A training ride with my
husband should not be a difficult thing to get right. We’re both competitive
athletes, challenging for spots on the 40-44 podium in triathlon races. We are
training for the same races and we share the same triathlon coach who
understands that we like to align our schedules… And yet, it’s almost an
impossible challenge to achieve our goal of spending time together,
accomplishing our training goals and enjoying the ride. What’s the problem? It’s
simple. We don’t ride the same speed… his 6ft frame and 175lb lean muscle mass and
higher W/kg makes him stronger and faster.
Friends often point out to
me, how wonderful it is that we share the same hobby and that we can train
together (triathlon is the reason we met) but in actual fact, it’s a cause of
stress in our relationship. He debates whether to wait for me at the top of
hills. He encourages me to sit on his wheel on flat and rolling terrain… but I feel
guilty for being *slower* on the hills and then I don’t want to draft on the
flats as it then makes my ride too easy. Riding outside together has become a difficult
conundrum to solve without one of us compromising on our training plans.
Thankfully, we discovered an
antidote for our riding (and marital) harmony at VeloSF, a San Francisco based
studio offering 28 indoor cycling classes a week. Indoor riding is the great
equalizer. Setting up our bikes side by side on Computrainers at VeloSF, we are
able to execute a ride with specificity to our fitness and performance
objectives without leaving the other behind. To put it more finely, my husband
cannot put the hammer down and drop me like a bad habit while his rear wheel is
securely anchored in place!
However, to describe VeloSF
as an indoor cycling studio is a grave injustice. It is certainly nothing like
a spin class you might encounter at a regular gym. Kate Ligler, general manager
of VeloSF describes the facility as follows: “It’s a cycling based performance
center that offers small group (up to 20) cycling classes on a periodized
training cycle.”
Sounds fancy but what does
that really mean?
Step one: Visit VeloSF for blood lactate testing. The test
takes about an hour and consists of cycling on your own bike, attached to a
Computrainer while a physiologist staff member adds increased load at regular
intervals.
When I tested, I warmed up
for 15 minutes and then began the test. I started cycling at 100 watts with the
load increasing by 20 watts every three minutes. Ligler, who is a trained
physiologist and member of the coaching staff alongside her management duties, took
a sample of blood and noted my heart rate at the end of each three minute interval.
This continued through eight rounds until I flamed out spectacularly, heaving
over the front of my bike, unable to pedal any more as she moved the load to 260
watts. My legs and heart were having none of it. I softly spun for another 10
minutes, trying to flush out the lactate that was now clogging my quads, and
hoping that my heart rate would come down from its elevated levels. It did
after a minute or two of easy spinning
Step two: A VeloSF staff member analyzes the results and
prints out a personalized power profile before discussing with you how the
information will be used in your training plan. The results are in the form of
prescribed zones (1 through 5) with a personalized range of watts for each
zone. VeloSF even has a sticker with the zones so you can plaster the
information on your top tube for easy reference while riding!
In my case, riding at less
than 145 watts corresponds to zone 1 and should be considered very easy. Zone 2
(150-180 watts for me) is endurance riding, still comfortable. In fact, the
high end of zone 2 corresponds with my typical ironman effort. Zone 3 is tempo
riding (185-205 watts) and in my experience is in line with my half-ironman
bike efforts. Zone 4 was set at 205-225w and zone 5 was anything above 230
watts. I annotated the zone 5 on my sticker, writing “hurtbox” alongside the
prescribed power zone.
Step three: Sign up for a scheduled class to fit your schedule. VeloSF
coaches recommend that you take two 90 minute classes per week. This forms the
basis of the facility’s periodized training plan. Each period comprises 12
weeks of training that adjusts focus as you go through the calendar year. The
winter months focus on longer, base training intervals while the spring and
summer months aim to prepare you for race season and will include higher power
and higher intensity, building on the base you developed earlier in the year. Each
class is scripted down to the minute by Matt Dixon, an elite triathlon coach
and owner of PurplePatch Fitness (www.purplepatchfitness.com), however, the VeloSF coaches are encouraged to tweak
based on their knowledge of the individuals in the class and their own coaching
and cycling experience.
I typically attend classes
every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon but have been known to add a third session
on Saturday if the weather forecast calls for rain. Of course, my husband sets
up his bike right next to mine as often as our work schedules allow.
Step four: Retest every 3 to 6 months and adjust your training
plan accordingly.
What makes VeloSF unique? You’re
probably wondering why my husband and I don’t just ride a trainer a home, using
the data. While I could certainly attempt to write my own interval sets or
scour the internet for plans, I keep going back to VeloSF for the community,
the camaraderie and I confess, that extra little push to get through tough
intervals. Also, even after 11 years of riding and racing competitively, I
haven’t stopped learning. The educational value of being surrounded by
knowledgeable and experienced coaching staff is very valuable.
