Bike Season 2014 Archives

Three days of good training miles

Last week I took off from racing to catch up on some work around the house and get in three days of long miles on the roads of southern and western Wisconsin. For my chore I had a bicycle that someone gave me for a tune up that really had been left outside a bit too long, so that meant a lot of brushing rust off and plenty of oil to get it to shift and work properly. Safe to say I got it done just in time for the warmer weather.

Saturday 6:45am I was on the road. I was supposed to meet my friend Tim “Skinman” Skinner for a ride to New Glarus but we got our wires crossed and missed each other. I ended up making a big loop ending up in New Glarus so I could have a short run back to Verona after my coffee at the Fat Cat Coffee House. A medium sized cup of Cafe’ Mocha warmed me up and helped shake of the brutal wind that I had to fight for the previous 35 miles. After coffee it was only an 18 mile ride back to Verona with plenty of hills and wind to keep me company. Made it back home by 10:30 just in time to mow the lawn and clean out the garage.

Café Mocha at he Fat Cat Coffee House in New Glarus

Sunday I was at it again, this time with Chip Camillo and Tim. We headed towards Mount Horeb or Horrible as I call it, with the intent of doing the Ironman loop backwards. We got about 20 miles into the ride when click, click, click, my bike started to shift into harder gears. I knew exactly what the problem was—my shift lever had worn out and would need to be rebuilt. So for the next 15 miles I had to manually hold the lever in the gear I wanted to ride in and limp back to Verona for repairs. $15.00 worth of springs, and $18 worth of bar tape later, I had all the goods I needed to rebuild the lever. So the rest of Sunday afternoon I spent rebuilding my shifting lever and putting the ole DeRosa back together again. A couple of Leinies Reds made short work of the job!

Monday finished up my three days of training and boy did I save the best for last! Chip and Tyler Byrnes worked me over something fierce. The wind had died down enough for them to drag me out to Dayton at 26-28 MPH! Now don’t get me wrong I love to go fast but if I have 17 miles of climbing after that? You can guess what happened next. Out the back and trying to chase back on was the work for the rest of the day. After I did manage to catch back on (they stopped and waited for me) I limped back home and fell asleep in the chair.

Next weekend I am planning on doing some more riding with friends. Looks like it could be another 3-4 days of training and mowing the lawn again.

Bikes and Beer:Stories from the 2014 Season-DNF

Three letters you do not want next to your name, DNF. Did Not Finish! The Pedal for Proceeds Bicycle race in Whitewater was on my racing calendar this week. I always look forward to this event because it is usually flat and very fast just the way I like it. It is short as races go just over 23 miles and usually there is a very strong head wind in some direction. This year was no exception as the wind was in our face for the first 3 miles. Ouch!
5 of my Flying Bobcats teammates were along to keep me company on this day and I would need every one of them since the Big Ring Flyers lead by Nate Phelps keep the pressure on by sending folks off the front. Each time an attack was launched Tim Skinner, Dan Valenza or Tyler Byrnes would be there to cover the move. Matt Wurz and I were kept safe in the peleton in case there is a needed bunch sprint. Now that sounds like a good plan and it was working great up until about mile 17. I looked down to see my rear tyre completely flat! My race was done.
With me out of the way it would free up other members of my team to try and finish off a good placing for the team. Matt Wurz got into a good group of three riders with about two mile to go and aided by the other members of the Bobcats blocking and covering any other attacks, Matt was sure to be on the podium! Matt has a real strong finish and his sprint can pack a punch. As the breakaway splintered in the final few hundred meters matt was able to finish off the day with a strong 2nnd place finish for his second podium of the season!

Matt Wurz in the winning breakaway
This was a great day for the Bobcats placing 3 in the top 10 and 4 in the top 15. For the next couple of weeks I will be focusing on training for the Bone ride. I need to do a series of longer faster rides to get the ole legs into riding distance shape and get the Butt use to the saddle a little more. Thanks again for reading.
Pedal For Proceeds Results
2nd Matt Wurz
5th Tyler Byrnes
8th Daniel J Valenza
11th Tim Skinner
54th DNF Matt Hanson 

Stories from the 2014 Bike Season: On and Off Road

Saturday April 19^th started out at 4:00 AM. Up out of bed and getting together my cloths and bike for a 5:30 AM pick up by my good friend Chip Camillo. Plenty of Coffee and warm cloths made up the morning routine. Chip talked me into doing the Dairy Roubaix bike ride in Wyalusing. This style of ride is really catching on around here. The ride incorporates paved surfaces and dirt roads or Pave’ much in the same way of the great French classic, Paris Roubaix. It also provides a wide variety of challenges to the rider from bicycle set up to tyres and air pressures.

