Online Bike Coach

Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner

The OBC Dicta

The OBC Dicta (or, The Nine Commandments for Peak Performance In Cycling).

*** I wrote the first version of this over twenty years ago, hoping that it would become the foundation for another book, but life and acceleration got in the way, and I just found it again in my Google Drive.

A ‘Dicta‘ is defined as a series of statements that are sort-of Universally Accepted Comments or Commandments. The following Principles are nothing new, but they need to be plastered on a wall or a screen somewhere, frequently, to remind you of the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ that we are doing at Online Bike Coach.

(By the way – the whole ‘Dicta’ theme is something I got from my interest in fighter aviation and history. It’s based on an early pioneer in fighter aviation and tactics, Oswald Boelke.

So in their entirety, and updated for relevance, I present my updated ‘OBC Dicta‘.

OBC Dicta #1: IMPROVE YOUR RELATIVE VO2 MAX (rVo2Max).

Garmin Vo2Max 1040
The type of work you do when cycling dictates the gains and losses of Vo2Max. The Garmin algorithm seems to track FAIRLY WELL for me, against the Vo2master gas exchange analyzer. ***What you don’t see in this chart is the subsequent DECLINE in VO2max in the following four weeks. Vo2max needs to rise and fall like a seasonal tide. As I write this, I’m at about 53ml/kg/min, but it’s January, and I’m working my way back up for spring.

Vo2max translated means “Maximal Volume of Oxygen Absorption”. When you study the number in a laboratory setting, it is translated into “milliliters of oxygen, per kilogram of body weight, per minute” (w/kg/min). So, it’s based on absorption of oxygen, weight, and time. When we perform intervals that are hard as heck, and last maybe 2 to 6 minutes, total, we’re working on optimizing rVo2max.

When you improve your ability to process oxygen, you actually improve your ability to create energy at the cellular level, and thus ride stronger and faster with the same, or even less effort. If you’re like most of us, and you need to lose a few pounds, well, that’ll only help. W/Kg Babeee!

OBC Dicta #2: Raise Your Wattage at Lactate Threshold (wLT), VT2 (Ventilatory Threshold Breakpoint 2), or Functional Threshold/Critical Power, to the highest feasible value, relative to body weight.

Garmin Connect FTP Chart
The way I describe FTP is as such: It’s the power and cardiovascular output, ABOVE WHICH, you are on ‘Borrowed Time’. This can be measured in minutes and seconds. BELOW this value, you can ride much longer. Raise this value through proper training and consistency. Your speed and stamina will improve significantly.

Raising your ability to generate power at Threshold does wonders for your body’s economy, not to mention increasing your ability to ride faster BELOW threshold, for longer periods of time. The old-school method of wLT training was to perform longer intervals, but, surprise!

Shorter, more intense intervals at wattage levels ABOVE Lactate Threshold generate these little molecules call “Monocarboxylate Transporters” – let’s just call them “MCT’s”. More MCT’s in the muscle cells allow your body to purge Lactic Acid from the muscles and into the bloodstream, where it is processed into other forms of useable energy.

How to make more MCT’s? Shorter, more intense intervals (about 2 minutes), with longer periods of recovery in between, about 4 minutes of just glass-pedaling.

OBC Dicta #3: Become as economical a cyclist as possible.

OBC Dicta Base Ride
Under Dr. Bruce Rogers‘ guidance, OBC Clients have had a lot of success with Luisma Gallego’s AlphaHRV Field on Garmin bike computers. Keeping Alpha1 ABOVE a certain value provides assurances that the heart is working efficiently, and you’re thus improving your economy. Do rides like THIS…

No, this doesn’t mean that you have to trade in your LandCruiser for a Hybrid Escape! What it does mean is that you want to save every KiloJoule of energy as possible. By ‘banking’ the KiloJoules, you’ll be ready when the action begins! How to increase your economy?

VOLUME.

OBC Dicta #3 Big Picture
…to get Volume that looks like THIS.

