September absolutely flew-by here at Big Wheel Coaching. Besides being busy creating training plans and working with our Athletes toward their individual goals, we were able to spend some quality-time with a large portion of our BWC Athlete crew at the Mammoth Gran Fondo! But before we get to the highlights from Mammoth, check out these Fall events & come ride with us! We are excited to have the opportunity to ride alongside many of our Gran Fondo-focused Athletes at the Westlake Village Century! Photo Credit: Westlake Village Century October 7th: The Westlake Village Century Join us for one of the best 100-mile rides around! With beautiful ocean views and plenty of climbing on tap in the legendary Santa Monica Mountains this is not a ride to be missed. Meet us on the start line and join our group for 104-miles of fun! Lunch is provided with entry to the event, so please join our BWC crew for post-ride stories, food, and a group photo, following the day's adventures. For detailed event information check-out the event website, here. Note: To SAVE $25.00 on your entry through BWC, contact us via email for a special discount code, BigWheelCoaching@gmail.com Are you ready for an epic day of road and gravel at The Grapes of Wrath & Raisin Ride? We are! Photo Credit: SamBarn Productions October 14th & 15th: The Grapes of Wrath & Raisin Ride SamBarn Productions is known for such epic rides as the Rock Cobbler, a ‘must-ride’ event for any die-hard gravel junkie. For Grapes of Wrath (and the Raisin Ride) the SamBarn crew have crafted a road-bike friendly mixed-terrain event that should not be missed by anyone who is interested in some off-roading on a road bike! For those attending, BWC will be camping on-site Friday and Saturday nights, so come join us for camp-fire stories and s’mores before and after the ride! For detailed event information check-out the event website, here. Note: To SAVE $20.00 on your entry through BWC, contact us via email for a special discount code, BigWheelCoaching@gmail.com The Women's Performance Cycling Camp is chalk-full of great riding and instruction to help every lady take their cycling to the next level! Photo Credit: Revolution Coaching November 6th-12th: The Women's Performance Cycling Camp Coach Joy is excited to work with her friends at Revolution Coaching for another great Women's Performance Cycling Camp! This edition of the camp includes participation in the Fig Mountain Gran Fondo to cap-off a great week of riding & skills development. How cool is that?! For detailed event information check-out the event website, here. The photo says it all, gravel fun will be had by all at the second installment of the Spndx Stampede! Photo Credit: SpandexStampede.com November 12th: Spndx Stampede Gravel Ride Vol. 2 This is a unique and one-of-a-kind event in SoCal that is quickly becoming a "must ride" for anyone that enjoys riding on, or is curious about riding, gravel roads. We had a number of BWC Athletes at the Spndx Stampede Vol. 1 and are excited to see that number grow for Vol. 2! For detailed event information check-out the event website, here. Note: Stay tuned to our social media as we will be announcing a SPNDX Stampede supported pre-ride one or two weeks prior to the Nov. 12th event-day to help folks get tuned-up for the ride. More info soon! It's not the photo of all our Athletes gathered together that we wanted, but who could turn down a photo with Wooly The Mammoth Mountain Mammoth? Coach Brian couldn't... Photo Credit: Joy McCulloch BWC Enjoys Another Great Edition Of The Mammoth Gran Fondo The Mammoth Gran Fondo is an amazing event and we are so excited that many of our BWC Athletes are making this part of their annual routine! After the ride we had two tables full of Athletes enjoying the post-ride festivities and sharing stories about their 70 and 100-mile adventures in the Eastern Sierras. As in 2016, we kicked off the weekend with our Mammoth Gran Fondo Pre-Ride that helped riders adapt to the high-altitude conditions and sat on a pre-Fondo discussion panel organized to help participants, of all abilities, maximize their experience in Mammoth! Some might say it’s too early to say, but we are already excited about the 2018 Mammoth Gran Fondo! If you haven’t already, check out their website (here) and consider adding it to your calendar, you won’t be disappointed. Coach Brian was proud to be with fellow panelists for night-one of the FuelTalk Human Performance Summit in Las Vegas. Photo Credit: Joy McCulloch
