Newsletter
June 20, 2008
ROCK ON Wheels of Justice!
What an Incredible Week!!
We are now at $105,611 as a Team -- We raised over $18,000 in just 7 days: Way to go team! You are truly an amazing group. This is the direct result of so many of you getting into the saddle and sending out emails to your contacts through your Courage Classic webpage. And here's the kicker -- Only 99 out of our 193 riders have raised more than $0 right now! Imagine what we could for Children's Hospital if 100% of our team decided to get actively involved in fundraising in the next week? So if you're not engaged yet, I urge you to hop on NOW and join us in making life better for sick kids throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
Here's my own amazing fundraising tale going on as I write this: So I just got my fundraising started today (sorry gang, it's been a wild year so far -- so please don’t feel like you're behind and if you haven't started yet either -- right now is always a great time]. I spent about an hour this morning sending out 94 emails though my Courage Classic page. Remember, GREAT TEMPLATES ALL ARE AVAILABLE ON THE COURAGE CLASSIC WEBSITE, it just takes a few minutes to personalize. Within one hour, I had raised over $300 and as of right now (five hours later) I have raised over $3000!! My first donors include my cousin in San Francisco (whose company will match his donation), his partner (I didn’t even send him an e-mail!), a former colleague at Cooley who now works in LA, and an old high school friend who lives in Wyoming, Ruth, with whom I recently reconnected via e-mail. Ruth totally blew me away by donating $2500. When I wrote to thank her profusely, here's how Ruth responded:
"Funny thing – I would have donated anyway but ran into a friend yesterday whose 5 week old granddaughter just got back form Children’s. she had seizures and the docs are trying to figure out why. Small world and I am very impressed you are raising money for this great hospital AND that you can ride your bike in those conditions. I am still at the “flat Dallas streets bicycle built for two stage”. Send pics of you in your cool bike gear in the mountains."
Pretty amazing, huh? So here are the morals of the story:
- Cast your net wide -- ask your barber, accountant, grandma, childhood friends, in-laws, neighbors, your vendors at work, clients, drinking buddies, your plumber, your 5th grade teacher -- just about everyone you can think of, and PLEASE don’t limit your scope to just Colorado;
- You just never know whose lives will have been touched by Children's Hospital;
- People LIKE giving -- especially to such a great cause, so no need to feel like you are imposing;
- Most people are totally amazed that its possible to ride 157 miles through the Rockies, let alone that someone they know is doing it! -- they will live vicariously through you, so keep them updated on your fundraising and training, this will also make them feel great and encourage them to give next year. Shoot, you may even inspire them to start a fitness program!;
- Asking people to give is a great way to re-connect with old friends and get to know people around you better.
So, RIGHT NOW, please schedule 1 hour sometime in the next week to get your personal campaign started! As John Wayne used to say: We're burning daylight!
Wheels of Justice Night at Bicycle Village:
We are delighted to announce that Bicycle Village will be hosting a special night for our team at their cool Aurora Store on Tuesday July 1 -- on that night only registered WoJ riders will be able to use a special coupon to get the following deal: Take an Extra 40% off the lowest marked price on any single accessory item or apparel. Excludes electronics, lights, wetsuits and bikes. Can’t be combined with any other coupon. Valid only on July 1, 2008. Watch your in box for a coupon (if you are a rider) -- plus this will be a great chance for us to hang out and socialize. And don’t forget to use your Wheels of Justice Bicycle Village Discount Card on other days -- many thanks to the great folks at Bicycle Village for supporting the team.
Housing:
Housing at the Courage Classic: If you don’t already have housing booked at the Courage Classic -- get on it quick! There is another conference at Copper at the same time, so condos are scarce. If you are looking for housing or have housing to share, please post on the Wheels of Justice bulletin board (there us a special housing section]. Also try the site, www.vrbo.com as condo owners post there available properties there. Good luck to all!!
