Just caught this video on another tri blog. A few years old, but man....
This dude knows how to finish strong. Be sure to watch all the way through the finish, it will "blyow ya mind..."
Monday, October 20, 2008
Yeeeoowww!!!
Today was a big day! I had my fit session at Cronometro for my new (bah-bling) Cervelo P2! Carbon frame, of course.... :)
If you get a bike that you are planning on putting some serious miles on, it is IMPERATIVE to get a biodynamic fitting. Yes, it costs upwards of $200, but it isn't some "what's your inseam? Ok, we'll put the seatpost here..." kinda thing. You spend 2 hours in a studio setting, first working on the major things, and then narrowing down and fine-tuning every little detail until you get to the point where it feels like you are riding on air.
Got in at 11:15 this morning and Mike W. ready ready to go, had the bike set up on the trainer. He expressed some initial concerns about the stock P2 cockpit not fitting me properly (I'm kind of a wide guy...), so he already had a back-up bar on the table in case we needed to swap it out. This guy had done his homework and was ready to go. Awesome.
I came in as an open book, needing some new tri-specific shoes, and open to changing pedal choice as well (I ride Speedplays now), and wanted to start there. Mike got me set up with the Sidi T-2 Carbons, which are INSANELY light weight. I wasn't sure if they were shoes or...not shoes.... As far as pedals, Mike said to not mess with a good thing, so we stuck with the Speedplays, going with the Stainless X-2s.
Mike got the cleats on the shoes and the pedals on the bike and we got to work. His initial set-up (educated guess on where to start) ended up being pretty close, so we spent the majority of the time doing alot of fine-tune work, first starting at the cleats, then working up to the seat angle and height, then out to the aerobars, working on spacers, stem angle, and bar length.
We ended up needed to swap out to wider bullhorns, and once we did that, man, it made a world of difference, I got that floating on air feeling as soon as Mike put those bars on.
This fitting session really opened my eyes to an entire component of cycling that I had been missing out on. These guys know their stuff and will work with you until it fits right. What does fit right mean? It means that joint soreness and aches and pains will not be your limiting factor in distance and speed. A biodynamic fitting focuses on joint and bone alignment and positioning, so you are resting on your bones and not your tendons, which is often the cause of of stiffness and annoying aches and pains, which can sometimes lead to more serious injury.
If you are in the midwest, and withing 3-4 hours of Madison, get the fit done at Crono, you really can't beat these guys.
Another plus, especially for tri, is that you are in a more optimal position to ride faster.
All in all, the fit session took about 2 hours, then Mike will turn the bike over to the mechanics (Nick and Andrew), and they will hook up the cables, etc, and get everything to Mike's specs, and then I go in for a final fitting next week and bring the bike home!
Hopefully the weather will hold and I will be able to get it out for a few spins before the junk starts falling!
I'll post some more pics of me actually on the bike during the final fit and maiden voyage. Time to start thinking of a name... Any ideas?
Scott's recommended set-up for really, really, really aero seat...
If you get a bike that you are planning on putting some serious miles on, it is IMPERATIVE to get a biodynamic fitting. Yes, it costs upwards of $200, but it isn't some "what's your inseam? Ok, we'll put the seatpost here..." kinda thing. You spend 2 hours in a studio setting, first working on the major things, and then narrowing down and fine-tuning every little detail until you get to the point where it feels like you are riding on air.
Got in at 11:15 this morning and Mike W. ready ready to go, had the bike set up on the trainer. He expressed some initial concerns about the stock P2 cockpit not fitting me properly (I'm kind of a wide guy...), so he already had a back-up bar on the table in case we needed to swap it out. This guy had done his homework and was ready to go. Awesome.
I came in as an open book, needing some new tri-specific shoes, and open to changing pedal choice as well (I ride Speedplays now), and wanted to start there. Mike got me set up with the Sidi T-2 Carbons, which are INSANELY light weight. I wasn't sure if they were shoes or...not shoes.... As far as pedals, Mike said to not mess with a good thing, so we stuck with the Speedplays, going with the Stainless X-2s.
Mike got the cleats on the shoes and the pedals on the bike and we got to work. His initial set-up (educated guess on where to start) ended up being pretty close, so we spent the majority of the time doing alot of fine-tune work, first starting at the cleats, then working up to the seat angle and height, then out to the aerobars, working on spacers, stem angle, and bar length.
We ended up needed to swap out to wider bullhorns, and once we did that, man, it made a world of difference, I got that floating on air feeling as soon as Mike put those bars on.
