First day of spring and all I can think about is winter. When I learned that next winter break would be six weeks long, all I could think of is bike touring. When I went bike touring in Costa Rica, I immediately became obsessed, and the obsession continues. Currently I'm looking at touring Vietnam for next time. Looks cheap and exotic.
I'm in.
3/20/12
3/19/12
data data data
My legs are tired- a happy tired, a perfect tired. A tired that says, 'gimme some time to recoop and we'll be set,' kind of tired. A tired that says you could do another day, but shouldn't. It was good. Had five days in a row of good riding, the last two with races- the last one promoted mostly by myself. It was good (just wanted to reiterate).
The test race went off without a hitch. It was great. Great people and stuff. It was the first time in my life I had so many people looking to me- just waiting for my instructions. It was, after all, my race, and I was calling the shots. Be it in the name of science, or just being on the scene for so long, or having friends who have friends who have friends, but you really find out who cares and who doesn't in times like that. Everyone who came actually cares, and it was great to have them there. It was truly an honor.
Thank you.
Still collecting data. Just a few more weeks. It is exhaustive, but I've already stated the fact. It's not physically tiring by any means, but my head? All I have been seeing is power files, times, ratios and numbers. I finally slept last night because the race was over.
On the training front, things have been going well. I'm not in super shape, but the plan is in motion. I like the plan.
Well, thanks for hating.
Thank you.
Still collecting data. Just a few more weeks. It is exhaustive, but I've already stated the fact. It's not physically tiring by any means, but my head? All I have been seeing is power files, times, ratios and numbers. I finally slept last night because the race was over.
On the training front, things have been going well. I'm not in super shape, but the plan is in motion. I like the plan.
Well, thanks for hating.
3/16/12
Seems like all I have been doing lately is watching people suffer on the trainer and staring at power files...
and it's been pretty fun. Exhausting, but fun.
My babe fixed my tried and true Hydrapak, replacing old, weak spandex with the non-ripped side of some old shorts. I tried it for the first time yesterday, but did not bring enough food and forgot my money in the car. I got really hungry on the bike path and had to stop. Then I stopped again. Then I whipped out the phone. And eventually destroyed the gas station's snack shelf.
Well, double racing weekend on tap with short track on saturday and my research race on sunday. Should be a beautiful time.
Well, double racing weekend on tap with short track on saturday and my research race on sunday. Should be a beautiful time.
3/13/12
a few comments
Lovers and especially Haters,
A few things I have noticed as of late. You should read this so you don't worry.
So I have been testing a lot of good riders' FTP. They (renowned coaches) say FTP is the biggest indicator of your cycling ability (that is what I am trying to prove/disprove with my study) and it is REALLY HARD to test. Well, it is easy to test, but hard to do (you get in a fatiguing warm-up and then pedal as hard as you can for 20 minutes). One thing that I have noticed is that NO ONE has been happy with his or her number and all expected higher. I am guilty as well.
Just remember: it is March, you probably haven't been training like you should (guilty) and there is A LOT of bike riding and racing to do yet in 2012. Don't blow yourself up early like I usually do.
Secondly -and on a far off tangent- why do people start so hard in races? It really annoys me, but maybe it is just because I cannot start as hard. If I had any advice to offer those racing it would be to start at a pace that you can maintain. It isn't going to happen or anything as WE ALL start harder then we should even while trying to start easy, but starting at a less than maximal effort will help you finish strong. And a strong finish is what we are after in the first place, no? Anyway, I'm going to be hypocritical and everything here in a bit as I go into a race and start hard, just to see how much it stinks.
Thanks for loving and keep on hating,
Matt
A few things I have noticed as of late. You should read this so you don't worry.
So I have been testing a lot of good riders' FTP. They (renowned coaches) say FTP is the biggest indicator of your cycling ability (that is what I am trying to prove/disprove with my study) and it is REALLY HARD to test. Well, it is easy to test, but hard to do (you get in a fatiguing warm-up and then pedal as hard as you can for 20 minutes). One thing that I have noticed is that NO ONE has been happy with his or her number and all expected higher. I am guilty as well.
