March 2010 - High Performance Update

[Andrew]

What the heck happened to February???

I know we all got together, and talked about how good the team looked when we tested a month ago. I meant to post a long note describing the great strength of the team, and the strong sense I had of each athlete's personal commitment to continued improvement. It will be a few more weeks before I will see everyone again, but I did want to start March off properly with a summary of each team member, and what I know at this point.

Before I start however, I did want to make an official announcement of two more great sponsors that have come on board. Polar Canada, has given the team a set of high quality equipment for us to use at all future testing sessions, as well as a number of units for a few of our athletes to use in their daily training. The details will be released soon, and each athlete who has access to the equipment will be responsible for sharing their experience with the equipment, while also making themselves available to teach others to use equipment at our Spring Training Camps. Units will be on display at all future EES sessions, and details for full sponsorship with these products will be announced at the Kelowna session on March 19th.

Our second sponsor to step up was Cannondale bikes, who have offered our High Performance Team an extraordinary opportunity to ride their equipment in 2010. Prices and purchase order will be made very shortly. If you have not contacted Andrew with your order, and you are a High Performance Team member planning to ride a Cannondale this year, get on it!

All right...here is the run down:
Geoff Waterman - enjoying some challenging loppets, and putting in some big training hours in Penticton with a very strong group of athletes, including an Ironman Champion or two.

Simon Craig - running like a king. Broke 40 minutes at the Starting Block 10km run. Great support from his coach in Penticton, and working well with the BPR ideas.

Joel Johnson - also running like a gazelle. Ran a sub 35 minute 10km race in February, to meet his personal goal set last year. Fantastic result for the early season.

Peter O'Brien - following in Joel's footsteps with some great training. Was a recent guinnea pig for a fantastic education session on bike-fitting offered by Chris Willett and Olav Stanna. We shold see some really great test results the next time we look at Peter.

Spencer Jackson - much better control of the cardiac arrhythmia, and looking very strong indeed with a good season of skiing behind him.

Thomsen D'Hont - on track for a very strong National Championships in Whitehorse in a few weeks. Enjoyed forerunning at the Olympics and rubbing elbows with some of the world's finest athletes.

Luke Way - stepping up, and now registered for the 24 hours of Adrenaline MTB race in Canmore this summer. And has stepped up his training to match.

Martin Courtney - looked really good after a solid month of training in January, and we are looking forward to seein how the change in focus for run technique helps with the planned testing in March.

The Fresh Air Gang (Matt, Stephen, Ian, Jenn) are truly setting the pace. Planning to race the first of the Spring Series this week-end in BPR gear, and making weekly trips around the lake.

Ginny - continuing to rehab her foot, while perusing the Cycling BC website for suitable events to join until she is able to run again to her full potential.

Andrew - registered for Ironman Wisconsin this week, and stepped up his training to match his fear of falling behind the level of the rest of the team who have looked so strong this winter. Able to handle Barefoot running/waling for over an 100 minutes on the treadmill, while enjoying the Olympic coverage, and starting to take it outside for a long walk/jog this week.

Chris Willett - enjoying family, while also doing up to 45 minutes BFR in the unusually warm Okanagan winter.

Keep it up everyone, and update us here with your thoughts and comments.

[JasonK]

Hey, what about me?  I guess I will do the summary myself!
Solid training for the month of January and February.  Showed some good improvements during the last test and was starting to feel solid out on the road until I went for a couple rides with Simon.  After getting dropped five times on one ride I feel like I'm ready to give up and the season has barely started.  As he rides me off his wheel I'm gasping for air and sound like I have asthma.  The worst part is that I cant even hear him breathing!  Should make for an interesting season ahead!

[Andrew]

Never forget that Simon has also stepped up his training this season, and has a few years as a Cat 1/2 cyclist. There is certainly some "learning" that takes place when first getting outdoors, as we all begin to incorporate new muscle groups to help stabilize the bike, and move into different positions that the trainers do not simulate.

Learn from Simon, but don't be discouraged by his strength. Stay positive, and continue to work on the weaknesses. It might be time to improve the resp system with some more specific resp training. Let us know how it is going with the Spiro Tiger...

