Epic Peaks Coaching

Congrats to Sarah Miller: 2nd at Three Legged Dawg

2008-06-24T11:19:00.001-07:00

Huge congrats to Sarah Miller, who took 2nd place at the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series race: Three Legged Dawg this past weekend.

High temps and a good crash couldn't stop her as she held strong and made podium yet again!!

Way to go Sarah!

Epic Peaks takes Win at Hardcore 24

2008-06-23T10:39:00.001-07:00

After months of hard work and hard training it all came together the weekend of June 16th/17th. I turned in 19 laps for a distance of 154 miles and 27,000ft of climbing

I stayed consistent and strong the whole race and used my powertap as a guide for my pacing.

For a full article on my race report go to my blog.

Also: Big Congrats to Epic Peaks Friends!

Mark/Suzanne Hartman: 1st Overall Duo
Casey Conte/Matt Hangi: 2nd Overall Duo/1st Overall Male/Male Duo

Congrats to Peter Ryckaert!! 2nd Place at Park Ave Wed Night Series

2008-06-19T07:32:00.001-07:00

Great Job Peter Ryckaert!! Making improvements on last week's finish on chilly and tough race course Peter slams it for a 2nd place.

Peter's Recap:

2nd place overall in sport. Wow. 1:06:change. First week was 1:11:49 same course direction. Last week 1:08:10 on backwards course. Hammer was down all night. Quads were screaming at lap two, so I tried to modulate that. The more aggressive meat on the front probably was a decent choice, but it wasn't that wet. I had 1st place in my sights but he pulled me in the last lap but I had him scared. He beat me by only about 10 sec or less. I was making time on the back of the expert pack. I had the lungs for more, but my quads may not have. Climbed the big hill twice without granny. Off the bike once on a banked turn, nothing bad, just a slip. Quads really sore afterwards, tried to do more stretching and I will today also. Good times! One more week to go there

We'll find out next week if Peter has enough to pull out one more and take the series!!

Wed Night Mtb Training Series!

2008-06-16T08:36:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Peter Ryckaert on a great race this past wednesday night

Better night. Backwards course. Ran the Sultan. Bike was dialed in the dry. Too wet last night. I was railing it in the woods. My bud behind me was jaw dropped when he couldn't hang. Cleaned the nasty spot every time on the singletrack.

My bars came loose after 3 super decents. Had to stop and tighten. Ugh. Lost probably a minute and my tool trying to get in back in the jersey while climbing. Passed some people back with a hard surge in lap 4. I may have gotten 5th overall including all age groups.

Layed the wood to one guy 1/2 way through lap 5 and he got me back and I could hang. Dang!! I also did this scary big-block power move pass in the woods. Total mania jumping logs, dodging limbs, clearing a stump just barely. What fun!!

Nice job Peter!

Epic Week of Racing for Epic Peaks

2008-05-20T05:34:00.001-07:00

Whole lot of news going on for the Epic Peaks Crew!

First, Congrats to Sarah Miller for Winning the Women's Arkansas Marathon Series (she claims she won by default, but she really kicked some butt!!)

Farmall Spring Series #1 was this past weekend and Peter Ryckaert tore it up for a 5th place in the men's Sport class, while your very own Epic Peaks coach fought a hard battle and took 2nd (1st age) in the Expert class.

This past weekend saw some more racing action. Sarah Miller was at it again, taking 2nd place Sport at the Old Post XC race, but don't let that fool you. She started with the expert women and led the majority of the 1st lap!!

The NYSERS racing kicked off this past weekend with the Highland Hex. Good competition and a fast course made for some great racing. Mark Hartman turned in 7 laps for a 1st place 30-39 Solo victory. Suzanne Hartman turned in an incredible 7 laps also for 1st place women's victory and she took down half the fellas. Your own Epic Peaks coach turned in 8 laps for 1st place 20-29 Solo and 3rd Overall.

Congrats to everyone for some stellar results!!!!!!

Epic Peaks Podiums at Prattsburg Rambler

2008-04-30T06:27:00.001-07:00

Your very own Epic Peaks Coach takes an age group podium at the Prattsbugh Rambler, while Matt Hanggi takes 2nd in the 19-29 category. Congrats!

Way to Go!!

2008-04-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

Huge Congratulations in order for Epic Peaks Athlete, Sarah Miller. She competed in the Ouachita Challenge this weekend. She set a personal best and finished in 13th place!! The event has been her arch-nemesis the past few season, and now she has conquered it!

Rain, Tornadoes, flood waters, nothing could stop her!! Awesome Job Sarah! So very proud of you!!

