2013 Charlotte Motor Speedway Time Trial 1

Submitted by Mike on Mon, 05/13/2013 - 07:27

Tri Bike Vs Road Bike

There is always a lot of discussion amongst ‘us racers’ as to whether or not there is a significant advantage of riding a Time Trial/Triathlon bike in a time trial.   Most of us are aware of all the marketing around aero frames, wheels, helmets, position, etc.  You know what I’m talking about, this wheel will save you 40 seconds, an aero helmet will save you a minute…

This year I am riding with a Power Meter on my road bike so I decided to run a test – I did the first Charlotte Motor Speedway time trial of the series Eddy Mercx style (Road bike, road helmet, standard wheels) for two reasons:  1) To get a real world threshold test to get a good training number and 2) to see if a Tri bike is really faster

I haven’t done much racing this season so I don’t have any race fitness, but I have been riding well.  I spent a lot of time in the riding studio at Cool Breeze Coaching.  Coach Sarah has done a great job keeping me fit.  We recently finished up our Tempo-to-Lactate training session and I tested out at 300 watts for my 20 minute threshold test.  Knowing this number allowed me to determine how hard I worked in my TT effort.

During my warm up, I knew it was going to be a rough night because of the wind.  It seemed like the wind was swirling around the track and there weren’t going to be any significant tailwind sections.  I warmed up for about 30 minutes and started my TT right around 7:43pm.

2013 CMS Time Trial 2

Submitted by Mike on Mon, 05/13/2013 - 07:24

So is a Time Trial bike faster?  I went into the 2nd Time Trial of the 2013 Charlotte Motor Speedway a little tired.  A group from the Cool Breeze/Trek Bike Store team did the Ride Around Wilkesboro (RAW) the Saturday before the Time Trial and Sarah worked us pretty hard in the Cool Breeze Coaching Studio on the Tuesday before with some 30/30’s so I didn’t know how the TT would go.  For this time trial, I was on my Cervelo P3 with a disc wheel and Zipp 404 on the front, aero helmet and skinsuit.

2013 Charlotte Winter Short Track Series Race 1

Submitted by Mike on Tue, 01/22/2013 - 09:09

January 13th, 2013 was the first race of the 2013 Charlotte Winters Short Track Series.  I raced the Sport 40+ class and finished 2nd in my race.  I created some videos of the race.

It was great to be able to ride in 65 degree weather in January.

GoPro Video 1

Took this video of my first lap of the 2013 Charlotte Winter Short Track Series (WSTS).  My plan wasn't to go this hard, but I rolled off the line pretty good.  You can see my teammate Andy Good next to me for a couple seconds.  

This is from the Sport 40+ race.

My lap time was 3:54 and my fastest of the day.  I ended up 2nd in the race and am looking forward to next week.

 

 

GoPro Video 2

Published on Jan 17, 2013

This is my video of the Sport 40+ Charlotte Winter Short Track Series (WSTS) race number 1. I managed the hole shot and led for a couple laps until Steve Fish took over. He put a hurting on me for the rest of the races. There are several parts of the video where you can see me struggling to hold on to his wheel.

Sorry about the music, my library is limited and I'm still learning how to create videos with my PC. The video is long but it gives you a good idea of what our race was like.

2013 Charlotte Winter Short Track Series Video

Submitted by Mike on Fri, 01/11/2013 - 14:11

The Cool Breeze/Trek Bike Store cycling team went to Renni last week and pre-rode the 2013 Charlotte Winter Short Track Series Course.  Neal added some extra to the laps which goes through the grass on the gravel road side of the course.  It's going to break some legs!

These are my first GoPro Videos so I hope the music doesn't bother you too much.

This video is of the complete lap:

Here are some hot laps with George and Travis of the Trek Bike Store of Charlotte

The NEW North Mecklenburg Animal Hospital

Submitted by Mike on Tue, 10/23/2012 - 16:12

One of my Team Sponsors, North Mecklenburg Animal Hospital, just finished a huge remodel.  I wanted to share the new information.

From NMAH:

North Mecklenburg Animal Hospital RemodelHave you seen the new angles of glass and soaring rooftop of our new building addition?  We're so excited!

North Mecklenburg Animal Hospital is adding and improving to create the most unique, state-of-the-art animal care center in our area. For more than sixteen years, our highly skilled, compassionate doctors, technicians and support staff have changed lives by providing heartfelt care for dogs, cats and other small animals throughout the Charlotte metro area.

2013 Trek Domane Review

Customer Review of the new 2013 Trek Domane 6.9One of Cool Breeze Cyclery's Customers (Kurt H) recently purchased a new 2013 Trek Domane 6.9.  He is really excited about his new bike and sent us his review of his new bike.

David,
 
It's been just over 2 weeks since I picked up the Domane, so here are a few thoughts on my new bike.  No surprises on ride quality.  Just like the demo, very smooth (and quiet).  Even with the rough local pavement, short or long rides, I've had no increase in fatigue in areas which are prone to soreness for me, shoulders, arms and hands. The most improved area has been my lower back.  Even after my longest ride which was just over 60 miles, my back felt fantastic!  In fact I rode another 30 miles the following day with no lingering pain.

Managing the Half Ironman Taper

Submitted by Mike on Thu, 10/11/2012 - 12:13

This is a guest post from Coach Sarah Matchett, Head Coach of Cool Breeze Coaching.

If you’re headed to Beach to Battleship this year then race week is almost here. The key for the final 10 days of training is to remember that you are not going to gain any fitness by adding extra training. Instead, your taper strategy should focus on increasing form by actively decreasing your fatigue.

Coach Sarah Matchett of Cool Breeze Coaching in Charlotte NCFor half ironman tapering, begin to decrease overall training volume at least 2 weeks out from your event. A good general rule is to reduce overall training load by 60-70%% two weeks out from the event, and 30-40% the week of the event. The main goal in this final week is to avoid any training that will deplete you of your glycogen stores or make you tired. Most athletes find that avoiding all workouts will leave them feeling flat on race day and a few shortened tune up workouts will leave them energized and ready to race.

Specialized recalls 12,000 Globe bikes

Specialized recalls 12,000 Globe bikesSpecialized has issued a voluntary recall of 12,000 Globe model city bikes following four reported incidents of fork failure. The failures resulted in facial fractures, head and shoulder injuries and cuts, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall notice.

The unsafe forks, which were manufactured by Kinesis, are found on 2008 and 2009 model-year Globe bikes and were sold at authorized Specialized dealers from July 2007 to July 2012 for between $550 and $1,100.

Affected models include the Globe Elite, Globe Sport, Globe Sport Disc, Globe Centrum Comp, Globe Centrum Elite, Globe City 6, Globe Vienna 3, Globe Vienna 3 Disc, Globe Vienna 4, Globe Vienna Deluxe 3, Globe Vienna Deluxe 4, Globe Vienna Deluxe 5 and Globe Vienna Deluxe 6.

Globe bikes are designed for transportation and leisure riding, with upright riding positions and a wide range of drivetrain, carrying capacity and geometry options. The line has been completely updated since the end of the recall period.