Endurance Nation | Triathlon Coaching, Ironman Training, Half Ironman, Beginner Triathlon » Cycling

Fatigue, FTP, & Your Final Weeks

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:25:59 +0000

It sure looks fast…now how will you ride it?
photo credit: Alex Kehr

There are two very important questions that you, as an Ironman athlete, have to be ready to answer about your bike fitness heading into the final eight weeks of your Ironman or Half Ironman training cycle. First you have to know what your Functional Threshold Power (link?) is, or at least the Heart Rate equivalent. Second, you have to be able to give a resounding “YES!” answer as to whether or not you have done all of your bike workouts, especially the longer sessions.

In other words, successful race prep is about knowing your limits (your power/HR numbers) and about having confidence in your strengths. If you fudge either of these factors on your way to Race Day, your overall performance will suffer and you won’t be able to race to your potential.

The closer you get to the Big Day, however, the harder these two questions become to answer. Cumulative fatigue mounts, and your ability to generate or even sustain threshold effort on the bike becomes severely compromised. This can lead you to question your fitness and overall preparedness, and perhaps even to make some rash decisions.

An Example Situation

I have this “friend” who is training for Ironman Lake Placid 2011. His name is Patrick, and he’s a coach with Endurance Nation. Really nice guy…and here’s his FTP dilemma. It’s a story repeated across athletes and seasons; maybe it’s even happened to you.

Back in February, his FTP tested out at 342 on the indoor trainer, putting his estimated outdoor watts pretty close to 360.

When he got outside on his road bike in April, he spent four weeks chasing that estimated outdoor FTP before he acknowledged that the single test he took must have been an outlier. He dials his FTP back down to 342.

At the end of May, Patrick busts out his Tri Bike and notices right away that he can’t generate the same high numbers in the aero position, so he dials the watts down to 330.

And now with just three weeks to go, with some epic long rides and lots of long runs on his legs, Patrick is having trouble even hitting 330…it’s more like 320.

Is Patrick in trouble? Has he been getting less and less fit all year long? Has his entire season been a waste since that one test in February? The answer is no, across the board, and here’s why Patrick remains confident heading into his biggest race of the season.

Volume vs Intensity Inside EN

Volume gets a bad rap inside Endurance Nation, at least on the surface. We prefer to use intensity to create training stress, as it’s a much more time-effective method. As such, our OutSeason training includes lots of intervals and, commensurately, lots of rest. This is why back in February, Patrick and many other EN athletes were posting life best numbers.

As the weather turns and we move outdoors, the nature of our regular rides changes significantly. While the intervals remain an important component, the overall volume of almost every session is lengthened. Instead of doing 90 minutes of interval work on the bike across four total hours of riding, EN athletes will do that same 90 minutes across six or even eight hours on the bike.

This ratio continues to decrease the closer you get to your big race, as the long rides for an Ironman can mean a week of cycling nine hours. And that doesn’t take into account if you have added a Big Bike Weekend or Week into your season, like Patrick did back in May when he put in over 600 miles in nine days.

FTP Down but Race Fitness Up

At the end of the day, how we train is a function of the principle of specificity. In the Winter months, with no long race on the calendar, we can do a great deal of high intensity training to improve the upper limits of our bike and run fitness. As we move into the season and approach our Half or Ironman event, the mileage increases to prepare us for the rigors of the day.

While Patrick’s FTP appears to be on a downward trend, the simple truth is that he has been manipulating Training Stress by adding more time at a lower, race specific intensity. This is in stark contrast to the Winter training with it’s 8-, 12-, and 20-minute interval repeats.

Here is a good example of how this situation plays out. On Wednesday, Patrick can’t hit his current FTP of 330 during the mid-week interval session, turning in intervals in the 90% to 92% range (instead of the preferred 95-100% range). On Saturday he ride 150 miles at 74.5% of his FTP, — significantly higher that he had estimated. So while the high-end fitness isn’t necessarily there, it’s easy to see how the Winter strength has transformed into race-specific endurance.