Let’s face it. Time spent on the bike is important, and there IS an aerobic benefit from Long Rides. Your support muscles learn how to suspend your body more efficiently, your legs learn when to pedal and when to coast, and your heart adapts to sustained effort by  growing stronger and more efficient, so that you get more out of every stroke. If you’re a serious cyclist in any of the 3 major disciplines (Road, Track, MTB), you’ll make an effort to perform sustained rides, or try to hit at least 6 hours a week riding “base”. That’s an hour a day, 6 days a week.

Got a job? Try 1 hour every other day, and make up the difference on the weekends. THEN, work on Dicta #1 & #2…

OBC Dicta #4: Recover Nutritionally, Hygienically, Physically, Psychologically, and Spiritually as quickly as possible after every ride.

OBC Dicta: Tracy Recovering with Maple
My first coach, Micah McKee, taught me, “Why stand when you can sit, why sit when you can lie down.” Here’s my wife, recovering with a compression apparatus and our younger Pibble, Maple.

Training can be hell on your body, mind, and spirit. It creates trauma, and the best way to minimize the trauma is through a protocol like this:

              • Drink a nutrient and calorie-dense Sports Nutrition Drink within 15 minutes of the end of your workout.
                This will help you recover more quickly, and move your body towards better adaptation to the loads you have
                just placed it under.
              • Shower off, towel off, hose off, scrub yourself down, brush your teeth, and then get back in to your ‘street’
                clothes. You’ll feel refreshed, minimize decay on your teeth, and you’ll either warm up or cool o, depending
                on your needs. You’ll also be dry, which will require less energy to keep warm.
              • Stretch or practice self-massage after every ride. It’ll help the recovery process, and un-knot those muscles
                you’ve been using so heavily. A regular massage from a professional can also enhance recovery and improve
                performance.

OBC Dicta #5: Blog the Process.

 

 

(Click on the image to get a look at my Notes for this ride…)

This has never been easier; Garmin Connect, Ride With GPS, Strava, and tons of others all have areas for post-ride comments. Upload photos, upload screenshots, link to videos, link friends who rode with you or know the route or the ride, and give yourself at least SIX SENTENCES to review the effort and reflect. You’ll appreciate flipping through those notes, I assure you. Use the hours after a ride to comment, reflect, inflect, and project your goals, attitude, highlights, and low points. You may be able to detect trends, which can then be addressed and strengthened or corrected.

OBC Dicta #6: Maintain Strong Bones and Muscles Through Consistent Resistance Training.

Tracy Christenson Resistance Training Book Cover
Shameless Plug; my wife wrote a book about using suspension straps and body weight, to improve fitness for cyclists. It’s cheap, it’s thorough, and it just takes a few minutes every other day.

There is no doubt that we, as endurance athletes, need resistance training to augment our aerobic conditioning. Why? Well, here’s one reason: Research has shown that cyclists tend to be built like birds. We’re prone to osteopenia and osteoporosis on the bones that lay ABOVE the hips, while the bones from the hips down tend to be MORE dense than the average population.

Also, one of the major reasons that cyclists tend to have lower bone densities is that we have the potential to use the calcium in our bones to augment our need for calcium in the muscles, thus robbing Peter to pay Paul. Resistance training, with proper loads and nutrition, will help offset that leaching. Furthermore, training the muscles to re in certain ways will definitely help you increase your performance on the bike. Lastly, it’s my belief that resistance training can help offset muscle fatigue, especially in the core and upper body.

OBC Dicta #7: Develop Explosive Force

Richard Wharton Gold Sprints
“Gold Sprints” REALLY HURT! At 60 seconds in length, they’re arguably too long, but they push past the 8-12 second mark for ATP-CP, and then they push through the PAINFUL 25-seconds of ANAEROBIA, before finally forcing you to hang on for another 35 seconds. It’s not just that max power that matters – it’s how you handle that power decay over time that leads to a rider ‘staying on’ for another challenger.

Every cycling discipline relies on Explosive Force – from the gate dropping in a BMX race, to dropping the hammer in a road race, to cleaning a section of difficult singletrack when mountain biking. Explosive Force is what helps you make a break happen, bridge to a break, and even sprint to the Finish line. The more explosive the Force, the quicker the acceleration. The longer the Explosive Force, the more you can drop your competition. There’s some methodology behind that sprint to the City Limits Sign, so whether you’re solo or in a group, keep it up, keep trying, and give it your all. It’ll yield great dividends.

