Today I just completed the last "Strength" phase of weightlifting. For the past month or so I've been pumping the iron hard trying to lift as much as I can safely. And before this I've been lifting 3 days a week every week since the beginning of October.
When I started out I was lifting really light. I didn't even begin doing squats for a while. And when I did it was just the bar to begin with. I've been focused on 3 core leg lifts: Step Ups, Squats and Leg Press. In all of these I began with body weight, the bar and the leg press machine without weight respectively. Progressively I've been adding more and more weight.
Today was probably the last time I will focus on lifting the maximum weight possibly as next week I'll begin doing higher-rep lifting. I finished strong today posting new records for weight in the Squat and Leg Press. On the 6th set of 5 reps, I lifted 250 pounds in the squat and 700 in the leg press if the machine alone is 210.
For nearly all other lifts, I've just been doing a high amount of reps just so the muscles get a good burning. I find it pretty funny that I'm lifting 4 plates in the squat and still burning the pecs with 95 pounds total.
I just got one more month of lifting and then I'm done and I'm looking forward to that. Going to the gym and lifting involves a lot of transition time - changing clothes, travel to/from the gym, setting up the machines, etc. Once I'm just biking there will probably be some more free time for me - I'm hoping.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
First Post and my bicycling story
Hello World,
This is the first post of a new blog that I will use to inform people about my bicycle training and racing shenanigans. I'll cover past, present and future. Past memories of bike races, bicycles and bike rides. Present training schedules, rides, modifications to bicycles, etc. And future thoughts on how my bicycling lifestyle may evolve. But first, an intro to those who don't know me:
Hi, my name is Evan Siroky. I ride bicycles. It all really started in 2006 when I was hanging out with some sorority girls and one of their friends, Brian I believe who was a Pike, I think. Anyways, Brian was going to do a triathlon. And then my competitive urge came up inside of me and very clearly said "I can beat that guy."
I went down to Recycled Cycles and bought a used Puch for maybe $500. I'll go into detail about the history of my bicycles later. I trained a bit - biked, ran and swam. And then I did my first triathlon - the Seafair triathlon. I was probably 5th to last out of everybody (all age groups (>1,000 people)) in the swim, but was probably top 100 in the bike and swim.
I did a few more triathlons, but completely lost interest because I sucked so horribly at swimming. And so I became a recreational cyclist for a while. And a decent recreational cyclist at that since I commuted lots of places, did the STP in a day yada yada yada.
One day at a party with my Christian friends, I met a certain Lee Williams who invited me to among certain bike groups, the Dead Babies but more importantly, Point83. I didn't go for a while, but eventually I made it and was hooked with the camaraderie and general asshatery of the group. Although this group usually just goes around and drinks beer while happening to have a bicycle, they informed me of unsanctioned races.
The first one I did must have been their monthly Midnight Greenlake Race. It took me a while, but I managed to win two of these and thus compete in two Races of Champions. Point83 also clued me into Alleycats. The first one I did was I believe the Seven Hills of Seattle where I got 2nd place. My first Alleycat win was the Safety First Alleycat. I made quite a "career" if you will of racing in alleycats coming up from Tacoma and still winning sometimes. Worth noting is that I purchased a nicer and more fitting 62" Trek 2100 from Paul for $200!
Eventually I heard a spiritual whisper to quit hanging out with the Boozing and Biking scene and take my racing to a higher level. It took quite a drastic event to really get me focused in that direction, but I'm on steady track now. I trained somewhat regularly according to the Cyclists Training Bible through the winter. My sanctioned racing began at the Mason Lake series where I placed 8th in my first Cat 5 race. I raced regularly at Pacific Raceways throughout the year and did what races I could manage to travel to early in the season.
According to Joel Friel, you have to peak for a race, and my first race I was peaking for was the Wenatchee Omnium. I rode in the Cat 5s and placed 6th in the TT, nearly rode away from the peleton in the Crit holding on for 6th and then got 4th in the Road Race. A decent finish, but I told myself it was just Cat 5. I did the Cascadia Crit Series but didn't perform well getting a top place of 9th at the Brad Lewis Crit.
In mid-July, my favorite bike shop, Tacoma Bike had one of their mechanics tell me I had ridden my Trek to death. With about an hour to spare before they closed and two important rides to do in Wenatchee over the weekend, I walked out of there with a brand new Felt F75. I didn't do much racing at this time since I was into MapMyRide's Tour de France Challenge where in the previous year, people had submitted lousy rides, but still won awesome $6,000 bicycles. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how they calculated their winners, so I lost interest. And so I went back to Pacific Raceways and on the first time with the new Felt I got into a solo breakaway for 3 laps for the win.
In the late part of the season I was psyched about racing. Some highlights include winning Pacific Raceways again, but only on a 2-lap solo breakaway; 4th place on LWV Gig Harbor and 7th at the Seward Park Season Ender. I also did the Tour de Watertower and won by 12 minutes with a flat tire en route. But my season didn't end there, I had even gone down to Oregon for a weekend of racing where I got 3rd in the Franz Bakery Crit and 11th in the Albany Crit. I even planned a weeklong vacation where I competed in the Eugene Celebration Stage Race: 2nd in the Prologue Hill Climb, 7th in the RR, 8th in the TT with the Felt road bike sans aero bars and 11th in the Crit for a 4th place stage finish. Next weekend was the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb. It was grueling and in the end I pushed myself hard at a finish line sprint to get 1st place Cat 4/5 - my first sanctioned race category win - and 4th overall.
The competitive spirit had really taken over my mind from July on. I wanted to advance and as fast as possible. Out of all people I talked to, they said getting a coach was the best way to do this. I was referred to Steve Higgins by former Pro-speed skater Dean Burke. I figured that if pro was where I wanted to go, getting coached by someone with that track record of producing pro athletes would be a good idea.
