Winter Training and Base Miles

Tips read and heard from coaches such as Carmichael, Ferrari, and Boryswicz, as well as local coaches and seasoned racers.

Why base miles?

From experience, I think base miles are key to a fitness level that can sustain heavy loads and recover quickly (coaches know that base miles are key by looking at case studies and data from racers and athletes). Last Season at this time due to college and then in the Spring due to work and volunteering I did not have a solid base. I noticed that I had better recovery in previous years with more base miles than I did this past season. This past season my legs would not feel that great even though I was doing low volume. So, instead of doing base miles and compromising my success at a local BBC Thursday race series and my performance at Tuesday night track racing with the BBC and my performance at USCF regional races I decided to recover more. Although I don’t have the data to show that my training and racing this year has given me the equivalent of a base into next year, I patted myself on the back and told myself that my training won’t go unnoticed. What I can’t do now is negate the importance of that pat on my back by taking too much time off and losing my base from my seasons training…

…The important question was how much time off do I need? I did not even really do organized block training to push myself into a peak. There was no indication of even minor burn out this year. I decided that my season ended in early November after I rode hills in Olean with Ron. It just seemed right…no planned day for the end of the season, just an epic hill ride to end on a high note. I also had to replace a broken speedometer so I did not even have to reset an odometer. The cyclocross season was over (cyclocross racing is great for the right amount of intensity while backing off on the rest of the week to recover from a long season). These were all great indications to finish a season and start another. What does this have to do with base miles? Well, why take a month off and lose all your base from the previous season? Instead, you can taper (back off on training intensity) at the end of your season while continuing to do base miles, then only have to take a week off before starting again.

What to do with time off? (other than reading and work and blogging and having more time to be with friends)

I went running and lifted mild weights on my week off. Anytime off is usually recommended as active time off. You should be vigorously cross training if you take weeks or months from your bike. Just use morning heart rate to make sure you aren’t too stressed.

How much time should be devoted only to base miles?

Even if you are an all base miler from October until the start of training races in March, you should probably at least mix up your base miles with some high cadence drills to improve your efficiency.

I have read from a coach online that racers that aren’t pros typically don’t have enough time to do base miles only for a few months and to do enough of them to make significant gains. So, they should keep on doing intervals once they are rested a few weeks after the end of a season. I agree with this. If you wait too long to do high intensity and anaerobic training you lose your high end, sprint, power at threshold, power at max, and lactate tolerance. One interval session a week may be sufficient for maintenance until February or March when you need to ramp things up. I have been doing hill climb training as well.

How much volume can you do?

I heard of a racer with knee trouble who only upon completing significant base miles would reduce or eliminate that annoying knee pain (lowest endurance aerobic zone, low intensity base miles). However, endurance miles put on a significant amount of wear on your legs and they cause a different type of fatigue than interval training. Just be careful not to push yourself with too much volume. You can get injured or feel an injury going say 30 mph or 15 mph especially if you are riding 15 mph for hours on end. So you may have to do base miles for your base miles (no that’s not an error). This can be called the Preparation phase in which you gradually increase your volume and power output to prepare for more rigorous base miles. If you are riding high volume (for example 100-300 miles a week) on a bike that has a poor position and alignment of your legs, you may likely have issues with your tissues (muscle, ligament, and tendon tissues that is).

I read from a famous coach; that a trained cyclist who does about 10-20 hours a week can ride about 7, 3-5 hour rides and 3, 1-1.5 hour rides spaced out over the course of about 10 days (do several long rides and then a shorter ride and repeat for 10 days). This gives a sufficient training load to stress your endurance systems and would be an excellent block to build at the end of a preparation phase and/or to do in the early season. Granted you would probably want a week off afterward.

What type of racing are you specializing in and how does that effect your base miles needs?

I’ve heard that 1.2 times the distance that you have to ride in a race for a day of endurance training. If you want to upgrade, say from category 3 to category 2, then schedule your training according to the distance that a category 2 racer races at.

I like to try to be a racer of all trades; sprint, time trial, hill climb, and endurance. So, I do an endurance road race amount of volume for base. Even if you are a sprinter you need enough endurance to get to the end of a race.

