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With the "true" start of summer we are very excited
to announce our first events calendar! Available in
easy to use PDF format, it includes training rides,
important races, testing opportunitites, off the bike
events of interest, and some new events like the fall
ride, end of season
testing, and our upcoming training camps and clinics.
If you have a suggestion for a ride, camp, or clinic
feel free to send us your ideas!
Of particular note are the weekly rides! Each tuesday
and/or Wednesday night we lead a ride for the
athletes we work with. Wether part of a sponsored
team, or an athlete on your own program we
encourage you to join us for a structured workout
designed to push your fitness limits, increase your
fun quotient, and improve your cycling. Peninsula
rides meet at the new Peet's Coffee on Homestead
at Foothill (near Trader Joe's), while the Fremont
rides generally meet at the west end of Stevenson
Bouldvard off Hwy 880. Check the schedule for more
information
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If you met Phil Mehlitz off the bike you might think
him a
typical teenager. Fun loving, quick to smile and eager
to crack
a joke with his friends, he's also a bit reserved and
always
mellow.
Don't let the cool and calm demeanor fool ya, Phil
Mehlitz has a
deep passion for cycling and the heart of a
competitor! While
he fancies himself a bit of a climber (not
undeservedly) he has
recently found a breadth of cycling abilities that
include
proficiency with time trialing and sprinting. In addition
he is a
tireless worker for his teammates and will gladly put
it all out
there in an effort to help someone else reap the glory.
Though still a junior, Phil is quickly amassing a
palmares to be proud of. Just a few days back he
was crowned the 2006 Junior State Criterium
Champion! More impressive than the win was the
manner in which he did it. In his words "7 laps to go,
a guy attacks and I know he's dangerous, so I just
grab his wheel. He attacks for about 1k, then cracks.
I look back, don't see the pack, and just put my
head down and go. The first 3 laps I didn't really
think I was going to make it, but then I started to
believe. Head a guy tell me 12 seoncds,then 15 the
next lap, 20 at the last lap. I WON man. Looks like
you were right...I did have it in me!" - Great job Phil.
That is a classy way to win...
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Threshold Power! Even the name sounds hard.
Threshold power is traditionally defined as your
maximal sustainable power for a 40Km, or 1 hour,
time trial effort. Intimidated yet? Don't be...in all
fairness there is much hard work to be done, but it
may be at a level that is considerably lower than you
might think
Let's use a theorhetical number of 300 Watts at
threshold. Using this as our base measure for a 1
hour effort try to program your intervals to fall
between 88 - 93% of your LT Watts. In this case
that means intervals between 240 and 280 Watts.
One of my favorite workouts is to ride this effort as a
steady state for an hour, then every three or four
minutes throw in a 10 second sprint that is at about
200% of LT Watts (575 - 600W in this case). It's a
short, intense workout that will really help you make
strides quickly. Another fun variation on the
traditional 20 minute power is to work on your 5
minute power. This translates roughly to your
Maximal Aerobic Power (also known as VO2
Intervals). If you don't know your 5 Minute Power
then go do a few 5 minute all-out intervals and see
what you get. If you're not using power simply find a
nice climb and go as hard as you can for five
minutes, mark that spot and use it as reference for
future intervals. Again, do your MAP intervals in that
88-93% rnage most of the time, and as always get
plenty of recovery between intervals and between
interval days. If you want it to be even simpler than
that simply get one of our Sterling Sports Groups
Micro-Plans! These four week blocks are built to
meet a variety of training and racing goals.
Check 'em out and see if one of them doesn't appeal
to you!
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Though summer is in full swing many athletes still use
the indoor trainer to get enhanced specificity in their
workouts and keep the intensity high when needed.
For short, specific workouts an indoor trainer allows
the athlete (and coach!) to control the effort very
precisely, creating a highly efficient training tool for
those on a time schedule (and these days who isn't).
While your traditional magnet based trainer is an
adequate tool, if you're looking to take your fitness
to the next level there is no finer tool than the
CompuTrainer 3D by RacerMate.
The CompuTrainer 3D brings an amazing amount of
flexibility to your training. It is a Watts based
programmable system. In addition it comes pre-
loaded with over 100 of the worlds most interesting
and challenging courses including World Road Race
Championships courses, Olympic Time Trial course,
the Wildflower Long Course and dozens of other
triathlon and road courses to suit specific needs.
Shortly we will begin offering Sterling Signature
workouts on the CompuTrainer 3D. These are custom
built programs tailor made to your goals and needs.
Now here's the best part...
As part of an agreement with RacerMate we are able
to offer you a CompuTrainer 3D for 10% off between
now and the end of July. That saves you over $150
on a complete system and opens a whole new realm
of training to you. In addition, anyone who purchases
a CompuTrainer Pro 3D through Sterling Sports will
get 2 free Sterling Signature workouts, a $50 value!
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If you are not currently on a coaching program now is a good time to start (or restart)! We offer a variety of coaching options for athletes at every level. From the ease and simplicity of our pre built training plans to the private training sessions of our Gold and Sterling programs, each one is created with athletes in mind. In addition, If you are a member of one of our sponsored teams you'll enjoy a substantial discount as well. So do something productive for your cycling...Sign up for a Sterling Sports Group Program Today!
Sincerely,
Matt McNamara
Sterling Sports Group
email:
info@sterlingwins.com
phone:
408.891.3462
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