Jasper to Fort Mountain - Training Ride

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 80 mi
Moving Time: 05:22:10
Avg Moving Speed: 14.9 mph
Max Speed: 39.0 mph

Group: Jamie, Elizabeth, Nancy, Mike Q., Glenn, Gary, Neal, Tim, Peter, Kit and me

Goal: My goal was to expand the miles, keep my intensity in check, endure the ride and do well on the climbs.

The Ride:
I can be grateful for Neal talking me into this ride. I was hesitant for a few reason, but I was concerned with the combination of distance and elevation gain compared to my current fitness level. But I am glad I went and we had a nice group that met in Jasper for this ride out to Fort Mountain.

I had told several that I was sticking to my game plan and riding at a pace suitable to my goals and I wanted, if possible, to ride in a manner that I could train in new few days without having to take extra recovery time. For as long as my power meter hub batteries would last I kept a watchful eye on my power output and because of this I ended up dropping off the back of the group. The group pace was a crisp as the cold morning air and a bit more than I wanted. Good for them! They are all in great shape for this early time of the season. Fortunately Mike was also in the same mind frame as me so I at least had some company.

We noticed a rider blending into the group near Carters Lake and I guessed it was Tim. It was and it was great to have Tim out to share a few miles with us. As usual we stopped at the store at the base of the climb to refill and/or make some clothing adjustments for the 9 mile climb. Since my power meter was dead I hit the lap timer at the start and clocked my time on Lap 2, which was 9.3 miles to the very top at a 7.4 avg. mph and 1:15:24 time for my climb. This was marked past where I met the group waiting at the top and was at the very top summit of the climb on Fort Mountain. Sticking with my game plan I did not push real hard up the climb. We still had 40 miles remaining and some big rolling hills as we were heading into Ellijay.

We did another store stop to regroup in Ellijay because the traffic exiting the town can be heavy and having a larger group helps in this type of traffic. The cars seem to respect the larger groups more than an individual. I expected the group to start hammering once we got out of the congestion, but fortunately for me, Mike and Neal they had mercy on us and held a milder pace. Perhaps it was the stiff headwinds that kept the pace calmer.

The last feature in the 80 mile route was the 3 mile climb near Talking Rock going back into Jasper. The road gradient is mild in comparison to everything else we hit today, but when it comes near the end of the ride you just got to grit your teeth and bust through that last part. Actually it was not too bad and I felt as if I had enough in my legs I could have ended stronger, but there was no reason and I was content to end as mildly as I started.

Since most of my time was spent near the back it seemed as if everyone had an excellent day of performance. I suppose we all stepped up a little in having confidence for the future goals. Thanks Neal for motivating me and all of us to put some additional miles and climbing on our legs.

I am one of those doing 3 State 3 Mountain again this year.
3 State 3 Mountain | May 7th | 100 Miles | 7,144 Elevation Gain recorded in Garmin Connect
Jasper to Fort Mountain | Feb. 26th | 80 Miles | 5,821 Elevation Gain recorded in Garmin Connect

Seems we are not too far off and we still have a couple months to keep improving our climbing and endurance.


Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~32 oz.of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (2) Cliff Bars (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 39 degrees, End @ 64 degrees, Winds from S 9 mph

Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap wired, Contour GPS camera mounted on the bar

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Hub batteries died at mile 30

Overall Power Data:
Hub batteries died at mile 30
332 TSS based on manual entry

e-Motion Rollers

Why e-Motion Rollers?

If one were to look at the price of the e-Motion roller they may ask why I am nuts to spend so much, but once I saw some very valid reasons and the very good comments from multitudes of reviews the value was reasonable to what I hope will become a key part of my cycling training. (Update 3/9/2011: now that I have owned and used the rollers for a couple of weeks I am still very happy with the purchase.)
Summary:

• I needed to raise my training volume (time at level) above what I could tolerate on the trainer
• I needed to switch from my favorite place I use the 2 x 60 minute intervals for safety reasons
• I needed to reduce my drive time to safe cycling locations
• I wanted something that I could maintain a constant stress load without interuptions like traffic

I was looking for a way to increase my CTL(Chronic Training Load) and weekly TSS (Training Stress Score) and though the my weekly training schedule included the typical 2x20 intervals at Level 4, I felt as if I needed at least one more day or two with a higher volume at Level 3 to help pull up those numbers. Also I noticed that on bad weather days that interrupt my longer training times out on the road my CTL plummets and if there are a few weekends of bad weather it really begins to drop in WKO+. When it drops so does my actual performance out on the road. I wanted to get something that I could tolerate for longer indoor training sessions and I cannot seem to tolerate my Kurt Kinetic trainer for longer sessions exceeding sixty minutes. I will still use the fluid trainer for the higher intensity sessions, but I intend to use the rollers for the longer sessions.

