Leadville: Preperation for Altitude
Posted on July 5, 2009, under Uncategorized.
The Leadville Silver Rush 50 is less than a month away now. This is the time to really test fitness. High mileage days on the dirt are important. Figuring out your system on the bike, i.e. hydration pack or water bottles, 1 or 2 tubes, pump or C02. The goal is to simplify your kit that you will have on board during the race.
Racing at altitude presents some obvious challenges. Unfortunately the body reacts differently regardless of preparation, however, there are some things you can do to help your body best manage the altitude.
Hydrate a lot. One of the misconceptions is that you should hydrate heavily the day of your race. In reality you should begin hydrating one to two days before the event. Utilize a drink such as Powerbar Endurance or Hammer Heed to load your body with electrolytes. Two servings of electrolyte drink incorporated into your daily hydrating program will ensure that your body is prepared for the day of the event.
The morning of your race you should consume one serving of electrolyte drink and then plan to drink around 20oz of drink per hour during the race. However, the altitude often has an effect on appetite so if you are unable to maintain your fluid intake rest assured that your preparation prior to the event will help sustain you.
More to follow on eating and cardio preparation.
Popularity: 35% [?]
Laramie Enduro
Posted on June 23, 2009, under Uncategorized.
Spent the weekend pre-Riding the Laramie course. It was a great time. 37 miles on Saturday and 25 on Sunday. The total course is 72 miles, but, the water crossings were overflowing so Sunday had reduced mileage.
The Laramie Enduro is August 1st and that leaves little time to prepare physically. I’ve spent the last few months increasing mileage both daily and weekly. Training specifically for the amount of climbing has been critical. In addition I’ve thrown in a race to gauge my progress and ready my body for tempo and endurance demands.
Training, working, and managing family time can leave you with little energy and start to wear your body down. It’s especially important to take in healthy calories and get the right amount of sleep. Listen to your body. Push hard on training days and rest on rest days. If you feel your getting sick then take a day off and rest.
Two years ago I joined a training program that was affordable, but, didn’t account for my wavering work schedule and work loads. I was preparing for the Leadville 50 Silver Rush race. With 12k of climbing and altitudes of 10 to 13 thousand feet it is a demanding race. Throughout my training I battled with illness and fatigue. Forcing myself to stick to the plan. It wasn’t fun to ride my bike and ultimately the training wasn’t effective and my race performance was weak.
Make sure riding your bike stays fun! The time to push is when you feel great. If you only have 1 hour then push some hard intervals. If you have a whole weekend day and feel great then add the miles. Staying disciplined is important, but, if your like me your not going to win and endurance events. You’re there to survive!
Go Ride.
Popularity: 52% [?]
Ergon GP1
Posted on June 15, 2009, under Uncategorized.
After riding the Ergo GP1 for over a year I can say that it has made a significant difference in my comfort on the bike. I have used the grips in two 50 mile races and multiple rides over 4 hours and the level of fatigue in my neck has decreased considerably. Traditionalists or “freeride” folks complain that the grip is awkward, but, like any new product you need some adjustment time. Keep in mind there were folks who would “never ride a full suspension bike”. Now it’s virtually the standard.
The fit is different. Your hand doesn’t fully wrap the bar, but, I find that to give me greater leverage on technical terrain. The only time the grip is not perfect is descending fast rocky terrain. Otherwise it’s perfect!
You will use different muscles than your standard grips and so you might find that your forearms fatigue a bit, again, you’ll adjust quickly. Without a doubt these are one of the simplest ways to improve comfort on your bike. Especially for endurance mountain bikers. Now go ride!
Popularity: 39% [?]