Training Log Archive: Carbons Offset

16.8

C • Get well.... 5

2.5 hour Steeps and Drops skills course through Rundle Mountain Cycle Club.

So good! Great instructor, covered some pretty basic fundamentals but things that were really beneficial and was riding better by the end of the night. Lots of fun, and I love my front brake now (I used to be a mostly rear braker).

Worked on:
Body position:
Neutral position (I need to be more upright, less of a "ready" position when I don't need it, it just uses more energy)
Ready position
Changing body position forward and backward, without moving the hips up or down (with dropper posts, you don't need to get up and over the seat now) (I had a tendency to drop my hips when I bring them forward; instead, focus on just moving forward and back while staying level and letting the arms push you back (usually you are doing this when you need to brace against braking forces). Body should be centered over the bottom bracket - don't need to get the butt way back like in the old school days.
Moving the bike side to side underneath you
Using front brake only (to learn to trust the front brake). Rode pretty much the whole night with just the front brake, including practicing on downhills with loose stuff and matching the instructor's pace when he would speed up and then suddenly brake hard. (and lived! So much for fearing the front brake!) until we really started cranking it up at the end - then I would just add a little rear brake but still use mostly front brake. I love my front brake now, it works so much better and feels so much better than lots of rear brake. Rear brake doesn't work for slowing you down, only front brake does; rear brake works for helping you squat the back end down (whereas all front brake alone would just compress the front fork and pitch you forward).
Cornering: inside arm straightens and pushes down on that side to lean the bike, outside elbow comes up and points/leads to where you want to go, while you turn your torso and hips to face the way you want to go and your hips go to the outside and forward as you twist while the bike gets pushed down to the inside by the straight inside arm. Get the tire over onto its side knobs and make them bite in.
Practiced level pedals with the non-preferred stance (left foot back) while practicing cornering.
Did a little roll-off drop - push the bike forward a little at the beginning, go in slow and come out fast. Same with the corners - go in slow and come out faster. The instructor would really push down on the front of the bike toward the bottom of the drop so that he would have even more traction.
Then did a great run down Soft Yogurt and it all naturally came together, with the bike moving forward and back underneath me when it needed to, and then pushing the bars down on the inside of the turns - it felt good!
Then the coach showed us an alternate line through the switchbacks. Rather than late apexing and using the berms, he would drop in early, come fairly straight down and then do a sharp turn at the bottom - may not work if it is really loose or dusty, but otherwise it can be faster.

Things to practice when riding- always drop the seat unless you are climbing; practice moving forward and back and moving the bike side to side; front braking - practice hard stops; opposite foot stance on level pedals.

16.8

SOOO sick. Cold, hacking hard in attempts to get stuff out of my lungs, chills.

I guess I'm multi-tasking my sickness, shoulder and ankle recovery, and much needed rest after the big trip. The GANTT chart looks pretty efficient. Unfortunately, I think this awful cold is the critical path item.

Sprained right ankle. Was still able to run on it. Some swelling but not crazy

Dash and Dine event with Canmore Trail Culture.

Didn't really need to get out for a run after a heavy month and some rest would have been a better choice, but this looked like too much fun. 20 of us got together to run part of the beautiful new High Rockies Trail (from West Wind to Buller), split into two groups in opposite directions so that we could key-swap rather than run out and back, then changed clothes and drove to the beautiful nearby Engadine Lodge where we had dinner reservations. The group was split with a fast group going one way and a moderate group going the other way. I was happy to be in the slower group. Was really feeling how tired I was but was happy with how I was still managing to hold the pace. Had a fun time chatting with someone who knows Zoolander from his former mothership oil company. This couple had just watched the Boundless episode about the ARWC in Costa Rica and were blown away. These two are strong, fast athletes, but couldn't fathom going that many days and nights non-stop. They raved about how tough Slice was (don't we all?) and how cool, calm and witty Phatty was. For the record, I clarified that Phatty navigated another race last fall and won. They weren't surprised, they could tell that he knows his stuff. Despite their lack of a navigation background, they laughed at the idea of "crowd-sourcing" your directions.... Zoo, maybe you just put that in there for the show?... ;). Teasing aside, they clearly admire Zoolander and are loving following his Boundless adventures.
5 km in, a few of us did a short side hike to see a really pretty waterfall that cuts into the rock, kind of like Johnston Canyon lower falls, but hardly anyone has seen this one yet. After that little hike, I couldn't get my tempo back and the run was a lot harder, just feeling too tired. At km 9 I rolled my right ankle hard and thought I might have to walk it out on the road and get picked up by the other group as they drove by, but the thought of being on road rather than trail was really unappealing. Tested out the ankle, it seemed good enough, continued the rest of the run cautiously. Caught up with the tail end of our slower group and then accompanied the newbie at the back of the group as she walked most of the rest of the trail. The longest run she had ever done was a 10 km road race. She also had blisters in her new shoes and was bleeding through her sock which she couldn't stop being amazed at (I guess I need to remember back to when foot issues were new...). I did some out and back running to keep regrouping with her but we hung in there and finished the trail rather than opting for a road bail out. Then to the lodge for an incredible dinner of smoked salmon dumplings, duck, and dessert - excellent.
Coughing up gobs of lung butter (sorry for the details) during and after the run - not sure if this is from the cold in Norway or something new. Time for some rest. Well, after Monday evening's mountain bike clinic.
Definitely some moments of type 2 fun with how I was feeling and then the ankle sprain, it might have even reached 2.4 at times but I still wouldn't rate it as anything that would round up to 3. Good training on enjoying the suffering, Coach Revy would be proud.
A fun evening with a fun group.

