ALP Cycles

How to stay Motivated for Racing in the Summer Months

2011-07-07T13:54:00.001-07:00

It’s finally summer time. The weather is nice and the days are long. However, for many bike racers, July is a tough month, motivation wise. Early season races have come and gone, goals have either been met or not quite achieved, you pretty much know how your season is going to turn out, and the motivation to train and race is weaning. Just as bike riding is at its best, people are tiring of riding and training.

The question becomes how to stay motivated to train and race through the entire race season which can last until September.

For most of us, having a goal is the #1 motivation to ride our bike. This goal can be as simple as finishing a charity ride or Grand Fondo to something more intense such as winning a national caliber stage race or Master’s Nationals. However, if your cycling goal is in the spring or in the beginning of the summer, once your goal ride or race is finished, it’s easy to lose the motivation to keep training. This is why it’s important to have another goal in mind for later in the season. This way you keep your bike riding and racing motivation going strong.

While training for goal #2, it’s important to keep it fun. By this time in the season, most of us are tired of doing intervals, and are tired of riding the same roads over and over. The best ways to beat these “midseason blues” are to find ways to mix up your riding. Try riding new routes with new people or riding at different times of the day. Mix up your interval sessions by doing them up a hill or change the length of each interval and rest period.

My favorite way to keep training fun is to ride different bikes. If you are a roadie, summer is a great time to hone in your bike handling skills (not to mention build great seated power) with mountain biking a couple times a week. You can even throw in a short track race here and there to take place of your VO2 intervals. If you are a mountain biker, spend some time on your road bike and add in a road race or two to test out your fitness and race tactics.

Cyclocross racing is a great goal #2 or goal #3 to have. Cyclocross mixes both road racing and mtn bike racing and is a fun way to stay in race shape and work on your skills in the fall and winter months. Come July, if you are tired of racing and training, it’s the perfect time to take a break from racing, spend some fun time on your bike and aim to ramp up for the Cyclocross season that starts in late September.

Here are a few workouts to keep training and motivation fresh-

-Bottom to top intervals- using the terrain available; ride hard from the bottom of a climb to the top of the climb. Really push it all the way to the top. Recover on the back side.

Here in Boulder, Colorado, we like to use climbs like 4-mile, Poorman’s, Lee Hill and Old Stage, and the Morgul Bismark loop to name a few. If you don’t have climbs near your house, you could find difference sections of road that you can sprint on or sprint between speed limit signs and/or stop lights.

- FreeStyle Sweet Spot- Ride hard, Sweet Spot Zone, for a period of time (like 20-60 minutes or more). Check out the article on Sweet Spot Training on our FasCat Coaching page- http://www.fascatcoaching.com/sweetspotpartdeux.html

-Friendly attacking or group rides- Ride with a friend and take turns “attacking” each other as you would in a race or join a spirited group ride that challenges you with city limit sprints or climbing out of your comfort zone.

Happy training and remember to enjoy each bike ride.

The Importance of Recovery

2011-06-21T14:53:00.001-07:00

The most important aspect to riding and racing success is hard training. The second most important aspect to riding and racing success is recovery; for you can’t ride hard, unless you are rested and ready to do so. For me, a recovery ride 1-2 times a week is crucial. In general, recovery rides promote blood flow which helps decrease inflammation, remove waste products, and loosen stiff, sore muscles.

For a recovery ride to be productive it has to be an easy, mellow, short ride. If you ride any harder than “recovery pace” you are putting a training stress on your body instead of recovering.

Fortunately and unfortunately, I live in the mountains of Colorado at 8,000. The training is amazing; altitude, mountains, low traffic roads, etc. Unfortunately, every road either goes up or down. A proper recovery ride at 8,000ft while climbing is not ideal.

A recovery ride at home is where my Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine comes in. When I need an easy, mellow, high cadence, recovery ride at home, I’ll get on the trainer and “spin out” my legs. In 30-45 minutes I feel loose and “clean” because my body has gotten rid of the extra junk left in my legs after the previous day’s workout or race. I keep the pace mellow (<140 watts) and every 3-5 minutes alternate spinning my legs at high cadence (<120 rpm) with more of a moderate cadence (90-100 rpm).

I make sure to drink a lot of water (2 bottles) as it can get pretty warm in the summer time on the trainer and I sweat a lot. I follow this workout with stretching and more water. The rest of the day, I put my feet up and by tomorrow I am ready to “Rock n Roll”.

The Benefits of Using a Powermeter During Early Season Races

2011-03-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

This article was just posted on Cycleops.com.
Coach AP explains why you should use a powermeter during early season races.

On March 5^th2011, Lilly, (an athlete of mine) performed her personal best during the Frostbite Time Trial in Ft. Collins Colorado. This was very rewarding to her as an athlete and to me as she coach because we had planned on using this race as a test of early season fitness. When Lilly and I began working together, we did an indoor test using the Powerbeam indoor trainers and determined her Functional Threshold Power (FTP) to be 222 watts. On the Tuesday before the Time Trial, she did a 2x12 min Threshold workout where she was able to hold 226 and 227 watts respectively. I used this data, to give her wattages to pace the Time Trial. I gave Lilly the goal to hold 220-235 watts until the turn around (halfway through the course). Then it was up to her to “go by feel” (i.e. monitor her energy level to either go harder, or to hold that same pace).

After analyzing the data from her Power file, I concluded she paced the Time Trial well, rode a great race (she got 2^nd place!) and exceeded her expectations. The first half of her Time Trial she averaged 242 watts (higher than the zone range goal). At the turn around, it was clear she had “enough in the tank” to ride harder as the second half of her Time Trial averaged 255 watts and her peak 20 min power was at the end of her race. Overall, Lilly averaged 247 watts, 22.7 mph, and had an average cadence of 86 rpm.

Lilly used her Powermeter as a guide to race smart. Our pacing plan worked well as she raced to second place and got a new personal best 20 min power average (giving her a new FTP). However, because Lilly’s power output during the second half of the race was so good, we know she could have maintained a higher wattage for the entire race. We know this because of her higher average watts, best 20 min time period, and during the last 4 min she averaged 275 watts. We learned she could have ridden the first half of the race harder, then maintained that pace during the second half of the race. I was able to tell Lilly, I think she could have done 250-255 watts over the entire length of the race. This strategy would have yielded a faster time and we’ll use this information for the next Time Trial race, April 16^th.