I’m not sure about the needs for track racing.

What is your best base training tool?

Probably a power meter or a heart rate monitor depending on your budget or level of seriousness. It is critical to stay in your endurance zone that you can sustain for a given period of time and then to ramp up your intensity as the ride progresses to make sure you push yourself. It is best to stay in your zone since you need to stress that zone and not rest up in a lower zone.

What if I don’t have a lot of time for base miles?

Increased intensity on a shorter ride can cause physiological adaptation that also occurs with longer rides of less intensity.

You will need to ride continuously for an hour and then ramp up the speed (power output) for the last half hour to last fifteen minutes. I have done this before after a coach recommended this. The result is that you end a ride as tired as you would a much longer ride. This increase in intensity needs to be at the end so that you stress your endurance system as you get fatigued. If you have only 45 minutes or less, I’d do a time trial interval workout, or perhaps a steady ramp increasing intensity every two minutes as I go.

Can I substitute cross training for base miles?

Base miles on a bike are better but you may need some cross training to correct muscle imbalances and to get a variety to keep interest in training.

I read on one well known coaches website that running is recommended but of course not to excess or to a very serious level of racing that may lead to fatigue by the time cycling season is on the way. Another well known coach does not recommend endurance running since it is too intense.

I’ve heard plenty of coaches and racers say that if you’re not pro and you aren’t paid to ride your bike and don’t have to be only great at biking, then why not run too? I recommend running to those who are good at not getting running injuries.

I also recommend cross country skiing. Endurance distances can be covered to build a strong cardiovascular system and this is a great all body workout. And…there is drafting involved! I plan on racing on cross country skis this winter! However, base miles on a bike can not be replaced entirely by cross training.

“Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike.” -Fausto Coppi (said to a reporter who asked him what it takes to be such a great champion)

Local BBC Thursday Race

I looked at their speed and motion compared to my perceived effort and imagination of what I could do. After that evaluation I said to my self they’re relatively standing still. They were sprinting but not fast enough. They’re standing still. As I pulled forward and around the pack…they’re standing still! They’re standing still! I passed them with about 50 meters to go and opened up about a 5 foot gap. That was first place in the preem lap after one 10 mile loop on the local Lockport course on 09/04.

At the finish I was up front and wanted to drop back but there was only 0.8 miles to go. (I know the 0.8 mile area near the second bridge. I did a long 30 mph attack there a few seasons ago that landed me in 7^th place in the A pack.) At that distance I decided I’d try to stay up front then accelerate starting at 400 meters and continuing to accelerate to the finish. When you can go faster then faster yet it gets difficult for racers to pass. Ok, so this can be a risky strategy because others have the draft but if a gap opens and you accelerate then things can be good. I also decided I wanted to do a courageous attack because I just can… with a at least a 10 point cushion in the B race points series I can take smart risks. I lead out at about 28 mph at 400 meters to go, I accelerated from there and did not look at my speedometer again. At about 200 meters I was passed by Jose and was on his wheel I waited until about 40 meters to jump hard and pull through. I was spent but I almost passed as I finished second by about 1 foot.

The Race of Truth

There is no hiding in a time trial. Time seems to slow down. You can slow things down in this busy world where things move too fast. I had the goal of riding sub 30 minutes in a 20 kilometer flat course. I did not pass that goal but I clocked 30 minutes 48 seconds. I was reassured by multiple age group BBC time trial record setter Larry Read that anything with a 30 or below is good in a 20 k time trial. So my average speed was about 24.5 mph. I was doing about 26-27 mph for the first 5-7 minutes then about 25 for the next 7-10 and about 23 for the last 15 minutes. I ramped up my speed to about 27 mph for the last 2-3 minutes. A steady 25 mph would have been an improvement.

Irode this time trial at teh BBC Akron race on 08/31

Beautiful Bemus

Like a pro blogger I’m writing and editing at Starbucks.

