New Beginnings

By the end of the month, many people will have started their racing seasons.  Of course, for most the real start was weeks and months prior to the first race day; but it's nice to think that the season has a brightline start date which coincides with a race.  There is a lot that goes into bike racing, beyond just hours and hours of training.  There is equipment and clothing to buy, coaches to talk to, schedules to make, babysitters to pay for and bargaining with one's spouse or significant other for unreasonably high amounts of training time and cash to be spent on bikes.  I recently detailed on a training ride the number of people and companies that contributed in some small way to me going out that day-- it totaled at least 15 separate contributions.  It cleary takes a village to outfit a bike racer.

This is a year of new beginnings for me.  By its end I will have married the love of my life, started racing for my first new team in over 7 years and maybe bought a new house.  Any one of these events could be enough "change" for a whole year in itself.  But true to form, and contrary to my Grandfather's sage advice, I don't like doing anything in moderation.  There is a true freedom in a new beginning.  It's the opportunity to remake yourself in the way you see best fit; to learn from the lessons of the former and make the new better. 

Progress, like new beginnings, comes in many different forms.  Most often progress is subtle.  We constantly search out the big change, the breakout story or the sudden smash hit.  However, progress is more often just a touch of advancement here and there.  When I was growing up I had a description of what it meant to be a capricorn on my wall in my bedroom.  I must have read it a thousand times, something that struck me was the message that capricorns feed on small accomplishments.  As a teenager I did not quite grasp that concept because I always wanted to be the flashy new kid on the scene.  I wanted to burst into success as the guy who came out of nowhere to the pinnacle, afterall that's what made the best stories on NBC's coverage of the Olympics. 

Reflection now, however, shows that the slow but steady climb up the ladder can be just as good as the bottle rocket to success approach.  It takes a different kind of strength to make these two climbs and honestly neither is better than the other.  I've spent so much time in recent years trying to figure out which way(s) are correct and thus the only way to do things; but it recently dawned on me that there are often mutliple different answers to a question and thus mutiple different "correct" ways.  In the end, maybe Granpa was right, everything in moderation...including moderation itself. 

Winter Duldrums-- Riding Clean

A couple years ago the BPA news broke and literally dozens of bike racers fled from store bought water bottles.  I was one of them.  It was a good thing for me because it forced me to dig into my collection of bottles that were far too old to get rid of those that had developed science projects worth of deposits on the bottom from powders and recovery mixes.  I settled on CamelBak's Podium Chill bottles as my first choice in hydration.  With their insulation they were great for the hot and cold days.  Even in the worst temps in DC's Summer I could expect to have decently chilled water for up to about 60 minutes after starting.   
The Podium Chill served me well but I began to notice I was having trouble getting the bottles out of my cages.  This became very true when I switched over to carbon cages.  I ended up having to literally twist the bottles out of the cages and I started to conclude that these bottles must be just a little wider than what the cages were made to hold.  I have no mathematical proof for that assertion but literally hundreds of hours of real world testing.  I also became concerned with the fact that they carried only 21 oz per bottle and cost in the neighborhood of $12 a piece.  Truth be told, CamelBak also made 25 oz Podium Big Chill but that bottle is so large that it almost doesn't fit into my 56-cm frame.  The fact that each bottle cost $12 made signing one for the adoring fans in the following picture taken at SuperWeek last year exhilarating with just a little financial sting. 

Around Christmas, I remembered a  Le Tour video of some guy running along the side of the road in a Clean Bottle suit and so I dialed up the website and took a quick read on the product he was selling.  I was looking at it as a possible alternative.  I found the 4 for $29.95 price much attractive than CamelBak's price and was excited to see that the bottles were also BPA free.  I read more into the story behind Clean Bottle and the outreach the owner undertakes with each purchase and was impressed.  So I bought a 4 pack of bottles and I'm now sold on the product.

I was pretty excited about the idea of a bottle that can be cleaned better in the first place.  Heck, even my Mom thought it was a great idea.  I was a little skeptical about how the bottles would hold up under real world use and I have to say I am very impressed.  I have been using them with a great degree of consistency for the past month and half, including numerous times through the washing machine and they have exceeded my expectations.  I thought you would get leaks with the twin seals but I have never experienced a leak from these bottles.  I have put them through daily hard rides, mountains, and gravel and they have done exactly what I have asked them to do. 

