Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing

Put up yer' dukes. Courtesy of the Reader Mailbag on VeloNews.com.

Many endurance athletes are quite particular in regards to what enters the sacred temple that is their body. This is a wise choice, as garbage-in usually equals poor performance and an undesirable body composition. I'll buy into that mantra, except when it comes to post-ride replenishment meals.

Often after a race in a remote location, I'll find myself in a situation of limited food options. If I were a better planer, I'd always have a cooler with a perfect spread of foods waiting for me, but that isn't always practical. While I may be 3 hours away from an ideal nutritional meal, a sub-par or horrible alternative may be much closer.

If grilled salmon, steam vegetables and brown rice are 3 hours away, but a Taco Bell is 2 hours closer - I will always choose Taco Bell, even if I would never ever think of eating there at any other time in my healthy life. In as little as 60 minutes post-workout, the trade-off between waiting for ideal nutrition and just eating garbage is nullified. If you don't give your body something, anything, it's going to start breaking itself down and erasing any gains you would have made via the exercise you just performed.

Choosing to wait, and not eat that Taco Bell Gordita may actually increase your body fat percentage as your brain thinks you are starving, slows down your metabolism and begins cannibalizing muscle tissue to store as fat.

The human body is only capable of storing a limited amount of readily available glycogen in muscles and the liver. Stored glycogen, along with fat and additional calories taken during exercise, are what the body uses as fuel.

For most athletes, muscle glycogen stores become depleted within 1-2 hours of exercise (depending on the level of effort). Beyond that time frame, there is a greater emphasis on fat and external food intake as fuel. Furthermore, the human body is incapable of processing calories at the same rate at which they are depleted during typical endurance level (or greater) efforts.

What this boils down to, is that once you have exhausted your muscle glycogen stores, you are going to be riding on a permanent negative energy deficit until you finish your workout and stuff your face.

A post-ride meal may be the most important step to ensuring the fastest possible recovery. Studies have shown that there is a short window of only an hour, post-exercise, to rebuild your glycogen stores. After an hour, your muscles assume you are starving and become catabolic, and start breaking themselves down in order to refuel your body. Basically nullifying your workout, by destroying lean mass - not building it.

So post-workout, aim for a meal with roughly 15 - 25 grams of protein and 80 - 160 grams of carbohydrate. This equates out to a 300 - 700 calorie intake. The protein is there to begin the tissue building/healing process and the carbs are there to refill those empty glycogen stores. Here are some delicious dishes that fill that quota:

• Taco Bell Grilled Stuffed Burrito (34g Protein, 73g Carbs)
• In-N-Out Burger w/ Fries (23g Protein, 93g Carbs)
• McDonalds Double Cheeseburger w/ Coke (25g Protein, 92g Carbs)
• Dairy Queen Small Peanut Butter Blizzard (16g Protein, 83g Carbs)
• Gas Station x2 Payday Candy Bars (14g Protein, 54g Carbs)

Getting ready for an Eastside mission this weekend and seeing about ticking another new Cali 14er climb/ski off the list . . . Im generally trying to pick off a new one each year and figure by the time Im 45/50 maybe Ill have them all " this is the approach for the dude w/ a non skiing job/career and young kids vs. a pro skier or dirtbag which of course I still fantasize about being who doesnt who loves to climb/ski! Anyway, from a bike racing/training perspective, call this the Eastside training block " last year I did Langley and Emerson the week before Sea Otter and was pretty destroyed but wouldnt trade the Langley adventure for anything . . . this weekend is about ski mountaineering not the bike. Headed down w/ my bro . . . stoked . . . looked back at Mt. Williamson TR from 2008 and got even more stoked (scroll down the page if you dont see the TR at the top) . . . also a link to Flickr photo set from the trip . . . Eastside is sick, sick, sick and nobody (relatively) goes there given it is smack in between about, what, 50M Californians?

http://realdeepsnow.com/?p=214

Here is a typical High Sierra shot . . . high on Williamson about 13k in a 35 degree chute/coolie, great corn, w/ partner PJ visible (tiny) for scale, and town of Independence, CA about 8k feet below...

Many phone calls, e-mails and software updates later . . . power set up is fixed . . . no more 64k watts . . . am mortal, perhaps less than. My experience is *the standard* for setting up power -- if the $$ don't scare away the average cyclist the other implementation barriers will . . . industry needs plug and play to bring power to masses once you have it like crack but just so hard to get.

