Everybody has a tool kit when they ride. If you don't, you probably deserve to walk the last 5 miles back to civilization, your car, the beer your buddies drank while waiting on you, and that hamburger you wish you'd eaten.
It doesn't require a super mechanic to use a tool kit. Most things are pretty minor. The 'big things' like a broken chain or wrapped derailleur may take some serious bike mechanic skills. Don't fret - one will come along momentarily!
The essentials are pretty obvious
Tire levers
Patch kit
Spare tube(s) - pre-talc'ed
CO2 inflator and spare cartridge - know how to use yours!
Pump
Yes, a pump is 'belt and suspenders', but if that first tube gets caught in the rim, and you blow it, the second one is essential. If it happens again - or you find out you didn't get it caught, but had a cut sidewall that it popped thru... Well, you'll be happy to have the pump.
20 dollar bill
A good multi-tool.
Make sure it's got all the bolts on your bike covered - 4,5,6,7mm, maybe a 2 or 2.5, spoke wrench
Also make sure you can get *to* all the bolts on your bike with your tool. If not, you may need a solo hex wrench or two. And make sure your kit includes the necessary wrench for any random Torx brand bolts as well. Chain ring and disc brakes are both candidates for this special foolishness.
Chain break tool
Master link (or 2)
...Oh, shit!!! What was that? Oh, you mean the fact that your crotch is now on the top tube and your pedals are freewheeling, or the one where your bike. just. died. ...with the rear derailleur wrapped around the dropout. Now is the time to be really thankful you've got a master link.
If you wrap a derailleur, it's pretty unlikely you're going to salvage it (or the hanger) on the side of the road. You can try to straighten it, but in all likelihood, the best you can hope for is getting the derailleur back in the middle position, and maybe use it as a chain tensioner. If that doesn't work, find a gear combination that will give you a snug chain once you put it back together with that master link. Here's a big hint. when you break the chain to remove it from the broken derailleur, find the bent section of chain and break it there! And yes - there almost certainly will be a kinked link. Remember - you'll need to leave an INNER plate on both ends for the repair link to slip onto. Eyeball it, test it, and when you've got it right and think it'll be ok, slip the chain off the chainrings (up front) and slip in the master link. Don't worry about tightening it yet. Put it back on the chain rings. If it's right, the link should 'snik' into place as you get the chain installed on both ends.
unused tie wrap
Multitude of purposes - like tying up that busted rear derailleur.
duct tape -bandage, tire boot, repair busted cable clamp. You name it!
20' braided twine - with a nice stick and some duct tape, you can even bandage up that carbon fiber handlebar I told you not to get. Also good for sewing a jersey back together,
basic first aid kit
And for a spring century -
rain cape (jacket for us Americans)
dry gloves
helmet liner
extra socks (useful as shoe covers in a pinch too)
Extra food (bar&gel)
Coach
Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
First Gravel Grinder - Training for hills
In an earlier post, I laid out a five week plan for your first gravel grinder. I assumed that most people were somewhat fit, have done some riding, but probably aren't used to riding long distances on unpaved roads. And I've heard from a couple of people that maybe it should have been a SIX week program with a couple of 10 mile rides just to get used to being on a bike again - especially if you are planning to ride a fat bike!
On several of the weekly rides on the above plan, I list 'ride a few hills' as the goal. Depending on your fitness level, and what's in the area, that can mean anything from a freeway overpass to a 300 climb from the river to bluff-tops. Generally, I look for climbs that are around a mile, and nothing steep. the first few should be at easy grades - 3-4% (200 vertical feet in a mile of riding). This is enough to raise your heart rate and make your quads burn a bit without straining knees.
First, pace is not important on the first few - just ride them. Find out what pace feels comfortable,
and use that as a mental benchmark (baseline really). Try to time that mythical mile long hill - or whatever length you have to work with, and watch your average speed. If it takes you ten minutes, fine. If it takes 20, it may be a little long for now. Cut back to around 8 minutes for the first 2 weeks.
