The First week of the TDF is over-

Posted on July 12, 2011 | Leave a comment
Well, the first week of the Tour is in the books. It has offered incredible racing and that has made this first week fly by! I already have so many stories–some inspiring, some sad and some downright crazy!The impact of crashes, both on time lost and rider injury, has dominated headlines this week. There have also been some incredible performances by American teams with 5 of the 8 stages being won by American-based teams–quite impressive, I must say. I believe this Tour will continue to keep us on the edge of our seats. I am excited to see how these next couple weeks unfold, so stay tuned.

From the work side of things, life has been very nice with my crew of Frank Bitali, Greg Peterson and co-reporter Craig Hummer. We laugh a bunch and we have put out some great pieces, many of which have not made the air since the crashes have happened when my course reports were supposed to run. I have also been lucky to interview old friends like Levi, Horner, George, Cadel and many others. I am lucky these guys are such professionals and allow me great access to them.

I have had a few funnies in the last 10 days, starting with a massive zit on my forehead that took a ton of makeup and some clever camerawork to hide. After the zit went away, I got stung in the forehead by a bee! It swelled up bigger than the zit and took even more makeup and camerawork to make disappear. And once that was gone, I burned my forehead really bad and it took a different kind of makeup to get rid of the swollen, bright, shiny, red glow just under my hairline.

After my forehead returned to normal, I dumped a full bottle of water down my producer’s back by mistake. He was in the middle of a show and I leaned over to tell him something, except I had an uncapped bottle of water tucked in my arm. So when I bent over, it poured all over his back and chair. NOT GOOD.

During the next stage, Craig Hummer parked near a farm. I opened my car door and backed into an electric wire that sent a shock into me like I have never experienced. I jumped 5 feet in the air, my hamstring locked up and I ended up on the ground.

There has been some serious fun along the way and I appreciate everyone’s comments and encouragement. I miss my family like mad. I constantly think about Lori’s cooking, my kids’ laughter, our wonderful home and my other friends and family.

I will check in again soon!

Ciao~
Robbie

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The Rationale for Increasing Pedaling Cadence

Posted on January 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

Here’s an article written in Vision Quest’s December 2010 newsletter by Coach Jason Schisler. If you’ve ever questioned increasing cadence, he lays out the science behind doing it.

One of the central components of off-season training is improving your technical skills. On the bike, this includes looking at pedaling economy and potentially increasing cadence. A common mistake among new cyclists, and some more experienced riders as well, is a pedaling cadence that is too low. The aim here will be to offer insight regarding why increased pedaling may be beneficial to your performance and how you can go about spinning faster. Continue reading →

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Happy Holidays

Posted on December 31, 2010 | Leave a comment

Greetings Everyone,

This is VQ’s ten-year anniversary and I am blown away that VQ has grown to where it is today. I want to thank everyone who has ever touched VQ and a special thanks to the VQ staff who make this place run better and better every year.

I started this business back in 2000 when I wrote a training plan on the back of a napkin for EJ Lenzi while we were training together in Lake Geneva. I was still racing for Saturn Cycling Team at the time. Over these ten years the VQ athletes and staff have brought me so much excitement and happiness–I cannot believe how it all turned out!

When you are in college, you really have no idea what your path will be. In a million years, I would never have predicted that my life would have turned out this way. It has not been an easy road, but nothing great in life ever is.

The holidays are here and consistency will be difficult to maintain as vacations, parties and social commitments start to change your timelines a bit. I think this is a good thing and, although the balance gets tougher, the joy that comes with these times far outweighs the lost consistency in your training. The important thing is to be present in whatever moment you are in. Make sure you are able to commit 100% of your physical and mental energy to “zone” you in. A past coach of mine, Doug Close, once had me read Embracing Your Potential by Terry Orlick. This book helped me really focus on the people/tasks in front of me. This is not as easy as you might think! I am sure many of you pack your schedules so full during the holidays that while you are training, you are thinking of your next appointments or while you are at family parties, you are thinking of your AM workouts. This is not ideal. You never get the most out of any event. Better to try to lighten the load a bit and really maximize your experience both in training and socially.