Here is active recovery in TD finishing w/ 5pm pick up of Keira at Little Rascals -- this is the flattest ride from my house that actually goes anywhere.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/30647715?sms_ss=email

Well, since I know a big Sea Otter blog is coming, now seems like a good time to test. What Im testing is my ability to use my brand spanking new Posterous blog tool to post once / publish and share to infinity " including to CWC blog. So, I guess this blog needs to be about bikes. Here are the top of mind thoughts, more detailed posts to come on each of these topics:

1. I did a structured off season training program this winter for the first time. I lost some weight. And some power I think. Am I any better?
2. I have not raced yet this year " but some is coming in May! Must answer question in a.
3. I just got power " well not really " just the ability to measure the power I have. Well, sort of. My Garmin showed peak watts of 46,000 for my first ride on Saturday. Im pretty sure that is not accurate cuz then instead of being a flailing around Masters guy I would be soft pedaling grand tours and demolishing the field in the process.
4. I have an all time high of a shitshow on the bike front " including my first TT bike. I asked for it. Adventure, fun. Cardboard. Bike parts. Searches for headsets to blank carbon frames purchased in the online equivalent of back of truck in an alley. I asked for it.
5. I really do love riding bikes. But this weekend Im going for some adventure Ski Mountaineering style on the Eastside . . . trying to bag my annual 14er climb/ski on Mt. Tyndall + some other objectives.
6. This ski season has been so good. Im going to keep posting ski related photos until I have something cool on bikes.

after the otter alanna and i drive up lazy to santa cruz. eat a couple of pork tamales on the way and arrive midday. go see a movie about benito mussolini. i liked it. stay with friends three blocks from west cliff and have fun at a bbq. ask a couple of locals if they ever watch LOST BOYS. they just turn and walk away. probably vampires. saturday i pre ride the race course which is like right next to the beach board walk. its so wowie if you ever go there. i recommend the giant dipper and double shot for maximum rickety.

next day race day and we go off at 8:50 with a $20 hot lap. and keep going and going and going. round and round and up and down and slow through the downhill hairpin turn and fast into the uphill turn and up. what a cool course. technical and fast. with little chance to move up. a real see saw affair. see? we finish in a bunch sprint. the kind where im bunches and bunches of bike lengths back. 31st place. 61 started, 21 popped or pulled and i finished happy. i give this crit race approval and hope to do it again.

Lunch break pow intervals. Photo by Ethan Martin

Subject: Chappawitz

Friday

Pack up for race in the a.m. Intervals around Donner Lake. Wrap up projects, hustle home, pack car leave. Arrive safely at my parents house in Bennett Valley.

Saturday

3:30 am, loud smack - fall back asleep. 6:34 am, awake, notice the time, spring from bed, grab chamois butter and head for the car, drive 97 mph down HWY 12. 6:54 am, suit up, whatever goes, no coffee, food, water, no number. Ask the dude where registration is-1st sprint.

Get number, pin it on, roll up and out, race is on 7am. 7:30 am: finally warmed, eat two chocolate Clif Shots, choke but swallow most, still racing. 7:40 am: flat with 5mins to go, matching the pace without problem, think to break but your mommas voice says chill. 7:45 am: sitting back hoping to claim riders in the sprint, nothing happens, bunch sprint, finish 15 - no coffee, water, food, or Lyon attack. Wrap it up, head out and enjoy dinner with my good friend Rosie, Nate and Jesse in Sebastopol. The town of the Tigers and many lit Friday nights over decade ago claiming the Big Apple Trophy.

Sunday

Set Iphone alarm to weekend this time. Awake on time and head to the race. 7 a.m. Phone rings: Ben, no clutch, in the farmlands, stranded. 7:05 am, Im parked at the race, everyone has shower caps and rain coats. I have a torn skinsuit and a ripped long sleeve jersey that might do the trick but I still haven't paid. 7:10 a.m., rescue Ben and drive his S4 to Reno sans clutch with a little race car shifting.

The next race I do, it's going to be sunny, there will be a nice lady handing out warm wash cloths afterwords with a cocktail, or not, because then it would be golf or tennis. This is bike racing, and although riders fall short of packing pistols, it's still some cowboy shit and you have to man up. Maybe soon for me.

