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RACE REPORT: Valley of the Sun Stage Race
February's LG50 Ride was a "smash"
SPONSOR: Win a one-year Premium Membership to PKRS.AI
SPONSOR: Take the Caffe Luxxe Survey to be entered to win a $50 gift card
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Michael Kludjian
ADVOCACY: Sign the Healthy Streets LA Petition
VIDEO: Canyon Bicycles — "Behind the Brand"
PKRS.AI and How to Train with Heart Rate
RACING NEWS
February Racing in Pictures
RACE REPORT: Nick Gillock @ Valley of the Sun
Valley of the Sun Stage Race 2022, Phoenix, AZ. Masters 45+ Cat 1/2/3/4 Division
Nick Gillock at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race
So while the LG team stayed local doing the UCLA RR and Crit last weekend, I ventured off to Phoenix to try my hand for the first time at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race.
For me this early season is revolving around getting ready for my “A”-Race, the Tour of the Gila at the end of April in Silver City NM. Last year we had a big group of LG’ers planning to go before it was canceled due to Covid … this year only me and Aaron W are scheduled so far to attend. Since the Gila Time Trial is a crucial part of that event, I wanted to go to VoS to get a true time trial in my legs along with a long RR and a fast Crit.
Unlike the Masters “B” race I do at the Gila (Cat 3/4/5, 40+, 50+, 60+) the Stage Race at VoS was an open Masters 45+ … as a 54-yr old Cat 4 (well now Cat3 actually) I knew I was in for some tough racing against younger Cat 1’s and 2’s.
Travelling with a friend on the Evoke team, we left on Thursday morning with a 6-hour drive to Phoenix and then our registration/number pickup in Tempe before hotel check-in.
The TT was on Friday morning. It was a total of 14.6miles on an out and back course … little up going out, down back. Looking at other years I was hoping to get around 32mins. I was close, but a little off that goal. Finish: 13th out of 34.
The Saturday Road Race was out in the AZ Desert with (4) sixteen-mile laps on a triangular course with about 500ft of climbing each lap to the finish. Other than one nasty crash behind me on lap 3 and some cramps with 5-miles to go I had a fairly decent race. Fighting to keep the cramps at bay I finished a little off the pace at the line. Finish: 17th on the Day, stayed 13th on General Classification (GC).
The Sunday Crit was a cool figure-8 shaped course in the Government area of downtown Phoenix. Since this was my first criterium in a while my goal was really to stay safe and use it as a chance to increase my confidence looking ahead to the Gila. With all the Cat 1’s and Cat 2’s in this race, I knew it would be fast at least. Looking at the time gaps on the GC it seemed like the most I could hope for was to move up a few spots to 10th place.
Although there was a crash that slowed me down at one point and some testosterone-over fueled racing at times I finished safely in the quick 30-min race; 13th yet again! The good news was that this was enough to move me up to 10th overall on the GC. Finish: 13th on the Day, 10th on GC.
Anyway, very abbreviated and lots more to tell, but overall a successful trip. Thanks for reading,
Nick
RACE REPORT: The Season’s Last CX Race
Written by Cara Applegate; Photos by Robert Yates and Barry Goch
The Velo Club La Grange cyclo-cross team had one last 2021-2022 hurrah with the season closer on February 6 in the closest thing to its back yard, at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. We were able to post seven racers at Fort LaGrange plus had the bonus of road team captain Bill B's La Canada high school mountain bike team and two of the juniors on that squad.
The team at Southern California Cyclocross laid out a challenging course overlooking the stadium at Pierce College, including sustained climbing, delightfully fast and sometimes very tricky downhills, and a long and tortured wood chip run-up that would make a man question his choices in life.
Proving that youth is indeed the future, Moriah and Phillip secured top honors with wins in their categories. Cara also rode strong to bring home both a state championship title and the series overall title. Dan F. landed a hard-fought 3rd place. The cyclo-cross season is officially closed and we welcome all dirt racers in the fall for more fun and shenanigans!
