Training - Trainer Ride, Feb 1, 2014

This is just "a day in the life of" kind of training post. No big back story, just a typical training ride.

I woke up early this day - I was trying to reset my internal clock so that I'd get up early, like 5 AM or so, automatically. My goal here is to get used to the Bethel Spring Series wake up time so that it doesn't hit me hard when it's actually time to wake up. For this day I got up at 5:50 AM so not that early but better than the 2 AM wakeup from a few days ago.

I trudged down to the basement, changed into some bike gear, got on the bike, and started riding almost right away. I have a stash of energy bars next to the trainer. I ate one so this ride would be a $2 ride, give or take. Before I started I took a picture of the primitive "weather station" that sits next to the bike.

5:55 AM, about 66 deg F and 38% humidity.

This ride, immortalized on Strava here, wasn't particularly notable. I finished watching some pro race DVD, stuck in my own SprinterDellaCasa DVD that I made of my own clips, and hammered a bit harder than I expected.

I find that music works best to motivate me to ride hard. Watching movies or pro races isn't as interesting, especially if I know the race already. For example for all of the culture's faults in 2003, the 2003 Liege Bastogne Liege is a riveting race to watch. It looks so hard, everyone is at their max. Another good one is the Ghent that Nico Mattan won, another race that shows pretty much all the riders at their limit.

However when I watch them and I want to ride hard (and I have the luxury of not needing to keep an ear out for Junior), I'll put the ear buds on and listen to music. When I like the music it energizes me to the point that I have to make sure I back off a bit so I don't keep blowing up.

On longer trainer rides I'll actually ride with my eyes closed for reasonably long periods of time (a minute or two at a time, a peek, repeat for 30-60 minutes). The music and the feel of the pedals is enough stimulus for me.

If I need to keep an ear out for Junior I don't have this luxury, or at least I have to set the volume so low that the music loses its inspirational character. This is when I'd rather watch a pro race out loud (meaning I hear the announcers) or an actual movie.

The one exception is when I watch my own clips. I make them for a number of reasons but one is that it's something to motivate me when I'm on the trainer in the winter. I enjoy watching them and, since I get to chose the music, I enjoy the music. The clips feature many of the same songs that I listen to on the trainer, eyes closed, tranced away, and so the clip DVDs are nice in that sense.

On this morning I found one of my DVDs and popped that into the player, the first time I've watched it in this off season. This resulted in some big-for-me efforts, 222 watts for 10 minutes (about the length of the average clip), 202 watts for 20 minutes (a benchmark since that's one of the two ways I test my FTP). With a 220-230w FTP those efforts aren't bad at all.

I have three total DVDs, including mainly stuff from 2010 and 2011, as well as one low-res DVD with every clip from the beginning to the 2010 Red Trolley, my last low res clip, i.e. the last one I recorded on the Canon camcorder I carried around up to that point. I want to find the earlier DVD as I haven't watched it in a while.

About an hour and a half into the ride I heard a clunk from the floor upstairs - it was probably Junior either dropping something, falling over, or a cat jumping off of a couch or similar. Whatever it was I figured the Missus would need some help with all the morning stuff, breakfast for us, breakfast for Junior, getting ready for work, the kitties, all that jazz. I eased and climbed off the bike, shut off the various devices (TV, DVD player, fan), turned out the lights, and headed upstairs.

At about 7:40, 68 deg F and 46% humidity, +2 deg F and +8% respectively.

Life - Stuff For Bike Racing

Yesterday was nice to me in a few different ways.

First off a package showed up at work. The coworker that brought in the packages from the back grinned and looked at me.

"I guess you'll be busy for the next few hours?"

He was holding a box from Apple.

Yes, the new finish line camera computer had arrived.

I realized I was getting old when I thought, "Oh, man, what a pain, I have to set this thing up" instead of "Cool! A new computer that I get to set up!"

I guess it's like bike stuff. I get something and just think that it's going to be a pain, not that I just got some cool new bike stuff.

So, yeah, I haven't even opened the box yet. But I'm happy to have received it.

Ultimately though this will be the finish line camera computer, able to record and play back video quickly. My goals for Bethel include putting up a much more comprehensive results page and this is part of the deal (I have to capture all numbers quickly and efficiently). The Firewire port (lacking on my current Mac) and HDMI port (for a bigger monitor/TV) will help us accomplish that.

