Time To Get Fit - 2024

[stangmx13]

Cycling is becoming even more of an eating competition for me. My last 2 Saturdays have been 2x30min sweet spot intervals - a whole hour of intensity that needs to be properly fueled to get the most out of it. My coach specifically said to eat 90g of carbs per hour. Thats 360Cal per hour! I ate 1 cup of oatmeal for breakfast, with added brown sugar and maple syrup - 400Cal. I drove 20min to the start of the ride and got started. During the ride I drank 2L with 800Cal and I ate 3 gels at 180, 160, & 160Cal. The ride ended up being 3:15hrs. So thats 1300Cal, 325g carbs, or 100g carbs per hour. Holy crap it's a lot. A few short years ago I struggled to eat 50g per hour without stomach distress. Now I feel like something is wrong if I'm not sucking down some sugar every 20min. But it's working - it seems to be taking less and less time to recover from hard efforts the more I eat. And I riding another 4:30hrs on Sunday wasn't that bad.

Unfortunately, all this eating is expensive. The gels were $9 total and the scoops of drink mix were $6.40. One hard training ride cost me $15.40 . I should probably start "making" my own foods and mixes.

 

[Climber]

Climbers commonly eat the breakfast of champions on a busy climbing day, complete with eggs, sausages and plenty of cheese, then carry chocolate for maintaining energy on the climbs.

Climbers are notorious cheap-asses, working as little as possible so that they can engage in their addiction of climbing every day possible.

Yeah, I know that you climbed for a while, so I'm sure you probably knew some of them.

 

[two wheel tramp]

new v02 max high of 31.2. heck yeah! my walking miles aren’t much faster recently so l take a win where i can.

looking forward to getting back to oregon and back on the bicycle.

editing to add i had a doctor appointment this morning and all mention of diabetic/diabetes has been removed from my chart.

not just yeah but fuck yeah.

 

[stangmx13]

^ fuck yeah!

 

[Mike95060]

new v02 max high of 31.2. heck yeah! my walking miles aren’t much faster recently so l take a win where i can.

looking forward to getting back to oregon and back on the bicycle.

editing to add i had a doctor appointment this morning and all mention of diabetic/diabetes has been removed from my chart.

not just yeah but fuck yeah.

All the problems you don't have because you're sticking with it and doing the hard things makes it so worth it.

 

[Climber]

TWT, you're an inspiration for this thread, so great to hear of all of the positive things happening for you with your efforts!

Also, stangmx13, it's fun to watch your progress in your sport!

Same with the others, I think this thread is probably the most giving back thread in the KS.

 

[Holeshot]

Serious question: How can some people lose a pound or more a week? I have been exercising since start of November and only lost 5 lbs and still have a jiggly belly

Mike, good to see ya picking up the baton! Quick answer here: sodium. Water weight is easy to float up/ down.

What's your workout look like? Iirc, you're around my age and if that's true, are you doing a combined resistance/ cardio program?

Once upon a time I bicycled a lot. Along with pretty good fitness, I also got neck pain and felt like my upper body was underworked.

This is a plug for kettlebells. I took them up and worked my way up a few sizes over 6 months or so. That was about 10 years ago and we still use them 3x/week for 20-40 minutes. I am a huge fan of free weights, combining balance, aerobics, and resistance. I recommend KB's as backup training for any activity you may do, including cycling. Plus, there are a lot of great trainers on YouTube with a wide variety of workouts.

+1 on free weights and your balance/ aerobics/ resistance. I love that workout plan. The balance thing, as we get older, is hugely important in youth preservation.

Unfortunately, all this eating is expensive. The gels were $9 total and the scoops of drink mix were $6.40. One hard training ride cost me $15.40 . I should probably start "making" my own foods and mixes.

What do you run for a supplement/ vitamin mix?

not just yeah but fuck yeah.

KILLED the Beetus! Fuck yeah R!