Racers included Joey B. (first cross race ever), Tom F., Robert Y., Jason K., Dan F., Alex G., Cara, Bill B., Moriah, & Phillip. Guy D. and Barry G. came out in support and a lovely day was had by all.
CLUB NEWS
February's LG50 Ride was a "smash"!
Big SHOUT OUT to ride leaders: Lisa Goldfarb, Jonathan Rios, and Raully. Sag Wagon driven by Jaycee Cary.
Win a one-year Premium Membership to PKRS.AI
Velo Club La Grange and PKRS.AI are excited to announce “The GET FASTER QUICKER” Contest. Two LG members will win a one-year (12-month) Premium Membership to PKRS.AI, the premier online coaching service.
The Quiz is only available for a week. Take the Quiz today and Be Entered to Win!
Caffe Luxxe wants to hear from you!
We know you’d rather be riding, but here is the shortest survey ever to help our partner Caffe Luxxe get to know our club members better! To thank you for your time, you will be automatically entered to win 1 of 3 Caffe Luxxe $50 gift cards, redeemable at any location.
Velo Club La Grange is proud of our new partnership with local artisan coffee purveyor, Caffe Luxxe. Your feedback will help us make this partnership fun and valuable to our members.
The survey is only open for a week. Fill it out today and Be Entered to Win!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Michael Kludjian
Michael Interviewed by Jan Datomi
From the moment you meet Michael Kludjian, you instantly like him. He’s one of those guys that’s always great to be around with his quick wit and self-deprecating humor. You will see him most Sundays on the Nichols Ride where he always seems to be in a good mood. He has been a member of La Grange since around 1991 and has been riding the Nichols ride since 1988. He’s just one of those people that make La Grange a great club to be in. Michael also has brought La Grange to Armenia. In his own words he explains:
“My connection is that I am a 3rd generation American Armenian. All four of my grandparents fled historic Western Armenia after the Genocide in the early 1900s. I have been returning to Armenia annually since 2012 and riding there with the various teams and clubs.
I have been collecting cycling donations over the past few years for youth cycling teams over in Armenia. Armenia is a nation, and former Soviet republic, in the mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe with around 3 million people. Coming out of the Soviet breakup, a devastating earthquake that they are still recovering from, and striving for democracy, money is extremely tight, especially for recreational sports like cycling. The country is very mountainous and ideal for hiking, road biking, and mountain biking. A few years back I saw the Astana team training in the mountains of Armenia near the Lake Sevan area.
I started biking there in 2012 with a charity organization called Bike for Hope. In 2013 we invited the local youth cycling club to join our annual charity tour (6 days) around the countryside. The youth cycling club kids range in age from 11 to 22 years old. There are two main cycling clubs in Armenia with about 70 members each and then various cyclists in the village towns around the country. There are also a few Master’s clubs plus a Tri Club. They have very little money for sports and therefore anything and everything is greatly appreciated – especially for the kids. Most are poor and appreciative of whatever we can gather. It is not uncommon to see cyclist fixing their flats and having over 10 patches on the tube. It is also quite common to see riders with duct tape holding up their helmets and shoes. A few of the boys from the youth team have made it all the way to various Italian pro minor teams. They also compete in the European, Russian, and Iranian cycling competitions.
Based on podium finishes it appears LaGrange is the #1 amateur cycling club in Armenia. All thanks to the generosity of LaGrange members.”
Here are some of the photos Michael has provided to show La Grange in Armenia. Thanks, Mike, for all you do, and thanks for being such a great club member!
IN THE NEWS
Sign the Healthy Streets LA Petition
What is the Healthy Streets LA ballot measure?
The ballot measure will require the City of Los Angeles to implement its Mobility Plan 2035 whenever the City repaves or otherwise works on a street. Doing so will save money, reduce traffic, make the streets safer, and give people more options to get around town, helping to clean our air. Here is a Google Slides Overview. This measure will simply force the city to do what it promised to do when Mayor Garcetti announced the Mobility Plan 2035 in 2016.
Sign the Petition, Sign up to Volunteer, or just Read More…DO IT!!
