What We Learned in the Tunnel – TriCoachGeorgia

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What We Learned in the Tunnel

Several years ago, several of the TriCoachGeorgia team, including Master Fitter Micah Morlock from our Sponsor Georgia Cycle Sport in Athens, Ga, traveled to Mooresville, NC to test their set ups in the A2 Wind Tunnel. We learned a lot about what saves time on race day, and many of the things we expected like the Disc always being faster than 404’s wasn’t the case. Helmets, wheels, loose clothing, exposed cabling, head position, body positions, etc. all can be tested to find the easiest way to gain speed without much additional expense. Don’t underestimate the value of a trip to the Tunnel.

As you will read below, our affiliate, ORR Carbon Wheels, took a trip a few weeks back to Scottsdale, AZ to spend the day in the Faster Low Speed Wind tunnel to test the all new ORR Gen3 against a couple of their competitors, including similar price range Flo Cycling, as well as Zipp Weaponry whose prices can double if not triple the price of a set of ORR’s. They were blown away with the results as we were too.

All testing protocol were written and supervised by Independent Consultant and Aerodynamic Expert Mike Giraud and administered by Arron Ross, Faster Wind Tunnel’s Director of Technology. A series of tests were run looking at the aerodynamic drag of each wheel. These tests only include the front wheel of each pairing. The same tire and tube were used, tire pressure was kept consistent at 100psi and valve extender was removed after initial installation. The testing range was a sweep from positive to negative 25 degrees and all conducted using a wind speed of 30mph as well as a 30mph wheel speed.

Charts are pretty but what does this mean???

The test measure grams of drag at a particular yaw angle (angle of the wind). As you notice, the ORR 6.4 and 8.4 consistently outperformed the Flo 60 & 90 and Zipp 404 & 808. So the lower the drag, the fewer watts it will require to propel forward (i.e., less drag = faster wheels). Over the course of an Ironman distance (112 miles), ORR 6.4 is 25 seconds faster than Zipp’s 404 and 40 seconds faster than Flo’s 60 and ORR 8.4 is 2 seconds faster than Zipp’s 808 and 11 seconds faster than Flo’s 90.

As we did when we went to the tunnel, ORR Carbon Wheels learned that you can spend thousands of dollars on “Speed” or you can speed much less and get the same result, or even a better result. Consider your options and think through if expensive means faster and what the real benefits of the bigger names are. We hope you will find time to get yourself to the nearest wind tunnel, and learn the best way to get yourself done the race quickest.

Coach Slayer Pushes Past Injury to Qualify for Kona – Featured Article in Oconee Magazine Winter 2016 – TriCoachGeorgia

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Coach Slayer: Kona Qualifier When He Least Expected It

Introduction

Ironman triathlon is a tough game to win even with the best of support. You always face hurdles and limiters be they time demands, swim form, mechanical foul ups, injuries, and/or fatigue.

Some hurdles and limiters are harder to overcome than others and some pile up on you. In my case, apart from obesity, the armadillo who started my wreck was the biggest problem I ever had to overcome in my triathlon career.

However, I have to admit, going into Ironman Maryland 2015, I had given up the dream of ever qualifying for the World Championships at the Ironman distance. Even though I had made it to the Half Ironman World Championship in 2014 in Mont Tremblant, Canada, I knew that you could fool a Half Ironman. What I mean by fooling it, I meant that you could develop your fitness such that you could still have a good day even with mistakes.

Ironman is No Joke

Ironman, on the other hand, could not be fooled. No amount of fitness could help guarantee a good day. With my middling swim and stronger bike and, oftentimes, bumbled run, everything needed to come together on the day for me to even get a whiff of qualifying. After several failed attempts and then a major injury six months out of the race, that Kona qualifying dream died for good. There was absolutely zero chance that I would ever sniff the big island air in Hawaii.

Moreover, there is a certain amount of luck involved when racing that long of a distance. Sometimes, based on your training times and practice efforts, you think you are ready to knock it out of the park and you strike out. Other times, which are much more rarer for the vast majority, you are afraid you will strike out and you knock it out of the park.

Great Local Writer Pens a Feature Magazine Article

Here, Ryne Dennis, wonderful Sports Journalist and endurance athlete in the making, of the Oconee Enterprise, interviewed me and found the theme of not quitting and overcoming obstacles along the way to my big day.

