One Week to Go...

As I write this blog, it’s less than one week until you will all be enjoying your day suffering to the highest point in the Eastern US. The main thing to remember is that no workout you do right now is going to make you stronger for next week. Even more importantly if you are properly rested you will have much more energy and be able to ride stronger.  Yes, this means for once in this blog I am actually telling you to ride easy! Enjoy this, as it doesn’t come often and next Monday you will more than likely have one of the toughest days of the year on the bike.

This doesn’t mean don’t ride at all this next week. I am sure that many of you know that after a few days off your first couple rides back will have that feeling of “stale” legs. Most of us that are riding at Mitchell are used to doing higher mileage rides, and riding at least 3-4 days per week. Our bodies adapt to this and we actually feel better the day after riding. So if this next week you take a bunch of days off, your legs may not be properly opened up and it may take you a couple hours to start feeling good.

If you want to take a couple days off this week, that is fine. It is also a great week to go for a few easy rides and really let those legs rest up. This will also mentally recharge yourself from the hard training you have been doing. After going off and easy for a couple days you should be itching to go for a long hard ride again. A few days before next Monday you may want to incorporate a few smaller efforts into your easy rides. These should be nothing that will tire you out or exhaust you, just something to keep the legs awake and ready to rock it.

The day before Mt. Mitchell is a good day to do a few leg openers. The thinking here is that you want to build up a small amount of lactic acid and then flush it out. My preferred leg opener workout is to do three somewhat hard five minute efforts. Don’t do these all out, just at a pace where you are breathing fairly hard at the end (about 85% of your climbing effort). You should rest for about five minutes between these efforts. This will build up a small amount of lactic acid in your legs. After the last effort, ride very easy at a higher cadence for at least a half hour. You will now be flushing that lactic acid out of your legs. When you can open up your legs like this, they will be better prepared for the buildup of lactic acid the next day and you will able to ride at a harder tempo. You should try and do this workout in the morning before it gets too hot out as the heat can zap your energy even for a recovery ride. Later in the day on Sunday make sure you rest your legs as much as possible. Elevate them for a while, take a nap, get a good stretch in. Basically, treat yourself like a professional cyclist as they prepare for a race the next day. There’s a reason why they go through all these steps to ensure top performance, and you should be thinking about them as well.

Boyd Johnson

High performance wheels and accessories

http://www.boydcycling.com

boyd@boydcycling.com

The Taper

What does it mean to "taper?"

It's crunch time and a lot of us are feeling the pressure of the deadline.  The Assaults are 10 days away, and many are beginning to question their training.

The worst thing any cyclist can do right now is "cram."  There is simply NO way to make-up what you haven't already accomplished this spring.  The next 10 days should be "review," and recovery - not trying to get in those last few hills and mountains or trying to lose those last few pounds.

From here on out... you work with what you have!

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Before any event that a cyclist takes seriously, there should be a period in which volume tapers off so that the body can rest, recover, and rebuild broken-down muscle tissue.  Each person is different, so there is no one way to taper.  That said, there are certainly a few generalizations that can be made:

1.  Most cyclists do best with a 7-10 day Taper.  Some people need less time, but almost no one needs more than 10 days (after that, one begins to lose a bit of fitness).

2.  Taper refers to "tapering off" which does NOT mean stopping altogether.  Similarly, the first few days of the taper should only be moderately easier than usual (or shorter) while the last few days of the taper may feel too easy or short.

3.  Decrease volume more than intensity.  Short rides with a few hard blasts will keep your body's metabolism going, the blood flowing, and your muscles used to stress.  You want to keep the engine revved up without burning much fuel.  At the same time, try to avoid breaking down the muscle fibers too much.  Don't go out and do serious hill reps for an hour - but throwing in a few hills OR a few sprints during a casual spin will help keep the legs loose.

4.  By the end, one should feel almost twitchy with excitement and energy - NOT sluggish, lethargic, or "soft."  These are signs that an athlete didn't taper correctly.  If you feel yourself getting tired a few days before the ride - get outside and pedal around a while.  It won't hurt you to change your taper along the way (so long as you don't burn up your legs).

5. In the last two days, it is generally considered best to take Saturday completely off the bike, ride a short and easy ride on Sunday (45-75 minutes at a recovery pace with no real hard efforts).  This is a perfect combination of rest and active recovery that primes the pumps for Monday's hardest efforts.

If needed (schedule conflicts, etc), you can also swap these two days, riding easy on Saturday and resting on Sunday, although your legs will most likely take far longer to "wake up" on the day of the event.

