Mid-Week Report: The Latest News, Products and Events
Race the Volta, recap the Classics and roundtable with Jens
As we are preparing for NAHBS 2019 in Sacramento, we’re practicing our French for the next Euro trip, and the Spring Classics are here! Welcome to the March 6th Mid-Week Report!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Classics season is here! Omloop Het Nieuwsblad started off the Spring Classics with a win going to Zdenek Stybar and the Quick Step squad. The following day at KBK Bob Jungels looked to dominate the weekend for the wolf pack.
WORLDTOUR WRAP-UP KUURNE-BRUSSELS-KUURNE
WORKOUT WEDNESDAY: WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK DURING ANY RIDE
Your nutrition strategy can only work if you are well hydrated. It doesn’t matter what you eat or how much; if you are dehydrated that energy will either make it to working muscles more slowly or stay in your gut long enough to lead to nausea. Dehydration slows gastric emptying and slows gut motility. At first the detriment is small, but it gets worse the more dehydrated you become.
Carbohydrate fuels high intensity
There is a time and place for training with low carbohydrate stores, but when it’s time to go hard in interval workouts or competitions, those high-intensity efforts are fueled by carbohydrate. If you don’t have carbohydrate available, your power output, ability to repeat hard efforts, and likelihood of success all go down. Cycling is an intermittent-intensity sport, meaning there are periods when of low- to-moderate intensity that are primarily fueled by fat, but there critical moments of group rides or competitions are higher intensity efforts that require carbohydrate. Similarly, the interval workouts that build the fitness that makes those high-power efforts possible are fueled by carbohydrate.
What you eat during rides is therefore affected by not only the length of the ride, but potentially by intensity demands as well.
Eat carbohydrate, just not too much
The standard sports nutrition recommendation of 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour of aerobic exercise is based on the fact most people can only absorb about 1 gram of carbohydrate per minute. That doesn’t mean you always need to consume as much as you can possibly absorb. You only need to aim for the high end of the range – or train your gut to absorb up to 90 grams/hr – when your rides are long enough and/or strenuous enough to deplete carbohydrate stores.
I find it’s better to gauge carbohydrate intake by a rider’s hourly kilojoule output. If you’re riding with a power meter I recommend consuming enough carbohydrate calories to replenish 20-30% the kilojoules of work you’re doing per hour. For example, 500 kilojoules/hr is good ballpark for the work done by a medium-sized, moderately-fit male cyclist riding at a sustainable endurance pace. I’d recommend this rider aim for 100-150 calories of carbohydrate (25-37 grams) per hour during rides longer than 90 minutes. If that same rider is racing or in a fast group doing 800 kilojoules of work per hour, then 40-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour may be necessary.
ROUNDTABLE WITH JENS VOIGT
If there’s one thing pro racers are useful for, beyond the in-the-saddle inspiration they provide, it’s the ability to pass on so many tips and inside stories about life as a pro racer. The only unfortunate thing is that many pro racers are unwilling to divulge the insider knowledge they hold, or at the least, lack a certain talent at telling those stories.
None of that is true when it comes to Germany’s Jen Voigt. After a racing career that lasted almost two decades, “Jensie” has become an international phenomenon in his role as a TdF television commentator. Famous too for his “shut-up legs” mantra, Jens is a true jewel from the rough.
Recently, the German star made a guest appearance at a local Trek store (Westlake Cyclery) as he is still an ambassador for the brand that saw him out of his decades old racing career. Here’s some of the back and forth we enjoyed.
EXPERIENCE THE 2019 SEA OTTER CLASSIC VIRTUALLY
Press release:
PREVIEW NAHBS 2019
Okay, so you say you’re a bike geek? A bike lover? A cycling aficionado? Well, if so, don’t say you haven’t been given ample warning. During the second week of March the North American Handmade Bicycle Show will be returning to Northern California for three days only. And this my friends is where you will not only find some of the most beautiful people, but better still, some of the most beautiful bikes in the world.
For over a decade frame builder and show founder Don Walker has hustled his ass around the nation trying to promote the ancient craft of handbuilt bikes. And every year, no matter what the destination of the roving show, he’s been able to outdo himself from the previous year. The Sacramento venue has twice already provided the biggest crowds in the show’s history and this year should be no different.
ZWIFT DROP SHOP OPEN
Press release:
Zwift, the global online training and racing platform for cyclists, has today opened doors to the new Drop Shop, a virtual store that allows Zwifters to purchase new bikes and wheels from the likes of Specialized, Trek, Cervelo and ENVE for their in-game avatars.