On Saturday 08/23/08 I did a hilly USCF race at Lake Chataqua Bemus Point. I carpooled with Ron (Ron's blog http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/). He was wearing a mainly white with green and red Italia jersey. Ron my not have a drop of Italian blood but he recently picked up a Mapei edition Colnago so he is like an Italian brother in law married into the family by way of bicycle association. So at the start line I said "this is Italy versus Wachovia!" And I told Mike Loranty that my race strategy was to watch Ron stay with him and try to win. With Ron’s training camp residence set up in Olean NY I figured that the mountainous surroundings would have propelled Ron to climbing super star status. Ron got dropped on the second part of the first or second climb about 3 miles in. He rode two hill rides this week so I told him that hill rides are stupid the week of a major race because they zap the legs of zest-energy... he found out too late. I was disappointed that my competitor got dropped. I wanted a showdown sprint or at least a final lap attack. I got dropped about 10 miles into the 30 mile race because I'm a flatlander and a pursuit track racer. Then I was with a Hollyloft guy and another Hollyloft guy. Apparently one of them was Joe Holler's Dad. So Joe said he was pissed when he saw Dave behind his Dad's wheel going into the finish and then watched me pass and win that sprint. Joe got 3rd place because he is not a flatlander.

A Few Local Race Reports from the Past Two Weeks

08/12/08 6:45 pm Holland Speedway

At the track I proved that I am indeed a pursuit racer. I’ve been told by Frank Mesi that I have a pursuit style when I bridge gradually rather than like a sprint. So, we prepared to pursuit. I asked a guy from Harvard if he wanted to compete. I told him that my name is Neon Thunder and I’m here to win lol no I really didn’t say that but I wanted to. We did 4 laps of about a 200-300 meter race track. I told myself that if I started fast I could get out front and stay there. I did put it in the 53 – 23 stood up and road out fast. My pace backed off a little but I clearly won.

Thursday 08/14/08 7:10 pm at Erie Community College Criterium Local Race

I was in a pack of about 20 racers. The bell had rung for a preem. Everyone had slowed to watch each other and try to get the best wheel. It was as if their engines have stalled. I’ve raced this scenario before and I know I have sprinted away from the pack on the back stretch and stayed away for a preem on more than one occasion. That’s when I said to myself, you can go, you can go. I went off the front and I noticed I had a good gap going into the two corners then there’s about 300 meters to the finish. In the corners I thought they’re going to catch me here these A racers are fast in the corners, keep yourself fast and smooth in these corners. Then I decided that was enough doubts, that their going to catch me talk is what people who fear losing think. So, I put my head down didn’t look back and went as fast as I could. I scored first place in that preem.

At the finish I sprinted fast enough to stay in front of the other B racers but did not contest the A racers. Then I found out that during the race they decided to scratch the B points, bummer.

08/19/08 at the Holland Speedway

Once again my pursuit like abilities were shown in an Italian Team Pursuit at the track. I went really fast when I pulled through and got a lot of credit for our teams victory. Then in the show down final I was chosen to lead out for a lap a the start. I lead out really fast but the other team was slightly ahead so our other guys picked up the pace and we won again.

If you like 4 mile long climbs on each of 4 laps go to Wine County Classic at Northeast PA

If you like 4 mile long climbs on each of 4 laps go to Wine County Classic at Northeast PA.

On 08/16/08

I raced the Wince Country Classic race and there was no hiding on this hilly course. My low power to weight ratio was the main factor of me getting dropped.

Living Vicariously Through Mike

Congrats to Mike Loranty for winning the cat ¾ Rochester Criterium. He did this by sprinting away form a break away group of 4. We (Wachovia Securities Cycling Team and a lot of locals) were really excited and happy. It’s good to see good things happen to good people. Check out a more thorough race report at http://www.agedwardscycling.com/

Another guy from our Wachovia Securities Cycling Team, Jim Cowle, is a very savy racer. He went off the front of the main pack on the last lap at an opportune moment and put enough distance between himself and the pack to secure 5^th place.

Another teammate, Brian Rohr, placed fourth in the cat 5 race. This may have been his most tactically smart race yet. He listened to the advice of captain Andy Cummings.

