Greenville Cycling: The Watershed

What you need to know before climbing the Watershed 

Note: Within the watershed, there are two routes. At the divide, you can go toward Saluda (right) or Hendersonville (stay straight).

Distance: Starting from Callahan Mountain road, the first section to the divide is 4.14 miles. Toward Hendersonville, it's another ~2.89 miles until the top of the climb (~6.45 miles total). Toward Saluda, it's another 2.6 miles to the top of the climb (~6.13 miles). The top of either climb takes you into NC.

Elevation gain: Toward Hendersonville, you start at 1208 feet and finish at 2274 feet (1049 feet elevation gain). Toward Saluda, you start at 1208 feet and finish at 2114 feet (897 feet elevation gain)

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade heading toward Hendersonville is 3%. The average grade heading toward Saluda is 2.8%. There are some short segments around 4-6% but there's nothing steep. I feel the Hendersonville climb is a little more pitchy compared to the Saluda side, which feels more of a gentle climb.

Road condition: The road condition is poor. There are many cracks, rough spots and holes. For such a beautiful place to ride, the road condition is not so fun. The Hendersonville side is worse compared to the Saluda side.

Scenery: This is a very scenic climb. You can see the bright blue water from the North Saluda Reservoir as you are climbing. There are sections where you can see and hear running water from the forest and you are tucked in a canopy of trees. It's a very beautiful and quiet place to ride.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike or tri bike. You'll want climbing gears just to keep a more fluid pedal stroke but this is not a technical or demanding climb.

Descend: Because of the poor road condition on the Hendersonville side, you need to keep your gaurd up as you are descending. There are also a few tighter sections. On the Saluda side, the road condition is a bit better. After you pass the dividing point, the descend becomes a bit easier with long sweeping turns. This is not a technical or fast descend as you do have to continue to pedal and "work" for some speed down the climb.

Climb with a view? While there is a lot to see as you are climbing, there's no specific view point on this climb. Just a lot of beautiful scenery spread over several miles.

Traffic: This is a very busy area for cyclists - more so than cars. I wouldn't say this is a heavily traffic route but you will have a few cars and motorcycles pass you as you are riding on the weekend. During the week, it's pretty quiet.

Difficulty: This is a great climb for beginner and developing cyclists. It's also a great route for specific intervals because there is some climbing but nothing too demanding. The road is wide open and there is nothing steep until the dividing point. Because of this, you can ride as long as you want and still get in a good workout. And simply turn around when you are done.

Honest feedback: We have taken several campers on this climb and it's a very safe place for group riding. While the road condition is poor, it's a very peaceful and scenic climb. It's also a great place to work on descending skills. It's a popular route so you will never feel alone when riding on the weekend. It's also a way to take you toward the Green River Cove Loop or toward Flat Rock (and be sure to visit the Flat Rock Bakery).

Greenville Cycling: Green River Cove Loop

What you need to know before climbing the Green River Cove Loop 

Note: The Green River Cove loop has a little bit of everything. This 20-mile loop includes descending, 3 very steep short climbs, a scenic flat section and a 2.3 mile climb with over 17 switchbacks. Because there is a lot going on in this loop, I'll break it down into three specific sections: The beginning, middle and end.

Distance: Starting from the gas station on Holbert Cove Drive (by hwy 26), the beginning section is 9.57 miles (left on Silver Creek Road - your first stop sign to the church. You then make a left on Green River Cove Rd). The middle section (starting at the church) is 8.3 miles. The end section (the actual climb with at least 17 tight switchbacks) is 2.29 miles. And then back to the gas station is about 1.7 miles.

Elevation gain: Since this is a loop, you start and finish at the same elevation (2010 feet). For the actual climb at the end, the elevation gain is 904 feet (in 2.29 miles).

Grade: In the beginning section, you'll notice there is a lot of descending. There are several switchbacks to descend on (two extremely tight and technical turns around 6 miles in this loop - be sure to slow down!) which is a lot of fun (if you have good bike handling skills. However, the fun is often interrupted by three very steep climbs. While each climb is relatively short, it stares at you in the face and reminds you that what goes down, has to go back up.
Steep climb 1: ~0.3 miles = ~9% average grade
Steep climb 2: ~0.28 miles = ~6% average grade
Steep climb 3: ~0.15 miles = ~8% average grade
In the middle section (after the church), this is mostly flat with a few small (very small) rollers.
In the end (the climb), this averages ~8% with some sections between 11-15% (and that's if you take the switchback in the outside and not in the inside where it's much steeper).

Road condition: The road condition is good. Some sections have been recently paved and other sections are a bit more beat up. It's not bad but it's not excellent.

Scenery: This is a very scenic climb. You have wide open views of the foothills, alongside farms, the rushing water of the Green River, beautiful trees and rocks spread around the land and as you near the top of the climb at the end, you can see the mountains far in the distance. If I had to compare this to a race venue, it reminds me a lot of the Ironman Lake Placid or Whistler race courses (just no epic mountains with snow on top).

