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For the past couple weekends, coach Mike Kuhn and I have had the pleasure of going to some cyclocross races at Lehigh Valley, Fogelsville, Fair Hill and then yesterday at Spring Mountain. Cadence has partnered with CycleOps for these events and CycleOps has generously provided 10 Fluid trainers for riders to warm up on as well as 2 wireless PowerTap demo wheels for riders to use. We have encouraged riders to ride and race on these wheels. Many have never used a power meter before and are curious about what to expect. Others would like to test the durability of the PowerTap wheel in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Personally, I look at it as a great opportunity to collect data. Though power meters are very common on the road, you don't see too many in cross races so naturally there isn't much out there in the way of literature on training and racing with a power meter for cyclocross racing. Here are some basic stats on some of the riders that rode Sunday's race at Spring Mountain:

Woody: 2nd place in Men's B race
Weight: 175 lbs
Background: Cat. 3 road racer, former messenger
Duration: 44:48
Avg. Power: 271
Avg. Speed: 12.1 mph
Avg. Cadence: 80 rpm
Normalized Power: 297 watts

Johann: 3rd place in Men's B race.
Weight: 200 lbs
Background: Cat. 2 road racer
Duration: 44:53
Avg. Power: 286 watts
Avg. HR: 186 bpm
Avg. Speed: 12.0 mph
Avg. Cadence: 79 rpm
Normalized Power: 316 watts

Chris: 7th place in Men's B race
Weight: 180 lbs
Background: Cat. 4 road racer, Ex-BMXer
Duration: 45:59
Avg. Power: 253 watts
Avg. HR: 180 bpm
Avg. Speed: 11.7 mph
Avg. Cadence: 70 rpm
Normalized Power: 275 watts

Kyle: 3rd place in Men's A race
Weight: 134 lbs
Background: Pro Mountain Biker
Duration: 34:36 (the data recorded is for the beginning of the race... Kyle had a mechanical and had to take a bike change)
Avg. Power: 234 watts
Avg. HR: 182 bpm
Avg. Speed: 12.7 mph
Avg. Cadence: 76 rpm
Normalized Power: 260 watts

John: 4th place in Men's A race
Weight: 160 lbs
Background: Cat. 1 Road Racer
Duration: 1:05:56
Avg. Power: 227 watts
Avg. HR: 175 bpm
Avg. Speed: 12.2 mph
Avg. Cadence: 74 rpm
Normalized Power: 250 watts

Colin: 5th place in Men's A race
Weight: 170 lbs
Background: Cat. 1 road racer
Duration: 1:06:59
Avg. Power: 245 watts
Avg. HR: 187 bpm
Avg. Speed: 12.1 mph
Avg. Cadence: 67 rpm
Normalized Power: 269 watts

Erik: 10th place in Men's A race (also raced in B race)
Weight: 185 lbs
Background: Cat. 4/espoir road racer/track racer
Duration: 1:02:54
Avg. Power: 203 watts
Avg. HR: 187 bpm
Avg. Speed: 10.1 mph
Avg. Cadence: 76 rpm
Normalized Power: 240 watts

For a definition of these terms, look at my last entry on this blog. The first thing that stands out to me about these files is how low the power is. Every one of these riders is capable of producing more power than they did here but the technical sections make it difficult to use that power. A good technical rider will spend more of the time pedaling and less time coasting. Kyle is certainly the most technically proficient of these riders and he is able to come much closer to actually producing the power he is capable of producing. However, it is important to remember that most riders will fade in the later laps of the race so with only 35 minutes of data, Kyle's numbers are most likely a bit high.

The other thing that stands out about these files, at least compared to a road race or criterium is how low the cadence is. This is primarily because a lot of time is spent coasting, usually just before obstacles or technical sections. However, cadence will be lower even when pedaling during cyclocross because a bigger gear will generally make it less likely that the rider will lose traction.

More to come later on how we can use these files to better identify riders' strengths and weaknesses and design individualized workouts and training plans that can help maximize their potential.

