Dan Lach finishes 4th at CX World's

In the fall of 2012, Dan did a few of the Ohio Valley CX races for fun.  He was pretty gassed after a full road season, so CX was not a priority.  I got a call from Dan at the end of November asking me to help get him ready for CX World’s.  I guess he got bit by the World’s bug …..  With the race being held in Louisville, KY, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Given the time frame to prepare, we had to make every training session count!

Together we built a program that would best prepare him for a very hard and competitive race.  We knew his strengths and we knew the areas that were crucial for this type of race.

Our plan worked!  Dan placed 4th in his age group at Cyclocross World’s!  GOOD JOB DAN!!!!!

The following article comes from  Cyclingnews.com – click here for the origonal article.

As technology in our everyday life advances, so does that for our bikes.  From the coaches perspective, having a rider  on a power monitoring device is an extremely valuable tool, and that is an understatement!  Riding with power allows the riders coach to see virtually every aspect of the ride or race.  When viewing the data files online, it is as if the coach is out on the ride too.  The following article opens up more options for riders to add a power meter to their bikes.
Ride Well!
Coach OB

PowerTap, SRM, Quarq, Garmin, Look, Rotor and Power2max

Just a few years ago the consumer power meter market was nearly completely dominated by just two main players: SRM and PowerTap. But this year’s Eurobike show hosted no fewer than six options that were either currently available or in final testing for pending release by spring. We also got an exclusive preview at what is looking to be another serious contender and there was at least one other player that was merely roaming the halls to gather information.

Regardless, that market is heating up in a big way.

PowerTap’s new G3

The highlight of PowerTap’s 2012 collection was its new G3 power measuring hub, which looks to have purged any niggling demons of the existing range while also providing some notable improvements.

First off, the G3 is PowerTap’s lightest option to date by far at a claimed 325g (315g with the optional ceramic bearings) – besting the current SLC+ model by up to 73g. CycleOps sticks with a 15mm aluminum axle but the all-aluminum shell boasts a slightly sleeker, constant-diameter shape and the spoke flanges have been pushed outward for better wheel stiffness.

The G3 will also be far easier to service when needed, too. The torque tube – a component of the hub that apparently is subject to extremely low rates of failure – is permanently affixed inside the hub but all of the electronics are now housed in an easily removable cap. CycleOps is still working out the details but in the event of a failure, users could simply send in the defective unit for repair or replacement, or authorized dealers might be provided with loaner caps to keep users on the road.

“Dummy” caps might also be available so that affected owners could at least still ride on the otherwise-function hubs while the electronics are at the factory. In either case, the G3 also switches to a single CR2032 battery – the same as most head units – instead of the pair of 357 cells previously required.

All of the sensitive electronics on the new PowerTap G3 power meter are housed in the end cap, not the hub shell

Overall, CycleOps road power meter range will simplify from five models to three with the only other model offered in addition to the US$1,199 PowerTap G3 and US$1,699 G3C being the US$899 PowerTap Pro, which uses the old design but still offers ANT+ wireless transmission, a 15mm aluminum axle, and a claimed weight of 446g.

As before, CycleOps will offer complete wheels, too, with alloy clinchers from Velocity and either 45mm or 65mm-deep carbon tubulars from Enve Composites. Complete wheelsets will start at US$1,149 while a G3-based set with carbon rims will go for US$3,199 – and will weigh as little as 1,250g.

Going along with the G3 are new Joule and Joule GPS computer heads with the latter featuring tracking and simple navigation features and both offering simplified training cues and analysis features.

3T worked with PowerTap to create a special housing for the Joule GPS computer that integrates seamlessly with the new Integra LTD stem

SRM turns 25, celebrates by donating to a worthy cause

Power measuring icon SRM is celebrating its 25th anniversary with its most comprehensive range yet that includes systems built around at least twenty different crankarm platforms.

New or updated options include Campagnolo standard and compact, FSA K-Force Light compact, SRAM S975 standard and compact, Tune Smart Foot standard and compact, Truvativ X0 2×10, Shimano Saint single-ring, and a new alloy crankset made by Tune in Asia called Engage.

Pricing is rather dear in all cases, though, ranging from €1,832.60 (FSA Gossamer) to €3,927 (Campagnolo) for just the cranksets themselves. We don’t have pricing for the THM Clavicula-based model but “more” is a likely descriptor.

If that wasn’t already enough, buyers opting to pair any of those power meters with SRM’s own PowerControl 7 computer head will be able to spring for an anodized aluminum housing instead of the standard plastic one for an additional €50 or so.

SRM seemingly make a power meter to fit nearly every popular crankset with a removable spider

And if you’re feeling really flush, you can tack on another €200 on top of that for a limited-edition 25th-anniversary head, which will be finished in an exclusive dark red and individually numbered so you know exactly where you stand among your other 249 brethren. That extra money won’t just buy exclusivity, either – SRM will donate €400 to Plan International’s Girl Trafficking Rescue and Rehabilitation Project in Nepal for each 25th anniversary head sold.

Quarq gets dirty

Quarq has wasted little time getting cozy with its new owners, SRAM, debuting a new Quatro mountain bike power meter model based around Truvativ carbon fiber arms and either a GXP or BB30-compatible bottom bracket system.

SRAM and Quarq debuted a new Quatro mountain bike power meter at Eurobike

SRAM will offer the Quatro with either 170mm or 175mm-long arms but only in the 26/39T X-Glide chainring combination. Claimed weight is 814g with rings and a GXP bottom bracket and Quarq PR man Troy Hoskin says each unit spends twenty minutes underwater to guarantee its weather resistance before leaving the factory (so you’ll have to excuse them if your box is wet). Suggested retail price is €1,606.

Also coming from Quarq is the new Qalvin iPhone and iPad app, which pairs to any of the company’s power meters when a suitable ANT+ dongle is added to the phone. According to Hoskins, app users can pull up a variety of diagnostic tools and even recalibrate their Quarq power meters at home – something that used to require sending the unit back to the factory in South Dakota.

One of Quarq’s hallmarks has been user-replaceable batteries

Garmin Vector and Look KéO Power in the flesh

Not surprisingly, Garmin literally put various riders up on a pedestal to demonstrate its new Vector power measuring pedals, complete with multiple Edge computers mounted up down at eye level. While it seemed there were still some glitches to work out – former MetriGear co-founder and now-Garmin employee Clark Foy says the Vector is undergoing final testing with scheduled consumer release in March – we’re happy to say that the thing does work and it sounds like it’ll have some enticing benefits to offer, too.

Just as promised, users who have both the pedals and Edge head units will be able to display left-right power output balance in real-time – great for training or rehab from an injury. According to Foy, the pedal firmware can be updated wirelessly via ANT+ and Edge head units can be updated with additional fields, too, including metrics related to fit and efficiency. The system is also self-aligning, supposedly requiring just fifteen pedal strokes to set itself up.

Garmin’s Vector power meter has been one of the most hotly anticipated products of recent years

Garmin will offer a comprehensive range of spare parts, too, including the pedal bodies, bearings, seals, and even power/antenna pods though we don’t expect buyers to need too many of those. Despite appearances, they’re not likely to contact the ground in a crash (lean your bike over with the cranks in various positions and see for yourself) and the aluminum backing plate is surprisingly robust.

One potential hiccup is crank fit, however. Foy says the Vector pod is designed to fit a maximum crank width of 38mm and a maximum thickness of 15mm. Most arms should fit – Foy admits he hasn’t measured Cannondale’s Hollowgram arms – but check first just to be sure.

Look’s KeO Power pedals were shown in production form at Eurobike. We’ve got a set in our hands right now so expect a first ride review very soon

Look and Polar also jointly showed off its co-developed KéO Power pedals and in fact, we already have a early set in our hands for testing and we hope to deliver an initial report next week. Setup seems a touch tricky so far, though, and unlike the Vector pedals which can simply be screwed in as usual, the KéO Power spindles require a specific orientation in the crankarm (there’s a locknut to hold it in place), suggesting to us that its hardware – or software – may not be quite as developed as Garmin’s. Stay tuned on this one.

Rotor previews power meter concept

Rotor is tossing its hat into the power meter ring with its own 3D Power concept, based on the Italian AIP-MEP system. Taking advantage of the 3D+ crankarm’s semi-hollow design, Rotor’s design places strain gages inside the readily accessible internal channels, then attaches the antenna, battery, and circuitry to the bottom bracket end of the crankarm.

Rotor gave us an exclusive look at their new power meter prototype. Don’t be put off by the big plastic electronics box – it’ll be much, much smaller by the time it reaches shops late next year

It’s not exactly an elegant looking piece in its current form – Rotor says the one we saw was a development mule and the electronics package will ultimately be about two-thirds smaller – but Rotor sales manager Philip Lucas says the 3D+ Power will offer some appealing features, including left vs. right balance and push vs. pull output.

“There won’t be another system that will give us the depth of info that this will,” he said.

