Training with the Pros

Ryan Kelly on the 200 on 100 photo: Chandler Delinks

Training with the Pros, it sounds like fun but it can’t be. Pros are genetic freaks; they put more kilometers on their bikes than any of us civilians do on our cars each year, they ride around whole countries at an average speed greater than 40km/hour and they can dish out such Rule V style day-after-day-after-day. We all dream about it but we don’t have it.

In an earlier life I came close to landing my dream job in Monaco with the IAEA. Serious people counseled me not to take the job, they said it was a bad career move. How could I explain to them I didn’t give a shiet if it was a bad career move, the chance to live, and more importantly to be a cyclist near San Remo and La Madone was all I cared about?  Yet I knew if I even saw Tom Boonen or one of the many Aussies who call Monaco their home out on a training ride, I would only be seeing their lycra-clad asses disappearing up the road. Could I at least catch up to Stuart O’Grady to chat him up for a minute before my inability to talk and breathe would force me to lie and say I was turning right HERE?  Maybe I could drink beers with the Aussies, I could keep that professional pace, actually no, I would get dropped there too.

Oh that job fell through and my dreams of  commuting into work on Merlin on the Cote d’Azure disappeared like those watery mirages on a hot highway, but I digress. I have some good and funny direct video evidence why training with the Pros would be a cruel lesson in our mortal failings. One such Pro is Ted King, an American racer living the dream; he is based in Lucca, riding for Liquigas, riding in support of Ivan Basso and Peter Sagan. He is tough, he has finished every Giro d’Italia he has started. He broke his collarbone this summer racing in Philadelphia when his front wheel dropped into an inexcusably lame drain grate (thank you very much, oh third-world infrastructure that defines the USA).

To bring his training back up to speed he did the 200 on 100 with fellow Pro Tim Johnson and amateur racer Ryan Kelly. The 200 on 100 means 200 miles on Route 100, riding North to South from the top to the bottom of the state of Vermont, the Green Mountain State. Unless you are Marcus, 333 km seems like an impossibly long ride to do at once, I would be in broom wagon long before the end of such madness.

And by madness I refer to the 338 km at 34.1 km/hr average speed with 3,197 meters of climbing thrown in for good measure.

[vimeo width=”620″]http://vimeo.com/27367910[/vimeo]

Video credit to Chandler Delinks

 

Related Posts

270 Replies to “Training with the Pros”

  1. Nice work, cyclo!

    I was in VT this summer & now this has me eager to do some cycling there. Another wedding probably coming up there this summer, maybe it’ll overlap with the V-ride.

    Ah, Mr. King was coming off a broken bone. Makes sense he wasn’t at race weight. I wasn’t trying to be critical, more just surprise since most PROs look gaunt. Thanks for the explanation.

    As for Tim riding his cx bike on this…the more I ride my own cx bike, the more I think I might use it over my road bikes for over 300km in the rain. It’s just a little bit more comfortable & relaxed, even with road wheels on it.

  2. @cycloWHAT?
    Please, please, please make a Ryan Kelly tribute video of just his delusional psycho-babble. Please put it in chronological order. There is nothing like watching another cyclist devolve into mental pudding over a long ride. Pure awesomeness!

    Fantastic video, btw! Strong work.

    @Buck Rogers
    Wouldn’t “Dumptruck of Awesome” look good etched into a V-pint? I’m gonna have to get up to Vermont next June.

  3. @Buck Rogers

    @MJMoquin

    This looks absolutely AWESOME!I now have all the motivation I could possibly need this winter. Just threw away half my breakfast since I seriously need to HTFU as I’m more like 6 months from peaking right now. Gonna be a brutal winter on the trainer!

    Amen, Brother! LOVE it. Can we count you in for the June, V-sponsored Dumptruck of Awesomeness?

    You can definitely count on me for this sufferfest. How can I possibly not show up for a “V-sponsored Dumptruck of Awesomeness”?

