Introducing Rick Sorenson, and PALMARES. Rick is the 1999 Masters 40-44 National Road Champion and has had an outstanding cycling career! See Rick's Bio for more details. E-mail Rick and ask him about a training question you may have.

FAQ:
So what does the word "PALMARES" mean anyway?
It is an old world cycling term that means your results, your podium finishes, your medals, your accomplishments.

Who is behind PALMARES?
Many riders. One primarily. 1999 Masters 40-44 National Road Champion (hence, the red white and blue splashed all over this website!) Rick Sorenson. A USCF Category 1 rider who has been racing since 1987, Rick has won over 120 races in all categories, earned 5 National Championship medals, along the way racing alongside Lance and even Indurain. He always tried to learn what works to improve his own riding, and, as the years passed, send some of this hard fought cycling knowledge on to others.

Hey Coach, we are getting ready to do a 2 day tour. 1st day- 100 miles; 2nd day 80 miles. Mixed terrain w/ hills mostly on the second day. What would be a good meal after the first day?

You need to get a good carb recovery drink in your system within 30 minutes of your ride completion. VERY IMPORTANT. Then within the next 2 hours or so you will want to put away a loot of calories, primarily high carb, but with some protien and fat as well. Eat well and enjoy! Make sure you re-hydrate and eat and drink all day on the bike as well. Good Luck! Rick Sorenson

The great debate- does weight training make you a faster rider?
As far as I am concerned, no.
Does it keep your muscles healthier and joints and tendons healthier?
For masters racers in particular. Yes
Can you improve strength thru weight training.
Of course.
Can you transfer those strength gains to the bike?
Very poorly. Not enough of a transfer takes place, in my opinion, to justify the amount of time
spent gaining said strength.
I think one would be better off trying to gain cycling specific strength, rather than gain it from an 'outside the pedal
stroke" source.
Of course, this flies in the face of most of the accepted wisdom on this
subject.
I never make a claim unless I have had personal experience with the
debated subject. See more info

If you have a question concerning training for cyclists, just ask the Coach, e-mail >>> ASK THE COACH and your answer will be sent soon and may be posted here.

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Here are some guidelines to help riders decide how to train:

Training Overview:
Training for Cyclists.
Your training is dictated by your goals. It is very difficult to decide how to train if you do not know what you are training for.
Lance wants to win the Tour de France. This is the reason he rides alone on some lonely piece of pavement in the middle of Texas in December. In the back of his mind, he knows these miles are part of his plan that will hopefully help him achieve his goal.
You need a light at the end of the tunnel, or you are always in the dark.
Obviously the higher up the cycling ladder to want to go, the more you ride. Novice riders may only need to ride once or twice a week, to help control their weight, keep some fitness or perhaps do a charity ride once or twice a year. USCF Pro 1, 2 riders must ride every day. Some ride up to 500 miles per week. 4-7 hours per day. For these people, the bike is their job.
For the rest of us, we must fit our bike riding in and around the real life time constraints of family and job.
This is where having a goal and plan is helpful. Also, be flexible. If you need to move a workout, swap training days, whatever, it is not the end of the world. Always look at the big picture.

Rules & Tips:
No matter what level you seek here are a few basic rules that apply to all of us:
1. Bike fit. Nobody wants to train if something on you hurts every time you ride. Go to a good shop or have someone knowledgeable about bike fit look at you and see how you sit on your bike. Get your position squared away before you begin any serious training.

2. Obviously you need to assess your own personal fitness and risk factors before you begin any serious exercise program.

3. Equipment
Shoes: Make sure you have good cycling shoes that fit. Nobody rides much if their feet hurt all the time.
Shorts: You need to ride in cycling shorts, and not cheap ones. They make a difference. Pony up the bucks. Your butt will thank you for it.
Helmet: Get a good lightweight helmet. Never ride without it. Never. The best bike riders in the world crash.
Water bottles: Your body needs water when you ride. A lot of it. Make sure you have at least one "cage" on your bike to hold a water bottle of some sort. The bottles made for the cages are the best, since they fit the tightest. But you can still put a 20-oz. bottle from the store in it if you forget yours.

4. Find some people to ride with. Your improvement level will angle sharply upward from riding in groups. Watch and learn.

