By:  Dawn Hinz

We are athletes and we are here to race. Yet, we cannot do it alone. Races whether they be triathlons, cycling, running or another sport give us the opportunity to test our personal fitness on that particular day. While we’re out there pushing ourselves to our limits there are volunteers supporting us. They give us kayaks to rest on, safety on the road (traffic doesn’t stop on its own), and provide quick nutrition and hydration. They are the biggest cheerleaders to each and every athlete; from the Leader to the Average Joe to the Back of the Packer. They are there to support and encourage all athletes from start to finish.

What if Volunteers weren’t there? No kayak to rest on? No intersection coverage to stop traffic? No one to hand you nutrition or hydration? No one to cheer you on when you’re slowing down? No one at the finish line to keep you from crashing or to provide medical support if needed? In my opinion that would make racing just another training day and we’d never know how far or how fast we could really go if we had support.

Does your Team or Club support volunteering? Do they designate races or aid stations to volunteer? This is a great way to experience volunteering with people you know. Or you can volunteer individually and meet new people. Whichever way you volunteer you’ll get to see racing from the other side. Athletes are grateful for your support and you are often the “Make or Break” to someone’s race day. You will notice a sense of fulfillment and purpose because you are there for someone else.

How often should you volunteer? This is a personal question that only you can answer. Think of it like a relationship. What would you think of someone who always takes but rarely gives back? If you love your sport you will give back to the racing community. 

Secret: the more you volunteer the more you get out of the racing experience. Sometimes the experience will be big, like the time I volunteered to lifeguard a swim under the Mackinac Bridge! What a beautiful way to spend my morning while giving others the chance to check something major off their bucket list. Sometimes the experience will be simpler like a kayaker getting to watch the sunrise over a lake or a lone swimmer who wouldn’t have finished without your encouraging words. Or like handing out water at the aid station for that last athlete who’s working their tail off to make the cutoff. Each of these experiences and thousands of others like them will renew your love of your sport.

Race Directors across the country are noticing a serious lack of volunteers. People just are not volunteering the way they used to. The day before the race they’re still asking for more volunteers. Race Directors are getting creative and providing incentives for those willing to volunteer. They’re giving cool swag, providing groups a fundraising opportunity and giving individuals discounts on future races. Can you imagine what would happen to race sign up fees if every volunteer was a paid position? Many people already complain that sign up fees are too high. Race directors aren’t sitting on their loreals getting rich and the good ones are truly there to provide the best athlete experience. Volunteers are the gateway to an awesome racing experience. 

This season isn’t over. There are still plenty of chances to volunteer. Find a local race, give back in a way that you can and see for yourself how rewarding volunteering really is. I hope to see you there.

The post Racing Without Volunteers is Just Another Training Day appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By: Raquel Torres

FTP in Cycling. Definition & Tips

Function Threshold Power (FTP) is a measure of your cycling fitness and ability to maintain a high but manageable power output for a somewhat lengthy duration. From a physiological perspective, it’s the cycling power you produce when your lactate production has risen, leveled off, and then closely matches your body’s ability to remove lactate. This just barely keeps that lactate flooding at bay. In cycling, FTP is that gray area between the power you can sustain for a very long duration, typically an hour, and the fleeting power you can only tolerate for a couple of minutes.

The term FTP it’s a measure of the best average power output you could sustain for 1 hour in a time-trial scenario.

Why is FTP seen as important? 

The concept of FTP was developed by Dr Andrew Coggan, co-author of Training and Racing with a Power Meter. 

“Power at lactate threshold is the most important physiological determinant of endurance cycling performance, since it integrates VO2 max, the percentage of VO2max that can be sustained for a given duration, and cycling efficiency,” says Andrew Coggan. 

“As such, it is more logical to define training zones relative to an athlete’s threshold power vs., for example, power at VO2 max.” 

Lactate threshold and FTP aren’t the same thing (while VO2 max is the measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise). Lactate threshold refers to a specific physical change in the body. It is the point at which lactate begins to increase exponentially in your blood. Your lactate threshold can only be truly determined through blood tests.

Coggan says that lactate threshold and FTP are closely related. One is reflective of the other. FTP is the maximum power you can maintain while your body can still clear excess lactate being produced by your working muscles, allowing you to sustain your effort. 

In other words, FTP is the balance point between energy supply and demand among your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. 

When you are cycling at low intensities, you are using your aerobic system. The aerobic system uses oxygen to metabolize fuel to create the needed energy. When your aerobic system can meet the energy demands of your muscles, there’s less contribution from your anaerobic energy system.

