This week's Quick Fill comes to you from the confines of the Indiana Convention Center as we set up shop for this year's Dealer Expo and I can tell you...it's already been a journey. So I'm traveling with Tim Cotter, long time GNCC Director and a couple of gals from the Racer X side - Julie Kramer and Courtney Zollinger. Since Tim is the man of the trip, we put him in charge of driving the big green van. We get no further than 75 miles away from Morgantown, around Wheeling, WV, and the van begins to sputter and then turns off. We RAN OUT OF GAS! (Now I'm not pointing any fingers, but the man of the van was driving) Thank goodness for the wonderful people at AAA who brought us enough gas to make it to the next exit or we may not have made it much further without hitchhiking.
A small sample of the Racer Booth at the Indy Trade Show
Today has been consumed with setting up our booth and getting everything ready for tomorrow's show. This is my first time at a Dealer Expo and let me say, for a motorsports enthusiast like myself - this place is heaven! So many cool things to look at, I feel like a spoiled kid at a candy store.
I'm going to go ahead and pass things on to Shan Moore, who's surely got some good GNCC-related news for you all.
Thanks, Jen. Holy smoke, we're getting close to time to go racing and soon I'll be loading up the family truckster and heading south, without the family, of course. It'll be good to get the ole blood circulating after the unbelievable winter we've had here in Oklahoma and I can't wait to hear Rodney's call for "teeeeeeen seeeeeeeeconds."
Sounds like Thad DuVall and Steward Baylor Jr. are getting up to speed as most of the GNCC contenders spend the pre-season racing and training in preparation for next month's opener. Over the weekend, DuVall and Baylor went 1-2 at the opening round of the AMA East Hare Scrambles Championship in Elko, Georgia. Meanwhile, local rider and three-time National Enduro champ Russell Bobbitt rounded out the podium, with Paul Whibley and Michael Lafferty finishing fourth and fifth. Charlie Mullins and Cory Buttrick were both there, as well, with Buttrick finishing seventh, while Mullins suffered a broken rear brake line and was credited with eighth.
Speaking of Mullins, I talked to Charlie this morning and he was on his way back to Florida after spending the last few days testing in Georgia with the rest of the KTM team. I reported a few weeks ago that all of the east coast KTM factory riders would be riding the new 350 XCF, however, Charlie told me this morning that he made the decision about two weeks ago to switch to the 450, saying he was having trouble adapting his style to the smaller bike. Charlie's also riding the enduro series this year and last year he rode the 450 YZ in enduros as well as in the GNCC series and he says the 450 suits his style a little better. Meanwhile, Kailub Russell and Buttrick are slated to ride the 350 in both series. Charlie said he would skip the FTR race in Florida this weekend and do some riding on his own before heading to South Carolina for next week's opening round of the national enduro series. And then it's on to River Ranch where things really kick off.
I also spoke with Chris Bach this morning, and he's also in the Florida area, hanging out and riding. Chris says he's totally adjusted to his new Beta and is looking forward to the start of the season. Chris proved last year that his speed is good enough and he has the conditioning, so it will be cool to see where Chris fits into the order when we get down to business on March 8th. He also mentioned that he is doing things a little differently from the usual "factory" way of doing business, so we will see if Chris is on to something.
Here is our fitness guru Robb Beams with Part 2 of Periodization.
Thanks Jen.
PERIODIZATION - STEP ONE: ESTABLISHING GOALS
This step involves establishing your long term goals and developing a plan for achieving each your goals. This step needs to be quantified, simple, optimistic and also realistic. Though this sounds like an easy task, it is going to take some real brain storming to narrow this first step down and onto paper. Here is an example of an unrealistic long term goal: "I want to be fast". There is no way to quantify fast and there is no time line established to complete it. It also doesn't tell you what you are setting your standards against.
If you say: "I want to be the top local rider in my class by May in the Gold Cup series" - this is quantified, specific and with a little research you are able to determine what it is going to take to surpass the current top riders to achieve the status you are looking for.