I headed down to Santa Rosa for the Apple Pie crit on Saturday morning in search of the last 3 points for my cat. 2 upgrade. To be honest I didn't really expect a whole lot because I had never raced a crit and I don't consider myself the crit racing type thus my real goal for the weekend was Spring Hill on Saturday (more on that fiasco later). The weather was chilly and overcast and lucky for us in the cat. 3 field it started raining just before our start. I immediately thought "sweet my first crit and it's gonna be slippery and sketchy" but it turned out to be a pretty safe course and I figured out quick that I needed to be near the front because the headwind was going to string the race out. About twenty minutes into the race the pace really picked up and the serious attacks started. Two guys went off the front and pushed a hard pace for about 5 minutes until myself and 4 other bridged and formed the winning break away. We all worked hard together and with a half lap to go I decided to attack which paid off with a big gap that only one dude could cover, he got me at the line but I got what I wanted out of the weekend: 4 points.

Just for good measure Nate and I raced the P123 race about two hours after the 3's race. Damn, little different story here, a full field and some really really strong guys. The race was ninety minutes of pure pace and about halfway through 2 yahoo guys, a cal giant, a webcor, and random attacked off the front, their teams blocked, race over, end of story with the exception of two nasty crashes I managed to avoid, I rolled in with the pack and one hell of a workout.

I awoke on Saturday morning to wet roads, sore legs, and a bad feeling in my gut that Spring Hill was gonna be gnarly. By the time Nate and I rolled into the parking for Spring Hill it was pouring and all I could think was, why the hell are so many people here? The only reason we even drove to the start and not straight back to Truckee was because we were already down in the area committed. I decided to give it a go and immediately knew I was not going to finish the race, it was simply miserable, freezing, wet, and slow. I calculated at the pace we were going it was going to take about 4 hours to finish the race but I shortened that to just over an hour by going straight to the car where I found Nate huddling inside with the heat going, "sweet lets get the hell out of here". The factors which played into my decision were; mostly me being a pussy, part rational thinking, and part sore legs and the impending feeling that riding for 4 hours in the rain would make me sick. Whatever the reason I bitched out and drove home. But I drove home a Cat. 2.

I'm soaked, cold, and miserable, trying to close down a slight gap to the lead group. I'm on the wheel of another rider, getting pelted by the spray from his wheel, the winds, and driving rain. We pass a ranch, with mud on the road by the entry, and suddenly the stench of cow shit overwhelms my sense of smell (and taste). Ahh, such is bike racing in NorCal in the rain.

There are certain outdoor activities, hiking for example, that I like to do in the rain. Cycling is not one of them. No matter how you dress or prepare, you'll be cold, wet and miserable within a few minutes.

Just needing a few points for a Cat 2 upgrade, I hatch an evil plan...attend Spring Hill in the expected heavy rain, and score a good finish in the depleted field. All the fast guys will stay home as they don't need to ride in these conditions, right? Wrong.

I arrive, and roll up to the parking area. Parking guy says, "lot is full, you've got to head up the road." I'm thinking, dude, are you kidding me? It's friggin' raining, nobody is supposed to be here, and the place is packed?

I head to the start and the announcer asks us to line up. Suddenly about 30 guys come storming (no pun intended) out of the reg tent...including most of the big guns with the Morgan Stanley (MS) team 6 strong. Huh?

First lap is mellow at the beginning, then on the back side of the course the fireworks start. MS dude makes repeated attacks and the group chases -- to the tune of 34mph on the flats. Wind and water everywhere. Brian Fessenden (MS), says to me, "we're going to remember this one for a long time." Right on.

Second lap I make it over the climbs in the early part of the lap at the back of the front group, which is down to 12 now. But I know I'm weak. Second time around the back stretch, I get gapped and can't close it down. I work with one other guy from Victory Velo (VV), with him doing about 70% of the work. We've got no chance of catching back on. They're going 34 mph again through these flats, we're going 26 mph. We pass the aforementioned ranch. Uggghhh.

I struggle to the finish, and get dropped on the finish climb. With nothing left in the legs, I can barely turn over the cranks. Probably a 12th place finish, no points. Fine for my second race of the season, great training, epic experience.

Days like these remind me how tough it is for professional racers. They have to race in these conditions regularly. We have a choice. I know what mine will be next time.

The Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries racing team had good representatives in several races:

• Paul McKenzie, M55+123 (13th)
• Jesse Miller-Smith, Cat 3 (7th)
• Ben Ragains, Cat 4 (DNP)
• Glenn Rawlinson, M35+123 (42nd)
• Conrad Snover, M35+123 (28th)

Paul's Story

Copperopolis...always a good time. Just finished my ski race season with last weekend's 45 Km Gold Rush. Finished 5th in age group with a broken binding. Kind of like finishing a bike race with a broken spoke and the tire rubbing on the chain stay. Anyway, figured I'd go to Copperopolis knowing I'd get dropped on the first climb but wanting to assess my fitness and training plan based on where I stand next to the top guys.

