The alarm clock went off at 4:45 am this morning and for once I had no trouble getting out of bed. I think the adrenaline had been pumping all night in anticipation of the start of stage 1. I headed down to breakfast at 5:15 am and meet a few more riders at the breakfast table. Then it was back to the room to get ready.
At 6:15 am I joined the rest of the team at the team bus to pickup water bottles and pump up my tires. Everything was dialed in and the team was there to look after us and wish us luck. At 6:50 am we rolled to the start line with 200 hundred of our newest friends, ready for the start of stage 1.
At 7 am the neutral roll out started with a police escort through Boulder. It was a chance to settle in and get ready for the stage ahead. For those of you that are not familiar with the event it is not a point to point race. Each stage has a number of timed sections and the GC (general classification) is taken based on the time sections alone. This means that after the timed sections you are able to stop to re-fuel at the feed stations before riding to the next timed segment.
Stage 1 timed sections:
1: Lefthand Canyon climb starting at mile 8.2 and 3134 ft.
2: Timed decent starting at mile 23.3
3: Dirt road timed section starting at mile 50.5
With the overall profile for the day looking like the following:
At the start of the climb the group exploded and I settled into a tempo whilst watching both my heart rate and power, both of which I had no reference for due to the change in altitude. My goal being to rely on perceived effort in relation to the numbers. I tapped out a steady tempo and started to work my way back up the field. I caught and pasted the bulk of the team and continued on. I could see the next group ahead and slowly rode up to them. with about 14K to go (I had to switch to metric so I could use the race queue sticker provided) I caught the group and tagged on. The grade was not steep enough to negate drafting and I was beginning to tire although I still felt good so I worked with the group. I kicked with 4K to go and that was a mistake, I was not able to maintain the same level of power and the group came back and passed me as I worked to get out of the red zone.
Just after the timed section was the feed station and we pulled over to take on more water and food. I did not know it then but I had also failed to take on enough fluid during the climb. I would discover that mistake in time section 3. As a team we rolled out to start the decent with Phil and Dan leading the charge. We tore down the hill as a group. I had not anticipated the small little incline before the end of the section and lost a little time. From there it was on to the next feed station to prepare for the final dirt road flat timed section.
This is where my earlier mistake kicked in, I could feel my legs beginning to cramp. It was not the best feeling in the world but I was able to sit in with the group as we raced across the hard pack dirt. Right an the end two of the team came by and I jumped on for a perfect lead out to the final line of the day. From there we rolled into the last feed station then rode out the last 12k of the day back to the hotel.
Whilst out on the course Sarah was tracking me remotely via the Haute Route site and I received text's om my Garmin informing me of my age group position. I was very happy with the results for the day, 5th in my age group and 22nd overall.
Once back at the hotel the order was lunch, nap, massage. Thank the stars for Tina the Team Type 1 masseuse looking after me. She put me back together ready for action tomorrow.
After a short nap we headed over to the rider briefing for tomorrow. Both the stage and the weather look tough for tomorrow so after dinner at the hotel it is time to rest and recover for Stage 2.
If you are enjoying these posts please think about a small donation to Team Type 1, the official charity partner for the Haute Route by visiting my fundraising page, no amount is too small.
Hitting the deck hurts and invariably results in road rash, and to add insult to injury shredded clothing. That insult is magnified when you are wearing your new kit. I am sure you know what I am talking about.
When I purchased my shorts from Rapha, I saw that a repair service was available but I have to be honest I did not think much about it until reviewing the state of my new Rapha shorts a few days after crashing in California. I had literally worn them twice and here they were with holes in them.
When I got home I decided to try Rapha's repair service and I have to say I am a happy customer. Apart from the cost of shipping them to Rapha the service is free. Sending them was easy. From there it went dark, I was not sure if they had even arrived so I called Rapha.
Calling Rapha is never the experience I expect from a premium brand but it always works out. I would like to see Rapha invest in their customer service training in the same way they have invested in their packaging experience.
I finally got put through to the guy who manages repairs and he was really helpful. He confirmed they had arrived and that they would be sent to me shortly (no pun intended).
He was not kidding, two days later they arrived in the post. One of my favorite things about Rapha is the attention they place on packaging. It just feels special opening the packets and the repair was no exception. It came in its own accident repair musette, a really nice touch. The patching is well done and best of all I get my shorts back.
While it is not a service I want to make much use of, it is comforting to know that Rapha understands the impact of crashing and is there to support its customers by making the experience easy. Thank you Rapha.
Until next time keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut.
A word on a seriously important subject, ok the title gave it away but I am sure you will agree that good shorts can make or break a ride. Well that is what all the manufacturers will have you believe and having spent multiple 7 hour days in the saddle I wanted to share my totally unscientific finding with you.
First and foremost I am a big believer in how the kit we buy makes us feel. We will justify and adjust to almost anything if it makes us feel good. That at the end of the day is what branding is all about. We identify with what the product stands for, represents or symbolizes and in doing so we feel great about ourselves through a mix of internalizing the feeling and lets be honest sending a message to others.
So what has this got to do with shorts I hear you say. Well until this year I had not really thought much about the quality of shorts. To be honest I still have shorts that I use on my trainer that are 10+ years old and they work just great. No the padding has not worn out and no I don't get sore and yes they get washed after every ride.
The only real consideration I had was to make sure the padding felt good and that I liked the design. As a result many of my shorts turned out to be made by Champion Systems. Not because I chose the brand but because the kit was manufactured by them.
