I am thinking about using an underpad...

In my travels this past week, I struck up a conversation with a head mechanic at one of the bike shops I visited.  This gentleman does very long rides, even in the winter.  It is not uncommon to ride 4 hours in below freezing weather.  He shared a few secrets on how he stayed warm.  Most of the things I had heard of, but one thing he mentioned, I thought, was ingenious and I had never heard before.

He buys underpads from Walgreens, cuts them in half and then puts this pad against his chest, underneath his base layer.  The layer provides 2 functions:  It first wicks sweat to keep the rider dry, especially when the rider is going with the wind.  Next, it provides addional insulation and wind protection.  For him, after 2 hours, the pad is wet and he needs to change it.  So if you are going for a long ride, make sure you bring the other half with you in a ziploc bag.

I look forward to trying this trick.

First Race of the Season & other updates

I had my first race of the season yesterday. It was a blast. First, kudos to Burnham Racing for putting on a great race at a great venue. These guys need to right a book on how to put on your first race as this was the first race for this team.

I raced the masters 4/5 & cat 3/4. Since I haven't lost the weight
using the "hope" diet (I hope I lose the weight), I had modest goals.
For the masters 4/5, I decided I would be aggressive and see what
would happen. I attacked a few times, bridged to a solo break and won the prime. I was cooked after the prime. There were only 2 laps left after the prime which wasn't enough time for me to recover and get good position for the finish at this time of the year so my final position wasn't very good. That is ok because I did exactly what I planned.

For the second race, I had much more modest goals. I knew the pace
would be faster so I decided to sit in and hang on. I had not tested
my fitness so I thought this would be a good plan. I rode the race
near the back and watched a number of riders get popped, especially
during the last 2 laps. I passed at least 15 guys during the final
400 meters to take... 49th. :-). It wasn't about the place; it was
about ralizing how much I had left. Again, I accomplished my goal for
the race.

Considering my weight is still high and I have less than 1000 miles in
my legs this year, I have to give most of the credit to my new bike,
my new Specialized Tarmac Pro. I love it. It really made a big
difference. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds as I
lose wait and my form improves.

Also, it was fun to watch the riders I am coaching. While they are at
different abilities, I felt they did extremely well!

The ideal foot warmer

I was at cyclingnews.com and noticed an article on Sidi Toasters. While I don't have a pair, they sound like a great idea and the guy at cyclingnews.com loved them.

Sidi Toasters are warming insoles. OK... sticking something in your shoe to keep your feet warm is nothing new, but these are different. These insoles replace your current insole and they will keep your feet warm for 3 to 4 hours. You just need to charge them up. Also, they have a remote for turning them on and off in case your feet get to warm. They are good for hundreds of charges so if you regularly use disposable warmers in your shoes, these will eventually pay for themselves.

So... that brings us to price. These insoles cost $299 msrp. Ouch!!! That seems a little pricey for foot warmers. I would think that this should attract copy cat products depending on how good Sidi's patent is (assuming they have one).

No matter, this is a cool product that will appeal to the diehard winter riders out there. In summary, pros: keep your feet warm for a long time cons: expensive solution, but could pay for itself if you ride in cold weather a lot.

Cold Weather Riding: How is it different?

Over the last week or so, the USA Cycling Coaching yahoo group has been discussing cold weather riding. It all started when one of the coaches presented a question about a junior rider who said that he didn't feel as powerful riding in the cold. There were many good possibilities as to why the rider was feeling this way as well as solutions to each of these issues. I will summarize a number of issues that come up with cold weather riding.

- Clothing / Staying Warm. This is the most obvious thing that is different when riding in the cold. Most people can figure this out. You must dress in layers and feel slightly cold when first starting on a ride. Also, keeping hands and feet warm are the biggest challenge. See my previous post on my new winter gloves. Here are the things I hadn't thought of:

- Wear bib tights. This prevents bunching of tucked in layers around the waist. With reduced bunching, sweat doesn't gather thus not causing a rider to get chilled. The dryer a rider is, the less chance of getting chilled.

- Go out on a ride and get cold. You know how in the spring a lot of people start wearing shorts when it barely turns 60. This is because our bodies have been conditioned for the cold over the long winter. Cold weather riding is the same thing. The more you go out and ride in the cold, the more your body will get used to it.

- Line your helmet with something to keep the wind out. Along with a good skull cap or balaclava, lining your helmet with plastic or covering it with tape, will help to keep the air out. Those vents are used to help you stay cool so if you cover them up, it will help you stay warmer.

- Focus on nutrition. In the winter, our bodies don't receive the same amount of Vitamin D due to less sun exposure which can lead to a deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency can cause overall achiness, muscle soreness and the feeling of decreased power. Also, Vitamin D is related to Calcium absorption so Vitamin D deficiency can lead to other problems. The best way to alleviate this is to take a good multi-vitamin, especially in the winter.

- Focus on hydration. As we head into cooler weather, our thirst mechanism seems to be turned down a bit. I know I have trouble making sure I drink enough in the fall on and off the bike. While the amount you drink while riding can be reduced a bit due to lower sweat rates, the amount you drink off the bike should probably be increased a bit due to the low humidity environments in the winter.

- Increased chance of getting sick. Riding outside in the cold has its own set of problems. In the Fall, riders with asthma and/or allergies tend to have more problems. Also, as the temperature drops, some riders tend to have noses that run all the time. These problems can lead to Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI). If you have any of these problems, make sure you take care of your sinuses. One solution that has worked is a neti pot. Decongestants can help also once you feel a URTI coming on.

- Looser fitting tights. Some people develop knee problems because tights or leg warmers do not allow the knee to move the same while cycling. This is caused by increased pressure of the tights on the knee cap. If you have this problem, try looser fitting tights or make sure your tights are not pushing the knee cap up or down.

- Appetite. You may notice that you are hungrier while riding or after riding. This is due to 2 things. Generally, winter rides are not the hammer fests that you may be used to in the summer. Also, in the summer, your body doesn't want to waste time digesting food because it is too busy keeping you cool and keeping your muscles working. In the winter, your body isn't worried so much about keeping you cool and thus your appetite is increased.

I am sure I have left out some issues, but hopefully this will help you to keep riding through the winter. Feel free to add thoughts in the comments.

SRAM to Buy Zipp!!

Very interesting development. Two great companies and equipment manufacturers. SRAM is much more of a corporation than Zipp, so let's hope that when SRAM takes over Zipp that they continue to be as successful as a whole. Here is one that these two innovative companies will be much stronger when combined. Here is a link to the velonews article:

http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/13362.0.html