A dream becomes a goal when you create a plan

-Joe Friel

400 Watts

After a rollercoaster ride that involved a very stressful job, time trial bike getting delivered 10days (after 4months of promises) before the national championships and my first season as a 100% self coached athlete, I improved my FTP from 325W to 350W in the span of 6 months. Needless to say my training schedule was not perfect. I trained an average 6-7hrs/week (goal was 8) and I raced mostly time trials, with an occasional criterium. I never did a full 40km (25mi) TT before my A priority race. On the positive side I trained smart, maybe too conservative, since I had a very clear goal in mind: the Bulgarian National TT Championships.

My 2013 season goals are to train 10-12 weekly hours on the bike+some hours focusing on strength training. I have included a 4 week TT specific block in the end of season which should further help me. Since I have a TT bike I will spend time riding it every week and daily before events. Coming off a pretty good off-season I am aiming to make the jump from 350W to 400W @ FTP towards May-June.

Here is a PDF version of my 2013 Training Plan. There is a legend at the end of the document and all my priority races are highlighted in red. I tried to keep it simple without too much diversity when it comes to workouts. I will cover periodization and such in greater details in a future post.

2013_Cycling_Program_Nikola_Banishki_TT_Emphasis

Last season I used the plan included in the Road Cyclists Guide to Training by Power by Charles Howe. One of my main goals for 2012 was to follow a premade training schedule and see what works and what doesn’t for me. For the most part 2012 was OK , however, I could have done a better job carrying my mid-season form to the National Championships. In addition I should have done more TT specific workouts.

As far as 2013 is concerned I am pretty happy with the schedule until my first big race: The TijdRijders Cup on April 14, 2013. In addition the 4 week TT specific block is something that should further help me get specific in my time trialing. The 6-8 weeks in between is where things went not according to plan last season, so I will pay attention to keep my aerobic condition, I know what to avoid. Most importantly, the national racing calendar is not finalized so I will remain flexible and adjust my schedule based on race changes, my condition, etc. Yes, that includes skipping a race/taking it easy in order to stay on track for my goal (and avoiding overtraining, etc.).

Racing and Limiters

Racing

Just like previous season my priority race will be the Bulgarian National TT Championships, however, this year I will try my hand at the road race as well. I am still to renew my racing license, however, by the looks of it I will race as an “Amateur” (The Dutch equivalent of Cat 2/3) which would preclude me from most of the road races (open only to category “Elite” (Cat 1/PRO) riders/teams, that include Rabobank, Rabobank Continental, Topsport Vlaanderen, etc. you get the idea.)

Nonetheless every criterium has an “Amateur” category and there are one or two 120km road races in the calendar so with some planning I will have an good ‘idea’ and preparation for road racing.

Starting end of March my club organizes Thursday night training competition series. There are points awarded and a season ranking together with prize money as incentives. The course is one of the most challenging in the region, with tight 90 degree turns and very fast lap times (under a minute is not unusual). I plan to do as many of the races as possible without endangering my ultimate goal – for example pouring rain makes the technical course even more treacherous – crashes do happen. I am not going for the overall classification etc, but to get my peloton skills sharpened. I plan to do what it takes to ride at the front ‘where the action’ is. That is where the better riders are and I have found myself this is the best way to become a better bicycle racer!

A rough look at my 2013 racing calendar:

March

• Thursday night training series

April

• Thursday night training series
• 14.04.2013: TijdrijdersCup – 40.8km TT
• 20.04.2013: Omloop door het land van het Kleine Hein – 70km road race

May

• Thursday night training series (a maybe)
• 05.05.2013 – Ronde van Amstelveen – local criterium
• Club TT Championships: 18.9km TT
• 25.05.2013 – Omloop Hoeksche Waard – 96km road race
• Regional TT Championships

June

• 01.06.2013 – Omloop van de Ijsseldelta – 120km road race
• 28.06.2013 – Bulgarian National TT Championships
• 30.06.2013 – Bulgarian National Road Championships

September

• Dutch Amateur TT Championships

Limiters

Last year I discovered that my bike handling skills are average at best and a serious limiter; not as important for time-trialing, however, if I want to be a competitive bike rider I will have to get better, hence why I plan to do a lot of ‘practice’ races. I will incorporate some ‘technical’ rides in my program and I will keep you posted.

