Kissena Forum Archive

Dec 05, 2014 at 11:51 PM

Alternatively, if you get those hall passes, I would love to lead a group of KCC athletes on 80+ mile rides this winter/spring. I appreciate the value in getting out into new territories, but truly, this club has a number of mentors who would be happy to lead a weekend of local rides and offer coaching along the way.

ian ellis

Dec 06, 2014 at 03:08 AM

FYI - the usual Tucson camp I usually attend and mentioned is NOT happening in 2015. There are other plans.

I've heard OK things about the DRV camp too, although Highlands is only about 40 - 45 in Feb. Personally I'd rather save the $300 and ride with Marc !

Jules

Dec 06, 2014 at 03:02 PM

Travel or no travel; if you have early season racing goals (ahem, Battenkill) this is a great time to start emailing, riding, rollering and talking smack training with the folks you will be racing with.

Winter is coming and we all need help staying on those trainers...

Dec 08, 2014 at 09:30 PM

Psst - "virtual" training camp on Wednesday nights at TriBy3

Craig London

Dec 22, 2014 at 08:52 PM

I'm thinking about 2 options: The Death Row Velo camp at the end of Feb or just going down to Florida for some warmth but sadly lack of climbs around the same time. I've had some knee trouble recently and couldn't ride so not sure I'm ready for lots of miles this soon but we'll see what happens.

Anyone's input on camps or just general big rides in Jan/Feb is appreciated. This is a tough time of year to stay motivated.

http://tour.bicycling.com/news/2011-tour-de-france/tour-features/pushing-40-and-getting-faster

Dec 22, 2014 at 09:18 PM

Craig London said:

I'm thinking about 2 options: The Death Row Velo camp at the end of Feb or just going down to Florida for some warmth but sadly lack of climbs around the same time. I've had some knee trouble recently and couldn't ride so not sure I'm ready for lots of miles this soon but we'll see what happens.

Anyone's input on camps or just general big rides in Jan/Feb is appreciated. This is a tough time of year to stay motivated.

I'd make sure your knee is 100% before you go to any training camp. It's too easy to go too hard, too long when under the influence of the group. Especially at a training camp.
Unless you know of super secret training roads in Florida, or like riding on busy roads that go by strip mall after strip mall. I'd stay away from the Sunshine state for riding.
Tuscon, AZ is one location that would be good for warmth and climbing and group rides. There's a pretty big deal group ride in that area. Also, Mount Lemon for climbing. You could check in with Erin Korff of CRCA-Axis for more details. That's his hometown.
Scottsdale, AZ is also not bad. Although not as good in terms of climbing, once upon a time, they had a weeknight training crit in a parking lot. The other thing that's nice about Arizona in February, is that if you time the trip right, you could finish off your "camp" by doing what was once one of the biggest deal Stage Races in the country. The Valley of the Sun SR.
San Diego, CA is another location I would consider for warmth and good training. Don't know much personally about this area, but I believe USA Cycling has a branch there.

Also, as I mentioned a few posts above. Come out and train with your teammates in good old New York/New Jersey. You owe your knees a few long rides before you commit to any training camp frankly.

eloy

Dec 22, 2014 at 10:54 PM

Spent a little bit of time in San Diego in the winter/spring of 2011. Definitely a great place to ride.

Time was spent mostly chasing this guy:

Jan 09, 2015 at 04:40 PM

I've signed up for the Cycling Escapes Santa Monica climbing camp for February. 310 miles, 35k feet of climbing (for the A rides). Have my ticket booked, but don't yet have a place to stay. I'm going to airBnB it in West Lake village, where the rides start and end, and probably ship my bike out early so I don't have to deal with it at the airport, which leaves me the ability to rent a smaller car.

I'm looking forward to some sun and long roads, but certainly won't feel too guilty if I just go down to the beach and sleep for a week. I went running in the snow today and avoided the ice on the sidewalk, so any kind of sunshine at all will be very welcome.

I'm going out solo at the moment, but happy to have company. If you weren't sure what to do, or didn't want to go by yourself, I'll be there trying out my new compact crank.

I understand that Sommerville will be out there mid-week when I'm there, so it would be fun to see some friendly faces, and give our rivalry teamwork some practice.

niallsmart

Jan 12, 2015 at 04:33 AM

@bruce how much prep work are you planning in advance? looks like riding the A rides every day would be a monster week...

Jan 12, 2015 at 06:14 PM

I had two bottles of wine on Saturday night and so missed the Sunday group ride. Prep work continues. . .

This week involves long base miles. Getting outside the last two weeks has been a bear, so I've been making up for it on the trainer with harder, shorter workouts. This week, maybe the same.

Next week is a taper week, 9 hours.

