1:02:26 with an Avg speed of 22.7. 661 feet of climbing. I took 5th. I was not on a TT rig, just my road bike with aero bars. I passed guys o full TT rigs, because they hadn't trained for the climb on their TT bike. At one point the grade is 7.4% and I was stronger on my road bike than they were on a TT bike. Like Graeme says, train on what your going to be riding.
Outstanding result Brad! This shows you the results from the training! Well done!
Cracker result Brad. Well done!!
Way to go Brad! Graeme sure gives good advice, doesn't he?
Gear is not always the deciding factor. The engine needs to be strong, too. That's Graeme's job – get the engines (us) stronger!
I woke this morning feeling quite good. There were stars in the sky which was a good sign since it had been raining all yesterday afternoon, but the air was cold and the roads were wet. I threw the Cervelo in the back of the Outlander and headed to Lansdowne. The track was wet which was a worry after I crashed last time I rode there.
The race started ok, a smaller group than usual. After the ½-way I noticed a big break-away well in front. I looked around and saw that I was last. Panic set in as I had to work my way through this group the chase down the front break-away. Maybe I should just hang at the back and try harder next time. No way, I’m just too competitive.
I worked my way to near the front and after the second last corner (where I crashed last time) I put in a big effort to catch them – no one followed. D’oh, It was the C group riding slow. It’s not cool to hang with a faster group so I stopped peddling and the D group catch up again while I recovered. We spend the next 2 laps cursing C group for going so slow. Two rider thought they’d try to pass C group but everyone said it was poor form so we hung back.
Last lap I got in to front position without taxing myself too much. A few tried to pass but I help them off. Second last corner 4 riders passed me but I could catch them on the straight. Last corner I accelerated and went to sprint down the left but there was C group in the way. My heat was pounding, I put my head down but couldn’t catch the front 4.
In the end I actually came 6th as one of the two riders who tried to pass C group had crossed way in front. No points this week but one place better than last week. Next week is back to Eastern Creek Dragway, but we are having a late night Saturday to see “Rock the Ballet”.
nice commentary Ian. Really enjoying reading the results of your races. Well done sir!!
Nice ride Ian, sounds like great fun!
Good blow-by-blow report, felt like I was there with you!. Good to hear you didn't crash nad bettered your placing!
I've been making mental notes of the Sprinter's Dungeon comments around here. Today was my first go with it, right after HIT 10. May I say, "Ouch."
You may, as well agree with your sentiments Jeremy!
Finally got in a nice 44 mile ride today with a friend, about 2800' climbing, feels like my knee is beginning to get back to normal.
Good news, Mike! Keep up the good work with the knee!
That's awesome to hear Mike!!
Completed the 2 man Team TT today. Same course as yesterday. Took 4th with a time of 00:59:20 and avg speed of 23.7. I could not have done it without my team mate Rickey Wrey Wilson (two time RAM finisher)!
My legs are officially smoked!
Congrats Brad, that's certainly an effort you and your team mate can be proud of!
Thanks, it was a lot of fun
Well done Brad, impressive result!
Good job!
Good job! Isn't that a good mile average more than the last?
Cracker Jack Brad!! Well done man.
Couldn't ask for better weather on my holidays. Out for a quick 38km this morning. Rode somewhere different, got a bit lost…nice adventure thought. http://app.strava.com/rides/11086400#
Think i will follow it up this afternoon with a couple core sessions, maybe POW + STR…hmm haven't done ME for a while too…see how i feel…:P Don't think i'll be doing three though.
I think we all feel the same way sometimes Scott. For example this morning I slept in till 7:40am…that’s unusual for me and yesterday was a rest day (yes I did finally have one…lol). Went I went out this morning for a 38km ride I felt quite out of sorts on the bike. Was a bit disconcerting particularly after feeling so good on the bike last week. I felt better towards the end of the ride, so maybe my body just needs a longer warm up time after resting. I don’t know we’ll see how the rest of the week goes. Think I will focus on just some 30-40km rides ion the morning and a couple of core sessions int he afternoon for this week.
Taper time starts tomorrow. 75-mile Gran Fondo at 4000'+ elevation (I live at about 200') with about 3000' of climbing total first week of August. Which In-Season module should I go for?
I suppose that depends on what area you need to focus on…if it's climbing, go the first block.
I did a flat century at 4500 ft (but I live here at 4500 ft) with only 5 weeks of Cyclo-90. I think the climbiing module is your best bet and if possible, go to 4000 ft a few days before the event to get used to elevation. But 4000 ft isn't a huge change like 6000 ft is. if your 4000+ means 6000+ also, then it will be tougher.
Jeremy, I just got done with a climbing event and I used the climbing block but also the road race blocks. I kind of frankensteined them together. I had real good results at my event. 2 mph faster on the final climb of the day from last year!
