Tag: fulgaz

climbing, equipment, training

Thinking of Riding Monitor? Here Are Three Things You Should Know

NOW that Monitor Pass has opened for the season (thank you Caltrans!) it seemed like a good time to post up a few hints on riding one of the most iconic passes in the California Alps.

ESPECIALLY because while we await the opening of Highway 4 between Lake Alpine and Centerville Flats (Ebbett’s Pass), it’s a great training ground for any ride at altitude, including America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride (just under a week out!), Tahoe Truckee Gravel (forest fun five weeks out), the Deathride (seven weeks from Saturday!) and the Mammoth Gran Fondo (a September cap off to the summer).

MONITOR is monolithic compared to say, Ebbetts, which is longer, yet more gradual. Similarly, Carson has some flat spots and so allows for some breathing room. Monitor. Not so much. The views are breathtaking, though, especially in the early morning hours when heading east and dropping down from the pass.

BOTH sides, west and east, of Highway 89, are short, steep and declivitous.

Looking northwest from just over the Mono Co. line. The pass is about 1 mile away.
Taking a well deserved break at a snowy Monitor Pass marker after climbing up on a bluebird day.
Roscoe on a trail just off Leviathan Mine Road. Aspens a poppin’
All smiles in front of the Monitor Pass marker after my 10th ascent up the west side of Monitor Pass
The first mile o’ Monitor!
Our friend Mario, after making an ascent a couple years ago.
Looking east from Monitor Pass towards the Pinenuts. Those are sulpher flowers in the foreground.

EACH is approximately nine (9) miles long – ALL UP, or down, depending…

Supplies Are Scarce

AT least on the climbs, that is. Markleeville is five (5) miles away so certainly you can load up (at the General Store), fuel up (at Al’s – for your vehicle; or Cutthroat, Outwest or Stonefly – for you), and take a nature break. Heads up – the port-a-potties were removed recently from County properties so look to the local establishments for facilities. The Chamber will likely have its portable pissatorium back soon; not sure about the other locations, though.

CARSON River Resort, between town and Monitor Junction (the confluence of Monitor and Ebbett’s Passes) is another place to get basic supplies and also a great place to stay, especially if you have a trailer or camper.

BIKE shop? you ask. Unfortunately not. We’ve talked to the owners of the General Store (Andy and Avery are totally supportive of cyclists) about stocking some basic provisions (tubes, tires, etc.) at the store and they’re amenable. With the summer cycling and riding season kicking into gear I guess we should get our ca-ca together and get that done. Ok, it’s on my calendar.

ONCE you are on the road from the west side, there is NO WATER until you get to 89 and 395 (Topaz). There is a hidden spigot there – not really hidden, just hard to see – at the BLM “pullout” just east of the Topaz Center Fire District (a Deathride rest stop). It’s right by the vault toilet on the northeast corner. Look for the red handle.

Weather Is Always A Factor

FOREST-LIKE on the west side; moonscape on the east. The terrain is “very Sierra-front” style. Steeper and rockier on the east side of the Sierra Crest, more sloping and green on the west side. As such, the weather can be vexing, especially the wind. Not always is it really windy but most days there is some wind.

HOTTER on the east slope than the west, unless you’re coming up the east side later in the day, it can be a grueling sweat-fest midday, even mid-morning. That’s one reason the Deathride climbs Monitor first: starting at 5:30 a.m. means you can be back over and heading up Ebbett’s before it gets too hot on Monitor. Depending on your fitness, I’d suggest allowing for an hour, to an hour and a half of climbing per side. Baking in descending time and nature breaks and such, I’ve found 3.5 to 4 hours is my sweet spot to do both east and west.

IN late fall or early spring I’ll often wear a sack back. In it goes a vest, extra gloves, neck-thingy and a spare cap. If I’m planning on hammering up hill I’ll even throw in a spare jersey. You can work up a pretty good lather on the ascent and so those dry pieces of wardrobe come in handy for the descent, and the vest oh so valuable when you’re hitting 30, 40 or more MPH on those downhills.

HERE’S an example of the temperature variations you’ll encounter on a “normal day” (if there is ever a normal day in the Sierra):

AT 9:00 a.m. ’twas 72 degrees Fahrenheit at the western base (Monitor Junction) and just a bit later, as our recon was by vehicle, the temp. was 58 at the Pass. About an hour later, the mercury was hitting 80 on the east side (Topaz).

It’s Exposed

THERE’S not much cover on either face of Monitor. On the east side, you can get some shade at Boy Scout Corner, about four (4) miles from the start. On the west there are some dappled patches near the start of the climb, around Heenan Lake (3.5 miles from start) and again closer to the 8000 foot mark. And at the pass itself you can get some respite from El Sol courtesy of the aspens, who often quake with excitement when visitors are about.

THERE’S no cell service either. BOLD Once you get to Whorehouse Flats (yeah, it was, and still is, a real place) there’s no service until you get to Topaz. And in case you were not aware, it’s pretty much Verizon only in Markleeville. Not sure about that ol’ east side, however.

DO a lot of stuff in the Sierra and want to step it up a notch? I carry an InReach Mini on my travels. I can text my contacts when there is no cell service and help is just an SOS away.

BECAUSE it’s so exposed, the wind, as I alluded to earlier, can howl some days. Usually down either face, but sometimes you’ll get some crosswinds so pay attention on those descents if that’s the case. I’ve found that Monitor is not as temperamental as Carson (thunderstorms, with hail, happen often in the summer) but it’s not to be taken lightly either.

UV arm “warmers” come in particularly handy, as they can be used for both the hot hill climbs and those daredevil descents.

A Few More Resources

CHECK out our virtual climbs of both sides of Monitor Pass on FulGaz.