BWC At FuelTalk 2.0 A Human Performance Summit Having been a panelist at the inaugural FuelTalk Summit in 2016, Coach Brian was excited to be invited back to share his coaching and racing experience with the audience of FuelTalk 2.0. The panel discussion at this Human Performance Summit offered attendees personalized strategies and tools to help them achieve their highest potential in all their Athletic endeavors. In case you missed the event, you can check it out online at https://www.facebook.com/Fueltalk/. Click on the FuelTalk Human Performance Summit Night 1 to watch the video. Summary: With great events on the calendar ranging from road-ride fun to mixed-terrain adventure, there is plenty to do in October and we hope to see you at one, or all, of the events mentioned above! #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, And Have Fun! Brian & Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching Merely the thought of a Threshold Test is likely to cause stress and anxiety for many Athletes. However, despite any perceived stress, performing a Threshold Test will garner valuable data and help an Athlete practice the all-important skill of pacing during a maximal effort. In most cases, the root of these negative feelings lie in an Athletes perception of the test results and what they might reveal in regards to an Athlete’s abilities. Because this kind of thinking wreaks havoc on an Athlete’s confidence and blunts their performance when executing a Threshold test or other maximal performance we have put together the following five tips to help every Athlete better execute their next Threshold Test. Enjoy! The lessons learned from executing proper Threshold Tests can be applied to almost any maximal effort. Photo Credit: Danny Munson, DMunsonPhoto.com Five Tips To Execute Your Best Threshold Test #1: Warm-Up Well In order to produce your very best effort, an Athlete must be well-rested and warm-up properly. For each Athlete, being ‘warmed-up’ means something different, but a general guideline is that it is essential to have done one or two shorter efforts to prepare the body for the work ahead. It is also important to keep these efforts short and not maximal in nature in order to avoid using your best efforts during the warm-up routine. That is to say that a longer, easy warm-up that includes two or three one-minute high cadence efforts at an endurance pace, or possibly, a 4-5 minute effort that ramps-up (slowly) from easy spinning to threshold for the last minute will best prepare the body for the workload ahead. This kind of warm-up should build-up a little sweat and prime your legs, lungs, and mind for the maximal effort ahead. Note: When in doubt, less is more when it comes to intensity in warm-ups. #2: Choose Your Route Wisely Choosing a route for the Threshold Test is key to an evenly paced effort. Ideally, the route should offer an uninterrupted road, preferably with a steady incline. If the road has undulations, steep-pitches, dangerous intersections, or blind curves, it will add stress for the Athlete and compromise performance, both of which should be avoided at all cost. The goal with the Threshold Test route selection is to find the most mundane and constant road possible. In a perfect world, it would simulate a laboratory-type setting, with consistent and predictable conditions with no surprises! Note: When choosing a test area, keep in mind that this road will be used again and again in the training process, meaning it should be an ‘all-seasons’ option. A good warm-up and steady pacing are two keys to completing a top-notch Threshold Test. Photo Credit: Big Wheel Coaching #3: Pace Yourself To Go Hard, Harder, Hardest Twenty minutes may not sound like a long time, but when the pressure is on, and you are staring at your cyclocomputer, seconds will start to pass like minutes! A good pacing strategy should use a straightforward approach that breaks the effort into manageable segments. We suggest 5-minute milestone goals for a Threshold Test, meaning that each 5-minute milestone means the Athlete is 25% closer to completing the goal of a maximal 20-minute test. This trick will become immensely helpful as the discomfort of lactate build-up sets in. As for pacing, we suggest using the hard, harder, hardest mantra. That is to say that the first half of the effort should be hard, the third-quarter should be harder, and the final quarter should be the hardest of the effort. With fresh legs and a determined mind, it is all to easy to ride too hard at the beginning of these efforts which inevitably leads to a diminished power output in the final minutes of the test. #4: Be Mentally Prepared For The Work Ahead The nature of a Threshold Test is that it is a maximal effort and thus will be very hard. Therefore it should be no surprise that these tests don’t ‘feel good’. The self-inflicted anguish of a Threshold Test can be difficult to manage, but with the help of a positive mindset that prepares an Athlete for the difficulty of a maximal effort, it can be a positive experience. A good piece of advice we like to share with our Athletes is to treat ‘suffering’ during a Threshold Test like a wave that washes over you (figuratively, of course). By tensing-up and fighting the effort an Athlete is sure to waste precious energy that could be channeled into pushing the pedals harder and going faster. By developing a mindset that 'surrenders' to the discomfort of a Threshold Test and focuses all energies on producing the strongest