3 days into cuba training camp

3 great days of training under my belt since arriving in Cuba on Tuesday.  As indicated by some of the reviews that were posted on some travel sites, the hotel that we are staying at would definitely not be up to the standards of either my wife or Brian's, but it is great for cyclists on a budget!  There is plenty of food, it is pretty healthy, and the poor taste and bland food helps to cut weight!  The rooms are clean, we have A/C and we can drink the water out of the taps, so I am happy as a clam.

So far the weather has been great.  We had a little bit of rain this morning, some cloud yesterday, but most of today and Tuesday were sunny and hot.

Some local riders latched onto the group pretty early and have been showing us the local routes and pushing the pace to see if they can crack a few canucks :P  It is really interesting to see the gear that these guys have because apparently there isn't even a bike shop in varadero to buy any cycling stuff even if one has the money...  Looks like most of the locals have been gifted cycling kits from Canadians and other riders that come down here for training camps.  It is really interesting to see a guy riding tires that are shredded and patched on a carbon fibre frame and then the guy next to him is riding a full steel bike 10-speed (not the 10-speed in the sense that the cassette has 10 cogs, but 5 cogs on the rear... a true 10 speed!) with steel handlebars and no bar tape!

I think that my father would love it down here in Cuba.  There are lots of old classic american cars that look like they have been pretty well maintained, the beer and cigarrettes are cheap, and people smoke everywhere!  The people are friendly, the food is cheap, and the weather is beautiful year-round.  I have to say that I like cuba a lot better than Mexico so far for everything except for the food (but it may be better at nicer hotels).  Probably the crowning jewel of Cuba... no loud obnoxious Americans!

Internet runs around 8CAD/hour and is pretty slow, so posts are likely to be a little on the thin side while I am down here.  Not to mention that the weather is so nice that I don't particularly feel like sitting inside on a computer during the day!

So far, this is definitely the best training camp I have been on yet and for the price, I think that this might be a good way to get onto more training camps while it is cold and snowy in the winter without upsetting my dear wife by being on the road all year long.  I am thinking taht I could probably sell her on a couple of weeks/year at an all inclusive in Cuba or something comparable... :D

Travel preparations

So, as I am starting to think about getting ready to travel to Cuba for the CCA Para-Cycling training camp on Monday, I thought that I would weigh my bike box to see whether I will be able to travel with it under the charter flight baggage restrictions.  About 5 years ago I purchased this really nice hard case that can carry 2 bikes in it so that I could protect my gear and save money by cramming everything into one box.  About 2 years later, all of the new baggage restrictions came into play and I was still able to put 2 frames with wheels into the box, but I had to strip cranks, pedals and seats out of the box and put them into my suitcase to meet the weight limits.

 

Going to Cuba, we are flying a charter flight run by SunWing and apparently we can have 2 bags at a max of 20kg each and one bike weighing a max of 20kg for a fee of 30$ each way.  I threw my bike box onto a scale this morning with the padding that I would normally put into the case and it weighs 19kg... My bike weighs 7kg... so, at a cost of 12$/extra KG I could use this bike box for a mere 72$ each way. 

 

Off to Bow cycle to get a cardboard box for free...  Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones.

World championships moved again...

So, I got a phone call from Larry last night letting me know that Columbia has bailed on organizing the para cycling world championships this year. The UCI really needs to get its act together.  Last year spain bailed with only a few months notice and then this year the same story again!?!

So, road worlds will be in Quebec (I am really tired of going to that province) and track worlds are to be held in Nov or Dec at a location to be determined at a later date...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Contintental breakfast?

How many times have you been to a hotel with a free "continental breakfast" that turned out to be some stale pastries with instant coffee?  I am at The Matrix Hotel in Edmonton (thanks to my lovely wife's tip) and what you see is only half of the spread included in the free breakfast. The service, the rooms, and the location are fantastic and if you use expedia to book, you will get a discounted rate.  Www.matrixedmonton.com

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Last day of the camp

The photo above is actually from yesterday when we rode out to Saguaro national park where we had a photo shoot with canadian cyclist and Louis Garneau.  Apparently, Louis Garneau is going to be putting photos of national team athletes in a bunch of magazines this year...

The photo shoot ended up breaking up the ride and most riders stopped for a coffee and then went back to the hotel.  Something that I learned last year is that training camps can be great for augmenting one's training, however discipline is required to avoid common trapping that could throw off your training.  Earlier this week, we were climbing to the top of Mt. Lemmon and at one point the group started to ride itlike a race.  During a training camp like this, it is important to ride the pace that you need to ride even when other are going faster or slower than you need to go.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Tan lines..

So, after seeing this guy (Spencer Smitheman) my dear wife should never complain about my tan lines again!  She once threatened to hold me down and rub fake tanner on me to get rid of the tan lines.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

recovery ride before the climb

Today was a pretty easy recovery ride, just over 2 hours on pretty flat terrain.  My legs were still a little fatigued from the 5+ hours yesterday, so the rest was welcome.

 

Tonight we are having some sort of a photo shoot for all CCA athletes that are at the camp.  This means that the CCA will stop using that terrible photo that they took of me almost 4 years ago!  I am pretty excited about that because I really hate the photo that they have been posting on web sites and using for accreditation at events...