Zen and the Art of Training for the Final Eight Weeks

While our Triathlon Training Plans include interval sessions and at least one bike and run fitness test, your top priorities lie elsewhere. With the shift to Race Prep training in the last twelve weeks / three months of your plan, your focus should also move from a quantitative obsession with bike and run threshold numbers.

You top goal for the final eight weeks is to remain healthy — so recover well and get lots of sleep. You need to be consistent with your sessions — so manage your effort every day so you can hit the workouts as written for each consecutive day. In other words, no hero sessions that set you back for a few days…please!

Your mental focus is on riding and running as steadily as possible, and you should be constantly testing your race fit and gear for the bike. Every long ride is a chance to see how your bike position feels, how your clothing choice works, whether or not your nutrition is effective, etc. Race Day is about Execution, Not Fitness — the bike and run courses don’t care what your FTP is…they only care how well you ride them.

Inside Endurance Nation, we put your fitness and execution to the test in the form of two Race Simulation workouts. These are a 112-mile bike (or 6 hours, whichever comes first) followed by a 6-mile run (or 1 hour, whichever comes first). Most likely these workouts will be full of challenges. Not to worry as all these issues will ensure you are fit and ready to go come race day.

Determining Your FTP Pre-Race

Just because coming by an FTP isn’t easy, doesn’t mean you can avoid it. It’s one of the most important metrics you need heading into the race so you can dial in the appropriate race effort that will set up a solid run.

While your first option is to complete another functional threshold test, the odds of you putting out a test indicative of your current fitness levels is pretty slim. It could be good, or it could be the double whammy that hurts your ego (another low number!) and messes up your race calculations.

Your second option is to review the data for the last month and make an educated guess. By using something like Training Peaks WKO to review the power output for the last 30 days, you can accurately find where you have spent the majority of your time riding. You can ballpark your FTP by looking on the right side of the bell curve, as the bars start to drop down…the biggest incremental fall off in 10 watt increments is a good indicator of where your fitness moves from aerobic/sustainable to anaerobic/unsustainable.

Final Bike Thoughts

Your fitness will be what it will be on race day; it’s not how strong you are on race day but rather how you use that strength. Rest assured that as an Endurance Nation member or training plan athlete, you have done all the hard work required to get stronger.

Instead of stressing about the final few watts or pounds, put your focus and attention to nailing the intangibles. Between dialing in your bike fit (see Todd at TTBikeFit.com), good bike setup, smart gearing choices, and how to ride steady/smart, EN athletes get a lot of free speed and smart riding mojo on race day. If your worried that you won’t be as strong as you’d like, then take comfort in knowing that you’ll be more aero, better geared and much, much smarter.

Good luck!

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Ironman Coach Q&A Session #3: The 360-Degree Pedal Stroke

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:31:50 +0000

We get email and Twitter questions regarding our training plans all the time. We strive to answer each one, and it occurred to us that maybe sharing this information could be good for other self-coached triathletes out there. Enjoy!

Rich and Patrick

Looking for info on pedal stroke technique. ½ iron athlete and have always kept an even down/up power stroke and sliding across top/bottom of the stroke. Trying to keep circles but seems something is missing. Seems that there would be a hole in the power in the top/bottom…Any references / thoughts/ suggestions ???
Thanks!
Ron

Ron, there are tons of great resources out there on proper pedaling techniques and drills. A quick search of YouTube should give you more than enough fodder. The particular deadspot you are talking of is pretty common for triathletes, especially in the aero position. Good on you for noting it’s top and bottom…most only notice it on the bottom side. These folks are forgetting that the cranks are fixed, and that your ability to pull through the bottom of the stroke is only as good as your ability to push the other foot over the top of the other side!

This could be a flexibility or strength related issue (or a combination). I suggest two approaches.

