Clean Bike = Fast bike

A clean bike is a fast bike. Well at least a clean drive-train makes a faster bike. Over the years, I have tried various soap/water solutions, bicycle degreasers, and even engine degreasers to keep my bicycle drive-trains clean. However, recently, I have found the best bang for the buck method: an old toothbrush and some WD40. After rinsing my bike down with a hose (avoiding spraying directly at any bearing assembly’s) to remove the mud and dirt, I spray wd40 liberally on the chain, chainrings, and cassette. With the bike in a stand, I pack-pedal so that the chain moves through the bristles of the toothbrush. I continue this on the chainrings and cassette. Another quick spray of the drive-train with a hose knocks off most of the residue. I then take a clean and dry rag and wipe down the drive-train. After a few squirts of chain lube, the bike is ready for more action. Regular drive-train cleaning, especially on mountain bikes, will greatly extend the life of some very costly components.

VO2 max

David and Kristy Harris, from FitnessWave Tennessee, were in Birmingham again this past weekend for the Y-tri triathlon. Since I’ve been training consistently for over 5 months, and I’m only a few weeks away from my first Xterra race for the season, I figured this is a great time to test my ability. I completed a VO2 max test to get some insight into my current fitness level. VO2 is basically a measure of the volume of oxygen consumed per kg of body weight. It is used to measure cardiovascular fitness. To set up for this test, my road bike was mounted on a stationary trainer in the 34 x 17 gear combo. After filling out my vitals (age, sex, height, weight, and resting hr) I slipped on a nose and mouth encompassing mask attached to an oxygen measuring machine via a corrugated plastic tube. I warmed up for about 10 minutes before beginning the test. Starting at 100 watts of resistance, I started pedaling. An additional 25 watts was added every minute, and I used hand signals to rank my perceived effort on a scale from 1 to 10. After the longest 14 minute effort I can think of, my body gave in to 425 watts of resistance. The result was a 70 VO2 max. As I expected, this was far above the typical male of my age. However, I was even more enthusiastic to find out that it is towards the low end of the range for an elite level cyclist/triathlete. Considering I don’t have the luxury of a full time training schedule or coaching, the result is very motivating , both in terms of being a great baseline number and showing room for improvement. Along with VO2 max, the test also gave my max hr (187), aerobic/anaerobic thresholds, target hr zones, and caloric burn rate for each zone. Until recently, I always used the formulas that take vital statistics in order to calculate these things. However, it’s great to have individualized test results to get the most out of training (my previous max hr calculation was about 8 bpm high). One thing that is notable about this test is that the VO2 max number will differ depending on the activity being tested. Overall, this was a very informative test that I look forward to completing again as continue to make athletic gains. Although testing can be schedule throughout the year, Fitness Wave will be back in town, with all of their test equipment , for the Buster Britton Triathlon next month.

Just a Thought

I overheard some roadies talking the other day about training. One of them was expressing his frustration over how hard it is to make a 50-60 mile "flat" ride in Birmingham. Although I didn't fall over laughing, the internal smirk still permeates. For the casual cyclists and gym crowds just looking to stay in shape, I would expect to hear something along these lines. However, for someone aspiring to be a competitive cyclist, which I would assume of anyone regularly putting in that kind of mileage, hills and “training outside your comfort zone” are a large part of the equation. Occasionally, someone will ask me about my training and what I feel is the most important aspect to improvement. Until now, I always talked about things such as consistency, proper rest, and nutrition. While those are all very important, EFFORT and INTENSITY are often overlooked (especially among the endurance sport crowd). This is one of the most critical lessons that I learned from 15 years of competitive swimming.

Tennessee Training

Over the past few months, pro triathlete Craig Evans has made the occasional weekend training trip down to Birmingham from his home state of Tennessee. I take the opportunity to push myself in keeping up with him whenever I get the chance. This past weekend, I headed up to his neck of the woods in Tennessee to do some training. After getting in Friday evening, we took the time to catch up and plan out the weekend over dinner. We rose Saturday morning and headed up to Lock 4 Park in Gallatin TN. This is the venue of the Xterra Lock 4 race that takes place every July. We warmed up one lap and then did two strong laps around the 7 mile mountain bike course. Although this course lacks any long sustained climbs, the constant acceleration and braking required to quickly navigate the sharp corners and switchbacks make this course deceptively difficult. Any extra time on a course like this always helps out on race day. I rounded out the morning with a 3 mile run on the Xterra run course. After lunch, we headed to the pool for a 3000 meter long course workout. As my first ever post bike/run swim, I understand why swimming is the first leg of a triathlon. My legs were fatigued to the point where I needed a pull buoy just to keep my form. After a four hour training day, I enjoyed the chance to sleep like a new born baby as soon as my head hit the pillow Saturday night. We finished up the weekend with a two hour road bike ride Sunday morning. This was the first ride on my new Trek Madone 4.7. I’ll post more about the bike after a few more rides, but it performed beautifully on the Tennessee countryside roads. Unfortunately, not even the bike could help tame the strong winds. Our initial plans for a 50 mile ride were cut about 10 miles short after giving in to Mother Nature. With 3 races planned for June, this will serve as one of my final weeks to make big gains before my racing season kicks off!