Lucas says Rotor eventually plans to release both a consumer and scientific version of the 3D+ Power. The former will be smaller and lighter with fewer strain gages, and the electronics will feature ANT+ wireless transmission. The scientific version will more closely resemble what you see here as it will operate on both Bluetooth and ANT+ protocols for communication with a wider range of devices and additional strain gages plus a faster sampling rate will serve up more detailed information.

You can just barely make out the tiny wires leading to the strain gages that are mounted inside the Rotor 3D+ Power’s hollow channels

According to Lucas, prototypes will be tested on the road starting in January but even if that goes well, don’t expect to see any Rotor 3D+ Power cranksets for sale until August 2012 at the earliest.

Power2max enters the fray

Relatively new to the scene is German company power2max, which houses all of its hardware in a separate chainring spider similar to SRM and Quarq. Despite its nascent status, power2max displayed an impressively broad range of fitments that include bigger names like SRAM and Rotor but also smaller players like Lightning, TA, Tune, and Bor – plus two off-road options.

Power2max offers its power meters in a wide range of accent colors, too, and pricing for standalone spiders is a comparatively reasonable €690.

The following is a piece I wrote for the Cincinnati Cycle Club newsletter.  You can access the site by clicking here. 

Fear of the Gear

You are in a pace-line.  Nice steady tempo going.  You are doing your turns at the front and dropping back to take shelter and get a break.  All of a sudden, a gap opens, might be your fault, might not be.  But now you have to close that gap and quickly!  How do you do that?

 One of the hardest things to teach yourself on the bike is the art of spinning.   In the July article, I wrote about keeping a high cadence.  Being able to keep that targeted 85-95 rpm, is what I call, keeping your legs “supple”, or ready to spring into action when need be. 

Sure, it feels easier to slog away at about 75 rpm– makes you feel strong too!   But, if you have to accelerate from 18 to 22 mph to close that gap, it is much easier to do it if your legs are supple, or not bogged down by a heavy gear.  Here is an analogy for those that drive a manual transmission automobile.  You are merging onto the highway and you need to accelerate because there is a big truck blocking your nice smooth entrance.  Do you leave it in fifth gear while merging and need acceleration?  No, you drop a gear, pick up the rpm’s of your engine (get it now???) and get in front of the truck!  Same thing on your bike, it is much easier to accelerate when spinning rather than slogging away. 

Same holds true as you approach that HUGE HILL.  Rolling into that hill with a low cadence is going to feel like someone just added 20 pounds to your legs.  Rolling into that hill at a good cadence, or with your legs supple, you are now able to spin up that hill using much less energy! 

Whenever I suggest to people that they pick up their leg speed, I hear, “This feels better” or “I USED to spin …” or “I don’t know how to spin like that!”  Well, you have to train yourself to spin, it doesn’t just happen.  It will take time to adapt your legs.  If you know your cadence is low, next time you are out, set a goal that you will do three or four 5 minute higher cadence sessions during your ride.  The next ride, do three or four 10 minute sessions.  Before you know it, you will be spinning, and closing those gaps, like a Pro! 

We only have a few more newsletters before the press shuts down for the winter.  I would love to answer some of your questions for the next newsletter.  Please email them to me: coachob@coachob.com. 

Until then …..
Eat Well!
Sleep Well!
Ride SMART!!

Coach OB Online Cycling Coach Update:

In an effort to give more support to both  local clients and online cycling coached clients, Coach OB is happy to welcome Sports Nutrition 2 Go (click here) to the Coach OB family of services.  Nutrition plays a vital role in the sport of cycling and while we all know a little something about diet and nutrition, none of us are experts.  That’s where Dawn Weahterwax at SN2G comes in; she IS an expert!  The services offered by SN2G include: nutrition and hydration analysis, improved recovery methods via nutrition, supplements, pre and post training/racing meal plans and general meal guidance. 

All Coach OB clients receive a 10% discount* on almost all of the SN2G services.  And while the company is based in West Chester, most of the services offered have the ability to be carried out online and therefore available those cyclists coached online.
The discount applies to all Coach OB clients, but I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about SN2G.
(* – 10% OFF first time service)

Eat Well!

Dave "the ICEMAN" winning BIG!!!!

Coach OB Online Cycling Coach Update:

Dave came to me in February of 2010 and said, “Coach OB, make me faster and stronger!”  Dave had no real interest in racing or competing, he just wanted to ride better and be more involved in group rides.  Thgat fall, Dave wanted to do some cross races for fun and spend time with his kids that were taking part in “LionHearts“, which get children involved in cyclocross.  That program is a whole awesome story in itself!   In December of 2010, Dave broke his leg BIG TIME in a cross race.  His recovery was slow and painful.  In the Spring of 2011, Dave did a few of the Spring Training Series road races as a Cat 5, finishing well in each.  The PUR Tour was Dave’s first REAL RACE, and he NAILED IT!  Good job ICEMAN!  Proud of you!!!

Coach OB Online Cycling Coach Update:

Coach OB riders get 1st, 2nd and 3rd at  Mainstrasse on Wednesday. 

GREAT work gentlemen!!!!

Coach OB Online Cycling Coach Update:
Pretty Happy with This

Masters RR – Vince Clune, 3rd. John Gatch, 2nd. Coach OB,1st

Masters Crit - Tour d'Burg

This comes from Bicycling Magazine.
The article talks about different leg recovery methods.  At the end of each one, I give my take on them.

Method: Water immersion
Science: Some studies suggest that a cold water dunk after a hard ride helps clear lactic acid and reduce inflammation. Others conclude that it helps athletes feel less fatigued and sore.
Convenience: Unless there’s a spring-fed lake at the end of every ride, you’re out of luck. And you’ll deplete your ice supply if you frequently do this at home.
Dork Factor: At home, low. Setting up a garbage-can ice spa at a venue? So ridiculous, it might be cool. 
Coach OB Online Cycling Coach’s Take: I have not done this. I think it started with runners. To me, the thought of putting my legs, and other body parts, in icey-cold water is NOT appealing!

Method: Compression clothing
Science: Research suggests that compression tights can help reduce blood-lactate levels and speed recovery. Studies show athletes feel fresher and experience less muscle soreness after wearing them. For optimum effect, you may need to wear them during hard efforts, not just afterward.
Convenience: If you pack ‘em, you can wear ‘em.
Dork Factor: As high as the knee socks, but cancelled out in similar company
Coach OB Online Cycling Coach’s Take: I have the Skins RY400 recovery tights and I LOVE THEM!  I use these after a hard training session or a race knowing I need extra recvoery for the next day.  Only drawback is that they are hot in the summer time!  And my family laughs at me when I wear them without anything over the top. 

Method: Drinking chocolate milk
Science: In a study of cyclists who rode until fully depleted, the pedalers who chugged chocolate milk afterward were able to hammer about 50 percent longer on their next ride before fatiguing than those who consumed a commercial carb-protein recovery drink.
Convenience: As close as the nearest 7-Eleven.
Dork Factor: Zip. Chocolate milk’s hipness never expires.
Coach OB Online Cycling Coach’s  Take: LOVE chocolate milk!  I have done this after races especially when I know it might be a while before I am able to take in quality food.  I think this is a good one to follow!

 Thanks for reading!

The following is a piece I wrote for the Cincinnati Cycle Club newsletter.  You can access the site by clicking here. 

Know When to Say WHEN

Hot enough for you?  I thought for sure by the beginning of August we would get a break from the heat …. not a chance….

So, don’t forget to keep well hydrated at all times.  Take in extra water and keep that lemon wedge in your day bottle.   For me, during these 90+ days, I drink at least four 32 oz. bottles per day—minimum—and that does not include cycling time.  On Thursday I did a 2 hour recovery ride and went through 4 bottles on my bike.  When I arrived home, I drank another 20 oz. plus of water right away.   Keep those quality electrolyte drinks coming in, too! 

Even when you are well hydrated, know when to say when in this heat!  Sometimes, depending on your body’s ability to deal with the heat, it might just be too hot to ride outside.  Just like it is sometimes too cold, it can be too hot!  Your planned 4 hour ride in 95 degrees might be best cut down to 2. 

Another issue that is made worse by the intense heat is saddle sores.  Sorry, don’t mean to be graphic, but as cyclists, it is something we have to be very aware of.  Saddle sores are a problem during all 4 seasons, but they seem to be worse during the heat.  I am sure you all practice great hygiene by always wearing clean shorts, that is the first step.  The second is to remove your cycling shorts as quickly as possible after you climb off the bike.  Obviously you want to wash as soon as possible.  If you are not able, at the very least, remove your shorts and put on regular clothes.  Simply put, all that sweat can cause major issues.  One of my online cycling coaching clients actually contracted MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) because he would wear his shorts for extended periods of time after riding.  So, don’t drive home in your shorts, don’t cut your grass when you get home in your shorts and don’t hang out with your peeps for hours and hours after you ride while still in your shorts.  Okay, ‘nough said! 