This fitting session really opened my eyes to an entire component of cycling that I had been missing out on. These guys know their stuff and will work with you until it fits right. What does fit right mean? It means that joint soreness and aches and pains will not be your limiting factor in distance and speed. A biodynamic fitting focuses on joint and bone alignment and positioning, so you are resting on your bones and not your tendons, which is often the cause of of stiffness and annoying aches and pains, which can sometimes lead to more serious injury.
If you are in the midwest, and withing 3-4 hours of Madison, get the fit done at Crono, you really can't beat these guys.
Another plus, especially for tri, is that you are in a more optimal position to ride faster.
All in all, the fit session took about 2 hours, then Mike will turn the bike over to the mechanics (Nick and Andrew), and they will hook up the cables, etc, and get everything to Mike's specs, and then I go in for a final fitting next week and bring the bike home!
Hopefully the weather will hold and I will be able to get it out for a few spins before the junk starts falling!
I'll post some more pics of me actually on the bike during the final fit and maiden voyage. Time to start thinking of a name... Any ideas?
Scott's recommended set-up for really, really, really aero seat...
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Time for a new training plan!
Well, my in-season training plan is finito, finished, fini, carpe d-...wait...
The off-season in any sport is always a challenge. In-season is always easy. Playing football in college, in-season practices were easy because you knew who you were playing and the game was coming up very soon, within days in fact. Off-season was a different story. After the last game of the season, we had a week off, and then it was 6am puke drills... Very tough to keep at it, because you had 10 months before your next game, and because, well, I despise puking...
Some people (you know who you are!) give me crap about this, puff out their chests and say "off-season?! What's this 'off-season' you speak of?!" Well, hey, you don't live in Wisconsin, so SHUT YOUR DANG YAPPER!! Off-season doesn't mean I'm going to sit on the couch, drink beer and watch TV (all the time...). It simply means that due to a simply law of physics, the lakes are FROZEN therefore making it impossible to SWIM, which is the initial and crucial phase of a TRI-athlon... It also means that there are no scheduled races and therefore your training won't include a taper.
Anywhoo, where was I? Oh yes, selecting a plan for this winter. Some people like to change things up a bit, revert back to a balanced plan, working each discipline twice a week, sometimes with no specific duration, just playing it by feel. I can see that working if you've had a chock-full season and need the active rest and recovery. Or, they may take advantage of the extra time and work on a weak spot in their form, fine-tuning their swim stroke or running gait. Ian Poulter once said, (don't know if this is his original quote) "Find your weaknesses, and then work tirelessly to get rid of them."
I've been working on my race schedule for next year, and it's going to be an eclectic mix of sorts. I've got a couple of road races planned, including the "Crazylegs Classic 8K" here in Madison, and the Green Bay Marathon, which finishes in historic Lambeau Field. Tri-wise, I'll be a doing a mix of sprint and Oly distances in the early season as a warm-up for my A-race, which is the Door County Half Ironman. I'll probably do a smattering of races to wrap up the year, but those will be registered for on the fly, and of course, I'll be volunteering for IMWI, to be sure to register for IMWI '10, and I hear that they are changing up the format, requiring you to pay up front, which is a good thing, because then I won't mess up the deadline like I did this year.
Looking at a few different plans and websites. Some good resources are:
www.beginnnertriathlete.com
www.trifuel.com
www.slowtwitch.com
This one also looks REALLY interesting: www.ironguides.net
I am really intrigued by Ironguides because they are a sponsor of Team TBB, which is Chrissie Wellington's team, and she is making waves in IM world, well, she has been for the last year, but it was amazing watching her dominating performance at the IM World Champs this year.
I may choose a basic 2x balanced 70.3 plan for the off-season to keep me moving and improve on some things, including getting plugged in with a master's swim program, getting the bike out and fitted, etc. And then purchase an Ironguides training and nutrition plan to start of the season and get me in gear for Door County. We'll see how it all plays out, as I'll be needing to go pretty heavy on the run training as well to prepare for Green Bay.
Stay tuned! I will be posting my plan as I decide it and tell you how crappy I feel after each workout! :)
The off-season in any sport is always a challenge. In-season is always easy. Playing football in college, in-season practices were easy because you knew who you were playing and the game was coming up very soon, within days in fact. Off-season was a different story. After the last game of the season, we had a week off, and then it was 6am puke drills... Very tough to keep at it, because you had 10 months before your next game, and because, well, I despise puking...
