Charleston Time Trial Series to begin.
Posted by
Christopher on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 to
The Charlestown time trial series is just beginning, for applications, go to:
http://members.cox.net/kingctt/
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0 CommentsMystic Velo Juniors to Support Angel Ride
Posted by
Christopher on Monday, May 04, 2009 to
Charity
Mystic Velo Club Junior Team
To Raise Funds/Ride The Angel Ride 130 miles May 23 & 24
www.angelride.org
(100% supports seriously ill children)
The team will forgo two Memorial Day weekend races to use their legs in support of those kids who are not able ride or enjoy the great health and fitness that we all tend to take for granted.
They will ride 130 miles in 2 Days
To help seriously ill kids
The team pictured below with 3 time Tour de France Winner Greg Lemond (middle and manager Bill Humphreys on the left), consists of 8 riders between the ages of 15 to 18 years of age who live in southeastern Connecticut and compete throughout the Northeast.
Team members raising funds and riding the Angel Ride include: Ben Wolfe, Evan Kirk, David Gilchrist, Sam Clark from Old Lyme, John Harris from Ledyard.
Please consider supporting the team by going to: www.angelride.org or www.teamholeinthewall.org and contributing to Mystic Velo Juniors
Bill Humphreys, Bike Guy LLC bikeguys@sbcglobal.net 860 227 8280
Read Full Post Permalink 0 CommentsMystic Velo Criterium Registration Now on Bikereg!
Posted by
Christopher on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 to
The Mystic Velo Criterium to be held at Ninigret Park on Saturday June 20, 2009 is now posted to bikereg.com You may register for this event there.
Read Full Post Permalink 0 CommentsNotes from MVC Training Camp March 2009
Posted by
Christopher on Friday, April 17, 2009 to
Training
The following notes from the Q&A answer session at the MVC training camp held in March 2009 were submitted by Coach Amos Brumble:
What is the proper way to read a race?
Write a detailed race story.
Make alterations to your plan.
Try it out.
Continue for the remainder of your racing.
How can I start a tt fast without blowing up?
Try a number of start efforts in training, look for distances for these efforts to be around 2-3 miles.
Look for somewhere to rest a little after the start where your speed is high and back off there.
What are some things to know about criterium races?
Criteriums are held over multiple laps so how many laps.
Physical course details such as road conditions, width, number of corners, uphills,finally how tight are the corners.
Other racers such as how many and there skill level.
How can I stay with the main group longer.
Set a baseline of how long you can stay now and look to increase it.
Train at higher speeds.
Dig deep suffering will improve your results.
Have good skills cornering, drafting, eat drink etc.
Will you match competitors prices?
Ask it is done a case by case basis. If I can I will. If I can't I won't. No hard feeling either way.
What is the best supplement for relieving the pain of lactate?
Hard training.
How often should I take a "day off"?
I usually plan on 2-4 hard workouts per week with the average being three.
So that leaves the potential of 4 days of riding and up to 3 days off per week.
Why can't I find woman's clothing?
Not enough women come to the same store.
Demand more clothing they might not know.
Bring in catalogs show what you want.
Get involved.
As a heavier rider how can I get over climbs with the lead riders.
There are two types of climbs, steep and fast.
If it is steep and they sprint away you need to ride your own pace and then chase.
Start at the front and drift back making sure to stay in the middle of the road.
On a fast climb hang on the draft will help.
What are some good refueling stratagies for road races?
Eat well on a regular basis not just race day.
Be prepared have all the food and water with you for both before and after the race/training ride.
Figure on 400-500 cal per hour in a hard race from either gels, drink mix or fruit.
One hour before drink something with 500-1000 cal fruit shakes with meal replacement powders work.
I like champion nutrition heavy weight gainer for this purpose.
What tire pressure should I use in a race?
Look at the course.
Bumpy a little less.
Smooth and few corners harder.
typical range for people is 100-110.
If you are 180+ more like 120.
I get jittery in tight packs is there anything I can do outside of riding in tight packs to improve?