effort possible, an Athlete is sure to be able to perform their very best. In short, don’t fight it- flow with it- and never give-up or quit! Finding a route suitable to year-round Threshold Testing is a must for any Athlete looking to compare their efforts from various training phases during the season. Photo Credit: Brian McCulloch #5: Relax, The Results Are For Data Collection Only! From a coaching perspective, the most important part of threshold testing is for the Athlete to avoid equating any negative results as a reflection of their athletic capacities. Though this advice sounds obvious it is not always intuitive, as we live in a world with a tremendous amount of data, in which, we are constantly being evaluated. The moral is this: your Coach will not judge you based on your performance, quite the opposite actually. Instead, the data collected will be analyzed and used to craft an ideal performance plan to help you achieve your cycling goals. Summary: We hope this discussion of Threshold Testing, as well as the tips to execute your best maximal effort will be beneficial the next time the dreaded ‘Power Test’ protocol makes it’s way onto your TrainingPeaks Calendar! Although improved data collection software is making the need to execute Threshold Tests less frequent than several years ago, learning the skill of pacing these 20-minute maximal efforts cannot be overvalued. By utilizing the tips and techniques above you are sure to achieve your highest potential and best performance with the confidence that you ‘emptied the tank’ on your next Threshold Test or maximal effort. #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Ride Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian & Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching Jack MacDowell works hard and plays hard. So it is no surprise that he has spent nearly a full season working diligently to understand the nuances of road racing, and especially criterium racing. Although initially, these nuances appeared similar to those he experienced as a triathlete, the unique tactics and strategies of bike racing have taken more time to adapt to and conquer than expected. In a season that was punctuated by a mid-year setback which meant almost a month away from training, Jack never lost his tenacity and drive to be on the top step of the podium. Having recently earned his very first win at the Turbulence Criterium in San Bernardino, we caught up with Jack to talk about his big win, his training, and what lies ahead for his cycling in a 4-question interview. Enjoy! Standing tall never felt so good! Jack MacDowell earns a well deserved win at the San Bernardino Airport Turbulence Criterium. Photo Credit: Jack MacDowell Athlete Bio: Primary Sport/Discipline: Road Cycling Average Hours of Training Per Week: 8-12hrs Upcoming Goals: Off-Season CBR Upgrade Series Criteriums Interview: Question #1: Congratulations on your first race win Jack! Having raced numerous times this season, always working to master the tactical element of criterium racing, how did you achieve the win? Jack MacDowell: One of the key elements of our coaching strategy in crits has been to stay near the front, but not on the front unless it is a definitive break-away. In each race this approach ‘sinks-in’ a little more. At the Turbulence Criterium I followed the aforementioned strategy for several laps before slipping back into old habits and going on a multi-lap solo-breakaway. As you might expect, I never got too far from the pack. After a lap or two, one guy was able to bridge-up to me and we tried to put some distance between us and the peloton. Unfortunately he ended up bringing a handful of riders along with him, which brought the whole group back together. With a couple of laps to go the same rider and I got a gap on the peloton which had me leading going into the final lap. I kept the lead for about half of the last lap and then had him pull until about 200-300 meters from the finish when I was able to jump around him and sprint to the finish. The final lap strategy was enlightening as it happened out of luck, it turned out that encouraging him to pull to the last 200-300 meters was the key to me being able to win. I was very excited to cross the line first! Coach's Perspective/Coach Brian: I am so excited for Jack and proud of him for earning his first win! We have been discussing tactics and race strategy, throughout the season, as a means to better utilize his fitness and achieve a break-out result. At various races this season he has been very strong and eager to work hard on the front of the peloton. This put him in the position of being a ‘marked rider’, which made it more difficult to achieve his best finish. It is great to see that all the pieces came together for Jack at the Turbulence Criterium, both strategy and fitness, to take his first road cycling win. Congratulations, Jack! Question #2: You had a setback, mid-season, that kept you from regular training and since then you have worked