However, when cycling at higher intensities, the anaerobic system contributes more. The anaerobic system metabolizes fuel sources without oxygen. It creates energy much faster but for a shorter time. Continue to ride at a high intensity, and the byproducts of the anaerobic system (lactic acid) overwhelm your ability to clear them. So your breathing increases, the legs start to burn, and your time at this power output becomes minimal.

 Functional Threshold Power is the harmony between Aerobic & Anaerobic energy systems.

FTP and training

This context is vital for training as well because the difficulty of cycling workouts needs to be scaled to your current fitness level. A structured training plan progressively trains the energy systems needed to grow your fitness. Using cycling power zones, each workout in a plan is designed to provide just enough training stimulus to drive the adaptations that make you a faster cyclist.

What Equipment Do You Need to Test FTP?

You need a power meter on your bike or a smart trainer with an integrated power meter to measure FTP. Essentially, you just need a bike with some kind of power meter, it measures how hard and fast you pedal, giving you a figure in Watts.

There are various kinds of cycle power meters that attach to your bike and examples include SRM, Stages and Garmin. If you don’t have one of these (they can be expensive) you might consider using a static gym bike that measures power, such as the WattBike.

Another option is to mount your own bike to an indoor trainer that measures power, such as the Tacx Bushido Smart or the CycleOps Magnus Trainer.

The Best Way To Test Your FTP

One of the best-known testing methods is a 20-minute test (Critical Power 20 Test or CP20). You’ll ride at your highest sustainable power for 20 minutes. Your FTP is 95% of the average power during this interval. 

This is simply a 20-minute time trial where you ride as hard as you can while measuring your average power output.

Once you know your average power for 20 minutes (for example 200 watts) you can multiply it by 95% to estimate your FTP. For example: if your CP20 power output is 200 watts, a good estimation of your FTP would be 190 watts. This method is surprisingly accurate.

Other Things To Consider After Measuring Your FTP

In addition to testing your FTP, it’s important to measure your body weight at around the same time. This is so you can look at your FTP power output in terms of your power to weight ratio. Otherwise, any gains in your power output might be offset by gains in your body weight in a real-world setting.

You can easily work out your power to weight ratio. Divide your FTP power output by your body weight in kgs. For example, if your body weight is 70kg and your FTP is 200 watts, your FTP power to weight ratio would be 2.86 watts per kilo.

Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of your power on the bike, in comparison to your body weight. It is expressed as watts of cycling power produced per kilogram of body weight, abbreviated as W/kg. 

Larger or bigger riders tend to have more watts than smaller cyclists in absolute terms, but lighter riders require less energy to overcome inertia and propel themselves forward (especially uphill). Power-to-weight ratio thus offers a fairer way to compare different riders’ abilities than by looking at power alone. 

How To Set Your Power Training Zones

Once you know your FTP, you can set your own power training zones by using various online calculators such as online software like Training Peaks or Garmin Connect. They have training zone calculators that you can use. Or you can hire a well experienced coach.

Raquel Torres, MBA

www.raqueltorres.org

USAT- Youth Junior Elite Coach Certified

Other Sources:

https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/power-to-weight-ratio-for-cyclists-when-watts-kg-matters-and-how-to-improve-it/

https://www.myprocoach.net/blog/ftp-test-how-to-measure-your-cycle-performance/

https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/what-ftp-really-means-to-cyclists/

https://road.cc/content/feature/what-ftp-7-key-facts-about-major-training-metric-268471?amp

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/power-training-levels/ 

https://www.healthline.com/health/vo2-max#about-vo₂-max

The post What is FTP in Cycling? appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By:  Raquel Torres

Run happy and smartly

Running does have a risk of injury but if you follow some simple guidelines like warming up, wearing the right gear or clothes, fueling for what you are training for and not pushing yourself too hard, most injuries can be prevented.

Some Risk Factors About Running:

Overtraining – running beyond your current level of fitness or doing too much too soon can put muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments under strain. Shin pain and stress fractures are common overuse injuries in runners. Some tips to avoid overtraining consequences:

• Build up slowly. Don’t push too hard beyond your current level of fitness. Plan to gradually increase how long and how often you run over a few months.
• Do Cross training. Training like a triathlete, alternating running with other low impact sports like cycling or swimming can be very beneficial in many ways and it gives your body a break, helps muscles to absorb impact and protects joints and bones.
• Avoid running on consecutive days to allow the body to recover between runs. As a general rule of thumb, avoid increasing your weekly mileage by more than 15%. This rule applies to seasoned runners as well. Remember that the most common cause of stress fractures is doing too much too soon.
• Keep marathons in moderation, stick to 1-2 marathons per year to allow your body to recover. 

