I finally got my stuff together and finished the animated movie. Warning contains some bad words;;)

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/1266...-cross-failure

I loved the movie.

Hilarious, Jet.

When you are in the bottom 1.4% of 70 riders it leaves an lasting impact.

I know it won't matter to you, but I can remind you that you were racing with the 45'ers, and I bet you're wife would be asking you what you were thinking doing that, given your advancing age. But instead, I'll suggest having one of these:

http://www.bikebling.com/v/vspfiles/...t-Jersey-2.jpg

He was trying to relive his glory years.:D I tried to race with the 20 something pros. It happens.

I did an easy and fun 1.5 hrs on the mtb in the dark with a full moon peaking between the trees. I was all alone except for the deer, opossums and the coyote.

It was a nice day today but I elected to ride the rollers. I started with a leg workout at the gym and followed it with 3x20 minutes on the rollers - z2/z2 and z3 for the final set. I wanted the long duration constant power focusing on posture and pedal stroke. Plus I could listen to Pandora! BTW, she is not my girl friend.:D

Loved the movie, A-Jet.

And your mtb ride sounds wonderful.

Riding in the woods at night is completely different than in the daytime on the same trails. I have to back off the intensity and it feels as if the bike is attached to the single track. Because the lights only illuminate where I'm looking and where the bike is headed other senses seem to be enhanced.

Heading out to PA for a long weekend. I intend to do moslty Z1 and 2 rides over the next 4 days. Have a great weekend everyone.:thumb:

AJ, your right ride sounds intensely beautiful. When our outdoor riding season returns, I will have to try it. Actually, it sounds a lot like my night cross country skiing adventures. Have a great weekend.

Did 95 miles of z2-3 (mostly high 2) base today, and got in one stretch of over 2 hours where I never broke cadence or put a foot down. You know what sucks about base phase? Hearing "on your left" from a guy with a big gut, and having to let him ride away from you. Grrrrrr...

Hey Sara - I loaded this ride in Strava - which is done automatically when you use their phone app, and I have to tell you, the power numbers it shows are grossly misunderestimated. Shows me at 108. If I move the bike, I'm at more than 108 watts. I was riding my steel bike and didn't move the Quarq over, so was without a PM. But I figure my average was probably ~180. So don't believe what Strava is telling you!

Rained most all day here in SoCal. Had to actually break down and do a workout on the trainer.

Hey, AJ - your movie was toooo funny (but rather tragic, too!).

My spin class coach had me do ten minutes of ab work yesterday. Today - ummm - owww?? Yikes....

I knew it! I know I'm a weakling, but I'm sure I can do more than 180 watts, which the most I think Strava has ever shown for me. Thanks for the validation!

Hi All,

All I can say is yuch! I was off the bike all week after attending the 2011 California Bicycle (Advocacy) Summit. I felt OK yesterday morning. As coachloren noted it was raining most of yesterday so I decided to run (which I'd been planning to do as part of changing up my off season training for the first time in years). After a very short and somewhat unpleasant run I did some core work and sometime before dinner I started feeling bad. I got a flu shot a few weeks ago and this feels like it's stomach related. I've had a dull headache and I've been sleeping on and off all day. Hopefully I'll be well enough to be able to go to the velodrome on Tuesday.

BTW, and further thoughts about winter training camp in SoCal?

I remain interested, and I'm pretty sure Sara is. If you're still game, we can work on dates and there would at least be the three of us.

Question: How much higher intensity work do y'all think is needed, during the base phase, for us more mature racers to keep from losing our higher zone cababilities?

I am new to 50+ (turned 50 in June) and also to the sport of cyclocross racing. I have been riding on the road for years, and have participated in a few time trials, but this fall I decided to buy a cross bike and give racing a try. As a bit of background, the same day that I bought my new cross bike, I rode in a relatively fast century and bonked really hard at the end because I was not minding my nutrition. Several weeks after that, I entered my first cross race, which was extremely challenging and very intense, unlike the road riding I had been doing. After that race, I got a fairly bad cold, but took a week off to recover, then entered my second cross race, where I pushed myself even harder. However, even though I felt mostly recovered from the cold I had in October, nearly three weeks later I still feel sluggish and tired, and have some throat soreness and congestion in my chest. I have been trying to limit myself to z1 and z2 rides for the past two weeks, but don't seem to be regaining any of my energy and motivation to ride.

I would like to do another corss race or two before the season is up, but I am thinking about shutting down completely for two weeks. I know most of you aren't doctors, but do you have any advice on racing and resting/recovery for the over 50 rider? Do I need to start taking it easier on my over 50 body or can I just push through it like I could when I was younger? If I shut it down completely for two weeks at this point, I'm not sure I will be in any condition to race during the last month of the season (December). Any recovery tips would be appreciated.

AZT, That is a great question and you may want to read Friel's Training Bible about masters. The recurring theme seems to be focus on maintaining strength, work as hard or harder than when we were younger and rest more. I am focusing on strength and duration of endurance efforts and doing a long SST interval each week. Yesterday, I climbed a 4 mile 7% grade at SST. Saturday was an endurance ride. What I am not doing is any programmed z5 or greater. I like the hill climbing because it builds strength. I am going to do a hill climb race next Saturday.

Dominae, go to the doctor.

Your recovery doesn't suddenly go in the toilet when you turn 50, and you should not need to take it easy. The 55+ guys I know sure don't. You're still sick, or there's something new that's wrong.

I'm going to talk to coach about it, since, even though we'd discussed needing to to maintain the high end, right now it's all z2-3. No SST. My team is keeping things in the lower zones right now, but I skipped the ride because my z3 is pretty slow right now, and there are some rolling hills on the ride that are tough to do and keep out of z4-5. I'll press the issue a bit with Coach and see what she says.

She's meeting me at my gym Friday to supervise a strength workout. My core strength is nonexistent. I'm expecting pain.

Edit: Oh, and I have Friel's Bible, but haven't gotten through it yet. I have a pile of cycling related books, and alternate them with lighter reading. I have read his HRM training book, however.

Welcome to forum, Dominae, and it sure sounds like what you have isn't from pushing yourself. Personally, I find my immune system is much better since I started racing and training hard, but I know some people become more susceptible because they stay on the edge of fatigue.

Dominae, This link is from our team's sponsor coach... http://sportvelo.com/2007/02/01/shou...en-youre-sick/