I've always worked with new athletes in every sport that I've been involved in.  That includes sailing, windsurfing, cycling, running, multisport, back country skiing, and several other endorphin addictions. For me, teaching and passing along the lessons that I've learned has been arguably one of the most enjoyable aspects of being involved in those sports.

Over the past few years, I've expanded that "peer coaching" out to include writing about the sports and also doing some informal coaching of individuals and groups. Maybe it's part of a natural evolution as I get older ... those who can, do and those who can't, teach.

 The problem is that there's a fine line that separates "passing along knowledge" from "brag on how much I know." I try not to cross that line, but it's almost impossible to make everyone understand that. There are always some people who will take offense at anything you do or say.

I've spent quite a bit of time recently working with some local athletes related to cyclocross and multisport training plans.  These people have been a joy to work with - eager to learn, motivated to train hard, yet laid back enough that egos are not an issue. We need more people like that in this world.

My feeling is that much of today's society (including amateur athletes) is trying to emulate what's happening in politics. Accomplishing a goal for the common good seems to take a back seat to "make myself look good."

Fortunately, cycling, running, and multisport tends to expose the posers. When you're in a fast group during a race, talking trash doesn't keep you from getting dropped. What does get you on the podium or across the finish line gracefully is hard training and an attitude of pushing the limits. Simply put, you don't win races by talking about how much you know.

I was also lucky enough to be part of a recent event where a diverse group of cyclists all played nicely together and collectively enjoyed a really fun series of races.  The event that I'm referring to is the four race cyclocross series that began in November and ended a couple of weeks ago.

 Participants ranged from a professional-level racer to absolute beginners, experienced mountain bikers to a fixed gear roadie, and everything in between. 
This event also included a kid's race as part of each series event. If the kids who raced are any indication of what the next generation of cyclists
will be like, we're in for a treat.

Updated CX Series results

Local CX Series Heating Up

(Start of the A race)

The local cyclocross series that I’m directing (ASUFit CX Series) is going well and starting to heat up. With two races completed, Scott White is leading the Men’s category and the two Christina's (McBride and Wilson) are currently tied for overall Ladies honors.  The first race of the series took place on Nov.21 at Angelo State University with a good mix of roadies and mountain bikers competing bragging rights.

(Jeff McBride and Mars Torres kick up the dust)

Scott White, fresh off of his Cat 2 2nd place finish the fall TMBRA mountain bike series, took the overall victory with Christina Wilson leading the ladies home.  White and Devin “Fixed Gear” Gustafson battled for the lead through the first seven laps, with Gustafson having a slight edge on the straights and White making up ground through the corners and rough sections. Gustafson flatted on lap #8, ran his bike around the course to grab his spare bike in the pits, and hung on to finish 3rd in the race.

(Yours truly demonstrating an awkward barrier crossing)

In the Ladies category, Christina Wilson rolled home with a slight race #1 advantage over mountain biker Christina McBride of MAC Racing. Both of these ladies are strong cyclists, with Wilson being the winner of the 2010 Triple Treat event at the HHH 100 and McBride fresh off of her the Cat 1 win in the ladies division in the fall TMBRA series.

The 2nd race of the four race series took place on Dec 4 with Scott White taking his 2nd series win in the Men’s A division.  Lance Bowers, riding for the Midland-based One Hour Racing team, rolled in 2nd to solidify his 2nd place in the series standings. The two Christina's battled again for the Ladies win, with McBride taking race #2 win for Team MAC. Race three of the series will take place on Saturday, December 18 at ASU on a new and longer 1.2 mile course. Series awards are based on the best 3 out of 4 events, so people can still jump in and have a shot at placing in their category. Full information on the series is posted at angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf.

Full results through the first two events are posted at http://angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Race2_Results_2010.pdf, with pictures from race #1 on-line at http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/ASUFit/Cyclocross%20Series%20race%201/ and race #2 pictures posted at http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/ASUFit/Cyclocross%20Series%20race%202/.

Upcoming Events


Dec 11: Run Rudolph Run (Christmas lights along the river), www.angelo.edu/asufit

Dec 18: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #3, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 15: ASUFit Brown Bag luncheon with speaker Ashley Gay, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/seminars/December2010_Cookies_Gay.pdf

January 8, 2011: ECVFD Resolution Run, East Concho Volunteer Fire Department, roadlizards.org

Jan 15: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #4, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Fall events and races





Racing in Webberville



It's been a busy fall, with cyclocross season in full swing and multiple events to direct. I raced two out-of- town CX events (Webberville and New Braunfels), and I'll be racing again in Austin on Dec 12 to prep for the Texas Cyclocross Championship in Dallas on Dec 18. I'm not as strong on the bike as I had hoped (two 3rd places thus far), but I keep reminding myself about what my oncologist said ("It will take 12-18 months for you to recover from the chemo treatments and be back to the pre-cancer fitness level"). I’m hoping for wet, cold, and muddy conditions for the state race, as I tend to do better in rough conditions.