He took my story of qualifying and highlighted the many years of toiling and hard work, my never ending fight to overcome obstacles, the support of many, and the luck of the day. When I could have quit, I didn’t and his article shows that we have to struggle to keep dreams alive because you never know what might happen if you quit. I hope this will inspire you to continue your fight, whatever it may be.

Conclusion

Read this article, #DoYourJob, and you too may #ReapWhatYouSow! Thanks to everyone who helped along this long journey to the promised land. Coach BigBad Ryan Wolfe of TriCoachGeorgia said in jest that I can now die a happy man. In many ways, he is absolutely correct. Not just because of my Kona Qualifying effort, but for the sum of everything and everybody I am a part of.

Coaching With Integrity – TriCoachGeorgia

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Introduction

Coach Taz aka Wes Hargrove is not just a great athlete who’s qualified for Kona Ironman World Championships and respectable successful coach. He’s a man with a huge heart. His family at home is his priority but those at work and on the TriCoachGeorgia team are not just acquaintances. They are genuinely and deeply cared about. He values loyalty, dedication, and integrity. He wanted to write a quick blog on the concept of coaching with integrity.

Coaches Need Integrity

I have been reading blogs by Coach Slayer on how coaching depends on the relationship between coach and triathlete and one on TrainingPeaks.com that coaching is more than just training. This got me to thinking that integrity is at the base of all relationships. That trust needs to be emphasized today in this little blog because it is so important to achievement of jointly developed training and racing goals. Without it, the coaching relationship is doomed.

Make Sure You Surround Yourself with the Qualities You Value

When I decided to get into coaching I wanted to make sure I went about it the right way and followed the lead of my mentor. I tried different people in different capacities until I settled on Coach Slayer. I was very lucky to have leadership from an experienced coach with lots of integrity and loyalty. This flows both ways with him to his athletes and vice versa. I try to bring that to my coaching style too.

Without integrity from both sides of the coach-athlete relationship, it is difficult for either side to be productive. Firstly, to be at your full potential as a coach you have to be committed and true to to the process. This commitment, in turn, can affect athletes, who are trying ever so hard to reach their goals. They sense and feed off of your honesty in terms of feedback and presence. Technically, it is essential too for the proper workouts to be on offer.

Open Communication is Key

On the other side of the equation, if the athlete is not communicating accurate data, not reporting data at all or in a limited fashion, or not noting bodily situations like soreness or injury, then the whole coaching process is thrown off due to the lack of integrity. The progressions are interfered with and, ultimately, everyone fails.

Loyalty is Huge Too

Coaching doesn’t only rely on integrity and trust. Loyalty is also important in this equation for longevity and productivity of the relationship. I preach loyalty not just to the team but to the process of building endurance. This sport is not about microwaving; it’s about slow cooking to perfection!

Again, loyalty has to be a two way street; it simply does not work if it’s only one sided. You have to feel valued and important or the relationship will fall apart quickly. When you feel your coach is loyal to you and understands your needs, motivations, and fears, you climb to even greater heights to fight for the both of you, as well as your support groups, on tough training days or race days.

Closing

The amount of coaching effectiveness between an athlete and a coach will only be as strong as the relationship between the two. That foundation must be solid. Anytime that I meet with an athlete, it is important for me to make sure we have the same goals and that they are attainable. More essential even, we must ensure that we are a proper fit in the way of personality. Like any relationship, we have to keep working things as we go along.

Suggestions

To ensure a proper fit between an athlete and a coach, the morals and character must line up in a place for complete trust on both sides. Investigate who you are making commitments to before you sign the dotted line by using Coach Slayer’s suggestions from the blog cited above.

Conclusions

I’ve said it before, but I will say it again. Without a good bond that is built on integrity and trust, that goes above an beyond just athletics, an even bigger obstacle or limiter is created that will impede any coached athlete from reaching their goals. People that come to a coach and trusts him or her with their dreams and goals will reward with better results the coach that digs in to help them honestly and genuinely. As a coach, I consider it an honor to remove the doubt about my intentions or morals and want to help my athletes find their most success.

If you want to discuss this concept more, feel free to message, email, or call me. Otherwise, assess this concept in your coaching relationship, and see how it impacts your performance. Don’t be afraid to make the changes you need to make if necessary. Good luck and, as always, #DoYourJob!