At MotoE we have our clients establish three sets of goals - 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. If you would like a copy of this MotoE Goal Profile, please email me for your personal copy. If you have established goals in past seasons and you have had trouble obtaining your goals, feel free to forward your training logs to email me and I will be happy to review and help you develop some training objectives to help you achieve your personal goals for the season. The most important thing to remember when you are sitting down to establish your goals is that they need to be specific and each should have a date applied. Without specific goals, you will quickly lose your motivation to stick to the homework, especially when it becomes difficult (due to either the duration or intensity levels required) or boring (i.e. stretching).
PERIODIZATION - STEP TWO: DETERMINING A STARTING POINT WITH YOUR TRAINING
If you are starting at a minimum fitness level, you will have to increase your overall strength and endurance before your dive into a comprehensive performance training program.
[Note, if you would like a simple training program (both on and off of the motorcycle), please email me and I would be happy to provide you a FREE program that you can follow for eight (8) weeks to get you moving in the right directions.]
As a general rule of thumb, strive not to increase your duration of your overall workouts by more than 5-8% every other week. Once you have been consistent with some level of training for six to eight weeks without any physical set backs, it is time to determine exactly where your fitness levels are - this will identify your strengths and weaknesses and what to address with daily training to maximize your training time (especially for those of you that work and/or have a family to balance).
The main concept to keep in mind when it comes to training is to strengthen weaknesses which have been specifically identified through field testing. Riders and racers, like any athletes, have a tendency to complete workouts focusing only on the elements where strength already exists. For example, in the gym, you rarely see anyone working their legs due to the high levels of lactic acid and associated increased heart rate levels. Instead they avoid these uncomfortable exercises and complete lower intensity exercises which do not address their physical limiters. If you use riding a road bicycle as a form of cross training, and you are not a strong climber, how often do you go out and complete hill repeats to increase your strength and lactate tolerance? It is not that you are soft; it is simply human nature to do the activities where we feel strong and confident.
When it comes to assessments, it is imperative that you capture three key testing data points in field testing (no matter what time of year the testing is completed): aerobic capacity, muscular strength and lactate tolerance. There are numerous debates about which form of training (off of the motorcycle) are the most effective measures of your aerobic capacity, muscular strength and lactate tolerance. At MotoE, we are more interested in testing these three variables within the training modalities that you have been using over the last six to twelve months. The important thing to keep in mind with establishing base line assessment numbers is to be consistent with your testing protocols. For example, if you use the Concept 2 Rower for your cardio training, it would not be a wise choice to use a running test for your lactate tolerance and aerobic capacity testing due to the different muscle groups and demands on the cardiovascular system - ultimately your testing data would be inaccurate. If you would like MotoE to provide some suggestions on how to determine your aerobic capacity, muscular strength and lactate tolerance given your current training methods (i.e. Concept 2 Rower, Elliptical, Bicycle, Running or Swimming), feel free to contact me directly (please be sure to indicate what you are currently doing in the way of training to help me determine what is most productive for you and your program).
PERIODIZATION - STEP THREE: ESTABLISHING A TRAINING PROGRAM BASED ON YOUR FIELD TESTING RESULTS
This is where a human performance specialist can be an asset to a rider and racer's development program - identifying where the most progress can be achieved in the shortest amount of time. As an illustration, as it relates to riding the bike, a racer gets a riding coach to help work on problem areas around the track. A racer may be fast through the whoops, but if he or she can not get in and out of the corners fast, the time gained in the whoops is immediately lost in the next corner. The same applies to developing the training protocols that are going to maximize the appropriate energy systems to enhance the elements of aerobic capacity, muscular strength and lactate tolerance specific to riding a motorcycle as fast as possible for as long as possible. As mentioned earlier, at MotoE we break the year up into the four seasons of Pre-Season, Pre-Competitive, Competitive and Off Season. During each season of training there are two key elements that have to be factored into the development of a racers training program: the energy system(s) being enhanced and the order in which they are put into place within a workout. For example, implementing muscular endurance protocols prior to explosive power protocols may actually be counter productive based on the training season (based on race goals and the physiological adaptations needed) and the field testing results - remember, we need to constantly work on your physiological weaknesses due to the fact that you are only as strong as your weakest link in your racing program.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Next time we will discuss key elements of hydration and how to create your Hydration Profile to avoid de-hydration, cramping and low blood sugar issues during riding and racing.