Just remember: it is March, you probably haven't been training like you should (guilty) and there is A LOT of bike riding and racing to do yet in 2012. Don't blow yourself up early like I usually do.
Secondly -and on a far off tangent- why do people start so hard in races? It really annoys me, but maybe it is just because I cannot start as hard. If I had any advice to offer those racing it would be to start at a pace that you can maintain. It isn't going to happen or anything as WE ALL start harder then we should even while trying to start easy, but starting at a less than maximal effort will help you finish strong. And a strong finish is what we are after in the first place, no? Anyway, I'm going to be hypocritical and everything here in a bit as I go into a race and start hard, just to see how much it stinks.
Thanks for loving and keep on hating,
Matt
3/9/12
hi.
Wowee! What a week!
Awesome weather, getting into grad school, starting testing for research, writing up some articles and of course, some shredding.
I had it planned to take a recovery week after Texas, but with the temps, it was difficult to not go out and skid on the earth every day. I kept it nice and easy luckily, and the trails were absolutely perfect yesterday with a nice mix of tack and perfect traction. It was great.
Testing is going well and we have some great subjects. Thanks to all my hosts and sufferers!!
Just when you think you are suffering, think of Douglas. This guy gets home after being violated by the vet and all he wants to do is have fun. Pedaling hard on a trainer is nothing compared to that.
We all understand how well hurting and fun go together, so just do it.
Awesome weather, getting into grad school, starting testing for research, writing up some articles and of course, some shredding.
I had it planned to take a recovery week after Texas, but with the temps, it was difficult to not go out and skid on the earth every day. I kept it nice and easy luckily, and the trails were absolutely perfect yesterday with a nice mix of tack and perfect traction. It was great.
We all understand how well hurting and fun go together, so just do it.
3/5/12
why even go?
That was a rough one down there in Texas. The results are up over on cyclingnews, and I wasn't the fastest guy out there. Wish I had a good excuse, but I actually thought I was going good for the first couple laps. I may have ejected my bottle and didn't have a drink for the first two laps, but really only lost a handful of spots because, and only at the end. The good news is that I didn't get pulled- finishing on the lead lap is always a good thing. The bad news is that my powertap didn't record, so I'll never know if it was a weak day or that I just have that much more work to do. Hoping the speed from the weekend before (sans missed start) is a better indicator for the season, but really I'm not worried. Things are going according to plan.
There's an elephant in the room, so let's address it.
Why even go to these big races? Why go when I know I can't keep up with the factory guys, physiological elite and the kids fed with golden spoons? Answer: I like it. I like the big races. I enjoy the scene. I've had some inklings of fastness against the greats, and know that on a really good day I could be in the 30s or 40s. I like -even on the bad days- repping my sponsors and great team, and meeting the guys and gals we email. Putting faces with names is good. Supporting the scene is good.
And because of this, I'm okay with finish like I had.
There's an elephant in the room, so let's address it.
Why even go to these big races? Why go when I know I can't keep up with the factory guys, physiological elite and the kids fed with golden spoons? Answer: I like it. I like the big races. I enjoy the scene. I've had some inklings of fastness against the greats, and know that on a really good day I could be in the 30s or 40s. I like -even on the bad days- repping my sponsors and great team, and meeting the guys and gals we email. Putting faces with names is good. Supporting the scene is good.
And because of this, I'm okay with finish like I had.
2/29/12
Just signed up for the Trans-Sylvania Epic.
If you remember, last year I blew it. I was in and prepping really well, but came in a little hot, didn't sleep enough and watched too many movies late at night before 10-hour work days. Essentially, I screwed myself, had no more power and had to bow out before the race started. That sucked and was hard to deal with, but was really my own fault. Besides ruining a lot of my bike racing season and forcing me to do a lot of soul searching, I didn't get to take part in the greatest race on the planet. Hoping this year will be different. I don't want to miss out on the fun anymore.
Also, I am trying to use Twitter. I suck at it and really don't understand it at all, but apparently it's cool. I wouldn't mind acting cool. Please follow me.