Just destroyed myself with POW + RIP + ME. First time doing those 3 back to back. I must say it is bloody tough doing Endure after Ripped.
that workout is the hardest one I have done this year, well done! Tony
Yeah Mike, it's a beast of a workout. Pretty sore today, which is a good thing. I have a feeling i was starting to plateau a bit. It was time to raise the bar a notch or two.
Yeah, that trio is a crusher. Nice job man!
Took a break from the bike today and ran 3.5 miles. The dog was sure happy about it.
Kudos to those of you who run!!…not for me…:)
After the great ride you had, running will help, but not running for me as well.
after 3 rides in pouring rain in a week I got me a Deep Tissue injury, not good only 4 weeks before my ride from Denmark to Paris (1300 km).
ouch mate, did you come off the bike? Hope you recover in time Morten!
Sorry to hear that Morten, I hope you recover to ride what looks like a great ride. Please let us know.
Oh, that's tough luck, hope you can recover for your event.
oh brother…did those core sessions yesterday afternoon. POW + RIP + ME…and yes now my core is sore, particularly my lower back. ME always smokes those muscles. Haven’t been sore like this for a little while, so was probably good timing to up the intensity and push the strength/fitness up another notch. Now to maintain that level of consistency.
ME works your back like a mother. Well, someone’s mother. Wait, that was me crying for my mother last time I did that workout. I’ve conjured up a workout that I think would just smoke me like the big kahuna. I’m looking at RIP+STR+ME+POW+ME. What do you think? Am I just being crazy to prove a point?
Did you hear about the people who’s son died here in the States while trying to beat a “KOM” and the family is trying to sue Strava? It’s nuts.
Anyway great to hear your updates (that applies to everyone who posts on here), glad to hear you’re making the most of the hols!
Keep us posted on your progress.
Managed to get a short ride around the hills after work today; leg strength not where it needs to be, but knee still feels good, big ride this weekend, but I have decided to do the 100km instead of the 100 mile ride.
I'm doing a 100km ride this weekend too Mike. Hope you have fun on yours and the knee holds up ok.
the weather (as usual) is the biggest issue Tony, the majority of the ride is on or going up Dartmoor which is totally exposed (I'm used to riding/hiding between hedgerows!
Wow tonights ride was great!
I was riding with aa new face and he was a cat 1 MTB racer. He suggested to hammer a hill in the big ring and I set a PR for myself and continued to do it on all the climbs. It felt good to tap into the ME high tension chunk sessions. Then I unloaded the tension on the downhills. The training pays off when you see the look on everyones face when they see you do that in the big ring!
In fact he could not even get close to you.
That's just awesome Ron! Way to go man!!
Great ride Ron!
Good job Ron!
Thanks for all the encouragement
Just back from a lazy commute to and from work. Had to buy something from the shop so thought it a good chance to warm the muscles back up after that tough 3 x core session yesterday. The lower back was really feeling it by the time I got home and that was only a total of 30kms…
You are on a mission Tony! Good job again! I gotta get back in the mix haha!
It's a mission of pain and sore muscles at the moment Jeff…lol. It's always that second day that gets me after a tough workout…today is the day I'm going to have to really push myself to get out and spin…might be better to do a HIT session and then go for a ride…not sure yet, I'll see what the day will bring!
3rd day out; 40 miles 3000' climbing; legs very tired at start, probably last proper ride this week before Dartmoor Classic.
Just make sure you get plenty of recovery before the event! 3K is great for vert!
Tonight was the start of recovery; 1st beer that I've had in two weeks!
woo..nothing recovers u like a good beer or two Mike…:P
So I haven't done much of anything except eat and drink since I got back from my event on Saturday. I gotta say, it was pretty fun to cut loose and eat pizza, chips, drink beer and just relax and enjoy a few days of debauchery! I had planned on getting up this morning and just doing an easy 60 min of spinning on the trainer but I overslept so during my lunch I'm going to get in a quick 30 min. Probably not a HIT but just something to get back in the groove. I won't be able to do any riding after work tonight but I plan on going out on the mtn bike tomorrow for sure. Time to return to the fold!
Jeff, after tough events we need to have soon time to relax and enjoy, and you deserve it!
Thanks Mike! No doubt but I can't go crazy! Don't wanna lose the fitness I've built!
Like Mike said, you put in the hard work, you're allowed the rewards.
Agree totally with the guys here Jeff. You have been putting in some serious training, gotta reward yourself and cut loose sometimes.
Group Ride today with the rusty chain gang.
Have fun mate!
Phew…flame grilled legs anyone? HIT 16 this morning, followed by an hour on the bike, knocked out about 32km. Found the last 15km really tough. Suppose that just goes to show the intensity of Graeme's HIT sessions, that 30 mins really emptied my tank today.
Time to recover Tony!
Ouch! fell off my rollers this moring doing Hit#4, must have been concentrating on my effort and not my balance. How embarrassing. Broke a cheap POS piece of furniture and gouged my arm, bruised my thigh on it. Limping all day, glad tomorrow is a CORE2.