Then I discovered the dark secrets of high end quality shorts, or did I just get sucked into the marketing hype. As I prepared for my Tour of California adventure it seemed reasonable and logical that high end shorts would make my time in the saddle more comfortable. The decision was helped after a long weekend training ride when I noticed that after 5 hours my Champion System shorts were certainly less comfortable. Yes, my bum ached.
With so much invested in my trip I was not going to cut corners with my choice of clothing. I went on the hunt for the best shorts on the market. It was then that I was introduced to Assos shorts. To give you some idea of my cycling fashion awareness, I had no idea of the elite status of Assos. Sure I knew it was a well known brand but that was it. The next shock was how much Assos clothing cost. The people I talked to and the articles I read all told me that Assos bib shorts where the best in the World and the "crème de la crème" was the T.Championissimo_S7. They certainly had the best price tag.
I am going to humbly admit that I am just as susceptible to branding as anyone, ok I might be more susceptible than most and yes I like wearing high quality kit that others admire. There I said it, I know it is vain but no point beating around the bush. The elitism of Assos spoke directly to my ego and whilst my back was turned, my brain and ego got together to justify the need to own the shorts despite a tiny suppressed voice deep in my conscious yelling "what the hell are you thinking", needless to say I ignored it and helped by an unexpected but welcome discount I was the proud owner of a pair of T-Championissimo_S7 bib shorts.
So what did I think of them? Well they are comfortable and I like the low cut front when it comes to quick pee breaks. I would love to say I had an "aaaahhhh" moment when I put them on, or when riding but I simple did not. Don't get me wrong they are comfortable I just did not experience the wow factor everyone talked about. One thing I do not like is the light color of the pad, lets face it with race nerves and chamy cream, well lets just say shorts need washing after every use.
Despite what you have just read after a number of comfortable rides and the need for three pairs of shorts for my trip I rationalized that having the same shorts would be the best idea so I resolved to acquire two more pairs. Fate however had other ideas. At the last minute my order for two pairs went south and I was left hanging. Despite the cost it seemed that demand was high and I could not find anyone who had availability before my trip.
What to do? Well I could go with another brand, but which one. I would love to say at this point that I have experience with all brands. That would be cool but not true. The only other brand I had experience with was Rapha. Rapha is a premium brand from the UK and one that I have mixed emotions about. I am a big fan of their designs and when they fit I have been extremely happy with them, however the sizing is somewhat hit and miss. The good news is that they have an excellent return policy which makes purchasing different sizes easy to do if you don't mind going through the hassle of returning the ones that don't fit. In general the quality is great but I can't say it is hands down better than any other brand I have owned. It does however feel special to me and I am unashamedly bought into that feeling whilst knowing I am sometimes paying a premium of the design, the name and the feeling I get wearing them.
So with nowhere else to go for shorts and not wanting to try the unknown I opted for Rapha. I selected both lightweight and brevet bib shorts. The good news was that they were half the price of the Assos shorts but would that show up in quality and ride comfort. Well time would tell.
They arrived on time and true to form the sizing was all over the place. The Brevet shorts were too big but luckily the Lightweight shorts fitted. I am going to have to say putting them on felt good and I really liked the design much more than the Assos shorts. The fabric of the Brevet shorts felt really soft and comfortable but alas I would not be able to return them in time for the trip.
So armed with my one pair of Assos T-Championissimo_s7 and two pairs of Rapha Lightweight bib shorts I headed out to put them through the paces over 8 days and 740 miles. So what was the verdict? I really could not tell any difference between the Rapha and Assos shorts and whilst I would love to say there was something about the Assos shorts that warrants double the price. For my undercarriage the value just was not there. The one thing they have going for them is the statement that you are wearing the most expensive and exclusive shorts on the market. If that floats your boat then they could be for you.
As a result of my totally unscientific experiment I discovered that for rides around 3-4 hours Champion System bibs are just fine. For longer rides both the Assos and Rapha shorts performed equally well while I did notice increased discomfort with the Champion System shorts.
May you always ride in comfort and until next time keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut
I thought I would share my thoughts and experience with different depths of wheel rims. Specifically the effect of cross winds on deep section wheels. First I have to say aesthetically I really like the look of deep section rims and was lucky enough to purchase my road bike with Enve 3,4s which many sight as the best combination for cross wind stability. I will be the first to admit I did not even think or consider cross winds when I saw the wheels, I just thought, they are cool and I still think they are cool.
For the first year of use I really did not know what all the fuss was about cross winds, sure I got subtle bumps on local rides but I put that down to my aero frame rather than the wheels. I now realize I had it wrong. It was not until my first decent of Mt Lemon in Tucson that I got to understand the true effect of cross winds. At 35mph I could feel the wind knocking me around and the faster I went the more dramatic the effect. As I leaned into a corner it was like an invisible force snatching at my bike forcing me to focus on keeping upright as much as taking the right line. Again I placed most of the blame on my aero frame although the effect on the steering suggested wheels, I was still leaning towards the aero forks.
Well as you might of read in my Tour of California blog, at the last minute my rear wheel went bad and I was forced to switch to standard rim wheels, in this case Campagnolo Urus wheels. At first I was frustrated but I soon came to appreciate the switch especially during the long descents in windy conditions. I was forced to face the fact that 90% or more of my issues in the past was due to my wheels. I was simply blown away or rather not blown anywhere. I watched riders in front of me fighting to control their bikes whilst all I had to do was concentrate on taking the fastest line. So it's not my frame I was forced to conclude.
