Tech Blog: FUSAR is Creating a Really Cool New Action Camera

I am not a tech blogger, but I wanted to take a minute to share this one as it ties in to cycling perfectly. Some really cool things are coming out next summer, and Fusar is working hard to develop and release a very neat device in July 2016 for all action sport aficionados.

On Wednesday I met with Fusar, a start-up based in Jersey City, who are coming up with a very impressive product, the Mohawk camera. I had the chance to talk to the co-founders and meet with the entire team; 10 people working hard to make the Mohawk an action camera "on steroids." I love the product and Ryan and Clayton's vision of FUSAR. What do they do? Read on...

website: www.fusar.com

FUSAR was founded after its CEO, Ryan Shearman, was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle on NYC's Westside Highway on his way to work. With FUSAR Ryan and his team are creating a solution to help make riding a bike or motorcycle as safe as possible while keeping riders connected (the camera can also be used in other action sports like skiing, snowboarding, or skateboarding). If you have a helmet, you can have a Mohawk action camera.

The Mohawk is an action camera with a navigation unit, an activity tracker (think of it as Instagram and Strava combined), a communication system, a black box, and an emergency response system embedded in it. Connect with your fellow riders through the app and track them and/or share your rides, pics, videos with them. Chat with them using the PPT (push-to-talk) technology via the BRC handlebar set.

My favorite feature is the "Guardian Angel Service" feature. In the event of an accident the camera is smart enough to detect it thanks to its crash-detection algorithm. As soon as a crash is detected, the Mohawk will alert your loved ones, report your position, and will automatically share a list of paramedics that are closest to the accident site.

Another cool feature: the black box feature "perpetually records the last 2 minutes of audio, video, and telemetry data." No more arguing with a driver claiming that you are at fault...let the camera prove him wrong!

I should be getting my hands on one in the next few weeks to test it out. I'll let you know how I like it!



Happy holidays all!

May the Kona 2015 shenanigans begin!

Here we go!

Our trip to the big Island for Ironman World Championships has begun, and quite frankly it hasn’t sunk in yet. It probably will when we touch down later today or maybe tomorrow when I go check out the swim start and walk around the Ironman village. I feel like a 5-year old on Christmas Eve, struggling to contain my excitement with what’s ahead of us. I just want to be there and freeze the time for few days or weeks maybe. We both worked hard to get here, and Mariesa did a lot of sacrifices to allow me to be there. It’s time to celebrate and rip the benefits of all those sacrifices.

We decided to break up the long flight from New York and spent a day in Seattle, which greeted us with perfect fall weather: sunny and warm enough so we could comfortably walk around with a sweater. Perfect day! Mariesa’s friend, Courtney, was kind enough to host us. I had a great tempo run around Green Lake in the afternoon. It felt good to see that the legs were still turning over pretty fast after the 5-hour flight. We took off this morning for Kona, and the plan is, if the flight isn’t too delayed, to go pick up the bike from TriBike Transport and ride for a few hours, mainly to shake off the jetlag, but mostly because I cannot wait to get some training in. We’ll see how that goes. I don’t think I’ll be able to get 2.5-3 hours in, but anything will do.

The schedule for next week is phenomenal. Mariesa and I will probably meet up with Enzo tomorrow, a college friend from France who now works as a Sales rep for Endless Pools in the burbs of Philly. Ironically enough, his company will demo their products at Kona. What a small world! I’d love to get in the water and maybe go for a “coffee swim”, or swimming off the beach to a boat, get an espresso shot, and swim back. Apparently that Lava Java coffee is supposed to be the bomb! After that, I will meet up with Matt to go for our 1-on-1 with the Energy Lab!  A 30-40min will allow me to see what hell will feel like come race day. I can’t wait to take it all in and enjoy the experience. We’ll go pick up my parents and Bryan on Monday night, and Bryan will do IronKids, which consist of a 125-yrd swim and a mile run. Aside from that, it’ll be pretty low key I think. I’ll try to get in the water at least once a day, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. I saw some crazy pictures and am dying to take the GoPro and get my own.