On to Jason Hooper.
It's been a pretty busy past two weeks for myself and my girlfriend/RacerTV Pit Reporter/photographer Krista Shaw as we spent 8 days in Southern California riding and shooting with Team FMF/Makita Suzuki's Josh Strang and Josh Weisenfels. It was pretty cool hanging out in the mecca of the motocross world for a week, the weather is awesome, there are tons of tracks open to ride, and all of the industry folks are there. We got to tag along as veteran photographer Kinney Jones shot the team photos at his secret spot that has been used for tons of photo shoots over the years. I posted some behind the scenes photos over on digitaloffroad.com, and will have a video posted soon of the Suzuki boys (Team Josh?) ripping it up in Sunny SoCal. The Joshes were fresh from a month of intense training with Rodney and Lori Smith and looked very fit and insanely fast out there. http://www.digitaloffroad.com/2011/02/10/behind-the-scenes-2011-team-fmfsuzuki-photo-shoot/
Strang is working hard and ready to defend his title this year
I've had a few people ask recently about the www.offroadfantasy.com GNCC Fantasy League, and it will indeed be back for 2011. We're wrapping up a few small changes to the site right now and will be ready for registration by the end of next week. I can't spill the beans yet, but there will be an awesome grand prize this year graciously provided by one of the sponsors I talked about above. Stay tuned!
From the rumor mill, I've heard that Charlie Mullins has decided to make the switch from the all-new KTM 350XC-F and raced a KTM 450XC-F at the National Hare Scramble last weekend and will be on the 450 for the National Enduros as well as the GNCCs this season. The word is that Kailub Russell and Cory Buttrick will both still be on 350s this season.
And here's Rodney.
Thanks Jen. Under clear sunny skies warm temperatures finally roll into Southern Ohio the flood gates finally opened on the GNCC ATV racing world. I talked to several of the top guys and everyone seems to be ready to get it underway. As always they're tight lipped and no-one is sinking their ship.
First off I spoke with 2-Time and Defending XC1 ATV Champion Chris Borich. Chris told me he had been working out all winter in preparation for this season. He said he and Johnny G. had been working together and that Johnny had him a strict diet of Ho Hos , King Dons, chips and sodas. He said Johnny said it was going to be a wet year and that he needed all the traction he could get.
Seriously though, Chris did say that they were training and working hard to be ready. I know a lot of speculation and rumor had an unsure future for Chris and his Suzuki backed program. However good news prevails and Chris said he is back to what he knows and that the program is basically the same as the last few years. "Why change what you know and what works?" So the threat is still there as Borich makes his bid for his 3rd GNCC title. Chris has stated he wants at least 10 and then he would be completely satisfied.
Duvall looking good on the YZ 450
Bill Ballance said that he has been training himself and is feeling really good. Bill looked great at last season's Ironman after being off for most of the season due to his horrendous practice injury early in the year. One can only wonder if he happens to have one more in him. If grit and determination can win races like we have seen in years past, then Ballance is a ringer for another championship. However the last few years have seen a series of injuries for Ballance and though he may be able to get up to par on his old speed when he was winning championships, is that speed going to be fast enough now and will Bill want to push it to that level this late in his career if it is not?
Bill said he has not only been working hard on his own program, but that Ballance Racing has now opened a full on aftermarket race shop. Bill said they handle aftermarket parts from all the folks they deal with on the race team. He said that they are also doing a support program on the motocross side of things with Thomas Brown. He also said that we may see Brown running a few select GNCCs when the schedule allows, but be expecting that more towards the end of last season.
