What are you capable of doing? Most athletes do not know what the top of their peak performance can be. One of the hardest parts of training is objectively viewing your own performance and determining whether your efforts are adding to a progressive or regressive state. We, as finite beings, are for the most part incapable of training to our personal best without some outside perspective.
Productive training consists of disciplined efforts performed on a razors edge, trying to push beyond our current limitations to achieve what may seem impossible from the outset. We most often find what we are capable of doing by pushing beyond our current limitations to the point of failure. Failure is not a bad thing. Failure shows what our weaknesses are and points us in a direction in the pursuit of improving our performance.
In a recent conversation with one of my clients, he shared that he thought he might be doing too much and was probably not capable of attaining some of our midterm goals. We discussed the workouts he had completed and his overall recovery.
Here are some important questions you can ask yourself to make sure you are not over training: Am I able to do and complete my workouts correctly? Am I recovering on my rest days? Am I staying healthy (not getting sick)?
So objectivity will help us to determine our training progression. Pushing beyond our seeming limitations reveals our true limitations, and failure is just a learning tool.
All of these elements can be more easily attained when consulting with a coach. Crank Cycling coaches will help you to do all of these things. Give us a call! Let's sit down and discuss how we can help you to assess your capabilities.
See you on the road,
Coach Jesse
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, September 10, 2010
Podcast interview with Team Type 1's James Stout
I just recently sat down with one of Crank Cycling's coached athletes, James Stout, for an interview about his 2010 season. We talked about RAAM, Superweek, Belgium, soft boiled eggs and Marmite.
We did a little ride before our interview,
and then poured a home-brew only to find that my microphone wasn't working. However we did some planning for the coming 2011 season and had a great photo shoot in the process. We recorded our interview over Skype phone 2 days later.
Home-brew Pour
Planning for 2011
Soft boiled eggs and vegimite yum!
You can check out the Pod Cast here: http://www.crankcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/James-Stout-Interview.m4a
We did a little ride before our interview,
and then poured a home-brew only to find that my microphone wasn't working. However we did some planning for the coming 2011 season and had a great photo shoot in the process. We recorded our interview over Skype phone 2 days later.
Home-brew Pour
Planning for 2011
Soft boiled eggs and vegimite yum!
You can check out the Pod Cast here: http://www.crankcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/James-Stout-Interview.m4a
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Superweek interview With Bryan Larsen
In some of the hottest weeks of the summer bicycle racers from all across America congregate in Milwaukee Wisconsin for 14 days of racing. This 2 weeks of racing is called superweek. The fields are big and the racing is fast and technical. If you want to pay your dues or earn your racing stripes you go and race superweek. One of the riders I manage on the Ranchos Development Elite Team has gone over to race for one of those two weeks. Below is an interview I did with him about half way through his race week.
Pre Race
Hanging on to wheels
Post Race
Pre Race
Hanging on to wheels
Post Race
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Racing at the top
As the team manager for the Ranchos DET Team I have the opportunity to share in the challenges and successes of cyclists who ride at the top tier of amateur racing. One of the Riders I work with now is Bryan Larsen. He started out the year as a category 2 and has recently gotten his upgrade to category 1. Category 1 is the top of the amateur ranks. Bryan is a full time student and getting his upgrade has taken lots of hard work, focus, and balance. Bryan was recently invited to participate at the Sacramento Gran Prix as part of a Composite Team. Below is a race report of the Sacramento Gran Prix. The Sacramento Gran Prix was a Pro-Am event held the same day the Tour of California finished in Sacramento.
Sacramento Grand Prix write up:
Hometown. Hometown crowds and friends. Same Course as the Tour of California circuit. And Money. What other reason do you need to be motivated, nervous, and excited all at the same time? And I think nervous was an understatement, as I was more nervous before this race than I had been since national championships back in 2008. My nervousness was only amplified by my crash last week at the Long Beach Grand Prix while still in contention for a descent place.
I’ll walk through a couple key points from the race:
50m in: Crash.
1 lap+50m in: crash.
2 laps: crash.
Etc etc etc
No joke, There was a crash at the start. And while receiving a free lap the rider(s) proceeded to take down half the 170 racer group moving at 34mph on the following lap while trying to reintegrate themselves into the pack. They ended up giving about half the pack a free lap and let them start riding prior to the front end of the groups arrival at the pit, which means I went from about 15th place to 85th place in a second.