Another reason that I considered the rollers was due to my favorite place for the 2 x 60 minute sessions on Sunday was becoming unsafe. It is a popular fitness and recreational Rails to Trails path that draws walkers, joggers, roller blading, families with small children and all sorts of other distractions. I liked the pathway because it is so flat and continous unlike the rolling terrain for our group rides. By being flat is equivalent to training on the trainer except time seems to pass quickly and I can keep constant torque on the pedals that I find very difficult if I am on rolling terrain. As my fitness improves my speed had to increase in order for me to get into the prescribed training zones. I now have to travel at speeds exceeding 20 mph in order to stay in those zones, which I was finding the situation becoming risky to those enjoying recreation on the path. It is too unsafe for them and for me as I would have to manuever around people at high speeds and with people, kids and dogs it is unpredictable as to what they will do. I felt that perhaps I would be able to now move the 2 x 60 session indoors to the e-Motion rollers. Only time will tell if this pans out, but if so I will be able to perform the entire training session at a higher power output with no interruptions at all. (Update 3/9/2011: my data in WKO+ is now improving again as my CTL is back to an upward trend due to being able to train at longer periods on the rollers. I use a combination of the trainer and rollers to achieve my weekday goals. On Sunday I will use the rollers exclusively.)


The last reason is based on driving and gas cost. For me to get to a safe cycling place I need to drive a minimum of 30 minutes one way and that can become very tiresome on some days. Plus there was the cost of the gas and that gets expensive with my gas guzzling truck.

First Impressions

I first heard about the rollers when a friend out west and someone who has been key to my training mentioned having them so I started researching the rollers on the internet and no matter where I looked the reviews were all so extremely positive. I did a lot of searching and I cannot remember seeing any negative comments except maybe the cost. Many of the reviewers had the same intention that I describe above and many stated how they could not tolerate sitting on the trainer for extended periods.

I told my wife about the rollers and she watched a couple of Youtube videos that helped sell the potential value of the purchase. She gave me the blessing to make the order.

Yesterday I received the package at work since it is required that you be available to sign for the package. It was shipped FedEx ground and took about a week from the west coast to Atlanta. It is very nice to buy a product that is not shipped in a thousand parts and it takes a day of assembly. All you have to do is pull a number of staples from the box and the rollers are just about ready to use.

The second step is align the front wheel hub with the front roller and this is also a very nice system. It has a rack and pinion system that will adjust forward and backward with turning knobs on either side. I used a plumb bob to check the alignment.

The third step was to give it a try. The video above is literally the first time using just after the setup and I have no previous roller experience. My friend out west gave me some good instructions on how to get started. I was going to use a doorway to help my balance, but I did not have a convenient doorway threshold that was flat. I went ahead and setup the roller in the designated spot and used my wife's recumbent bike to help balance and get started. I also decided to just try my running shoes instead of being clipped in just to get the initial feel and some confidence.

 As shown in the video it just took a couple of minutes to get the hang of it. A quick test with the power meter and I noticed I can easily go into the prescribed training zone without adding extra resistance. With it set at 0, the lowest setting, I was able to get it up to 240 watts without really pushing hard and I was also not on the 11 cog so I have plenty of room to grow without even adding resistance. I can only imagine what the next two levels of resistance will feel like and I can certainly see why people are able to sprint on these rollers. At 240 watts the sound will increase, but the rollers are still a little quieter than the trainer. Riding at Tempo the noise level is much quieter.

Tonight I will begin using the rollers and I imagine the first several sessions will be a little lower output as I get more accustomed to balance and use of the rollers, but just within a few minutes I could see why these rollers get so high a review from users. The best review will come if in a few months and over the years my cycling fitness improves because I was able to use the rollers to increase my training time. (Update 3/9/2011: with some training time and confidence building as I log more hours on the trainer my ability to hold a higher power output is also increasing. Another postive thing that I notice since using the rollers is that my time on the trainer is also improving.)