Hard surfaces – the impact of running on hard surfaces, such as bitumen, can cause injuries including shin pain and stress fractures. Tip: Try to use soft surfaces like clear trails, treadmill, track, grass or any clear, smooth, even and reasonably soft surface. Avoid uneven surfaces and concrete. Gradually introduce surface changes and alternate hard surfaces runs with softs like dirt roads.

Incorrect technique – poor running style can increase the risk of injuries. For example, running flat-footed pulls on the shin muscles and may cause small tears.

Incorrect shoes – Before you even hit the pavement or track, boost your confidence with the right running shoes. Using the wrong type of shoe can increase the risk of various injuries, including blisters, stress fractures and shin pain. Some tips about running shoes:

• Buy running shoes at an athletic store, where a sales clerk can help you choose a shoe that fits your foot type. This can help prevent injuries.
• Your foot should fit snug in the heel, with a little wiggle room around your toes, experts say to guarantee the best fit, get a proper fitting at a specialty running store and wear your usual running socks when you go.
• Track your shoes’ mileage. Worn out shoes can often contribute to and/or exacerbate pain in the ankles, knees, and hips. But it’s not enough to buy the right shoes. You also need to maintain them properly. “Experts in sports medicines recommend replacing your shoes every 400 to 600 miles, or about every 4-6 months if you run regularly. Only run in your current running shoes. 
  • • • • Have 2 pairs of running shoes. To extend the life of your shoes, having two pairs is a great idea. Alternate your runs between the two pairs. Or, you could also have one pair suitable for longer runs and a lightweight pair for your faster speed workouts. Having two pairs is also helpful when you’ve had a rainy or muddy run. While one pair is drying, you can run in the alternate pair. Use your good running shoes JUST for running.

Did you know that  PROPER nutrition can avoid many injuries?

It’s true that proper nutrition can do little to prevent injuries caused by factors such as over training or wearing the wrong type of running shoes. But specific eating habits can be an effective part of a comprehensive injury-prevention strategy.

Eat enough

Stick to a healthy Diet. The worst nutritional mistake you can make with regard to injury prevention is to eat too few calories. That can lead to stress fractures. When your body doesn’t get enough calories to meet all of its tissue maintenance and energy needs, it will enter a catabolic state—which means your muscles begin eating themselves. Consequently, catabolism compromises your body’s ability to repair tissue damage incurred during workouts, which slows muscle recovery and increases your risk of injury.

Don’t forget the fat

Fat has a bad reputation, but it’s needed in the diet to create healthy cell membranes that are resistant to damage during exercise. A 2003 University of Buffalo study concluded that female athletes (particularly endurance athletes) who restricted their dietary fat intake had a higher risk of injury and higher levels of fatigue during training.

What’s most interesting is that the low-fat diet athletes and high-fat diet athletes ate the same amounts of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and iron. For the group that did not eat enough fat, they suffered from both low energy availability and poor nutrient absorption.

Keep the calcium coming

Bone strains and stress fractures are uncommon in swimming and cycling, but quite common in running—especially for those with low bone density.

After all, your diet creates the building blocks of your body structure. Just as a well-built house is more likely to survive an earthquake, a properly nourished body is better able to withstand, say, a rigorous half-marathon training plan. That said, here a tip nutrition habit that will help you reduce the risk of injury:

Train, shower, eat

When you eat is every bit as important as what you eat when it comes to preventing injuries. Muscle and joint tissue damage that occurs during a workout is repaired most quickly in the two hours immediately after the workout—provided you eat during that time. 

The most important nutrient to consume for post-exercise tissue repair is protein, but research has shown that consuming protein with carbohydrate is even better, because carbs stimulate muscle protein synthesis as well as restock depleted muscle glycogen stores.

Conclusion:

Be moderate with the loading distance and the volume with intensity, this is like cooking, too much of an ingredient (aka: volume, intensity, frequency or surfaces) can be much worse than too little. 

Don’t ignore pain, a little soreness is OK. But if you notice consistent pain in a muscle, bone or joint that doesn’t get better with rest, stop the activity and see a health care provider.

