The days workout was awesome. Still somewhat tired, sore and tight from the previous day’s ride, I was pretty unmotivated. I turned on the DVR and came across the final time trial of the Tour de Suisse.
The workout:
5 minute warm-up (big ring)
60 minute hard at 170-175 bpm
10 minute cool-down
Total: 1:15:00
Day 3: More Intervals
Today’s workout was shorter but just as intense as Day 1’s workout. After a 5 minute warm up I did one minute intervals at slightly higher than race pace. Here’s the workout layout:
(0:00 – 5:00) Warm-up spinning
(5:00) Hard
(6:00) Recover
(7:00) Hard
(8:00) Recover
(9:00) Hard
(10:00) Recover
(11:00) Hard
(12:00) Recover
(13:00) Hard
(14:00) Recover
(15:00) Hard
(16:00) Recover
(17:00) Hard
(18:00) Recover
(19:00) Hard
(20:00) Recover
(21:00) Hard
(22:00) Recover
(23:00) Hard
(24:00) Recover
(25:00) Hard
(26:00) Recover
(27:00) Hard
(28:00) Recover
(29:00) Hard
(30:00) Recover
(31:00) Hard
(32:00) Recover
(33:00) Hard
(34:00-40:00) Cool-Down Spinning
Total Workout: 40- minutes
Total Interval Time: 15 minutes
Day 2: Interval Workout
Research has said that when you do interval workouts you help burn fat faster and you help improve your anaerobic threshold.
10 minute warm-up in big ring
(10:00) 2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(12:30)2:30 recovery
(15:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(17:30)2:30 recovery
(20:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(22:30)2:30 recovery
(25:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(27:30)2:30 recovery
(30:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in standing position)
(32:30)2:30 recovery
(35:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(37:30)2:30 recovery
(40:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in standing position)
(42:30)2:30 recovery
(45:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(47:30)2:30 recovery
(50:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 185 bpm and staying in standing position)
(52:30)2:30 recovery
(55:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(57:30)2:30 recovery
(1:00:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 185 bpm and staying in standing position)
(1:02:30)2:30 recovery
(1:05:00)2:30 race pace (not going over 170 bpm and staying in aero position)
(1:07:30)12:30 min spinning Cool-down
(1:20:00) Done
Total workout time: 1:20:00
Total Interval time: 30-min
This article will help you have a better understanding of the different types of sponsorships out there as well as how to get them. The most important thing to remember while working with a sponsor is to always be positive as possible about the product you are representing. Ideally you want to be able to believe in every product you have but there will be sometimes when you may question a product. To the public you need to represent the products your are working with. However, you also need to be honest with your sponsor to make sure that their product is of value (to be done behind closed doors out of the public image).
Now that that is out of the way, let’s carry on with the types of sponsorships that are available out there.
Now on to how to obtain a sponsorship. Unless you are talented enough to where companies are contacting you to represent their product, you are more than likely going to have to do some footwork yourself. The key important piece here is that you will have to sell your talents. You will need to think about this process in reverse to make this work for you and for them. The final answer and the first thing to think about is, “How is this going to benefit you [the sponsor] and why you should consider me to represent your product?” You will need to come up with a list of things that you will be doing in the benefit of the sponsor. Consider this partial list when looking at sponsors:
The list can go on but these are some of the more important and common things. Work with your sponsor to come up with a plan and ideas on how to make it worth their time and effort for your sponsorship. Remember that you will need to do a majority of the footwork though because they are also trying to run a business and would rather not waste the time and energy on something that they will have some initial costs. Also be loyal to your sponsor. There is nothing worse for your reputation than taking another competitive sponsor after having spent so much time with your current sponsor.
Communication is key with any relationship and in the end will be beneficial to the overall objective. I hope that this will help you with the start of some ideas on how to get sponsorships and help you establish a relationship that could last for many, many seasons.