Ride For Terry

(17 of Terry's Southern Friends and Mike R. operating the camera)

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 68.2 mi
Moving Time: 03:57:54
Avg Moving Speed: 17.2 mph
Max Speed: 35.1 mph

Group: Diane, Jamie, Shelli, Elizabeth, Gayle, Nancy, Mike Q., Mike R., Gary, Neal, Rod, Peter, Richard,  Joe, Alan, Carl, Steve and me

Goal: My goal was to enjoy the ride with friends in memory and in absence of our friend, Terry Kihlstrand.

The Ride:
A couple weeks ago Diane mentioned going out to Armuchee to do a ride in memory of Terry Kihlstrand. You can find out a little more about Terry with a video here or at the link at the upper right corner of this blog.

Most of us met Terry for the first time on this route on November 13th, 2010. This morning 18 cyclists rolled out on a ride to commemorate our good memory of Terry. I can say at the summation of this brisk ride that he would have loved to been with us today. For my brief friendship with Terry there was one thing that I caught on quick was his love for cycling and not just some easy going pace. He would have loved the pace that we had today and especially the opportunity to hammer up Fouche Gap Road.

The first 40 miles involved a 2 mile climb up Fouche Gap Road and most of that 40 miles we pushed against a headwind. From what I could tell most everyone participated in a turn at the front. Some of the stronger riders, like Richard and Joe, seemed to be up there quite a bit.

It was after the store stop that the road leveled out a little more and the pace picked up some despite still pushing against a headwind. When we turned on Heywood Valley Road  I heard a number of people sigh with relief. The combination of an awesome speedy road like Heywood Valley Road with a tailwind and you can bet there were a number of us smiling inside, but still with gritted teeth as the pace greatly intensified. I checked my data in WKO+ and we had close to a 22 mph average on Heywood Valley Road.

Heywood Valley Road:
    Duration:      41:34
    TSS:           46.4 (intensity factor 0.819)
                        Min.  Max.    Avg.
    Speed:           10    35.2    21.5     mph


If Terry were with us today would he have had the same smiles we had? I am very positive that he would.
I am very grateful for the 17 cyclists that joined me today including Neal, who broke away from his typical early morning starts to ride with us.  
What an awesome bunch of cyclists and friends!

I started in shorts and short sleeves and it is February. When we finished it was 72 degrees and what a blessed day it was. Like Gary said to me on the last mile or so, "I could just keep going." Even as much as my legs were cooked by the pace I felt the same as Gary. These are the days you don't want to end.


Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~32 oz.of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (2) Cliff Bars (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 51 degrees, End @ 72 degrees, Winds from N 5 mph

Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap wired

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Summary Table of Minutes of Duration in Each Training Zone
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      6.74      0.95
      2     50.61     32.00
      3    147.88    179.85
      4     21.21     27.31
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      0.94      2.72
      7      7.31     16.99

Overall Power Data:
Entire workout (128 watts):
    Duration:      3:57:25 (4:18:23)
    Work:          1809 kJ
    TSS:           258.9 (intensity factor 0.82)
    Norm Power:    164
    VI:            1.28
    Distance:      68.287 mi
                       Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    729    128     watts
    Speed:           0    35.2    17.3     mph
    Pace             1:42    0:00    3:29     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    41    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    874    143     lb-in

After Store Stop:
    Duration:      1:08:42
    Distance:      22.539 mi
                       Min    Max    Avg
    Speed:           10    35.2    19.7     mph

Comet - 2 x 60 Intervals

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 33.4 mi
Moving Time: 01:54:16
Avg Speed: 17.5 mph
Max Speed: 26.6 mph

Goal: 2 x 60 minute intervals sustained in levels 3 and 4.

Ride:
Interval 1: I was feeling the ride from yesterday and the stiff sustained wind going out made it a hard task.
Interval 2: Had the tailwind and a lot more speed on the return. I got in with two other guys and we carried a really high speed for a long time. I had a really good bout in the front for a few miles averaging speeds in the mid twenties. I bowed out when the congestion on the trail got heavier and maneuvering around people became riskier.