The most dramatic experience I had was the super fast decent off the top of Lake Tahoe. In front of me was a coach and I watched the wind literally knock him all over the road. I was being knocked about but in nowhere near the same manner. Just watching him was scary and at the bottom he turned around to wait for the rider behind as he was so concerned about the wind.
I still love my Enve 3,4's and BikeRadar has a good review of them if you are interested in learning more. I for one have a new appreciation for the effect of deep section rims. From now on I will be more conscious of my choice of wheels for specific rides and conditions and if forced to make a choice of one set of wheels I would go for a standard rim over a deep section one in the future.
I really enjoyed and my Campagnolo wheelset that is for sure. I hope you found this helpful.
Until next time keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut
Training objective for the day, 3 hours of technical riding. I should have just stayed in bed, well ok, I did stay in bed too long, and that for a late start. Prepping for the ride I dropped the tire pressure after remounting the tires (tubeless) the night before. Happy with the tire pressure I got changed and ready to roll.
When I returned to the bike I was horrified to find my front wheel was flat. I think my exact words were "you've got to be kidding me". Not to be beaten I switched out the valve, as the most likely suspect, reseated the tire and pumped it up. After leaving it for a bit I felt confident it would hold up.
I hit the trail and quickly figured out I was over dressed. It might have been cold and wet but not that cold so before long I was wet from both the outside in and the inside out. Resigning myself to the situation I got down to the business of riding, after all I had 3 hours of skills riding to complete.
About an hour and a half into the ride, my rear tire rolled leaving me with a flat. I hate it when tubeless tires flat as you then have the sealant to deal with. My approach this time was to slightly inflate the tube and just pop it in with the sealant. No mess and a quick change, just not quick enough to stop me cooling off. Still these things happen and I was back up and running. Before long I was warm again and getting back in the grove when the rear end jammed up.
Stopping I found the rear derailleur had snapped in half. Not something that happens that often but you can imagine I was not best pleased about the situation. Not only did the derailleur snap, the broken half ran up into the wheel, taking out a spoke and putting a ding in the frames drop out. Oh yeah and it had started to rain again.
I found myself with two options, walk out or try to rig something up. Well I had my camera and I really did not want to walk out in the rain, so I decided to turn the bike into a single speed and record the situation live. Yup, no staged or planned recording, just raw as it happened footage, wrinkles and all. I hope you find it useful.
In the end I managed to get in 1 hour 50 minutes of the planned 3 hours.
Remember to keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut
I don't know about you but indoor training has never been my favorite training tool. It is however a necessary evil when the weather is less than ideal, and for those dark winter evenings.
During my recovery earlier in the year and then using the trainer between cross races I was finding my enthusiasm to ride indoors waning. With specific training profiles from my coach I could not use Sufferfest videos and whilst I could build the profiles I needed in trainerroads, I have to be honest I was beginning to view them as a grind.
I had heard of Zwift from a friend who espoused its virtues and ultimately pursaded me to try it out. My first try, was, shall we say, less than successful and I could not see what all the fuss was about. I gave up as messing with technology was not what I needed at that point in time. Needless to say we had further conversations and I was pursaded to try again. This time it worked out and I was starting to get an idea of the platform when I ran my free trial out.
It almost ended there, but I am not someone who gives up easily, and I had enjoyed it just enough, so I decided to get a subscription and really try it out. After all I reckoned I would be spending more time on the trainer over the winter and anything that could improve the experience was worth a try. Plus I would have a good response for my friend when he bugged me about it.
Riding natively, I was surprised at how engaging it was and I have to say using it with the Wahoo KickR was seamless. The change in terrain and the fact that you are riding with real people really takes it to the next level. My friend and I arranged to ride together online. Crazy as he lives a few doors away but this is the age of technology. It was fun, if a little odd as you have no way to gauge speed as you approach each other, resulting in us leap frogging each other util we could settle into a power rhythm. We setup skype to communicate as I don't know about you but typing whilst putting in an effort, is well, hard. I did try out the mobile app and a couple of messages but it is not something I would do whilst training. Oh and listening to your mate grunt and grown on Skype was a little perturbing and strangely satisfying.
When they added custom workouts I got excited. Could it be a replacement for trainerroads? Well I found the builder to be basic and it took me far longer to setup a under/over program than it does in trainerroads, maybe as they develop it will get better but for now not as good. The other challenge is that I do not always want the power to be dictated to me in ERG mode but rather have a profile that provides a target.
So I when this week I transitioned back to sustained under / over efforts I got to thinking could I use Zwift and could it improve my planned training session in the same way it does when I Just free ride. To be successful, I would need to run Zwift and Trainerroads concurrently and have Trainerroads control the KickR in Standad mode so I could dictate the power. Long story short I got it all working and it totally improved my training experience.
During warm up I was able to watch riders pass me or ride with me, then as I approached my first steady state under/over I zoomed away and then picked up other riders. During the rest sections I would get dropped and then have the chance to chase as I entered my second steady state. What is normally a watch the graph effort became so much more about the riding and it helped me push myself without realizing it at times. Hmm that might be a minor negative and require a little more self control on my part.
