What an amazing weekend! The camp was an absolute success. It was incredibly fun to participate and help out where I could amongst these behemoths of cross. The preparation was amazing by Frank Overton of FasCat Coaching, Albuquerque native and uber-coach to cross hardmen John Verheul of JBV Coaching and Boulder’s own Brandon Dubba Dwight. The camp also had phenomenal support from Donn Kellogg of Clement tires (and each participant got a free set of the new Clement PDX mud tire. Amazing!). Let me give you the blow by blow of the weekend….and if you’re on the fence for doing a camp or you  think you’ve “already got it”, etc, think again and try and make it to next year’s camp. Amazing time spent.

Day 1: Welcome to the camp, fitting and VO2 Max testing

To begin, the camp had some great and passionate participants: Denver-Boulder locals Tim, Ed, Doug and new Boulderite Dave Hackworthy.  Dave is an Elite and U23 rider and Worlds and Euro Camp Participant for new the new Clement | Ridley | Boulder Cycle Sport team. We also had Wes from Indy and Joe from Idaho. Great characters. Make no mistake: This was a crew of passionate ‘crossers who want to get their game dialed. The skill levels ranged from first season to Pro. If a Pro rider is in the midst, you should be too! Everyone should continue to learn. It’ll make you fast!

The first day was spent with essentially a 3:1 ratio of coaches to camper focusing on your fit and your fitness. It was a true 'lab coat' session and wonderfully educational.

Coach John V used 20 + years of experience (and coaching many of YOUR heroes on the cross scene to huge seasons and World Championship podiums) to get YOU dialed on your bike. This is not a road bike fit for your cross bike. This is position-forward, milk-the-power fitting specific for your cyclocross bike, your style of riding and of course your physiology.  The software programs used (primarily Dartfish) were amazing. You could see in amazing slow motion how various changes would radically improve your position which by extension improves your power and most importantly ‘freshness’ on the bike.

While one camper was getting fit, another was in the VO2testing torture chamber. FasCat coach Krista would work with you on the VO2 max/lactate testing. I’d never had this done before and it was…frickin’ hard!

The VO2/lactate testing was very ineteresting. It involves a radically hard ‘escalation’ of effort starting at 150 watts and progresses in blocks until you’ve reached your threshold.  This could be 350 watts for some, 5 or 600w for others. The interesting part is how the body manages lactate during this load. I was told that I was at 2x the amount of lactate produced than any other camper at my threshold (400+ watts for roughly 60 seconds at the end of my testing). Good? I still need to get the analysis walked through but it’s really how you process lactate and manage it under load. Trust me, no Lemond am I but having the data is better than NOT having the data! I am better prepared with how to handle it during races.

To get your lactate measured, you offer your finger for prick

ing. You can see my right hand in the picture to the left about to get pricked. Or, here’s what it looks like close up (right)…

So, again, the effort was massive and was (for me) the first depth I’ve done since coming back from busting myself up. But it felt great to go fully cross-eyed for the first time in 9 weeks.

While one camper was being fit and another wired up in the hurt box, Rebecca’s incredibly capable hands as a PTA would ensure your muscular/skeletal system was in good order from the exertions you were putting out. She was also critical in the fit process to ensure your body dimensions matched the bike fit spot on to keep you injury free…

Day 2: Equipment and Skills…

Saturday morning was a cross geek’s dream. We spent considerable time diving into low level details of cyclocross equipment. Brake set up, tire pressure, gearing ratios, running double versus single rings….you name it. It was discussed. Brandon painstakingly walked the campers through all these details and answered everyone’s questions.

We then kitted up and got ready for our day-of-skills training. We would do an AM session at a large thickly-grassed park, the afternoon session at the infamous Elk’s Lodge: where legends are made and hearts are broken every Wednesday morning.

The instruction and training was infinitely low-level. All ninja tricks were exposed to the campers to ensure fluidity and fun. The smoother you are, the faster you are, and it all adds up to more smiles and podium potential.

For our skills sessions, Paul from CrossPropz was a huge help to the camp by providing TONS of his portable barriers. We had them spread out essentially in mini-courses on the grass with Coach Frank equipped with Dartfish taping EVERYONE’s game.  We'd come through the barriers over and over again. We would watch the films, rewind, critique and try again until ALL the campers felt great and proud of their improvements. Everyone was markedly faster through barriers after seeing themselves and having some of the best coaches in the industry work with them to refine their game. Between sessions, we’d go back to the plush HQ of FasCat Coaching and analyze everyone as a group. It was enlightening to hear everyone help eachother out, no holds barred, just to ensure their camp-patriots were faster…

Later in the evening before team dinner, Coaches John and Frank got together with campers one-on-one to walk through individualized training plans…a HUGE part of this camp’s draw. Campers are worked with on their goals for the season and plans were created accordingly…for each individual. Amazing.