Most research on strength training for injury prevention in runners focuses on hips. Strengthening the hip muscles (hip abductors and external rotators) does help keep the knee in line with the hip. This is good advice to prevent mild knee pain from patellar tendonitis and shin splints. At the same time, if a runner only works on hip strength, ignoring core stability they haven’t gained the full benefit.

Create a smart running plan: Before beginning a running routine, talking to a good experienced coach or trainer can help you create a well balanced running plan that is in line with your current fitness abilities and long-term goals.

The post Runners’ Secrets to Running Injury Free appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By:  Nya Caldwell

Hello, my name is Nya Caldwell and I am 14 years old. Currently, I’m a 9th grader at Milford High School. I have always been a multi-sport athlete and have been riding bikes for as long as I can remember. This past fall I was on my high school’s scholastic mountain bike team, which is a combined team made up of cyclists from surrounding high schools.

In the winter I transitioned to boarder cross, (or snowboard cross). Boarder cross is a snowboard competition, where 4-6 competitors race down a course simultaneously. This was an exciting new sport for me, which allowed me to expand my snowboarding skills along with providing a different racing experience.

Everyone in my family either races, or rides for enjoyment. When I was 9 I joined Huron Valley Mountain Bike Club. We met every Thursday night for rides and to work on skills. This experience introduced me to MiSCA and mountain bike racing. That fall I had my first race, and it was at Island Lake Recreation Area. I didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being really fun. That was the start of my love for racing. In 7th grade I was the MiSCA Middle School State Champion, and in 2021 I achieved the MiSCA JV State Championship title.

For the upcoming school year, I will be competing on HVUR’s Varsity team, and my goal is to have a strong season with a few podium finishes. I am excited to be competing alongside a great group of friends and cyclists.

This is my first year with Team Athletic Mentors. I first became aware of the team a few years ago, through my cousin Kellen. His success has inspired me to reach a higher level in cycling. My goal for my high school cycling career is to keep progressing to the next level in the sport. I love riding trails, so I would love to become better at skills. I want to challenge myself mentally and physically, which will help me in many aspects of life outside of cycling. Coming into this cycling season, I am hopeful that the demands of my other sports activities will allow me to transition smoothly back into cycling. I wasn’t able to put many hours into off-season training on my bike, but have confidence that my other athletic endeavors will help me get up to speed.

Last month I participated in my first gravel race, Barry-Roubaix. This was also my first race as a part of Team Athletic Mentors. It was a freezing cold day, with temperatures dipping into the 30’s, strong winds, and snowy weather conditions. Before the race we gathered as a team for a warm-up ride. Right away, I knew that I didn’t have the proper gloves to keep my hands warm. My hands were getting stiff, and painfully stinging. This was after only being on the bikes for 4-miles! This wasn’t going to work for an 18-mile race in winter-like weather. Luckily, a very helpful gentleman in the team tent lent me his gloves, which worked much better for me. Lesson number one, come prepared for everything and try out your gear before race-day!

It was so cool to line up at the start as a team. There were a lot of juniors in black and yellow kits and we were all experiencing the race-line jitters together. Everyone was so supportive of one another, offering advice and positive words of encouragement. It was such a great experience and all of my teammates were so supportive. The race was a huge success for the team, winning the junior team division. I managed to pull off a first in the 18 and under female category, which was an unexpected result. I was happy with how the race went and look forward to coming back next year.

The thing that I enjoy most about racing is the rush that I get after the ride. Often butterflies and anxiety can be distractions leading up to a race. I like to listen to my favorite playlist beforehand to help calm my nerves and get me hyped up. Once I take off from the start line I try to focus on a good cadence and any riders ahead of me. When the race is over, I always have a feeling of relief knowing that no matter the outcome I tried my best.

This Spring, I am on my school’s JV lacrosse team and on the Athletic Mentors Junior Development Team. Balancing multiple sports throughout the year, and the academic demands of high school can be challenging. However, participating in many different athletic disciplines is a lot of fun and I enjoy them all. The key to success is finding the right balance.

The post Finding Balance from a Junior Athlete appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By:  Christina Vipond

Before I started racing, I used a bicycle computer to tell me how fast I was cruising and how many miles I had ridden. I never wore a heart rate monitor. When I started racing, I began wearing a heart rate monitor, using a power meter and using Zwift for off season training. My data showed my heart rate would quickly pop up to the 180s and even into the 190s during hard efforts. According to exercising heart rate zones, 220-your age, my max heart rate should only be 175. 