If you remember, last year I blew it. I was in and prepping really well, but came in a little hot, didn't sleep enough and watched too many movies late at night before 10-hour work days. Essentially, I screwed myself, had no more power and had to bow out before the race started. That sucked and was hard to deal with, but was really my own fault. Besides ruining a lot of my bike racing season and forcing me to do a lot of soul searching, I didn't get to take part in the greatest race on the planet. Hoping this year will be different. I don't want to miss out on the fun anymore.
Also, I am trying to use Twitter. I suck at it and really don't understand it at all, but apparently it's cool. I wouldn't mind acting cool. Please follow me.
2/28/12
That was dumb.
Someone said by eight minutes, but I'm not sure. Still, I felt good and finally caught people about 30 minutes in. I finished 14 minutes down on the leader (Sager from Team Jamis), so the math looks pretty good had I not been an idiot. It would have been nice to maybe be in the mix, but it was my own bad.
How do you miss a start? Well, they started Cat 2 in one spot and Cat 1 and Pro down the road. I was at the Cat 2 start with plenty of time to spare and apparently missed the memo. Thanks to the nice guy who finally told me.
Now it's home for class and a day of getting my ducks in a row before heading back out for Pro XCT #1 just outside of Austin.
2/24/12
2/23/12
2/20/12
Garnett Hill
New obsession: backcountry skiing. Yes, snow does exist, and we got a good taste of it up at Garnett Hill in upstate NY. I wouldn't have guessed it 30 minutes from the lodge, but the higher we got and the fewer bars that showed up on my phone service indicator, the more snow we saw. Obviously, winter isn't exactly winter as we usually know it, but the resort and crew up north did not disappoint with 50-some kilometers of groomed trails and endless backcountry.
The babe picked it up quick with her strong background in snowboarding and natural physiological make-up for endurance-type sports. Within a few hours we hit some singletrack. Within a day we were backcountry.
Me rikey skiing, and also rikey biking. It was cool to clear the mind of bikes for a few days and reset for a (few) trips to Texas.
2/16/12
2/15/12
Team meeting this past weekend
The guys over at Bear Creek opened up the door for us to be super official, it was rad. With the big air contest going on just outside our window, we zipped up the booties for an early am ride on some snow dusted primo one-track. I love Bear Creek. I also love that MTB Nationals will be there. Furthermore, I love that it is so close to home.
We got some official business done like eating at their restaurant, signing contracts (official) in the conference room, photos and of course, equipment disbursement. I am psyched. New for me -and BIG for us- is the fact that Seamus and I will be rocking big wheels all year. With Stan's wheels, Schwalbe tires, Rock Shox and arguably the best frames on the market, I couldn't be happier. My XtC Composite 29er is so sweet, and it should complement the Anthem X 29er. Been skidding around on the Earth with the Anthem for a while now, so look for the review soon.
Before I forget, I feel it is worthwhile to mention the AWESOME epic we had the day before the meeting. BD created an awesome loop in Michaux, and with the company of The Vegan, Seamus, Selene, Cheryl and Buck the ex SS World Champ, we were set to shred. Snow didn't stop the ride, even when we couldn't see or pedal through it. It made me love my bike and riding even more. It was a good ride, and even though I almost cried because my fingers hurt so bad, i hearted it. A rot.
I'll get up some cool pics.
We got some official business done like eating at their restaurant, signing contracts (official) in the conference room, photos and of course, equipment disbursement. I am psyched. New for me -and BIG for us- is the fact that Seamus and I will be rocking big wheels all year. With Stan's wheels, Schwalbe tires, Rock Shox and arguably the best frames on the market, I couldn't be happier. My XtC Composite 29er is so sweet, and it should complement the Anthem X 29er. Been skidding around on the Earth with the Anthem for a while now, so look for the review soon.
Before I forget, I feel it is worthwhile to mention the AWESOME epic we had the day before the meeting. BD created an awesome loop in Michaux, and with the company of The Vegan, Seamus, Selene, Cheryl and Buck the ex SS World Champ, we were set to shred. Snow didn't stop the ride, even when we couldn't see or pedal through it. It made me love my bike and riding even more. It was a good ride, and even though I almost cried because my fingers hurt so bad, i hearted it. A rot.
