Previously I laid out several priorities in the process of being a bike racer in 2010.
Priority 1) Weight Loss: so far this has been a total disaster. Okay, so I'll specialize in the "flat" races. Next priority...
Priority 2) Ride the bike: Check...not a problem here. With this sissy winter riding has been fairly pain free.
Priority 3) Cross Train: Check...there's snow in the mountains and I've been "alpine touring" which I guess is hiking up the mountain on skins and skiing down. This is a lot of work. The other day I wore my HRM during the climb. I happened to look down and see 180 bpm. During a bicycle race this heart rate usually tells me, "you're about to hit the wall, then get dropped by the pack and finish the race by yourself", but it actually felt fairly normal for skiing up a hill. I don't know what that means in terms of training, but at least I was in pain and that's good preparation for bicycle racing. Anyway, here's Tony Aleto and I at Mt Spokane last week, looking like a couple of mountaineers:
Priority 4) Have a training plan: Well...does downtown bar biking count as a plan? Because I've represented myself pretty well over the holidays.
Close enough to the NALP for me.
T-8 weeks until the first Mason Lake Road Race.
Looks to me like your cross-training efforts are a big-time success. Not that I really know anything about it, but I think it's important for competitive cyclists to break the routine in the off-season, to keep from getting burnt out. Looks like you've managed to come up with something that's a great aerobic workout, and that gets your mind about as far from the roads as you can get. Looks like a great alternative to forcing yourself to ride through those crappy winter days that just suck the life out of you.
ReplyDeleteso we just had dinner with a cat 5 racer the other day. he went out for a 70 mile road ride with his team, which he said hurt. he is now going to train for his training rides, from the sound of it.
ReplyDeletepersonally, i remember that right now i would be doing between 20-40 miles during the week, with maybe a 60 mile ride during the weekend. whoad, that was a long time ago.
I just went cross country skiing for the first time ever (first time on skis too!) - it was a fun experience though a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bike commuter (I ride 2-3 days a week on average for about the last a year and a half) and I decided this would be there year I'd try the STP ride this summer.
Great blog - check mine out sometime if you like. It's also about bicycling.
~ Nate
i just read my post, and that was 20-40 miles a day during the week, then the 60 mile days on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteAlso, ski randoneeuring is awesome. i have the setup, but never took the avy course, so I'm pretty cautious about where i go and who i go with. but, i dont do nearly enough of it...
dang. I was thinking that 20-40 miles a week was pretty doable...
ReplyDeleteRory, Thanks for the encouragement. Your cat 5 friend sounds pretty ambitious and I bet wont be a cat 5 for long!
ReplyDeleteSki randoneeuring is French for "can't tele", right? :) I haven't taken an avy class, but then if I found myself in avalanche territory I'd be in over my head for other reasons too. I wouldn't do anything "out of bounds" without someone who actually knows what they're doing.
Nate J - Good luck on STP this year. I'm sure the daily commuting will carry over well into the long distance stuff. Your blog is cool too.