Greetings!
It's May and the racing is intense everywhere. Be sure to check in with your coach often, even if you feel you don't have pressing concerns. If you've been racing since early spring or even late winter, it may be time to consider a midseason break. Check out this month's feature article on the timing of a potential break this summer to recharge your racing season.
If a break is all you have had lately, you'll want to check out Coach Laurel Green's article on getting through the rough times that nearly all racers and riders experience at some time in their cycling lifespan. And as always, you'll find the Resource of the Month, the Quote of the Month and the Power Tip of the Month below.
We welcome your feedback. Please write to newsletter@wenzelcoaching.com or call 503-233-4346 with your comments, race stories and ideas.~Kendra Wenzel, Scott Saifer, Rene Wenzel and the Staff of Wenzel Coaching
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Maintaining Motivation During a "Dry Spell"
 by Coach Laurel Green
Most riders will experience a "dry
spell" at some time in their athletic careers, and I am not referring to Global Warming here. A dry spell in athletics is a period of time in which you are forced, by circumstance, away from your sport.
The dry spell might be from an illness or injury It might be connected to overtraining, burnout, or in some cases it might be that spouse or significant other who might think you are spending too much time on the bike or out on the trail. Finances might get tight, to the point where it simply makes no sense to travel to a race. Or, the one that plagues us all at some point: comparing yourself to others, and feeling as though you are not measuring up; the grind of training might be getting you down and you begin to question "the point of all of this".
Read More...
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New Coach Profile: Joe Landry
Joe hails from Louisiana and has 10 years of experience coaching road and track cyclists. His clientele ranges from junior riders progressing to the national level to Cat 2 riders setting their personal bests. Joe has raced road and track for almost 20 years, including international experience, and has developed coaching programs that encompass race tactics and strategies, heart rate and power training and mental toughness training for competition. Joe has a wide range of skills that will benefit everyone from the developing elite athlete to someone looking to improve fitness.
Learn more about Joe
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Quote of the Month
"I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle it's not going to be satisfying."
~Greg LeMond, Three Time Tour de France Champion
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Client Successes
Tom Butler takes 2nd place at the Palmer Road Race and 6th place in the Jiminy Peak Road Race, Men 45+ Gene Harding upgrades to Cat 3 Jeremy Zimmerman races to a top-100 overall (out of 2500 registrants)
and improves his personal best by more than an hour at Ironman Arizona Zinta Zarins takes 3rd place at the
Wildflower Long Course Half Ironman Joan Case takes 4th place in the criterium and 7th place overall at the Madera Stage Race in the 35+ Women and also takes 4th place in the Sea Otter Circuit Race, Women's 40+
Shelly Walco wins in her first MTB race at Sea Otter in the Women's 30-34 amateur category and takes 2nd overall. Shelly also takes 1st overall at the Napa Valley Dirt Classic, Women Sport 30-34 Alexis Colin places 3rd in the Wente Vineyards
Criterium in Northern California, Cat 4 women
Scott Baker takes 5th place at El Cajon GP, Men 40+ 1/2/3
Stephen Davidson takes 3rd in the Richardson Bike Mart Superdrome Friday Night Series Omnium, Men 35+ Cat 4
Shana Sturla takes 1st place at the Sea Otter Circuit Race Masters 30+ Women and also takes 2nd in the Kenwoods Road Race and Gluek Road Race, 1/2/3 Women
Matt Dion takes 1st at the NorCal HS League event at Angels Camp and 3rd at the Firestone Walker XC MTB Race, Junior 15-16
John Mundelius takes 3rd at the Wente Brut Road Race, Master Men 35+ 4/5; 3rd at the Firestone Walker XC MTB Race, Expert Men 40-44; and leads the NORBA National Series in his category/age group
Joel Voelz completes 2007 PBP Brevet Series (200, 300, 400 and 600 Km rides) and qaulifies for 1200 Km Paris-Brest-Paris
Joey Howard wins the OBRA MTB Championship at the Spring Thaw MTB Race, Sport 40-49
David Fultz wins a silver medal in the Oklahoma State Criterium, Master Men 45-49
Jose Morales Zuger takes 2nd in the TT, 2nd in the Circuit Race and takes the podium in 2nd overall in GC at the Vuelta El Salvador Masters Race
Trent Cooper increases his LT heart rate by 10 beats and LT power by 40 watts in six months
Logan Loader wins his first race in Europe, the Grand Prix de Grasse, in the Junior/Espoir Category
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Power-Training Tip of the Month
The number of Calories expended during a ride is pretty
close to the number of Kilojoules generated. Actually one Calorie equals 4.18
Kilojoules, but the human body is only 18-25% efficient in translating food
energy into motive power. That means it take about 4-5 Kilojoules, roughly one
Calorie, of food energy to make one Kilojoule of useful work.
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Resource of the Month: MachineHead Software
 Now you can download this easy to use software from MachineHead Software to optimize gearing and power. The gearing calculator will calculate speed, cadence and gearing step sizes as well as the speed range for each gear. In addition, you can also determine the ideal speed for each gearchange and its corresponding cadence. The power calculator will determine power requirements at any given speed along with the number of calories necessary to maintain that power. There are also calculators for heart rate zones, chain length, spoke length and optimum crank length. This is a great resource for anyone who enjoys the scientific side of cycling, and who will also appreciate the quirky nature of the software's creator and his experimentation with cycling software tools.
The sites suggested by the Resource of the Month are not connected to Wenzel Coaching, and Wenzel Coaching is not responsible for the content they contain or the products they give or sell. |
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Wenzel Coaching thanks you for your business!
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Are You Ready for a Midseason Break?
It can happen either gradually or suddenly: you start to lose motivation, the intervals are more of a chore than usual or you don't feel like going to the local race. These are all signs that a midseason break may be in order. Planning in advance for a midseason break can mean potentially avoiding these symptoms before they hit and heading into the second half of your season feeling recharged and fresh. Timing your season break will depend on... Read More...
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