It's that time of the year again.Viva le Tour!!! Time again to kick things off this coming Saturday with the 2011 Tour de France! In keeping with Cadence tradition, I will once again offer up my 2011 analysis in hopes of providing you all with a coach's inside perspective, while illustrating some of the tools I use to come to conclusions. These are the same tools I use to coach and interpret all of your own performances and training, so if you notice some parallels, know that it's not a coincidence!

To get things started, this year I've created an initial rider ranking system to open up some discussions! In short, I weighed past results, athlete strengths, team support, and team goals. I've followed closely this year the results of the traditional build up races towards the Tour de France - the Giro, Dauphine, Suisse, and National Championships - and I've reminded myself of last year's Tour results. In the end, results don't lie, and they are the primary indicator of upcoming performance. Without real results, all we've got is a bunch of speculation.

Check out my PREDICTION SPREADSHEET. Each rider is rated on each category on a scale of one to five with 5 being the strongest score.

1. Climbing: Pretty straight forward. Natural ability. 125 pound power to weight freaks. The guys are ranked against each of the top riders.

2. Time Trialing: Again, pretty straight forward but I have weighed more heavily time trial performance during stage races. Again, ranking is against each of the contenders.

3. Peak, Progress and Goal: Who set out to peak for the Tour back in the beginning of the year and who is progressing or "peaking" according to plan? You may lose a half point if you were flying back in May - an indication of poor seasonal planning.

4. Team: Ranking of the strength of each rider's complete team. Climbers, team time trialists, roulleurs (able to sit on front of group and set tempo for 100km's), directors with strategic experience, etc.

5. Recovery: This ranking is a little more subjective than the rest. (Pun intended) I judged riders by their "bad days" in the Grand Tours, their results through the final days of stage races, results on back to back to back mountain stages, results the day after time trials, etc. I also look at rider technique and skill - how do they generate their power, how does their technique change in different performances? Ultimately, this category influences the race leaders more than anything else!

6. Past Life: Pretty simple, show me a resume! Who has done it in the past in the big ones!

7. X-Factor : See individual comments in my PREDICTION SPREADSHEET

It will be a nontraditional road race start this year and Tour Director Christian Prudhomme has made the first week eventful. The riders start by going over the Passage du Gois, an epic roadway that disappears under high tide! Stage Two is a 23km team time trial, followed by more stages through the heavy, punchy roads of Brittany. The Tour will not be won in the first week but it could be lost! Stay out of trouble and conserve as best you can is the goal for overall contenders through the first week. Look for Columbia to win the TTT over Garmin, and Cavendish to be in yellow early followed closely by the always-classy Gilbert. And for anyone who thinks that Contador will easily cruise to victory, keep in mind that the last time anyone pulled off the "double" (win the Giro and Tour in the same calendar year) was in 1998 by the late, great Marco Pantani. The deck is stacked against him.

Enjoy the race and my forthcoming commentary, and feel free to chime in with your own take, too!

What I've Learned

I’m definitely one of those people who believe that things happen for a reason.   Just two weeks ago, I sat down with Brian and Holden to discuss my performance in the Ixtapa (Mexico) Continental Cup on May 28^th.  In Ixtapa, I finished in a disappointing 23^rd place and missed an opportunity to pick up some points which would have helped me climb the ITU rankings list.  Brian, Holden and I acknowledged the race had been a failure, but that the experience would not be lost if I could learn something from what went wrong.   Two weeks later, I’m coming off a 2^nd place overall finish in the Cartagena Continental Cup and a nomination to the USAT’s Project 2016 National Team!  Here’s the story…

I walked out of our meeting that day feeling incredibly motivated.  Even though the race itself was a failure, I could still benefit from the experience if I corrected the variables that doomed my race.  I sputtered to the finish with the race’s 26^th “fastest” run split after coming off the bike with the leaders.  Knowing that my finishing time was not indicative of my ability, I resolved to do a better job of being prepared to run fast off the bike. 

The following Thursday, I was back to the airport for a series of flights that would take me to the northern coast of Columbia for the Cartagena Continental Cup.  On paper, the race looked similar to the one in Ixtapa—a choppy, tough ocean swim followed by a hot and humid bike/run.  I arrived late Thursday night and spent Friday and Saturday enjoying the city and doing some course reconnaissance with fellow American triathletes Sean Jefferson, Nic Tautiva, Lauren Goss, and Kaitlin Shiver.

