Mid-Week Report: The Latest News, Products and Events
Welcome to the May 1st, Mid-Week Report!
Welcome to the May 1st, Mid-Week Report!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Our new @TeamINEOS look, debuting at the Tour de Yorkshire pic.twitter.com/bvSdCYduKH
— Team INEOS (@TeamINEOS) May 1, 2019
Team Sky no longer… Team Ineos revealed their 2019 team colors ahead of the Tour de Yorkshire today. The burgundy and black will be on the backs of the former black and blue Team Sky members for the remainder of the season.
VIDEO: THANK YOU SKY
WORKOUT WEDNESDAY: OVERTRAINING WARNING SIGNS AND HOW TO FIX IT
Cyclists and other endurance athletes are a stoic bunch. Unfortunately, your ability and willingness to absorb hours of training, strenuous workouts, and the fatigue that comes with them can make endurance athletes less likely to recognize (and slower to accept) the signs of overtraining. Here’s what you need to look for and what to do about it.
Terminology
Sports scientists and coaches have varying ways to refer to what most athletes call ‘overtraining’. Some call it ‘overtraining syndrome’, which is a good because it recognizes that the causes of overtraining are multifactorial.
Some refer to it as “under recovery” to highlight that it is an imbalance between training stress and recovery. You don’t have to be training excessively to suffer the effects of overtraining. For Time-Crunched Athletes it can be difficult to accumulate an excessive amount of workload, but busy lifestyles, high-stress jobs, and poor nutrition can hinder recovery to the point they show signs of overtraining.
For the purposes of this article I’m using the term ‘overtraining’ because it’s what most athletes recognize.
Who Suffers from Overtraining?
Overtraining is not just a problem for highly-trained athletes or athletes who train 20 hours a week. The imbalance between stress and recovery can happen to athletes of any fitness or training level. The less fit you are as an athlete – either because you’re new to the sport or you’re training level is low – the lower your threshold for reaching an overtrained state. You have less capacity to absorb the physical demands, so the dysfunction happens sooner.
A rapid increase in training workload is a frequent cause of overtraining for novices or people who are starting with less fitness. Experienced athletes can also trigger overtraining symptoms by doing too much too soon. This often happens in the spring when warm weather, longer days, and event goals boost enthusiasm and commitment.
Athletes who are accustomed to a high training workload have a higher threshold to reach before suffering the effects of overtraining. Experienced or very fit athletes more often get into an overtraining situation because of prolonged period of training with insufficient rest and/or disruptions in their recovery habits (lifestyle/job stress, dietary changes, disrupted sleep, etc.)
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH SHIMANO DI2 CRASH MODE
It seems to be a bit of a hidden feature for most cyclists that even some bike shops forget. Shimano’s Di2 electronic drivetrain has a protection mode that it defaults to when it thinks there has been a crash. I say “thinks,” because I have had multiple instances where it just got bumped and went into protection/crash mode. I have also had countless real crashes where it didn’t go into protection mode at all.
What is really happening is, the Di2 derailleur motor disconnects from the cage in an effort to minimize damage. This leaves the derailleur in a state of no response when trying to cycle through the gears. This is easily remedied with a long hold (five seconds or more until you get a blinking red light) of the button on the junction box. Make sure the bike is in a stand or in a position for you to rotate the drivetrain. Also make sure that before you attempt this that the derailleur hanger isn’t damaged or bent. The red light on the junction box will blink, and then the system will attempt to shift through all the gears, so be prepared to spin the pedals so it doesn’t bind.
RECAP AND RESULTS: LIEGE-BASTOGNE-LIEGE
Denmark’s Jakob Fuglsang ended a run of near-misses by clinching cycling’s final spring one-day classic at Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday, with a win or bust 20 kilometer solo break.
After finishing runner-up three times at the Fleche Wallonne and third in the Amstel Gold Race this month, Astana’s Fuglsang completed the 256 kilometer course in 6 hours 37 minutes and 37 seconds, well clear of Davide Formolo and Maximilian Schachmann in second and third.
“It’s an amazing feeling and a great way to finish off these three classics,” he said after soloing from the summit of the final climb.
“I don’t know why it took me so long, maybe I had to grow up,” said the 34-year-old.
He also revealed that pre-race favorite Julian Alaphilippe, who he finished behind on both his previous two races, had wished him luck when he himself had run out of steam.
“I looked at Alaphilippe to see if he had the legs, and he said to me ‘I hope you win’, so I knew he was running on empty,” Fuglsang revealed.
He then decided to go all in when EF’s Canadian leader Michael Woods, third here last year, attacked from a small group on the final climb.
“When Woods went I knew it was the right moment,” he said. “Now you have to die, now you have to go for it.”
