Cyfac - Le Mythique

I did promise to do a quick review of the gear that the sponsors of the Cadence Kona Challenge were kind enough to give us. I am going to start with the bike which is a Cyfac Le Mythique.

Before I start I want to put this review in context. I would describe myself as a keen amateur triathlete but I am only in my second season. Therefore in order for you to understand where I am coming from here is my cycle history:

Late 70s/Early 80s - Red Steel Trike;

80s - Raleigh Boxer - Great Bike, most comfortable saddle ever built;

Late 80s - Raleigh Racer - Mine was blue and white I believe and my first 'proper' road bike;

Late 90s/Early 00s - I had a couple of mountain bikes both of which were stolen;

2004 Orbea Mitis - Nice Spanish Road Bike, Aluminium Frame, Carbon Stays, forks and seat post. Shimano Ultegra groupset. Still use it occassionally - mine was silver with red detailing;

2007 Felt S22 (2006 Model) - After training through the winter months on my Orbea I decided to go out on a limb and buy a dedicated Tri bike even before my first race. Like the Orbea this bike has an Aluminium frame and some carbon parts. The 2006 model was actually better spec'd than the 2007 model and had Dura Ace groupset with carbon cranks and Carbon Aero bars. It looked good in matt black;

So that brings us upto date and back to the Cyfac. In reality I guess that when I comment on the Cyfac I am really comparing it to the only other dedicated Tri bike I have owned, the Felt S22. The Cyfac is therefore up against some stiff competition as I really liked the Felt.

The Cyfac Le Mythique, or the mythical one (its not a myth its in my garage), is part of Cyfac's small but varied inventory. Here is the history of the company taken straight from their website:

Cyfac has had an interesting trajectory through the cycling industry. Originally focusing as a frame-builder to the professionals, Francis Quillon was hired by some of the sports biggest companies to build the frames that their sponsored riders actually rode. Systeme-U, Castorama, Carrera, GAN, Festina, Cofidis, Chocolade Jaques, and more provided re-badged Cyfac frames to their athletes.

In the tight-knit French cycling community many other pros, amateurs, and cycling afficianados learned of Francis' work and went sraight to the source, helping to slowly build the Cyfac brand.

In an age of distinct monocoque frames and very unique looks per manufacturer the use of custom frames is reserved for only a select few. Sponsors want their riders on their frames. While Cyfac still makes some specialty framesets and training bikes for a large group of pros, we reserve our best work for you, our Cyfac customer.

They make two versions of their CLM timetrial and triathlon frame. One is the Carbon frame called the Gothica and the other is the Aluminium Le Mythique.

Now before you turn your noses up at the idea of an aluminium frame on a high end bike Cyfac point out that this is not your "mothers aluminium", this is "Triple-butted, multi-shaped Columbus 7000 series Altec 2+ aluminum alloy with airwing profile downtube, aero slice top tube and bladed rear seat/chain stays".

Reading through the blurb in effect what they are saying is that traditionally aluminium was hard to shape and resulted in a rigid frame. They use the latest technology to be able to shape the aluminium far better than ever before. It is also worth pointing out that they claim to have produced the first full-custom carbon frame and pioneered aluminium TIG welding and the use of Aluminium appears to be a deliberate choice.

The bike is not what one would consider cheap and the frameset costs $3099 dollars (the 2 carbon waterbottle holders by the way retail for $100 each!!) but;

You get a Cyfac ultralight XC102 full-carbon straight-blade fork with integrated headset included (which is important otherwise your front wheel will roll away).

All frames are custom built.

The frames are all hand built in one rural factory in France.

So what is it like to ride?

Probably the best thing about this bike is how comfortable it is to ride whilst aero. I am not talking about soaking up road bumps, a carbon frame may be more comfortable in that respect, but rather I am talking about frame geometry. On their website Cyfac make a big point that Tri bikes are not all about an aggressive seat angle. They will offer a more aggressive angled Time trial frame but mindful of a Triathletes need to get off the bike and run they offer a less aggressive angle.

I do not intend to go into seat angles as some people will know what I am talking about and those that don't will be able to find better explanations by googling the term but Cyfac are advocates of a less aggressive angle for Triathletes who are going to need a reserve of energy for the run and they quote some very successful cyclists with less aggressive seat angles e.g.