 

Staying at the new place that is closer to the CCA hotel has really made a difference in allowing me to rest and recover after training.  Today I was finally able to get in for a much needed massage.  My shoulders and legs were a total mess from going the first 10 days of training without any massage.

 

 

new accommodations and a great ride...

No pictures today as I don't have internet access at the new place I am staying at (I am actually borrowing someone's computer to make this post).  I finally bit the bullet and paid for a place in Tucson that is pretty close to the hotel where the CCA is staying to avoid the 50 min commute each way from Green Valley.  The chateau McD was awesome while I was riding on my own (why didn't I come down here sooner!) but all of my stretching, recovery, and other things that I should have been doing were suffering due to the commute.

Yesterday I missed the group ride since I was moving my stuff over to the new place, but I did a pretty solid 3.5 hour ride up Mt Lemmon.  It is a pretty famous climb among cyclists in North America as it is close to Tucson and it is a pretty steady climb for 25 miles!

Today was a pretty solid ride as well as we clocked just over 5 hours and something like 145km.  Between the two rides I burned 6500 calories :)  I am hoping that this training camp is going to help me in my efforts to lose some weight and get a little more competitive in the 2010 season.

First IST Session of the camp

As the limits of athletes are continually being pushed farther and performance differences on the podium are often in the fractions of percentage points, the role of sport specialists is becoming more pronounced at the elite level every year. As part of the support provided by the Canadian Cycling Association on this camp, several sport specialists have been invited to share their expertise with the team on topics ranging from nutrition to recovery strategies. Today was the first IST session with recovery specialist (and former Speed Skating Olympian) Susan Massitti (Far right in photo)

The first topic being covered off was contrasting baths. I am guessing that most people are aware of the concept of applying cold to injuries, however this technique is supposed to help with flushing out all of the bad stuff that builds up in your muscles during intense exercise.

The first ones to jump into the garbage cans filled with ice and water were these brave ladies. Bravo! Unfortunately, my swim trunks were a 45 minute drive away so I was unable to participate... darn!

Here is where the contrast comes in... into the hot tub, before hitting the ice bucket again!

Chillin' at the summit

Here with a few of the others in the lead group chatting, eating and drinking before heading down.  It was waaaay warmer than at the observatory yesterday.

The time passed a lot faster on the ride today since I wasn't out all alone.  The 45 minute drive each way will get tiresome very quick though...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

First ride with the cca camp

Once we hit the base of Mt. Lemmon, we split into three groups and the first couple of groups went up 14 miles and then turned around.  I stayed with the first group, but the extra 15 pounds around my waist were very apparent as we were climbing.  Total ride time was 3 hours 20 minutes.  Tonight we have a specialist that is going to talk to us about recovery techniques.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

I heart mountains....

I felt a little like I did at the summit of kilimanjaro today as I wanted to sit down and enjoy the view... But I didn't bring enough warm clothes to do so...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

But what a view!

The view during the climb was quite spectacular.  On the way down I was a little more focused on keeping the shiny side up as I watched for sand and ice of the road...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Yes... That is snow

So, it is amazing how many of the little things one can forget after riding in a basement for several months... Like bringing a warm jacket to put on for the ride down the mountain while you are all wet and sweaty from the climb up...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ride pic 2

About 75km and 5000ft of elevation gain later.... There is the litttle white bump again!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ride pic 1

Today was a real bag drive of a ride.  In this photo, I am already 15km into the ride and headed to the observatory on the mountain behind the one centred in the foreground of this photo.  There is a small white bump in the distance and that is where I am headed...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

View from mid point

Yesterday was 72.5 km, almost as long as the day before, but less climbing.  Headed to the SW towards Arivanca Lake and met a very friendly bunch from the border patrol.  The border patrol has quite an imposing presence near green valley.  I see at least a dozen patrol vehicles each time I head out.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

First ride outdoors of 2010!

Yesterday was the first time out on the road for me in 2010.  It felt great to be out on the road rather than fixed to a stationary trainer in my dark home theatre room.  The day started off as quite cold and wet with some hail in the early afternoon.  I chose to stay inside and relax for the first part of the day.  Thanks to the wonders of the hour-by-hour forecast, I was pretty confident that things would clear up and I could have a nice ride just before sunset and I was right!

 

You can see in the photo that I took of myself that my phone is not easy to take photos of yourself with... have to hit the middle of the touch screen, which is not easy while riding! (see shadow in background)

 

 

test photo upload

Testing a feature for uploading photos since my last post didn’t work...

 

Cold and rainy in Tucson

So, I landed in Tucson last night for the start of my 2 weeks down here, first on my own and then as part of a Canadian Cycling Association training camp.  Thanks to the McD family, I have a great 3 bedroom condo with a car to stay in!

 

The plan was to come down here to get away from the cold and get some serious base miles in.  I went shopping this morning while it was cold and raining hoping to wait out the rain before riding.  Came back, started putting the bike together and it started hailing!  I am happy to see that I am nearly 20C warmer than Calgary, but shouldn’t it be a little warmer here than in Victoria!?!

 

Rain is supposed to break at 4 and then I’ll hit the road...