SCIENCE SCH-MIENCE! By: Dotsie Bausch

As competitive cyclists and coaches, we love numbers and data! Oh yea baby, give me some numbers and gadgets to collect numbers that give us more numbers that we can calculate and put into graphs and make data, and share data and re-test and gather those numbers and put them into new graphs and manipulate those graphs, and on and on it goes. Basically its bike porn or better yet, science porn. Pages and pages full of numbers and data. If we were machines and not human beings, this data would prove INVALUABLE because we would gather the data, enter the training to improve the numbers inside the data, and output World Champions in drouths on a conveyor belt. Scientists will tell you data is all that really matters when it comes to performance. Well, thats not entirely true, they do look at you with this twisted gleam in their eye, like they do truly understand that there is “a little bit” of a mental and emotional component to racing, all the while you know they really believe any great athlete should be able to “suck it up” and completely detach from their mind and emotions while racing and training. Sports psychologists will fight them til the cows come home on this topic, although BOTH will argue with measurable data from their said fields, AND, both will generally tell you that in order to be a great athlete and make it to the top, you have to have the almighty TALENT, or it just ain’t gonna happen for you. They will even have the audacity to say that fact is proven in science and we can access this proof of information.

Well, what I say and I know from personal experience, is you can’t measure heart, grit or determination. Passion is not a math equation. It can’t be measured. You know when someone’s got it and you can tell when they don’t.

When I was first identified by the U.S. National team in 2001, they did a series of tests on me at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. I was subjected to poking and prodding, watt bikes, early morning blood analysis and for 2 straight days I was tested in the lab and on the open roads. The conclusion, “She has marginal ability at best.” “She is a bit old.” and my personal favorite, “Its certainly not too bad, but its not too promising either.”

Post 2012 Olympic Games, I get told ALL the time by people, “Oh you have such immense talent, that’s why you were able to do XYZ and so on and so forth.” Oh really? I do? Please do indulge me with the proof of that.

My Mom says I am a “scrapper.” Always have been. Give me something to fight, like some stupid numbers that they try to count as the sum of my total worth, and I will show you an Olympic medal. Never underestimate that deep intrinsic power inside of you that tells you, YOU CAN. If we don’t listen to that heart, that passion, that drive, that lives deep inside, we will never know our potential. Never. According to my data, my 3 minute POTENTIAL average power is just shy of 100 watts less than what I have actually PRODUCED at my peak. Take that science!

If I had taken that Olympic Training Center data to heart, I shudder to think about what I would have missed. Since that frustrating week at the OTC, there have been several opportunities, and I mean SEVERAL for me to get tested again. I turn those down every time. Don’t need the headache or disappointment. “Thanks so much”, I say, “I appreciate that you are hoping to find a genetic freak who will blow the doors of your little laboratory and who you can brag about, but your not gonna find it here. I have “marginal talent at best.” And then I chuckle.

As competitors, we often get so entangled in the web of science and numbers and comparing ourselves to other’s numbers, that we lose the fact that NONE of it will matter on race day if we can’t produce a passionate performance. It takes something very special to go out on that day, that one day you have prepared for your entire life and lay it down, and that something special wont be found on a graph or on a chart, but it will come from deep within, a place where you have spent time honing and believing and dreaming of. You can’t dream properly in a spreadsheet.

Quantifiable data can be valuable, but only as you use it for its purpose; as a tool. If you were to create a graph in your mind, you best leave room for a “mystery” page at the end because that’s a list of all the things science can not measure. Your heart. Your passion. Your spirit. Your joy. Your fire. Your dedication. Your drive. Your unwavering belief.

And as L. Fleshman, a professional runner says, “There is immeasurable power in the unmeasurable.”

Go out there and live your dream. Make it happen, and don’t give any energy to the people who say “you can’t” because they don’t know what you are capable of. Only you know. Don’t be held back by numbers or science. You can prove them all wrong. I think this is where I should remind you, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

-Henry David Thoreau

Visit Dotsie and learn about her coaching techniques and methodology at www.empowercoachingsystems.com.

Posture and Pain Tolerance

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103111001612

Dig deep with Bonk Breaker Apple Pie

Energy bar’s 8th flavor contains the super food chia seed; Sponsoring Kenda 5-hour Energy Pro Cycling and pro triathletes Angela Naeth and Joe Thorne

Chatsworth, CA (X November 2011): While Bonk Breaker can’t claim that eating their new apple pie energy bars will help keep the doctor away, the addition of super food chia seed to the all-natural ingredients certainly bolsters their case. In development for the past six months, the eighth Bonk Breaker flavor arrives in the peak of autumn, providing athletes and anyone in search of a nutritious snack a cool and refreshing, warm and comforting energy bar free from gluten, dairy and soy.

“The feedback that we received from Facebook and our Team Bonk Breaker athletes urged us to create a bar with apples. The numerous health benefits of the added chia seed, which is the world’s richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids as well as an excellent source of calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, niacin, fiber and antioxidants, makes for a super food Bonk Breaker. Welcome to the new era of cutting-edge nutrition,” declared Bonk Breaker founder Jason Winn.

Adding to their roster of World Champions, Olympians and professional athletes and teams that they fuel, Bonk Breaker will sponsor Kenda 5-hour Energy Pro Cycling in 2012 and will enhance their presence in the world of triathlon by sponsoring professional triathletes Joe Thorne and Angela Naeth.

Bonk Breaker’s co-owner Chris Frank said, “The incredible support and feedback we receive from our community of Team Bonk Breaker athletes has been invaluable, and we’re thrilled to grow our squad as a complement to the tremendous growth we’ve experienced as a company.”

A powerhouse domestic squad that competes in the biggest races held on U.S. soil, including the Tour of California, Kenda 5-hour Energy Pro Cycling possesses a talented international lineup capable of winning on any given day. The team’s director sportif Frankie Andreu said, “Bonk Breaker’s peanut butter & jelly bar is fantastic. It's easy to eat on the move, moist, and packed with energy. It's like a power boost with each bite."