On July 31st, Bernie is set to ride in the Tour de Cure in an effort to fight and find a cure for Diabetes. Although out of shape, there is a massive push to get back into riding condition for the short 50-mile benefit ride. Please visit his American Diabetes Association Personal Page for updates on his progress. There will be posting here as well on the workouts.
At work or amongst friends, I’m occasionally bombarded with questions about running, cycling or weight management. Most of the time it has to do with, “how do I approach…” or “I have this pain” or “why can’t I…”. Like most long term athletes we tend to learn and give advice on our personal experiences. Usually, I will tell people that they should see a professional (doctor, weight management specialist or someone of the like), but having said that I will tell people of my thoughts and my personal experiences.
As of late though, I’ve found that I need to start to listen to my own words. I tell people how to workout but then I haven’t been following my own advice for my own personal workouts. Then when I get injured or frustrated, I think to myself, why can’t I follow my own advice?!?!
The other day, I decided that I’ve lost enough weight that I could go for a run. However, I made a promise to myself that I needed to run slow and my goal for the workout was just to relax and work into my run. My goal was to do 10-minutes per mile pace. However; when I looked down at my heart-rate-monitor, I was running 8:30-minutes per mile pace! Oddly enough though, I felt relaxed and I was enjoying my run. My point was that my mind was thinking that the 10-min/mile was going to be relaxing for me but my body was telling me otherwise. I went by how I felt and it reminds me of how many times I’ve told people to go by how you feel. Everyone’s pace will be different according to feeling. That was one of the best runs I’ve had in a long time and it reminded me how much I enjoyed running.
The problem with workouts that I have now a days is that I think that every workout has to be “hard” when in fact that’s quite the opposite. Workouts need to be efficient but effective to an overall goal. Most of the racing season is now over and it’s time to put the body into a different mode. Workouts should not be as intense but they should have a purpose… a goal. So if you’re going for a long run or ride, keep the heart rate lower and there’s no need to be training at “race pace”. So set your daily goals (if you have any) and remember to “enjoy” your workouts versus “laboring” over them.
I debated for a long while, if I wanted to purchase a completed bike or build a bike from specific components that I would get to chose. In the end it came down to a sale at www.backcountryoutlet.com for a frame that was in my size and in the wheel size I wanted. I wanted the 650c wheel size because that what my other previous two bikes were and I was familiar with them. Since I’m a shorter person, this only made sense. After the frame purchase, I went to my friend at Zipp to help me with chosing the right components for me and he helped with staying within my budget. Zipp Speed Wepontry is a company that I really believe in and I feel that they really do put out a superior product. My view is somewhat biased though because rode one of their bikes for many years. What a great ride it was.
It feels so good when you start to pedal a bike and you know in an instant that it’s going to work out perfect. Putting this bike together had some challenges and compromises. My evening with Gary Allen was phenomenal. Having been in the industry for many years and building his own bikes (which are so nice), this project still held some challenges. As Gary entertained me for the evening with stories of races past (most of them I remember!) and building this bike, not once did I feel like there wasn’t something that we couldn’t overcome. However, the end result could not have turn out better. I’ve already ridden the bike on the trainer a couple of times and the power transfer is solid, in comparison to my older Zipp2001 from 1993. This machine is strong but surprisingly light. When we weighed it at the end of our build with older heavier wheels, it was approximately 15.5-lbs. With the newer and lighter wheels, it should have saved at least 0.5-lbs. I’m curious what it’s actual weight is.
