The Best Bike Fitters in the US - Triathlete Magazine

Ride for the Rivers - Saturday May 9th, 2015

Looking for a great ride in the next few weeks.....check out the Ride for the Rivers

Discover the beauty of the watersheds of the West and Rhode Rivers (as well as the Patuxent River and Herring Bay), on this challenging ride through the rolling countryside of Southern Anne Arundel County and Northern Calvert County. Then gather for the Muddy Bottom BBQ in Galesville on the shore of the West River for barbecue, refreshments and beer.      Entry fee of only $40 (After April 1) $45 (After May 1) $50 includes T-shirt and meal ticket to the after party. Great opportunities to Fundraise and earn prizes! Raise: $100 - R4R Water bottle, and 1 additional Adult, and 2 child meal tickets to the after party! $250 - All of the above plus a VIP Four pack of tickets to RiverFest June 6th and a WRRK cap. $500 - All of the above plus entry into a lotto for an afternoon on the Rivers with WRRK Jeff Holland. $1000 - Entry into a Raffle for a weekend getaway on the Rhode River! (check out the house here!) Proceeds help the West/Rhode Riverkeeper keep these rivers fishable, swimmable & clean.

Saturday, May 9 Registration: 8 a.m. Start time: 9 a.m. The Carrie Weedon Science  Center, Galesville Metric Century Ride Includes a 9 Mile In-course Time Trial Or 40 Mile Ride Post-ride Muddy Bottom  BBQ at Hartge Yatch  Harbor  11 a.m.—3 p.m. Registration & info: http://tinyurl.com/qcpdyav   Logistical support by Parvilla Cycle & Multisport, Edgewater   Can't Join us for the Ride? Join us for: Tickets: $25 for Adults, Children under 12 Free. CLICK HERE for tickets   Location: Hartge Yatch Harbor, 4883 Church Lane, Galesville, MD 20765    For info contact: Eric Andersen, Program Manager Eric@westrhoderiverkeeper.org 410-867-7171

WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD POWER (FTP)?

Like every other field of expertise, power cycling has collected a string of acronyms—TSS, CTL, ATL, SST, IF, and of course FTP. Improving your FTP (functional threshold power) is one of the most important things you can do for your training.

In last month’s article, we discovered why FTP is important for overall performance improvement. But what exactly is FTP?

In simplest terms, your functional threshold power, or FTP, is the maximum power you can maintain through an hour’s effort without fatiguing. But it gets much more complicated….

The word “threshold” has become synonymous with the word “confusion” for many athletes. To make it worse, there are several other terms for the same thing: anaerobic threshold (AT), lactate threshold (LT), maximal lactate steady state (MLSS), and onset of blood lactate (OBLA). I’ll use the term lactate threshold (LT) for my explanation.

Exercise physiologists have known for more than thirty years that your LT (the level of exercise intensity at which lactate begins to accumulate in your blood) is a powerful predictor of your endurance performance ability. This is because, although your maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) sets the upper limit to your aerobic energy production rate, it’s your LT that determines the amount of this VO₂max that you can utilize for any length of time.

There are complex body factors that determine LT, but essentially your LT tells you how well your muscles are able to match their energy supply to your energy demand, which in turn determines the fuel “mix” (i.e., carbohydrates versus fat) your muscles use and how they fatigue. Consequently, functional LT (especially when expressed as power output) is the single most important physiological determinant of performance in events ranging from a 3km pursuit to a three-week stage race.

Your LT (or FTP) provides a solid basis for any power meter-based training program, because your level of effort when exercising at a given intensity depends upon your power output relative to your power at FTP. When your power output exceeds your FTP, you’ll fatigue quickly. When your power output is just below FTP, you’ll be able to maintain it much longer.

Determining FTP

So how do you figure out your FTP? One way is to get laboratory testing done with blood samples. Determined this way, however, FTP is often significantly below what athletes and coaches think of as a threshold.

A much more convenient, simple, and possibly more accurate method of determining your FTP is to use data collected by your own power meter as you ride. There are a number of different ways to do this, all of which provide very similar estimates of FTP. I think the best way to do it is to jump on your bike and go for a ride specifically designed to find your threshold, and I’ve got a good one for you below. This is without a doubt the first big step in the adventure of training with power.

The Threshold Test

Your goal in this test is to average the highest watts possible for a lengthy period of time. (Hint: When you get to the main effort, make sure to pace yourself so that you don’t tire too quickly.)

