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Flanders TT 2014

8/21/2014

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This was a last minute add for me, as originally this great event did not fit into my schedule.  When my day opened up, I jumped at the chance to participate in one of my favorite TT courses around.

The weather was amazing, and there was a good buzz, both literally and figuratively as the racers warmed up on their trainers in the parking lot.  I hit the line ready to go and was looking forward the challenges that this event brings.  The course begins on a nice, albeit bumpy, flat road, then you turn towards "the hill."  Naughtright looms like a wall in front of you, but after the initial punch, it climbs fairly steady for a while.  Then, once up top of Schooley's Ridge, you tackle one more little roller, a decent flat section, and then bang a hard right onto River Road.  You lose all the elevation gained on this road, although over a longer distance than Naughtright.  However, speeds still creep up over 40 MPH even on standard road bikes, as TT rigs are not permitted.  Finally, you sweep onto Bartley-Flanders Road for the finishing home straight on this pancake flat section.  The course is about 11 miles long with almost 800' of gain.

I had a good run and caught several riders.  Andreas R. smoked the course again and took home another victory in 35+, catching me about 2/3 of the way through.  I was also passed by the winner and I believe fastest time of the day by a rider in the Senior Men Category.  My time put me in 3rd place for the fourth time in the four races I competed in the NJ TT Cup this year.  These four consistent results actually put me into 5th overall which was a little bonus, as I wasn't pursuing the cup this year.


BJL Coaching's Kevin E. had another good day on the bike, finishing just outside the top 10 in 12th place.  This jumped him up to 11th place in the Cup for the Men 4/5 division for his first year in competition.  Nice work, Kevin!


If you've never done a TT and you're looking for help, shoot me a message!
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Training Peaks Article on Caffeine

8/21/2014

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The Benefits of Caffeine for Endurance AthletesThursday, August 7, 2014 | By Dr. Rick Kattouf
 
Understandably so, endurance athletes are always in search of a boost in energy and performance. More often than not, caffeine is the go-to for athletes. But is caffeine truly an ergogenic aid and is it safe? 

According to American College of Sports Medicine, caffeine may be the most widely used stimulant in the world. It can come in many forms such as coffee, nutrition supplements, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks and chocolate. Caffeine can reach its highest levels in the blood approximately one hour after ingestion. It can have a stimulant effect on the brain as well as affect blood pressure, pulse rate, stomach acid production and fat stores. Many athletes use caffeine as a potential ergogenic aid and performance enhancer.

PerformanceCaffeine may help mobilize fat stores, enabling the body to use fat as its primary fuel source. By utilizing fat as fuel, this allows the body to spare glycogen, which is an additional fuel source for the body stored in the muscles and liver. (For more on this check out Why Athletes Need Carbohydrates). By delaying muscle glycogen depletion, exercise can be prolonged enabling the athlete to go harder, longer, faster and perform more reps before fatigue.

Glycogen sparing is most crucial in the first 15 minutes of exercise. This is when caffeine can help significantly decrease glycogen depletion. Even though caffeine reaches its highest levels in the blood 45 to 60 minutes after ingestion, some research suggest consuming caffeine three or more hours before exercise is most beneficial. The reason is that caffeine may have a maximum effect on fat stores several hours after peak blood levels.

The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition says that caffeine in the amount equivalent to one to three cups of coffee lowers heart rate during sub-maximal exercise, but not at near maximal or maximal exercise. The effects of caffeine were measured during dynamic leg exercise on a cycle ergometer. According to the Journal of Applied Physiology, no significant differences were noted in terms of heart rate.

Recent work by the ACSM, on well-trained athletes reported that 3-9mg caffeine per kg (kilogram) of body weight one-hour prior to exercise increased running and cycling endurance in the laboratory.

RecoveryCaffeine may also help assist in enhancing recovery after exercise. According to the American Physiological Society, four hours post-exercise, muscle glycogen increased 66 percent by ingesting a carbohydrate drink containing caffeine as compared to the carbohydrate-only drink. This type of increase in muscle glycogen can help to expedite recovery and it will help to make the next day's workout that much more productive. The carbohydrate and caffeine drink post-exercise also resulted in higher blood glucose and plasma insulin.

Side EffectsEach individual can respond differently to caffeine. It can have many side effects such as poor sleep quality, gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, headaches, muscle cramping, dehydration and anxiety. Caffeine can also have a diuretic effect by increasing blood flow to the kidneys and inhibiting the re-absorption of sodium and water. According to the American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs, moderate consumption of caffeine likely has no negative effect on one's health, as long as an otherwise healthy nutrition and fitness lifestyle is followed.

Is It Legal In Competition?Based on information provided by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), athletes are allowed up to 12 ug (micorgrams) caffeine per milliliter urine before it is considered illegal (15 ug as per the NCAA).  These limits allow athletes to consume ‘normal’ amounts of caffeine prior to competition.

In summary, caffeine may help assist in performance and recovery. As with any supplement/drug, be sure to use responsibly and always consult with your physician if you have any questions regarding caffeine use and your known medical condition(s), current medications, etc.

