EnduroCoach Blog

I sound like a Broken Record

2010-07-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's becoming a regular thing .. Kimani does it again !!
Another win in the Greenbelt road racing series in Virginia. This week Kimani opened the sprint from the front and put three bike lengths between himself and the field by the finish line. Well done once again.

Kimani is dominating his region in road and mtb races. He's a great example of someone whose hard work over an extended period of time is showing great results.
After joining the EnduroCoach stable in 2006 his performances have gone from strength to strength. While balancing a busy job, two young children and a busy family life he still manages to fit in quality training and is being rewarded with some great results.

USA Cycling Recognition

2010-07-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Great news from USA Cycling today. I've once again been recognized as a 'coach with distinction' by our governing body.
As a result of my continued commitment to furthering my coaching education and knowledge of the sport.

"Coaches who have achieved the *D designation have maintained their coaching license by achieving 4 (or more) continuing education credits over the previous 2 year period. These coaches have demonstrated a dedication to continuing their education and their professionalism by completing this requirement. The goal is to recognize those coaches who have maintain the coaching license with continuing education."

Thanks to all my clients for pushing me to help improve their performance. I wouldn't be doing this without your support.

Things I Noticed in Le Tour

2010-07-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Le Tour is over for another year and what a great tour it was. A fantastic battle between two equally matched riders.
It was interesting to see that pro's still make bad gear changes and drop their chain. Schleck admitted he made a mistake with chain cross-over and it may have cost him the tour. That and the fact that he rode like a club cyclist in the prologue.

I noticed a lot more riders running positive stems in the peloton this year. I think they may have finally started to figure out that looking pro can actually have a negative effect on your performance.
Also I saw a large number of traditional bend handlebars and compact bars being used. Comfort = Performance when all other things are equal.

And even though Alberto did win the tour in last time trail just imagine how much faster he could have gone is he wasn't flopping around like a fish in his TT position. Every four strokes he had to push himself back in the saddle. That would suggest to me that his position was a little too long.

Winner, Winner, Chicken diner

2010-07-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

When you're on a roll, you're on a roll. He does it again!
Another great MTB win for Kimani. I feel an upgrade coming on.
Congratulations again on another great performance.
Kimani is proof that consistent work pays dividends.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

2010-07-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Things are heating up in Virginia for Kimani. Hot on the heals of a off-road win during a MTB race he took his good form to the road in the Greenbelt Road race series. After taking the final prime with three laps to go he recovered well to win the line honors by over a bike length. Well done Kimani !

Kimani Wins!

2010-07-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

After a solid build in his season Kimani has a break out win in the Hot Cycles MTB series.
Well done K.
Keep up the hard work

Ode to Liberace

2010-05-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Equipment failure is never a good thing. Especially when you're racing. It can put paid to months of training with a simple puncture or a gear cable breaking. These are things we don't want to happen but sometimes they do.
Having your seat post snap is a whole different thing. No one expects their seat post to just break off! especially not on a road bike.
So there I was on the back end of a 70 mile ride when I heard a noise and I felt my saddle move to one side. My first thought was that the carbon rail on my saddle had broken. In an effort to make saddles light they certainly are pushing the envelope on rail construction. So I reached under me as I kept riding to feel what had happened. That's when the whole saddle went sideways and came off in my hand. Luckily my skills are not too bad so I was able to pull to the side of the road and as I stepped off the bike I got a clearer picture of what had transpired.

As you can see the back of the post snapped clean through. Looks like pretty dodgy material and lucky for me it didn't happen miles from home. Riding 10km standing was bad enough. Now I'm not quite at racing weight but I don't think my 160 lbs should have enough leverage to snap this so cleanly. Also the roads around here are very smooth so we can't attribute it to that.

Basically I think I just got a lemon from Cervelo. Granted the bike is 5 years old but still it's less than ideal.

Moral of the story ... regularly inspect your components to ensure you're not moments away from a catastrophic failure.

Come for a Ride Along

2010-04-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Just finished this new video of one of the local mtb trails. Enjoy the ride.

Landmine Loop mountain bike trail from Greg Choat on Vimeo.

The Journey, not the destination

2010-04-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Another day in paradise. There's still snow up high but the skies are clear and the weather is getting warm.
5500ft of climbing and on the last canyon I passed one car in 24 miles. Hard to beat.
Follow the road, it's starts on the right hand side of the pictures and winds it's way up towards the snow capped peak in the distance. Vegas baby!

Sucker for Punishment

2010-04-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Two weeks in a row and I'm going over Spring Mtn pass. As you can see there' still a little snow left up on Potosi. Pretty soon we'll be able to mtn bike to the top.
Spring training is in full force in Vegas. Some of our athletes are already competing and performing well.
We're looking forward to another strong season.

Vegas to Dante's Peak

2010-04-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'm training one of my clients for the Furnace Creek 508, an ultra endurance bike race. As a training ride a group decided to ride form Las Vegas to Dante's View which is the high point over looking Death Valley.