(The camera part is still TBD, but I know that our current camera is not HD and therefore will not get numbers as well as a full blown HD camera.)

Due to some issues with my registration laptop, it's possible that we'll be going all Mac for the race - the old MacBook may become the registration computer.

(Eventually I'll have a separate post for Bethel new-stuff for 2012.)

Later in the day, when the boss came back from the post office, she gave me a small cardboard box. I read the mailing label.

"World Cycling Productions"

Yes! My DVDs arrived.

(There is an issue where they didn't take off shipping and stuff but I'll deal with that later. And if someone is buying a LOT of DVDs - which is recommended when you buy from WCP - contact me for a code.)

Nice!
The MacBook is in the box underneath the DVDs.

Again, since I'm old, I haven't opened a single DVD.

Not a single one!

I selected the DVDs because I didn't remember most of the races (the play by play bit and in many cases who won). I did remember the '94 Paris Roubaix, almost virtually play by play, but it's so epic I wanted it on DVD.

The 2011 Tour, well, I thought it was a great race so I wanted it.

Although I didn't open up any of the new DVDs, I did do a trainer ride yesterday while watching DVD#2 in the 12 hours of the 2008 Giro (Contador on the beach one). When I finish that up I'll put in some of the new ones.

Oh, speaking of which, we went shopping for a DVD player just recently. Some of my DVDs weren't loading properly in my bike room DVD players (there are 5 in there now). They'd play fine upstairs so I knew it was a hardware issue.

A new, inexpensive Sony DVD player and I was back in business. Three DVD players to go on free cycle. And one combo unit (DVD/VCR) which I'll keep (it plays some DVDs consistently).

These have been some recent "things to do" on my list.

I have two more immediate projects. One is sending my orange Tsunami back to Tsunami Bikes to have the rear chainstays shortened. The frame's been sitting here and I just need to pack it up and send it out. I think I've mentioned it here before - it's still in the "to be done" category.

The goal is to get the bike to handle a bit more neutrally. When I spec'ed out the very long frame, I didn't realize it would unweight the rear so much. As a result of the unusually forward weight distribution, the rear would skitter in any sharp turn under power. The black Tsunami, with a similar forward stance but just 39 cm stays (normal is 40.5 cm), stays firmly planted in the exact same corners.

Therefore I want 39 cm stays (or as close to that as possible) on the orange frame.

The other is doing a "rocking" conversion to a CycleOps trainer, which I don't think I've written about here. I have a third CycleOps "frame" (everything but the resistance unit) and I'm going to have a friend weld some plates to make it into something that I can rock (tilt).

I'm going to give this guy the CycleOps frame, a big piece of steel (it weighs about 50 pounds), and some cardboard templates to copy. He'll cut them (plasma or bandsaw), weld them, and we'll see what happens.

I'll use wood for cross beams and forward beams. The trainer will require cross beams since I'll eliminate the two fold down legs, and it'll need forward beams since the bike will otherwise twist the stand forward (like the stand wants to do a forward roll). I'll use wood because we have some at home but also I don't want to ask my friend to weld a gazillion things.

Finally, although it happened the day before yesterday, I also got some bars - FSA Compact Wings. I got them from an LBS that's not quite so nearby but on the way home from running to/from Bethel. The owner, Jeff, uses the FSA Compacts, so I decided I'd give them a shot.

The bars may supplant the crit bend bars I so adore, with their forearm-saving forward curve. Pretty much all regular bars hit my forearm when sprinting. If the FSA Compacts don't, I've found a new bar (and I'll post some info on them).

And, yes, because I'm getting old, I haven't touched the bars since I got home. They're still sitting in their minimal packaging. I'm psyched to have them. Not psyched to fit them to the bike.

Hey, look, at least I brought them downstairs to the bike room.

Training - DVDs from World Cycling

At work, each day, the UPS guy and the FedEx guy show up. Usually they come in somewhat discretely, electronic pad in hand. Sometimes, like when we got in about a dozen boxes of wine, the lucky guy has a big grin on his face.

"I need someone over twenty one to sign for this."

And then he gives one of those looks like "this is naughty stuff" at whatever aghast customer is at the counter.

I have to then say, "It's wine. For gifts."

And the customer and FedEx guy exchange knowing glances.

"Right. Wine. For gifts."

Of course, the two drivers have different styles. The UPS guy walks right in, says hi, how many boxes he dropped off, I sign, he's gone.