 

[stangmx13]

What do you run for a supplement/ vitamin mix?

I'm drinking my mix for the calories and the salt. Most wouldn't call that a supplement or vitamin mix.

I'm using Tailwind for drink mix. Calories per dollar (CPD) is pretty high at 125. And I like the salt content which is higher than most.

My gels are Spring Energy and SIS Beta Fuel. The Spring gels are expensive AF at $4 each, 45 CPD. But they are ridiculously tasty and digest well. 'Awesome Sauce' is the best flavor by far. The SIS Betas are better at $2.50 each, 64 CPD. 'Strawberry Limeade' is the go-to there.

These costs are also why I try to drink more calories on the bike - it's cheaper.

I should probably start making myself from rice cakes to save $$ on gels, at least for training.

 

[Sharxfan]

editing to add i had a doctor appointment this morning and all mention of diabetic/diabetes has been removed from my chart.

not just yeah but fuck yeah.

Oh hell yeah. Congrats TWT.

I have an appointment with my primary care tomorrow hope it goes as well as yours.

 

[Holeshot]

Thanks Robert!

Sharx: throwing positive vibes your way for manana.

 

[Tally Whacker]

I'm using Tailwind for drink mix. Calories per dollar (CPD) is pretty high at 125. And I like the salt content which is higher than most.

I swear by Tailwind. It is really all I need to fuel long, hard rides.

 

[stangmx13]

It's race weekend again. My first B-race of the year is Sat - BWR AZ. The course is "short" at 103mi with "only" 7000ft of climbing. And since it's AZ and it will be warm & sunny, there shouldn't be any slow mud or walking. Maybe some sand will slow the field down, I don't know. I do expect this to be my fastest race of the year. Goal is under 7hrs, stretch goal is under 6:30hrs. We'll see.

This week has been taper and bike maintenance. The taper meant my VO2Max session was only 3 intervals instead of 4 . All my other rides this week are recovery. And here's the list of bike maintenance. Bicycle racing is really starting to remind me of motorcycle racing :
- full bike wash
- cleaned & lubed bottom bracket
- cleaned & lubed headset bearings
- installed race tires
- replaced front rotor
- cleaned and aligned front caliper
- bled both brakes
- waxed chain
- lubed derailleur clutch
- checked torque on major bolts

 

[Mike95060]

Are you on the silka system for chain maintenance? Im thinking about taking the plunge. Seems like it less day to day maintenance. Longer maintenance intervals with some performance gains.

Your work has been impressive Robert. You got a 6:30 in you.

 

[stangmx13]

Are you on the silka system for chain maintenance? Im thinking about taking the plunge. Seems like it less day to day maintenance. Longer maintenance intervals with some performance gains.

Your work has been impressive Robert. You got a 6:30 in you.

I'm using Silca's hot wax, but with a twist. Hot waxing alone doesn't last long enough for gravel riding. The chain gets too dry and grind-y. And their drip wax isn't thick enough to stop that and reduce chain noise. So I use Squirt as my add-on drip. I hot wax once a month (600-800mi), then wipe the chain with a dry rag and add Squirt every 60-100miles or so. My chain stays clean and quiet. Before I started using Squirt, I didn't think that wax was worth it because the chain was sooo loud half the time. But now I'm very satisfied.

Wax saves maintenance time because it's cleaner. You don't need to clean the whole drivetrain nearly as often. And cleaning a waxed cassette is much faster and easier - drop it in near-boiling water and give it a quick scrub & rinse. Of course, you do a little more work to prep a new chain*. And those first few times you hot wax will take longer. But you get better at it.

I use this for melting the hot wax. It so much better than melting in a pot of boiling water. And it's way cheaper than Silca's melter. The melter's pot is a little small, so I've yet to perfect how to get the chain out without dripping wax on the countertop.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09X33V6H6/

You'll want to degrease your chainrings, cassette, and derailleur pulleys when you switch to wax. You don't want to contaminate the wax chain with leftover oils. This part is a PITA.

