L'Etape du Tour

I'm guessing that anyone reading this blog probably has some notion of what the Etape du Tour is all about, but I thought it might be worthwhile to give a brief description of the event.

Each year, the public is invited to ride a mountain stage of that year's Tour de France. The event draws about 8,000 riders from around the world, and takes place a few days before the actual Tour de France stage. Spots are available only through authorized tour agencies, and are typically sold as part of an organized bike tour that includes hotels, transportation, private rest stops, training rides and other amenities. There are also a limited number of entry-only spots available for purchase for people who want to organize their own trip. The Etape website has links to authorized agents.

Since I had already had our French holiday planned, and since riding the Etape was a rather last-minute idea, I purchased one of these entry-only spots through a US travel agency. It was a multipart process that actually required a doctor's statement verifying that I am healthy enough to participate.

Going it alone, and so late in the process has led to t

he first logistical issue: hotels near the start have been sold out for months. People plan far ahead for this event. My house in Provence is about 1.5 hours from the start, so my options are to drive up the morning of VERY early in the morning to make the 7am departure, or try to find a hotel room on the night before the ride. My search for a room continues...so far no luck.

The ride itself is 172 km in length (about 106 miles), and includes about 10,000 feet of elevation gain (or climbing), more than half of which happens in the final 22 km ascent of Mont Ventoux. Here is the profile:

The UK based company CycleFilm (www.cyclefilm.com) puts out a yearly recon DVD of the Etape. It takes you through the entire route and examines the road conditions, areas to use caution, best places to conserve energy, etc. It is a great resource and the next best thing to taking an advance trip to France to ride the route. They have some preview clips on their site for anyone who wants to get a sneak peak at the countryside we will pass through.

The Etape is officially considered a "race" and each rider carries a transponder that records their finish time. Riders must finish within a certain time (10 hours, I think). If you are overtaken by the "End of Race" vehicles you must leave the race.

So, that is Etape du Tour 101. If you want to join me, I think there are still a few entry-only spots available. Maybe we can share a room.

Ken

Epic Rides

I've watched with amazement as the pro peloton battles through heat, rain, cold and other terrible riding conditions. Mud-caked riders in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders are the ultimate men's men. As a southern California rider, I'm fortunate to have relatively pleasant riding weather 350 days a year. When the weather turns ugly I ride comfortably indoors on my CompuTrainer.

Yesterday I was determined to go on a long outdoor ride, even though the forecast called for some light rain. How bad could some light rain be, after all? I was joined by a few riding buddies at 7am and we rolled out for a 50 mile ride. About 15 miles into our ride, the light rain started to fall. Then it turned to heavy rain. We pushed on.

At the base of our day's climb--an 8 mile climb averaging about a 6% grade--the rain let up a little. We headed up the mountain. I tend to climb a little bit faster than the rest of the guys, so I was soon on my own. The agreement was that when I hit the top I would turn around and descend, picking up the others who would turn around and come down with me.

I was making very good time going up. It was a little cold, but I felt good. When I hit the top and turned around I found out why. I had been riding with a tail wind. Now that cold wind was right in my face. And it started raining hard.

My nice new Trek Madone came with deep carbon rims that look really sporty. They are not the choice for descending in the wind and rain. The cork brakes were useless when wet. The rear brake barely had any stopping power at all. The wind pushed my bike around the road. My hands and feet were numb despite my cold weather gear. I was soaked through. One-by-one I passed the other riders and they turned to join me.

That 8-mile descent felt like the longest of my life. I pumped the brakes constantly to keep my speed down to about 12mph for fear of picking up too much speed and being unable to slow down through a turn. My legs were shaking from the cold.

When we hit the bottom, all of us were trembling. Isn't this how hypothermia starts? We needed to get somewhere warm.

Thankfully, there really is a Starbucks on almost every block.

A few miles away we found one, and were quickly shedding rain-soaked gloves and jackets, and sucking up hot cafe lattes. My buddy's hands were shaking so bad he dropped his coffee on the floor. We were quite a motley looking group.