Try to do 5 repeats of the hill - that will be a total of around 15 miles on an 8 minute climb. (level 2-3 if you are used to heart rate).
So now you've got your pace sorted out for something that you can accomplish, let's crank it up a bit. If you've been tracking your speed, try to increase that by 5% a week on your hill. See how long you can hold your speed. It's not essential you ride the whole thing without fading, but do try to hold a steady speed for most of the way. Now turn around, ride back down, and do it again - a total of 5 repeats. See how you feel. If you've never done repeats or not done them in years, it may not be much fun, at least the first time or 3. Take a breather, and then ride the rest of your ride.
I'm big on interval work (what we just did). Improvements come rapidly, and can be really rewarding. If you can increase that speed up the one mile climb by 5% each week, that's a 20% improvement in 4 short sessions, which is probably 2 MPH or more! The quicker you get over long slow climbs, the sooner you get to enjoy the flats and downhills again!
You should also find something steeper and maybe longer for the last 2 weeks. Miesville offers about a dozen climbs of anywhere from a minute to 10 minutes, with the last two climbs being 10 minutes or more. None of the grades are really steep, but they are challenging, and will take some mental energy to complete. If you are training for the Pisgah monster cross, it's probably more like a 50 week program instead of 5, but the same general elements apply. Good climbing is mental as well as physical.
So that's another element to training for your first grinder. If you have any questions or comments, use the link below and I'll be happy to answer them.
~marsh
On several of the weekly rides on the above plan, I list 'ride a few hills' as the goal. Depending on your fitness level, and what's in the area, that can mean anything from a freeway overpass to a 300 climb from the river to bluff-tops. Generally, I look for climbs that are around a mile, and nothing steep. the first few should be at easy grades - 3-4% (200 vertical feet in a mile of riding). This is enough to raise your heart rate and make your quads burn a bit without straining knees.
First, pace is not important on the first few - just ride them. Find out what pace feels comfortable,
Try to do 5 repeats of the hill - that will be a total of around 15 miles on an 8 minute climb. (level 2-3 if you are used to heart rate).
So now you've got your pace sorted out for something that you can accomplish, let's crank it up a bit. If you've been tracking your speed, try to increase that by 5% a week on your hill. See how long you can hold your speed. It's not essential you ride the whole thing without fading, but do try to hold a steady speed for most of the way. Now turn around, ride back down, and do it again - a total of 5 repeats. See how you feel. If you've never done repeats or not done them in years, it may not be much fun, at least the first time or 3. Take a breather, and then ride the rest of your ride.
I'm big on interval work (what we just did). Improvements come rapidly, and can be really rewarding. If you can increase that speed up the one mile climb by 5% each week, that's a 20% improvement in 4 short sessions, which is probably 2 MPH or more! The quicker you get over long slow climbs, the sooner you get to enjoy the flats and downhills again!
You should also find something steeper and maybe longer for the last 2 weeks. Miesville offers about a dozen climbs of anywhere from a minute to 10 minutes, with the last two climbs being 10 minutes or more. None of the grades are really steep, but they are challenging, and will take some mental energy to complete. If you are training for the Pisgah monster cross, it's probably more like a 50 week program instead of 5, but the same general elements apply. Good climbing is mental as well as physical.
So that's another element to training for your first grinder. If you have any questions or comments, use the link below and I'll be happy to answer them.
~marsh
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Multi-sport youth
In the past few days, I've read a number of articles and blog posts regarding why college football/basketball coaches like to see young athletes pursue more than one sport. The reasons are numerous, but they really come down to better conditioned, more versatile and more engaged. I'd add to that less jaded, more energetic about sport, and in general better rounded as people and students. And I'll add my voice to the hum of coaches who firmly believe that single sport athletes are being led down the wrong path for life.
I just left a strength training workout for my kayak racing team - athletes ages 12-18. These kids/athletes are all there solely because *they* want to be there, to get stronger for kayak racing, but also to be stronger in general and for their other sports. All participate in multiple sports, including gymnastics, rock climbing, track and cross-country running and volleyball. I'll add the Nordic skiers in a couple of weeks as their seasons end.