  4. @Steampunk

    @Jeff in PetroMetroV-CogalDumptruck of AwesomeVermont 2012
    That is all.

    Ohhhh, the V-tingles are hitting me again.

    Cannot believe how AWESOME this is going to be!

    (We’ll have to make sure that Ryan Kelly does not trademark his Dumptruck of Awesome phrase before we use it next summer!)

  5. @LA Dave

    Good stuff Gianni, thanks for posting. Ryan’s look when they are stopped with 6 miles to go is very familiar to me…
    Made me laugh out loud at the very end when he says “…oh chocolate milk”

    Exactly. How badly have you craved something while on a ride like that? Like after the Whidbey Cogal, when we went into that join for some pizza. I’m sure that pizza sucked ass, but it tasted like it was the best pizza ever.

  6. @Gianni

    @scaler911

    True that. However, tempo for me (and most of us mortals, even Cat II’s) is very different than tempo for Ted King, or anyone that’s finished Giro’s.

    Oh yes, I’m talking 33km/hr tempo. I wouldn’t last at Pro tempo for three minutes.
    And yes, Rollers will give you the magnificent stroke, tedious as they may be.

    I think we’d be surprised at how slow they go on a ride like this; faster than us, sure, but they’re WAY below their thresholds, riding easy even if it feels fast to us. Ask any coach what the primary difference is in the way amateurs train versus Pros, and the answer is “Amateurs don’t go easy enough on easy days and don’t go hard enough on hard days.”

    I read somewhere that Museeuw’s average speed on a long training ride was in the low 30’s.

  7. @mblume

    Question for my fellow Velominati:
    Is there a Velominati approved equation that one can use to compare meters climbed to absolute distance to attempt to compare the relative difficulty of 2 rides? (For simplicity, assume the rider applies the same level of The V on both rides and the weather is constant)
    Ride A: 200 on 100: 333km with 3200m of climbing
    Ride B: Stage 18 2011 TDF 200 km with 5000m of climbing over Agnel, Izoard, Lauteret/Galibier
    Which ride requires more V to complete (mentally and physically)?
    For me I would look much more favorably on Ride B as there are incremental goals along the way in the cols. Ride B seems like a true mental test in addition to the signficant physical challenge.

    Good question, and I think we’d have to do some tricky math using calculus and imaginary numbers (eleventeen, thirty-twelve, etc) to come to a reliable formula that works for everyone.

    That said, per Rule #68, vertical elevation gain over time is king over anything else. A flat 400km ride into the wind? Brutally hard, of course. But a 200km ride with 5000m of climbing will make you question whether the sun will ever rise again.

  8. @cycloWHAT?

    Hi everyone, as the man behind the camera and wheel of the truck, I have to thank all of you for sharing this video again. Look out for a feature on it in an upcoming edition of Bicycling Magazine.
    A few things I noticed on that day:
    1. Tim Johnson did a proper CX remount at mile 206.
    2. Ryan Kelly said many more odd things in his delusion that couldn’t make the “cut”
    3. These guys rolled in a paceline the ENTIRE day, trading pulls every few minutes. On the flats they were going anywhere between 25-30mph and didn’t slow down much below 20 on the hills…
    4. Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at 9am is still delicious
    5. Ted King’s face was a little round because he was just coming off a broken collarbone, so he wasn’t quite “race weight.”
    and finally…
    I see some of you discussing doing this ride. We have been discussing the same, and we have been discussing involving other groups, so maybe we can all do something together. cdelinks at gmail dot com
    Thanks again for all the shares and comments, it was a blast to do this project and we can’t wait to do it again.

    Thanks for stopping by, great video!! I second @Jeff in PetroMetro for a compilation of the babble in chrono order!!

    Excellent work, and let us know what your plans are for the ride; it would be great to try to synchronize efforts.

    Cheers!

  9. @cycloWHAT?
    Dude! Chapeau on the movie, it has made me giggle every time I watch it, it’s very well edited too. I can’t believe there are so many of my friends who think this is a good idea. And yes please, on the idea of the censored Ryan lines, he is a funny one.

