If you are a little less awesome than Thomas and Marcy...

Just cause it's winter doesn't mean we stop riding!

...and find yourself hesitant to head out on the snow covered roads. Make sure to continue your training indoors! I have just updated the videos section of my website with last weekend's 8.2km cross country race in Okotoks. It was beautiful weather and the XC ski trails around the Strathcona-Tweedsmere school are perfect for racing. The footing was the most challenging it has been in several years, so you can liken it to riding on deep gravel while you're hammering inside. Do a warm up, then start the video and do 37min of continuous high intensity, then a cool down!

Here is the link to the videos!

Trev

Weekend Riding...

MTN Bike Descending Skills

Check out this video... you can probably skip till ~7:50... I'd be dead by the time it gets to ~8:03.

Video: A mind-blowing descent of the Sea of Rock in the Austrian Alps

The Kimpton Cruise

Marcy is leading a ride on Sunday in the beautiful weather. Cross bikes are strongly encouraged because she is going through Weaslehead.  She rides all winter, make sure to check the training forum to join her!

Fun racing videos from local XC events.

Guys, as many of you know, several members of the team use the local Calgary Road Runners Winter Cross Country Race Grand Prix Series to stay motivated over the 'non-outdoor bike racing' season. These races are more like a cyclocross event than a pure running race as the terrain is usually pretty extreme and couple that with occasional tough footing and it makes for a fun race!

Anyway, I have been filming these events using my dorky headcam for the last several years and they make for fun viewing if you want to watch racing through local parks while you are inside on your trainer.

Here is the link if you are interested!

I am the race director for the Nose Hill XC event coming up on Feb. 9th. If you would like to help me out with marshaling or timing, let me know!

Trev

DJ Mike and 'Polka-Dot' D at Tudor Rose -- Saturday, November 10: 6:30 pm

We're throwing this upon to y'all. Come on out to the Tudor Rose Pub (800 – 1110 Panatella Blvd NW) this Saturday at 6:30 for food and drinks. Mike's back from New Zealand, and I'm sure he's got stories to share. Some of them might even be true. No RSVP is 'required', but if you could comment that you're coming, we'll try to make sure we get a table big enough for all of us.

Get ready for winter riding!!!!

You had good intentions last year but just didn't get out for some winter adventures. This post will help you overcome any obstacles and get riding!!

So, what do you have to do to enjoy winter riding? It's easy.....be prepared and ready to go.

What you will need...

A cyclocross or mountain bike. (CX is much easier to ride in the snow).

Fenders! The good ones that cover the entire top half of your rear wheel and the part of your front wheel that can spit snow on you. This is an absolute must. Don't cheap out here. Fenders make Friends.

Lights-a blinky red one for the back and a white light for the front

To stay warm-light neck buff (trust me), good gloves, ideally winter riding boots (or your shoes with booties), base layer for top and bottom, jersey, vest, arm warmers, fleecy bibs, something to protect your quads from the wind. Start going out between +5 and -10 at first. Take note if you were too hot or too cold on your ride and add or remove layers next time.

A passion for adventure. This is also a must as adventure is guaranteed!

Lastly, check the blog often and post lots and lots of rides yourself. If we keep going, eventually we will have a nice size group to ride with every weekend.

Email me if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you out there having fun!!

Harley's Now Coaching!

Hello everyone, after many years of having to turning down fellow team mates and friends I have finally decided to start coaching. I have completed the NCCP Ready to Race Intro to Competition, Training Basics (Part A) and will be completin g Part B and NCCP Road Racing Skills & Tactics next year.

I am only able to coach a few athletes due to time restraints. I am looking to coach someone who is ambitious to prepare, participate or compete in a race or event of any level. Someone who wants to achieve more, doesn’t feel satisfied or simply wants to be better. Coaching will include bike maintenance, bike fitting, dry land training (weights/core), bike handling skills, racing tactics, posture, mentality, performance and a minimum of one day a month for personalized, one on one on the bike training.

In mid November, I will start training for the 2012 World Master Games Road Race in Torino Italy. I offer my athletes details of my training as I spend the next 7 months preparing for the most ambitious goal of my life.

I have a zero tolerance of banned performance enhancers.

Please reply here or email me at harleyborlee@gmail.com if you are interested or have questions. A Racing Profile can be provided upon request.

Ironman Florida Report

My triathlon focused season started a year ago with Phuket 70.3 and ended yesterday with Ironman Florida. No, Florida does not look like that, the photo is from Worlds in Vegas in September. This was my third time doing Ironman Florida, I love the race here, yea it's getting crowded, there were 3000 registered. The weather leading up to the race was dominated by superstorm Sandy, even though it passed a couple of hundred miles away. The gulf was wild all week, red flagged, race day was still fairly wild, big waves and swells, race organizers must go through some agonizing times allowing 3000 racers, probably 1000 first timers into the open water.

Swim time of 1:24 was about what I expected, thankfully uneventful. The T1 and T2 set up for this race involve a lengthy run through the hotel banquet rooms so an 8 or 9 minute transition is not so bad.

My excellent coach, Scott Curry and I had talked about a race plan, I wanted to try to beat my PR set here in 2007 of 11:50. With that in mind I went too hard at the beginning of the bike leg, by the end I was fairly toasted, 5:38 bike, decent time and kept me in line for my PR. One of the pros set a bike course record of 4:04 so conditions were great for racing. A little bit hot but not like Vegas.

Started the run with my PR in mind, 2 miles into the run I knew it was not to be. Found myself walking and needed to rethink my strategy, actually the strategy was now to run from aid station to aid station. So the next 5 hours or so was just that, I really did not have the run fitness. I used all of the awesome mental training that Scott had given me to get me through. End result was 12:45. Decent placing in my age group, 34th.

Big thanks to Scott for getting me through the year, helping me with things that happen to a 55 year old body and working through a couple of times where my motivation to train had gone away. 

Thats right, I'm going there now.

200KM Brevet - Base miles :)

The date is January 12th, 2013 hosted by the Arizona Randonneurs who do a great job at hosting an event.  Some of you may know that over the past few years a number of Speed Theorists have come down to participate in this event.  The event leaves from the Town of Casa Grande which is half way between Phoenix and Tucson.  We will grab hotel rooms there on the evening of the 11th.

This year there will be a no drop policy for the crew that comes down, team effort, plus learning how to ride a Brevet.  Interested riders are welcome to come down the week before or part thereof and stay at my home in Tucson.   I can't promise I can ride with you every day but I'll get you pointed in the right direction.

Don't be intimated by the distance,  trust me, all walks of life get this done.

Let me know via this post if your interested and we will firm up details as the date gets closer.  I have heard there are inexpensive flights into Phoenix right now.  If you can get to Phoenix I'll let you know the most efficient way to get to Tucson.

Stephen