The challenge facing a coach in this kind of environment really isn't getting the athletes to take part, it's crafting a program that is complimentary - and respectful of - their current in-season sport. That means that the volleyball player who had a tournament today and still wanted to come may not do her normal weights, or maybe skips out on something that engage overused muscles. It also means programming around the rock climber who had a meet (yep, competitive climbing is a club sport outside the high school) might not do the same lifts. It's all about working with the individual programs that are currently 'in season'. I know the volleyball player's coach is happy with her progress - stronger, more leap, harder serve.
It requires being aware of the individual athletes, expecting them to communicate about their off-season activities, and as a sport outside the high school system, sometimes meeting with their AD to develop an understanding of what your sport is providing that's not available inside the system.
And it requires a *lot* of parents who may, or may not have grown up playing sports. It's often easier to deal with the parent who didn't grow up playing sports through high school. They have fewer preconceived notions about athlete development, and usually more concern about the roundness of their particular athlete. Parents who grew up playing sports, particularly those who 'made varsity' are much more difficult to convince that the path [they've often forgotten] to success leads through being a well rounded athlete and person, not just a great sophomore playing football/soccer/hockey/whatever year around.
The 'year around sport' phenomenon is a recent one. Most varsity athletes in past generations played 2 or 3 sports - linemen were often the 'field' part of track and field, and the 'skill' positions doubled down on the running events. A lot depends on the region and sports at a particular school or region. There certainly have been specific coaches who pushed the 'only my sport or the highway' mantra, but they were certainly fewer and farther apart.
There's a great blog post making the rounds right now about Urban Meyer's preference to recruit multi-sport athletes. Since coming to Ohio State, Coach Meyer has shown a nearly 10-1 preference for multi-sport athletes. Is it possible this has something to do with winning a National Championship?
So the message for parents is simple - if your child wants to play several sports, please encourage them. If they are committed to doing only one, still encourage them, but try to suggest other sports activities as a break, cross training, for injury prevention, or any other reason you can find (except perhaps that they should play it just because *you* did).
And in the end, what we really want to see are young athletes who are well-rounded, energized, and on a path to be fit for life.
~marsh
I just left a strength training workout for my kayak racing team - athletes ages 12-18. These kids/athletes are all there solely because *they* want to be there, to get stronger for kayak racing, but also to be stronger in general and for their other sports. All participate in multiple sports, including gymnastics, rock climbing, track and cross-country running and volleyball. I'll add the Nordic skiers in a couple of weeks as their seasons end.
The challenge facing a coach in this kind of environment really isn't getting the athletes to take part, it's crafting a program that is complimentary - and respectful of - their current in-season sport. That means that the volleyball player who had a tournament today and still wanted to come may not do her normal weights, or maybe skips out on something that engage overused muscles. It also means programming around the rock climber who had a meet (yep, competitive climbing is a club sport outside the high school) might not do the same lifts. It's all about working with the individual programs that are currently 'in season'. I know the volleyball player's coach is happy with her progress - stronger, more leap, harder serve.
It requires being aware of the individual athletes, expecting them to communicate about their off-season activities, and as a sport outside the high school system, sometimes meeting with their AD to develop an understanding of what your sport is providing that's not available inside the system.
And it requires a *lot* of parents who may, or may not have grown up playing sports. It's often easier to deal with the parent who didn't grow up playing sports through high school. They have fewer preconceived notions about athlete development, and usually more concern about the roundness of their particular athlete. Parents who grew up playing sports, particularly those who 'made varsity' are much more difficult to convince that the path [they've often forgotten] to success leads through being a well rounded athlete and person, not just a great sophomore playing football/soccer/hockey/whatever year around.
The 'year around sport' phenomenon is a recent one. Most varsity athletes in past generations played 2 or 3 sports - linemen were often the 'field' part of track and field, and the 'skill' positions doubled down on the running events. A lot depends on the region and sports at a particular school or region. There certainly have been specific coaches who pushed the 'only my sport or the highway' mantra, but they were certainly fewer and farther apart.
