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.

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.

Russian Wild Boar Duathlon

If my first multisport race of the season is any indication of the remainder of the season, then I am expecting huge performance gains this year. I competed in the Russian Wild Boar Off-Road Duathlon today. As a part of the Brookside Greenway festival, it was held on the rain soaked Brookside Greenway and trail system. Despite the muddy conditions I racked up a first place overall finish. Going into the race, I didn’t really know what to expect. It was my first-ever duathlon, and a first time-event. As a first-time race, I must commend race director Mike Bryan for doing a fantastic job of making sure everything was organized, and well marked. Initially, the bike portion of the race included a river crossing. However, the rain last night caused the river level to rise to waist deep level. Fortunately the race organizers re-routed the bike portion to omit the river crossing. The final route included a 1.8 mile trail run, 10 mile mtb bike, and 1.8 mile trail run. In order to maximize participation, race officials aimed to limit the technical difficulty of the course. However, thanks to mother-nature, the extreme amount of mud made up for the lack of technical difficulty. Since it was my first duathlon, I started off conservatively. Knowing that I was able to run with the leaders without any signs of fatigue, I found a huge boost of confidence going into transition. Leaving transition on my bike, I was in the familiar last 2/3 of a triathlon territory. Still feeling strong, I laid the power down on the bike and managed to gap the field by over 4 minutes. At the start of the final run, my legs complained a little. However, thanks to the great conditioning work over the winter, I was able to mentally shut out that initial fatigue and increase my lead for a victorious finish. I’m really looking forward to the Xterra season!