This is great feedback for me, when designing her next training block as it updated her wattage based training zones. This is also great feedback for Lilly as it shows her that her hard work is paying off and she is training properly. Most of all, Lilly has gained confidence.

As you can see, the benefits of using a powermeter as a training tool for early season races are numerous. The data and race files from these early season races provide fitness feedback to you and your coach that can be applied to future training and racing. For example, when Lilly races this Time Trial next year, we’ll have this data to use as a bench mark and as a pacing tool. We’ll be able to list goal watts for pacing and then can use her average race watts and compare it to her 2011 race data. This data is helpful when comparing fitness from year to year to see gains and/or losses that have been made.

Everyone has goals they want achieve. Using a powermeter takes the guess work out of your training and racing and provides real data that, when used and applied properly, can help you ride faster.

Race Tactics

2011-03-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I (Coach AP) am the mentor/coach of the Rocky Mounts Women's Cycling Team and I must say, it is very rewarding. Before my first cycling race, 7 years ago, I had never even seen a bike race (other than the Tour de Frace on TV). I had no idea about race tactics, training, or strategy. I was just excited to race hard and try to win. Unfortunately, I had a lot to learn about racing and training before I was even able to think about winning a race.

It's for this reason, I am so happy to mentor the Rocky Mounts Women. On days like yesterday, when we go ride a local crit course together to practice race tactics, riding in a pack, and cornering skills, I am able to teach the women how to race as a team and, most of all, how to get the most FUN out of each race and ride together.

Now, when the team goes to their first race together, they'll not only know what to expect in the race, they'll have a plan on how to EXCEL during the race. For me, that is a rewarding feeling.

First Race-with athletes

2011-03-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, was the Frostbite Time Trial north of Ft. Collins. This was the first chance to test my own fitness for the 2011 race season, but it was also a great chance to get to race with a few of my athletes.

As a coach, there is only so much I can do to get an athlete ready for his or her races. Once at the race, the athletes are on their own. I can't be at every race for every athlete and I certainly can't control the dynamics the outcome of the races. What I can do, as a coach, is to get each athlete as prepared as possible for each race.

Such was the case at the Frostbite TT. Not only did I get to watch each athlete race, I got to warm-up with them, I got to go over the course and race strategy for each, we got to ride and cool-down together, and we car pooled together.

It was a great bonding experience and reminded me how much I enjoy coaching and riding my bike.

The Mountain Flyer Magazine was covering the race, and here is a nice write up about about the race, and the results.

The four of us came home with 1 win, 2 seconds, and valuable experience gained.

Honesty-with yourself

2011-01-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

Honesty. Ever since you were a little kid, there is a good chance your parents and teachers told you to always tell the truth. Over the years, we all have learned honesty is the best policy.
For the most part, you tell the truth to your parents, to your kids, to your spouse, and to your loved ones. But how often do you tell the truth to yourself?
How honest are you with yourself?
How honest are you with yourself and your training, or your nutrition or your energy levels.

Each of our body's talk to us. It's up to us to listen to what our body is saying and then to be honest with it.

Maybe your body is run down and telling you it's tired, but your telling it to shut the F up because your training plan has 3 hrs on it for today and that's what you're going to do.

If you're caught lying to a friend or family member, they usually get mad at you and you feel badly for lying in the first place.

If you keep ignoring your body and/or lying to yourself that you feel fine and everything is good, soon your body will get mad at you and tell you to F off. Then comes the sore throat, the cough, the stuffy nose, the fatigue, etc.

Be honest with yourself and be honest with your body. Listen to what it has to say and decide the best plan of attack from there. Maybe it's rest, maybe it's less sugar in your diet, maybe both of you need a swift kick in the ass, but you'll never know unless you tell the truth.

Tis the season to be un-fit.

2010-12-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

December...tis the time of year to be unfit. And you should be unfit for fitness comes from un-fitness. Tis the time of year to build, to get stronger, to improve upon weaknesses and to enjoy other sports besides the bicycle.

I (Coach AP) did my Functional Lactate Test today and the results show that I am very much in December fitness season. Though the numbers are slightly (VERY) ego crushing, (158 lbs- 225 watts LT) I know I can only get better from here and through each bike ride, skate ski, and Pilates session I'll gain fitness and continue toward my goals for 2011.

Here is my graph from today's test done at FasCat Coaching in Boulder, Colorado.

Double check yourself and your training to make sure you are in the correct fitness season. Tis the season to be un-fit.

Have a Plan

2010-11-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

"Fail to plan and you plan to fail". This saying has more importance than you realize.

In order to be successful at anything in life, especially sports, you must plan for it. Amongst other things, you must plan out your race schedule, your training schedule, and your training times. Then you must plan on the best way to make everything happen. "Winging it" only works for so long. The best athletes are the ones who have planned their success.

What's the first step in this planning process? Goal setting. You must set realistic yet challenging goals to keep you motivated and on track.

An example of a goal would be -
Eat healthy

That's a great goal, but how do you eat healthy? What are the steps to eating healthy and how do you know if you are doing it?

You must break your goals down into more goals and tasks. If your goal can be broken down, you are not finished making it.

In order to eat healthy, you must know what eating healthy means. A better goal would be-
I plan on buying more fruits and veggies to have on hand at home for snacking. I will stay away from highly processed (packaged, sugar filled) foods and buy more "natural" foods that have not been as processed. When I will always remember to eat a healthy snack (ie banana and milk) after my ride. Etc, etc.

The same goes for training. Do you know what you're training for and why you're doing what you're doing this time of year? Know exactly what you're training for (your goal), then break it down into smaller pieces and train for each piece.

Goals have to be broken down, and down, until all you have to do is follow the steps.
Plan to succeed.

Alabama Cycling Camp

2010-11-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

It's official. ALP Cycles is headed to Alabama in February for the Alabama Cycling Camp.
Join Coach AP the weeks of Feb. 5-12 and/or Feb. 12-19 for amazing riding, training tips, race tactics and an overall really fun time.