I chose to use sew-ups or tubular tyres on a road bike set up. Vittoria Pave’ are made for just this surface and you can run them with very little tyre pressures for comfort on the rough surfaces and smoothness on the paved surfaces. I chose to run 80 PSI in mine. Chip road a cyclocross bicycle which is made more for the dirt road surfaces but not as smooth on the paved surfaces.

We got to Wyalusing at 7:00 AM and after driving around the camp ground for 30 minutes we found the place where we were supposed to be. Hot coffee and oatmeal were on tap for breakfast. 55 miles layout in front of us and 250 of my closest friends would make for an epic day in the saddle.

The first two dirt road section provided me a little difficulty. The first one was downhill and a bit sandy and the second had a lot of gravel rocks which made my bike very unstable. Not having wider tyres made my bike wash out in the corners or slide on the marbled surfaces. Chip’s cyclocross bicycle has a huge advantage on the gravel roads and he quickly caught me. One we were together I regained the advantage when we were on the pavement again and going downhill! I was able to close the gap on many riders in front of us because I had much larger gearing.

After the rest stop it was more hills three more to be exact. Long about mile 45 my legs cried that is enough. I eased my pace to a nice tempo and strolled in for the last 10 miles. One huge climb and I was back at the car. Three New Glarus Coffee Stouts topped off the ride. I never want to do it again! Ok a few days later Yea I’ll do it again Next year. I had a lot of fun!

Bike and Beers 2014: Podiums, Power, and Pints!

The 2014 season is starting to take shape which means the Flying Bobcats are starting to move up in the pecking order of bicycle racing in the state of Wisconsin. Training is also picking up and so are my choices of beer. My wife must think I am doing pretty well at racing because I now have choices when I go to the fridge. My riding week didn’t get off to a good start until Friday. Christine Schultek talked me into a 35 mile jaunt through southern Dane and Green counties, where the wind really worked me over. When the wind starts gusting I start to get mad. It always feels like someone is pushing on you trying to slow you down. For the last 15 miles of the ride though, the tail wind fit me to a tee. I was able to get my spinning and power workouts on the small to medium hills on the fairly flat route. Once I got home my ole friend Guinness was waiting for me. A good day of riding. Saturday’s training pick up right where I left it off on Friday with 40 more miles through the same roads as Friday. Chip Camillo, Tyler Byrnes, Christine Schultek, and I, made it around all of the rain drops and the wind again. We took a rest stop after about 30 miles for hot coffee and a blue berry muffin at that Fire Fly Coffee Shop in Oregon. Thanks to Jerry Tyler for the great birthday gift card. I am going back to that place again. The Fire Fly really warmed me up.

Matt Wurz, Dan Van Der Weide, and Matt Hanson powering the train at Great Dane Crit #2

Sunday found me once again at the Great Dane Velo Criterium #2. A small chat with my teammates over strategies and I was ready to go. Tim Skinner and Dan Van Der Weide’s jobs were to try and start a breakaway a few laps into the race where I could bridge up and we could ride away. Matt Wurz was to follow me and keep me out of trouble so I could try for the field sprint if the break did not go. I told Matt to just follow me and I would take him to the front in the field sprint if he kept me out of the wind for the first three quarters of the race. The whole race stayed together mostly because if anyone went we were there to cover the move. With one lap to go Dan and Tim took two huge pulls which led to a small gap of about 10 seconds on the field. I covered what I thought was the counter move on the outside but misjudged the guy going up the right side of the field. I put my head down and took an all-out sprint for the line with 300 meters to go. First place was out of the question but there were still two podium places left. I took a small glance out of my right side to see my new teammate Matt Wurz even with me. Looking back I could see the two of us had a good size gap on the rest of the field so I sat up and urged Matt onto his first podium finish with me bring up third after being challenged by my good racing friend Nate Phelps. What a great day finished off with a couple Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout Beers! Great Dane Velo Criterium #2 Sunday April 13, 2014 Flying Bobcats results Masters Cat 4/5 Cat 5 2nd place Matt Wurz 15th Place Matt Wurz 3rd place Matt Hanson 26th Place Tyler Byrnes 5th place Dan Van Der Weide 16th place Tim Skinner Cat 4 Masters Cat 1, 2, 3 8th Place Dan Van Der Weide 3rd Place Anderson Bortoletto 9th Place Tim Skinner

Bikes and Beers Race Report Great Dane Velo Criterium

Coming into my bike race this past Sunday I had no real expectations other than to do really well. The question I had in my mind was what was really well? A good placing? Good fast legs? Staying out of trouble? Well if that was “really well” then not only did I do really well but my whole Flying Bobcats team did “really well” also!