Veteran rider Chad Hartley added, “There is nothing worse than cracking open a bar in the middle of a hot ride to find a dry, tasteless, hard chunk of cardboard. Bonk Breakers are always soft and light, extra tasty, and best of all, you don’t need to drink half of a bottle to wash them down. The way I can tell a bar is really good is if I eat them off the bike. I make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches using PB&J Bonk Breakers.”

Canadian Naeth won four 70.3 distance triathlons this year and finished on the podium at three others. "Bonk Breaker is the first energy bar I have used that has the perfect nutritional balance for the demands of training and competition alike. The bars have amazing flavors, are gluten-free, and are incredibly easy to eat and digest. I love that Bonk Breaker really wants and uses my feedback, and I couldn't be more excited about working with such a fast-growing team," enthused Naeth, a pro since 2008 who attended the University of Missouri on a full athletic scholarship.

A two-time All-American runner at the University of Texas prior to discovering triathlon, Thorne stated, “I love Bonk Breaker for a few reasons. The bars are made by athletes for athletes. They are nutritionally-packed and also delicious, which is a unique pairing these days. It seems sports nutrition is either one or the other, but not both so to have great tasting bars with optimal nutrition is the best combination any person could wish for - especially if you are an athlete.”

Baked fresh from all-natural ingredients, all eight Bonk Breaker flavors are gluten-free and dairy-free. Earlier this year, the company successfully introduced the espresso chip and blueberry oat bars, the latter of which utilizes the same oat base as the apple pie bar. Additional flavors will soon be announced. For more information, please visit www.bonkbreaker.com.

About Bonk Breaker

Bonk Breaker is on a mission to feed the world with the best tasting and most nutritious energy bars on the planet. Professional and amateur athletes and anyone hungry for a nutritious snack on the fly reach for the dairy-free, gluten-free bars that are baked fresh from the finest natural ingredients. Selected four times as the “best energy bar” by Competitor Magazine, Bonk Breaker is presently available in eight delicious flavors: peanut butter & jelly, peanut butter & jelly high protein, peanut butter & banana, peanut butter & dark chocolate chip, almond butter & honey, espresso chip, blueberry oat and the new apple pie. Created in 2006 by Jason Winn while training for his first Ironman triathlon, Bonk Breaker is based in Chatsworth, California, and sold throughout the United States and in eight countries abroad. They are proud to sponsor Team SpiderTech (UCI Pro Continental), Hincapie Sportswear Development Team, four- time World Champion track cyclist Sarah Hammer, NFL’s leading receiver Wes Welker, and many other outstanding athletes around the globe. Visit Bonk Breaker online at www.bonkbreaker.com and “like” them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonk-Breaker/153294675925.

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Congrats to Katie Donovan of SC-Velo/EMPOWER COACHING cycling team...3rd place at Cascade Classic stage 1 Road Race.

State Crit Championships 2011

Empower Coaching Staff: Chris DeMarchi & Kirk Bausch show how its done at the Cal State District Crit championships: Chris (2nd in both Master 35 & Pro), KB (4th in Master 30). These coaches practice what they teach.

Bonk Breaker celebrating a red, white & blueberry July 4th

Unveils blueberry oat energy bar, sponsors U.S. Olympic track cyclists

Chatsworth, CA (30 June 2011): Bringing in the Fourth of July weekend with a touch of patriotic panache, Bonk Breaker introduces the seventh flavor of the best tasting energy bars on the planet: blueberry oat. The fast flourishing company also recently inked sponsorship deals with a trio of American champion track cyclists who are favored to medal at next year’s London Olympic Games: Dotsie Bausch, Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed.

Following last month’s launch of the espresso chocolate chip bar, which became an overnight sensation, Bonk Breaker believes the blueberry oat bar will be an all-American classic. “Blueberry was on our short list of potential new flavors because of its great taste and antioxidant properties. Plus we received an incredible number of requests for blueberry via Facebook posts, emails and phone calls from our loyal customers, an organic and rapidly growing grassroots group of athletes and health-conscious eaters that we consider to be both valuable advisors and great product ambassadors. Our ‘lucky number 7th’ bar is made from a gluten-free oat base and is our second bar made without nuts, like the espresso chocolate chip bar,” explained Bonk Breaker founder Jason Winn.

Riding as Team USA, Bausch, Hammer and Reed won a World Championship silver medal in the team pursuit last March in Holland. With U.S. teammate Lauren Tamayo, Bausch and Hammer share the world record in the three-kilometer track cycling event that will make its Olympic debut for women in 2012.

Six-time U.S. National Champion and two-time Pan Am Championship gold medal winner Bausch overcame severe eating disorders that threatened to take her life over a decade ago, which put a halt to a promising modeling career. It was during her recovery that she discovered her talent and passion for cycling. She uses the spotlight to help encourage and inspire others to overcome eating disorders and return to healthy eating habits. “As a veteran athlete, I’m careful about what I put into my body. Bonk Breaker is the only bar I ever eat off the bike as well as in training because they are natural and nutritious. There is not another bar on the planet that is as fresh and has that ‘just out of
the oven’ taste. I had been eating them for a while and when the opportunity came to work closely with this dynamic company, I was thrilled,” enthused Bausch, who expects to make her Olympic debut at age 39.

Earlier this year, Hammer won her fourth World Championship and became the first American woman ever to win three medals at a single track cycling world championships. She set a world record in the individual pursuit and next year will be a medal hopeful in her second Olympic Games where she will ride the omnium and the team pursuit. “Not only do I use Bonk Breakers in training, but I eat them any time I want a healthy snack. I take the peanut butter & jelly bars with me on the long flights between the U.S. and Europe,” said Hammer, a Californian who presently resides in Mallorca, Spain.

Looking to make her third Olympic appearance, Reed was the first American woman to win a World Championship in the keirin in 2008. Having amassed four World Championship medals and 30 World Cup medals, the fierce sprinter retired after the 2008 Olympic Games, but was lured back to the track last year by Bausch and Hammer. Reed said, “Bonk Breaker energy bars are so delicious. Now I actually get excited about eating on training rides. I am a bit of a foodie and follow a gluten-free diet, so it was difficult to find a gluten-free bar that provides enough energy and tastes good. But when I tried Bonk Breaker, they gave me the energy boost I needed and the quality ingredients are unlike any bar I've tried.”