Turkey Trot start

 I've been busy putting on events over the past several weeks. The big event was a 5K race on the Angelo State University campus on Nov 20 (3rd annual Turkey Trot). The 2010 race was really a nice success, with double the number of participants compared to 2009. I designed a new "runner friendly" course this year, and then measured it using USA Track and Field procedures so we can submit if for certification. We also partnered with the ASU Sports Medicine club for this year's event, which helped attract more students.



Christina McBride racing at ASU



The 2nd event that I'm currently directing is the new cyclocross series. This series will consist of four races in Nov, Dec, and Jan . The first race of series took place on Nov.21 with a good mix of roadies and mountain bikers competing for race one bragging rights. Scott White, fresh off of his 2nd place finish in the TMBRA mountain bike series, took the overall victory with Christina Wilson leading the ladies home.  White and Devin “Fixed Gear” Gustafson battled for the lead through the first seven laps, with Gustafson having a slight edge on the straights and White making up ground through the corners and rough sections. Gustafson flatted on lap #8, ran his bike around the course to his spare bike in the pits, and hung on to finish 3rd.  In the Ladies category, Christina Wilson rolled home with a slight advantage over mountain biker Christina McBride of MAC Racing. Both of these ladies are strong cyclists, with Wilson being the winner of the 2010 Triple Treat event at the HHH 100 and McBride fresh off of her the Cat 1 win in the ladies division in the fall TMBRA series Full Race results are online at angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Race1_Results_2010.pdf and pictures are posted at http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/ASUFit/Cyclocross%20Series%20race%201/.  Full event information for the CX series is posted at www.angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf.

The good news is that more local people are cycling and running, which – I hope – bodes well for the future related to San Angelo becoming a more active and healthy city. We’ve got a long ways to go before that goal is achieved, and we’ll need some attitude changes in city management related to infrastructure such as bike/ pedestrian trails. It was interesting to see City Council discussing Health Risk Assessments for city employees this past week … a definite step in the right direction.

Upcoming Events

Dec 4: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #2, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 5: Christmas Lights bike ride, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com//.

Dec 11: Run Rudolph Run (Christmas lights along the river), www.angelo.edu/asufit

Dec 18: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #3, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 15: ASUFit Brown Bag luncheon with speaker Ashley Gay, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/seminars/December2010_Cookies_Gay.pdf

January 1, 2011: ECVFD Resolution Run, East Concho Volunteer Fire Department, roadlizards.org

Jan 15: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #4, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Another year ...

I turned 62 a few days ago ... another milestone reached, and I'm now officially "social security age."  The only logical way to celebrate the birthday was to hook up with a group of friends and go hammer through a hard ride.  The route was a local ride called Burma Road, a nice ride that has some good short steep hills in the middle.  After 2 1/2 hours and 46 sweat-drenched miles, I convinced myself that, even though I can't hang with the kids anymore, I'm still able to roll down the road at a decent pace. 

 

For me, the "real" cycling season is about to begin. Although I ride my cyclocross bike a lot all year, I start to feel energized when the weather gets cooler, CX races show up on the schedule, and I get to enjoy those rare days when it's grey, overcast, and muddy.  More on CX season in an upcoming post, but for now ... it's clinic time so we can introduce a few more people to the sport. Check out the links below, and then scroll down to the clinic flyer. 

• http://bigshark.com/articles/an-introduction-to-cyclocross-racing-pg68.htm
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_W8AsilPMM
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJkzC1JFrkw&feature=related http://vimeo.com/8811844

 

Fall is (finally) coming!

This has been a hard summer to get through. I'm either getting too old for hot weather (maybe), or else I'm just getting soft and lazy (most likely).   In either case, the endless days of greater than 100 degree temps with abnormally high humidity is just getting painful. It didn't help any that we spent two weeks on vacation up in the cool (did I mention cool?) high country of northern Colorado.

The goals for the Colorado vacation were to relax, visit kids, grandkids, and friends, and (for me) to get in as much riding as possible on routes with hard climbs. As part of the "master plan" for the coming cyclocross season, I wanted to rachet up my ablity to tolerate heavy doses of lactic acid.  Doing hard climbs is one way to develop that ability; in fact, I think that not having long climbs here in West Texas is a significant problem related to me staying strong on the bike.   Maybe it's just that riding climbs in a pretty area is a lot more fun that doing long upwind intervals into the hot, dry West Texas wind!

A high point (no pun intended) of the Colorado trip was a 5,000 foot climb up Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park to an elevation of over 12,000 feet.  This ride ended up being about 40+ miles over 4 hours, and even better - it happened on a 50 degree day with light rain for the first couple of hours.  The last time I rode this route was about 15 years ago, so I was pleased to see that my 61 year old legs and lungs still could handle this type of ascent.  The 22 mile descent back down around curves and switchbacks was another story ... age has not improved my descending skills or courage.

The focus now is on ramping up the interval training to prepare for the upcoming cyclocross season.  As an intermediate goal, I'll race the Texas road championship event in October, where (hopefully) the climbing I did in Colorado will help me handle the hilly state course.  Since I haven't done much road racing for the past several years, I honestly don't know hat to expect.  Sit in, cover what appear to be serious breaks, and see how long the legs hold up.