The plastic on the bottle is thicker than most of the store bought versions so they feel substantial in your hands.  Even with gloves on they are user friendly and I don't spend time fighting to get them out of my cages.  The added bonus I wasn't expecting is that the nozzle can be removed for cleaning.  This is a genius idea.  I can now finally get rid of the hangover taste of whatever powder or recovery drink I had used the prior time.  This is that taste which would normally outlast even the washing machine on older water bottles. 

These are officially now my go to bottles in my rotation and when they are clean they are the ones that will go first on to the bike before any others. 

Winter Duldrums-- The Ick

The common enemy of all bike racers, aside from roller bladers and taxis, has to be illness and injury.  Nothing interrupts training cycles of the determined more than being sick.  When we get sick or even feel illness coming on we should of course do what is good for everyone else-- rest, see a doctor, get the right medicine, etc...  So when I started feeling a little less than perfect on Thursday of last week you know exactly what I did . . . that's right, absolutely nothing.  I ignored those first twinges of a sore throat and a head ache that wouldn't go away until I was full blown sick with a chest cold this morning.

As a bike racer I fall victim to the same sense of invincibility many endurance athletes feel.  For most people in the United States, that sense of invincibility diminishes somewhere after pledging a fraternity or getting arrested for disorderly conduct.  But for a lot of athletes it never completely seems to go away.  We take risks and push limits well beyond what most would consider prudent.  Why else would we roll down a mountainside at 75km/h protected by spandex and a helmet made of foam?  And then ride back up it to do the same thing again, just this time faster.  

Being a bike racer is about calculated risks.  Knowing when to put in an effort or when to let the break go.  Knowing when to push it through a corner or when the outside line is really faster.  However, listening to your body is equally important.  We run our bodies at such high levels, between training intensity, fatigue and then just every day life.  There is a class of us out there who try to train like pro's just without the support of a team soigneur and masseuse to help us bring it back to reality.  Those folks are left to their own device to try and make sure they don't over do it all.

However, you take all of the above and toss in a little extra drama in life, a touch of extra stress at work or just a bad day stuck on a plane or bus next to the guy whose coughing up a lung and voila...you are sick. It's definitely time for me to start listening to my body just that much more.  Another nap is my near future.

Winter Duldrum-- Picking the Right Clothes

I keep looking at the temperature hoping it creeps above freezing so I can encourage myself enough to go outside and spin for an hour on this recovery day; but alas, that just doesn't seem to be happening just yet.  We have arrived at the unpleasant time of year after Christmas and before it gets warm that tries my soul.  I realize I am from Chicago and should be "used" to winter; but that doesn't mean I like it.  All it means is that I own more winter clothes than people from Florida

One of the things about this time of year I enjoy are long team rides.  I get over scheduled during the season with races every weekend and on the rare occasion I am not racing, others I typically ride with are racing.  Sunday, while out on the District Velocity team ride we paused at the little convenience store on Travilah.  Just a quick stop to rehydrate and plan out the remainder of the route.  In the brief time we sat there talking I saw at least 4 other team rides go by us.  It was a huge breadth of fresh, albeit cold, air that made me feel good. 

I've been pushing lately to break old habits in winter clothing choices.  I've started wearing fewer layers but increasing each layer's heaviness.  In the past I've worn so many different layers that I felt I was cutting off circulation or that I couldn't bend my arms.  This year I have made the transition to long-sleeve jerseys and base layers.  I'm a huge fan.  To that end I've picked up a set of new long sleeve base layers from DeFeet both in regular and wool.

The bonus appears to come in shedding arm warmers in favor of sleeves.  The looser fitting sleeves keep me warmer and allow for increased range of motion.  I still think I'm one of the few people who feel comfortable in wearing two pairs of shorts on colder days rather than thin tights.  Maybe that's odd; but I've also added leg warmers to my collection for the first time.  Prior to this year I had gone with the college football style of winter riding with knee warmers and bare calves.  The addition of a pair of fleece lined Pearl Izumi leg warmers has really helped in the 40 degree temps. 

Still got to have ten different pairs of gloves for every ride.  It's amazing how 45 degrees on Monday requires a totally different set of gloves than 45 on Wednesday and then again on Saturday.  Odd. 

Eating on the Bike

The above picture is the top of my fridge which, in addition to serving as one of my cat Fausto's favorite perches from which he can survey the entire kingdom he jointly rules with his more couch-and-fuzzy-blanket oriented brother Dubs, has come to hold the collection of food I eat on rides. I carry a mixture of food with me on rides including those shown above, bananas, cookies or anything that can fit in my pockets.  I like to carry cycling specific foods because they are just that, specific to bike racing.  Most days around snack time, i.e., 4 pm, while I am hanging out or working at my desk, I do not find myself hungering for a Gu or a PowerBar as opposed to something more, shall we say ordinary like an apple or grapes.  All of this leads me to a degree of confidence that the food I buy specifically for bike racing will be there when I go to grab it. 

