Fall Indoor Multirider Classes - Now Open!

Check out the latest action from our fall indoor class. These athletes are performing a field test to determine there training zones for the class. This also allows us to track their progress over the next 12 weeks. We have seen historically an average of 10% improvement after just 12 weeks!!! Enjoy

Notes - VO2max

VO_2max is the maximal rate at which you can inspire oxygen (O₂) from the environment and transfer to the muscles within the body during exercise. It can be measured using specific equipment which measures the O₂ you breathe during a graded exercise test.

VO_2max is largely influenced by genetics and heredity.

For an individual, the variables that determine VO_2max are cardiac output (CO) (the amount of blood you pump with each heart beat) and the aVDO₂ difference (the concentration of 0₂ in the arteriole blood minus the concentration of O₂ in the venous blood, basically the amount of 0₂ you extract out of the blood as it rushes past the working muscle cells).

VO_2max = CO * aVDO₂

Cardiac Output is dependant upon:

Stroke Volume (SV) – the amount of blood pumped out of the hearts ventricle each beat.

Heart Rate (HR) – the amount of beats per minute

CO = HR * SV

With proper training, these mechanisms and the variables that influence them increase 1.) The amount of blood you get to the muscle with max exercise 2.) The amount of oxygen you can extract from the blood as it travels past the exercising muscle.

An increase in VO_2max from endurance training is primarily the result of an increase in CO. In turn, the most influential variable to increase CO is the increase in stroke volume after training (aVDO₂ plays a small role in increasing VO_2max, it has more influence over work capacity at sub-maximal workloads).

Reasons for an increase in SV (and hence, CO)

1. An increase in the heart’s left ventricular dimension – the chamber becomes larger thereby storing more blood for each beat.

2. Increased contractility of the heart. The heart beats a little harder thereby decreasing the amount of blood volume left in the ventricle after it contracts.

3. An increase in the plasma volume (PV) of the blood (hypervolemia). With training you can increase the amount of blood in your body by as much as 20%. The Frank Starling Mechanism says that as the PV increases the end diastolic volume (EDV) (the amount of blood sitting in the left ventricle right before beating) thereby causing an increase in SV which increases CO.

↑ PV → ↑ EDV → ↑ SV → ↑ CO

Therefore, an increase in CO through specific endurance training means that at any given absolute sub-maximal workload there is less stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (because blood pressure is maintained easier). This is the reason HR decreases (at rest and for a given absolute sub-maximal workload) after a block of training. There is also less blood flow redistribution during a given absolute sub-maximal workload due to an increased CO. This increases exercising blood lactate clearance, absorption of ingested food, and an increase in the formation of glucose by the liver. All of which make you a stronger endurance athlete.

Main point – Increasing your VO_2max can benefit your performance at sub-maximal workloads, including lactate threshold, and this is primarily the result of an increase in the volume of blood you pump through your body during exercise.

*Notes - Lactate Threshold

During glycolysis (the breakdown of carbohydrate) pyruvate is formed. If the exercise intensity is low then pyruvate goes to the krebs cycle and produces energy using oxygen. If the exercise intensity is high then pyruvate is converted to lactate, along with other byproducts.

This process actually consumes some muscle energy. This inefficient form of energy production occurs because the muscle needs energy at a rate faster than can be supplied by oxidative phosphorylation (burning fat, aerobic) or via the krebs cycle (aerobic glycolysis).

Producing lactate also creates a byproduct called hydrogen ion (H+) which reduces muscle and blood pH (becomes more acidic). This is bad news for the muscle as H+ inhibits muscle contraction. (H+ displaces calcium within a muscle fiber, inhibiting cross-bridge cycling and reducing contraction force).

Contrary to what many may think it is not lactate that causes muscles to stop working or get sore after exercise (people afflicted with McArdle's disease cannot produce lactate and yet they still fatigue with exercise)

Lactate is formed even at rest, although at much lower levels, and is actually a preferred source of energy for the heart and slow-twitch muscle fibers (it gets converted back into ATP, the substance muscles need to contract and stimulates the liver to produce more glucose).