Solving YOUR Problem

2008-03-25T06:02:00.001-07:00

There are many resolutions to problems, but what is yours? What is the effort/output level you are training for? Is it a race, certain hill, or just keeping up with the local group ride.

Figure out the length of time and effort level required for your goal. Slice it up into smaller pieces.

Example: 10 min hill climb; dice up into 1,2,3 minute intervals where you perform at an effort level exceeding what it takes to do the 10 min climb. Total interval time should be above your goal (12-20 minutes). As you are able to work through the shorter intervals, increase the length of the intervals, 5,6,8,10 minutes till you reach your goal. You should still be performing the intervals at an effort above what it (originally) takes to do the 10 min climb.

Now, when you head back to that 10 min climb, you'll be going faster up it than ever before!

In theory it's fairly simple, but can get more complex as there are many aspects to performance. But, for this part, just break down your goals into small chunks, attack those with full energy and you'll be ready for when it's time to truly go all out!

Good Job Sarah!!

2008-03-09T14:49:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Epic Peaks Athlete Sarah Miller for topping the Podium at this past Weekends Spa City 6 Hour Race in Arkansas!!! Under some horrendous trail conditions and sub-frezing temps, Sarah persevered and lapped the entire women's field! Way to go Sarah!!

Epic Peaks Proud to Sponsor 2008 NYSERS

2008-02-01T08:02:00.001-08:00

The 2008 New York State Endurance Racing Series (NYSERS) is back again for 2008!!

Proud to announce the Addition of Plattekill to the NYSERS!!

The dates for the series are as follows:

Highland Hex: May 17th

Plattekill: June 8th

6 Hours of Power: July 27th

Suicide Six: August 16th

More info available here

Time to get out there and get training, before you know it the race season will be upon us!!!

10 tips to Improve your Off-Season Training

2008-01-12T15:32:00.001-08:00

Here are a few personal tips I've collected over the years of training. These are pretty much my insider tips, not collected from anywhere, but rather what I implement to get through the cold-weather.

1. If your hands get cold pretty easily and quickly on a ride, apply moisturizer before you put your gloves on. Usually your hands are dry during the winter and the moisturizer also helps to put a little extra barrier between your hands and the cold.

2. Use duck tape cover the vents on your shoes. Most shoes are made for mid summer riding. Apply some duck tape to cover up those vents and your toes will stay nice and warm.

3. Keep your neck warm. I've found if I keep my jersey zipped to the top or my fleece jersey zipped up, no matter how cold it gets if my neck stays warm, my core stays warm, and that means my hands will stay warm.

4. Break up your trainer routine. Split your hour into 3 20 minute sections. Jump off the bike wipe down, get a drink and stretch. Helps keep your head fresh.

5. Undecided if you should ride outside cause it's cold? Warm up on your trainer for 20 minutes, hit the road for as much as you can bear, and cool down on your trainer. Will help flush your legs and warm you back up. The added benefit is getting the extra time.

6. Short on time or unsure what workout to do? Hit the "Sweet Spot". High z3, low z4. Most bang for your buck.

7. Make the call. Call up a group of friends to ride together. When the weather is cold, having a few people to ride with helps with the motivation. Or if its too cold, have a trainer party! Really helps the time pass much faster with someone to converse with.

8. Can't bear another day on the trainer, haven't been outdoors in weeks? Go for a walk, or spend the time stretching and catching up on personal stuff. Refresh your head, because if it isn't in the game, chances are your workout will be poor. Take the day off and come back strong and ready to fight.

9. Don't take your water bottle for a ride! Just because its cold doesn't mean your body isn't utilizing the fluid in your system. Stay hydrated and drink your water/energy drink. If you are afraid it is gonna freeze, stick it in your pocket under your outer layer.

10. Set goals and plan your season. Schedules should be coming out and it's time to focus on what you need to do. Having a plan can help you get out the door easier. Nothing gets me more revved up than going out for a long ride and having to endure terrible weather. I look at it as a personal challenge. I imagine my competition sitting on the couch ~~stuffing their faces with potato chips~~ while I'm fighting the elements. It gets me super motivated and excited to now I'll be prepared when it comes down to racing in poor conditions.

Epic Peaks Athlete Sarah Miller Takes 1st Podium!

2007-11-29T09:52:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Epic Peaks athlete Sarah Miller of Arkansas. Taking 1st place in the Female Solo category at the Bad Moon Rising 6 hour race in Berryville, AR. The race was held at night in sub-freezing temps. Sarah's finish was good enough to put her 2nd Overall !! in the Solo Field.

Congrats Sarah!!