Enough about the heat!

How about I touch on a new subject; pacing yourself on a ride.  What is the use of giving it 110% in the first 10 miles or going so hard that you blow up and are not able to complete the ride in an efficient manner?!?  We have all been there and done that.  It isn’t fun (well, it might be fun before you blow up).  Try to gather information on the ride before you head out.  “Hey Bob, what is this ride like?  What are the roads like?  How long is it?” etc.  At least then, you will know what to expect.  If you find yourself in a group that is “more experienced” than you, let them take the lead and you ride in the group at your own pace.  It is okay to “sit in” and rest.  Try not to get in over your head.  One way of becoming a better cyclist is to ride with those that are better than you.  Give yourself time, you will get there!

Ride Well!
Hydrate Well!

Bryan Horton wins Hueston Woods

Coach OB Online Cycling Coach Update – Bryan Horton hammered at Hueston Woods on  July 17th to win his first ever MTB race.  AWESOME WORK!!!

Granted this is not my realm of expertise …  But every woman I have coached has told me that their training and performance is effected in some way by their period.   Some months are worse than others obviously.  When these “bad” months do come, it is very useful for the athletes coach to be aware.  A lady that I coach in cycling online sent me this this PDF, click here.  It gives a breakdown of the menstrual cycle phase and its effect on training.

Jeanette Shires wearing the Champions Jersey

Mohawk Mary – 2nd

Coach OB Online Cycling Coach Update – Mary Weinholts and Jeanette Shires both medaled at Miamisburg’s Tour d’Burg Ohio State Criterium Championships. Mary got 2nd in the 45-49 group and Jeanette got 1st in the 40-44 age group.  Great work ladies!!!!

Edward Wimmer at Mainstrasse

Coach OB Online Cyling Coach Update – Edward Wimmer has had 2 successful weekends, winning the Blue Grass State Games on July 10th and the Tour d’Burg on July 17th, both crits. Edward now has enough points to upgrade to a Cat. 3. When Edward and I started working together this was one of his primary targets on his goal list. Congrats Edward!!!

Drinking and Spinning 

Plain old water

I hope this article finds you well, enjoying the hot weather and staying hydrated!  One of the most frequent questions I am asked as an online cycling coach and avid cyclist is what I drink before, during and after riding.  No way around it, as athletes we need to consume more water than the average not-so active person.  Even on days when it is not approaching 90 degrees, I drink about three or four 32 oz. containers of water during the day.  On those extra hot days, I will go through an additional one or two bottles.  I will also add a lemon wedge to my day bottle.  The added citrus help your body retain vitamins and minerals that might normally get flushed out should you over-hydrate.  

When I leave for a ride, I start off with two bottles of an electrolyte drink, such as Hammer Nutrition’s Heed.  This also has complex carbohydrates for energy while pedaling.  When these are gone, it is straight water in my bike bottles.  On average, I drink one bottle per hour and on hotter days, one bottle every 45 minutes.   If I stop during the ride, I will get a Gatorade or similar drink. 

As soon as I am finished with my ride, I consume 20+ oz. of water.  Within 10 minutes of climbing off the bike, I have my recovery drink, Hammer Recoverite.  The market is full of different recovery drinks; find one that works for you.  I prefer Recoverite because I like the taste and it contains a balanced mix of carbs, electrolytes and whey protein. 

Now that you are in-tune with your hydration let’s tune-in to the importance of a good spin.  Keeping a high cadence is paramount to a cyclist.  A great target cadence is about 85 to 95 rpm.  Whether you are riding 20 miles, or 120 miles, your legs and the rest of your body, will profit from not mashing the gears.  Granted, there are times when you need to slog it out, like pushing over that 15 second steep climb.  In general though, your legs will stay “fresher” and you will not have to work as hard if you maintain a higher cadence.  You can save your leg muscles from over-working and over-straining by keeping a high spin.  So, if you can travel the same distance, save a few heartbeats AND save power for when it really matters, why not?!?  

SPIN!

If you would like me to write about anything in future articles, please feel free to email me at coachob@coachob.com, I will be more than happy to answer them. 

Eat Well!
Sleep Well!
Ride SMART!!!

Seth McDonald - 1st Hyde Park Cat 5

Chris Mathers - 1st Madeira, 3rd Hyde Park Cat 5

Edward Wimmer - 2nd Madeira, 4th Hyde Park Cat 4

Great weekend of racing here in Cincinnati at the Madeira Centennial Criterium and the Hyde Park Blast.  All the Coach OB clients that raced had strong showings.  Chris Mathers attended a Criterium Clinic I put on with Bio-Wheels (local shop sponsoring the Madeira race) the Sunday before the event.  Here is what he had to say, “After racing the OSRS and joining a local bike club I was talked into racing in the Maderia and Hyde Park criteriums. Needless to say I was more than a little intimidated by the sharp turns and high intensity. A couple people recommended Coach OB’s crit clinic the preceding weekend. Hands down the best two hours I’ve spent trying to improve my cycling skills. Coach OB understood exactly what we needed and built us up slowly in a non-threatening and non-competitive environment. After explaining a set of techniques to the group he’d have us take to the improvised course and provide individual instruction. Not only does he have an intimate understanding of the concepts and skills necessary to ride faster but he knows how to explain them in terms the rest of us understand. By the end everyone was noticeably quicker and more comfortable. I found the podium twice the following weekend, due in large part to Coach OB’s clinic. Highly recommended for new riders or anyone who wants to refine their skills.”

Seth “McAnimal” McDonald is very new to racing.  Seth has done a handful of races in 2011 and has already won two of them, Cat 5 Hyde Park Blast being the 2nd.  Seth and I had a plan for the race, which he stuck to and got the win!

This weekend was a HUGE goal for Edward Wimmer, mainly Hyde Park.  Edward completely exceeded expections by riding and excellent race at Madeira to finish 2nd.  Hyde Park was another smart ride by Edward staying in the top 5 riders the whole time and keeping his nose out of the wind finishing 4th.  All of his hard work over the winter and this spring paid off.

Again, GREAT JOB BY ALL!!!

Mary Wienholts - 1st! Jeanette Shires - 1stJeanette Shires - 1st

Jeanette Shires - 1st

Congrats to Mary Wienholts and Jeanette Shires for WINNING their age groups in the Ohio State TT!

Cory St. Clair takes overall in the Ohio Spring Series.  Nice work Cory!

Johnathan Freter: 2nd Cat 2/3

Vince Clune: 1st Mast 45+

Cory St. Clair: 6th Cat 2/3

Coach OB riders rode well at Newmark in Dayton, OH taking 3 of the top  6 spots and winning the Masters 45+ race!  Nice work guys!!!!

Cory St. Clair - 1st Overall - Cat.1-3

Seth McDonald - 1st Cat 5 Race

Vince Clune - 3rd Cat 3 race

Zak Lewis - 3rd Cat 5 race

Congrats to ALL Coach OB riders that road their hearts out for all the Spring Series races!

Mary brings a little bit of sunshine into all of her friends lives.  Thanks Mary Sunshine!

Cory St. Clair and Team RGF DOMINATE the Deer Creek race

“Cory has had a consistent winter of training.  He has been very focused and determined coming into 2011.  I knew he was going to have a good day! First Place Cat 1″  Coach OB

Cory St. Clair

Johnathan Freter

Jack McCann

Coach OB Clients ROCK at Deer Creek:
Cory St. Clair – 1st Cat 1/2
Johnathan Freter – 5th Cat 1/2
Jack MCCann – 2nd Cat 4
Gregg Shanefelt – 7th Cat 4
Edward Wimmer – 14th Cat 4 (First year in 4′s!!)
Anne McDonald – 9th Womens Cat 1/3
Mary Weinholts – 5th Womens Cat 3/4
Blair Barter – 12th Womens Cat 3/4

GREAT WORK to all!!!!!!  Keep up the hard work!!!!

First Race Jitters

Strength work done
Structured trainer work done
Base miles in 

So I did all this and my FIRST RACE IS SATURDAY!  What do I do????    I mean I am nervous …….. 

Well, hopefully you have checked off the above items so you are as “physically” prepared as possible.  You have trained to the best of your ability, there is nothing more you can do there.  Have confidence in that and believe in yourself! 

Now that you have your head screwed on straight, there are some simple guidelines to follow when attending your first race.  I believe in making sure all the little things are taken care of properly and without stress.  This makes accomplishing your over-all goal that much easier!  You have spent a lot of time, energy and money to get here.  Why waste all that with not being as prepared as you can be?