What was that Mike? recover…should have read that before…:P Just finished doing POW + STR…now I'm totally smoked. Wasn't going to have a beer today but I might need a couple to dull the aches…lol.
Recover day tomorrow…but i just know the weather is going to be beautiful and coax me outside to ride…R4 only tomorrow though…:)
That workout would be totally nuts Adrian…I honestly doubt I could even do that. I’d love to see someone try though and post a video of them trying to talk/walk afterwards. I don’t even want to imagine how I would feel 2 days after that.
Progress is good…just finished POW + STR (well my version of STR which has a few other exercises and weights thrown in for good measure…lol) After this morning’s ride and HIT I’m totally knackered…:P. R4 ride tomorrow and no core or hits…don’t think the body could handle it.
I think we should volunteer Jeff Tolliver to “test” that sequence of CORE workouts before we give it the nod of approval.
And he definitely needs to post a video!
I have yet to try STR, I don’t know why it hasn’t shown up in any of my workouts thus far. I will be lining that one up soon though.
R4 is a nice break from all the chaos that is the HIT and In-Ride series. Enjoy the rest!
Haha… volunteering me eh?! RIP+STR+ME+POW+ME. Wow, that is a sequence that could only lead to one thing and that is extreme pain. You’re gonna have to cut me some slack and let me get the chops back because I have been in rest mode really since I finished my event last Saturday. I am officially starting the Mtn Bike Race in season plan this Monday the 25th. I’m gonna need a little bit of time to get back in the mindset! I did go for a mtn bike ride last Wednesday and actually rode pretty hard and I am going to try and get out tomorrow(Sat.) morning and do another mtn bike ride but I won’t officially start the new plan until Monday. That means I have just 2 days left to blow off my diet… so it’ll be pizza, chips and beer this weekend, lol! After that, back to chicken breast, fruit and veggies and no chips or beer…or pizza
Resting up today for the TBI Wednesday night crit. Hopefully the rain will hold off.
Best of luck Brad, both the rain and the race!
Pack the hammer Brad & Good luck mate!
Definitely a recovery day for me today, I think the first week of holidays is catching up…:)
I've just spent some time going right back and reading through the comments from the start of this challenge. Amazing to think nearly 90 days have passed already. Also fantastic to see so many people still focused and motivated. The progression has been awesome for everyone involved. Hopefully we will all continue to maintain a solid community here on Graeme's site! 9 days to go, Train Hard!
It has been pretty cool to look back on the posts. The encouragment from the community is great and also I like throwing out ideas and getting great feedback.
Got 5th or 6th in the crit. I did however win a prime!
Well Done Brad!
Awesome work Brad…Congrats!!
Hot one today but still squeezed in a short ride. Recon for a morning before work group ride I'm giong to try leading. Felt good eventhough it was hot but did see a decrease in performance. Also slammed my stem. It felt "ok". I think I'm going to add a small spacer and see how that feels.
Its funny Ron I have had similar issues with bike fit up, particularly since starting cyclo-core. Getting stronger and leaner has changed the way I position myself on the bike so I've had to have a couple of fit up sessions and also done some tweaking myself. Good Luck mate!
Really I should just cave and get a pro bike fit.
Even then Ron you might still have to do some tweaking yourself…:)
I did this when I bought my bike, the only adjustments i've had to make were for increased flexibility (which we discussed beforehand).
I set up my bike per the LeMond book a quite a few years back and when I had a pro fit he didn't change anything.
Ron, if you have access to a reputable shop for a bike fit, I would totally recommend it. You'll see an increase in power and comfort. I was shocked when I had my fit done, just how far off my bike was. You won't regret it.
My club has a special going on with a pro fitter in the area and from what I have heard he is very good. You also get refits at a reduced price. I may do this later in the summer.
ME + POW + ME ouch! It's the worst my legs have hurt in a while. Mainly because I did R#3 last night.
Adrian "The Machine" Fahey strikes again!! Nice one mate!
I developing a liking for pain and it concerns me lol. I am still tempted before this whole challenge is over, to run that 5 core workout. I tell you what though, you'd have to be feeling 100% on the day you performed that one.
110% I reckon!
I remember how much that hurt (in a good way). I was toast (muscular) for the rest of the day with an insane amount of energy.
Got my daily 30km done…:P Didn't push too hard today…doing a 60km run tomorrow followed by a century ride on Sun…want to leave some in the tank.
Good luck
Good luck Tony, may the weather gods be in your favour!
Yup yesterday was a well needed and I think deserved recover day. Just got back from a pretty easy 30km, however for this ride I really focused on keeping leg speed up and got thru the 30 in just over an hour, so pretty ok with that. Didn’t want to burn too much energy as I have a biggish weekend of riding with a 60-80km tomorrow and then backed up with a century ride on Sunday. Plan on doing some light core work and REC this afternoon to keep loose for the weekend I like your idea of getting Jeff to road test your insane core sequence, but I’m sure he will have something to say about it…lol. You are going to love STR Adrian…give it a crack mate!