OBC Dicta #8: Develop the Endurance and Efficiency that are SPECIFIC to Your Chosen Type of Cycling.

Richard and Ryan Seher Bozeman 2001
This is an older photo with one of my ‘kids’, Ryan Seher, when we did a 100-mile ride from the ‘B’ parking lot in Bozeman, out to Livingston, MT and then back along the Interstate. This was a COMPLETELY AEROBIC EVENT.

Road Rallies and Tours take 1-5 hours. Track races are rarely more than 25 minutes long. XC mountain bike races, even among the pros, are in the 90-minute range, and road races for amateurs are usually in the 1-to-3-hour range. Whatever the length of the ride, the more efficient you are at that distance or duration, AT PACE, the faster you’ll travel, with less effort. Again, this can be done on weekend rides, solo or in groups.

Whatever the distance or duration, economy matters, and the only way to do that is to train at that distance or greater, at a speed that’s compatible with your goals. 100 miles at 16mph is more effective than 60 miles at 19mph. Think about the longest organized ride you may do, and train at tempo wattage or pace for AT LEAST that distance, once or twice a week, maybe more, depending on the season. It also helps to train in environmental conditions that are similar to what you’ll experience out in the real world.

OBC Dicta #9: Train Both ALONE and IN GROUPS to Optimize Your Cycling Social Fitness, Your Cycling Mental Fitness, and Your Cycling Physical Fitness.

While a majority of your rides may be solo efforts, just due to work or family conflicts, it’s crucial to remember that cycling is a social sport, and on some levels, it’s a team sport. There are some things you just can’t learn alone in a parking lot, so use group rides to learn the nuanced, indescribable, yet crucial skills that are necessary to safe, effective rides in groups. All that efficiency will fall apart if you end up using your muscles to tense up, lock your jaw and neck, and pretend that you’re in the middle of a group of 18-wheelers bent on your imminent demise.

Find a group that meets your level of fitness and comfort, explain who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish, and ask for HELP. Furthermore, make sure you COMMUNICATE YOUR INTENTIONS. Letting others know where you’re going, what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it will make THEM more comfortable with YOU and will help everyone enjoy the ride more. Lastly, don’t let words or barbs at you, your riding skill level, or your equipment, translate into distraction or lost opportunity. If someone calls you a “squirrel”, ask that person for suggestions on how to avoid the title. It’ll either shut them up or atter them, and you’ll get the help you need. It won’t take long before YOU are the one dishing out the advice or making suggestions.

CONCLUSION

OBC Dicta - Welcome to the Cathedral of Watts
The main thing to take away from this image is this; when you follow the Dicta, you WILL see success. This image is on a Micro scale. The blog post is on a Macro scale. Be consistent, stay focused, be Holistic, and watch what happens.

I’m going to end with a poster that disappeared when I sold Cycling Center Dallas. However, it’s still relevant to this day. I’ve certainly mellowed over time, but the main takeaway is this; becoming a better cyclist takes YEARS. My friend, Craig Fulk, taught me the Parable of “How Do You Eat An Elephant?” “One Bite At A Time.”

Follow the Dicta, and let me show you where I can help you with that, on a Micro and a Macro Scale, and then…

ENJOY THE RIDE!

75 XSS (Per Day), for 75 Days: A New Self-Challenge

75 Days of 75 XSS (Xert Strain Score) Points – Let’s See Where This Leads

75 XSS per day, roughly 5 days per week? Can I achieve this?

The Xert Strain Score (XSS) is a volume-measuring tool that looks at a cyclist’s time, wattage, energy expenditure, and overall fitness signature. The calculation is unknown, but for me, it roughly equates to 10 KiloJoules per point when cycling aerobically. In conjunction with XSS, a cyclist’s “FOCUS” and “POLARITY” are revealed on a per-ride basis. XSS also affects Training Load and Form. Focus tells a cyclist where their ‘concentration of benefits’ has resulted from the ride. Polarity is revealed in the color of FOCUS. It tells the cyclist whether their ride was “Pure”, “Polarized”, “Less Polarized”, and “Mixed”.

