Bissell Training Camp - Day 6

This morning we did a "media session." A bunch of folks from www.cyclingnews.com, www.roadbikereview.com, and local folks like Veronika Lenzi. Then it was time for some good riding.

Most of the day was pretty chill. We went out to Pope Valley and then rode the ToC stage 1 course back in. Parts of the sections were "at your own pace," which for the climbers ment... well, you get the idea. Tonight is out big dinner at the Rivieria.

Bissell Training Camp - Day 5

Over the past few days Team Bissell has had Bill Peterson from Foot Fitness work with our bike positions. At first, I did not know what to expect since I already felt "comfortable" on the bike. Even when asked about problems, I initially responded with "none." In hindsight, I replied "none" because all of the knee and back pains that I did have I attributed to fatigue or a lack of core strength. But as it turns out, there is a morphological reason for both. So, I now know that my left foot pronates pretty far, and that as I put power into the pedal, my foot flattens out and twists my leg and does all sorts of not-so-good things to my back. Additionally, my left foot turns in 2 degrees while my right foot points straight forward. So Bill then fixed my Speedplay Zero cleats on my new DMT Radial shoes to exactly the position that my feet needed. Another thing that Bill is working on is a custom footbed that will eliminate my pronation. That should straighten out my back and put an end to the pain that I thought was caused by lack of core strength. I'll keep you posted on that once it arrives.

After the bike fitting, we ventured off to Cavedale to get a nice effort in for the day. It was a beautiful ride over Bennette Valley and over Cavedale. We also were graced with the presence of Santa Rosa's Italian Cycling connection, Giampaolo Peces from the Riviera Ristorante.

Here is a picture Mr. Paul Mach. He is enjoying an EFS Peanutbutter Chocolate Chip energy bar. Those who know me know that I am a peanut butter fanatic and can vouch for the tastiness of their bars.



After getting back from the ride it was time for some interviews with the local TV stations. Here is BJM talking about why Santa Rosa makes a great place to have training camp. I can sum it up in a few words though... short sleeves and shorts in January!!! Oh yeah, and the great roads, scenic trails, and cycling friendly city.


Afterwards we went for a ride to Occidental with our sponsors. It was really nice to get to meet the people that make the team possible. But what really stood out was that fact that their companies are involved with the sport because of the healthy lifestyles associated with cycling. Mark Bissell explained that Bissell is a huge believer in healthy living, which is what their vacuum cleaners and other cleaning appliances do for us. They help make our homes cleaner and thus healthier to live in. Advantage Benefits also believes in healthy living since they work with healthcare for corporations and have first hand knowlege of the financial benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Gita also believes in healthy lifestyles and promotes it by importing top of the line sporting goods such as our frames, components, saddles, stems, bars, shoes, and clothing. Wynalda Litho also, believes in promoting healthy lifestyles. You may have never heard of them before, but I gaurentee you have purchased their products hundreds of times in your lifetime. Their primary product is packaging for movies. So look at your DVD collection and most of that you see (besides the disk) is thiers. Kellogs is slo kicking in healthy foods such as cereals and Nutragrain bars. Once again, healthy lifestyles!

After the ride was some good food. First Endurance Ultragen recovery drink, fruit, sandwiches, and Kellogs Nutragrain bars.

Tomorrow will be another day of eating, riding, media-ing, and other fun stuff!

Bissell Training Camp - Day 4

Today was the first day of training camp that had a real training day. We went up to and did the infamous Geysers. It was quite fun to do the climb with a bunch of guys that literally, do this for a living. Ben and Andy JM lead the climbers up the back side of the hill while the rest of us.... sprinters ;-) kept our own tempo. So that was a fun and fast journey up the hill. The decent was also plenty fun. Following Ben down was also a nice learning curve. The team decends very gracefully and very fast. But I got to say, I feel much more confident on the Prince then other bikes I have ridden. It is definately built for speed, both ascending and descending.

Another highlight of the ride was on the way back in. I got to talk with Frank Pipp about my kind of riding.. one day racing where speed trumps climbing. I definitely was a little concerned about not keeping with the climbers up Geysers but after talking to him about some of the racing he has experiences, (i.e. Stillwater Criterium), I was glad to hear that climbing IS NOT EVERYTHING when it comes to cycling. Both him and Kirk O'bee are new sprinters to the team that have a laundry list of pro wins. With any luck, I will have the chance to learn a lot form these guys. Anyway, Pipp reminded me that climbing is a specialty, like time trialing or stage racing, that sure I have to do, but I don't have to be the best at it to be successful. Our kind of racing is about pure speed. Pure speed is a different kind of skill that doesn't necessarily make one a good cllimber. So for the 90% of races that are not pure climber courses, a sprinter will do very well.



I also got the chance to test the Easton EC70 SL. These were sure fun to ride with today. They definately feel fast, no question. They also break extremely nice. Two thumbs up with a huge smile from me for these babies!

Bissell Training Camp - Day 3

I am tired so I'll post more photos and use less words. So today's training camp went like this...


Wait for the van to leave for the photo shoot in Paul's hotel room.

Sit around and wait for our turn to get photos done...
Stare at the Ferrari type bikes next to my beat up old truck....


Watch our photographer try not to fall off the roof of the van.... while waiting for him to take our pictures.

Sneak a picture of Tom while getting ready for another photo shoot.

Oh yeah, we rode about an hour too. Just spinning out the legs before tomorrows ride.

Lastly, thanks to the Riviera for another wonderful dinner!

Bissell Training Camp - Day 2

Today started off well. We met in the late morning for a good breakfast at the team hotel. Most of the team then worked on their new bikes, but since I already had mine as of last Friday, I got to lounge a bit. Then shortly after 11:00AM, we set off for a coffee run.... in Healdsburg. We stopped at the world famous Flying Goat, for some of their french press brew and goat barz. Very tasty indeed.

There seemed to be a lot of interest in the team at the Flying Goat. I mean, how often do you see $80,000 worth of new bikes sitting in front of a coffee shop?

This was the view for a lot of the ride. It was a recovery day for most since they were just trying to get used to their new whips. There was even a Belle Velo gal that passed us on the way back into Santa Rosa. But in all fairness, she was probably on EPO or something.





Now it is off to photo land!