PowerWatts Blog

August is here and the chill and darkness are creeping into the morning air! It may be time for all of you to start thinking about your indoor training options for this fall and winter.

We have been very busy over the spring and summer on many new developments for Premier Studio and PowerWatts and, once again, you will see major changes to our facility, equipment and services.

We think you will agree with us when you come to see our open house (TBD) that the changes we have made will raised the bar and make your training experience more effective and fulfilling.

Below are listed some of the changes:

Completely New PowerWatts Room:

• New and redesigned V5 (Version 5) indoor training bikes with new gruppos.
• Completely new and redesigned “smart” platforms with internal dampening system for lateral bike movement and shock absorption.
• New V3.0 software with better graphics and auto-save features for more complete year end “Performance Report”.

Outside the PowerWatts Room in the Premier Space:

Extra PowerWatts training area with 4-6 V4 bikes for more availability to ride with buddies during the week and weekends.

• Continued use of the Inside Ride rollers during open hours weekly and on weekends.
• New Velotron Testing Erg with SRM and testing software for more specific testing.
• Two new WattBikes:  these incredibly accurate indoor power training bikes (developed by British Cycling) are an excellent addition to our other power based training systems.

Other important Changes

• Upgraded web based scheduling and payment system – now accepting payments securely online.
• Golf specific conditioning area with a specialist Golf Pro Ben.
• Two new strength coaches with therapy backgrounds to help the core classes along and deal with any faulty movement patterns.
• To answer phones, relay messages and help us organize better, we have hired a coordinator, receptionist and admin person – You will meet Blythe in the coming weeks!

Lastly, we have also purchased two innovative scientific pieces of equipment:

• A lactate meter that measures in 10 seconds for quick lactate tests.
• Body Scanner – Included in every evaluation is a full body scan that allows us to accurately measure, Muscle, Fat, Water content and many other variables .

There are too many changes here for one email so stay tuned in the coming days for the PowerWatts and Core class schedule including new pricing incentives for 2010-2011.

Cheers,

Paulo and the Premier/PowerWatts Team!

Team PowerWatts™-Moishes scored a convincing victory at the Championnat québécois contre-la-montre par équipe held in St-Basile on Saturday, August 21, 2010.  The team, consisting of Carl Dessureault, Sylvan Adams and Dave Albert, completed the 49.5 km course in a time of 1:06:10 for an average speed of almost 45 kph.  For the second year in a row, the team brought home the trophy for fastest Masters squad presented by the Association des Cyclistes Vétéran du Québec.

PowerWatts™-Moishes also fielded two other teams consisting of Masters A’s Brandon Sant, Eric Vani and Leeor Shtrom,and a mixed team of Michel Courval (B), Allan Schouela (C) and Nicolai Siggel (A).  A good time was had by all.

We told you previously about Dan Lundenberg’s quest for racing and time trial glory and his constant improvement since his first one last season. Here is a description of his first race in his own words.  As you can see, Dan is a bit of a numbers guy:

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This email is going to those who received my email below and a slew of others who were inadvertently omitted. 

In short, I did my first bike race on Saturday; the not so quite 100k Tour of Battenkill.  I was in the Cat 5, 45+ group.  I was in a group of 38 riders. 

Here is the course map: Course Map MJS

According to Laura, my experience was the 2d worst result – I survived, thrived and had a great, great time.   

Beforehand, I wanted a dry course (the 25k of dirt roads would have been not fun in the rain), and I did not want to straggle to the finish line. 

My group started at 11:15 am in a cold (probably around 40F), grey day with fierce wind.  At noon, I noticed that the sun was bright blue and the temps warmed up (probably 52-54F), but the tough winds remained throughout.  As the course turned often, the winds were always swirling around us.  Rarely did we seem to have a sustained tailwind. 

We started slow – around 25-27k pace for the first few ks.  I started near the front and took Joanne’s advice and held the wheel of the rider in front of me; I did not let other rides push me backwards.   

Early on in the race...very composed

A few riders took off but the pack held firm until the first few climbs.  After the second climb at 30k, the main pack split into smaller groups.  I found myself in a group of 9-10 riders and we agreed to work together; our goal was to chase down the leaders (which we never did).  While we worked together, it was an effort to maintain contact at times.  I was cautious in descents – especially on dirt roads – but I was determined not to lose touch. 