Today I was picked up by a group ride of maybe 30 riders and that was a whole new experience. Then I rode with the same rider for 10 minutes during which time we pushed each other just like you would on the road. It was strange seeing the name but not connecting, and all whilst operating within the parameters of my personal trainerroads profile. I still have lots to learn about the program such as what the car symbol means and why a thumbs up appears. There are still many things that could be improved and simply work better, but I for one am hooked for now and will continue to explore the capabilities in my quest to continually improve the indoor training experience.
Equipment
- Laptop with Ant+ USB adapter running Zwift
- IPad using Bluetooth running Trainerroads
- Wahoo KickR in Standard Mode controlled by Trainerroads
- Wahoo TickR Hear Rate Monitor
- Garmin 810 as a head unit
- Garmin Cadence (Ant+)
"The Spirit of the Challenge for me was connecting with the shear enjoyment of riding. Taking the roads less travelled and hang the weather. With the right equipment and motivation it is amazing what you can see and achieve"
I hope you enjoy my story and are inspired to get out and feel the wind on your face. I have shared my thoughts on the kit I used below (Rapha, Castelli and Endura).
- Enjoy:
A week before Christmas I came across the Rapha Festive 500 Challenge. Now firstly I have to admit to being a bit of a fan for Rapha kit as you might gather from the pictures and video. Simply put I like the quality, fit and how it makes me feel. So seeing Rapha and Challenge together prompted me to investigate further.
That evening I was not into figuring things out and when it was not completely obvious what the deal was other than something to do with 500KM between Christmas and the New Year, I moved on. I don't know why but the idea of riding 500KM over the holiday period stuck with me. Deciding to find out more I learnt that it was a Strava Challenge and that the finishers could claim a Rapha roundel.
It seemed a worthy challenge and if I could complete it I would beat my own personal best for distance over consecutive days. The fact that Rapha offered a roundel also seemed kind of cool making the challenge a little more special. I decided to speak to my coach. He thought it was a great idea. He told me he had completed the challenge for the last couple of years and would be doing it again this year. He then did what coach's do best, he inspired me (thank yo Jim). That was all I needed, with my coach's blessing and my wife Sarah's support it was game on.
Now I had to strategize on my game plan and think about what the challenge meant to me. Having finished the Cyclocross race season I was in need of reconnecting with the simple pleasure of riding. After talking more with Jim I landed on a plan. I wanted to use the time to ride roads and trails I don't normally ride and where I could carry a higher average speed allowing me to balance my time on the bike with time with my family.
With the plan in place I prepared for my first ride with the aim of banking some miles early should I not be able to ride a day or something came up.
Excited to get going and also wanting to spend time with Sarah I was up at the crazy time of 5am on Christmas Eve with the goal of being home before lunch. After racing in a skin suit and spending time on the indoor trainer putting on my new winter gear felt cumbersome but I soon appreciated it. It was surreal riding in the dark and driving rain as I headed out for a ride to Fremont (Seattle) on the Burke Gilman Trail. During the summer the trail is packed with walkers, runners, bikers and well you get the picture. At 6am on a cold, wet Christmas Eve I had the trail to myself and as it went from pitch dark to dawn I was having a blast taking in scenery, lights and wide open trail and the rain just added to the experience. Around 8am the rain stopped and I was approaching the Fremont Bridge, my turnaround point in the ride.
It was at that point mother nature decided to mess with me. There is no easy way to say it other than to say it, so yup I needed to go, and I mean I needed to GO and not just a pee. A sudden cramp, announced the fact that it was now an urgent need. Now at 8am there was not an abundance of choices and even if there where I am not sure I would have wanted to use them. But any port in a storm right, well there was no ports and the urgency was growing along with a spark of panic. I had no option but to push on. A short while later I reached the end of the trail and saw bikes leaning up against a shop window. Could it be? was it possible? I rushed to the window, with backs turned inside I banged on the window. When the rider turned around I was amazed to be looking at one of the riders I raced with. I was saved. Now if you have ever been in a similar position you can imagine the wave of relief that washed over me. Business taken care of I was then ready to face the ride home.
A chance meeting and lets face it rescue I joined them as they headed out on the start of a morning ride. It turned out that our paths would cross for a few miles and it was great to have the company. After we parted company the final miles rolled by and I decided to take the long way home which was almost a mistake as about 15 miles from home I started to run out of steam. With wobbly legs I made it home to be greeted by Sarah with a bucket of water and a sponge ready to clean my bike down. My wife is awesome as I could not have cleaned the bike if I had tried but I did not have to worry, she took care of it all whilst I collapsed after the ride.
Christmas morning I headed out bright and early. The ride started dry but that did not last long, in fact it lasted about 15 minutes and then the heavens opened. I was surprised at how good I felt after the previous days ride and for my second day I decided to explore the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. It was fun to add a gravel trail to the route and I explored a part of the trail I had never ridden before. Towards the end of the planned ride I still had some gas in the tank that allowed me to add some additional miles before heading home.
Boxing Day, I know it is not observed in the US but hey it's our roots. With a prior engagement to teach Foundation Training I did not have much time so I planned an early start and got in the distance arriving at the studio in time to teach my classes. Still feeling good.
December 27th, I hooked up with a friend. The weather was dry for the first half of the ride and it was great to ride with someone. After a stop at Snoqualmie Falls to take in the sight he peeled off at the halfway point and I pressed on alone taking in a mix of gravel and road. Rain was forecasted and sure enough the weather went from dry and cold to cold, wet and windy. After fighting a driving head wind containing rain and sleet I was happy when it came time to head home satisfied with overcoming the conditions.