5. Do women need to train differently than men? The best women riders in the world train WITH men. You do the math.

7. A heart monitor is a great tool to keep an eye on your exertion level. TIP:take it off when you race.

8.. Above all, have some fun.:)

9. Eat your fruit! Fruit will give you vitamins and minerals we all need. Don't forget fruit is about 100% CARBS.
10. *Concentrate on your weak areas while you are training. On the big rides rely on your strengths!
11. *Cycle through as you pedal.Pull back on your pedals once you hit the bottom of the revolution and to the top. This will help use more of your leg muscles.

12. Nobody wants to think about flats, but...be ready! Spare tube and a patch kit is the best idea. Oh yeah, remember your pump.

13. What did you do the last time your spoke broke? A good idea is to twist it around one of the spokes next to the broken one.

14. Hey, oiling those cleats can help that noise in your clipless pedals.

15. This one is easy, wear white at night !!!!!

16. Nobody likes the CHAFE...check your saddle height.

17. Remember it is cycling not mud running! Stay out of the puddles roadie.

18. One great reason to get faster .....the wind usually gets stronger as the day goes on.

19. One of the best ideas we have for you.....ride with the family. You take care of two loves at the same time!

20. Hey lazy, just stick your water bottle in the dishwasher as soon as you get home. Oh yeah, with the top off.
Dont make that face...now-a-days we have to tell people that the coffee they just bought is HOT....REAL HOT:) !

21. Training: If you want to spin for a while remember to move up a little on your saddle.

22. Ride: Hey insted of using your brakes down a decent try sitting up ...you will slow down significantly!

23. Training: If you plan on riding on a road with heavy car traffic...remember to try to stay about half a foot from the white line if you do not have a shoulder to use.

24. Training: try to ride with people that are a little stronger than you ....you will become stronger faster!!

25. Training: try to pick a route that forces you to ride into the wind to start and a nice tailwind on your way back!!!

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Even if you don't race you can still train like you do!!!

The 4Keys for bicycle training.

Between now and Jan 1, I want to go over the things that make a good bike racer.

Pure and simple.

The 4keys.

They work.

The 4keys are:

Recovery
TDS-Training day sequencing
On the bike training
Learning to race


Some of this is review, but a little refresher as we prepare to catapult into another race season is not a bad thing. Sometimes the details can get lost in the day-to-day fog of lactic haze.



Today

The Overview:



In order to really achieve your full potential as a bike racer, the 4keys comprise training areas that must be learned, understood, applied and utilized. They work in concert with each other. Their strength is when applied as a group. One is not worth much without the other.

I know through my career I have learned (through endless trial and error, and let me say, OUCH) these racing system keys. They are the bedrock of my training and my success. Understand that these keys truly create your confidence base. When the going gets really tough, you can dig deep with and have that confidence that you have a great system backing you up.

And it will not fail you.

It just won’t.

I believe if something fails me in a bike race, it is not going to be because I did not cover some base. It may because the guy ahead of me is luckier or have more gifts, but it is not going to be because I did not do my homework. There is nothing worse than second-guessing your prep after the fact. That can turn into a never-ending merry go round of experimentation and frustration. Half the time you do not know why you were good or bad, and that leads to a HUGE waste of time.

As time goes on, I see rider after rider that think the key to being good is just riding hard. Like day after day, after day after day. Think about this, if all you had to do to win the Tour was do intervals every day, there are a lot of whack jobs in the world that would do that. Probably lots of Russians and Belgians that would certainly do that to keep out of the Army or some potato field, but I digress. Willingness to suffer, and often, is obviously something we all have to do, or not succeed.

So it’s more than that.

Bike racers endure more pain and anguish than most athletes, and we do it in all weather conditions, alone a lot of the time and with little reward. To say this is a hard sport is a gross understatement.

Lance wins because he has amazing gifts, obviously. But he also is mentally as hard as a rock, and smart, on and off the bike. He has the killer instinct and will rise to the occasion when the going is the toughest.

