le grimpeur

Ride less now!1
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on November 22nd, 2009

If the weather for your November has been anything like the weather that has afflicted your author, then you will have certainly been doing less riding.

Winter has a way of closing in shockingly fast. Add in three weeks of constant rainfall and training time has been next to zero. Eschewing an indoor trainer means the only option for saddle time is to tackle the cold, rain, and the dark. Frankly, it is not worth it.

Not being able to keep up a stock of base miles is a source of constant stress for cyclists. Regular riding is required to keep that basic level of fitness, which is the building block for the top-end speed that is stacked on top of it. (more…)

Défaillance: an interlude, a parody2
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills, Local Climbs on September 22nd, 2009

They’re good wheels, he thought to himself. They’re good wheels and they’re strong and true and light. Not the best wheels ever made; not the most expensive. Not as good as a hand-built set of Italian wheels, the sort of wheels that Pantani rode in his prime. But good wheels nonetheless. American wheels.

“Muck straight gauge,” he said to no-one in particular as he spun the wheels holding onto either side of the axle with both hands, feeling the smoothness of the bearings, feeling for any pitting in the races: that slight tension, or catching of the motion that would be his signal for further maintenance.

Cyclists spend a lot of time obsessing over wheels, he thought. Only a damn fool would think that they weren’t the most important part of a bike, with the possible exception of the tyres. There was a reason that Merckx fussed over his wheels – like everything else – and had his hand-stitched tubulars curing in his basement for months or years to harden them against punctures. (more…)

The art of snacking0
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on September 4th, 2009

There’s a scene in the Eddy Merckx documentary movie, La Course en Tete, where Eddy’s soigneur Guillaume Michiels and another Molteni helper are in a kitchen preparing the team’s ride snacks. They move with practiced ease, a steady succession of tiny bread rolls carefully cut in half, spread with jam and butter, or ham, then reassembled and individually wrapped. Repetitive work, but the end result appears to be literally hundreds of the rolls all ready for a race or training ride.

The rolls looked pretty tasty, but the job of preparing the ride snacks these days can be much less laborious – just grab a handful of gels and energy bars and one is good to go. But a steady diet of modern ride food gets boring rather quick, which is why we often prefer to reach for the Fig Newtons, some dried fruit, or pastries for those with a more continental bent.

But what is it we’re actually trying to achieve with ride snacks and what are the nutritional principles to be kept in mind? What can be on, and what should be off, the menu. To get some professional answers, your author earlier this year asked Team Garmin-Slipstream’s ace physiologist Allen Lim to offer some suggestions. (more…)

Défaillance, part 12
Guy WR posted in Classic Stages, Climbing Skills on August 9th, 2009

The diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne honours Saint Aprus, who founded a refuge for pilgrims and the poor in the seventh century. Greg LeMond found little refuge in the town of the same name during stage 14 of the Tour de France in 1992 but could certainly feel our pity.

The town is at the foot of the road that climbs westward up the Col de la Croix de Fer on the main local highway that leads to the local alpine ski resorts and over the border into Italy. On this day during the Tour, LeMond had already made it over the lonely road that climbs the Col du Galibier but abandoned before the tough ascent of the Croix de Fer.

LeMond had failed to ignite the race. But it had already been a thrilling affair. Continuing to lead the so-called Italian renaissance in cycling, Claudio Chiappucci had completed an epic escape the day before, leading for 250 kilometres – almost the entire stage – and winning at Sestriere, over the border in Italy. “One of the finest escapes I’ve ever seen in any of twenty Tours,” said commentator Phil Liggett. LeMond was 130th on the stage, nearly 50 minutes adrift.

And on stage 14, LeMond’s American compatriot, the leader of the Motorola team, Andy Hampsten, was setting himself up for a massive win on Alpe d’Huez, holding off the big names chasing his breakaway and cementing what would be an impressive 4th place overall in Paris.