Thursday will be busy: Kona Underpants run at 7:30am, followed by some training on the bike, the Trisports Kona Party at 4pm, and finally the Welcome banquet at 6pm. I know that I’ll most likely leave some precious energy with all these shenanigans, but I really want to enjoy the experience. I’ll go hungrier than ever to do well on race day, but I don’t want this to impede on the experience.

Friday will be bike check-in day and all about relaxing before the big dance on Saturday. Exciting! This week will fly by, and before I know it all of it will just be a blur, relying on pictures, videos, and laughter to remember it all. The second week will be all about vacationing and nothing about triathlon for once! See kayaking, zip lining, scuba diving, hiking…what is your program?

Lap-the-Lake 2.4-mile Open Water Swim

I took some time off from Triathlon after IM Texas (2 weeks to be exact) to refocus and be mentally ready to train for IM Canada in July. 

One of the areas that I need to improve on is my OWS skills, and it's fair to say that, though swimming in a pool helps me be faster and more efficient, I need to spend some time in open water. 

the 2.4-mile swim in Franklin Lake, NJ (Lap-the-lake swim) of June 14th was a good opportunity to get the distance in, swimming in a wetsuit, and not worry about the bike and run legs. 

How did it go? 

1:03:37- The distance was 2.62 miles (and no I did not swim off course) 1:22/100yds

Since I've never had a chance to "know my limit" on an open 2.4-mile swim, the plan was to swim hard the whole time and see what my limit was to avoid pushing too hard on the swim leg of IMCA. I wanted to sprint hard to the first buoy and maintain a "fast pace" until the 5th buoy, and just hang on for dear life on the 2nd loop. 

I did just that and found myself in the lead 300 yards into the swim, and felt great. I was pushing hard, but nothing I could not sustain. I got passed at the 4th buoy (out of 8) but I still felt good. By that point it was difficult to sight, and I came out of the first loop a lot more tired than I thought I would be. I was still in the lead pack, which was pretty cool knowing that I am not a swimmer. 

On the 2nd loop, I focused on maintaining a good pace, swimming straight, and getting a better feel of the water. I was very happy with my sighting, swimming fairly straight for the most part. An older swimmer could not keep it straight and would zig zag the whole time. At the furn of the 4th buoy I started to feel really tired, and instead of trying to push harder, I focused even more on my technique, as I know that one's technique gets sloppy as fatigue sets in. 

I came 5th out of the water, 2nd male OA, but got chicked 3 times. 

I was disappointed by my time at first, as I really wanted to swim sub 1 hour, but only 1 person swam barely under the hour. also, 2.62 miles is close to 400 extra yards, so I'm confident to say that I would have swam sub 1 hour if the distance was right. 

On another note, it was great to show up to an event without the pressure I seem to put on myself to do well. We went to the event, swam for an hour, and went to go get breakfast (which was terrible, btw). That was great. I am looking forward to doing more OWS during my mini training camp in Lake Placid in July, and look forward to racing the Jersey Shore Olympic this weekend. 

Happy training all!

Training Weekend in Raleigh, NC

The bitter cold weather of the North East took its toll on me, and I needed to figure out a way to train outside and finally get a chance to test out my new TT. After a weekend skiing in Killington, VT, we decided (I kind of imposed it on Mariesa) to make the trip down to Raleigh, NC for President's day, hoping that the weather would be nicer. 

Saturday: 45F and sunny

After a long drive on Friday night, we made it to Raleigh at around 2:30am, and woke up around 8am, but did not feel like riding outside right away. I did some research to find some bike routes, and it seems like Trek Raleigh, a bike shop about 15 min from where we stayed, had bike courses marked with arrows (red for 50K ride and blue for 100K). I was curious to check it out, so I drove there and started from there. 

I did not get to start until around 12pm, which is late, very late compared to the latest I would allow myself to start riding outside in NYC (around 8am). Passed 8am, you're almost guaranteed to have to deal with the infamous angry drivers of New York / New Jersey. I was only hoping that drivers in NC would be nicer to cyclists...Drivers would slow down, wait for the oncoming cars to clear me before passing me. While passing, they would give me a good 3-4 feet of clearance. Amazing! It made the ride that much more enjoyable. 

I ended up riding a little over 4+ hours on Saturday on my new P5. Roads were in perfect conditions, with barely any pothole to dodge on rather empty roads. A good mix of rolling hills to get the cardio going and flat sections to get on the aero bars made for a great ride overall. I was pleasantly surprised by it, and could not wait to ride more!