There's a great blog post making the rounds right now about Urban Meyer's preference to recruit multi-sport athletes. Since coming to Ohio State, Coach Meyer has shown a nearly 10-1 preference for multi-sport athletes. Is it possible this has something to do with winning a National Championship?
So the message for parents is simple - if your child wants to play several sports, please encourage them. If they are committed to doing only one, still encourage them, but try to suggest other sports activities as a break, cross training, for injury prevention, or any other reason you can find (except perhaps that they should play it just because *you* did).
And in the end, what we really want to see are young athletes who are well-rounded, energized, and on a path to be fit for life.
~marsh
Friday, January 23, 2015
First Gravel Grinder - 5 week training plan
Congratulations! You sent your postcard in for the Miesville 56, so you are all signed up for your first real gravel event. Of course you haven't ridden all winter, and and your gravel skills are - wait - what gravel skills? The closest you have to gravel skills are riding on the Luce Line trail. Which is pretty much enough!
If you've ever ridden a metric century ride, or even a 40 mile ride, you can step up to riding 56 miles of gravel in just 4 short weeks. We do need to make some assumptions - you haven't been completely idle this winter - some time on the trainer, or maybe you've been skiing or running all winter. Just basic fitness. And we aren't talking about racing - we're planning to finish this ride at a respectable touring pace - around 10.5-11 mph average, which means you are probably riding 15 mph on the flats.
For starters, make sure your bike is all tuned up, and that you have good tires for riding on gritty roads. I'm partial to either gravel tires like the Challenge Gravel Grinder, Clement MSO or maybe a cyclocross tire intended for hard pack. Make sure you have clothing that fits your riding style and the weather - booties, long fingered gloves, multiple layers, tights, and a jacket. And try to pick the weather. Riding your first ride or two in the rain is a lousy way to start the season!
The goal of this program, like any training program is to build gradually toward the target event. In our case, we are looking at 56 miles of pretty good gravel, with a few hills, a little mud, and about a mile of road you may have to walk part of depending on your bike skills. And don't worry about bombing the downhills. Just ride them as fast or slow as your courage and common sense suggest.
Also, this workout should be something you can do in about 2 hours except for the long ride. With the return of daylight, you should be able to do this after work.
Week 1. Goal - get comfortable on the bike, get legs used to spinning.
Five days of riding (out of 7) Note that days aren't specified since the weather may dictate riding.
3 days 15-20 miles
1 day 25-30 miles
1 day 35 miles
Week 2 Goal - build distance base, add a few easy climbs. Nothing long or hard, 1/4 mile is plenty.
Again, 5 days of riding
2 days 15-25 miles - try to build your pace just a bit (remember our target is 16-18 on the flats
2 days 20-35 miles
1 day 40 miles. Throw in a few climbs. If you are local to Minnesota, consider River Falls as a riding area.
Week 3 Goal - add in a few gravel sections and more hills. Slight increase in miles 6 days riding this week
2 days 20-30 miles - build pace, add a few short hills
2 days 25-35 miles - work on pace - 17-18 on flats, climb both in and out of the saddle
1 day 40 miles - again work on pace and some climbing. A few short sprints (like really short, and not that hard)
1 day 10 miles - go find some gravel, a park, horse trails or whatever. Play with technique in sand, mud, loose rock, find out what the bike does in those situations. Don't forget to give your bike a bath after!
Week 4 Goal - raise the miles just a bit, find a few more hills, preferably later in your ride.
2 days 20+ miles. Mix it up, ride some trail or path, some road, and hills.
2 days 25-35 miles. As above, try to mix it up
1 day 10-15 miles, lots of unpaved surfaces and/or hills.
1 day 40-45 miles 'grinder pace' - really try to keep your pace up (but not crazy). This is also a good time to feel out what your target finish time might be for the 56. Are you likely to do 5 hours, 4 hours, 6?
Event week - We're cruising in to the event.
Monday or Tuesday - 20 miles one of the two days. Easy ride
Wednesday or Thursday - 30 miles, a little faster
Friday - off. Change tires if you need to.
