Two weeks ago I went down, hard. The time since then has had some ups and some definite downs. It's been one of the most frustrating periods of time since I started riding again three years ago. In some ways I've started over in terms of feeling strong and fit.
Late afternoon two weeks ago today, I was rolling about 20 mph when my mind started to wander. I was trying to decide how much longer to go that day. I was lost in my iPod. In a split second I went from rolling 20 mph to sliding on the pavement and then sitting on the road stunned and bleeding.
My wife knew I had fallen badly when I called her to pick me up rather than getting home on my own. That day and the next couple were very painful. Showering with road rash is a unique experience in pain you really can't explain or appreciate unless you've dealt with it. My road rash stretched from mid calf on my left side to the top of my shoulder. Mercifully, showers returned to normal in the first week. Another interesting thing happens, at least to me, after a hard fall. I have bruises appear the first day, but the real bruises don't "bloom" until a couple of days later. This is something you should warn your spouse about if you go down hard, otherwise they will be shocked when it happens.
The real problem has been my ribs. I really don't know how my upper rib cage got hit-whether it was my handlebar or the road or something entirely different, but after two weeks I'm still not right. So what do you do about bruised or cracked ribs? Not a dang thing. It's really not worth getting an x-ray because there's nothing to be done if they are cracked. Analyzing what huts, I'm pretty sure I cracked two ribs and bruised others. I think I cracked a couple because I thought I felt at least one of them shift when I sneezed a few times. What fun.
This has affected more than my riding, but definitely adversely degraded my fitness. I haven't slept very well in the last couple of weeks. Sneezing or coughing, something that can't be avoided when Raleigh is covered in a yellow haze of pine pollen, is probably the most painful thing. The only thing worse is trying to suppress a sneeze. I only did this once, only once, and learned my lesson. I can't begin to tell you exactly how it felt other than it hurt so bad I had to sit down for a few minutes.
Riding over rough road is not easy. Luckily my carbon fiber bike helps dampen the vibration, but I definitely feel every bump on the road in my chest, but that's not the worst problem. Breathing is a unique challenge. My legs have gotten back to normal quicker than I expected, but I can't go with same intensity, strength or distance I could before. Today I wanted to go 60 miles, but I had to pull up at 30 miles because I couldn't go much longer. It got to the point that nearly every breath hurt and I felt significantly more worn out than I should after only 30 miles. It was 80 degrees today and I had time to go longer, but my body betrayed me. Frustrating, massively frustrating.
My cyclist friends have counseled patience. They have told me repeatedly ribs take a long time to heal-maybe 6 to 8 weeks, before I can count on not feeling any pain. I don't do patience well and never have.
This is a big set back for my goals this year. It's not going to keep me out of the Giro d'Italia or Tour de France, but I'm not racing and probably won't for 3 months or maybe at all the rest of the year and that's very disappointing.
On the positive side, I could probably have been hurt worse, but I wasn't. Maybe that is what I should remind myself. I can still ride, not as well as before, but I still can ride. That's what I can try to tell myself when my frustration rises and my patience disappears.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Seeing Oakley Lenses in a New Light
I have been an Oakley fanatic for as long as I can remember, so this won't be an objective review of Oakley sunglasses against their competitors. Candidly, I can't see wearing anything but Oakley sunglasses even if a competitive pair of was given to me.
Based on that, I'm thrilled to have Oakley as a sponsor of my (R)evolution effort this year. I really thought I knew most of what there was to know about Oakley sunglass products until I spent some time with the staff of the local Oakley store. Hopefully this post will help other cyclists make better decisions about lens selection. That's the plan.
I noticed, as I'm sure most fans have, guys on the pro tour have a range of lens selections to chose when responding to weather and road conditions. It's not a luxury for them-it's strategic. It makes good sense for those of us not in Flanders this weekend or preparing for the Tour to have 2 to 3 lens options to select depending on where we are riding or what we are doing off the bike.
The best lens for cycling over a wide variety of conditions is the Fire Iridium lens, like the one that came with my new Radar pair. The good news is you can now completely justify buying and wearing arguably the coolest looking lens available. The Fire Iridium lens is designed for medium to bright sunlight and is a contrast rather than neutral lens. Lenses designed for contrast "improve visual acuity" according to Oakley's website, but I've found that to be very true. My eyes in short, suck and because of the way they suck, according to my optometrist I can't get prescription Oakleys.
The Fire lens is the one chosen in most conditions by riders. I've worn mine in cloudy conditions-we have had plenty of those lately, and brighter conditions. They are the lens I will probably use 70-80% of the time.
The second lens in my arsenal is the VR28 Polarized which is a contrast lens too. There are some conditions where glare is a real problem. This is why in the brightest conditions you will see the pros wearing this lens the Positive Red Polarized or the Black Iridium Polarized lens. These lenses are designed to filter glare coming off asphalt or other surfaces that reflect light. The difference between these three lenses is VR28 and Positive Red are contrast lenses and the Black Iridium Polarized is a neutral lens. Neutral lenses provide a truer color perception or transmission. These lenses are probably a better lens to wear if you're driving.