Race morning was hot, and with temperatures only getting hotter leading up to our 12:00 race, I stayed out of the sun and took in as many fluids as my body would allow.  As usual, the start to the swim was very physical.  After getting through the mêlée, I was satisfied with my position and settled into the main pack.  By the finish of the two lap ocean swim, I had navigated myself to the front of the main pack and prepared for a quick transition onto the bike.

I settled into the main bike pack and immediately began taking in fluids.  By the time we were on the course, the temperature had reached 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) and the heat index, according to the race organizers, was 44 degrees (111)!  Given the conditions, no one in the pack really wanted to work too hard, and we biked just hard enough so the chase groups wouldn’t be able to catch us.

 

Going into to T2, I knew that the race would be decided on the hot, flat run course—just like the race in Ixtapa was two weeks before.  This time, though, I was prepared.  My plan was to start conservatively and to try to negative split the run, but emotions got the best of me and I went out with the guns firing.  By the end of the second lap, I was shoulder to shoulder with Chile’s Felipe Van de Wyngard.  We matched each other stride for stride over the next 6K, and by the final turnaround had built up some mutual respect for the suffering we were putting each other through.  Serbia’s Ognjen Stojanovic had broken away with USA’s Ben Collins towards the end of the bike, and after passing Collins earlier in the run, both Felipe and I had our sights on the Serbian up the road.  The heat, though, proved too great an adversary for us both.  Stojanovic crossed the line first, and thirty seconds later I edged Felipe for second place in a sprint to the finish.  I was thrilled to have registered my best international finish to date and the race’s fastest run split!

The finish gave me enough points to qualify for the Edmonton World Cup on July 10^th, and it was another big step towards my ultimate goal of competing on triathlon’s biggest stage.  Also, because it was my second top-3 finish in an ITU Continental Cup race this year, it qualified me for USAT’s Project 2016 National Team.  I’m obviously very excited about the progress I’m making—but more importantly I’m having a blast and learning more and more about myself along the way.  My quick rebound between a disappointing performance in Ixtapa and a strong race two weeks later in Cartagena is a reminder of the close link that exists between success and failure.  And, of course it helps to have some great coaches who aren’t shy about pointing it out to you whenever the failures or successes come along!

List of lessons learned…

Ixtapa, didn’t bring enough performance drink mix.  Cartagena, brought 2 canisters.

2 water bottles to Ixtapa, 3 to Cartagena and left one in T2.

Hydrate several days before the race…work hard to hydrate!

Eat at a restaurant you have tried before for the pre race meal. 

Don’t sleep in too long, stay on a schedule.

Winning is in the details.

"Don’t stress, peak performance comes from joy, not stress." – H. Comeau

Training with Allergies

It's hard to believe that allergies could play a factor with your training at the moment with earth playing the best April Fool day joke showering Philadelphia with snow in the morning! But warm weather and spring is right around the corner and with that comes buds, pollen, allergies and wheezing and sneezing! Below are a few tips to help alleviate some of the problems.

The map above shows pollen counts for the spring. That's right, Philly is bright red!

1. Avoid peak pollen times. If you can stay inside between 10am and 4pm when pollen counts are highest and exercise during off peak hours or train indoors.

2. Take a shower. Pollen can accumulate in your hair and skin. If you take a shower before bed, you may find your sinuses are clearer and you sleep better.

3. Irrigate. Nasal irrigation is a part of daily routine's in India and Southeast Asia. Simply using nasal spray is a great deterrent.

4. Limit your dairy intake. Many doctors believe that dairy products increase mucus production which can agitate allergy symptoms.

5. Anti-inflammation diet. When you are suffering from allergies your nose is already inflamed. Avoid eating foods that will cause more inflammation such as sugar.

Transitioning

2011 marks my first season as a multisport athlete. You may have heard me joke over the past few months as I trained for my first event: When can I say I'm a Duathlete or Triathlete? Is it only when I attempt and finish my first race, or is multisport a state-of-mind?

I like to think the latter.