“We are excited to add Dotsie, Sarah, and Jennie to Team Bonk Breaker. Our sponsored athletes and teams provide vital feedback, which aids in our product development and keeps us on track. We consider them to be partners and family. These talented women represent the pinnacle of international sporting excellence, and are strong believers in Bonk Breaker and our company’s philosophy. We are proud to fuel their pursuit of Olympic gold,” stated Bonk Breaker co-owner Chris Frank.

Baked fresh using only natural ingredients, all seven flavors of Bonk Breaker are gluten-free and dairy-free. Three additional flavors are expected to be introduced before the end of the year. Further information is available at www.bonkbreaker.com <http://www.bonkbreaker.com/> .


About Bonk Breaker

Selected four times as the “best energy bar” by Competitor Magazine, Bonk Breaker makes the best tasting energy bars on the planet. Professional and amateur athletes and anyone hungry for a nutritious snack on the fly reach for the dairy-free, gluten-free bars that are baked fresh from the finest natural ingredients. Bonk Breaker is presently available in seven delicious flavors: peanut butter & jelly, peanut butter & jelly high protein, peanut butter & banana, peanut butter & dark chocolate chip, almond butter & honey, espresso chocolate chip and the new blueberry oat. Created in 2006 by Jason Winn while training for his first Ironman triathlon, Bonk Breaker is based in Chatsworth, California and sold throughout the United States and in seven countries abroad. They are proud to sponsor Bausch, Hammer, Reed, Team SpiderTech (UCI Pro Continental), the Hincapie Development squad, and many other outstanding athletes around the globe. Visit Bonk Breaker online at www.bonkbreaker.com <http://www.bonkbreaker.com/> and follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonk-Breaker/153294675925 <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonk-Breaker/153294675925

Rated “R” Race Report by Lisa Campbell

This isn’t so much of a race report…but a report about being at the race and all the exciting and dramatic events that happen behind the scenes. I was lucky enough to be rooming with Bonnie and Pam on Friday night since we were the only ladies doing the “granny” (otherwise known as Masters) race on Saturday.

I knew I was in a bit of trouble when Pam called me just as I was leaving and told me her and Bonnie were already there. Because the next words were….”we are getting ready to break open the wine”…In my head I saw the bottles of 2 buck Chuck being corked while Pam and Bonnie jumped up and down on the beds…with Bonnie’s dog Rusty watching…

Sure enough, when I got there…I was right! In the trash was a bottle of 2 buck chuck and there were Pringles, a loaf of Tillamook Cheddar, and various candy wrappers scattered about the room. Pam left to go to Del Taco for some pre-race carbs. It seemed like it was taking Pam awhile to get back from Del Taco…then, lo and behold Bonnie gets a phone call from her. Her room key was not working…or maybe she was at the wrong room. We’ve all done that before..you know there are no numbers on those silly key cards. But actually Pam was just across the way at the wrong hotel…

When Pam got back to the right hotel…she walked in smiling…carrying a big fat burrito and said “I was sliding the card in every door, going up and down the hallway, thinking, why isn’t this working”.

Opting for something that wasn’t going to cause me severe GI distress (and an unenjoyable race for anyone behind me on the bike Saturday) Bonnie and I went to get pizza. I have never seen someone who can eat, get ready for bed and be asleep before I even sat down with my food…but Bonnie did it..she got in bed, her dog crawled under the covers and they were out like a light. I hate sleeping, but after Pam put her eye mask on and was out too…I had to do the same. I had no one to talk to. Even the dog was ignoring me.

I will spare you the details from Saturday…I’m sure Bonnie’s report will have all the info..but let’s just say that I learned a lesson about NOT chasing after your teammate’s wheel and bringing the damn peloton with you…sorry about that Pam. Yes, I did shed a few alligator tears after the race, but I did it in the privacy of some back lot somewhere after the race. Then Pam and Bonnie cheered me up and entertained me for the rest of the day. Actually, Bonnie pretty much slept the whole day, as did her dog Rusty. Pam…well…Pam helped me re-hash that race over and over until I finally stopped feeling bad about it. By the time dinner rolled around I was ready to focus on Sunday and stop worrying about Saturday.

Speaking of dinner, when I left the room in search of somewhere to buy Epsom salts for my aching “granny” legs Pam was breaking into the Doritos’s…or the Pringles, not sure which. Never have I seen someone so strong and consistent a racer as Pam…and now I saw the “fuel” she used... I was even more impressed, and frankly, a little scared…I was reminded of something Pam said right before Barry Wolfe, when we were talking about warming up. I believe it was something like, “The only time I ever warmed up before a race it was the worst race I ever had.” See…scary.

Sunday was definitely a better day for our team. PC, Bea and Dennis had arrived late Saturday night. I know what they ate for dinner because PC texted me pictures of Chicken and Waffles. I don’t really understand that whole combo…but I did wake up James (who had arrived later on Saturday) to show him the pics and he mumbled something like “yum” and that was the last I heard from him til the next morning. Dotsie and Ruth arrived early Sunday and we were ready to rock and roll!!!!!

Again, I will spare you most of the details of the race, but I can’t leave out one part…(sorry PC). After having several awesome moves throughout the entire day, PC was off the front again coming into the hill. About half way up we could see her…then she took a right hand turn, where there wasn’t a right hand turn. At least not on the course we were on. I heard a few ladies, kind of laugh and say “Oh, PC, that silly girl”…However…I really didn’t think she was taking a wrong turn on purpose. I yelled her name…but she kept climbing…the wrong way. We had some fun in the peloton…figuring out if PC was kidding or not..but when I looked back, I swear the look I saw on her face did not look like someone who was kidding. Well, at least she had a nice downhill to get back on the course. And as we all know, the race went beautifully for us, and we won! When I saw Ruth go, and get over 20 seconds…I knew she was going to TT her way home…

What did I learn this last weekend? Pam has the strongest GI system of anyone I know and something other than blood must run through her veins…Bonnie’s dog LOVES to sleep. (He slept on the front seat of James’s car throughout the whole race), PC needs a compass…Bea and I had really sore asses and need a constant infusion of chamois cream supplied to us throughout the race…Dotsie knows more people than God and Ruth can fricking fly!!!!