C • Fun run... 2

17.1

Physio for right shoulder

Following up after my road bike crash on April 28, to see if there is anything I should or shouldn't do. Confirmed that there was an AC joint strain. She also spotted that I ruptured a pectoral head on that side, but probably not in this accident. She worked on the joint a bunch, also did some needling, and gave me some exercises to do. She also gave me the green light to go and do whatever, including mountain biking. In fact, some light to moderately technical mountain biking will be good for firing up the proprioception again. I'm just not allowed to fall on that side if I can help it.

C • Did you crash? 4

17.1
Had to get out and exercise today, because I knew Revy would...
First day back on the mountain bike. Thought the upright position and super wide handlebars would feel weird after so many days on road bike, but felt at home right away. Rode most of EKG with Carbon (Killer Bees near the beginning is closed for wildlife protection until June 15th), then Dipped Cone, Soft Yogurt and Devonian Drop. Felt pretty comfortable with the technical stuff for the first ride of the season. That's good, because I have a downhill clinic on Monday. Otherwise, felt a little tired and couldn't go too hard because of fatigue from the trip. A nice problem to have. Actually, did not too bad, considering.
Love this bike, love mtn biking, it is all incredible, and it was a beautiful day in the mountains. Ran into Roy and Marissa on the trails, Roy was rocking his Race the Rockies AR shirt. He was also hauling their youngest on a trail-a-bike while rocking EKG, and the other two kids were riding it themselves. Impressive.

C • Welcome back! 3

Velez de Benedaulla Day 4
Last full day on the bikes. C-Bass and Atsuko were going to head out early but a seizing freehub brought them back right away. You definitely don't want to do these hills in fixed-gear mode. Revy rode up to the guy we rented the bikes from, swapped the wheel, and we were good to go.
A nice climb to start the day, with some nice patches of shade. Another fun ride along El Camino del Canal. Then followed a small road that took as past countless greenhouses. Down toward the water again and climbed up on a coastal highway with some nice views over the beaches and shoreline - had to stop a few times for photos. Stopped in a grocery store for pastries and cokes before the climb. Revy explained that there was 4.5 km of steep as part of 10 km climbing to a village. Partway up the climb, I forgot and thought it was 4.5 km to the village, so the village seemed to take forever. A steep climb, often grinding in the lowest gear. A few of us were feeling the knees by the end of the day. Barely stopped at the village and continued on 8 more km to the top where we found a restaurant and refueled. Killer ribs, good fries, saw news footage of Fort McMurray on fire on Spanish TV, and on our way again. Nice views up top, with views of lots of winding road snaking behind and below us, the sea down below, and the mountains now visible on the other side. Not much more climbing, and down the other side. Surprisingly big, steep mountain slopes on the other side of the pass. The other side was prettier than I expected, quite green and nice views of the snowy Sierra Nevada in the distance. A chilly ride down now that we had stopped and cooled off. A long downhill with lots of corners, then back into town along the same route we used a couple of days ago where we rode past the goats. Led a nice little peloton back into town at a sane pace and continued to the shops to see if we could buy some ice cream but that would have to wait until after siesta. Not a big problem, we pulled together our own chocolate mousse and flan party with our own supplies while we all flopped on the ground outside of our condos, looking a little bagged. Everyone's bodies were starting to accumulate some aches and pains, mostly unhappy shoulders and necks due to rental bikes that don't fit quite like our own, and a few knees that were getting a little niggly. And of course the butts are happy to call it a day. An ice cream, chocolate and donut party later in the evening attempted to put more protective padding on the butts.

Velez de Benaudalla Day 3
Paid the price today for yesterday's amazing stage win. The pace leaving town felt pretty quick, then I took it easier on the way up. Today's profile had an optional 1000 metre out-and-back climb. Worth it - views out to the coast were nice, the climb was really nice and steady, not too steep, and beautiful pavement. One of those days where you notice the temperature getting warmer and cooler in certain spots, the occasional patch of shade as you pass some trees, and different smells (mostly good) in the outdoor air. Enjoying the suffering, although wasn't pushing the suffering too hard.
Carbon had filed a protest against my stage win yesterday, claiming that she had not been informed of when the stage started. Rather than wait to hear back from the judges, she proceeded to take back all 3 minutes on the climb, plus 9 more. Looks like Carbon's Offset was nothing but a one-day wonder, and will have to buy Carbon something yellow before we leave Spain.
Stopped for a lunch snack in Almunecar, a resort town along the water. Found a nice restaurant along the water and split some seafood paella.
Then, a sick climb leaving town - I think we climbed 150 metres in the first 150 metres. Some nice riding with views along the coast. Followed a canal road on the way back that was a fun little adventure away from the traffic and had a few really nicely shaded spots under some beautiful thick trees. Then a great tailwind for the final push home, had a really fast peloton that I could barely hang onto at times.