STAY tuned for more on that by way. Our California Alps Cycling Club Room on Fulgaz will be launching shortly. You’ll be able to access all of our rides from one place and we’ll be hosting some group rides and workouts in June, with some cool prizes to boot.

ALTA Alpina Cycling Club’s Training Series still has a couple more weekends available – June 3rd and June 17th. You can Kick Some Passes Asses! ® with some local cycling experts.

CURRENT Markleeville weather and air quality is always available on our website.

SOME previous posts that you may find helpful:

REMEMBER and honor the fallen on this Memorial Day and please, ride safely.

road conditions, training

California Alps Roads Report – Getting Things Ready For The Deathride

OKAY, I’m taking some liberties…It’s not ALL ABOUT the 42nd Tour of the California Alps. Fishing access (a delayed Fishmas celebration is in the works) is important. Getting over Monitor Pass into Markleeville is vital for our little town’s businesses, and saves travelers to Tahoe tons of time. Our OHV friends can’t get to some of their favorite 4-wheel drive trails. Either can the “beelers”, as in snowmobilers.

Road Everywhere Were Hammered This Year

THAT we all know. From a cyclist’s perspective we’re champing at the bit to get some training in on those passes that are currently closed: Ebbett’s, Monitor, Sonora, Tioga, and from a Deathrider’s perspective, we’d like to be able to hit up Pacific Grade, too.

SOON, very soon…Per our friends at Caltrans District 10 “Paving is now tentatively scheduled for May 8th and 9th, weather permitting. Highway 89 would open sometime after the 10th. SR 4 is currently closed at the Junction of 4/89 with no ETO. Crews indicate that they will not be able to give an ETO for Ebbetts for several weeks.”

WELL I can imagine! Based on what Monitor looks like and based on the experience of 2017, when Ebbett’s opened approximately two (2) weeks prior to the Deathride, it’s going to be interesting to, 1) clear all that snow (thank you Caltrans), and 2) find out what’s under that snow.

IN 2017 a chunk of road about a mile below Cascade Creek was damaged. The D-10 crew came through, though, and we were able to hold the event that year.

THIS will be the 42nd running of the Tour of the California Alps. It’s never not been held due to road conditions. Pandemic – yup. Fire – indeed. Roads – nope. These guys and gals know these mountains, even these latest winter-of-22-23-crazy-conditions, and so I have faith that the crew will come through.

“Training Options?”, You Ask.

WELL, in terms of the the pain cave, I recommend Fulgaz, as it has lots of climbing options, from all over the world, including Mont Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez, and all five (5) of the classic Deathride climbs. They just wrapped up (today was the last day) the Virtual Deathride. Lucky me, I just finished it today, the last day to do so. Tired legs after doing 4 outta 5 this week, including the last three (3), Monitor East, Ebbett’s North and Carson Pass, three days in a row. Zwift is certainly another option.

AS far as outside, at least here in Alpine and El Dorado counties, Kingsbury Grade and Luther Pass are open. Luther has some fairly nasty potholes, FYI. And speaking of potholes…Pioneer Trail in S. Lake Tahoe has recently been renamed by the locals. Its new moniker: Pothole Trail. Here’s hoping that changes soon.

DIAMOND Valley and surrounds is an awesome area to ride and having ridden it, and Emigrant Trail, and out to Genoa and back, recently, I can tell you those roads aren’t too terrible.

LOOKING for something more formal? Then be sure to take advantage of Alta Alpina Cycling Club’s training series.

NEXT weekend it’s two (2) passes (Kingsbury and Luther I heard) so sign up if you haven’t already!

AACC also holds weekly races, too, if you’re so inclined. The club does races in and around the area, with TT’s, road races, and crits “mixed and matched.”

Chocolate milk flowing into Milberry Creek, just outside of Markleeville, CA.

OH, yeah. And water, we’ve got lots of water.

FLOOD concerns. Like a lot of the state. And, country. More than concerns in many places, as we’ve all seen.

AS of today, we haven’t seen any flooding but it’s possible the West Fork of the Carson will crest in Woodfords. TBD of course.

THE eternal optimist in me likes to think only about the fishing yet to come, the amazing wildflowers that will soon pop and the swimming holes later this summer.

D Nile is d longest river in d world. 😉

HERE are a couple other links to good sources of road info.:

NO doubt that Caltrans and NDOT will be busy for the foreseeable future. Be sure to give them plenty of room to work and an attaboy or attagirl, too. If it wasn’t for these fine folks putting in a shit-ton of hours we likely wouldn’t be seeing pavement for quite awhile up here in the heart of the Sierra.

RIDE on and ride safe, and we’ll see you soon!

fitness, tips, training

Marooned in Markleeville – Seven Trainer-Related Things I’ve Learned

OUR wild and wooly winter continues here in the California Alps. We were given some space between storms by Ma’ Nature since my last weather related update but we’re back into the wintry cycle now, this time with rain.

WEATHER related shipping delays (whine – first world problem) have prevented me from finishing up Farley’s tubeless set up. Got ‘im taped and ready but that old trick of using a CO2 cartridge to quickly pop those beads in place DOES NOT WORK for those humongous fat bike tires, and so the weekend before last I ordered the digital inflator and presta air chuck for my compressor.

It’s still not here and so I patiently wait for UPS.

FRANKLY, though, all this adversity has allowed me to stay focused on my training plan; Sunday was the last day of that four-week foray.

THAT brings me finally to the point of this post.

HAVING grown up in San Jose, I was able to ride all year long. Sure, sometimes in the rain, but for the most part the weather wasn’t that impactful.