1. Start out with a 20-minute warm-up, which means just riding along at a moderate pace, at about 65% of your max heart rate (HR), which is what we call your endurance pace. (Be sure to do the same warm-up at the same intensity each time you do the test.)

2. Next do three fast-pedaling efforts at 100 rpm for one minute each, with one minute of easy recovery pedaling between each set, to further prepare your muscles for the effort ahead. After these three sets of fast pedaling, ride easy for five minutes at endurance pace (65% of max HR).

Now the real work begins.

3. Ride 5 minutes all out. Punch it and hold it! Start at a high pace, but not so high that you die at the end. You should have a little energy held in reserve to kick it toward the finish line in the last minute.

The goal of this first part of the effort is twofold: first, to open up the legs for the rest of the test, and second, to measure your ability to produce watts in the VO₂max power zone. This initial 5-minute effort also helps to dispense the “freshness” that always exists at the beginning of a ride; your next effort will produce power that is more likely to be truly representative of your FTP.

4. Ride 10 minutes easy at endurance pace.

5. 20-minute time trial. Try to do this on a road that’s fairly flat and allows you to put out a strong, steady effort for the entire 20 minutes. Don’t start out too hard! Get up to speed and then try to hold that speed as steadily you can. If you’ve never done one of these efforts before, I suggest trying it on a steady climb or into a slight headwind, which forces you to put out a maximum effort for the entire 20 minutes.

6. Ride 10-15 minutes at endurance pace, pedaling easy.

7. Finish the ride with 10-15 minutes easy pedaling.

Your goal in the main portion of the test (the 20-minute segment) is to produce the highest average watts possible over the entire time. The test doesn’t work if you start out too hard and suddenly run out of energy, because you won’t be able to produce your true maximal, steady-state power. It’s always better to start out in the first two minutes a little under what you believe to be your FTP, build up along the way, and then ride at your maximum level in the last three minutes.

Now that you’ve done the test and downloaded your data, find your average power from the entire 20-minute effort. Take this number and subtract 5% percent from it. The result is your functional threshold wattage value. For example, if you averaged 300 watts during the 20-minute time trial, 5% of 300 (300 x 0.05) is 15, and 300 minus 15 is 285. Your FTP is 285 watts.

The reason for subtracting 5% from your average watts during the 20-minute test is that your true FTP is the highest average power you can maintain for sixty minutes. Most athletes have a hard time putting out maximal effort for sixty minutes, however, and those who can learn very quickly that a sixty-minute time trial is not much fun. I’ve found that twenty minutes is a more realistic time frame. It’s obviously a shorter time period, however, and it incorporates more of the athlete’s anaerobic capacity, which skews the wattage data by about 5% over a sixty-minute effort. By subtracting that 5%, you end up with a wattage number that should be very close to your true FTP.

Ready? Go! What’s your FTP?

Hunter Allen is a USA Cycling Level 1 coach and former professional cyclist. He is the coauthor ofTraining and Racing with a Power Meter, codeveloper of TrainingPeaks’ WKO software, and CEO and founder of Peaks Coaching Group. He and his coaches create custom training plans for all levels of athletes. Hunter can be contacted directly through www.PeaksCoachingGroup.com.

TAKE YOUR PERFORMANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

TAKE YOUR PERFORMANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL

As the winter takes hold we present some great tips to explain the importance of training through the Winter to help you hit your peak in the Spring and Summer.

posted by PeaksCoaching - (November 2, 2012 at Bike Radar)

Everyone says they’re aiming for the next level. The next level? What does that mean? More endurance? Faster sprints? Higher functional threshold power (FTP)? More matches in your matchbox? More of everything?

Naturally we all want more of everything. Is it possible to improve everything at the same time? Or should we focus on one area at at time until finally we have more of everything?

Reaching the next level means improving every aspect of fitness, but it’s our threshold power that holds us back. If George Hincapie could suddenly crank out 450 watts at FTP instead of his normal 420, I’d say he’s reached the next level. Does this mean his sprint has also improved, or his ability to go hard on short, steep hills? Probably not, but now that his FTP has increased so much, he might never have to do another sprint because he’s winning solo off the front.

Such was the case with a masters athlete I coached a couple years ago. He’d improved his sprint and VO2 max power and was more competitive in his masters category, but he still wasn’t dominating wins and was occasionally still pipped at the line. The solution? Move to the next level. I asked him to focus only on improving his FTP without worrying about any other specific area of fitness. He increased his training by 15-20% and rode more sub-threshold and threshold intervals than he’d ever wanted. He kept this up for three months, and it paid off; his FTP increased more than thirty watts that season. He no longer needed to contend in sprint finishes or worry about short hills. He simply rode away from everyone else.