Why 75 XSS?

Garmin 1030 Xert Screen
My goal is to earn 75 XSS per day, roughly 5 days per week. Some days will be purely aerobic, using DFAa1 Heart Rate Metrics, while other days will be intensity based, and will probably be performed out on Singletrack.

I chose 75 XSS for several reasons.

First – 75 XSS follows my favorite mantra in fitness training: SMART.

  • Specific – It’s a value I can follow on the main screen of my Garmin 1030
  • Measurable – 75 XSS is the result of energy and time spent cycling.
  • Achievable – this is a big one; my time commitments have changed over the months and the entire Western US is under a severe drought. This requires that I ride earlier in the day, and spend less time on the mountain bike. 75 XSS also requires roughly 750 KiloJoules, which is less than 2 hours of time spent cycling. In short, I can ride and get home for other commitments.
  • Repeatable – 75 XSS is something I can achieve about 5 days per week and still not get too fatigued. My goal is to do this about 5 days per week.
  • Timely – It’s summer, the days are long, and this should lead to a higher level of chronic fitness without getting too stale.

Why 75 XSS in 75 days?

75 Days of XSS, roughly 5 days per week, would put me at roughly the end of August. I really have no goals. There might be some late-season bike rallies I would like to attend. Perhaps there are some Cols I would like to climb in the Fall for PR’s. Bike racing is picking up in the Northern Nevada area. However, after a successful Fall of 2020, and some solid prep work in January and February of 2021, I lost some fitness. This led to a drop from a high level of performance on the mountain bike and road bike. I also started gaining weight again. Thankfully, with the help of BT-Nutrition’s Reful App, I have again begun to lose weight, and my performance has turned a slight corner. A 75 day MesoCycle will give me time to ride at lower intensity out on the road bike, and higher intensity out on the mountain bike. On days that I am performing low-intensity rides, 75 days where I burn at least 60 grams of Fat, SHOULD yield some weight loss. My goal is to get back down to 67-68kg without losing power.

What’s my FOCUS?

My FOCUS for this effort is two-fold. First, I’m going to force myself to ride longer periods at lower intensities on a consistent basis. After lots of consulting with professionals and observation with my clients, we will all be implementing regular “DFAa1” slope tests to better determine a more accurate Lower Threshold of Aerobic Intensity. For me, this translates into efforts at a HEART RATE below 150 beats per minute. This also translates into a LONGER period of time out on the road or trail to achieve 75 XSS. 89% of my clients and myself are showing a wattage/HR value that is about 5-10% below Xert’s LTP. Less intensity means fewer KJ’s per minute and per hour, so it has to be made up with time.

Xert Adaptive Training Advisor Rainbow Dial
I like Xert’s Adaptive Training Advisor. I prefer the Rainbow Dial to the interval targets and workout goal. The Advisor does not account for other aspects of training and recovery. Instead of 193w, I’m making my endurance rides roughly 170 watts of intensity, and this correlates with the DFAa1 system of determing lower threshold. This is making my easier rides easier, and longer, with less strain (something rarely discussed in Xertworld.)

On my harder days, I’ll be performing intervals in the “Pursuiter” and “Puncheur” range of intensity (30-90sec efforts above 350w for me), so that my WEEKLY FOCUS will be in the “Rouleur” and “Breakaway Specialist” range of intensity. I will use the Rainbow Dial in Xert, but I’m not going to use the Suggested Workouts, which tend to favor blocks of workouts that don’t follow my plan for 75 XSS and don’t agree with my plan for intensities. I’ve followed this path before, but with 30 years of experience, I know my own body better.

TRAINING TOOLS

I’ll be including files or links to files for download for everyone to peruse. I’m going to use the Vo2master as much as possible, so that my gas exchange can be monitored and reviewed. I’ll be recording the Saturated Muscle Oxygen (SmO2) on my Left Lateralis, as well as my Total Hemoglobin Count. These are not shown on Xert, and will be analyzed separately. Finally, I’ll be performing regular DFAa1 ramp tests (probably every Monday), indoors, to then post on www.runalyze.com, for review on my lower intensity threshold.