What's everyone's opinion about starting to race? There are 2 crit series close to me. Would that be a good starting place or should I look for road races or KOM's? It is hard to find road races close to me and I think crits are intimidating with such a tight group.
personally if/when I do decide to race I think I'm going to stick to road races. Crits scare me a bit..lol and I think the likely hood of coming off in all the argey bargey is much greater.
The crits are much shorter, and whilst they are intimidating, you will improve you handling skills greatly, plus they are close to where you live
I tend to agree with Tony. Crits can be pretty cool or they can lead to a night in the hospital. I stay away from crits. But, only one way for you to really find out!
so true. We shall see whats next
Well whatever you choose Ron, i'm sure you will have a blast!
Ron,
You could try a couple of road races first until you get comfortable in a peloton and then maybe switch to Crits once youre ready. That way you wouldnt be driving too far. Whatever you decide I'm going to be interested to hear how it goes.
Today was HIT #11 sprinters dungeon.
well done Brad keep going!
Haven't done that one yet…might be on my plan for next week though.
Looking forward to trying that one. Why do we like the misery so much? We are sick individuals. But the results are what count!
Cold Morning which certainly seemed to get colder as the ride progressed. But still good to get out with company and stretch the legs. Croozy 60km. Rest up for the remainder of the day for the century tomorrow.
Have a great ride tomorrow!
Thanks brother! My back is giving me a little bit of grief but I should be good…think I just hit it too hard last week with all t he core stuff
That'll do it every time! I feel your pain. My Hammies are killing me today.
Enjoy the ride Tony,lets hope the wind doesn't bother you too much
Yes, have a great ride tomorrow, wish I could ride with you. wish we could have a cold morning, but that's 2-3 months away now…
did a couple ME+Power sessions, but not Graeme's. My wife needed holes dug for plants and trees, about 4 hours last 2 nights. Soon I'll be able to rip the bars off the stem.
I have been slacking since The Gran Fondo. Haven't put any real training in. I gotta get back into it so I guess if I set a goal it will be easier. I may register for the NJ Gran Fondo in September. If I try crits I will have that as a b event and I think I will be doing a combo of climbing power block and road race block. The road race block looks lie fun by streaching you limits and hitting vo2 max. Looking forward to that. Training shall commence on Tuesday with a FTP Test on Monday to get my numbers again.
Maybe ur body just needed some rest mate…that's the beauty of cyclo-core just pick it up again when ur ready.
I think starting next week I am going to start leading a morning group ride for people before they go to work. It will be a nice warm up for me as I think is will be a slower pace than I am used to. What do you think do that then straight to cyclocore? or take a little break and eat. Group rides will be between 12-20mi.
Ron, I think the Cyclocore would be a good idea after a ride such as this.
Good warm up for a core session…you could always have a short break and down a protein shake to tide you through…ur body will tell you what it needs…:P
Off to the Dartmoor Classic tonight; the weather is the problem; rain all night, fog, and wind. It will be a challenge!
Good luck Mike. Have fun, hopefully the weather improves!
Good luck with it mate…hope the weather fines up for you.
Hard 65 mile ride at race pace. Legs cramped bad with 20 miles left. Had to soft peddle and take it easy on the rest of the way in. Than sucked!
Great effort Brad. Id had enough after abut 45 miles today, and that was just dawdling along.
Thanks! After the legs cramped up it was a suffer fest from then on. Hot on top of that!!
I don't know what the temps were where you are but it's been 90+ every day here lately. I seem to lose all my power in those temps
Biig ride mate..well done! Maybe the heat was the culprit for the cramping?
Temps here have been in the mid 90's. I think the heat and dehydration were part of the cramping problem.
Cramping sucks! Sounds like a pretty tough ride! Be careful in that heat!
First day out on the road in 6 weeks week, so good to be out!
Good news Dino!!
Good news Dino!!
That's great to hear Dino!
That's great to hear Dino!
Another Sunday and another race. That bring an end to a very hard Cyclo90 In-Season, "Road Race Perform". Yesterday was R#7 Explosive Acceleration-Sprints which were tough and I was quite tired. Last night we went to a show — "Rock the Ballet" it's excellent if you get a chance to see it; the boys' cousins had a sleep over and I had to tell them to go to bed at 12:30am, so I only had 5 hours sleep.
When I got up this morning it was -1C! and a look outside showed frost over the car and lawn. Oh well, this week was pre-payment for the next 6 months and last race at Eastern Creek for the year.
I got there at 7:00 just as the sun was about to rise. It was so cold so I skipped a warm-up and had a coffeee in the car. All of the race I hung at the back to keep out of the breeze, my fingers were freezing. I never really warmed up.