Canyon Bikes “Behind the Brand”
Inside the Video
In their latest "Behind the Brand" episode, The Loam Wolf crew traveled to Carlsbad, to enjoy some sunny weather, great trails and get to know the passionate riders that are making Canyon USA a fun place to work, while also delivering some impressive bikes to riders in North America.
PKRS.AI: How to Train Better with Heart Rate
HOW TO USE HEART-RATE MONITORING EFFECTIVELY
All PKRS.AI workouts are based on Heart-rate (HR). Heart rate is an excellent guide to the stress created by a workout and also the intensity of the workout. By training in carefully calculated HR zones, each training session is made specific to your needs and physiology. There are six main training zones and each zone has a specific purpose:
Some coaches feel that heart rate is not the best source of monitoring intensity since it fluctuates often. We however believe that it is for this reason exactly that we value heart rate above all other gauges of intensity, most of the time. Here are some factors that affect your heart rate and what you can do when you experience them:
Cardiac Drift is when your heart-rate increases over time despite staying at the same pace/ intensity. This is very common and mostly due to an increase in body temperature and some fluid loss. A tactic to work with it is to start the session at the lower end of the training zone, monitor your perceived exertion, and maintain hydration throughout.
In the Heat, heart rate can be up to 30 beats per minute higher than usual. This is a reflection of significant stress on your system. In this situation, train using your normal heart-rate zones which will mean an easing off in power or pace, and maintain hydration with not only water but also carbohydrate and electrolytes. Keep the skin wet to help heat dissipate from your body and be sure to use sunscreen and sunglasses to further reduce the heat’s impact on you. In cold weather, you may find that your heart rate stays lower than expected. Here rather than trying to force the heart rate up, instead, train in the lower part of the zone and also use perceived exertion to help guide the intensity.
Sometimes you will find that your heart rate just won’t rise like it normally does. If at the start of a session you notice that you are having to work harder than usual to bring the heart rate up and at the same time it does actually feel harder, then this is a sure sign of underlying fatigue. On days like this, back off into recovery mode and shorten the session. If during a longer session or race you notice your heart-rate starting to drop despite maintaining the same effort then this is a sign that you are heading for the dreaded “bonk” and that your body needs carbohydrate calories and fast.
On race day, adrenalin and nerves can reveal much higher heart rates than you are used to seeing. Use this as a trigger to bring your focus to internal thoughts such as smooth breathing, rhythmical movement, and a conscious effort to “let go”. Use power combined with your perceived exertion while being sure to stay on top of your calorie consumption.
For interval training, especially short intervals that are less than 3 minutes long, we suggest using power as the #1 guide on the bike to guide the initial intensity of each interval. This will allow your heart rate to gradually come up to the correct zone and prevent you from flooding your body with lactate from trying to raise the heart rate too quickly. Always use the lap button at the start and end of each interval. The interval starts when you start the higher intensity effort.
As you can see, heart rate gives you plenty of key information to help you get the most out of your training and racing. It always tells you something and the key is to listen to what it’s saying and use your knowledge to react appropriately.
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Agnew Brusavich
You have been in a bicycle crash. You are down. You are seriously hurt. Now what? Preserving Physical Evidence from a Bicycle Crash!
Read More…
New and Returning Members
Please welcome our new members who joined in February 2022!
New members: Karin H., Gareth T., Messi G., Victor A., Colin R., Conor S., Caryl Ishizawa R., Chris F., Alberto M., Richard F., Makoto J.O., Derek John B., and Venette A. and Family!
Welcome, everyone! We are happy to have you.
LG Event Calendar for March
This calendar is where you’ll find all of our upcoming events IN ONE PLACE. You’ll find both LG On-Bike and Off-Bike events as well as non-LG events. Check it out and bookmark it! Here is the schedule for March-April. Bold events are LG Team Targeted Events.
March 9th – LG Board Meeting
March 20th – CBR Criterium #3
March 25~27th – USC La Verne Stage Race
April 2-3 – Tour de Murrietta
Have an event you would like to add? Send a request to Sam at sam.selfridge@lagrange.org