December 28th, with a break in the weather Sarah offered to try out her new electric bike and ride with me along the Burke Gilman trail. We met up at Marymoor Park and headed out. It was great to be riding with her and the electric bike allowed her to ride at my pace. What could be better, I was able to get in the distance and spend time with my wife. The battery life was not as good as we had hoped but we made it back clocking the miles I needed.
December 29th, with only 30ish miles left I headed out to finish up the challenge 2 days early, with an evening ride. It was a good feeling and checking in with my body I was happy with how I was holding up. On my final day of the challenge I was treated to a wonderful sunset over the lake. Arriving home I was proud of the achievement and looking forward to putting together the video diary.
Equipment Used
Rapha
Pro Team Soft Shell Jacket
Pro Team Winter Tights with Pad
Brevet Gilet
Pro Team Soft Shell base layer
Merino Socks
Long Sleeve Pro Team Jersey
Team Sky Lightweight Snood
Team Sky Brevet Gilet
Winter Base Layer
Winter Hat Black
Deep Winter Socks
Winter Gloves
Merino Liners
I discovered Rapha this year and was impressed with the designs. Dipping my toe I purchased a top and was hooked. It quickly became my new favorite equipment. During the summer I purchased the Pro Team Soft Shell Jacket and Winter Tights with Pad ready for the winter. They both work wonderfully. They have kept me warm and dry without compromising movement and they look great. Christmas this year was a Rapha Christmas and I was very excited to try out my new kit on the challenge. There is not a bit of kit I am unhappy with. Worthy of a special mention are the deep winter socks and winter gloves and the merino liners are well plush. On the flip side, I am not sure if I should have gone large on the jacket despite the sizing guidelines, it fits great but might be a bit tight which makes accessing the pockets a challenge. The Pro Team Soft Shell base layer works great but seems a little short in length, that could be by design and I plan to call Rapha to find out. As for the Tights whilst they are hands down the best I have worn they do seem a little drafty around the nether region. I have ordered a second pair to allow me to rotate them and also to compare the fit.
Castelli
Rosso Corsa Gabba Jacket
I have nothing but good things to say about the jacket. It is light, comfortable, warm and keeps me dry, oh and I like the look of it. It is a lighter jacket than the Rapha Pro Team Soft Shell but works well and is a good addition to my wardrobe. Since I purchased the jacket at a store I was able to try different sizes and ended up purchasing a size up.
Endura
Commuter Rain Pants
Winter Gloves
I purchased the rain pants for cyclocross race warm up. On Christmas Eve it was raining so hard that I decided to use as them as the last thing I wanted was to be soaked and cold. I was concerned that they would be uncomfortable and fail to breath causing me to overheat. I was pleasantly surprised as I was able to ride 82 miles in them without feeling overly constricted or overheating.
The winter gloves performed adequately, I was pleased with the warmth but I found my hands getting wet quickly. The addition of the Rapha Winter Gloves was a significant upgrade and replaced the Endura's. They are not bad and are now my backup gloves but they are nowhere near as good as the Rapha's especially with the merino liners which are just simply the most comfortable liners I have owned.
Ever since my first road bike I have used Shimano equipment and have always been happy with it and still use it. It was not until I started looking for a new cyclocross bike in 2014 that I got curious about SRAM. I could tell you it was solely for technical or performance reasons and whilst that was a consideration I also think it just looks cool.
Was it love after the first ride? nope, in fact truth be told it took me a few road rides to get used to the mechanics. Especially switching between Di2 and SRAM Red. It was not long however before I started to like the positive feel. Once the racing started I really appreciated the shifting. It was an appreciation that grew throughout the race season.
I really like the fact that changing up and down is achieved with one lever and in one direction. This might seem a small thing but trust me when you are riding at threshold the less you have to think about the better a truism especially relevant to Cyclo Cross racing.
The distinction hit home the first time I had to switch to my "Pit" bike equipped with Shimano shifters. Normally I have no problem switching between the different shifters however in the height of competition the switch was nothing less than frustrating. I found myself dropping gears and in a cross race a dropped gear can be the difference between staying in contact or not. The switch lead to a very sketchy moment during a technical decent and as a result of the whole experience I stripped my pit bike and fitted it with SRAM Force CX1 which I will talk about in a future gear review.
The SRAM Red Double tap shifting is smooth and quick and I personally really like the positive feel of the shifting. Talking with others this can be subject to personal taste so be sure to try it out for yourself and give it a few rides before you make a decision.
The yaw front derailleur is elegant and does its job well. It is not all good news however. Whilst the shifting works flawlessly the shift lever has a long throw. When racing I found that I could not shift quickly, I had to think about shifting far to much and found that it regularly took me multiple attempts to shift. In addition to the long throw the shifting was nowhere near as positive. Fortunately I did not have to use the front changer that much but every time I did the experience was the same. On the road when there is more time it is less of an issue but off road on a rough twisting course the problem was polarized. For me this is were CX1 really comes into its own.
The levers can take a good amount of punishment which is a key ingredient for cyclocross as you will crash. I got all the way through the season but the last race was one too many. I crashed and broke one of the levers. The downside of performance equipment is the strength to weight tradeoff and of course the cost of replacement. That said I did not think twice about replacing the lever with the same model.
