Koppenberg Circuit Race - April 2009

Since the race was "muddied out" last weekend stayed tuned to these pages for updates about the rain date.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bldrace
Website: http://www.boulderracing.com/
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Phinney wins silver medal in the kilo

UCI Track Championships
A day after winning gold in the 4k pursuit, Taylor Phinney is second in the kilo time trial. VeloNews Article and VeloNews Photos from Yesterday

from @TaylorPhinney, Fri 27 Mar 15:08 via Tweetie
Ouch! New PB slash American record but had to settle for silver this evening... Amazing ride by Nimke for Gold! The kilo is hard..

Men's Kilometre TT
1 Stefan Nimke (Germany) 1.00.666 (59.341 km/h)
2 Taylor Phinney (United States Of America) 1.01.611
3 Mohd Rizal Tisin (Malaysia) 1.01.658
4 Michaël d'Almeida (France) 1.02.034
5 Scott Sunderland (Australia) 1.02.144
6 Teun Mulder (Netherlands) 1.02.209
7 David Daniell (Great Britain) 1.02.316
8 Kamil Kuczynski (Poland) 1.02.356
9 Quentin Lafargue (France) 1.02.669
10 Edward Dawkins (New Zealand) 1.02.68

Castilla y León wrap up
1. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)
2. Alberto Contador (Astana)
3. Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream)

Koppenberg Circuit Update: Sunday's Race in Superior, CO
UPDATE 3/27/09 10:46am
The sun is out. We should see some significant melting today and still plan on plowing & shoveling today. Worst case, we will make a call to cancel by 2pm tomorrow.

UPDATE 3/26/09 12:40pm
Yes we know its snowing. Here is the plan...
We have arranged for the hill to be plowed Friday afternoon after the snow stops. From there we will hand shovel the rest. With the sun and wind expected for Saturday, it should be dry enough for racing on Sunday.

A Nice Article in VeloNews

Proud mother: Connie Carpenter's report on day 2 at track worlds.
By Connie Carpenter
Posted Mar. 26, 2009 in VeloNews.com

Other news on the day:
Track World's Day 3: Taylor Phinney grabs gold pursuit
By BikeRadar & AFP in BikeRadar.com

Cycling on TV

Classic Cycling on TV

I’ve recently noticed that most of the guys on the team are getting their international racing fix from Versus and the two major internet providers – VeloNews.com and Cyclingnews.com. For those who do not know the absolute best source of racing info is:
http://www.cycling.tv/

Cycling.tv is a subscription based internet provider of live race coverage for virtually every major bike race in the world. The commentary is in English and you virtually have front row seating for coverage. If you have checked the front seat of the team managers’ cars at major bike races you see a couple of critical communication systems – one of them is a television set. Typically the team director is monitoring the following:
Race Radio – this is official race information from the commissaries who control team cars and everything happening in the race. This is also the major source of info to the director for riders in the breaks, time splits, and all movement of vehicles in the race
Team Radios – each team and their riders are connected with an encrypted radio system. The riders have ear pieces and small mics that allow them to talk among themselves and the team director. Generally some of the staff (soigneurs and assistant directors) are also on the team radio for info along the course.
Cell Phones – teams also communicate with staff during the race via cell phones and often relay some critical details of course conditions, rider needs, etc as the race is often miles from a potential problem (or opportunity).
Television – most of the major races are broadcast in real time and with modern transmission systems the cars can get live TV in the car.

The television is probably one of the best methods to actually “see” what is happening at the front of the race as things develop. While the director gets info from the Commissaries it first has to be radio transmitted from the motor Coms to the Chief Com, who then decides what to relay to the team cars. There is always some delay and often some incorrect info relay from the moto Coms. By watching the TV an experienced director can recognize team and rider actions as they are happening and make an immediate and accurate call to his team. The speed of information to the directors and riders these days is virtually instantaneous, but even more important is the ability of the director to read the race and relay items to the team.

Cycling.tv is without a doubt the best way to learn how to race and I recommend everyone sign up for the coverage. You get to see the front of the race as team and rider tactics play out and more than anything you get to watch when and how everything develops.

There are a number event coverage options, but the most expensive is only $99 for a year’s coverage of the major races. You pay for a package and then log in to cycling.tv and watch the race live on your computer. You can also watch the highlight videos for a few days after each race whenever you have time. The stage races are cool, but the absolute must see racing is right now with the one day classics.