#1, work on hip flexor flexibility. Consider doing some lunge stretches, where you really push your hips forward to open them up. Perhaps even consider arching backwards to really do a number on your hips. You can also do this as you stretch your quad on that side. Holding your heel to your butt, stand erect and push that hip forward as you hold the stretch. You’ll feel it!

#2, work on strengthening the area. The hip flexors and psoas muscles can be a bit weak and fatigue easily, especially if they are tight. Once you have started stretching, consider adding in some cycling-specific strength work. I prefer to do single leg pedaling while on a trainer at about 60-70 rpms. Load the wheel up to the point where you really need to slow down – but not so hard so as to put undue strain on your body. Work on a smooth transition from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock. As you build up confidence and skill, add more speed (less resistance). Do this each leg for 45-60 seconds, alternating sides. So six minutes of that plus 4 minutes of regular pedaling with both legs as recovery, done a few times a week, should help you out!

Keep us posted!

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TOC Camp Stage 7: LA Time Trial

admin — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 09:00:42 +0000

Jens, the patron saint of Work WORKS!!

Theme of the Day: We can rest…FINALLY!!!

Summary: We sleep in, pack the bikes, watch the TT downtown and take WAY too many pictures of pro’s and sweet bikes!

The Full Run Down
6 days, over 25hrs, and nearly 400 miles of riding and we are DONE!! Time to rest and watch the pro’s take on the mean streets of Los Angeles for the time trial stage!

Though he has the day off, Riley assumes his post as Camp Mascot

Sonny tries to stowaway in a camper bike box

A Schleck, in need of a sammich

Spartacus!

George warms up

Mo' Jens is always Mo' Betta'

Chrissie sighting, after her TT on the course before the race

Camper Chris (HED hat) scores a spot IN the start house!

Trent scores a spot ON the TT announcer's platform!

Chris Horner

The Laydeez compare pro tour boyfriend pics over beers at the Yardhouse

The Endurance Nation Tour of California is a members-only event. Please join our waiting list to receive an invitation to join TeamEN as space becomes available.

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TOC Camp Stage 6: Palmdale to Big Bear

admin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:00:14 +0000

Theme of the Day: “I think I may have undersold this stage…” — Coach Rich

Summary: We insert ourselves into about mile 85 of Stage 6, still good enough for more than solid mileage and climbing. The campers witness the first mountain top finish in ToC history.

The Full Run Down
After 3 years of doing the ToC camp, we know that everyone is pretty well trashed by Thursday, just in time for an easy day and pastries in Solvang before another solid day on Saturday. But not this year! Stage 6 is in Coach Rich’s backyard. He rides the San Gabriel mountains regularly and the thought of riding the complete stage, from Palmdale to Big Bear…just crazy!

So we exercised the Local Knowledge Card and inserted the campers just beyond where the course intersected Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass, and pointed them east (and up, up, up) to Big Bear, including a VERY steep KOM outside Crestline followed quickly by an intermediate sprint…with an evil little 18% kicker in the last 200m…ugggg!!!

The campers continued onwards on Hwy 18 to Big Bear, some following the ToC course along the north shore of the lake, other opting for the more direct south shore. Everyone made it to town with plenty of time to enjoy a sandwich and watch the finish: 800-1000m at 3-4%. The lead group of about 30 riders were seriously hurting up this grind.

Dinner at Rich’s house in Monrovia featured kabobs, beer, wine, and a week’s worth of tall tales and memories shared around the fire.

Coach Rich's briefs the campers before Stage 6

Hwy 18, Rim of the World Highway

Levi grinds it in with the lead group

Good times and smack around the fire

The Endurance Nation Tour of California is a members-only event. Please join our waiting list to receive an invitation to join TeamEN as space becomes available.

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TOC Camp Stage 5: Visalia to Bakersfield

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:00:05 +0000

The riding does not suck in California

Theme of the Day: Yeah, no, this stage is boring….let’s do something epically cool!