Click through for key steps that’ll bump you to the next level….

The average speed of a Category 4 race is determined by the collective average threshold power of the riders in the peloton, which is a lower power-to-weight ratio than Category 3 riders. If you want to ride in the Category 3 peloton and you are a Category 4 now, you need to increase your threshold power to at least the median of all the racers in the Category 3 pack. (Not sure what is your FTP is? In general terms it’s the max wattage you can maintain through an hour’s effort.)

Here’s how to do it:

1. Increase your overall training stress by 15-20%. Many of us have such full schedules that it’s impossible to ride longer than two hours a day, but if you really want to reach the next level, figure out how to squeeze it in. You need two big rides (preferably three) each month, at least 5-6 hours long, that force you to dig deep near the end, so that when you get home you’re tired and your muscles are quivering (not cramping) from the fatigue. This is the number one thing you can do to improve. Whether you’re a pro or a recreational cyclist, you have to increase the miles, hours, and overall volume of training stress to challenge your cardiovascular and muscular system enough to create positive adaptations for the future.
2. Do longer intervals at or near your FTP, at least 40-60 minutes of work from 91-105% FTP three days a week. After three weeks of riding at this level, increase the time spent at or near your FTP to 60-90 minutes, with one session a week of almost 90 minutes at FTP. Start with 3 x 10 minutes at 105% FTP and build up so that you’re doing 3 x 30 minutes at 100% FTP, with lots of little steps in between. If you get too tired from riding right at FTP, lower the power to “sweet spot” wattage (88-93% FTP) and continue from that level. You’ll still get plenty of training stress, and as long as you can maintain at least 88% or so, you should be training intensely enough to see improvements in your threshold.
3. Give yourself a rest day between each training day. The beauty of the power meter is that it gives you a wattage goal to maintain in each interval, but it also tells you when you can’t do the work, and that is equally important. If you head out on a threshold workout and can’t hit your wattage goals, give yourself some rest (endurance pace) and try again in twenty minutes. If you still can’t hit the goals, it’s time to go home and rest up for another try tomorrow.
4. Focus on quality over quantity. If you can’t produce the wattages at your threshold power, you’re not straining your systems enough to improve. For example, you could do 4 x 10 minutes at threshold power with 10-minute rests between each and still get in a total of 40 minutes at threshold, which is better than doing 2 x 20 and finding in the second interval that you can eek out only 85% FTP. If you start to fatigue, shorten the interval length (no shorter than 10 minutes) in order to still hit the wattage goals. As you get stronger, you’ll be able to do more intervals and lengthen the total amount of work done at threshold.

It’s always the last hill repeat, the last interval, the last week of your build cycle that really makes the difference. Dig deep. If you start too hard, you won’t be able to maintain your threshold pace for the entire effort. If you start too easy, you’ll cheat yourself out of precious training strain. I recommend that you start out quickly (without sprinting) to get up to speed, then immediately settle into your threshold pace. Hold this pace until the last minute of the effort and then increase your pace by 10-20% and push hard to the end. This gives you a double peak shape in your power file (peaks of wattage at the beginning and end).

Reaching the next level isn’t as simple as doing some random intervals, riding fifty more miles each week, or focusing on one specific energy system. It’s the combination of all of these things in a rational, progressive manner that allows you to overload your lactate threshold system, and when you rest, your system improves to produce a higher threshold power.

It will take at least three months before you see significant gains. There’ll be days when you’re tired, and there’ll be days when you doubt the training is working or even worth it. Have faith and push through. The next level awaits.

Hunter Allen is a USA Cycling Level 1 coach and former professional cyclist. He is the coauthor of Training and Racing with a Power Meter, co-developer of TrainingPeaks’ WKO software, and CEO and founder of Peaks Coaching Group. He and his coaches create custom training plans for all levels of athletes. Hunter can be contacted directly through www.PeaksCoachingGroup.com.

9 Questions with.....Leslie DiMichele - Parvilla Cycles Elite Team Member

With Kona 2014 slowly falling away in the rear-view mirror, Parvilla’s Leslie DiMichele discussed a few Kona race questions with us (Leslie was 23rd in the 25-29 AG with an 11hr 05mins finishing time)

PARVILLA: Was training status quo compared to last year?