Lactate levels in the blood at rest are typically around 1-2 mmol and can exceed 20mmol during maximal exercise.

Lactate production and removal is a continual process within the muscle. As exercise intensity increases the rate of lactate production increases (our bodies need energy quickly at higher intensities and this pathway produces energy quickly, even at the expense of being inefficient). As intensity continues to rise higher lactate levels exceed the body's clearance capacity (via buffering or being used as a fuel source) and blood lactate levels rise precipitously.

The point where lactate begins to rise quickly is termed LT (Lactate Threshold) or OBLA (Onset of Blood Lactate Accumulation). These terms have replaced the misnomer "anaerobic threshold" because the muscle is never really out of oxygen as this term may imply.

Individual lactate threshold's typically occur around 4 mmol but can range from 3-6mmol depending on the individual.

(OK class pay attention – Extra credit)

*The limitation to exercise above the LT is not the increased levels of blood or muscle lactate but the associated increase in acidosis (H+) and other markers of muscular fatigue*

The physiological changes that occur at this threshold are significant for training the heart and lungs (metabolic acidosis, impaired muscle contraction, hyperventilation, altered oxygen kinetics, etc.).

Endurance training based around this threshold intensity has been shown to improve the absolute workload that can be performed at this threshold (increasing threshold power from 210 watts to 240 watts) as well as the percentage of VO2 max (increasing the threshold from 80% of VO2max to 85%).

This threshold and the percentage of VO2max it occurs are the single biggest predictors of you endurance performance.

To obtain your lactate threshold blood lactate samples are taken (via a finger tip prick) during an incremental exercise test and the results graphed to determine what intensity (HR, watts) a shift in production occurs. A separate VO2max test will further determine what potential an individual has for improvement of this threshold.

Trust your power meter, trust yourself

The other day, riding in the rain, my Powertap head unit went a little crazy on me (as you can see from this picture). It occurred to me that many athletes may feel a bit lost when something like this happens.

Some riders dread the power meter. They see it only as a burden, a device that only serves to punish them. They would love to just throw the thing away and ride how they feel. There are also those that become too attached to their power meter. Without the feedback, they are lost. Some may not even do the workout. If there isn't a power file, what's the use?

Though everyone uses their power meter in a different capacity, what I would really like to see from my athletes is something in between the two extremes. A power meter is a very powerful tool. It can help you make sure that you do the workout correctly, help you pace yourself, give you quantitative data on how you improve, and measure the difficulty of your rides or races. Not to mention, it is a great way to show your coach what is really going on with your training. However, it is important to remember that it is only a tool. Even without the power meter, the power is still there. One of the most important reasons to have a power meter is to fine tune your own sense of perceived exertion. In other words, after a while, you should pretty much know what doing your workouts correctly feels like, with or without the power meter. Below is a list of comments that I would not like to hear from athletes regarding the use of their power meters...

Bad: "My power meter stopped working half way through my ride, so I just rode how I felt"

Should be: "My power meter stopped working half way through my ride, so I tried to do the workout appropriately based on feel"

Bad: "I was in this race and I looked down and saw that I was putting out 700 watts going up the hill. I can't sustain that kind of wattage, so I dropped out"

Should be: "Although I wasn't looking at my power during the race, when I downloaded the file afterwards, I saw that I was putting out 700 watts every time going up the hill. No wonder so many people didn't finish"

Bad: "I felt really good today on my endurance ride, so I went really hard and tried to average the highest wattage I could"

Should be: "I felt really good today on my endurance ride, so I had to use the power meter to hold myself back a bit"

Bad: "I want to be a Cat. 2, and I saw a chart that said that Cat. 2s have an LT power to weight ratio of 4.44 watts/kilo, so I do all my LT intervals at that level"

Should be: "On my last LT test, my power-to-weight ratio was 4.00 watts/kilo. While this is above average for a Cat.3, it is below average for a Cat. 2, so I know that if I upgrade I will need to work on sustained power."