Summary: Coach Rich leverages his knowledge of California’s best roads to create a custom stage — a climb through Sequoia National Forest, max elevation of 7300 feet, then a descent down the Kern River to a sprint finish just outside Kernville!

The Full Run Down: It seems that most years the Tour includes a stage that is less than exciting, meant to put in the miles between points A and B. Last year it was a mostly flat and windy stage across the Central Valley…which we skipped, opting instead to ride through Fort Hunter Liggett to the coast and back, one of the most scenic rides in California. This year it was Stage 5 from Visalia to Bakersfield. A little weary of the time pressure of being chased by the Tour and so close to the Sierras and epic riding, we pulled ourselves off the course and rode through Sequoia National Forest to Kernville instead!

The plan was simple: drive out of Visalia and into the mountains until the GPS said we were at about 3500ft elevation. Jump out of the vans and climb south on Hwy 190 and the Western Divide Hwy through Sequoia National Forest, over 7300ft elevation and through the Trail of 100 Giants. Descend down to the Kern River and finish up in Kernville before our drive to Monrovia, Rich’s home outside LA.

The ride, the scenery, and the relaxed timeline of the day was just what we needed to recharge our heads, if not our legs. The campers still got in X and Y, but the views were worth the work. The A-Group had fun attacking each other into the wind on the run into Kernville before an impromptu final sprint before the vans, which were conveniently staged at a general store offering tri-tip sammiches, milkshakes, and the Tour live on TV!

Coach Rich, after having cycled and moto’ed much of central and southern California, from SanFran to San Diego, declared this to be the BEST ride he has ever done. Period. Enjoy the pictures below!

Stage 5, DIY, Map and Profile on MapMyRide.com

Stage 5 Pictures and Video

Nemo, INSIDE a tree on the Trail of 100 Giants

More fun with ludicrous big trees...

Dan Socie, Coach Rich, and Trent "Drillbit" Prough at a roadside waterfall, elevation ~7k feet.

Sequoia National Forest, 7k feet elevation, and the road to ourselves!

Quick regroup on Western Divide Hwy before the descent to the Kern river

Waterfall, upper Kern River

Campers watch the final minutes of Stage 5, live, while enjoying tri-tip and shakes

The Endurance Nation Tour of California is a members-only event. Please join our waiting list to receive an invitation to join TeamEN as space becomes available.

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TOC Camp Stage 4: San Jose to Modesto

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:51 +0000

EN ToC is met by members of the EN NorCal Sleeper Cell

Theme of the Day: The Team that is Endurance Nation comes together to make some pretty cool stuff happen for the camp.

Summary: We climb legendary Sierra Road right out of the gate, the EN NorCal Sleeper Cell meets the camp and leads us around some road closures, many are introduced to their first 20-25 mile continuous climb while the TeamEN machinery kicks into gear to take care of Coach Patrick and get him out of the San Jose hospital and back to his family as soon as possible.

The Full Run Down
After the excitement and chaos of Stage 3, we were ready to get back to business on the Tour of California course! Stage 4 served up a mix of old and new terrain:

The legendary Sierra Road climb. This 5k, 8-17% climb has been featured every year of the Tour. For us, it’s like seeing an old friend…who promptly punches you in the nose 5 miles from your hotel!
The ride around Lake Calaveras, another Tour staple and one of the best example of “classic” California riding.
Mines Road, new this year but scouted out by Coach Rich during a training camp for the EN NorCal Sleeper Cell.
Del Puerto Canyon Rd to Patterson, a remix from ’08, except this year we would descend the canyon from west to east rather than climb up from Patterson.
The area comprised of Mines Rd, Del Puerto, and Mt Hamilton (from ’08) has been officially named the EN ToC Triangle, as funky stuff just always happens whenever we go in here.