Here are some thoughts in being prepared:

• Have your bike READY the night before!  Do NOT get to the race only to discover there is a mechanical issue!
• Take in some extra hydration the day before your event. 
• Eat a well balanced meal the night before.  This will make sure your tank to fueled for the race.
• Make sure all your gear is ready to be packed the night before.  No last minute washing or “OH CRAP, WHERE DID I LEAVE MY HELMET???”
• If you are not sure there will be an adequate place to warm up, bring your trainer.
• When packing your bag it is always better to OVER PREPARE than under prepare.  Better to have it and NOT need it than need it and NOT HAVE IT!
• Check out my “Race Bag Check List”.  Coach OB Race Bag Check List.
• Eat a good breakfast.  You won’t help yourself at all by skipping that even if you have butterflies.
• Continue snacking and drinking before you get there.
• Plan on getting to the race 2 hours before your start.  This allows you plenty of time for that wrong turn, to wait in the registration line, unpack your bike and get your things ready without getting extra stress by being late.  If you need to do a course recon, bet there earlier.
• You should be fully dressed in your kit and ready to warm up 1 hour before your start. 
• Have a warm up plan.  This depends on the type of race, but you should have some sort of plan to follow.
• If you need a “feeder” during the race, get that straight now.
• Be at the start area, or within ear-shot, 10 minutes before your GO TIME.   DON’T MISS YOUR START! 

This will be a huge learning process for you.  You will make mistakes – learn from them – and DON’T make the mistake again!
Be as prepared as you can be! 

RACE WELL!!!!

Racing season is here!   Don’t get to the race and forget your shoes!  Coach OB Race Bag Check List.

Coach OB is happy to announce an association with Road ID.  What an AWESOME product and GREAT idea!  All Coach OB clients get a wicked cool deal on a Road ID!!
I have mine …. Do you have yours???

GREAT article in Bicyling Magazine!  Makes me revise some of my thinking …….

Thanks Bill!!!!

Published on Bicycling Magazine (http://www.bicycling.com)

Cycling Nutrition: Big Fat Lies

Big Fat Lies

A surprising new approach to losing weight and keeping it off—and riding longer and stronger than ever.

Photo by Mitch Mandel

One of the long-enduring traditions at bike events of all stripes is the pasta dinner the evening before the big ride. After all, who doesn’t believe in the hearty, turbo-fueling quality of a whopping plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce?

As it turns out, the nonbelievers include a number of highly informed people, including Allen Lim, PhD, the brains behind much of Garmin-Slipstream’s training and race preparation. “There’s nothing nutritious about that,” Lim says. In fact, he has eliminated all processed wheat from the team’s diet, and at races has replaced traditional starchy foods with balanced, whole-food fuel such as rice cakes made with eggs, olive oil, prosciutto and liquid amino acids. If this creates the impression that Lim knows something you don’t, well, that’s probably true. His job is to make sure that, unlike the rest of us, his team doesn’t blithely adhere to old, counterproductive eating habits—habits that can lead to unnecessary weight fluctuation and diminished performance.

Here’s the good news. We’ve tapped into this new school of food science led by the likes of Lim to correct popular misconceptions about food, particularly about carbs and fat. Proponents of this new approach believe, for example, that a diet heavy in starch causes your body to burn sugar instead of fat, so you bonk more easily, often eat too much and end up overweight rather than properly fueled.

Even Joe Friel, who relentlessly advocated carbohydrates in his training bible series of books, has done a 180, turning his back on starches and relying instead on vegetables, fruits and lean meats as fuel. Consider this our effort to correct myths and misconceptions you’ve been exposed to over the years. Follow this advice, and you won’t just live lean. You’ll also be able to ride longer on less food and never bonk.

FALLACY #1

A calorie is a calorie
This might be the biggest weight-loss misunderstanding in existence. For years we’ve been told that weight loss is a simple calories-in, calories-out equation, and 3,500 excess calories will put on a pound whether they come from soybeans or banana cream pie. That’s simply not true.

“There are three key types of calories: carbohydrate, protein and fat,” says sports nutritionist Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, CSSD, creator and coauthor of the Flat Belly Diet (published by Rodale, Bicycling’s parent company). “They’re as different as gasoline, motor oil and brake fluid in terms of the roles they play in keeping your body operating optimally.” Sass says that many of her clients might eat the perfect number of calories, but they have cut their fat intake too much. So the jobs that fat does, such as repairing cell membranes and optimizing hormones, go undone, and the surplus carbs are stored as fat. By correcting her clients’ balance of carbs, protein and fat without changing their calorie intake, she says, she has helped them lose weight, improve their immune systems, gain muscle and boost energy.

The Get-Lean Fix
Eat a representative of each macronutrient group at every meal. Sass recommends getting 50 to 55 percent of your calories from carbs (fill half your plate with vegetables, fruits and some whole grains), 25 to 30 percent from fats (olive oil, avocado and so on), and 15 to 20 percent from protein (lean meats, fish, eggs and poultry). “Just be sure to skew your preworkout meals or snacks to be heavier in carbs and lower in fat and protein to fuel up properly and avoid cramps,” says Sass.

Fallacy #2

Starches are sensible fuel
At some point, starch became synonymous with carbohydrate. While pasta and bagels are carbohydrates, and you do need carbs for fuel, they’re often not the best sources, especially if you’re trying to keep weight off. Starchy carbs are easy to overeat, and any surplus goes to your fat stores. “Your brain operates on sugar, and when you eat bagels or potatoes, your body turns them into sugar and delivers them to your cells quickly, which makes your brain happy and leaves you wanting more,” says Friel. So in this case, you shouldn’t listen to your body.

Fruits and vegetables, by contrast, are rich in carbs but often lower in calories and also digest more slowly. You’re less likely to plow through so many berries and carrots that you end up with more fuel than you need. As a bonus, plant foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals and immunity-boosting phytonutrients that make you healthier and stronger, so you can ride better and burn more calories.

The Get-Lean Fix
Choose carbs wisely. Eat starchy, quick-digesting carbs only during and right before and after training rides or races, when it’s important to get food that can be quickly digested and converted to fuel. Otherwise, get your carbs from fruits and vegetables.

How much is enough? If you’re eating considerably more than Sass’s recommended 50 to 55 percent, especially from starchy sources, then you risk changing your metabolism, says Friel. “When I see someone who has started eating lots of starch,” he says, “they not only have gained fat, they’ve also changed their metabolism from fat-burning to sugar-burning.” It doesn’t happen over one plate of pasta, but the body is adaptable. “Over the course of a few of months,” Friel says, “it will switch over to burn whatever you’re feeding it most.”

When possible, pair your carbs with some protein. Lean meats, nut butters, fish and eggs slow digestion, so you feel full sooner, get more even energy from your meals and stay full longer. The amino acids in protein also help repair, build and maintain muscle tissue.

It’s no coincidence that Americans got heavier as fat consumption went down. For years, the government preached low-fat, carb-heavy diets. “This wasn’t only misguided; it was flat-out wrong,” Friel says.

Fallacy #3

All fat makes you fat
As your body becomes more conditioned, you become a better fat burner. You need ample amounts of healthy fat, which, contrary to widely held belief, won’t make you fat. In fact, starchy foods turn to stored fat far more quickly. What’s more, evidence is stacking up that healthy unsaturated fats are essential for firing up your fat-burning metabolism. In a study of 101 men and women, Harvard researchers put half the group on a low-fat diet and half on a diet that included about 20 percent of calories from monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). After 18 months, the MUFA-eating group had dropped 11 pounds; its low-fat-eating peers had shed only six. Fat is also slower to digest than carbs, so it helps you stay hunger-free longer.

Fat will help you ride longer so you can burn more calories, says Friel. Research shows that athletes who get about 50-plus percent of their diet from fat produce better average times to exhaustion in exercise tests than those eating typical low-fat, high-carb diets.

The Get-Lean Fix
Add healthy fats to every meal. Sass recommends getting about 20 percent of your calories from MUFAs, or about 55 grams per day at 2,500 calories, which is what most cyclists eat as training ramps up. “Because most athletes don’t have time to count fat grams, the simpler message is: Include small portions of good fats, like almonds, avocado and olive oil, with all meals and snacks,” she says. Try nuts and seeds, olive-based tapenades and even the occasional chunk of dark chocolate. Some healthy portions to shoot for:

• Nuts and seeds Everything from pecans to pine nuts, almond butter to tahini. A serving size is 2 tablespoons.
• Olives Black, green, mixed or blended in a spreadable tapenade. A serving is 10 large olives or 2 tablespoons of spread.
• Oils Canola, flaxseed, peanut, safflower, walnut, sunflower, sesame or olive. Cook with them; drizzle them; eat them in pesto. One serving is 1 tablespoon.
• Avocado As guacamole or just slice and serve. One-quarter cup equals one serving.
• Dark chocolate Go for one-quarter cup of dark or semisweet, or about 2 ounces.

Fallacy #4

Food comes from a box
Many cyclists who think they’re eating healthfully often consume far more sugar and sodium than they realize because they eat so much pasta, cereals, energy bars and other processed foods. “The vast majority of grocery-store foods are packaged junk,” says sports nutritionist and exercise physiologist Tavis Piattoly, RD, LD, of Elmwood Fitness Center, in New Orleans. Some items also contain trans fats—the kinds of fats you want to avoid. The sugar is also troublesome for weight loss because it causes the body to step up its production of insulin, which in turn blocks hormones that control appetite. As a result, the food you eat is quickly stored as fat—and still, you’re always hungry.