A short 130mile stroll with 8500ft of vertical. Here they are on top of the first peak on the way out of town. 7:30 hrs later they got to the last 1/4 mile of the ride, a 14% grade just to say "thank you for coming".

Well done guys!

Great Start to the Season

2010-03-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Kimani places 5th in the Vint Hill Classic. A great start to his season and he definitely got the attention of the mid-atlantic racing community. Well done!

Ask the Coach Night : April 1st, 6:30pm

2010-03-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Another lecture in our training series at The Bike Shop in Henderson.
April 1st 2010 @ 6:30 - 8:00pm.

This time you get to ask that question about training or racing that has always bugged you.
Email your questions to askthecoach@endurocoach.com by March 26th.
If your question is chosen I'll answer it on the night.

Space is limited to 25 people so R.S.V.P to:
The Bike Shop
2578 Wigwam Parkway
Henderson, NV 89074-6226
(702) 897-1618

PB for Kristin

2010-03-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

A great run by Kristin today at the Tunnel Run. A PB for the 5k. The hard work and speed training is definitely paying off.

Faster Than the Wind

2010-03-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming but I finally got around to promoting out next Wind Tunnel Optimization camp. Check out the video for a peak inside the camp. Book your ticket to speed today!

Garmin 500 Update

2010-02-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

Check out the new update from Garmin. This makes the 500 a serious player in the ANT+ powermeter CPU market.

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4715

Talking the Talk

2009-12-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

Had a great seminar last night at The Bike Shop in Henderson. Terry and Mike put on some food and drinks and I had the opportunity to talk about 3 interesting subjects. Building a Better Base, Crank Length & Breathing techniques.
The turn-out was fantastic and we had some very lively discussion.

The next seminar is set for January 12th @ 6:30pm.

Career Ending Problem

2009-12-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

I'm back in the US. I had to get out of New Zealand because if I ate one more fresh cream & apple donut I'd be spending the rest of my career sitting on the couch watching Oprah ( or her replacement )
It was a great trip. Excellent to spend quality time with family and friends. And the knowledge imparted to me by fit guru Steve Hogg was invaluable.
Back in LV the temps are down and there is snow on the hills but it's still fantastic for training on the bike or the running trails. Las Vegas is one of the worlds best kept secrets.
Look out 2010 here we come.

Santa is Back

2009-12-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Auckland there was one thing you always looked forward to at HanuQuanzMas time. That was seeing the giant santa in Queens St.
After a bit of an absence Santa is back. Apparently he needed a bit of nip-n-tuck work done on his face. And also needed to have his finger 'fixed'.
Back in the day Santa's right index finger used to move and beckon to the children. In these new PC time the moving finger was thought to be too suggestive and creepy. So they had it fixed.
At least he is back. Merry HanuQuanzMas Santa !

Fit the Fitter

2009-12-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

I caught up with the New Zealand Retul connection on my trip. Ironically his studio was right behind where I was living.
Karl 'Stretch' Murray runs his Retul studio and coaching business out of Auckland. Karl's also a top road rider and has won the Tour of New Caledonia and also the prestigious Tour of Southland, which is rated as one of the toughest stage races.
I spent a couple of days hanging out with Karl talking fit theory and had a quick look at his position on his new TT bike. Lets see how he goes in the upcoming Tauranga 1/2 Ironman on Jan 9th.

I Feel Like a Young Jedi Warrior

2009-12-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

Part of my trip down under was to work with, who I believe to be the best bike fit professional in the business. Steve Hogg is known all over the world as the bike fitter who can solve any problem. His commentary on CyclingNews is widely read.
He was gracious to invite me to visit his studio to discuss some new Jedi mind tricks. If all goes well I'll be working with some new bike fit process in the near future based on a large amount of research and a patent pending that Steve has.
The three days with Steve were fantastic. not only is he a top notch fitter he is a top bloke as well.

How Did We Do It

2009-11-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

Down here in Auckland visiting all my friends and old haunts. I've also taken the opportunity to drag a few things out of storage. Getting rid of stuff can be very therapeutic.
While going through my possessions I found a jacket from an cycling tour we rode back in the day.
It was called the Rothmans Cycle Classic. Rothmans was actually a tobacco brand and the number one selling cigarette in New Zealand. I can't think of a worse mix, cycling and smoking ( unless you're Austrian, and that's a story for another time ).
Now in these hard times of finding sponsors perhaps we should rethink things ;-)

Coffee

2009-11-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

Landed in Auckland yesterday. I've come down under to visit some family and also do some bike fit work in Sydney.
But first order of the day was to find some good coffee. Auckland is known for it's cafes. Coffee is an art form here. I think the reason they drink so much is it always looks so good.