It would be triumph for one American and disappointment for another. Already lagging behind as he rode with a teammate into Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, LeMond looked tired. Almost emotionless, he pulled over to the side of the road, hopped his bike up onto the curb, and abandoned the Tour. Just two years prior, LeMond had won his third Tour; now, he was stepping off his bike – defeated. (more…)

Intervals and racing to train1
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on July 28th, 2009

C’est tout! The Tour is over for another year, with many fine performances and much to write about. While the numbers are being crunched and the VAM rates analyzed, a response to some reader feedback.

A recent commenter asked whether your author had any recommended intervals for climbing faster. Simply put, I would recommend anything by Chris Carmichael or Joe Friel.

As regular readers will know, however, le grimpeur is a fan of what might loosely be called old school training. What this means is that any type of routine that involves, for example, “repeat 6 times”, or “x minutes at x% of threshold” is out. It’s a fair guess that Sean Kelly didn’t know what his ‘threshold’ was, except that it was probably measured in terms of suffering and a good deal higher than yours or mine. (more…)

The point of the journey2
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on March 10th, 2009

Some recent reading has given your author some pause on the issue of riding (and climbing) better.

Firstly, if one is to believe Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers, “personal explanations of success don’t work” and that those who achieve success in their field “are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Gladwell, in his analysis of success, stresses the opportunities that allow the beneficiaries to dedicate themselves to their profession (the often-cited 10,000 hours of practice), which leads to that success. There is not too much room for natural talent in Gladwell’s scheme. (more…)

Old-school winter training, the European way0
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on November 8th, 2008

November is a miserable month in Vancouver, home of le grimpeur. The end of daylight saving time means no more after-work riding in daylight and it is also the month on the calendar with the most rain. With the end of a long summer and a gentle autumn, no one appreciates the encroaching darkness and the incessant dampness.

It is also the time when all thoughts turn to winter training and one can expect a veritable proliferation of articles dealing with the topic. There are no shortage of plans for those staying on their bikes, and no limit to the principles which can be applied regarding duration, intensity, cadence, and so on. For any rider whose eyes glaze over at a table showing a weekly schedule, le grimpeur recommends the excellent advice from Pez Cycling News, busting a few myths of winter training.

For those looking for a bit more traditional inspiration, your author has compiled the perfect winter and spring training plan, distilled from the collective old-school wisdom of the European peloton. (more…)

In praise of slow1
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills, Local Climbs on April 18th, 2008

The bicycle is mechanical perfection. When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Progess should have stopped when man invented the bicycle. — Elizabeth West.

What else is there that can be said about the humble, magnificent bicycle? Its ability to range over impressive distances with a minimum of energy is unequalled. A 100 watt light bulb, burning all day, is the energy equivalent of a normal human daily diet – and exemplary cycling feats can be achieved on such a diet alone. Running a marathon is a impressive effort, yet the same distance on a bicycle a mere trifle. A double-marathon run nearly unthinkable; for a cyclist, a good ride. Only when the distances reach 100 miles, or a double-metric century, is the average rider really challenged. (more…)

Le grimpeur in training1
Guy WR posted in Classic Climbs, Climbing Skills on March 16th, 2008

In June, le grimpeur is fortunate to be travelling to France to see some of the Dauphiné Libéré, particularly the stage to Mont Ventoux, and to report on it for Pez Cycling News.

At the top of the agenda, though, is the randonée ride Cinglés du Mont Ventoux, organized by the club of the same name. This fixed route, as many readers surely know, consists of three ascents of the famed Geant itself by three different routes. The total ride is only around 130 kilometres but a full half of that is climbing, over 4,400 metres worth.

The toughest day your author had in the saddle last year was a 200 km exploit with around 2,000 metres of climbing. The Cinglés may not be as long, but 4,400 metres of upward roads will be a singular test. Quelle folie, indeed!

So le grimpeur is currently in serious training for the expedition. But how to approach such a ride, which will be almost exclusively ascending (of the most torturous kind – it is Mont Ventoux after all) and descending? As such, only the finest hill climbing training techniques from some of the best grimpeurs have been assembled and incorporated into the programme. (more…)

Plus souffrance2
Guy WR posted in Classic Stages, Climbers, Climbing Skills on February 7th, 2008

One of the fascinating aspects of cycling is the diversity of physical builds and talents in the pro peloton. Although a careful attention to weight is the norm, and even the biggest sprinters can still look remarkably svelte, the burly still mix with the barely noticeable.