Outside, the sun was poking through the clouds. Every ray of sunshine felt magical, warming our skin and drying out our clothes. Finally, it was time to get back on the bikes and get going. As a final bit of insult, the wind was in our faces all the way home. But a little wind was a welcome trade for rain and cold.

I will forever watch the pros race through rain and cold with a newfound respect and awe. I can say there is nothing romantic about it--it is just plain hard work.

The final tally: 4 tired riders, 2 dead iPhones, 1 flat tire.

Solvang Century

Well there was good and bad at Solvang. My finishing time was not what I hoped for, but it was the fastest of the three century rides I have ridden. I think I had a few strikes against me--being pretty sick for a few weeks, and not a great night’s sleep the night before (as I had to drive 2 hours up to Santa Barbara late the night before). That said, I got there on time and was well prepped in terms of having eaten well, and I had all my ride gear in order. The weather was chilly and a little windy, but I had cold weather gear so I was prepared for that.

I rolled out on the course at about 8am. I felt very good, and tried my best to find some groups to ride with that seemed to go at a reasonable pace. I kept an eye on my HR and Wattage, and if it was pushing too high, would drop back and wait for a slower group if necessary. The course was very rolling, and I think the surges had me spiking power more than I should have.

And why don't people on centuries know how to ride in a rotating pace line? It seemed like every line I got in was just someone who felt like pulling and everyone else following. I tried to get one little group going in a proper rotating echelon, but they just couldn't figure it out.

I concentrated on eating and drinking, with a gel and bar every hour along with Heed. I also took an electrolyte cap every hour. I skipped both the first two rest stops as I had plenty of food and water, and felt fine. That was about the last time I felt fine.

At mile 55 or so, I felt the legs going south. I dropped off the back of the group I was in, and went on solo. My HR was just fine, low in fact, but my legs just wouldn't push. I know that feeling, and for me it usually means that if I continue to force them they will cramp. I took it easy until the next rest stop at about mile 60.

At the stop I refilled water and mixed up some Heed, had a gel and some Cliff Bar, and a pee, and stretched out the legs a bit.

On the road again, I knew there were a few climbs ahead. The big climb, it turned out, was really just a long gradual uphill at 1-2%, not the steep climb the profile suggested. Still my legs were just toast and I was creeping along. I was probably in the 100-110 watt range, and it was all I could manage. I felt really stupid. Had I really gone out so hard that I had nothing left? It really didn't feel like it, but I guess I did.

I hit the first steepish climb (6-8%) and actually felt a little better, although pushing just a little too hard gave me the twang of cramps in my inner right thigh. I know all too well that once my legs cramp up, I'll be done, so I was VERY careful to back off at the hint of any cramping.

The second sharper climb was about the same as the last--perhaps a little shorter--with a rest stop just after. This was the last stop, with about 15 miles to go. This time I had some banana, fig bar and an oatmeal cookie. Stretched some more too.

Rolling out for the last 15 miles, and for whatever reason, I recovered a little. I was still plenty tired, but had just a bit more energy in the legs. Maybe it was the banana. Still tiny little cramps, but some on the bike stretching and rubbing seemed to ward them off.

This last part was more or less a very slight downhill run back into Solvang. I finished at 6 hours 11 minutes of riding, including some back-up in and out of the start/finish line.

It wasn't the ride I had hoped for--I really wanted to finish strong. I'm not sure if it was just too much too soon, or if I just asked my body for a little too much after being sick so much. If I had done the half-century I would have nailed it!

And it was a very good indicator of how much work I need to do to get ready for France. One interesting thing--the profile says 5,000 feet climbing, but my meter said I did over 10,000. That seems like a huge discrepancy.

I uploaded the file, but I can say that the issues that I don't see with the Gen 1 iBike at home (on good roads), I did see in Solvang. Power in the pack was questionable, and some of the roads were VERY rough and the power was all over the place on these stretches (mostly in the 2nd half of the ride). Of course, the Gen 3 unit arrived on Saturday and was waiting for me when I got home!