The roads in Alabama are perfect to get in your early season miles. Time spent here is an excellent way to start off your season. After riding a big amount of miles in the rolling hills, you're ready to put in the intensity that will turn into race wins in the coming season.

Check out the website for more information. It is fun and productive, plus we're looking forward to riding with great people.

Injuries

2010-11-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, injuries are a part of athletics. They are also a part of living and of life.

Obviously, prevention (stretching, strengthening, massage, rest, etc) is the best way to avoid injuries. But sometimes, no matter how well you have "prevention-ed", injuries still happen. In this case, there are two ways you can go about healing your injury.

1.) Take some IB Profen, and call it good. Option #1 people continue their activities despite the pain/injury. They half-ass the activity because it hurts, and they half-ass their healing by doing the activity. In this instance the injury lingers. It could take days, weeks or even months to recover from this at one time, not so bad injury.

2.) Rest until injury no longer hurts. Option #2 people understand they would rather rest/heal today to exercise tomorrow, and the day after, all while being pain free. In this instance, the injury has time to recover and to heal and the overall duration of the injury is shorter.

Injuries are your body's way of telling you something is not right. Take time to listen what your body is saying and take the necessary measures to fix that problem so it never hinders you again.

Fall Cycling Camp - Asheville Style

2010-10-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, in Asheville, NC, was Fall Cycling Camp. It was put on by coaches AP, and Robin Farina from Team Vera Bradley Foundation and Robin is out of Uptown Cycles in Charlotte.

Spin Tech Training in Asheville was our "home base".

Each day started with an amazing breakfast spread. From there we either talked bikes, training, racing, or general BS-ing or went for yoga at Lululemon. That was followed by riding.

Day 1 included a trip to the Asheville Mellowdrome for a skills session.

Day 2 was a "rolling" route where we were able to work on pacelines, attacking, and chasing.

Day 3 was the big daddy. Climbing, descending, climbing, and descending. We worked on skills and mental training.

At the top of climb two, this guy was waiting for us. That is the biggest snake I have ever seens

Upon returning, after each ride, lunch was waiting for us. We ate, chatted, stretched and chilled.

"Team" dinners provided bonding and a chance to a enjoy the day we had just had. Not to mention the great Asheville food and restaurants.

It was a really great experience putting on this camp to teach and to show people how to get better. I had a great time and I think the campers did as well.

Success!

2010-10-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Fall Cycling Camp was a success!

We had three great days of riding, eating and learning new skills. It was fun.
Stay tuned for a report of camp in the next few days.

Count down to Camp

2010-10-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

3.5 days until our Women's Fall Road Camp. The ducks are in a row, the devil is no longer in the details, the leaves are in peak color, the weather looks perfect, and now, all we're left with are three great days of riding, learning, and trying new things! A few spots are still open, so if you want to register, send an e-mail ASAP.

Women's CX Clinic in Boone

2010-10-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Was a big success!! 14 women learned, laughed, rode, and went home happy (and probably a little sore too).
Here are some videos of the fun things we worked on.

Thank you to Pirate Race Productions for putting it together, to Kim for helping me keep everything going smoothly and to all the women who showed up and who made it happen!

A lot to offer

2010-10-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, the next three weeks for ALP Cycles and friends is pretty exciting.
To keep you up to date, here are all the things going on for ALP Cycles this month.

Oct. 12th - 8-9am- CX skills "power hour". Dial in your skills for the races this weekend. Meet at FasCat with $10.

Oct. Every Tues/Thurs - 5:30-6:30pm- Ski Conditioning- Scott Carpenter Park. Remember your mat/towel and $8.

Oct. 16th - 10am-4pm- Women's CX Clinic- Boone. NC. See event details here.

Oct. 18th-21st- Exciting events and clinics at Uptown Cycles in Charlotte NC.

Oct. 22nd-24th- Fall Women's Cycling Camp, Asheville, NC (this is the coolest thing going on all month!).

Oct. 26th - 8-9am - CX skills "power hour" #2. Dial in your skills for the races this weekend. Meet at FasCat with $10.

Exciting Change

2010-10-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

There is an exciting change going on here at ALP Cycles. ALP Cycles Coaching and Coach AP have joined forces with FasCat Coaching. This merger will give athletes the extra knowledge and resources to become the best cyclist possible.

Now, as a FasCat athlete, you will be able to be coached, tested, fitted and treated like a star all in one place. Not to mention getting to hangout and ride with your coach or any of the other great FasCat coaches.

This is an exciting merger. FasCat will provide you with the coaching and ALP Cycles will provide you with the skills necessary to apply all that fitness.

You can improve your skills now with ALP Cycles. Clinics coming up are-
-Women's Cyclocross Clinic in Boone, NC. Oct 16th
-Women's Cycling Camp in Asheville, NC Oct 22-24th
-1:1 Skills Clinic, Boulder CO - Available upon request

E-mail Coach AP - Alison@fascatcoaching.com - for more information.

As promised--Pictures

2010-09-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

CX Vegas has come and gone. For Team ALP Cycles Specialized (me) it was a success. My result was decent (8th. same as last year), but most importantly, I got to see and hang out with my team Sponsors; Specialized, Pactimo, Rolf Prima and DeFeet socks. I also realized I can race on my own, do ok, and can take care of myself.

I also learned I have a long way to go before I am a true CX racer. Skills. More practice is needed (especially cornering skills). Good thing I have a clinic coming up in Boone, NC-Oct 16th. More chances to learn, teach, and get better.

Until then, here are some pictures of the race and my new team kit.

And the back. Complete with my name across my bu-tay.

New Kit!

2010-09-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Pactimo, the Team ALP Cycles Specialized skin suit is ready for Cross Vegas. I just picked it up yesterday, so come watch the race tonight to see it in action.

Can't make it to the race? I'll post some pictures of the race here, so keep checking back.

More chances to learn- part 2

2010-09-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

After the Boone CX clinic, come to Asheville for our race skills clinic. This ones goona be even better!

More chances to learn!

2010-09-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

If you missed the first ALP Cycles CX clinic, don't worry, you have another chance. October 16th in Boone N.C. 10am-4pm.

