K2 Training Plan

I have wanted to race in K2 for the past two years. In 2011, I missed the race because I ended up in Colombia. And last year, a combination of flu and bad weather left me with only a few weeks to train. This year, I am training specifically for K2. 

K2 is a 200km road-race in an anti-clockwise direction around the Coromandel peninsula. The race features 7 major climbs with a total of 2,300 meters of elevation gain. The smallest climb is 145m and the biggest is 425m. But what makes K2 so grueling is the fact that its held so early in the race season - the first week of November.  

I bought a car. For my bike.

Auckland's Best Chinese Bakeries

I have been surveying local Chinese Bakeries recently. Typically, we'll stop-in at the end of a training ride. The sugars go down easy. 

Auckland's North Shore has several Chinese Bakeries. (For some reason, I couldn't find any when we lived in the city). I have visited these establishments enough times to know which bakery consistently has the best cream donuts and chocolate roughs. 

My 2013 Off-Season

I've decided to take a couple of weeks off the bike. We all learn sooner or later that you have to take a break between seasons. If not, then burn-out is a certainty, and you don't want that to happen in the middle of your race schedule.

Looking at my weekly Strava volumes, the last time I took a week off was eleven months ago, in late August 2012. I've had several low-volume weeks, but I was always getting at least one ride in.

I would like to compete in K2 in early November. Its a 200km race held very early in the race season. I plan to start my base period in early August, which will give me ~3 months of training. I think a break now is the wise decision, despite the perfect weather we've had in Auckland for the past week. And anyway, most of my friends are currently on their off-season rest too.

Foto del Dia: Nairo Quintana, Stage 20, 2013 Tour de France

Auckland's Best Group Rides

Sunday Albany Bunch: The best group ride, by a country mile, is the Sunday 7am Albany bunch. Its an 80km ride that draws the strongest cyclists from all over greater Auckland, including pro-conti and conti riders. Typically, about 50 people show up. After a warm-up on the old highway that runs north to Silverdale, the hammer goes down on the flat country roads that travel west. Flats turn to undulating rollers on the run into Helensville, before a really tough 5km step-climb that blows the group apart every time.

We then have a 20 minute ride to Kumeu. Its a long slow descent, broken up by more undulations, and some of NZ's roughest chip roads (highway 16). Usually, we stop at a Chinese Bakery in Kumeu for a few minutes. Then comes the ride back to Albany on Ridge Road. Its a quiet country road featuring 15km of undulation, false flats, and several short, steep power-climbs. The Sunday 7am Albany bunch is guaranteed to give you the best training conditions, regardless of whether you are in base, strength, or peak phases. 

RaceShape.com

RaceShape.com is a cool new website that analyses Strava KOM segments to produce a chart of rolling time gaps. The time gap shows where you gained and lost time relative to the KOM holder. The chart below is the Sunnyside Road KOM segment just outside Albany. 

Green is the elevation profile. The horizontal pink line is me, and the blue line is the KOM holder. The difference between the blue and pink lines represents the time difference (measured in seconds on the 2nd y-axis) between us over the distance. 

2013 Race Season: Looking Back; Looking Ahead

The 2013 racing season is now over for me. I planned to continue racing through April and May (mostly in local club races) but my last race was the Tour of Northland in March. Since then, moving into the city, a little burn-out, and other priorities kept me off the saddle most days of the week. 

So, lets look back at my 2013 season. My best result and most exciting race was finishing 12th at Taranaki Cycle Challenge. I managed to make the break at kilometer 90 and hold on for the last 58km. The Tour of Northland was my first stage race and first time racing in the same field as pros. I learned a lot, and really enjoyed stage-racing. I'll definitely be back in 2014. The Tour de Ranges and The Rev were decent races. I finished in the first group on both undulating courses.

Foto Del Dia: Tour de France, 1975

Eddy Merckx attacks on Stage 15 (Nice to Pra Loup) of the 1975 Tour de France. 

White Mountains, New Hampshire Cycling Weekend (August 2010)

This is another video I made in late-2010. I spent a weekend with Peter Montero (a colleague at Fidelity Investments) in New Hampshire's White Mountains. On Day-1, we covered 180km over four notches, including Kinsman, Franconia, Crawford, and Bear, and then the Kancamagus Pass. On Day-2, we cycled the roads around Waterville Valley, many of which were unpaved. 

Riccione, Italy Cycling Trip (October 2010)

This is an old video I made 2 years ago. I spent a week at Hotel Dory in Riccione on Italy's Adriatic Coast in October 2010. The hotel is essentially "cyclists-only" in the spring and fall. The area is great for cycling as the further inland you ride, the bigger the climbs.

Race Report: Stage 4 Tour of Northland

I opted not to race the final stage of the Tour. Rain poured down all night and all morning. With 8 stitches taken out of my arm 5 days ago, I could not afford to risk crashing again.