I was amazed at the number of people who looked at my heart rate during rides (on STRAVA or Zwift) and commented on the numbers; “Look at your heart rate!” “Why is your heart rate so high?”  Several people had advice for me, I heard “you haven’t trained enough” (8000 miles a year apparently isn’t enough training), “you are overtrained”, “you are working too hard”, “your heart rate shouldn’t be that high”, “you should go to the doctor to get that checked”. I was assured that my heart rate is just naturally higher when I am riding. Still, I would question how I felt when I was riding with a heart rate of 183. I was definitely working but I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out. I was also embarrassed as others would say, “man, my heart rate is only 130”. 

I am now into my third year of training and racing. My heart rate still pops into the 180s with hard efforts. As I was researching “normal” heart rates, I had the opportunity to talk with Mark Olson, Athletic Mentors co-founder and expert in the field of strength and conditioning.  I was relieved to hear we have similar heart rates. He explained heart rates are very individual and that there shouldn’t be any comparison to anyone else’s heart rate.

Mark defined the lactic threshold heart rate for me. A simplified definition of Lactate threshold is the level at which the intensity of exercise causes lactate to accumulate in the blood at a faster rate than it can be removed, making it the border between low- and high-intensity work.  According to various research articles, lactate threshold for an untrained person usually coincides with 50-60 percent of VO2 max, ranging up to 85-95 percent of VO2 max for an elite athlete. Mark explained that the lactic threshold heart rate is how hard an athlete can ride for an hour.  The number is individual and should only be compared to that athlete. For example, if an untrained athlete does a test, trains then does the test again, it is expected the lactic heart rate will improve and increase. Once an athlete is trained, there will be little movement in the heart rate number.  He said that the lactic threshold heart rate is really an input number, the power created is the output number. The heart rate number alone is useless.

Together, we looked at my FTP (Functional Threshold Power) rides that I had done over the past 3 years to estimate my lactate threshold. The data from these tests showed that while my heart rate did not change at FTP, my power went up, reiterating that my heart rate number by itself is meaningless and that my training is improving my fitness.  This information has given me confidence and the ability to explain that my heart rate is okay to those who have shown concern. I also have insight to the reasoning behind, as well as the importance of training rides of lengths, power and cadence parameters. This information has piqued my interest in the “why” and “how” of training. There is still so much more for me to learn.

The post What I Learned About Heart Rates & Training appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By:  Cate Wittman

My name is Cate Wittman, I am 15 and a member of the Athletic Mentors Junior Development Team. I primarily mountain bike race but occasionally race gravel. And I understand how hard riding can be in the early part of the year!

Winter training is the time to build up for the season. It is the factor that determines how your year is going to go, yet it can be difficult to manage. All cyclists have experienced the weird feeling of going from indoor riding to outside cycling. For instance, my legs always feel like jello and my arms as stiff as a chopping block. But here is how it’s been so far…

This winter season, I have been training on rollers and a trainer. I personally like to train inside since the cold can affect my breathing. Of course I do the usual sprints, long rides, spinning, etc, but for mountain bikers, how do you keep your technical skills over the winter without fat biking?

When it finally warmed up, we rode as much as possible to take advantage of the “nice” riding weather. I’ve found myself riding sloppy gravel roads, pavement and even some dry trails. As soon as I hopped on the seat and put my hands on the handle bars, I thought I was going to crash. My whole body tensed up and every little movement made me think I was just going to tip over. There was a very noticeable difference between the trainer and the road.

After riding for about a week in warmer weather, I got used to outdoor riding. Sprints felt unsustainable and long. Spinning felt like I was moving a foot in an hour compared to the rollers. But now I’ve gotten used to my legs spinning, the wind blowing in my face and the road moving underneath me. However, there will still be the weird feeling of not being able to grab a snack from the tableside next to you.

Getting ready for Barry Roubaix was a challenge, going from the comfort of my basement to the intense, muddy, hilly pavement and gravel roads. What made training for the race even better was the cold, icy air of the month of March. It’s hard to breathe in the thick air and I would hyperventilate and cough to try to inhale as much as I could to get a little oxygen to my lungs. It felt impossible.

Luckily, there are techniques that I’ve learned this season to help control things and calm me down. Things like breathing exercises, positive self-affirmations and more can help with my riding. When I can’t breathe, I try pushing all my air out as much as possible rather than in as much as possible. And when things start getting tough and I start thinking I can’t do it, I start talking out loud to myself saying I am able to do it. By doing things like this, it has helped my training and riding this early season. It can even help my mindset which therefore helps my ability to ride as well as I am able to.

