My coach was not very delighted to hear that I rode yesterday, but he had to know. Rest days are extremely important, and by riding instead of taking it easy, I accumulated more fatigue than I should have. I had a 3+ hour ride with specific targets to hit, followed by a 45-min Brick run at high tempo.
The ride went really well. The first hour was slow, but the dry road and the sun really made up for it. I had to stay in a specific training zone, which I did, before jumping into a 2+ hour interval at a high training zone. That was the most important to me. The speed doesn't matter much as numerous factors can affect it (wind, road conditions, fatigue level, etc). I was right on the whole time, with good legs and good form. It was my first real ride where I spent about 85% of it on the aero bars. My neck was sore, but it's just a matter of going out there and getting more rides in before I'm fully comfortable again.
I got home after 3 1/4 hours, changed, and headed out for my 45 min run in high tempo zone. I felt great. It took me about 1 mile to get into it, but after that I felt great, felt I had a good form, and most importantly, I felt I could have kept it for a little while. I did 6.66 miles, which averaged 6:45min/mile overall! These numbers look good! I can't wait to ride and run in warmer temperatures!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Saturday, March 8, 2014
So much for my rest day: 4 hours & 72+ miles on the roadie
Ride: Blueberry-peach muffin / Large Chocolate ride
Distance: 72.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,000 feet
Time: 3:57
Power: N/A (on my roadie)
Bike: Specialized Tarmac SL Pro 2009
Cadence: N/A (on my roadie)
Rode with a Texan (Glenn) and a Brazilian (Raph)
I should know better! Today was supposed to be a rest day, i.e., no training! Well, the sunny 50F weather was too tempting to stay in today. After a rough winter (and it is still cold out there), I was getting a bit frustrated with the idea of riding the trainer. The roads looked fairly safe for once, and my desire to ride my roadie was itching.
So I agreed to ride with Glenn and Raph on what was supposed to be a short ride to Spoon (about 28 miles north), grab a blueberry-peach muffin, a large chocolate, and head back. Spoon makes the best hot chocolate, and their blueberry-peach muffins hit the spot every single time. I must admit, it's probably not the healthiest option, and I will most likely have to cut it short soon, but for now, I indulge and enjoy every bite.
We left Hoboken at 7am and headed north towards Nyack. I took this opportunity to ride my roadie, which I haven't since I got hit by a car back in October. I figured I'd sit back and relax behind those two to coast to Nyack. A roadie is a lot slower than a TT, so we know that whoever is riding the roadie in the group will have it easy that day! :)
Everything went according to plan (minus the flat that Raph got 35 minutes into the ride), but when we got to Spoon, G and R wanted to ride some more, so we pushed further towards Rockland Lake, rode around Deforest Lake, and headed back home. What a fun ride! We saw kids walking and playing on the icy Rockland lake, and also saw a coyote walking on the iced-covered Deforest Lake few minutes later. We tried to turn around and take a picture, but he was already walking away towards the woods. Glenn's comment reminded me how different our experiences/backgrounds can be: "we don't get to see that down in TX"! frozen lakes are common back in the French Alps, and although it took me by surprise to hear that from him, it also reminded me how different our background and experiences can be.
So instead of sleeping in and relaxing in front of the tv, I ended up riding 72.5 miles and got home around 11:45, right on time to drop off the paperwork for my new apartment! Move in date: April 1st!
Distance: 72.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,000 feet
Time: 3:57
Power: N/A (on my roadie)
Bike: Specialized Tarmac SL Pro 2009
Cadence: N/A (on my roadie)
Rode with a Texan (Glenn) and a Brazilian (Raph)
 |
| Me making fun of Raph after he got a flat |
So I agreed to ride with Glenn and Raph on what was supposed to be a short ride to Spoon (about 28 miles north), grab a blueberry-peach muffin, a large chocolate, and head back. Spoon makes the best hot chocolate, and their blueberry-peach muffins hit the spot every single time. I must admit, it's probably not the healthiest option, and I will most likely have to cut it short soon, but for now, I indulge and enjoy every bite.
