The Internet of Bikes: 2014 Tour of the Battenkill

Like a migratory bird, I returned to Cambridge, New York last week for the 2014 Tour of the Battenkill. I was joined by Downeast Racing teammates Matt Moon, Hank Pfeifle, Eliot Pitney and Joe Lynch. The weather conditions were calm, but damp with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. Matt and I started the Category 2 race with about 70 other riders from all over the country and Canada for the 85 mile race. The race features some 12 miles of dirt roads, the steep dirt road climbs of Juniper Swamp Road and Herrington Road, fast descents and bucolic upstate New York scenery. My Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 Champagne made it through the race for the second time: lifting a page from the Roger Aspholm Book of Pro Cycling, I ran Zipp 202s with Vittoria Paves (loaded with Stan NoTubes liquid latex to keep away the slow leak monster). I carried and finished three bottles of Hammer Nutrition Sustained Energy and topped it off with some Chocolate Gu. I felt fine the whole way and I think the liquid energy diet helped hold off cramps. Clearly, I was ready for some real food afterwards.

This was the first year of competing in the Category 2 race at this event. Relative to the Masters category (where I really belong), the pace on the climbs is a lot faster and more riders are able to keep up.  There are teams too and thus more tactics. I rode conservatively at the back while Matt Moon sat on the front of the group. There were seven flats and two broken bikes according to Vittoria support officials. The dirt roads were soggy in places and many riders lost their balance trying to coast through that kind of surface: the trick is to keep it in a big gear, stay seated and pedal through. I had much practice with this technique the previous weekend around New Gloucester and felt at ease. I saw many riders loose their balance.

We arrived at Herrington Hill Road and this is where the remaining field started to break up. Once this climb was over, the field plunged down a fast descent followed by the climb up Meeting House Hill Road. There was gap that was extended here and before I knew it, the lead group had a break and I was in a groupetto of ten or so tired and bickering riders. Some of us tried to close the gap over the flats, Stage Road and the last ten kilometers, but there was no joy; the lead group remained in sight but out of reach. I finished 21st and although the Shoulda Would Coulda Brothers made a brief appearance, I sent them packing by appreciating the distance and pace of the race, the numerous opportunities there were not to finish the race at all (flats, falling off your bike, taking a wrong turn, etc), and by knowing that all the hours on the trainer (Hour of Power, Rosems, 40 x 20, etc) and all the early wake ups to get to the gym to lift weights and the training camp has paid off. I learned that I really have to ride at the front more (ride like Matt Moon) and not let myself get bullied into the comfortable, but sketchy neighborhood at the back of the peleton; although I can keep up on the hills, it is many times not possible to cover a move on a climb from the pack of the field, even if it is a small field. I obtained some chocolate milk  from the Battenkill Creamery for The Girls and Mr. Moon and we began the drive home. It was fine weekend of racing and many thanks to Jeff Dixon and Hank Pfeifle for making the Downeast Racing team happen. 

I just cleaned this thing!

Matt and Fred give nothing to the Papparazi

Three bottles of Sustained Energy later

2014 Downeast Racing Asheville Training Camp Day 1

Stuart Abramson and Mike Claus drove down ahead of us, completing the drive without stopping. Both Mike and Stuart are known for their driving focus thus this feat was not a surprise. Mike personified exhaustion on Sunday evening: he drove some eight hours straight Friday without sleep and rode 90 miles on Saturday. Sunday was our first full day. This route brought us to the southeast and out to Marion. I had no idea where I was exactly, and relied as we all did on Mike's interpretation of the Garmin GPS. The scenery was very nice and some sections quite flat. To my surprise, we rode through Cane Creek, North Carolina, the namesake and location for Cane Creel Cycling Components, which is the supplier of head sets for A-D Bikes (later in the week I had a fine Bike Talk and tour of the facility with Peter Gilbert).  We had a very nice climb on the Old Blue Ridge Parkway: it was a stark reminder of how difficult travel was early in the 20th century. There were plenty of references to the movie / book Cold Mountain. The temperatures were in the sixties and the weather calm. 

