Hills Tend to Slow Me Down

I don't weigh a whole lot. 125lbs is what many people would call underweight, others say they dream being that weight. And, despite the many disadvantages of that weight, such as little fat supply, I find that it is quite nice when you get to the hills. The logic is simple, less weight on the bike means less weight to haul up a hill. Likewise, less weight to haul up the hill means faster speed going up the hill.

There are some restrictions to this logic, though. First of all, because of my light body weight, it means that I may not have as much leg muscle as guys who weigh twice as much. (They have to support 100lbs more all day) To overcome this, it is imperative that I use my power-to-weight ratio wisely. That means to be a fast climber, I need to keep a relatively high cadence (upwards of 85rpm). By maintaining a high rpm, the raw power of the leg muscles becomes a moot point as I can then let my lower body weight help me spin up the hill, while the other riders are mashing their way to the top.

The Titanflex also helps when it comes to hill climbing. Because of the small rear triangle, it is stiffer than those on a standard double diamond frame. Stiffer frame = more power transfer from wheels to pedals = faster climbing.

But, nevertheless, climbing is always slow and painful. There just is no way to make climbing any easier than it already is.

And that's why yesterday's 150 miles took all day, whereas my double century PR is in 11 hours.

Hills tend to slow me down.

Of Headwinds and Heartrates

The temperature is finally starting to drop again, making training more comfortable. I am in the middle of a fairly high mileage week, averaging about 70 miles a day. Less intervals now, and more long distance riding.

I enjoyed my Monday Night Ride with Olde Saratoga Bike and Board. We decided to head up to Saratoga Battlefield, and then head to Saratoga Lake before turning around and heading home. It was excellent speed work.

Today was all about the headwinds. I made sure to hammer a good fifty miles into a direct headwind that was blowing at speeds >20mph. The goal was to ignore any speed or distance data, and focus on cadence and heart rate data.

Coming out of today's ride, I have made some important choices for the Saratoga 24 hour race:

1. I'm ditching the cyclo computer on my road bike
2. I will rely on my heart rate monitor to provide my only hard number feedback.

I hope that by ditching the computer, I will be less concerned about my speed at any certain time, and more concerned where my heart rate is. If I am able to maintain a cadence of eighty-five rpm, and keep my heart rate at one hundred and sixty bpm, then I should be achieving the max speed I can handle at any one moment.

The only problem, though, is it will be tough to follow cue sheets without distance readings from my computer...Oh well. Every cloud has its silver lining.

Effect of Heat on Cycling and Other Sports (Part II)

Heat is what causes exhaustion in athletes competing at the aerobic level. In sprint level races, lactic acid is produced in leg muscles as a by-product of the muscle producing ATP. In aerobic exercise, though, the leg muscles are able to get the oxygen they need from the blood stream, and thus produce very limited amounts of lactic acid.

So, instead of feeling the "burn" of lactic acid, we get the pain associated with heat.

Likewise, it isn't a good idea to put a hot pad on after an aerobic (or anaerobic, for that matter) exercise. This will promote blood to damaged capillaries, which can feel good in the short term, but can slow down the healing process. Whereas, ice promotes less blood flow to damaged tissues, and lets the body determine what areas need increased blood flow on its own.

Interesting, I think. Maybe less time in the hot tub is in order??

Effect of Heat on Cycling and Other Sports

Here in the Northeast, we've been getting our first major heat wave of the summer season. With about a week of consecutive days above the 90F mark, it seems like a good time to talk about the heat.

Many RAAM racers take the time to train in hot conditions to prepare themselves for the intense environment of the Mojave Desert at the beginning of the race. Racers train in saunas, in the mountains, and arrive a few days early for the race to practice desert riding. And, looking at the effect that heat has on the body, it can make a big difference on whether or not a rider finishes ultra endurance races.

Hot temperatures, though aren't the only problem cyclists need to be able to address. We also need to be prepared to work through humid conditions, especially here in northern New York. Many times, the humidity and the heat come together, creating conditions that are brutal on the body. When heat and humidity are both working at the same time, it is easy to suffer the effects of dehydration because the humidity makes you feel hydrated, even though your sweating massive amounts of water.

What I find the best way to deal with the heat is just riding through it. It isn't easy to drink water when your not thirsty, especially if it is warm from sitting in the sun for a few hours. Training in the heat also allows you to become accustom to how your body is affected by high mercury readings. And, finally, it makes you a better rider when the thermometer drops. The important part about heat is to just ride through it. Don't let nature dictate your schedule, and don't let it get in the ways of your goals and ambitions.

It also makes a good epic picture for your blog every now and than...

Saving the Day

I'm into doing double century rides plus every weekend at this point. And, throughout my training, it is always interesting to meet people along the way. Everyone, from joggers, cyclists, rollerbladers, etc., are all out and about.

But the people who make this story are those who work at the random convenience store wherever I get into trouble. This past week, my bike needed a wrench to help realign a wheel on the go. (The tire was dragging on the seatstay!) Luckily, I was near a car repair shop, Lant's Auto Sales. (http://www.lantsautosales.com/). They were more than willing to help me out in my time of need and get me back on the road.

Another situation occurred when I was riding through Bennington, VT. My saddle was coming loose from the seat post! Luckily, an Autozone was nearby, and the employees there allowed me to use an Allen key to tighten up my post.

So, to all those who help the poor cyclist with oil stains on their face from sweat, kudos to you. You saved the day.