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Quarq Warranty Experience (Part Deux)

Quarq Cinqo Installed[dc]A[/dc]s I reported back in December, I had an issue with my Quarq Cinqo Saturn unit.  Specifically, I had ridden in wet conditions, and the unit died shortly thereafter.  On that occasion, Quarq replaced the unit, however with it being around the holidays, turnaround was about 10 days.  I received a new electronics pod on the original spider, along with the explanation that "there was a run of bad pods, and this was probably one of them."  I was told that there shouldn't be any more issues with my Cinqo.  Fair enough, back to training and all was right in my world.

Fast forward to February, 2013.  After a training ride for Battenkill (in other words, pissing rain, lots of dirt roads and mud, and overall shitty weather) the magic stopped a second time, and my Cinqo was once again dead.  Off to South Dakota with it again, this time overnight, only to be replaced again.  I had a brand new electronics pod AND spider in hand in 4 days, I was told that there wouldn't be another problem with it, and again all was right in my world.

Or should I say it was until Friday, April 12th.

 

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SRAM True 22 Unveiled

SRAM-Force-22-crankset-chainrings-intro01-600x399[dc]C[/dc]ampy started the trend a few years back.  Shimano jumped on board with Dura Ace 9000.  Now SRAM is following suit with the release of their two new group sets, dubbed "Force 22" and "Red 22."  Obviously the 22 in the name refers to the total number of gears available, and also obvious is the official release of the Red hydraulic brake offerings that have been teased for months.

What is less obvious are the changes to the existing Red group and the changes to the Force group.

After the jump, we'll take a quick look at those changes.

 

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

Spring ridingTour 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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Race Day Preparation (Podcast #11)

Warming up on the trainer“Do it right on race day” is a lesson that every racer should live by and one that should be drilled into their head.  Race performance begins in the days before when you start to get everything ready to roll.  In fact, poor race day prep can actually set you up for a poor performance even before the first pedal is turned in anger.

We'll discuss proper race day preparation as well as preparation in the days prior.  Some topics we'll cover include:

  • Loading your gear and prepping your bike
  • Eating prior to your race
  • Arrival time and warmup time
  • Warming up on the trainer
  • Proper dress

As always, comments and questions are welcome.

As a reminder, my “Berg Buster” is still available (until April 21st) for FREE with the code “classicsgift”.

For those of you racing Battenkill, I'll see you there.  Good luck, stay safe!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:38 — 16.3MB)

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Peak Performance Concepts (Podcast #10)

Annotated performance management chartWith spring racing in full force, many people are hitting the peak phase of their periodized training plans.  Periodized training is a method by which an athlete structures their training towards certain goals, and it consists of a long term, full year picture (macrocycle), smaller blocks of training and recovery (mesocycles, typically 4 weeks long) and the single week's worth of training and recovery (microcycle).

Within this concept of periodized training, the ultimate goal of a training block, which I like to refer to as a super-mesocycle (basically a group of 3 or 4 mesocyles bundled together) is a peak performance, usually for an “A” category race.  The question most athletes ask is “What exactly is peak performance and how do I get there?”  After an event, people often ask me “Why was my performance so poor?  Did I not train enough?”

I'd like to suggest that peak performance is not really driven by what happens during the “build phases” of your training plan, and is not really driven by the amount of training you've done (to some extent anyway.)  You can be one of the fittest riders in the group, but a poor quality “peak” phase can destroy an otherwise strong and fit athlete.

On today's podcast, we'll learn what the significance of the “peak” phase is and how we transition from the build phase into a peak performance, including:

  • The peaking model
  • Building form vs. fitness
  • Peak week intensity, frequency and duration
  • The importance of “painkillers” in relation to peak performance
  • Should you rest the day before an “A” race?

As a reminder, you can get a FREE “Berg Buster” HIT workout by using the code “classicsgift” through April 21st.

Thoughts?  Comments?  Remember to head over to iTunes and leave a review if you enjoyed the podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:28 — 19.0MB)

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