Wheelworks Multisport

No Sleep 'til P’town: Tradition

Since 2000, teammate Jon Chesto has led an intrepid group of cyclists on a summer ride all the way across the storied “bared and bended arm of Massachusetts.” 135-miles, one day, from Boston to Provincetown; after 25 years there are enough tales to fill a book, but for now, this blog post will have to suffice.

The route, carefully perfected over the years, follows much of the Claire Saltonstall bikeway and features modest uphills leaving the city, lovely forested suburban roads, flat cruising and beachside glimpses on much of the cape, and a four-mile stretch of rollers in Truro near the end (that are probably not that hard but ohmygod when you’re over 100 miles in and it’s a hot summer afternoon, you really feel ‘em), and a fast, flat, fun approach into Provincetown. On years when the group is cutting it close to ferry departure time, this last stretch can be especially fast! The riders enjoy exciting refuel stops: the quintessential Dunkins, random convenience stores, Mr. G's Sagamore Beach Pizzeria, and a celebratory adult beverage at the Wellfleet Beachcomber. Once in P’Town, more food and drinks are eagerly consumed pending time til ferry departure. Some also enjoy buying a cheapo souvenir t-shirt or sweatshirt to commemorate the day and stay warm on the ferry ride home.

Let’s hear from the originator of this diabolical exciting tradition!

What prompted you to create the first ever NSTP ride back in 2000? In college I read one of those “50 bike rides in New England” books and there was a special chapter in the back for the Claire Saltonstall bike route. It sounded so cool, I had to do it. When I moved to Boston from Connecticut, I was able to pull it off. The first two years were reunions with buddies of mine from CT, but then I made it a Wheelworks ride after my buddies bailed on me!
What are a few highlights from past years? Well, the Beachcomber is always a highlight for me. It almost didn’t happen because I was unsure that I could finish the ride the first time, but one of my friends insisted on stopping there. I said: only if it’s on the way. Sure enough, it’s right there at the most scenic part of the route. The bar has become increasingly popular over the years. Good thing we don’t have to park there. One year we watched someone rescue their car after it slipped down the side of a dune. I miss the races for Friendly’s before the “breakfast cutoff” though. (Friendly’s is sadly gone.) I’m proud to say we’ve at least one marriage result from the ride!
What is your favorite part of the ride? Seeing the Atlantic for the first time on Ocean View Drive in Wellfleet is something else, as is the final stretch along 6A into Ptown.
What advice do you have if folks are unsure about joining? My general rule of thumb is you’re ready if you’ve gone 60 miles in a ride. We take a few stops during the day so it’s essentially a series of three or four rides broken up by snack breaks. If you’re not sure, a more conservative option is taking the train to the Cape Cod Canal area and then riding with us for the second half.

This year’s No Sleep til P-town ride will either be Saturday June 21 or Sunday June 22. If you’d like to join, keep an eye out for Jon’s email confirming the day, and be ready to book that ferry ticket!

Pro Tips:

Bring plenty of water and fuel. While there are many options for stops to refuel, being well-prepared is essential for long rides like these
Bring a flat repair kit. This is a must!
Book the ferry ticket well in advance as it often fills up (Jon says: “We share the weekend with the Outriders this year, so I’ll be monitoring ferry tickets to see how close they are to selling out. Once I send the email with the final date, be ready to buy your ticket!”)
Bring cash if you want to buy beverages or snacks on the ferry
Bring an extra layer for the trip back, or prepare to buy something in P’town
Bring your sense of humor. It’s a fun day but a long day. There will be ebbs and flows of who’s feeling good and who’s riding the struggle bus, so it benefits everyone to help each other out. There might be some mishaps. Be ready to take it all in stride and have fun with the weirdness.
Bring your confidence. You can ride way further than you probably think you can! We ride at roughly 15-16 mph, on average, with a few breaks along the way - more breaks for hotter years. If you’ve done a 60-80 mile ride at around that pace, you can probably do this ride. For many teammates, it’s their very first century! There are also options for folks to take a morning train and meet the group in Sagamore for a half-day, ~60 mile experience, which is still a big ride and sure to be an equally fun day!

Yours in tri,

-Amy Rino

Bike Tips from the Top

Conquer Fool’s Spring with fresh tips for your bike training from Karen Smyers

3/9/2024
While some reading this may belong to the small group of intrepid New Englanders who cycle outdoors year round, most of us have been living the indoor trainer life for months by now. And let’s be honest: March can be tough. It feels like spring is just around the corner, but then you see 30 degrees and snow on the forecast and you question all of your life choices that have led you to live in not California. New year’s resolutions and excitement about this year’s races might start to wane; the outdoor season feels as far away as ever, and the monotony of riding your bike without going anywhere can start to wear.

It sounds like the perfect time for a bike refresh! And who better to get tips from than multi-time triathlon world champion and cycling coach extraordinaire Karen Smyers?!?! Karen was kind enough to share some of her expertise with us here, including suggestions catered to triathletes, several types of workouts, and even some great jams to add to your cycling playlist (if you’ve been to a Karen class, you know: the playlists vibes are always impeccable). Newbies and seasoned cyclists alike can benefit from these nuggets of insight to improve or maybe just refresh how you approach bike training. And don’t forget - WWMS organizes green team exclusive indoor training rides led by Karen each year, and we have one remaining session on March 24th - you don’t want to miss it!