Last month I attended a
Saturday class, coached by Tyler Stewart. Tyler is an elite triathlete, a Cat 1
cyclist and ultra-runner (www.tyler-stewart.com) and she coaches three packed classes each week at
VeloSF. Tyler has held numerous Ironman
bike course records over the years, including the former Ironman (M-dot) bike
course world record for her 4:42:40 ride at Ironman Texas in 2011.
For the first thirty minutes
of a two hour class, we focused exclusively on drills. Really? I thought to
myself. A quarter of class doing drills? I quickly discovered that you learn a
lot about your pedal stroke during 10 minutes of cycling with only your left
shoe clipped in. Tyler instructed the class to vary cadence and power as we worked
our way through 10 minutes on each leg. She urged us to think about elongating
the pedal stroke, imagining an elliptical movement, avoiding dead spots in our
pedaling motion. The clacking sound of a slack chain was a major
giveaway to Tyler, even over the class’ musical soundtrack, that you weren’t
holding tension on the chain. On several occasions it elicited the suggestion to
athletes to reduce cadence and watts to a level where they could pedal with
constant tension. Shifting around in the saddle and leaning to one side by
athletes also caught her attention and each time she spotted someone twitching
she made suggestions to help the individual adjust their cycling form. Tyler
encouraged us of the benefit of this 30 minute set: “Cycling with two legs at
higher cadences will hide bad form. Bad form means you’re giving up watts. You
cannot hide during these drills!”
The *main course* of the
class was quite simple” 6 x 5 minutes in high zone 2 (~175-180 watts for me)
with 5 minutes recovery in low zone 2 in between each interval. On paper, this
seemed like a piece of cake. I can hold 180 watts for five hours at a time in
an ironman triathlon, I wouldn’t even need to lower the watts for the rest
interval in between the sets! However, Tyler quickly explained that the theme
of today’s class was leg speed, getting our legs used to riding at different
cadences, in particular higher cadences that should feel uncomfortable to us.
She targeted a cadence of 110 rpm for the intervals but also advised athletes
to adjust up or down based on their typical *base* cadence, i.e. where they
usually feel comfortable. I settled in for the first interval and 110rpm felt
fine. Tyler picked up on this and suggested that 115+ rpm might be a better
guide for my uncomfortable cadence. She was right, the next intervals
were more challenging and uncomfortable for me. While I had set the
Computrainer to a constant 180 watts, upper zone 2, for the 5 minute interval, it
felt very challenging and I noticed that my heart rate was more in line with
what I would expect with zone 4 riding. I needed every minute of the recovery 5
minutes at lower watts and lower cadence!
The cadre of coaching staff
at VeloSF is highly decorated in the fields of cycling and triathlon. One of
the most popular coaches is Meredith Kessler who joined Velo as a member with a
dream of being a successful triathlete 5 years ago. Meredith’s dream came true
as she worked her way through the amateur ranks before turning professional two
years ago. So far in 2012, she has won Ironman New Zealand and placed second at
Ironman California 70.3. Two professional cyclists are also on staff: Olivia
Dillon rides for Team NOW and Novartis and is a former Irish road and
time-trial champion and Alison Starnes rides for team Exergy Twenty12 and is a
member of the USA national team.
In spite of the decorated
resumes, members consistently attest to the accessibility of the coaching
staff. Coaches endeavor to get to know and understand the goals of athletes
that regularly attend classes, offering advice and support, before, during and
after each workout. As general manager, Ligler explains: “on a daily basis our
coaches do a fantastic job of staying in close touch with athletes in their
class. The classes truly become supportive communities where we all understand
that we are doing our own personalized wattage zones. Community is
absolutely our greatest asset as a facility.”
What does that VeloSF Community
look like? Are they all budding professionals like Meredith Kessler? While you
would be hard pressed to find a single member that isn’t training for an event
of some sort; a century ride, a Gran Fondo, a triathlon or a full season of
bike racing, a lot of the athletes describe themselves as recreational rather
than competitive. The age range of members is also broad: the oldest member is
84 years old and he’s right at home in class alongside junior cyclists (14-16
years). Ligler estimates that two thirds of the member base are triathletes
with the other third focused solely on cycling.
VeloSF has also developed a
capability to work with hand cyclists, unique in the Bay Area. Ligler recalls:
“I remember the first time Carrie Finale came through the door. She was the
first handcyclist to visit the facility and she wanted to know if we could figure
out how to make the Computrainers work with a handcycle. We had to reinvent
everything, from how we positioned the load generator on the bike, to how we
calibrated the trainer, to the way we ran our physiological assessments. She
challenged us as a facility but we made it work and she trained with us,
started racing and then started winning almost everything! Carrie is now a member of the US Paralympic
Team. It’s been inspiring to work with her.”