EDDY MERCKX
1969: Tour de France TT Créteil -Paris

Seat Angle: 72°
Head Angle: 71.5°
Saddle to bar height difference: 4cm

Another interesting point they raise is the idea that with squats and other weight exercises you don't want your knee getting in front off your foot as it stresses the joints. They claim that if you repeatedly ride in a very aggressive position, like poor quality weightlifting, you are unduly stressing your joints. This argument does appear to make sense to me and there is no doubt that the less aggressive angle is more comfortable. Do not think that I am not that aero on this bike because I am pretty aero but the biggest bonus is that I am less likely to sit up out of the bars than some one riding more aggressively. Of course as you sit up you lose all your aero advantage.

This is turning into a really long blog so that is enough theory.

The bike looks gorgeous in its deep blue and black colours and the paint finish is clearly top quality. I am not an engineer but all the butting looks great to me and very, very smooth. Without access to windtunnels and labs I can still happily say that the frame looks very aero and the rear wheel cut out is slick. The cable run is on the outside of the frame which although ever so slightly less aero makes maintenance much easier and it has neat touches such as a welded attachment point for your race number.

There really is very little I can say about this bike that I do not like. The only thing that springs to mind is the fact that this bike has horizontal hangers for the rear wheel. These make sense on single speed bikes when you may wish to adjust the chain tension but it does not make sense on this bike. The problem with horizontal verses vertical hangers is that it makes it dirtier and slightly more awkward to get the chain off the cassette and you have to be careful that the spindle is all the way home or you can easily miss align the wheel and push it against the seat stays.

It is also worth pointing out that unless you are totally objective when it comes to buying your bikes it is hard to ignore the fact that this bike is that little bit exclusive. You are very unlikely to see another one at a race and you know the company has a great history and pedigree. This is brought home by the wording "fait a la main a la fuye" written down the seat tube which I eventually managed to work out means built by hand in La Fuye.

As an aside my bike came with SRAM Force groupset which has been great so far and a Fizik Arione saddle which was convenient as it was already my saddle of choice.

So Merci Beaucoup Cyfac pour la Bicyclette. Le Mythique est Tres Bien (and thats coming from a Brit).

The Most Astonishing Lactate Threshold Test Ever - TR***

OK as promised the results from my latest lactate threshold testing in Philly a couple of weekends ago.

The title of this post is actually a total fabrication. The test results were not in any way astonishing and if anything at first look they are actually a little disappointing. That said if we look at them more closely they do raise some interesting questions.

For those who have not seen the earlier posts, whilst I was in Philadelphia visiting Cadence Cycling and Multisport Center I undertook some blood lactate threshold tests. On Saturday I did a bike test and the following day I did the run test.

Lets first look at the run test and how it compares to last years testing at the Cadence facility in New York during the Kona Challenge selection weekend. At first glance the results do not look too different to the initial testing.

The VO2 max HR 181 is unchanged but my lactate threshold HR has gone up slightly from 167 to 171. That means that although my max HR is unchanged my lactate threshold as a percentage of my VO2 max has gone up ever so slightly from 93 to 94%. Therefore I can go that little bit quicker before my body produces more lactate than it can deal with.

The graph shows my heart rate in bpm as diamonds at the top, my RPE or Ratings of Perceived Effort (simply how hard I felt I was working from a scale they held up) as diamonds and the squares indicate my blood lactate levels.

To find my threshold you draw a line through lactate levels and what you should find is two distinct lines that intersect at the lactate threshold. The relatively flat line indicates that my body is coping with the lactate that is being generated and the levels remain fairly level and when the line starts to steepen dramatically it indicates that I have reached my threshold or OBLA (Onset of Blood Lactic Acid) and the body is no longer able to flush the lactic acid being produced and it floods my blood stream.

So my LT threshold has not really changed very much since I started this program which is disappointing but .....

I have done very little LT training and the vast majority of my training has been focused at the endurance zones. According to the algorithm that Cadence use my endurance zone has gone from 117 to 139 bpm, to, 118 to 157 bpm. I am not sure how this algorithm determines the zones but however it does it it did it the same way last year and there has still been a significant change. According to the new figures I ran the first half on my marathon in my endurance zone which means that I have a lot left to give. It also means that I should be able to run 8 min miles in my endurance zone which was supported by a run a couple of days ago when I found I was able to hold 8 min miles for 20 minutes at only 140 bpm.

