Elite Men Road Archives - Page 2 of 4

Nerd Bomb: Rotational weight and the lies we have been fed for years

September 30th, 2019 by JoAnn Cranson

This short article will teach you what matters and what doesn’t when it comes to “Rotational Weight”. Since the dawn of lightweight bike stuff, we have been fed the adage that lightweight bike parts will make you go faster and if that thing is spinning it matters a whole lot more than if it isn’t. Unfortunately, this is a gross oversimplification. If you can make it through this quick physics lesson you will know what is worth spending your hard-earned money on and what isn’t.

Let’s review why weight matters on flat land. When you are moving along the road you have kinetic energy (measured in joules if we are keeping it metric). In order to get up to that speed you had to apply more power (Watts) than the road and the wind were exerting against you. That power went into your kinetic energy. If kinetic energy did not exist then you would immediately accelerate up to your desired speed. Once you are up to speed and your kinetic energy is constant, weight doesn’t matter anymore.

There are 2 types of kinetic energy that we care about on the bike, translational and rotational (formula below).

Definition of Translational Kinetic energy in words: Intrinsic energy you and your gear have by moving across the earth. Notice that speed is squared. This is partly why you can accelerate 0-15 mph a lot faster than 15-30 mph. All the mass counts for this part.

Definition of Rotational Kinetic Energy in words: Intrinsic energy the spinning stuff has. You must put energy in just to spin it. Only the spinning mass counts.

When you travel down the road (or trail) your kinetic energy is a summation of both. Therefore:

This also means that spinning stuff counts twice!

Important side note: Translational kinetic energy is a lot larger than rotational.

Now let’s define Moment of Inertia: A quantity expressing a body’s tendency to resist angular (spinning) acceleration. The 2 parts of Moment of inertia are the weight of this object and how far it is from the center of rotation. In fact this distance is squared. See formula below. Therefore the radius becomes significantly more important as it grows as does the mass of the object.

This should be the part of the article where I calculate (and graph) the rotational kinetic energy of all spinning bike components at different speeds. I will spare you that level of boredom. Unless of course I get enough comments on facebook asking for it ;). What I will do is boil it down to make it simple.

Tires, tubes (or sealant), and rims matter;

shoes matter a little;

everything else is negligible.

Finally, let’s talk about going uphill. When going uphill your mass will pull you downward. The relationship is linear. The kicker is that gravitational force does not care if something is spinning. Furthermore, lets remember that kinetic energy only “holds you back” when you accelerate with respect to the ground. If you are slowing down (and hence using your kinetic energy to overcome air resistance and mechanical drag for a time) like you would if you are hitting the bottom of the climb going fast, then having more kinetic energy is actually helpful! Therefore, rotational weight is not more important while climbing.

Whew, you made it! That was a proper Nerd Bomb. But now you are smarter for it. Congratulations! Let me know in the comments if you agree or think I am letting the gel go to my head. Nerd out.

Kickr “Climb” – Adjusting Difficulty Setting

September 24th, 2019 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Todd Anthes

The subject of a prior blog discussed the benefits of the Wahoo Kickr Climb (the “Climb”) as aiding in the recovery of my back injury. In short, the Climb adjusts to the gradient of a virtual hill by replacing your front wheel in a trainer setting. The default trainer difficulty setting of the Climb is 50% of the actual grade of the virtual hill. I think the intent is to not have the device working more than necessary and to smooth out the virtual experience/ride.

I primarily ride the Climb on Zwift. All of the Zwift worlds have climbs of varying gradients. The theory of the trainer difficulty setting is that a lower slope setting will reduce shifting and allow a rider to put more power out on the descents. And while this makes sense to me, I fail to see why a rider wouldn’t want the actual slope setting. I didn’t give this much thought and was happy to have the forced position change which I think helps my back.