Saturday - 25-30 miles, then clean bike, lube chain, but try not to adjust anything!
Sunday - Event day!
If you've been diligent with the program above, you'll have no problem riding 56 miles. If you started with good intentions, but came up short, you might look at cutting the course, maybe lopping off a hill, or one of the loops. You can figure 1/3 of your weekly miles as a rough guess of what you can safely do.
I'll do another training article next month with some specific ideas on food and drink.
Ride safe. Wear your helmet.
If you've ever ridden a metric century ride, or even a 40 mile ride, you can step up to riding 56 miles of gravel in just 4 short weeks. We do need to make some assumptions - you haven't been completely idle this winter - some time on the trainer, or maybe you've been skiing or running all winter. Just basic fitness. And we aren't talking about racing - we're planning to finish this ride at a respectable touring pace - around 10.5-11 mph average, which means you are probably riding 15 mph on the flats.
For starters, make sure your bike is all tuned up, and that you have good tires for riding on gritty roads. I'm partial to either gravel tires like the Challenge Gravel Grinder, Clement MSO or maybe a cyclocross tire intended for hard pack. Make sure you have clothing that fits your riding style and the weather - booties, long fingered gloves, multiple layers, tights, and a jacket. And try to pick the weather. Riding your first ride or two in the rain is a lousy way to start the season!
The goal of this program, like any training program is to build gradually toward the target event. In our case, we are looking at 56 miles of pretty good gravel, with a few hills, a little mud, and about a mile of road you may have to walk part of depending on your bike skills. And don't worry about bombing the downhills. Just ride them as fast or slow as your courage and common sense suggest.
Also, this workout should be something you can do in about 2 hours except for the long ride. With the return of daylight, you should be able to do this after work.
Week 1. Goal - get comfortable on the bike, get legs used to spinning.
Five days of riding (out of 7) Note that days aren't specified since the weather may dictate riding.
3 days 15-20 miles
1 day 25-30 miles
1 day 35 miles
Week 2 Goal - build distance base, add a few easy climbs. Nothing long or hard, 1/4 mile is plenty.
Again, 5 days of riding
2 days 15-25 miles - try to build your pace just a bit (remember our target is 16-18 on the flats
2 days 20-35 miles
1 day 40 miles. Throw in a few climbs. If you are local to Minnesota, consider River Falls as a riding area.
Week 3 Goal - add in a few gravel sections and more hills. Slight increase in miles 6 days riding this week
2 days 20-30 miles - build pace, add a few short hills
2 days 25-35 miles - work on pace - 17-18 on flats, climb both in and out of the saddle
1 day 40 miles - again work on pace and some climbing. A few short sprints (like really short, and not that hard)
1 day 10 miles - go find some gravel, a park, horse trails or whatever. Play with technique in sand, mud, loose rock, find out what the bike does in those situations. Don't forget to give your bike a bath after!
Week 4 Goal - raise the miles just a bit, find a few more hills, preferably later in your ride.
2 days 20+ miles. Mix it up, ride some trail or path, some road, and hills.
2 days 25-35 miles. As above, try to mix it up
1 day 10-15 miles, lots of unpaved surfaces and/or hills.
1 day 40-45 miles 'grinder pace' - really try to keep your pace up (but not crazy). This is also a good time to feel out what your target finish time might be for the 56. Are you likely to do 5 hours, 4 hours, 6?
Event week - We're cruising in to the event.
Monday or Tuesday - 20 miles one of the two days. Easy ride
Wednesday or Thursday - 30 miles, a little faster
Friday - off. Change tires if you need to.
Saturday - 25-30 miles, then clean bike, lube chain, but try not to adjust anything!
Sunday - Event day!
If you've been diligent with the program above, you'll have no problem riding 56 miles. If you started with good intentions, but came up short, you might look at cutting the course, maybe lopping off a hill, or one of the loops. You can figure 1/3 of your weekly miles as a rough guess of what you can safely do.
I'll do another training article next month with some specific ideas on food and drink.
Ride safe. Wear your helmet.
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