    @Buck Rogers
    Regarding support vehicle: bribe someone into driving one, a ride that long is deserving of one. Some spare wheels and lots of accessible water and food will make the whole thing roll faster.

  10. @mblume
    For my money, me being a shit climber, I’d say the ride that includes climbs with the steep grades are the tougher ones. They are what that put you in the pain cave. For example, Mt. Haleakala: 60km and 3300m of climbing versus Mt Washington: 11km and maybe 1000m of climbing (maybe less). Mt Washington is a cruel and brutal whore of a climb. The whole grade must be 12%-15% the whole way, one is red lined from 100m after the start to the top. The horror.

  11. @frank

    Good question, and I think we’d have to do some tricky math using calculus and imaginary numbers (eleventeen, thirty-twelve, etc) to come to a reliable formula that works for everyone.

    That’s Numberwang!

  12. @Gianni

    Mt Washington is a cruel and brutal whore of a climb. The whole grade must be 12%-15% the whole way, one is red lined from 100m after the start to the top. The horror.

    Damn, have you done that – sounds nay on impossible! Feeling sick at the thought of it

  13. @Dr C
    I did it a few times in my youth, it always sucked, I was always under-geared, it never got easier. If you are ever in the States in August, you too can do it.

  14. @Rob

    @Buck Rogers
    Rob is correct, I maybe used a 42-28 and I was barely turning it over. I would have been happier with my present 34-26 and I still would barely be turning it over. Did I mention I am a shit climber?

    Rob flew up that race, always on the podium. If you are a good climber you like it. Tommy D has the record ascent, before him it was Tyler H.

  15. Rob & Gianni:

    Are you guys in for the 200 on 100 next June? Sounds like you live nearby and would be right at home.

  16. @Gianni
    Total bummer that you will not be there Gianni.

    As for Rob, sounds like “That Dude can Roll”. He might be leading a “fast group” if we split into sub-groups!

  17. @Buck Rogers, @Rob, @Gianni

    @Rob
    @Buck Rogers
    Rob is correct, I maybe used a 42-28 and I was barely turning it over. I would have been happier with my present 34-26 and I still would barely be turning it over. Did I mention I am a shit climber?
    Rob flew up that race, always on the podium. If you are a good climber you like it. Tommy D has the record ascent, before him it was Tyler H.

    I refuse to believe that any climb is harder than Haleakala. But that’s only because I don’t want to know the truth if that’s the case.

    I’ve also looked up @Rob’s best time up the climb (on a custom-built Bella with, I believe, 24-inch wheels and a plastic BMX saddle in the name of weight savings) and even his time from the 70’s or 80’s (whenever it was) would have gotten him top five in the last 8 editions of the race.

    Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

  18. @Buck Rogers

    Rob & Gianni:
    Are you guys in for the 200 on 100 next June? Sounds like you live nearby and would be right at home.

    Nobody’s asking, but I’m going to try to make it, for what it’s worth. It’s a long way and will be tough, though. I’ll also work on Gianni. I have some degree of confidence I can shame him into showing up. I’ve not seen @Rob turn a pedal in anger, though I did have the pleasure of meeting him in NYC a year ago and he was a Magnificent Dude.

    I have spent many long hours, however, riding with Gianni and I can tell you first hand – there is no Magnificent Stroke I’ve ever seen that betters Gianni’s. I’m including any Pro I’ve seen on TV in that statement.

  19. @frank
    Ohhhhh, now we’re talking!!!

    Man, EPIC is starting to sound like way too lame a superlative for this ride!