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Many are headed to the mountains this Saturday, and that's okay.  So long as it's a shorter ride - less volume - and slightly easier than usual (no need to take risks, bombing the descents... there's no clock and there's no prize!).

As I said earlier, a taper could be as many as 10 days, but for some it's far fewer.  The length of time isn't based on age or experience - although, that does play some roll in the process.  Instead, it's more about genetics and lifestyle.  A 35 year old, Cat 2 racer with an active and stressful job may actually need longer than a retired man who simply cycles as a hobby.  Trial and error is still the best way to find what works for you but within the framework of the guidelines above.

The key is to rest, eat well, and stay hydrated.

-Peter Kay
http://TotalCyclist.com

Set-backs

Over the last week, I've been dealing with a few "set-backs" in my training.  We had rotten weather: dramatically varied temperatures, sporadic thunderstorms, and freezing rain, and winds that were treacherous at best.  Most of us did our best to squeeze in rides.  Whether it be during a brief sunny day or on the trainer at home - we got the time in.

However, I was unfortunate enough to have the ol' double whammy... bad weather AND a bad cold.  Though I was able to get in a few afternoon rides here and there, I was neither able to "train" (intervals) nor get some real time on the bike.  Congested and achy, I alternated between the computer and the couch most of the week.

On Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday I rode for about 1-1.5 hours at a casual 16.5 mph pace.  I threw in a few hills and a few brief hard efforts to test my legs on Friday.  My legs were fine.  They were good, in fact!  But my lungs and my nose couldn't keep up, and after a few seconds, I could feel my system slowing down... so I slowed down.  Unlike allergies, a cold can get worse if you try to push yourself, continuing to train.

Let's face it, I'm not going to make a living riding the bicycle.  There's NO reason for me to press my luck, riding in 40° temps, in the rain, while sick.  There is nothing to be gained by that.  It's better to heal - take the time off, let your body do the work, hydrate, watch what you eat, and get back on the bike when it's time.

And it will be time again.

All too often, inexperienced athletes try to push themselves through an ailment, but rather than coming out stronger, they usually cause the sickness to last longer, inevitably wrecking months rather than weeks worth of work.  The best thing for us to do is rest.  Rest, recoup, and come back ready to start training again.


The other issue that I see in so many athletes is the sense of "catching up."  Yes, a cold can make you miss time, but that time is gone.  You can NOT make up that time by adding extra miles or hours the following week.  In fact, immediately adding time/distance would be more detrimental that the week off!

So how does one "come back" from a week of nearly NO riding?

"Pacing myself, sir."
-  There is one key thing to remember when returning from an extended time off; whether due to sickness, work, travel, family, or something else:

You will not be as strong on your return as when you left:  endurance, anaerobic capacity, and aerobic base are all effected by this kind of long break (though each in different amounts).  Yes, you will have freshness, but you will not have the same fitness level.  So be very careful not to over-extend yourself in the first few days back.

It's tempting to go out and try to knock-back a 14+ hour week after having been off the bike for 10 days, but this will only lead to the dreaded "Over Training" which can destroy an entire season!  (Trust me, I've been there... don't ever pound on dead legs.)

Start slowly - 1 hour easy.  The next day add some time and a few hills, but keep conservative.  Add a little each day until, after at least a week, you are back to where you were two weeks before your time off.  Yes.  2 weeks before.  It's a set-back, but you will be riding stronger in the long run.

Your coach can give you specifics on how to go about recovering fully, but in general, it's best to be patient.

My biggest frustration this past weekend was missing out on the Rock Hill Races.  This has been one of my favorite races each year, and I was really bummed that I couldn't be there this year.  The funny thing is:  I was sick last year at this time, too!

I remember saying to myself, "Hey, there's always next year," and to my surprise - there wasn't.  But will there be a 2012?

Probably.

So, I will just take a deep breath, slowly ramp up my training, focus on the next  big event on my "race calendar," and go from there.

-Peter
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http://theAssaults.com
http://TotalCyclist.com

The Songs the Songs

Monday, February 28.  Most solo rides start the same way with the decision on how to ride made a day or two earlier and this one is no different as I'd done three and a half hours the day before.  Today is supposed to be easy with a threat of hard rain but I need the miles and I need the rejuvenation.  Sometimes you "come upon a which way sign and all good truants must decide…" and invariably I decide to ride, so out I go.

