John Rees

During the winter, cyclists need to find alternatives to training outdoors. Even if the weather is good, the days are short, and riding before the sun sets is not an option for most of us. SO we set our bikes up on a stationary trainer and suffer alone in our garage or basement. Riding this way is a dreary experience. This is where “Hour of Power” comes in to play.

Organized by the Derek Powers of the “Cats Cradle” and fearless leader of the “Doughnut Boy Racing Team, the Hour of Power turns trainer riding into a social event.

Held on nights when the Cradle doesn’t have an act booked, the training session attracts riders of all abilities and aspirations. Mondays session attracted 10 riders, including Derek, Scott Conary of the Open Eye, Adrian Carter, Tom Ricketts from UNC, Charles Fischer, some riders from the rival ‘FSC’ racing team, and – of course – me.

The format is simple. Participants arrive at the Cradle around 6:30, and set their bikes and trainers up in the dance floor, usually in a circle. Some adventurous riders, like Adrian, bring rollers. We warm up until 7PM, where Derek begins a 1 hour program of music. We ride intervals for the length of the song, followed by a 2-3 minute recovery. Our personal torture resumes when a new song is played. Since this is a music club after all, the music is loud and piped through the Cradles sound system.

The music choice is eclectic. Sometimes one of the riders brings in a CD with a personal selection. Normally, Derek chooses the music. It is not unusual for the music to include unexpected performers, such as Tom Jones. Tonight’s set list were songs from the great American composer, “Michael Jackson”

I really look forward to these training sessions. There is something about being amongst other riders that makes me work harder. I usually totally kill myself on the bike for the hour. Looking around in the room, and the large pools sweat below everyone, I can see I am not alone.

My glorious start to my training program on Sunday has been dampened a bit with the weather this week.

Monday was warm, but very windy.  Lightweight bikes with aero wheels are like sails in crosswinds.  With gusts in the high 20’s, and many of the roads I train on treeless and unprotected from the wind, I chose not to risk it.  But I’m still getting some cardio time.  The last few days I’ve been spending some quality time on the machines at O2 fitness in Chapel Hill.

But Thursday: Something different:  The Hour of Power.  Here is the deal.  A Bunch of cyclists show up at the Cats Cradle on an off night.  We set up our bikes on trainers or rollers.  Derek picks the music, and we kill ourselves on our bikes for an hour.  Usually about 10 riders show up.  It’s a bit surreal to see all those bikes in a semi circle on the floor that is usually filled with beer guzzling music fans.  I’ll bring my camera and see if anyone lets me take photos of them suffering on their self imposed torture devices.

Today, I went out on the road for 2 hours , 45 minutes, trying to get as many hills as possible in my route. My odo is broken, so no idea of average speed or distance. I need to start making 3 hour rides a regular habit, and today was a good start.

I had set this blog up a while back, but have not been able to find a ‘voice’ or a topic to write about. Other bloggers are quite good at blogging about any topic. But I wanted to keep mine narrow. The topic kind of fell into my lap this week when a co worker of mine at IBM offered me his place in the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. Due to injury and lack of training, he felt he could not do it this year.

The assault is a large bike ride, and it stretches 102 miles from Spartanburg, SC to the top of Mt. Mitchell in NC. In between, there is a cumulative climb of 11,000 feet. The summit is 6,500 feet and we will be starting at about 500 feet above sea level. This ride is all about climbing.

What my buddy Frank doesn’t know is I haven’t exactly been training myself. Sure, I run, and I have occasionally gotten out on the bike this winter, but I have some serious preparation to do so I can carry his number proudly to the top of the mountain. What do I need to do?

• I need to lose some weight. Although nobody would call me fat, my slight, 5’10” frame currently weighs in at 167 pounds. I want to lose about 10 pounds. Think it doesn’t matter? Walk up and down some stairs with a couple of 5lb bags of flour, then set them aside and do it again. I wish it was as easy as casting aside two bags of Pillsbury
• I need to get in better shape. I’ve been running, but not cycling enough. I need to get my body used to being in the saddle for hours at a time. My behind has grown soft from my hiatus from the bike. Time to get it used to the saddle again.
• When I can’t ride, I need to run. So, I’ll be either riding or running every day.
• I need to eat better. My wife will like that. She often questions the choices I make for meals. Now, she’ll have to find something else to nag me about (uh oh).

I won’t be eating these for breakfast for quite a while
Well there it is, maybe by keeping my preparations pubic, I will have a better incentive to stick to the plan.