At the start of everyone’s season, it feels weird and uncomfortable. Something that you’re not used to. But it’s important to remember that everyone feels this. Calm down if possible; take a few deep breaths, say some kind words to yourself, and try your best. I still need to work on these things, but I know that it takes time and patience. Making racing more enjoyable starts with your own mindset and base training.

The post Challenges of Spring Racing in the Cold appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By:  Paul Raynes

Predictable sunny weather, beautiful mountains, and abundant training opportunities, all reasons why Tucson Arizona became my home for the first two months of 2022.

At 2400 ft. of elevation, the valley of Tucson is a caldera, and the surrounding mountains the remains of an ancient collapsed volcano. Because of the beauty, weather, and available outdoor activities, Tucson has been my winter destination for the past four years.

Tucson has an expansive and highly accessible recreational parks system. Just down the road from my Airbnb casita, a large 158 acre indoor and outdoor recreational facility, Morris K. Udall Park.  Udall Park became my primary destination for biking, running, and relaxed evening walks.  The desertscape of the back half of Udall Park was a great place to run, and practice transitions off the bike – just me, a few rabbits, birds, roadrunners, and that one coyote that would trot by, stop, and stare at me like it was assessing my running mechanics.

From there, I had a direct link to the Chuck Huckleberry Loop (The Loop), nearly 140 miles of well-maintained interlinked paved trails – approximately 55 miles to circumnavigate the metro Tucson area.  You’ll find exit points for gravel or mountain biking on certain areas of The Loop. Or, if desired, travel to one of the many specific off-road cycling destinations. Most major roads have wide bike lanes, however, for non-stop riding and safety reasons, I chose to stay on The Loop.

South Loop

Tucson has a robust cycling community, great bike shops and features the annual November event, “El Tour De Tucson.”

Like many of the larger parks, Udall had an outdoor lap pool. Regrettably, it was not open during the winter months. I did find at least four outdoor pools with winter hours. The pool at William M. Clements Center, was a short drive from my casita. A drive well worth the 82-degree water, no reservations, and there was always a lane open. A mere $2, for out of towners.

Mount Lemmon is a must-see destination. A 9000 ft. mountain regularly used by the cycling community, sight seers, and hikers. If you’re so inclined, you’ll find a ski resort near 8,500 ft. of elevation. If you do visit Tucson, make sure to take Catalina Highway up the mountain. There’s hiking along the way, and great overlooks, like Windy Point. If you make it to the top, you’ll experience a significant change in eco systems, and have an opportunity to grab a bite to eat in the quaint little town of Summerhaven, some 26 miles up the mountain.

Apparently, I prepared for an Octathlon: road bike, running shoes, hiking shoes, swim gear, 20lbs. dumbbells, elastic bands, self-massage tools, and golf clubs. I used it all, including the golf clubs – I completed a ton of base training, and feel healthy. The sun and hikes into the mountains helped with the sense of health and wellness. After all, it’s not just about the physical being.

Udall Park

My thoughts have been on the purpose of the 2022 season, and during my stay, I received notice of an age group national qualification. Some of the reasons and excuses for not pursuing past qualifications no longer exist. So, why not take advantage of being the youngster at the bottom of the 65-69 age group?

A question to myself, a question of motivation…   Questions of ambition regarding competitive endurance sports surfaced during my soul searching.  Can passion transcend a waning competitive spirit?

It’s been a long journey, and as I enter my tenth age group, I question where my heart is, the desire for intensity, the intensity and discipline it takes for me to be my best.

I’ve learned over the years, if you want something, hangout with people on the same mission, and mind set. Place yourself with the right people, in the correct environment, and the energy will come.

Here in Southwest Michigan, we are also fortunate to be integrated into a large active community.

These communities don’t manifest on their own, and we are especially privileged to have organizations, athletic families, our Athletic Mentors Team – creating the environments where people are motivated to express their passion through athletics and healthy community engagement.

I’m going to do something this season, I’m just not sure what that something is…  I do know, staying healthy and enjoying the moment is important to me.

Staying connected to the athletic community and team, will help me with that vision.  The truth, I can use a nudge in the right direction, a word of motivation, and perspective…

To a safe and purposeful athletic season…

The post Triathlon Training in Tucson appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By:  Jay Campbell

Like most triathletes, I wish I had cheap access to a wind-tunnel. I could fine-tune my cycling body-position, hydration system position, gear selection, and so much more. If you need to be convinced that reducing drag during the cycling leg of a triathlon is important, just wallow in this fact: A recumbent with fairing (eg. a very very aerodynamic bike/rider) only requires 50 watts to maintain 22 mph on a flat course!! (Wilson, D.G., Bicycle Science, 3rd Edition, 2004, p.188.)