 

A light easy cadence to start with and even though the wind is surprisingly crisp, I move through it ok.  The clouds are blowing hard from right to left as I head towards a bright patch of sky, almost blue but not quite, and soon I am among the twisty hilly roads around Walnut Grove still on cruise control with the music playing in my mind helping me along at an easy pace.  "Love is Strong" by the Stones comes to mind with a crisp solid drumbeat and I'm in another world enjoying the miles with a smile on my face knowing the fun of it finally after a few months of anxiety.  Jagger's voice in a lower octave seems to keep me slow on purpose.  My knee feels really good and it makes me relish the thought of riding hard again but that will be tomorrow after a long day yesterday and an easy one today.

 

The only traffic is a herd of cows and a flock of crows.  The cows stare numbly and the crows startle the air with bursts of angry complaining, a cawing harmonica much like the one in the song in my head.  Crows never seem to be happy from the sound of them and they seem to fit right in with the brooding music.

 

I glance over my shoulder and the sky warrants a second, longer look.  Some god-sized spider spun a solid wall of black clouds behind me while I wasn't looking.  There is no tree line or horizon.  The dark tarmac merges with the sky in one bruised smooth stroke, double yellow lines a curving arrow pointing the way to an inferno of rain.  There is no way around this one as I didn't bring a head light and it will be dark soon.  The strong cross tail wind has me doing 26 miles an hour and my smile is bigger so I discard the plan and roll with the good feelings I have and a hard effort has me doing 30.  The rain seems to retreat from me and I think I might be able to make it until the temperature plummets and I know it's going to be bad.  Pulling on my vest at the light at Hwy 221 against the chill rain, I have some trepidation about what's to come.

 

The rain is steady as the light turns green and my trepidation begins to march along with the first strains of "Voodoo Chile" as Jimi lays the ground work for his epic and here words fail.  The intro is over and the rain comes in with the thunder of the drums and the rest of the band and my skin cries with the howl of the guitar as I'm blasted by it in sheets and sheets my wheels are like a boat keel in the water every pedal stroke has my feet submerged and the tail wind is now a swirling blast of crowd noise buffeting me and welcoming me to it's breast or it's teeth I can't tell which but either is a comfort of force I haven't felt in a long time and never at this magnitude and I ride as hard as I can into the solid phase of it realizing how bad I missed the rain and the songs it sings.

Steve Verdell

Doing Too Much, Too Quickly

As I type this the weather forecast for next week looks to be sunny and in the mid 60’s all week (unless you’re reading this from New England in which case. . .ha ha ha). Now, with the harsh winter we’ve been having so far you may be tempted to call in sick next week and get in a bunch of hours. And while it may be fine to put in a bigger week next week, you should be careful to avoid overdoing it. If you have been riding between 6-8 hours and all of a sudden you put in a 16 hour week, you will probably have physical and mental fatigue that can affect your training for the next month.

That doesn’t just go for this coming week either. Any gains in fitness are going to come gradually.  Don’t expect to go from little fitness to peak shape within a couple weeks or even a month. The reason why pro riders have been training hard since November is because they need to gradually ramp up their fitness level over time.

A good way to do this is by taking a 3 week on, 1 week off approach to training. This is where you gradually increase your training for three weeks, and then take a rest week. The rest week is extremely important as it allows your body to repair the muscle that you broke down while riding hard. More importantly it allows you to mentally recover from going hard (there’s that mental word again, where’s he going with this?).

Now, during a rest week you should not take the entire week off, sit on the couch, and eat potato chips. Go out and ride easy, when you feel like it.  If you feel like you have to put in a couple of efforts, go ahead and do so. The rest week is more important for the mental break (seriously. . . again?). When you start back on your three weeks of “on” you want to come back in gradually. Let’s say you can average 10 hours per week riding. If your first week you do 8 hours, followed by 10, then a bigger 12 hour week you will see those gradual increases in fitness.

Now, time to get to this mental thing I keep talking about (yay, finally!).  Cycling can be a very hard sport, but that is why many of us love to ride. We are constantly pushing ourselves, but because there is no impact to our bodies like with running, we can go a lot longer and harder without realizing how fatigued we really become. Many times you’ll see riders brag about how they rode 4 hours when it’s in the mid 30’s in January... but a few months later they decide not to ride because it’s 68 outside and they thought it would be 72.

Over the course of months of riding we are far more likely to feel mental fatigue much sooner than the real physical fatigue sets on. This will lead to decreased motivation and you’ll find yourself skipping rides; overall your fitness level will start to decline. By taking some rest every once in a while you’ll “recharge your batteries.” Your muscles will recover and you’ll want to get back on the bike again.