When asked his feelings on Fuglsang’s win-or-die attitude, runner-up Formolo raised a smile.
“For me, it was mainly dying,” said the Italian.
“I was just missing a few meters to stay with Jakob, but that’s cycling.”
But Fuglsang, a former mountain bike champion, had a brush with disaster just 5km from home after sliding on white markings on the rain-slick road.
It gave me the adrenaline rush I needed to get to the line,” Fuglsang said.
FIRST RIDE: WAHOO ROAM
Wahoo just released their latest flagship cycling computer, the Elemnt Roam. It has the same size 2.7” display as the original Elemnt but it has received some major improvements. Wahoo has moved the display panel closer to the scratch resistant display panel. There is now a satin finish that reduces glare too. The new display now adds color. All of these small but impactful changes enhance the experience of the new smart navigation features that can automatically route you back onto a planned route when you go off course, create a new route on the fly, or help you find the fastest way home.
One of the things we love most about the larger screen is the fact that you can run up to eleven data fields. Then with the right side buttons you can zoom in or out. This will allow you to display less fields but they will increase in size. When setting up each page make sure you prioritize the fields you rely on most at the top because as you zoom the ones lowest on the list will be hidden.
Wahoo implements small hints of color to enhance the overall experience. The new navigation features are easy to use and makes for easy navigation in areas you are not familiar with. We took advantage of the “navigation to start” for a route that someone had supplied us while we were traveling. The only problem we have experienced with the navigation is roundabouts. While they are rare in the States they are very common in Europe and on all three occasions that we had to navigate one we were misled.
One of the things that we are most excited about on the Roam is the ability to have up to six data fields on the maps screen. This way for races like Dirty Kanza we don’t have to switch back and forth between pages. While six leaves the map small we found that four was ideal for us. You can also show the elevation profile on this page if needed but that really starts to minimize the usefulness of the map.
The new Roam maintains the dual quick look LEDs that run along the top and left side. The top bar of LEDs is for notifications and navigation while the left bar can be programmed to display speed, power zones or heart rate zones. We really like this aspect of the computer for a quick glance to see what zone we are in but they can be hard to see in direct sunlight. The left LEDs can also be quickly changed on the head unit or you can also resort to the app as well.
100% RELEASES S3 SUNGLASSES
The S3 sport performance sunglass joins 100%’s extensive line of elite eyewear, complementing results-driven frames and lenses developed in conjunction with famed 3x Road World Champion Peter Sagan. The S3 sunglass is aimed at discerning cyclists; those demanding results and unwilling to be held back with subpar — for riders giving it 100%.
“The S3 combines two of my favorite 100% glasses,” explained Peter Sagan. “It [S3] takes the aggressive intake vents from the Speedcraft and the subtle frame from the S2. You get a sunglass that’s both understated and powerful, a winning combo.”
First Ride
First impressions are good. We normally aren’t a fan of the big glasses trend but these are light and sit well on our face. The large lenses offer ample coverage and the frames are out of sight. They fit easily into most helmet vents. Temperatures here in SoCal are starting to heat up so we will see how they fair, but if there is one upside to wearing such large lenses it’s that you need less sunscreen.
BELGIAN WAFFLE RIDE MAY 5th
On May 5th, the most unique cycling event in the country is back for it’s 9th addition, The Belgium Waffle Ride. Featuring dirt, gravel and rocky sections over 217km and 13,000ft of climbing, the BWR is sure to give you a taste of the great one-day spring classics of Belgium.
www.belgianwaffleride.bike/pages/register
TRUCKEE DIRT FONDO JUNE 8th
The race will consist of three enhanced routes compared with the inaugural event, taking participants as high as 8,006 feet above sea level over Sardine Peak inside Tahoe National Forest. The course is best suited for mixed-terrain, cyclocross, or mountain bikes. Each participant will be encouraged to select a bike that best suits their style of riding, but the courses will all favor the cyclocross format.
The post-race festival will feature loads of family-oriented activities, food trucks, live music and beer provided by FiftyFifty Brewing Company. Immediately following the start of the main race on Saturday, the event will feature a fun, non-competitive, fully supported family ride along the Legacy trail system and through the Truckee Bike Park.
“The Truckee Dirt Fondo is going to be recognized as a staple that pins Truckee to the consciousness of anyone who owns a gravel bike.” – Carlos Perez, Event Director.
King Ridge Foundation, founded by ex-professional cyclist (and Truckee resident) Levi Leipheimer, in close partnership with Bike Monkey will produce a fundraising gala in association with the event in a showing of support for Adventure Risk Challenge, a California 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves at-risk youth.
GRAN FONDO HINCAPIE SERIES 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
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]
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