One of the great things about this sport is when you see Lance suffer, or fall and get up; we too, have all been there. When I watched Lance go down on Luz-Ardiden, then scramble up and chase like hell, slip out of his pedal and keep going, with a look fear and incredible effort etched on his face, it gave me Goosebumps. Hell, I have been there. When you watch Michael Schumacher drive Formula 1 at 200 MPH can you say, hell, I have been there?

Not usually, no.

He races against his peers, we race against our peers. It’s the same. Different skill level, same emotions, same effort.

So what makes great riders? Besides great legs of course..

I have seen so many attacks when everyone is cruising and fresh. So what?

Show me a guy who goes when everyone is laboring along at HR 180 and now we are talking a winner.

Think about this. A group of 8 working up a climb at 10mph, someone goes, and goes hard. What happens? Everyone looks around like, oh shit, you go, cause no way in hell am I going. Maybe the guy wins, maybe he blows up. But he forces the other riders hand.

I have the reputation of being an aggressive, attacking rider. I coach the way I ride. But do you think every time I went, I thought it was the winning move? Hell no. But I was trying to make something happen. Most times, something did happen, and sometimes it was not good. But I tried. I MADE people beat me; I did not LET people beat me. Big difference. When I do that and lose, I can deal with it. But the races I gave away and there have been a few, those burn in my memory. The what if’s. Limit the what if;s. It will make your life easier.

Lets face it, one of the things that makes this sport so damn hard is you are faced with daily, close up introspection of your courage, heart, dedication and your smarts. That is something some people won’t do once a month, much less every day.

This is where doubt creeps into your mind and you hesitate. Hesitation in this sport can kill you. If you have confidence in your form, confidence in your system, it helps clear away some of the doubt. The very nature of this sport makes no doubt an unachievable goal, but you can’t be paralyzed by it. That leads to 15th, and a long ride home wondering what the hell happened.

The 4keys. It starts with the 4keys.



Next Up:

Recovery


Rick Sorenson

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Even if you don't race you can still train like you do!!!
The SIX Tools Rider/From PALMARES Coaching

So what is a six-tools rider?

A rider who has the 6 necessary abilities to excel at the sport of bike racing.

The SIX Tools

1.. Variable Speed Climb-the ability to accelerate, to attack and change speeds when climbing.
2.. Tempo climb-the ability to ride hard, steady, leg breaking tempo when climbing.
3.. Time Trial-The ability to 'race against the watch"
4.. Jump Sprint-The ability to "launch" or instantly accelerate up to speed.
5.. Wind-Up sprint- The ability to gradually wind up a big gear and bring it up to a high speed over a distance of 300 meters or so.
6.. Will to Win-Desire, Race Smarts, Aggressiveness


To illustrate this let's plug in some big name riders into this equation.

1.. Lance Armstrong-SIX Tools
Lance can do it all. He has won short sprints, can wind it up if he has to (not really his strength, but he can do it), he can attack in the middle of a hard climb, he can ride searing climbing tempo if need be. He wins time trials. He is an incredible competitor, and rides a very smart race. Lance is the quintessential 6-tools rider.

2.. Jan Ullrich-FOUR Tools
The big German is an outstanding rider, no doubt. But he has weaknesses. He is a fiery competitor, and lo, he can TT. He can tempo climb, but he can't variable speed climb. Lance jumps, Ullrich sits. He simply can't (or won't) change speeds. His sprint overall is weak, but his riding style and strength makes him a decent wind up sprinter.

3.. Miguel Indurain-FOUR Tools
Big Mig won five tours on the strength of his incredible tempo climbing and time trailing. He had a good long wind up when needed, but no jump to speak of, in climbing or sprinting. His will to win was unquestioned.

4.. Eddy Merckx-SIX Tools
Pretty sure in order to win over 400 races, you have to have all six tools. The Cannibal won not only five tours, but also every other type of race under the sun. He would ride through a brick wall to win a parking lot crit. He destroyed people on climbs, he time trialed like a banshee. Probably the greatest rider in history.

5.. Mario Cipollini-THREE Tools
Super Mario can wind it up and he can jump like a madman. His has will to win. He can't TT (physically, he should be able to, he can't TT because he does not want to). He can't climb, not his fault, he is just a big guy.

6.. Marco Pantani-THREE Tools
The pirate can jump up to speed like nobodies business, he can tempo climb, when he gets by himself. He does have the will to win, but only when he is in contention. He can't TT. He can't sprint. He also has a questionable definition of legal and illegal drugs, but that is another story.