Mike and I plan on being at a lot of cross races in the upcoming weeks, so if you are there feel free to stop by, warm up on the CycleOps trainer and demo one of the wheels. Here's the schedule:

November 10th: Beacon Cyclocross, Bridgton, NJ
November 11th: Highland Park Cyclocross, Highland Park, NJ
November 17th: Mercer Cup Cyclocross #1 (USGP #3), Trenton, NJ
November 18th: Mercer Cup Cyclocross #2 (USGP #4), Trenton, NJ
November 25th: MABRA Championships, Taneytown, MD (tentative)
December 1st: Carlisle Cross Classic (MAC #5), Carlisle, PA
December 2nd: Capitol Cross Classic (MAC #6), Reston, VA

See you there!

Labels: cyclocross, power, racing

Today I had my final strategy meeting with Michael. This past year has been designed around qualifying for Kona, and then a successful race. Michael qualified by winning his age group (30-34) in Coeur D’Alene with a time of 9 hours 34 minutes. The issue then became: “How does one then prepare for a second IronMan in the same year?” Well, to quote Frank Shorter, “You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.” Michael’s training since June 26th has been strictly oriented towards success in Kona on Oct. 13th. He is now ready to race here: he is leaner than he has been since grade school, and he is nervous but confident.

Today we discussed race strategy. In general I do not like to focus on specific goals, e.g. a time goal, since weather conditions (wind and heat) may dramatically impact such goals. Instead, athletes should focus on the process; the outcome will take care of itself. The other key point for an athlete to remember is to focus only on those issues that YOU can control. There’s no sense worrying about how fast your competitors will race. YOU cannot change that on race day.

Because Michael is a strong swimmer he should finish within three minutes of the leader. So, our strategy is to follow the leaders, let them plow through the water, and take as much time as possible from other contenders.

Over the last couple of years Michael’s cycling has improved to the point where he may be one of the leaders off the bike, but this is the World Championship and it is a different ball game this weekend. So, again, our strategy is to be patient, use the competitors, and keep in mind that 112 miles is one long time trial. We know that the last turn with 35 miles to go will be the point that separates the leaders from the rest of the competition. It is a long way back to the Pier and if the winds do what is forecasted then there should be a slight headwind. Ouch.

The run is Michael’s Achilles heel, but he has improved significantly over the past year and we look at the run as an opportunity. For the run, we did set a time goal, but only to assist Michael with his pacing. This is to ensure that he has energy left as he enters and exits the Energy Lab.

Stay tuned. Now it all comes down to execution! Tomorrow: Sights around Kona and people or, I should say, triathlete watching.

