Conference noted::bicycle

I've been doing a lot of research this winter on training programs.  I am
following a particular one, although they all seem to be more or less the same. 
Most are based on Dr. Tudor Bompa's theory of Periodization.  I've also learned
from reading and from talking to other racers, that everyone is different. 
Everyone peaks differently.  Last year was a "get my feet wet" year.  This year
I am planning on doing many more races than last, riding more miles, and
following a program.  This year will be the metric for future years.  I think
the answer to your question is best answered by you and your experience.

There are lots of riders who's philosphy is "race into shape", i.e. get 1000
little ring base miles in and start racing.  What better way to get the body
used to racing then to race?  While that works for some, I think it probably
works better for people with years of racing experience.  I'm still in my
cycling infancy, barely having scratched the 10K mile mark since starting in
March of 1994.

Any answers you get here will be annecdotal in nature.  It's all up to how your
body responds to training.

Tim

    The event I should be going for this year is to finally do a century. 
    I did 75 miles of one in '92.  Another "close, but no finish" last
    year.  So this year I should make it.  I guess the first thing to do is
    to set the goal formally, which this is doing.  Then get on with the
    rest of the plan.  So far I have just been riding to see if I can get
    at least 1000 miles logged this year.  In the last few I have been
    lucky to get near 700.  And by now I should have at least 400 but I
    have not been really motivated and only have 250.

    I guess my training was in the past to just keep a fitness level that
    would allow me to do what I wanted when I wanted to do it.  Not formal
    by any means.  Over the last few years I have come around to the point
    where I think that balanced training is more to my liking than focusing
    on one area or sport.  That probably is a result of getting older and
    less ability to really excel at any one sport.

    In the past I have spent some effort and focus on nutritional areas as
    well as physical.  After all the experiences racing I can see how it is
    as important to get the right combination of factors before the event. 
    I have seen it be a very positive affect as well as a very negative
    affect when one of the areas is not paid the level of attention warranted.

    This year I am also using a newer product to help me extend a bit more. 
    In the past I have used stuff that I have found worked for me and my
    body,  When I raced years back I was nutritionally focused too.  I
    would starve myself to keep my weight down to 125.  My life won't let
    me do that now.  Not that I don't continue to try.  Now and again. 
    Especially after dragging that extra forty pounds up a long hill.

    So now the challenge is to ride longer and recover faster after a ride. 
    And over the years I have learned that we (our bodies) are quite the
    complex but simple machine.  And that it "needs" things to keep it 
    functioning at the level I would like mine to.  Or would desire it to at
    the end of a long ride.

    And my body's needs have changed over the years.  When I was younger
    and just back from Vietnam I didn't have to pay close attention to it
    as I do now.  Now I notice more the effects of a lack of materials my 
    body has to work with than back then. And the results, or lack thereof,
    are more noticable.  

    So with the years it has become apparent to me that I have to look at
    the total machine, not just one part of it.  And I need to maximize all
    of the components of that machine.  Having a piece of iron that is
    faster than everyone else's just doesn't hack it any more.  Now it is
    the total picture that is more important to me.  Must be from my
    experience that I have to draw from.

    So anyway, this year I have started to keep my bike in better shape.  I
    have learned that one needs to pay attention to the drive train.  A new
    chain last year showed me how important that is.  I am looking to get
    some lubrication that I hope will be as beneficial there as molybdenum
    disulfide was to my engines back in '72.  That gave me at least a 20%
    edge over the others at the time.  To bad I didn't have the rest of the
    picture to be able to use that power that I had in my motor. Anyone
    have a source for molybdenum disulfide?  Or something as good.

    And I have now gotten a good supply of the Mannatech EMPACT and SPORT
    product on hand so that I can get myself in shape and let my body
    achieve much more than it did before.  Already this year I have been able
    to ride much further and quicker than before.  And recover much faster.  If
    this keeps up I will be ready for the century by June, and not wait for 
    the seacoast century in Sep. 