Recommended bike/gearing: We have taken several campers (even a group camp) on this route and everyone had a tri bike. However, it's much more fun on a road bike since there are so many switchbacks throughout this loop. You'll enjoy the climb at the end much more on a road bike.

Descend: I'd consider this a very technical loop. There's one section that is dangerous (it will come out at you if you aren't prepared, around 6 miles into the loop), but nothing will come out of no where. You can almost always see what is coming. We've never descended down the climb (although Karel is itching to do it) so that may be a different story. The descend is technical and does require good skills.

Climb with a view? This loop is beautiful. There's no specific view point on this climb. Just a lot of beautiful scenery spread over several 20 miles.

Traffic: Although a few miles in the begining and the last few miles before and during the climb can get busy (there are several hiking trails throughout and a few river tubing facilities by the river), this is a very quiet loop. There have been some times that we don't encounter any cars until the last few miles of the loop. Because there isn't a lot of room to pass on the switchbacks, this is where you'll experience the most cars. But generally they are patient and there are some sections for cars to pass. The only downside is if a car is going down the climb and you are climbing up as you won't be able to take the far outside of the switchback (where it is less steep than the inside, but still steep).

Difficulty: The 3 pitchy short climbs are challenging. The end is challenging. I'd call this a difficult loop because of the grade changes. There are easier sections throughout the loop with the descends and the flat section in the middle.

Honest feedback: It's one of my absolute favorites. If it wasn't for those 3 nasty short climbs in the beginning part of the loop, I'd do this loop more often. I suggest to do this loop when you are fresh as it will take a lot out of you to conquer this loop. Note: In the Hincapie Gran Fondo, the Green River Cove loop comes at the end: After Skyuka and after the Saluda Grade (originally it was Howard's Gap but the road fell apart so they replaced that nasty climb with the Saluda Grade).

Greenville Cycling: Saluda Grade

What you need to know before climbing Saluda Grade

Distance: Starting from the gas station at 176, the climb to Saluda is 7.67 miles. However, the first few miles are fairly flat. The actual climbing guesstimate is around 3.88 miles.

Elevation gain: Start at 974 feet and finish at 2118 feet (total gain = 1537 feet).

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~2% with most of the climb averaging around 4-5%. It's a steady climb with a few sections where the grade kicks up a bit. There are some more demanding segments that are around 6-9% but there is nothing crazy steep on this climb.

Road condition: The road condition is excellent. It's very smooth. This is a treat compared to our bumpy roads in SC (this climb is in NC).

Scenery: This is a very scenic climb. With a rock wall and trees on your right and a river flowing below the trees on you on the left, you can't help but feel at peace during this climb. You are literally tucked into nature.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike or tri bike. You'll want climbing gears just to keep a more fluid pedal stroke.

Descend: While I am calling this a climb, it's not a true mountain. It's a beautiful climb that takes you (left) into the town of Saluda (or you can go to the right and head toward the Green River Cove loop - I'll share that climb next). If you were to descend down the Saluda grade, it's a very fun descend with sweeping turns (nothing tight) - you can always see where you are going.

Climb with a view? While there is a lot to see as you are climbing, there's no specific view point on this climb. Just a lot of beautiful scenery spread over several miles. There's a bridge with water running underneath, a small waterfall or two and a lot of beautiful trees.

Traffic: This road can get busy on the weekend as there are many touristy things around this area. The road starts off rather tight (two lane road) but at times it widens for cars to pass. Cars are fairly patient where we live so I never feel unsafe when we ride. But then again, I ask that all cyclists be the person that you want the people in the car to remember (in a good way).

Difficulty: While not an easy climb, it's not technical or intense. Having said this, there's nothing easy about our riding where we live. So depending on how you get to the Saluda grade (what preceeds it), your legs may be toasted before you start this moderate climb.

Honest feedback: We have taken several campers on the Saluda grade as it's a steady, peaceful climb. The only downside is that it's in Tryon, NC so it does require us to ride a bit longer to get to this climb. But that isn't a bother as there are so many amazing routes to get to the Saluda grade. Many cyclists will take the Watershed into Saluda and then descend down the Saluda Grade. There are so many options to include this route into your ride. In Saluda, I suggest to stop at Wildflower bakery or the M.A. Pace General store.

Greenville Cycling: Caesar's Head and Pretty Place

What you need to know before climbing Caesar's Head

Distance: The actual climb from Hwy 11 is 7.83miles.

Elevation gain: Start at 1078 feet and finish at 3228 feet (total gain = 2084 feet).

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~5%. There is nothing crazy steep on the climb but there are two or three segments (right after a switchback) where the grade switches to over 8%. Around 5 miles into the climb, there is a short section that is "flat" - which provides a nice change and a great place to actively recover. It doesn't last long as within a few minutes, you are back climbing again.