BIg Win!!

Empower Coaching Systems Women's Cycling team takes gold and bronze this weekend in the California State Road Race in an incredible display of tight, powerful team work! Way to go girls!

Perseverance Pays Off!

Empower Coaching System's Kimberley Turner turns a somewhat frustrating road race (her goal) into a BRONZE medal ride in the criterium at the 2011 Collegiate National Championships! Now thats the power of perseverance. NICE job Kimberley!

Get Structured to Get Fast!

At 37 Alessandro Patacchi continues to win! His quote: “At 37, I’m able to do sacrifices that I didn’t when I was 25 or 27," he said after winning in Parma. He then speaks about altitude training...He's pointing out that his older years are requiring a serious and structured training program:) If you want to get fast, then get structured, we can tailor a program to fit your needs. www.empowercoachingsystems.com

Dana Point Grand Prix

Empower Coaching's Mark Scott chillin after stealing the bronze at Dana Point Grand Prix yesterday in true sprinter fashion. Nice work Mark. Check out his bum.

Coaching Juniors w/ Chris DeMarchi

I have been coaching Junior racers for about a year and a half. Some coaches will not touch the kids that make the future of our sport because of the maturity levels. I have found that Juniors can be a pleasant surprise to coach. Yes, they are young and have alot on their plates with school, training, other activities, and friends, but helping them find the balance in their life and see the light bulb come on is priceless. I really get alot of joy out of seeing a junior athlete accomplish their goals in cycling and still excel in other parts of their lives.

Even if you are not a coach, mentor a junior today! The rewards go both ways.

COACH ANDY INTERVIEW: GUIDING IRELAND’S ELITE TRACK CYCLISTS

© Shane Stokes

American coach Andy Sparks was previously best known as the coach (and now husband) of multiple world and US champion Sarah Hammer, as well as being the head track coach at the UCI World Cycling Center. He was also U.S. Olympic Track Cycling coach for Beijing 2008.

However from last August he has been coaching the male riders on the Irish track team, and giving his advice and input to women’s coach Brian Nugent. Since coming on board there have been very positive signs, with the various riders showing good improvement. A team of five have travelled to the second round of cycling’s World Cup in Cali, Columbia, which begins today and runs until Saturday.

Martyn Irvine and Felix English will do the Omnium and scratch races respectively, while Jennifer O’Reilly, Caroline Ryan and Ciara Horne will do the women’s team pursuit. O’Reilly will also ride the Omnium, while Ryan will do the individual pursuit.

Sparks is a two time winner of the USA Cycling Coach of the year and his guidance has earned twenty World Cup medals and six world championship titles for his riders. That experience puts him in a very good position to be able to assess the Irish competitors he is overseeing, and he believes that there are grounds to be optimistic.

The rider that seems to excite him most is Martyn Irvine, who he describes as one of the most naturally talented riders he has ever worked with. English is seen as a very focussed rider who he expects to be successful, while he is encourage by the women’s improvement and believes that they should continue to progress.

Sparks spoke to Irishcycling.com in recent days and commented at length about the riders on the team and his short and long term expectations. He believes that Irvine and English can both go top ten in Cali, and that the women’s pursuit will achieve a time of 3 minutes 33 seconds or faster.

Looking further ahead, he expects more improvement in terms of results, and believes that at least some of the team can successfully qualify for the next Olympic Games in London.

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Shane Stokes: Which of the Irish have you been working most with, and where has that work been done?

Andy Sparks: When I first accepted the head coaching position for Cycling Ireland in August, it primarily was focused on the men's team pursuit team. Unfortunately after Matt Brammeier signed a contract with HTC-Columbia, David O'Loughlin decided to focus on family and business and Marcus Christie was on the sidelines due to injury, it sort of spelled the end of the project on the short-term. Some positives to come out of the decision were the ability to really focus on an event that Cycling Ireland could not only be a participant at during the 2012 Games, but a player at and a legitimate medal hopeful.

Out of this refinement we were left with two key male riders; Martyn Irvine, who is our team captain, and Felix English, who is our development omnium rider and who has also turned some heads recently by beating a pretty good British sprinter [Chris Hoy] at the European Champs. Both of these riders are champions. Martyn has absolutely every ingredient needed for success on the short-term and long-term and he will be a rider to watch over the next 2 years. He is both an exceptional races and trainer and we have given him the nickname: The Irish House of Pain. Felix is an exciting young bike rider who is just finishing up his Junior career now. Felix is a very focused and professional bike rider who will be successful in the sport as he will not let anything stand in his way.

The project has already been rewarding but I also got really lucky with inheriting so many talented bike riders. Both the former coach Tommy Evans and current women's coach, Brian Nugent, did a great job of developing and recruiting the Irish talent. My job is to now expose the squad to both the highest level of training and the high standard, needed in every category, to be successful at World and Olympic level. And I'm very happy to report that we are making major gains towards this goal.

SS: What sort of progress have you seen from each of the main riders (ie those going to Cali)?

AS: We are seeing gains in all three parts of the Irish track program: Men's Omnium, Women's Omnium and Women's Team Pursuit. Martyn Irvine, our top omnium rider, finished 9th at the European Championships which is a very good indicator that he has a great shot of qualifying for the London Games (through 12 Olympic points-earning races over 2 years the top 8 European team qualify spots for London). Martyn is incredibly talented and we will be seeing quick and continued gains from him as he is very new to the mass-start racing and will really come out of every race a new and better bike rider. Martyn is one of the most naturally talented bike racers I have ever worked with.

Jennifer O'Reilly is currently our top omnium rider on the women's side. Jennifer has only been racing her bike for about 18 months (she came from a rowing background) but you would not know that when you see her in the bunch. Jennifer had a very respectable first-showing at the European champs in the omnium and now we just need to get her stronger and fitter, which will happen as she has been working hard towards this goal.