Sam Whittingham averaged over 52mph when he set the one-hour world record in his faired recumbent.

Last year, I read about a German company, AeroTune, that was using a rider’s speed and power data to calculate a drag coefficient. Whaaat??!! Here is the gist of how it is done: The rider pedals a 1000m flat course, turns around and pedals 1000m back to the start. The power and speed data are used by AeroTune to calculate a Cd (coefficient of drag). The rider can then make changes to body position or equipment and repeat the test. The change in Cd between the two rides indicates the improvement or degradation in aerodynamics.

Why does this work? Aren’t there a bunch of other factors that affect the speed:power relationship? Let’s take them one at a time (or skip this paragraph if you are not an aero geek).

Elevation change: This factor is reduced by setting up the course on flat terrain. Riding the course in both directions is also intended to remove any effects from “doing work against gravity.”

Wind: Once again, the out-and-back course is intended to subtract out any effects of wind. Even so, I would suggest doing the test on a calm day. If the weather changes during a testing session, either redo the baseline “setup” or come back another day. More on this below.

Frictional losses: These exist, but if you keep the test-power at about 90% of your race-power, frictional losses will be a small fraction of the total power.

Rolling resistance: Aerotune uses empirical data to approximate rolling resistance based on your setup and speed. [Aerotune can also calculate your actual rolling resistance, but that requires a separate test at a lower speed.]

Aerodynamic Drag: Once all of the power losses above are subtracted from your total power, the remainder is consumed by aerodynamic losses. These are typically 80 to 90% of total power at race speeds. The relationship between Power consumed by aero losses and Velocity is roughly P_aero = k x Cd x V³ where k is a constant. The test generates data for V (speed) and P_aero from which Aerotune calculates a Cd for each setup.

What do you need to use AeroTune? The basic requirements  to do an AeroTune test are a power meter (I use garmin pedals), Garmin bike computer (I have an old Edge520), a mobile phone with Garmin Connect app installed, and the AeroApp on your bike computer (downloaded using ConnectIQ). The procedure is not super-complicated, but is definitely not simple. In fact, I created my own “Gear List” and “Step-by-Step” even though AeroTune provides both on their website, aerotune.com. My list includes a tripod, bike stand, and whiteboard, so I can take pictures of each “setup.” A bathroom scale is handy for weighing rider and “rider-holding-bike.” Aerotune suggests a speed sensor but it is not required as speed can be calculated from the GPS data.

Photo of Setup for #3. See table below.

You will also need to create an account at aerotune.com. The basic account is free (“Freemium”).

Finally, you need a course. Currently, the only public course in Michigan is my course just north of South Haven, but it is fairly easy to create your own course. You just need a 1000m straight, flat, quiet road. A big/fast truck passing will screw up the results.

Screenshot of Allegan County course at https://aerotune.com/aerotest/testroute/show/745/

EXAMPLE:

I had a couple questions I wanted to answer before last year’s Age Group Nationals. What hydration system should I use? Are aerosocks worth the time to put on? Is my 25-year-old heavy disc wheel helping or hurting?

I paid for “premium access” for one month to get the results of this study in a pdf format (otherwise the results are only on-line.) Aerotune reports the results in several different forms. In this case, I had Aerotune report the results as predicted finish times for a 40K Time Trial.

AeroTune results for six “Setups.” The green indicates an aero advantage of the setup over Baseline (Setup #1)

Setup #1 is my “baseline” ride. This is my tri bike with training wheels, no hydration system, road helmet and cycling jersey/shorts.

Setup #2 is with a Profile hydration system between the aerobars. It gives a slightly favorable aero advantage over baseline. This is the working hydration system I used at Nationals. (See photo below).

Setup #3 is with an aero-bottle on the seat tube. (see photo above). This gave quite a favorable aero advantage, so I elected to ride Nationals with this bottle in place (empty). See photo below.

Setup #4 is with carbon race wheels. Once again a definite advantage

Setup #5 is carbon race wheels and aero socks. The aerosocks appear to not be effective in this configuration. This ride probably is showing the reproducibility issues with aerotune. The wind was starting to pick up, and may have been a factor. In any case, as you can see in the photo below, I selected not to wear aerosocks at Nationals.