Also, Brian Borowiec raced strong to finish 6^th. Again check out http://www.agedwardscycling.com/

Mike Loranty has an affinity for breaking away. He can break away and stay away. When racers who know Mike see him ride off the front they think we’ll catch him after a long while. But after a long while they still haven’t caught him and the pack starts to chase frantically. And if he gets away with other racers they’re golden. If he gets away and some average racer tags along who can’t go fast enough to help the break stay away, that average racers says to himself…”well at least I did the best move I could by trying a break away with a guy like Mike”, and other racers say to that average guy “smart move”.

A Cyclists Prayer

I say a few prayers while riding and racing bikes. These help me keep things in perspective and keep it real. Here are a few of my common prayers that aren’t too personal.

Allow these bike racers not to rage against each other but to strive with each other. Amen

Let these racers not get injured so they are able to continue to do purposeful work off of the bike and be able to do all the goodness they can with their families and friends. Amen

Keep me from lusting after these bicycles. Help make my bicycle a tool for goodness as I pray while riding. Amen

Help me not get angry at riders who don’t hold their line. Especially do not let me get angry when riders force their way between me and the racer in front of me because this is just a competitive move in racing bikes. Amen

I know that the act of bike racing really doesn’t compare to more meaningful acts but at least let this time be enriched by prayer. And more importantly let this time be one of harmony between racers. Let us show support for each other and not trash talk or gossip. Amen

Help me not get angry at this guy who is opening up gaps and riding at an uneven pace. Rather let me turn this anger over to energy toward catching the pack. Give me similar energy toward purposeful goals in my life. Amen

If a racer causes me to crash may I not say anything until I can speak some peaceful words. Amen

Tendonitis above the patella

I had tendonitis just above the knee cap that dissipated last season but was around for all season two seasons ago. What did I need?

Different pedals? I changed pedals (three different pedals) for races mid season on four occasions in the past 2 seasons! Pedal mania! All the pedals I tried were ok, I just needed a proper position for each. If you think about this, pros from different teams ride a lot of miles on just about every major pedal type…so get a proper fit not a variety of pedals!) (I only ride-have one pair of pedals now.

A different fit? Two seasons ago a dear friend told me about cleat shims to angle the foot position. I did not listen to my friends advice by putting one in on the day of a local training crit race…that is a huge risk to the knees as they need some adjustment to new positions… I felt fine though.

Different position? I stopped 10 miles into a century to adjust the cleat on my shoe and move a cleat shim out. My knee felt funky at first but that ride went well. To do this is mid ride is risky.

Different shoes?
No, I didn’t expect much from different shoes but I switched shoes way to many times... three shoes in one year (one pair broke when I had to dismount at 15 mph after bumping wheels-also know as-kissing wheels with another racer). But I recently sold two pairs on ebay. This leaves me riding on my plastic whatever material non carbon shoes circa 2003. I’m not pro so I don’t need carbon (well I ride a carbon frame from 2006). They fit well and are soft compared to carbon, but the main part of the shoe is stiff in contact with the pedal. I won a few local “training” races on these shoes in 2005. I recently won another training race… so these are the only shoes I have worn to a win at a race finish. If that works well than why change?

Did I benefit from a stretching routine, not riding when tendons hurt, and doing base miles for conditioning? Yes!

Thursday Night Criterium Race Report

Local training race report... this is where cyclist gain an edge on other racers by training while racing.

The minimal amount of B racers were combined with the A racers. B racer where are you? Come out and play!

The first preem went to Dave Bisenius as he slipped by the pack on the far right side.

The first break away attempt was eventually caught after about 3 laps. Dave Bisenius nearly bridged to that group and would have likely helped them to maintain their break.

As B racers were dropped I became the last of the B racers.

Some A racers were dropped too. With only ten racers left racing I had earned contention for a top ten place and to be awarded points.

Mike Bridges and Joe Halter broke away and stayed away.

Ken Thomas made an attack into the last lap to shatter the group and race to 3 rd place and first in the field sprint. He also sprinted to earn a 3 rd place preem point.

I passed 3 racers who let up on the last lap and then sprinted all I could to try to catch the 4 th 5 th and 6th place racers. I placed 7th and scored 4 points. Chris Cej scored a 1st place preem and was 9 th overall and Ben Willis scored some points in 10th place. This race performance was really great for my confidence.