Road condition: The road condition is ok but not great. There are several bumps and cracks. There are a few smoother sections that have been recently repaved, but it's more bumpy than smooth. While it's fine for climbing, there are some rough patches in the switchbacks - which requires excellent bike handling skills when descending on a switchback.

Scenery: The climb and descend is beautiful. Depending on the season and weather conditions, you'll be able to see different aspects of nature. You are tucked within the trees for most of the climb but as you get closer to the top, you can peak through the trees and see the rolling hills.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike or tri bike. We have taken many of our private and group endurance campers up (and down) Caesar's Head - they were all on tri bikes. While it's more fun on a road bike (especially the descend), the climb is very doable for a tri bike (but you will be in the base bars for nearly all of the climb). You'll want your climbing gears; Semi-compact crank. 52-34 chainset and11-30 (or 28) cassette.

Descend: The descend has a few tight switch backs and you can pick up a lot of speed with the longer stretches. The first few miles are a bit more technical, whereas the last few miles are more sweeping. This is one of those descends to know in advance as you'll gain confidence after doing it a few times.

Climb with a view? The view at the top is worth it - on a clear day. Caesar's Head is a well-known scenic point in our area. There's a viewing deck at the top with a beautiful view of Table Rock lake and the mountains. Be careful walking to the viewing deck as the walkway can get slippery with your cleats on (wood) and there is a boulder to walk down at the actually viewing deck.

Traffic: Depending on when you go, the road can get very busy with cars (ex. weekend, late morning). Since Dupont Forest is on the other side of Caesar's Head (popular for MTB and hiking), it can get rather busy with cars, as well as motorcycles, on the weekend and late morning during the week. There are some tighter sections that will require cars to wait until they pass you but there is also room for passing in the turns - with an extra lane for the tighter switchbacks.

Difficulty: I'd rank this as a moderately difficult climb - especially because it is a long climb. You can expect to be climbing for well over 45 minutes. You certainly need good endurance and fitness but if you have great fitness/endurance, you can ride this fairly comfortably and not feel gased at the top. For many, just getting to the top is a huge accomplishment. For most of our campers, they find it challenging but we've never had anyone struggle and not get to the top. There is another option to get to the top. You can climb the backside of Caesar's Head, starting from the North Carolina side. This "climb" is very gentle (~4 miles) and the road condition is much more smooth and no steep sections.

Honest feedback: This is one of our favorite climbs to "show off" when we have visitors (campers or friends in town). It's one of those climbs to check off your bucket list when you are wanting to climb in Greenville. There's even a natural watering hole to fill up your bottle around 2 miles to the top.

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What you need to know before climbing to Pretty Place

Distance: The actual climb from 276 (the descend after Caesar's Head) is 5.09 miles.

Elevation gain: Start at 2068 feet and finish at 3030 feet (total gain = 962 feet).

Grade: I'd call this flat with some rolling hills. There is one steeper section that feels extra steep because everything else is fairly flat or rolling. It's a very controlled climb where you don't really feel like you are climbing.

Road condition: The road condition is good. It's a very open country road with lots of land around you. A few bumps but overall smooth.

Scenery: Picture-taking worthy! It's called pretty place for a reason. It's actually an open-air sanctuary/chapel overlooking the rolling hills of Greenville.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike or tri bike. I combined this climb with Caesar's Head as you may as well see Pretty Place since you've already made your way to the top of Caesar's Head. Since you'll be doing this in the middle of a ride (there's no quick or easy way to get here without some climbing), you'll likely have your climbing gears on your bike: Semi-compact crank. 52-34 chainset and11-30 (or 28) cassette.

Descend: It actually feels like you are descending more than you are climbing on the way to Pretty Place and climbing more than descending after you leave Pretty Place. The road is a tight (yet peaceful) two-lane road so depending on traffic, you may need to be extra attentive.

Climb with a view? The view at the top is worth it. It's a well-known scenic point in our area. Make sure to check the website in advance as the chapel is often closed for events.

Traffic: Since it's a one-way in and out type of road (two-lane road), it may get busy. Cars are mostly patient but there isn't a lot of room for cars to pass if there is traffic in the opposite direction.

Difficulty: I'd rank this as an easy climb. However, your legs may be tired after climbing Caesar's head.

Honest feedback: This is another climb to check off your bucket list when you are wanting to climb around Greenville. If you can't bike to Pretty Place (or Caesar's Head), I suggest to drive to these scenic points to enjoy the view. 

Pictures taken on 6/12
Tri bike
Riding time: 5:31
Total Miles: 92.9
Total elevation: ~7900 feet
Run off the bike: 52 min/6.25 miles/~1025 feet
Swim before bike: 3100 meters

Trimarni Greenville Camp - Day 2 recap

"Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing."

Unless you live by, in, on or near the mountains, it's not every day that you can get on your bike from your front doorstep and ride up and down a mountain. 