If you follow our blog you know I attempted a marathon during my first year at Cadence as a bet with the Tri coaches. I needed some motivation over the fall and this fit the bill. I have continued this tradition every November, feeling more confident each fall when I strap on my running shoes again and give the bike a break. Each year, I find myself wanting the racing season to be over sooner so I can start running. Clearly, my state-of-mind was changing, even before I could admit it to myself. I have been a bike racer for so long it seemed foreign to want to attempt anything else. But the more I ran, the more I was reminded of why I loved this sport in high school.

So there's the back story; let's get to the race. Making this transition I knew I would have to choose my first few races very carefully. I knew longer races would suit my cycling legs better and a duathlon was an obvious choice while I worked on my swim. This is where a coach comes in handy. Sitting down with Holden and Jack, we discussed my strengths and weaknesses and came up with a good annual training plan and some key races, the first being a long duathlon in Alabama. It happened to be the National Championships, but that was really just an after thought. This was going to be a trial race to see how my legs dealt with the stress of run, bike, run; a combination I have never attempted. So the race was picked, the training was written and now I had to execute.

The first step is telling people about the event. (This is really only so I have to do it.) Verbalizing your goals makes them more real for some reason. I'd rather attempt and fail then tell someone I didn't try after I already told them I would.

Next was coming up with a race strategy. The race was a 10k run, followed by a 60k bike and another 10k run at the end. Holden and Jack helped me with the run and transitioning while Brian and Colin helped me with my bike. Even for coaches, we realize the importance of the coaching team. None of us can do this alone. We decided my bike would be the strongest leg and that I'd need to sacrifice some time on the first run to make sure I was fresh enough to ride fast. I'd even wear a foot pod to monitor my pacing on that first run. It's tough to LET people run away from you when you are competitive. But I knew I'd see them again soon.

The lead runners started fast. There were about 100 men ages 39 and under together at the line and many left me right away. I stuck to my plan and ran within myself, not digging too deep at any point. Even still I ended up running about 90 seconds faster than planned but I was feeling fresh and ready to get on the bike; but not before my first ever transition. I didn't think I did that bad of a job but at 1:17 seconds I was a solid 40-45 seconds slower than any of the other top competitors. This is not as easy as it looks from the sidelines. It takes some skill to move quickly through a transition.

On the bike I felt right at home. Working with Jack and Colin, we maximized my position on my Cervelo P2 to get me as aero as possible without sacrificing my strong cycling muscles. This means I had to be further back behind the bottom bracket than most other riders but I knew I needed to rely on my strengths. So maybe I wasn't the most aero rider but this was an acceptable sacrifice. Three laps of an out and back course gave me lots of opportunities to pass lots of riders. With so many racers on the course though, and the Pros and 40+ groups starting 10 and 5 minutes ahead, respectively, it was hard to know my real competition. I was amazed at how quickly 60k was over. Breaking it down into 10k sections and trying to match my power for each of these legs kept me focused. The only problem was at the end I knew I had another transition to deal with.

Transition 2 wasn't as bad a the first. I was under a minute this time, but not by much. I was pretty shocked when I arrived and only one bike was hanging there. (Actually there were more bikes but each race had its own section for transition so I knew any bikes around me would be from other 39&Under competitors. Could I really be in second? I headed out on the run course, trying to pace myself, talking to myself in my head over and over like a mantra. "Second would be incredible for your first race, just don't get run down by the guys behind." Not a very proud moment for sure. I joked with my brother, Aaron, who also competed, that I was afraid to have someone close to me at the end of the race because I wasn't sure if I'd be tough enough to do what was necessary to beat them. Racing within yourself is one thing but competing head to head at the end is something else. That has nothing to do with fitness or training and more to do with who is willing to risk more and I was beginning to let the fear in, not thinking I had the guts to take any risks near the end. These are the thoughts running through my head at this moment. Not, "go catch first place," but rather, "run for your life, you are literally getting chased. Don't get caught."

Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about it. Our plan had worked. I gave up some time on the first run, made it up on the bike and was still strong enough to run a faster second 10k than the first. I caught first place at mile three and kept on going. After he was out of sight I was able to coast in for the last 2 miles for my first ever duathlon victory. I had won my age group and had the best time of any racer 39 and under. Only 3 40+ racers and 3 pros went faster. I had a great day where everything went perfect (except for maybe my slow-as-molasses transitions).