National Ultra Endurance MTB Series Tentative Schedule

2007-11-01T08:03:00.001-07:00

A tentative schedule for the 100 miler series has been released

Cohutta 100 Tennessee April 19
Mohican MTB 100 Ohio June 7
Lumberjack 100 Michigan June 14
Breckenridge 100 Colorado July 19
Wilderness 101 Pennsylvania July 26
Fool’s Gold 100 Georgia August 16
Shenandoah 100 Virginia August 31
Tahoe-Sierra 100 California September 6

Best 4 out of 8
All ties broken at the final event

More Info Available here

Looks like it's time to start dialing in those training plans!

Training with Limited time

2007-10-18T12:53:00.001-07:00

Last night I took part in an online Webinar given by Hunter Allen; Here is my re-cap.

Training with limited time is an issue faced by the majority of amateur cyclists. There are only so many hours in the day and we have other primary responsibilities to take care of (Family, Job,Prior Commitments, etc). So, how does one train effectively with less than 10 hours per week?

First, you need to create a balance. Start with clear, specific and measurable goals. "Getting Faster" is not a clear goal. "Improve Functional Threshold Power (FTP) by 15% by March 1st", is a great goal. It's to the point, is specific and measurable by the date and testing. Secondly, let your family and circle in on your goals. Explain to your significant other that, Race X is very important to you. Bring them onboard and discuss with them the importance of your goals and the steps you are taking to achieve them.

Secondly, you need to optimize your time. Plan ahead for your rides. Have your water bottles filled and waiting for you in the fridge. Have the tires pumped and the bike lubed and ready to go. Have you kit and shoes ready. You'd be amazed at how much time can add up when you are searching for your shoes, pumping up tires and filling waterbottles. Truly limited on time, use the trainer. You can get out an effective workout in a shorter amount of time as your are forced to pedal for the entirety

Have a plan of action and a purpose to your training. If you are using a power meter or heart rate monitor you should have established your training zones using a monthly test. It's important to know your training zones and how they and what they affect during your training. Listed below are the Coggan Training Zones

Once you have your training zones established, know what you are training for. If your goal requires you to be a top climber, there is no sense in going out and training at time trial efforts. Go out and bury yourself on the climbs. Once you have the prerequisites down that your goal requires, train them! There should be no easy days. If you are limited on time, take a day off and bank that hour that you were going to use for recovery and add it to one of your training days. On the weekend it is much more effective to do one "big day" (4-6 hours) rather than to split up the days. So if you are forced to do chores on Saturday, don't fret about not being able to train. Get out and do a big day on Sunday.

Unsure of what you should be doing in training, head for the "Sweet Spot". Spending time at Upper Zone 3/Lower Zone 4 is one of the most effective ways of increasing your FTP. Sweet Spot is similar to tempo training, but these workouts should put you right on your limit. You should be riding almost to the point of exhaustion, hammering along and having to down a red bull to make the last hour home.

For mountain bikers, keeping the skill levels sharp is important also, so spend at least half of your time off-road working on your technique. Use the road bike to do specific workouts, especially FTP workouts.

An effective training plan can be written and goals can be achieved even for time stressed cyclists.

2008 National Mountain Bike Series Schedule (Unofficial)

2007-10-09T09:16:00.001-07:00

March 29 - March 30, 2008 Fontana National - UCI XCO C1

Southridge Park

Fontana, California

XC/DH/ST/4X/Super D

April 5 - April 6, 2008 NOVA National - UCI XCO C1

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Fountain Hills, Arizona

XC/ST/Super D

May 17- May 18, 2008 Firestone National – UCI XCO C2

Ted Chamberlin Ranch

Los Olivos, California

XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

June 28 - June 29, 2008 Deer Valley National - UCI XCO C1

Deer Valley Resort

Park City, Utah

XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

July 5- July 6, 2008 Showdown at Sugar National

Sugar Mountain Resort

Village of Sugar Mountain, North Carolina

XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

July 12 – July 13, 2008 East Coast National

Windham Resort

Windham, New York

XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

August 16-August 17, 2008 Snowmass National

Town of Snowmass Village, Colorado

XC/DH/ST/4X/Super D

August 30-September 1, 2008 National Mountain Bike Series Finals – UCI XCO C2

Tamarack Resort

McCall, Idaho

XC/DH/4Xor DS/ST/Super D

Hot August Nights 24 Hour Podiums for Epic Peaks Athletes

2007-08-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Super Congrats to Epic Peaks Athletes for their Podium finishes at the Hot August Nights 24 hour race in Bolton, Ontario.

One of the Largest 24 hr Race Events in North America.