Karel and I consider ourselves really lucky in that we can ride from our house and within 10 minutes we can climb Paris Mountain. In less than 2 miles, we are on bike-friendly, country roads with endless options for riding.

Although we do not do the long mountain climbs very often in our training, it is a nice treat to know that we can climb a mountain anytime we want without having to drive our bikes anywhere.
And if you haven't figured it out yet, Karel and I love to climb!

It was a no-brainer that we would give our campers an opportunity to climb a mountain (or two) during camp. Not only would it provide great stress on the body for our campers to climb (without stopping) for up to an hour but it would also force our athletes to dig deep and to discover new possibilities with their fitness. And because what goes up must come down, we wanted to put those who are not comfortable descending into the position where they had to descend in order to come down the mountain and we would be right there to give them the tips, encouragement and support that they needed to conquer any fears.

The morning started early for Karel, Joe and Adam. The dynamic trio (all training for IM Lake Placid) set out for a 92 mile, 7000+ feet elevation gain ride. I have never done this route before but Karel has done it three times. 

(Picture from a previous ride). 

I have never done this route but one of these days I will test my strength (and mental toughness) and try to conquer all that climbing. 

Our amazing SAG Support (Elizabeth, Taylor, Tricia) met the trio out around 36 miles into their ride to restock bottles. 

Oh the things you will see while riding in the country. 

The guys met the SAG after/before a climb so it was a welcome but quick refueling top. Although we don't recommend athletes load up on fluids/foods before a climb, this was the only spot where the SAG could meet the guys and still make it to the Ceaser Head SAG stop for my group. Lots of logistics when it comes to training camps and we could not have done it without our fab SAG crew!

The guys had a great view of Table Rock before climbing Ceaser's Head from the other side of the mountain. 

Karel was super impressed with Adam and Joe - both Floridians who never had this much climbing in one ride. Adam's body had enough at the top of Ceaser's Head which meant he still did around 64 miles of the ride which was incredible. Karel gave him a pep talk and told him to call it a day.
(I remember when I did my longest ride in Greenville last summer  - we did some of the Hincapie Gran Fondo route and after climbing/descending Skyuka Mountain, I told Karel I was done with all that climbing. I had a little breakdown but because we were still around 40 miles from home I had no choice but to continue. Thank goodness for Karel's pep talks because I managed to get myself back on the bike. We all have those days - we are human)

The guys enjoying their well-earned view!

As for our group, we left around 8:30am (the guys left at 7:15am) and we were off to the mountains. Our ride was a planned 4+ hours of riding and 5000 feet of climbing.
I love chasing the mountains!

This is one of my favorite stops for a picture. You are so close to the mountains and the views are incredible. 

My group was amazing!! Everyone stayed strong and focused for the 7 mile climb up to the top of Ceaser's Head. Everyone finished in less than an hour (yes - 60 minutes of climbing!).

What a view!!

I was just so proud of everyone for climbing the unknown mountain. There were bumpy roads and switchbacks and with the temps approaching 100, it was not an easy day to be riding 4+ hours but hey, if it was easy, everyone would be at a Trimarni camp! 

Great job Jim!! Looking strong!

Way to go Alex!!

Yay - time to go back down the mountains- 7 miles descending!!

Our SAG crew having so much fun waiting for us. 

(BTW - Taylor - front of pic - is our awesome Trimarni photographer. You will also see some great pics from Elizabeth - back of pic. Tricia in the middle was our awesome SAG coordinator - she rocked!)

Yes Elizabeth - we climbed from way down there. 

Our SAG crew earning their post SAG meal - yummy Sidewall Pizza from Traveler's Rest.

After we all finished our ride (we all finished around the same time), it was off for a 15-20 minute run. We asked our campers to run comfortable with good form for no more than 15-20 minutes but the last 5-7 minutes were strong. As usual, all campers were required to have a hydration system with them (handheld or belt) for the run WITH a sport drink.
For the ride, we all went through at least 1 bottle of sport drink per hour. I provided the campers with specific fueling suggestions for the long run and run (and pre/post workout) and no one bonked or had GI distress - well done campers!

After a few hours of resting (well more like hanging out and eating) for our campers at the lodge, it was time to clean up and head to downtown Greenville for our camp team dinner at Roost Restaurant.

Those are some awesome bodies!!! 

Welcome to Karel's world - it's always time for a beer. 

We love our beautiful downtown and Falls Park!

Walking on the Liberty Bridge downtown. 

Thanks Roost for accommodating our large group! The service was great!

We were hungry!! I had the tempeh pesto dish....

Karel had steak. 

What a GREAT day 2 of camp!! So proud of our campers. 

Half way through camp and we only gave our campers a teaser of our challenging terrain and what's to come in day 3 and 4 of Trimarni Greenville camp.  

Stay tuned for day 3 recap of camp! 

Improve your bike skills - CLIMBING

While on our long "foundation" building ride this morning, we made good use of our time on our bikes by enjoying the mountain views on top of Cedar's Head. 