With about 8 laps to go a two place prime was announced and I wasn’t super far from the front so I decided I might give it a go and just start late and not dig too deep. I did start late and by the time I was starting to sprint Justin Williams was basically crossing the line while I rolled in securely in 2nd. We cruised back into the pack only to see lap cards one lap later. I got real nervous when I saw this for two reasons: 1) I had just done a sprint and only had 6 laps to recover now and 2) MORE CRASHES. Everyone thought they could win the race and were doing stupid things to try and get to the front which in turn only caused more pileups. A break went up the road with about 3 laps to go with Yahoo blocking for their rider in the break. The break was caught and Yahoo decided to do a Bahati style lead out while riding the inside straight before flicking riders to swing wide right before the turns before swinging back to the inside line. Coming on two laps to go, there was MAJOR crash in the last corner. It happened relatively close to the front and I could hear it not too far behind me. The following lap we were coming into those dangerous corners, 3 and 4 and the moto decided to try and neutralize the race but Yahoo and everyone else essentially went around him. There was no way we were being neutralized with 1.25 laps to go. People were still sprawled out on the pavement in corner 4 from the previous lap’s crash. 1 lap to go. And I’m sitting about 20th. WAY TOO FAR BACK! Crash again while a group of riders were pinched through a corner. Next corner: CRASH! Everyone wanted what only one person can have and that was a win at the Sacramento Grand Prix. I found myself flying into the last corner under Justin with a little heads up on my part he didn’t pinch me and as a result I let him role by me immediately following the turn. 500M to go. I’m 7th-ish wheel and glued to Justin Williams’ wheel. Yahoo was still at the front driving as hard as they could and I was out of the saddle almost immediately and before I knew it I was pinched by a Yahoo guy and forced me into the wind to the left of the rest of the leadout train which happened to be right when Justin jumped forcing me to lose out on that valuable accelerating draft. I had to push my own wind and continued to do so. I crossed the line 4th within ¼ of a wheels length from 3rd. I’m glad I stayed upright, in fact if you had asked me 5 laps into the race how I’d finish I would have said I was going to go down. Another note: I think I heard there were 5 or so crashes in the last 3 laps!
It was a neat experience racing on the same course as Cavendish would be winning later in the day as well as standing on the same podium step looking out with your hands up. Maybe one day a few years from now . . . well, it never hurts to dream ;)
Bryan is on the far right and Justin is looking back at him
Bryan is on the far right again
At the rate Bryan is going he will be in the professional ranks soon. Good job Bryan keep it up!
Cheer
Coach Jesse
Sacramento Grand Prix write up:
Hometown. Hometown crowds and friends. Same Course as the Tour of California circuit. And Money. What other reason do you need to be motivated, nervous, and excited all at the same time? And I think nervous was an understatement, as I was more nervous before this race than I had been since national championships back in 2008. My nervousness was only amplified by my crash last week at the Long Beach Grand Prix while still in contention for a descent place.
I’ll walk through a couple key points from the race:
50m in: Crash.
1 lap+50m in: crash.
2 laps: crash.
Etc etc etc
No joke, There was a crash at the start. And while receiving a free lap the rider(s) proceeded to take down half the 170 racer group moving at 34mph on the following lap while trying to reintegrate themselves into the pack. They ended up giving about half the pack a free lap and let them start riding prior to the front end of the groups arrival at the pit, which means I went from about 15th place to 85th place in a second.
With about 8 laps to go a two place prime was announced and I wasn’t super far from the front so I decided I might give it a go and just start late and not dig too deep. I did start late and by the time I was starting to sprint Justin Williams was basically crossing the line while I rolled in securely in 2nd. We cruised back into the pack only to see lap cards one lap later. I got real nervous when I saw this for two reasons: 1) I had just done a sprint and only had 6 laps to recover now and 2) MORE CRASHES. Everyone thought they could win the race and were doing stupid things to try and get to the front which in turn only caused more pileups. A break went up the road with about 3 laps to go with Yahoo blocking for their rider in the break. The break was caught and Yahoo decided to do a Bahati style lead out while riding the inside straight before flicking riders to swing wide right before the turns before swinging back to the inside line. Coming on two laps to go, there was MAJOR crash in the last corner. It happened relatively close to the front and I could hear it not too far behind me. The following lap we were coming into those dangerous corners, 3 and 4 and the moto decided to try and neutralize the race but Yahoo and everyone else essentially went around him. There was no way we were being neutralized with 1.25 laps to go. People were still sprawled out on the pavement in corner 4 from the previous lap’s crash. 1 lap to go. And I’m sitting about 20th. WAY TOO FAR BACK! Crash again while a group of riders were pinched through a corner. Next corner: CRASH! Everyone wanted what only one person can have and that was a win at the Sacramento Grand Prix. I found myself flying into the last corner under Justin with a little heads up on my part he didn’t pinch me and as a result I let him role by me immediately following the turn. 500M to go. I’m 7th-ish wheel and glued to Justin Williams’ wheel. Yahoo was still at the front driving as hard as they could and I was out of the saddle almost immediately and before I knew it I was pinched by a Yahoo guy and forced me into the wind to the left of the rest of the leadout train which happened to be right when Justin jumped forcing me to lose out on that valuable accelerating draft. I had to push my own wind and continued to do so. I crossed the line 4th within ¼ of a wheels length from 3rd. I’m glad I stayed upright, in fact if you had asked me 5 laps into the race how I’d finish I would have said I was going to go down. Another note: I think I heard there were 5 or so crashes in the last 3 laps!
