Best Food for Carbo Loading

Every endurance athlete has their favorite foods for pre-race carbo loading. A big plate of spaghetti bolognese was the tradition, and still is for many. But its not the only source of high-carbohydrate foods. So, which other foods will get you through a long race or a hard weekend of training? 

Above is a chart ranking the carbohydrate content of various cooked foods, assuming a 100 gram portion. The data shows that white rice, pasta, and corn provide the most carbs. 

Race Report: Mt Taranaki Cycle Challenge 2013

I finished 12th today out of 1,100 starters at the Mt Taranaki Cycle Challenge. I'm very happy with this result, particularly because I was a little disappointed with my race last weekend at Tour de Ranges. I finished with the leading group of 13 cyclists in 3hrs, 40mins and 59 seconds. We covered 147km at an average speed of 39.8kph.

I had not competed in this event before, so I wasn't sure what to expect this morning. From the course profile, the 148km route looked mostly flat to undulating. And, I didn't know who was going to show up: pros, former pros, almost pros, and pros-in-the-making.

Who Produces the Most PROs?

As you might expect, Italy supplies the most professional cyclists to the UCI's WorldTour this year; 66 to be exact. France, Belgium, and The Netherlands follow closely with 54, 53, and 51, WorldTour cyclists, respectively. But Italy and France also have relatively large populations. And Belgium and The Netherlands aren't too small either. So, which country produces the most PROs on a per capita basis?

Above is a chart based on UCI and Wikipedia data showing that Luxembourg produces the most PROs by quite a stretch once we look at the data on a per capita basis. Luxembourg's tiny population of just 500,000 sent 5 PROs to the WorldTour this year (10 PROs per million).  

Race Report: SRAM Tour de Ranges 2013

Today was my first race since riding three cyclosportifs in France and Italy in 2011. I've been looking forward to this event for a while as the SRAM TdR is really the first race of the season. 

I recon'd the ride with Camila 10 days ago, and after speaking with several friends who have raced this event previously, I was pretty sure I knew how the race would unfold. I was completely wrong.

Recon Ride: SRAM Tour de Ranges

Today, I reconnoitered the SRAM Tour de Ranges route. The race is next Saturday, January 19th in the Hunua Ranges just south of Auckland. Camila and I drove to the start in Clevedon this morning and then I rode the 110km course. 

Race Calendar: 2013 Summer Season

These are the five races on my race calendar for the 2013 summer season:

• SRAM Tour de Ranges, 110km, January 19
• Around Mt Taranaki, 150km, January 26
• The Rev, 142km, February 23
• Tour of Northland, 4 stages, 340km, March 14-17
• Taupo to Rotorua, 100km, April 6

In addition to the races above, several Auckland clubs host regular weekend races. Unfortunately, there are not as many road races near Auckland as I hoped. I would need to travel to Wellington or the South Island to add more races. 

Strava KOM Targets: Summer 2013

The following Strava segments are my targets for this summer (including current ranking and time):

• Wright Road: 5th place (of 129); 7.39 mins
• Sunnyside Climb: 9th place (of 152); 5.07 mins
• Albany Hill: 16th place (of 219); 6.39 mins
• Helensville Climb: 29th (of 175); 12.39 mins
• Scenic Drive: 50th place (of 198); 31.24 mins

I am also adding a Tamaki Drive time-trial from Mechanics Bay to Mission Bay. I ride the 4.7km at threshold, soft-pedal for 10 minutes, and then ride the return leg to Mechanics Bay, again at threshold. The course is 9.4km in total and I use this as my performance indicator. I rode the TT in June as I thought it would be useful to measure my off-season baseline. I completed the two legs in 14mins and 7secs, averaged 40.0kph, and averaged a heart rate of 180bpm. Strava calculated my average power at 296 watts. Now that we are approaching the racing season, I'll likely ride the TT monthly.

Strava Multiple Ride Mapper

I found a Strava app that displays multiple rides on one map. It can be found here. Below are some screen-shots of my rides in France, Spain, Italy, Buenos Aires and northwest Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Turkey, Auckland, and Boston.