If there has not been that much change in the run results that is certainly not true for the bike. However again at first glance the figures look a little disappointing. My bike results from last years time trial gave a VO2 max of 180 and a lactate threshold of 168 bpm however this latest LT test gave a VO2 max of 165 and a lactate threshold of 156.

This is a significant drop, so what does it mean. Well it is not actually that bad as my LT as a percentage of VO2 max has again risen slightly from 93 to 95% and my endurance zone has remained pretty similar.

These new results are probably a bit more accurate than the time trial field test. Firstly I have really struggled to maintain my lactate threshold and super lactate threshold zones during training which makes more sense with the latest test. Additionally last years field test was done in a big room with lots of people shouting and cheering and there was plenty riding on it which means I may have given 110% rather than 100% which I may have physically been capable of (mind over matter).

My LT power has allegedly dropped from 245 to 240 watts and therefore as my weight is unchanged my power to weight ratio has also dropped slightly.

So in conclusion:

I am not too concerned about these tests. My run test indicates that I can now run much quicker in my endurance zone which is a good thing. My bike figures are down but I am in the middle of training and did not have much of a break before the test so I would expect to be a bit tired.

Perhaps more importantly I know for a fact that I am fitter and stronger than when I started and I am confident that everything is moving in the right direction. These tests seem to indicate that I am a lot more efficient at slower speeds which reflects the type of training I have been doing.

Perhaps the next round of testing in a few months really will be the most astonishing results ever and put me in league with the uber-athletes or perhaps, as I suspect, I have a perfectly normal physiology and will have to rely on quality training and will power to get me to Kona.

Sorry this has been such a dry post but I did warn you all with a trigeek rating of 3. For new readers click here for the trigeek ratings.

Its Like Running with your hands by your side – TR** (Part 2)

………………………… continued from Part 1.

That afternoon I met Holden back at the Cadence facility and he took me to a local pool. The pool that Cadence usually uses was closed that weekend so Holden took me to a local high school pool. Apparently the regular pool is really impressive but I was more than pleased with the high school pool. The idea of a secondary school in the UK having such an impressive pool was completely alien to me.

I got changed and then sat on the bench while Holden revealed to me the secret of great swimming. Now I am not sure whether I should share this or not because I don’t want to get to Lake Placid and miss a qualifying slot because someone has read my blog and learnt the secret to great swimming. Therefore if you have read this and finish ahead of me in my age group at Lake Placid I would be very grateful if you would decline your Kona slot – thanks for your understanding :-).

So the secret to great swimming is efficiency of effort. I know everyone thinks they know that already but there is a bit a more to it. Holden talked about fluid dynamics and the more energy you expend pushing against the water the more resistance you will have coming back at you. Therefore you want to get through the water without fighting against it. Now for me the biggest resistance I was creating came from my legs. Holden was relatively happy with my arm movement – not perfect but good enough. The glaring problem with my stroke is my irregular kick.

'Holden explains how he is going to kick me in the head if I get the drills wrong.'

I start kicking and then every time I take a breath I scissor kick to regain my stability in the water. Going back to the fluid dynamics every time I do this huge scissor kick I create a lot of resistance in the water and slow myself down. My coach does not want to try and reinvent my stroke this close to the racing season as it would more than likely be counter-productive but I can make a lot of progress if I can coordinate my kick. He showed me a few drills which involve me establishing a steady kicking rhythm, from the hips, and then trying to windmill my arms (not pulling, just rotating them) without disturbing my kicking rhythm.

The importance of a good kick cannot be overemphasized. I must admit I was one of those people that believed you didn’t need to kick during a Triathlon swim and you were better off saving your legs for the bike and run. When I finally decided to start improving my kick I thought it was all about using my legs to provide propulsion through the water. I was completely off track and the analogy Holden used was that you wouldn’t try and run with your arms locked by your side and similarly you shouldn’t try and swim without using your legs. I do not need to develop a kick to power me through the water, although if I was competitive swimmer in the pool I certainly would, but instead I need to develop a kick which will hold me steady in the water and stop me fighting against the water unnecessarily. From there everything else should naturally fall into place in terms of breathing and body rotation.