ABOUT THE AUTHORBest-Selling Author and Fitness & Nutrition expert Dr. Rick Kattouf has been named one of America’s PremierExperts® and one of the World Fitness Elite™ Trainers of the Year. He has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates around the country as well as in the USA Today, Chicago Tribune and The Independent in the UK. Rick is the CEO/Founder of TeamKattouf, Inc., CEO/Founder of TeamKattouf Nutrition LLC, Creator of TeamKattouf Nutrition Supplements, Host of Rx Nutrition, author of Forever Fit, Creator of 5-Round Fury Fitness™ workout app, Sports Nutrition Specialist, ITCA Triathlon Coach, MMA Conditioning Coach, Food Psychology Coach, Wellness and Nutrition Consultant, Sports Nutrition Consultant, Heart Rate Performance Specialist, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker. View Rick's Training Plans, check out his websites www.teamkattouf.com and www.5roundfury.com or reach him at: [email protected].

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Interesting read!  I have a little study that I did on caffeine where n=1 that I'll post up shortly.

Coach B.L.
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Silver Mine Time Trial 2014

8/11/2014

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What a beautiful day for racing!

This was the penultimate event for Kevin E. in the NJ TT Cup, and he was gunning for another top 10 finish.  Kevin rode a very strong race over this demanding and varied course and reached his goal.  Ninth place out of a deep 4/5 field which should move him up further in the Cup Points.  One more event for Kevin in the series, bringing it to his back yard at the Flanders TT.

I was also up at this race, and here's my report:

It was nice to revisit this course for me as it's been a few years since I've competed there. I registered for the 35+ and was asked to be on a TTT with Steve Goldman, David Friefelder, and Will O'Donnell, so I knew it was going to be a day of going fast and really pushing myself. It was quite flattering to be asked to ride with Goldman again this year, especially since I haven't had much racing over the past few months, for a very good reason ; ) . Steve was in charge of the race and shifted the categories around (I think) so we could go earlier in the schedule, and I was off at 8:17, two minutes behind my teammate, Mike. It was nice catching up with him and warming up together.

I was feeling good and started pretty fast up the initial ramp to Tiorati Circle. At about 3 minutes in I caught my 30 second man, so I was thinking I was in pretty good shape. I pressed on through the flat sections and the ripping downhills, passing a few more folks. The turn around is Kenawauke (sp) circle, so you can go fast around it which was fun. About two minutes after the turn around, the winner and cup leader, Andreas Rungsnatcher caught and passed me. He was absolutely flying and went on to post the fastest Individual (ITT) time of the day. I later learned he bolted out of Harriman to head to a road race in CT in which he got second. That's one fast man right there. Anyway, I caught a few more guys on the return leg and finished at 25:20 or so. That was good enough for 3rd place and by far my fastest time up there.

About 30 minutes later we were back on the line with a new number ready for the Team Time Trial (TTT). Dave, one of the fastest time trialists in the state, had flatted early during his ITT run, so I knew he was going to be extra strong. Will said he wasn't feeling great on the climbs, so he was going to sit in and work for us on the flats on the outbound leg. The teams were two to four riders, and the second rider across the line is the team time.

We started very steady and it was awesome riding with these super strong racers. It's amazing how quickly we clicked with each other. David and I took longer pulls on the climbs, and Will and Steve pushed their 55 tooth chainrings very rapidly on the flats and descents. "Normal" road bikes have a 53 or 50 for compact, and my TT Bike has a 54. For perspective, Tony Martin in the tour turned a 58! Will took us into the turnaround at break-neck speed, and I was awed by the angle at which he leaned his bike. We made it safely around the circle, and at some point shortly after, we lost Will. On the climb back up to Tiorati, Dave and I kept the pace hard and we kept the three of us together. The drop back down to the finish was scary fast and exhilarating. We finished in just over 24 minutes (only a little fast than Andreas' ITT time!) which was the fastest TTT time for the day, two minutes ahead of second place! It was a very satisfying way to end the day.
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Athlete Spotlight--Kevin E.

8/3/2014

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Kevin came to me at the beginning of this year with a goal of competing in Time Trials around the state.  And compete he did!  I've known Kevin for a number of years, and I was excited to be working with him and helping him balance training, racing, work, and life.


Having only done two races in his life, he raced eight time trials so far this year, and has two more on the calendar.  Kevin, along with his super sleek Cannondale Slice from Cycle Craft, has certainly caught the racing bug.  He worked hard all winter and has been progressing nicely at the events.  In the TT Gold Standard, the 40k, Kevin finished up in just over an hour.  I'm confident, through hard work and a great plan, together we can break that hour mark for next year.


Next up on the calender for this young athlete is the Silver Mine TT up in beautiful Harriman State Park.  Then onto his "home" course, the iconic Flanders TT.  As Kevin gets stronger and stronger throughout the season, he can hopefully crack the top 10 in the NJ TT Cup.  Good luck, Kevin!
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