UPDATE: Greyback pass (from Obrien to Happy Camp) is still closed due to snow. It isn't expected to open for another two weeks--or later if it keeps snowing! Revised ride plan is to do two long, hard century rides based from Etna (assuming the weather holds). After talking to the guys, the plan seems to be this:

Saturday (5/22): Salmon River Loop starting from Ray's in Etna at 9:30 AM.

Sunday (5/23): Etna-Yreka-Shastina-Gazelle-Callahan-Etna Loop from Ray's in Etna at 9:30.

Call me for up-to-date details or plan changes (541-908-3618)...

I still want to do the original ride; Hopefully I'll be able to reschedule it for warmer days this summer.

Dates are set for the 'long ride to Etna weekend'. I'd like to invite the entire team and any other interested riders. I've been wanting to do this ride for some time and the dates will be May 22-23, 2010. This will be 204 miles in two days, from my place in Jacksonville to Etna, via Applegate-Cave Junction-Happy Camp-Somes Bar-Forks of Salmon- Sawyers Bar!--including three of the biggest climbs in the region. This route is carefully chosen to feature, almost exclusively, lonely and winding backroads.  Plan is to stay over in Happy Camp in a crappy motel--probably the Forest Lodge. RSVP me (velofabbro@gmail.com or 541-908-3618) so I can arrange transport back to Jacksonville on Sunday aft/eve. We will depart from my place atop Cady Road at 9:00 AM on Saturday. Here is the route--revised via Google Maps to include the climb over Cedar Flats from Williams:

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These two people clearly shouldn't have any calories (sarcasm).

I find that to be one of the stupidest TV ads of all-time.  But its also symptomatic of our times.  That sort of ad is ubiquitous, and its all due to the fact that we all want to think of ourselves as busy, motivated, fit, and healthy, whether we are or not.

Chris Carmichael is targetting the busy and motivated set with his new book.  "The Time-Crunched Cyclist" utilizes some of the same tactcis as that Michelob Ultra ad by putting emboldened workds like "Fit" and "Powerful" right on the cover.  This book pretends to be for Wall Street day-traders who race their bikes around Central Park in the evening, but it can actually be for anyone wanting to get faster while spending less time training.

But while I have might view Chris Carmichael as a bit less than a savior to US cycling, and indeed something of the Michelob Ultra of cycling coaches, there is something to be said for this book.

The premise is that the traditional "endurance training model" breaks down when applied to cyclists who have no more than six hours per week to train.  This model focuses on endurance riding, (foundation-building, base-building, whatever you want to call it -- and I'll stop here with listing off synonyms for fear of hitting on a CTS trademark and getting sued).  And in the traditional model, only a finite percentage of the total training volume (perhaps 10-15%) has the cyclist training at intensities nearing or above lactate threshold.

But for cyclists who can ride just six hours a week, or less, the standard of 10-15% intensity equates to very little time spent at these higher intensities.  Not enough time, at least not enough to yield any real benefit.

Carmichael speaks as if he's been the custodian of this time-honored "endurance training model," as if he invented it.  And when he says that "he chose to change it," I think he might mean that the actual sports scientists who work for him thought it a good idea to change it.

But for for those unable or unwilling to train more than six or so hours per week, it needed changing.

So all marketing aside, because in actuallity most of us are more of a slacker than Lance Armstrong or this imagined Wall Street proto-jock, a greater focus on intensity for people whose training volume is low enough that off-the-bike recovery is an essential part of it (read as days where you are too busy or too lazy or too tired to ride), this approach can be helpful.

This aproach has its limitation too, as Carmichael admits.  You won't win the Tour de France using this approach, or even finish third.  You might not even be very competitive as a Cat 1 or a Cat 2, unless you're over-loaded with natural talent.  But for Cat 3 or Masters racers, this type of plan can work.

In fact someone training six hours per week within this type of system will probably be faster than someone riding 12+ hours per week who is starved of true recovery.  If this 12+ hour cyclist's "recovery" consists of sitting in a car and getting stressed out by traffic, droppin off/picking up kids, working long hours, possibly on their feet, then they're not really getting too much recovery.

But for those of us who are less "time-crunched" than "motivationally challenged," we're probably better off finding a way to do the 12+ hours per week.  The volume will benefit us, and we can still spend our rest days on the couch with our feet up.

Bob's yoga mat.

 Spencer Gray, Mark Krause, Scott Toll (l-r).

The bottom flag in The Great Seal of Jefferson State (sorry it's blurry).  Most river-folk aren't so conflicted and would only have the one flag.

They say recovery is the most important aspect of training.  I'm banking on it this week so far.  Sideways rain and snow, and I've been in my pajamas all day.  Here are my bikes, looking bored...

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Woke up same time as usual.  Rubbed the cat's belly as she sat in front of the heater.  Made my coffee with an extra scoop of beans and ground 'em extra fine.  Granola with kefir -- my favorite.  Made a B.M.  All as planned.