diligently to regain lost fitness. Following your win, what aspect of training would you say has made the biggest impact in getting back your race fitness? JM: The combination of rest and consistency seems to have made a big difference. And by that I include “consistently resting.” Missing almost the entire month of June was tough and I thought the fitness may never come back. Oddly enough, that rest seemed to help (after 6 weeks of being back into a consistent training regimen) as I have hit some PRs in terms of 20-minute FTP and heart rate peaks since June. Additionally, as Coach Brian has encouraged (numerous times), it seems to be important to listen to my body and, if fatigue is setting-in, take a mid-week rest day. This has been helpful since I normally get up before 4:30AM to train during the work week. With that said, without being on the bike consistently we are not going to see gains, so balancing the need to train versus the need to recover has been a point of focus. Coach Brian: It is great to hear and see that Jack has been learning what his body needs to best adapt to training stress! As a Coach it is my #1 goal to teach my Athletes more about themselves and how their bodies react to the constant workload of endurance training while helping them achieve their goals. Yes, there are basic (and advanced) training principles that we heed to maximize workout effectiveness. But, when we factor in the reality that most Athletes are working 40+/hrs. a week, we must consider all the life-stress that does not get a Training Stress Score when developing an individuals training plan. Understanding the notion of taking an easy-day or complete day-off when unexpected work or life stress happens is key. Altering training to include these unprescribed rest-days is paramount when work and life stress mount, even when a big training block is necessary to prepare properly for an upcoming event. Being a part of a cohesive race team is a goal of Jack's and something that draws him to road cycling. Photo Credit: Jack MacDowell. Question #3: What is one of your long-term cycling goals? And what is next on your cycling ‘to do’ list? JM: My long-term goal is to become a Category 3 road cyclist and be on a competitive, as well as cohesive, team! There is definitely a lot of work to get there, so my near-term goal is to complete two more Cat 5 races, get my Category 4 upgrade, and then work my way through Category 4. With that said, more than anything, my goal is to continue cycling, have fun and stay safe, while working to make the most improvements I can. I want to be one of those 70-year old guys that still gets out and hammers on the group rides! Coach Brian: These are excellent goals! Getting through Category 4 is no easy challenge as so many racers possess the same goal, making it a very competitive group. The benefit of this increased competition is that it requires an Athlete to better understand and execute race tactics and strategy. This experience will serve Jack well as he works toward being able execute these tactics in a team environment, whether that comes in Category 4 or later in Category 3. Question #4: Describe your favorite workout in your training program. Also, please share a ‘knowledge-bomb’ you have learned while training with Big Wheel Coaching. JM: Great question, I think my strength would arguably be time-trialing, as I did a lot of triathlon training back in the day. So, up until recently some of my favorite workouts consisted of long-steady efforts. However, Coach Brian and I recently discussed, and have been implementing, the concept of polarized training into my workout routine. This is where I go out and do short high-intensity efforts followed by extended periods of super-light recovery riding. That has really seemed to make a difference both physically and mentally in my performance. Additionally it has helped boost my confidence going into the last 200-300 meters of a race. The short-hard efforts over the last number of weeks made me feel comfortable and strong so that I could go all-out at the end of the race! Coach Brian: Every Athlete has a different and unique sporting background that they will draw upon to be successful in Endurance Sport. For Jack, he has a well developed aerobic system from his days in triathlon. This allows us to focus on high-intensity work, coupled with extended bouts of rest to help him excel in the volatile, high-output, world of road racing. This style of training seemed counter intuitive at first but as Jack mentioned, once he embraced it, he made gains very quickly. What’s more, these gains were not just physical in nature. They boosted his confidence, giving him the assuredness that he could sprint for victory amongst his peers in any criterium or road race scenario! The long steady efforts of triathlon might be Jack's first experience with Endurance Sport, but recently it is the tactical and high-power world of criterium racing that he has focused on. Photo Credit: Jack MacDowell.
