To make things more interesting Charlotte (pictured on the left with her friend Youlin) decided to run the entire race in a tutu and tiara.  Youlin must have had a slightly more aerodynamic tutu as she ran a 3:35.  Both Charlotte and Youlin ran in support of Girls On The Run, an organization that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running.

Congrats to all.

Martin Cox of Team Endurance Factor

The Endurance Factor team also extended their Team lead with wins from both Martin Cox and Jamie Knight. Jamie, also a client of Endurance Factor, has yet to loose a race in the single speed class and hopes to have an undefeated season(at the age of 17!).

Keep up the great work and good luck to everyone at the next FSC in Fort Myers, FL.

I opted to try the Garmin 705 with the CinQo as it a few hundred dollars less expensive than the ibike and wanted a unit with simple integration, ease of use, and most of all durability.  Garmin has been in the business of making outdoor electronics for a long time and I felt it would be safer to go with the 705 than the ibike.  Plus I can use the 705 on a mountain bike and other bikes without having to add a speed sensor. The 705 ships with two stem mounts that makes for a clean install.  While an optional wireless speed sensor can be used with the Garmin, I used the speed calculated from the gps.  The wireless speed sensor might give just a bit more accuracy but I wanted to keep things as simple as possible and the gps speed appears just fine.

The Garmin mount is very clean as it does not take up any handlebar space and it is easy to put on and remove the computer. Like all gps systems once the the unit is turned on it has to lock into the satellites and the 705 locked on very quickly, about 30 seconds while I was still in my garage.

Once mounted the 705 has to be initially “paired” with the CinQo, just like you would do with a bluetooth headset for a cell phone.  This is a very simple of process of activating the scan for power meter option in the Garmin and waking up the CinQo by moving the cranks a bit.  The Garmin locks into the CinQo and that is it.  For future rides all that needs to be done is to turn on the 705 and it finds the CinQo automatically.  It almost seems too simple.

All powermeters need to be calibrated before each ride to ensure data accuracy and the the CinQo is no different.  Each brand of power meter is a bit different in how the calibration is done and while none of them is difficult, they all involve a process of pressing a series of button combinations which can be a bit of a pain.  The difference with the the CinQo is that the calibration is done by simply pedaling backwards 4 times.  That is it.  No buttons to press, you don’t have to get off the bike, and it can be done easily during the ride.

I have never had great luck with wireless bike computers.  In theory it seems great having no wires to worry about, but the devices never seem to work as well as they promise.  Data drop out, interference, and signal loss have always plagued the units I have used in the past.  The CinQo and Garmin use a newer wireless technology called ANT+ and so far in the three weeks of use, I have not had a single issue with data transmission.  I even took the unit need some power lines that always interfere with heart rate monitors and these did not affect the Quarq.  The CinQo has a user replaceable battery that is listed at 500 hours.

Use of the 705 is tremendously easy.  There are two screens that can be customized with up to eight data items.  Heart rate, watts, elevation, speed, cadence, calories, percent grade, time, etc are just some of the items that can be added to the main screens.  The one complaint I have is that Normalized Power and Training Stress Score are not available.  Hopefully Garmin will add these in future firmware updates and I am told these will be available on the Cranium.

Other features available are a visual display of current ride and mapping and routing feature.  The mapping would be great when traveling to unfamiliar areas as routes can be uploaded and if the rider gets lost the 705 can provide directions.  Overall the Garmin 705 is a very intuitive and easy unit to use.

One of big frustrations with prior power meter is getting the data off the bike computer and onto the pc.  SRM, Powertap, ergomo, and ibike all use computer drivers that allows the device to be recognized.  Because the Garmin does not need these additional drivers downloading data is simple.  Plug in the 705 and the device is treated just like a USB thumb drive.

The power data values seems realistic and compare to the figures I would see with an SRM.  There is a slight delay in the displayed power values of about one pedal revolution, but this was not an issue.

As a benchmark I thought it might be useful to compare the wattage values to that of a Computrainer (Lab Version).  I did two comparisons; one was a simple 20 mile course with a few climbs and the other was ride ramp test in Computrainer ergometer mode.  In the ergo mode the trainer is set at an initial fixed resistance of 50 watts and I increased this value by 20 watts every minute to 300 watts.  While this is not a statistical analysis, overall the CinQo data was very close to the Computrainer.  At wattage values below 110 watts the CinQo was about 5% higher and above 130 watts the difference was roughly 2% higher.  These differences in power values can be attributed to power losses in the bike drivetrain.

The one slight downsides of the Quarq is it can only be used with a few cranksets.  Currently the CinQo will work with SRAM S900, FSA Team Issue, and Bontrager Race Lite cranksets.  While Quarq plans integrating the unit with more cranks, unfortunately the design will not allow it to be use with Shimano or Campy.  Not a big deal, but if you don’t have compatible cranks it adds a bit to the cost.

The pricing is a bit more than the Powertap but substantially less than an SRM.  The CinQo without cranks retails for $1195 and the Garmin 705 cost ranges from $400 to $600 depending upon purchased options.