My bike race was 35 minutes of criterium racing at its best, fast and hard. The first three laps I found myself following a real strong rider from the Trek team. The guy set a real hard fast tempo that had the field of 40 strung out in a long thin line. After that three laps of pain I settled into about 20^th place and just kept in touch with the lead guys and marking my spot in the pack. Twice during the next few laps my teammates raised the pace to where it would get all strung out but no break ever developed from their hard work. With 5 laps to go I started my customary move to the front. I like to position myself about 5^th, 6^th or 7^th place to ready for the big acceleration that comes with the sprint finish. I wasn’t so lucky in getting that place as it seems that 15 other guys had the same Idea as me. On the bell lap (Last lap) I moved up to about 15^th and that is where I would stay until we swung into the final corner at 25mph. No braking, no moving, no letting people in, I just went for the line with 300 meters to go. Moved to the inside of the lane put your head down and go as fast and as hard as you can up the little hill incline! I found that I could move up really fast and it was so easy to go fast! 4^th place is what I got when I crossed the line! I was still accelerating when I hit the line.

I was pleased to find the new leg strength that I had been working on this past winter. I guess if you work hard it does pay off. I celebrated the 4^th place finish with nice cool Mad Town Nut brown ale, always a fitting end to a hard day of bike racing. I do have another bike race coming up this Sunday and hopefully I can find myself on the podium (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd make up a podium).

I was not the only Flying Bobcat racing this past weekend. Here is how my teammates faired

Flying Bobcats bike racing results from this weekend. If I missed you I am very sorry.

Great Dane Velo Criterium                                      Spring Super Criterium Burnham Ill
Masters Category 4 and 5                                         Masters Category 4 and 5
4th Matthew Hanson                                                  45^th Tim Skinner 45th
10th Matthew Wurz
12th Dan Vander Weide                                             Mens Cat 4 and 5
17th Dan Valenza                                                        28^th Mathew Wurz
19th Dean Lazenby
27th Tim Skinner

Masters Cat 3 and 4 Masters Cat 1,2,3 Open
9th Dan Vander Weide 44^th Anderson Bortoletto
31st Tim Skinner

Mens Cat 5 Mens Open Cat. 1,2,3
7th Matthew Wurz 47^th Anderson Bortoletto
14th Tyler Byrnes

Mens Cat 4
8th Dean Lazenby
10th Dan Vander Weide
13th Dan Valenza
15th Tim Skinner

Masters cat 1-2-3
15th Anderson Bortoletto

Bikes and Beers 2014: Tying Up Loose Ends for Spring

You can tell that people are getting the itch to start riding outside when the bike shop in my basement is full of bikes in need of FAST tune-ups. I have three bikes down there that need to get done before it gets warm. They need a tune-up, a rebuild, and a tweak to get them ready for spring. Cleaned up the DeRosa and the Amsterdam 3 speed special that I ride on Fridays and the shop will be closed for summer except for emergencies. The DeRosa just received new chain rings, new chain, and new cassettes this year. I like to change out the drive train every 4000 to 5000 miles. Things just wear out. She should be real fast this year.

I also pulled out my cycling bag the other day. I live out of a nylon bag for the summer when I race. Started to pack all of the cycling clothing and gear you could ever want or need. Shoes, socks, helmets, arm warmers and leg warmers, vests of differing temperature ranges, gloves to match, foot coverings, three to four pairs of shorts and matching tops, tubes, tyres, (that is the Italian spelling way), an allen wrench set, and safety pins. That should outfit me for all of the racing I will be doing this year.

With one day of outside training I am now ready for the first race of the year this Sunday at 12:55 PM. Sounds like I am going to have about 6 other teammates to help me out. If we can’t get a breakaway started and keep it away then we are doing something wrong. With 7 guys, come on! It is a simple strategy you send a guy up the road and let the others chase. Once he gets caught you send another and you just keep doing it until they all get tired out and the break “Sticks”. I sure hope I get in the winning move this time.

Stay tuned for the first racing report of the year next week and get out and ride your bikes! Matth@phfitness.com

Bike and Beers #3

March 27, 2014 was my last day of training indoors. Time to put the Fluid Trainer away, and hit the asphalt of Dane county for the rest of the cycling season. I always look forward to the first outdoor rides of the year. I get to check on my riding form and see if all the hard work done indoors pays off in performance on the road.

