Since stationary bike is super boring, I decided to invest in some warmer clothes. The Pearl iZumi AmFIB tights are great. I ordered the Elite Softshell jacket.
I also bought another long sleeve thermal baselayer. Those are great for every day wear.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Cold weather gear and drag
Today I went for a ride and the temps were around low 50's. Add a windchill and the temps drop to low 40's. The last few weeks I've noticed how much drag affects you. With a loose fitting windbreaker, I have a hard time maintaining 27mph. With just a long sleeve jersey, I can easily maintain 29mph on flats.
Since stationary bike is super boring, I decided to invest in some warmer clothes. The Pearl iZumi AmFIB tights are great. I ordered the Elite Softshell jacket.
I also bought another long sleeve thermal baselayer. Those are great for every day wear.
Since stationary bike is super boring, I decided to invest in some warmer clothes. The Pearl iZumi AmFIB tights are great. I ordered the Elite Softshell jacket.
I also bought another long sleeve thermal baselayer. Those are great for every day wear.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Best ride of the year
I was going over my ride log for the year, now that weather is starting to get cold. By far, my best ride of the year was with the wednesday nite stone church ride. On that day, I managed to stay with the A group and average 21 mph http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/bc64/6357/4c7a/cf0e/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20110824-1759.kml.
The route is pretty flat and doesn't have any categorized climbs.
I hope to make it to a few wednesday nite rides next year. Riding with those guys really pushes me to my limits and helps me improve.
The route is pretty flat and doesn't have any categorized climbs.
I hope to make it to a few wednesday nite rides next year. Riding with those guys really pushes me to my limits and helps me improve.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wachusett Summit road open again
On Saturday, I climb wachusett mountain. The road is finally done and DCR isn't charging for parking on the weekends. I enjoyed the climb up. One down side with the weekend is there's too many people. I wanted to climb the short way up, but there was too many people to do that. I took the long way up, which is considerably easier, but still a fun climb.
I look forward to training on wachusett summit next year before greylock century.
I look forward to training on wachusett summit next year before greylock century.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Southern CA boy learning to layer
When I first moved to MA, I had no clue about layering. For the first few years, I refused to get winter coats. It wasn't until 2003 commuting to south boston that I gave in. I had to walk from south station a half mile to the office. Here is a couple of videos on layering.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Hilarious video
I just came across this Specialized commercial with Andy and Alberto. It's old, but hilarious.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Cold weather gear
The last 2 weeks the weather has been getting colder, so I decided to buy some warmer clothing. After some research, I decided to get Pearl Izumi AmFIB bib tights
from http://www.nashbar.com/. One thing I missed is the picture on nashbar is the AmFIB cycling bib tights
.
The difference is the cycling tights have chamois, where as the regular tights do not. There's a benefit to the regular tights. You don't have to wash it as often. Instead, you wear either liner shorts or regular bike shorts underneath. This way, you wash the bike shorts after each ride and the AmFIB every few days.
When I ordered the AmFIB, I didn't notice this difference. Nashbar has great prices, but their inventory varies quite a bit and they don't always have the item I want in my size. I've been very happy with the stuff I buy at nashbar. If I like the AmFIB, I may get the cycling tights in January, when it really gets cold.
from http://www.nashbar.com/. One thing I missed is the picture on nashbar is the AmFIB cycling bib tights
.
The difference is the cycling tights have chamois, where as the regular tights do not. There's a benefit to the regular tights. You don't have to wash it as often. Instead, you wear either liner shorts or regular bike shorts underneath. This way, you wash the bike shorts after each ride and the AmFIB every few days.
When I ordered the AmFIB, I didn't notice this difference. Nashbar has great prices, but their inventory varies quite a bit and they don't always have the item I want in my size. I've been very happy with the stuff I buy at nashbar. If I like the AmFIB, I may get the cycling tights in January, when it really gets cold.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Random thoughts on cycling techniques
Some people are naturally good at cycling, while others have to work at it. I'm not one of those people that naturally picks things up without trying. I've been reading about different techniques and methods for training since last year, but my progress has been slow.
For example, I read several articles on how to increase speed. Last winter I worked out every day at the gym and tried to apply those lessons. I tried to keep a high RPM between 110-100 for 30 minutes. After several weeks, I was able to do that on the stationary bike. The thing is, doing it on a real bike is different. This will seem obvious, but a stationary bike doesn't require balance or keeping an eye on the road. All of these things make it difficult to maintain a steady cadence and rhythm. Without a steady cadence, it's very difficult to improve speed or average pace.
Before I started road riding, I had been mountain biking for 2 years. I naively thought "my legs are in decent shape, so it shouldn't be that hard." Well, that's simply not true. Riding trails requires a completely different set of skills and muscles. Even fire roads and dirt roads require different skills than road riding.
On a single track, you have to look at the obstacles, terrain and make sure your peddle is in the right position. If there's a boulder on the left side, you have to make sure your left peddle clears it. If there's a series of branches, rocks, boulders and trees, your peddling has to timed appropriately. When your left peddle is down at the wrong spot, you end up crashing. On more than one occasion, that's happened to me.
On the road, keeping a smooth steady cadence is critical. Even after spending November to February practicing it, I had a hard time applying it on the bike. It wasn't until mid august that I finally felt strong enough to focus on smooth cadence. So what does it mean to have a smooth cadence?
I think of it this way. Put the bike on a repair stand and turn the crank with your hand. Apply pressure evenly with one hand and listen to the sound. If you push down harder than up, it will have a "swoosh" sound. If you push the crank evenly, the sound should be a constant click.