Train hard. Rest harder!

Boyd Johnson

High performance wheels and accessories

http://www.boydcycling.com

boyd@boydcycling.com

main: (864)715-9753

Don't Blink

"But I don't have any anxietaaaaayyahhhhh...."  Drool.  Slobber.  At least I didn't think I had any anxiety.  The anesthesiologist had squeezed a syringe of drool inducing elixir into my IV and I remember being whisked down the hall on my speed racer gurney, feeling the G-forces as we screamed out of turn four and onto the homestretch... and really that's about it.  I never even saw my surgeon and I'm sure that's part of their plan.  I woke from a dreamless state to see people staring expectantly at me and I think I immediately tried to feed the elephants some fish and salsa.  I'm sure I still had drool and confusion all over me.

My doc was already in his next surgery so I didn't get an explanation from him on how it went but I was told what to do and when to do it by the capable staff right before they made a physical therapy appointment for me for the following day.  They wrote all the pertinent info down and stapled it to my hand so I wouldn't lose it and then I climbed stiffly and slowly onto my elephant's majestic howda, wrapped my shabby tattered cape of dignity around me, and lumbered home.

I was happy with how little pain I was feeling, especially since the pain med prescription they gave me turned out to be $330.  The pharmacist was sympathetic, I believe, because of the way she phrased her asking of me if I already had a second mortgage.  "Supposed to be some new formula that doesn't make you sleepy," she smiled, in a sad way, watching as I slid my pinched-in-half pennies off the counter and back into my change purse.  I remembered telling my doc in a pre-op consult that I had to work 3rd shift in a couple of days so he must have prescribed the new stuff thinking it would help me out.  Thanks Doc!  So instead of getting a silo full of generic Vicodin for $14, I didn't get anything.  Which turned out well since the pain associated with the surgery was virtually nil and entirely bearable without any meds at all!  That's what I shouted silently to myself for the first couple of days, anyway.

My leg was swelling nicely by the end of the day and I kept it elevated and covered with an ice pack as instructed.  This was to be my default position for the next week.  You can do a lot of things from this position but after the first day, none of them are comfortable.

The trips to the physical therapist were an adventure of trying to fold my leg into the car (it seems it would have been easier to just fold it forward instead of backward) and sitting on a pilates ball as I tried to balance on my damaged knee while throwing an 8 pound ball into a vertically mounted trampoline and catch it with one hand as it ricocheted back at me at (7 consecutive tour wins+{700c rims (x-56cm center to center)} where x is the speed of light) miles per hour.  My therapist watched closely and I made my first throw under pressure to prove I could hit the infinitesimally small square target in the center of the trampoline and thereby prove that yes, I was a graduate from man school.  I triangulated, guessed, and heaved.  Much to my surprise and to his, I'm sure, the ball began to boing deep into the fabric in the precise center of that tiny square, stretching it farther and farther while in a split second I thought a whole paragraph of something like "I knew I could do it and probably never will again but how do you like them apples!  Chest beating noise.  Tarzan howl.  Et cetera, et cetera."

   

Everything was in slow motion as the ball came to a stop at maximum fabric and spring tension and as it began to move back towards me out of the deep pocket it had created, I distinctly remember starting to blink.  Then something in my hindbrain screamed in a terrified manner "don't finish that blink!!!" and somehow, startled, I didn't, and I still thank myself for saving myself from the folly of blinking.  In the end I avoided the broken nose but not the scrambling, legs up, indignant tumble induced by trying to catch a rubber cannonball shot out of a nuclear particle accelerator.  I still say the high pitched squeaking noise was my shoes slipping on the rubber mat even though it might have resembled a bleating squeal as I tried to dodge the infernal projectile. 

I'll have more actually useful information later.

Steve Verdell 

Beginning the Ride Back

The ride (click to view) was supposed to start at 10am but by 9:45 I knew that it wasn't going to go as advertised.  Due to ice on country roads there would be no big gathering in Greenville to keep this group thinned out and it seemed a week of being pent up in our houses brought out everyone who had a bike.  I didn't count, but we looked like a swarm of hornets as we pulled out of the YMCA parking lot.  I was hoping for a ride on the more leisurely end of the 17-18 mph advertised pace but with the brisk 32 degree air almost puffy with the aroma of liniments and oils that would normally be reserved for an early spring race - I knew I was in for it. 