Usual fast start heading to the first climb. Amazing that there were 40 guys in the M 55+1,2,3 field. Climb starts and I'm in there holding near the front but working. Made it over the climb near the front which was inspiring, except for the fact that about 25 or so other guys did too, so it wasn't that brutal. Around the lap and up the smaller second climb, no problem. Down the incredibly bumpy descent riders were in my way, note to self that I can go much faster through here on the second and final lap.

Last lap up the big climb is much faster, and I dangle at the back of the front group and barely make the cut, down to about 15 guys now, then few more latch on after the climb, maybe 20 now. My friend Kevin Keenan floats off the front and nobody wants to chase. I'm hoping he can stay away but the windy flats won't help his solo effort. The group could work together, do 10 second pulls and catch him in a few minutes, but that's not how it goes in road racing. A series of solo attacks happen, riders trying to bridge to Kevin, and hence a bunch of surges in the pack. None of them work but we catch Kevin before the final climb.

I get gapped on the final climb and get down the descent as fast as possible. At the end it's an easy sprint with a few stragglers. I just get by fellow Truckee racer Paco and finish 13th. Mark Caldwell takes the with with Truckee's Peter Taylor second. I'd rate my overall performance as very good considering I've barely been on the bike. Just need about 6 weeks on the bike and I should be more competitive out there. Another good time at Copperopolis. Great authentic Mexican food in run-down downtown Stockton with my brother Doug and wife Deanna (who also raced) on the way home.

Jesse's Story

Copperopolis lived up to it's reputation as a rough and challenging Nor-Cal classic. We had just under 50 racers in our Cat. 3 group. On the first lap the group pretty much chilled and kept a medium to slow tempo the whole 20 miles. On the second lap I felt it was time to spice things up a bit so I put in a small attack on the main climb which I thought would draw some guys up and create a break away group. I was wrong, I ended up solo on the front for about the next 10 miles before 3 guys finally bridged the gap. We worked together pretty well for about the next 50 miles and created a gap of about 1:45 on the field and that's when things got ugly for me. With about 9 or 10 miles left in the race I could feel my BONK meter light come on and I was in big trouble. The other 2 guys in the break basically just rode away from me and I was left to fend for myself. I knew I still had about a minute on the field so I gave it my best which I found out was not enough only a half mile from the finish line. I ended up putting in a weak sprint for 7th and was rewarded with one hell of a training session although I would have preferred a tacky Velo Promo shirt and more points.

Ben's Story

Copper was, as always a tough race. Luckily, this year, the race blew apart, and I was on the right side this time. Not so lucky, was the part when my rear wheel decided to blow apart. Such is bike racing, "Dude, I was feeling great, totally could have won. And then...."

Glenn's Story

More than most, this year I made significant changes in my training plan"now it was time to put this plan to the test. Last year, 9th , this year?

• Mismatched wheels.
• Overslept and Conrad had to wake me up"a first in the 10 years Ive been racing with him.
• Remembered my bike: I sported my new Scott Addict R1
• Remembered all necessary gear.
• Remembered all nutrition and was lucky to have some provide a hand-up.
• Cup of coffee and a bowl of granola.
• Forgot my legs at home.

Large field for this race"almost 70 total toed the line. A real whos who of the masters racing community. Let the games begin

Lap 1: Easy climb then pain and cramping ensued within 30min. Hide, stay at front"all said I probably still did too much work. I need to move back and relax even more.

Lap 2: Felt horrible from the bottom, felt worse at the top. Almost dropped then recovered. At the top of the climb I was the last guy in single file of 48. lap later I moved up in the windy flats then bridged to Innes"Billy, I dont feel well. Legs are bung but Ill give it hell until they seize. 15min off the front and the rhythm felt good"until I cramped again and the downward spiral began. We were caught and I was quickly shelled out the back after I missed a shift. Conrad gave me encouragement as he passed. I politely responded Im done.

Lap 3: Recovered and found a solid cadence again. Saw Kyle Glerum and we chatted for a few until he stopped for a teammate. I continued for the next 1:15 solo and then full leg seizure at the base of the final small climb. Dismounted bike"it felt like someone had a voodoo doll and I did the voodoo dance on the side of the road for a few minutes. Re-mounted and rode to the finish. Parked it at the car with a smile"but the little demons inside my head were stirring and engaging in serious discussions.

First race in a year and it felt like it. The silver lining, my Scott handled the course with ease. A bit more feedback but confidence inspiring in every corner , maneuverable and very stable at speed.