Summary: We hope that you have enjoyed reading about Jack MacDowell’s first race win and that it has inspired you to work toward your own goals. Although road racing is a fun, challenging, and rewarding way for a cyclist to be the best Athlete possible, it is only one element of a sport that can bring out the very best in every participant. At Big Wheel Coaching, it is our passion to help you achieve your very best and your highest potential. Whether that journey sees you grinding it out on gravel roads, hitting the trailhead for adventure, or pounding out the miles on the open-roads, we hope that you are ready to clip in. Blending an Athlete's drive, a solid training plan, and regular feedback from a Coach helps make memorable results, like Jack MacDowell's criterium win, possible. #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian and Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching Taming a Gran Fondo is no small task, it takes preparation, experience, and plenty of fitness. Besides being timed-events that mimic certain elements of a race, “Fondos” often feature Strava or KOM/QOM (King/Queen of the Mountain) segments that add another layer of intensity to an already big-day on the bike. To spice things up further, Gran Fondos are mass-start events, making group-riding skills and peloton-savvy an important component to achieving a Personal Record or break-through performance while out on course. With this in mind, and a slew of late Summer/Fall Gran Fondos available for riders everywhere, we have outlined the following event-day tips to help you perform to the best of your abilities. Riding an epic route with riders that have similar goals can make your Gran Fondo even more enjoyable! Photo Credit: DeAnn Para #1: Share The Workload! Most Gran Fondos are well attended and feature the largest peloton that any Athlete will join all year. And more participants means there is always someone to share the pace-making with while out on course! The main reason to ride with a group is to share the work and move quickly across the days terrain. Much like riders in a break-away on a stage of the Tour de France, you and your Fondo friends are a small team that can help each other make a quick pace. It should also be said that the larger the group, for the most part, the quicker the pace you will ride. With this in mind, we suggest encouraging other riders to join your group throughout the ride. By sharing the workload amongst your group of riders at a Gran Fondo you will not just have a faster ride time, you will increase your chances of earning a PR on the K/QOM segments out on course by drafting off the group. A nice bonus indeed. #2: Perfect Your Hydration & Nutrition Strategy This simple tip cannot be emphasized enough. Most Fondos are chalk-full of ride stops and food options, which is a good thing. However, a five-hour, fast-paced day in the saddle is not the time to try a new drink-mix or food option. For this reason we suggest bringing all the food you need for the day, in your pockets, at the start of the ride. Although Gran Fondos are known for their well-stocked feed-stops, relying on them for all of your event-day nutrition increases your chances of experiencing stomach distress or other GI issue while on course. When you do stop for fuel at the aid-stations, always err on the side of food and hydration options you know. Stick with what you know, don't try new flavors or different food choices on event day! Photo Credit: Danny Munson. #3: Know The Route & The Critical Sections This may seem like obvious advice, but the degree to which you are familiar with the route is very important. For example, if there is a big climb in the first thirty-miles of the Fondo, or if the route twists through a windy and exposed valley, you will want to know this before you see it on course. Having first-hand knowledge of this information, including expected durations, distances, wind-directions, and land-marks will help you be prepared for every challenge a Gran Fondo course presents. Knowing more than just the mile-marker of the aid-stations will give you an edge that cannot be replaced once on-course when information is scarce. The moral is this, don’t just ride your bike, ride your bike with purpose. You put in a lot of time and energy into preparing for a Gran Fondo, so make the most of your performance by knowing all you can about the course. #4 Pace Yourself For The Long-Haul For most Athletes a Gran Fondo is likely to be both their longest and most intense day on the bike all season. With this in mind and because both the intensity and volume of the event are significant, it is important for an Athlete to pace themselves accordingly. That is to say that being a "hero" and riding to hard in the opening half of the event can spell disaster in the final miles of the Fondo. Although crafting a pacing strategy is always better with previous course experience and the guidance of a Coach, the former is not always available. This is where experience counts and patience is the virtue that will put you on top. By riding more conservatively in the opening hours of the event, knowing the critical parts of the course, and nailing both your hydration and nutrition requirements you will inevitably perform at or better than expected at your next Gran Fondo. The course map and route profile for an event, like this one for the
Mammoth Gran Fondo, is a handy tool to plan your event-day pacing. Photo Credit: Mammoth Gran Fondo Summary: Having a great event performance and riding to your potential requires many things to go well, but using these tips will go a long way to getting you through your next Gran Fondo with a smile! By sharing the work in a group, perfecting your hydration and nutrition needs, researching the intimate details of the days' route, including the ‘critical sectors’, as well as moderating your efforts properly, you are highly likely to have a great experience and performance at your upcoming Fondo. We hope that these tips will help you push your limits and have an incredible event! Good luck. #TrainYourPotential Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun! -Brian and Joy McCulloch Big Wheel Coaching |
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September 2020
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