Holden went on to explain how I should be whipping my legs to create the kick and explained some other body dynamics but the broad theories he was selling me seemed to make total sense and I really feel like I can make a significant breakthrough with my stroke with minimal effort. I was pleased to find out that the rest of my stroke is not too bad and that I have the in water conditioning I will need and only need to really work on technique.

That evening Wendy and I went out in a storm hit Philly city center and had a dinner at a great little restaurant near 2nd St Station. It was called the Continental Martini Bar and the food was delivered to the table tapas style. We had a lobster mashed potato dish, chicken satay dish and a humus dip and it was all top rate food and highly recommended.

The following day I was back at Cadence for another blood lactate threshold test, this time on the treadmill.

On the way to the store Wendy and I stopped at the Art Museum to get the obligatory Rocky photos. It was fun to see a bus load of kids get dumped at the bottom of the steps by coach and then run up and down before being shepherded back onto their coach. One of the little boys even had a pair of boxing gloves on.

Holden was busy so the test was taken by Colin Sandberg who did my bike fitting last year. Colin is about to embark on his first full season as a Cat 1 racer and he is looking super lean in comparison to when I saw him last year and I believe he now has some ridiculously high power to weight ratio.

The test is exactly the same as for the bike test but instead of increasing wattage the tester increases the speed of the treadmill. Colin explained that it is a little more important to start the run a little bit closer your lactate threshold than is necessary on the bike as you do not want the test running too long, as running is a load bearing sport and you tire more quickly. I warmed up and then Colin started me off at 9.1 mph. I had clearly fooled him into thinking I was faster than I am with my marathon tales and snazzy running gear as I was almost immediately over my LT threshold. We stopped the test and started over when my body had returned to a lactate level well below the test base line threshold of 4.0. This time I started slower and we fell into the familiar 3 min blood sample, pin prick routine.

Colin computed my results that lunch time and Holden is going to send me my bike test results by email. I won’t comment on them now as I think it is probably worth doing a separate post.

The last thing I did before leaving the store was say hi to Brian Walton. He is Cadence’s VP of Performance and is a former Canadian professional road and track cyclist who has been inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. He has raced professionally for teams 7-Eleven, Motorola, and Saturn and he is an Olympic Silver medalist, not to mention a winner of the Milk Race (aka Tour of Britain). He normally leads out the Cadence group ride on Saturday morning and I was really looking forward to the opportunity to ride with him but I am sure there will be another opportunity. I also believe he is the only person I know who has their own Wikipedia page (if you look it up he is Brian Walton Cyclist not the 17 Century Bishop of Chester in case there was any confusion). Before I left he put me in contact with a Cat 1 racer here in DC who has sent me information on some local group rides. It would probably be really good for my cycling if I tried to stay with a few of these faster group rides with more experienced cyclists.

As I left I collected my bike which the mechanics had very kindly been working on. Everything is now nice and tight again and the rattles from the slightly misaligned group set have now gone, many thanks Woody.

So all in all a great weekend was had by all but I hope to never have such an awful drive up as we did on Friday. I learnt a hell of a lot and I am really pleased with my swim session and feel like I have a way forward which I can now practice on my own in the pool. It was great to see all the staff again most of whom I had not seen since the selection weekend in November. As I said in my first post way back when everyone there is super friendly but more importantly very, very knowledgeable and the store is well worth checking out if you are after high end coaching or equipment.

Bonus Post - Its Christmas all over again in North Virginia

Today I came home to find a large box had been delivered from Cadence which contained all of the other sponsorship gear.

It was like Christmas all over again. Its always exciting when you receive new tri gear through the mail but to have all of this wonderful gear arrive in one go was absolute heaven. As I was going to try it all on anyway I thought I might as well post some pictures of the gear and yes I do know that I look like an idiot.



In no particular order the box contained:

Zoot Ultra Running Shoes

LAS Squalo Helmet

LAS Cronometro Helmet

"I am the law"

I reckon you need to be fairly quick before you turn up to a race wearing a helmet like this - no pressure.

Sidi T2 Shoes

Zoot Zenit Wetsuit

Enervit Nutrition

I really hope I like the taste.

I will do some amateur equipment reviews over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime a big thank you to all the sponsors for such a great ensemble of kit.