What are some areas you notice triathletes in particular tend to struggle with on the bike?
There are so many tools to help cyclists out there now: power meters, HR monitors, cadence, GPS maps while you ride, not to mention all the equipment options: different aero bar set-ups, disk brakes, electronic shifting, water bottle carriers, tubeless tires, Garmin mounts…that it can all just be overwhelming in the beginning. I think it is good to concentrate on the basics to start:

Learn how your gears work and how to shift smoothly and anticipate grade changes, and what is best for your particular riding style
Learn what your power and HR zones are and how they relate to your perceived exertion and other body signals
Learn pacing for different distances/durations and understand how training at different zones can help you improve
Learn to ride safely outdoors both solo and with a group: how to communicate with other riders (On your left! Car Back! etc), how to feather the brakes or come to a stop quickly without crashing or causing others to crash (and when to do so), how to be as safe as possible with traffic on the roads (be visible, be aware and follow the rules of the road!)
Ride with other veteran cyclists/triathletes and watch and learn what they do; ask for feedback and tips if they see you do something wrong/dangerous/stupid!

What are your favorite drills / workouts for folks to try at your class and then take home to do on the trainer?
I have a variety of workouts that I like and try to keep it interesting as well as challenging. Here are 4 main types that you could do a variation of:

Basic threshold workout: a straight-forward set like 3 x (3 x 2.5’ on :30 rest). The 2.5’ intervals should be hard enough that you are breathing hard at the end of each one. This set can be modified in lots of ways to make it progress from week to week: you can add intervals (do another interval each set or add a set), extend the duration (hold the interval for 3’ instead of 2.5’), increase the intensity (do more of them closer to your anaerobic threshold), or even shorten the rest (:20 instead of :30).
Low cadence intervals to build leg strength: holding a power that is uncomfortable but sustainable, use a bigger gear so that more force is required around the pedal stroke. Example: 3 x 8’ @ 80-85% of LT watts @ 70-80 rpms on 2’ rest.
High cadence drills to learn smooth pedaling (5 x 1’ @ 110-120 rpms alternated with 1’ @ normal cadence at 60-65%)
High power intervals to boost V02Max, increase lactate tolerance, and learn more about how your body reacts when above your anaerobic threshold (10 x 105-110% on 1.5’ rest) or (8 x :20 @ 120%, rest=:10).

Any tips for surviving training through the cold New England winter?
Bike indoors with a coach and a group at Fast Splits! Seriously, if you can make it work with your schedule and budget, the social aspect of biking with others and the routine of having a scheduled time for a hard bike each week makes it so much more enjoyable and productive.

Zwift is a way to connect with others as well but if you are on a screen all day, it sure is nice to take a break from that when you work out. That said, I do offer some classes over Zoom a couple of days a week for those that can’t make it to Fast Splits.

And there is something to be said for doing shorter, quality workouts indoors that take less time over the winter and then feeling renewed and extra excited to get back outdoors when spring comes around. It adds a variety to the routine that is important for avoiding staleness and it really makes us appreciate beautiful riding weather when it arrives.

Any current favorites for the bike trainer playlist?
I like Beyonce’s new release for the country charts, "Texas Hold ‘Em” (my attempt to include at least some music not from the 80’s). I am partial to almost any song by The Killers or Flo Rida for an infectious, upbeat tempo. But you can’t go wrong with Britney Spears’ "Work Bitch” for an all out effort!

For more information on bike classes, you can contact Karen at mkandks@comcast.net. And once again, don’t miss out on WWMS’ exclusive indoor training ride with Karen at Fast Splits on March 24th!

GRG

10/22/2023

Are your kids texting about triathlon? Know the signs:
LOL - love olympic length
OMG - openwater mighty grueling
LMAO - like my aero outfit?
TGIF - this gel is foul
BRB - bonking real bad
GRG - good ride green!

Okay, so *one* of these is actually made up and specific to our Wheelworks Multisport community. What exactly is good ride green, or GRG? Maybe you’ve heard “GRG!” exchanged at the end of a workout, and maybe you’ve even been lucky enough to hear it directly from Kristof, the team legend who famously coined the phrase. While the saying has a certain je ne sais quoi essence, I’ll attempt here to capture its spirit.

When you embark on a training journey with teammates, especially a long ride, you share a singular experience leading to a special bond. During the ride, you’ve probably shared jokes, snacks, near misses by suicidal squirrels, beautiful scenery, conversations about life, hopes, and dreams, and analysis of stats, pacing, FTPs, and all the nerdy tri numbers that you can’t share with anyone else because they just don’t get it. You may have seen each other snot rocket and/or snot rocket fail, get bonky and weird, or eat an obscene amount of scones at a cafe stop, but there is no judgment, because you are with your people . You’ve shared a magical ride together, but as you draw closer to home and the ride nears its end, you are faced with an abrupt farewell. At a certain point, the group will diverge onto separate paths home, and most often we will yell a short farewell as we pedal away. But, a simple “Bye!” feels inadequate to capture the sacred journey you’ve shared with teammates and the bond you now have. Thus was born “good ride green,” or “GRG.” Although seemingly short and simple, the phrase carries a warmth and a weight that a simple goodbye lacks - an acknowledgment of the camaraderie and the time spent together.

As our 2023 season draws to a close, I’d also like to express this GRG sentiment to the entire team! You’ve done AMAZING things and achieved so many goals. I’m proud of you and grateful that we are all on this journey together. We have plenty of fun off-season shenanigans to get into, but for now - GOOD RIDE GREEN!

-Amy Rino