HERE in the heart of the California Alps, though, things can be different. Haha. This year, I’ve ridden almost 900 miles, with all but 75 of that on the trainer. With plenty of time to ruminate during those many miles inside, I’ve listed below what I consider some brilliant bits that have helped me get through all of that time focused on a screen rather than the road ahead.

I herewith share them with you with the hope that they’ll help ease some of your pain, or at least distract you from it, so you can get the most out of your indoor sessions. And for those of you who are pain cave professionals, and mayhaps have some tips of your own to share, please feel free to comment away.

Have A Plan

TRAININGPEAKS is my application of choice in this regard. I’ve been using it for over two years and I really like the daily feedback and data tracking. You can also buy plans for various endeavors. Once you do, that plan stays in your library for future use. So, with the Ride and Walk4Art coming up I resurrected the plan I had purchased a couple years back and added it to my TP calendar.

PLANS are perfect for the pain cave. I’m not sure about other applications but TrainingPeaks syncs with Zwift so you can throw the workout up on the screen, turn on the tunes and just do what the screen “tells you” to do. Zwift has some good plans and workouts as well, so give those a try, too.

Use More Than One App

FULGAZ is my other app. of choice and I particularly like the contrast of Zwift’s animation and crowds with Fulgaz’s (FG) scenery and lack thereof (crowds, that is). I’m still surprised at how many riders I talk to don’t know about FG. “Less Virtual, More Reality” is its very apropo slogan. Check out the AMAZING SIGHTS post at the top of this page for more on Fulgaz. This post from the winter of 2021 is also worth a gander.

Yet another Deathride area option for your pain cave riding pleasure – Grover gravel and some pavement too.
Lots of pain cave riding options, including one in Markleeville. And it’s trending too. Sweet!

FRIEND and local, Graham F., made this comment recently on Strava, referring to the “Going to the Sun Road Glacier National Park 2020” ride (15.77 miles; 3238 elevation gain) he had just done on Fulgaz: “The scenery is good enough to make you ignore some of the suffering.” Exactly.

Focus On The Thing

SPEAKING of suffering…On whatever app. it is that you use, (my example here is of Zwift) focus your riding on the thing the interval is about. In other words, if it’s about leg speed, then get the leg speed where it needs to be and let the watts sort themselves out. On the other hand, if the interval is watts-related, focus on those watts and let your leg speed get to where you feel most comfortable. Zwift will adjust accordingly and get your watts, or your cadence, where they belong.

The hardest part of this workout…Focus on the cadence!
The hardest part of this workout by far…Focus on the watts!

Music Is Your Friend

USE headphones, they eliminate distractions from fan noise to door bells. Rather than focusing on the time left in the interval, or the data on the screen, for example, you can instead focus on the song. “Get through the song then look at the screen, Mark.” “One song at a time, dude.” Set up a playlist timed for your efforts – easy listening for the warm up and cool down phases, and something more pulse-pounding for those hard bits. I’ve got specific playlists for TTs, big climbs, endurance days and more.

WHILE it’s admittedly not music, I’ve found that CBD helps me listen better to the music and “get out of my own way.” It lessons that monkey-brain and increases focus. Something to consider perhaps? Do of course consult your medical professional, or make your own decision, though. Really that advice applies to this entire post!

Put It On The Big Screen – And Use Companion

IF you can have a big screen set up in your cave, it’s worth the effort and IMHO, the expense. It’s so much more immersive and that matters especially if you’re putting in many miles en su casa. And, if you are a Zwifter and you don’t use the Companion app., you should. That little helper makes things easier to control and gives you another data set to help distract you from the monotony of miles and miles with no movement.

Focus On Your Form

THE trainer is the best place to focus on your form. Circles they say. Wipe mud off your shoe, I’ve heard. Drive your knees to the bar. All of the above, IMHO. For me, though, it’s the knee-drive that seems to give the most gains on the pedaling efficiency front. Power meter data is key here so take advantage of those metrics. E.G., what was your left-to-right ratio? Knowing you put too much emphasis on one side of the stroke will help you adjust next time.

IT’S not just about the legs, either. Elbows bent? Shoulders not at your ears? Check. Or, not. In addition to their intrinsic value, I have found these little check-ins also help distract me from the grind. Like meditation, keep coming back to those things.

WHY not stretch a little while you’re at it, too? Another advantage of the trainer.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

MEASURE your success. For those of you who’ve been following this blog you know I do like the data. What better way to validate your approach then through testing?

BE sure, though, that it’s “apples to apples.” I was reminded of this recently, hence the mention here, via a comment by Coach Ozier (Peaks Coaching Group) in a post I wrote in the spring of 2021. Suffice it to say that this time I made sure that I ran the same test I ran previously.

I ran the 1 hour 13 minute Zwift FTP test and I did the last test in January of this year. Note: Per Coach O, go all out on the five-minute section before the actual test for a true representation of your FTP.

From 246 to 267 since January…

A 21 point gain from my last test; that’s what I’m talking about! I’m on the upswing and gaining back fitness after last year’s prostate surgery. Prior to that surgery my FTP was 297. Still some work to do.

NOT a watt nerd? Don’t have a power meter? No problemo. These 7 tips will serve you well too, I think.

TRY ‘em out. Add your own suggestions and comment on this post. Share the knowledge!

AND don’t forget to make time for a cool down spin and a bit of stretching post-workout.

THIS weekend’s Ride and Walk4Art will help me determine if all my bitchin’ advice translates to the road.

I hope to see you there. I can already taste that chicken in a barrel that Rob’s wife is cooking up!

giving back

An Ode to Mrs. California Alps Cycling – On Her Birthday

MY wife Patricia has been my greatest supporter, my rock-steady soigneur, since we first got together over 30 years ago.