When I start with new technology, I usually run everything “standard” until I am comfortable with it. I am now comfortable with the Climb and have started to experiment with the trainer difficulty setting. I fail to see why a rider wouldn’t want the Climb to not simulate the actual slope regardless of trainer difficulty. And as previously mentioned, the two biggest selling points of the Climb for me are the reminder of the ergonomic simulation of body and bike position on gradients and increased rider feel for the indoor effort.

I am still playing with the trainer difficulty setting on my virtual rides, but this article (https://zwiftinsider.com/kickr-climb-trainer-difficulty/) has been essential in my experience with such settings. For example, I have a recurring workout that requires repeats of six minutes climbs at a specific power. Given that I don’t have a six-minute climb near where I live, I often do this workout on my trainer. I have been playing with the trainer difficulty setting on the Climb and it has positive impact on the workout.

The jury is still out for me on what is the “best” trainer difficultly setting, but the referenced article is a great way to increase the viability of your trainer session.

Six Mechanical Things to Check When Buying a Used Bike

September 20th, 2019 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Robert Munro

There are a lot of things to consider when buying a used bike. Fit and specs are undoubtedly important. However, this is a quick guide on what Mechanical Things to check for when buying a used bike. It is not a deal breaker if you find that one or more of these things is not up to your standard. What is important to realize is that these wear items cost money to rectify. You don’t want to spend $400 on a sweet new ride, only to have to take it to the shop for an equally expensive bill for maintenance and parts. Therefore, I have also included a rough estimate of what it cost to replace the part yourself and what it might cost at a shop (Don’t come crying to me when you have to pay $30 for a chain instead of $25, this is just an estimate).Chain ($25 DIY/$45 shop)

1. Making sure the chain is in good condition is important because it is indicative of other problems. Look for signs of rust. Mild rust can usually be cleared up with a healthy dose of lubricant but any more than that and I would replace it. See if the chain is especially grimy. Again, this one is usually not a bad deal but an exceptionally dirty chain can wear through a cassette quickly. Finally, use a chain checker to see if it is stretched (~$11 on the internet or ask a friend if you can borrow theirs). If any of these problems are severe, pay close attention to the next one.

2. Cassette and Chain Rings (Cassette ($50 DIY/$80 shop), Chain rings ($150 DIY/$200 shop)!!!)

These get expensive fast! Don’t ask me why (look at your chain rings). Look for gouging on the “load” side of the teeth. This is the side that the chain makes hard contact with. Worn down teeth will impair shifting and even cause you to skip gears. (Not fun when sprinting out of the saddle).

3. Tires ($100 DIY/$120 shop)

Look for a little indicator hole to show wear (for road). Look for squaring of the top of the profile. Finally, look for tiny cuts in the tread and sidewall. Good tires drastically improve your ride. In my opinion it is some of the best dollars spent on a bike. Don’t overlook it.

4. Cables/Housing ($25 DIY/$85 shop)

Pull both brakes and shift the bike when it is off the ground. Really pay attention to how easily the gears shift and the brakes feel. Also look at the exterior of the housing and where is enters and exits the frame. Cuts and fraying can be indicative of a poor running system.

5. Bar tape ($20 DIY/$40 shop)

One of the three contact points on the bike. There is no reason to neglect it. Don’t ride with old tape!!

6. Rotating stuff (bottom brackets and wheel hubs) ($Depends$)

Spin the cranks and wheels slowly to check for any grinding. You can also feel for this during your test ride. The other way to look for damage is to forcefully try to move the wheel or crank “Outward”. For the wheels, grab the top of the rim with one hand and the frame with the other. Then pull the wheel towards the frame. If you can wobble the wheel significantly on the bike, then the hubs may need an adjustment or replacement. All wheels will pull a little bit but if it pulls more than 1 cm (3/8”) then you may want to be concerned. The cranks can be tested in much the same way. Any movement sideways here is bad.

Some final thoughts:

First: TAKE YOUR TIME!! Don’t be in a rush. Check these things over slowly. Signs of damage often don’t pop out quickly. Look at every tooth, every inch of tire, and every link of chain. The seller won’t mind (assuming there is nothing to hide).