*I have no idea what Silca has going with their new StripChip. Wth do they mean I can wax the factory lube off chain? Im waiting for one of my buddies to test it out.

 

[two wheel tramp]

Thanks, everyone. I am definitely stoked about the good news re: no longer being considered diabetic/prediabetic.

It's race weekend again. My first B-race of the year is Sat - BWR AZ. The course is "short" at 103mi with "only" 7000ft of climbing. And since it's AZ and it will be warm & sunny, there shouldn't be any slow mud or walking. Maybe some sand will slow the field down, I don't know. I do expect this to be my fastest race of the year. Goal is under 7hrs, stretch goal is under 6:30hrs. We'll see.

This week has been taper and bike maintenance. The taper meant my VO2Max session was only 3 intervals instead of 4 . All my other rides this week are recovery. And here's the list of bike maintenance. Bicycle racing is really starting to remind me of motorcycle racing :
- full bike wash
- cleaned & lubed bottom bracket
- cleaned & lubed headset bearings
- installed race tires
- replaced front rotor
- cleaned and aligned front caliper
- bled both brakes
- waxed chain
- lubed derailleur clutch
- checked torque on major bolts

Just reading about this course makes me want to take a nap. I hope you report back that you met your goal. That would be EPIC and we are cheering you on.

 

[Tally Whacker]

I use this for melting the hot wax. It so much better than melting in a pot of boiling water. And it's way cheaper than Silca's melter. The melter's pot is a little small, so I've yet to perfect how to get the chain out without dripping wax on the countertop.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09X33V6H6/

I use a little crock pot I got for $6 at the Goodwill on Balboa and Clairemont Drive. Seems to work.

 

[two wheel tramp]

Feb:
139.2 miles walked.
An average of 60 minutes active time per day.
23.9 miles on my pedal bike.

not too bad.

 

[Volcomism]

Some of y'all are intense. I wish I had the energy to do the workouts you do. I barely make time (not going to cop out and say I don't have the time) to do proper workouts. I walk about 1.5h a day with the baby/dogs and I try to do at least 30 mins / 3x a week on my rowing machine, but that's optimistic at best.

The one thing I do quite routinely is intermittent fasting (16/8) which is quite easy and definitely helps reduce any cravings I have. I have a fatty liver due to all the shit food I grew up eating and I found that fasting is the one thing that helps me keep a healthy diet. That and chicken breasts costing like $10/lb here. The thought of having steak makes my wallet hurt.

 

[stangmx13]

My BWR AZ finishing time was 6:59.37. I had to push like mad on the final stretch to beat 7hrs. Got it! I was dead tired, but it's amazing how your body can just do it anyway with enough motivation.

A few things went wrong during the race. I dropped food out of my pockets, twice. Rookie mistake. I also crashed. The course was very dry with a lot of very course sand. Sand over hardpack is slippery AF. I passed someone on a single track, got off line, and washed the front up the slope of the edge of the trail. I protected the bike with my body and got back on. Thankfully I crashed onto some of the only grass on course instead of into cacti or other pokey plants like plenty of other riders. Not thankfully, I lost my damn phone in the crash and didn't notice until 10miles later (assuming it fell out right then). So a short hike is planned for tomorrow . I almost crashed 20 other times, but almost doesnt count.

I finished 135% behind the winner Keegan Swenson. Keegan is the benchmark for everyone as he has won nearly every major gravel and long MTB race for the past 2 years. I would have liked to get my stretch goal and be closer percentage-wise. But it's nice to compare myself to literally the best and be not too far behind. He's likely going to win Leadville. If I run 135% behind him there, I will far exceed my goals for that race. I told him about "135%" and he said "You have pace"

Oh, I ate 2460Cal and drank 4L of water. Oof.

 

[Tally Whacker]

Where's the damned "Like" button?