Lastly, our women's team pursuit has been making steady progress and are now achieving some respectable times. We have a team goal of 3.33 or faster in Columbia and I really hope, and expect, to achieve it. Brian has been working hard with the ladies for the last year and over the last 3 months I have been providing some guidance and support for the project in the areas where I can offer something.

SS: What do you think is possible there?

AS: My expectations, across the board, are always going to be high. All of the athletes know what level of performance I am interested in and that is what we have been working hard for to achieve. For Cali, we have set the following goals:

Martyn - top 10 Omnium
Felix - top 10 Scratch race
Women's Team Pursuit - 3.33 or faster
Jennifer - Top 15 Omnium
Caroline - Sub 3.45 in 3K Ind. pursuit

Long-term, I would love to see an omnium World Cup medal in the next 2 years for Martyn. For Jennifer in the omnium, a top 10 at a World Cup would be a fantastic results and for our Women's team pursuit squad a top 5 in the next 2 years at a World Cup would be a great achievement. None of these goals will be easy but if the team continues to work hard everyday in training and have confidence in themselves we will be successful.

SS: How do you assess their chances of reaching the Olympics?

AS: Our chances of making the Olympics differs for each event. Objectively speaking, if you examine the results from the European Championship it shows that Martyn has a very good chance of making it to London. For the women the next two World Cups will tell a lot. With the new selection procedure put forth by the UCI, European countries have it much harder than in years past on qualifying for the Games. If our Irish women get consistent top 8's in the team pursuit it would look promising to have them lining up in London come 2012.

Update from Andy

Hello to my Empower Coaching Systems Family,

I wanted to send out a quick update concerning my sabatical at ECS for the last year. In August of 2009 I was approached by the UCI to lead a new track program at the UCI World Cycling Center in Aigle, Switzerland. For the last year I've had an amazing and unique coaching opportunity of coaching 80 athletes from over 15 countries.. The project produced some great results including 4 World Championship wins (producing the first-ever Korean and African World Champions), 2 World Records, 11 Continental Championship Gold Medals and 10 National Records. A busy but rewarding year!

Following a successful project in Switzerland, I was approached by Irish Cycling in a project to qualify start positions for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In addition to my scaled-down ECS duties (thanks Dotsie!) I started this project in August and in the last 8 weeks the Irish team has seen some great improvements. Our first race was the European Championships in Poland.

Safe travels,
Andy
Empower Coaching Systems
Empower. Inspire. Grow.
http://www.EmpowerCoachingSystems.com

September Empower Athlete of the Month

Jon Mcgee works hard, really hard. He does not have a lot of free time to cruise around and dilly dally, as like many of us, he has a very full plate. He owns his own company and has a beautiful family of a wife and 3 little girls. Every minute of his life is filled to the brim and he needs pure quality training to reach his cycling goals. When he came to me a few months out from the famous Leadville 100 mountain bike race and said he wanted to race it and make it in under the magical 9 hour barrier to receive the very coveted gold and silver belt buckle (not to be confused with the under 12 hour silver belt buckle), I was ever so slightly skeptical that we could achieve this lofty goal. Man oh man, was I wrong. Jon works fast, really fast.

He put his mind to the grindstone and never let up. Even when family called and he had to miss or change a workout, he was relaxed and trusted his program. He had planned to go race the Silver Rush 50 one month before the Leadville100 race which is in the exact same location and would have given me a plethora of information to work with from his SRM, not to mention to see how his body responded at over 10,000 feet in altitude. He had to cancel that trip and just about gave his coach a coronary with not doing that "test" race. I think he is the one who talked me off the ledge on that day. He assured me he could still do Leadville in under 9 hours. He just kept repeating his goal. As he got faster and faster over the weeks, he got more excited and his excitement poured over into his training, and that is a dangerous combination for his competitors. He was going to reach his goal. 2 weeks out, I knew he could do it. As his Functional Threshold (one of the key components in a race of this length) rose over 20 watts and he lost over 15 pounds of body weight in prep for the steep mountain pitches of Leadville at over 10,000 feet in altitude, he was going to be hard to beat. On August 14th he hammered his way to that shiny belt buckle, along with his brother Rob, in UNDER 9 hours! As I watched the athlete tracker on the Leadville 100 website it was like waiting for Christmas morning, as the time ticked toward the 9 hour mark. He came in RIGHT under the cutoff time, and I mean RIGHT UNDER as I believe he was the last racer to make the cut. He texted me right as I was reading his time come across my computer screen and it pretty much made my entire month! I love coaching an athlete with a purpose and rough neck determination!. Next year, we have done the math and he only has to go 3.7 miles per hour faster to beat Levi's record setting time. If anyone can do it, trust me, its Jon Mcgee. No pressure Jon:-)
Congratulations to Jon Mcgee on being Empower Coaching's Athlete of the Month for September 2010!

Here are Jon's answers to his Empower Athlete of the Month questions:
ECS: What motivates you to train so hard and stay so focused on a daily
basis when no one is watching?
JM: When I started with Dotsie I really saw how much work went into putting together a good training program. I was motivated by the fact that I never wanted to disappoint Dotsie. The goals she set made the training exciting and I looked forward to seeing the improvement week after week.

ECS: What do you like best about your Empower Coaching Systems Coach?
JM: Dotsie is Great! She really knows what she's talking about. I had so much confidence that I had the best coach and training schedule which really helped me give a 100% day after day. She was always available to answer questions and always gave advice.

ECS: What prank would you play on your coach if you could do anything you
wanted?
JM: Dotsie is too nice to prank! (Dotsie says: "clearly he does not know me well enough yet. I will change that for 2011)

ECS: When you get your monthly Empower coaching Schedule, what do you look
forward to seeing on it the most and what do you look forward to the least?
JM: I enjoy seeing the next challenge and look forward to reaching the new goals. The tuff days are never fun when you start off but feel the best when you finish for the day.

ECS:: Any advice you have for a new rider beginning with Empower Coaching
Systems?
JM: Really trust your coach and follow the schedule with exactness. Their experience will provide great results. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

ECS: What are your goals for next season?
JM: I'd like to get a few road races in before the end of the year and I'm shooting for a good result in Vision Quest 2011. Also, looking forward to Leadville 2011 and improving my time.