Day 3: Putting it all together…

The prior 24 hours were intense. Tons of watts put out, tons of hot laps put in and LOTS learned. Yet, still tons more to try out! In the morning, coaches John and Frank talked through a general philosophy of training for cross to ensure freshness by the end of the season (sound familiar??). We also talked of how to efficiently warm up. I did a small contribution on race day rituals....quite fun to articulate some of the ninja tricks I've learned over the last 14 years of racing this beautiful sport...

Hot laps and more instruction on handling off-cambers and run ups happened Sunday, the last day of the camp. Coach John dialed in everyone’s technique to show how to save energy, be strategic in taking ‘your space’ through barriers and finding lines that you’d NEVER think about. Only that amount of experience can show you these details.

If you’re interested and have plenty of time to waste, you can look through my Flickr album for the camp. Or, feel free to leave comments to ask any questions about it. Worth every second.

I HIGHLY recommend the camp, or any camp you can attend if traveling is hard to do no matter where you *think* you are in your cross ‘career’. You…Will…Learn…LOTS! You’ll also make some rad new friends in the process who share your passion for what we do on any given weekend in the fall.

Hup hup, buttercups! What did YOU do this weekend to get your head in the game for cross??

P.S. Our camp had Space Legs? Did yours? Ha!

My good bud and local cross 'evangelist,' Paul McCarthy, has created an ingenious invention for us 'cross heads: Cross Propz Portable Cyclocross Training Barriers. Let me tell you about 'em....

Honestly, I do not think that I’ve ever seen Joachim (emphasize the "Yo!" in Joachim) without his red and white Danish National Champion’s kit. The guy is an institution of cyclocross battling with the best in Za Motherland and we are blessed to have him here in Boulder for a bit. Joachim Parbo is hosting a ‘cross clinic for those who are ready to step up their game. Here’s your invite…

It's time to fine tune your skills, and prepare for the last month of the cyclocross season! Join Boulder Cycle Sport and Danish National Cyclocross Champion Joachim Parbo for an advanced cyclocross skills session on Monday, November 16th at 4:00pm. (Yes, we know it's early, but we have to get it done before the sun sets!). On the bike we will cover topics such as, how to ride sand pits, negotiating off camber turns, dismounts, remounts and more! Once the sun sets we will make our way to Restaurant 4580 for a technical discussion on equipment, bike set up, tire pressure and race strategy. Joachim has battled on the most difficult and challenging cyclocross courses in the world, and against the toughest competition, too. Learn some of his riding, training and bike set-up secrets!

WHAT:
ON THE BIKE SKILLS CLINIC: 4pm - 6pm

• Tackling sand pits

• Proper dismount and remount technique

• Setting up for tricky off-camber turns 

• Personalized tips and advice for each participant

OFF THE BIKE TECHNICAL CLINIC: 6pm - 7:30pm

• Technical discussion on equipment, bike set up and tire pressure
• Cyclocross bike fit suggestions
• Race course strategy: Planning your efforts right will make you faster!

WHEN:
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16th, 4:00pm - 7:30pm

• 4:00 - 6:00 pm - On the bike skills clinic
• 6:00 - 7:30 pm - We'll get out of our bike clothes and head to Restaurant 4580 for an off the bike technical clinic, Q & A, plus food and drink!

HOW:

CLINIC FEE is $45 per person and included food and drink at Restaurant 4580
SPACE IS LIMITED TO 30 RIDERS!

Please swing by Boulder Cycle Sport to sign up. Payment must be made with cash or check (to Boulder Cycle Sport)
FOR QUESTIONS OR MORE INFORMATION: email brandon@bouldercyclesport.com

I hear myself tell my legs on any given weekend "I hope you perform". But as we know, hope is not a strategy. It's a layer somewhere beneath luck, fitness, passion and ultimately skill that can help contribute to a great performance. But on its own, it's useless.

These day's I am finding my place in the crew. Finding my legs...and my head...as I continue 'the balance'. Everyone...and I mean virtually everyone!...is at this new level. Cross is a passion for all those who line up and their strategies are less 'hope', more 'drill it'. It's inspiring.

The place I see myself now and the place I need and want to be are not very far from one another. It's like looking across a small stream....one that you know you can leap across if you nail the jump just right. But you need to trust your legs and your spring to get across. This is precisely the situation I am in. That extra .0001% of effort to take a risk, bridge to where I need to be in the race and settle in.

Everyone is suffering. That needs to be remembered. It's about your ability to block out all doubt for the nanosecond it takes to put in an effort...one that with hanging doubt will never allow you to cross the chasm for fear of too many matches burned.

