MEMBER NEWS: Joe Rapuano aka Rap-Dog

Hey Greg!
I just thought I would give you an update regarding the Kancamagus Hillclimb TT that I raced in this past Saturday. This race starts on the Conway, NH side of the Kanc and climbs just over 21 miles up to the pass at 2850 feet. The weather looked sketchy on the drive up, but started to clear and became sunny and in the mid 50's by start time. I felt good the whole ride and was able to ride on my big ring for the majority of the first 15 miles of the race. The pain really starts at approx mile 16, where the 5 miles of climbing at a 5-7% grade starts to bite into your legs.
While there was a headwind, I was still able to ride well on the climb and felt strong. I was able to finish with a time of 1:24:08, which was 3:50 faster than last year! This placed me 20th out of 74 racers in my division. The winning time in my division was 1:11:09, which is cookin' on this course!
I really feel that the Crossfit workouts played a big role in improving my core strength and mental toughness to ride hard the whole race, especially the long 5 miles of climbing to the finish.
As with every workout, there needs to be an element of fun. After about a 10 min break and enjoying the scenery at the top, the fun really begins with a fast ride back down to the bottom. The corners really come at you fast at 52 mph and I was able to let loose as there was very little traffic. I hooked up with another group of riders and we rode pace line the rest of the way at 28-30 mph.
Thanks for the support at the gym Greg!

Joe Rapuano


If anyone is interested, Steve B. sent me this video of Michael Pollan the author of The Omnivore's Dilema. It's long, but very interesting to hear the author of such an intriguing book. Don't mind the kid that introduces him, that part of the video is short. Thanks for sending this my way Steve.




Training Log
5/20/08

5x5 Front Squat
245#
on 5/13/08 5x3 front squat at 245#, on 5/6/08 5x5 front squat at 225#
I forgot what I did on my last 5x5 front squat. I guessed wrong with 245#. I was thinking of my 5x3 weight. I should have done 235# for 5x5. My 4th set I only did 3 reps. 3rd rep was a real challenge and it felt weak. So I rested up and finished strong on the 5th set. I will keep working at 245# for my 5x5 front squat until it feels strong and my form sures up.