The Cascade Experience - By Lisa Campbell (Guest rider for SC Velo)

Report #1
Hi Everyone,
Well, it's been an interesting few days. I'll keep this as brief as possible. The week before the race had some excitement since I ran a red light and crashed my car just prior to leaving for Oregon. The car is not okay (luckily not a total loss and getting fixed) but I wasn't hurt. My parents, James, me and 4 dogs arrived safely on Sunday and I had my first team meeting with "the girls", (as I like to call them since they all seem like little kids to me) and Coach Dotsie. 6 of us racing in all.
We pre rode the prologue course, a short 2 mile out and back with several turns and an uphill...that unfortunately for me, was removed prior to the start of the race and the turn around was placed at the hill.

The night before the prologue we came home to 4 terriers that had gotten into a large box full of many, many dog treats, rawhides, jerky sticks...and more. Unfortunately Poppy had to go to the local Emergency Hospital and stay overnight on IV fluids, and many medications to try and help everything pass through him without needing surgery. I slept a few hours that night, and figured, hey, it's only 2 miles...and we didn't start til 6pm the next day...(I didn't really think that, but that's what I told myself.)
The good news is that I wasn't last at the prologue (but close), with about 40 -50 seconds the gap between the winning and the slowest time. I was like a Fred, or a "Fredette" for this race. I had to tuck my jersey into my shorts for a makeshift skinsuit (Dotsie's idea, not mine...) and I was the only bike out there that wasn't decked out aero...I had some aero bars, but we decided not to use them since the course was so short, with so many turns and I was spending more time out of them than in them. I will use them in the 16 mile TT coming up today. By the way, I thought I was going to cough up blood at the end of that prologue. I have NEVER felt burning in my lungs like that. But the girls all assured me that was normal, and I felt better when I saw almost all the girls coming in coughing, hacking, grimacing in pain and looking like I felt too.

The real torture came yesterday. 74 miles of a road course that has not been in the race for a few years due to fires, road closures, etc. According to Dotsie (and the other team managers), we were "not to worry" because the 18 mile climb up Mackenzie Pass was a "rolling" ascent between 3-5%, 6 to 7% in a few places and was probably going to be "tempo"...WRONG, WRONG, WRONG....Okay, maybe it was tempo but it sure wasn't my tempo. And this is all before the last 8 mile climb with 11% pitches.
The climb started 28 miles into the race and those 28 miles were the scariest 28 miles I've ever ridden. The pack was huge, lots of surging, lots of breaking and a very bad crash on a steep descent that happened just 5 girls in front of me. Luckily I was able to swerve to the left towards the shoulder (looking for something soft, just in case...) and avoid the carnage. But girls went down all over the place just because they braked so hard. I was frantically looking around for 2 team mates I knew were behind me and a few miles down the road they caught up and were pretty white in the face since they just avoided the after math of the main crash.
The first mile or so of the hill was "tempo" and then it was just surge, after surge, after surge...I remembered Dotsie saying to just go with the surge and relax since they would surge and relax and come back...but after about 4 surges I knew I would not last another 5 miles if I tried to stay with the lead group...so I backed off and got into a smaller pack of girls. (Here is what was going on in my head...."What the hell am I doing here? There is no way I am going to be able to do this for another 18 miles, I'm not going to make the time cut"). I had to slap myself around and snap out of it. My pack of 7 girls bridged to another pack of 7 that had been dropped from the lead group. (With women like Mara Abbott, Cath Cheatley, Allison Powers...) Incycles Katie Donovan was up there too, but unfortunately I found out later that she was dropped on the technical descent.

I stayed with this group of girls (hanging on for dear life at the back during the descent) until I bonked at mile 70, with just 3 miles to go. I was passed my a chase group of about 7 women. I finished 53rd, 15 minutes behind the winner. Time cuts were made and luckily our team is still intact. I thought I ate and drank enough, and I may have...I am just not used to this intensity, this pacing...and this level...Dorothy gave the team massages last night and it helped. Today my legs feel like they weigh 5 thousand pounds. This TT is 8 miles up and 8 miles down. I'll be working, but not killing myself since we have another 70 mile road race tomorrow....and the time cuts keep coming! Hope I didn't bore you all and I will keep you posted. Thank you for all your support.
Lisa C

Report #2
Hi Everyone,
Thought I'd give a quick Cascade Classic update as I wait for the crit to start (and as you all know, crits are my FAVORITE thing....).
So the second time trial was on Thursday. An out and back, 8 miles up a very gradual, ie. big gear hill, and then back down. Like my previous TT, it was not exactly my type of thing..but again, I didn't finish last...just close to it. :)) The winning woman was somewhere around 36 and I was 43 minutes..so there you go.
The second road race and the 3rd stage was another exercise in sheer pain, determination and torture.
The race started with a 4 mile climb and we had a "heads up" from the Colavita team manager...her words were "I'd be warmed up if I were you"...oh great. So, exactly as we thought. The race was a literal sprint from the whistle (what happened to the neutral role out?). The field of 90 plus was shattered in the first 500m and my heart rate was up to 185 and that is where it stayed for the next 20 minutes. I struggled up the hill and as we crested the top was off the back of the main peleton (about 20 girls, and I didn't know this yet, but a 5 woman breakaway had formed and Katie Donovan, from my team was in it). Bea from my team yelled at me to jump on her wheel...and people, I'm telling ya (no offense Mo), but I have stayed on Mo's wheel easier than hers...She sacrificed herself, when she could have bridged and didn't, and waited for me and pulled my ass up to the peleton...about 5 minutes after we caught them the rest of the pack caught us and the pace settled down...for a moment then....
CRASH...for no good reason..One minute my teammate PC was asking me how I was doing and the next minute I was climbing up the back of someone who was climbing up the back of someone else and over 20 of us were tangled up and frantically trying to get up and get going. PC landed on top of me and Bea went down too. Besides a bruised knee I was okay, but by the time my handlbars were straightened and I was able to determine that my badly mangled shifter still worked...the peleton was gone...Bea again, waited for me to get up and settled before taking off. 7 other girls were also trying to fix mechanicals and the nine of us time trialed for about 8 miles before catching up with the peleton. I again, learned what it means to have a team mate work their ass off for you. So by now it is only mile 20 and I have redlined not once, but twice.