I can do it.

Training these days is less training and mostly tuning. Each race is its own stepping stone. The big blocks of the summer...early morning pre-work sufferfests to condition the body from long single speed rides to hour-long wattage-fests...was prescribed well. But now, the intensity of work and the need for my family to have a daddy and a husband far outweigh the selfish requirements that many are still putting themselves through to be at the razor sharp edge of the race.

Racing-->rest-->a Wednesday eye-bleed session-->rest-->racing. Eat well. Don't be afraid to have a beer. Sleep even harder. Secret sauces that help me carry on in the fall while my mind still carries me to victories, instigating my passion for the sport and the place I'd like to find myself. Never hoping I am there, always planning to be there.

We had a great turnout of folks today at the Boulder Edition of the Cycle-Smart Cyclocross Clinic. We met up and had folks sign in at 7:30 and proceeded to cruise to a nearby park to ensure we were tucked out of the way with plenty of grass to get our huppity hup on. Ben Turner and Brandon Dwight divided the crew into an advanced and beginner group while Brady Kappius and I got into the details with specific individuals to make 'em smooth! We tapped into various skills revolving around barrier work, transitions into run ups and did some mock racing to put all the learned skills to work under a little bit of elevated heart rate.

All-in-all a great way to spend a Sunday. Click on the photo below to see some pics I snapped on the day.

It's time. The depth of pain we put ourselves through in the wee hours of the morning is...well it's just funny. My old friend Jared once tweeted "what are Type A's running from?". I guess we're always running from something but I like to think I'm running towards something. Even if it's jus a crappy box of Gu's for getting on a podium made out of a bucket in Podunck CO. It's why we do it.

The early AM training is spectacular. Fall is already here at 6:00AM folks. Crisp and cool. The body is just at the door of being able to hum as the blocks are put in and assembled into something stronger. Foundations supporting a season. No gloves on while training. Freezing fingers to get them used to it. The way I look at it, you have to dedicate yourself to feeling like this...

(c) Woldhek.nl

To be like this:

(c) Woldhek.nl

Almost there. Stay on target. Can you hear it comin'?

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

I can.

Come join World's Team member and Cycle-Smart coach Ben Turner, 2x National Champion Brandon Dwight and a gaggle of passionate cyclocross experts including the CLIF Bar Cyclocross Team and member’s of Boulder Cyclesport’s cyclocross squad on Sunday August 30th, 8-11AM. Learn all of what you need to get fast and smooth and ensure that each weekend you pin a number on your back you are smiling wider as you see yourself improve. Get started off right this season!

Meet at Boulder Cyclesport in North Boulder at 7:30AM for check in. All the info you need is right below you! register today at BikeReg by clicking on the BikeReg icon!

A right of passage every August for a decade. The cyclocross practice drills begin in these doggishly hot days of summer. The tender wussiness of my collarbone blossoms into a sort of violet hue as I repeat the motion...

Bike on, bike off. Bike on, bike off. Bike on, bike off.

Over and over again. I love it. The kids think I am crazy as I do this stuff after work in the driveway as they play nearby.

Bike on, bike off. Bike on, bike off. Bike on, bike off.

But it's here. The season's falling fast upon us. The chatter is loud over the interwebs about people's cross dreams...

Better season. Improvement. Smoother. More fun. Go to Nationals. Trying tubulars. Lighter bike. Losing weight. Buying cowbells. Wife's first season. Kids first season.

All these are plucked from threads I've read. The wave is here. The frequency is fever pitched and the leaves haven't even begun to think about their transition yet. I love so much how my body feels when I ask it to remount and my foot finds pedal. I will never, ever be old with that feeling.

This time of year, for me anyways, is about paying close attention to where I am at physically. I love to drink me the beers, eat well or graze all day at the home office (although my lady is a nutritionist by education so we eat so clean and lean it's nuts). And this time of year it's super easy to stay hunkered down indoors, immobile, jamming work from before sunrise to sundown. But paying attention to 'the balance' even when there are no race targets is immense for me and has to be done. So what am I up to?

