Good News . . . Bad News . . .

The Good News . . . we receivied official notification today that we were selected to participate in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race. About 1,000 riders are selected from over 10,000 entries.


[Eagerly anticipated entry confirmation postcard]
The Bad News?

We receivied official notification today that we were selected to participate in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race!

No more weaseling when we don't feel like working - "we might not even get in, so why work so hard."

Nope, we're really in.

Let the suffering begin!

It Just Isn't Fair

Okay. I realize that I live in Colorado. And that we have had a really mild winter.

Today, for instance, it was about 65 degrees.

Today is also Thursday. Do I care if it is 65 degrees on a Thursday?

NO.

I do not. I'm a worker bee and I spent from 7 am until 5 pm in a windowless office working on my computer and yammering on conference calls.

Tomorrow is going to be about 60 degrees.

I will also spend tomorrow in my windowless cell.

But on Saturday . . . oh yeah. On Saturday we'll get all geared up and go for a 4 hour bike ride. Depending on the weather report you read, the high temperature will be somewhere between 54 and 49 degrees.

Sunday will be cool and potentially snowy, dooming me to another 2 hour sweat-fest in the basement.

C'mon. That just isn't fair.

Can we get some cooperation from those crazy Canadian cold fronts? I'll gladly let them bluster and blow from Monday through Friday if I can get 60 degree weather on the weekends. . . !

Power Meters

There are several power meters on the market now.

SRM Training System, a torque-measuring crankset that replaces your present model

PowerTap, a torque-measuring hub that you build into a wheel
Ergomo Sport, a torque-measuring bottom bracket available in Campagnolo square-taper or Shimano OctaLink

Polar S-710i or CS600, uses a chain vibration sensor that mounts on the right chainstay

iBike Pro, a handle-bar mounted power meter that measures the cyclist's output by measuring opposing forces

Quarq, a torque measuring device that mounts on the crankset spider

Brim Brothers, a force measuring system mounted under the cyclist's shoe

Each model has unique benefits.

I was very interested in getting a power meter, but my Scots blood [I’m frugal – or as some have been known to say – cheap!] was extremely averse to shelling out the cash for either of the two highly rated models – the SRM or the PowerTap. A PowerTap (which requires a specially built hub/wheel combination) costs more than many people will ever spend on a complete bike. That just seemed silly to me. Also, there is a significant weight penalty with either the SRM or PowerTap.

After doing some research, I settled on the iBike Pro. I just received it in the mail on Wednesday evening.

The iBike measures:
power [avg. & max values];
calories burned [or kilojoules];
wind speed;
hill gradient;
altitude;
elevation gained;
trip distance;
trip time;
bike speed [avg. & max values];
and temperature.

That’ll bring out the number geek lurking inside me!

The device appears easy enough to install, but it has a few calibration steps that need to be performed before I can use it. You need to set:
your weight – you+bike+gear;
altitude;
tilt angle;
and do a “coast down” to measure frictional forces.

I'll report on how the calibration/installation goes in my next post . . .