You need at least one other rider who has the same goal.
Ride two abreast one rider right next to the side of the road the other just off to your left.
Start believing you are not going to fall.
I cannot not afford a coach what training books would you recommend?
All of them.
Follow there plans to the letter.
The best book on training is the one you write.
Get a training diary.
Write down what you learn.
Read Full Post Permalink 0 CommentsJr Race Report-Chris Hinds Memorial
Posted by
Christopher on Sunday, April 12, 2009 to
(Race report written by Coach Bill Humphreys)
Typical Belgian Spring Day at Ninegret Park by the 3pm Junior Race Start. The wind had picked up and the temperature had been dropping down to the 39 degree area with some rain thrown in for good measure when Ben, Nate, John, Ian and newcomer 14year old Sam Clarke lined up for the start. There were 5 or 6 other juniors from various teams on the line as I looked for shelter from the wind on the side of the start house.
I told Ben who had ridden about 1/2 the pro, 1, 2, 3 race before being taken off course by some dunce trying to remove his wind vest while in the middle of the bunch in the cross wind, that I wanted him to test his legs with a couple of false attacks in the beginning to see what other riders might respond.
He followed my instructions and then got a big gap after a preme that would be too much work to maintain for the remainder of the race, so I had him wait which he did.
About 1/2 way through the race the rider from CycleLoft near Boston attacked convincingly and got himself a nice gap which Ben and Nate could easily have controlled but they chose to wait and then Ben went across the gap in less than a lap to make contact and work with this rider. Shortly after that Nate did a hard attack and got himself clear from the group in no time while starting to close on the two leaders. He was right in the middle of "No Mans Land" when I told Ben to stop working with Cycleloft rider so Nate could make contact without burning up too much energy. This did not take long and then the three of them proceeded to increase their lead while John and Ian slowed down the two riders from the Coogan (sp) team.
With about 4 laps to go and with the 3 leaders out of reach, John asked permission to attack and it was granted. He attacked shortly afterwards into the headwind and got a big gap with the help of Ian sitting on the other two chasers.
Once the other two realized they had been duped by the MVC team they began to counter attack Ian but the damage had already been done.
Ben attacked hard with 1/2 lap to go and Nate managed to get clear of the Cycleloft rider with Ben taking the long headwind sprint and Nate getting second place.
John soloed in for 4th and Ian finished up 7th after a great job of protecting his teamates.
Meanwhile Sam Clarke in his first real race for the team managed to stay out there in terrible conditions to finish 2nd in his age group sending one competitor that he had been trading pace with, to quit with 5 laps to go.
They did a great job today and they learned much about pre race prep under these early spring weather conditions.
They have to pack their bags with Gloves, Rain gear, Base Layering clothing, rain hats or warm underhelmet caps. NO on Cottom sweatshirts or t-shirts under their race jerseys.
Shoe covers are not to be put away for the summer quite yet.
They learned about Embrocation, warming linament for the legs today. I had my kit of massage oils and did up their legs and feet to keep the muscles protected from the rain and cold.
The rest of the team loaned them undergarments, caps, gloves and windvests to get them thru the day.
Warm Vans with heaters were left running for pre race changing and leg rubs. After race they had warm place to get feeling back in their extremities and change out of wet clothes. They now know once again why I want them to include some witchazel or rubbing alcohol with towel in their bags for each race or training ride.
This type of weather could be with us for several more weeks and races.
Great team effort today by the masters riders, dads, moms, etc.
We got some cob-webs out of the way today and we are off to a good start.
Coach Bill Humphreys
Read Full Post Permalink 0 CommentsCycling Advocacy in New London, CT
Posted by
Christopher on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 to
Those interested in cycling advocacy in New London, check this out:
Just a reminder that the Bike NL group will meet this Thursday 2/26 at 7pm at the New London Senior Center (120 Broad St). The agenda will focus on immediate "asks" from our group around racks and signs, short term goals, and some time to break into committees. Since our last meeting I have heard from New London Main Street and they are interested in working with us to increase the amount of bike racks around town. They would like to hear more from the public so it will be key to have as many people showing support as possible. Also, the City's Sustainability Committee is going to present a brief annual report including the latest happenings from our initiative. I'd love to show that our enthusiasm and our numbers are just going up, so please pass the word on to any other interested cyclists.