Second: Be respectful. Don’t berate the bike (or for goodness sake the seller). You may likely see this person again. The cycling community is small. The things you found are discussion points not evidence in a crime. These things will help with negotiations, but the seller does not have to adjust the price.

Happy Hunting!

The Kickr “Climb” Helped My Recovery

September 17th, 2019 by JoAnn Cranson

By Todd Anthes

I’m still recovering from a back injury and have had to examine a number of factors to help me get back on track and not exacerbate the injury while riding. Oddly enough, one of items that has assisted is the Wahoo Kickr Climb (the “Climb”).

The Climb pairs with a Wahoo smart trainer (in place of your front wheel) and changes the gradient in conjunction with the hills on your virtual ride. The default setting of the Climb is 50% of the actual gradient of the virtual hill. You can set the ratio to 1:1 (or another ratio), but this will be the subject of an entire blog itself.

After my injury I spent a lot of time on the trainer as I could control my environment. Put another way, I couldn’t fall and risk injury. However, one of the negative factors of spending a lot of time on the trainer is that I didn’t change my position much. As I would get bored on the trainer I would tend to slouch. This puts my back in a compromised position and certainly does not help in my recovery.

In addition to a new fit, changing my saddle, and working on not slouching, the Climb was something I was very interested in trying as I thought it would force position changes on my saddle. The theory being that forcing a change in my position would not drive myself into dysfunction.

I used the Climb for my entire 2018-2019 winter season, including many rides of 3 hours or more. I’m pleased to report that the device has met its intended purpose. As the Climb adjusts to the gradient of the virtual hills, my position on the saddle also is forced to adjust. When the Climb adjusts to the gradient, it is also a great reminder to check my form.

I wholeheartedly endorse the Climb as a tool to enhance your training experience, as well as making longer trainer rides more tolerable. The forced change of your position on the saddle replicates the outdoor experience to a certain degree and can also serve as a reminder to pay attention to your form.

Joe Bianchini

July 12th, 2019 by Jim Allan

Part 3: Coming Back

October 30th, 2018 by Kaitlyn Patterson

By Collin Snyder, Team Athletic Mentors cyclist

Continued from Part 1: A Dark Road and Part 2: Hope on the Horizon

A little after 3 weeks after surgery and 7 weeks since I first came in, things were finally heading in the right direction. I was putting on weight, eating real food, and ready to go home. Upon release, I set a goal for myself that I would finish Iceman this year. Some of my teammates looked at me skeptical but said they’d cheer me on.

First outdoor ride!

Five weeks post-op, I got on my bike for the first time. I rode for just over 20 minutes and I was exhausted. My power output was less than a third what it once was, yet my heart rate neared race efforts. It was great and demoralizing at the same time. The next day, I rode up to my local bike shop to say hello. I managed around a 15 mph pace (with a tailwind) at a hard effort and had to hang out for the next hour to prepare for the half hour return trip.

Each day, I was able to go a little harder, a little longer. Three weeks after getting on the bike, I rejoined my Monday Night Crew. That night we rode for nearly 30 miles, and I even found myself pulling at the front. Each time I logged into Zwift, I would have to slide my FTP bar slightly higher to ensure I was working out in the proper zones. After each ride, I look at my power curve and see a new personal best. On one Monday night group ride, my buddy titled his ride on Strava as “Last ride ever where I’ll be faster than Collin.”

On top of a climb on the Harlow Lake trails in Marquette during my first MTB trip post-op with the guys

I feel great now. I am now back up to my old weight, I can eat just about anything I want without fear of it causing me pain and symptoms. My fears of never being able to race again have passed. My power levels are now to the point where I have to adjust my overall Iceman goal. No longer is the goal just to finish, but to place in my age group. I’ll be doing it with gears for the first time in 9 years, but I think I have a slight excuse.

