Cycling Camp in Colorado...Don't Miss the Adventure and Tips to Come

Pics firsts...everyone loves pics right...The Specialized machine...ready for battle. Thank you Knapps for getting her ready.

Beautiful Vista; view from the Colorado National Monument

Sunset on the Canyon

Tunnel Through...

...and another tunnel shot

Balanced Rock formation in the National Monument Park

Switchbacks as you enter the park

Entrance to the Park

The Eagle has landed...actually I arrived Sunday afternoon. I am here in Fruita, Colorado where I will be participating in a week-long cycling specific camp with EnduranceCorner.com lead by Gordo Byrn and his staff and a few surprises, namely pro triathletes Chris and wife Marylyn McDonald(Chris just placed third this past Sunday at IM St. Geogre).

The plan for the week is to:

May 3rd -- Arrival*, Evening Run Fruita (Actually did 3:00 ride in the am and because I just couldn't get enough I decided to pass on the run and do a second ride through the Colorado National Monument in the opposite direction; ride consists of a combination of climbing with a highpoint of 6600 ft+/some 10 %grades and some winding descents you may remember such movies as Cliffhanger with "Sly", Mission Impossible with Cruise and others shot here amidst the canyon backdrop). Check out the pics again above...breathtaking.


May 4th -- AM Devil's Caynon Run, Douglas Pass Ride and Afternoon Swim; AM did Devil's Caynon run. Unbelievable run through one of Colorado's Canyons. I felt like a mountain goat at times as the trail had us climbing p and down rock formations and multiple climbs too steep to run up, but I made the the warm up to the main ride.

OK, can anyone say C-L-I-M-B...this ride was 80 mi and we started around 4500ft, rode about an hour out to Douglas via some false flats;4-5%ish grade then the fun began where we made an ascent up to around 8600+ via some gnarley 13-15% kickers that smoothed out to make the 8-9% portions of the climb feel fun. OK, TIP of the Day: if you are invited on a trip to Colorado bring your climbing gears...tools of the trade a 50/34 compact up front and a nice 11/28 rear cassette on the rear. Many Thanks to Alex;Knapps Master Mechanic for all your hard work setting this up.

If you are in question if Computrainer works...Hell, I'm coming from sea level and this climb felt like cake...OK cake minus the icing(the kickers were a surprise). But, the time from November to date spent in the Indoor Cycling/Yoga Computrainer Classes paid dividends in my riding. Hope to see you at the end of May as we start another session(I miss you guys who are currently participating...hope you enjoy Jerrys and the 40 @ 6%...as I will be doing the same damage then some tomorrow via the Gran Mesa Ride its only 40 miles, but it gains 5000 ft of elevation in 20miles...we will reach the ascent at around 10,000 ft. I'm planning on bringing my oxygen mask from the little old lady down the hall in the hotel. Let you know how it goes manana. Happy riding via "Sir Edmund" Draper. Cheers.

ps- almost forgot the 75min swim session at Mesa State College...thanks Chris "Big Sexy McDonald for the swim tips...for you triathletes out there who are not coming from a swim background try strength swimming...what...glue two pullbuoys together and strap on your paddles and rock out about 60% of your workload this way. Hell, how can an IM champion be wrong, not to mention he was coached by Brett Sutton(coach of over 23 world champions...give it a try(be gentle with your shoulders though, if they are exhausted lsten to the body).

May 5th -- Swim, Grand Mesa Ride and Run;
May 6th -- Colorado Monument Ride, Swim Grand Junction, Run Fruita -- Transfer to Moab, Evening Ride Arches National Park
May 7th -- La Sal Mtn Loop, Evening Canyon Run
May 8th -- Islands in The Sky, Evening Canyon Run
May 9th -- "The Wall" Hill Climb - transfer to Grand Junction


Follow along during the week for more fun and adventure. Hope I can motivate you to get out on your own adventure this week.

Cheers,

Chris

Good Luck to PCK Athletes at IM Utah

Good Luck to PCK Athletes, Elizabeth Grundy, Sean Nouveal and Mike Dolan this weekend.

They will be taking on the newest IM event taking place on May 1st. The event will consist of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run. The inaugural event in St. George will utilize a variety of Utah's scenery, to include Sand Hollow Reservoir, Snow Canyon and the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

Feel free to follow their progress on http://www.ironmanlive.com/.

Make it Happen,

Drape

Can't Miss Opportunity at Knapps

The Triathlon Night event at Knapp’s Cyclery is shaping up to be a can’t miss opportunity:

-Pre and post-race nutrition lecture by Rebecca Marks Rudy from Trismarter.com
-Sprint to Ironman roundtable discussion led by Chris Draper, RD, LD, CSCS, The Director of PCK
-Saris Powertap specials
-Zipp demo wheel rides
-Specialized S-works Demos
-Making Waves Swim Coaches on hand
-PCK Yoga providing cycling specific yoga

For those who cannot make it, we are also unveiling the 12 week training programs for both the sprint and olympic distance events at the New Jersey State Triathlon. For those not in the know, the NJ State Triathlon is the premiere and largest triathlon in the state of New Jersey. Perfect for the beginner to intermediate level triathlete that wants an event-specific training program at a fraction of the cost of personalized coaching. The training plans come with a complimentary Computrainer coached session at Knapp’s as well as personal consultation with a Trismarter.com Triathlon Coach.


Hope to see you and your tri friends tonight,

Drape

Save the Date

Its All in a Day's Work...Motivation & Focus

OK, the question/s of the day are you still blogging and how the heck long were you and your weekend athletes riding at PCK? First, I'm back blogging baby...been a lil busy....a new session with yoga started, tax time and well no excuses, but the "weekend crew" and myself have been lighting up the riding hours and miles. The last statement begs the question....