They set a good pace of 35km/hr and it was a big group this week. We got to ride on the drag strip, which was fun doing a good 40km/hr down the straight. Anyway I left my move way too late, as usual. There was a long straight to the finish and I moved up quite a way, but with everyone going for it I just couldn't get close. Probably finished 10+ back.
Oh well, I'm looking forward to the recovery week, then we're off to the snow for a week. Hopefully my cycling legs will serve me well.
Sounds like u are learning lots about racing and having a blast Ian!
Great job Ian!
So I've been really slack about using the recover CORE workout. I know it helps to use it. Sometimes it's hard to find the ten minutes or so that it takes to do it. I need to be better about doing it.
u are not the only one mate…:)
Did the Brissie to Bay Century ride this morning. Thank god it was overcast….no rain but it helped keep the temperature at a reasonable level. Felt pretty good for the most part, lower back getting sore but I think this is actually due to my core getting stronger. Sound weird but I think I'm holding a much better position on the bike due to the core strength and training + just being more conscious of position but this in turn is hammering those muscles, particularly over large distance. What I was really happy with was the last 3 hills…pretty much every other rider was huffing and puffing and doing the slow grind up the hills (after 90km) and I literally smashed all 3, up and danced on top of the gear all the way to the top and over and passed every single rider that was in front of me on each hill. I've never been able to do that after such a distance before…and we all know what has delivered such results…YES it's the Beer and omg do I need a beer or 6 now…:P
Awesome Tony. Stories like this are what makes for great motivation (and the hard work worthwhile).
Nice job Tony! You earned a few pints fro sure!
I had a couple yes….:P
The work pays off when you can smoke your friends on a climb!
32 miles training ride. Rode a little slower to give the legs a break.
Dartmoor Classic was epic; 64 miles 7040' climbing in 5 hours 7 minutes; the 1st 35 miles were tough-heavy rain, headwind up to 30 mph and 2 20%+ climbs. Nearly crashed after crossing a cattle grid at 20 mph on an angle. After the best feed station every, the weather cleared and the wind was almost from behind, and the remaining 29 miles became a hammerfest. Ended up with a Silver standard, and I am quite happy with that.
Wow, that's a shit ton of climbing! 20% is wicked! Nice job man!
Thanks Jeff, during the 2nd half of the ride (only about 1500' climbing in 30 miles), I was passed by 6 riders and lost count of how many I overtook, my biggest downfall was lack of confidence descending, and my near crash has me on the brakes way too much. Another plus point was that cycle core allowed me to do this without any cramps, nor bonking on any of the climbs (and there were many!)
Thanks Graeme!
Nice work Mike under tough conditions!
Maybe the guys that passed you are also Cyclo-core users (:P) and those you passed weren't. Once they figure out your secret, they may to get Cyclo-core'd.
shhhhh..keep it secret, keep it safe…:)
Started a new in-season plan today…. Mtn Bike Race Plan. Fired it up with HIT#10 + HIT#12 this morning. I had taken over a week “off”… although I did get in a couple good mtn bike rides last week and this weekend my diet was absolutely obliterated. Spent Saturday night after my 26 mile mtn bike ride drinking beer all afternoon and into the night. Definitely did some damage! Well, it was fun while it lasted but now I’m back on the CycloCore wagon.
Gonna be hard sticking to that diet Jeff. Oh how I need my arse kicked for slacking so much lately. Between work, kids, training and life – having to prepare and eat healthy meals is incredibly difficult.
I love the in season plan. I’m running into “overtime” on that thing now. So I’ve gone back to the beginning of week 1 and I’m starting again.
Couple of rest days after a busy couple of weeks training finished of by the century ride on sunday just gone. Looking forward to getting into the second block of in-season starting tomorrow…:)
40 mile ride with the rusty chain gang!
Good ride Brad; you're smoking!
Another nice distance ride Brad…killing it!!
Day two of in-season mtb race. Just did the R#4 this morning on the trainer but I also threw in some d-bell work. Curls, shoulder press and vested pushups. First CORE workout I have is going to kill me. Two weeks off of that stuff until now. First one is tomorrow. POW.
POW@ You lol
Sounds tough! Well done!
Awesome Get cracking mate!!
Just about to start block two of in-season. Had a couple days of recovery from the century ride on Sunday. I know ho you feel Jeff i drank a couple too many beers on Sunday after the race…takes a while to recover particularly when you re-hydrate with beer and not water…lol.
At least it’s good to know I’m not alone!!!
So what do you guys think we should do to keep the community active or to help with our motivation once the competition is over? I think Graeme should just run another one…it's a bit of a habit now and we are in the groove but friendly competition always helps….:P
I know it will be hard just to stop!
Another one would be cool. Even without prizes it would still be good to keep the spirit of competition going.
I would like to keep the friendly banter going, prizes or no prizes!
