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Andrew @ PowerCranks
 After 7 years of giving many PowerCranks users training advice, it is time for me to get a taste of my own medicine. Since I stopped training in 2000 I decided to sign-up for a local 1/2 Ironman and hopefully even a marathon for late 2008. I have a long road ahead in terms of improving my fitness and losing weight gained while sitting at the desk talking to many of you ...! All of you should know that my first PC ride in 1998 lasted 2 revolutions ... BTW, this image was taken during Wildflower 2002 which I completed on the folding bike, equipped with PowerCranks and aerobars! View all blogs by Andrew @ PowerCranks...
The Power of Weight %@#*&?
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When I started riding again a few months
ago I had no idea how
everything would
turn out after a 5 year hiatus from
riding/trainig. I
have basically reached
my goal of being able to reach 40 mile
rides (if
I needed to) and I am also able
to keep my cadence in the high 70's to
low 80's for long periods of time. But
this is not enough! I
have decided that
for every pound I loose, I will add 1 lb.
to the
bike I ride or to my limbs to keep
things interesting. The premise is
that
work-outs should be hard so racing will
feel relatively easier. I
do count on my
family members to give me as much
support as possible.
Since
my youngest daughter has outgrown her 40lb rated bicycle seat (pic below) I had to find a new mode of training-transportation-motivation.
After an small accident during a high cadence work-out during which the car seat came off the support rails completely I decided
to get a Trail-A-Bike in order to maximize my short (20-32miles)
week-end rides.
While the bike handling characteristics have somewhat
changed, the work-out has surely improved, and so has the motivation. How can you not pedal as hard as you can when your daughter says :"
Go Papa, Go Papa, Goooooo!"
Ahhh,
I forgot to mention that these week-end rides consist of small gear
work only, usually anywhere from a 39-19 to a 39-23. The next
scheduled upgrade is a compact crankset in the basic model that will
add a little weight and a little spin to my commute and family
outings. While I think that a 34-23 should suffice for the hills that
I will be riding with my daughter in town, I am thinking about going
with a 14-29 cassette in order to keep working on cadences.
Another trick in developing power is all in the hydration system.
While I believe that fluids are a must, I also think that there must be
a balance between water and mineral intake. It appears that so many
endurance athletes address nutrition as the last component to optimal
performance ... I have incorporated it right from the beginning. I
am a big believer of high mineral intakes in whatever form possible.
This
not so filled Water Bottle with shotgun led pellets weight is a mere 88 oz (5lbs. 8 oz.) and when I move to
the 24oz bottle the full weight of that bottle will be close to 7lbs
8oz. As a warning I do not reccomend the use of light weight carbon water
bottle cages for this application. Plus the goas is to try to make the
bike as heavy as possible for training purposes with an anticipated minimal final weight of 50-55lbs.
I
am concurrently working on a light weight PowerCranks racing bike
that I would like to get into the 12.5 to 13.5 weight range. Of
course this bike will not be ridable until I get back to my racing
weight of 160 lbs. While most of the bike will be brand new, the
PowerCranks that will be installed are a model 4 xLite adjustable.
The
next step in my journey to training and competetiveness will be to add
ankle weight to my work-outs once I have lost another 20 lbs. While it
is easier to add static weight to the bike, I am sure that training
with ankle weights during my commute to/from the office will have some
added benefits to be discussed later in detail.
Ciao for now ...
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