To complete the drive train the SRAM Red Shifters are paired with SRAM Red front and rear derailleurs with a front derailleur chain guard and a SRAM Quarq crank set (Power Meter). All of the equipment performed very well week after week.
I went down hard a number of times during the season and the rear derailleur took all the punishment without failing. Now the frame may have to take a little credit as the rear hanger bent which from a cost standpoint is a much better option than taking out the derailleur.
Adjusting the front yaw derailleur took a little time. After a chain ring change I got the bike back with cross talk which can be common when the chain is on the big cog at the front and back. This is not a situation you want on a cross bike as you spend a lot of time in those gears so take the time to adjust it correctly or find someone who can.
The front derailleur chain guard for the most part was excellent except for when the bolt securing it comes lose which is did regularly. I had to check it before each race. When it comes lose it is worst than not having one as it allows the chain to slip down behind it effectively trapping the chain. This happened to me on the last race of the season costing me over a minute. For next year I will be looking for a new option.
The SRAM Quarq has been a robust and reliable device since installation providing power data. I have not had to think about it as it has just worked. I was initially concerned that cyclo cross racing would be too hard on the device but that has thankfully not been the case.
Bottom line I really enjoy the equipment. If I would change anything it would be to move to a x1 system but other than that I highly recommend the equipment.
Now that the cross season is over in the Pacific North West I thought I would take some time to share with you the equipment I used. The good, the bad and the in between.
First up is my Bike: 2013 BH RX Team.
I brought the bike in early 2014 in eager anticipation of the race season that year. After much time (ok too much time) reading and researching I had landed on three options; the Specialized Crux, Trek Boone and Pivot Vault. All great bikes but it was not until I got to test ride the Pivot Vault at the local mountain bike park that I knew it was the one I wanted. I could tell you all about the ride and the equipment but at the end of the day it is all about how you feel on a bike and the Pivot Vault inspired me with confidence. The only downside was the look. It just did not wow me and that is another very important part of a bike. It has to make you feel good when you look at it, and the Pivot did not. Neither did the others if I am honest.
With a little more research it turned out that Pivot Vault in 2014 was effectively the same as the 2013 BH RX Team and the BH looked fast standing still. I was told that Pivot had designed the BH but the companies had parted ways. So the hunt was on for a BH. Do you think I could find one - nope, and I looked everywhere (including under the cushions of the sofa, you know that's where everything ends up).
I had given up and decided to order the 2014 Pivot Vault going with performance over looks. So resigned to the purchase I went into the bike store and was just about to place the order when the store partner said "if you are looking for a Pivot Vault I am selling my cross bike and it is the same just a BH. Could it be, no it couldn't, really could it. IT WAS he brought out a 2013 BH RX Team equipped exactly as I wanted and some. It was a sign from the universe and I brought it on the spot.
I have since used it on the road and although not as fast as my road bike it is no slouch and the geometry on the road makes for a great ride. I have trained off road and completed 17 races only having to resort to my pit bike 3 times, all as the result of a crash.
I am as happy today with the purchase as the day I brought it. I am a bike and equipment junkie and all year I have been looking at new bikes, just because I can. Do tell me you don't do the same. Sure there are bikes I want and ones I am eager to try but my RX Team still looks great even with race patina, in fact the patina makes it look even better. It makes me smile when I clean it and it inspires me when I ride, in my opinion you can't ask much more of a bike. Oh his name is RED, just in case you ever meet.
Since Purchasing RED I have made a small number of equipment changes and I will review those in separate posts, but in summary they are.
Power meter cranks
New wheels after crashing and breaking them before the cyclocross race season
Disk brakes
Handle bar tape
If I have a complaint it is the construction of the derailleur hanger. I bent 3 during the race season crashing. That said I would rather bend my hanger than wreck the rear mech. The problem was I had to get them from BH or ship them from Europe. Fortunately I was able to get replacements quickly from BH through the bike shop but it was at a premium shipping cost (next day). Following the second crash I ordered 2 replacements as having a spare had saved me before only to find out they only had one. It all worked out in the end.
If you are in the market for a great cross bike and find the 2013 BH RX Team, take it from me it is a race winning bike for sure. Just avoid crashing as much or as hard as me :)
Until next time Max Life Out and stay Rubber Side Down.
The Saturday Facebook post read "The Turkey Grinder is tomorrow!!! See you all at the shop at 8am! The weather looks good (dry) for the day!". I don't know what weather forecast Paul was looking at but 7am on Sunday morning and it was raining cats and dogs.
People this is the Pacific Northwest and riding in the rain comes with the territory. So I kitted up, lights and mud guards on I head out to the rallying point at the shop. Riders roll in and by the time we head out we are 14 strong and looking forward to the 3rd annual Turkey Grinder.
The ride was a great mix of road, gravel, trail, single track with a surprise break hosted by Dana before the monster climb. Hot coffee and oatmeal as well as water refills for those that wanted it. The sun even came out for a moment.
Then before the chills set in the group was off to conquer the Tolt McDonald single track climb. The perfect remedy for the cold. Half way up and the furnace was at full steam.
We finished the ride on the road and arriving back at the shop ready to head home and refuel after a hard but satisfying effort. Don't take my word for it check out the video below.
Until Next Time Max Life Out and Keep it Rubber Side Down
I few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be given the Wahoo TICKR dual band heart rate monitor strap. Having used it now for training and two races I thought I would share my thoughts with you. I am a big fan of the Wahoo KICKR trainer and the TICKR is living up to my expectations.