Based on how tired my legs felt from yesterday I am very happy with the results today. A little over 100 minutes in the zones that I care about for building sustainable power output.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~24 oz. bottle of water with BCAA, Glutamine & Maltodextrin, (2) Hammer gels (1) 30 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink

The Weather:  60 degrees, sunny, stiff breeze on the way out WNW

Bike: LOOK 585, PT Hub, Garmin 705

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      1.81      0.40
      2      1.78      1.03
      3     80.77     86.06
      4     26.23     35.47
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      1.32      4.26
      7      2.48      4.34

Power Data:
 Interval 1:
    Duration:      1:00:02 (1:00:37)
    Work:          554 kJ
    TSS:           68.4 (intensity factor 0.837)
    Norm Power:    167
    VI:            1.08
    Distance:      16.614 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    556    155     watts
    Speed:           0    23.3    16.6     mph (headwinds)
    Pace             2:34    0:00    3:37     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    32    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    642    170     lb-in
 
Interval 2:
    Duration:      51:09 (51:12)
    Work:          451 kJ
    TSS:           59.3 (intensity factor 0.844)
    Norm Power:    169
    VI:            1.13
    Distance:      16.156 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    645    149     watts
    Speed:           0    27.2    19.0     mph (tailwinds)
    Pace             2:13    0:00    3:10     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    25    5     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    842    164     lb-in


Entire workout (149 watts):
    Duration:      1:56:00 (1:57:43)
    Work:          1023 kJ
    TSS:           130.3 (intensity factor 0.833)
    Norm Power:    167
    VI:            1.12
    Distance:      33.586 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    645    149     watts

Brewery-Calhoun-Fairmont

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 57.5 mi
Moving Time: 03:27:12
Avg Moving Speed: 16.6 mph
Max Speed: 35.6 mph

Group: Diane, Jamie, Shelli, Elizabeth, Mike Q., Mike R., Gary, Tim, Graham, Peter, Derek,  Joe and me

Goal: My goal was to enjoy the ride with hopes of racking up some decent time in L3

The Ride: Again the weather predictions for today sounded horrible with a predicted start around 27 degrees and not getting above 37 by the time we finished. However, from the moment I stepped out of the truck it did not feel that bad and sun was shining full on so I think it warmed up fairly quick.

We had thirteen riders roll out from the brewery heading toward Calhoun, which was a surprising number of riders considering the weather claims. Derek split off after a few miles for a different route with the rest of starting to pick up the pace. Once we were on Lovebridge Road I broke away from the group trying to get in some training time. A number of miles later Tim, Jamie and Graham came up.

After a store stop in Fairmont we started back on the typical route back on Slate Mine Road with about 17 miles to the finish. By this point I had my training time in and was content to drop back on my pace a little. Tim and I went back to ride with Graham and noticed the group had stopped ahead. From a distance we surmised by the way the group was standing that something had happened.. Unfortunately some wheels touched and Mike went down. Fortunately there were no major injuries from what we could tell, but his hand had some major swelling. I am grateful to the Lord Mike was not injured worse nor anyone else.

I have to admit that I did not think many would be riding today, but we had a great turn out and the weather was not that bad. I feel as if it was a good training day.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~32 oz. bottle of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (1) Cliff Bars (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 35 degrees, End @ 49 degrees, Winds WNW 5 mph

Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap wired

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Summary Table of Minutes of Duration in Each Training Zone
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1     58.78     40.14
      2      6.76      3.35
      3    114.32    136.77
      4     10.86     13.06
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      1.87      4.62
      7      9.83     34.26

Overall Power Data:
 Entire workout (128 watts):
    Duration:      3:24:06 (4:13:54)
    Work:          1561 kJ
    TSS:           232.5 (intensity factor 0.835)
    Norm Power:    167
    VI:            1.3
    Distance:      57.336 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    676    128     watts
    Speed:           0    35.4    16.8     mph
    Pace             1:42    0:00    3:34     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    38    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    1078    146     lb-in
 

Comet - 2 x 60 Intervals

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 40.6 mi
Moving Time: 02:16:49
Avg Speed: 17.8 mph
Max Speed: 26.8 mph
Interval 1 Avg Speed: 17.1
Interval 2 Avg Speed: 17.4

Goal: 2 x 60 minute intervals sustained in levels 3 and 4.

