Journal

Training tips, race stories, and insights from the Ordinary Epics coaching team.

January 29, 2023John Karrasch

Comfortably Hard: A Tempo Ride Tutorial

Look, Tempo rides have gotten a bad rap. They are probably the easiest intensity zone to ride in day to day, which often leads to riders doing them every single time they ride. This works for a short

Nov 21, 2022•Wendi Shearer

Wanna do some leg work in the off season?

We know, we know..you want to eat all the food at all the holiday gatherings on your calendar for the rest of the year, but you also want to be in fighting shape when it's time for

Oct 12, 2022•Adam Lownik

Epic Reflections

I wanted to try to say something about the race as a whole, but as one might expect, the Epic is just a little too much to try to wrangle into a reasonable amount of words. Even this short series of r...

Oct 10, 2022•Jason Shearer

2022 Delta Epic Stories

So, I thought about this....instead of a "ride" report (I surely didn't race it..26hrs), I am going to go w/ a "LESSONS learned from a first time "solo" rider...but a relay finisher in 2020 and a DNF

Feb 10, 2022•John Karrasch

The Art of the Recovery Ride

Of all the types of training rides one can do, the recovery ride may be the toughest one of all! In honor of its difficulty to master, let’s go with the properly capitalized Recovery Ride.

Nov 9, 2021•Jason Shearer

Favorite Five Leg Workout for Cyclists

Last week we talked a bit about L2 rides being a great way to shed some fatigue and start building your winter base. The next thing you can think about layering on in the winter are some deep leg and

Nov 4, 2021•John Karrasch

Everyone loves easy rides!

Ah, good ol’ Zone 2 riding. Base miles. It is our foundation...and not enough of us do it!

Oct 13, 2021•John Karrasch

5 Points 21

“Nah, you are fine... I think it is a pretty fast course.”

Mar 20, 2020•Jake Huggart

Mud in The Mid South

I knew I was in for a long day when I made it to Stillwater an hour before race start and there were streams flowing through the streets. Before long, lightning had started as well, which caused a hal...

Mar 13, 2020•Jason Shearer

No Events? No problem!

Right now many of you are feeling disappointment and frustration around races and rides being canceled. Most of us haven’t seen a global event like this in our lifetime. I believe, however, that we ca...

Dec 14, 2019•Jason Shearer

Zones and Pretty Colors

This is my tattered version of power zones that I have been writing handwritten notes on for a few years. Finally decided to convert it to an updated version with threshold heart rate and RPE. Mash-up...

Sep 5, 2019•Jason Shearer

Easy Light Setup for Short Events

Riding at night is probably my most favorite thing to do on a bike. Your world is encapsulated in a bubble of light. Everything outside of that beam doesn’t even exist. Trails look different, you c...

Sep 2, 2019•Wendi Shearer

Ordinary Epics partners with Methodist Rehab Center to gravel for a great cause

RMR will now offer four route options – 25, 45, and 62 mile road routes along with a 45 mile mixed surface/gravel ride. The ride will be well supported by Methodist Rehab employees at Halloween themed...

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