2009 State Time Trials
This past weekend, August 8th, 2009, some local riders including John Bratton and Matt Kessing, Amos Myers, Aaron Haspel, Michael Bertuzzi and Ryan McFeely from Team ALSC3 particpated in the event.
The Texas State Time Trials were held in Castorville, Texas.
John Bratton raced in the Masters Division clocking a time of 59:44. His team also did very well in the Sunday Team Time Trial placinig 5th overall with a time of 55:23. Team members for the Masters Team Time Trial included John Bratton, Scott Munroe, Peter Staneland and Marc Italiano.
In the Cat 2 division of the ITT, Ryan McFeely from team ALS took 3rd place with a time of 52:49. Matthew Kessing took 6th place in the Cat 3 division with a time of 58:05. Amos Myers was 4 seconds back in the same division with a time of 58:09. In the Cat 4 division, Aaron Haspel clocked a 1:01:37 for 15th place. In the Cat 5 division, Michael Bertuzzi clocked in at 1:02:18 for 10th place.
Congratulations to all the riders at the 2009 State Time Trials!
Cycling Hydration Myths
Cyclists, like all athletes, need plenty of liquids. But beyond that basic tenet, things get murky fast—and for years, riders have heard conflicting reports about what, when and how much to drink. So we tapped our best resources, from the latest research to sports nutrition expert Monique Ryan, RD, author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, to separate the facts from the hype. Here’s what we found.
Hype: REPLACE EVERY LOST OUNCE
For years cyclists have been told to drink enough on the bike so they weigh the same after the ride as they did beforehand. The truth is, your body can’t absorb fluids as fast as it loses them, and not every ounce of weight is lost through sweat anyway.
Truth: KEEP UP WITH SWEAT LOSS—MOSTLY
Replace about 75 percent of lost sweat during a long ride. “To do that, you need to know your sweat rate,” says Ryan, who recently coached a heavy-sweating triathlete who routinely lost 40 ounces of fluid an hour. To determine your sweat rate, weigh yourself before and after a short ride. “An hour ride is a good indicator of what you’re losing through sweat alone,” Ryan says.
Hype: OVERFLOW BEFOREHAND
Guzzling gallons of fluids before a ride or race will do little more than send you searching for rest stops.
Truth: TOP OFF AS YOU GO
Sip a 16-ounce sports drink an hour or two before you saddle up. That’s enough time for your body to absorb what it needs and eliminate what it doesn’t. Then take in about six to eight ounces (two to three gulps) every 15 to 20 minutes while you ride.
Hype: CAFFEINE WILL DEHYDRATE YOU
Caffeine has long been demonized as a diuretic. On paper, that means it should lead to dehydration and heat stress, especially when you consider that it also raises your heart rate and increases your metabolism.
Truth: CAFFEINE IMPROVES CARB BURNING
A review of ongoing research recently revealed that caffeinated drinks don’t make you pee that much more than equal amounts of beverages without the buzz. The stimulant also doesn’t worsen the effects of summertime heat. In fact, caffeine makes you feel better. Numerous studies have shown that it lowers your rate of perceived exertion while improving your strength, endurance and mental performance. Even better, researchers from the University of Birmingham, in England, found that riders who drank a caffeinated sports beverage burned the drink’s carbs 26 percent faster than those who consumed a noncaffeinated sports drink, likely because caffeine speeds glucose absorption in the intestine.
Hype: YOU NEED MORE PROTEIN
Initially, carbohydrates were the essential building blocks of the sports beverage. Then protein muscled its way onto the scene, after early studies showed that carb-protein blends seemed to shoot into the bloodstream and enhance endurance cycling performance better than carb-only beverages.
Truth: YOU NEED A LITTLE PROTEIN. . .MAYBE
Recent research on 10 trained cyclists performing an 80K trial showed that riders drinking carb-only beverages did just as well as those drinking carb-protein beverages, and both groups did better than those consuming flavored water. However, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recently reported that taking in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) during vigorous aerobic exercise can decrease muscle damage and depletion. “If you’re on a long ride where you’re also eating, you’ll be taking in protein already,” says Ryan, “so it’s likely not necessary to also have it in your drink.”