As we were climbing the 6-miles to the top of the mountain, I couldn't help but think about my progress as a swimmer, turned runner, turned triathlete, turned cyclist. Although my love for swimming has not gone away, I absolutely love riding my bike.

And now  that we live in beautiful, bike-friendly Greenville, SC we love riding our bikes even more! We leave from our doorstep on the Westend of downtown and in less than 7 miles we can climb Paris Mountain and in 45 minutes we are on challenging roads and hilly terrain on beautiful country roads.

There was a time, not too long ago a few years ago, that I was not very skilled on my bike. By no means, am I an expert now but my riding skills have improved dramatically over the last few years and I owe it all to Karel helping me learn how to be a better cyclist. 

So I thought that I would share a few tips that have helped me not only race better but also train smarter. 

Switchbacks

Not every race (or training session) will have switchbacks and unless you are in Pyrénées, they probably won't look like this (above) BUT it is important that you know how to properly bike up hills that require turning corners. In my racing experience, athletes often get thrown off with gearing (or struggle) on an unexpected incline turn as well as turns that are not well-viewed. 

When riding switchbacks or turns on an incline it is important to know where you should be positioning yourself so that you are in the least steepest grade possible.

When the road turns to the right, you want to be closest to the middle. You want to always be on the outside of the turn So imagine the trees are on your right yellow line is to your left. If the road is turning to the right, you want to ride yourself away from the trees. Certainly be careful, watch for cars and in races, do not cross the yellow line or get in the way of other riders.
Now the opposite situation, if the road is turning to the left, yellow line is to your left and trees to the right, you will want to ride yourself toward the trees as this is the least steep grade when it comes to how the road pitches up. 

Climbing position 

Sitting or....

Standing?

We get this question a lot and certainly it depends on the climb and the rider size, as well as what you are most comfortable with. It's funny that I picked these two pictures because typically I am the one out of my saddle when I climb and Karel is sitting, however, we both sit AND stand.

Every climb is different so my suggestion is to practice. Learn how you prefer to climb on different grades. The ultimate goal is to climb in a way that allows you to keep a smooth cadence and conserve your energy. The opportunity for you to stay aero while "climbing" will likely only come if there are rollers in that you can gain momentum from a previous climb and comfortably work your way up another climb. Another situation, a very low grade climbg. Otherwise, if a climb is long or steep, sit up and stretch your hip flexors and focus on a very fluid pedal stroke.

The reason why it is advantageous to sit up while climbing is because your natural position when climbing is to scoot back a little on the saddle (as oppose to being on the middle/nose of the saddle while in aero). This position you have placed yourself in while climbing in a seated position allows you to open the hip angle and you have more power.

For athletes who feel comfortable out of the saddle (or when the road pitches up rather steep or on punchy climbs when getting out of the saddle is an easy way to get over the top), keep in mind that it does take more energy to climb standing. But standing  stretches the body (ex. legs/back) and takes you out of your seated position. Therefore, it is good to get out of the saddle every now and then while climbing.  Focus on all parts of the pedal stroke while standing although you may find yourself more powerful on the top of your stroke as you push down on the pedals. You will also find yourself rocking your handlebars a little as you move your arms side to side to help move your front wheel up the climb. You need good core and lower back as well as upper body strength to be a good climber and this is very true if riding out of the saddle. Typically, shorter or lighter athletes are good climbers out of the saddle but also those who have great quad strength may prefer coming out of the saddle here or there while climbing. This is not a rule, just a generalization.

If sitting, the most important thing to remember is a very smooth pedal stroke. To help increase your cadence while climbing, I recommend single-leg drills on the trainer (sitting up) to help you train your legs to be engaged on all parts of the pedal stroke. We typically do 3-5 rounds of  each leg, 30-60 sec single leg drills (clipping out the foot that is not being used) to not only become more aware of  any"dead" spots in the pedal stroke (typically at the top) but also to strengthen the glutes and hamstrings.
It took me a while to get my cadence higher on the bike on flat roads so as you can imagine, it took a very long time to increase it while climbing.....and I'm still working on it.
You never have to just sit or just stand when you climb so be sure you are focusing on being comfortable.  Every rider will have his/her own style of climbing but to conserve energy, try to keep the upper body relaxed without a lot of rocking back and forth while sitting. You want your arms very relaxed on your bars while the legs do the work to move your forward.
Practice sitting and standing when you ride outside on hills so you can get more comfortable on different grades.

Shifting and gearing

When athletes (or race directors) talk about a climbing cassette, you will want to have a 12-27 or 11-28 (it should end with 27 or 28) cassette on your bike. The reason for a climbing cassette is so you can have easier gears.You will also see that some athletes prefer a compact crankset which is another option for relatively smaller chainrings.
If you are riding on any course that is not flat (in other words, the road goes up and down), a climbing cassette is a great affordable investment and if you are not comfortable changing your own cassette, just have your LBS (local bike shop) do it for you (you can typically buy one there as well).