Cyclocross season will be a dichotomy.  On one hand, I'm looking forward to CX racing and the associated (short-term) pain.  The down side is that, with the exception of the state CX race and possibly nationals, there probably won't be many events that offer a 60+ category.  That means I'll race against the 40+ or 50+ crowd and get dropped fairly quickly.  The key is to keep focused on the long term goal, that being 2012 and 2013 when the Master's CX Worlds are held here in the US (Louisville, KY).   That's one thing I miss about no longer living in Colorado ...they have larger fields racing in all of the Master's categories.

So the rest of the late summer and then early fall will go like this: start doing more short but very hard intervals (60 sec on/off type stuff) plus some short tempo rides with 10-15 min hard.   One workout per week will be a CX race simulation, and I'll also do an endurance ride using the CX bike on trails.   Other than a couple of short running sessions with short uphill sprints, the remainer of the workouts will be relaxed recovery rides.   The first CX race of the season will be in late October .... time to get serious and (hopefully) have some cooler and wet weather.   I'm also in the process of building up a new CX bike, so I'll update with pics when it's ready to be seen publically.

Upcoming Events


Sept. 4: Hot Dog Run, www.roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/HOTDOGRUN_Flyer_Sep_2010.pdf

Sept. 11: Burma Road Time Trial, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Sept 11: Run to Remember, roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/Run_to_Remember_Flyer_Sep_2010.jpg

Sept 18-19: Fort Davis Cyclefest, www.active.com/cycling/fort-davis-tx/fort-davis-cyclefest-tour-2010

Oct 9-10: Texas Cycling Championships, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct 16-17: Season Opener, Texas Cup cyclocross series, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct. 30: Six Hour Mountain Bike Race, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Don't Forget Local Residents

San Angelo’s community leadership is very pro-economic development, with tourism being a large segment of that development effort. That’s a good thing – tourism brings outside dollars into our community. When people spend money in local businesses, it adds to the ½ cent sales tax revenues that San Angelo has available for projects related to more economic development.

However, there’s another aspect that I think our city fathers overlook at times, that being activities that enhance the quality of life for those of us who live here all year. Given that a high percentage of local tax revenues are paid by residents (not visitors), the needs – and wants – of residents should be high on the list for spending priorities.

During the past few weeks, I’ve listened as our mayor, city council representatives, and city staffers discuss how we can leverage the economic development tax revenues to attract more visitors. Some of the targeted areas include the Concho River near downtown and the Lake Nasworthy area. There’s been a lot of discourse related to improving these areas to enhance tourism, but … I haven’t heard much about what could be done to improve quality of life via making these areas better for local residents to use.

Here are a couple of examples of what I’m referring to. The downtown River Trail is widely used by local residents as they walk, jog, or just visit the river banks on a nice afternoon. The trails need to be improved (yes) and they need to be expanded (yes), but that area DOES NOT need to become another San Antonio-style river walk. Think about trying to go for a relaxed walk or jog through San Antonio’s river district and you’ll see what I mean.

A second example is development at Lake Nasworthy that’s intended purely to attract big events or tourists. Granted, more beaches, RV campgrounds, and maybe a few lakeside condo’s would be great, but … if we focus on developing that area solely for big events such as the drag boat races, then we’ll be depriving locals of their ability to access and use the most popular recreation areas in San Angelo. What we do need is a good network of bike/pedestrian trails to circle the reservoir and connect area neighborhoods to parks and beaches. Problem is, local users don’t bring in additional tax dollars (but, … we do already pay taxes).

San Angelo’s biggest need for quality of life is an integrated network of “Recreation Destination Resorts.” What I mean by that term is areas such as parks, the downtown river trail, etc. that serve as venues for recreation and exercise for residents. Ideally, these would be accessible via bike/pedestrian paths to encourage residents to walk, run, or bike as they journey to and from these “resort destinations. Each magnet location should have restroom facilities, water fountains, and some shaded green space.

If you don’t thing there’s a demand for this type of local infrastructure, I suggest that you go visit Gun Club Road (the KOA loop) on any evening or on a weekend morning. The area is typically crowded with people who are out for a walk or run. Imagine our city if we had multiple “KOA Loops” scattered throughout San Angelo, and – more importantly – think about the impact on fitness and wellness if those areas encouraged more people to get out and exercise. Our city fathers need to remember that we (local residents) live here year round and we all pay taxes.

Upcoming Events

July 31: Bulldog Run 10K, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/BulldogFlyer_2010.pdf

Aug. 7: Road Bike Time Trial, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Aug. 8: Wool Capitol Triathlon, www.ironheadrp.com/woolcapital/index.html

Aug. 8: Biscuits & Gravy Rotary Ride for Hunger, http://www.rotaryrideforhunger.org//

Aug. 21: Goodfellow Triathlon, http://www.roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/GAFB_Flyer_2010.pdf

Sept. 11: Burma Road Time Trial, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Sept 18-19: Fort Davis Cyclefest, http://www.active.com/cycling/fort-davis-tx/%20fort-davis-cyclefest-tour-2010

Oct. 9-10: Texas Cycling Championships, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct 16-17: Season Opener, Texas Cup cyclocross series, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct. 30: Six Hour Mountain Bike Race, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/