Medellin

Available Now: Switchback Cycling Team 2013 Kit

Switchback Cycling Team's 2013 kit is now available. The designs are below (jersey, bib shorts, vest, cap, socks, arm/knee/leg warmers, etc). Orders must be placed by December 14, 2012. Delivery will be February. Please email me to request an order form at: duncangross - at symbol - gmail dot com. (Or just leave a comment below with your email address).

Colombian Arepas de Chocolo in Auckland

After six months back in Auckland, we finally found Arepas de Chocolo. These are a Colombian staple and can be found in every home, restaurant, cafe, convenience store, and supermercado.

Arepas de Chocolo are especially good for cyclists as they are 84% carbohydrate and just 17% sugar. You can read my original post about Colombian food and arepas here (published in October 2011). 

We cooked up several arepas this morning and they were pretty close to the real thing. We are missing quesito but either cottage cheese or feta is a decent substitute.

Switchback Cycling Team: draft kit designs

Below is a draft design for Switchback Cycling Team's 2013 kit. This is only a draft version, so there will likely be modifications before we determine the final design. The kit includes: jersey, vest, bib shorts, cap, arm warmers, gloves, and socks. The colors are black, white, and red.

And below are four alternate jersey designs. Please leave a comment to indicate your preferences.

Press Release: Switchback Cycling Team

Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, September 20, 2012: Switchback Cycling Team announced it is currently designing its 2013 team kit and technical clothing. SCT expects an end-of-2012 design release accompanied by order forms. 

Foto del Dia: Federico Ezquerra - 1934 TDF

Basque cyclist Federico Ezquerra escapes from the Peloton and is the first to cross Col du Galibier. 

Rotorua - Whakatane - Mt. Manganui

Just back from 3 days of cycling. Camila and I took a trip over Queen's Birthday weekend (a 3-day weekend in NZ) to the central North Island and the Bay of Plenty. We went with my old high-school friend, Evan Seber, and his girlfriend, Emma. 

Evan is a former NZ high-schools Triathlon champion from the late-80s. Like me, he is trying to regain his fitness. Evan and I did a lot of cycling, while the girls shopped and sipped cappuccinos.

Photo of the Day: Albert Bourlon - 1947 TDF

Albert Bourlon won stage 14 of the 1947 Tour de France. He broke from the peloton just minutes after the start, and then rode solo for 253km. 

Crown Range Switchbacks

Seven certified Euro-style switchbacks on Crown Range road in Otago, New Zealand. 

Camila and I drove from Queenstown to Wanaka today via the Crown Range. The road starts at 400 meters elevation and quickly gains 200 meters through the switchbacks. It then levels off for 1-2km before heading up to the pass at 1,076 meters. This is one of the highest paved roads in New Zealand (the access roads to Coronet Peak and The Remarkables ski-fields are higher).


I'll be back later with my bicycle. 

Bucket List: Ticlio Pass, Peru

Good news and bad news. The good news is that I found a massive 4,818 meter climb. The bad news is that Alto de Letras (which I climbed in February) is not in fact the world's biggest mountain pass.

X-axis = kilometers. Y-axis = meters.

Ticlio Pass (also known as Anticona) is located approximately 150km northeast of Lima, Peru. Starting at sea level in Lima, the road climbs at a gentle 3.5% average gradient all the way to 4,818 meters. The final 50km average 5%. 

Mas Fotos Retro

I found another stack of old photos this week, all cycling and triathlon related. 

Left to right: Raymond Webb (now based in San Diego) in his prime, Willy Patterson, and Craig Duffy. Auckland, January 1992. NB: Oakley Razors.

Devonport, Auckland

Today's ride with Paul Duffy.

Retro-cool SANS Cool

Many people consider Rapha to be a Retro-cool cycling brand. I found an old stack of photos at my parents' house in Auckland this week. The photos (below) are retro, but they're certainly not cool.  I am probably compromising myself by uploading these pictures, but most of us looked this silly back in 1989. God Bless Oakley Factory Pilots!

Training for my first race. Winter 1989.