Permalink 1 CommentsGroup Rides in Italy
Posted by
Christopher on Monday, February 16, 2009 to
Training
This posted by our Italian correspondent, Mike Wonderly...
I was looking at the MVC forum and saw the thread on the group ride thing. The group rides in Italy are not much different than most group rides I’ve attended in the States. Every Sunday out of Naples there is a huge group ride anywhere from 20-75 riders beginners to Pros (Raffaele Illiano is a regular pro in the offseason).
There is absolutely no order and for the most part it is total chaos, these guys are shot gunning all over the place, both sides of the road, both sides of roundabouts you name it, 75% of the riders aren’t even wearing helmets. Attacks right out of the parking lot, even in February. Nobody is yelling car back, because well they can wait it’s Sunday, they’ll eventually get by.
I’m not saying it’s right, I’m not saying it’s wrong it’s just the way it is. The most order I see routinely is from the junior teams and that’s because they are motor pacing behind a large Van, you talk about stopping traffic. What’s totally cool though is that everybody (drivers, cyclist, horse pulled carts, tractors, three wheeled vehicles loaded down with vegetables, prostitutes) for the most part all get along and share the road. Dogs and Cats, well that’s another story, road kill all over.
Matter of fact I thought one of the ladies was going to help me fix my flat today. I think she thought I was stopping for business…she must have got a side glance of my package. With all that said, you still have to ride the roads with extreme caution, because cars, trucks, vespas, doors come at you at all angles but not maliciously. Italy hands down is the best place I’ve ever ridden.
The group ride described above isn’t one I attend often, it is a little bit of a drive for me and the route is fairly boring, but when I want to test the fitness or see how fit I’m not that’s the ride I choose. It’s pretty humbling when these 60 year + guys are smoking your ass. You really realize how good you’re not.
Ciao Ciao
Mike Wonderly
Permalink 0 CommentsFollow Lance on Twitter
Posted by
Tom on Thursday, February 12, 2009 to
The micro-blogging service Twitter has received a good amount of mainstream media attention lately, but if you still have no idea what Twitter is, here is a quick video introduction to the latest social media craze.
And what does that have to do with cycling, you say? Well, Lance Armstrong has turned into a "twitter maniac"in recent months and posts frequent updates including pictures throughout the day.
I've been following Lance on Twitter for quite a while now and it's been great to get the news straight from the source. Lance tweets about everything from being a dad to LAF, training, and of course his return to professional cycling. With the Tour of California coming up, it should be interesting to follow along as he attempts his first major race since he announced his comeback.
Besides Lance, I also follow George Hincapie, Johan Bruyneel, as well as Taylor Phinney, and Ben King.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up and join the fun of short message nirvana!
Update: Pro Cycling on Twitter: 48 People Who Aren’t Lance Armstrong
Permalink 0 CommentsThe Ill Tempered Clavicle
Posted by
Christopher on Friday, January 09, 2009 to
Ride,
Training,
Community
Every cloud purportedly has a silver lining and the gray cloud of my recent injury is no exception. For example I have spent some quality time with my family this holiday season without the distractions of earning a living and riding the bike. I've also had the chance to brush up on my ironing skills. The most significant benefit though, has been the opportunity to find out who my supportive bike buddies really are. The first and foremost has got to be my extremely good friend and personal physician Terry D. The night of my crash, did I go to the E.R.? Of course not! I just gave good 'ol Terry a call and he told me to come right over even though it was 9pm. He and his beautiful wife Karen (who is an R.N.) calmed me down, iced my injury, and called my wife to come get me out of their house fer cryin' out loud! He even lent me his own personal sling from HIS collarbone break just a few months previous. As he was walking me out to the car he saw my winter mtb shoes on the doormat. "Hey, what size are those, Kel?" When we realized that they would fit him I was perfectly happy to lend them to him. After all, I wasn't going to be sliding them on anytime soon. Besides, it was the least I could do to repay the enormous favor he had done for me.
