Comet - Tempo Training

 RidewithGPS Data
Garmin Connect Data
Goal: Tempo Effort for 2 x 60 minutes.

Ride Notes: A bit sore around mile 3, but my legs opened up for a pretty good effort. Sustained wind, but it was difficult to tell which direction it was coming from. I think it was hitting me from the side, but it kind of felt like a headwind going out. I was somewhat fatigued on the return. This training session was almost a duplicate of my last visit to the Comet. Just another day to burn some calories and spin the cranks.

Nutrition: 48 oz water, BCAA's, Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel

Weather: Partly cloudy 91, mild wind speed with some head wind and some tail wind

Training Summary:
Total Distance: 34.05 Miles
Total Moving Time: 1:58:21
Total Avg. Moving Speed: 17.3
Total TSS: 111 (0.75 IF)

Interval 1:
    Duration:      1:00:02
    Work:          525 kJ
    TSS:           59.9 (intensity factor 0.777)
    Norm Power:    159
    VI:            1.09
    Distance:      17.003 mi
    Elevation Gain:        388 ft
    Elevation Loss:       269 ft
    Grade:         0.1 %  (125 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    496    146     watts
    Cadence:         30    212    76     rpm
    Speed:           0    23.9    17.0     mph
    Pace             2:30    0:00    3:32     min/mi
    Altitude:        865    1080    980     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    808    168     lb-in
Interval 2:
    Duration:      57:33 (1:00:40)
    Work:          456 kJ
    TSS:           50.4 (intensity factor 0.725)
    Norm Power:    149
    VI:            1.12
    Distance:      16.988 mi
    Elevation Gain:        199 ft
    Elevation Loss:       360 ft
    Grade:         -0.2 %  (-159 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    545    132     watts
    Cadence:         30    239    75     rpm
    Speed:           0    29.5    17.7     mph
    Pace             2:02    0:00    3:23     min/mi
    Altitude:        819    1017    921     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    676    155     lb-in
 
Totals This Week
Distance: 152 miles
Training Time: 8:40:42
TSS: 522
kJ: 4164

 

Brewery to Cagle Road - 80

RidewithGPS Data
Garmin Connect Data
Summary
Moving Time: 4:34:19
Distance: 80.56 miles
Avg Moving Speed 17.6 mph
Elevation Gain: 3,575 ft

Group:  Jamie, Chuck, Gary, Mike and me
 
Goal: L3 +/- with long block of effort

The Ride: Well that was an encouraging ride and I think not just for me but for some of the other group members as well. It was not so much about shooting for personal best numbers, but for me having a few weeks of coming out of a training and riding slump this ride felt good. It is the perception of how the ride went that matters the most for me today. I needed an encouraging ride. And of course we had a rather flat course with a nice tail wind coming back. But overall I think everyone today had good strong turns at the front. And going out we had sustained head winds, but that did not seem to cause any frustration to the pace going north toward Fort Mountain. Based on some comments following the ride it seemed that everyone had a good time and felt good about their performance.

With only five of us we had long turns at the front and Gary was looking like a pro up there doing even longer pulls with a very solid pace both going up against headwinds and coming back. It was nice to have Jamie and Chuck join us and for Chuck to stretch out a few more miles today. Both seemed to be riding at a solid pace with us. They turned back on Cagle Road and had a 71 mile total for the day. Great job and I am very happy you joined me today on this training ride.

At one point while trying to hang on Gary's wheel at 27 mph for a fairly long stretch and he seemed to be getting faster, I looked down and I was out of gears on my  50/11 combination and just about my highest cadence. Fortunately I was able to hang on in the draft. Same for Mike on his turns at the front and at one point I was almost dropped as he had a nice pace up there.We stopped at the gas station to refill the bottles and someone said easy pace in the last 20 miles, but the pace seemed to be mostly in the 20's with the 3 of us down in the drops and trying to hang on Gary's pace. It was like Mike said about the tailwind, "sure we had a tailwind, but you still have to pedal the bike" and we seemed to keep the crank sets constantly rotating at good speed.

To be honest I did not think I would have anyone interested in riding with me today. The course is an out and back and nearly flat for our area. The scenery is okay and it gets better as you approach the mountain. I had a plan to ride at a certain pace with constant pedaling for a Tempo style of training ride. It did not sound interesting as I put out the email, but I am very grateful that I had four of my friends join me today.

I think it turned out to be a great day and an encouraging day on the bike for all of us.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~26 oz. of water with Hammer Perpetuem, ~52 oz water (1) Hammer gel (1) Hammer Perpetuem Solid (1) Cliff Bar (6) Endurolytes (1) small bottle of Powerade (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 71 degrees, End @ 90 degrees (rain and lighting for a few miles) sustained wind coming from the north and from hurricane Irene at 10 mph and 19 mph gusts.
 
Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap SL+

Overall Power Data:
 Entire workout (117 watts):
    Duration:      4:38:13 (5:12:02)
    Work:          1949 kJ
    TSS:           257.5 (intensity factor 0.746)
    Norm Power:    153
    VI:            1.31
    Distance:      80.51 mi
    Elevation Gain:        2451 ft
    Elevation Loss:       2434 ft
    Grade:         0.0 %  (23 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    556    117     watts
    Cadence:         30    231    83     rpm
    Speed:           0    34    17.4     mph
    Pace             1:46    0:00    3:27     min/mi
    Altitude:        670    928    777     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    785    125     lb-in

Birthday Ride

RidewithGPS Data
Garmin Connect Data
Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 66 mi

Group: Jamie, Chuck and me

The Ride: For my birthday ride Jamie and Chuck joined me for a 7 am start out of the brewery. Unfortunately Chuck's tire had an issue within the first mile so Jamie and I continued at conversation pace for the duration, which I really enjoyed.

I am still getting used to using the Garmin 705 for my power data and forgot at one point to hit the start button after a store stop. I lost 10 miles worth of data....argh!


Thanks Jamie and Chuck for riding with me today.

Nutrition Intake During the Course: ~26 oz.of water with Perpetuem, BCAA and Glutamine, 26 oz. water with BCAA and Glutamine (1) Cliff Bar. (1) 30 grams of whey protein post ride recovery

The Weather: Sunny Start @ 70 degrees, Sunny End @ 90 degrees 

Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap SL+, Contour GPS camera


Overall Power Data: (Data is missing 10 miles of the ride)
 Entire workout (112 watts):
    Duration:      3:42:07 (4:25:01)
    Work:          1491 kJ
    TSS:           191.3 (intensity factor 0.72)
    Norm Power:    148
    VI:            1.32
    Distance:      56.791 mi (Actually 67 Miles)
    Elevation Gain:        1881 ft
    Elevation Loss:       1844 ft
    Grade:         0.0 %  (36 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    578    112     watts
    Cadence:         30    246    82     rpm
    Speed:           0    37.6    15.3     mph
    Pace             1:36    0:00    3:55     min/mi
    Altitude:        655    946    799     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    1029    122     lb-in

Comet - Tempo Training

RidewithGPS Data
Garmin Connect Data
Goal: Tempo Effort for 2 x 60 minutes.

Ride Notes: A bit sore around mile 4, but my legs opened up for a pretty good effort in the remaining miles. I had to slow down on a few occasions for foot traffic and stopped once for a guy walking his bike and gave him my extra tube. play it forward

Nutrition: 48 oz water, BCAA's, Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel

Weather: Partly cloudy 91, mild wind speed with some head wind and some tail wind

Training Summary:
Total Distance: 35.61 Miles
Total Moving Time: 2:06:28
Total Avg. Moving Speed: 16.9
Total TSS: 119 (0.74 IF)

Interval 1:
    Duration:      1:02:10
    Work:          574 kJ
    TSS:           66.5 (intensity factor 0.801)
    Norm Power:    164
    VI:            1.07
    Distance:      16.846 mi
    Elevation Gain:        281 ft
    Elevation Loss:       219 ft
    Grade:         0.1 %  (67 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    422    154     watts
    Cadence:         30    196    77     rpm
    Speed:           0    22.4    16.3     mph
    Pace             2:40    0:00    3:41     min/mi
    Altitude:        968    1090    1017     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    659    173     lb-in

Interval 2:
    Duration:      1:01:30
    Work:          482 kJ
    TSS:           48.3 (intensity factor 0.686)
    Norm Power:    141
    VI:            1.08
    Distance:      17.709 mi
    Elevation Gain:        188 ft
    Elevation Loss:       307 ft
    Grade:         -0.1 %  (-115 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    442    131     watts
    Cadence:         32    218    76     rpm
    Speed:           0    23.9    17.3     mph
    Pace             2:30    0:00    3:28     min/mi
    Altitude:        906    1044    988     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    602    150     lb-in
 
Totals This Week
Distance: 131 miles
Training Time: 9:59:54
TSS: 545
kJ: 4767

2011 Chattooga Metric

RidewithGPS Data
Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 63.12 mi
Moving Time: 03:48:02
Avg Moving Speed: 16.6 mph
Max Speed: 34.4 mph

Group:
Started with 7: Diane, Elizabeth, Laurie, Joe, Don (Chick), 2 of Don's friends.
Finished with 4: Paula, Paula, Katie, Felicia
Talked with John (from Chattanooga)

Goal: Survive the century (Did the metric route instead)

The Event:  The Chattooga Century event helps fund athletics for Chattooga High School and even though it is an event organized by mostly non-cyclist I have to say they do one of the best cycling events around. The high school is used for the base facility with restrooms and showers. The early morning sign in was fast and all those who helped during the event were so helpful and friendly. This event is on my recommended list of events for participation in North Georgia.