All the best,
Len

2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

Results for Taylor Phinney in Pruszkow, Poland

Tweet from Neal Henderson:
nealhenderson http://twitpic.com/2gxnk - World Champion!!!!

Men's Individual Pursuit

Final

1 Taylor Phinney (United States)                 4.17.631 (55.839 km/h)
2 Jack Bobridge (Australia)                      4.20.091

3 Dominique Cornu (Belgium)                      4.22.347 (54.889 km/h)
4 Volodymyr Diudiu (Ukraine)                     4.28.297

Brief Results from CyclingNews.com today: read more here
Yesterday's report from Session 1: read more here
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Koppenberg Circuit Race

Good luck to the Vic’s Espresso racers in the Koppenberg Circuit Race this Sunday March 29, 2009 in Superior, CO. More info at 2009 Koppenberg Circuit Race. Our local race is named after the famous 22% cobbled climb in Belgium, although here the 17% climb is on dirt - race viewing should be fun.

KOPPENBERG

What is Koppenberg? – a steep hill in Belgium

In Dutch, Koppenberg means Heading Mount, it is a 77m high 600m long hill in Oudenaarde, the Flemish Ardennes of Belgium.

The climb is part of the Ronde van Vlaanderen or Tour of Flanders which takes place this year on April 5, 2009 from Brugge to Meerbeek 261.5Km to the south. Strategically the climb typically has little importance in the race, other than sometimes splitting the field and increasing the effort during the 22% climb and the crosswinds encountered at the top. Too far from the finish, the drama and effort are the attraction, plus it is the rare race when you will see a pro walking his bike up a hill. Koppenberg is known for its rutted cobbles, dirt gutters and narrow steepness.

What makes Koppenberg so famous? - a little history

Koppenberg was first used in the Tour of Flanders in 1975 and annually until 1987, when an incident involving a Danish rider Jesper Skibby halted the climbs inclusion for 15 years. What happened? Well Skibby was in the lead by 2 minutes but fell onto the cobbles half way up the climb. The race commissaire was forced to make a quick decision as the peloton approached rapidly behind his car. He decided to drive forward and over poor Skibby. He hit only Skibby’s wheel, destroying it, (with Skibby still in his pedal clips) but it could have been far worse. The words "Remember Skibby" traditionally painted on the road at the summit of Koppenberg is a reminder of 1987.

Here you can see Graham Watson’s poster version of Skibby toppling. I’m not sure what came first the car or the topple.

Road improvements in 2002 resulted in widening the road 10 feet and re-paving it allowing the climb to be re-introduced once again, this time until 2006. Following further resurfacing in 2007, it was again included in the 2008.

The Koppenberg hillside is also used for the annual Cyclo-cross Koppenberg race.

What is our local Koppenberg?

Course: Koppenberg Circuit, a 5.5 mile road race circuit (3-8 laps), 300 ft elevation gain per lap including 2 miles of dirt road. Also includes a very short, but very steep dirt climb, 17%.
Date: March 29, 2009, 8:00am
Location: Superior, CO

I couldn’t find any other race in the USA using the name Koppenberg, so here in the United States it looks like we are the next best thing to being in Belgium.

See the Gradient of the real Koppenberg climb at Climb by Bike - that's a lot of red on that graph.

See a Pro walk a bike up a hill on the Koppenberg 2006, Belgium – “Get On Your Bike!” This is when being a fan is so much more fun then riding a bike. (video)


Also this Sunday 3/29/09 is the Criterium International – for any of you Jens Voigt fans.

Surfing for Cycling Info

Yesterdays news of Lance Armstrong's crash at Castilla y Leon was an amazing example of just how fast we can get news about cycling online these days. I was reading the first tweets from Neal Henderson in Poland before I heard anything from my browser's major new blasts. Within the hour I was watching video of Lance sitting along the roadside, reading reports from his teammates, and injury outcomes from his director sportif. Then by the evening we could all see pictures of Lance in his sling eating crackers and cheese with Johan Bruyneel. And I didn't go looking for any of this - it was all delivered to me via Twitter. This is an amazing world we live in.

Also very entertaining - Neal has been sending out some funny Twitpics (photos on Twitter) from Worlds Poland lately!