The B group, now quite large as the campers were beginning to feel the cummulative effects of 4-5hrs of riding each day, left 40′ ahead of the now-very-small A-group, riding through town to the base of Sierra Rd. Some of the campers decided to TT up the hill (or at least to pay attention to their time) while others just got up the KOM. From there it’s a quick and scenic descent on Felter Road and then the course pops over the ridge and sweeps through the hills and switchbacks over looking Lake Calaverras. It’s hard to believe you only a few miles from downtown San Jose!

The course dropped down to the I-680 intersection for a regroup of all the campers. Coach Rich had organized an “admin portage” to shoot those interested forward through the course to either the base or the top of the next KOM, near the start of Mines Road. Stage 4 was a monster stage and we made sure that everyone knew there was still much riding to come in the Tour. Those wanting to get in the miles were met by the EN NorCal Sleeper Cell, several members who took off from work to meet their virtual teammates, many for the first time, and lead us around some road closures to the base of Mines Road. The scene in the Park and Ride was like a high school reunion, as 2-3 year long friendships created in our forum were cemented with a real world hug, handshake, and face-to-face. As leaders of the EN community, this was very, very cool to see!

But we’ve got riding to do! About 9 of us, led by the cell members, rode smoothly about 15 miles on surface streets to the base of Mines Road, where they peeled off and we continued with our day. Mines Road is a “classic” California climb, with a steep 5k start (the KOM) and then 20+ miles of continuous 3-5% grade climbing to a plateau before dropping 15+ miles down Del Puerto Canyon Rd to our extraction in Patterson.

The EN ToC Triangle: something always throws us a curveball in this area. It’s stoopid remote, with no cell service, and there always seems to be an overzellous volunteer or local police working traffic. The net this year is that our rear SAG vehicle was prevented from following the A-group into the Triangle and we were left to fend for ourselves. Again, this is a situation unique to the ToC: the road behind you is closed, you have unexpectedly lost your support vehicle, but you do have a cue sheet that tells you when the peleton is expected to be where you are now (ie, I’m about 60′ ahead of them!!). You’re out of water = you forage for water and even a bike pump to fix a flat quickly from the spectators on the road. The Team works together to get everyone through the course, to include creating a wind-breaking phalanx or a well placed push on the back to help out the weaker riders. Fun stuff, always an adventure!

Everyone made it safely to Patterson where we gorged on fast food before watching the peleton blast by and continuing with our day and drive to Visalia. Once at the hotel we found that we had chosen the same digs as Cervelo, BMC, Jelly Belly, United Healthcare and others. Much bike porn in the parking lot and the female campers were able to get their groupie on, snapping pics with skinny EuroProDoodes and fantasizing what they could do with the published room assignments. Sorry, ladies, bail is NOT included in the price of the camp!

Meanwhile, back in San Jose, the TeamEN machine was mobilizing to get Patrick out of the hospital and into a member’s home for several days of physical therapy before he was able to get on a flight to Boston. Very, very cool to see the team work so hard to make this happen!

Stage 4 Map and Profile

Stage 4 in Pictures and Video

Felter Rd Descent

Lake Calaveras

EN ToC meets EN NorCal Sleeper Cell

Nemo and Kitima get their groupie on

The Endurance Nation Tour of California is a members-only event. Please join our waiting list to receive an invitation to join TeamEN as space becomes available.

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TOC Camp Stage 3: San Francisco to Santa Cruz

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:00:39 +0000

Dr. Kitima before Stage 1 with her emergency med supplies...a foreshadowing of the events of Stage 3

Theme of the Day: Murphy Comes a Knockin’, Big Time!

Summary: a great ride down the coast, a quick transition to a dramatic rainforest KOM, then things go sideways with two crashes and a coach in the San Jose ER.