  20. @Marcus

    @King Clydesdale @Buck Rogers
    If you have to make a choice, I say go rollers over a trainer (a proper bike ergo is even better).
    If you haven’t used them before, rollers will make you a better bike handler (and therefore faster) and you can use your gears for varying resistance. Whilst you can’t replicate really hard hill-type gearing like on a trainer, I reckon you will use rollers a lot more as they are far more fun to use (and much nicer to your bike). I have no problems hurting myself on rollers – and that’s not even counting falling off!
    The thinner the roller diameter, the harder the roller.
    Get Kreitlers – the only choice. And theyre from the States too!

    Can you really ride for 2+ hours and kill yourself on rollers? I’ve never used them but have done soooo many killer hours on my trainers, up to rides over 3 hours, and I do not want to drop a bunch more money on something that I will not get a lot out of. Just curious.

  21. @Buck Rogers
    To your first question, YES

    At the very least, if you use your trainer a lot, you can use rollers for some of your indoor sessions. You will definitely get your moneys worth. Dont fuck about with cheap rollers – get kreitlers (which are still not that expensive compared to most cycling gear).

    Once you have mastered your roller technique (it aint hard), I guarantee you will not look back!

    And I reckon it is easier to ride on rollers for longer than your trainer simply because the balancing adds another element to the ride.

    If you really want to go hardcore, get the e-motion rollers (more expensive and you cant fold em) and you can do whatever you like on them.

  22. @Marcus
    I fancy a set of those e-motion rollers – I point blank refuse to train inside, but at least if it is snowing, you can go outside and not get windburned, and still enjoy sliding all over the place

    That said, they only look safe when used in a narrow hallway or between a set of heavily padded parallel bars – sounds a hoot otherwise – stick it in the big C and go

  23. A thought re. support vehicle: I have a former student who’s also a filmmaker (good student, talented filmmaker). I could see if he might be interested in filming and driving in support. We’d likely need to find some way to reimburse him, but we could get a fun documentary out of the experience as well. Just thinking out loud; if this appeals at all, I can approach him with the idea and see where that goes…

  24. @Steampunk

    A thought re. support vehicle: I have a former student who’s also a filmmaker (good student, talented filmmaker). I could see if he might be interested in filming and driving in support. We’d likely need to find some way to reimburse him, but we could get a fun documentary out of the experience as well. Just thinking out loud; if this appeals at all, I can approach him with the idea and see where that goes…

    Sounds SUPER! I’d kick some money in for this in a heartbeat!

    Also, inspired by this upcoming ride so I took the morning off and went to the Texas Hill Country and rode 116 km’s this morning with over 1,000 meters of altitude gain. Steepest grade was 13% with multiple areas of 10-12% on this beast of a side road called Bobcat Drive. Did about 1.5 hours on that road before heading back to the rolling Hill Country.

    About 1/3 what the total ride next June will be. Felt AWESOME!!!

  25. @Buck Rogers
    Ha! Did 107km this morning with much the same kind of inspiration. Not sure about the altitude, but roughly the same, I would think, along quiet, winding rollers. Of course, it was a frigid 3 degrees. I spent my ride equally between wishing I’d decided to go with the booties and lobster-claws and reminding myself to Rule V.

    As we get closer to this becoming a sure thing, I’ll raise the prospect with my former student. He’s a good guy and recently finished touring with a small indie band in order to make a documentary. I suspect he’d be into doing something on cycling. I imagine if his costs were covered, he’d jump at this if work didn’t get in the way.

  26. @Steampunk

    @Buck RogersHa! Did 107km this morning with much the same kind of inspiration. Not sure about the altitude, but roughly the same, I would think, along quiet, winding rollers. Of course, it was a frigid 3 degrees. I spent my ride equally between wishing I’d decided to go with the booties and lobster-claws and reminding myself to Rule V.
    As we get closer to this becoming a sure thing, I’ll raise the prospect with my former student. He’s a good guy and recently finished touring with a small indie band in order to make a documentary. I suspect he’d be into doing something on cycling. I imagine if his costs were covered, he’d jump at this if work didn’t get in the way.

    Your ride sounds way more “V” than mine. I had an average temp of 24 C and cloudy with light to moderate wind. In other words: Perfect weather.