Keep the forum open, and how about a CC strava group?
I like the idea of a strava group and keeping this forum going. Be interesting to see if Graeme has any ideas?
Great suggestion Mike. I wonder if Graeme Street reads these posts? Maybe we could give him a heads up on our thoughts and as you say Tony, see if he has any ideas.
Let's all just send him a PM on Facebook…he'll get spammed into doing it…lol
So this morning I'm back at the in-season stuff, day 3, all guns blazing. This morning it was Sprinter's Dungeon followed by POW. Ok, have you seen the Motel 8 commercial where the motel sign is talking to the guy in the office and he says, 'How about snow shoeing, or, lobster diving? POW! PA-POW!' and the guy gets water thrown on him? Ok, now put Graeme Street's face on the sign and it's not an office, it's my living room and I'm that guy and instead of water it's a giant boot kicking me in the ass and he's screaming 'SPRINT! POW! SPRINT! PA-POW!' at me over and over. That was my workout this morning. Feels good to be back haha.
Haven't seen the ad but love the analogy Jeff! Cracker!
Haha Thanks Tony! It's actually a 'Super 8' motel ad. Pretty funny actually!
Last night's ride was a reminder to me, how important it can actually be to get out and ride with others, so as to gauge your fitness. I had my ass handed to me several times in my first group ride of the season. I'm looking forward to another caning on Thursday night
I'm thinking Cyclo- Recover might become more than just useful, I am thinking essential!
Go Adrian, Go! I am guessing that you might be handing out some punishment on your group ride.
Actually, you may well be right Sean McAtee! I was happy that I could hang with some of the guys who race. Now I don't want to delude anyone into thinking that I was leading, but I stayed with the group for the whole ride. Given the Crazy surges that were going on – that was a feat in itself. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/144004507
Nice work Adrian, I think we always have to keep in mind that there will always be other riders who are leaner/stronger/faster than us but as long as we keep making progress it's all gravy…:)
good reminder, Tony. I haven't been on a group ride for years – scheduling issues. I'd like to try some. I'm not as ready as Adrian, tho…. still have 10-15 pounds to loose… At my age & fitness level, I'm a little afraid to even take the FTP test. I don't have a power meter, so won't know for sure that I can put out 100 or 150 watts!
I been there bro! I need to hit a few group rides as well. I did a few last year and did alright but got peeled at the end.
Well, in spite of the Sprinters Dungeon followed by POW this morning I’m also going out for a mtn bike ride after work. Should be about 1.5 hr or so. Gonna be a warm one!
Travel and the ride Sunday has left me a little exhausted, but I dumped 1:41:00 off my century time from last year using the Cyclo90 plan. If that isn't an endorsement, I don't know what is.
wow Jeremy that's pretty amazing! Fantastic job!!
The improvement I made in my PR was better. The last five miles took 15 years. The most recent five miles took 29 minutes.
Wow, that's crazy amount of time! Well done!
That's awesome!
That's awesome!
So I've actually had 3 days rest and recovery this week. Thought I would really use the last week of my holidays to chill and not do much at all. I can now feel the effects of not having done any training so back into this afternoon with a HIT + Core…not sure which yet, don't think I'll decide until it's time…:)
Hell, I can feel the effects of no training after just one day (It's the price we pay for being "old" lol). Get stuck into it mate, you will get back to where you were (and better) in no time.
oh I feel good Adrian, but the lack of training effect on the body even after 3-4 days is really noticable. It's not like i've put any weight back on, well maybe a few hundred grams, it's more the energy impact or lack of…just makes you hungry to get back on and throw down!
I'm with ya. Took two weeks off total what with the taper week then last week I just needed a break. Had my first CORE workout yesterday… POW. It was tough but I ended up doing a lot better than I had anticipated. The carry over from all the training was obvious. Felt good to get back in the 'mode' though!
The body takes a lot longer than a week or two to start losing the fitness we have built up so at least for me it's more the mental battle. My head keeps saying "your losing your fitness" but i know this is not true as it's only been 4 days (i didn't train yesterday after all…). So i'm going to rest up for the rest of this week and jump back in starting a fresh next week.
I wish Jeff…Been raining and cold for the last 4 days here. Makes it really hard to get back into the training groove…I need Graeme to yell at me though…:P
Finished 12th in the TBI Wednesday night Crit. The garmin showed the temp coming off the pavement to be 110.1. Avg speed was 24.2. It was like riding into a hair drier.
bleh…does not sound like fun at all Brad…:( 12 out of how many riders mate?
Holy schnikeys, that's "melt-your-bibs-to-your-backside" kind of temperatures. 12th is a great result. What is the total distance of each race?
Well done Brad! I remember what it was like in Texas so many years ago
That's a great avg! Damn that is HOT!
got in a quick 20 mile ride between appointments; a pb for this route (pre Strava) and very humid, but anywhere near the temperature in Texas!
http://app.strava.com/rides/11946437
Way to go, Mike! I wish I could get rides in mid-day, I'm not a mornihg person!