Sunday: Cold and windy!

Not the weather I hoped for, but it'll do. The roads are dry and rideable. the 90min brick ride followed by a 90min brick run did not go as well as I wanted. It was too cold to ride more than 75 min, and the wind got me on the run. Luckily, I found a trail 20min into the run, and was able to run in the woods for a good 55min, completely covered by the wind!

Monday: 21 feels like 13...YIKES!

I had 2.5-3hr ride to do before heading home, and I was not going to let that slide! no way! We drove 7.5 hours for me to train, the roads are dry and in great conditions, and with the bitterly cold weather in NY, who knows when/if I get a chance to ride my bike outside before Oceanside 70.3.
So, as expected, my bottles froze solid after 50min on the bike, my face was freezing and my body didn't want to warm up...for some reason? It was a cold one, and in all honesty, I would not even consider the outdoor option if I were in NY. I would be on the trainer. However, despite all that, I managed to have a good ride in, and am now ready to go home, having accumulating 160 miles on the bike.

New year, new resolutions

New resolutions for 2015:

Massive focus on nutrition this year with strict restrictions and the will to get it right, or at least to be better at it. I started working with Inside Tracker to track and analyze key biochemical markers and help understand where my nutritional deficiencies were. It is as simple as a blood test, and as easy as reading the results on their website and checking their recommendations. They give you detailed explanations of what each marker is and how they impact your wellbeing. They also make food recommendation that will help re-balance my diet and optimize my markers. so, as a result of that, in addition to watching my food intake, below are some "drastic" resolutions...

- No more soda (except on race day)

I drank a lot of it last year, especially after a hard training day on the bike. Watching this video (click here) about the impact sugar has on your body also helped me reassess my diet and make changes. As Coke is very important and helpful on race day, I won't restrict myself from drinking it, but will refrain from doing so outside of competitions. 

- Pizza once every two months

It was too easy to order pizza on weekends, and having Rustique Pizzeria down the street did not help either.  We ordered too many of those 4 cheese pizzas with coke and Tiramisu. We eventually had to cut down. 

We waited for 2 months to eat our first slice, choosing the Superbowl for the event! 

- Seamless order once every 2 weeks

We you cook your own food, you know exactly what goes in it. Ordering on Seamless is nice and easy, but again, we ordered way too much on the site. And with the focus on eating healthier, take out or delivery food wasn't a good option. 

- Eating more fruits and veggies

That's a given, but not as simple as it may seem. I'm finally getting used to eating more veggies. 

All these resolutions I am sure will pay off in the end. After a month I already feel better, more energized, and I feel like I recover quicker. I eat a lot more fruits, veggies, healthy breakfasts with a cup of coffee (and honey to sweeten it), and oat meal with yogurt. Before that I would easily eat a baguette with butter and Nutella every day...no problem! Eventually that also had to go! Oat meal isn't the tastiest breakfast food out there, but Mariesa's baked oatmeal makes up for it! Delicious! 

I've also started to be a lot more careful with my recovery post training. After a good stretching, I try to get some whey protein mixed with water and fruits (usually banana, strawberries, kiwis, or raspberries). On top of being delicious, it helps me recover quicker and I can genuinely feel it. 

If I can be consistent with these resolutions I think I'll see some results this year! 

FTP results were much better than expected

It was FTP test on the bike this week with a 30min all out set after a 20min warm-up.

It was a very important test to gauge where my bike fitness was 6+ months after my last test. It would set my training for the next 4-6 weeks, and more importantly, it could boost my morale and motivation for the month of Feb and March. I took it very seriously, planned the night before to make sure I'd eat healthy and early enough to have enough time to digest before the test (did it at 5am on Tuesday). I went to bed early, probably around 9pm to make sure I'd get enough sleep.
I woke up at 4am, excited and impatient to get on the bike. I had a very light breakfast right away and gave myself 1 hour to digest. I felt good.