Looked outside, determined this wind was a harbinger of rain and more wind and maybe some snow, but that I had plenty of time before any of that nonsense, so I pulled out my nice bike.  Spun my wheels.  Tightened the spokes that made a C sharp when plucked.

Made my way to Carpenter Hill Rd. for a fartlek session.

Fartlek is Swedish for "speed-play," and it's old-school for "semi-structured intervals."  It's what made Paavo Nurmi so damn fast.

Semi-structured is just what I needed today.

After Carpenter Hill, I hung a left onto Pioneer Rd. and, after that, a right onto Dark Hollow.  Then, with the hard stuff behind me, I fought the headwind home.

An hour-and-45 on the bike, with about 20 minutes of it pushing hard.  Short and sweet.

I always dread it, like most, that first really hard ride in the wind. Like dreading a visit to the dentist for that root canal you've needed but keep putting off. Like sending off that check to the IRS that you really can't afford to part with. Like.... well, you know. But I did it! Well not so much "I" as "we" did it.  Five of us started out of Yreka at 1:00 with sunnny 54 degrees and light winds from the south. The group included 3 of the DeSalvo boys, "Major Pain" Hilsenberg, and myself. The Plan was to take the back route up to Hwy. 97, down to Lake Shastina and back to Yreka, 65+ miles and maybe 3 1/2 hours. About 35 minutes in that plan , for some, began to change. Wind!! Lots of it came at us as we turned towards Little Shasta. Out in the flats, exposed, the wind became brutal! We tried to work together but two of the group were just barely hanging on at the blistering pace we we setting, 16.5 mph! An hour and a half into this windfest and it was decision time , turn right and brave the crosswinds and hopfully get a reprieve on the way home, or continue on the 11 miles of rolling climbing to Hwy. 97, into the wind! Well, two of us pushed on into Purgatory, and i'm proud to say I wasn't one of them! I pussed out and turned right, but there was no reprieve. The weather was quickly moving in and the winds seemed to be picking up. Pretty soon we hooked up Kristi, who rode backwards to meet us. What a stud she is. We were whining about how hard it was for us in a small group. She did it alone!! So, the four of us made for home with me on the front. A funny thing happened along the way, though. With all the wind, cold, and now light drizzle, I noticed something. I was in MY element. In some twisted way I was enjoying the punishment that nature was dishing out. I was taking long pulls and liking it! Pain is good! So, at 2 hours 45 minutes we finished the ride. Not the 3 1/2 we set out to do but it didn't matter, we were spent!  My hips and legs we pounding, but I was smiling. I hadn't worked that  hard since I got worked over by Baumann down in Sac-a-tomatoe last month. It was like those early season Dutch rides I used to do before getting tossed into the Spring Classics. This is what I relish, what I miss, why I race. Some of you can time trial. Some can climb like goats and leave me far behind. But when things are cliking the wind, rain and brutality are mine! So,the question is why do I dread this first ride so much? Hmmm.

I forgot the sunscreen! We met in Mountain Gate and did a group ride through the redding area along the back roads. Rolling terrain with sunny 76 degree weather. Headed out for a 3 hour tour and ended up riding 3:45 hrs. Those darn hills seem to slow things down a bit! Great to see the Redding area riding opportunities. Some of the Redding area rides can be found at www.mapmyride.com

For those of you who don't feel like having your asses kicked at Paskenta tomorrow (like me) we are doing a ride in Redding tomorrow, Sunday. About 9 of us so far are meeting at the Mountain Gate store, just north of Redding on th e  east side of the exit, at 10:00. The terrain will be rolling to hilly and the weather should be a scorching 70 and sunny. We plan on riding for 4 hours and then head for home. Be there if you can!

I went up to Sacramento to ride with Bauman, to talk tactics, and go ten bloody rounds with Chris.  He is in really good shape and we took turns killing it out to Folsom Lake (about 85 mi.), after 60 mi Chris had a surprise for me when our new teammate Colin picked us up for the bike trail/race track back to town.  They squeezed every ounce of glycogen out of these old legs and sent me home wimpering.  Five hours and a half dozen burritos burned.  Today I did five more with the local idjits ( climbing @350w).  I think I'm done now. Looking foward to a crit in Sac and the 100-mile road race in Chico.  Why don't you all load up a couple rigs and come on down to sunny Chico for your first 100 miler. It will be a blast.  Bauman can win this and we'll take that trophy back to the brew pub where it belongs.  

Later, Shaun Locker

This Sun. (stuper-bowl) some of us are talking about crashing this 100 mile mostly flat race / ride down in Chico that usually pulls about 200 riders...Bauman and Locker are going to be there and promise to keep it under 40 mph until the end.....If it's not windy, it should be pretty easy to sit in a big pack all day, right? Check out the info at...chicocyclist.blogspot.com/2008/12/paskenta-centuryroad-race-february-1st.html