Labels: IronMan Hawaii, Kona, racing

Duathlon Worlds, Gyor Hungary - POST #3 - RACE DAY IS HERE! Well all of he waiting is over and race day has finally arrived! I did get some interesting news late Saturday regarding my start time that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Due to the enormous size of the waves, they moved us 40-44 year olds into the earlier wave which had an 8:30am start verses our previous 9:45am start. This would be a huge advantage for a couple reasons. First of all, it was going to be a scorcher of a day and in that hour plus the temps would go from about 70 to the mid-80s with plenty of humidity to boot. Turns out my finishing time would have been in the top 20 for the later wave (assuming I could still have gone as fast with the hotter temps), but my wave would be a different ball game all together as I was racing with the 20+ year olds, meaning the pace would likely be a tad faster. Before I share the details, let's roll back to last night. After my staple pasta dinner, I headed back to my room and occupied my evening hours by watching the age old war classic Kelly's Heroes on my lap top (PS - Hungarian TV offers very little in English save CNN, BBC and MTV!). Fearing I would not fall asleep (a pre-race curse), I made an executive decision and used a mild prescription sleep aid and it did the trick. I closed my eyes around midnight and woke to the sound of chirping birds at 5am, refreshed and ready to rock and roll. I spent the better part of Saturday seeking out the only pre-race meal I do - a banana, half of a danish and half a bagel with peanut butter on it. The hotel was kind enough to open the restaurant at 6am so we could all get a strong cup of coffee be our event. Around 7am I slowly made my way to the start line. We had to drop off our bikes last night in the nearly 1/4mi long transition area (meaning I had to memorize the name of the cross street my bike was parked near). I dropped off my helmet and cycling shoes and then headed to do a warm-up run and finish my pre-race prep, as I was still missing one vital element of the routine. I found a small side street and did some easy running mixed with striders and around 8am was able to complete the final part of my warm-up. You see, along with my set pre-race breakfast (which has not changed in over 20 years), I have one more thing I do before large events such as regional, national, and now world championships - I throw up! Call it a severe case of nerves, but for me it is a sign that my adrenaline is pumping. That out of the way, I headed to the start line and found my place among the 350+ others (I think I am going to be sick again). The group was very fidgety at first, but with about 30 seconds to gun time an eerie calm washed over the pack and for a moment there was nothing but silence. Then without warning - BANG! The gun went off and we were away! Before every race I write down my performance expectations. For each leg of a race I write down an A scenario (I am firing on all cylinders), a B case (a good day), and a C case (should have stayed in bed). Prior to arriving in Hungary, my A scenario was for a 2:06 total time, my B was 2:09, and C was 2:12. After previewing the course, it became clear that the first run was closer to 9.2K (than 10K) and the bike was 39K (vs 40K). I adjusted all of scenarios lower by 6 minutes - so my A was now 2:00 flat. The first run was in a word - FAST. No, I take that back - VERY FAST! On top of that, it was extremely humbling. At the 3K mark we headed up a small hill and all I could see ahead of me was a sea of bodies strung out over a 1/4mi long - I wasn't even in the top 1/3 of this group. My goal on the first run was to keep my Heart Rate below my Lactate Threshold level of around 175 and I did sort of do that. My first 4.6K split was 16:40 or roughly an 18:15 5K (ya, that would have been a PR - nice pacing Mike!) My legs felt fine and my next 4.6K split was 16:30 (about an 18:05 5K). I jumped on the bike and began the task of reeling as many people in as I could. This course was flat, but very technical, requiring many high speed corners and U-turns - perfect for a former bike racer like myself. I began moving up through the sea of riders and near the top end of lap 1, dove my Cyfac tri-bike into the S-curve only to see the rider in front of me hit a pot hole and go down hard. I had about 1 second to decide on diving right or left and thanks to the bike gods, I choose left and missed him by about 2 inches (of course I didn't see any of it as I closed my eyes and prayed I would clear his spinning bike!) I was averaging well over 28mpg on the 2 long straight-aways and was clicking off lap times near 18:10 for each of the 13K laps (roughly 55:00 for the 39K). The 2nd run was a legit 5K and in a word, it HURT! My stomach was cramping as the temperature was soaring and we had little or no wind to cool us off. On top of that, I felt a blister on my left foot that was painful, but I could ignore it for another 18-19mins. While I won't know how I placed overall or even in my age group until later tonight, that is always secondary to how I did relative to my own time goals. My 'A' scenario called for 2:00 flat and I can proudly say that my final time was 1:50:49. I had a good day, regardless where I end up! What an experience! I guess wearing that red, white and blue was worth a few extra miles per hour on the bike and some critical speed on the run! If anyone ever gets a chance to represent USA in an ITU event such as this - do not pass it up! For those aspiring duathletes - know that the long course Duathlon Worlds take place this October in Virginia! There are 2 more qualifying races left - the Blackwater Duathlon in MD this July and PowerMan Ohio this September! Why not give it a shot, you never know! A final thought. The nest part of this trip was all of the great people I met, especially those on Team USA. One of the neatest people I was fortunate enough to meet on this trip was one of our female athletes - Marge Stahl, who is 77 years young and is on something like her 15th Team USA. What an inspiration to everyone!