Speaking of your cassette, it is extremely important that you know how to shift your gears properly. This is probably the easiest thing you can work on every time you ride outside but a common error of athletes on race day (does a dropped chain come to mind? Don't worry, it happens to us all at times...even with a chain catcher.).

When it comes to shifting your gears, you will find that your comfortable gear of course will differ depending on the terrain grade. Although it is absolutely possible to climb in your big chain ring, the focus should be on keeping your cadence as comfortably high as possible for a smooth pedal stroke. Therefore, most efficient riders will be changing from big to small, small to big, throughout the ride to keep that nice steady cadence. As pictured above, if you have electronic shifting, it is simply a button to press on your aero bars or base bars to change your gears. This allows the rider to keep his/her hands on the base bars when climbing or aero bars on rolling hills and still be able shift. You can also shift while standing out of the saddle when you have electronic shifting. Now when I talk shifting, I am not just referring to big and small chain rings but also all the gears you have on your cassette.
You must avoid your chain crossing (and your chain being dropped),. If you are on the big chain ring and you keep shifting up, there is more force on the chain and the chain is crossing. This is not good. Don't wait to shift from big to small chain ring until the last moment. You need to be sure you are in a gear that allows you comfortable shift big to small, small to big without noticing a big difference in your pedal stroke.
As an easy suggestion, be sure your chain is somewhere near the middle (not to the extreme top or bottom) of the cassette before shifting from big to small/small to big.
An efficient rider will likely change his/her gears a lot during racing/training to keep that nice steady cadence. Sometimes, I try to shift and realize I am already in the smallest gear while climbing and I wish I had just one more gear! Always a let down. 

As you become a more skilled rider, you will become a more efficient rider. And when you ride efficiently, you train more consistently. Ultimately you become stronger, faster and more powerful. 

So while you are out there enjoying the climbs, a few more things to remember:
-While descending, NEVER break during a turn. Gently break before the turn and then let it go. You can not control your wheels while breaking in a turn and this is setting you up for a risky, dangerous situation while going downhill or even on flat roads
-While descending, look ahead. Be sure to become familiar with new roads before bombing a descend (unless you are Karel) so you are aware of any bumps, ditches, sharp turns, etc. This is extremely important when it comes to improving your confidence before a race.
-Practice fueling while climbing/descending. It is much safer to fuel up a climb than down a steep, technical climb as you need to pay attention when you descend. However, some descends are "easy" and provide a great opportunity to fuel/hydrate And when I say fuel, this is liquid nutrition. You need to practice staying hydrated while climbing and that means grabbing a bottle from your cages while climbing. There is a significant amount of energy being used while climbing so you don't want to go 10,20,40 minutes on a climb without fueling or hydrating. Since there is so much blood being used by the muscles, liquid nutrition will digest much easier than solid food. However, if heading out for a long ride in the mountains, I recommend to bring a sport bar to nibble on as you may get hungry on the descends and you are using a lot more energy compared to flat roads. But for race day, I recommend to rely on liquid nutrition as your primary source of fuel (a little solid food here or there is perfectly fine).
-Don't dread the climbs. What goes up, must come down. The more practice you have climbing and descending, the more comfortable you will be on your bike. I am not telling you that it will be easy to climb (or race on hilly courses) but you may learn to enjoy the suffering on the way up and the fun on the way down. 

Mental training - just keep climbing, just keep climbing

When it comes to training for athletic events, there are many different approaches that athletes and coaches use to reach peak performance. When it comes to fueling the human body before, during and after training, there are many different approaches that sport dietitians use to support a body in motion.

But when it comes to the mindsets of top athletes, there is not much that differs among those who know how to use their minds to reach top fitness and perform well on race day. 

Top athletes are mentally strong. They know how to focus on the task at hand, they know how to overcome obstacles quickly and they know that it will be worth it. 

Mental toughness is not reserved for the elite or pro athletes as it has very little to do with speed, pace, watts or finishing times in order to achieve it. Any athlete, of any fitness levels, has the opportunity to be mentally strong in training and racing. 

Although I love showing off our beautiful cycling playground in our new home of Greenville, SC, our new normal includes a lot of climbing. We have found that a typical ride for us includes around 1,000 feet of climbing (at least) per hour of riding. The roads go up and down and with dozens and dozens of training routes for us to enjoy on two wheels, we really have to be mentally prepared for every workout for there is no such thing as an easy ride for us here in Greenville. 

I would like to believe that all triathletes enjoy training. If not, you are in the wrong sport to choose three sports to train for. Maybe not every workout is termed as "fun" but I hope that you are passionate about your sport of choice and enjoy putting in the work so that you can feel and see your body become stronger and faster as you train for improved endurance and fitness. 

When it comes to top athletes who find success in racing, they are 100% engaged in what they are doing, they know where they are going, they trust the plan and they believe in the process. 