The Quarq CinQo works like a powermeter should.  It is simple to install, easy to use, and provides reliable data.  In the past I have been hesitant to recommend an athlete with limited computer skills start using a powermeter as it was always a chore to get it installed correctly and the data downloaded.  Even though the two parts of the system are from different manufacturers they work together seamlessly.

Currently the CinQo is only available direct from Quarq, but Endurancefactor will have a few systems available for purchase towards the end of December.  More info and complete specs can be found at www.quarq.us.

There is no better way to monitor intensity while riding and analyze fitness than by using a power meter.  The problem has been that the available powermeters on the market have been a bit unreliable, overly complicated, or incredibly expensive. The three main options have been Powertap, SRM, and Ergomo. With Ergomo filing bankruptcy, this leaves only SRM and powertap.

A new power meter, the Quarq CinQo, shows tremendous amount of promise in function, build quality, and simplicity.  The Quarq powermeter system is comprised of two distinct products, the cinqo - which is the power measurement device and the Qranium - handlebar mounted computer.  At this time only the CinQo has been produced and it integrates wirelessly with the Garmin 705 computer.

The Quarq was introduced at Interbike September 2007 and the first production models of the cinqo were shipped to customers in June of this year.  CinQo is a crank based system that measures power output with strain gauges in the crank spyder.  As I understand it, SRM’s patent expired this year and Quarq is using simliar technology with their system. While the CinQo is still in limited supply, Jim and Mieke Meyer of Quarq were able to provide me with a unit. The CinQo replaces the crank spyder and is currenly available for FSA team issue and SRAM S900 cranksets.  Quarq is planning on introducing units compatible with more cranks in the near future.

Installation

In taking the Cinqo out of the box my first impression was, where are all of the parts?  Because the unit is wireless and I received a built up set, there is very little to assemble.  The powermeter is already mounted to the FSA crank, there are two magnets with double sided tape to place on the chainstay, and the FSA bottom bracket bearings are in the box.  An alcohol swab is even included to clean the chainstay where the magnet mounts.

The build quality of the CinQo looks really good with  the user replacable battery cover the only removable part.  This watch battery cover looks like a contact lens case and should be quite waterproof.  The backside of the CinQo looks to be a bonded rubber, which seems quite durable.  Unlike other powermeters there does not appear to be any O-ring type seals which eventually seem to fail.

Mounting the FSA crank with the CinQo could not have been easier.  Because it is a two piece crankset and uses external bottom bearings the whole assembly took about 15 minutes tops.  In fact it took longer to remove the old power meter than it did to mount the Cinqo.

Mounting the Garmin 705 unit that works with the Cinqo was even easier.  The 705 include a stem mount which makes for a clean installation without taking up any space on the bars..

Pairing the Garmin to work with the CinQo is quite simple.  It is simply a matter of spinning the cranks backwards 2-3 times to wake the unit up and then going into the Garmin set up and having it scan for a new power meter which took about 10 seconds.  The sync only has to be done once as the system will remember the settings.  No speed or cadence sensors are needed as the GPS will calculate speed and the CinQo measures cadence.

After installing quite a few ergomos over the last two years the simplicity of Quarq is a welcome relief and I look forward to using the Quarq.

Over the next few weeks I will be adding an update on my impressions of the system, so stay tuned.

Part II - http://www.endurancefactor.com/blog/2008/11/quarq-cinqo-review-part-ii/

To start things off, the Endurance Factor Elder team consisting of clients Martin Cox, Char Fosmoe, and Jamie Knight, competed in the Team TT competition. They pulled through with a win, but were only one second ahead of the second team!

Endurance Factor client Jamie Knight flying through the water section at the FSC #3 in Tallahassee, FL

The Team TT was followed by the XC races on Sunday morning. The most impressive results were put on by Endurance Factor clients Jamie Knight and Steve Flynn. Jamie Knight started off very strong in the single speed class and added another win to his flawless record for the fall season. Jamie’s pure power and technical skills have shown to be an advantage in the single speed class.

Jamie Knight taking the wholeshot in the single speed class. He is currently in the lead with 3 back to back wins!

Steve Flynn showed that all the base training he has done this summer has really paid off. He won the Senior Sport class by over 4 minutes, and has so far been unstoppable. Steve also has a undefeated record with three wins in the first three races of the fall series.

With increases in fitness still to come, expect to see more and more podium finishes for both of these athletes in the FSC!

With consistent results coming from the other team member and the Team TT win, the Endurance Factor Elder team extended their lead to 15 points over the next team, Trek VW. With the next race marking the half way point of the FSC series, all the work the Endurance Factor team has done over the summer has so far proven to be very beneficial. Keep up the work and congratulations to everyone on the team!

Pro/Semi Pro field start in Gainesville, Florida

The Endurance Factor team is full of some very strong clients this year including Pro rider Martin Cox, junior top rider Jamie Knight, and women’s XC-2 leader Char Fosmoe.