2014 Downeast Racing Asheville Training Camp: warm up day

Asheville, North Carolina is a fine spot for early spring training. The terrain features many miles of climbing, smooth roads and temperatures that are warmer than New England. It is a 1,000 mile drive to Asheville from Maine; it is not too bad if you have two other drivers with you: I was fortunate to have Hank Pfeifle and Joe Lynch as copilots: old friends and members of the Downeast Racing Team.

We set off on Friday at 11am and arrived in Asheville at 12pm. We spent the night somewhere in Pennsylvania at a Super 8 Motel that was frighteningly similar to what you would expect from a crime thriller. The rest ensured that we were ready to ride upon arrival in Asheville. We fit in a 50 mile ride up to Tanbark Ridge before checking into a very comfortable rental on Town Moutnain Road. This was to be headquarters for the next seven days.

Champagne on Ice with FOS 32 mm alloy clinchers

About two weeks ago, I thought the cold weather was on the way out. The temperatures were in the 40s and I was able to get away for a long but very slow ride down to the Biddeford Pool area. That seems like a distant memory: temperatures have been really low since then and I have not been able to ride much out doors since. One feature of that ride was that I tested a new pair of FOS 32 alloy clinchers on my Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon. FOS is a new brand out of Italy and I have been helping them test their various models. I do not know much about wheels but I have been pleased with the alloy offering so far: 11-speed compatible Shimano free hub body, 32 mm rim depth, aero steel spokes with external nipples, 19 mm rim width, 24 (R) / 20 (F) spoke count, light weight...I run Continental Gatorskin 700 x 25 and it makes for a smooth ride. I plan to bring these wheels and a pair of FOS 38 tubulars to Asheville, North Carolina for training camp.  Hopefully, it will be warmer there: I am very much enjoying Battlestar Galactica Redux, but it will be nice to get out on the road.

Weight training program

Weight training is key part of my overall training. I try to get to the gym once a week during the off season and when I can during the racing season. I have a program that I have developed over the years by reading and talking to the experts. I do squats, the sled, curls, step ups, leg extensions and core exercises. The routine takes about 1.5 to 2.0 hours to get through. By the end of it, I am quite tired, but it is a different kind of tired compared to the trainer or a ride. I do not lift heavy weight; I concentrate more on repetition and volume. This allows me to develop good form and it spares my back and knees the trauma of heavy weight. I have to use a clip board to keep track of each drill and the volume otherwise I get confused and forget what I am doing. I have a lot of data to monitor my progress relative to previous years. I go to the weight room at the University of Southern Maine early in the morning; it is not crowded and the machines and the facilities are great. A weight training program adds variety to a training program and I think it helps with endurance and recovery. 

On trainers

A quick post on the topic of trainers. Variation helps a lot. Two days out of the week, I will do interval work outs. Favorites include Bill Black's Hour of Power, Power Intervals, low cadence efforts and drills I make up myself. I write these drills out in a planner note book so I know what I  have to do and because I cannot remember them. Having them scheduled helps a lot because you enter the work out knowing what has to be done, how long it will take and how tough it will be. Before you know it, the drills are half way done and you have had a productive session. The other days of the week and weekends will be easier sessions; I will watch a video, read the paper, read some blogs; the effort will be not too rigorous and not too long (two hours is maximum for me). These sessions can be enjoyable and I find they are best when done early in the morning so that they can be done with. Elsewhere, I use Power Cranks on the trainer. This is hard work and I do it when I am pressed for time or as an addition on the interval days. I use some risers to replicate the feeling of climbing in the saddle. The best thing I find is to try and be consistent. Thirty minutes on the trainer is better than nothing. 

The first A-D Bikes Blog post!

This post marks the first post of the new A-D Bikes blog. It is the old Frame and Wheel blog, but I changed the title and the images so that it can be a blog about Austro-Daimler bikes and all the adventures that go with the restoration. I am also planning on referring to myself in the first person, and dropping the "Frame and Wheel thought this" and "Frame and Wheel believes that." I enjoyed that style of writing but it slowed things down and readers wanted to hear from me apparently. Frame and Wheel is still going, but the blog related to that operation is Frame and Wheel Selling Services. Frame and Wheel has its own website and blog, and A-D Bikes has its own website and blog; splitting the two out is the right thing to do at the moment. I am also planning on speeding up the blog posts a bit. Thanks for reading!

Fred Thomas