And the test begins...
I've never done a 30min all out on the trainer (or even on the road for that matter). On top of the lactic acid building up in your muscles and your breath shortening, you start having negative thoughts telling you that you cannot do it, that it burns too much. The thighs are burnings, the cadence is low and each pedal stroke gets harder and harder. I struggled a lot, having to dig deeper than I thought I'd be able to that early into my training. It got to a point where it was almost unbearable. I came close to the breaking point where I would quit and go back to the apartment, but I knew I'd be disappointed at myself if I did. More importantly, I had 10min left (which seemed an eternity!) for what would set a good benchmark for my 2015 training. I worked too hard to get here and give up. To clear up my mind I started thinking about the results I had at IM Zurich and at the Worlds of last year where I had a strong bike split. I needed to remind myself that I did it before and could do it again.

30min done...and the results are much better than expected, being only a few watts short of my FTP of last year. It instantly gave me a massive boost of confidence on my bike fitness, and more importantly it showed that I still have the mental strength to push myself way beyond my comfort zone. All this is a good sign that I am on the right track so far.

Bike Fit with Joe LoPorto's Fit Werx Studio

2014 was a breakthrough year, but there's always something I can work on to improve, else I would have been crowned at Kona this year. 2 main changes I'm looking to make 2015: focus on Nutrition and looking at a new machine. I'm going to focus on the latter on this review.

I went to Joe Lo Porto's Fit Werx studio in Ridgefield Park, NJ on Saturday, December 20th. I've heard good feedback from my friends at GCTRI who've been there: he is really professional, knowledgeable, a great listener who makes his sessions very informational, and more importantly they all felt great coming out of his Fit studio. All sounded good to me, but I've had a good experience with my previous bike shop, and some terrible experiences with bike shops in the city, so I was a bit on the fence about switching to another bike shop..again. 

The experience was beyond my expectations, and I would recommend Joe's services (and Ron as a mechanic) in a heart beat! Price wise, I am not sure where Fit Werx stacks up against its competitors, but to be honest, I don't even think that they have any competition at this point. They are just too meticulous, too focused on providing you with the best bike fit that it'll dwarf the "competition." But let me share more details on my experience...

My research on Fit Werx

Friends' feedback (chats, FB statuses...) definitely helped make the decision. A good first indication that Fit Werx does a decent job is that I have not heard anyone (spoke to 4 different people) complaining about his service. Just like when you're looking for a new job and you want to know how it's like to work for the company, word of mouth usually weighs a bit more in your decision, especially when you hear good things about a company (or service provider in this case). That said, that was not enough for me to make the jump, but it was a good start.

I looked at their website to try to get as much as possible out of it: background, products they support, services they provide... I was trying to find the answer to the question: why would a bike fit studio provide such a precise, pro-like bit fit service to the mass? Reading their website content and watching the videos, they pictured the type of service that in my mind only pro cycling teams or pro triathletes can get access to. I think I spent a good 2+ hours just looking at their site. Fit Werx apparently provides top-notch, pro-like bike fitting services to "normal people." I was intrigued, interested, and excited at the idea of getting the perfect bike fit that would consider almost every aspect of my training, and of my build. I am very focused on the details, sometimes too much, and if Fit Werx does provide the level of service they advertise on their website, they'll have me as a customer without a doubt. 

So I called Joe to really get a good feel for it before pulling the trigger. I did not want to waste anyone's time, and told him exactly what I was looking for. I told him what my understanding of his services were (ie. pro-like bike fit), and asked him questions about it, mainly to see if he was indeed as good as the website claims they are. And from the chat I had with him, he seems like he knew what he was talking about. As importantly though, I told him that I was also interested in building a relationship with the shop where we both have a mutual interest in working together: him making me more aero on the bike, and me advertising and spreading the words about his shop. He was on board, and seemed excited, so we set an appointment for Dec 18th. 

Saturday, Dec 18th...6 hours "cooking in the bike shop"...

Joe told me to block 3 hours of my time. I gave myself an extra hour and blocked 4 hours, which I

The roadie getting a physical!

thought would be plenty. I had a bike fit earlier this year (click here for details) and we spent a good 2 hours at the shop, so I thought 4 hours was going to be enough. 