I remember thinking "how the hell am I going to go 50 more miles?". Somehow we all managed to make it through feed zones without crashing, and it was 5 of us from Incycle all in the main peleton for awhile until we hit mile 50...this is where the 20 mile climb to the finish started. I lasted til about mile 60 and fell off the back of the peleton. I learned that the 5 woman break was caught with about 10k to go. I limped along okay until about mile 67 where I again, couldn't quite hold the wheels of the chase group I was with (causing me to lose about 12 places and 50 seconds, since they all came in as a pack).
So I think I ended up about 70th on this stage and hanging out at 58th overall right now.

I was just glad to survive yesterday...and gave Bea a big, wet smack on the face for pulling my ass all over the damn road.
The crit is tonight and I'm sure you all know that I am not looking forward to it...but hoping to stay positive, in the front more than in the back and hope that from somewhere my legs will find some strength for tonight and tomorrow cause they are TIRED!!!!
Keep you all posted...
Lisa C

Report #3
Hi Again,
Well, I found one way to make sure you stay safe in a crit...get pulled half way through...actually I got pulled just shy of half way through...but I was off the back by lap 5. I have never "quit" a sporting event and I know this wasn't technically quitting...but when you see that red paddle and hear the announcer saying "these girls are going to get pulled soon"...it sure feels like major crapola...
I never in a million years would have thought this would happen to me...but now that I've been through it...I never in a million years would think that at this level of my fitness I could make it through that crit.
There were maybe 8 or 9, maybe ten other girls that were pulled, but much later than me.
Dotsie came up to me after and told me that she was pulled from every pro 1/2 crit she did for the first 3 years racing pro (not sure I believe her). What did make me laugh, though, was that she said "Did you see all those other girls off the back who got pulled later? Well, they are in big trouble...you're not...You are not pulling a salary and you are not to this level....these girls are pulling a salary and I guarantee you their team meeting is not a happy place to be right now"....That did make me laugh. But then the laughing started my cough that I seemed to have picked up from the prologue and it just keeps getting worse.
Which brings me to today...just walking the dogs up the stairs to our rental house my lungs were burning, my legs were burning. I have bruises in places I didn't know could bruise...muscle pains in places I didn't know I had muscles...and one last, brutal circuit race coming up in about 2 hours.
The forecast is for 94 plus degrees with a chance of lightning and winds...
Oh my frickin god...I have no lungs left, very little left in my legs...and I'm wondering how I will make it through this next stage.
But...I didn't barely squeak by last night to quit today...so ready or not here we go for the last stage and the last day of 6 unbelievably painful...epic...torturous...fun (yes, I did say fun...), days of bike racing.
Thanks for everyone's support...oh, and what I mean by squeaking by last night...is that I had to make 1/3 of the winners distance in order to be able to start today. The winner did 22 laps...I did ten...
Lisa C

Race Report #4
Hi again everyone,
As I type this my left pinkie finger and my right little toe are still numb. My leg muscles feel like those big huge rubber band balls kids make in kindergarten and my lungs are still screaming at me!
I did make it through to be a finisher though...even after the horrendous beating (emotional, physical and also in terms of my overall GC finish time) I took in the crit.
After the stage yesterday, if this is even possible, I have even more respect for the women in this pro 1/2 category.
Here is a description taken from Velo-News of the circuit race yesterday....

"The 17-mile Awbrey Butte circuit was the site of the final stage of the six-day Cascade Cycling Classic. The circuit, on the northwest side of Bend, rolled over undulating terrain until the quarter-mile, 6 percent O.B. Riley climb from Tumalo Creek to the feed zone, nine miles into each lap. A false flat carried riders to the base of the day’s KOM climb on Archie Briggs Road, which began with a punishingly steep right-hand switchback and a 10-plus percent ramp before stair-stepping to the summit and eventually descending over a series of rollers to the start/finish."

From the gun it was a sprint out off the starting line. There were several turns, wheels screeching and bakes grinding as we flew through the first few miles. On the first little climb there was a crash to my right (on an uphill) and the girl next to me got tangled in my bars. I yelled "just keep going, we'll untangle as we go"...and we did. I managed to stay with the peleton (furiously fighting to stay in the top 1/3 of the group..something I've found very hard to do these last few days)...until the "stair steps", which felt like I had hit a frickin brick wall. I watched with dismay as the peleton pulled away and one of my team mates came up beside me and said "stay tough Lisa"...as we fought through those stair steps it was me, two team mates and about 8 other women who were dropped. I had two team mates in the peleton, two with me in the chase group, and one off the back. We struggled for about 4 miles, with the peleton just ahead of us and then we all fell apart. No one wanted to keep the pace line going, everyone was tired and our speed crawled to about an average of 21 miles per hour...yes, that was slow for this week....Another chase group caught us and we were about 20 girls all just kind of half fighting, half screaming at each other (not me, I just drifted to the back when everyone started yelling at each other)...and half kind of cheering each other on...We just couldn't close the gap and struggled our way through 2 more laps.

My teammate Bea looked at me with about ten miles to go and said "Are we heading toward the finish line? We're going towards it, right?" I assured her we were...and that's what we did...just headed toward the finish line. There was a tiny effort with about 1K to go and I made up about 8 places. Finally finishing somewhere around 66th overall in GC, I think. We started out with 105 women and ended the race with 83.

Besides learning a lot about myself, my fitness, my weakness's, my strengths..I also learned something else. I learned that Fast Friday is a great team...being around other teams made me appreciate what I have and I am SO grateful for all the support. I just wish that more of you were women!!! No offense...but it was so awesome to have these great women around me, supporting me and encouraging me and often, saving my ass....And, I know my guest team, Incycle is grateful for having James and my Dad in the feed zones...and I'm grateful to my Mom for babysitting the dogs on the long, hot days when we were out on the road.
What a damn great experience. Next year...Master's Nationals...watch out.
Peace out.
Lisa C

Coach Chris Demarchi WINS Nationals!