Click here to see the event flyer and get more information. It's goona be fun!

CX Skills Camp Day 2- Video

2010-09-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

Video from day 2 of CX Camp.

CX Skills Camp Day 2- a great way to end the weekend

2010-09-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday night ended with a great dinner and campfire s'more roasting (we were now well fueled for the day ahead).

We started Sunday with more "basic" CX skills. Up first was gravel, then sand, followed by cornering in the dirt and grass. We ended with a grass course of 180's and 2 sets of Cross Propz barriers.

Lunch. Again a great spread by the Mom.
Next up, was "putting it all together". We had now learned all the basic CX skills and it was time to put our new knowledge to work.
Barriers, run-ups, corners, and descents.
All campers left camp with things to practice at home and a new respect and confidence for their next Cyclocross race.

I (coach AP) also learned a lot and got to practice my skills.
The happy, Day 2, group.
When's 2011 camp??

CX Skills Camp Day 1- Video

2010-09-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

CX Skills Camp Day 1

2010-09-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

8 women +1 Mom+ 1 Coach AP= 10 very happy and slightly tired people. Wow, day 1 was a GIANT success. Thank you to Cross Propz for providing us with amazing barriers that made for very easy set up and take down. It saved me (coach AP) a lot of work.
We rode on grass, on dirt, on wood chips and over bridges.

We ran, we jumped, we rode and we did all three at once (sort of).
Lunch was a yummy mixture the Mom set up for us.

We ate, we rode and smiled and said "cheese".
Bring on Day #2.

It's looking good!

2010-09-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

The view from CX Camp is going to be awesome.The ducks are in a row, the devil is no longer in the details, and all we're left with is a great place to get our cross on!
Countdown to 2010 CX Skills Camp- 10 days.
Register now before it's too late.

Growing

2010-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

Word is spreading about ALP Cycles and all we have to offer. It's fun to be part of the growing business.

Check out our new links on 303cycling.com-
CX Clinic
Coaching

On a side note...
Only one day left for early registration for our 2010 CX Skills Camp. Register now to save $$!

CX Skills Camp- New sponsor

2010-08-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Less than 2 weeks to go before Skills Camp (have you registered yet?), and we have exciting news! Cross Propz is providing us with barriers for camp!

We're official now, that's big time!

CX Skills Camp

2010-08-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

Interested in racing Cyclocross (CX) but not sure where to begin? Join Alison Powers and ALP Cycles Coaching in Fraser, Colorado for the Introduction to Cyclocross camp. *Come one day or come both days*

CX is a challenging sport as it combines the fitness and tactics to road racing with the bike handling skills of mtn biking. Riders who want to be successful (and have fun) in CX need to be proficient at both and this "green level" camp will teach you the basics to enjoy your progression as a CX rider.

Skills to be covered are-

mounts and dismounts
cornering
barriers
basic bike handling
starts
race day strategy

Whats included-

lunch, snacks, goodie giveaways
small group, "hands on" coaching
professional bike fit (add $50-paid upon registration)

Camp Price-

$80 per day or $150 for both (register by Sept 1)
$100 per day or $180 for both (register by Sept 8)
no day of registration
all riders must have a USAC license. Unlicensed riders can purchase a one day license for an additional $5.

Registration-

This camp is designed to be a small group learning environment, so call now to reserve your space as it will fill up quickly.

Contact-

Alison Powers
303-501-7890 or ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com

CX Skills Camp

2010-08-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

Save the date! ALP CX clinic Colorado--Sept 11-12th.

Open to everyone! New riders, experienced racers and every person in between. Everyone can learn how to become a better CX rider.

The camp is guaranteed to be affordable and informative. All within a fun, non-competitive environment.

More info to come (we are working out the details), but if you are interested send an e-mail to ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com to save your spot.

Girls Only Ride!

2010-08-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Attention ALL women who like to ride bikes fast- Coach Alison will lead the first ever Women's Only ride tomorrow- 6pm-from FasCat Coaching in North Boulder. The focus is on racing, but everyone is invited.

This is your chance to learn from the best and become a better racer. See you there!

CX Skills Days

2010-07-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

CX season is just two months away. Want to improve your skills before race season? ALP Cycles Coaching is offering "skills days" in August.

Come alone, bring a friend or bring 5 friends. Spend an hour or spend a day learning and improving your bike handling skills in preparation for the upcoming CX season.

Don't race CX? No worries, road skills days are available too.

Become efficient at riding in a pack, saving energy in the race, mounts and dismounts, cornering at speed, riding over rough terrain, etc.

As always, with anything ALP Cycles Coaching related, the options are limitless and the prices are affordable.

E-mail Coach Alison with questions, interest, or for more information-
ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com

Intensity

2010-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, via twitter, a question was presented to me-

"How can I get more than 25 min of intensity out of myself?"

This is a good question as many races are longer than 25 min. The simple answer can be answered by math (I know...I hate math as much as most people).

You want more than 25 min of intensity but it's hard to go hard for more than 25 min.
Break it down.

3 x 10 min intensity with 8 min recovery between sets = 30 min intensity.
4 x 8 min intensity with 5 min recovery between sets = 32 min intensity.
2 x 15 min intensity with 10 min recovery between sets = 30 min intensity.
and so on. There are several equations you can use to equal more than 25 min of intensity training.

intensity - time + recovery x 3= greater overall workload

Things I've Learned

2010-06-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm a coach, I'm still very much an athlete. I race bikes-professionally-on Team Vera Bradley Foundation.

Over and over again, I am learning that my own athletic success and challenges go hand in hand with my coaching business. What I learn as an athlete, I can pass on to my athletes. With this knowledge, they can either use that specific technique or tip to get better and ride faster or they can avoid the mistake all together and still learn from it.

This past week, I competed in the USA National Championships. Overall, it was a pretty big let down for me. A lot of build up and all kinds of specific preparation and no results to write home about.