The Full Run Down

Stage 3 dawned with the threat of rain (it’s May in Cali, wtf?!) though the forecast promised it would clear up later in the day. The campers clipped in from the hotel right on the coast in Pacifica, with a tough climb 1.5 miles out of the door quickly separating everyone into A and B groups. Coach Rich gathered up the large A group and lead a smooth paceline of ~10 riders down the coast to the turn inland and the start of the KOM.

Coach Patrick was on admin duty today, driving the admin vehicle (used for carrying most of the bikes and all of the luggage) to the end of today’s riding, where he would then hop on his bike and ride backwards against the course, rejoining the camp along the way.

Stage 3 was indicative of the tremendous terrain variety featured by the Tour of California, as within 3 miles of turning off the coast we found ourselves climbing the first KOM within what could be described as a Northwest rain forest.

The vans met us at the top and the campers changed layers, with Coach Rich flipping it to sweep up the first of the B-riders up the climb. Most of the campers came together at the top of the KOM and we started the descent on the other side. The road was twisty, steep, and more than a little slick. Rich decided to stop midway and wait for the campers…and waited…and waited…and then his cell phone rang with a Massachusetts area code…not good. He flipped it and began to ride back up the hill as campers now descended past him: “Trent crashed…Trent is Ok….Trent is a CHP car….” Rich reached the top to find camper Trent Prough in the SAG van after a crash on the descent. Good road rash on his hip and a very painful shoulder, though not a clavicle fracture. No worries, Trent is pretty tough, having earned the nickname “Drillbit” after putting a drill through his thigh in a separate incident

Rich used the van to shoot himself, Trent and camper Mike Allen back up the course to rejoin the rest of the campers and continue the ride. Within a couple minutes, however, we came up on a surreal scene: Patrick was sitting in the mud against a guardrail with several campers standing over him and a CHP officer stopping traffic. Patrick had apparently crashed on the solo descent, our KOM climb coming the other way, just minutes before being by our A-group riders. Not good but very fortunate for him, considering. The Team quickly worked together to stop traffic, load Patrick (painfully) into one of the vans, and a strong rider was sent down the hill to get Dr. Kitima up the hill and to Patrick as quickly as possible. It was very impressive to see the Good Doc transition instantly from cyclist to general surgeon, beginning the assessment of Patrick in her wet cycling kit and helmet! Patrick was later diagnosed with a broken clavicle and fractured pelvis. This was no small injury!

We regrouped everyone at the top of the KOM to assess the situation. One very unique dynamic of conducting this camp on the Tour of California course is that the race is working very, very hard to catch you. This means rolling road blocks and a serious sense of urgency to get the campers past Point X by Time Y so we can stay ahead of the race and move smoothly from the day’s riding to our next hotel. The camp had quickly become an extraction of bikes, campers, and two injured riders, with the added requirement that we need to get Patrick to an ER as quickly as possible. Given the remoteness and the constraints of the race, we decided we could do that much more quickly using our own assets vs EMS.

Rich issued battlefield commissions to a couple of the campers, tasking them with helping to get everyone through the rest of the course, while he and Kitima drove Patrick and Trent to the admin van. Once there we moved Patrick over to the van and shot the van out to the San Jose ER.

For the campers, the rest of the ride was fantastic, with sweeping descents on narrow country roads, as the course left the coastal range to rejoin Pacific Coast Highway at Gazos Creek Road. The campers treated themselves to milkshakes and good coffee before a scenic drive up the coast to our hotel in San Jose. Many campers gathered over burritos and beers at Chipotle to discuss the day’s excitement and wait for news from Patrick and Kitima.

Stage 3 Map and Profile

Stage 3 in Pictures and Video

The A-Group, rolling down the coast

Climbing through NW-like rainforest just off the coast

Chipotle burrito and Pacifico, staples of the ToC

The Endurance Nation Tour of California is a members-only event. Please join our waiting list to receive an invitation to join TeamEN as space becomes available.

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TOC Camp Stage 2: Davis to Santa Rosa

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:00:20 +0000

Theme of the Day: Does it always rain here?!!

