Monthly Archives: February 2016

Five Riders Caught in Costa Rica / UCI Doping List

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Velonews had an article that said that five guys in Costa Rica were caught doping.  4 of the guys rode for the same team.  Something must have been up there.  I don’t see how that many riders on the same team could have been tested randomly without someone having something out for them.

I pretty much gave up on racing South of the border.  I went down and did a UCI race, the  Vuelta Chihuahua Internacional, way back in 2006 and what I saw there pretty much convinced me that racing in Central and South American was out of control drug-wise.

The Tecos/Trek team had just finished the Tour of Venezuela, which I think was 11 days, then they jumped on a plane and flew up to Mexico and started Chihuahua.  The Colombian guys on that team legs looked like something from another planet.  And they rode like that.   A couple years later, one of their riders died of a heart attack right after racing Bisbee or some race in Arizona.

Last year, Juan Pablo Villegas, a Colombian, did an interview and talked about the sorry state of cycling in his home country.  It is hard to not notice how many Colombians are now on Pro Tour teams with aspirations of winning Grand Tours and/or the Olympic Games.   It is a historical disproportion.

Anyway, after Costa Rica, then the Tour of Guatemala a few years back, where the first 13 guys or something were positive, it is not a stretch to say that if you’re racing down there clean, don’t expect to be able to keep up.

Anyway, at the Doug Report, I saw a list of riders that are currently under suspension.  It is something over 60 riders.  The list is kind of strange since it lists Lance Armstrong as a lifetime ban, but doesn’t have Phil Zajicek as a lifetime ban.  Plus Tyler Hamilton, who’s suspension is still in force until next year, isn’t on the list, so I guess it isn’t complete.  I wonder when Tom Danielson’s name is going to be added to that illustrious group?  Seems like that has been dragging on for quite a while.

Anyway, when you start looking at the numbers and then seeing that 4, 5 or more guys are getting popped at big National events throughout the world, it shows that cycling still has a long way to go to ensure credibility.  It is pretty depressing really.

 

 

I took this from an article Simon Crisp at SICYCLE. It is a crazy long article at goes into a lot of aspects of doping in cycling and the fans perspective. If you have some extra time you should check it out.

I got this from an article by Simon Crisp at SICYCLE. It is a crazy long article at goes into a lot of aspects of doping in cycling and the fans perspective. If you have some extra time you should check it out. Click here for the link. 

Tucker has no issues getting comfortable when he needs down time.

Tucker has no issues getting comfortable when he needs down time.

 

 

Low Heart Rate Question

This entry was posted in Comments about Cycling on by .

Vincent gave me a strap to do heartrate last summer when I was training for Leadville.  I was super surprised how low my heartrate was at altitude.  I think my max heart rate during Leadville was in the mid 160’s, which is pretty low for me historically.

But historically, I haven’t looked at my heart rate for a couple decades, so it is all new data. Back when Polar first came out with heart rate monitors, I could see a max of over 190 on a bicycle every once in awhile and much higher if I was running or skiing.

My opinion is that your heart rate is higher the more muscle you are using.  Like I said above, I rarely saw a heart rate of over 190 riding a bike, but I did a 10K and from 15 minute to 30 my heart rate was over 195 the whole time and I didn’t feel that stressed.

Anyway, back to present.  I’ve been wearing my strap for the past couple weeks pretty consistently and am so surprised how low it is most of the time just riding along.  Granted, I’ve not really been riding that hard, mainly because I have this lung thing going on and it hurts when I breath deeply or rapidly.

But it is still low.  Last weekend I was doing a long-ish ride with some guys from Lawrence and going up a small hill into Lawrence, my heart rate was in the 140’s and a friend from Lawrence heart rate was 180.  That is pretty extreme.

I let Bill use an extra strap, as I have a new Wahoo strap, and wanted to see if it read the same as a Garmin.  Riding to Lawrence a couple days ago, Bill’s heart rate was consistently 20-30 beats higher.

I know each individual’s heart rate is personal and it isn’t really right to compare, but I’m comparing mine to my own.

And here’s the weird thing.  Even though it seems like my high numbers are low, my low numbers are stupid low.  Like when I’m sitting in the driveway before a ride, my pulse is sometimes in the 30’s.  Never higher than the 40’s.  And it drops into double digits when I’m coasting down a hill during a ride, which seems like 20 beats low.

So my high seems 20 beats lower, but my low is 20 beats lower.  So that is the question.  I sort of understand max heart rates decreasing with age, but it seems I still have the same range during exertion, it is just 20 beats lower at the top and the bottom.  I did  go hard last month on the trainer and got my high up to 180, which was a relief.  Maybe when I’m racing the next couple weeks, and am doing some max efforts, I’ll have more data to go on.

Anyone out there with any ideas?

Garmin at Lawrence about 1/2 way through the ride yesterday. I had a 20 mph tailwind and was riding super easy.

Garmin at Lawrence about 1/2 way through the ride yesterday. I had a 20 mph tailwind and was riding super easy.

I rode back on gravel, but it was wicked headwind. Obviously my wattage was higher along with my heart rate, but it was still crazy low.

I rode back on gravel, but it was wicked headwind. Obviously my wattage was higher along with my heart rate, but it was still crazy low.

Tucker being an exobitionist.

Tucker being an exobitionist.