However, I learned A LOT.
I continued to learn about time trialing tactics and mental toughness during a race.
I learned about course inspection
I continue to learn about disappointment
I re-learned how fun it is when your team rides and races like a complete unit
I re-learned how frustrating it is when your team does not ride like a complete unit
I learned more about training and what needs to be done at the top level
I learned what I can do better as an athlete
I learned what I do well as an athlete

8 things. 8 items I learned and can now pass on to each and every athlete I coach. That's a pretty good deal.

Need a cycling coach? E-mail Alison at ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com

Go time!

2010-06-23T21:17:00.001-07:00

June 24th
Bend, Oregon
2:42pm PST.

Think fast thoughts.
The game is on.

Bikes are Bikes

2010-06-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Bicycles are bicycles and learning to ride any bike better and faster will help you ride another type of bicycle better and faster. This is especially true at a young age (but is still important at ANY age).

I was lucky enough to get to ride with some of the SMBA kids last week in Nederland, Colorado. SMBA stands for Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures and it is a really great program. These kids know how to ride their bike and they know how to do it well. Most of their skills are better than mine and I was truly privileged to ride with them.

Here's a picture of the group doing the standard "bike check" that they do before every ride. They not only know the name of every part of their bike, they can diagnose a problem BEFORE they start riding.

After a brief time at home, it's back to racing my bicycle. Maybe I'll be a more balanced rider after spending some time getting beat up by kids on my mtn bike.

©Brian Hodes/VeloImages

ALP Random Tips-Listed

2010-06-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

ALP Random Tip #12-Learn your weaknesses so you can maximize your strengths.

ALP Random Tip #34- To race well in a time trial, one must train well on their time trial bike.

ALP Random Tip #76- do more than just ride your bike. Don't forget about your core, your active recovery techniques, and your flexibility.

ALP Random Tip #80- Nutrition is just as important as training.

ALP Random Tip #34- Learn from your mistakes.

ALP Random Tip #24- Train smarter not harder.

ALP Random Tip #21- Learning to pedal with a high cadence makes you a more efficient bike rider.

ALP Random Tip #26- There are going to be days when you don't feel good and/or fast. It's ok.

ALP Random Tip#19- Ride different bikes (ie. road, mtn, cross, singlespeed). It challenges the mind and the body and creates "freshness".

Teaching

2010-05-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Coaching is really a fancy name for a teacher. Here at ALP Cycles Coaching, we like to think of ourselves as "cycling teachers". We do more than give out training plans. We teach you how to become a better cyclist; something more than just a person who can ride a bike fast.

This past week, Coach Alison has been putting her cycling teaching skills to work.

First up was to guide the High Altitude Colorado Cycling Camp. Saddle hours were put in, elevation was gained, dirt roads were ridden and red blood cell count was raised. All of this accomplished while learning how to ride, how to train and how to recover at elevation.

Campers Ted and Will refueling before the climb up Super James.

Next up was the 2010 Inaugural Skills Clinic. Coach Alison rode along side 60 other riders and taught them skills such as riding in a pack, how to move up in a pack, being efficient in the pack and then she finished it off with techniques on how to climb better.

AP talks to a group about "keeping your spot" in the peloton.

Climbing a hill efficiently leads to staying with the leaders.

Post ride margs always keep the coach happy. Great job to the Get Some women for putting on a great clinic.

To continue with the "cycling teacher" theme, Coach Alison will ride with the young ladies of the Flatiron Flyers cycling club tonight. We will preride the famous "wall" climb of the Morgal Bismark race.

ALP Cycles Coaching: Cycling Teachers-more than just a coach.

Training at Altitude

2010-05-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

The High Altitude Colorado Cycling Camp is underway. As a "helper/ride guide" of the camp, I have learned many things. Mostly, riding and training at high altitude requires a different thought process and mind set to training. A process not many people or coaches really understand.

Most people understand that yes, there is less oxygen at 6,000ft and yes, the air is dry at 8,000ft. But what does all that mean to your training as an athlete? How does riding at elevation help you improve? How does sleeping at altitude make you faster?

I grew up at 8,000ft in the Fraser Valley, Colorado. Before I started bike racing, I took the high altitude for granted. But now, after years of bike racing and training at sea level, at 4,000ft, and at 9,00ft, I have learned MANY lessons. These lessons I am happy to share at camp with the campers. The campers are tired, but riding strong (isn't that what a camp is all about?), and they are looking forward to each day and the new route they will explore in the Rocky Mountains.

Results speak louder than training

2010-05-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

It doesn't matter how hard you train, how well you eat, what sacrifices you make or how much of an athlete you claim to be if you can't "lay it down" on race day.

Training well and racing well are two totally different things. Just as you have to be smart with your training, you have to be smart with your racing. Because it doesn't matter how much fitness you have if you waste it during the race. You have to know when the right time to expend energy is, and you have to know when the right time to save energy is.

Bike racing isn't always about who the fittest rider is. It's often about who the smartest rider is. Be fit AND smart...then your deadly.

To Eat or Not to Eat

2010-05-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

I (Coach Alison) just finished racing the SRAM Tour of the Gila (where I got a stage win and finished second overall). Everyday of racing, I started to notice a common theme.

Eating.

Eating is normal in a stage race. What you do or do not eat during not only a one day race, but during a stage race, can have a MAJOR impact on your personal race outcome.

Nutrition is key in athletics, especially in an endurance event that goes on day after day.

Usually, during a stage race, we talk about eating, eating more, "I'm still hungry", "I'm tired of eating", etc. But this particular race situation lead to talks about NOT eating. Most notably, not eating to be skinny and thus to climb better.

Eating and being skinny is a touchy topic amongst cyclists. Power to weight ratio is a big deal when it comes to the outcome of a race. Everyone wants to maximize their own power to weight ratio in order to ride faster and more efficiently. But when does this power to weight ratio obsession become too much? When do you know if you have taken it "over the edge" and started to do damage not only to your cycling career but also to your own body? OR how do you know when it's time to drop a few pounds to really maximize your own training and racing?

The simple answer, know what your personal cycling goals are. If they are to be a pure climber who can do nothing else but ride uphill fast, then get as lean as possible. If your goal is to be a good time trialist, then you need power on flats to rolling hills and you may need to be a bit bigger than a climber. If you are a sprinter, you need fuel to fire up your fast twitch muscles.