WHETHER it be helping out at the Ride & Walk 4 Art just last month, or at the Deathride, or at the myriad other events I’ve attended, she’s always there with a word of encouragement, a bit of decorating advice or just a smooch.

MY girl doesn’t miss a beat, nor does she fall asleep, when I regale her with my V02 max or power numbers.

SHE doesn’t mind either, hosting a big ol’ party for a bunch of California Alps Cycling members, and listening to our watt woes, and hearing about our hill-climbing prowess (or not).

Neither does she turn a deaf ear when we loudly articulate every inch of our death-defying (kinda) descents.

She’s always willing, too, to cheerfully drink Bloody Mary’s with me; even on a freezing-ass cold, super-windy, Monterey Bay day. You can’t see ’em but there must have been five (5) heaters around our table that day.

She puts up with my goofiness and boy-child behavior, and even giggles (sometimes) when I guffaw at my gas-passing.

WATCHING every day and every hour of the Tour de France with me? Yup, she does that. Replays of cross races on Flobikes? She’s there! Stealing my issues of Velonews and Bicycling? Totally.

TOLERATING my incessant, and admittedly irritating, coaching when she’s on the bike in the paincave and just wanting to watch Pachinko? That’s my uber-patient wife.

HANGOUT with me while I race, and cheer me on at the finish? Yup.

BE my support crew while I film rides for Fulgaz? You betcha! Editors note: On the Carson Pass ascent (east side) her leapfrogging me was particularly welcome, and at one point there’s a special pic. of her as she closely examines some plant life with PictureThis, a very cool plant identifider app.

She too can be a bit whacky and frankly I think she rocks the goggles.

AND she also warms my cockles. Easy now, I hear your snickers.

THE best part? She’s mine and I’m hers.

IT’S your day today, my wonderful wife, so feel free to peruse every aisle of Costco without me cracking the whip or complaining about how slowly people sometimes move.

GO ahead, stop at Jack in the Box for that fish sandwich. I won’t give you a hard time about the fat or sodium content. Cross my heart.

THANK you for being you, my sweet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CUPCAKE!

chocolate cupcake with white and red toppings
Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com
recovery, rides, road conditions, virtual rides

Some Ride-Related News From Markleeville – And Other Goings On

WE’VE gotten some small amounts of snow here in the California Alps over the last few days; certainly not as much as we’d have liked but it’s something. Better news on that front from the higher climes, however.

SOME backcountry (and other skiing) was to be had over this weekend, said Justin, my trusty physical therapist and backcountry skiing fanatic, last Friday.

bluebird with ornamental plumage resting on twig

I’M sure he was hitting it yesterday and I’d imagine he’s out there today, as any self-respecting mountain athlete (or any snow lover for that matter) would be on this bluebird of a day. 🙂

BULLITT the mountain bike is asking me to take him out for a spin today and I think I’ll oblige. Going to be some mud-slingin’ for sure!

That Ride-Related News

THE road cycling lately has been glorious, notwithstanding the slush, and plow-pellet induced sludge, and therefore requisite cleaning and lubing (whine, snivel). I was able to get outside early in the week and on one ride it felt downright balmy! Only a base tee under the jersey and no arm-warmers!

SINCE then we’ve had a couple light snow events, as I mentioned at the start of this post, so I’ve been partaking of the paincave lately. Segue…

SPEAKING of inside…I was able to test ride the “Fatbiking in the Snow” ride recently and I’m happy to say you Fulgaz subscribers will soon be able to particpate.

BE on the lookout for the “Pick n’ Mix” release tentatively scheduled for March, said Peter the Engineer.

MONITOR and Ebbetts remain closed (Monitor at the junction and Ebbetts just past Silver Mountain City) but once we get a bit of melt of yesterday’s dusting the riding on Monitor should be pretty good. Ebbetts, being much less exposed, will remain slushy in some of the shadier areas for awhile and I suspect we won’t get much plowing done any farther up towards the pass until April.

Silver Creek (in noir-mode) and distant crags on a sunny afternoon ride up Hwy. 4.
A vividly bluebird day on a ride from Markleeville to Silver Mountain City.
That’s Chalmers Mansion (as you can see from the sign), in noir, peaking through the trees. Some slush still on the road.
A bluebird day on a ride from Markleeville to Silver Mountain City.
A few photos from last week’s forays on Hwy. 4, heading towards Ebbetts Pass.

Those Other Goings On

COMMUNITY meetings continue on several fronts as we continue to recover from the Tamarack Fire. Trails continue to be a big part of the discussion and their rebuilding in time for the spring and summer season are a priority. We’re looking holistically at trail usage and focusing on hiking, riding and equestrian in our planning. Things are certainly going to look different out there as the forest starts its long return to health, yet it’s still the Sierra and a lot of it wasn’t burned.

Burned trees and heavy equipment as seen from Airport Road, looking down at Hwy. 89 near Turtle Rock Park.
So much devasation…:-( Burned trees everywhere – as seen from Airport Road just up from Hwy. 89.

THE images above are certainly heart-breaking. I remind folks though, that a lot of the area wasn’t torched and once you get past Monitor Junction to the south, or Pickett’s Junction, to the west, you won’t see a lot of fire-related damage. The forest is nothing if not resiliant.

MRS. CA Alps points out in a “making lemonade out of lemons” kinda way that the vistas are more expansive without so many trees. She’s right and it helps to look at it that way; still so very sad to see. And lets be honest, the density of the forest was, and still is, part of the problem. Thousands of years of native americans weren’t (and aren’t) wrong, you know?