Today is payday for all Zwifters! All Zwifters will receive a one time payout of Drops (Zwift’s new in-game credit) based on their current level of experience in the game. Drops have no real world value, and may only be acquired through riding on Zwift – you can’t buy or trade Drops, they must be earned. Drops are awarded based on a combination of miles, feet climbed, and calories burned while riding on Zwift.
RECAP AND RESULTS: OMLOOP HET NIEUWSBLAD
Zdebek Stybar got off his Spring Classics campaign to an impeccable start, winning the 74th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with a perfectly-executed attack from the breakaway group that emerged over the top of the Molenberg and managed to keep the chasers at bay, despite being reduced to just a handful of riders ahead of the feared Muur-Kapelmuur – Bosberg combination, which featured inside the final 20 kilometers.
“Finally it happened and I could finish it off in a cobbled classic! The feeling is really nice, the form is good and the team has confidence in me, which is so important; everything fell into place today and I am so happy with what I achieved, that I can’t put it into words”, said the 33-year-old after capturing his maiden win in a Flemish Classic.
VIDEO: BACK AT THE ROSE BOWL
From “The Historic Rose Bowl Ride”
And so it begins, well, not officially but one week out from the time change a dozen or so collected at the Rose Bowl Ride to start practicing their right turns. Troy Templin David Kennedy
Posted by Road Bike Action on Tuesday, March 5, 2019
VIDEO: UAE TOUR STAGE 2 DATA RECAP
VIDEO: THE CRIT ON OUR FRONT LAWN IS COMING, CBS CHUCK PONTIUS CRITERIUM
RACE THE VOLTA WITH BKOOL
Bkool and the Volta are joining forces to create the first online World Tour in history. Compete against cyclists from all over the world on the same stages that the pros will ride in late March. Join Bkool and compete in the Volta a Catalunya eRace. Click here to sign up: https://premium.bkool.com/en/
GRAN FONDO HINCAPIE SERIES STARTING MARCH 30, 2019
Gran Fondo Hincapie is a series of events that welcomes riders of every skill level for a weekend of riding and celebration of all things cycling. Join current and past professional cyclists, weekend warriors, and first-time riders on routes planned and tested by George Hincapie himself. The Hincapie family currently hosts events in Greenville, South Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Fort Worth, Texas; and Boise, Idaho; with plans for continual expansion to other areas across the United States and the world.
Website: www.hincapie.com/granfondo
FRANK SCHLECK TO ATTEND MALIBU GRAN FONDO MARCH 16, 2019
The Malibu GRANFONDO will once again start and finish at the world renowned and luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in the heart of Westlake Village. The course offers up a balanced mix of rolling farmlands, flat and scenic Southern California Coastline and an epic climb with panoramic vistas atop the Santa Monica Mountains.
Three fully stocked, gourmet rest stops at 31 kilometers, 77 kilometers, and 119 kilometers, with the 10 Speed Coffee Truck on course after the final KOM climb at 134 kilometers.
As part of the Gran Fondo National Series, the CLASSICO course will include two to three timing sections for series points calculation and determination of Malibu GRANFONDO overall winners. The final miles of the GRANFONDO offer participants the added challenge of riding for King and Queen of the Mountain (KOM/QOM) times as they push toward the summit finish.
The clock stops at the top of the mountain so riders can enjoy a neutralized descent back to a post-ride luncheon at the Four Seasons.
Winner of two Tour de France stages and the Amstel Gold Race, five-time National Road Race Champion of Luxembourg, and third-place overall finisher of the 2011 Tour de France, Fränk Schleck will be taking part in a number of events during the Malibu GRANFONDO weekend, including the Challenged Athletes Foundation Reception on Friday night, the Malibu GRANFONDO on Saturday, and the Saturday evening wine reception.
Registration for the ONE-DAY Malibu GRANFONDO (March 16) and the TWO-DAY Complete Experience (March 16-17) will increase on Wednesday, February 27. Registration for both events will close on March 10, and there will be no day-of registration.
Website: www.ridemalibugranfondo.com
MAMMOTH GRAN FONDO REGISTRATION OPEN NOW
The Mammoth Gran Fondo takes riders along the east side of Yosemite and the High Sierra with incredible views of the Sierra Nevada, Mono Lake, and White Mountains. 75% of the Gran Fondo route is closed to through traffic matching the incredible scentery with the appropriate calmness. Other highlights include: free event photos, all three distances timed, Signature Event socks, 6 Feed Zones with Full SAG/Tech Support, After-Party with Food/Beer/Live Music in the Village at Mammoth!
Website: www.mammothgranfondo.com
Is there an awesome event happening closer to you? Send a link to [email protected]
Comments are closed.