It is easy to see why these riders have won a lot of races, given their tools. But can a Cat 4 be a 6-tools rider? Sure. Any rider could have all the tools. How you develop them and how far they take you is up to you.

You also can see, it is possible to win without all the tools. If 1 or 2 of your tools is truly outstanding you will succeed in your specialty events. But to give you a chance to be competitative in all types of races, you need as many tools as possible. True, genetics will hold you back a bit. A 200lb rider is not going be a good climber no matter how hard he works. A 110 pounder is not going to be the bunch sprinter.

But you CAN work and train specifically to give you as many tools as possible to face the incredible array of random demands that can and probably will be thrown at you during the course of a bike race.

This is the essence of the PALMARES training philosophy.

Most riders' train hard at what they do best. Think about it, if your club or team has a TT series, who usually shows up? Generally, the riders who TT well, or just like to TT for some twisted reason.

Riders who climb well always want to climb. Sprinters like to sprint. Of course you want to try and excel at what you conceive as your specialty. But how many times have you heard a rider say, " I can't TT, or I can't sprint". Uh-huh.. Why not? I'll tell you why not, because you don't work at what you are not good at. Does this mean the little guy who can't sprint can become "Super Mario"? Obviously not. But he can work at sprint drills, so he can at least pack a little punch and have some confidence when it comes down to the end of a race. Anyone can improve his or her TT abilities. Anyone can learn to at least make themselves the best climber possible no matter what your genetics.

I believe the best training programs emphasize variety and train all your tools, no matter how many you have, or how many you perceive you have.

Basic email help, as always, is FREE

Weight training for cyclists:
The great debate- does weight training make you a faster rider?
As far as I am concerned, no.
Does it keep your muscles healthier and joints and tendons healthier?
For masters racers in particular. Yes
Can you improve strength thru weight training. Of course.
Can you transfer those strength gains to the bike?
Very poorly. Not enough of a transfer takes place, in my opinion, to justify the amount of time
spent gaining said strength.
I think one would be better off trying to gain cycling specific strength, rather than gain it from an 'outside the pedal
stroke" source.
Of course, this flies in the face of most of the accepted wisdom on this
subject.
I never make a claim unless I have had personal experience with the
debated subject.

Here is my history:
Rode for 7-8 years with success, then decide to try an off-season of a
cycling specific designed 12 week weight training program. I did this for 2
off-seasons, religiously.
I never felt any improvement. I felt like I spent a lot of time in the gym,
got to see some cute girls working out(always a plus), but was it worth the
time invested? No.
That was 3 years ago. I have since used my off-season to ride some, keep
some fitness but mostly, to mentally refresh myself for the next season..
I certainly would agree masters aged riders doing some
off-season weight work helps muscle 'wellness'.
Track riders have some different requirements, and perhaps could justify
some gym time.

Roadies? I just don't think so.
I have also watched several of my training partners adhere to a dedicated
weight program, some continuing into the season, and frankly I didn't see
the benefit for them either.
Bottom line, I think to get strong on a bike, you have to ride a bike. The
next step of course, is to figure out what type of bike workouts you can do
to actually improve you strength, your power. That is another subject.

More info concerning Training for Cyclists:
"Elite and recreational endurance athletes undertake resistance training
believing it will improve performance. But training for endurance and
training for maximal strength and power represent completely different and
opposite forms of activity. Endurance training consists of many thousands of
submaximal muscle contractions performed at low to moderate workloads, while
training for strength and power involves relatively few contractions at
maximal or near maximal force. From a physiological standpoint, it seems
unlikely that muscle would be able to adapt to two seemingly incompatible
training stimuli when they are undertaken simultaneously. Surprisingly, few
good scientific studies have been conducted using well-trained athletes to
determine if the improvements in muscular strength gained from resistance
training result in enhanced endurance performance.