So now, at the end of January I am now living in Portland, OR. Everything in my life now revolves around work and bicycle training. I normally ride 7 days a week in my training and on top of that have been lifting 3 days a week as well. But this is only the schedule of a Cat 2 racer that I'm being prescribed according to my coach. Nonetheless, I am where I am and that is halfway to Cat 3. Racing is no longer a bunch of checkpoints with whisky shots and tallboys of pbr at the end for all. It is now a pursuit of physical excellence while I am at the peak age for bicycle competition. And I want to see how far I can get.
This is the first post of a new blog that I will use to inform people about my bicycle training and racing shenanigans. I'll cover past, present and future. Past memories of bike races, bicycles and bike rides. Present training schedules, rides, modifications to bicycles, etc. And future thoughts on how my bicycling lifestyle may evolve. But first, an intro to those who don't know me:
Hi, my name is Evan Siroky. I ride bicycles. It all really started in 2006 when I was hanging out with some sorority girls and one of their friends, Brian I believe who was a Pike, I think. Anyways, Brian was going to do a triathlon. And then my competitive urge came up inside of me and very clearly said "I can beat that guy."
I went down to Recycled Cycles and bought a used Puch for maybe $500. I'll go into detail about the history of my bicycles later. I trained a bit - biked, ran and swam. And then I did my first triathlon - the Seafair triathlon. I was probably 5th to last out of everybody (all age groups (>1,000 people)) in the swim, but was probably top 100 in the bike and swim.
I did a few more triathlons, but completely lost interest because I sucked so horribly at swimming. And so I became a recreational cyclist for a while. And a decent recreational cyclist at that since I commuted lots of places, did the STP in a day yada yada yada.
One day at a party with my Christian friends, I met a certain Lee Williams who invited me to among certain bike groups, the Dead Babies but more importantly, Point83. I didn't go for a while, but eventually I made it and was hooked with the camaraderie and general asshatery of the group. Although this group usually just goes around and drinks beer while happening to have a bicycle, they informed me of unsanctioned races.
The first one I did must have been their monthly Midnight Greenlake Race. It took me a while, but I managed to win two of these and thus compete in two Races of Champions. Point83 also clued me into Alleycats. The first one I did was I believe the Seven Hills of Seattle where I got 2nd place. My first Alleycat win was the Safety First Alleycat. I made quite a "career" if you will of racing in alleycats coming up from Tacoma and still winning sometimes. Worth noting is that I purchased a nicer and more fitting 62" Trek 2100 from Paul for $200!
Eventually I heard a spiritual whisper to quit hanging out with the Boozing and Biking scene and take my racing to a higher level. It took quite a drastic event to really get me focused in that direction, but I'm on steady track now. I trained somewhat regularly according to the Cyclists Training Bible through the winter. My sanctioned racing began at the Mason Lake series where I placed 8th in my first Cat 5 race. I raced regularly at Pacific Raceways throughout the year and did what races I could manage to travel to early in the season.
According to Joel Friel, you have to peak for a race, and my first race I was peaking for was the Wenatchee Omnium. I rode in the Cat 5s and placed 6th in the TT, nearly rode away from the peleton in the Crit holding on for 6th and then got 4th in the Road Race. A decent finish, but I told myself it was just Cat 5. I did the Cascadia Crit Series but didn't perform well getting a top place of 9th at the Brad Lewis Crit.
In mid-July, my favorite bike shop, Tacoma Bike had one of their mechanics tell me I had ridden my Trek to death. With about an hour to spare before they closed and two important rides to do in Wenatchee over the weekend, I walked out of there with a brand new Felt F75. I didn't do much racing at this time since I was into MapMyRide's Tour de France Challenge where in the previous year, people had submitted lousy rides, but still won awesome $6,000 bicycles. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how they calculated their winners, so I lost interest. And so I went back to Pacific Raceways and on the first time with the new Felt I got into a solo breakaway for 3 laps for the win.
In the late part of the season I was psyched about racing. Some highlights include winning Pacific Raceways again, but only on a 2-lap solo breakaway; 4th place on LWV Gig Harbor and 7th at the Seward Park Season Ender. I also did the Tour de Watertower and won by 12 minutes with a flat tire en route. But my season didn't end there, I had even gone down to Oregon for a weekend of racing where I got 3rd in the Franz Bakery Crit and 11th in the Albany Crit. I even planned a weeklong vacation where I competed in the Eugene Celebration Stage Race: 2nd in the Prologue Hill Climb, 7th in the RR, 8th in the TT with the Felt road bike sans aero bars and 11th in the Crit for a 4th place stage finish. Next weekend was the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb. It was grueling and in the end I pushed myself hard at a finish line sprint to get 1st place Cat 4/5 - my first sanctioned race category win - and 4th overall.
The competitive spirit had really taken over my mind from July on. I wanted to advance and as fast as possible. Out of all people I talked to, they said getting a coach was the best way to do this. I was referred to Steve Higgins by former Pro-speed skater Dean Burke. I figured that if pro was where I wanted to go, getting coached by someone with that track record of producing pro athletes would be a good idea.
So now, at the end of January I am now living in Portland, OR. Everything in my life now revolves around work and bicycle training. I normally ride 7 days a week in my training and on top of that have been lifting 3 days a week as well. But this is only the schedule of a Cat 2 racer that I'm being prescribed according to my coach. Nonetheless, I am where I am and that is halfway to Cat 3. Racing is no longer a bunch of checkpoints with whisky shots and tallboys of pbr at the end for all. It is now a pursuit of physical excellence while I am at the peak age for bicycle competition. And I want to see how far I can get.
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