    My VDO computer gave me all the altitude info as well. Yeah, I am non-rule compliant on that one.

  27. @Buck Rogers
    Jealous of the perfect weather, though there’s spectacular riding around here in every direction (except east: Lake Ontario makes that a bit of a wet option). I didn’t have any big, sustained climbing at high grades””a couple of long, 5-7% climbs and one longer climb around 8%, but other than that, it was short, sweet ups. I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m more of a puncheur than rouleur or grimpeur. I’m okay with that.

  28. @Steampunk

    So what would be a puncheur that is also not very well suited for the small steep climbs? I think that’s what I am. A mcsqueakeur, we might call that type of rider. A rider well suited for mostly flat, gentle rolling terrain devoid of steep climbs.

  29. @Dr C

    @Marcus I fancy a set of those e-motion rollers – I point blank refuse to train inside, but at least if it is snowing, you can go outside and not get windburned, and still enjoy sliding all over the place
    That said, they only look safe when used in a narrow hallway or between a set of heavily padded parallel bars – sounds a hoot otherwise – stick it in the big C and go

    Whilst I am not too proud to admit I have fallen off rollers, don’t let that put you off – the danger adds a frisson of excitement to sessions. I use rollers even on sunny days if i can only fit a ride in of under an hour. Maybe an inherent lack of imagination allows me to while away time on rollers. As for the e-motions, from what I understand, you would have to be a prize fuckwit to fall off whilst using them – the side rollers save you. But the e-motions have a very big drawback in that you can’t fold them away – so you would need a lot of room.

  30. @Marcus

    Plus those things are like $800 – that is a pretty large sum to spend on inside riding.

    I have rollers and a trainer (just purchased recently) and I actually like the trainer better for the most part. Though I have to admit I went the cheap route with the rollers and only spent about $150. They are loud as FUCK and it makes riding them less enjoyable for me, plus not good for using in an apartment. When I have a house with a basement I can ride them in, I’ll probably use them more.

    I actually purchased a good quality trainer, and it’s certainly a good workout. It takes a bit to get use to the bike being “locked in” though, and you have to work at stabilizing yourself and minimize rocking the bike around.

  31. @mcsqueak @marcus
    I’ve always been impressed by / jealous of those who can exert themselves in an entirely stationary way, such as jogging machines or stationary bike things, and I guess the turbos fit that profile, but I am plagued with the need for moving scenery to stave off boredom – even the idea of looking at a screen for distraction would wear off quickly I fear – a spin class often presents many distractions, especially if you choose your seat carefully and sit near the back, but otherwise I need to be outside, so it’s 6mm steamer wetsuits, and a cycloX in the mud for me I’m afraid – I’ll use the money saved on the rollers for some top end winter gear

    That said, at least the rollers seem to provide the potential for excitement by allowing you to fall off??

  32. Alright, thanks to all of you Gents, I am now the proud owner of the following rollers: KREITLER DYNO-MYTE 2.25″ DIAMETER ROLLERS WITH BONUS FRONT WHEEL STAND.

    What the HELL I was thinking when I bid on these I’ll never know but I guess I’ll figure out which I like better: My stationary trainers or the rollers. Guess I can mix them up over the winter season tp keep it entertaining.

    God help me when the VMH finds out!

  33. @Dr C

    I figure torturing myself on a trainer will at least make me mentally stronger, if not physically.

    I get bored as fuck riding inside – I don’t particularly enjoy it, but it’s a good option for quick after-work spins with minimal effort of needing to kit up, have all the lights, etc etc. Knowing myself, I won’t want to ride in the dark, cold rain of the nights here during the winter after getting home from work, so if I’m going to maintain at all I need something to do during the week to at least not keep my fitness sliding backwards.

    Proper music and videos help. I’ve found the Sufferfest videos to be quite good and make the time actually go by very quickly. On the other hand, I’ve found movies and TV shows make poor company and don’t offer the proper motivation.

