With his cousin Fabian doing tolerably well over in Europe, Spencer was feeling the need to make up for his illness-induced sub-par March time trials.  He did so by winning the Ice Breaker Crit in Eugene.

photo courtesy of ulchey

Former 7-Eleven director sportif Mike Neel was once asked by a journalist about the science of cycling.  His response:

"It's not a science, it's war."

"Hobo on Couch" by Georges Seurat

These two people clearly shouldn't have any calories (sarcasm).

I find that to be one of the stupidest TV ads of all-time.  But its also symptomatic of our times.  That sort of ad is ubiquitous, and its all due to the fact that we all want to think of ourselves as busy, motivated, fit, and healthy, whether we are or not.

Chris Carmichael is targetting the busy and motivated set with his new book.  "The Time-Crunched Cyclist" utilizes some of the same tactcis as that Michelob Ultra ad by putting emboldened workds like "Fit" and "Powerful" right on the cover.  This book pretends to be for Wall Street day-traders who race their bikes around Central Park in the evening, but it can actually be for anyone wanting to get faster while spending less time training.

But while I have might view Chris Carmichael as a bit less than a savior to US cycling, and indeed something of the Michelob Ultra of cycling coaches, there is something to be said for this book.

The premise is that the traditional "endurance training model" breaks down when applied to cyclists who have no more than six hours per week to train.  This model focuses on endurance riding, (foundation-building, base-building, whatever you want to call it -- and I'll stop here with listing off synonyms for fear of hitting on a CTS trademark and getting sued).  And in the traditional model, only a finite percentage of the total training volume (perhaps 10-15%) has the cyclist training at intensities nearing or above lactate threshold.

But for cyclists who can ride just six hours a week, or less, the standard of 10-15% intensity equates to very little time spent at these higher intensities.  Not enough time, at least not enough to yield any real benefit.

Carmichael speaks as if he's been the custodian of this time-honored "endurance training model," as if he invented it.  And when he says that "he chose to change it," I think he might mean that the actual sports scientists who work for him thought it a good idea to change it.

But for for those unable or unwilling to train more than six or so hours per week, it needed changing.

So all marketing aside, because in actuallity most of us are more of a slacker than Lance Armstrong or this imagined Wall Street proto-jock, a greater focus on intensity for people whose training volume is low enough that off-the-bike recovery is an essential part of it (read as days where you are too busy or too lazy or too tired to ride), this approach can be helpful.

This aproach has its limitation too, as Carmichael admits.  You won't win the Tour de France using this approach, or even finish third.  You might not even be very competitive as a Cat 1 or a Cat 2, unless you're over-loaded with natural talent.  But for Cat 3 or Masters racers, this type of plan can work.

In fact someone training six hours per week within this type of system will probably be faster than someone riding 12+ hours per week who is starved of true recovery.  If this 12+ hour cyclist's "recovery" consists of sitting in a car and getting stressed out by traffic, droppin off/picking up kids, working long hours, possibly on their feet, then they're not really getting too much recovery.

But for those of us who are less "time-crunched" than "motivationally challenged," we're probably better off finding a way to do the 12+ hours per week.  The volume will benefit us, and we can still spend our rest days on the couch with our feet up.

The Etna Brewing Co./DeSalvo Custom Cycles cycling team is pleased to announce that the 2nd Annual GP Rogue Flahute bicycle ride will take place April 4, 2010.

This ride is a friendly ride, but at a brisk, hold-nothing-back pace.  Also known as a gentlemen's race.  The course will be known in advance.  In fact, every rider present at the start will be handed a quarter-sheet piece of paper with a course map, and with turn-by-turn directions.  We've also secure the services of a servcie car, which will be stocked with food, water, and even a few spare wheels.

The ride will begin at 10 a.m. from Colver Park on Colver Road in Phoenix, Oregon.  Here, at the green arrow.

More info is forthcoming.

Bob Grover has been a monster this summer.  His methodical base-building is paying dividends, first with an excellent Thursday Nighter TT last week (below), and tonight a close second-place to Mark Krause in the Champion Cicruit Race series.

It's mid-summer, and while Dave and Spencer and Matt and Bob and Hylnsky have been all over the state racing their bikes, I've been at work, doing much of my riding (can I even call it training?) to and from work, and haven't raced my bike outside the Rogue Valley since February, other than a lap-and-a-half of the OBRA TTT Championships.

It's been a bit of a down year thus far.  Sort of like 2007, it's been difficult for me to stay motivated and focused on training (as opposed to "just riding"), and therefore my interest in travelling to races has slackened a bit as well.

But some epic rides this summer have kept me interested.  Spencellera and I did 115 miles on July 4, including about 11,000 feet of climbing, some dirt roads that make the Koppenberg look like a bowling alley, and 100-degree heat.

Descending into the Applegate Valley after climbing Cedar Flat Rd. and then Little Grayback Rd.

That ride gave my body something to think about.  I experienced a bit of knee swelling due to an old IT band issue, and took a three-day sojourn to Gold Beach to rest, off the bike.

This little green fella poops out his mouth.  Or is it her mouth?