Training Ride:
Wheels of Justice Training Ride this SUNDAY June 22nd -- PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE
Many thanks to our pal Darin Lang of Hall & Evans who hosted last week's epic ride near ! Now for this week -- WE HAD A LATE CANCELLATION FROM THIS WEEK'S LEADER DUE TO A TRIAL CONFLICT (We can all relate!!), so many thanks to Alan Garber for heroically stepping in to lead us at the last minute. Due to this change we had to switch the date to Sunday:
Sunday, June 22, 2008, 8:00 a.m. (DATE CHANGE)
Boulder Reservoir to Longmont to Lyons Loop
Training Ride Host: Alan Garber
New riders
Do you know someone who wants to ride and fundraise for the Wheels of Justice but missed the registration deadline for the Courage Classic? If so, please let me know, as we are hearing of a few WoJ riders who cant make it this year and we may be able to get a limited number of riders off the waitlist to replace them! This week we welcomed 2 new riders aboard through this process. Also Please let me know asap if for any reason you realize that you will not be able to ride the Courage Classic. Last year, 10% of our 206 riders did not ride or fundraise due to injury, illness or change of plans -- as we all know, sometimes this just happens. Unfortunately, this meant that 20 slots could have been filled by riders eager to ride and fundraise for Children's. Now wiser this year, I am asking team members to notify me as soon you know of a change in plans, so that we can possibly accommodate riders on the waitlist. Thanks for your help in maximizing our contribution to Children's Hospital! -- THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT RESPONSE HERE TEAM -- WE ARE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS.
Training Advice:
Finally, here's a great article from today's NY Times with good training and nutrition tips from an Olympic rider on the Chipotle team:
June 19, 2008
Faster, Higher, Stronger
An Olympic Cyclist’s Levelheaded Advice
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDSMOST cyclists think that you have to train on hills to be competitive in road races, which typically feature multiple vertiginous, lung-busting climbs. Not Christian Vande Velde, who’s expected to be selected next month for the United States road racing team for the Summer Olympics in Beijing. “I’m proof that you don’t have to ride hills to do well on hills,” he said recently.
Mr. Vande Velde, 31, who spent last winter training near Chicago, is enjoying the best season of his career. He spent a day last month as the leader of the prestigious Giro d’Italia and won the individual time trial at the Tour of Georgia in May.
He and his coaches have developed innovative training techniques, nutritional plans and strategies. Here are a few cues from Mr. Vande Velde’s training regimen that road cyclists can use to ride faster, longer and smarter.
FIRST, SPEND WISELY “If you want to race, you will have to spring for a $1,500 to $2,000” road racing bicycle, said Jonathan Vaughters, the manager for Mr. Vande Velde’s cycling team, which added a sponsor this week and is now called Team Garmin/Chipotle with H3O.
But don’t feel pressured to overbuy, Mr. Vaughters said. “The difference between a $500 bike and a $1,500 bike is huge,” he said. “The difference between a $1,500 bike and an $8,000 bike is very small.” Invest the saving in good-quality bike shorts with a firm, thick pad and a price tag north of $75. “That may be the best thing you can buy, in terms of comfort,” Mr. Vaughters said.
POWER OUTPUT Until the last five years or so, Mr. Vande Velde said, serious cyclists typically used the heart rate or a cadence — the number of times the pedal cranks rotate per minute — to gauge effort. But now, cycling professionals and a growing number of serious amateur riders rely on watts, or power readings.
Watts are a measurement of energy output, the amount of energy that a rider applies to the pedal. On a bike, that figure is determined by a meter integrated into the rear hub.
The meter also records a rider’s speed and the time and distance of the ride (as well as heart rate and calories burned per hour), using this data to determine the rider’s watts at any given moment. That number, which changes constantly, is visible on a small screen on the handlebars, and the files can be uploaded to a computer. “Watts is the most reliable way to gauge effort on a bike,” Mr. Vaughters said. “It’s the best way to track your progress from day to day, and also to set training parameters.”
But power output is highly individual. The bigger the rider, the higher the output. Mr. Vande Velde, a relatively slight 5 feet 11 inches and 150 pounds, maintained an average of 470 watts in the 10-minute Georgia time trial. “That’s the most I’ve ever done,” he said. But he has a teammate, a much larger man, who he says, “does that in warm-up.”
To determine your watts range, Mr. Vaughters said, sprint for 10 seconds and record your watts output. For that short burst, the figure should be in the 500s. Then push as hard as you can for five minutes, recording your average watts throughout. Finally, and preferably on a separate day, pedal at top effort for 30 minutes, recording your average watts readings (which may be barely into the hundreds for novice riders).
Then set about increasing your average wattage. Mr. Vande Velde does this by punctuating rides with five minute “power bursts,” dropping into a low gear, pushing his pedals as hard as he can, his wheels turning at his top sustainable watts and barely 50 revolutions per minute. In the next five minutes, he’ll click up into an easier gear, pedals whirring at low watts and about 90 r.p.m. (which any recreational rider should be able to maintain). Then he’ll repeat.