Its Like Running with your hands by your side - TR** (Part 1)

I am back in D.C. following my weekend excursion to Philadelphia to see my coach and visit the Cadence Cycling and Multisport Center in Manayunk just outside of Philly.

It turned out to be a great weekend there were highs, there were lows, there were tears and there was laughter (I might be over-egging it a bit but it wasn’t all plain sailing).

Wendy and I left D.C. at about 2.30pm hoping to beat some of the traffic but unfortunately that was a very naïve plan and we joined all the other cars parked on the Beltway. Eventually we managed to get onto the 95 heading North but by now it had started to rain. I know the UK has been hit by storms but over here everything is bigger including the weather systems and for the entire journey there was torrential rain and heavy traffic. We finally arrived at Philadelphia around 7.00pm. We crawled through to the city center and it turned out the very heavy traffic was due to the world’s largest flower show.

We found the hotel car park and as I went in I hit the bar which marked the maximum clearance. There was no way I was going to be able to reverse out of the carpark and I don’t know where else I could have parked so I carried on driving in. I tried to remove my bike rack but to take the base off you need a special allen key which was at home. I took off what I could and squeezed into one of the really tiny parking spaces. When we tried to check in they had no record of the reservation and it turned out that I had bought a room through priceline for the 8th of Feb rather than the 8th Mar. The manager was a nice guy but he was full (worlds biggest flower show) he gave me details of another hotel but it was going to cost well over twice what I had already paid through priceline.

After scraping my way out of the car park (which cost $10 for just over 30 min) we decided to head out of the city as all the hotels were full (world biggest flower show). It was now about 8.30pm and after a call to Holden and a suggestion from his girlfriend we found ourselves driving away from the city desperately looking for a room. We eventually came across a Marriott which was reasonably priced and checked in. After again banging my roof rack getting into another low roofed car park we ordered room service and passed out for the night.

The following day I had 3 options:

1. Join the 3.5 hour group ride leaving from Cadence at 0900.
2. Join Holden’s Tri class doing a track workout at 0830.
3. Arrive at Cadence fresh at 1000 for a Lactate Threshold test on the bike.

Looking out of the hotel window the skies were still very dark and there was a second wave of torrential rain forecast for later that morning. I thought the group ride would be a wash out and opted for the LT test. When I met Holden at the store I still wasn’t certain what form the test would take. It could have been a field test test similar to the one in New York during the selection weekend when you have to go b##ls out for 20 mins or it could be a blood lactate threshold test were you only have to go hard enough to get your blood lactate up over its threshold and then you can stop. Mercifully it turned out to be the second type of test and I knew that my breakfast would remain safely in my stomach.

The test was very civilized. I warmed up gently on the trainer whilst they showed 2007’s Tour of California on the big screen. An added bonus was that I was dry and warm and I could look out of the window and watch the rain coming down in sheets. Holden then set up the wattage, I think we started at about 125 and I simply had to maintain 90-95 rpm. 4 minutes later we jumped up 50 watts and then every 3 minutes thereafter another 25 watts. Just before each wattage increase I would have to say how hard I thought I was working and Holden would measure the lactate in my blood (they make a pin prick sized hole in your finger using a special mini torture machine). I think the test stopped at around 250 watts by which time my body was producing lactate that it was unable to flush from my system.

Lactic Acid is not a bad thing as I once assumed. It is a natural byproduct of energy production and is actually used as a source of energy in its own right with a large proportion of Lactic Acid being converted to glucose. You are always producing Lactic Acid and this is useful during aerobic exercise. However when you reach your Lactic threshold, in other words you start to exercise anaerobically, your muscles produce more Lactic Acid than your system can deal with and the lactic acid starts to flood into your blood which in turn interferes with your bodies ability to transport oxygen to the muscles and can rapidly cause the onset of fatigue. In theory if your muscles are able and you have the right amount of nutrition you should be able to exercise under your Lactate Threshold indefinitely.

The test over I grabbed a shower in Cadence’s changing room and found they even supply posh shower cream, rosemary and mint, before arranging to meet Holden back at the store that afternoon so that he could take me for a swim. I also had the chance to say hello to Matt Heitmann, one of the co-founders of Cadence Cycling and Multisports Center, who I had not seen since the Cadence Kona Challenge Weekend in New York. I said hi to some of the other coaches including Todd, a retired Army Officer and Pro –triathlete, who was just joining the company when I met him last year.