NOTES* Rolling Resistance

Rolling resistance shall be defined as the resistance to steady forward motion due to frictional losses between the surface of the wheel and the surface on which it rolls.

Rolling resistance coefficients range from 0.002 to 0.010 while rolling on smooth surface

Next to aerodynamics, rolling resistance is the next biggest contributor to forward motion on level road cycling

There is less energy loss with a 700c wheel vs. 650c wheel due to less tire deformation as it rolls over a smooth surface

Reducing tire size from 27 inches to 16 inches increases rolling resistance by 40%

Skinnier tires (<19mm)>19mm) at similar tire pressures

A solid tire would have the lowest rolling resistance of any air filled tire on a perfectly smooth surface

Thinner tire fabrics made with higher threads per inch (TPI) bend and deform easier than thicker ones.

Thinner tires have less material to deform and thus less energy is lost as the tire rolls.

Thicker inner tubes create higher rolling resistance.

The greater the TPI, the less rubber needed and the better the rolling resistance.

Generally speaking, the best tire pressure for the least amount of rolling resistance on a typical road surface is around 100-120 PSI.

Different rubber compositions have different resistances. In general, replacing carbon black with silica-silane reduces rolling resistance, but also increases tire wear.

No, you think about it...

Which riders tires will last longer, a sprinter or a time-trialist?

Which tire wears the fastest, the front or the rear?

Eye of the Tiger

Bike racing here in the NYC area is quite different than a typical road race or circuit race elsewhere. The generally shorter park races and familiar faces make tactics and race dynamics interesting, not bad, but interesting. The addition of a few new riders can change the whole dynamic of the race. However, the principles here are the same as any other criterium or circuit race. The training and racing are specific but just as important to success is your tactical ability and tenacity. There is no doubt these races are hard but do to the relatively non selective courses and big fields there are often group sprint finishes. So why do the same people always seem to be in the top 10? We have all told ourselves that if the field is together on the last lap we must be top 10 and if you are passed by one person you must pass two in return to maintain your position. But the difference between those that consistently finish top ten and those that don’t is they actually do it. Forget fitness and sprinting ability for a moment. A rider that is good tactically and can see the dynamics of the finish, almost before they happen, will always have an edge. Of course, you can also be good at this and never capitalize on it and still finish poorly. Those that consistently do well can see the finish unfold, and capitalize on the openings. It is not enough to see it. Many riders hesitate and the moment you realize it you are too late. You must be aggressive and move into the gap without even thinking about it. We all know what we should do and where we should be in order to finish well, those that finish well actually do it.

Fatigue and the Endurance Athlete

TRAINING AND FATIGUE
If you are an endurance cyclist you have probably experienced fatigue. Although some fatigue is ok, and even desirable, severe fatigue can be very detrimental to your fitness and your goals. As an athlete or coach you must be able to differentiate between fatigue that will yield performance enhancements and that which will hamper growth and recovery.

An athlete who is unable to produce the same performance they did just a week ago is fatigued. Put simply, fatigue is the inability to perform at a level that was once possible in recent history (excluding illness or injury).

Athletes can perceive fatigue differently. Some athletes avoid fatigue at all cost while others never slow down. If training becomes excessive enough and poor recovery habits are taken persistent fatigue can follow which will ultimately interfere with performance.

One of the difficult aspects of training and coaching is determining how much training and stress will fatigue an individual athlete and if how this fatigue will impact their training prescription.
Power meters and heart rate monitoring have made the diagnosis of fatigue and the ability to track the amount of training stress easier and more accurate. Frequent fitness testing with a power meter or field test allows cyclists to document the effects of training on particular aspects of performance. For an athlete, a range of performance and perceptions may follow a rigorous training block;

1. The athlete feels good and performance is improved
2. The athlete feels good but performance is poor
3. The athlete feels tired and performance is poor
4. The athlete feels tired but performance is excellent

Depending on the training and recovery prior to the test, all responses are possible and all results indicate something different. With the use of power meters, every cycling effort can be compared to a personal best clearly indicating when a cyclist is tired and when they are fresh. Patterns between training and performance will emerge providing insight into managing fatigue.
There are four main classifications of fatigue and they are described below.