Until the TICKR I used the Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor strap paired with a Garmin 810 head unit. I have been using the Garmin for over two years and in that time I have received two replacement straps due to failures. Both times Garmin's support was excellent however the experiences left me with the feeling of "When is it going to go bad again". In addition the Garmin strap is ANT+ only and does not work with my phone apps so until now I have just put up without heart rate data when I run, which was no big deal as I did not run much until I started training for Cyclo-Cross.
This is where the Wahoo TICKR comes in, it is a dual band device (Blue Tooth and ANT+). In other words it will work with the Garmin and a Bluetooth device such as your phone. I use it with my Garmin 810 when riding and iPhone apps "Wahoo Fitness" & "Runmeter" when running. Wahoo's "Wahoo Fitness" is the App I am now defaulting to when I run as it will automatically update my Garmin Connect account which in turn automatically updates my TrainingPeaks account. It is a small thing but having things automatically update is one less thing I have to think about and I love that. At the end of the day a Heart Rate Strap should just work and so far the TICKR has not disappointed.
What I like about the TICKR
The flashing lights that let me know it is working.
The easy snap fastening.
The ability to use the same strap with my Garmin and Phone
The Wahoo Fitness App which syncs directly to Garmin Connect
The one thing I did notice about the strap was the need to have it tighter than my Garmin around the chest especially for running. Whilst trail running the first few times I found it slipping down but as I eluded to I am not much of a runner so this might be normal. Still wanted to mention it as it was a little irritating for a while until I got it dialed in.
One of the things I have been most excited about since my accident is Sarah's desire to ride with me as I recover. I could not be more proud of her especially as cycling has been something she has wanted to do and struggled with for years. With a new bike and a saddle that finally does not leave her crippled after every ride we started out by setting her up on my old Kinetic Fluid indoor trainer with a target of just riding daily for 30 minutes.
Whilst she was training this week I was left noodling on how I we were going to take her to the next level as I had no way of measuring her baseline or performance. What I really wanted was the ability to measure heart rate, cadence and power but there was a problem. To move her bike to my setup, change profiles etc, etc was not going to fly. Too fiddly (she is not the geek I am) and too time consuming (fair point). I did not want anything that would get in the way of her riding so I settled on liberating an old polar device for which I could not find the heart rate strap (go figure - never saw that coming right) so I made do with cadence for the first week. This still left me with the problem of finding the strap and quite frankly not fully trusting the old device. Even buying a Garmin would not solve the problem as the one thing I really wanted was power and I could not think of anything other than moving her to my Kickr as a power meter for her bike at this stage is not in the budget.
I love it when the universe steps in. On Saturday whilst returning from a trip we stopped off in town and I could not leave without a wander around REI. I must have been called because as I browsed the isles I don't normally browse, I came across the Kinetic inRide, a brief look suggested it would do everything I needed. Excitedly I did a quick review search on my phone and found very mixed reviews from "love it" to "hate it". The questions were, would it fit my older trainer? and would it work? Well it was REI so if it did not work it would be easy to return and at $130+tax it was just too good to not try.
Now I would love to tell you I got it out of the box a boom it was awesome. Nope it was not that simple. One of the attractions for me was that the HRM was a Wahoo device and would work with the Wahoo fitness app I already had installed on my phone. I put the strap on, made sure Bluetooth was enabled on my phone and fired up the app. Nothing, fiddled a bit, nothing, fiddled a bit more, wow a heart rate of 181 bpm. Hmmmm, unless my heart was in a parallel universe either winner a race or running for its life, that number was not right. It then took a lot of Bluetooth fiddling and shutting down and restarting of my phone before finally I got a reading I believed. Had I not persisted it would have been easy and honestly reasonable to give up thinking the device did not work.
Next up I loaded the Kinetic App onto my iPad expecting everything to be working. Nope, the HRM was not working. I checked Bluetooth and it was connected. Long story short it took a lot more fiddling before the HRM popped into life.
Fitting the power meter on the other hand was really simple. Insert the grommet, slide in the magnet and stick on the sensor. After a couple of false starts the app sprang to life and all the sensors were reading.
Sarah completed a 30 minute ride and it was awesome to get the data I had no idea of how I was going to get at the beginning of the week. My first impression is that the HRM is comparable with the Garmin and Polar devices I have used. When looking at the cadence it was reading lower and a little more erratically than the old Polar device but then it is reading it from the rear wheel and not the cranks. The good news was that it was lower and I would rather that than the other way round. The speed looked accurate which left the power. I cannot say if it is accurate or not at this point without riding myself for a comparison. It was however consistent and for training purposes that is what I was looking for. I personally don't mind if it is high or low as all I am looking for is a relative improvement. As long as the number is consistent I can obtain a baseline and measure improvement relative to the baseline. For the price as long as you have the other equipment it is a great investment and by far the cheapest method of getting both power and heart rate in one bundle.
The Kinetic App is a little quirky and the data on the front page does not match the history. It takes a while for the sensors to be found. Sarah started the ride with a heart rate of 73 and 10 minutes in it had not changed. She messed with the strap a few times before it popped into life. The App is also not entirely intuitive. However, if you are willing to overlook a few shortcomings (that I hope will be fixed in later releases) it does provide a simple platform to use. You simply put on the HRM, fire up the app, wait for the sensors to register and select a workout. Simple enough for Sarah to operate without having to geek out. I really like the automatically calculated HRM and Power zones and the ability to build your own workout sessions.