Remember, life is more important than cycling. Cycling is supposed to create a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle. It's not supposed to damage one.

And so it begins

2010-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been here before- I have
I feel like I've done this before- I have
Third times a charm- I hope

Welcome to Silver City and the Tour of the Gila. It begins tomorrow and ends on Sunday.

I've got cookies made, rice balls chilling and meals planned.
I've got great host housing, an amazing team and super support.
I've got the will to win, the team to win and my game face on.

It begins tomorrow and ends on Sunday.

Better your cycling skills

2010-04-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

Join Alison May 23rd at the 2010 INAUGURAL CYCLING SKILLS CLINIC in Morrison, Colorado.

Learn skills such as bike handling, fast cornering, descending, climbing, bumping and riding safely in a pack.

Other coaches that will be there-
~Tyler Hamilton, Olympic Gold Medalist, Men’s Time Trial
~ Kerstin Weule, Xterra Triathlon World Champion, Ret. Pro

Learn now, or forever hold your tongue when you complain about getting dropped on a decent or someone taking your spot in the pack.

Click here for more information.

(mis)Information

2010-04-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

This past week I've found myself giving a fair amount of advice and information. Whether its on post ride nutrition, proper recovery techniques (is the hot tub good or bad?), or training advice (volume vs intensity), I've come to realize that even with all the really great information out there, there is a lot of misinformation as well.

How do you know the advice and information you're getting is good advice? How do you know if it will work for you? There are two simple answers to these questions.

1.) Give everything a try. If you read about something on the internet that's supposed to up your power by 15% and decrease your recovery time, give it a try. See if it works for you. How does your body respond to said method? If you read about a diet that tells you if you go on a flank steak only diet for a week, you'll gain 2 pounds of muscle, lose 3 pounds of fat and rip the legs off everyone at your next race, do it. See how you feel after only eating steak for 7 days then go race.

or

2.) Find a trusted person to ask. This person should be someone who you believe has the knowledge to help you get better. Though the #1 answer above is a good option for someone wanting to try everything them self, it is not a good option for someone who has limited time and who would rather see improvement sooner rather than later. It takes time to learn what works for you as both a person and as an athlete and if you can "weed out" all the bad options, or all the misinformation, you can improve your chances to get better, faster, and stronger while the race season is still going on.

My advice? Time is precious. Don't waste that precious time on misinformation. Instead, use your time wisely by getting correct information from a trusted source.

Wattage

2010-04-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what it takes to win a race? How often have you thought, I wonder how many watts that person is doing on the climb or how many kilojoules did that person burn?

Well, your in luck.
Here is Coach Alison's info from a local Colorado race on April 3rd 2010.
She got first place and she weighs 152 lbs (that's an important factor to keep in mind when comparing data)

Distance- 25.6 miles
Time-1:21
Average Watts-235Max Watts- 686
Kj's-1,144

What you can control

2010-03-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

There are things in this world you can control. You can take charge of the situation and make it (or try to make it) work out for you.

On the other hand, there are things in this world you can not control. There are times you just have to relax and accept that you have no control over the situation. It is what it is.

For example, I had a travel day yesterday where I was in control of the situation for less than 1/3 of the day. But that 1/3 made the 2/3 of the rest of the day no problem.

-Wake up early to ride the trainer (just in case I am not abale to ride when I get to Redlands).
-Prepare food/drink for the flight and day of travel (my food is better than airport food).
-Play with dogs and boy and enjoy the last hour at home (I love home).
-Drive to the airport, get there early to check in and to see my Dad (chill time=happy time).
-Board the plane.
-Sit on the plane for 2 hrs without ever leaving DIA (broken valve=something I can't control. Packed lunch= happy belly).
-Change planes
-Fly to CA (packed snack=happy belly, again) and ride with host Mom to Redlands.
-Arrive at 6:30pm to host house (no time to ride. Good thing I rode the trainer in the AM), go to dinner with teammates, grocery store, host house, bed time.

Thanks to my preparation in the morning, my "less than ideal" travel day, turned out to be no problem. I took control over what I could, didn't stress over what I couldn't control and it was a no problem day.
-

Priorities

2010-03-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

Remember the goals you set for yourself? (if you have not set goals yet, you are way off the back)
Remember what your top priority is?

Now is the time to keep these two things in mind-goals and priorities. It's easy to get caught up in the racing, the riding, and the general bike riding dorky-ness that is March.

Some people come out of the winter "flying", while others emerge slowly from the winter only to "fly" later in mid summer.

What are your goals? When are you hoping to race and ride at your strongest? Keep that in mind as you are either racing, riding or still taking your skis out to "shred the gnar".

More ways to follow!!

2010-03-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

ALP Cycles Coaching has moved into the 2010's. Follow us on Twitter!
@alpcycles

Webpage too (though it just links to this blog)!
halfwheel.com

Ride hard!

Race time in Colorado!

2010-03-13T20:47:00.001-08:00

After a winter of training, it's time to be put to the test. That's just what Coach Alison did on Saturday.

Athlete Kimberly came to the race to not only provide moral support, but to learn about the racing and about the girls who race in Colorado (she is a new Colorado resident).
In less than one month time, she too will be racing and talking race tactics/results.

Race time!

2010-03-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

March...tis the season. For many of us, March signals the start of the race season.
Many feelings arise when we think ahead to our first race of the season.
Nerves, excitement, anxiety, fun, and mostly, "how will I do"? "Will I be good enough?"

The first races of the season are here and though many of you may not feel you are ready for them it's important to race. Enter the race, do the best you can, and most importantly, learn from the race. What did you do well? What could you improve one? What were your strengths? And what were your weaknesses?

After the race, re-evaluate your training plan. Plan to work on and train what challenged you most in the race. Maybe the length of the race proved too hard on your legs and lungs, or the multiple hard efforts left you gasping and unable to recover.

Train your weaknesses so you can improve for the next race.

Alabama Cycling Camp

2010-02-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

Holy cow... I'm tired (and you know it was a good if the coach got tired).
What does-
7 days, 410 miles, 23 hrs of riding, and 20 great people add up to?
Alabama Cycling Camp 2010.