The shop and Ron the mechanic

The shop itself looks nice and clean, with some nice bikes and parts displayed (mostly Guru, Parlee, and Felt). It does not look like your typical bike shop where bike are hang up on the ceiling and parts  are displayed in every possible square inch. The shop feels roomier. As you enter it, you'll see 2 armchairs on your left-hand side, a coffee machine, and a massage table for measurements and some stretching before getting on the bike. The fitting studio area is between the massage table and the repair shop area

Speaking of the repair shop area, I have to say that I've rarely seen such a clean space when surrounded by grease. Ron, the mechanic, was great. He knows his stuff inside out, and is very open to sharing his experience and tricks. We spoke for a little while and it turned out that he is a mechanic for Mavic, worked at the US pro challenge race in Colorado, and worked on races like Paris-Roubaix.  Needless to say that after hearing that, I felt pretty comfortable letting him work on my roadie. Some parts were worn (pulleys of the derailleur), and I could make some minor changes on the tubes/cables to improve the shifting performance and feel. However, overall, I was pleased to hear that the bike was in pristine conditions and ready to roll for another year. Though I don't ride it as much, I really enjoy the bike, and it needed a tune-up. I cannot wait to check it out and check how those new cables impact the shifting experience. Ron offered to let me test ride a Time bike, but knowing the price, I really appreciated the trust, but had to politely decline. 

But back to the most important with the bike fit experience!

Joe, aka the bike fit surgeon...

Joe's process is a 3-step process where we first sit down and discuss goals, past experience, and any pain I may be having on the bike or run (analysis). We then would start getting the measurements and doing some stretching to get ready for the fitting. We then get on the fitting bike and start diving into the analysis, look at my position, and make adjustments to find the best possible form on the bike. On a very last step, we discussed bikes and the frames that would fit my build.

Step 1: Analysis

We sat down for a good hour to discuss my goals, my past experience, any pain or discomfort I was experiencing on the bike. Nothing really stood out from me, though we discussed my right knee potentially moving inward and following an elliptical movement. Joe's tool would allow us to track the movement of the knee onto the screen and see the actual movement. What was also interesting to me was linking this to insole and the benefits of "orthotics" and hearing the rationale behind it. Not only does Joe understands the bio-mechanical aspects, but he also has a very good understanding of how the position on the bike can impact ligaments and joints, and the loss of power that would result from it. Very, very interesting, and not something I would have thought of in the first place. 

The next thing we discussed was my wattage on IM and half ironman, and how that translates into speed. That is an important factor, as it will directly impact how aggressive the fitting will be according to my build and flexibility. Looking at my numbers, it was safe to state that the drag I may experience will have an impact on my performance, and that all aspects should really be thought through. that was clearly a concern of mine, but Joe brought it up without me having to ask, which I really liked. it is that level of attention and details that I was looking for, and it seemed like I was getting it. 

After a good hour spent talking and dissecting my experience, we both were on the same page around what needed to be achieved. I just did not know what he were going to do to make it happen. 

Step2: Measurements and Stretching

All details count, and Joe's meticulous approach to everything made the fitting longer than I anticipated, but it was time well worth it. It was the level of service I was looking to get, and beyond. So we did a slew of measurements, from measuring the inseam to my arm length when fully extended and at a 45 degree angle. Joe told me why we were taking such measurements, but I don't quite remember. 

My bike shoes revealed a lot...

We looked at my bike shoes (not sure what I'll do with the tri shoes just yet), and I've learned something new today, something I would have expected the specialized dealer to mention it when I bought the shoes. Thankfully Joe did. I ride the Specialized Expert Geometry body bike shoes, a great bike shoe, very comfortable and stiff. I really like them. 

However, apparently, Specialized tailors their products to the mass, and the shoes are no exception. The shoe is designed to compensate for the pronation that 90% of people has. That's great for 90% of the population, but not so great for the remaining 10%. When looking at my posture and walk, I have a slight pronation (5mm according to his measurements), but not enough to feel the full benefit of the pronation of the shoe. In fact  it was the opposite, as we had to compensate for it to push the foot the other way. Quite interesting analysis and realization on a shoe I've been wearing for 3 years now. one 

Stretching

After that we did a good 3-4 minutes of stretching to help "align the hip" and loosen up the hip flexors. It also gave Joe some key metrics on how much we can push the fitting. All this I did not fully grasp, but it made more sense when on the bike. I think you'll see for yourself when you get fitted at Fit Werx. 