OUR rivers, streams and lakes are looking good, though, and many of the latter, like Silver and Caples, are still frozen over. We’re working hard on repairing infrastructure like Turtle Rock Park and Grover Hot Springs State Park. Plans for the “fishing opener” are in the works, we’ve got a new addition to our local Fish & Game Commission, and we’re starting to think more about native fisheries and how we can restore them. Segue…😉

SPEAKING of restoration, the county has been awarded a grant of approximately $1.8 million that will be used to help private landowners here in Alpine Co. with their recovery efforts. Work on that front continues on a fast pace.

AS does tree-clearing…

BY the way, if you haven’t checked out the Alpine Chamber’s website recently, please take a gander. Lots of great information about things afoot here in Alpine County including summer events like Music in the Park, the Bear Valley Music Festival and Hermit Fest.

WELL, it’s off to wash Blue. I promised him he’d get a bath before I took his bro out for a ride. It’s 41; starting to warm up to today’s high of 42. Won’t be just a base layer and jersey today, I guess.

STILL, it could be worse.

ENJOY your Sunday and have a fantastic week!

amazing sights, virtual rides

Sightseeing From Your Pain Cave – And a Shared Experience

RECENTLY, Mrs. California Alps Cycling has taken a shine to my KICKR and the Fulgaz account connected thereto, and has been doing some sightseeing in preparation for this year’s Tour de France.

WHILE she’s been jumping on the trainer here and there for a few weeks, it hasn’t been until recently that she has really become aware of a benefit of riding in the pain cave she hadn’t paid attention to before: sightseeing!

SURE we get to see some amazing scenery here where we ride (as I suspect you do too), as witnessed by the image at the top of this post, but to be able to ride inside and not just watch sports, or cooking shows, or your avatar, or all of those avatars in front of you for that matter, is a game-changer.

INSTEAD, you get some fascinating glimpses of other parts of the world, and the people in them going about their daily lives.

Rode this one the other day as a cool down. After a harder, longer ride on Zwift.
Later that day, at my recommendation, Mrs. CAC road part of it.

FOR my wife, it’s been an almost transcendent experience.

SHE now looks forward to getting on the bike and checking out a new locale. It also has given her renewed motivation; some days she saves the ride for later and then resumes it the next day so she can get farther into the course or conquer that little roller that she didn’t have the poop to conquer the previous day.

Iceland is just one of thousands of destinations you can visit!

FOR me, though, it’s always been about the workouts. As you know, I’ve spent countless hours on the trainer, in that pain-cave, either on Zwift or Fulgaz, getting my groove on.

Icicles outside? Riding inside!

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed the scenery, whether it be real or virtual, and the air guitar sessions are pretty righteous, but until until my wife started sharing her perspective (e.g. the interesting buidlings, the pretty flowers, the people walking nearby), I’d never thought of it as a way to sightsee.

THAT shared experience is perhaps that best ROI, though. We’ve been enjoying recounting our adventures with each other. She doesn’t glaze over quite so easily when I start talking watts and rollers and I have a renewed sense of appreciation of my surroundings, albeit virtual ones, and even find myself craning my neck to see things on the screen I wouldn’t normally notice.

I’VE even caught myself waving to the locals and other cyclists!

Next Steps?

WE’RE going to get my “other-half” and fellow tourist her own Fulgaz account and she’s already talking about budgeting for her own trainer so we don’t have to switch bikes so often.

EVEN better, we’ll be able to ride some of the routes together! Fulgaz does have a group ride option!

Kudos for us at the end of that Pingvallavatn ride.

SO, if someone you know needs a little incentive, or you just want to share more of what you love, maybe you need to show them some love and go on a little day trip together somewhere in France, or Africa, or Australia.

YOU choose!

fitness, snow, training, virtual rides

Snow Outside Means Tweaking Your Training – Here’s What I Did Last Week

SURE, there are other things you can do to augment your cycling training besides hitting the trainer. In the long-term, it’s definitely NOT just about the bike.

I have a goal, though, damn it (5000 miles for the year – and I’ve significantly curtailed that from what it was at the beginning of the year) and I’m going to hit it, or I’m going to hurl trying. Maybe…

MY quandary is that I need to chillax a bit (and I’m a firm believer in that being a big part of the fitness regimen – see this post from May). I’ve got 131.8 miles to go; I’m in dire need of a rest day; the snow keeps falling (which means it has to be moved) and we’ve got family coming for the New Year’s weekend.

REST may win. I am sore from head to toe, okay more like from calves to shoulders. And a little neck. Head, good. Toes, okay.

Here’s How I Got Here

  • MONDAY the 20th
    • Rest Day
  • TUESDAY the 21st
    • Fulgaz – Brugge Oostende
    • 29 miles
    • 1:25:42
    • TSS = 108
    • Worked in 5 miles of Sweet Spot Training (SST) and 3 sets of HIIT (Tabatas).
  • WEDNESDAY the 22nd
    • Zwift – London
    • 21.1 miles
    • 1:07:21
    • TSS = 74
    • Mostly Tempo and a PR up Box Hill!
  • THURSDAY the 23rd
    • Fulgaz – Creede Highway 149
    • 21.9 miles
    • 1:04:14
    • TSS = 62
    • An easy and fast spin (85 RPM avg.) on a mostly downhill course.
  • FRIDAY the 24th
    • Fulgaz – Hidden Valley RT; Golden Gate Cooldown; Pacific Coast Highway Cruise
    • 22.9 miles
    • 1:12:31
    • TSS = 76
    • Did these three (3) different rides I had never done, mostly to get some miles in.
  • SATURDAY the 25th (Merry Christmas!)
    • Zwift – Yorkshire; Duchy Estate Sprints
    • 18.2 miles
    • 1:00:03
    • TSS = 68
    • Short course (~2.5 miles) with a sprint (total of 8) on each lap
    • Felt it today. As hard as a tried I could not get the HR up to what I normally can. Tired legs and body…
  • SUNDAY the 26th (boxing it up)
    • Fulgaz – Brugge Oostende again
    • 29 miles
    • 1:26:53
    • TSS = 79
    • Mostly about the miles today and I knew there were several hours of moving snow to come.
    • Moving snow afterwards (see pic below)
      • 2:36:38
      • Avg. HR = 103 (max 135)
      • TSS = 103
      • Editors note: Did another 2+ hours Monday the 27th, this time recording the distance; about 3/4 of a mile walked.