We left Hoboken at 7am and headed north towards Nyack. I took this opportunity to ride my roadie, which I haven't since I got hit by a car back in October. I figured I'd sit back and relax behind those two to coast to Nyack. A roadie is a lot slower than a TT, so we know that whoever is riding the roadie in the group will have it easy that day! :)
 |
| surprising to see we were the only ones at Spoon this am! and we won't complain about it! |
So instead of sleeping in and relaxing in front of the tv, I ended up riding 72.5 miles and got home around 11:45, right on time to drop off the paperwork for my new apartment! Move in date: April 1st!
 |
| Glenn, aka the powerhouse! (aka the Texan) |
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Great deals on Continental 4000 tires going on!
I thought I'd share that on my blog.
There are great deals going on for those riding on Continental 4000 tires. "Pimp your ride" with yellow, blue, grey, or red tires!
I chose red as my Slice as a touch of red
Check out backcountry.com for more details!
Let me know if you find this useful!
Tire choice: The Continental 4000 / 4000s are my Favorite Tires for Training & Racing
I do not have much experience with tires yet but I've noticed a big difference between the continental 4000 Grand Prix I am currently riding on, and the Schwalbe and Specialized Elite Turbo I used to ride.
My choice goes to the Continental 4000/4000s Grand Prix tires. With the roads being tough on the tires in the greater New York area (lots of potholes, tranches, gravel, and debris of all sort) the 400 are more resistant overall, and their duration surpasses the ones of the Schwalbe and Specialized. Aside from 2 flats I got because of a handful of kids throwing tacks on the road, I never encountered any issues with the tires, even pumped at 120psi. I usually can ride up to 1,800 to 2,000 miles on them before I have to replace them.
The Specialized Elite Turbo last less as they are more geared towards racing They are comfortable to ride, but they wear on the top of the tire pretty quickly, which flattens the tires and makes turning at high speed a bit more challenging, and somewhat more dangerous. Coming at a higher price than the 400, I'd recommend them for nice and slick roads, and on race day.
I found he Schwalbe less comfortable to ride with a shorter life span than the 4000/4000s. Overall, I don't think those are appropriate tires for roads as harsh are the ones we ride on around New York City. On the plus side, I found the handling and grip on the road very good. I can't recall how much they retail for, but I do remember not being too expensive (I believe cheaper than the Specialized Elite Turbo).
Hope this helps anyone who's reading this. Let me know!
Happy riding!
My choice goes to the Continental 4000/4000s Grand Prix tires. With the roads being tough on the tires in the greater New York area (lots of potholes, tranches, gravel, and debris of all sort) the 400 are more resistant overall, and their duration surpasses the ones of the Schwalbe and Specialized. Aside from 2 flats I got because of a handful of kids throwing tacks on the road, I never encountered any issues with the tires, even pumped at 120psi. I usually can ride up to 1,800 to 2,000 miles on them before I have to replace them.
The Specialized Elite Turbo last less as they are more geared towards racing They are comfortable to ride, but they wear on the top of the tire pretty quickly, which flattens the tires and makes turning at high speed a bit more challenging, and somewhat more dangerous. Coming at a higher price than the 400, I'd recommend them for nice and slick roads, and on race day.
I found he Schwalbe less comfortable to ride with a shorter life span than the 4000/4000s. Overall, I don't think those are appropriate tires for roads as harsh are the ones we ride on around New York City. On the plus side, I found the handling and grip on the road very good. I can't recall how much they retail for, but I do remember not being too expensive (I believe cheaper than the Specialized Elite Turbo).
Hope this helps anyone who's reading this. Let me know!
Happy riding!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Slipped on Black ice 4 minutes into my ride
The weather looked good today and based on weather.com, temperatures did not go below 32F overnight. The prospect of riding outside gave me extra motivation. It's been a while since my last ride, and 32F did not sound too bad. Last time I went, the temps dropped to a chilling 23F, which made it even colder with the windshield (probably in the lower 10s).
It didn't take long for mother nature to bring me back to a rough reality. 4:09 minutes to be exact. I noticed the roads were a bit shiny, but thought that it was because I was riding in between buildings, and made sure I'd slowed down. I made that right turn to leave Jersey City and enter Hoboken, and before I even had a chance to correct my trajectory, my front wheel caught a patch of black ice and slipped off. I was down in no time, landing hard on my right hip. Shaken up but glad that there was no car nowhere near me, I picked up the bike, checked to make sure it did not suffer any damage, and collected myself.