Fast forward a few days. I'm on the phone with my good friend, Skip. As always his heartfelt support is apparent. He's experienced a broken collarbone more than once and he is most helpful in letting me know what to expect in terms of recovery, etc. Skip is as real as they come and he's always been there for me, through much worse things than a measly broken collarbone. That's why when he asked to borrow my Night Rider light system, I was more than happy to help him out. My only regret was that my good light had been damaged in the crash and I could only lend him my backup light.
Two days later, Matt J. calls to see how I'm bearing up. We talk for a little while before I notice that he's breathing a little heavy. I ask if he's on the bike and he says "Yeah, as a matter of fact, that's one of the reasons why I'm calling. I'm a couple of miles away and I just broke a spoke, do you have a wheel I could borrow?" " Hell yeah. I've got a bunch of wheels I won't be using anytime soon. Swing on by, it'll be great to see you." I hook him up and off he goes, racing the darkness home.
The next Tuesday night at 5:30 pm Eastern Mountain Bike Time, I get an emergency call from Hartman Park. "We need a set of Shimano pedals, can we borrow yours?" " Swing on by dudes, they're yours!" Five minutes later I handed them over and received a hearty "Thanks a lot Kel. Gotta go! Bye" "Glad to help. By the way, how's my light holding up?"
Now another man might have been angry; another man might have been hurt. Another man might have shed a tear; I just spit in the dirt. 'Cuz ya see, my bike bros didn't really need all my schtuff, I'm convinced. They were just watching out for me. They know me well enough to realize that if all my gear was ready to rumble, I wouldn't have been able to resist the siren's song and I would have been back in action way too soon, risking serious injury. True friends, indeed. BTW, I'm back at work and back on the bike. Can I have my gear back? Please? (Except for the light. I don't plan on doing any night riding for at least a few weeks). Oh, and many thanks to Dr. Bob who actually dropped something OFF for me and asked for nothing in return.
Permalink 0 CommentsSpin Classes with Chip
Posted by
Christopher on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 to
Training
OK, its official. I will be leading spinning classes at Fitness World in Norwich starting in January. Here is where the gym is located, in the strip mall on the corner of Pleasant and Sturtevant Street in Norwichtown. The owner wants me to start with one class, which will be on Saturdays at 8:30 - 9:30AM, starting 1/03/09. Classes will build from there based on interest. I'm hoping to quickly add a Sunday morning and one evening class during the week, so I hope some of you come join the fun! Walk-ins are $5, monthly gym dues are only $20. Sneakers, or bring shoes and pedals.
Bring your heartrate monitor, I will be focusing on heartrate zone training. There are 2 types of people who do spinning in the winter, gym cardio-needing people, and road cyclists. The class for "gym" people is easy to manage, they work as hard as they want and usually don't want to think too much.
The tentative plan for road cyclists is a 4-month program, as follows:
January - fitness evaluations and goal-setting, with stretching and base training in zone 3, and discussions about the advantages of core and upper body strength training and plyometrics.
February - some low zone 4 time trial-type intervals, plyometrics if possible
March -more zone 4 intervals, a few zone 5 sprint intervals, plyometrics
April - zone 4 and 5 intervals and plyometrics, to get those fast-twitch muscle fibers ready for racing ....
May - on the road!!!
Obviously 1 hour per week is not going to get anyone ready to race, but I hope to ensure that everyone that wants a training plan gets specific ideas to incorporate into their daily workouts for achieving their overall fitness goals. The best part of spinning is that you can work really hard if you want to, harder than you would tend to on your trainer in the basement, or on solo or group rides. If that sounds like it might fit your needs, I hope you'll consider checking it out!
Chip
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