I found myself in front during the last climb (at around 85k on a steep dirt road); after the climb, we were still together as a group.  As we rolled into Cambridge, we were into two lines, and I was in front of one.  I tried to move backwards but could not.  At this point, I did not feel the wind; perhaps I was numb.  It was very eery seeing the countdown of kilometers and no one made a move.  At 500 meters, me and this other guy put our heads down and sprinted.  Those of you who know my cycling can attest that sprinting is not my forte.  I was passed by 4-5 guys at the line. 

We speculated about how many riders in our group were in front of us.  Based on the final standings, it was very likely 7 riders. 

Needless to say, I exceeded my expectations – beforehand, I wanted to have fun, return in 1 piece, not have a flat, not straggle home after riding by myself for 99k, didnt want to get arrested for peeing on someone’s farm.  Very hard to imagine that I finished 13th out of 38 riders. 

Later on...not so composed...

I did not have to stop; I would have been dropped if I had.  Others in my group were complaining about the state of their bladders at 90k.  Their sprint to the bathrooms were worthy of Mark Cavendish.  Other than water and Minogue’s super FX1 when I woke up, I stayed away from liquids before the race.  I took only 1 water bottle and drank it at the back end of the ride.  I ate sparingly – two dates and two gels.  Probably had 200 grams of carbs on the ride.  Took but did not eat a powerbar.  Did not feel depleted or dehydrated afterwards.  Drank a quart of the best chocolate milk ever afterwards, and a bottle of a special Battenkill beer. 

While the official clock was 3:26:37, my computer had me at 3:27:04 (suppose that I was not fast on the stop button after I crossed the line).  I did the training ride in 3:39 in total riding, but as I stopped a few times, my total time was over 4 hours. 

On my new nifty Garmin Edge 500, I had 98.9k in distance, 28.7k average speed; 68.9k max speed (on a steep descent), 1296 meters of climbing and 1309 meters of descending, and 2199 calories burned. 

Since it take a village to handle me, I have lots of people to thank: 

- to David, Joanne and Claude for their participation, encouragement, support, company and comradery. 

- to Paulo, Chris, Dave and Lloyd for their help in getting me in shape to tackle this ride so early in the outdoor season. 

- and most importantly, to Laura, Lucie and Lola, who supported my quest with love and understanding and tolerated by absences. 

best to all 

Dan

They just keep on winning!  Canadian 2010 Masters C champion Sylvan Adams and teammate Bernard Vives bookended the podium this past weekend at the GP Vaudreuil-Soulanges.  It could be the Minogue FitTime FX-1 that helps…

Our team of coaches have been recruited to work with some members of the Team Spidertech powered by Planet Energy Professional Road Cycling team.

Team Spidertech powered by Planet Energy being tested at our demo centre in Toronto

This squad is directed by Canadian cycling legend Steve Bauer and boasts a plethora of young talent.  Their goal is to race as a ProTour team in Europe and ultimately in the Tour de France. PowerWatts intends to help them on this journey by providing all physiological testing of the team and individual coaching of specific riders using the PowerWatts principles adapted to the demands of professional cycling.

Closer to home, members of the Canadian Cycling Team will be tested by our resident exercise physiologists Paulo Saldanha and Chris Rozdilsky,  with an eye towards winning a medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio.   Through our association with B2Ten, Premier Studio and PowerWatts will be able to help in the testing and training of athletes from sports as diverse as cross country skiing, track cycling, canoe kayak, synchronized swimming and other aquatics competitions.  We look forward to using our cutting edge expertise and training methods to help these athletes attain their goals.

If you have been around PowerWatts Premier Studio lately, you may even see several rather large Montreal Canadiens players pushing up their lactate levels in PowerWatts classes  specifically designed to stress the energy systems that are involved in hockey.  It is a pleasure to work with these athletes, who are seeking new approaches to training both on and off the ice.

A lot has happened since our last update. Team PowerWatts-Moishes has continued it’s run of medals, culminating in the Gold Medal performance of Sylvan Adams at Road Nationals in the Masters C (50-59) category.  This has been a major goal of Sylvan’s for many years, so it was great to hear that he won against a quality field in Edmonton.  It should be noted that Sylvan also scored a 3rd place in the individual time trial championships which were held the previous day.