Mark Hartman turned an incredible 21 laps (204 miles) and took 2nd place in the SOLO division!!!! Casey Conte and Matt Hanggi were part of a 4 man team that won there respective age division and were also part of the American Podium Sweep (2nd going to another Park Ave team and 3rd to a CNY Dirt Team. Awesome Efforts, Congrats to you!!

Epic Peaks Athletes Snag Several Podiums at Suicide 6

2007-08-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Epic Peaks Athletes raced hard and took Several Podium Positions at this Weekends Suicide Six race in Honeoye, NY.

-Mark Hartman and Casey Conte take the Overall Team DUO Victory with 9 Laps

-Suzanne Hartman and Taylor Crow finished 2nd in the Mixed DUO with 8 Laps

-Jeremy Haskins and Ed Schaefer took 2nd in 30 and Under DUO with 7 Laps

-You Very Own Epic Peaks Coach Takes 1st in the < 30 SOLO (3rd Overall)

CONGRATS! Great Riding!!

New York State Endurance Racing Series Results (NYSERS)

2007-08-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

With Highland Hex and the 6 Hours of Power down, it's time for the final race, Suicide Six this coming weekend at Spencer Park. Results are available now for the series, go here

Epic Peaks Athletes wrap up Strong Weekend of Racing

2007-08-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Epic Peaks athletes were out in force this weekend racing at the Highland Forest Classic XC race and the Wilderness 101.

Jay Heverly was en route to a personal best at the Wilderness 101 and was heading close to the 9 hour mark for the race when he suffered a devastating mechanical and broke his seat stays on a descent! Bummer for sure!

At the Highland Forest Classic; Epic Peaks Athletes crashed the podium!

Suzanne Hartman placed 2nd in the female expert, Mark Hartman placed 2nd in the Semi-Pro, your very own Epic Peaks coach placed 3rd in the Semi-Pro and Matt Hanggi took 4th in the Men's Senior Expert Class!

Congrats on a strong weekend of racing!

Epic Peaks Athletes Podium at Dryer Rd TT

2007-07-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Epic Peaks Athletes Mark Hartman for his 2nd place overall and Casey Conte for his 4th place overall (and you very own Epic Peaks Coach for an 8th overall) finishes at the Dryer Rd Off-Road Time Trial this past Saturday!

Training Peaks Association

2007-06-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Epic Peaks coaching is proud to announce a partnership with Training Peaks Online Training Journal. Training Peaks is a phenomenal tool for Athlete-Coach communication. With the addition of Training Peaks a greater service can be provided to the Athlete. Training Peaks Includes: Daily Log, Annual Training Plan, Athlete Calendar, Weekly Summary, Metric Charts and Graphs, GPS/Power Meter Uploads, Nutrition Tracker and more!

Epic Peaks Athletes Conquer 24 Hour Summer Solstice

2007-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Epic Peaks Athletes and Friends on their success at the 10th Annual 24 hours of Summer Solstice in Toronto, Canada. The event is the largest 24 hour race in North America with over 2200 racers competing!

Mark Hartman, Matt Hanggi, Jim Vreeland and EJ Rosipayla tore it up in the 4 man event. Turning over 27 laps total and winning by over 40 minutes!! The Team is sponsored by Go Pro Decal and Signsandlogos.net

Epic Peaks Athlete Jay Heverly wins at 12 Hours of Roundtop!

2007-06-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Epic Peaks Athlete Jay Heverly of Elmira pulls of a big one in the solo class at the 12 hours of Roundtop in Northern PA. Jay Completed 18 laps in 11:33 and put an entire lap on his competition!! Congrats on a Job Well Done. Jay keeps a blog here where you can read all about his racing

Your very own Epic Peaks Coach, finished 2nd Overall at the Highland Hex in Fabius, NY. Completed 8 laps in 6:25 minutes. 60 miles and 11,000ft of climbing. Make the jump to my blog to read all about it.

Hardcore 24

2007-06-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Epic Peaks is extending sincere condolences to the friends and family of Ben Pritchards. The rider who tragically lost his life during the Hardcore 24.

Congratulations to Epic Peaks Athletes for their success at the Hardcore 24 race this past weekend.

-Mark and Suzanne Hartman placed second overall in the 2 person duo category.

-Your very own Epic Peaks Coach placed 1st Overall in the Solo Category.

Epic Peaks Athletes Tear it up at Addison Race

2007-05-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Epic Peaks Athletes and Friends. This past weekend at the Addison Road Race, they pulled off an incredible feat. Every single one took a podium position!!

Casey Conte: 1st Age

Suzanne Hartman: 2nd Female

Valerie Berner: 3rd Female

Dave Schenck: 1st Overall Duathlon

Woohoo kicking butt guys and girls, keep it up!!