 

Back in early October I torqued my right knee.  After a week of fretting I decided to go ahead and participate in a one day 240 mile ride to the beach.  The combination of the injury and the mileage on that day resulted in me having part of my meniscus and some cartilage removed in mid December and now I am on a plan of my own making to get over the surgery and back into the Upstate cycling scene. 

 

So, armed with a jersey pocket full of foolish optimism and a brick hard energy bar, here I was scrolling down the road with a lot of folks I pretty much hadn't seen on the road since October.  My goal for the day was to ride with the group for motivation and stay within the pain limits given to me by my surgeon.  My last training was three days ago on rollers with some pain in the 2 range while standing and no pain while spinning seated.  Total workout was 30 minutes and it gave me my first real confidence boost since the injury almost three months ago.

Spinning an easy gear as we negotiated down Pine Street in a big wad of colors and laughter brought back all the good feelings I associate with cycling, especially with all the "glad to have you back" comments and the "how's the knee" questions.  After 10 miles of verbally catching up with some of the guys the pace was faster and the group was split up and I was still having fun in the middle as I had barely encroached on the pain limit my doctor had set.  My plan was to just bail out and ride at my own pace if my knee hurt.

The reason I came out, even though the ride seemed a brutishly long 60 miles at this point in my recovery, was that I could stop at any time and meet up with the group on their way back to town as it was a straight out and back course on a wide highway due to the ice on all the secondary roads.  Perfect for me if the pace and the pain was right.

 

At the 30 mile turnaround the ride leader decided to split the group into A's and B's since there were a lot of guys struggling to hold back on the reins.  Feeling fairly confident with the lack of pain I decided on the A group.  Within about 30 feet I realized the maelstrom I was struggling to hang on to was going to be humbling.

Seriously, only about 30 feet.

A few of us chatted our way out of the parking lot and noticed the group was already lined out single file down the road.  They hadn't wasted a single second once let loose by the ride leader to go on about their merry warp speed way. 

 

During this section my pain went above the recommended limit by a hair.  I'm thinking a 4 or so and I had a limit of 3 - but who can say really.  It didn't last long and dropped off sharply even though I maintained my effort.  (By maintaining my effort I mean I was letting off the effort slightly to see how the pain responded and then increasing the effort slowly as I evaluated the pain.)  That seemed to work okay as I found a pace without increasing the pain that let me slowly catch the group with the help of a couple of other guys.

Once in the group, I was never comfortable with the high pace, and knew I would not stay with them long - but I decided to stay as long as I could if it wasn't a detriment to the knee.  I focused on maintaining a high cadence and taking deep breaths to try to keep relaxed but soon my shoulders were bunched up in a knot and my thighs followed right after. There's only so much you can do with virtually no miles in three months and soon I was idly discarded and blowing around on the road, off the back, like a losing lottery ticket. 

 

I was elated!  My limit wasn't knee pain but a lack of training miles.  I hope this pattern will continue until I don't get dropped any more.

 

I thanked Peter probably too many times for riding back in with me at a leisurely and then tough 16 miles an hour.  I was worn completely out with a couple of miles to go.  Once back at the car I strapped on an ice pack I had in the trunk.  I had taken two Aleve pills an hour before the start so I didn't take anything else after the ride.  I'll report back later with details on how my knee feels after this tough day!

Steve Verdell

A Word about Individualized Training

So often, people ask me specific questions about their own training, and just as often I find myself giving the same generic answers.  The reason for this, I find, is that there is no one answer for how to train.  Every athlete is different, and every week presents its own challenges.  Circumstances change, goals change, and life sometimes "gets in the way" of our favorite rides.

It's important to be flexible when laying out a plan for yourself and to practice patience when executing it.  You cannot always get the time in when & where you like - so be sure to compensate for that somewhere along the way.  Be careful that you don't simply try to add miles/time to "make up" for a missed day.  This is the shortest path to dreaded Over-Training!

There are many 10 and 12 week training plans out there (books and online), and these are a great way to start your training.  You can learn a lot from these, but as I mentioned before - you must be careful to avoid over-training or even under-training.  You must be flexible, make physical and mental assessments ("Is this really working for me?"  "How do I feel today?" etc.), and do your research!  Look around - not for the "best deals," but for the best sources.

One answer, of course, is to find a good coach who will know you.  Someone with whom you can interact, give feedback, and who will create a fluid training plan, changing with you and motivating you along the way.

Ultimately however, it is you who is pedaling the bike and putting in the efforts.  Hold yourself accountable.  Give yourself a firm (but attainable) goal, keeping it in sight every day.  Ride regularly.  Get in the efforts, and above all else... remember to enjoy it!