Swimming is one sport where the majority of competitors practice some form
of resistance training. Although most competitive swimming distances might
not be considered true endurance events, elite swimmers perform huge volumes
of over- distance training. To determine whether adding resistance training
to pool training might improve sprint-swim performance, Tanaka, et al.
(1993) studied 24 experienced swimmers during 14 weeks of their competitive
season. The swimmers were divided into two groups of 12 swimmers and matched
for stroke specialties and performance. The two groups performed all swim
training sessions together for the duration of the season, but in addition
to the pool training, one group performed resistance training three days a
week, on alternate days for eight weeks. The resistance training program was
intended to simulate the muscles employed in front crawl swimming and
utilized weight lifting machines as well as free weights.
Swimmers performed three sets of 8-12 repetitions of the following exercises:
lat pull downs, elbow extensions, bent arm flys, dips and chin ups.
In order to maximize the resistance training effect, weights were progressively increased over the
duration of the training period. Then both groups tapered for approximately
two weeks prior to their major competition. The most important finding:
resistance training did not improve sprint swim performance, despite the
fact that those swimmers who combined resistance and swim training increased
their strength by 25-35%. The extra strength gained from the resistance
training program did not result in improved stroke mechanics. Their
conclusion: "the lack of positive transfer between dry-land strength gains
and swimming propulsive force may be due to the specificity of training."
In rowing, supplementary resistance training programs are still advocated by
most coaches. In the early 1970's it was common to employ a program of high-
resistance, low repetition training during the pre-season period, followed
by a gradual transition to lower-resistance, high repetition endurance work
nearer the competitive season. But during the past decade emphasis has
shifted to a greater volume of local muscle endurance work during the
pre-season, with using more exercises that simulate the rowing action as the
competitive period approaches. Bell, Petersen, Quinney and Wenger (1993)
studied 18 varsity oarsman who undertook three different resistance training
programs during their winter training. In addition to their normal rowing,
one group performed 18-22 high-velocity, low-resistance repetitions, while
another group did low-velocity, high-resistance repetitions (6-8 reps). All
exercises were rowing-specific and performed on variable-resistance
hydraulic equipment four times a week for five weeks. A third group did no
resistance training. After training, the high-velocity, low-resistance
repetition group performed better in high-velocity movements, while the
low-resistance, high-resistance group did better at low velocity actions.
But when tested on a row ergometer, there was no difference between any
group for peak power output or peak lactate levels. The conclusion: training
effects were specific to the resistance training mode and did not transfer
to the more complex action of rowing. Resistance training programs may
actually restrict the volume of beneficial, sports specific training that
can be achieved because of increased levels of fatigue.
Resistance training for endurance cyclists results in extra muscle bulk and
added weight which can reduce their performance levels. James Home and
co-workers at the University of Cape Town recently examined the effects of a
six week progressive resistance training program on 40 km cycling
performance. Seven endurance-trained cyclists who were riding approximately
200 km per week added three resistance training sessions to their normal
cycling workouts. These sessions consisted of three sets of 6-8 maximal
repetitions of leg press, quadriceps extensions and hamstring curls, all
exercises which recruit muscles used in cycling. The resistance training
program resulted in maximal substantial strength gains of about 25%. The
strength gains, however, did not transfer into superior cycling
performances. On the contrary, 40 km times slowed from 58.8 minutes to 61.9
minutes after resistance training. Additionally, cyclists complained of
feeling "tired and heavy" while riding and were forced to reduce their
weekly training distance by about 20% during the study. Although it's
impossible to determine whether resistance training alone or the effect of
resistance training resulting in tiredness which forced a reduction in
endurance training volume caused the impaired performance, it's clear that
there was no positive effect of undertaking the two different training modes
concurrently. For highly-trained athletes who are already capable of
generating high power outputs in their chosen discipline, further
improvements in strength are a less important factor in enhanced endurance
performance. At the highest level of competition, increases in strength and
power are not as critical to successful performance as the development of
correct technique. For these athletes, the concept of specificity rules! The
bottom line is that modern training studies do not support the use of
resistance training programs for improving the performances of
highly-trained athletes.

As with anything, each rider must experiment and see what works best for
themselves."

Good Luck to All!