Consider how your mind may limit or enhance your performance.

What thoughts go through your head as you train? 

For most age group athletes, we have many thoughts in our mind when we train because frankly, we can not shut off life just because we are training for a race. Perhaps some thoughts are positive, such as thinking of family, your kids, the reason why you are training (ex. raising money for a charity, world or national event), improving your health, etc. but many times, negative thoughts create beliefs. Beliefs that possibly you are too overweight, you are not training enough, you need to push harder and go longer, you are not fit, you are not ready, you are not skilled, you are not cut out for this, you are not good enough......

As an athlete, it is important that you have confidence in yourself but most importantly that you control your thoughts and feelings and keep your mind in the present moment. I have often talked about how my mental coach Gloria has helped me in endurance racing, specifically in the Ironman. She has taught me how to not jump ahead with my thoughts. Why think about how I may feel on the run when I am only on mile 1 of the swim in an Ironman?

Our mind has a powerful influence over our body and many times, we experience this when training for a race. You are starting your main set of your workout and you think there is no way that your body will be able to perform 5 rounds of your main set. By set #3, you can't believe that you only have two more rounds to go! 

Many times, you have thoughts in your mind that have nothing to do with training. 

Random, negative or useless thoughts should be replaced with thoughts that you can use to power your training/racing. 

Why think about the laundry you need to fold when you are performing mile repeaters on the track?
Thinking about that extra cookie or bowl of ice cream you ate last night is going to do no good when you are in the pool, working on your form. 

Although you may not be able to remove some thoughts from your mind like an upcoming work project, school presentation, to-do's with your kids or a family health issue, mental training is a very important part of reaching your full potential as an athlete. 

The past two weekends have been filled with lots of miles on the bike for Karel and me. We absolutely love riding here but it certainly is not easy. 

We are very fortunate that we have no GI issues when we train. There are no nutritional limiters to keep us from feeling "good" (always relative to the day/workout) and thus, we are able to keep our minds focused on the workout as planned.
Additionally, we both are not injured. This is a huge advantage for any athlete for an injury does not allow for mental toughness. You can try as hard as you want to ignore or fight through an injury but nothing feels as good as training with a healthy body and letting the mind control the body. 

Now, having said all of this, even a healthy and well fueled body can suffer. And boy oh boy, did Karel and I suffer two weekends ago. Never had we had to stay so mentally strong as we rode part of the Gran Fondo Hincapie route that took us from our home in Greenville to North Carolina. 

This was our "long" Ironman ride for our season and it turned into one very long ride. 6.5 hours, 105 miles, ~8600 feet of climbing and two very, very, very difficult climbs. 

Our first big climb started around 2:45 into our ride. We had already covered 2100 elevation gain of before the "fun" began. 

There is only 1 climb (Paris Mountain - 2.5 miles) that I can ride on Karel's wheel (if he is not hammering it) so Karel and I do not climb together. 

For 45 minutes and 5.5 miles, I climbed with no one in sight. No cars, no Karel. Just me and my thoughts (and some pretty views and sounds). 

As the temperature dropped from 77 degrees to 70 degrees throughout the climb, I was dripping sweat as I tried to find a comfortable cadence in my smallest gear. 

My average speed was 8.14 mph, the climb started at 920 feet and finished around 2850 feet. That's almost 1700 feet of elevation gained in 45 minutes. 

With every switchback, I kept focused on the road and to be extra careful that when I got out of the saddle (which is a lot since I prefer to climb anything over 4% grade out of the saddle) that my hands didn't slip on my tri base bars. The grade would bounce between 4% and 20%, often around 7-10%

I took advantage of any section that would allow me to sip my bottle and I couldn't help but think to myself "where is the top of this never ending mountain!" 

When I finally got to the top of the mountain, Karel was there waiting for me. I unclipped my right leg and bent over with relief that the climbing was over and happiness that the climb was over. 

We tried to enjoy our view but sadly, we were in the clouds. 

After one of the most difficult climbs I have ever done, it was time to descend down on one of the most difficult descends I have ever done. 

Talk about feeling accomplished when I got to the bottom of the mountain!

Part of the fun with riding in a new area is the discovery of new routes. In races, it is always good to review your course (by biking or driving your course) so you can be mentally prepared. But in training, if you know how hard a climb is, it can be rather hard to want to repeat it. So when we climb a mountain for the first time, both Karel and me have no choice but to stay mentally strong because we have no idea how long we are climbing, where we are going, what's at the top or how difficult the climb will be. 

And so this brings me to climb #2. The most difficult climb I have ever done...after just doing the most difficult climb I have ever done!!

We had 15 minutes (4 miles) to "recover" from Skyuka mountain before we encountered the climb that made me experience my first mental breakdown in Greenville, SC. 

Unlike climbing a mountain, this climb was extremely deceiving. It was simply a two lane open road that just went up and up and up. No switchbacks, no flat parts and absolutely no letting up. 

