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Tour of the Battenkill 2013 Race Report (Podcast #12)

Tour of the Battenkill is one of my favorite races: it has all the hallmarks of the northern European classics: pave, short, steep climbs, big crowds and throngs of exuberant racers.

Having raced Battenkill in 2011 and finished 33rd with massive, horrible muscle cramps, I was determined to head back to Cambridge NY and have another go at the 64 miles of hell and dirt. Saturday was the 9th running of the Tour of the Battenkill, and featured about 3500 racers between the pro/am day and the Gran Fondo.

In today's podcast, I'll detail my Battenkill weekend, from Friday through race day, what went right and what went wrong.

ANNOUNCEMENT: You still have 5 days to download my “Berg Buster” HIT workout for free. Just use the code “classicsgift” and that $10 workout becomes free!

Remember to review the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:48 — 18.7MB)

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Tags: battenkill, injury, podcast, racing|

Knee Pain Primer

Knee injuries can destroy a season

[dc]W[/dc]ith spring rearing it's much welcomed head, a lot of riders are in the midst of building fitness towards their early season racing programs. A lot more are just ramping it up getting ready for the beck and call of sweaty summer club throwdowns. But whether you've been riding hard since December, hoping to podium at that spring "classic" or you're just starting up your training, one thing can slow all of us to a crawl: knee pain. At some point in our cycling lifetime we'll all experience it, and we'll all know the suffering of sitting on the couch while we wonder "why me" or "why now?"

Instead of asking those questions, it's more prudent to ask "what caused this" along with treating the symptoms that put you out of commission. Here we'll take a quick look at some of the reasons your knees may be throbbing and help you shed some light on why you're couch surfing.

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Tags: injury, road bike, training|

Stress, Training and Real Life

Stop and think for just a minute: how long has your season been? 6 months? 7 months? 8 months? Here in the northeast, we were blessed (or maybe cursed) with a lack of winter, so we've really been riding and training since December of last year. That's a LONG season, especially when you consider that many cyclists are just now gearing up for the impending cyclocross season, which will extend through December in most places. Imagine a periodized training plan with peaks and valleys, builds and tapers, for NEARLY A YEAR!! That's a LONG season, and it's not easy to pull off. In fact, I found that to be the case in recent weeks.

Why do I bring up this topic? Well, today I spent quite a bit of time thinking about it while on a training ride. I had enough time to think through the last few weeks and gained some insight into my training and life.

Maybe you'll gain some insight into your own training and stress as well….

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Tags: Coaching, injury, planning, training|

Dealing With Saddle Sores
Dealing With Saddle Sores

general cycling discussion, injury and cycling medicine

Dealing With Saddle Sores

Saddle sores.

At some time in our cycling lifetime, each one of us will be visited by this demon that lurks in the darkness of our chamois. Steeped in tales of horror, deeply personal and sometimes utterly disgusting, this little pest can derail the most dedicated of cyclists, grinding their riding, training and racing to a complete halt. To top it off these devils are often incredibly difficult to treat and get rid of.

There may be many causes of saddle sores, plenty of confounding elements, and a lot of closely inter-related issues behind the development of one of these pests, and you have to look at each and every one of those aspects if you want to finally be free of that pimple on your nether regions.

That being said, let's delve into your shorts and see what's cooking (or boiling, as it may be.)

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Tags: cycling, injury, Recovery|