The week of 1/26, I have scheduled 17 hours of training, lots of seated hill repeats, Alpine, Clausland, Harlem Hill, what have you.

The week of 2/2, 19 hours, with the same.

2/9 I taper with 6.5 hours of riding.

I plan on having good, solid miles under my wheels for the camp, with lots of climbing before I get there. The A rides will no doubt make me completely exhausted by the end of the week, if not sooner, so I'm taking several days off when I get back.

It will be early in the season, and the year, so while this is good prep, I'm also looking at it as rejuvenating my desire. Warm weather. Good roads. Vehicle support. A week of riding, sleeping, eating. Glorious.

Jan 12, 2015 at 06:19 PM

Bruce van-Schalkwyk said:

I had two bottles of wine on Saturday night and so missed the Sunday group ride. Prep work continues. . .

This week involves long base miles. Getting outside the last two weeks has been a bear, so I've been making up for it on the trainer with harder, shorter workouts. This week, maybe the same.
Next week is a taper week, 9 hours.
The week of 1/26, I have scheduled 17 hours of training, lots of seated hill repeats, Alpine, Clausland, Harlem Hill, what have you.
The week of 2/2, 19 hours, with the same.
2/9 I taper with 6.5 hours of riding.
I plan on having good, solid miles under my wheels for the camp, with lots of climbing before I get there. The A rides will no doubt make me completely exhausted by the end of the week, if not sooner, so I'm taking several days off when I get back.
It will be early in the season, and the year, so while this is good prep, I'm also looking at it as rejuvenating my desire. Warm weather. Good roads. Vehicle support. A week of riding, sleeping, eating. Glorious.

Wait, are you shitting us? You have 19 hours to train per week? #Ihateyou #JustKidding #sortof

Jan 12, 2015 at 06:21 PM

PS. What is it with people drinking too much and then missing group rides because of it? How old are we? #OldManBoringPants #GetOffMyLawn

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3830781

Jan 12, 2015 at 08:57 PM

What, I should focus on my career?

Last time I did that, when I was injured, I spent two months studying Business Intelligence through Miscrosoft BIDS, went back to work and created SSIS .dtsx packages for automated reporting on a multinational database for a company with 5B sales per year, and got 2 promotions.

On another thread, Malcolmson demonstrated what happened when he was off the bike for too long - due in April, I believe.

Don't get off the bike! Life happens when you do. . .

ericjred

Jan 15, 2015 at 11:29 PM

I have a condo that is steps from the beach - it's basically Venice but technically Marina del Rey.

Sleeps 10. 3 blocks from a dozen bars & restaurants.

It's set up pretty well for cyclists - tools, repair stand etc. Parking for 2 cars etc.

Write me offline - vfxsuper@gmail.com

https://app.strava.com/activities/255963385

Feb 17, 2015 at 04:00 AM

My flight Sunday to LA was cancelled due to the storm. I had a selection of other flights available, and as I chose each one, it was already booked. The nature of everyone else also being online. I finally got a flight out of Newark to San Fran, and was on the phone for two hours to get a connecting to LAX. I got in Sunday afternoon.

Day 1, 70F, sunshine, mountains, other riders. After each climb, we circled back to the truck where they had food, water, gels, powders for bottles, held my arm warmers, provided lunch. The last uphill cracked me. I haven't ridden outside in 15 days or so. But one of the women is from Ontario and she said she had been outside in September. It's all in perspective.

The switchbacks downhill are fast and generally on good roads, though there are fallen rocks and sand. And every fun, fast descent, is met with a long slog back up. But in 70F, with the sun peaking from behind clouds.

Having fun. Wish you were here.

Jules

Feb 17, 2015 at 09:42 PM

BRIGHT GREEN WITH ENVY

Feb 17, 2015 at 11:06 PM

65 miles today and on the last bit of uphill, a group of Six Cycle riders came screaming down the other direction. This seems to be the place to train.

Feb 17, 2015 at 11:09 PM

@Bruce there is no shame in selfies and hashtags.

http://kissenacycling.vanillaforums.com/discussion/1200/sponsor-love

ian ellis

Feb 18, 2015 at 02:41 AM

I am not so sure of that. I deplore that 'selfie' has entered the modern lexicon.

Kayt Mathers

Feb 18, 2015 at 04:59 AM

I just returned from a sorta training camp in Tucson, AZ. Long story short: getting out of town in the winter

with a bike was the best decision EVER.

Chatting with @Ian Ellis on a ride to Piermont in the early summer, the topic of a Tucson training camp came up. I have the good fortune of having extended family there, though when I visited as a goth youth I never even noticed the mountains the city is flanked by (and actually thought the desert was stupid). Nevertheless, I figured it was the best (and cheapest) way of soaking in some sun. So I researched rides, asked Ian for tips (thank you @Ian!), borrowed a bike bag from Craig (thank you, @Craig!) asked my family for the extra bedroom, and bought my tickets.