It wasn't until standing on the podium, receiving my award that I began to add up all the people I needed to thank for helping me. It truly takes a team to achieve success, no matter what you are attempting. There is a lot of sacrificing that needs to take place to do what we do and it wouldn't be possible without the support of family, friends, co-workers and coaches. Even the whole community at Cadence was integral to my success. Getting advise and friendly words from so many people before and after the race makes me truly realize how special this little shop in Manayunk really is. So thanks to all of you.

Next up... swimming. I am not looking forward to this. Look for another post close to the Philly Tri. Only then can I truly say I'm a Triathlete!


Here is my race bike the night before. I chose the P2 over the P3 for the added headtube height. I'm not very flexible and it let me ride a bit more upright than the P3 would allow.

The Zipp 808 Carbon Clinchers were a huge benefit, saving me between 3-4 minutes on the 60k course. The Vittoria open tubular tires road superb and the natural skinwalls have a retro look to them on a very non-retro looking bike.

I fought it nearly until the end, but the ISM Adamo saddle was a huge key. I couldn't have stayed in my position for that long without it.

I also used a Quarq, crank based power meter, with a Joule 2.0 to track my average wattage and make sure I was staying consistent lap after lap. Add to that my Look Keo Blade pedals and I had no excuse not to succeed.

Economy Testing at the ESE

In recent posts, we've talked about testing ScottyZ, pro bike racer with United Health Care, with our Parvo metabolic cart before his trip to the wind tunnel. This exercise with Scott was just a small part of a large scale effort to design a new way to track an athlete's progress. We call this new approach, Economy Testing.

Recently, "Inside Triathlon" magazine visited our store and chatted with Brian about his involvement in the Tri community and his work with our up and coming star, Joe Maloy, as he begins his 2011 international ITU season. Head coaches, Holden and Colin, have been hard at work developing this test, sampling it on specific athletes over the last year and we have enough data now to make it available for everyone.

Holden will be at the Endurance Sports Expo this weekend, February 26 & 27, to talk about our work with athletes like Joe and Scott, as well as how an Economy Test can help you with your specific goals. Come and see us at our booth (#144) and listen to Holden at 1PM in Room A both Saturday and Sunday.

Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
Cresson Blvd
Phoenixville, PA 19460
(484) 754-3976
phillyexpocenter.com

GPS Users
1601 Egypt Rd, Phoenixville, PA 19460

Check out the full article in "Inside Triathlon" at your local bookstore and check out Kris Mendoza Photography, a local Philly photography who shot all the photos for the article.

Use CadenceTV all year

CTV ALL YEAR LONG?

As many of you know, CadenceTV has taken indoor training to another level by providing a program that is easy to use and affordable. With over 100 workouts and more coming each week you can train all year without the boring repetition that comes with workout DVDs. In the coming weeks, Cadence is going to show you why CTV is useful all year long and why it isn't too late to sign up today.

The coaches at Cadence have been hard at work creating and perfecting new and inspiring workouts for you to use at home. Now, we are ready to branch out. In the coming weeks and months CTV will be adding more variety, including core, strength training and flexibility exercises to make you a well-balanced athlete.

With all these new, great features, CTV is a bargain at $99 for the year ($49 for our coached athletes)! Sign up today at CadenceTV.com

Stay Tuned...

Groundhog Day

Well, Punxsutawney Phil arose this morning, did not see his shadow and proclaimed that we will have an early spring. To which, those of us in the Mid-Atlantic, after experiencing a second winter in a row of record-breaking snowfall, reply: "I'll believe it when I see it!"

If you are like me, in winter you have two voices in your head, constantly arguing with each other.
One voice says, "Be smart, don't go outside!"
to which the other replies, "But this is when champions are made!"
"OK, so why don't you just ride the indoor trainer?"
"Because I am supposed to do a 3 hour endurance ride today and I would rather freeze to death than ride 3 hours indoors"

We are all competitive people and even if we have the will to complete our training in any conditions sometimes that simply isn't possible. If there is ice and snow on the roads, riding the road bike may not be safe. Riding indoors is great for intervals and highly structured workouts, but sitting on a trainer for a 3 hour endurance ride will drive most athletes to insanity.