    Kraftwerk’s 2003 album ‘Tour de France Soundtracks’ keep me going for a good while last night, however.

  34. @Steampunk

    A thought re. support vehicle: I have a former student who’s also a filmmaker (good student, talented filmmaker). I could see if he might be interested in filming and driving in support. We’d likely need to find some way to reimburse him, but we could get a fun documentary out of the experience as well. Just thinking out loud; if this appeals at all, I can approach him with the idea and see where that goes…

    Does he accept payment in Beer Bullion? Beer Bullion, of course, is a much more stable currency than the US Dollar, and will likely yield him more enjoyment than our puny currency ever could. All of us could bring our favorite six pack of beer as payment. That’s a lot of beer.

  35. @Steampunk

    Of course, it was a frigid 3 degrees. I spent my ride equally between wishing I’d decided to go with the booties and lobster-claws and reminding myself to Rule V.

    It feels inappropriate to talk about “frigid” and positive degrees in the same breath? I typically think of anything in the negatives on the Fahrenheit scale as frigid, but I was raised in Minnesota.

    Seriously, though, I’ve recently discovered the beauty of the wool oversocks, commonly referred to as Belgian Booties. My goodness my Guiness those are awesome. Not so warm that they make your feet suck, and not so cool that they make you wish you had more. Like anything wool, they seem to automatically give you the perfect insulation – never too hot and never too cold. And, they’re very reasonable. I have two sets, Castelli and Sidi and the Castelli’s are a little better. Marko recently got on board, too. These things RULCK.

  36. @Dr C

    @mcsqueak has it nailed here. Riding inside sucks donkey balls. Worst thing ever. Give me a ride in frigid weather or in a downpour any day. That said, a two hour session on the trainer (or, I assume, rollers) will give you a mental strength you can’t find on the road, provided you don’t live at the top of Haleakala. The monotony of just having only the next pedal stroke to think about is one thing. Doing an interval one one, is a completely other. Time slows down like never before. 1 minute 58 seconds (pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal) 1 minute and still fucking 58 seconds? What the fuck? (pedal pedal pedal pedal) FINALLY 1 minute 59 seconds, one more eternal second to go!

    Fuck that shit, but at least it makes you strong.

  37. @frank

    It feels inappropriate to talk about “frigid” and positive degrees in the same breath? I typically think of anything in the negatives on the Fahrenheit scale as frigid, but I was raised in Minnesota

    I think of frigid as a relative measurement, not one with a definite numerical value. As such, this being the first time that the thermometer dipped that far south in quite some time, the ride felt much colder than what I was used to. The fact that I neglected to dress appropriately””again because of seasonal adaptation””only solidified the notion that this ride was quite cold. Next week, with better layers, a ride at 10 degrees colder won’t feel nearly as frigid as yesterday’s. Last year, I rode year round in just cap and a second layer of socks””this down to -18 C. A year older and colder, I’m deciding there are limits to Rule V’ing it in such conditions; those limits are this side of hypothermia.

    Seriously, though, I’ve recently discovered the beauty of the wool oversocks, commonly referred to as Belgian Booties.

    Might have to try these. I have a pair of Giordana’s Sotto Zero booties, which look nice and feel good (though I have yet to try them on a cold ride). I wondered about the sweat issue, but it may get cold enough soon that that shouldn’t matter too much.

  38. @Steampunk

    @Buck Rogers @Dr C @mcsqueak @MarcusFuckwits: the only excuse to not ride outside is if you can’t actually see the ground. And that after several hours of digging through the white stuff. Failing this litmus test, trainers are for the weak. End of. See Rule #10. Then see Rule V.With love and kisses from the Great White North.

    :) Feel the love.

    That said, I must say that I’ve learned a whole lot about Rule V in my own living room.

    You have a point, but I have felt something truly sublime on the trainer as well as on the road.

    You need to HTFU and get on the trainer once in a while, it truly makes you a Hardman and makes you appreciate the road that much more.!!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.