NorCal Cycling Podcast NorCal Cycling Podcast

Many flats are unavoidable but here’s how you can improve your odds of staying on the road.

Going through my feed this week and one thing is certain, the Holy Week is here and the cycling community is buzzing. If you watch one event this year Tour of Flanders or Paris Roubaix should be one of them. Bike racing can be boring to watch but the Spring Classics will keep you coming back for more. 

https://www.velonews.com/2019/04/analysis/flanders-vs-roubaix-what-do-the-riders-think_492009

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/tag/tour-of-flanders

I also wanted to speak to Strava a bit. Most of us use it but do we get caught up in the metrics of least importance? What are some of the features we can use to renew our enthusiasm for the platform? Exploring new roads, climbing challenges and training plans are motivational. Chasing KOMs can often lead to burnout. 

https://www.strava.com/athlete/training-plans/cycling

Let me know what you think at rbritt2020@gmail.com

The process of training for an event can be (and should be) extremely fulfilling. The ability to see our fitness improve over time, even as we get older, can be extremely motivating in an of itself. As our goals change our training should evolve to be more specific to the events we want to improve in or where we want to be more competitive. In this podcast I simply outline 3 traps and tips that I have found to be most helpful as I have progressed over the years.  I don't have the same potential at the age of 48 as I did back when I was 30 but I am sure that I am more fit now then I was back then and definitely have been training a lot more effectively which much less time. It has come through 20 years of trial an error!  
Hopefully I can save 1 person a few years of being unproductive. : )
In this podcast I refer to training zones. Assume I am referring to the power zones that you can find on Strava as a percentage of FTP.

Active Recovery – Social pace with very little physiological effect  on your body. 
Endurance – Easy pace that you could ride “all day long” 56% to 75% = Zone 2
Tempo – Brisk pace that can be maintained for a few hours that  requires concentration when riding alone.  75% to 90% = Zone 3
Threshold – Moderate to hard effort and leg fatigue that can be  maintained for up to 1 hour.  = Zone 4
VO2Max – Power that is primarily taxing your VO2Max system. Leg  fatigue is high and conversation is not possible. VO2Max can be  maintained for 3-8 minutes. (105% to 120%)
Anaerobic = Extremely hard efforts with severe leg fatigue that can be maintained for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
Neuromuscular – Sprinting power that is taxing your neuromuscular system and can be maintained for 1-20 seconds.

Joe Friel's - The Cycling Training Bible - https://www.joefrielsblog.com/2018/03/the-all-new-cyclists-training-bible.html
Local Coaches - Dana Williams, Craig Upton, Dario Frederick, John Hunt
Zwift, Trainer Road, Rouvy and other apps are also out there with some training plans that are geared towards various objectives. 

Tom Schmidt has been an inspiration to me and many other bike commuters living between San Anselmo and San Francisco.  Over the years the Raiders have grown from a handful to more than 60 strong in March of 2019. The larger the group continues to grow the more each member's influence extends into the community. Riding 15 to 20 miles each way to an avid cyclist doesn't seem like much at first but many group members will average 200+ mile weeks and 8,000+ mile years...it really adds up and having a group of like-minded friends to keep you motivated makes a huge difference. Those considering ditching the car commute a couple of times per week might want to listen in to Tom's story for additional motivation. The hardest part is getting started...find out what inspires you. 
Here is the Strava Group for the Raiders:
https://www.strava.com/clubs/8403
 

FTP isn’t everything. Amateur cycling has become more competitive than ever due to efficient training, expert coaching and power meters but there is still an element of the sport that can help you level the playing field, playing the tactical game. The post was inspired by listening to Adam Zimmerman interview Tom Danielson. Here is the link to that podcast that is definitely worth a listen. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-echelon-podcast/id1332126935?mt=2&i=1000428152164

An initial objection to racing in Zwift events is that “everyone cheats by lowering their weight.” Tune in for my perspective on the types of cheating, the types of cheaters and what the community is doing about it. The last 6 minutes is a little overview of www.zwiftpower.com which is an amazing tool launched by community members...not Zwift HQ.