Once again, I want to thank all the wonderful people in my life who helped out while I was out of commission. My wife, for being there at my side through the darkest hours. My parents for daily visits and helping out my wife with child care each night. Friends pitched in to set up a meal service for my wife and toddler. People teamed up to mow my yard and weed my garden. Heck, one of my riding buddies did a full tuneup and detailing of my mountain bike. The outpouring of love and support was overwhelming. I feel blessed to have the friends and family I do.

Living with an ostomy is not the scarlet letter I had envisioned. Off the bike, I feel completely normal. No longer am I eyeing where the bathroom is at every new place I visit. I can sit at work and actually work straight without having to get up every 20 minutes. I can dress in the same clothes I’ve always worn. On the bike, its not the death sentence I thought it was going to be. With support groups online such as the Facebook group “Ostomy Lifestyle Athletes,” I’ve learned ways to adapt to my new body. My fears of constant dehydration have not materialized. Most importantly, I’m back home with my wife and children enjoying life. Comparing the alternative, I am completely happy with my decision to go ahead with surgery.

I have gone back and forth whether or not I wanted to share my story, but if this can give just one person hope, then this amount of sharing is worth it. While I sat in that hospital bed, I scoured the internet looking for any high level athlete who managed to compete with an ostomy. I really didn’t find much which only added to my fears and anxiety. If you are reading this and in the same uncomfortable hospital bed as I was, let this give you hope. Life will get better, and you will once again do what you love.

Selfie, home with my Daughter

If you have persistent GI issues, see a doctor right away. Early treatment can spare you from what I had to go through. If are interested in learning more about Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis visit these sites for information:

U-M Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program

Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation

“Ostomy Lifestyle Athletes” Facebook page

Part 2: Hope on the Horizon

October 29th, 2018 by Kaitlyn Patterson

By Collin Snyder, Team Athletic Mentors cyclist

Continued from Part 1: A Dark Road

That night, after running to the bathroom for the upteenth time, I looked in the mirror and could barely recognize the frail body in front of me. I could see every rib, my eyes were sunken in, and I felt as bad as I looked. At this point, I could barely lift my girls, hadn’t been on the bike in over a month, and could barely muster a few laps down the hall without feeling exhausted. I was so weak, and nearing a month since my first day in the hospital with no improvement, I knew what I had to do. I had to accept my fate. Although it was less than an ideal outcome, it would lead to a path of healthiness and out of this hospital.

Surgery went well. My surgeon said that my colon was one of the worst he’d ever saw that didn’t rupture. He said that if I wouldn’t have had the surgery, it probably would have ruptured within a week and sepsis could have set in. The next day when I woke up, I felt as if a cancer had been removed from my body. Everyone who saw me that day said I looked a million times better. I started to have hope.

A couple days later, the first complication arrived. I started to get extremely nauseous and then started vomiting everything that I had ate or drank since surgery. That is when they found out I had an ileus. At the basic level, its a side effect from surgery where the guts just go into this dormant state and there is nothing they can do about it except to wait it out. While you wait for your guts to wake up, they put a tube down your nose, into your stomach to suck out any stomach acid and bile that gets produced which would lead to further vomiting. This meant no fluids or food until it was removed. They placed me on IV nutrition to slow my starvation process down. I kept losing weight along with my spirit. I was down to 116 lbs, about 50 lbs less than my race weight. At one point, both my parents and wife were scared I may not make it.

One thin face

This continued for weeks. There would be signs that my guts were ready to wake up, only to go back to a dormant state. Online, everything says an ileus should last for 2-14 days. Mine lasted for 3 weeks. Going that long without food makes you feel less and less human. Nurses who were on vacation would come into my room and be surprised to see me saying “you’re still here?”

During this time, there were so many dark and depressing days. You become bitter at those who eat and drink garbage, while I lived a clean life, yet I’m the one sitting in the hospital. It’s hard when you go from a top local cyclist to someone who can barely get out of bed. Luckily I have an amazing wife, parents and friends who would visit me daily to keep me going. My “Monday Night Crew” who I’ve ridden with nearly every Monday for the past decade decided to surprise me and ride to the hospital one night for a visit. So many people from the cycling world would text or call me asking if there was anything they could do to help. Any visit would momentarily take my mind off the reality I was living. My number one dose of hope was the visits from my two year old daughter who was always happy to see me. Without the amazing people in my life, I’m not sure how I would have gotten through this dark time.