It was a neat experience racing on the same course as Cavendish would be winning later in the day as well as standing on the same podium step looking out with your hands up. Maybe one day a few years from now . . . well, it never hurts to dream ;)
Bryan is on the far right and Justin is looking back at him
Bryan is on the far right again
At the rate Bryan is going he will be in the professional ranks soon. Good job Bryan keep it up!
Cheer
Coach Jesse
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
It's time for Speed
June and July are the peak months for most racing seasons throughout the US. Most championship races are held in these months, including Junior, under 23, elite senior, and masters nationals. Some state championships also take place at this time of year. This means peaking, tapering, and speed leading into these months are key. All of these are accomplished by lessening time and duration in your workouts, while increasing intensity and effort.
These changes in your workout can be as simple as removing a long ride and adding more sprints, or by pacing with a motor and incrementally increasing the speed until your peak.
An important component to these efforts is having rest days so your legs recover, as well as phasing in new exercises gradually so as not to incur injury.
One of the efforts I have my athletes do are 30 second speed intervals. These 30-second bursts are followed by a 2-5 minute rest and repeated.
Efforts in races at the height of the season are usually shorter and repeated often. By this time in the season, most riders are fit from training and racing and want to show off that fitness by attacking over and over again.
Riding in this aggressive manner splits the race fields in half, thins out the weaker riders, and helps us drop our friends on the Saturday club ride.
If you need help designing a training program that can increase your speed, we at Crank Cycling can help you. Shoot us an email. Let’s see what we can accomplish together.
Cheers,
Coach Jesse
These changes in your workout can be as simple as removing a long ride and adding more sprints, or by pacing with a motor and incrementally increasing the speed until your peak.
An important component to these efforts is having rest days so your legs recover, as well as phasing in new exercises gradually so as not to incur injury.
One of the efforts I have my athletes do are 30 second speed intervals. These 30-second bursts are followed by a 2-5 minute rest and repeated.
Efforts in races at the height of the season are usually shorter and repeated often. By this time in the season, most riders are fit from training and racing and want to show off that fitness by attacking over and over again.
Riding in this aggressive manner splits the race fields in half, thins out the weaker riders, and helps us drop our friends on the Saturday club ride.
If you need help designing a training program that can increase your speed, we at Crank Cycling can help you. Shoot us an email. Let’s see what we can accomplish together.
Cheers,
Coach Jesse
Saturday, May 29, 2010
1st Annual Blue Trolley Criterium July 3rd
Come join us for the first annual Blue Trolley Criterium. It should be a great day of racing.
You can register at: http://www.socalreg.com/
You can register at: http://www.socalreg.com/
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Teaching at the San Diego Velodrome
I have an affinity for cycling. I started riding when I was 19 and was hooked on speed, long miles, cornering, and the freedom of escaping up a mountain on my bike. It is an amazing feeling to tip your bike over in a corner, leaning in to the asphalt. Pushing the pace, pushing the speed, every corner a little faster, a little further. Cycling has helped me to focus my mind at important times in my life. It has been a reprieve from stress and a confidence booster. Cycling even brings me joy and exhilaration.
It is an amazing feeling to help other riders, young and old, to find that same joy and focus in cycling. I have been an instructor as part of the adult program at the San Diego Velodrome for 3 years now. I have recently started teaching the junior track program for the velodrome. It is amazing to see the small faces accomplish new skills and feel rewarded by their efforts. I am happy to encourage new and young riders to join the ranks of cyclists who are seeking a challenge and pushing themselves towards excellence. If you want to learn more about the programs that the San Diego Velodrome offers for adults or children www.sdvelodrome.com
Cheers
Coach Jesse
It is an amazing feeling to help other riders, young and old, to find that same joy and focus in cycling. I have been an instructor as part of the adult program at the San Diego Velodrome for 3 years now. I have recently started teaching the junior track program for the velodrome. It is amazing to see the small faces accomplish new skills and feel rewarded by their efforts. I am happy to encourage new and young riders to join the ranks of cyclists who are seeking a challenge and pushing themselves towards excellence. If you want to learn more about the programs that the San Diego Velodrome offers for adults or children www.sdvelodrome.com
Cheers
Coach Jesse
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