So then about a week later, with my knee swelling and beach-combing convalescence behind me, I took to the mountain bike and climbed up to Wrangle Gap (site of my 2006 bachelor party) by way of USFS Rd. 2030 (Glade Creek Rd.), which is steep, rocky, and unforgiving.  I won't tell you what my average speed was on the climb -- speed may be the wrong word for it.  Here's a map.  And here's a photo of the hardest section of the climb:

So these stupid-hard rides have kept me sane, and still savoring some level of fitness.  It seems like I'm climbing pretty well these days, even if I feel like a one-legged Roberto Heras up against the Petacchi lead-out train in the final kilometer of Milan - San Remo every time I go out to the Thursday Nighter curcuit races this year.

This lack of power and speed on the flats is being addressed.  Coach Bob read me the riot act last week, and has inspired me to get a little more disciplined about my riding.  For the first time since I swore off a power-meter, I've again put a new-fangled electronic device on my bike (my five-year-old Polar 720i), and am now monitoring speed (though Bob tells me my wheel circumfrance is off) and heart-rate.

But actually its fact that the State of Jefferson hillclimb season is upon us that has me feeling more motivated now.  The Shasta Pedali Hillclimb is Saturday (August 1), and the Callahans Hillcimb TTs will soon follow.  Then, in September, The Other Mt. Shasta Hillclimb, and the Jean Chinn Memorial Mt. Ashland Hillclimb, where I'll be doing my 11th in a row.

I enjoy the Shasta Pedali Hillclimb.  It's unsanctioned and low-key, but it holds fond memories, like this one of Sean Doyle, Riley MacGraw and myself making an unsuccesful attempt at a course record (the former course record, thanks to Paul Mach):

And after hillclimb season comes cyclocross, where I've committed to doing the entire Cross Crusade series (with the possible exception of the Astoria races), the Portland USGP races, and the national championships in Bend (probably the 30+ field for me).  Reny, Ben Thompson, Thom Kneeland, Scott Churchill, Dave Masessa, and possibly, just maybe, an unnamed former pro/Cat 1-type cyclist from Mt. Shasta will come out of retirement for these races as well.  So it should be a fun cross season.  In past years I've felt strong for cross season, just a bit incompetent at the whole dismoutning, running-with-bike, remounting thing (have you seen the video?).  This year the Portland mud is sure to add another element.  So I have a lot of learn: I've got some skills to develop.  That is to say, there are some skills, which I don't yet have, which I aim to develop.  But it should be fun, and I can only improve at cyclocross.

And I'm heartened to know that I can at the very least achieve some level of Portland cyclocross street cred by demonstrating an appreciation for Portland micro-brews.  This is helpful.

And as Coach Bob has pointed out, my cross ambitions are all the more reason to work on building power on the flats.  I think I have some decent base.  I've done some good LT training, and will get more of it through August and September.  And then mid-September I'll add some VO2max-type training, and some maximum-power intervals.  From now until then, I'll also be doing some on-the-bike power/strength training (uphill, in the saddle, low-cadence stuff).  Hopefully this is the right mix of training.

My parting thought is that it's time for team Etna Brew to start thinking about our Fall Epic.  Last year was one to remember.  No major meltdowns en route, and a successful dissection of the State of Jefferson toughest moutain ranges.  I'm not sure we can top that this year, but it's worth trying.

This Sunday we had the most perfect window of good weather and rode the big one, the toughest, the most remote, and the most beautiful 100-mile loop in The State of Jefferson: The Salmon River Loop.

This was to be Rebecca's fairwell ride.  A send-off before her trip to Alaska, and her first time on the loop.

It had rained torrentially on Saturday, and even snowed above about 5500 feet.  Given that both big summits on the ride go well over that elevation, we thought perhaps we'd have at least a very wet, if not outright frozen ride Sunday.  Spencer, Bob, Rebecca, Scott D., Reny, Tim T., Craig A., and I headed out of Etna at 9 a.m. nonetheless, riding into a headwind on the way to Callahan.

There, we found Orion just past the city limits sign, with three hours of sleep and smelling of booze in the gravel parking lot with just a bike, a helmet, and nothing else.  Certainly no food, gloves, nothing like that.  Nothing one might want to have packed with them for The Salmo River Loop.  But he hopped on his bike and pedalled off with us, because that's what he's made of.

Sun all the way to Forks of the Salmon, and then tailwind the rest of the way home.  We picked up Mike and Mike before Sawyers Bar, and Joy H., the saint, was on hand with the support car.

The climb up the backside of Etna Mth. was horrific as always, but perhaps a bit less horrific with a bit of wind at the back.

Afterwards, the Etna Brewery served up some food and beer, and shit howdy did it ever hit the spot.

Below is the view north from Cecilville Summit...

Ally Stacher at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda (with the white helmet, green bike and black tires)...

This Sunday, the 1st Annual GP Rogue Flahute...

Meet at Colver Park in Phoenix, Oregon, and be ready to roll out at 10 a.m.

We'll hit all the dirt roads in the valley in one nice, neat 115-mile parcours.  (Sorry, we won't leave the valley for any fire roads.)  This is a ride for road bikes.  No knobby tires.

Beer and Tour of Flanders on TV at Tim's house afterwards.

All are welcome.

The following course maps are courtesy of Spencer...

http://tinyurl.com/flahute-rogue

For anyone who wants the Garmin GPS course... it's available for download here

This is an unorganized, unsanctioned, unsupported ride. Please bring all the support you need.

Turn by turn directions...

http://www.malukcoaching.com/tech/flahute.html