All we can do is try to focus on the things we can control and weather is not one of those things. The number one key to surviving winter is flexibility. You shouldn't view your training plan as rigid orders that should be followed at all costs. Things happen: weather, injury, sickness, work, commitments with friends and family. If you try to squeeze in your training at all costs you usually end up neglecting your recovery (which is when you actually get stronger). Not to mention your job, friends and family. Though we all have periods of imbalance, imbalance is not sustainable in the long term.

Many of us have been frustrated with how difficult it's been lately (mostly because of weather) to stay on track, so here are some simple tips that may help:

1. Look at the weather forecast and plan ahead. If it looks like it's going to snow on Tuesday, riding outside on the road bike on Wednesday is most likely out of the question. So if you are scheduled for a 2 hour endurance ride Wednesday, maybe you could move it to Tuesday and ride indoors on Wednesday. Since most aren't racing this time of year it is OK to switch things around however you need to.

2. Invest in some good winter gear. With the right gear, most people can be comfortable down to about 20 degrees (Fahrenheit). We all know that having good winter clothing is an investment, but as with many things, you get what you pay for. Velonews and Bicycling magazine both have excellent "what to wear" tools on their websites at http://velonews.competitor.com/what-to-wear and www.bicycling.com/whattowear, respectively. By the way, I always say that my Assos winter tights are one of the best investments I ever made. I have had them for almost 10 years now and my legs have never been cold wearing them, even when I regularly rode in 0 degree weather in Northeast Ohio. Of course, ice is ice and if it's below freezing chances are that there will be some black ice on the roads, so be smart about when and where you decide to ride outside.

3. Ride a mountain bike or the cyclocross bike. In addition to the extra tread of the tires making it possible to ride on snow covered roads you will also go slower, which means you won't be as affected by the bitterly cold wind. If you ride in the woods, you will have the added protection of the trees against the bitter cold winds.

4. Come into Cadence. During weekends the trainers will be open for use (reserving a spot is strongly recommended). We have a 2 hour "simulated group ride" live at 9 AM, noon and available on Cadence TV any time. Misery loves company as they say, so if you are stuck indoors you might as well be stuck indoors with a group of other motivated athletes.

5. Reduce the volume. The rule of thumb is that you can reduce your volume buy 1/3 when riding indoors to account for the lack of "down-time" (stops, coasting, soft-pedaling). Of course, if you can do the full volume that is preferable but don't drive yourself crazy. The difference between winning and 2nd place in your next race probably won't be determined by who did an extra 30 minutes of endurance on the trainer in January.

6. Take advantage of the nice weather when it comes. It seems like we always get a few freak 60 degree days in the winter. Make sure you enjoy them. This is all part of being flexible. It's OK to do a little extra volume if you can on a nice day, especially when you know that the nice weather probably won't last.

7. Add some variation and structure to your indoor workouts. To make sure that indoor endurance ride doesn't get too boring, vary your cadence every 5 minutes (e.g. 90-95, 100-105, 80-85, 95-100, 85-90, 105-110). Add some one legged drills, fast cadence, out of the saddle time or put a block under your front wheel. Watch TV and do OLDs during the commercial breaks, or watch Star Wars and do a sprint every time someone says "I have a bad feeling about this". If you have access to a computrainer, hook yourself up to a spin scan and try to keep your power 50/50 and your efficiency over 70% on the two legs. If you have access to rollers, split your time between rollers and the indoor trainer. If you have Cadence TV, we have a number of indoor endurance rides available that can give you a little bit of structure while still keeping the overall intensity moderate.

8. Incorporate cross training. Cross country skiing, snow shoeing and trail running are excellent cross training options and will help work some muscles you don't normally use in addition to helping build endurance and adding variation. Just be careful not to do too much too soon. Injuries can happen, but don't take unnecessary risks, especially if it's something you are only doing for cross training.

9. Don't try to make up for lost time. Workouts will be missed. It happens. Live with it. Look forward and try to plan for how to do this week's workouts instead of trying to make up for last week's shortcomings. If you feel like you have missed a large block of training, we can always make adjustments.

10. Contact your coach. That's what we're here for. If you don't know how you are going to do the training, we can help you figure it out. And if not, let's make a plan that you can do and set you up for success rather than failure.

Happy winter!

Colin