Moving snow, I’ve learned, is a great workout too – especially for the core, back and shoulders. Combined with, or as a follow up to a ride, it makes for a great day of training! The blower does a lot of the work certainly, but a shovel is still needed for those hard to blow places.

And there is something else that can be done with that snow…

Zwift and Fulgaz – a Great Combination

FOR me, having the ability to ride both in an animated and in a “real virtual” format via Zwift and Fulgaz makes all of this inside riding much more bearable. Add some good tunes, and focus on those (get through the song, then check the stats), or the scenery, depending, and plowing through those miles indoors can be fun, or at least do-able.

I’VE done several posts on the Zwift and Fulgaz dynamic over the last several years so if you’re interested in learning more just search for either term and you can meditate over those missives.

What About the Results?

Strain is up significantly from the previous week and my body can tell!
Still recovering…no doubt.
After that hard week of riding and moving snow it’s rest that I needed.

AS it turns out I took another day off yesterday (somewhat forced due to the day job and some chores that needed doing (did those over the “lunch break”), and today, voila, a 96% recovery and Whoop tells me I’m primed for strain.

Today’s Adventure?

I’M not quite sure yet but I think it’s going to be a Zwift workout: Matt Hayman’s Paris-Roubaix. I have yet to complete it; it’s a challenging all around effort that is best done after a rest day (or two). Maybe today’s the day I’ll actually finish the entire thing.

IT doesn’t look good for that 5000 mile goal (132 miles to go with only 3 days left).

REST did win out and I still received the reward – my CTL (Chronic Training Load) score is trending up and so is time in the tub!

HERE’S hoping that my recap gets your juices flowing and gives you some ideas as to how you can mix things up a bit.

WE hope you had a very Merry Christmas and we wish you a joyful New Year filled with exciting experiences and fantastic fitness. Let’s Kick Some Passes’ Asses! next year, or even this year.

IF you have skies or snowshoes, that is. It’s starting to snow again.

data, deathride, virtual rides

What’s the Number One Rule of Cycling? It’s Not What You Think

IT’S “If it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen.”

Last week was a week of climbing here in Markleeville. In honor of the Deathride I did three of the five climbs of the legacy DR (i.e. with Carson Pass). Virtually. On Fulgaz. And yes indeedy, I do plan to do the other two this week.

Without high-speed (ahem – even when we have internet here in Markleeville I wouldn’t call it “high-speed”) internet, though. Thanks to a previous hint, courtesy of Fulgaz during its French Tour, I had downloaded all the climbs to my Apple TV (ATV) so I could ride them w/o internet connectivity. Note to self: When our super-fast DSL is back online, download a bunch more rides for future use.

I had to chuckle after ride number 2. Changed kits for the next one and this thought, with the associated Tom Hanks voice, came into my head: “There’s no coasting in (on?) Fulgaz.” Just like there’s no crying in baseball. Well I guess I could have done some coasting on those downsides of the rollers but I was too busy building up speed for the upcoming upsides!

Bad Air = Ride Inside

WITH all the smoke about from the wildfires I’m not really too excited about riding outside. I was able to get a couple rides in the week before last, in the blue-mountain air, but sadly, not so this week.

Not quite as pretty as it usually is at El Dorado Beach (South Lake Tahoe) That wildfire smoke is having a regional impact.

OKAY, so anyway…Friday was Carson Pass with its just over 3000′ of climbing, pain cave fans, and portable A/C, a blazin’! Was a hard ride; I pushed it. Sunday last I did two (2) more. Ebbett’s South (from Hermit Valley up to the pass) and after a short break, Ebbett’s North from Monitor Junction to the top. Those bad boys gave me another 4700′ of climbing.

AND earlier in the week I did one easy ride on Fulgaz, but it did give me another 719 feet of climbing. Hey, it all counts damn it!

Why Am I Telling You This?

I’LL get to the point. After we realized we wouldn’t have our bad-ass internet for awhile we went out and bought our fine-selves a cell-signal booster. Works pretty well. Went from two bars to three, or four. Smart guy here…Just keep reading…Tethered my cell iPad to the computer. Functional. Irritating, especially at certain times of the day, but functional.

I could blog. As long as I didn’t upload photos. That I had to do up at Whorehouse Flats. Yes, you read that correctly. ‘Twas apparently named thusly because there was a house of ill repute located there back in the day. In any case, it has a direct line of sight to Hawkins Peak, where the (only) Verizon cell tower is located, and so there I can upload images. Even though I have the same number of bars as I do at home with the so-called boosted signal.

SIDE NOTE: WHY, pray tell, does it seem to not boost when it’s really, really, supposed to frickin’ boost? Huh? Riddle me that, Batman!

ANYWAY, I’m telling you this to explain the constraints we’re under here without reliable internet. How the hell am I supposed to function without it? How am I supposed to sync my photos; upload my recent cycling quests to Strava; update Fitness Pal with the day’s caloric intake and hydration? C’mon man! It’s impossible and it’s just not fair.

The Gauntlet has Been Thrown Down

SO, here I was, a new member of Chris’s recent Sparks Cycling Challenge Group on Strava, of which the goal is 30000 feet by the end of the month, and I was sucking wind (or more appropriately writ perhaps, sucking elevation), but only because I hadn’t uploaded the past week’s rides! A ha! I had an idea.