Nice work Mike. Gotta take those opportunities as they present themselves. PB is always good!
Nice work Mike!
Wow, that was a HOT ride last night. Rode the first loop really hard and actually felt pretty strong despite the morning workout. Caught my buddy just before the loop ends and he had a 10 minute head start! Started feeling it towards the end of the ride though and by the time I got home I was zapped. Hopefully I got enough fluids and protein back in the system for another onslaught today because it’s gonna be even hotter. Supposed to crack 100. And this is supposed to be my rest day haha! That’s ok though… I will use tomorrow as the rest although I may go ahead and do what the plan calls for as far as CORE work, which is POW, I believe.
Supposed to crack 100 degrees and be humid here today so naturally I'm going to get a ride in, haha! 76 right now at 8:45 so it's definitely well on it's way. We'll see where the needle sits at about 4:30 this afternoon…
gotta love those summer days that start out 80+ at 6 AM… but it's not humid out west where I've seems those temps, have a good ride
When I lived in Dallas, I used to call rides like that a "Bottle Ride" as I would drink about 10 bottles in 2 hours! Good Luck!
Jeff, I thought about riding tonight, I am still considering it actually. It's just sooooo hot out there right now. I have a mountain bike race on Sunday, I guess the ride tonight could be considered conditioning for that?
Good luck for your ride tonight. Fill those water bottles to the brim and pack 'em with Ice!
Adrian, If you're racing Sunday maybe you oughta abstain or at least just take it kinda easy! As for water, I'm good. Got 70 oz in the CamelBak along with the effervescent electrolyte tabs. We're gonna just play it by ear tonight. I rode really hard last night and it was pretty hot plus I had the CycloCore workouts yesterday morning so I'm definitely not gonna go out tonight with guns blazing!
I chose not to ride tonight after all. I feel like I should do something, just not sure what exactly. I think a HIT might be a better option than a CORE workout but as I type this I am still undecided. You're doing the right thing too, by not doing anything hard core this evening. It's just too hot to be out I think.
That's definitely warm…time for very early morning or late rides…avoid the sun…lol
101 degrees at ride time. Not sure what the heat index was but right now at 8:30 pm it's still 92 with a heat index of 106. I'm sure the heat index was the same or hotter. Ride was definitely a scorcher but I got through it ok. Ended up with 1:15 for time. Went through the 70 oz of water but not before I got back to the car
2 weeks for my 1300 km ride to Paris, I hope I'm fit for it.
WOW!!! Are you kidding. Morten, that is going to be an incredible journey. Are you going to try to catch the TDF during that time?
Morten, you will be fit; ensure that you enjoy yourself!
We are going to arrive 1 day before the TDF pelaton, and ride Champs-Élysées
about 200 km average per day in 7 days. I did it last year, a super experience, and cool to see the TDF riders ride at at 60 miles an hour on the Champs-Elysees cobblestones 
Mike Masterson ndle it, although I have suffered from pressure sores for some time, so I could not train as hard
sounds like a fantastic ride Morten! Is this a charity ride?
Last year we drove towards research into childhood cancer, but this year we did not run for the benefit of any.
That sounds like an awesome experience…I'm Jealous Morten. Have an amazing time mate!
Sounds like a great trip. About 30 years ago I rode around southern England & into Wales. It was Sept-Oct, days were short, saw many sites, rode 20-40 miles / day. Never got to mainland, though. Going to France in Oct for a wedding. Hope to bring/rent a bike but my wife might kill me…
Tony Slater yes, it was a great experience last year. It's a great feeling to ride into Paris city. People waving and cheering
One more day to go! and for me it's going to be a rest day…3 days of holiday's left and relax mode has kicked in…lol.
Man, it seems like forever that you've been on holiday!! You just had a "relax mode" break, you get on that bike or I'll…..
ur right Adrian…However I spent the first two weeks riding and training pretty much every day…so think I deserve a few days off before i go back to work…god knows it's going to be hectic when i get back…:(
too bad work has to get in the way of life…. I always wished I was born rich instead of good-looking. LOL
Good to see you getting stuck back in after your rest…i’m back on for next week! Be starting the second block of in-season!
Started the rides this week. Its going great! now to add the core 2.0 tomorrow. gong to do either ME or strong. My favorites!
Good for you! Don't ME & POW go together? Core stuff sure helps. I never worked my core before or stretched. My doc gave me a bunch of streches and they help a lot with my back pain.
I've bot to do more core work. Ron, I'm in S. Jersey. It'd be grea to meet up for a ride at some point.
I've bot to do more core work. Ron, I'm in S. Jersey. It'd be grea to meet up for a ride at some point.
Yesterday was a rest day, and Today will be the last day of the challenge.