Step 3: Bike fit

This one would take a while to describe, so I'm going to leave it to pics for you to see. hopefully it'll reinforce your opinion of considering Fit Werx for your bike fit, because it is worth every penny. We did a series of 4" footage and projected the video onto a wider screen. We then dissected every single pedal stroke, the position and angle of my heel compared to the ball of my foot, the angle that goes from my hip to my achilles, and finally the angle that goes from my hip to the shoulder, to the aero-bar pads. All that came with a very detailed analysis and explanation of where I should be at, and what different options we could look at. 

Foot position

From my original position, we realized that the foot angle (heel to ball of foot) was around 24.7 degrees, or about 10 degrees wider than we want it to be. The direct impact is the loss of power and torque. If you think of the pedal stroke as a clock, you want to be able to put some torque between 12 and 6 o'clock, and release pressure from 6 to 12 o'clock to allow the leg to flush some of that lactic acid while the other leg takes over. To correct this, we adjusted the seat post down by about 1cm from it's original position. The result was staggering. We managed to bring the angle down to 14.7 degrees, and at times down to 11.3 degrees, but that's only because I was focusing on getting my heel down. 

Hip and shoulder angles

The hip angle was decent at 153.5 degrees. Ideally this angle should be between 145 and 155 degrees. Above that, the cyclist may risk hyper extension, which could lead to injury and more power loss. We weren't too bad with my angle, but we could managed to bring it closer to 150. What we could do was to bring the seat back a notch, and raise the cockpit. That would allow me to be a bit more stretched on the back without sacrificing too much comfort in the process. It would have a massive impact on my aero position as my back did not arch as much. In fact, we estimated the gain at 4cm of increased aerodynamics by raising the handlebars by 2cm. It is counter intuitive, as you would think that raising the handlebars would expose my torso to more wind resistance. However, the video and results speak for themselves. It opened up my neck area, allowing me to look straight without putting too much stress on the neck. My back is now much flatter, though my homework will be to focus on it to keep it as flat as possible. 

We did an experiment to test the effect of lowering the cockpit to the weight distribution. We went from a fairly well balanced weight distribution between the legs and shoulders to more weight on the shoulders. from Joe's perspective, with the same position, we should be feeling the weight sitting more on the trainer compared to when riding outside. And the simple answer to that is because the wind resistance naturally pushes our trunk up and removing some of the weight we would normally put on the handlebars.

Post adjustments - at the bottom right corner you can see where my back was prior to the fitting

Knee analysis

That one was interesting. I thought my right knew moved in an elliptical movement, essentially losing power in the process and exposing me to IT band issues. To analyze that we put some sensors around the knee, recording a video, and then tracked the movement of the knee on the screen. Despite a slight adjustment, the video proved me wrong. my knees were moving fine, in a piston movement as you'd expect. 

So after few adjustments we found what we believe will be the right position for me for next year. All in all, it took us about 5 hours to get there, but from a selfish perspective, I was fine with it. Joe probably would have preferred to be home with his family! Sorry Joe!

Looking at bike frames...

We spent another hour looking at bike frames and what frame would fit me best next year. We narrowed it down to few brands: BMC TimeMachine 01, Cervelo P5, Guru 901, Specialized Shiv, Trek Speed Concept, and Argon 18. The Shiv was ruled out after we realized the frame was just not right for my build. I was not a big fan of the Trek, and getting it would mean having to get a new power meter, an additional 1K expense I would have had to consider for a bike I was not a fan of...crossed out of the list. 

My heart is set on the BMC, but that would require more work for Joe to get me perfectly fitted on it. Guru is a strong option as you can customize the frame to your personal needs, and can also customize the colors. Guru would also be willing to support me with the "caveat" of putting their names on the kit. That's tempting. However, my only issue is that the Guru looks too much like my current Cannondale, which I don't think I'm very excited about this idea. Shall I get a new bike, I would like to ride something that looks and feel different than my current bike. Lot to consider, but the P5 is also out there. though it is the most expensive option of the 4, and EVERYBODY has it at races, the frame would fit me well. The last option is Argon 18. The bikes, manufactured in Canada, looks nice, but does it fit me? Joe will have to crunch the numbers in his spreadsheet to see if that is a viable option at this point.