The last time I did this event was around 2007 and I remembered enjoying the route and as I remembered it was really enjoyable. I was hoping to do the century this year, but ended up turning on the metric turnoff. The metric routes has nice rolling hills and a few flatter sections.

They had plenty of volunteers, workers at the sag stops, plenty of sag vehicles cruising the course, well painted markings that were clear to see and color coded for mileage, turn off signs that were easy to see, enough portable potty's to support the amount of riders and decently stocked sag stops.

Thanks to all the volunteers for this event on such a hot day. You did a great job!!

Thanks to Diane for being the driver for me and Elizabeth.

The Ride: I think I woke up close to 4 this morning to get ready to meet Diane and Elizabeth for the 1 1/2 hour drive up to Summerville. We had a quick sign in and then 8 of us rolled out for the century route, but it did not take long for me to realize that I was not going to be with the group for very long. We seemed to be in the low to mid 20's not long after we were on the road and on some rolling terrain my heart rate was thumping and my legs were stinging. I was pegging well over my threshold, but it was not necessarily the pace of the group as it was my legs just did not have the zip in them today.

At mile 11 I dropped of the back of the group and then realized it would be foolish for me to attempt the century feeling this way and sitting here now I am very grateful for that choice. My legs continued to struggle the remaining miles on the metric, but somewhere along the way I was fortunate to find 4 new friends that allowed me sit at the back of their small group. It was nice to have someone to help me stay focused on a decent pace and they maintained a solid pace all the way to the finish. I did not contribute much of anything because it seemed these women had a nice rotation system going and to be honest I did not feel like I had it in me physically today to contribute much help without being disruptive and slowing them down. I am grateful for their company along the route and following the route with some conversation under the post ride meal tents.

Thank you Paula, Paula, Katie and Felicia (spelling?) for allowing me to hangout with you.
I enjoyed meeting John from the Chattanooga Bike Club. Great to meet you and your group today and thanks for the compliments on my blog. I am grateful you looked for me on this ride and I am grateful to have talked with you.

Although it is a little frustrating that my legs were not in a cooperative mood (performance wise) today it was still a very blessed day all around. I got to share a good bit of conversation time with Diane and Elizabeth during the commute, I got to meet 4 fantastic cycling women from Atlanta, I got to meet a new friend and cycling enthusiast from Chattanooga. I got to enjoy a great route and meet a great staff of volunteers and I got to ride my bike.

Nutrition Intake During the Course: ~26 oz.of water with Perpetuem, BCAA and Glutamine, 52 oz. water from refills (1) Hammer gel (1) Cliff Bar. (1) small cup of Coke

Post Ride: 4 small slices of pizza, 30 grams of whey protein, 1 Diet Coke, 3 bottles of water

The Weather: Partly cloudy Start @ 70 degrees, Sunny End @ 90 degrees but it felt way hotter


Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap SL+, Contour GPS camera


Overall Power Data:
 Entire workout (119 watts):
    Duration:      4:10:11
    Work:          1741 kJ
    TSS:           225.8 (intensity factor 0.747)
    Norm Power:    153
    VI:            1.29
    Distance:      63.124 mi
    Elevation Gain:        1920 ft
    Elevation Loss:       1947 ft
    Grade:         -0.0 %  (-29 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    593    119     watts
    Cadence:         30    -    83     rpm
    Speed:           0    34.7    15.1     mph
    Pace             1:44    0:00    3:58     min/mi
    Altitude:        561    841    685     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    1000    127     lb-in

Comet - Easy Spin

RidgewithGPS Data
Garmin Connect Data

Goal: Spin easy for 120 minutes. My legs were too sore and fatigued from yesterday so I backed off the intensity.

Nutrition: 26 oz water

Weather: Partly cloudy 91, low wind speed (feels very hot - lot of fluid loss)

Training Summary:
Total Distance: 29.29 Miles
Total Moving Time: 1:48:49
Total Avg. Moving Speed: 16.1
Total TSS: 90.5 (0.7 IF)

Interval 1:
    Duration:      57:40
    Work:          434 kJ
    TSS:           43.6 (intensity factor 0.676)
    Norm Power:    139
    VI:            1.1
    Distance:      14.68 mi
    Elevation Gain:        358 ft
    Elevation Loss:       149 ft
    Grade:         0.3 %  (204 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    623    125     watts
    Cadence:         30    225    82     rpm
    Speed:           0    21.6    15.3     mph
    Pace             2:46    0:00    3:56     min/mi
    Altitude:        821    1067    980     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    940    135     lb-in

Interval 2:
    Duration:      47:08 (52:10)
    Work:          379 kJ
    TSS:           43.1 (intensity factor 0.741)
    Norm Power:    152
    VI:            1.13
    Distance:      13.066 mi
    Elevation Gain:        138 ft
    Elevation Loss:       227 ft
    Grade:         -0.1 %  (-93 ft)
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    527    134     watts
    Cadence:         30    225    81     rpm
    Speed:           0    25.3    16.6     mph
    Pace             2:22    0:00    3:37     min/mi
    Altitude:        934    1039    987     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    648    143     lb-in

New Powertap SL+ Wheel From Wheelbuilder

I am not a good blog reviewer like DC Rainmaker, but I do want to throw out some good remarks at the times I have a good bike purchase experience and with the purchase of a new wheel upgrade from the folks at Wheelbuilder.com I only have good things to say.