If you are ever at the store in Philly you should try Le Bus across the road for lunch or a late breakfast. I had the 6 grain pancakes with banana and walnut and they were very excellent.

Still to come in part 2:

The secret to great swimming revealed.
The meaning of the cryptic Blog title.
More Lactate threshold testing this time on the treadmill.

To be continued ……………………..

That was the week that was.

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted. To be perfectly honest if I am not at work, training or asleep I am struggling to stay awake. So what has happened since I last posted:



Positives:

• I have had my teeth cleaned. Americans have a different approach to dental care compared to our own NHS and last week was the first time in my life that my teeth have had a thorough cleaning. I am amazed, it has been so long since they have been this colour I have completely forgotten what they were supposed to look like.


• I found out I have been selected for promotion with an effective date of the 1st Oct 08 just in time for Kona.


• I saw Sam McGlone's Fizik advert in Triathlete Magazine and although it is a great looking advert it shows a side of Sam that didn't come accross when I met her at the Cadence Kona Challenge selection weekend (she seemed like such a nice, genteel, Canadian lady). I am waiting to see if Scott my fellow challengee and also a nice Canadian goes for a similar tattooClick here to see the advert.


• I got to watch the last two episodes of the wire which I had recorded - by far the best show on TV at the moment.


• I caught the sun on my neck and face.


• I completed the first week of this base phase.

The last bullet may seem like a small one but it is a minor victory. The week started with an hours recovery ride and 1 hour endurance run on Monday. Tuesday was a 2 hour bike ride with 3 overgear/fast cadence intervals and 3 lactate threshold/super lactate threshold/sub lactate threshold intervals. Last time I tried to do this I could not mantain the intervals but this time I completed the workout. Wednesday was a 1.5 hour endurance run and 30 mins strength training. Thursday a recovery swim, 50 min run and weights session. Friday a day off and Saturday a 3 hour ride. The week finished on Sunday with a 1 hour pyramid swim and then a 2 hour bike, run, bike, run brick workout. Holden told me to let the reigns out on the run and up the speed and I took him at face value. I ran hard for the first 30 minutes run, really shook the cobwebs out and used parts of my lungs I have not used for a really long time.

It was a big week but more importantly I was able to cope with it. I am sure if I was faced with this week a couple of months ago I would not have completed all the workouts. I think the marathon was bit of a breakthrough session for me and I am feeling really good after marathon recovery week.

This week I am doing the same sessions as last week but all the runs are that little bit longer.

On the negative side:

• I got sunburnt on my neck and face.


• I had a flat on last weekends ride. It was my first for a long time and I used CO2 inflators for the first time. I wasted the first one but managed to use the second one correctly and complete the ride.


• I looked at my Shimano Ultegra pedals and cleats and realised that they had seen better days. There is a line on the cleats, similar to car tyres, which indicates when they are worn out. The plastic panel on the pedals was also worn and I had started to wear away at the metal of the pedals. I have replaced them with this years sexy looking shimano dura ace pedals (had to go out and buy an 8mm allen key to fit them). The new pedals look great and the plastic piece has been replaced by a tougher metal piece. They are also wider than the older pedals to help transfer power to the cranks.


• When I changed my tube on last Saturdays ride I also noticed that after 10 months of hard use my Hutchinson Fusion tyres needed replacing aswell. I got hold of another set of Hutchinson Fusion Discovery team tyres cheap from Performance Bikes but when I fitted them I managed to burst my inner tubes. No matter how many times I change the tyre I always struggle to get the tube to sit properly within the trye without getting it pinched against the rim - any suggestions?

This weekend Wendy and I are going to Philly for the weekend. I am going to join the Cadence group ride from their store just outside the city and hopefully get to swim under the watchful eye of my coach Holden. On Sunday I am going to have another set of Lactate Threshold testing which will be interesting.

I look forward to letting you know how I get on.

Finally I would like to say hi to any one from Sutton Coldfield or Josiah Mason College and thank you for visiting. It turns out that my dad has been talking about the competition with his ILEX students and some of them have been good enough to check out my Blog.