Read a good summary article on following cycling news online in today's world:
Fresh Brew: surfing for cycling info
by Chris Brewer

The Adventures of Neal and Taylor

I hope everyone is following these two on Twitter because they are having a great time in Poland

Neal's twitter site: http://twitter.com/nealhenderson
Taylor's twitter site: http://twitter.com/taylorphinney

I will post their results as soon as I hear anything on Thursday and Friday.

More Racing in Italy

This weekend March 21, 2009 Milan to San Remo in 1 Day!

la classica di Primavera "the Spring classic” is the longest professional one-day race at 294km. That is approximately 182.68313 miles. And yes, it starts in Milan and ends in San Remo!

You can call it Milano SanRemo or Milan-San Remo or you can just call it a long race. It was won last year by Fabian Cancellara.

Who is OUT this year: Fabian Cancellara(!), Frank Schleck, Alessandro Ballan, Oscar Freire. Kirchen, and now S.Sanchez. They’re dropping like flies, good to know I’m not the only one on the injury list in the early season.

Who is IN: Bennati, Boonen, Armstrong - he got tired of scouting all those routes recently and has entered last minute.

The most successful rider at Milan SanRemo has been Eddy Merckx; he won seven times. In recent years, the most successful rider has been Erik Zabel who won four times and lost 2004 to Óscar Freire only because he lifted his arms to celebrate too early. -I hate when that happens.

Poland - Here we come!

Hi team,
I'm off to Poland with Taylor Phinney on Friday. You can keep track of what's going on at our twitter sites: http://twitter.com/nealhenderson and http://twitter.com/taylorphinney

Taylor will be racing the individual pursuit on Thursday 3/26, the Kilo on Friday 3/27, and then the Omnium on Sunday 3/29. I'll be back in town late on Monday...back in the office on Tuesday 3/31. Taylor is staying in Europe for some U23 racing with the US national team.

The official race website for Worlds is http://track-pruszkow2009.com/ and the UCI site will also have good info http://www.uci.ch/templates/UCI/UCI5/layout.asp?MenuId=MTI1OTE&LangId=1 and www.cyclingnews.com always does timely updates.

Good luck with the upcoming training (especially the TTT work - you don't have to hammer EVERY time or ALL of the time), and be sure to get in some climbing as well! Racing is just around the corner. Good luck to all who race Koppenburg next Sunday, Neal

Do You Know Where Your Sponsor Is?

Boulder Center For Sports Medicine

This is the first in a series of posts about our Team Sponsors - as a Team we would like to thank each of our Sponsors for your continued support over the years.

Boulder Center for Sports Medicine

BCSM has been providing World Class Sports Medicine services since 1998. With a staff of nearly seventy, the center provides Physician Clinics, Medical Evaluations, Physical Therapists, Fitness Evaluations, Sports Massage, Fitness Classes, Coaching, Sports Science Services and Testing, and advanced 3D bike fits. Known for working with the best Athletes in the world, BCSM believes “If You’re Active, You’re An Athlete” and it is their mission to provide world-class sports medicine to everyone who seeks it. They are well known for helping athletes prevent injuries, rehabilitate current injuries, improve performance and help maximize athletic potential. Most BMCT members enthusiastically receive various services. Founder Andy Pruitt Ed.D., PA, is a current Vic's Espresso BMCT team member, along with teammate Neal Henderson who is the Director of Sports Science at the Center.

Boulder Community Hospital
Boulder Center for Sports Medicine
The Mapleton Center
311 Mapleton Avenue
Boulder CO 80304
Phone: 303-544-5700

The Centennial Professional Building
400 S. McCaslin Boulevard, Suite 210
Louisville CO 80027
Phone: 303-926-2665

Recovery Nutrition

The right nutrient mix is key to recovering from early season workouts

By Monique Ryan

Posted Mar. 10, 2009 in VeloNews.com

". . . Recovery really takes place from one training session to the next. At times this might be eight hours, 12 to 14 hours, or a full day of 24 hours. What is important is to get off on the right food recovery wise, and that first means paying close attention to nutrient intake in the hours post-training. For quicker recovery turnaround time, such as less than 12 hours before the next workout, speedy nutrition replacement is essential. . . Depending on your level of fuel depletion and the timing of your next ride, it might be helpful to focus on munching at regular intervals. Very high rates of glycogen synthesis do occur in the four to six hours post training when large amounts of carbohydrate are consumed every 30 minutes. When you have longer recovery times available to you, such frequent feeding it not necessary. . . (read the entire article at the link above).