Ride: I am very pleased with today's effort. Perhaps not expending too much effort yesterday helped today, but I also feel as if my conditioning is starting to come up and I am not too far off my summer condition from last year. A few more of these I think I will be on track. I racked up a good amount of time in L4 and L3 today.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~24 oz. bottle of water with BCAA, Glutamine & Maltodextrin, (2) Hammer gel (1) 30 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink

The Weather:  50 degrees, sunny, slight breeze

Bike: LOOK 585, PT Hub, Garmin 705

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      0.31      0.00
      2      0.19      0.18
      3     56.78     64.33
      4     75.41    101.44
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      1.60      5.58
      7      1.70      2.51

Power Data: (Based on FT 200)
 Interval 1:
    Duration:      1:00:04
    Work:          599 kJ
    TSS:           75.7 (intensity factor 0.874)
    Norm Power:    175
    VI:            1.05
    Distance:      17.227 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    594    167     watts
    Speed:           0    22.9    17.2     mph
    Pace             2:37    0:00    3:29     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    31    7     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    760    194     lb-in


Interval 2:
    Duration:      1:02:16 (1:03:02)
    Work:          584 kJ
    TSS:           76 (intensity factor 0.863)
    Norm Power:    173
    VI:            1.09
    Distance:      19.424 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    623    158     watts
    Speed:           0    26.5    18.7     mph
    Pace             2:16    0:00    3:12     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    26    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    1089    183     lb-in

Entire workout (164 watts):
    Duration:      2:17:11 (2:19:39)
    Work:          1336 kJ
    TSS:           173 (intensity factor 0.878)
    Norm Power:    176
    VI:            1.07
    Distance:      40.824 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    623    164     watts
    Speed:           0    26.5    17.8     mph
    Pace             2:16    0:00    3:22     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    31    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    1089    191     lb-in

BBC48 - Roll the Dice

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 47.9 mi
Moving Time: 05:54:12
Avg Speed: 16.5 mph
Max Speed: 31.5 mph

Group: Joe and me

Goal: My goal was to enjoy the ride with hopes of racking up some decent time in L3

The Ride: With the weather predictions, rain all day yesterday and mist this morning I can kind of understand why just about everyone bailed out on riding. But the forecast showed clearing today so Joe and I rolled the dice and hoped for the mist to stop. We lucked out on the mist, but halfway through the winds starting kicking up and the remaining miles home proved to be a challenge. I count today's ride as good training since I logged some descent time at Tempo (L3). Good enough to keep on building sustainable power output.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~32 oz. bottle of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (1) Cliff Bars (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Partly Cloudy, Start @ 39 degrees, End @ 45 degrees, stiff winds on the return
 
Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap wired
 
Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Summary Table of Minutes of Duration in Each Training Zone
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      3.74      0.48
      2     55.54     43.86
      3    108.34    134.26
      4      0.00      0.00
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      0.00      0.00
      7      5.27     11.26

Overall Power Data:
  Entire workout (131 watts):
    Duration:      2:55:06 (3:14:40)
    Work:          1362 kJ
    TSS:           189.2 (intensity factor 0.817)
    Norm Power:    163
    VI:            1.25
    Distance:      48.161 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    586    131     watts
    Speed:           0    32    16.5     mph
    Pace             1:52    0:00    3:38     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    35    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    648    150     lb-in

Miss You Friend

In Memory of Terry Kihlstrand
February 1950 - February 2011

Terry Kihlstrand, we will miss you. You are certainly in my thoughts and will remain in my memories.
My prayers are with family and friends during this time.

I met Terry during a group ride late last fall and only recently just Terry and I rode together on a 50 mile ride. I was just getting to know Terry and certainly respected and appreciated his love for cycling and staying active.

Terry had moved down from Michigan after retiring from GM to live in the Atlanta area for a few months. His stay with us was to be brief before moving on to Colorado where he looked forward to cycling in the mountains.

While riding with Terry I noticed a guy full of cycling performance and yet humble about his talent. Terry was super easy to like and friendly to our cycling group, which made it so easy for us to welcome him into our group rides.

Certainly there is a sadness in our hearts today that Terry will not be on the road with us tomorrow.
I will turn their mourning into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.    Jeremiah 31:13