The Get-Lean Fix
Eat mostly whole foods that are part of an animal or plant, Piattoly says. Fill most of your cart with foods from the grocery store’s perimeter first; that’s where the fresh produce, meats, fish and other whole foods are found. Then go down the center aisles to fill in the rest. That should reflect the proportion of processed foods you include in your diet.

Fallacy #5

Skipping breakfast is fine if you need to drop a few pounds
Eat breakfast. That bit of essential advice is food gospel. Still, according to a survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation, fewer than half of us eat a morning meal. Breakfast is the key that starts your fat-burning metabolism. Without it, you go into an energy deficit that not only leaves you ravenous (and more likely to overeat) later, but also suppresses your calorie-burning furnace, so what you do eat is more likely to go into storage. Research shows that people who skip breakfast are 4 1/2 times more likely to be overweight than those who don’t. “It’s one of the biggest fueling mistakes almost everyone makes,” says Piattoly.

The Get-Lean Fix
Because you have a whole day of activity—usually including a ride—ahead of you, try to eat about 25 percent of your daily calories at your morning meal. That meal should include protein, healthy fat and fiber-rich carbs like fruit. A British study found that exercisers who ate a breakfast high in fiber burned twice as much fat during workouts later in the day than those who ate less fibrous foods.

For a power breakfast that’ll sustain you well into the day, try two eggs any style; cup whole oats, cooked; 1 cup yogurt; a cup of mixed berries; coffee; and orange juice.

Fallacy #6

You can eat the same at age 40 as age 20
Muscle is the engine that powers your pedals, but it also drives your calorie-burning metabolism. The more lean tissue you have, the more calories you burn and the leaner you stay. As we age, we naturally lose muscle and thus gain fat. Cycling and strength training help stem that loss, but the right foods are more important for muscle maintenance than most people realize. Because of age-related kidney changes, our blood becomes more acidic and we excrete nitrogen, an essential component of muscle protein, faster than we take it in, Friel says. “Essentially we end up peeing away our muscles,” he says. And with a net loss of nitrogen, you can’t form new muscle.

The Get-Lean Fix
Turn the tide on nitrogen loss and preserve muscle mass by increasing the alkalinity of your blood to neutralize the acidity, says Friel. One way is with supplements like Acid Zapper, but you can also eat foods that enhance alkaline. Fruits and veggies are the only foods that offer a net increase, says Friel. Fats and oils are neutral. All other foods, including grains, legumes and meats, have an acid-producing effect. If you don’t get most of your carbs from fruits and vegetables, Friel says, you’re losing muscle mass as well as calcium from your bones, which also gets leached away in an acidic environment as you age.

Fallacy #7

You’re never hungry… or you’re always hungry
Most diets treat hunger as the enemy. But it’s actually your closest ally, says Piattoly. “Once you start the fat-reduction process, you’ll be a little hungry, but not starving,” he says. “The trick is balancing the two, so you’re losing weight, but not setting yourself up for a binge.”

The Get-Lean Fix
Try to eat every three to four hours, says Piattoly. “Eat breakfast, then wait until you feel hungry and eat just until you’re no longer hungry,” he says. “That’s where people usually go wrong. They eat past the point of satisfaction until they’re ‘full.’ Eat only until you’re no longer hungry. If you don’t feel hungry again in three to four hours, you ate too much earlier.” Once you get the hang of it, weight loss and maintenance is much easier.

Where the Carbs Are
Fruits and vegetables are a more substantial source of carbohydrate than most people realize.

RAISINS, seedless (1/4 cup) 32g
BRUSSELS SPROUTS, cooked (1/2 cup) 7g
PEAS, cooked (1 cup) 25g
STRAWBERRIES (1 cup) 11g
SPINACH, cooked (1 cup) 7g
SUCCOTASH, cooked (1 cup) 47g
CARROTS, cooked (1/2 cup) 8g
ORANGE (1 medium) 14g
COLLARD GREENS, cooked (1 cup) 12g
CORN, sweet, cooked (1 ounce) 7g
CANTALOUPE (1 cup) 15g
SQUASH, winter, acorn, cooked (1 cup) 30g
SWEET POTATO, baked w/ skin (large) 44g
ARTICHOKE, cooked (1 medium) 13g
WATERMELON (1 cup) 11g
GREEN PEPPER (1 cup) 10g
BROCCOLI, raw (1 cup) 4g PEACH (1 large) 17g BANANA (medium) 30 g

Pasta & Grains
SPAGHETTI (1 cup) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40g
SPAGHETTI, whole wheat (1 cup) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37g
TAGLIATELLE (1 cup) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44g
WHEAT BREAD (1 slice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12g
RYE BREAD (1 slice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15g
MIXED-GRAIN BREAD (1 large slice) . . . . . . . . . .5g
FRENCH BREAD (5 inches) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18g
PITA BREAD, WHITE (6-inch diameter) .. . . . . . . .33g
LONG-GRAIN WHITE RICE (1 cup) . . . . . . . . . . . 45g
SHORT-GRAIN WHITE RICE (1 cup) . . . . . . . . . . 37g

  One of my clients and I were having a discussion on indoor trainers, it was about using one while not abusing yourself.  In previous years, before working with me, he was riding his trainer anywhere between 10 to 20+ hours a week.  He was depending on the trainer to build fitness and endurance.  I tried to share with him that no matter how much time you spend on the trainer it cannot compare to the endurance benefits you gain by riding on the road.

No way around it, if you want to be competitive in the spring and you live where the weather severely impedes that goal, you HAVE to hit the trainer!  But how much, how often and what purpose does it serve?

In my 25 years of racing in the Midwest, I have never spent more than 2 hours on the trainer at one time.  Seriously, I don’t have the mental energy to do more than that.  I could perceive doing 2+, 3 hours MAX, IF my tolerance for the temperature was lower.  But my cut-off is about 25 and sunny, 28 and cloudy so I can get out and deal with it except on those severe weekends. 

During the months of January and February, I ride my D-Motion Rollers a maximum of 4 times per week.  My weekday sessions are 60 to 90 minutes per day and my weekend sessions are 60 to 120 minutes per day.  I use this time to build QUALITY, not quantity.  Granted I am going on the assumption that the weekends are surely going to get better and I can build my endurance then.

After our phone call, he sent me the following points to clarify our conversation.   I would like to share it with you. 

1.      Do the workouts as prescribed with fresh legs and hit all the interval wattages rather than attempting them with tired legs and failing.

YES!  I am trying to build a winter trainer program for you that increases your LT with structured work.  So you have work. Recovery. More work. Recovery. Etc.  Rest week.  Then start the build towards the next phase or step.  In order to get to that next step, we need to make sure you are mentally and physically prepared for the work; by resting.  Kind of like climbing the stairs of a building with a landing at each floor.  Up, up, up, up, REST.  Up, up, up, up, REST.  As we do this we go higher and higher each time.

2.      Completing the intervals on fresh legs successfully makes you faster.

YES.  It is much better to complete the drill 100% successfully than doing 100% on effort 1, 90% on effort 2 and 80% on effort 3.  Again, build, build, build, REST.  Repeat.  I tried to do some efforts after my LT test Saturday, didn’t have it at all, too tired!  First effort was good.  Second effort was nowhere near where I was on the first, so I rode for 15 more minutes EASILY and climbed off.  If I would have kept pushing, I would have dug myself in a hole.  You did 2 20’s on the 16^th with a target of 210-220W.  Effort 1 was perfect; 216 W average.  Effort 2 you lost it after about 5-7 minutes averaging 170 W for the whole effort.  This tells me that you were either mentally or physically tired.  Theoretically speaking, you should have been able to hold 210-220 W for 20 minutes.  On the 18^th you did 3 10 minute efforts.  Nice perfect efforts each interval.  Very little deviation from 1 to 3.  THAT is what is important!

3.      Attempting the intervals and failing just maintains your wattages around where they have always been.

Don’t know if it “maintains” them the same but you are not able to build because you are constantly fighting to push TOO MUCH, to go higher and you are over-working yourself while never attaining your goal.  Better to achieve the goal successfully – then set a new higher goal to work for.  Just like I explained above. 

4.      Use trainer workouts to build watts through intervals and short rides.

AMEN brother!!!!!  I equate trainer time to 1.5 to 2 times that of the road.  So, I believe that a 1 hour STRUCTURED trainer ride is equal to a 1.5 to 2 hour road ride.

5.      Use road rides to build endurance through long rides and varied terrain.

He sees the light!!!  YES!!!!! 

6.      Combining endurance and interval work on the trainer may make you fit, but will not make you significantly faster.

If you are doing more than 3 hours on the trainer, you need to be COMMITTED!!!  In all my years, I have NEVER been on the trainer for more than 2 hours!  Trainer is for QUALITY.  Road is for QUALITY and QUANTITY!!