Ken

Here is the reaction from Coach Wharton:

Okay - this is fantastic information, and yes, it definitely gives us some ideas about what we need to do next.

I'm sorry about the sleep. It was a gamble, but I thought it would pay off. I forget that that area of the state can be sort of wine cooler chilly year-round. Next time, we'll put you up in a Motel 6 in SB, and you can knock yourself out with a Tylenol PM. No kidding.

HR was low due to chronic fatigue, temp, and the residual of the illness. Wattage was useless due to the reasons expressed.

We need to get some longer rides in there for you. I'm spending the morning on the PC spreadsheet for ErgVideo, so I may re-work some of your protocols. IF there is any way you can get 90 minute workouts in, and where, please let me know.

Thank you again for the comments in the FredCast. I truly do appreciate it.

Onward and upward, okay?

Sincerely,

Rich Wharton

USAC Level 1 Coach

The Cold From Hell

Big plans to ride all weekend. But round two of the cold from hell struck on Thursday and instead I spent the weekend, along with my entire family, sleeping, coughing and generally feeling like garbage. Got on the trainer Thursday night for an hour, then Sunday for 45 minutes of a planned 1.5 hours ride and and had to call it quits.

Feels like it is letting up and I’m not coughing every 30 seconds anymore. Going to have another attempt on the trainer tonight just to keep what fitness I have built up from slipping, and hope for the best on Saturday.

Threshold Test 2

After a good hard week of training, both on and off the CompuTrainer, I rode another ErgVideo Threshold Test to see where I was after being ill for 2 weeks. I tested at 198 watts, which us up from my last test of 192 watts. My goal was 200, but given the time off the bike I’ll take it! And Coach Wharton (www.onlinebikecoach.com) seemed happy with it.

This must be cold and flu season in southern California, because I’ve been hit again. In fact, the entire family has gotten sick. First impression is that maybe it isn’t as bad as the last version. The coming week is a taper to the Solvang Century on the 14th, so I am hoping that some light riding and recovery for a week will allow me to be well and perform well for the ride. My goal is to complete the Century in 5 1/2 hours.

I’m also on Twitter now--the link is on the home page if you want to follow me.

Ken

Etape du Tour 2009

I’ve just discovered that this year’s Etape du Tour will ride the route from Montelimar to the Mont Ventoux summit. I was lucky enough to get a guaranteed place via one of the US agents to still have a couple of spots open. The ride is about 107 US miles (172 km) and includes a number of climbs, culminating with the 1,912 meter ascent of Mont Ventoux from Bedoin. Here is a link to find out more:

http://www.letapedutour.com/2009/ETDT/presentation/us/index.htm

I’ve been back on the CompuTrainer this week, and feeling MUCH better after my bout with the crud. Working towards a new Threshold test ride on Tuesday to see where I stand. I’ll post the results.

Hope everyone enjoyed the Tour of California--it’s great to have a race of this caliber here in the US, and even better that it rolls through my backyard of Pasadena! Happy riding.

Ken

Setbacks

Got hit with the cold from hell two weeks ago. Isn’t that how life works! Feeling good, working hard, then BAM! Two weeks of lots of coughing, vitamins, sleeping, watching the Tour of California live internet coverage, and no riding. I was finally feeling well enough to venture out on a ride yesterday, and was surprised that I had retained a good deal of the fitness from before I got sick. Not 100%, but I didn’t ride as poorly as I thought I would!

My plan is to repeat my last week of training workouts--maybe reduce the FTP a tad if needed, and do another FTP Test in a week to see where I stand. I then have about 2 weeks to hit it hard, and then taper a little before the Solvang Century in March.

As upsetting as setbacks are, Coach Wharton nicely reminded me that most of us are not professionals and don’t get paid for riding--so don’t let these little things get you down and just focus on having fun. I can do that.

Ken