WOW was it fun.Some of the group serving Breakfast

Athlete Renee invited me to come to her Alabama Cycling Camp as the Guest Coach. I had never been to Alabama before and I must admit when I heard of Alabama as a destination spot for riding a bike, I was skeptical. But now, I can't wait to come back.
The riding here is AMAZING. There is very little traffic and the roads and terrain are never dull.
Add in the fact that I had someone cooking and cleaning for me, and the result is an A+ cycling experience.

Coach Alison and "The Woman Who Makes it All Happen", Renee, at the Pecan Factory.

Some of the Women posing for a pre ride photo.

I got to meet, to ride and to share my cycling knowledge/experience with 19 other people I had never met before but now with whom I can't wait to see again. Post ride lunch

For anyone wanting to improve their riding skills/knowledge/fitness, I highly suggest coming to this camp (there are still spots open for March camps). Renee and her staff take care of all the cooking, cleaning, ride leading, etc. All you have to do is be ready to ride your bike and to hang out and enjoy the company of others who have a passion for bike riding.

More tools in the shed

2010-02-23T15:09:00.001-08:00

As an athlete and as a coach, you can never have too many tools in your shed.

Thanks to my Gramps and to Champion System clothing, I got to add more tools to my shed.

After a trip to the A2 wind tunnel in Charlotte, North Carolina, not only have I gotten more tools, I have sharpened my old tools.

While at the A2 tunnel, I had a chance to fine tune my time trail position, and to continue to learn about aerodynamics and going fast. It was great!
Now, I feel I am really able to help my athletes get into the most aerodynamic and efficient position possible for them. The more tools: the better the coach.

Check up

2010-02-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

How is your training going? Do you feel strong and ready or behind and panicked?

Now is the time of year to check in with yourself. Be honest. How has training been going? Do you know what you are training for (i.e. have you set your goals for the season?)?

Have you been able to dial in your training nutrition?
Are you able to balance "everyday life" in order to take care of yourself?

Take time to "check up and check in" with yourself. This should be done several times a year so you are able to keep positive moving progress.

Your coach is a great person to help you with your check up. Ask for advice and guidance (that's why you have hired him or her).

Become a fan!

2010-02-04T14:47:00.001-08:00

AND...ALP Cycles Coaching is live on Facebook.

The fan page is up and full of great information and pictures. Check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ALP-Cycles-Coaching/302499859121?ref=nf

Mixing it up

2010-02-04T08:10:00.001-08:00

As an athlete and as a coach, being imersed in cycling at all times can get a little stale.
So, I like to mix it up. And, I encourage my athletes to do the same too.

Athlete Mina and I had a great time at Eldora last night racing in the weekly Night Hawks series.

At just 12 years old, she is a true athletic talent.

Variety-the spice of training

2010-01-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

Variety, they say, is the spice of life.

Variety, is also the spice to your winter time training plan. Not only do you vary your workouts and ride efforts, but you should vary your actual modes of exercise.

Cross training (i.e. variety) provides your body and, most importantly, your mind new and challenging ways to get better. Variety creates adversity your body and mind are not used to. Both adapt and get stronger and when it's time to ride your bike, you will be better for it.

Coach Alison's favorite ways to add spice to her winter training plan include, Nordic skiing, dog walks, Pilates and wood splitting, piling and moving. All prepare her with recovery both mentally (most important), and physically and when it's time to ride her bike, she goes at it with 100% inspiration.

What's your favorite winter spice?

Getting the numbers

2010-01-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

Coach Alison had a chance to go to Boulder Center for Sports Medicine for some fitness testing.

Being a bit of a workout masochist, Coach Alison kind of likes the testing. It brings out the best in her as she wants to do her personal best to get the best data possible. She gets to learn a lot about her body and how her training is coming along.

The tests included a Lactate Profile, VO2 max, and Windgate to determine peak power for 30 seconds.
The Lactate Profile test gradually ups the watts every 3 minutes until you can no longer pedal anymore. After each three minutes, you have to provide a small blood sample to determine what your blood lactate is (i.e. finger prick).
The VO2 max tests determines how efficient your body is a using oxygen. Again, you pedal as long as possible as the watts are slowly added.

After the testing, Coach Alison learned that though she has a decent base of fitness, she has some work cut out for her (ie training) for next season.

This testing was very motivating and a great workout during a cold, snowy day here in Colorado.

National Champion!

2009-12-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

Athlete Mina raced at CX Nationals in Bend, Oregon. After the great training she had put in over the past few months, she was confident she could win.
Her hard work paid off. Mina raced a near perfect race and got the "W". Her second National Championship.
Congratulations!

Do you have a plan?

2009-12-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

"Fail to plan and you plan to fail". This saying has more importance than you realize.

In order to be successful at anything in life, especially sports, you must plan for it. Amongst other things, you must plan out your race schedule, your training schedule, and your training times. Then you must plan on the best way to make everything happen. "Winging it" only works for so long. The best athletes are the ones who have planned their success.

What's the first step in this planning process? Goal setting. You must set realistic yet challenging goals to keep you motivated and on track.

An example of a goal would be -
Eat healthy

That's a great goal, but how do you eat healthy? What are the steps to eating healthy and how do you know if you are doing it?

You must break your goals down into more goals and tasks. If your goal can be broken down, you are not finished making it.

In order to eat healthy, you must know what eating healthy means. A better goal would be-
I plan on buying more fruits and veggies to have on hand at home for snacking. I will stay away from highly processed (packaged, sugar filled) foods and buy more "natural" foods that have not been as processed. When I will always remember to eat a healthy snack (ie banana and milk) after my ride. Etc, etc.

Goals have to be broken down, and down, until all you have to do is follow the steps.
Plan to succeed.

Fix yourself now, so you can ride strong in 2010!

2009-11-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

After a season of riding, racing, traveling in the van, car, and airplane your body is probably a bit out of whack. Sitting on the saddle followed by sitting in the car followed by sitting/laying on the couch can start to create muscle imbalances in your body. Now is the time to "fine tune" your body.

You may have muscle imbalances, flexibility imbalances (or both), pedal stroke imbalances, or mental training imbalances. If you have one imbalance, there is a good chance you have another one too.