Does any Race Actually Start in Paris?

You’d think a race called Paris-Nice would start in Paris; it doesn’t, this year it started in Amilly.
The first Paris-Nice race was run in 1933 and did begin from Paris. It was won by a Belgium rider Alphonse Schepers. The race now commonly departs from areas outside or south of Paris dipping into the Alps then southeast to the coast of the Mediterranean, where it does at least end in Nice. The race is put on by the organizers of the Tour de France and the Paris-Roubaix. Sean Kelly remains the king of Paris-Nice, winning it 7 times in a row from 1982 to 1988. It has not always been called Paris-Nice. From 1951 until 1954 it was known as Paris-Côte d'Azur; in 1959-1960 it was Paris-Nice-Rome.
* 7 wins: Sean Kelly
* 5 wins: Jacques Anquetil
* 3 wins: Eddy Merckx, Joop Zoetemelk, Laurent Jalabert

The 2009 Paris-Nice "the Race to the Sun" is currently underway and finishes March 15th. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step is currently in the lead by .06.

You’d think a race called Paris-Roubaix would start in Paris; it doesn’t, it starts in Compiegne.

The first Paris-Roubaix race was run in 1896 and did depart form Paris to Roubaix 280 km to the north. Théodore Vienne and Maurice Perez had built the velodrome in their town of Roubaix the year prior and wanted to bring people to see their new showcase. They convinced the editor of Le Velo, a daily sports paper in Paris, to organize the start from Paris to their small town in the north.

The cycling editor of Le Velo Victor Breyer was sent out to find the route from Paris to Roubaix. The wind blew, the rain fell and the temperature dropped. Breyer reached Roubaix filthy and exhausted after a day of riding in disjointed cobbles. He swore he would send a telegram back to Paris urging Vienne and Perez to drop the idea, saying it was dangerous to send a race the way he had just ridden. But that evening a meal and drinks with the team from Roubaix changed his mind and history was set in motion.

The race usually leaves riders caked in mud and grit, from the cobbled roads and rutted tracks of northern France's former coal-mining region. However, this is not how this race earned the name l'enfer du Nord, or Hell of the North. The term was used to describe the route of the race after World War I. Organizers and journalists set off from Paris in 1919 to see how much of the route had survived four years of shelling and trench warfare. Who even knew if there was still a road to Roubaix? If Roubaix was still there?

The car of organizers and journalists made its way along the route, at first all looked well. There was destruction and there was poverty and there was a strange shortage of men. But France had survived. Then, as they neared the north, the air began to reek of broken drains, raw sewage and the stench of rotting cattle. "Trees which had begun to look forward to spring became instead blackened, ragged stumps, their twisted branches pushed to the sky like the crippled arms of a dying man. Everywhere was mud. Nobody knows who first described it as 'hell', but there was no better word."

2009 Paris-Roubaix " the Hell of the North" will be on Sunday April 12, 2009
[the photo on top is from 2003 and my participation in the citizen's ride for the Centennial Celebration of the Tour de France in Paris - not a race]

Paris-Roubaix (2008 video)
The Arenberg forest makes even the world’s best look like a day at the Boulder Reservoir:


Great Historical Footage: (video)

The Cycling Season is here

67th Paris-Nice
France, March 8-15, 2009
Many of cycling's purists still see Paris-Nice as the first major stage race of the sporting season. Now in its 67th year, the 'race to the sun' has a long and distinguished history and is the first objective for many of the peloton's stars.

And oh how it started with yesterdays upset in the prologue.
Contador: "I'm not the best time trialist in the world". Well he beat Wiggins who is the best time trialist in the world. "...Bradley Wiggins had believed so much in his ability to win the inaugural time trial of Paris-Nice that he was devastated after losing to Alberto Contador. He wasn't available for comments outside his team bus..."

Follow the results at the Paris-Nice Website
Today they ride 195.5km across the plains from Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire to La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin in the Stage 1.

LIVE written (ticker) commentary at Cyclingnews.com, LIVE audio at CyclingFans.com if you speak German.

Paris-Nice ‘66: A Legendary Clash
"...Whenever Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor lined up together for any race it was a sure bet that their exploits would be one of the main story lines. And so it was in 1966". (read the full story at the link).