I'll get up some cool pics.
2/9/12
I bonked.
On a recovery ride. Rest weeks are pretty tough on the system (in a good way), and I'm blaming that as the cause. It's funny, I haven't bonked on a long ride in a real while...
2/6/12
Power: take it or leave it.
For all my haters, look no further. If you get annoyed when people talk about power, read something else.
But, if you want a numerical retrospective representation of what the effort may look like during a mountain bike XC race, check it. There will be no graphs nor many specifics, this is just for thought. And since Saris has been so awesome in the support of my research study, it is good to get this out there as I continue to nail down a MTB testing protocol.
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The race was three laps of rather smooth single track. While I would consider it to be flat compared to most courses, the race featured over 2200 feet of climbing throughout 16 miles. Average heart rate was 189 for 1:37 hours, and I was pretty much pinned. I am in no way race-fit right now, and this was really my first maximal effort in four months.
Power hovered around high-end endurance pace as an average. Normalized power was just under (5-10%) threshold for this time of the season. While my first lap was the slowest, it had the highest normalized and mean power output. While problems may have arisen by pushing the 'interval' button too late into the race (I was not quite ready for the start and fumbled for the 'interval' button before fighting through traffic), the electronic timing system clearly showed lap times, and I went back through the file to find corresponding elevations to pinpoint the actual data for the first lap. I digress. My last lap was faster, but had about a 2.5% decrease in power compared to the first.
At this point, it really looks like there is a lot of course learning going on. I had one lap of the course before the race, but it was not at speed. I feel this had no learning effect for the first lap, but that the first lap affected the second two (2 was fastest, with power between 1 and 3) by learning where to conserve and when your brakes are absolutely necessary. Also, it looks like fighting through traffic as you are trying to move up will cost more power, even with decreased speed.
These are just some things to think about during the first MTB race I used power. If you want to talk further, send me an email. Just remember, I am new to power with MTB and there is a TON to learn as I continue on with my research study. There needs to be more research in this area!
But, if you want a numerical retrospective representation of what the effort may look like during a mountain bike XC race, check it. There will be no graphs nor many specifics, this is just for thought. And since Saris has been so awesome in the support of my research study, it is good to get this out there as I continue to nail down a MTB testing protocol.
--------------------------------------------------------
Power hovered around high-end endurance pace as an average. Normalized power was just under (5-10%) threshold for this time of the season. While my first lap was the slowest, it had the highest normalized and mean power output. While problems may have arisen by pushing the 'interval' button too late into the race (I was not quite ready for the start and fumbled for the 'interval' button before fighting through traffic), the electronic timing system clearly showed lap times, and I went back through the file to find corresponding elevations to pinpoint the actual data for the first lap. I digress. My last lap was faster, but had about a 2.5% decrease in power compared to the first.
At this point, it really looks like there is a lot of course learning going on. I had one lap of the course before the race, but it was not at speed. I feel this had no learning effect for the first lap, but that the first lap affected the second two (2 was fastest, with power between 1 and 3) by learning where to conserve and when your brakes are absolutely necessary. Also, it looks like fighting through traffic as you are trying to move up will cost more power, even with decreased speed.
2/5/12
Puppy Bowl is tonight, Super Bowl rescheduled.
So much has been going on, sometimes it blows my mind!
First off, I have been riding a lot. No, not just a lot for me, but a lot in general. I am really proud of myself for not only just getting it done, but also doing it right and not slacking. The revelation of the season has been riding in 'blocks.' I think it will pay off.
Also, I did my first race of the year yesterday down in Virginia. The name of the game from the get-go was data acquisition. It was all about getting good data during a MTB race to analyze as we nail down a testing protocol for my research study. The day before, I posted my best ever average power for a 3-hour ride. It was good. I felt good. I warmed up for about 90 minutes pre-race as Callie and I did a lap and whatnot, and I felt good. The start was pretty bad as I wasn't ready, but it's not every day you get to practice undressing during a MAX effort. That first lap was my slowest as I fought through traffic, but things rolled along pretty well and I finished up on the podium. PLUS I got really good data.
Score.
Just got back from a four hour ride with The Vegan, so it was a perfect three-day block.
