Greetings!
It's May and
the racing is intense everywhere. Be sure to
check in with your coach often, even if you feel
you don't have pressing concerns. If you've been
racing since early spring or even late winter,
it may be time to consider a midseason break.
Check out this month's
feature article on the timing of a potential
break this summer
to recharge your racing season.
If a break is all you have had lately, you'll
want to check out Coach Laurel Green's
article on getting through the rough times
that nearly all racers and riders experience at
some time in their cycling lifespan. And as
always, you'll find the Resource of the Month,
the Quote of the Month and the Power Tip of the
Month below.
We welcome your feedback. Please write to
newsletter@wenzelcoaching.com
or call
503-233-4346 with your comments, race stories
and ideas.
~Kendra Wenzel, Scott Saifer and
the Staff of Wenzel Coaching
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Maintaining Motivation During a "Dry Spell"
 by
Coach
Laurel Green
Most riders will experience a "dry
spell" at some time in their athletic careers,
and I am not referring to Global Warming here. A
dry spell in athletics is a period of time in
which you are forced, by circumstance, away from
your sport.
The dry spell might be from an illness or injury
It might be connected to overtraining, burnout, or
in some cases it might be that spouse or
significant other who might think you are spending
too much time on the bike or out on the trail.
Finances might get tight, to the point where it
simply makes no sense to travel to a race. Or,
the one that plagues us all at some point:
comparing yourself to others, and feeling as
though you are not measuring up; the grind of
training might be getting you down and you begin
to question "the point of all of this".
Read More...
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New Coach Profile: Joe Landry
Joe hails from Louisiana and has 10 years of
experience coaching road and track cyclists. His
clientele ranges from junior riders progressing to
the national level to Cat 2 riders setting their
personal bests. Joe has raced road and track for
almost 20 years, including international
experience, and has developed coaching programs
that encompass race tactics and strategies, heart
rate and power training and mental toughness
training for competition. Joe has a wide range of
skills that will benefit everyone from the
developing elite athlete to someone looking to
improve fitness.
Learn more about Joe
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Quote of the Month
"I have always struggled to achieve
excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me
is that if you can achieve something without a
struggle it's not going to be satisfying."
~Greg LeMond, Three Time Tour de France
Champion
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Client Successes
Tom Butler takes 2nd place at the Palmer Road Race
and 6th place in the Jiminy Peak Road Race, Men
45+
Gene Harding upgrades to Cat 3
Jeremy Zimmerman races to a top-100 overall (out
of 2500 registrants) and improves his personal
best by more than an hour at Ironman Arizona
Zinta Zarins takes 3rd place at the Wildflower
Long Course Half Ironman
Joan Case takes 4th place in the criterium and 7th
place overall at the Madera Stage Race in the
35+ Women and also takes 4th place in the Sea
Otter Circuit Race, Women's 40+
Shelly Walco wins in her first MTB
race at Sea Otter in the Women's 30-34 amateur
category and takes 2nd overall. Shelly also
takes 1st overall at the Napa Valley Dirt
Classic, Women Sport 30-34
Alexis Colin places 3rd in the Wente
Vineyards Criterium in Northern California,
Cat 4 women
Scott Baker takes 5th place at El Cajon
GP, Men 40+ 1/2/3
Stephen Davidson takes 3rd in the
Richardson Bike Mart Superdrome Friday
Night Series Omnium, Men 35+ Cat 4
Shana Sturla takes 1st place at the Sea
Otter Circuit Race Masters 30+ Women and
also takes 2nd in the Kenwoods Road Race
and Gluek Road Race, 1/2/3 Women
Matt Dion takes 1st at the NorCal HS
League event at Angels Camp and 3rd at the
Firestone Walker XC MTB Race, Junior 15-16
John Mundelius takes 3rd at the Wente Brut
Road Race, Master Men 35+ 4/5; 3rd at the
Firestone Walker XC MTB Race, Expert Men
40-44; and leads the NORBA National Series
in his category/age group
Joel Voelz completes 2007 PBP Brevet
Series (200, 300, 400 and 600 Km rides)
and qaulifies for 1200 Km
Paris-Brest-Paris
Joey Howard wins the OBRA MTB Championship
at the Spring Thaw MTB Race, Sport 40-49
David Fultz wins a silver medal in the
Oklahoma State Criterium, Master Men 45-49
Jose Morales Zuger takes 2nd in the TT,
2nd in the Circuit Race and takes the
podium in 2nd overall in GC at the Vuelta
El Salvador Masters Race
Trent Cooper increases his LT heart rate
by 10 beats and LT power by 40 watts in
six months
Logan Loader wins his first race in
Europe, the Grand Prix de Grasse, in the
Junior/Espoir Category
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Power-Training Tip of the Month
The number of Calories
expended during a ride is pretty close to the
number of Kilojoules generated. Actually one
Calorie equals 4.18 Kilojoules, but the human body
is only 18-25% efficient in translating food
energy into motive power. That means it take about
4-5 Kilojoules, roughly one Calorie, of food
energy to make one Kilojoule of useful work. |
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Resource of the Month: MachineHead Software
 Now
you can download this easy to use software from
MachineHead Software to optimize gearing and
power. The gearing calculator will calculate
speed, cadence and gearing step sizes as well as
the speed range for each gear. In addition, you
can also determine the ideal speed for each
gearchange and its corresponding cadence. The
power calculator will determine power requirements
at any given speed along with the number of
calories necessary to maintain that power. There
are also calculators for heart rate zones, chain
length, spoke length and optimum crank length.
This is a great resource for anyone who enjoys the
scientific side of cycling, and who will also
appreciate the quirky nature of the software's
creator and his experimentation with cycling
software tools.
The sites suggested by the Resource
of the Month are not connected to Wenzel Coaching,
and Wenzel Coaching is not responsible for the
content they contain or the products they give or
sell. |
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Wenzel Coaching
thanks you for your business!
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Are You Ready for a Midseason Break?
It can happen either gradually or
suddenly: you start to lose motivation, the intervals
are more of a chore than usual or you don't feel like
going to the local race. These are all signs that a
midseason break may be in order. Planning in advance
for a midseason break can mean potentially avoiding
these symptoms before they hit and heading into the
second half of your season feeling recharged and
fresh. Timing your season break will depend on...
Read More...
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