Less-experienced riders should throw in similar spurts during several of their weekly rides, Mr. Vaughters said, but for as little as 30 seconds to a minute at first. “People think cycling is an endurance event, but really races are won or lost more because of power,” Mr. Vaughters said. After a month, repeat your watts tests.
PASS THE NUTELLA RICE Next to power, nutrition is perhaps the most important element in cycling performance, said Allen Lim, who has a doctorate in physiology and serves as the team physiologist and nutritionist. Mr. Vande Velde, for instance, burns through 3,500 to 4,000 calories during a training ride or race of several hours, Mr. Vaughters said. Even average riders, he said, can burn 500 calories in an hour or more. That energy must be replenished.
“Some people can eat full meals” during rides, Mr. Lim said. “Others vomit.” To provide on-bike fuel without queasiness, Mr. Lim has devised several proprietary recipes. One involves, surprisingly, ham and eggs. “Athletes often forget how much of a performance boost you can get from real, simple, natural food,” he said.
The combination of protein with carbohydrates is particularly important, he said, ensuring that the blood sugar boost from the carbohydrates isn’t too rapid, and that it lingers, providing energy for a longer period of time. The salt is equally essential, he said, because a cyclist can lose so much sodium through sweat.
His recipe for sushi rice bars:
3 cups medium-grain Calrose or sushi rice, cooked
6 eggs
Soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos (a soybean-based liquid protein concentrate)
A handful of prosciutto or cooked bacon
Salt
Balsamic vinegarScramble the eggs with the soy sauce or the Braggs Aminos. (“The guys like the flavor of the Braggs better than the soy,” Mr. Lim said.) Add the prosciutto or bacon. Pile the rice, eggs and pork into a 6-by-9-inch pan. Pour a small amount of balsamic vinegar and soy on top. Salt to taste. Mix and mash into the pan. Let sit for 20 minutes, then, using a silicon spatula (“anything else and the rice will stick,” Mr. Lim said) cut it into 1 1/2-inch squares. Wrap in foil. Yields about 24.
As a sweet alternative, use “a big jar of Nutella, a bunch of all-natural peanut butter and the same amount of rice,” Mr. Lim said.
WHO NEEDS HILLS? Study the altitude-gain profile of the race you’re doing, Mr. Lim said. “Then climb at least that much, at least once or twice a week.”
“If the race has 3,000 feet of climbing, find a hill that’s 500 feet and climb it six times, fast, no resting between,” he said.
But if you live in a flat area, listen to local weather reports and note the direction of the wind. A strong head wind can simulate hill climbing, Mr. Vaughters said. “You need to push hard into the wind,” using “a big gear, for at least six minutes and no longer than 45 minutes” once or twice a week “to get the aerobic benefits of climbing big hills,” he said. (In recompense, you get a tail wind all the way home.)
HOW TO HEAD DOWNHILL FAST Descending a steep road at 40 to 50 miles an hour, especially in a pack of riders, “never stops being terrifying,” Mr. Vande Velde said. But few rides and even fewer races have no descents, so a rider should know how to make a safe descent.
“Relax, shift your weight back,” Mr. Vaughters said. “Most riders put too much weight on the handlebars.” Mr. Vande Velde said, “Do not look at the wheel of the rider in front of you,” or stare down at the road. “Scan far ahead for any obstacles,” he said, because they’ll arrive very rapidly, and then quickly glance at the road just ahead. “Your eyes should always be moving.”
When negotiating curves, he said, position your feet so that the pedal on the inside of the curve is up, with the outside pedal down (which keeps your weight balanced). “Don’t throw your bike from one corner to another,” he said. “Brake before the turn, and turn gradually, aiming for the apex.”
Acclimate yourself to the feeling of other bicycles pressing close, Mr. Vande Velde said. He added that the team has set up stationary bicycles with the wheels practically touching each other. “It’s a good, safe way to get used to being right on someone’s wheel,” he said.
An earlier version of this article misstated a technique for negotiating downhill curves. The rider's inside pedal should be up, not down. The article also referred incorrectly to cadence. It is the rotation speed of the pedal cranks, not the wheels.
OK, many thanks to all and I hope to see you on a training ride soon!
All the best,
Heather
Heather A. Purcell
Levine + Purcell LLC
600 17th Street, Suite 2800 South
Denver, CO 80202
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