Professional XC Racer Martin Cox racing for Endurance Factor in FSC #1

Martin Cox has had a great year of racing. After putting in some serious, quality miles this summer in Durango, CO, Martin headed over to Mount Snow where he won the National Championship in the 19-29 Super D class. In addition to this, Martin also won the overall National Series in the 19-29 Super D class. Recently, Martin’s ambitions led to his upgrade to Pro. He is working very hard to make his way up in the pro ranks for 2008-2009. So far, he has shown impressive results with two back to back 4^th place finishes in the Pro/Semi Pro XC class in the FSC.

Another Endurance Factor athlete, Jamie Knight, has started the FSC with a back to back winning streak in the single speed class. At 16, Jamie is racing against the top single speed racers in Florida and doing excellent. He gained a lot of experience this summer racing in many of the National Calendar races including the NOVA National, Santa Ynez National, and the National Championships in Mount Snow, VT.  The possibilities for Jamie are endless and with consistent improvement, he is on his way to a great start as a young mountain bike racer!

Char Fosmoe leading the Women’s XC-2 in the FSC #1 

To top off the Endurance Factor team, Char Fosmoe is racing in the Women’s XC-2 class. Char signed on with Endurance Factor six months ago. Her results have been impressive! Along with placing 3^rd Overall in the First Coast Xterra, Char won the first FSC and placed 2^nd in the second FSC. Currently she is leading the Women’s XC-2 class.

With the continued success of these clients, the Endurance Factor team is in excellent position of winning the FSC team title. They are currently leading by 9 points! The next FSC is this weekend in Tallahassee, FL, which is one of the most demanding courses in Florida. The Endurance Factor team will head into the race with great fitness. Good luck to everyone this weekend, and keep up the solid work. The results will keep coming!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to compete against some of the legends in the sport of mountain biking. I didn’t expect too much when heading down to Farmington, NM for the 2008 Road Apple Rally, but when I rolled up to the line there were two very familiar faces next to me. Ned Overand and Travis Brown, both residing in Durango, CO, decided to show up to the race. No longer was the race a “training race”. It was now an epic moment where I had the opportunity to race against some of best known racers in the country!

From left to right: Travis Brown(2 time Olympian), Jittery Joe’s Pro Roadie Matt Shriver, Ned Overand, Myself

A year ago I would have never dreamed of lining up and competing against guys like this. A lot of training under Doug Bush, and moving part time to Durango, CO, has made some surreal things happen including a Pro license and now competing with the best of the best. Another example; this past weekend after the epic Saturday race with legend Ned Overand, I went out for a nice long 4.5 hour ride. About 30 minutes along I ran into one of the top Pro’s in the Nation, Kenda/Titus racer Andy Schultz (had two top 5 finishes in National races this summer, also brother to Gary Fisher/Subaru racer, Sam Schultz). I was lucky enough to have met him a few weeks ago, so we rode together and talked about racing, training, local Olympian Todd Wells, other local athletes such as the two top collegiate mtn bike racers in the nation and now residing in Durango, CO also, etc.!  It amazes me how packed Durango is with amazing top caliber athletes! You never know who you will run into.

Bring it on Ned! (And that he did! He broke away with three others about 10 minutes in! That much more motivation to get better!)

So I will leave you by saying this. One year ago I was living in Fort Myers, Fl, with one 10 mile mountain bike trail and high expectations. Now I am living and competing with some of the top Pro’s and legends of the sport and have hundreds of miles of mountain bike trails. Talk about getting better, show up to the local short track once a week and compete against the top Pro’s in the nation! That will make you better if it doesn’t destroy you in the process! On top of that, I get to choose from many different trails to ride every day. If you ever get the chance, drop by Durango, CO for some of the best riding in the nation along with the possibility of meeting the legends of the sport! All I can say is the possibilities to improve in an atmosphere like this are endless! High altitude, endless trails, top competition, and a great coach to guide me along the way! Bring it on! I can’t wait to see what I can do in the 2009 season! Bring it on!

What is a double Ironman?  Take a regular Ironman and double the distances: that is 2.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike, and 52.2 mile run.  Oh yeah, and you have 36 hours to complete the distance.

 Too make things more complicated Sam raced Ironman Wisconsin on September 7!

While many manufacturers talk about the weight of their product, not too many discuss the stiffness.  All wheels flex a bit but too much flex can absorb pedaling energy and reduce overall speed. The Reynolds carbons rims are built so well that each spoke can withstand a force of 500 lb without pulling through the rim.  This allows the rims to be built up with higher spoke tension and therefore a stiffer wheelset. 

Below is a photo of Jonathan Geran (Reynolds Sales Manager) and the machine in the background pre-stresses every wheel build so that spoke tension is even.  Most other carbon wheels fail when put on this machine as they are not build strong enough to handle the tension. 

Carbon is just about everywhere in the facility and here is a photo of a cutting table as well as a huge pressure chamber.  The chamber is use to remove air and heat the carbon products during the production process.

In addition to wheelsets Reynolds make carbon sailboat/windsurfing masts, parts for NASCAR safety devices (pictured below), and some products for the defense industry (which I was not allowed to see).

Thanks to the guys at Reynolds!