PERCEPTUAL FATIGUE
There is little denying the perception of fatigue but oftentimes once you get going you are feeling great and beating the locals feeling full of energy. Experienced athletes know that it usually takes exercise to evaluate whether fatigue is severe enough or not to cancel a training session. Perceptual fatigue can be very persuasive so don't give up without trying. You may be capable of much more than you imagined. If you have finished a sufficient warm-up and you are struggling to reach and hold the given power levels then it is advisable to listen to what your body is saying and take a break!

SHORT-TERM PRODUCTIVE FATIGUE
Every daily training session results in short-term fatigue. As you become tired, heart rate and the perception of effort increases for a given workload or power output. Fatigue may increase to the point that a desired workload is not achievable. However, after a good meal and sleep most athletes will be ready for more abuse the next day. If the training bout is severe enough, two to three days may be required to regain previous form. This is considered short-term fatigue and is productive because the performance outcome is positive, increasing your performance, after sufficient recovery.

LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVE FATIGUE
What happens when you train hard for six days in a row? As you would expect, you are probably tired. Many times a fatigued cyclist can find it difficult to cope with a hard training session for up to a week after this effort. There are often complaints about heavy legs and heart rate suppression during hard efforts. The training which leads to this sustained fatigue is termed 'overreaching'. Fortunately for those suffering from this type of fatigue, performance rebounds to desirable levels following 7-12 days of quality recovery. However, many athletes mismanage this fatigue and start training or competing well before they are fully recovered. Ironically, it is the athlete that feels the best that is most at risk for this type of fatigue. Athletes experiencing great form feel like superman, neglecting the proper nutrition and recovery habits needed. But eventually the fatigue will accumulate. Often the most severe fatigue comes following a week or two of incredible form. Be very careful when power production reaches an all-time high. With appropriate management - particularly the inclusion of recovery days in your training program - it's possible to maintain top form for weeks, if not months.

LONG-TERM NON-PRODUCTIVE FATIGUE
This type of fatigue is commonly known as overtraining. Many athletes are extremely motivated, very fit, and also living a very stressful lifestyle. These situations often cause a loss in fitness before fatigue dissipates. Thus, despite rigorous training and following weeks of recovery, performance never rebounds. Lifestyle stress, poor nutrition and disturbed sleep all contribute to the extremely heavy fatigue experienced by athletes.

Despite numerous attempts by sport scientists, there is no one physiological marker that can be used to identify the magnitude of fatigue or that when it has reached some critical level. Although resting heart rate can be a useful indicator of training stress there is little solid scientific data to support using this marker as a guide to training.

It's important not to confuse overtraining with non-specific training. It is possible that a lack of specific training for a certain event is responsible for the poor performance. Lots of cycling on the flat is unlikely to promote a rider's climbing capacity. So when evaluating your performance also think about the amount of specific training you've been doing for your event. Again, if a cyclist is using a power meter and recording training sessions it becomes fairly easy to retrospectively examine the time spent at a power output and cadence that is sport specific. Unfortunately, an athlete with persistent fatigue may need to stop training and focus on a good diet and adequate rest.

SUMMARY
When it comes to cycling and endurance sports, fatigue is almost always present and can develop in many different forms. Most types are easy to deal with and fairly short lived. However, the perception of fatigue is not always associated with performance. Athletes should try out their legs and start a training session before making the conclusion that they are too tired to train. General or short-term fatigue is characterized by an increased perception of effort for a given power output, but the ability to produce power is generally maintained. More severe or long-term fatigue is associated with a decrease in performance and possibly a suppressed heart rate and elevated perception of effort for a given power output. Although excessive training can lead to persistent fatigue, this condition is very rare. When endurance athletes are unusually tired for a long time there are usually other environmental variables contributing to it.

Fortunately, power meters can now be used to track training volume and quantify whether performance is really compromised. This type of feedback combined with frequent performance testing can be used by cyclists to better understand the effects of fatiguing bouts of training and racing.