One of the lens selection factors to consider is the amount of light it transmits. Most of the lens selections for general use allow 9%-18% light transmission. There are options for darker conditions other than a clear lens, which will give you some light filtering and contrast, which could be important in cycling situations. Lenses such as the G30 (30% transmission), Persimmon (61% transmission) and Yellow (90% transmission) all are contrast lens options.
All of the Radar sunglasses have some of the same features regardless of the lens(es) you choose. Oakley Radar lenses are treated with a coating to make them hydrophobic. Sweat and rain just run off and don't stick. Hydrophobic lenses are easier to keep clean because finger prints, skin oils and even suntan lotion are easily wiped off. The lenses are also anti-static to reflect dust or in the case now in North Carolina-pollen.
There are three lens shape options and two nose pieces to best fit your face and nose. Even though the lenses are designed to allow good airflow, there are also vented lens options. Oakley has even developed a material for their nose pieces that makes them stick to your face better when they get wet.
If you have any questions after reading this post you can call Oakley's customer service/order line at 800-431-1439. I highly recommend going to the local Oakley store and specifically the Crabtree Valley Mall store if you live in
There is one other item you really should buy with sunglasses or lenses. Oakley has a lens cleaning kit to take care of your new glasses. Here's the best part, if you buy a lens cleaning kit from Oakley, they will refill it with solution for life! No guessing on what is ok to use with your lenses. Now that's customer service!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Product Review: 1st Endurance Products, UCI Legal Jet Fuel
I was thinking on a recovery ride this week back to when I started riding again in 2006. It was a warm day and I was comfortably cruising at a speed greater than my max speed three years ago. Some of this is due to training and good advice, but some of it has to be due using 1st Endurance products.
I was stuck at how I could cruise at greater than 20 mph on flats with what I considered a medium level effort. Since I started taking Optygen again (I took a break in the off season) along with using Pre-Race and EFS sport drink I noticed I couldn't hit my max heart rate. I decided to see what exactly I had to do to hit my max heart rate on a ride last weekend.
Riding hard over rolling hills in downtown Raleigh and over by NC State didn't do it. Then I road to a hill my Garmin measured as a 14% grade for right at 1/2 a mile. I rolled hard toward the monster and attacked hard up the hill. I was surprised at how I climbed the hill with more strength faster than ever before. Just as I was having fantasies about keeping up with Alberto Contador on a climb or two, I blew up about 10% from the top. I looked down, and yeah, I finally hit my max heart rate, but I also set a personal best on the hill. I'm sure I can continue to expect to ride up that hill with less effort than before. I might not attack like a wild man every time though.
This week I had a chance to speak with Robert Kunz one of the 1st Endurance founders about my experience with his products and also learned about the company's approach to serving the needs of endurance athletes. It should get your attention that Team Columbia and Astana are sponsored by 1st Endurance. Any race fan is aware of how members of both of those teams including Levi Leipheimer, Alberto Contador, and Mark Cavendish have dominated early races.
My discussions with Robert involved how physiologically I felt when I hit my lactic threshold or how I felt as I exercised harder and longer. I was surprised to learn from Robert each athletes body reacts to those challenges differently. What I feel when I get to those points could be quite different than what you feel.
1st Endurance products are designed to increase VO2Max increase aerobic threshold and reduce lactic acid production. Robert put it in a slightly expanded way, which was 1st Endurance products increase an athlete’s ability to handle stress put on it by keeping stress hormone production within a healthy range. This is what translates into increased performance. He said one of the theories about top level endurance athlete is they process and use physical and environmental stressors significantly better than average athletes.
This made sense because I could ride harder faster and with greater comfort than before using their products. The company, in my opinion as a marketer, uses little to no spin or hype in their materials and product descriptions, which is quite rare. They obviously prefer to let their products impress athletes rather than spin them.
Robert also pointed out chronically elevated cortisol suppresses your VO2 and lactate thresholds while also suppressing your immune system. Your body is smart, so you can push it to a point where it shuts down due to too much stress. This manifests through illness and lack of motivation among other things. Your body is telling you to rest and it will force you to rest if you won’t on your own.
This is one of the reasons it makes sense to do some exercises that don't put a tremendous load on it in terms of physical stress. It also makes sense to rest well and not train every day. Coaches, like those I talked with at the HPL, will tell you that rest is important and resting properly will make you faster, stronger or perform at higher levels.
Optygen allows you to handle stress as if you were well rested so your performance improves. However, months of training are required for peak performance so you still have to train since there are no short-cuts.
1st Endurance products are designed to work interdependently. Optygen is designed to be taken every morning. Pre-Race is taken prior to working out-I drink it in a bottle of EFS drink. EFS drink, Liquid Shot and Bars (all are EFS named products) are for use during a race or ride. Robert has even blogged about mixing Pre-Race with EFS Liquid Shot as a powerful race fuel combination.