Balance also told me that the Ballance Racing shop is now up and in full swing and that they are doing a lot of phone orders and internet orders. He also said that they have been building full on race bikes with the same components they run. So you can literally get a bike just like Bill Balance, Taylor Kiser and Walker Fowler set up by the people that build their machines. Check them out at www.BallanceRacing.net for more information on what they are doing. I would also guess that may be a place to keep checking quite often for details coming on riding schools that are expected to be scheduled for 2011.
I spoke with Donnie Ockerman whom you may remember had a new look at the end of 2010 season at the Ironman. If you recall he rode a Jett Suspension backed Honda which is the program he ran in the IXCR series. Donnie O will be back this year with that program all season and the new number of 5. Ockerman told me that he was in the midst of his training program which meant he was laying block or bricks on some cold Indiana/Illinois construction site. He seemed stoked and ready to head south and prepare for the start of the season.
I mentioned Donnie O on a Honda for this season and I talked to Jarrod McClure who is training in California about 40 miles north of San Diego right now has also made the switch to Honda for 2011. McClure said he will be running a lot of the same program as before with William Yokely's National Guard Team and ATVRider.com but with a different bike. Yokley will continue to run the Polaris Side by Side in the UTV series and that he has actually teamed up with big UTV racer Scott Kiger from the Coastal Drilling Team. Yokely said they would be on vendor row at all the UTV rounds with some special stuff so be looking for that.
The little bit I know on the bike side of things seem pretty intense there as well. I spoke with GNCC Bike Champ, FMF Suzuki's Josh Strang and he said he wishes the season could start this weekend. He pumped and ready to go out and defend his championship. Josh Strang also stated that his new teammate Josh Weisenfels was doing great and that he was looking good on the Suzuki. Weisenfels if you remember is a rider that many had written off but has been given a second chance and opportunity to make the mark he had set out to make a few years ago.
Chris Bach continues to train hard with his new Beta program that he is trying to make more than the best of. Bach is a hungry rider and something tells me he could be on a road leading to a championship. I don't feel necessarily this year but soon. He is one of the most serious up and coming riders and earning a National #5 in his rookie season was nothing less that spectacular. Even though Bach has a new ride and new machine, if it is going to work, Chris Bach will make it work its best.
Weisenfels at the FMF/Makita Suzuki photo shoot
Nate Kanney is pretty stoked still over his new deals that came together at the last minute as well. Nate stated a couple weeks ago in Toolbox that he was feeling good and having no problems. I spoke with Nate today and he said that last years late season injuries are all healed up. He said it now just a matter of making it happen.
News from around the www dot com: I spoke with Jason Hooper and he says that Digital Off-Road will once again be presenting race recaps after each Sunday's pro bike race. It is something he asked me to help with last season and it seemed to be appreciated by those that could not be there. You may want to check out www.digitaloffroad.com for some of the latest news and videos to get you psyched for the race season.
I got this note from the guys at Off-Road Viking: "Here is this little video from the national hare scramble down in Elko last Sunday. Thad Duvall was on the gas and Steward Baylor was looking good against a bunch of XC1 guys! It was a pretty cool deal....they even had a kid in a superman cape playin' the national anthem on a guitar all Hendrix style. Pro class was stacked and Justin got some good interviews with the top 3 at the end."
Also the Off-Road Junkies guys have been really busy and have some good information to check out for you. They also did a great interview with Jason Raines about the upcoming 2011 season and what his plans are for now.
Speaking of Jason Raines, he has already been busy this year teach 6 schools that consist of 3 day session. After looking at the agenda I see how things like a Raines Riding University school could be super beneficial. Raines also let us know that some other cool things are on the way for 2011. I got a not from Jason the other day stating that Raines Riding University has teamed up with ThumperTalk.com, the largest off-road motorcycle forum in the world. We will be providing exclusive riding tips, nutritional facts, and proper bike maintenance techniques every month. To see the exclusive content of these tips, make sure to check out www.ThumperTalk.com. To see this month's tip Click HERE!!!!
I guess that is enough for now, so till next time God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.
Share