In a colorful display of determination, true grit and raw, mind blowing speed, Empower Coaching System's Coach Chris Demarchi, won his first individual National Championship last week in Jeffersonville, Indiana at the 2010 USA Cycling Masters National Criterium Championships.

Masters Road Nationals(women 40-44) - By Bonnie Breeze

This year I had the opportunity to compete for the Masters National Championship Title in Louisville Kentucky. Most of my training this season has focused strategically planning for peak performance for the Road Race and Criterium Championship scheduled for the first week of August. My coach, Dotsie Bausch (Empower Coaching Systems), and I carefully planned each race and training day specific to these events. Since I work very long hours this meant most of my training needed to be done at O’dark thirty with a set of lights, or in the garage, staring at my Garmin computer, doing intervals on the trainer. Bottom line, it was all painful no matter how you look at it. But let’s face it, if racing at an elite level was easy, everyone would be doing it.

This year’s Championship race was more special to me than in the past because it was to take place in Louisville, just two hours from my hometown of Cincinnati. It had been over 10 years since I had raced as a senior and since my father, who was my biggest fan, had seen me race. So we decided to make it a family gathering in Louisville with hopes of the fam watching me snatch the Stars and Stripes honors.



Unfortunately in November my father was diagnosed with cancer and underwent numerous operations and died six weeks prior to the event. All the events that took place up until the time of his death in addition to what followed were so extremely painful and draining I cannot even express. My training took a back seat to everything else.

I am so thankful that I am associated with such a fabulous team. I received an enormous amount of support and encouragement not only from my coach, Dotsie, who encouraged me to continue to push forward toward my goal of winning the Masters Championship, but also from my teammates with their kind words and faith in me.

As the Road Race day approached there was record heat being reported. Fortunately by the start of my race the heat wave had been broken….by a thunderstorm. It was pouring rain at the start. Within the first half mile the race saw at least 6 casualties. One of which was moi! I hit the pavement pretty hard, but quickly got up and began to chase. But unfortunately never regained contact with the field. Debbie Milne (Absolute Racing) soloed away from the peleton to win solo.

Next up was the criterium (two days later). This was a beautiful, flat, four corner, course with tight and narrow corners. I couldn’t wait to fly through the corners. I felt like a horse chomping at the bit. Additionally, my relatives, who live in Kentucky, not far from Louisville and have NEVER seen me race, all decided to pile in the family wagon and come cheer me on. I was thrilled to see them.
The race started out fast and furious. Half way through the race I threw down my best card and attacked as hard as I could attempting to get the party started for real. Once I was caught by the field, Milne from Absolute Racing who, just two days prior, rode away from the field, attacked me back and the fight was on to the finish. A group of 15 riders remained together and continued attacking each other before the field sprint. With one to lap go I was on the front, neck and neck with Jane Evely, Team Summa, on the back side. Summa jumped just before the 3rd turn and blasted through turn 4 first. Summa held on to the first position across the line and I was finished 2nd. Anne Grabowski (Flat City Cycling) was 3rd.

This was such a thrilling event and I am so proud to have been a part of it. Even though I didn’t win, it was remarkable to compete such amazing athletes, all who came to Louisville for one thing: To take home the Stars and Stripes. But we all know there can only be one winner. Hats off to Milne and Evely!!

This season would not have been possible for me without the support from this fabulous SC VELO team and sponsors. I thank each and every person who is affiliated with this team and who made it possible.

Masters Road Nationals(women 50-54) - By Pam Schuster

My expereince with National championships are that they are always a little different. My first ever Master Road Race was no exception. At the elite level I have always seen less team work at these events for numerous reasons and this was even more so at the Master's level. At the elite level many times your teammates are foreigners and are not eligible, so you have less teammates. The other reason is that the event has a title and more significance than winner of the XYZ road race. At the elite level the title is also many times a ticket to the Worlds team and the National team. At the Master's level many of the competators do not have teammates because of the different age groups and I personally only knew one other athlete in my race. Sue McDonough was unbeatable back-in-the-day when her and Karen Bliss won 90% of the National level criteriums in the country. Not a person I thought it would be wise to take to the line. Loisville Kentucky decided it was tired of the heat and decide it was time to rain. The fun course was not so fun in the rain with the fear of carnage at every bend. I am only thankful that it was the road race and not the criteriun taking place on this wet slippery day. The first 2 laps were all about staying safe. I either pulled the field or gave my self plenty of room. On the third lap 3 riders went down and I had to come to complete stop. I chased back on to the 7 leaders knowing the urgency after watching the previous races and the effects of the crashes. Numerous attempts by myself and others to get away were made. This was the fittest group of advanced aged women I had been with and we all wanted a chance at those stars and stripes. I thought about where I wanted to punch it chewy, did just that and it all worked out this time! Show me the jersey!

The criterium 2 days later was a different story with nice, dry weather(my 2nd Master's Crit....I did one as a 30 year old when I was a cat 3...got dropped of course!). The races prior to mine on this fine August 7th day all ended in a field finish. I was licking my chops because my sprint has been working and I think it is due to the lunges, squats and step-up routine I learned from Dotsie at one of her camps a few years ago. It's a great little routine and I throw it in when I am short on time(I am short on time 10 times a day!). I tried to work at the front to de-motivate the group from attacks. It worked great until 4 laps to go when Christine Schryver (Rochester, NY/Genesee Valley Cyclng) launched an attack that caused all us sprinters to hesitate until we realized she was gone like a frieght train. Even when we all decided it was over and started working she was gaining time on us. She so deserved this win and title! With 20 secounds and the dwindling pack exhausted I gave my final effort with one lap to go to claim the silver.

I learned not to take your medal home in your carry-on. TSA didn't know me(Can you believe that? TMZ does!) and wasn't sure if I should be allowed to swing it around with all my bags. I was just too elated to bring home the medal for my team who has been so supportive this year! I thank all the sponsors for believing in us and helping us be able to do what we do. I now have National RR win in both elite and Masters but only a 2nd in both elite and Masters! How ironic is that!