I would rather have my athletes pull one or two workouts (least important workouts) a week from the schedule than try to get everything in and “half-ass” them all. But plan that before you get too busy so you won’t feel guilty when you cannot get everything in. The bottom line is that you should plan ahead for the holiday push and if you know your social commitments are going to go up, figure out what are the most important workouts and plan for them. Remove the workouts that mean the least and really be 100% engaged in the social and training commitments you have. This is far more healthy, fun and productive than running like a mad man through the holidays and never “truly benefiting” from the joy the holidays bring to all of us.

I want to wish everyone a great holiday season. With a dog and four kids ages 3-10, you can imagine how much fun it is at the Ventura house this time of year. These are the most exciting times for them, which in turn allows me to relive some of my childhood experiences. I am grateful that our house is crazy and will be crazy for many years to come. Crazy is difficult to manage sometimes, but in the end I love crazy and I am sure when they are older I will miss it more than anything.

Ciao~
Robbie

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Join the Mo-vement

Posted on November 6, 2010 | 1 Comment

We’re not all about racing and riding here at Vision Quest Coaching–we’re about giving back to the community too. So this month we’re not only giving back and showing support for a cause, but some of us VQers will be sporting a little extra scruff around the face. The VQ men are getting our Mo’ on for Movember, a moustache-growing charity event that takes place in November and raises awareness about men’s health.

As for the fundraising aspect, Vision Quest starts the ball rolling with a $10 donation to Movember for every VQ man who grows a full moustache until the month’s end. What’s even better–and charitable to boot–is Trek of Highland Park will be matching those donations, and their store manager K.C. Speich is growing his mo’ so you’ll have to check his progress when you’re in the store (or make a point to go this month!).

Guys not already involved…now’s your chance to join. All you have to do is start growing out your ‘stache and post your pics at myvq.net. But you can take it forward by fundraising for Movember (in addition to those VQ and Trek donations) or getting creative with that fuzz now growing on your face. Like rocking the handlebars a la me (or maybe it’s starting to resemble a Ben Stiller in Dodgeball look?). Or adding some curlicues? Or beckoning Burt Reynolds? What’s your look going to be?

Stay tuned to Facebook to see how my look progresses! I already have a lot of growth (see the photo) just a few days in.

Ciao~
Robbie

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Stylin’ or Not So Stylin’ Sunglasses

Posted on October 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of sunglasses–if you keep reading below, you’ll read why. But on the bike, it’s not all about how you look in what you’re wearing, but what performance value you’re getting. And it’s the mixture of fashion and function that I shared with this piece that you can also check out on Versus.com.

Sunglasses are definitely important to how you look on your bike, but the real value to the performance of the athlete cannot be underestimated. Proper eyewear is absolutely essential in keeping the riders safe and can also help athletes conserve energy by actually helping facial muscles to relax. Sun protection for the eyes is a multi-billion dollar business. The cost for performance glasses can far exceed the $200 mark. Personally, I love sunglasses and have been lucky to have a great sponsor in Oakley keeping me on the cutting edge of eyewear technology.

I have seen sunglasses come a long, long way over the years and the latest models take all sorts of performance and style aspects into account. The newest shades on the market are stronger, more aerodynamic, easier to clean, simpler for changing lenses and better fit to the head. Creators have now integrated the fit with different types of helmets and made the glasses so light it feels like there is nothing on your head at all.

Manufacturers have even built the new glasses with holes in the upper parts of the lenses. This venting prevents fogging and helps keep riders’ foreheads and eyes a bit cooler. Some manufacturers went so far as to spend time in wind tunnels studying and designing the sizing at the tops of the frames, as well as how to create a pair that doesn’t get in the riders’ way while in the aero position. This is not easy since each person’s aero position is different.

The ability to change lenses for all conditions has helped cyclists see better in different conditions. No matter what the light or weather may be, riders can adjust the tint to provide the utmost clarity and light to create the most ideal optics for that day.

Recent advancements also allow the rider to customize the nose piece as a means of spacing the lenses themselves the perfect distance from the face. Riders with small noses might want the lenses closer to the face, while we big-nosed Italians like the lenses a bit further away. Same goes for those with long lashes. Getting bigger or smaller nose pieces helps personalize the glasses even further.

Every rider has different preferences and these seemingly minor options to change more aspects of their glasses allows for the ultimate in customization for comfort.