SPECS:
Next:
Stats:
Special Thanks:
The Little Monster
It’s always difficult to purchase something online when you’re not 100% sure of the product nor the service that you’ll get during and after your purchase experience. Most of the time it’s a coin toss. However, with enough research on the Quintana Roo Lucero Lite bike frame, I found that Back Country Outlet was hands down the best price that I could find. The next question was how was my service with them going to be like? After spending some time on their site I found a feature that more and more retail sites are starting to use. It’s called the “Chat” feature or the “Instant Messenger” feature. Using this was the deciding factor of my purchase and I’m happy for it. I was able to ask questions about the frame I wanted to order and they also informed me, without me having to ask, the warranty that automatically comes with the purchase. Their warranty is a lifetime warranty on any manufacturer would warranty for their bike but for a lifetime. They claim that it doesn’t matter if it’s three days, three months, three years or even thirty years, it’s under warranty!
Back Country Outlet
Shipping came free with the bicycle frame purchase (beware that not everything is free shipping) and it only took two days to get to me! When I got the bike, it was in excellent condition and shipped well packaged to prevent any damage.
Quintana Roo Lucero Lite
I highly recommend Back Country Outlet and I plan to purchase from them again.
Overall Website Experience: 9.5/10
Overall Product Deliver: 10/10
Overall Customer Service: 10/10
Overall Experience: 10/10
Item: Zipp 400 Front and Rear Tubular Wheelset (Shimano)
Description: This is a deep rimmed wheelset that is used for windy or technical time-trial conditions
Price: $300 (shipped)
Where to Buy: eBay
Review:
I purchased these wheels off of eBay, which can be a good or bad thing. You always have that little voice in the back of your head saying, is that wheel really “true” or “undamaged”? Fortunately for me, the wheels arrived to me just fine. I think that is part of the reason why I’m so happy with these wheels. Great product for great value. These wheels are of the older style from Zipp. This is a good and bad thing as well. The good is that they were the right price (less than $150 for both front and back wheels). The bad news is that the tires were pretty warn. Sew-ups are not the cheapest tires in the bike world.
The other problem that I had with these wheels is that the spokes were pretty old and where made of titanium. This would have been cool if they were new. However, after six months of usage, two of the spokes sheered at the nipple. I later found out that the rear hub design with the deep dish rim made it next to impossible to find replacement spokes. In the end, I had to have spokes custom made and the rear wheel ended up being a tad heavier and less aerodynamic (non-bladed spokes). I ended up paying $120 parts and labor for the fix because they replaced all the spokes. To this day, I have yet to clean the rim up and glue a new set of tires on the rim.
Having said all that, I’m stoked about these wheels and the way that they perform. They are fast. You feel a lot of the road when time-trialing and that’s a good thing (for me anyway). There is very little flex to them when cornering and the handling is very precise. Braking is difficult because I am not running a cork pad for the carbon rims. This is a little bit nerve racking when it comes to predictability, but other than that I know what I’m getting myself into. The speed is well worth the sacrifice. On that note, because I’m running on the original brake setup from Zipp (on the Zipp2001 bike), the brakes do not support cork style pads.
I recommend these wheels and can only imagine that the other deep rim wheels that Zipp puts out are only better.
Rating: (1-10; with 10 being the best) 8.5
Item: HED / Specialized Tri-Spoke Front Tubular Wheel
Description: This Tri-Spoke designed is used for time-trialing in any condition
Price: $323.99 (shipped)
Where to Buy: eBay (Aug. 7th, 2005)
Review:
I like this wheel. It’s strong and feels strong and it feels fast. The rim has an aluminium strip for the brake pads to grip and makes for better predictable braking. This wheel is very aero as well. Just looking at it spin makes you think of a blade that’s able to chop any finger, hand, arm, head, leg clean off. This wheel is fast.
The only real downfall about this wheel is that it feels heavy and somewhat clumsey. I don’t know why really. Every time I use it, it looks fast but doesn’t “feel” fast. The only thing that I can think of is that the three large spokes are fat when looking at it from the side. So instead of looking at tiny spokes of a conventional wheel (that appear to be more of a blur), you clearly see the turning of all three spokes of the Tri-Spoke.
Other than that, the wheel is good and still good enough to recommend.
Rating: (1-10; with 10 being the best) 8.5
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