Since signing up for the 2008 Virginia Duathlon I’ve been motivated to seriously start training again for the upcoming race season. On the cycling front I wasn’t surprised to find out I have no bike fitness whatsoever at the moment and know it’s going to be a long road ahead to regain any kind of form. My running fitness isn’t too bad, but there’s no speed in my legs after several weeks of inactivity either.
During the week (Monday-Friday), I only plan to ride indoors on a magnetic trainer and take advantage of several great Spinervals DVDs produced by Coach Troy Jacobson. The latest addition to my collection is called On The Road – Lake Placid Training Ride from the Virtual Reality series. It brings back wonderful memories of my one and only Ironman Triathlon back in 2004 as the DVD covers one 56 mile loop of the Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course.
Here’s the official review of the DVD:
“Enjoy incredible scenery as you ride on Troy’s wheel as he coaches you on proper technique, gear selection and intensity during this high aerobic endurance training ride of about three hours in duration. As this ride covers much of the race course for the famous Iron distance event in Lake Placid, you’ll hear tips and suggestions on race day nutrition, pacing strategy and more!
Starting in Lake Placid, the ride takes you down the hill to the town of Keene then over rolling hills to the sleepy town of Jay. The climbing really starts on the way to Wilmington, with an out and back section on Haselton Road that shocks the legs. Once back in Wilmington, the last leg of the ride includes a 14 mile uphill jaunt back to Lake Placid with the incredible White Face Mountain and the Au Sable River on your right side. Overall, this is a cycling workout for the record books and a fantastic training workout!
This DVD contains two audio tracks including one with coaching mixed with music and one with only coaching and no music, allowing you to play your own favorite music in the background. Produced by Hopestar Productions, LLC. Executive Producer – Troy Jacobson. Distributed by Lifesports, Inc. Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved.”
The DVD is compatible with stationary bikes and all stationary trainers and has a ‘music on/music off’ option allowing you to listen to your own music. The duration is 56 miles/2 hours 50 minutes of riding. Difficulty level: 9.0
On Monday night I virtually rode the section from Lake Placid to Keene, which includes a stunning downhill section where you reach speeds of over 50 mph! Last night I “rode” the relatively flat section from Keene to Jay and stopped before the hill climbing began on the next chapter of the DVD. All good fun and a great way to start rebuilding my base cycling fitness.
Oh yes, last night I finally fitted a new saddle to my Giant triathlon bike. It’s need to be replaced for quite some time, but as I haven’t been doing much (read: no) riding I decided to wait for the right moment to install it.
The saddle is made by Terry Saddles and is a direct replacement for my worn out old saddle. The Terry Fly is regarded as “the ultimate bike seat for men” and features lightweight titanium rails attached to the shell in an integral suspension bridge design. It’s 10.9 inches long, 5.5 inches wide and weighs about 9 ounces/225g.
Description from the Terry website:
“The ultimate bike seat for men, tested and highly praised by magazine editors and doctors at the University of Cologne, raced on by pro riders, ridden and universally loved around the world. Introduced in 1999, the Italian-made Fly was a joint project between Terry and Selle Italia to develop the ultimate in a comfortable performance-level saddle for men. More padded than euro-style race; completely cut away through the mid-section, making it flexible and comfortable against soft tissues; low profile, flat top with multi-density injection molded foam that’s a bit stiffer in the rear for more power while pedaling; lightest weight titanium rails attach to the shell in an integral suspension bridge design that minimizes road shock; textured leather wears beautifully over time and keeps you in position. Black with embroidered fly.”
I must admit, I was hoping the new saddle would be more comfortable than it actually was! Monday’s ride on the old one was actually less painful than last night’s ride on the new one. Maybe it will just take time to break in and get my seat muscles used to the slightly different shape of the brand new saddle – the old one was well worn and compressed down to almost no padding at all!
Great blog post! Bet your glad to be shaking it up a bit by adding biking into your fitness regimen. Sounds like you’ve got a whole new set of challenges to look forward to meeting, right?!
Thanks so much for your warm & sincere holiday wishes! Hope you & your family have a happy & healthy 2008!
Sincerely,
-C