Consistency is key.
-Peter Kay
TotalCyclist.com

Resting and recording in 2011

The 2011 cycling year kicked off with the Terry'sTaproom Century, in a heavy fog and threatening rain. . .so we completed a metric century instead. We completed 64 miles with about a 19 mph average—not a bad day of training.

The beginning of a new year often inspires people to start, renew, or continue their exercise commitments, and for those preparing for the 2011 Assaults, it is likely we are all beginning to think seriously about our training.

A few more thoughts as we build past starting and get deeper into our training.

First, I try to find programs and tools to record and manage my data for riding. I use a Garmin 500 and the Garmin Connects provided—along with MapMyRide—to record data and courses, but I also found a detailed log that is designed for runners but has a cycling feature that allows you to record riding data and separate bicycle information:

http://thinnmann.com/runlog.htm

You can probably already tell that I use and evaluate my data at a much more low key and intuitive level than Boyd, but I do think monitoring data is important to knowing yourself as a cyclist in order to improve, be healthy, and evolve.

Besides recording data, I want to emphasize something here that is one of my real weaknesses—resting.

I was tempted on 12/31/2010 to join my friends on a Friday ride designed in case the January 1 rain came early. I had ridden three days in a row with high miles for week-day rides (42, 64, 31) so I was simply tired, and I decided not to ride Friday.

In 2011, I plan to listen to my body and keep an eye on the data I record throughout the increased training for the season as I prepare for the Assault and make sure I rest. My time for 2010 was my third best ever, but I was clearly stronger than I have ever been in almost 30 years of riding. I think looking back I failed to monitor well my cumulative fatigue—something I could bull my way through on shorter, fast rides, but not something I could overcome in a 102-miles, 6-hour event with significant climbs.

I was very close to quitting the 2010 Assault. . .I was fatigued to the point that my brain couldn't recognize I was on track to finish, as I did, in 72nd place—my second best placing ever.

So in 2011, join me in monitoring your data, but also monitoring your rest. . .

Paul Thomas, EdD, Associate Professor

Furman University,

Assaut training, the basics

I have been riding a bicycle seriously for almost thirty years now, racing on and off in the middle of that time span and riding the Assault for a personal best time many of those years.

But, I don't train.

I ride my bicycle because I love to be outside (and I need to be outside). I ride my bicycle because, as an existentialist, I embrace "suffering" and "living" as synonyms; if Sartre or Camus had been athletes, surely they would have been serious cyclists. And I ride my bicycles because my cycling friends—the riding and the social time connected with our riding—are hard to beat (in several cases, I mean that literally—I can't beat them on the bicycle).

So I want to offer what I consider the basics for getting ready for the Assault, with the caveat that I don't train, and likely won't be offering anything on this blog about power meters, heart rate threshholds, or intervals. . .

(1) Ride with other riders, and ride in large packs as much as possible. And while doing so, learn how to ride well—holding your line, talking, contributing to the pack. One of the reasons I do Upstate Winter Bike League each winter is that the A pack is like the ride to Marion each year in the Assault. Simply put, if you are not adept at riding your bicycle in large aggressive groups, you are a danger to yourself and others—no matter how strong you are.

(2) Know yourself, and work to push beyond yourself (not other people). One of the great elements of the Assault is the event is like the running world; it is about PB (personal best). I like to see my finishing place each year (and I enjoy finishing ahead of some of those friends I mentioned above), but most of all, I am riding against an aging Me.

(3) Commit to riding regularly (X number of times per week from now until the Assault), and commit to one long ride per week that you extend with purpose and design to fit the climbing ride the Assault is. Look for extended climbs and build your base.

(4) Ride with variety in your efforts; don't ride the same pace ride after ride. It isn't good for your growth as a rider and it isn't good for you mentally.

(5) When you do climb, consider focusing on how you will climb at the Assault. Attacking every climb on training and then climbing at tempo on the Assault ride. . .well. . .that just doesn't make sense.

(6) Find, befriend, and coerce stronger riders than you to tolerate you on their rides. They are invaluable. . .

And, finally, realize that we are primarily recreational riders. The training must be recreational, and the day of the event may confront with you with many things out of your control.

Paul Thomas, EdD, Associate Professor

Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville SC 29613

"If education cannot do everything, there is something fundamental that it can do. In other words, if education is not the key to social transformation, neither is it simply meant to reproduce the dominant ideology" (Freire, 1998, p. 110).