I’LL just change my network settings and connect my ATV to my super-boosted iPad (now you’ll understand what I meant earlier about smart guy…) and upload them. Nope. Apple TV won’t recognize a cell hotspot. Makes sense I guess; too much bandwidth needed.

WAIT, I’ll upload them from my FulGaz app. on my iPad. Uh, no, I didn’t download them there. Smart guy downloaded them to the ATV.

WHAT’S next? This week I’m going to take the ATV into South Lake (Tahoe, that is) where I got a really sweet deal at Cowork Tahoe and rented a desk for a month (it’s a pretty cool place as it turns out) so I could do those parts of my job that require FAST internet (meetings, video-conferences, important ca-ca like that…).

I should be able to connect it to the WiFi there, and upload my rides to Strava so I can prove myself worthy. Key word = should. Another should…I should (would) be in 3rd place a/o today had my big week of climbing last week been included.

BUT you know what? If it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen!

WE’RE supposed to have our super fast Markleeville internet back sometime before the end of the month. Until then it’s gadget hell. No Netflix. No Apple Plus. No Zwift workouts. No Fulgaz real-time rides. And most put-offingly, no Strava.

I guess if nothing else I can manually enter those rides but that feels like the easy way out, so I shall continue my quest. Maybe. I’m wearing myself out and perhaps I should instead save that energy for the bike.

For Related Musings…

Click here to read a previous post that, now that I look back, was a bit of foreshadowing to my latest travails.

Click here to read more about the Tour of the California Alps (aka the Deathride) climbs and other routes I filmed for Fulgaz.

Click here for a trip down memory lane and a post with some riding and hiking options here in Alpine Co., once the perverbial smoke clears that is – no parking or camping allowed on the local highways currently due to the ongoing Tamarack Fire.

AND a not so related musing but I wanted to share it nonetheless. In last week’s post I wrote briefly about the animal oasis here in the middle of the charred forest. Here’s more evidence of that:

STAY safe, watch out for bears, be good to yourself and others, and let’s kick some passes’ asses! Preferrably the non-smoky ones.

amazing sights, climbing, gravel, hiking

Thinking About Kicking Some Alpine Co. Roads’ or Trails’ Asses? Here’s a Quick Update

WELL it’s that time of year when many of us are waiting for things to clear snow-wise so we can get to training, whether on the bike or on foot.

SO, here’s a quick update!

Road Cycling

Carson Pass

I’VE warned you before but I’ll say it again: this pass is for the seasoned rider. The vehicle traffic is heavy, moves fast, and includes lots of hay trucks. Add to that the hairy, approximately five-mile section from Woodfords to Hope Valley and this ride will get your blood pumping (and not just from the climbing).

Still, it’s an iconic climb so I have to mention it.

Ebbett’s Pass

I talked to a rider in Markleeville last Sunday who had just come down from the pass. The gate was still closed at Raymond Meadow Creek (7000′) but he had, as well as many other riders, jumped the gate and went on up. The road was clear of snow and Caltrans was clearing debris and filling some holes. He mentioned that he talked to riders who had come up from the Bear Valley side and they said the same thing: the western side is almost ready, too.

I have it from a very reliable source that it should be open by the end of the week.

Luther Pass

LUTHER has not closed all winter (as is the usual unless it’s really nasty) and I’ve taken several trips over by car in the last few days.

THE road looks good and there is no snow.

Monitor Pass

BOTH the eastern side and the western side are open so no issues there. Go get you some!

Blue Lakes Road

AS of yesterday, Blue Lakes was open to the third gate so you can’t quite get to the actual lakes unless you jump the last two (2) gates. Not sure of the conditions past gate #3 so enter at your own risk (which is good advice ANYTIME you jump a gate). And you’re right, astute reader, Blue Lakes is not technically a pass but it’s a good climb (and a rip-roaring descent) for certain.

BE sure to have a back-up plan if you get a mechanical and extraction by vehicle is not an option!

Mountain Biking, Gravel Riding and Hiking

THERE are many, many trails here in Alpine County so I’m just going to mention three (3) of my favorites and let you do your homework if you wish to partake of any others. Check out AllTrails for some ideas.

Charity Valley Trail

IT’S a fantastic trail, best done IMHO from Blue Lakes Road DOWN to Grover Hot Springs State Park. Certainly for you hard core “gravelers” the up-direction is an option, but it’s some tough sledding so be sure to set your expectations properly and bring plenty of water and other necessary gear.

Thornburg Canyon Trail

ANOTHER trail that connects to Blue Lakes Road and as you might imagine, coming down is the easier option. It’s an approximately 14 mile out and back with 3600′ of climbing. I’ve not hiked nor biked the entire length of the trail but as you can see, it’s pretty. The above image was taken just a little ways from the Markleeville entrance. You can drive, walk or ride up Saw Mill Road to the trailhead.

THE Alpine Trails Association just met and we discussed the conditions of the trails. Suffice it to say there are still lots of downed branches and trees and other detritus on the trails, and likely still some winter ruts so be wary. The crews have begun work on getting the trails summer-ready but as far as I know we have not gotten to either Charity Valley nor Thornburg.

Wolf Creek Road

THE above photo of Wolf Creek Valley was taken in August of 2018, when it was a bit smoky here due to the wildfires that year, but I’ve heard the road is in pretty good shape and it is a great option for a gravel ride.

It’s been awhile since I’ve ridden the entire road but I do know that the first mile or so (from Hwy. 4) is paved, and then, as I recall, it’s about 5-6 miles of fire road from there over to the valley. There are some sections of rutted, boulder-strewn dirt so keep that in mind.