In addition to one or two time a year team orders, I sometimes supplement my bike racing food from places like the Energy Food Warehouse.  I try to shop and compare when it comes to buying stuff in bulk, in doing so, I find that the folks there offer competitive prices and they ship quickly.  Embarking on the following analysis I offer a caveat, that I am taking no position on the nutritional value of these items.  We can all read labels and I chose them because they are available to me and do the job I want them to.  All three of them seem to do exactly what they are advertised to do and I will continue to use them all as interchangeably as ever. 

That being said, by virtue of long experience I would like to talk about each of them in the terms of useability while riding and thus their packaging.  The three I typically use are GU Chomps, Clif Bar's Shot Bloks and PowerBar's Energy Bites.  That of course is not to say that I do not eat other types of energy foods or that these are the only ones I am willing to try.  Just behind or around what is displayed in the above picture and you'll see Nuun (which was introduced to me by a fellow bike racer and pro-MTBer for Scott), EFS, a host of other products from Gu, Clif and PowerBar plus from time-to-time other things I can get my hands to test out.  However the Chomps, Shot Bloks and Energy Bites are similar products and can be more readily compared. 

From my perspective, when it comes to useability of a nutrition product on a bike, it's about how quickly and readily the product can go from package to energy.  Again, I am not commenting on digestibility or end-game functionality; rather, about how effectively I can get it from my back pocket into my stomach.  We have likely been there in a race or an intense moment in training where we found ourselves in need of food and ended up fumbling around with things for far too long.  For my part I try to consume around 200 calories per hour of riding after the first hour, so in the end I eat quite often.  What I like about all three of these products is that they come in bite-sized pieces which can be parcelled out over time.  As a result I can consume 50-60 calories every 15 minutes.  Just try repackaging a banana while out riding, especially on a hot day, and you will see why that is important.   

Of course, with any comparison I want to name a winner; but in this competition each product has its own pluses and minuses that makes it not practical.  With the Shot Bloks I like the packaging the most.  the Shot Bloks are laid out in a straight line in a packaging that can be easily opened on the move, with just your teeth (don't tell my dentist please).  When I race I normally start the race with a package or two already open so that I can skip that step.  In addition the packaging is laid out in such a way that you can squeeze each one out as you go a long which saves me from losing them to the occasional unanticipated pothole.  However, the Shot Bloks do have a tendency of being tougher to chew especially if they are kept, even wrapped, for a long time.  Not sure why or how; but sometimes they have the consistency of a jelly bean which does not make things easy.  Another added bonus is that some of the flavors have caffeine which can be a nice pick me up through time. 

GU Chomp's are consistent in texture throughout time even when you leave the package open for a while, i.e., day two of a stage race etc . . . . Further, there are typically more of them in a package than Clif so you can be even more judicious in how many you eat each time.  Their packaging is a little bit of a let down.  The tear point does not always open the rest of the package.  And, since they lay loose in the package sometimes there is a little hide-and-seek that the pieces play.  The package is compact so it is never a huge challenge but when you have thick gloves on sometimes it becomes a little more difficult. 

I started using Energy Bites earlier this Fall when PowerBar set up a display at the outset of a group ride I was on.  I tested them out that day and immediately went to buy some when I got back home.  Energy Bites are like mini Harvest Bars, which is an excellent change of pace if, like me, all you were consuming before were gels and chomps.  The Energy Bites lend a certain consistency to eating on the bike which is really welcome.  The major drawback from these is the packaging, its unruly and large.  It fits in the back pocket but when you take it out it's hard to get a hold of pieces especially when you start to get going fast or if there is a sufficient crosswind. 

Like I said, I cannot pick a best or worst here.  And I am going to continue to use all of them because I like them all.  These are just my insights from extended use of each.   

   

Rocking the Round Hill (VA) with a Neo-Pro

In looking back at this blog I  realize I post a lot about not being in DC.  Last year I spent over 80 nights away from DC for both work and bike racing, which could lead some to believe I do not like it here.  That is absolutely not true.  Riding in DC is some of the best I have found in the country.  We have beautiful roads, respected routes and a great community of fellow bike racers.  The Mid-Atlantic racing scene is also one of the best and most consistent in the country.