LESLIE: The build to Kona this year was slightly different than in 2013. In 2013, Kona was my only IM, so the year was essentially one long build to October. This year, Kona was the last of three Ironman races. So the buildup was shorter since I already had a lot of volume over the season. Also, with racing IM Lake Placid only 10 weeks earlier and getting married 4 weeks after that, I took a bit of down time the month of August to rest and recover before my big build in September.

 

Leslie on the Queen K in Kona this year

PARVILLA: How was your recent block training after winning IM Lake Placid and getting married?

LESLIE: To be honest, it was pretty rough. I was so spent after Lake Placid and with the stress of the looming wedding I really was not recovering, workouts were totally unproductive and we made the decision to go on “auto-pilot” the month of August. I stayed away from big volume and focused on maintaining fitness, essentially cutting my training down to 10-15 hours a week rather than 15 – 20 hours. I think in the long run this helped me going into Kona I felt fresh for my build and had some really great workouts.

PARVILLA: Do you train with anyone or do you prefer solo?

LESLIE: I train a lot with Nate (my husband), he keeps me company on most long rides and sometimes in the pool. I run mostly alone, this is usually because pacing is very specific and it’s hard to find someone willing to do those kinds of workouts. I have a friend in Charlottesville who shares the same coach as me and occasionally I’ll make the trip out there. I did have a swim buddy for a while, but she has since moved to California, so currently interviewing for that positionJ. In general, I enjoy both training alone and with people, so I try to mix it up and have a good time.

PARVILLA: You changed your bike to the Guru CR.901 this year? How has that helped?

LESLIE: The bike change has really helped a lot this year. Last year was about building confidence on the bike and this year was about really addressing the fit problems. Going to a smaller crank has been a game-changer both in climbing and running off the bike, it’s been huge in taking pressure off my hips and makes riding aero way more comfortable (especially for 112 miles!).  The comfort and feel of the bike has been great, but I really didn’t appreciate that until Kona this year, the cross-winds were so intense and it took a lot of concentration to relax into the bike and go with it. Just being solid in the position and feeling “fast” made things easier to stay aero the whole time even while getting blown all over the road.

 

Full gas in Kona 2014

PARVILLA: It seems to be the trend among athletes; if the fitness is equal, fighting for a watt or two through gear is a worthwhile effort it seems, from aero apparel, power meters and wheels to hydration systems? Do you train and race with a power meter and how has that changed your racing approach?

LESLIE: This year I have started using power much more in training and racing. Obviously this has helped a lot in trainer workouts to make sure that I’m working hard enough and showing improvement. I don’t use power in racing, mainly because I don’t have enough data to choose a target power. Currently, I record power during the race, but don’t display it on my Garmin.

As far as other gear, I’m kind of a minimalist; I have my standard bottle cages that I think are reasonably aero and I don’t use any kind of bento box. Throw on an aero helmet and that’s it, I am looking to upgrade my helmet for next year with a face shield. I also ride carbon wheels which are an absolute must (equivalent to Zipp 404’s), I have historically stayed away from deeper dish rims because of my size, but I may try a disc this year.

PARVILLA: You have had a busy schedule this year with an early season IM race in Cabos, a few 70.3m and the build to Ironman Lake Placid and then Kona late in the year? Do you think an early Ironman focus helps later in the season?

LESLIE: It definitely helped me this year since I was forced to take some time off in August and I was confident that I had enough base miles to be fine for Kona. I’m not sure I will ever do a March Ironman again (Los Cabos was March 30) since this made for an extremely long season and mentally I was exhausted by the end of it all. I like to race early to keep me focused through the winter, but I think I’ll stick to the 70.3s early and start in on IM May/June.

 

Leslie won the overall age group race at IM Lake Placid this year!

PARVILLA: How did your Overall Age Group win at Lake Placid change your strategy/focus leading into Kona?

LESLIE: The overall win at IMLP was mainly a confidence boost. IM Los Cabos was not the race I wanted to have and I left feeling a little unsure of my abilities. IMLP turned everything around and mentally got me ready to race aggressively in Kona.

PARVILLA: How important is it to you to block out the final days before Kona just for you? Or do you like the Kona festivities?

LESLIE: I love Kona and being amongst all the excitement, but I’m more of a home body and definitely not one to be out socializing the whole time. I find that the social aspect can be just as tiring as the race itself, so I mostly stick to hanging out in my condo and going out with close friends.