Custom Carbon Frame

For the longest time I have had an idea to create a custom paint job as a personal touch to my dream bike. Just like most of you I have been coveting the Shimano Di2 electronic shifting since the day it first came out. Therefore a project I want to have finished around April/May is a DIY internal Di2, custom painted frame (my 2010 S Works Tarmac Sl3). A rough draft version appears as the featured image at the top of this post. I am thinking a computer game/cartoon theme. It would remind me of the magical childhood days when I was truly happy, a feeling that seems to elude me and the rest of us in our daily lives.

I will be posting my progress here so please subscribe/follow me on twitter. I will include a full process walk through with details so you can design a custom bicycle paint job yourself. After months of searching I have been unable to find a SINGLE site that covers the whole process, I aim to correct that.

I have started teaching myself airbrushing and researching various paints, epoxies, finishes, techniques, etc. The preparation for this project is the most important and time consuming part. I am eager to get creative.

The Blog

Vincent: I don’t know how to thank you.
Jerome: No, No. I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body. You lent me your dream.

-GATTACA

You might wonder why a quote from a movie about liberal eugenics and genetics has to do with this blog? GATTACA is my all time favorite movie with a highly suspenseful plot. Based on his genetics Vincent Freeman is deemed “unfit,” therefore in order to overcome that obstacle he borrows the “physical identity” of Jerome Morrow. Although “unsuited” Vincent goes on to achieve his childhood dream of exploring space. A dream for a body and a body for a dream. This is the goal of this blog – to give you my dream and to inspire you.

After I moved to a self-hosted service in October 2012 the blog has reached 1600+ views/month (December figures). I have gotten into a rhythm of publishing 3-5 articles a week and as the content grows I am hoping to reach 100-200 daily views by April. The main goal of the site is to provide valuable information that is incomplete or nonexistent, yet sought after by many people. I am starting to get more and more search engine traffic which proves that the content found on TheTallCyclist is providing value.

As traffic increases I will look into getting some sponsorship/advertisements for the site. The goal will always be a “win-win,” for me and for you the reader; I will never sacrifices your “win” for some short term personal gain PERIOD.

Sports Nutrition

Many years ago in my rowing days I made a drastic change in my eating habits and my sports results improved tremendously. Since than I have only reaffirmed my belief that proper rest and nutrition are hugely important for high athletic performance. I plan to add a ‘Food’ section to the blog some nutritional guidelines together with recipes I have found very useful for the athlete in training.

In het Nederlands

I am member of a Dutch cycling club and as season progresses I will post some articles, particularly on the local races, in Dutch. It will be both an exercise for me and I aim to provide some quality information for my Dutch readers. Cyclists are a community, therefore through these articles I aim to provide value to the local cycling crowds.

Summary

• 10-12h training hours/week
• 400W FTP (from 350W in season 2012)
• Custom Painted Carbon Frame with Internal Di2
• ¬200+ daily blog views+blog sponsorship/advertising
• Section on Nutrition

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The first question you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, ‘what is the use of climbing Mount Everest ?’ and my answer at once must be, ‘It is no use’. There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it.

We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It’s no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.

What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.

Challenges often can be synonymous to adversity, however, that is why we need goals that require extraordinary effort to get achieved. The goal is the other side, a better, brighter reality that makes the sacrifices worthwhile.

I look back on tremendous efforts & exhaustion & dismal looking out of a tent door on to a dismal world of snow and vanishing hopes – & yet, & yet, & yet there have been a good many things to see the other side.