Rick Sorenson
Director of Services
PALMARES Coaching

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Our usual training rides:

Northwest Area:

Location: CenterPoint Energy; Huffmeister Rd. @ Cypress-Rosehill Rd. (Exit off of US 290 onto Cypress-Rosehill Rd. then turn RIGHT to get to Huffmeister Rd. at Huffmeister turn LEFT, the parking lot is on thr RIGHT just a little ways from the intersection)
Phone: Training Chairman (Dick Gunther) - 713-693-4249 or 281-955-8140
Meet in the parking lot of CenterPoint Energy.

Ride Leaders will have maps and supplies.

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West Oaks Area:

Location: West Oaks Mall
Street: Westheimer & SH 6
Phone: Training Chairman (Dick Gunther) - 713-693-4249 or 281-955-8140 for more information.
Meet in the parking lot of Mervyn's along the west side of the mall.
Ride Leaders will have maps and supplies.

2003 Ride Leaders ________________________________
August - Chris Loudermilk
September - Chris Loudermilk
October - Chris Loudermilk

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Misc. Training Rides:

Location & Times: Check with the Training Chairman
Phone: Training Chairman (Dick Gunther) - 713-693-4249 or 281-955-8140; E-MAIL

Rick Sorenson's Bio:

On July 8 1999, Rick Sorenson thrust his fist in the air as he crossed the line to win the USCF Masters 40-44 National Championship road race in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was the culmination of 12 years of racing. The road to that Stars and Stripes jersey was (as it undoubtedly is for all riders) a long and difficult one. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights along that road:

1986-Sorenson watches his first bicycle race

1987-With nearly 200 training miles (also an outrageous sum it seemed) in his legs, Sorenson participates in his first race, the 30 minute Casper Classic citizens criterium. He thunders away from the line and wins solo.

1988-Sorenson moves to North Carolina, licenses as a Cat 4. Trains solo every other day, riding hard for 1 hour. He weighs 175 lbs. Enters the Wellspring Classic Criterium in Durham, NC. The first 5 laps motor along at 30mph. Sorenson is used to riding 22 mph. Goes from front, to back, to dropped, to lapped. Decides that is not happening again, rethinks training.


1989-Begins racing more than once a year. Enters and wins a Greenville South Carolina road race, outsprinting his breakaway companion for his first licensed win.

1990-Participates in a training series of criteriums in Atlanta, Georgia. Field is Mens Open. Wins 6 races this year.

1991-Upgrades to Cat 3 (finally). Wins 12 races this year.

1992-Early in year, wins 13 races in a row. Races Cat 3 Casper Classic. Wins 28 races this year.

1993-Now 38 years old, upgrades to Cat 2, rides mixture of Pro 1,2 and Masters races. For the next 2 seasons wins every Masters race entered.

1994-Wins 21 races this year. Rick's breakthrough win in Casper is one year too late for his mom to see.

1995-Returns to stars and stripes chase in Augusta Georgia. Medals for the first time, finishing 3rd in the TT. Wins 14 races this year.

1996-Continues jersey chase in Nashville Tennessee. Wins 7 races this year.

1997-Pursuit of stars and stripes continues in Santa Rosa California. Wins 12 races this year.

1998-As time begins to erode Pro 1, 2 skills, Sorenson begins to concentrate exclusively on Master's races. Wins 6 races this year.

1999-Unbelievable sojourn to Masters Nationals in Fort Smith Arkansas. Wins the title, finally in the 40KM TT on a sweltering Tuesday morning. Wins 5 races this year.

2000-With just 300 meters to go after almost 4 hours completed during an 82 mile road race in Evanston Wyoming, racing at last in the stars and stripes jersey, Sorenson bolts to a sure win out of the 6-man lead group. Wins 3 races this year.

2001- Major life changes including a new wife, and a move to Rutland Vermont curtail race schedule. Wins Bow, NH Master RR in yet another solo move, off the front for nearly 40 miles for the only win of the year. Decides to try and help other riders, by sharing some of the lessons learned over the years. Learns webdesign, creates PALMARES..............Full Bio at PALMARES

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Disclaimer: Before beginning any physical activity you may want to counsel with your Doctor for personal risk. Use of any advice contained on this page is considered at the readers risk and reader holds Team C.U.R.E. and it's associated sponsors, advisors, members and volunteers indemnified and therefore in no way responsible for results from use of any advice posted on this page.

Copyright2004 Team C.U.R.E.