Some people (you know who you are!) give me crap about this, puff out their chests and say "off-season?! What's this 'off-season' you speak of?!" Well, hey, you don't live in Wisconsin, so SHUT YOUR DANG YAPPER!! Off-season doesn't mean I'm going to sit on the couch, drink beer and watch TV (all the time...). It simply means that due to a simply law of physics, the lakes are FROZEN therefore making it impossible to SWIM, which is the initial and crucial phase of a TRI-athlon... It also means that there are no scheduled races and therefore your training won't include a taper.
Anywhoo, where was I? Oh yes, selecting a plan for this winter. Some people like to change things up a bit, revert back to a balanced plan, working each discipline twice a week, sometimes with no specific duration, just playing it by feel. I can see that working if you've had a chock-full season and need the active rest and recovery. Or, they may take advantage of the extra time and work on a weak spot in their form, fine-tuning their swim stroke or running gait. Ian Poulter once said, (don't know if this is his original quote) "Find your weaknesses, and then work tirelessly to get rid of them."
I've been working on my race schedule for next year, and it's going to be an eclectic mix of sorts. I've got a couple of road races planned, including the "Crazylegs Classic 8K" here in Madison, and the Green Bay Marathon, which finishes in historic Lambeau Field. Tri-wise, I'll be a doing a mix of sprint and Oly distances in the early season as a warm-up for my A-race, which is the Door County Half Ironman. I'll probably do a smattering of races to wrap up the year, but those will be registered for on the fly, and of course, I'll be volunteering for IMWI, to be sure to register for IMWI '10, and I hear that they are changing up the format, requiring you to pay up front, which is a good thing, because then I won't mess up the deadline like I did this year.
Looking at a few different plans and websites. Some good resources are:
www.beginnnertriathlete.com
www.trifuel.com
www.slowtwitch.com
This one also looks REALLY interesting: www.ironguides.net
I am really intrigued by Ironguides because they are a sponsor of Team TBB, which is Chrissie Wellington's team, and she is making waves in IM world, well, she has been for the last year, but it was amazing watching her dominating performance at the IM World Champs this year.
I may choose a basic 2x balanced 70.3 plan for the off-season to keep me moving and improve on some things, including getting plugged in with a master's swim program, getting the bike out and fitted, etc. And then purchase an Ironguides training and nutrition plan to start of the season and get me in gear for Door County. We'll see how it all plays out, as I'll be needing to go pretty heavy on the run training as well to prepare for Green Bay.
Stay tuned! I will be posting my plan as I decide it and tell you how crappy I feel after each workout! :)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Serious Bling Factor!
On Friday night, Cronometro (my LBS) had the privilege of being the first bike shop in the world to have the new Cervelo P4 on display for public viewing!
This truly was a unique event, as Cervelo doesn't build bikes that they don't believe truly raise the bar (in this case a 20% improvement in aerodynamics! 20%!) So, it's been quite a few years since the release of the P3, so this was a big occasion.
There quite a few people on hand to witness this historic event, because not only was the P4 being unveiled, but there was quite a large amount of other bling to check out, including the Campy Super-Record component group (more on that later).
The air is thick with Antcipation!
No peeking!
Scott of Crono and Cervelop Rep start the unveiling!
Serious Blingage.
Another view of the Blingage.
Cervelo Rep explains the magnitude of Blingage that we are seeing.
All in all, what a sweet night. The boys at Crono sure know how to throw a shin-dig, with catered food, beer and all the fixins! Cool atmosphere, great socializing, and of course, the bling-bling made for a event to remember! I will give more props to the boys at Crono in my next post as we talk about the bling that I'm getting for myself!
This truly was a unique event, as Cervelo doesn't build bikes that they don't believe truly raise the bar (in this case a 20% improvement in aerodynamics! 20%!) So, it's been quite a few years since the release of the P3, so this was a big occasion.
There quite a few people on hand to witness this historic event, because not only was the P4 being unveiled, but there was quite a large amount of other bling to check out, including the Campy Super-Record component group (more on that later).
The air is thick with Antcipation!
No peeking!
Scott of Crono and Cervelop Rep start the unveiling!
Serious Blingage.
Another view of the Blingage.
Cervelo Rep explains the magnitude of Blingage that we are seeing.
All in all, what a sweet night. The boys at Crono sure know how to throw a shin-dig, with catered food, beer and all the fixins! Cool atmosphere, great socializing, and of course, the bling-bling made for a event to remember! I will give more props to the boys at Crono in my next post as we talk about the bling that I'm getting for myself!
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