Training at Altitude

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

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

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

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

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

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

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