Congratulations are also in order for PowerWatts clients Dany Bonneville and Martin Spalding who completed their first Ironman Triathlons at Lake Placid on July 24th with times of 11:42:20 and 14:06:01 respectively

. Read the rest of this entry »

From previous blog posts the impression may be that we are solely a racing-oriented training system. This is only partially true. Only a small percentage of our clients are racers. The rest are motivated cyclists who wish to get the most out of their time and training by using the most efficient system possible.

The group setting in which our PowerCoaches push, motivate, cajole, inspire and threaten (just kidding) our clients is second to none. These short but intense classes help cyclists improve their short and intermediate-term power, their climbing ability, their ability to push the pace at the front of their local group rides and even can help them become less fatigued over moderately long rides.

We also offer outdoor group rides that teach riding etiquette, group riding skills, cornering, climbing, descending, pacing and many more subtle lessons learned from our Master PowerCoaches. We can even help introduce beginners safely to the world of cycling by teaching them the basics of shifting and the use of clipless pedals indoors on our multi-adjustable bikes before bringing them outside.

We also offer core-strengthening classes that address the imbalances that may occur with prolonged cycling hours.  Pilates is also a service that many cyclists enjoy, and for those whose needs are specific, we offer one-on-one training tailored to their needs.

This past weekend several of the team racers journeyed to the beautiful Charlevoix region of Québec to compete in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Charlevois stage race.  Based in Baie-St-Paul, competition was fierce, but Sylvan Adams won the overall classification convincingly in the Masters C category.  Dave Albert had a strong first two stages, but ultimately faltered in the steep climb at St-Irénée.  It was an intense experience that redefined the racers’ definition of suffering…

Video of the criterium: GP Charlevoix criterium

A road race can finish in a flurry of action, aggression and speed in the form of a field-sprint.  This is the most dangerous time in a race.    With riders battling for position and speeds reaching 60+ kph, the smallest touch of wheels can lead to dramatic crashes and broken bones.

For the strong rouleur-type riders, a solo or group breakaway is a preferred tactic.  A Breakaway, or break in short, is when a small group of riders or an individual have successfully opened a gap ahead of the peloton (wikipedia).  Timing is of the essence, for if a break is attempted too soon, it will likely be caught by the peloton since there is more distance over which to eat away at the gap created by the escaping riders.  Essentially, a break is a type of Team Time Trial where riders from different teams attempt to stay away from a fast moving, larger group (the pack).

It is advantageous for the break to be comprised of several teams in order to neutralize the peloton.  If a team is represented in a break, they are less likely to chase it.

Should the group manage to stay away, there will usually be a sprint to the finish from both the breakaway and the trailing pack (known as a field-sprint).

Thus far in the 2010 road season, the PowerWatts-Moishes team has proven to be adept at getting riders into breakaways, and the Masters C riders have been smoothly controlling the pack in their leadouts to the final pack sprints.  Keep up the good work!

The 2010 road season is underway with a variety of events taking place on weekends and even midweek.  There are probably no two events which are more diametrically opposed than criteriums and time trials.

The criterium specialist has excellent bike handling skills for the very frequent cornering, a well developed tactical sense to enable them to be well placed to respond to attacks and conserve energy and nerves of steel for the chaotic and crash-prone finishes which often accompany these events.  They also have the ability to exert themselves at very high power outputs  for short, intermediate and long bursts in order to stay competitive within a peloton moving, at times, in excess of 50 kph.

The time trialist is another beast entirely.  He, or she, has primarily the ability, and desire, to push at a high level of power for long periods. Their efforts are very controlled, but very hard nonetheless.  They have the ability to hold an aerodynamic position for almost the entire length of their race, often without even breaking the position to drink.  They tend to have high-tech equipment, such as wheels, handlebars and frames, which aid them to cut through the air like a knife’s edge.

PowerWatts training includes training which simulates both types of riding:  steady state vs bursts.

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The team had another series of successful races.  Sylvan Adams finished 3rd in the C race AND 2nd in the B race at the GP Brossard criterium on May 2.  The following rainy weekend, he won the Granby 19 km time trial.  Dave posted a 2nd place in the Masters B category on his new TT 1.0 PowerWatts bike.