Above the Lifetime Stat's (Left) show a time of 00:35 minutes and a distance of 8 miles. The workout history (Right) shows the real duration of 00:30:06 minutes and the overview below shows the actual distance of 4.81 miles. Not entirely sure what is going on here but I suspect it is a bug.
First Impression Conclusion
You can't beat the price if you already have a Kinetic Fluid trainer and the required technology. You will need some patience and a little technical savvy as it was not plug a play for me. The app has a few issues that I hope will be fixed in future releases. Overall I like what it delivers and if it continues to deliver and the software improves I will be excited. I will reserve my final verdict for later once I have had a chance to live with it.
I am proud of the effort Sarah is putting in and now we have the numbers and ability to build a training plan to help her develop. My fingers are crossed that it continues to perform - time will tell.
Until next time Max Life Out - Every day is a gift.
If your going to do something either "Do IT" or "Don't Do IT" don't "Try" a quote from Yoda, well kind of similar, but that's not the point. The point is after racing well ahead of schedule I got all fired up to start training for the upcoming road race session in the spring. It is at times like this I have to admit wishing Seattle was a little warmer, because lets face it when it's in the low 40's and into the 30's, dark and either damp or frosty, I am not inspired to get out on my bike. Yes, yes, I know once you get out there it is fine but boy it takes some work to get out there. Not to mention everything seems to ache more, maybe that's just me but it does.
So the answer, indoor training. Yup for those of us who live with sessions, that is "winter" and cannot afford to gallivant off to warmer climes to get in quality miles, in shorts a T's and I am going to shut up now because I am getting jealous. Right were was I, yes indoor training.
First, find a space inside that you can train without driving everyone around you mad. Spare room if you have one works well, I do so check.
Second, bike and here I am very fortunate to have been able to buy a new bike this year with the promise to get rid of my old one. Good job I didn't otherwise where would I get a dedicated training bike from, good thinking on my part - check.
Third, trainer, now that was more of a challenge. I wanted a realistic feel but did not want to wear through tires like old boots and unlike old boots tires are darn expensive. I see a good excuse to buy a new toy, I mean trainer. Hours of research, ok an impulse buy at my local bike shop followed by hours of buyers remorse research lead me to the Wahoo Kickr.
It was as I mentioned an impulse buy but not totally without understanding (that's my story and I am sticking to it). The Kickr ticket the boxes of: Wheel off, no wearing out tires, built in power meter, open source so no proprietary software, Ant+ compatible so it works with my Garmin 810 for tracking, it is quite, innovative and looks beautiful (I am a sucker for Black and Blue). Now there are other choices and although I have not tried it the Lemond makes a well reviewed wheel off trainer that is supposedly more realistic. Having used the Kickr for a number of session I am very happy. Trainer - Check.
Fourth, is it really this complicated to train indoors, I remember when a set of rollers, a bike and the radio was all that was needed. Oh that is still an option but for us serious "DO IT" types that just does not cut the mustard these days. Ah yes and then there is the tedium which all this effort is designed to at the very least reduce and best case completely eliminate. Sorry rambling again. Training Program. Now this presented me with a few more hours of research. Did I mention I actually wanted to train. Sucking it up I did my due diligence and landed on www.Trainerroads.com. They provide a monthly subscription that provides access to both workouts and training plans and as a bonus the software syncs with the Kickr and Ant+ allowing for integration of all my devices, now that was cool. All fired up I put my bike on the trainer, flipped open the laptop, fired up Trainerroads and searched for devices - bugger. As a PC user Bluetooth 4.0 was not supported and I needed an Ant+ dongle for my laptop to connect to the Kickr. More bloody research later and a little help from the Trainerroads website (should have looked there first dummy) and a Suunto USB dongle ordered from Amazon. Training Program - Check
Fifth, you got it -> train. With the arrival of the Ant+ dongle I was ready to go. I have to admit that it all works very nicely except for a minor error that comes up on my Garmin when the Kickr power reading changes but it is in no way a show stopper. Training on the Bike - Check
Prior to setting up my indoor torture chamber, I mean training room I had the chance to experience the www.Sufferfest.com videos with my local club. I was impressed and decided to purchase a number of the videos as well as there training program. Having used a number of the videos I get the sense that they are great once you have a good base but the intensity prior to building base does concern me so I have stopped using them for now and started to concentrate on base training. Here trainerroads helps out as they have a number of base workouts and I am currently using them along with winter outdoor rides. Later in the session I will start to use the Sufferfest videos again once my FTP has increased and I feel they will provide a longer benefit
The alarm clock went off at 4:45 am this morning and for once I had no trouble getting out of bed. I think the adrenaline had been pumping all night in anticipation of the start of stage 1. I headed down to breakfast at 5:15 am and meet a few more riders at the breakfast table. Then it was back to the room to get ready.
At 7 am the neutral roll out started with a police escort through Boulder. It was a chance to settle in and get ready for the stage ahead. For those of you that are not familiar with the event it is not a point to point race. Each stage has a number of timed sections and the GC (general classification) is taken based on the time sections alone. This means that after the timed sections you are able to stop to re-fuel at the feed stations before riding to the next timed segment.
Whilst out on the course Sarah was tracking me remotely via the Haute Route site and I received text's om my Garmin informing me of my age group position. I was very happy with the results for the day, 5th in my age group and 22nd overall.