Hype: HYDRATION DURING EXERCISE IS THE BE-ALL AND END-ALL
Big beverage companies would have you grabbing your sports drink during every ride, no matter how long or short the effort, lest you suffer the ill effects of dehydration.
Truth: DRINKING EVERY DAY IS ESSENTIAL
“Your first priority should be staying on top of your daily hydration,” says Ryan. Research on gym-goers found that nearly half began their workouts in a dehydrated state. “Many people don’t consume enough fluids during the day,” Ryan says. “If you hydrate properly on a regular basis, you won’t need to worry as much about getting dehydrated during a typical moderate ride.” The old eight-glasses-a-day dictum is a good guidepost.
Lance to ride new MTB for Leadville 100 on August 15th
Lance Armstrong recently posted some pictures of his new MTB on twitter. He is fresh off his win at snowmass to try and win the Leadville 100, which he placed 2nd last year to David Wiens. Concerning his new bike:
“”New mtb is insane. First ride on the new SRAM XX as well. Hands down best shifting I’ve experienced on a mtb.”
Here are some of the latest photos of his bike.
Armstrong wins Blast the Mass in Colorado
Lance Armstrong’s career has taken a sharp turn from the road-bike to mountain-bike podium finishes in the past two weeks. He won the Blast the Mass championship at Snowmass on Saturday, just two weeks after finishing 3rd in the Tour de France.
His next big mountain bike challenge comes next Saturday for the Leadville 100. He’ll be seeking to unseat six-time champion David Wiens, who beat him last year.
The 23-mile course that Armstrong raced on Saturday had nearly 4,700 feet of climbing. Here’s how his closest challenger, Mountain States Cup points leader Jay Henry, explained the race to the Aspen Times:
“Man, he’s riding strong. There was no way I was going to catch him,” Henry said. “That first climb looked effortless. … We were together for that first road climb, then we rounded a corner and he was gone. I thought he had turned around. … At some point he put in some acceleration.
“I wish I could’ve seen it.”
The Snowmass Village race is the Cross Country Colorado State Championship. As winner, Armstrong got to don that jersey after the race.
The next race on the ticket is Leadville Trail 100, which Armstrong lost to Wiens in a hard-fought duel last year. Armstrong, who at that point still hadn’t come out of his 3-year retirement, lost to Wiens by 2 minutes. They both set the course record, however, and beat the third-place finisher by a half-hour.
The entire 100-mile bike race takes place above the 9,000-foot elevation mark. It starts in Leadville at about 10,200 feet and tops out at Columbine Mine at 12,600 feet.
It will be interesting to see how six months of road racing, including two Grand Tours, have prepared Armstrong for this mountain biking challenge.
Webcasts of the race will be broadcast on the Leadville 100 website.
Source: Biking Bis
STARR Trek Triathlon in Corpus Christi
The STARR Trek is a fun, entry-level race for children and adults of all ability levels. It is primarily geared toward beginners, but the short, flat course is popular with experienced triathletes as well. It is put on by the STARRS (South Texas Area Runners, Riders, and Swimmers) triathlon club and benefits the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Coastal Bend and the Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Tarpon Foundation. This is a USAT (USA Triathlon) sanctioned event.
*Kids who participate in the 7 to 10 age group will be eligible to win a brand new Trek bike (Parents please note: age groups and distances are determined by age on December 31, 2009, not by age on race day, according to USAT rules.) A drawing for the bike will be held after the race. Door prizes, available to all ages, will also be raffled.
STARR Trek is a “green” event. Race director Rachel Rivera has worked very hard to offset the race’s carbon footprint and make the event as environmentally friendly as possible. Last year, some proceeds from the race helped STARRS plant a grove of native trees in Cole Park.
LightLane adds instant bike lane for night bicycle rides