Where the hell were these things years ago?  I can’t beleive how much more enjoyable riding the rollers are now!!!  Granted I am sweating my ass off in the basement, but seriously, it is just like riding on the road …

Awesome work Dom!

Roller Vid 01 < CLICK HERE

Okay – Raise your hand if you HATE riding the trainer?!?  Raise your hand if you get numb “down below” while doing so?!?  I just got hooked up with D-Motion Rollers!  I am actually looking forward to riding my rollers tomorrow morning!  I am able to get out of the saddle just as if I were on the road.  And they are easier to ride because the bike has fore and aft movement, not just side to side.   Dom (the “D” in D-Motion) took my rollers and fitted his D-Motion Rollers to them for a smokin price – much cheaper than buying the full gig of rollers with the factory motion device.  Want to make those long indoor rides a little easier?  Check out the video above if you haven’t already.  Coach OB will put you in touch with Dom.

December has come and gone.  Hopefully you were good little boys and girls and put some good training on your Christmas lists.  Guess what …..  March is right around the corner so you will need those Christmas wishes to come true! 

The 2010 Spring Series was awesome – great venues, solid racing and competitive fields.  Big Dave did a fantastic job taking the reins of the event.   Next year’s series looks as though he has stepped-up the game another few notches.

March 21^st is the opener for the 2011 Spring Series at Deer Creek.   For many local cyclists, the Spring Series is not only a highlight of their season but also a major goal.  Where else can you find so many races in your own back yard?  Many of my clients have the Spring Series as a major objective on their 2011 Goal Sheet.  Even if your objective is to use the series as training, it is good to go into it with solid form.   So, what are the nuts and bolts of getting ready?  What do you need to do to hit your target for the series?

Ideally, your preparation should have started in October by taking that month off and letting your body and mind recover from the 2010 season.   Time off is just as important as the physical training you did all season.  It can set the tone for the training you are about to undertake again.  Bike racing is not only consuming in terms of time spent training, but is physically and mentally demanding as well.  You need down time to rejuvenate and get that fire back in your belly. 

Now it is December, and you may be asking, where do I go from here?  How do I get fit for the 2011 Spring Series?  Given your off the bike commitments, what can I do to maximize my training?  Remember, training is about QUALITY, not QUANTITY!  A very common mistake made by many. 

Winter training has multiple phases:

• Weight Control
• Gym Work
• Base miles
• Trainer Time
• Putting it all Together 

Weight Control

There is no getting around it – the leaner you are the less work your body has to do to propel forward, especially up hill.  Diet and weight control are critical in the winter.   Your saddle time is limited to the trainer and short rides outdoors; less riding time = less calorie burning.  ‘Tis the season to over-indulge, so make smart choices!  Being focused on the long term goals and staying fit is much better  than trying to shed those pounds when it is crunch time. 

Gym Work

 It’s not too late ….. start a gym program!  As long as I have been racing (25 years now) I have been hitting the gym in the off season; October through the end of February.  The gains made in the gym are crucial to the competitive cyclist.  The goal is to build a solid base of strength without bulking up; remember you have to carry that muscle up a hill!

Not only does the gym serve the purpose of building strength, but it also adds diversity to your winter program.  By dedicating at least 3 months to working out in the gym at 2 sessions per week (separated by at least 1 full day), you will see and feel the gains you’ve made when March comes around.  A structured procedure is key to your program. 

Base Miles

This is your foundation.  Before you do any structured efforts, you have to have base miles in your legs.  This prepares your legs and cardiovascular system for the coming workload.  Are there a set number of miles you need to achieve?  That depends on your level of racing experience.  For a Cat. III cyclist, I would say a solid 1,500-2,000 pre-race season miles (November to March) are acceptable.   This is done on the weekends, of course when the weather lets us. 

Base miles is simply that; spending maximum time in your Tempo / Endurance Zone.   That means no racing your buddies on the Sunday Ride, no sprinting for the county signs or racing up a hill.  Short 1 to 2 minute bursts are “okay” as long as you have plenty of recovery time afterwards. 

Trainer Time

No way around it, you HAVE to hit the dreaded trainer.   Unless you can just fly off to Majorca or Tucson to spend your winters, the trainer is a valuable tool.  For me, 2 hours indoors is my MAX!  The great thing about a trainer is the quality you get out of it.  There is no scientific equation, but my estimate is that 1 hour on the trainer equals 1.5 to 2 hours on the road.  This especially holds true if you are doing structured efforts.  Try to dedicate 2 trainer rides per work week and on Saturday’s and Sunday’s if you are not able to ride outdoors. 

So, what should I be doing on the trainer now???  Well, I can’t give away all my secrets, but you want to start with the same principle you are applying to your time on the road – base time or base efforts.   It is a building process; you need to get your body ready to do those short, hard intense efforts.  To get there, you need base efforts first.  You are not going to get maximum benefit from a 1 minute 100% effort unless your body is prepared for that work. 

Putting it all Together

When March rolls around and you can put all those pieces together; you are at your fighting weight, your time in the gym has given you some good base strength, the base miles you have logged have given you a good foundation and your knife has been sharpened by doing structured work on the trainer. Now, you are ready for the Spring Series and a great racing season! 

Don’t let the winter fool you.  Now is a crucial time in your preparation for the 2011 Spring Series.  If you are thinking about getting a coach, now is the time.

Be Safe!

B. Horton on left gets 3rd

Brand new Coach OB client Bryan Horton from Cincinnati, Ohio learns early and nails 2nd place at Lexington Cross.  Nice work Bryan!!

I am often asked if it is a benefit for a cyclist to spend time in the gym during the off-season to cross train.  My answer is a most definite YES!   The gains made during the fall and winter will pay dividends during the cycling season.  Not only does the gym serve the purpose of building strength, but it also adds diversity to your winter program.  By dedicating at least 3 months to working out in the gym at 2 sessions per week (separated by at least 1 full day), you will see and feel the gains you’ve made when March comes around.

I divide my gym work into 3 phases; Getting back into it, Strength building and, then, Endurance.  After spending the entire spring and summer pedaling around, a few gym sessions are needed to get the legs and body into the gym routine.  I advise 4 to 6 sessions before you start the strength phase.  The strength phase is exactly that; building strength.  It is a slow, meticulous process, but plain and simple, it works!  During this time, 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps on each device is recommended.  My program and the program I write for my clients is about 70% legs, 20% core and 10% upper body.  Obviously, the exercises are concentrated around the “like movements” we have on the bike; pushing and pulling with the legs, pulling with upper body and basic core strength. 

After 2 to 3 months of solid strength building, it’s time to introduce the Endurance phase.  This happens 1 day per week while keeping 1 day for strength.  On endurance days, the weight is cut by about 50% and double or tripple the reps on certain (not all) exercises.   By doing this towrds the end of your program, it helps get the muscles ready for those steady base miles and the start of  long endurance efforts on the bike.

Very important note: to avoid injury and to gain the most out of the experience, doing each and every exercise correctly with good form is crucial.   If you are not going to do it right, don’t do it!  Seek the advice of a trainer or professional if you are in doubt about the correct way to do each exercise.

There are many ways out there to build or add to your fitness in the off season.  Doing something as simple a structured weight program is a great way to help ensure you are going into 2011 with some base strength.

Eat Well!  Sleep Well!  Train SMART!!!!

Coach OB t-shirts are in!  Good quality, good price and they look good!

Get yours now! Click here……

Coach OB is proud to announce a partnership with Hincapie Sportswear.  All clients get special pricing on Hincapie Sportswear online products.  Just a small benefit of being associated with Coach OB.

AWESOME UCI weekend in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for Coach OB Clients!!!

James "The Bandit" O'Loughlin - 1st place Cat 4 35+

Dan Lach - Cat 3's, 2 top 20's!

Malissa Petrov - Womens 3/4, 2nd, 5th and 2nd!

Christa “CZ” Zielke rode from Pittsburgh to Washington DC last week!  350+ miles!  Way to go CZ!!!!!

CZ - From Pittsburgh to DC!!!

Coach OB Omelette -

This is a great choice for breakfast on those days when you will not be exercising.

Main Ingredients

Main ingredients:
* Egg Beaters
* Spinach
* Kidney beans

Extra Ingredients

Add for taste:
* Mushrooms
* Onions
* Peppers
* Garlic
* Black Pepper
* Cayan Pepper, etc.

I use deep aluminum cooking pan
Spray a non-stick cooking spray into pan
Mix all the indredients in the pan

Baked and Golden Brown

Bake in oven at 350 to 375 degrees.  Cooking times depending on oven.
Cook the mix until the top is light brown and the inside is thoroughly cooked. (I advise “peeking” inside)

YUM - High Protein Energy Omellete

Let cool.
Then cut into individual servings and wrap in celepahane and freeze.

Now you have a PERFECT low-calorie, high-protein breakfast!