A quick glance across the team statistics from last year’s Tour de France gives an interesting comparison. Magnus Backstedt, then with Liquigas, was perhaps unsurprisingly at the top of the scales, weighing in at 94 kg (206 lbs) for his 1.93 metre frame. At the bottom end, Manuel Calvente from Spain, on Agritubel, tipped the scales – well, barely tipped them – at an astonishing 54 kg (118 pounds) for the 1.69 metre-tall rider: over 80 pounds less than Backstedt. The more well-known climber Leonardo Piepoli, the star of the mountains in the Giro, apparently weighs in at 52 kg.

While the Body Mass Index (BMI) is a poor tool for assessing athletes, it does make for some amusing comparisons. Backstedt rates as slightly overweight, while Piepoli would be assessed as clearly below normal weight.

Such is the life of the grimpeur. There would be no mistaking Backstedt if one were to see him out riding, and no doubt that he would tear the cranks off at a moment’s notice – especially if one were to call him overweight. It might be easy to misjudge the slightly-built Piepoli, though, until he disappeared into the stratosphere when the road turned upward. (more…)

Climb like… Frankie Andreu0
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on January 17th, 2008

Frankie Andreu needs no introduction. During his pro racing career, spanning the 90s and the LeMond to the Armstrong eras, he rode most every race and probably just about every mountain in Europe.

Never rating himself as a pure climber, Andreu had to work hard in the mountains. He knew how to bury himself and how to ride smart as well.

You can read more about his latest exploits and hear some great racing stories here on PEZ.

Le grimpeur contacted Andreu some time ago to get some of his tips on climbing, but they never quite made it onto the publishing schedule. Andreu has some great advice, well worth heeding, so here are his top four. (more…)

L’elixir du grimpeur & thanks for reading2
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on December 21st, 2007

As the popular festive song says, “the weather outside is frightful”, and it is currently hard to muster much enthusiasm for riding in Vancouver. It is not the harshest winter weather here, but it still takes a physical and mental effort to do much on the bike at this time of year.

Sean Kelly had different ideas on winter training, once apparently saying that one doesn’t really know how cold it is outside until one actually starts riding. You just have to get out there!

Or as another hard man, Peter Van Petegem, said, Paris-Roubaix is not won on the day but in December and January when all the ‘hard kilometres’ get done. Indeed.

Unless one actually is training for Paris-Roubaix, the best option as this time of year is to watch the televised highlights while on the indoor trainer, or perhaps even perched on the couch with an appropriate festive tipple. (more…)

Climb like a badger5
Guy WR posted in Climbers, Climbing Skills on May 30th, 2007

In the bucolic British children’s fable, ‘Wind in the Willows’, the character of Mr. Badger is a rather gruff fellow, a no-nonsense practical type, rather solitary in the winter off-season and sticks close to home, but generous – if not somewhat paternal – to his friends, but sometimes prone to outburst. “Now the very next time this happens,” he scolds. “I shall be exceedingly angry.”

In the somewhat more recent French version the Badger, le blaireau, is not an entirely different character. (more…)

Climb like… George Hincapie (yes, really)3
Guy WR posted in Classic Climbs, Classic Stages, Climbers, Climbing Skills on April 27th, 2007

It was the toughest mountain stage of the 2005 Tour de France: starting at Lézat-sur-Lèze then 205.5 kilometres to St-Lary Soulan up the Pla d’Adet climb. Before this 8.3%, 10.3 kilometre final ascent, one cat.2 climb and 4(!) cat.1 monsters for over 5,000 metres of climbing. (more…)

Climb faster now..!3
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on April 18th, 2007

A popular magazine title is always some variation of ‘climb faster now’. While there is a plethora of good climbing advice, which le grimpeur is planning to explore, at the most basic physical level it all comes down to two options. (more…)