Labels: duathlon, racing, world championships

Duathlon Worlds Gyor, Hungary -
Previwing the Course! Well, the weather in Gyor remains great and looks to stay this way into the weekend of racing! Temps in the upper 50s in the morning, climbing into the mid-70s by early afternoon, with gentle breezes - perfect for a fast course! Thursday about 15 of us from Team USA tried to jog the run course, but found that to be a daunting task, as we are quickly figuring out that road signs in Gyor are a rarity! Another problem we had is that the map showed a big sweeping left bend about 1/2 mi into the first run - something we could not find right away even though it was staring right at us in the form of an off-ramp from the nearby highway (and yes, the traffic was coming at us, so we did not even consider it an option). Friday we got to ride the bike course under the supervison of a police escort. The ride was more like a huge MS ride, with 900 cyclists following a police car at 10 mph while he lead us around the 14k course. As for the couse, it is very flat, and has numerous technical corners including five 180 degree turns for every lap (and we do 3 laps). Two of the U-turns require us to take a left from the main road, ride about 100 yds and do a U-turn back to the main road - somewhere the course designer is laughing at us! If you are traveling to a new race, it is so important to take the extra time to preview the course as it will save you many headaches come race day. I can not even begin to tell you how many stories I've heard of athletes missing turns in races. In fact I saw it happen just a few weeks ago at a duathlon near NYC. I was behind a guy who made not one, not two, but three wrong turns on the bike course which cost him a top 2 finish. This especially holds true for smaller races, where you might not have a group of equally paced athletes to follow on the bike or run. Same goes for checking out the transition area. Which way will you be entering from the swim or in my case, the first run. Where will you exit with your bike? And then, where will you re-enter with your bike and head out on the final run. All stuff you need to know. If you do have time, I find it very useful to bike or drive the bike course. See where the turns are, look for landmarks to help you. How is the road - any large potholes you need to be aware of? How about the hills. One race promoters idea of 'rolling hills' may not be your own and if that is the case, do you have the proper gearing? The right wheels? The course here in Gyor is flat save 2 bridges we ride over, but it does have five 180 degree turns on every lap! That is a lot of slowing down, turning and re-accelerating, and coupled with many right or left turns, I am seeing quite a few road bikes here (which tend to corner better than a triathlon bike). With very little to separate the riders (such as a nice climb), it is clear the course will be packed, and it will be hard for the pure cyclists like myself to really get going and get advantage on the runners. So it looks like a runners' race, and I am going to have to turn in an impressive opening 10k to stay competitive! My next post will be Race Day Prep and how things go for me and Team USA come Sunday!
Mikael Hanson, Cadence Cycling & Multisport, Director NYC

Labels: multisport, racing, world championships

Benjamin Sharp here with the National Junior Team in Europe. We're getting ready for Paris-Roubaix--looking forward to it, and the event as a whole.

I know it's going to be nuts considering we are on the course at the same time as the professionals. Estimates say that close to one million people see the pro race and 500,000 or so see the junior race. We went down there yesterday to ride the last 85km of the course. We do a 35km loop before entering the pro course with 85km to go. Yep, 27.7 km of that is on 16 sectors of cobbles. I rode with the guys yesterday and let me tell you, those cobbles are insanely ridiculous. I know all of us have romanticized this event and who hasn't imagined himself, when rolling over some rough road somewhere, as Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle, Steve Bauer, Johan Musseuw, Tom Boonen, or Fabian Cancellera in the closing kilometers of the "L'enfer du Nord"? I'm here to tell you, the roughest alley in Old City has NOTHING on these crazy-ass roads. It is absurd how rough these stones are. My hands cramped after 50km and I have two blisters on my palms to show for my efforts. The athletes that finish this event (let alone WIN!) deserve all the recognition they receive, and much, much more. I tip my baret to them. It's nuts.

Western Europe is enjoying its warmest spring in years and it looks like it will be about >70 and sunny on Sunday. It hasn't rained here in a couple weeks so the dust, it will be a-flyin'. A good thing, considering I have no concept of what it must be like to do this thing in the rain. No freakin' way.

I hope everyone is well in Philly.

Labels: cycling, Europe, racing