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The post The Challenge of “Why?” and The Other Side, Motivational Monday with George Mallory appeared first on The Tall Cyclist.

• Join a cycling team/club
• Draft up and follow a training program
• Learn what it takes to be self coached and self sufficient as an athlete.
• Start the National Time Trial Championships
• Enjoy it!

Joining a Club/Team

The Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) has a very comprehensive site with guidelines for beginners, including a database of all cycling clubs/teams in the country. With a couple of mouse clicks I was able to find a local cycling club, based within a 10min bike ride from my apartment.

I got in touch via e-mail with the club secretary and in no time I was a member of WTC de Amstel. The first training of the racing team was scheduled for the same week so I showed up ready to go. Honestly that was probably the hardest 2 hours of my entire season. I got dropped like a stone in about 20kms. Needless to say I was hooked. I was back next week and didn’t miss a single group ride ever since. As the season rolled on it only got better. It is a very friendly group of people, that answered all my questions and introduced me to the world of bicycle racing. Being a foreigner who spoke the local language, albeit with an accent, was always a good conversation starter.

Training Schedule

Before cycling I spent a good 6 seasons of rowing, last 3 at a very competitive national level so I was aware that success and having a structured training plan go hand in hand. I did some research on the internet and familiarized myself with basic training principles and got a template cycling program as a starting point. Most importantly I did not view the training plan as set in stone. I knew following it blindly would only get my halfway so wanted to see what works for me and what didn’t. I am happy to say I got a good grip of what kind of abuse my body can take and what I can improve on for next season. For the power number oriented crowd, my detailed training analysis is coming in a future post. Sooo I had joined a team and had a plan? Now what?

Being Self-coached

I have to set a standard. If I ask you to do something and I don’t do it myself, your respect for me drops immediately. If am telling you to be here at 7am and I don’t get here till 7:45, then immediately your respect for me takes a tumble. By being here every session the standard rises. I am able to watch everybody, to adjust the program, to help the program, it’s an important part of the process…to the point I don’t wan to miss a session because of those factors.

-Mike Spracklen (Multiple gold medal winning rowing coach)

The athlete coach relationship can be a love and hate demeanor. Having a bad coach is worse than no coach. I have always had a coach. The hardest part of being self coached is that you need to take care of EVERYTHING by yourself. Creating a training plan and staying on track and motivated is a significant part. On the other hand you need to be in charge of your racing calendar. You need to sign up for races on time; if it is an out of town competition, arrange hotels, transportation etc. I didn’t own a car at the beginning of season, so I had to borrow one from friends or rent which involved extra driving or somebody cancelling on me in the last possible moment. Making sure your equipment is ready, every little thing is your own responsibility and more or less it costs extra stress. However, this is the most rewarding. The only person you have to answer to is yourself. You are in charge and although it requires some additional energy, it is very empowering and gives you an extra confidence boost on race day. Think of it as the opposite of the high ranking CEO that cannot order an espresso without his/her personal assistant.

Start the National Time Trial Championships

Having something to look forward to is one of the proven methods to keep your motivation during long months of training. Although my schedule wasn’t completely set in stone I had one vision – 29 June 2012: the date of the Bulgarian National Time Trial Championships. It took me some phone calls, forms, and 3 straight days of driving by myself after a 6 year hiatus since i got my driver’s license. Daunting task, but i did it! I also placed in the top half of the field!

Have fun with it!

Honestly with few minor hiccups, related to my job I have forgotten the thrill of actually learning something new. Whether it was an official race or just a local criterium at the start I was excited to do something new and come out a better bicycle racer at the finish. Oh yes and I got dropped a LOT.

A lot of my friends who are distanced from sports continuously ask me: “So do you win anything?” Without having to think about I answer: “No. I have fun with it.” At this moment I got a lot to learn. I would get better. Whether I win or not, I have promised to myself I would not get hung up on small things like podium finishes or pure numbers.

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