Last day… until you start the next challenge!
i'm in pick me!
Throw down the gauntlet!
Is today the last day of the challenge?
yup yup!!
yup yup!!
If you kid buy any bike at the $5000 price point (road) what would it be?
I would have to say a BMC Road Racer SL01, or of course the obvious choice: a Veloforma with all the bells and whistles.
I would have to say a BMC Road Racer SL01, or of course the obvious choice: a Veloforma with all the bells and whistles.
I'd be going a BMC as well…Pity the Impec model will be out of this price range…:( It is a sick looking bike!
I'd be going a BMC as well…Pity the Impec model will be out of this price range…:( It is a sick looking bike!
As soon as I'm fully cleared, hopefully 2 weeks. I'm going to go back to a modified version of the off-season plan. I HAVE to do more core work. So tempting to drop it.
Two weeks will hopefully go by quickly for you Dino. Definitely keep up that Core work!
Glad you're doing better.
Two weeks will hopefully go by quickly for you Dino. Definitely keep up that Core work!
Glad you're doing better.
Another Toasty day across most of the country. I am thankful for my trainer. However the race on Sunday is getting closer by the minute, at a predicted 97 degrees its not going to be a leisurely cake walk.
it was a brisk 50 degrees F here this morning…lovely riding weather…:)
Put the hammer down!!
How did it go Adrian?
My race went very well. Better than I expected. It's been so dry here (as has the whole country right?!) so the trails have been faaaaast! Oddly enough, the night before the race a huge storm passed through the area and dumped a couple of inches of rain. They had to bypass a brand. Ew section of trail because you just couldn't ride it. Roots, rocks and wooden bridges were more slippery than a banana peel covered in monkey snot.there was a guy who I rode with that bit the dust (or more correctly – mud) at least 3 possibly 4 times. Anyway, I started off too fast and had to bring things back under control. That actually meant lowering my heart rate from 177 to a much more comfortable 158-160bpm. By the 3rd lap I had caught most of the guys I'd let go earlier. I caught the guy that is my nemesis about 2 miles before the finish, I basically used his pace to recover a lot. About 100 yards before the finish he started to gear up and accelerate towards the line, I stood up, gave it absolutely everything I had and beat him by no more than 5 or 6 inches across the line and man did it feel good! It takes a lot to come from behind, as you know, and pass someone. Especially on a narrow rough finish section. So I'm wrapt with my finish. I took fourth in Cat 2 open.
Today was HIT 15 Climbing Attack followed by HIT 16 Climbing Wall.
Finished my recovery week with the worst cold in a long time and I did get a flu shot this year. I was probably a bit run wn from last week and picked up something at Parent/Teacher night on Monday. Hope I shake it soon as we are off to the snow for a week tomorrow. Erveryone says this cold hangs around for 2 weeks or more, rats.
TDF starts tonight, not sure if I'll be able to stay up though. Here, in Sydney it starts at 10:00pm and Cadel isn't on until 5:30am. I think I might have a bowl of soup, go to bed and watch the highlights tomorrow morning.
Last day of June — Tomorrow I start "Dry July", no alcohol for a month. I always feel so much better for it.
I just entered in Fitz's Challeng 20 Sept. 165km with hills so training starts as soon as I'm over this cold. See you all in a week.
Got a nice ride in yesterday morning with approx 70km with lots of climbing. Starting block 2 of in-season tomorrow..:)
70 km is a great effort. Where are we going to post our motivating stories now that the challenge is over?
Well, the contest officially ended Saturday. It was a lot of fun and very motivating posting and reading about everyone's efforts using the Cyclo90 workouts. I enjoyed reading about everyone's hard work. It definitely prompted me to take some chances and test myself (like racing XC mtn bike for the first time in 14 years). I'm on week 2 of my current in-season plan but hit a couple stumbling blocks here the last few days. I have a lot going on this week so my training is going to suffer a bit but hopefully after this week things will calm down a bit. I'm looking forward to keeping things going with the next Challenge contest. Great job everyone!
Ditto, You summed things up very well Jeff. Looking forward to keeping in touch with everyone and seeing how we each progress in our cycling.
Definitely. I still wanna come over to ride Brown County. We have a baby due in November so I'm not sure that I'll be able to pull it off this season but definitely next Spring.
only 13 days until my big ride…..
I hope you have a great ride! Keep us posted!
Yes, Let us know how the ride is going, if you can, if not, then an update afterwards. Sounds like a great ride.
Sunday was another key session and some kind of PR. I started the ME chunk session without much energy, couldn't spin to warm up and had trouble pushing the first 2-3 chunks. the last chunk was the steepest part of the out & back up a small canyon and I was able to keep rpms between 60 & 65 using my next-to-lowest gear – haven't been able to do that in about 5 years. Thanks Graeme!
Srape it!, Pull it!, Stomp it! go, go go!
Gratz Brad!
Gratz Gadgetq also.