Further keeping me busy has been the application into graduate school. I am psyched about it. It's pretty cool because I never planned to go to college, even after I graduated high school. Now I don't see an end in sight. I love it. My goals are lofty, but you need something to keep you going in anything, so why not shoot high?
Team stuff has been also taking up some time. I love my team. I am so fortunate to be racing with the support that we have. It certainly takes a lot of work, but the relationships created and the equipment produced by the manufacturers we represent are so worth it!
Also, Hence and I dialed in our Matella recipe. It is so good! Spencer and April with On The Cheap loved it, then we made even more changes after they left to delicioufy it even more!
First off, I have been riding a lot. No, not just a lot for me, but a lot in general. I am really proud of myself for not only just getting it done, but also doing it right and not slacking. The revelation of the season has been riding in 'blocks.' I think it will pay off.
Also, I did my first race of the year yesterday down in Virginia. The name of the game from the get-go was data acquisition. It was all about getting good data during a MTB race to analyze as we nail down a testing protocol for my research study. The day before, I posted my best ever average power for a 3-hour ride. It was good. I felt good. I warmed up for about 90 minutes pre-race as Callie and I did a lap and whatnot, and I felt good. The start was pretty bad as I wasn't ready, but it's not every day you get to practice undressing during a MAX effort. That first lap was my slowest as I fought through traffic, but things rolled along pretty well and I finished up on the podium. PLUS I got really good data.
Just got back from a four hour ride with The Vegan, so it was a perfect three-day block.
Further keeping me busy has been the application into graduate school. I am psyched about it. It's pretty cool because I never planned to go to college, even after I graduated high school. Now I don't see an end in sight. I love it. My goals are lofty, but you need something to keep you going in anything, so why not shoot high?
2/1/12
1/31/12
Keep pluggin.
Sometimes it seems like the things we do with our time are futile and the desired goal will never come. We try and try and try but things look like they are going nowhere. It is at this point that most give up. I'm just as guilty.
With some new Powertaps in the garage to get me through my research, I have been faithfully using them; they have been doubling as science tools and self-betterment doohickeys. They showed me I was out of shape compared to a few years ago when I rode with power, and it seemed like training was going nowhere and I did not get better. Still, though, (and unlike me) I didn't quit.
Suddenly, things started clicking. I am getting faster, both on and off paper. While the improvements have been small, and I am still out of shape, it has been really cool to not only see but also watch changes happen.
Tomorrow is the soon-to-be famous Crazy Eights ride. It will be long and have lots of climbing.
Perfect. Both things I need to work on.
With some new Powertaps in the garage to get me through my research, I have been faithfully using them; they have been doubling as science tools and self-betterment doohickeys. They showed me I was out of shape compared to a few years ago when I rode with power, and it seemed like training was going nowhere and I did not get better. Still, though, (and unlike me) I didn't quit.
Suddenly, things started clicking. I am getting faster, both on and off paper. While the improvements have been small, and I am still out of shape, it has been really cool to not only see but also watch changes happen.
Tomorrow is the soon-to-be famous Crazy Eights ride. It will be long and have lots of climbing.
1/25/12
I blew off the dust from my road bike today for a nice 50 miler with Vegan Rob. I hadn't ridden my road bike since september and really wanted to get on my road Powertap wheel, so this was a good chance. My bike needed some loving, and it seems like I have lost the sharp eye required for fine-tuning a beaten steed, but I swung by the shop and Mike had me going perfect.
It turns out Rob is getting in pretty good shape with his comeback to racing, and he hurt me on some hills. I decided it is time to start working on my long efforts for the year. Thus far, I have been really focusing on getting my low-end back up after a terrible summer of bike riding (hours wise). Now that all is good there, I guess it's time to get serious... or as serious as riding a bike can be.
It turns out Rob is getting in pretty good shape with his comeback to racing, and he hurt me on some hills. I decided it is time to start working on my long efforts for the year. Thus far, I have been really focusing on getting my low-end back up after a terrible summer of bike riding (hours wise). Now that all is good there, I guess it's time to get serious... or as serious as riding a bike can be.
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