REMEMBER, activities such as these can be inherently dangerous (my lawyerly sub-conscience reminded me to tell you this) so take part in these adventures at your own risk.

Resources and Grinds

HERE’s a link to the Alpine Co. Road Dept. where you can get more info. on county road conditions here.

AS far as local highways…Caltrans District 10’s Twitter feed is a great resource for up-to-date info. and I’ve found that its QuickMap page (and associated app.) is pretty reliable too.

BEER? The Cutthroat Brewing Company is now open 7 days a week and you can partake of delictable eats like the Deathride Pizza.

THE J. Markee Toll Station is another wonderful option with a nice lawn where you can spread out and do some people watching. Don’t let the “hole-in-the-wall” appearance fool you; Sandy (chef and owner) and her son Tanner are excellent hosts. We were just there last weekend and and the food and service was awesome!

LAST, but certainly not least, is the Out West Cafe. This place is only open for breakfast and lunch but Joey (chef/owner) always has some unique dishes and his wife bakes the most amazing cheesecakes.

WE’RE still masking up here when appropriate but with so many outdoor options it shouldn’t be too challenging to follow those best practices.

LET me know if you’re coming to town. Perhaps we can get a ride or hike in!

OH and by the way…if you’d like to check out some of these climbs (and other local rides, including some Tahoe rides) from the pleasure of your pain-cave then check us out on FulGaz. Just login and search “Schwartz.”

fitness, health, training

Riding Less but Getting Stronger – How’s That?

THE short answer is that I’m getting more rest and better sleep. I’m listening – to my body and to my gadgets.

GADGET may not be the best descriptor I initially thought but upon looking up the definition (a small mechanical or electronic device or tool, especially an ingenious or novel one) I realize it is apropos.

THOSE gadgets to which I refer, and about which I recently blogged, include my Garmin Fenix 6x and my Whoop strap.

LISTENING

THIS morning I had planned on getting in a fairly hard training session before work. However, my tech was suggesting otherwise. And after a month of wearing said strap and “comparing notes” with the Fenix, as hard as it was, I decided to listen.

I need more rest and frankly I find that part of training to be the most difficult. It’s easier to just ride.

OUR cat Ditty (nothing knows how to rest and relax better than a feline, right?) consistently shows us how to get it done so I figured I’d follow her example, and actually pay attention to what my devices, and more importantly my body, were telling me.

THE Fenix’s display indicated that I need 31 additional hours of recovery and that my recovery was delayed by poor sleep. Indeed, I was up late, celebrating my wife’s birthday and so was not able to get my usual Zs.

WHOOP’s recovery screen advised that I was only 18% recovered – my resting heart rate (RHR) was up and my heart rate variability (HRV) was “33.1% below its typical range, indicating that your body is not fully recovered.”

IT seems counterintuitive, at least to me, but since I’ve been focusing more on rest and sleep and mixing up my harder workouts with walks, runs, Kenpo workouts, easy e-MTB rides, and long endurance rides, I’ve been getting stronger.

GO figure! Putting in fewer hours (and miles) on the bike yet getting stronger…And, having more fun in the process.

ON April 1st I was following my new guidelines and I jumped on Zwift for an easy 45 minute spin. It took me a minute to realize what was going on (that’s my avatar with the yellow wheels) but rather than stress about not having my “real bike” (one rider chatted “this isn’t funny anymore Zwift, give me my bike back”) I just enjoyed the ride and the memories that came flooding back. I had one of those Big Wheels when I was a kid, you know?

I was smiling and giggling almost the entire session; in the past I would have whined about it.

PERFORMING

THE reason I’m still in need of more recovery is three-fold.

  • An intense HIIT workout last Friday
  • An endurance ride on Saturday
  • A virtual climb (focused on a new personal best – which I attained) on the Ebbetts Pass North Ascent on FulGaz on Monday.

FOR the HIIT workout I went with rocket drills. My workout consisted of six (6) sprints, two (2) minutes each at full throttle, from a standing start, up a small hill on Hot Springs Road. The rest interval was five (5) minutes, by the way, and I did that by doing a bit of easy spinning farther up the hill as well as back down to the starting point.

ON sprint #5 I hit almost 900 watts – the highest I’ve ever done on the road and it was the penultimate interval!

SPRINT #6, however, was almost a hurl-fest. Thankfully, though, no technicolor yawn.

SUNDAY, after Saturday’s approximately 90-minute endurance ride, I joined the wife for a short and easy ride on our e-MTBs.

THAT set me up for Monday, where I was able to set a personal best on the entire climb, as well as one of the segments, and hold a heart rate of 159 bpm for 60 minutes (per Trainingpeaks), a 2021 best.

RESTING and SLEEPING

AND so it was that I scheduled yesterday as a rest day and joined the wife again on our e-MTBs, this time for an easy ride up to Grover Hot Springs State Park, where my wife got her first taste of gravel on her new Rail.

AS for sleep, that’s where WHOOP is really helping. Now that I’ve been religiously wearing the strap for over a month I’m finding that what I like most is the focus it provides regarding sleep. From the after-action report in the morning, to the alerts the night before, it is teaching me (and it’s validated in my performance results) that sleep is just as important to training as the actual workouts.

WHEN I pay attention to the feedback it provides, as well as the input from the Fenix and Trainingpeaks, I perform better.

WHEN I don’t, I don’t.

AND so while I find myself champing at the bit to ride, or do something else hardcore today, I’m not going to do that.

I’M going to heed the warnings and try to be more like my cat. And in the process I know I’m going to get even sturdier on my steed.

THE Deathride is just over three (3) months away after all and it’s going to be a doozy.

HAPPY hump day! I hope you too are conquering some of those training humps and as always your comments are most welcome.