[Andrew]

And it seems I also forgot about Manuel!!!

I have had some e-mail correspondence with him, and he a few pieces of great news to share. He has been granted a spot on the sponsored PedalHeads team in Alberta, and will be racing in their colours on the road this year. This has been a primary goal for Manuel, and will expose him to a new level of racing, and an opportunity to be a part of a group working together at Alberta Cup races.

He is still planning to come and race Salty Dog in BPR colours if it does not conflict with his team obligations, and will have some high expectations if he is able to make it. This after planning a 2 week self-guided training camp in California in April.

One last note, he says the Spiro-Tiger training is helping, and is able to ride for an hour at 320 watts...not bad for a guy weighing under 145. It will be fun to follow his progress this season with his new team. We wish him all the best. More information on the PedalHead Team can be found at:
www.pedalheadroadworks.com/race_team.html

[Andrew]

I found a GREAT article on Ryder Hesjedal, an athlete coached by Juerg Feldmann, with some background information, and ideas about what it takes to succeed in endurance sport. This should be required reading for every cyclist under the age of 18, and every else who has ever dreamed of reaching the top level in their sport, whether as an aging age-grouper, or a potential world champion.
http://cyclingmagazine.ca/2010/03/sections/feature/ryding-high-getting-to-know-canadas-best-cyclist/

[Andrew]

Before we swing into March, we need to take a quick moment to celebrate some early BPR successes.

Congratulations to Stephen, Matt, and Jason in their performances at the Spring Series. Their dedication to winter training is already paying off. It is important to note that the difference between training and racing, is the necessity for adequate recovery. Stephen saw clearly the results of poor recovery during the last EES testing session. After a few days of rest recently, he retested with Chris to show his best step test ever, equivalent to where he was in May of last year, but with a higher LBP. This is likely a result of the increased volume of skiing this winter, and also something that we can build upon for later in the season. Without his test results to adjust his recovery plan, he may have been digging a hole that he could not recover from. A good lesson for all the High Performance members to keep in mind when the season of racing is upon us.

Meanwhile, many of us are gearing up for a busy month of racing in May. But before that, we have a great opportunity for some fun training. Easter week-end we will be back in Salmon Arm, in the Salty Dog trails, and up some of the long climbs in the area. Even if you are focusing on road riding, bring along your MTB for some fun cross-training, and we can mix up the sessions for you to stay fresh and have fun with the rest of the group.

Last week's session with a bike/run/bike/run was well attended, and really a lot of fun. I will put together a loose schedule for Easter week-end, once I know when Luke and Rosemarie will arrive from Calgary. For those who want to join us for the whole week-end, there are some options for accommodation, so please contact me if you need a place to crash.

Don't forget to also put Robb's Ride on your calendar for May 7-9, starting and ending in Grand Forks http://www.grandforkscyclingclub.com. Some of us will be riding with the group Friday/Saturday, then heading to Oliver to take part in the Training Camp with Chris and Ginny, as we  help athletes prepare for Oliver Half Ironman and WCOC events.

Ginny and Jen have registered for Barry's Rubaix April 11th in Pitt Meadows. I am sure they would love to have a few more BPR members down to cheer them on and enjoy the rough roads and challenge of an early season road/gravel road race.
http://www.cyclingbc.net/provincial-regional-race-calendar

I look forward to hearing how everyone is doing, and hope to see most of you in Salmon Arm next week-end!

[Andrew]

And for those that need a bit more running motivation...form one of our greta sponsors...
http://www.newbalance.com/

[Andrew]

The crew is gathering...

Luke just called from Golden, and is only 235km from the Salty Dog Trailhead, heading this way.
Ginny is collecting Joel and Peter on her way out form Vernon at noon.
Our mechanic extraordinaire, Brock is joining us, and has offered to build up the three Cannondale bikes, which unfortunately are sitting in a Purolator storage facility in Kelowna through the week-end.
Spencer is in for the week-end, and playing host to a number of the team including Geoff Waterman.
Sean and Juliann are prepping to host us all on Saturday night for dinner. I count 8 athletes in attendance. If you have not sent me an RSVP, please do so today!
Jen Schulz is making an appearance in the trails, but I have not heard whether she is dragging the Ushynator along.
Chris is working.
Mike is off surfing.
And the rest of the crew presumably are spending Easter Week-end riding their trainers, or dressing warmly and getting out onto the road, in between the chocolate easter egg hunts, and attending their respective church services.

