classics Archives - Page 2 of 3

Classic Climbing – Free “Berg Buster” HIT Workout

[dc]T[/dc]he spring classics are in full swing, with fans and riders deep in the throes of Holy Week. With Scheldeprijs being only a day away and Roubaix looming on Sunday, the cobbled classics are nearing a close, although no doubt we are in for some more spectacular performances. Up next will be the Ardennes Classics, with their steep bergs and tortuous descents. For many cyclists, it's the absolute best part of the season, if not for riding but for watching.

Watching these races inspires many but saddens some at the same time: "Why can't I climb like that" and "I don't know how he does that" are common phrases uttered while riders shatter the steep bergs and cobbled pitches of the classics. It takes a special kind of rider to be able to climb that stuff, right?

Nope. What if I told you everyone can train to be better on the moderate length, steep climbs. And for the duration of the classics, I'm GIVING AWAY a HIT workout that will help you do just that.

Simply copy the enter the code "classicsgift" between now and April 21st (Liege Bastogne Liege) during checkout to get your FREE "Berg Buster" HIT workout (available below).

HIT Berg Buster Climbing Workout

Workout details: Paying homage to the medium length (1 mile in length or less) steep bergs of Belgium, this HIT workout is designed to train your body for the stresses of attacking moderate climbs. Grouped into blocks, the first block will focus on pushing hard gears through your most powerful muscles (glutes and hamstrings) and accelerating in the saddle using your quads, simulating surges in the peloton. The second block will force you to get comfortable accelerating out of the saddle to simulate covering attacks from the front. The third block puts it all together, teaching you how to be a berg busting ace!

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Tags: classics, climbing, Coaching|

Welcome To Holy Week

[dc]T[/dc]here's no better introduction to "Holy Week" than the celebration of Easter. However, the real thrill of the day (besides 55 degrees and no cars on the roads) is the 97th running of de Ronde Van Vlaanderen or the Tour of Flanders. As always, the storylines are written and the battle lines are drawn up:

Peter Sagan's amazing early season with his win at Ghent Wevelgem, Fabian Cancellara's realization of his Flanders/Roubaix double winning form of 2010, Tom Boonen's run of bad luck throughout the spring, Philippo Pozzato's eternal struggle for that big win, Thor Hushovd's newfound confidence….

It's the perfect soap opera to be played out on 256 kilometers of the roads of Belgium on a chilly Easter Sunday.

Welcome to Holy Week.

*UPDATE*

7:05AM, 3/31/13

I had written this post a few day ago and instead of editing it down, I'm going to just add this as a footnote: Tom Boonen, in the hunt for his record breaking 4th win at Flanders, has crashed out of the race after 19k. There will be no battle between Sagan, Boonen and Cancellara. There will be no Belgian tricolore on display today (or likely for Roubaix either.) This could be as game changing as Cancellara's feedzone crash in Flanders last season.

Get better soon, Tom.

Tags: classics, pro cycling|

Planning Your Tour of the Battenkill Training (Podcast #2)

If you're thinking about racing Tour of the Battenkill this coming season, you'll need to think about training soon (and registering soon: November 15th!) If you want to do more than just finish (or just suffer, as people overwhelmingly chose in a Facebook poll) then you'll need to train a few specific things.

It won't be enough to go out and do 65-mile rides, you'll need to focus on things like core stability, muscular endurance, cadence range, cadence control and VO2 max repeatability. In this podcast, I discuss why you need those facets of fitness in order to survive this monster.

As always, comments are welcome.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (19.9MB)

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Tags: battenkill, classics, Coaching, podcast, training|

Tour of the Battenkill 2013 Training Plan Now Available

Just a quick announcement that my 2013 Tour of the Battenkill training plan is now live and available. Head on over to my Training Plans page and check it out.

In short, you're getting 18 weeks of structured workouts. 6 weeks of base, 2 rest weeks, 8 build weeks and 2 peak weeks. Take it from someone who's raced there before, on nearly the same route: this race is HARD. You'll need to be in tip top shape very early in the season, and you'll need to be able to stay on your toes for 65 miles.

Go out, hit it hard, and I'll see you on the starting line.

Tags: battenkill, classics, Coaching, racing, training|

2013 Tour of the Battenkill Route Released

While I've long talked about riding dirt roads and getting out into the back roads of east rural nowhere (all in an attempt to find your inner child and just plain enjoy riding your bike) there's something special about racing on dirt. There's a modicum of uncertainty as the tires slip, the increased resistance ratchets up the pain meter and your face cakes with dust (or mud, depending) and sweat. It's a thrill like nothing else, unless you're heading over for the Tour of Flanders or Paris Roubaix. Since most of us aren't pros, and we don't generally have the time to fly to Europe just for a sportive….

Enter Tour of the Battenkill. The toughest one day race in America. America's Queen of the Classics. America's answer to the Hell of the North.

It's 63 miles of pain, 5,000 feet of grinding elevation, and about 25% dirt, gravel or broken up, nasty roads. Combine that with an early April race day, and you could have anything from a beautiful sunny day to a greasy, nasty, gritty fight for survival.

Oh what a race it is!

It's no secret that this week was the release of the 2013 route, which you can see below:

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Tags: battenkill, classics, Coaching, racing, road bike, training|