I also don't write a lot about local races and riding.  A quick review of Gam Jams on a Monday morning following a race weekend will prove how well covered the local scene is already.  It will also serve as a reminder of the painful moments my subconscious tried to forget as well.  Therefore, my own particular insights about these races probably would not provide extra value and might distract from my own joy of reading about other people's impressions of our experience. 
Now that the race season has subsided and I am back to long training rides I have headed back out to one of my favorite local haunts about an hour drive from DC in a town right under the Blue Ridge -- Round Hill.  For various reasons, I have become a regular in the area and I know I'm not alone.  In the past I have seen a host of MABRA's finest-- Joe Jefferson, the now west coastal Chuck and a bunch of team rides from NOVA-based squads on those back roads.  So the secret is definitely out.

One of the real joys of riding there is that I am joined periodically by Neo-Pro Curtis Winsor, pictured here in white (in full high school prom night glory).  When he is home and away from his efforts to conquer the cycling world I often join him for way too many long hours in the saddle.  He does have a tendency of getting us lost and convincing me to go for "just a little bit longer" which almost always turns into one more mountain or one more hour.

I need to brag a little bit here about my friend Curtis.  I have been riding with him for about 2 years and since then he has gone from elite ametuer to faux pro and now to an official neo-pro with Kenda/5-hour Enegry Pro Cycling presented by GEARGRINDER.  It has been incredible to be along for the ride while he has made this journey and I cannot say enough good things about his attitude and how grounded he has remanded.  Granted, his epic rise does mean I win fewer and fewer town/county/state-line sprints against him; but, I have grown comfortable with that fact.  And more importantly, it will not dissuade me from trying, again and again. 

Bike racing is, at it's heart, a social endeavor-- a shared suffering.  Growing up as a swimmer I realize the privilege we have in bike racing of being able to talk to others while we are training or competing.  It was always difficult in swimming to realize you were going to be staring at a black line on the bottom of a pool for hours without the ability to share thoughts or jokes with those who are nearest you.   

Winter training is about that aspect of the sport-- rolling out with your buddies for long rides.  In the race season, which now seems to be ever expanding with the inclusion of CX, I get so focused on getting to races on time, on prepping equipment and all sorts of things unrelated to just enjoying the company of people who share my interest.  When winter rolls around it's great to re-enter that world.  I have been admittedly isolated in the last couple of offseasons, much to my detriment.  I spent a lot of last offseason riding solo.  Too much time out alone will likely drive you crazy and I'm sure it did for me . . . to a small degree. 

So this winter, I have promised myself that I will be more present.  So if you see me out riding or on a group ride please just ride up and chat.  I can always use the company.     

New Orleans and New Sarpy

I've had a long standing love affair with the Crescent City and I got the chance to be there for a week. There is something really special about New Orleans- it's a perfect mixture of life, food, decadence and rust. I enjoy cities that are lived in, ones that have history which is evident from the moment you walk in. I get really annoyed with places that are so clean and so perfect that you wonder if you have to take your shoes off when you cross the city limits. New Orleans is a special place and you know it just by being there. You see it even more when you get passed Poydras and head out into Southern Louisiana.

While the pavement might not be perfect, New Orleans is a really rideable city and one that I have gotten used to riding in. It also has a growing cycling community with well attended local weekend rides. By virtue of living in Mississippi for a couple of years I came to know the racing scene and a bunch of the elite guys who are legit hammers. I wanted to test out my legs on the river levee which is an about 25-mile stretch of paved bike path along the Mississippi River which heads out to New Sarpy, which is a small town on the river. The path is not nearly as congested as you would guess and it's a good place to get in a strong ride out into the swamp. Just don't expect any elevation change but do expect a strong headwind at some point.

I love eating in New Orleans. My experience is that food is a celebration down there and not something which you just do. I had to have a couple quick meals and hit up one of my favorite sandwich shops Mother's which is perfectly located right across the street from the courthouse. Just remember when someone asks you if you want debris on your po-boy that means a whole bunch of dressing and not road trash. And everyone at Mother's refers to you as "baby" and they don't take tips. Just accept those facts.

I also got to try out a place I've wanted to try for a long time- Upperline-- which is just up the road off St. Charles uptown a bit. It was delicious meal and the bartender made a great sidecar which is always a plus. And who can complain about a $45 prix fix three course menu? I enjoy places where the owners and managers are there and take an interest in your enjoyment. Just thinking about it now makes me want to go back down.