Given that this was the first rain that Northland has seen in about 2 months, it was an unfortunate and slightly disappointing end to the Tour. But best to play it safe and live to ride another day. (Plus, the road will have plenty of oil and grease patches).

I'll be back next year. Racing with pros and elites requires different tactics. You have to be riding in the first 20-30 wheels. Otherwise, you'll miss the breaks. I wasn't ready for it this year. But I gained good experience and I'll be wiser in 2014.

Camila and I had a great time up north. I was lucky to have her along with me, particularly as she was willing to tolerate me each day after racing.

Race Report: Stage 3 Tour of Northland

Stage 3's 88km route ran from Opononi to Paihia on the east coast. We faced fresh head and sidewinds on a mainly flat and undulating course.

As usual, an attack was launched within 30 seconds of the gun. Four guys stayed away for approx 40km before they were reeled back in. The lack of big climbs and the winds meant that most of the group stayed together.

Race Report: Stage 2 Tour of Northland

Today was a 82km stage from Dargaville to Opononi. My goal was to make up some of the time I lost yesterday by hanging on to a strong group. 

Within a few minutes of the stage start, a small group of 3-4 attacked. And, over the next 20km a couple of other small groups managed to break-off. Unlike my typical “open” and “age-group” races, we would never see these elite riders again. 

Race Report: Stage 1 Tour of Northland

Stage 1 of the Tour of Northland travelled 92km from Whangarei, on the east coast, to Dargaville, on the west coast. There were about 70 entrants in my group, Group 1, comprising of pros and wanna-be's. (In total, the Tour has approx 400 entrants in self-selected groups). 

About 10km into the race, our group split into three groups. I was surprised the attack happened so early and I expected us to re-group. We didn't. Ten or fifteen in my group tried to close a 20 second gap, but after about 10km it seemed we gave up. And then 20km later, we were caught by a group of another 15 or so. 

Race Preview: Tour of Northland 2013

The Tour of Northland starts on Thursday morning. At this point, I'm assuming I can race, but I won't know for certain until I see the doctor again on Tuesday (my 6th visit). 

TON is a four-day stage race starting in Whangarei, about 150km north of Auckland. Many friends have recommended TON as a fun, well-organized event. 

Stages
Stage-1: 92km from Whangarei to Dargaville. Most notable is a 200 meter climb just out of Whangarei. The remainder of the stage undulates, with the exception of a 75 meter climb at km-60. 

Health Update

I've been off the bike since Sunday (today is Wednesday) with 8 stitches just below my right elbow. The doctor has said I can't ride until we see progress with the healing. Unfortunately, the area around my elbow was red and swollen yesterday, suggesting it may be infected, so the doctor took several stitches out to relieve the pressure. 

I am still hopeful for the Tour of Northland, which starts in a week from tomorrow. But I probably won't know for certain until 2-3 days before the race starts. 

Now, I am on complete rest. I rode for an hour yesterday on a stationary bike at the gym, but I won't repeat it as I think the sweating may risk infection. At best, I'll do a couple of very easy rides in the days just before Northland.

I'm quite disappointed as my training was focused on Northland. And there is still a chance I won't be in Northland at all. However, its a 4-day race, so hopefully I'll find my legs on day-1 and be competitive in the remaining stages. 

Vo2 Max, Lactate Threshold, and Power Testing

I did a lab test at the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health last week. We are well into the 2013 race season so I thought it would be an opportune time to undergo testing and get real data on my Vo2 maximum, lactate threshold, and power output.

After a 10-minute warm-up on a stationary bicycle, the test starts with a 3-minute interval at 150 watts. The resistance is increased every 3 minutes by 30 watts until the point of failure. The stronger you are, the longer the test. 

Race Report: Pokeno 70km 2013

My luck ran out today. I crashed out of a 70km race while negotiating a tight right hand corner in pouring rain. Now I am at home nursing 8 stitches in my right elbow, road rash on both hips, and grazing on my chest and left elbow, as well as my right knee and shin.

The race was going quite well for me. I was in the leading group of 40 or so until km-10. Several pros opened up a 10 second gap leading into a 3km 7% climb. The field splintered but I was able to hang on to a 12-man group that trailed the pro group by ~20 seconds. 

Race Report: The Rev 100 2013

I finished in 33rd place and in the leading bunch at today's race, The Rev 100, held in Cambridge, Waikato. We completed the 100.4km course in 2 hours and 37 minutes (38.3kph average).

The course has a steep 2.5km climb beginning at the 6km mark named French Pass. The double-digit gradient combined with the length splintered the field. I was in the first group of ~15 to crest and we were trailed by another group of 15-20. The two groups came together a couple of kilometers later and that is how we remained until the finish (luckily we left several hundred other cyclists behind us).