Happy Easter everyone.
Hope to see you in Salmon Arm.

[Andrew]

GREAT Session in the trails today.
I counted 14 riders at one point, though mechanicals, a variety of skill levels, and a surprising multitude of ideas about what "controlled, with appropriate pacing" means, stretched the group out a bit.

Luke and Stephen had what can only be described as a wicked loop in just about 36 minutes, as part of their 4 loop onslaught. Ginny completed 3 1/2 loops in 4 hours, making that her longest MTB ride ever. Spencer showed greta control of HR and some amazing downhill skills. Peter faired well on his flat pedals, and looked really good on the fire road climb. Jen looked really strong, despite her pacing issues, and was the key component to dragging Ginny around "one last time". And Rose was a star, hardly breaking a sweat. We were also joined by "special guests" Brock, Cindy and Julie form Vernon, as well as young local phenom John and his father Chuck.

More on the plate for tomorrow. Jen and Stephen are going to hook up with Jason, and hopefully Simon will tag along to give the boys some advice for their upcoming race in Pitt Meadows.

The rest of us are sticking it out in the wind and snow...yes it snowed briefly today. More trails, more running, and some testing for the Calgary folks.

Sleep well, see you all tomorrow.

[JasonK]

Wow, that sound like way toooo much fun!!  I went at it alone today on the cold and windy roads.  I set out to ride over Grandview Bench from the Grinrod side. Once I made it close to Enderby I was freezing and it looked like a wall of snow and rain out that way so I turned back toward Vernon.  I was totally bummed that I didnt finish my ride so once I got to Vernon I turned up toward Silver Star.  It was totally epic.  It was like blowing snow all coming from the East which was kind of strange.  Once I hit the first switch back the wind blew me up to the next hairpin.  Shortly after the sun came out and made for a perfect end to a great day training.  Well, I guess the best part was my wife and sleeping baby waiting for me at the overpass with a nice warm car!

[GinnySellars]

Awesome effort Jason! We were all looking at the wind and snow storms on distant hills thankful that we were not road riding. That one will make you tough(er).

I feel the need to bring awareness to the hard core manipulation techniques employed by the psychologist in our group. Jen Schultz was on par with the best crack dealers in Detroit yesterday. I had spent the last 1/2 hour of lap 2 acknowledging to myself that I was becoming a liability to myself and others on the trail. I was so tired, hungry, and cold that nothing could get between me, a hot shower and carbohydrates. Enter Jen. Somehow she sold me on another lap with her sidekick Stephen. Just like that, an innocent bystander was turned into crack addict. Be warned.

[JasonK]

Hey Ginny, I can definitely relate to that after riding around the lake with those two today! 
Superb training day again.  The temperature was great; although, some serious wind.  We got blown down the lake on West Side Rd but once we headed South at Vernon there was an unbelievable head wind!!!
- Steve enjoying the scenery on Mission Rd
- Jen taking off a layer for the afternoon sun
- Steve and I refueling for the home stretch!

[Andrew]

Rode so hard I broke my bike!!!

Well, I pulled the skewer hanger off the carbon fibre chain stay. Not exactly breaking, but certainly an early end to a good afternoon session.

The young boys did a good job in their second session of the day. 3 hours on the road, and some technical MTB riding in the afternoon. Spencer still holds the championship ring on the downhills, though Rose wins for most-improved.

Maddy looked good on her run bike too...

[kiwichris]

Very jealous of everyone enjoying the long weekend -as we slave away working our fingers to the bone!!

make sure you get some miles for me - it is the only way I will get them this weekend (bah humbug!!)

Chris

[Schulzy]

My last lap with Ginny was the best lap of the day.... and I might have been a little enthusiastic with my coaxing strategies! I did work in sales for 5 years before my current job!