PARVILLA: What does the 2015 season have in store for you?

LESLIE: Unless something happens in the next two months, the plan is to get my Elite License and race as a professional in 2015. Kona this year wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but it was an insane year on the Big Island and I think I am content to end my amateur career on that note. So we’ll have to wait and see if it turns out to be a good idea! You can definitely expect multiple Ironman races again, I’m just not sure where and when. 

Ironman World Championships 2014: Kona Day 4

Parvilla Cycle and Multisport are fortunate to have two outstanding athletes racing in Kona this year and they are going to be providing their daily updates right here on the Parvilla Cycles Blog!

Leslie DiMichele qualified at Lake Placid earlier this summer by crushing the ladies field and winning the overall age group title. Crissy Fuentes traveled to Lanzarote in late Spring and won her age group to punch the ticket to Kona for yet another year!

Day 4 - Oct 9th

Leslie

Just a couple of days to go and now we start to look ahead to the race day more and more and we especially the weather! As far as race insights, I always expect the worst at Kona, high wind and heat. Other than preparing mentally for the day, I don't really change anything from a regular race! I want to be the fastest I can be (the Guru Cycles CR.901 will make sure of that!) and hope that's enough for a good place. Keep in the zone and the mind on the prize.  

More swimming was done in the Ocean and we made it out to the Coffees of Hawaii floating bar for a quick shot of espresso!

Crissy

This is my 5th Kona and it has been a very rewarding journey! I have finished top 10 in my AG consistently and as high as 7th twice here on the Big Island. In order for me to qualify for the big show, I need to win an Ironman within the same calendar year as slots are at a premium.  This year in Kona will be my 12th Ironman since 2007.

All these IM's and long distance training over the past 7 years have taken a toll, and since mid-summer I find myself with an almost detached hamstring! Ouch, it is preventing me to run like I used to and it will be making me dig deeper than ever on Saturday!

I will keep my nutrition with Hammer Sustained Energy on the bike and Hammer gels on the run. I will concentrate hard on staying in my HR and power zones throughout the ride and hydrate a lot! It will be hot and humid. Hopefully, I will be able to do my best on the run which may well be more of a jog than a run, I will do it all on perceived exertion rather than pace or HR like I did at World's 70.3 in September. Ultimately it will be about  enjoying my day and finish with a smile! (and a top finish!)

More ART today!

Ironman World Championships 2014: Kona Day 3

Parvilla Cycle and Multisport are fortunate to have two outstanding athletes racing in Kona this year and they are going to be providing their daily updates right here on the Parvilla Cycles Blog!

Leslie DiMichele qualified at Lake Placid earlier this summer by crushing the ladies field and winning the overall age group title. Crissy Fuentes traveled to Lanzarote in late Spring and won her age group to punch the ticket to Kona for yet another year!

Day 3 - Oct 8th

Leslie

Hit the pool with my Smashfest Queen training group in the morning. I know I know, who swims in a pool when you have the ocean? But that's what we did and luckily Kona has a beautiful and free community pool.

The awesome Kona Aquatic Center

 After the swim we all headed to athlete check in before the crowds start later in the week. Typically this is a quick process but just as I was about to get my wrist band and pick up my free bag I got ushered away by some volunteers and earned myself a personal escort for the rest of the process, apparently I was getting drug tested. After finishing check in, I was brought to a room where I had to wait in line to have my blood taken. This all would have been fine, but when I heard I was being tested I assumed a urine sample so I started chugging water to  speed up the process, little did I know that it was actually a blood sample and I wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom without a personal escort until it was done. So an hour later I was finally allowed to pee alone. 

By the time this was all done I had less than two hours to get in a 90 minute bike ride on my Guru Cycles CR.901 before we hosted a couple friends for dinner. The ride was great and would be my last longish ride before the race. All good!

My Guru Cycles CR.901 and the Pacific Ocean!

That evening we had some friends over who we haven't seen since last year in kona. It was great to see them again and reminisce about old times swimming in Massachusetts. 

Crissy

I thought I had seen all types of training in my 5 times in Kona.... But this caught my attention this morning! Running down Alli drive in a wet suit!

A little bit of heat training!

At 7:00 AM this was the practice swim today, looks almost like race day! This is still my favorite part of being in Kona such a beautiful swim!

Of course, the traditional Kona banner... Training is done and I feel ready (and so is the Guru Cycles CR.901) and happy to be here!