Coach OB Tofu Patties
(Pictures coming)

Start with a block or blocks of extra firm tofu.  I do 2 to 4 blocks at a time.  I have tried a few different brands and I am very partial to Trader Joe’s brand.

Prepare marinade:
Equal parts Soy sauce and Olive Oil.
BBQ sauce
Spicy mustard (normal mustard doesn’t taste as good)
Crushed garlic
Black pepper
Garlic salt
Red, pepper, cayenne pepper, etc. ALL TO TASTE
And anything else you want in there.
Mix it all up

Set oven to BROIL

Use a shallow baking pan covered in aluminum foil
Cut tofu into 3 equel flat patties.
Lay patties on pan
Put enough marinade on each pattie to cover them
Place in oven for 12 to 15 minutes
Flip patties and apply marinade to other side
Cook on side two for 11 to 15 minutes
Remove and let cool.

I put the patties in a large container and keep in refridgerator.  Freezing them doesn’t work too well.
I eat them individaully, put them on salads, over pasta or rice and best of all I make sandwiches with them!!!

Enjoy!

Need a custom sign? Check out www.buildasign.com.  Ask for Jared!  He is doing some CoachOB decals for me.  Looking forward to seeing them!

Press release from RGF: http://www.rgfsolutionssportsmarketing.com/pdfs/239.pdf

Maliss Petrov on her way to 3rd place at Kings Cross Saturday

Malissa Petrov riding riding in her first Cat. 1,2,3 cross race at Kings Cross!  Nice work MP!

Bo Sherman wins Saturday AND Sunday

Bo Sherman won the Master catagory on Saturday AND Sunday!  Nice work “roadie”!!!

2010 Team Quick Step checking out the roads for Paris-Roubaix

You have to love the weather here in Cincinnati, well, the mid-west for that matter.  One week it is 95+, the next it is in the mid 70′s.  What does this mean for us in our training?  It means we have to take extra steps to make sure our bodies adjust to the changes.  Your body needs time to acclimate to the cool fall weather. 

We have to start taking those extra steps to make sure our bodies, especailly our legs,  are staying warm.  Keeping our legs warm not only applies to the changing seasons, but also with the cooler tepmeratures in general.  When it comes to my legs, I have a standing rule I follow when I ride outside; “70 and sunny – 75 and cloudy – cover your knees!”  As a coach I share this with all of my cleints, especailly the younger ones.   You have to keep your knees and leg muscles warm.  Warm muscles are happy muscles!

Coaching a cyclist isn’t just telling them to do “this interval” or “that interval”.  It is about helping the athlete to become a better cyclist in general.  Part of good training is developing good habits ON and OFF the bike.  One of those good habits is keeping your legs warm even in moderate temperatures not waiting until it gets cold.  When you make sure all of the little things are taken care of in your training, the bigger things tend to fall into place a little more easily.

Eat Well! Sleep Well! Train SMART!!!

Christa Zielke rolling out at the start

Blair Barter during the race

Congrats to Christa Zielke and Blair Barter for their results in the Ohio State Masters Cycling Championships on Saturday.  The road race was in Georgetown, Ohio, about 45 miles east of Cincinnati.  Christa got 3rd in her age group and Blair got 2nd.  Both of these ladies are a pleasure to coach.  Good job ladies!

Coach O'B says keep your knees tucked in while cycling!

I see bike riders who spend thousands and thousands of dollars on fancy bikes, TT equipment, tricked out wheels, etc.  HUGE $$$!  And they are missing one of the key fundamentals of efficient bicycle riding – KEEP YOUR KNEES IN!   You can save yourself a few grand in aerodynamic equipment, and BE JUST AS FAST, if you keep your knees tucked in!!!  It is more aerodynamic and it is so much more efficient!  Think of your legs as the pistons of your car engine.  Do the pistons bow outwards as they go up and down?  That would reduce the amount of power if there was a curve to the movement.

Same with your legs.  Your legs will transfer more power to the pedals if there is a straight up & down motion without any “bowing”.  With your knees in, or just simply in line with your hips, you are able to fully engage all the muscles in your legs, hips and butt in the down stroke.  AND the up stroke, so much easier to pull the pedal upwards!

Think how much more aerodynamic it is!!!  Less drag to slow you down.   Keeping your knees tucked in is one of the first lessons I teach to all of the young cyclists I coach.  If you learn at the beginning of your cycling experience, you will hold onto that principle for the rest of your cycling career.

So, KNEES IN!

Mr. Spencer Petrov winning the 10-12 Ohio State Crit. Championships!

Here is the future of Cincinnati cycling, Mr. Spencer Petrov! Spencer, from Mason, Ohio,  is shown here winning the 10-12 age group in the Ohio State Junior Criterium Cycling Championships!  Coach O’B is watching this guy!

Jack McCann Winning the 15-16 Ohio State Junior Crit. Championships

Congrats to Jack McCann (1st), Samuel Debrozsi (2nd) and Logan Pitcher (3rd) at the Ohio State Junior Criterium Championships.  All threee are working with Coach O’B.  All of their cycling and hard work has paid off!  Nice work boys!!!

Dan Lach - Client of Coach O'B

Coach O’B client Dan Lach takes the win for the 50+ field at The Indianapolis Crit bicycle race on Saturday.  Nice ride Dan!!!

I was thinking today on my ride: How cool is the body?  You can totally prepare it for an event, everything can be perfect, you are totally fit, you are 150% mentally prepared, you have all your ducks in a row!  You get my point.  You are PEAKED for your event.  I was peaked for Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky.  It was great!!

But let me tell you, there is the OTHER side of the peak.  That is the mental and physical recovery time necessary after hitting top form.  And, brothers and sisters, I was on the OTHER side this week.  My cycling this week – Monday: off.  Tuesday: attempted a long ride, no go, no juice!  Wednesday: tried another 2 hours, felt like poo!  Thursday and Friday: OFF, I had too!  Saturday: 3 hours and starting to feel a bit better. I went up a hill Saturday where two weeks ago I would have flown up.  Today, I felt okay, but my power was down and my HR was still not hitting the higher numbers it should have on this hill.  In other words, I am still recovering. 

NOTHING wrong with this.  It was my  intention to hit peak form for Nationals.  Here is the cool part – for every action there is a reaction.  My action was peaking, my reaction is the total fatigue and tiredness I have felt all this week.  What does this tell me?  It tells me that I WAS ready for Nationals.  If I would have felt great, or even normal, all this week it would mean that I wasn’t prepared.  I have heard some say you have to train at 100% ALL THE TIME to be good.  That way you are good all the time!  Well, if you do that, how can you find your PEAK???

Eat Well! Sleep Well! Train SMART!!!

Coach O’B

http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2010/08/finding-good-coach.html

Proper coaching includes both seated and standing climbing

I get asked this question A LOT, “Should I stay seated on a climb or should I stand on a climb?”  Well, there is no right or wrong.  There is no rule that says you must stay seated on a climb.  I have had numerous people I coach tell me that they heard, “YOU MUST STAY SEATED ON ALL CLIMBS!  You are faster that way!”  Simply not true.  There are too many variables to determine HOW you climb. 

• What is your intended pace?
• How steep is the climb?
• How long is the climb?
• Does the climb change as it goes upwards?
• How long is the hill?
• What is YOUR individual style?
• Where is the ride/race does the hill happen?  Will fatigue factor in?

All of these determine HOW you climb a hill.  For the hills that we have here in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, or wherever you are training, it is best to change your position as you climb and have the ability to climb using both methods; you should train yourself to be able to do both.  In my coaching, I have my clients do different climbing drills; doing a whole climb in the saddle, doing a whole climb out of the saddle AND mixing it up during the whole climb. 

 There are positves for both.  While climbing in the saddle, you can generate a little more power.  Your pedal stroke is a little smoother and more controlled.  While you are out of the saddle, you can deal with accelerations in the pace or changes in the gradient more easily.  You can also use your body weight to help you push down on the pedals.  Best of all, it allows you to engage different muscles and get a good stretch at the same time. 

Now, you also need to factor in the different hand positions; on the tops of the bars, on the brake hoods or in the drops.  Just like the reasons listed above, your hand position while you are climbing is not set in stone.  A lot to take in, I know.  So much to learn……

Eat Well! Sleep Well! Train SMART!!!

Coach O’B  ‘s with clients!

Coach O’B is based in West Chester, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati.  With Skype, Coach O’B can communicate face-to-face, if you will, with his clients from any remote location that has Skype accessibility.  This way, he can look into your eyes as you are telling him about your training!

Feeling the legs

Such a nice day today in Cincinnati.  Low 80′s, sunny!  Perfect weather for cycling.  I was really looking forward to getting out for a nice casual 3+ hours.  Too bad my body AND my mind were not on the same page.  30 minutes in, my legs felt like dog poop and my HR was super low.  One thing I have learned over the years is to listen to the signs!  Seeing my low HR numbers and feeling my aching legs, I made the mature decision and headed home early.  Yep, I could have stayed out and pushed through it.  But, in the long run, it would have done more harm than good.  Gorgeous weather and all.