A happy moment in the hospital

Check back tomorrow for the last chapter in my road to recovery.

Part 1: A Dark Road

October 27th, 2018 by Kaitlyn Patterson

By Collin Snyder, Team Athletic Mentors cyclist

On the first Saturday in November, I will line up for the most important race of my life. I’ve raced Iceman every year for about a decade but this year will be different. I know for a fact, I will not even be close to my results of last year, however this will be my biggest victory ever.

Alice and I on the top step for Single Speed at Iceman in 2017 after finishing 2nd in wave 1

One thing most people don’t know about me is back in 2012, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. It’s an autoimmune disease that attacks the digestive tract, and can ravage an otherwise healthy body. That year, I had a bad attack, known as a flare, lost a ton of weight and strength which forced me into the hospital for a few weeks. When I eventually got back on the bike, I had to step back from 100 miler MTB races and temporarily move down a category on the road. However, I got on the right medications, and eventually returned to a normal life. I was symptom free for six years, however good things sometimes must come to an end. This April, I started to have GI issues after taking an antibiotic for a chest infection. After I finished the prescription, I figured the issues would go away. They didn’t.

For the next three months, my symptoms kept getting worse. My GI doctor started giving me stronger and stronger meds, but nothing seemed to help. By late June, it was hard to be focused at work as I would have to stop what I was doing nearly every 20 minutes to run to the bathroom. On 6/22, my anniversary, I had had enough. I called my GI doc and he said to come into my local hospital to receive IV steroids. Steroids are used as a strong immunosuppressant to keep my body from attacking itself. During my last flare, these were the magic bullet and stopped my symptoms nearly instantly. This time around, I wasn’t so fortunate. For the next two weeks they kept loading me up with steroids with little success. I was eventually discharged on July 3rd with nearly the same symptoms that I came in. Five days later, I woke up with a fever of 103.8F and told my wife it was time to go to University of Michigan to see their GI specialist.

After some imaging and analysis of my past medical history, the team at U of M re-diagnosed me with Ulcerative Colitis or UC. In the grand scheme of things, this is a slightly better diagnosis because UC can essentially be cured by surgery while with Crohn’s, a diseased organ can be removed only to have the disease pop up somewhere else in the digestive tract.

For the next two weeks, they did everything they could. At first, things were looking promising. I was given a super powerful drug (at nearly $20,000 a dose) and some of my blood tests started to improve. There was talk of discharging me the following week and they decided to give me one more dose of this drug for good measure. However, the day before my second dose, my blood markers started to go south again. The second dose did nothing. The team repeated some imaging and came to me with some devastating news. The medical and surgical team sat down with somber faces and said I had exhausted all medicine options. They had given me two doses of their biggest guns and imaging showed zero improvement. There was nothing left except for surgery. They would remove my entire large intestines and give me a temporary end ileostomy which means an external bag. I held it together for 2/3rds of the consultation, then I broke down in tears.

I knew that this would result in a cure, however, I was terrified of all the limitations this would lead to.

The day before surgery

For the past 12 years, my life has revolved around cycling and I couldn’t comprehend how those could coexist. The number one reason why people with this surgery end up back in the hospital is due to dehydration. With a healthy body, dehydration is already a constant concern when racing. On the family front, I have two toddlers and I worried how this would affect play time, and even how they saw me. Would I still be their superhero?

Check back tomorrow for the next chapter of my story.

Detroit Cycling Championship Team Recap

September 16th, 2017 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Terry Ritter

September 9^th saw big time bicycle racing return to the Detroit area. The Detroit Athletic Club put on the inaugural Detroit Cycling Championship. This event had a large purse ($45K!), and drew both amateur and pro teams from around the Midwest region and our friends to the east, Canada.

