EE & Periodization

BY KENNETH LUNDGREN

Well, the athletes with whom I work are getting very strong and have earned some stellar results this year…

First, I want to congratulate John Raheb, who recently WON the State Championship Road Race in the Cat 3s. This was a great, great day… We’ve been working hard all year, getting several podiums but never that victory… John has been strong all year, first overall in the Northeast Regional Cup Standings, but I feared he was starting to get burned out… He was tired at the Giro de Jersey, but after some easier rides, he came back a fast-twitch monster at States. He was active all race, chasing all the dangerous moves, then even LEAD OUT the sprint and simply overpowered the field. Huge Congratulations, Raheb — you’ve worked so very hard for this priceless success…

Rich Hofbauer was in super form for the State Road Race. He hasn’t raced much all year and this “inexperience” nailed him at the end. He felt so good that he took a flier with 1k to go before the sprint!!! He was caught in the final straight… Rich’s goal is Cross, where he looks to improve on his 4th at States from last year…

Cathy Cosentino took 22nd out of over 100 at the Wyckoff Triathlon, improving her place by over 20 spots from last year… Of course, the triathlon engine is built on the bike and this is where she truly rocked…

Laura Winberry of Team Campmor has upgraded from Sport to Expert and has placed top-3 in every mountain bike race she’s entered this year, winning two races and now prepping for Nationals (she took 3rd last year). Laura is continuing to improve and if she decides to pursue a pro license, I think she’ll fare well with the stiffer competition!

Dr. Michael Seidner prepped for an early-summer CTS climbing camp and went down there in peak form, ripping up Mt. Mitchell faster than he thought he could… That’s periodization for you!!! He was very happy to hold his own against his buddies who are ordinarily faster than him — his success was my success and I very much felt like part of this “victory.”

Nick Bruno has upgraded to Cat-2 after tearing up the 4s and 3s last year… Nick caught a nasty bug before his first peak Battenkill-Roubaix. The spring wasn’t totally wasted as he won Prospect Park and almost outgunned several pros at Coxsackie to take 3rd from a long breakaway… Now Nick is prepping to peak for Fitchburg, having taken 4th at his two last road races: Millport and Whiteface… Nick’s potential is massive and he will be rippin’ up there…

Matt Goldsmith’s strength is sprinting and his functional threshold has gone up over 50w since we’ve started… Matt will be racing at Trexlertown a lot this summer and hopes to make the trip to California for Track Nationals… Matt is only 17 and I think he has the potential to become one of the area’s top riders…

Dov Torenberg is an expert mountain biker and is now training seriously on the road… He is now able to keep up and drive the pace on the group ride he was dropped on in his previous life!!! Dov is prepping to nail late-summer’s Vermont 50, a monstrous mountain bike race held over an arduous course…

Rob Woudenberg is coming back from a sinus infection that derailed his early-summer… Rob is an excellent sprinter and an expert mountain biker… Rob’s goals are to be competitive in the Rockleigh Criteriums and also to start placing in the H2H mountain bike races — two goals that are well within Rob’s reach…

Evan Cooper is getting stronger by the day… He is very young at 17 and upgraded to Cat-3 last year after winning a slew of Cat-4 races… Evan had some bad luck at his peak race, Battenkill-Roubaix, as he was pushing the pace with the leaders but got a flat near the end!!! At Balloon Festival, he again had stellar legs but had two nasty mechanicals, getting dropped from the break and then even the peloton… Evan’s goal is the Fitchburg Stage Race and even though his racing hasn’t gone according to plan, his power numbers are ferocious and I know everything will come into place on Mt. Wachussett…

Kuria Njenga recently placed 6th at the Tour de New York, then took 2nd at the Rockleigh Criterium. Kuria’s training time is very limited and more often than not he’s on the trainer late at night, hammering out specific intervals. His FT has increased over 40w since we’ve started and I hope he can earn some road racing success this summer, as he’s planning to peak for the Capital Road Race…

Zach Koop of Team Campmor has been ripping it up all year. He won 3 road races, each in different fashions: one from a field sprint, one after dropping the break, and one with a 25-mile solo effort. He is also an expert mountain biker and recently took 3rd at Kittattiny after BREAKING HIS CHAIN! Zach is an avid PowerCranker and follows a strict training program utliziing a power meter. Zach’s body responds very well to periodization principles and he is looking to peak for XC Nationals in a few weeks… Zach is only 19 and our goal is to get him to the professional level…

Target Training’s Tom Toal was aiming to rip at the Coupes des Americas stage race, but his plans have changed. Tom is an avid crit racer and his numbers were coming around just in time. We had started mid-season, so it was difficult trying to perfectly dial in the training and get a true peak out of him, but now we can come down and rebuild and reload to ensure late summer success…

Douglas Auld is a Cat-5 racer who has improved drastically this year. He loves riding his bike, loves training, and racing success is just icing on the cake. He used to get dropped whenever he raced, but he has been able to hang with the peloton at all the crits and even finished near the front of the recent Rutherford Crit… Doug is continuing to improve week by week and he’s gone from looking just to finish a race to actually believing he can WIN… I expect Doug to achieve a new level of success this summer…

Bladdy Coronel was running flat during the late-spring, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get his legs to come to life in time for the State Road Race… But I carefully monitored his training and very carefully scheduled his taper and the State RR was a complete success — he reported feeling the best he’s ever felt, responding to several attacks and able to move through the peloton during the hardest sections… In the sprint, he got boxed in but was able to fight hard to take 8th. It was a complete success and I was very happy knowing Bladdy had an excellent ride — he was in great form…

Two new riders I just started with, Jesse Gutierrez of DC Racing and Robb Hampton of Bike Doctor/Bayside Velo both got sick and have had several setbacks… Jesse recently raced Unionvale and didn’t have a great day but he’s planning to peak later this season and I’m confident I can help him get stronger than he’s ever had. He is also planning to go full metal for cross and I want to make sure he has enough in the tank to finish strong in the autumn… Robb was planning to peak for the Dutch County Stage Race but caught a nasty bout of pneumonia and we had to put those plans on hold… Robb is an excellent all-arounder and we’re looking to get him ready for the Tour de Millersburg, which is a TT, Crit, and Road Race…

Dana Fallon of Liberty Cycle, I am very happy to report, recently took an outstanding 10th at Master’s Nationals Time Trial! Dana is an excellent rider and we’re looking to get some success on the Garden State Cup circuit, while also defending his lead in the NJ Time Trial Cup… Look for some great rides from Dana later in the season…

Mike Burke of Pro Pedals is a fresh Cat-5 and is getting stronger every week. I think his body is responding very well to the periodization principles I’m building his training around and his wattage is rising at a rapid rate!!! Mike is very interested in time trials, but with the meter I can look at his power curve and we’ll see what he’s best at… I am hoping Mike can become one of South Jersey’s strongest Cat-5s by the end of the year…

For me, the season has gone very well. I started slow and steady and when I neared my peak, I won two TTs, took 4th at the State TT, then took 9th at the Giro de Jersey stage race (6th in the TT), then took 9th at the State RR, where I had my strongest day on the bike ever. As a coach, a result would be great, but more important to me is the form. Training and racing isn’t necessarily always about the results. Cycling is a lifestyle change — you love this sport. Pushing the borders, seeing what you can do, seeing where you can go, digging deeper than you thought you ever could, seeing what you’re made of, watching your body change, this is why we ride… The results, they’re just icing on the cake…

Thanks for reading.

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Coach's Diary | Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 | | |