...how much? A mere double century on the Computrainer a couple weeks ago, followed by another six hour riding extravaganza last weekend coupled with some Epic training hours during those weeks which included three hour plus runs, two hour swims...blah, blah, blah. Yes, a few of the PCK's riders and I did a few Epic training weeks. Why? It was spring break for some, there was a holiday thrown in there, we're nuts...we're bored...because we can...no, no, no. Because we are building an endurance base for our upcoming goals. These goals include Ironman Louisville, Lake Placid, Florida, "Moab in May"camp and hopefully another century ride Bill B.(hint...hint) amongst others. To quote one of my riders "We are F-O-C-U-S-E-D!"

OK, where am I going with this...two words Motivation and Focus. Let me share some to get you on your journey, put you back on it, or help you start one up.

Hopefully, you get the idea of whats involved in prepping for an Ironman; 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon from the above. Now, take our Epic adventure/ers and bring out the Ironman/women in yourself. Albeit, a 10 mile, 25 mile, 50 mile or 100 mile adventure. The key to doing so is wrapping your head around an event or goal. First, pick your "poison," commit to it by building slowly to your goal i.e., a 6 week riding session at the Performance Center at Knapps. As they say, Rome was not built in a day and neither will your ability to accomplish this current "unachievable."

"Unachievables" are what I like to refer to as your dreams. Call me an optimist, but if you put your mind to it and as is necessary, in the case of cycling, putting your pedal time in...yes, you can achieve almost anything. So, your mind is in check...then what...keep it there! Keep it there by carving out time to sustain your training to reach your goal. I like to schedule my week on a day planner with whiteouts where my training is to take place. You can do the same with your "Crackberry," Post Its, abacus and/or sundial. Once scheduled, be stingy with that time. Do not give it up...its sacred. Yes, wear garlic around the neck to ward off the "vampires," do not let the "lunatics" run the asylum and really lets be serious nobody ever really wants a moment...before you know it your hour or lunchtime workout time has extinguished. Take home message... your day, week or month will be posed with many challenges. Therefore, let the scheduling "focus" your attention.

The journey starts with the first few steps...

...make yours today. Before you know it life will be in a state of "Flow." You will become a better mother/father, boss/coworker, son/daughter or whatever. I challenge you to start today and sign up for an event or announce an "unachievable" publicly so you are accountable!

Motivationally,
Drape

Warm weather...now what?...Ride!

OK, we are experiencing a "heat wave" here in the Northeast. Spring has sprung, bosses are going crazy with a sudden rash of illnesses at the workplace and cyclists are hitt'n the roads. These are the facts. The question I received many times over this week in class was how do we juggle our Computrainer sessions and riding outdoors with our friends;playing hooky to maximize results. My response...

...don't get caught by the boss... that's how! Seriously, what needs to be done is an evaluation of your week. As a coach, I like to first determine how many times per week you are going to ride....lets say for sake of example 5 times...check! Next, decide on two interval days on the Computrainer...Tuesday & Thursday...check! We are almost there. How about a day where you have lots of time for a long ride, preferably a non work day...Sunday, OK...bam! All our rider needs to do is fill in the blanks for recovery and/or rest days. It's best to follow a high intensity ride day with a recovery day. Therefore, our rider will ride outside with his/her "not feeling so well or in a meeting" friends on Wednesday and Friday for easy "recovery" rides...hmm, lots of Friday afternoon appointments that will run till the end of the day. Saturday can be a rest day and Sunday will be our rider's long ride day(1:30+). The week will look like this:

Mon: Recovery(Outside)

Tues: "Speed Intervals"(PCK)

Wednes:Recovery

Thurs: "Hill Intervals"(PCK)

Fri: Recovery; "meeting day" or OFF

Sat: Recovery or OFF

Sun: Long Ride(Outside)

There you have it! If you are a current PCK rider or deciding how to juggle it all...just follow the above formula or have one of our professionals map your road or triathlon plan out for you. Next Spring Indoor Cycling Session starts Monday March 28th. Iron your days out before then. This next session promises to be an exciting one with a focused approach on interval training during the week coupled with the addition post ride cycling specific yoga stretching lead by three new additions to the PCK team, namely yoga instuctors. Endurance rides will continue during the weekend.

Remember, what happens on the road stays on the road...your boss is just as guilty as you are. Cheers!

Drape

Experiencing the Tour at PCK: Col du Tourmalet

When you get a opportunity to ride one of the "Big Three Climbs of the Tour," namely the Col du Tourmalet, where do you go to train. The Performance Center at Knapps, of course. Today, I had the opportunity to give a couple riders an opportunity to feel what it will be like to ride the Tourmalet through our Computrainers.

The Tourmalet is one of the "big three" in the tour, together with the Aubisque and the Galibier. The Col du Tourmalet is situated in the Pyrenees. Starting from Sainte Marie de Campan, the Col du Tourmalet is 17.2 km long...just under 12 miles;see graph). Over this distance, you climb 1268 heightmeters. The average percentage is thus 7.4 %.(FYI: weekly PCK Indoor Riders we experienced a more difficult ride in the 20 mile interval class at a steady 6%, but of course we didn't put in the 10 plus "Tour Days" prior followed by 80 miles before getting there...so Lance and the rest of the 'boys of the Tour win, but if you want watercooler bragg'n rights maybe you can leave that detail out).


Check out the Tour De France starting July 3rd and catch a glimpse of the Tourmalet July 22 as the riders make their way through the climbing stages. If you are going to be going away for a bike trip this summer, let us get you ready at PCK.



Go Epic,

Drape