Danette
and Hank Dieffenbach are celebrating their first year of Peaks Coaching with
Len Pettyjohn. The celebration is special because they signed up for coaching
in November 2012 and now are sporting some gold, silver, and bronze medals
gathered in the last 14 days.
When
I first noticed them riding Highway A1A last winter in Vero Beach, FL I watched
Hank pounding a big gear into the wind and Danette doing a Kung Fu chop, chop
pedal stroke to stay on his wheel…painful to do and painful to watch. Within a
couple of weeks over coffee and chocolate treats we had a chance to chat about
cycling and ultimately coaching. They split their seasons between Aspen, CO and
Vero Beach, so we hit it off with comparative tales of how we spend summer and
winter riding in the sun (my life has been Boulder, CO year around, but
shifting to Vero Beach over the last three winters).
After
signing on with Peaks Coaching last November the first order of business was
ordering Powertap G3 hubs mated to Zipp 303 and 404 wheels. With Garmin Edge
500 computers they were ready for some early power testing to establish
baseline fitness levels. Much of the winter was focused on cadence drills, pace
line, group riding, and moderate interval sessions built around some rest days.
The rest days were welcomed by Danette and resisted by Hank, i.e. a normal
cycling couple.
By
the end of the spring season in Florida they were increasing the length and
intensity of threshold efforts and adding in some VO2Max work. Across the board
everything was going up and once they got to Aspen they picked up on the town
challenge series. They entered a couple of races and immediately got shelled by
the intensity and speed. That was a turning point as the need for speed meant
Anaerobic and Neuromuscular work was added to their program. By mid-summer they
were at the front and mixing with the leaders in all events.
They
returned to Florida in mid-October with some substantial power and speed after
a summer of high altitude work. I suggested they had the fitness and talent to
enter the Florida Masters Road Championships on October 26th in Clermont.
Just NW of Disney World, the Clermont road course is classic rolling hills,
almost always won by the strong men and women of the state. We had a couple of
strategy sessions about what to expect and how the race should go and they were
off. I was on my bike that afternoon riding one of the flood ravaged Boulder
roads when my phone lit up with an ecstatic Danette yelling that Hank was on
the top of the podium wearing the State Championship Jersey. The men’s 70+ race
started just ahead of the women’s 55+ race, so the first thing Danette saw as
she crossed the finish line was her husband on the top step. Danette finished 4th
in her age class and is already asking for more intervals so she never gets
dropped again.
Two
weeks later they were on the road again heading to Stuart, FL to compete in the
5 and 10 K qualifiers for the Florida Senior Games. Last Sunday there were more
smiles to go with more medals as Danette took gold in both of her races and
Hank scored a silver and bronze. It should be noted that they both competed on
their road bikes, however, the TT bikes at Bicycle Sport in Vero Beach are
getting some attention this week.
This
is why we ride bikes - this is why we coach…to watch and participate in the
development and progress of others who love to ride. Danette and Hank have
increased their Functional Threshold Power by nearly 30% in just under a year.
Their new bike savvy, speed and skills have opened up a whole new set of
opportunities. Hank will be 75 next year and has set Masters Nationals in Ogden,
UT as a goal; Danette will also be there (she just hasn’t added the entry form
to her goals yet). After all, they live and train in Aspen in the summer and
Ogden, Utah is just over the hill next September.