^ Always pack extra bananas for a self-guided training camp.

Day 1: Saguero West and Gates Pass

I found the route taken by the Fair Wheel Racing Team every week online and thought it would be a good “Introduction to Tucson” ride. It leads you first through a few neighborhoods north of downtown. The second section of the ride is a gentle rise via Ajo Highway, which has a wide shoulder, before the entrance to the National Park. Past Old Tucson, the smooth pavement with dips and spunky climbs begins, and it’s particularly enjoyable on McCain’s Loop. The climb over Gates Pass (heading east) started earlier than I realized but ended steep. Traffic wasn't as issue because they were going as slow as I was. The vista at the top was a sweet reward.

^ Gates Pass in Saguero Park West

Day 2: Saguero East

Saguaro National Park, named after the centuries-old cacti, is divided into two sections at opposite ends of the city. The highlight of my second day was the loop at Saguaro East, a 9-mile roller coaster of beautiful pavement and incredible views. There's a sharp first turn that warrants brakes, but otherwise it's super smooth and the park has bathrooms AND water. I felt compelled to do multiple loops to get my entry fee's worth ($5). I stopped at one point to chat with a snowbird from Michigan and who stops in front of my but Dan Chabanov and a couple of women I've raced with who are on Radical, who were there on a training camp with EduranceWERX (Dan and another coach were leading the camp that week). They invited me to join them and I did just that--what's more, they convinced me to join them the next day, on their ride up Mount Lemmon. Upon Ian's recommendation, I had planned on saving Mount Lemmon for Sunday and doing the (in)famous Shootout Ride on Saturday. However, rain was forecast for Sunday and that kind of weather isn't very pleasant at the summit, so I made the wise decision to join them for the long climb.

^ Cactus Forest Drive. Super smooth.

Day 3: Mount Lemmon

I read a lot about this climb, but nothing could have prepared me for the beauty of the landscape, the challenge of a 3-hour climb (a gradual 5-7% grade, but still a grind), and the epic descent on the way back down. I was very fortunate to tag along with the EnduranceWERX camp because they had a support vehicle, and there is no damn water on that mountain, so I am infinitely grateful to them for the water and sodas they shared (a Coca-Cola at 6,000 feet tastes better than a Coca-Cola at sea level).

^ Dan took this photo. I wore two jerseys to fill every pocket with food, patch kit, tubes, a vest, and arm warmers--I needed all of that clothing at the top, where there was snow on the ground in shady spots.

EPIC. That's the only word for Mount Lemmon.

^ View at Mile 14

^ Terrible photo of me trying to do a "K" for Kissena at 8,000 feet. I was a little delirious and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Day 3: Picture Rocks, Marana Flats, and Twin Peaks

Bordering the northern edge of Saguaro West, Picture Rocks is a fun, winding climb that felt like a flash in a pan after Mount Lemmon. On a future ride I’ll combine Picture Rocks with Gates Pass, but on this last day I wanted to explore further west and watch the miles fly by on my Garmin. Marana is surrounded by irrigated farmland and open cattle range; the roads were varying in quality, but I found some nice long stretches to kick up my heels a bit. Twin Peaks is a recommended cycling route and it provided a nice climb at the end of my ride.

And then I flew back to this. Voila!

ian ellis

Feb 18, 2015 at 12:42 PM

@Kayt.

Fantastic photos and I'm glad you had a blast.

The question we all want answered: did you have cookie or pizza at the cookie shack at the top of Lemmon ?

mugwump

Feb 18, 2015 at 01:23 PM

65 miles today and on the last bit of uphill, a group of Six Cycle riders came screaming down the other direction. This seems to be the place to train.

If Six Cycle is there, the place is already ruined.

Kayt Mathers

Feb 18, 2015 at 01:33 PM

@Ian,

Very good question. I opted for the sweet option. They're more like pizza cookies... or at least we felt the need to slice them as such!

Feb 18, 2015 at 02:58 PM

I am not so sure of that. I deplore that 'selfie' has entered the modern lexicon.

Don't make me break out my totally legit photo shopping skills!

Feb 18, 2015 at 03:02 PM

@Ian,

Very good question. I opted for the sweet option. They're more like pizza cookies... or at least we felt the need to slice them as such!

While it was a good choice, the best choice would have been both. pizza with a cookie crumble on top.

Feb 19, 2015 at 09:48 PM

@Bruce - Any photos of your adventures out west? I'm trying to live vicariously through friends...