1st Endurance is also quite unique in the nutrition supplement industry, because the company continually works with endurance athletes while upgrading and adjusting their formulations for improved product performance. Robert noted nearly all of their products have been upgraded multiple times. I recently read a blog post written by a triathlete who tested the company’s new formulation of Optygen. He gave it high marks and noted a distinct difference from previous generations of products.
It's also very important to note 1st Endurance products are totally UCI legal. The company works collaboratively with UCI to ensure there are no problems with the regulatory body's rules. 1st Endurance has no desire to be on the shelves of your local grocery or drug store. You can't find it in some bike shops or GNC or The Vitamin Shope. The company knows who their customers are and who they are not.
The company's products are not inexpensive and not for every athlete who gets on a bike, jumps in a pool or laces up running shoes. However, the products are an excellent fit for athletes that want to train longer and harder to produce better race results.
I'll issue one warning to you about the products. You will be hard pressed to stop if you begin using all of the products. This produces one more reasonably expensive cycling habit, but most of us are already well down that road anyway.
I was stuck at how I could cruise at greater than 20 mph on flats with what I considered a medium level effort. Since I started taking Optygen again (I took a break in the off season) along with using Pre-Race and EFS sport drink I noticed I couldn't hit my max heart rate. I decided to see what exactly I had to do to hit my max heart rate on a ride last weekend.
Riding hard over rolling hills in downtown Raleigh and over by NC State didn't do it. Then I road to a hill my Garmin measured as a 14% grade for right at 1/2 a mile. I rolled hard toward the monster and attacked hard up the hill. I was surprised at how I climbed the hill with more strength faster than ever before. Just as I was having fantasies about keeping up with Alberto Contador on a climb or two, I blew up about 10% from the top. I looked down, and yeah, I finally hit my max heart rate, but I also set a personal best on the hill. I'm sure I can continue to expect to ride up that hill with less effort than before. I might not attack like a wild man every time though.
This week I had a chance to speak with Robert Kunz one of the 1st Endurance founders about my experience with his products and also learned about the company's approach to serving the needs of endurance athletes. It should get your attention that Team Columbia and Astana are sponsored by 1st Endurance. Any race fan is aware of how members of both of those teams including Levi Leipheimer, Alberto Contador, and Mark Cavendish have dominated early races.
My discussions with Robert involved how physiologically I felt when I hit my lactic threshold or how I felt as I exercised harder and longer. I was surprised to learn from Robert each athletes body reacts to those challenges differently. What I feel when I get to those points could be quite different than what you feel.
1st Endurance products are designed to increase VO2Max increase aerobic threshold and reduce lactic acid production. Robert put it in a slightly expanded way, which was 1st Endurance products increase an athlete’s ability to handle stress put on it by keeping stress hormone production within a healthy range. This is what translates into increased performance. He said one of the theories about top level endurance athlete is they process and use physical and environmental stressors significantly better than average athletes.
This made sense because I could ride harder faster and with greater comfort than before using their products. The company, in my opinion as a marketer, uses little to no spin or hype in their materials and product descriptions, which is quite rare. They obviously prefer to let their products impress athletes rather than spin them.
Robert also pointed out chronically elevated cortisol suppresses your VO2 and lactate thresholds while also suppressing your immune system. Your body is smart, so you can push it to a point where it shuts down due to too much stress. This manifests through illness and lack of motivation among other things. Your body is telling you to rest and it will force you to rest if you won’t on your own.
This is one of the reasons it makes sense to do some exercises that don't put a tremendous load on it in terms of physical stress. It also makes sense to rest well and not train every day. Coaches, like those I talked with at the HPL, will tell you that rest is important and resting properly will make you faster, stronger or perform at higher levels.
Optygen allows you to handle stress as if you were well rested so your performance improves. However, months of training are required for peak performance so you still have to train since there are no short-cuts.
1st Endurance products are designed to work interdependently. Optygen is designed to be taken every morning. Pre-Race is taken prior to working out-I drink it in a bottle of EFS drink. EFS drink, Liquid Shot and Bars (all are EFS named products) are for use during a race or ride. Robert has even blogged about mixing Pre-Race with EFS Liquid Shot as a powerful race fuel combination.
1st Endurance is also quite unique in the nutrition supplement industry, because the company continually works with endurance athletes while upgrading and adjusting their formulations for improved product performance. Robert noted nearly all of their products have been upgraded multiple times. I recently read a blog post written by a triathlete who tested the company’s new formulation of Optygen. He gave it high marks and noted a distinct difference from previous generations of products.
It's also very important to note 1st Endurance products are totally UCI legal. The company works collaboratively with UCI to ensure there are no problems with the regulatory body's rules. 1st Endurance has no desire to be on the shelves of your local grocery or drug store. You can't find it in some bike shops or GNC or The Vitamin Shope. The company knows who their customers are and who they are not.
The company's products are not inexpensive and not for every athlete who gets on a bike, jumps in a pool or laces up running shoes. However, the products are an excellent fit for athletes that want to train longer and harder to produce better race results.
I'll issue one warning to you about the products. You will be hard pressed to stop if you begin using all of the products. This produces one more reasonably expensive cycling habit, but most of us are already well down that road anyway.
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