It didn't take long for mother nature to bring me back to a rough reality. 4:09 minutes to be exact. I noticed the roads were a bit shiny, but thought that it was because I was riding in between buildings, and made sure I'd slowed down. I made that right turn to leave Jersey City and enter Hoboken, and before I even had a chance to correct my trajectory, my front wheel caught a patch of black ice and slipped off. I was down in no time, landing hard on my right hip. Shaken up but glad that there was no car nowhere near me, I picked up the bike, checked to make sure it did not suffer any damage, and collected myself.
..and the pain kicked in right away. I decided to call it and head home. In other instances, I would have probably insisted, but it wouldn't have made sense. I started to feel a sharp pain on my hip. the range of motion became more and more limited. Time to go home, get breakfast, and relax for the morning.
I will swap today's training (2hour-ride and 30min tempo run) with tomorrow's (90min run and 1hour swim), will take a nap, and try to shrug it off.
That's another crash I have to deal with, and the confidence level is at its lowest. It's going to be tough to get back on open roads now as I will question everything, but I'll eventually will get back into it. Just not the best right now!
Friday, February 21, 2014
Fine tune-up thanks to Chris at Hilltop Bicycle
You spend so much money and time on your machine that when it comes to finding a bike shop to tune up your bike, you start questioning their competences...Do they know what they are doing?
Hilltop Bicycle surely does know what they are doing. Chris took care of my bike like it was his, cleaning it up and looking at details I wouldn't have caught myself. I had issues with my powermeter, and could not resolve it. It took him about 15 minutes to figure it all out. He went the extra mile and checked every details, every aspects of the bike, tighten the fork, cleaned up the cassette, tighten the breaks and greased up parts that needed to be....all in 1 1/2 hours!
The cassette and chains need to be replaced. We'll take care of it at the end of the month when he fits me on the bike. I'll never bring my bike anywhere else in the tri-state area because I know how well he will take care of my bike!
For those who are looking for a great bike shop, check out Hilltop Bicycle's website.
They are hands-on the best bike mechanics around and charge less than bike shops in the city. They also sell the best bikes in the market with Specialized, Cannondale, Scott, Giant, Focus...
If you want to stop by, they have 2 convenient locations, roughly a 30-minute drive from NYC:
Summit, NJ
314 Springfield Ave, Summit, NJ 07901
(906) 219-4622
Cranford, NJ
30 Eastman Street, Cranford, NJ 07016
(908) 967-6072
Hilltop Bicycle surely does know what they are doing. Chris took care of my bike like it was his, cleaning it up and looking at details I wouldn't have caught myself. I had issues with my powermeter, and could not resolve it. It took him about 15 minutes to figure it all out. He went the extra mile and checked every details, every aspects of the bike, tighten the fork, cleaned up the cassette, tighten the breaks and greased up parts that needed to be....all in 1 1/2 hours!For those who are looking for a great bike shop, check out Hilltop Bicycle's website.
They are hands-on the best bike mechanics around and charge less than bike shops in the city. They also sell the best bikes in the market with Specialized, Cannondale, Scott, Giant, Focus...
If you want to stop by, they have 2 convenient locations, roughly a 30-minute drive from NYC:
Summit, NJ
314 Springfield Ave, Summit, NJ 07901
(906) 219-4622
Cranford, NJ
30 Eastman Street, Cranford, NJ 07016
(908) 967-6072
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Brisk 3-hr ride in 23 degree Fahrenheit weather
Nothing beats biking outside. The monotony of riding on the trainer took its tall so Carsten and I decided that it was nice enough outside to go for a long 3-hour ride. We rode 56 miles, averaging 19 mph, which is fast for a winter ride, way too fast.
My toes got really cold at some point, and making it back home wasn't the most pleasant, but overall it was a fun ride.
Some stats from my ride:
Time: 2:56
Avg. Wattage: 218
Avg. Heart Rate: 138
Avg. cadence: 84 (a bit slow, ideally I prefer to have it between 85-95)
Elevation gain: 2,287 feet (it is flat around here)
Distance: 56.33 miles
Avg. pace: 19.2pmh
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