The FedEx guy is more like a ninja.

I'll be talking or eating or on the phone and look up and suddenly it's the FedEx guy, standing there, smiling, electronic pad in hand.

Then, after I finish choking on my food or trying to explain to the customer on the phone why I suddenly cried out in surprise, I'll grab the fake pen and sign the real pad.

He's really quite stealthy, and he has no problem roaming the store, looking for a signator (is that the right word?). In fact I half expect him to pop up in the bathroom, smiling, electronic pad extended my way.

Anyway, the other day the UPS guy came in, I signed, he left.

Usually he drops off boring things, small engine parts, maybe a gift for the daughter getting married tomorrow.

But I knew, I just knew, that this was my delivery.

I ran after him into the warehouse area, looking for a new box amongst the thousands of pounds of grain and feed and concrete and pellets and salt and sand and whatever else we have back there.

Voila! It was there, shining like a beacon in a dark storm.

Or like a small cardboard box that didn't fit in. It was too small, placed on top of a pile of grain, and it just didn't belong.

I grabbed the very small box, looked closely at the fine print (I'm getting old I think, but I tell people it's the dim light in the warehouse), read the label.

Addressed to me.

From World Cycling Videos.

Oh yeah!

I got out my trusty knife, carefully cut open the box, and shazam, I had a bunch of DVDs.

Of course I couldn't keep this to myself, everyone asked what I got, and lo and behold, I am sharing.

My latest additions to the stable are as follows:
2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 Giros
2007 Paris Roubaix
2003 Tour of Romandie (includes Tour de Suisse)
2005 Ghent Wevelgem and Het Volk
2004 Paris Nice
2007 Tour

I thought I ordered a few Ghents but apparently not. I also forgot about Romandie, Nice, and the 08 Giro. I'll take that trade, I think I came out ahead. I had my reasons to buy each one, and ultimately I hope to review them individually, by era. My short list of "Why" follows:

2003 Giro - Simoni wins his last Giro.
2004 Giro - Cunego wins what seems like his first and last Grand Tour
2005 Giro - Salvodelli, an insanely good descender, wins the Giro, I think partly due to a descent.
2008 Giro - Contador's grand entrance, and Levi is there. Also the team wasn't very good at the beginning and overcame adversity (cracked bone for Contador I think).
2007 Paris Roubaix - O'Grady wins.
2003 Tour of Romandie - Tyler wins, and it matches his 2003 LBL which I find inspiring. I don't care about Vino's Tour de Suisse.
2005 Ghent and Het - because I don't know who won each one, and I like these races the best.
2004 Paris Nice - CSC did incredible teamwork. I remember reading about it and thinking, I can't believe they pulled it off.
2007 Tour - I never saw footage of it, and I'd like to see the whole Rasmussen thing, Levi's 10 seconds (or whatever), and Contador. Plus I got the 12 hour version so it's good for 6 regular rides or 3 or 4 long ones. It may be my late Feb "training camp" DVD (i.e. my basement training camp).

So some pictures of my current DVD collection. "Current" means it's in the box under the DVD player in front of my trainer. This doesn't include a bunch of VHS tapes (which I backed up onto DVD so I can watch them in the dungeon). That'll be a different post.

Only the top right is new. The bottom left was signed by Lemond himself. I like the 2006 race, ditto the Lemond set.

New to me. No idea what happens in these races except Jorg Jaske (of Puerto fame) wins the one on the right. If I hide one I may not remember I got it.

I watch the 2003 LBL regularly. The finale is quite motivating. I hope the 2003 Tour of Romandie inspires half as much.

The 92-93 PRs are awesome. 2003 is a bit long. 2007 is new to me.

I really like the chaos of the Giro - small roads, weird courses, narrow finishes. And guys just leaving it all out on the road. I think if I hide one of these I won't miss it. I forgot I got the 2008 one even though I just had it in my hand while I was taking pictures. Had to shift all the DVDs over to make room for it.

Because I forgot that I took pictures of a couple of them above, they're in here. But "Blood, Sweat, and Gears" is relatively new, so is Race Day. The Quest 2 is about a year old. I tend to watch the "documentary" clips once or twice and then leave them be. The racing I can watch over and over. I seem to have left out the Telekom one, it's somewhere else now.

Because everyone laughs when I say I like this movie...