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Archives for June 2010

Hill Repeats

06.10.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

As you probably know if you’ve read this blog for a bit, I’m not one for really intense workouts. But I did one the other day.

Not far from my house is Convict Hill. (Convict labor quarried limestone on the hillside that was used to build the Texas State capitol in the 19th century.) Convict Hill Road runs up the hill, and it’s an okay climb, but most anyone can handle it. However, if you take the back way up, via Kenosha Pass, there’s a good climb followed by a tougher climb. Neither is very long, but I’m usually gasping for breath when I get to the top.

From there, you can recover for a few blocks, but Breezy Pass features another intermediate climb up to Convict Hill Road.

In another block, I turn right down La Concha for a fast downhill. But right away I have to climb up Poncha Pass back to Convict Hill — and that’s a steep one. In fact, some guys I know just do repeats of Poncha — each time shifting up one cog until they’ve gone through the whole cassette.

My favorite part of the route is a long sweeping downhill on Convict Hill Road. But at the bottom, I turn left, and do it again.

I did this little exercise three times, then headed for some flat streets, which I ran at time trial pace. It made for an intense 18 miles — until I got a flat. But that’s another story.

Two days later, I still feel soreness in my calves. They’ll just have to get used to it. I’ll be back to do this one again.

Now, I know Austin is loaded with REAL hills.  I’ve been on a number of them. But it gets boring to have to get off the bike and walk halfway up, and it really takes a toll on your cleats. I’ll go back and try some of those hills again — after I get the hang of doing this little diversion.

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Categories // training Tags // hills, training

Handling Humidity

06.08.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 11 Comments

Texas — and much of the rest of country, from what I’ve been seeing online – is going through a patch of very humid weather. I really felt its effects on last weekend’s club ride. I was drenched in sweat and had trouble keeping up my pace. Others had it even worse. Our ride leader blamed himself for not drinking enough, and was hit with cramps in both legs that nearly knocked him off the bike.

Most people I talk to about the humidity complain more about being uncomfortable than anything else. One Bike Noob reader wondered if it’s even possible to beat humidity.

The problem with high humidity is that it inhibits the body’s ability to cool itself. That’s because the saturated air doesn’t allow water to evaporate. You sweat more, but it just stays on your skin. You’re still losing water and salt, so dehydration becomes a greater risk. Therefore, a lot of the advice about dealing with humid weather is much the same as advice about dealing with hot weather. Mainly: stay hydrated.

Cycling coach Diane Stibbard reminds you to drink before the ride, even starting the night before. Take 16 ounces of liquid before you go to bed. Drink another 16-24 ounces in the morning before you head out. You might want to include some kind of electrolyte in this pre-ride drink.

During the ride, you should be drinking every 15-20 minutes.  Your water bottles probably hold 12-16 ounces, and Stibbard says you should try to drink 16-24 ounces the first hour of the ride. That would empty both bottles in the first hour.

After the first hour, add sports drink. Some folks say it might even be a good idea to add a pinch of salt to your sports drink. For one thing, it would eliminate the sometimes cloyingly sweet taste. But maybe a salty snack might be even better. Pretzels have both carbs and salt. Salting your food the day before the ride might help, too.  But you should know whether your body can tolerate sodium.

Other ideas, in no particular order and of varying value – you decide:

Wear a helmet with lots of vents. I can feel the difference in my recently-acquired Bell Sweep helmet with its big vents, but on humid days, I sweat just as much as with the old helmet.

Wear a jersey with mesh inserts.

Fill your water bottles halfway the night before, and freeze them.

Use a Camelbak or similar hydration system instead of water bottles for its greater volume.

If the humidity is greater than 50 percent, take along an extra bottle. Stick it in one of your jersey pockets.

Go early in the morning. A friend and I hit the road by 7 a.m. for our Saturday ride. Caveat: mornings can be cooler, but also more humid, so you still might not evaporate sweat and might still have to deal with problems caused by dehydration.

After the ride, remember to continue replacing the fluids you lost. Coach Stibbard recommends another 16-24 ounces in the first hour.

So, you might not be able to  “beat” humidity. But if you take the right precautions, I think it’s possible to keep it from beating you.

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Categories // Heat Tags // heat, humidity

How to Drink From a Water Bottle

06.06.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 10 Comments

Boy, today’s ride was uncomfortably humid. Not terribly hot, just humid. The kind of day where you start sweating when you open the door and step outside. The kind of day where your cycling gloves are soaked through before you’ve ridden five miles. And when the group takes a short break, you can take the gloves off and wring them out — and they drip moisture all over the road. Ditto your sweat band.

I found myself reaching for my water bottle more than usual today. That’s a good thing, because I tend to drink too little when I’m on the road. But both of my slightly-larger-than-normal water bottles were almost drained when I finished the 33 miles — about all I felt like doing. I had plenty of trouble keeping the group in sight today.

I also noticed the way other riders took their water. It seems there’s not just one way to drink from a bottle, but three distinctly different ways. I couldn’t get shots of all the different ways as we were riding, but when the ride was over I had young Alexander, who rode with us today (and who left me well behind), demonstrate.

The first way is pretty normal. You grab your bottle, and drink from it like you drink from a glass. Or a beer bottle.  Most people seem to use this method.

The way most of us drink.

But there’s a variation I often see, usually from riders with many years of experience. Saw a lot of pros in the Philly International Championship on TV today drink that way, too. They reach down for their bottle, but instead of keeping their thumb at the top, they turn their hand over so the thumb points down. That brings the water bottle to the mouth already pointing down.

The upside down method.

But there’s a third way, that I’ve seen associated with European racing teams. You hold the bottle normally, but then turn it so your hand is on top of the bottle.

Hand on top. You don't see this very often.

I once read about a team of French cyclists using the hand on top method, and figured what the hey, I’ll give it a try. It seemed that the water flowed more freely. Of course, that could be just my imagination.  But I use this way from time to time, if I think about it while on a ride.

Personally, I’ve never liked the upside down method, but in my experience, cyclists who use it won’t drink any other way.

Ultimately, the important thing is to get the water in the mouth. So I suppose whatever works for you is the way to go.

Do you have a preferred method of drinking during rides? And if so, what’s good about it?

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Categories // food, Technique Tags // hydration, water

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