Category: Cycling

Crono Vino Time Trial: Fake it until I make it – or just keep faking it

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On April 10th, I received this text from Karl, an athlete that I coach: I clicked the link. I read through the event description.  And, I realized: 1) Karl would do this event, and 2) I should probably hit the “register” button as well. If I’m going to think of myself as a “real” cyclist, then I need to do “bikey” things. But, the thought of showing up at an event for really real cyclists scared the crap out of me. Mostly, I was certain one or more of the following things would happen: 1) I would greatly humiliate myself, 2) I would get my ass …

I am a cyclist? I AM a cyclist.

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I’m coming clean: I’ve been a hypocrite. I’ve talked a time or a dozen about how central our thoughts are for influencing the way that we act. While I walk this talk in most aspects of my athletic life, there is one area where I’ve clearly been lacking – yes, even hypocritical. I’ve said some pretty negative things about cycling. For example, I take credit for the hashtag #BikesArePoopy. More specifically, I’ve said some not-so-nice things about myself as a cyclist. I may have said a time or a dozen that I suck on the bike. I consider a compliment about my …

Trainer Time: 3 bike trainer workouts for triathletes

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I could blame the colder temperatures for the time I spend on the trainer, but that would be dishonest. I ride (and like to ride) the trainer year-round, and I find for shorter workouts, it can’t be beat for time efficiency – as well as the ability to nail a workout without worrying about stop signs, squirrels, flying saucers or cars. Even so, John and I are just a little bit crazy with the time we are willing to put into the trainer. We’ve done quite a few 6 hour heat acclimation rides, and we are steadily working up to 12-14 hours …

Life is an Adventure Made for an Adventurer

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In 2010, John and I were training for our first Ironman in Lake Placid. During that training season, I was thrown off the road by a car, and it shook me. I remember being so afraid to ride my bike outside. In fact, that crash affected my cycling confidence for at least 2 years. (I’m not quick to recover from sliding across the road at almost 20 mph. Call me a sissy if you must.) A few weeks after that crash back in 2010, John and I went for a ride in the New Hope, PA area, using a cue sheet …

Cycling: Holding My Own

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“It’s been a while since we rode together,” John said. “You’re different.” Pause. “I’m impressed.” I beamed. Wow. That is high praise indeed. To say that cycling has not come naturally to me would be an understatement. It’s like saying that Rinny is an okay runner, or Michael Phleps knows a little bit about swimming, or Lance Armstrong only took a few “natural” enhancements. For the first 3 years that I raced triathlon, I never quite “got” the bike. I had (foolishly) thought that my running history would allow me to power the bike and that would be that. Um, …

Cadence – It’s Not Just for Cycling

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The very first time I got on a road bike, I put it into one of the heaviest gears, and mashed those pedals around the Pine Barrens of South Jersey for two hours. I’m guessing my cadence couldn’t have been much more than 60-65 rpm. This story is a common one – especially for runners who start cycling. Runners just love to mash and grind, don’t we? If it doesn’t hurt, we can’t possibly be doing it correctly, right? Thankfully, those more experienced at the time than I taught me to stop being such a schmuck. So, I lightened up the …

(Not) Just Like the First Time: The Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course

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As we drove north to Lake Placid last weekend, and the one-dimensional terrain of southern New Jersey gave way to the peaks of the Adirondacks, I could feel the flapping of those butterfly wings in my belly. It was a mixture of both excitement and anxiety as we returned to what I consider to be my “home” Ironman course. We were heading to Lake Placid for a long training weekend. John would be running Mt. Marcy in preparation for the VT100 on July 20. I would be joining the Fireman Ironman training camp for a swim-bike-run of the course in anticipation …

Road Noise Vest Passes the 100 Mile Test

[Note: Road Noise provided  John and I with road noise vests for our review. We agreed to review the vests and provide our honest assessment.] “So, how did you like the Road Noise vest during the race?” I asked John the morning he ran 100 miles at the NJ Ultra Festival. “It’s the sh!t.” He replied. If you’ve never heard of the Road Noise vest, then I am excited to be the one to introduce you to this invention which solves problems for endurance athletes of all type–runners and cyclists in particular. In sum: Road Noise is a headphone-free way to …

Rooby-Roo the Rocket

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Well, it’s official. I’m a triathlete. Never mind the last five years, with three Ironmans, and I lost count of how many HIMs, olys and sprints. I am an official triathlete because now I have the gear to prove it. I guess that’s why some people go for the gear first. Skip all the other crap–training, years of racing, and so on. It’s not real until you are on a tri-bike. Now, I understand. My brand new, first-ever tri-bike was ready for pick-up on Saturday–>a Quintana Roo CD0.1, with Dura Ace, and Reynolds Strike Wheel Set. John and I made …

Power: Weaknesses and Opportunities

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Our next race is just one week away: Rev3 Quassy half iron distance, in Middlebury, CT on June 3. I’m super excited for this race; so far, I think it’s my favorite half-distance course, especially the bike, which I wrote about last year after doing the race for the first time. During the past week, Coach Vince and I have been working out the race plan. For the first time, I will use the information from my power meter (as well as heart rate) to execute the cycling portion of the plan. When I picked up the power meter at …