A Friday Laugh

55+ Team Pursuit Still Undefeated

Track Velodrome, Boulder, CO - Boulder Indoor Cycling
Last night at the Boulder Indoor Track, Team 45+ vs. Team 55+ was again contested. For the second week in a row, the older gentlemen prevailed by catching the younger men before the 20 lap mark.

Cycling for all - Calendar

Calendars from the Union Cycliste Internationale

A fun calendar of events to look over for those interested in attending or dreaming of a citizens ride in Europe (grand fondo, cyclotouristes, cyclotourista, cyclosportive, tour, tor, challenges, brevet, and more) :
2009 UCI Cycling for All Calendar

The complete UCI calendar of Road Races (this IS March!):
2008 - 2009 UCI Road Calendar

Track Calendar - Poland track worlds are being held March 25-29, 2009.
2008-2009 UCI Track Calendar

If you want to watch some of the races online, CyclingFans.com is the best resource. They will give you guidance about how and where you may find live race coverage. You may open up the video feed from Euro Sports and then a separate Audio feed in your language of choice (most likely English) and enjoy British race terminology and humor.

New Technology Warns Drivers of Bicycles on Road

Montana State University engineering students Penny Atkins and Gordon Nelson conduct the first research project in MSU's new large-scale traffic simulator - a system that would use radio signals and GPS to warn drivers about the presence of bicyclists on the roadway.

Saturday Review and USAC Schedule

Hi Guys,
First off, good work with the first round of race-specific training on Saturday! As on old coach of mine used to say - "Perfect practice makes perfect" meaning that just simply practice isn't good enough - you have to strive to do things right in training for them to be done right when it counts. Saturday was a great start...and the coming two weeks will provide more opportunities to get it right.
Racing is not too far off - see http://www.rmccc.org/race.php for local USAC races that are part of the collegiate race season, including a technical TT next Sunday at Bear Creek State Park that would allow you to do the team training on Saturday and then do a TT on Sunday if you are interested in getting in some TT race training.

My power file from Saturday can be viewed here. Overall, the chase efforts averaged just above threshold (my current threshold is around 275 watts...maybe 285). The first one was more variable, and the second less variable (as we had fewer riders at the end). As a comparison, my TT and TTT efforts at the Haystack TT and TTT and Rabbit Mtn TT and TTT have been between 290 and 300 watts normalized power, respectively. Typical TT's are < 1.03 VI and TTT's are between 1.05 and 1.10 depending on length of pulls and number of riders. All in all, great race specific training!

Key stats are:
Chase 1 (East bound on Hwy 66):
Duration: 10:11
Work: 169 kJ
TSS: 19.6 (intensity factor 1.074)
Norm Power: 295
VI: 1.07
Distance: 7.135 km
Min, Max, Avg Power: 0, 859, 276 watts
Min, Max, Avg Heart Rate: 100, 165, 151 bpm
Min, Max, Avg Cadence: 41, 113, 94 rpm
Min, Max, Avg Speed: 22.6, 51.5, 42.0 kph

Chase 2 (Westbound on Hwy 66):
Duration: 10:01
Work: 171 kJ
TSS: 19.2 (intensity factor 1.072)
Norm Power: 295
VI: 1.03
Distance: 6.514 km
Min, Max, Avg Power: 0, 863, 285 watts
Min, Max, Avg Heart Rate: 120, 172, 154 bpm
Min, Max, Avg Cadence: 49, 115, 93 rpm
Min, Max, Avg Speed: 8.8, 46, 39.0 kph

Leadout 1 with 45+ guys:
Duration: 7:27
Work: 124 kJ
TSS: 16.8 (intensity factor 1.165)
Norm Power: 320
VI: 1.16
Distance: 4.203 km
Min Max Avg Power: 0 980 277 watts
Min Max Avg Heart Rate: 81 179 147 bpm
Min Max Avg Cadence: 49 126 92 rpm
Min Max AvgSpeed: 6.1 53.3 33.8 kph

Sunday's for the next two weeks would be good days to get on your TT bikes after doing the quality road bike and race-specific work on Saturday. Most of you will probably just want to keep the Sunday effort at Recovery to OD, but some of you hosses might be able to tolerate a little EN or even some Tempo/LT effort IF you take it really easy on Monday AND Tuesday. Ride and recover well! Neal