Setup #6 This setup was throwing everything on: race wheels, socks, hydration systems, PLUS aero helmet and Roka trisuit that I had tested previously. I was looking forward to my lowest Cd of the day. I was very confused when this setup turned out to be 2 minutes slower than baseline??!! It made me question all of the results. By this time the wind was picking up, so I discounted this result on that basis. (The wind was a crosswind, so it was slowing me both out and back). I was also starting to get tired and perhaps I was getting lazy with head position. I have some data that the Giro AeroHead is not very aerodynamic if the tail is sticking up (gaze falling down to cycle-computer) or if the tail does not smoothly transition to the spine. I talked with one of the founders of AeroTune and he thought the results were real and that I should do more tests to understand the interaction of various items in the “cockpit”…my shoulders, head, aero-helmet, front water bottle. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to conduct these tests.

My setup at Nationals. Note: no aero socks, empty aero bottle (white) on seat post, working aero bottle (black) between aero bars.

Was all of this worth it?

More reading:

AeroTune Test Guide: https://aerotune.com/aerotest/static/resources/documents/aeroTESTGuide_withAPP_180608_en.pdf

Aerotune Test Protocol: https://aerotune.com/aerotest/static/resources/documents/aeroTEST-test-protocol-20180608_en.pdf

Are shaved legs faster?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnrE17Jg3I

Sebastian Schluricke on Scientific Triathlon: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts90/

The post My Experience with AeroTune; Aerodynamics without a Wind-Tunnel appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By  Joel Bretzlaff:

Hello, my name is Joel Bretzlaff, and I am 15 years old.  I’m from Highland, Michigan, and I am a Sophomore attending school at Charyl Stockwell High School.  I have been cycling for 10 years.  Right around the time I was born, my dad started mountain biking with some of his coworkers, and as soon as I was able, he got me out onto the trails.  

A few years later, I rode in my first race through MiSCA, and I have been racing MiSCA ever since.  This season, I will be racing in the Varsity category for the Orange Krush Junior Race Team, and I’m aiming to attain a podium finish at least once, and achieve a top-10 finish at all 6 MiSCA races.  MiSCA is a huge part of my life, and I love that I am able to be a role model for younger racers in the MiSCA organization.

I am entering my second season as a member of Team Athletic Mentors.  Last year, I joined the team for a multitude of reasons.  TAM has allowed me to ride and race with other young cyclists that share my passion for the competitive aspect of cycling.  It has also enabled me to build connections in the cycling community and gain access to resources that help to boost my cycling career.

This season, I have the opportunity to race USA Cycling mountain bike nationals in Winter Park, CO.  I am looking to represent Michigan and my goal is to place within the top 10 for 15 year olds.  The biggest challenge will be the altitude, as the race course is over 9,000 feet above sea level.  I have never ridden at a major altitude before, so it will be difficult not knowing how my body will handle those conditions.

While I am a mountain biker first, last season, I rode and raced on the gravel for the first time.  I find it is a great way to train, and I enjoy gravel adventure rides.  My first gravel race was the Dirty 30 50 miler, where I learned the value of sticking with a group, which I didn’t do very well at that race.  Later into the season, at the Waterloo Grit and Gravel and the Cowpie Classic, I rode much more complete, tactical races, and I experienced better results than at the Dirty 30.  I look forward to racing a handful of gravel races this season, including Barry-Roubaix, where I will be racing in the 18 mile team competition along with my Junior Development teammates.

Another major aspect of my cycling life is my part time job at Cycletherapy Bicycles in Waterford.  This position has allowed me to be involved within the bicycle industry, and explore other possible career paths relating to cycling.  I have also been learning many things about bicycle repair, which is a crucial facet of any cyclist’s performance.  One of the best parts of my job is meeting cyclists of all types from the area and seeing my friends that come in the shop.

In addition to cycling, I am also working towards attaining my Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts.  I have enjoyed partaking in Scouts over the years, and I recently completed my Eagle Scout project, where I put in a fire pit, woodshed, and benches at my church. 

I have been putting in the hours on the trainer this winter, and I cannot wait to suit up in my race kit once again at the end of March.  Outdoor riding is more appealing with every trainer ride I complete, and I am wrapping up the winter service/ upgrading of my mountain bike.  Cycling is my passion, and I look forward to making great strides in my cycling career during the 2022 season!

The post The Goals of a Junior Cyclist appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.