The course was interesting as well, though rather challenging. Three of the main roads used ran the perimeter of Comerica Park, where the Tigers play Major League baseball. Between corners #2 and #3 was a pretty good downhill that generated speeds in excess of 30 mph. From here there was a short section between turns #4 and #5, then #5 and #6, and back onto the long, slight uphill straight. And, being inner streets of a major city, the patched pavement and utility covers were plentiful, with the worst examples of the former on the course’s fast decent. Add a quality prize list and the accomplished riders that show for such a draw, and you’ve got a technical race that was fast and strung out from the gun. Having frequent primes only ramped things up more. Moving up and maintaining position was a challenge, especially since the opportunity to transit through the field of riders was muted by the speed, and dive-bombing corners was a common occurrence.

The ample purse meant a lot of new riders, and opportunities to have different race classes combined compared to the normal Michigan scene. This meant not only grouped category 3s and 4s races, but category 2s and 3s as well. There was also a full masters class. Ultimately, this left the racers on Team Athletic Mentors the opportunity to not only get a couple of events in, but to race with each other when we normally don’t get that chance.

Toeing the line in the combined Cat. 2/3 race was Terry Ritter, Rich Landgraff, Luke Cavender, Collin Snyder, Ross Williams, and Bobby Munro. Like all the races, this one was fast. Collin won a prime early on, then took a flyer to try to get away with three laps to go. However, there was too much horsepower for anything but a sprint finish.

Ross and Bobby were active in their Cat. 3 only race, with Ross attacking for a prime and then Bobby countering the next lap to try to get away. Great to see some tactical racing from our up-and-coming racers.

The Masters race was all three categories (35+, 45+, 55+), and it made for a large field but interesting dynamic. It wasn’t slow by any means (the 35+ group assured that), and there was a national champion kit in the mix as well. Richard, Peter O’Brien, and Terry doubled up (Peter was in the Cat. 3 Masters race earlier), with Jonathan Morgan joining the crew.

Elaine was our sole female Team Athletic Mentor rider and competed in the Cat. 3/4 race, as well as the Cat. P/1/2/3 race. Like the other races, the group was rarely grouped together, and the later race was especially fast. There were a few teams that were recognizable from the National Criterium Championship race earlier in the summer. With this being Elaine’s first year of serious road racing (not to mention criteriums), she did very well and represented the team impressively.

The final event of the day was the Pro/1/2, slated for 80 mins. A lot of big regional teams were there and it was super fast. Dan Yankus, Collin, Peter Ehmann and Jonathan started. Many riders didn’t finish due to the pace. Eventually, a group of 5 got away, including two Bissell Pro riders, that lapped the field. Then, with about 10 laps to go, there was a crash that left a few riders in need of medical attention and the race was halted, only to restart after the break with a fast conclusion. With a $200 prime on the second to last lap, the pace was high…until the group passed the first corner as the last lap bell was ringing. Bissell slowed a bit around corner #2, with Daniel taking advantage and shooting up near the front on the outside. Unfortunately, a number of riders dive bombed the inside corner, pushing Daniel and the Bissell train towards the outside and into the barriers, causing a crash. Fortunately, no one was hurt too badly and the race finished on that lap. Collin came home with 30^th on the evening.

Not getting enough racing for the weekend, Bobby, Daniel, Collin, Terry and Ross headed to Uncle John’s 56 mile gravel race north of Lansing on Sunday. Glen Dik joined the mix. The team was active early, with Daniel finishing fourth out of the small break that got away from the rest of the field. Collin got 6^th overall and Terry came in 13^th, and 3^rd in the 47-51 age group. Elaine and JoAnn Cranson competed in the women’s 24 mile race as well.

There are rumors that next season the Detroit Criterium Championship will be earlier in the season and hopefully on the national cycling calendar. With the positive support and great organization of this year’s inaugural event, there’s little doubt this can grow bigger and better, showcasing the renewal of our great city.

Robert Munro

May 11th, 2017 by Jim Allan