2.45 miles, average grade 8% (although my Garmin kept showing me 12-13% the entire climb), 19 minutes of climbing and an elevation gain of 1000 feet. 

That's right, we climbed half the distance of our last climb but we went from 976 feet to 1900 feet in less than 20 minutes!

When I could see Karel ahead of me, swerving back and forth on the road, I knew this was one tough climb. 

I was not bonking and I was not in pain but mentally, I was broken. I somehow managed to make myself get to the top of this climb where Karel was waiting for but when I saw the road curve to the left behind some trees with a mountain top in my view, I convinced myself that I was not able to continue. I was done. 

I stopped and had a breakdown. 

Karel told me how exhausted he was and that these two climbs were extremely tough even for him. That gave me even more reason to tell Karel that I was not strong enough for these climbs. 

After spending a few minutes gathering some mental strength, I continued on with Karel and to my surprise, the next climb was not that bad. Perhaps the breakdown helped me out for my body needed to rest and refocus. 

When we stopped to refill our bottles for the last part of our ride, we spent the last 1 hour and 45 minutes of our ride covering only 20 miles and 3400 elevation gain.
Yes, my new normal is averaging 11 mph for 20 miles and staying mentally strong to conquer the climbs in SC (and NC). 

Karel and I both felt amazingly good after our quick stop. Thankfully, we both were not bonking on the climbs but instead, just mentally struggling because of the difficulty of the climb. 

The last two hours and 8 minutes of our ride was quick - 18.5 mph, 40 miles and only around 1400 feet of climbing. 

After spending our Saturday morning (8/9/14) on the bike for 6.5 hours and finishing with a run (10 min with Campy for me and 2 mile run on the track for Karel), I can honestly say that this ride was the hardest training rides of my life. 

However, the physical component of climbing was no more difficult than the mental component. 

Thankfully, we survived to ride another day and mentally we became just a bit more strong. 

(two baby turtles were saved during our ride)

Our new normal

My body feels like I am on a training camp.
My mind feels like I am on vacation.
But in reality, we just moved to the most perfect place for our lifestyle. 

Back in February, Karel, Campy and I checked out Greenville South Carolina for the first time.
It was cold and rainy.
But we still loved it! 

Although we have only been living in Greenville South Carolina for 10 days and for me, not even a full week to believe that we actually live here, we have spent no time wasted since we moved. Although much of our day is focused on our coaching and nutrition athletes (tri season is in full swing!), we have tried to spend a little time each day to get to know our new town. Here are a few pics from the last few days. 

Trimarni coaching athlete Kristen and her hubby Trent were passing by after racing Rev3 in Knoxville. We love the fact that we can walk to downtown, just a short 1 mile from our new home. We all had dinner at Mellow Mushroom.

No more flat roads! Just a quick 8 miles or so on the Swamp Rabbit Trail (riding from our home) and then we make a few turns and a few miles later, we get to climb 2.5 miles to the top of Paris Mountain.....and then descend down the other side!

You know you live in a great city when Trek Travel has a 7-day camp where you live. 

With a change in temps (mid 50's in the morning and 80's during the day), we are really enjoying this change and the comfort foods that come with it. Yummy tomato soup cooked with Boca veggie meat, fresh onions and mushrooms and topped with baby Swiss cheese. 

A dressed up rice cake with PB, raisins, banana and honey, alongside water and coffee. Delicious, happy tummy fuel for a morning workout. 

Every trail should have a delicious cafe and grocery like the Swamp Rabbit Trail. If they are ever out of baguettes, you can blame us.

We love our bike-friendly community!

Not only is Greenville an active community

But they are big supporters of shopping local and recycling. 

WE are glad we are here too!

Karel is getting back to his Euro routes....stopping for a baguette at the end of our ride.

The BEST baguette I have ever had!

Just riding along....
Is it a good or bad thing that I want to stop every mile to take a picture of this beautiful scenery!! LOVE riding on these country roads! So much to look at and so many animals to say hi to!

My body is working over time here with our new terrain, combined with our IM Austria prep (6 more weeks!). My appreciation of fueling my body with real food has gone to a whole new level here in Greenville! 

Campy loves it here too!!

I love to climb.....and now I have no choice! 

We love fresh bread. This pecan bread was amazing!
Real food makes the tummy happy. 

Super raw trail mix....a delicious snack with yogurt to fuel a busy body in the afternoon.

Karel is now an expert at Map My Ride. His Garmin Edge 810 comes in super handy when it comes to riding new routes and not getting lost. You have no idea how happy Karel is riding here. He can not stay off his bike. Every day is a new day for exploring on two wheels.
I just want to ride and say hi to all the animals and take pictures. 

We are SO excited to start planning our 2nd Trimarni camp (and first camp in Greenville) for the fall! We are so excited for you to come and visit us and enjoy these beautiful roads and local eats with us (and Campy too!)