The GOAL

The goal, with 75 XSS over 75 days, is to try and get back up to about 290-300 watts for my Functional Threshold Power, keep 25-30 High Intensity Energy KiloJoules, drop my body weight to 67-68kg, and learn about my body through the instruments I’m providing.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.  I hope the regular posts lead to better discussions about training, fitness, recovery, nutrition, hydration, and enjoying the experience of the ride.

Punishment Pass Caught With CycleVision

Punishment Pass – Motorist Caught In Ignorant Display of Harassment

Punishment Pass
Punishment Passes are harassing efforts by motorists, but they are EXTREMELY rare. Don’t let them be effective!

The Punishment Pass occurs when Motorists pass cyclists at close lateral range. The pass is meant to threaten, harass, and “Teach Cyclists A Lesson”. I have received Punishment Passes for decades as a cyclist. Recently, however, I purchased a CycleVision Helmet Camera system, and began to record all of my rides. I’m also using the Garmin Varia Radar System. The Garmin Field and Website that I upload the data to is www.mybiketraffic.com. It’s a fascinating display of vehicle counts, absolute and relative passing speeds.

The Punishment Pass is RARE!

So far, since I first began using the Garmin Varia Radar, www.mybiketraffic.com is showing that I have been passed by over 800 motorists. I don’t live in an urban location any longer, but what I have discovered is that thus far, the number of Punishment Passes is about 0.26%. That’s TWO Punishment Passes. They’re just that rare. I could show 2.5 hours of cycling, and the rear camera would show that the VAST MAJORITY of motorists respond to the following…

  1. My wife and I ride Dinotte 400R Daylight-Visible Red on Red Blinkies. They are visible at over a mile in broad daylight. WE ARE VISIBLE CYCLISTS. Motorists acknowledge this.
  2. My wife and I TAKE THE LANE on roads that are too narrow to share, and have no shoulder. Remember; the shoulder of a road is not the legal definition of the road, and any lane less than 14′ wide may not be shared by more than one vehicle, except for bicycles and motorcycles. Taking the lane is LEGAL, SAFE, and INCREASES VISIBILITY. It also forces motorists to PAUSE and CALCULATE A PASS, theoretically when safe for both Passer and Passees.
  3. We SIGNAL OUR INTENTIONS. No signal means we’re just going on our way. Hand signals for left, right, and STOP, as well as ‘HOLD ON!’ dictate the terms to the motorist that is approaching from behind.
  4. With ALL of this in mind, again, the VAST MAJORITY of motorists, and this is now on video and Varia record, will slow down, and either completely change lanes, or will practice a ‘Split Lane’ pass, to give my wife and myself a wider berth.
  5. Finally, I believe California, where this video was taken, has an AFRAP law, but I believe there is also a State Law requiring motorists to pass cyclists with more than 3′ (1m) laterally.

As the video will show, THIS motorist was fully aware of our presence (1), saw us riding in the Right Wheel Well (2), knew our intentions (3), and decided to threaten me specifically with a pass within 1′ of my left shoulder. Motorists prior to this one and just after, practiced good driver behavior.

CONCLUSION

I’m not going to quit riding my bike, at that location, or any other. Bicyclists are legal road users, and motorists must respect the rights of all road users – their license is a privilege which can be revoked. 99.999999% of all cyclists are also motorists, and bad behavior needs to be exposed and reprimanded. This video is the second incidence of bad motorist behavior, and both times, I have captured the motorist’s license plates. So, today, I turned this video clip over to the Plumas and Sierra County Sheriff’s office, for review and possible action. Bicyclists deserve to travel roads in safety and with the protection of the law. These acts are rare, but as I capture Punishment Passes, I’ll write them up and create short videos, to help all cyclists better understand proper cyclist etiquette and defense.

Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this post, please don’t hesitate to sign up for the Blog, or buy me a cup of coffee by clicking on the link below.

Enjoy the Ride!