Ill end with

• Need to find my legs
• They can give me so much joy
• 42nd place blows.

Conrad's Story

For the last few months, I've been trying to motivate, but after only managing a small handful of rides and not a single session on the trainer, I decided I needed a kick-start to the cycling season. Last weekend's TT was a good start, but beating myself up on a solo race against the clock is a HUGE distance away from the fun of bumping elbows in a mass-start road race.

My flight home from a conference in Savannah on Thursday was delayed to the point that I missed my connection and was unable to get to Reno that night. The only option was a late arrival into Sac: Lisa agreed to pack the car for the weekend and my next week's business travel then pick me up, and Glenn/Kristi agreed to put us up for the Easter weekend. I was planning a short ride on Friday to remind myself how my bike works, but rain, work, and the Rawlinson family had other plans.

Glenn and I have been racing together for 10 years, ever since I beat him handily running 400s on the track for triathlon training (I'm sure he remembers it the other way around, but this is my blog...). He had no interest in racing Copper, so I just showed up at his house with my bike and plans to race, and that was the end of it. Good friends/training partners/racing partners are priceless.

The race was fun. I saw the familiar faces from last year, and managed to chat with friend Chris McGovern who made a nice Cameo. I managed to stay with the group until the beginning of the third lap, which pleased me since I was hoping to make it until the second. Five of us formed a small group and rode together until the end. I didn't contest the sprint, since I didn't see the value in sprinting for 25th place, but then I remembered too late that it's ALWAYS good practice to race for the result; oh well.

The next day in the pouring rain, Glenn and I flogged each other on a 90 minute training ride. We froze and got soaked, but rolled into the garage with huge smiles on our faces. I like bike racing so much, I think I'll race next weekend!

The 3 hr drive home took 5.5 hrs in a monster rainstorm then blizzard. We had 2' of snow on our deck when we got home, but I just put it out of my mind as I drove back down to the airport the next morning. Yes, I was missing an awesome powder day, but after such a terrific weekend with great friends and my awesome wife, I didn't mind.

IT AINT EASY BEING CHEEZY

unr campus criterium 04-03-2010

e123 had as many riders as i have fingers, eleven. we started at 9:00 and at 9:01 first and second place had been decided by a 2 man break including josh of team cliff bar. the remaining 49 minutes on the D shaped course were spent on pace line work which served to lull any onlookers into thinking that we the field would bring back the break. not. i came across the line in a cool seventh. race highlight? my own mini me attack on the last lap that caught team clover napping.

i now had an hour to kill before my next race so i jumped in my igloo, stoked up the fire, grabbed a fur and curled up with a copy of earth story. just kidding.

e345 drew a larger field including cameos from such crazies as matt chappell, katerina nash and devin koch ( thats coke, not cock). katerina and i had the same color shoes on. neat like garanimals, but different. chappell rode right next to me while we krush grooved the field. and devin, well he da man. yeah hes the one who lead me out to win the second prim lap. i get ten dollars off tacos in reno thanks to devin. and he also won the race. nice job devin. i got sixth and one more upgrade point.

after this race andy, matt and i rode the hidden valley circuit four times. andy downhill attacked matt and i on every lap. we had fun.

The Reno Wheelmen is one of the oldest cycling clubs in the US. With tireless work from club officials and race organizers like Rich Paul, they host an amazing race calendar each summer. They kicked off the road season with a FREE time trial just north of Reno. Almost 40 racers showed up to this great event.

It was at this event where I opted to make my inaugural race appearance of the season after completing only marginal base training, and also try out my new time trial bike that I finished building the night before. Weve had a good ski season, which translates into low motivation for bike training, so what I needed was a humbling experience to motivate me into fitness. I was at the right place.

After completing the courses single 7 mile lap around the lake, I just barely squeaked into the top 10. It was fun, the bike looked fast and felt ok (not great). I would obviously be well served to actually ride it before I race it.

It was fun to get out and race on my bike and especially great to hang out with my teammate Nick, whos starting to get back on the bike himself. This last picture is one of Nick throwing down his final effort before the very official finish line marked by Rich sitting in a folding chair with his stopwatch and clipboard. Nick had a great finish, and it was awesome to see him back in the saddle.

Afterward, Nick, Nova, LT and I had a nice ride through Reno to Geiger grade and back. Always fun to ride with the girls after a race! Lisa then dropped me off at the airport for a flight to Savannah, GA for a sourcing/outsourcing conference. I think Ill try to race Copperopolis next weekend, cause what better way to train tan to race?