 This is something I really try to stress to the people I coach.  Listen to your body!  You just have to know when to say when.  There is nothing wrong with it.

Eat Well!  Sleep Well!  Train SMART!!!

2010 win #9 for the season. Photo by Jeff Jakucyk.

Win #9 for the 2010 season.  One more race to go.  I am ready for some time off of training!

lemon water

Another hot weekend in store….. Put a lemon wedge in your day water bottle.

This will help your body retain crucial vitamins and minerals as you over-hydrate during the day.

One wedge per day should suffice.

Johnathan Freter signs with RGF

I first met Johnathan in 2008 at the Tour of Red River Gorge for juniors. He was riding for a small team out of Columbus, OH.  Straight away I could tell this young kid had determination.  The Turner boys pretty much dominated the race, but Johnathan was in there fighting away.  It was great to see!  In 2009, Team Turner picked Johnathan up and that is when I started working with him.

Now look at him, he’s all growed up and racing for a big team!

Nice work Mr. Freter!  Congrats!

Download Press Release – 10_081210_RGF_Freter Signing_PR

I had a great conversation with a client the other night.  He said, “O’B, I know I can hold awesome wattage in a 10 mile TT.  My average wattage from the PUR Tour was 80-90 watts lower than my TT average.  Why can’t I do the same in a race?”  GREAT question! 

Obviously a TT is a little different than a crit or road race.  In a TT, you are full-on the whole time with very little, if any, coasting.  In a race, you can sit in the wheels, coast, etc.  Depending on the race and how it plays out, your numbers CAN be lower.

My client wanted to know how to apply his TT strength to this race.  Well, he needs to do exactly that, apply those TT skills and strong numbers to the race at the correct time.  30 minute  race, wait until 10 or 15 minutes to go and then attack.  Yep, you could be caught by the group.  But at least you are playing the good cards that you know you have at the right time.  Part of racing is doing the right thing at the right time.  It’s a gamble, true, but at least you are playing!

So, we know what areas he needs to improve.  These are some of the things we cover in training.  As all these different parts come together over time he starts to become a well rounded racer.

Race your strengths.  Train your weakness.

Eat Well! – Sleep Well! – Train SMART!

2010 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Tuesday night and I think I am finally recovered from Nationals and PUR Tour!  Monday my whole body was tired.  Tuesday morning I felt it in my legs.  My 2.5 hour ride today helped to flush them out.  During the ride I felt pretty strong it, was my heart rate that was not going anywhere.  A sure sign of being TIRED still.  Tomorrow I should be ready to go again.

Now for the race wrap-up.  John Gatch and I rode a very smart tandem race.  Lesson learned from 2009.  In ’09, we did a little too much work during the race and paid with our legs in the end.  This year we had a different plan: to sit in more, let others do the work, follow when necessary, but to do NO EXTRA work.  We tried a move with 2 laps to go on the big hill but it went no where; that was Plan A.   Time to put Plan B into action; wait for the final.  That we did.  We knew if we got to the last turn FIRST (from there, 200 meters to the line) we would take it.  We knew we packed a good punch if we both stood up.  All the other tandems attacked a little too early on the final hill, we waited, then launched right before the final turn.  First out of turn, first to the line, National Champions!

The road race was the next day.  I had NO EXPECTATIONS -  I just wanted to finish.  100 riders ranging from the age of 40 to 44!  The biggest group of any age category. Luckily, I had a front row start.  From the gun, we were full gas.  I have no idea how many came un-hitched in the first 2 laps, but I am guessing about 40-50% were gone. I kept myself in the top 20 the whole time.  I sat in the wheels as much as possible only putting my nose in the wind on a few occasions.  It was soooo HARD!  I wanted to quit the race a dozen times!  Finally, with 3 laps to go I KNEW I could make it.  Kept the same tactic, stay in the top 10 now and do NO EXTRA WORK.  I think about 20 of us were together on the final hill to the finish.  Guys were still popping on the last lap.  I really tried to implement the same tactics from the tandem race – first, or maybe second, into turn.  Was NOT happening … Legs were gone.  Finished 10th.  VERY happy with that ride.

All the preperation and training paid off.  I had two great rides at Nationals.

Hats off to John Gatch!  Thanks John!!!!

BIG HUGE thanks to Neal Forbes for helping on Thursday and Cory St.Clair for helping on Friday.  Two good kids!

Now to get fired up for THREE races at the PUR Tour ……….

The long week is finally done.  Thursday,  Tandem Road Nationals – 1st.  Friday, Individual Road Nationals – 10th.  Saturday, three races at PUR Tour, Masters – 1st, Tandem 1st, I/II/III – John Gatch (my tandem partner and teammate) wins, Huntington puts 3 others in top 10 and I got top 15.  I AM SPENT!!!!

This was on Facebook posted by one of my cleints:

Judi Rothenberg to Coach O’B: when i open my schedule, i swear it feels like when i open a present!

Turns out the Turner Juniors had a good showing in Columbus, OH this weekend.  Logan Pitcher, 15, won the 15-18 junior race today!  Nice ride Logan!

Bo Sherman rode an awesome Cat. III/IV race in Ft. Wayne, IN Saturday.  The final came down to a sprint, Bo waited patiently and passed a boat-load of riders in the closing meters to get 4th!  Way to go Bo!!!

Johnathan Freter – Team Turner Jr. – and client of Coach O’B – NAILS it today in Columbus in the Pro. I/II and gets 2nd!!! There were some BIG HITTERS there too! AWESOME JOB Johnathan!!!!

When I have cereal or slow-cooked oatmeal in the mornings, I always add a scoop a protein powder. Good to get a little extra protein early in the day.

This is a little late, but I wanted to share it.  Saturday Pete and I did 5 hours on rolling to hilly roads.  As soon as I hit the door I was thinking about my recovery for the Sunday Ride.  First, drank about 20 oz. of water.  After my shower I had my recovery drink, Endorox R4.  I let that settle in for about 15 minutes.  Next was a nice Whey high-protein shake with skim milk.  Mixing protein powder with milk slows the absorbtion into the system.  After another 15 minutes I made myself an infamous “O’B tofu sandwich” on whole wheat bread.  They are AWESOME, ask anyone that has had one!  That recipe on a future post …… All the while I was taking in water and continued that through the day.

Got caught in the rain on the Sunday Ride.  Chain got nice and nasty.  Learned this one from B. Long at Campus: 1. With good chain cleaner (I have a Park Tool device), clean the chain first with Dawn dish detergent and water.  2. Wipe it down so it is pretty dry.  3. Then use the Park Tool chain cleaning liquid in the cleaning device. 4. Wipe it dry again. 5. Apply Rock ‘n’ Roll lube. DONE  Looks pretty good, right!

Often asked if I drink coffee or not.  I do!  I have 1 cup in the morning and I will have 1 cup in the afternoon if I am training.

You get that little extra kick and caffeine is “said” to dilate your bronchial tubes so you can breath better.

Also just heard on NPR that 4-6 cups a day can actaully be good for you in some respects.

Please be smart about this.  Coffee is not for everyone.

Tuesday did the Cleves TT.  Went well – but not as well as I hoped for.  Wednesday did the Gears for Beers ride on the tandem with John G. Thursday was a long ride with a client.

So this Saturday riding with Pete.  DEFINELTY need some speed work to keep the SNAP in the legs.  Had a lot of slow-motion pedalling this week.

John Gatch and I are getting ready for Tandem Nationals on August 5th.  We have been taking my tandem out on the local Wednesday night Gears for Beers ride.  Last Wednesday was a good, solid, fast ride.  We started with about 25+ in our group.  One of my clients, Dave Savage, was there for the ride.  By the time we rolled back into Loveland, there were only 5 riders with us.  Dave was the last one to come unhitched!

Dave came to me in March looking to get better on the bike.  HE HAS!  Dave has lost over 20 pounds and he can now ride with the fast group and hang.

Very proud of Dave!

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2010/07/power-outputs-from-tour-de-france.html

Since my decision to work with Coach OB, my time on the bike has gained much more focus and purpose.  I had reached a point where I needed someone to tailor my training to enhance my strengths, improve on my weaknesses and to help me to reach both short and long term goals.  He has exceeded all expectations I had.  He works with you to develop a program specific to your needs whatever they may be.

He is EXTREMELY accessible and is willing to discuss any topic that may come to mind.  From training to nutrition to racing tactics, no question is too small to address.  Whatever you are working towards, I would suggest talking with Coach OB.  In a very short time I have seen real and measurable improvements on the bike as a result of his assistance!

Bo Sherman

“Three years ago I started working with OB, he took me from being a kid who liked riding a bike to a bike racer who loved to win. Now I am back working with OB because I know he is the one that can help me reach my full potential as an elite rider.”
Cory St.Clair