• Trail running. Lots. 3-4 days per week. I typically go between 30-45 minutes on trails with a lot of elevation gain. I tend to go hard....at least for me as a non-runner. It's good to get those punches in on the hills, jack the heart, and focus on feeling light. If you can do this, it WILL be remembered come 'cross season when you can take advantage of your running skills on long or technical run ups. 
• Biking: Believe it or not, I try to avoid it...mainly due to my obsessive compulsive disorder for bikes. But, you can't keep me away all week, so I focus on my buds and being with them as OFTEN as possible for the shits and giggles factor. Fall will have enough 'alone time' training. Long MTB's with my boys are exactly what the doctor orders this time of year....e.g. one 4-6 hour ride on a weekend day each weekend (balancing the other day with the family) is immensely helpful for the body and spirit. Keeps the fat at bay given the time you're out there and develops this sick strength and focus thing you need...especially in the 50th minute in a cross race! During the week I'll alternate days when I'm not at the gym or running...mainly recovery rides for 1/2 to 1 hour. One day a week I'll alternate a run for a hill climb on the road bike up one of the notorious climbs around here like Flagstaff, Sunshine or Lee Hill to Deer Trail.
• Gym. 2 days a week. Lots of leg strength and core strength. I'm usually there for ~hour and you can do TONS in that amount of time. I'll alternate sides of the leg with each visit...e.g. hamstrings and calves on one day then leg presses (quad stuff) the next. I'll do core all gym days though to try and be...at least feel...svelte.
• Beer. Arrgh...my nemesis. I have to play games with myself and try to put multiple days in-between my sips. Else, I'll down one of those $12 4-packs pf Duvel before you can say bedankt....every time. So, moderation I guess as it's SO EASY to say hello to your friend nightly.
• Food. As mentioned, it's always clean, but I'm trying to take on more protein and less starches and 'fillers'. In other words, stuff that's going to help me rebuild muscle. And as a guiding rule from my main man Pete Webber: "Take on as many vegetables as you can tolerate." Belee-dat.

Anyways, I was asked about the above from a bud and figured I'd parlay it into ablog post. It's not like I'm winning UCI races but the model I tend to use works with the balance of things I try to maintain in my life. Hope it helps you!

Photo: via Google.

Anxiety. Work. Groundhog-day wake ups. Am I gaining weight. Push cycling to the back. Long for cycling to be in the front. Distractions. Travel. Work. Family. Work....

It's the dog days. That period between your season's end and keeping your mind in tact that another season will come and lots other than cycling needs to be focused on. I can guarantee so many of you know that mental thrashing that I am talking about. So what am I doing?

• Eating "healthy". OK, that's an embellishment because my wife is a nutritionist and we eat unbelievably. My change is in focusing in on WAY more greens and fruit (although the latter comes at the cost of more sugars) and what I am essentially basing my diet around these days to keep my system 'moving'. Protein-heavy stuff will come when the super deep training comes. My body over the last few months feels like I can not cycle-out stuff inside me...so I am focusing on the greens, tons of hydration (I know you all 'forget' to drink those 8 glasses of water a day!) all to make the stuff floooooooooooow.
  
• Strength. I'm getting some gray hairs...so I need to ensure this frame can continue doing what I love....forever. So now I am an early AM gym person, ~3-4 times a week, strengthening my legs, back and core. It's hard. Last year I did NOTHING, and suffered for it. Again, I came into last season with no opportunity for real training given the shit that went down so I had to just get fit by racing (which....was fun but left me dangling...reaching for that .0001% of something!) Frankly, to 'get by' last year I ended up drinking more than riding. It is what it is but it's what my mind needed to deal. Yes, a crutch. So come September, of course I never felt as if my core was strong enough to support the type of breathing I needed...and like my old coaches used to say: All power comes from the center. So, I've got me some fat to burn and some muscles to re-build.
• Stay out of the red: I'm riding these days, because I can;t live without it. It's my soul. Some cross, some MTB, some road....long rides, short rides, medium rides. But nothing too deep. I did not use a my PowerTap or my Polar last year. Not at all. Not once in fact for the WHOLE year. I used my Polar simply for the watch! But now, I am using it again to ensure I don't get too crazy. Nothing deep. I know now after all these years that I need to reserve my matches as it takes me WAY longer to recover. Sincerely, massive efforts early at nearly 40 years old takes a lot out of you (or me anyways). I'm fit, and need to remember that and require polish versus whole-sale rebuilding. 2007 was a physical restructuring under Za Plan. That changed me positively forever thanks to Taro. Now I am building upon that subtly and with smaller bricks versus those massive ones re-laid in the summer of 2007.
• Stretching. I'm not even going to say much here because I am a FOOL for not stretching more.
• Relaxing: I'm not Sven Nys. I don't play him on TV. I am a daddy and husband and worker. Oh, and bike racer. I'm a nearing-40 year old with a UCI Elite license (huh?...yup, just got it in the mail)....but I n-e-e-d t-o r-e-l-a-x o-n t-h-e w-h-o-l-e s-c-e-n-e! Ha! At least the scene I envision my head. Seeing the forest for the trees is the watch-phrase I need to focus on. Remember racing is a part of the collective joy. Not the joy.