    Now I should focus some on my self.  My mental self.  That is what I
    need to complete the total picture.  And that may be the hardest to do. 
    I can't buy something to "fix" that.  Although a new bike wouldn't
    hurt, or so I tell my wife. :)

    rich

    Hello Ron! Glad to hear you're still out there on there on the horse.
    
    I am going to want to purchase another bottle of sport from you. Could
    you please send me mail on what the easiest way for me to do this would
    be? Thanks...
    
    I'm still out there as well. Nothing big to report as of yet. Pretty
    boring winter and the spring just doesn't want to get here.
    
    Chip

    Ron, one more thing... I started using a product called White
    Lightning on my chain and am really happy with it. It requires 
    more applications, but the chain stays impeccibly clean and seems
    to reduce friction a great deal. I believe it's parafin based but
    applies as a liquid.
    
    Chip

White lightening is paraffin-based (i.e., chain wax) tiny particles suspended in
a solvent.  It does keep the chain very clean, BUT I think it is bad in wet
weather.  Even applying it twice a week during the winter, I was finding my
chain getting rusty.  I could handle the chain without getting my hands very
dirty.  It is almost worth starting with a brand new chain if you are using
white lightening.  On a used chain, clean it very well and then put WL on it. 
Turn the cranks by hand for 5 minutes.  Wipe of the 20 pounds of crap you though
you removed from the chain when you cleaned it.  Repeat.  Wipe the 10 pounds of
crap... Repeat.  3rd time ought to get 95% of the crap out of the used chain.

I'm currently experimenting with Pedro's extra dry.  It's about as good as
anything else I've used.

Tim

    I was a Pedro's (road) guy. Love it! If I abandon WL I will certainly
    return to it.
    
    It is still my choice for the mountain bike.
    
    Chip

    Well, I don't seem to be doing to well.

    I had thought that I would be well on my way to meeting my goal but
    then I didn't take all factors into account.

    I put my bike computer someplace after a ride and I couldn't find it. 
    So I just had no motivation to ride.  It seems as though it is
    important to me to compete and the bike computer was my log of my
    competition with myself.

    So my wife ordered me a new bike computer and I got it in on Wed., had
    it installed by yesterday, and took a short ride.  22 miles.  I was
    surprised I could move at all but my average speed turned out to be 14.7
    mph.  I only gave up on one hill near the end of the ride.  There are
    some long steep hills around here.  Sometimes I think it might be easier
    to live over near the coast but that would be boring after a while.
    Besides going down the hills makes going up them seem worth it.

    The new bike computer is a Vetta C-20.  I got it because it has cadence
    and since I "retired" my Cateye years ago I have not had that feature. 
    I read some replies in here and was once again reminded of the
    importance of keeping ones spin at least to 80.  I have tended to not
    shift down and have tried to get over the hills in a lot higher gear
    than what is optimal.

    Boy, I had forgotten how much fun it is riding into the wind in April
    and May.  It reminded me to tuck in as I use to do on the flat tracks. 
    And what I really need is to reduce the area that is exposed to the
    wind and increases resistance.  By about thirty percent. :)  That would
    also make it easier to get up those hills.

    rich

    re .7
    
    I don't know if it's a possibility for you, but the only way I can get
    in a lot of miles is by bicycle commuting.  I don't have any time to
    ride in the evenings and house work usually takes up all my weekends. 
    This also forces me to do two rides a day, which I think really helps.
    
    Jamie

>  importance of keeping ones spin at least to 80.  I have tended to not
>  shift down and have tried to get over the hills in a lot higher gear
>  than what is optimal.

Try not to get too caught up in absolutes.  80rpm, for most, is the most
efficient cadence.  Slightly higher may be even better for your knees.  Racers
like even higher cadences because the torque is there for quick accelerations.
However, there are climbs, for example, where you may be better off "grinding"
at 60rpm, rathern than spinning at 90.  The nice thing about cadence is it gives
you visual feedback.  The best feedback you can get is from your body. 
Correlate that with your computer.

Tim