First, I was looking to use the same rim as I currently have because it has proven to be a solid training wheel and I did not not want to purchase a new front wheel to match. The folks at wheelbuilder had the rim and spoke selection to match, but what I found that I like the most as I called or emailed other wheel builders is that they were the most responsive to either emails or calls. There were some other things that I found enticing, but I think I will simply finish this short review of the company with bullet items.

• Competitive Prices - I was really enticed when they had the SL+ briefly discounted almost as low as the Pro model.
• Wheel Materials - They have a nice supply of good wheel brands and spokes to choose from
• Responsive - I mentioned this because to me it made them standout over other builders that have similar pricing and materials.
• Fast Shipping - Probably still applies to "Responsive", but they had my order processed and sent via  FedEx that afternoon. My wheel was custom materials, but perhaps they had one in stock or they are just that quick at building wheels. Regardless I got my wheel shipped regular ground service across the states and had it before the weekend.
• Quality - I did my first full ride today. The wheel is true and the Powertap SL+ is working well with my Garmin 705. Good enough for me.
• Web Site - Good website and easy to browse, but I ended up purchasing via the phone since I was on the phone asking questions. It was the cordial behavior and willingness to answer questions that helped me go ahead and process my order while on the phone rather than the through the website. So I cannot really comment on ordering online.
• Service - I hope I do not need this, but they can do a full service on a Powertap hub. Based on my past experience with Saris Cycling Group I am glad to hear that Wheelbuilder can do a complete service.

I wanted a fairly "bomb proof" training wheel and I believe I have one. Of course my old wheel with near the same materials has held up well so I figured this was going to be good.

Wheel Materials:
Kinlin XR-300 (28 hole, 2X lacing)
DT Swiss Competition Spokes
Powertap SL+

Overall I can give the folks at Wheelbuilder a positive thought for a positive experience.

Brewery to Cagle Road - Lighting Fast

RidewithGPS Data
Garmin Connect Data
Solo:
Goal: L3 +/-

The Ride: Lighting Fast? Nope is was not me that is lighting fast. It was actual lighting that came the closest to me in all my years of earthly existence - 3 times!! The worst was when me and 3 other cyclists took shelter at a fire station on Cash Road. I was standing just inside the big roll up doors when just behind my back a large flash of light a deep boom in just a millisecond that just about made my heart stop. Someone said, "That was really close to your back!" Oh well....good times. Odd thing was there were no other rumbles of thunder in the background or other flashes across the sky. Just the 3 that came really close to me. I thought maybe it was my time. :-) The rain was refreshing at least.

Since I was riding solo today there is not much to say other than it is a difficult decision to not ride with my cycling buddies, but it was something I felt all week that I had to do. The route suited my goals since it was relatively flat, which causes one to apply consistent torque to the pedals to keep going forward. The other thing about solo today was no drafting and really the only stop was seeking shelter at the fire station. I did stop at the gas station to get another bottle of water, but that was about it. I ate while on the bike and tried to keep moving forward.

Certainly today was tough in another aspect from having the week before off for a little traveling and working overtime before the mini vacation. It left me with a huge drop in my CTL and though I was trying to get back in the groove this week with training my legs just did not feel like participating today. Another reason that I probably would have not done well in a spirited group ride today.

Oh well it was good to get back on the bike and start getting back in the groove.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~26 oz. of water with Hammer Perpetuem, ~52 oz water (1) Hammer gel (1) Cliff Bars (6) Endurolytes (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 71 degrees, End @ 89 degrees (rain and lighting for a few miles)
Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap SL+

Overall Power Data:
Entire workout (106 watts):
    Duration:      5:17:52 (5:37:52)
    Work:          2025 kJ
    TSS:           227.8 (intensity factor 0.657)
    Norm Power:    135
    VI:            1.27
    Distance:      77.045 mi
    Elevation Gain:        2314 ft
    Elevation Loss:       2294 ft
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    619    106     watts
    Cadence:         30    231    79     rpm
    Speed:           0    30.9    14.5     mph
    Pace             1:57    0:00    4:08     min/mi
    Altitude:        622    920    759     ft
    Crank Torque:    0    679    119     lb-in