Fix those imbalances so you can ride stronger in 2010.

Good "fixing" exercises include-
-Pilates (my favorite!)
-Yoga
-Massage
-Single leg pedaling
-Stretching
-REST
-Walking

1-1

2009-11-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

What does better fitness combined with more confident skills bring you?
Wins!
Such was the case for Athlete Mina over the wet, snowy, muddy weekend of CX racing here in Colorado.

Keep up the good work!

More Skills

2009-11-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Cyclocross is all about skills. If you've got them, you can get away with sub-par fitness. If you don't have the skills, you better have great fitness to get you through the entire race of using your energy to get through the technical sections.

However, if you've got both, you're golden.

11 year old Mina tuning in her CX skills before school.

Continue to work skills in with your training and recovery plan during the week. Every new skill will help you become a more confident rider and thus a faster rider too.

The bike change

2009-11-04T08:25:00.001-08:00

Cyclocross is known for it's consistency to provide the racer with varying conditions. In turn, the racer needs to have a wide range of skills in their back pocket to handle the different courses, conditions and competition.

One of such CX skills needed is the ability to have both and "pit bike" and a "pit person". In extremely muddy races the ability to change bikes throughout the race is extremely necessary. The more mud that cakes on your bike will make it increasingly harder and harder to ride. The bike gets heavier, the tires get caked with mud and don't provide traction, and the drivetrain can get jammed and stop working or break.

However, if the racer is able to get a clean bike every few laps, they will be at a huge advantage. I clean bike can make the conditions seem not so bad, allowing the racer to go faster.

But there's a catch; in order to get a clean bike every few laps, the dirty bike must get cleaned. That's where the pit person comes in. The pit person is just as busy as the racer. He/she has less than 5 minutes to get the old bike, clean the old bike and hand it off to the racer before starting the process all over again with the original bike.

The bike change should be practiced and perfected before being used in an important race because if it is muddy and you have both a pit bike and a pit person, you should use them! It will help you.

Sand in your pedals

2009-10-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Athlete Renee braved the snowstorm and went out and raced at the Boulder Reservoir. She and Coach Alison learned all about riding/running in the sand.

Both women's pedals got gunked up by the sand and they either couldn't clip out (Alison) or couldn't clip in (Renee). The solution? Loosen pedals and spray some lube in there. They may be too loose for other conditions, but with the sand/mud they will work perfectly. Just make sure to tighten the next time you ride.

Make your own!

2009-10-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Barriers...the roadies demise.
How to do you learn to like the barriers? By being good at them!
How do you get to "be good at them"?
Practice!

"But where do I practice barriers" you may be asking. The simple answer is... at home! Make your own barriers! Use what you have at home or what's close to home. That's the great thing about Cross riding; it can be done anywhere!

No excuses!

Cross skills...Learn them!!

2009-10-08T07:17:00.001-07:00

Cross racing requires the rider to have skills. These skills include but are not limited to, bike handling, cornering, shouldering the bike, mounts, dismounts, etc.

However, if you don't know what you are doing wrong or how to improve how do you get better? You find someone who does know what their doing and have them teach you.

Athlete Renee joined the Sports Garage Cross practice and got more than she had hoped for.

She learned form the "Pros" how to ride 180's AND pass someone.

She also learned her bike fit wasn't ideal for Cross. The Pros helped her with that too.

She left the practice feeling more confident and excited for next week.

Do you want to learn too?
Join us at Sports Garage in Boulder Tuesday mornings at 7:30am.
See you there!

Skillz vs. Fitness

2009-10-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Question- What's more important in a cross race- good skills or good anaerobic fitness?

Answer- Both!

Reason- good, even great fitness will only get you so far in a cross race. If you are not good at cornering at high speed or riding through mud, roots and sand you will not reap the rewards of your hard training. In order to succeed at Cyclocross you have to be efficient at getting on and getting off your bike, and know how to ride through the technical sections without wasting a lot of energy.

However, it doesn't matter how smooth you are through the technical sections of the course if you can not sustain anaerobic power for 40+ minutes. You must train your body to be able to go hard, recover, go hard, go harder and sustain that power for the rest of the race. If not, after 25 minutes of racing you will explode and the rest of your race will be extremely painful due to your body not being able to clear the lactic acid.

Remedy- One to two days a week, work solely on your skills. Cornering, mounts, dismounts and being smooth and comfortable while doing it.
On another 1-2 days a week, work on your power at threshold WITH accelerations and recovery. Then come race day, you will reap the rewards of all aspects of cross "fitness".

Pay attention to the warning signs

2009-10-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Your body, just like anything else, has ways to communicate. Learn to listen to the warning signs before it gets too late.

For example-
Warning sign #1 - after a short ride a saddle sore shows up.
#2- start to feel crooked on bike.
#3- crash in CX race then sit in the car for 12 hours.
#4- power to the pedals just doesn't feel there. Still feel crooked on the bike.
#5- left knee starts to hurt.

I knew after warning sign #1, I should have gone to the Chiropractor, but I was/still am cheep. So, I ignored my body's signs that things were not right. It took until my left knee hurt to walk and still hurt while riding.

Today, I went to the Chiropractor and half of my lower body muscles were "shut off". I was crooked, weak, and sore. I have learned (again) my lesson. I will listen to my body and what it has to say.

To ride or not to ride...that is the question

2009-10-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

October 1st. The weather outside is cold (30 degrees), and windy. Motivation to ride is only meager. Maybe one should ride the trainer and/or rollers?

Question- What to do? Ride or not ride?
Answer- It depends on your goals. Are you a roadie who's season just ended and your next race is March 2010? Are you full on in the Cyclecross season? Or are you just wanting exercise to burn off the margaritas and fajitas from last night you are feeling guilty about?

Reader Digest Answers-
Roadie- stay on the couch. October is the one month you can rest guilt free. You should NOT be riding. Training starts Nov. 1st.
CX racer- Get out and ride! Cross season is a fall winter sport. Suck it up, put on your hat, gloves, tights and get your workout done.
Guilty eater and drinker- if it makes you feel better then ride! There will be others out there riding to keep you company. The more you ride, the more you can eat and drink!! :)