The last and, to some, most important aspect is the ability to custom-design frame colors, so glasses not only match conditions, but cycling kits as well. So now we’re seeing all the top pros either matching their frames to their kits or making bold fashion statements instead!

Ciao~
Robbie

Note: Content originally appeared at the Coaches Corner at Versus.com.

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October Update and Date Night

Posted on October 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

These last few months have been very busy for me. With the kids going back to school, camps all over the U.S. and a major undertaking still on my horizon, it seems like I have had no downtime at all this year.

One thing that I look forward to every week is date night with my wife. I feel that, oftentimes, relationships with the people we care about most also seem to suffer the most when we get busy with either training or work. I am making it a personal goal to shift this paradigm in my head. I’m doing this by scheduling the most important time first. For me, that is time with my wife first, kids second and work third. Sometimes I take Lori’s time for granted and put it off because we “understand” each other. I’m working on that, because my time with her becomes personal time when I can relax, let go and speak about things most dear to my heart. I am rambling a bit about this subject, but I want to emphasize the importance of restoring yourself by restoring your relationships with those that mean the most to you–it is critical for long-term happiness! Continue reading →

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Vision Quest Turns 10

Posted on October 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. Point being that I’m still having a hard time believing that it’s been 10 years since I founded Vision Quest Coaching. Yes, that’s right. We’ve been in operation for 10 years…back when I was still racing professionally, Lance was just starting to rack up his Tour de France victories, and his competition was Jan Ullrich and not Alberto Contador. There was no Vision Quest Coaching Center–now we have five–nor a Trek Concept Store like we now have in Highland Park.

We sure have grown a lot in the last decade, from more locations to serve athletes, to more coaches, to more programming. But most of all we have more athletes–more who love cycling and triathlon, more who are willing to give sport a shot, more who want to learn and excel.

To celebrate all that, Vision Quest had a party. Lots of fun and games where we put the seriousness aside that often accompanies training and welcomed the friendly camaraderie. Take a look at the photo album here, but keep scrolling for a few highlights.

Like the canoe races…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the jousting…

And the tricycle rides on the velodrome, which were not easy…

Thanks need to go out to all the VQers who came out to support the event and participate. And thanks to all the VQers for the last 10 years. Here’s to another decade!

Ciao~
Robbie

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Why Taste of VQ is good for you

Posted on August 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Admittedly I’m big on promoting events and happenings going on within the VQ family. If you’re a member of Vision Quest, you know this by reading the weekly newsletters that shout-out to those who had top honors at weekend races. If you’re not a VQ member, this blog and our monthly newsletters (you can sign up here) are some of the places where you can find out. With that being said, it’s no surprise that I’m devoting this post to one of our upcoming programs at Vision Quest that provides outsiders with a chance to see what we’re all about and some hard core training with proven results: Taste of VQ.

The next session is starting next week–first class is Monday, August 30–and then runs for the next eight weeks. You’ll come to our cycling studio to ride the CompuTrainer-designed courses that will hands down help you improve your cycling. Want to tackle hills but have nowhere to go in the Windy City? You might find some indoors. Want to raise your cycling wattage? A few weeks of this and you will. You can read more about it on the Vision Quest website by clicking here. Or just watch the below video. Regardless, it’s a rewarding time and you meet a few people in the process.

Ciao~
Robbie

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Evening with Chris Horner, Part 3

Posted on August 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

It’s easy for me to obsess over the Tour de France since I’ve been fortunate enough to be a commentator for Versus’ coverage of the event and living it for the month of July. But to get wrapped up in the excitement from overseas is a different undertaking, yet not one that goes ignored or lacks devotion. You know the players, you know the stages, you know the stats–and you’d jump at the chance to relive it all, especially when a cyclist comes to town as Chris Horner did last month. Even if you followed just a touch of this year’s race, the below video from our night with 10th place finisher Horner is one to watch. Talk about a new way to hear about specific stages and climbs.

Enjoy!

Ciao~
Robbie

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Evening with Chris Horner, Part 2

Posted on August 17, 2010 | Leave a comment

Check out the latest installment of the Chris Horner event that Trek of Highland Park and myself hosted a few weeks ago. If you want to know about the Tour de France from a competitor’s viewpoint, you’ll want to check out what Chris Horner has to say.

Enjoy!

Ciao~
Robbie

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