Summary: Campers ride in a drizel all day, climb Mt. Howell, a serious KOM, and are met with dry clothes and hot soup in Angwin.

The Full Run Down
The hills and length of Stage 1 provided a good shakedown that identified some maintenance issues to be addressed quickly before/during Stage 2. Coach Rich stayed in Davis to await the opening of Davis Wheelworks while Patrick and the other campers hit the road. Major props to Wheelworks for opening early for us and banging out some critical issues in less then 30 minutes! Rich was back on the road within the hour, driving to the intermediate sprint town of Angwin, which is where the campers would end their day’s riding before making the admin transfer to Pacifica for the start of Stage 3.

Meanwhile, Patrick was leading the group on the ride from Davis. In this, our fourth year of doing the Tour of California, we have NEVER done this stage without rain…and this year was no exception. The ride started out overcast with the rain holding out until the end of the day…just in time for the KOM ascent up Cat 2 Mount Howell and the short descent into Anwgin, were Coach Rich and Camper Chris Malone where able to hook up hot soup for the crew at the end of the ride.

We then loaded up the camp into the vans and drove to Pacifica, our starting location for Stage 3.

Stage 2 Map and Profile

Stage 2 in Pictures and Video

Pre-Ride Prep

Mrs. Coach Rich is ready with hot soup for cold, wet campers

The Endurance Nation Tour of California is a members-only event. Please join our waiting list to receive an invitation to join TeamEN as space becomes available.

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TOC Camp Stage 1: Nevada City to Sacramento

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:07:54 +0000

Endurance Nation Tour of California, 2010

Theme of the Day: Eye of the Tiger

Summary: We left the city of Grass Valley at about 8am, off to find the KOM on the other side of Auburn and then “cruise” downhill to just outside Sacramento. What looked like a simple stage turned out to be quite difficult…but we all made the most of it and had fun despite the pain!

All new photos available here.

The Full Run Down

We split into two groups, the A and the B. The killer B’s left first and were on the course with a 30 minute head start. Despite the fact that the B group split up, they all managed to stay ahead of the A group. On their side, the A’s had some mechanical issues (thanks Coach P) but worked well together to have a solid day.

We hit a 12% climb almost out of the gate that didn’t even make it onto the profile sheet…which should have been the first inkling that things were amiss. The first sprint was open and fast, and sprint #2 in Auburn was twisty and uphill…ouch! The KOM was just over the second largest suspension bridge in the US and lined with fans…just awesome. The last 30 plus miles weren’t too exciting as we left the wooded forest for open flat lands and some solid wind. The sun beat down on us most of the day, but graciously receded for the last hour.

After the Ride: With a short transfer to Davis on the agenda, we were able to dash into Sacramento to grab some food and catch the circuit finish. We watched the peloton fly by, saw Boonen crash, and even caught HTC off the front taking Cavendish to a Stage One victory.

Stats: Here are the details…

5,100 feet of climbing
80-ish miles
1 Cat Three climb and 2 Sprints
Most folks close to or over 300 TSS on the day.

Stage 1 Map and Profile

Stage 1 in Pictures

Campers prep bottles and share a laugh (one of hundreds) before clipping in

The HTC Gorilla makes it's first ToC appearance

The Ladies pause for pics on a bridge

Video: Stage 1 Descent

Video: the pro peleton enters the circuit in Sacramento

HTC winding it up for the final sprint

The Endurance Nation Tour of California is a members-only event. Please join our waiting list to receive an invitation to join TeamEN as space becomes available.

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TeamEN 2009 Debrief Series, Part II: EN Challenges

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:00:14 +0000

Every OutSeason we spice things up with a schedule of monthly challenges designed to get you motivated and help you connect to your peers. These challenges will be new and improved for 2010, and will allow members and non-members alike to participate. See the full schedule on the camps page and start recruiting!

Comments from Coach Patrick

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