Trying to do this on the bike is hard. Like most people, my tendency is to push harder with my strong leg. Being right-handed, that means my right leg. To develop a good cadence, you have to push evenly with both feet and lift on the up stroke. It sounds easy, but is quite hard.
Add to that breathing and body position. Good cycling technique takes a lot of time and effort to develop. Here's some videos on cadence.
For example, I read several articles on how to increase speed. Last winter I worked out every day at the gym and tried to apply those lessons. I tried to keep a high RPM between 110-100 for 30 minutes. After several weeks, I was able to do that on the stationary bike. The thing is, doing it on a real bike is different. This will seem obvious, but a stationary bike doesn't require balance or keeping an eye on the road. All of these things make it difficult to maintain a steady cadence and rhythm. Without a steady cadence, it's very difficult to improve speed or average pace.
Before I started road riding, I had been mountain biking for 2 years. I naively thought "my legs are in decent shape, so it shouldn't be that hard." Well, that's simply not true. Riding trails requires a completely different set of skills and muscles. Even fire roads and dirt roads require different skills than road riding.
On a single track, you have to look at the obstacles, terrain and make sure your peddle is in the right position. If there's a boulder on the left side, you have to make sure your left peddle clears it. If there's a series of branches, rocks, boulders and trees, your peddling has to timed appropriately. When your left peddle is down at the wrong spot, you end up crashing. On more than one occasion, that's happened to me.
On the road, keeping a smooth steady cadence is critical. Even after spending November to February practicing it, I had a hard time applying it on the bike. It wasn't until mid august that I finally felt strong enough to focus on smooth cadence. So what does it mean to have a smooth cadence?
I think of it this way. Put the bike on a repair stand and turn the crank with your hand. Apply pressure evenly with one hand and listen to the sound. If you push down harder than up, it will have a "swoosh" sound. If you push the crank evenly, the sound should be a constant click.
Trying to do this on the bike is hard. Like most people, my tendency is to push harder with my strong leg. Being right-handed, that means my right leg. To develop a good cadence, you have to push evenly with both feet and lift on the up stroke. It sounds easy, but is quite hard.
Add to that breathing and body position. Good cycling technique takes a lot of time and effort to develop. Here's some videos on cadence.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Thoughts about GPS and elevation
I've been using my iPhone to record all of my rides for a year now. One thing I find interesting is how big the margin of error is. The official mapmyride calculation for ascent http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/52396398/ says 2877 feet of gain. The actual gps record of my ride on sunday
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/52892664/ says 2894 feet of gain.
The cyclemeter summary and split says 5897 feet of ascent (http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/bc64/6357/4c7a/cf0e/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20111002-0743.kml).
Finished Cycle: Oct 2, 2011 3:30:44 PM
Route: 2011 Major Taylor Century
Google Maps URL: http://maps.google.com/?q=
Shortened Google Maps URL: http://j.mp/ogumTC
Import URL: http://share.abvio.com/bc64/
Ride Time: 6:32:23
Stopped Time: 1:14:52
Distance: 100.67 miles
Average: 15.39 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 47.63 miles/h
Ascent: 5897 feet
Calories: 4386
The thing is, when I compare the actual elevation from the phone to mapmyride, it is off by 100 feet. In some spots it's off by 130 feet. This is unscientific, but it appears weather plays a big factor in the precision. On overcast and cloudy days, the elevation has a higher margin of error.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/52892664/ says 2894 feet of gain.
The cyclemeter summary and split says 5897 feet of ascent (http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/bc64/6357/4c7a/cf0e/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20111002-0743.kml).
Finished Cycle: Oct 2, 2011 3:30:44 PM
Route: 2011 Major Taylor Century
Google Maps URL: http://maps.google.com/?q=
Shortened Google Maps URL: http://j.mp/ogumTC
Import URL: http://share.abvio.com/bc64/
Ride Time: 6:32:23
Stopped Time: 1:14:52
Distance: 100.67 miles
Average: 15.39 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 47.63 miles/h
Ascent: 5897 feet
Calories: 4386
The thing is, when I compare the actual elevation from the phone to mapmyride, it is off by 100 feet. In some spots it's off by 130 feet. This is unscientific, but it appears weather plays a big factor in the precision. On overcast and cloudy days, the elevation has a higher margin of error.
2011 Major Taylor Century
On Sunday I did 7 Hill Wheelmen's Major Taylor Century with 3 friends. The weather was better than last year, which was a chilly 45 degrees. This year, the weather was between 55-65 degrees. It sprinkled a little around noon. Several guys from the wednesday nite ride were there. Peter, Don, Eric, Gary and a few others.
The route is different this year. The weather was a bit cloudy, but the roads were mostly dry. The registration tent had bagles, bananas and a few other items.
Rob rides a specialized, Matt rides a Trek and Dave rides an Orbea. We're about to head out at 7:45.
The rest stop was about 33 miles in CT.
A group of riders pulling in. Some of them are wearing the major taylor jersey.
Rob and Dave pulling into the rest stop.
Dave, rob and others getting some food.
Peter Howard is the president of 7 hills wheelmen in the Barney's jersey.
Gary in the discovery channel jersey. Gary usually joins mike L's rides. He fast and rides a lot.
Don "old fast don" in the checkered vest is grabbing a bite. Peter H is also grabbing some food. Don is fast and rides with the A group on wednesdays.
Dave and rob pulling into the rest stop the second time. This year the 1st and 2nd rest stop are the same place. That makes it easier for the support people.
The third rest stop is around 67.5 miles.
Rob pulls into the rest stop.
Dave pulls into the third rest stop.
Dave and Matt resting.
Rob pulls into the finish!
Dave and Matt finish.
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