Just Some Guy

2009-10-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

The summit is over and my head is spinning with new ideas and information about training.
Today was another interesting day. It was all about practical experience with altitude training models.
Bob Bowman, the coach of Michael Phelps and numerous other Olympian's shared his philosophy. We also heard from Deena Kastor and her coach Terrance Mahon.
The interesting thing about both these coaches is they have no formal exercise physiology background. As they say they are 'Just Some Guy' who seems to know what works and are able to produce world class athletes.
Another interesting point that has been stressed all week is how important nutrition and rest are. If you don't get these two components of your training right all the hard work you're doing might not be doing you as much good as it should. Both coaches and scientists stressed how important nutrient dense foods are. Deena Kastor said that when she is training for a marathon she needs to get a lot of rest to allow her to recover properly. She sleeps 12 hours a day!
As I always say to my athletes .... we don't get better from the training, we getting better from the recovery.

Forget What You Know

2009-10-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Another fantastic day at the Altitude Symposium. There were a number of outstanding presentations dealing with the scientific side of altitude. A very interesting discussion point to come out of the presentations is that hematocrit and oxygen binding may not be the only thing that is making a difference when training at altitude. Scientists are identifying a number of other markers that may influence performance in athletes.
Once again what we thought we knew we may not really know at all.
The afternoon was devoted to practical application of altitude training and we examined three models. The Canadian, New Zealand & Kenyan altitude training modalities. There were many similarities and many things that differed wildly.
The take home was that like most things altitude training response is different for everyone and you must provide individualized training that accounts for athletes characteristics and responses.
More fun stuff tomorrow ......

Getting High

2009-10-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

On the road again. This time in Colorado Springs, CO. I'm here for the International Altitude training Symposium. There are some serious big hitters speaker here and I'm looking forward to getting the low down on getting high.

Watch out for our up coming Altitude training camp this off season.

Blown Away

2009-10-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

We've wrapped up another successful Rider Optimization Camp. 8 athletes, 10 bikes fits, 12+ hours of tunnel time and more experience with what actually makes you faster.
Every rider that has been through our Optimization camp previously has shown huge gains in performance. This time we even had three riders who came back for more because they were so impressed with their results.
Watch this space for an announcement of the date for our next camp.

Everything is Faster at the Wind Tunnel

2009-10-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

We spend a lot of time making our athletes faster. Peter and I are always looking for the small things to squeeze out every little bit of speed.

We've even found a way to make our morning meetings faster!

Heading South

2009-10-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

On my way to North Carolina for our wind tunnel camp. I've packed up the tools and I'm catching a flight to Charlotte tonight.
I'm looking forward to making some people fast!

Well Positioned

2009-09-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Some great results out of the Mt Charleston Hill climb here in LV. Recognised as one of the top 5 climbs in America, this 17.5 mile, 5357 vert ft hill climb really puts you to the test.
With riders coming from all over the US the competition was fierce. Kelly Benefits rider Neil Shirley took first in the Pro, 1/2. Close behind him in 4th place was local rider Jeremy Thatcher just edge out of 3rd place by Tinker Jaurez.
Jeremy had recently been to see us for a new bike fit and tells me he's never felt so good on a bike. Great result! Well done Jeremy.

The Morning After

2008-12-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

Waking up to a wonderful sunrise on the beach or fresh snow on the mountains are two of life's special moments.
This morning from our upstairs lounge window was this wonderful scene.
What did it look like outside your window this morning ???????

Also check out the scene 10 mins up the road just past Blue Diamond.
http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=13893

Parental Advisory

2008-12-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

What started as a quiet night at the neighbours only got better. After hanging Xmas lights and a few adult brown beverages, then a bottle of wine or so. Jimmy decided it was a good idea to take the Rino out for a spin. 40 mph across uneven desert landscape with no moon is close to the most fun you can have with your clothes on. The video is a little jumpy and it's not One Night in Paris but to be honest I think this was more satisfying.

We're Not in Southern California

2008-11-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

ThanksGiving and it's time to get some exercise before we devour the Turkey. Beth, Carrie and I went for a hike up Icebox Canyon. It was the first time any of us had been on this trail.

The best part was we had had 2 days of record rain in LV (0.29 inches !) so it was cool, the clouds were down and their were small waterfalls running off the canyon walls.

Starting at 4000ft you only gain 800 ft vert but the trail is all rock hopping and scrambling. It boxes out at the top below a 7000ft peak but the views and the terrain were well worth it.

Hurling

2008-11-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

Another mid week ride in paradise. Winter is approaching and the weather is still warm with clear blue skies. I took a trip up one of the canyons to a trail called The Hurl. It runs across the top of a mesa overlooking Red Rock highway. The terrain is all rock so one mistake on this trail and it's a sure trip to the ER. But the view is well worth the risk.

I think this guy recognized me from the other night. He saw me riding across the desert and just walked right up to me. "Didn't we meet last week at the Goldstein Bar Mitzvah"

Stop Looking at my Ass

2008-11-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Always the outgoing one Beth made friends with some of our new neighbors. A young family of 15-20 who live just up the road. They enjoy the outdoors, rolling in the dirt and crapping just about anywhere they like.