Riding outside is a lot different than indoors, wind, hills and surface of the road are constantly changing which makes training in the elements a fun little factor to play with as a rider. My early season rides usually consist of using my small chain ring to work on my spin and leg speed. My cadence is 87 RPM so I am constantly checking on that. If I get 30-40 miles in for a ride 3-4 times per week over the next two to three weeks I should be ready for racing.

April 6^th is my first race of the year for 2014. The race is 35 minute criterium at Research Park here in Madison. My race is at 12:55 PM and I hope that a few of my fellow Bobcats will come out for the race. Crits are lapped races and usually start fast and stay fast for the 30+ minutes that they last. They are also good races for spectators to watch because I come riding by every few minutes without the spectators ever moving from where they are siting.

When I race I am constantly trying to hold my position at the front of the field and keep an eye on my competitors. I like to ride 3-4 riders behind the front rider so I get the draft of the riders in front of me and I am able to mark any attacks off the front and possibly get into a break away. The crits that I race usually come down to a sprint finish and over the years I have become quite good at sprinting.

I like racing bicycles and after 30+ years, I think of it as just a part of me. Over those 30 years I had many teammates so I always look forward to the first race of the year and seeing the new racers. I sure hope my blogs become more entertaining with stories of success on the racing circuit this year. Winter training and lifting weights, while fun, do not make for good story telling.

Last year was a great year for the team and me so I am hoping for more success this year. Next week I will be able to give you a full report from the world of training outside on the road. My Regular racing bike, De Rosa Dual HF, is still getting tuned up for the year so if you see me out there I will be riding the Trek training bike.

Bikes and Beers: “Weighting” for Better Weather

Well it seems that ole man winter will not release his grip from me just yet. It snowed once again this past week, which means the temperature drops which means I am inside training again. I am starting to like my fluid trainer and how well I am riding on it. I wouldn’t mind some more sun outside, or even a good hard rain to wash the last bits of salt and sand off the roads so I can get the DeRosa on the road again.

For the first time in my racing career I am settling into weight training. Hard to lose weight as my legs get a little bigger and stronger but I figure if it helps me go faster and uphill easier I am all for it. I started in December with my training partner Eric Gibson and we both seem to think it is working really well.

I just could not go at this weight lifting thing alone. Anyways, two days per week of legs and a few hundred abs and other core exercises gets me through the week. I haven’t missed a workout yet, so this weight training better work.

Before I continue with this journey I have to give big thanks Shana German for loading my blog onto the Pinnacle Health + Fitness website each week and allowing me to see if this kind of entertainment really works with readers. I figure the more of you reading this and giving feedback the more they will allow me to write. Drop me a line on Facebook, matth@phfitness.com or come out and ride with me and let me know what you think?

I hope to very soon have a report from the roads of Dane, Green, Rock and JeffersonCounties. Stay tuned. Matto.

Bikes and Beers: Stories from the 2014 Season

Bikes and Beers My 2014 season

Well this is my first attempt at a weekly blog as I traverse through a typical Matt Hanson road bike racing season. At Pinnacle Fitchburg I am the Fitness Director but I am also the owner and racer of the Flying Bobcats Cycling Team these past many years, I have put a few miles on a bike. This will be my 34^th year of racing and my first as a story teller of how that season progresses. I hope to share my thoughts, tips, strategies, and plenty of training and racing stories over the coming weeks and months.

January through March you can find me on a fluid trainer, lifting weights, or teaching my High Performance Spinning (HPS) training class. Winter training is not much fun if you ride because I spend hours upon hours just staring at the floor while pedaling away to music. I work on my spin with single leg spinning routines, constantly work on my relaxed position on the bike or look at my feet to make sure that I am spinning them in the correct position to get the most out of my abilities. As riders go, I am good but will never race as a pro; I just don’t have the time or the gene pool. I do try and get the most out of my abilities and that seems to fit me just fine.

My weekly workout routine goes something like this:
            Sunday             ride on a trainer for an hour then lift weights for an hour
            Monday           off
            Tuesday           ride in HPS for an hour and a half
            Wednesday     off
            Thursday         lift weights for an hour and ride HPS for an hour and a half
            Friday              off
            Saturday          ride on the trainer for an hour and a half or longer

So stay tuned for more stories about the cycling journey 2014. To learn more about me, my cycling team, how to train to cycle, or just personal train with a fun guy contact matth@phfitness.com or read my bio.

Category: Bike Season 2014