Safe Cycling In The Rain

By | Published May 24, 2013

lightweighwheel Safe Cycling In The RainHow many of have you looked out the window at raindrops falling from the sky and said "ugh, it's raining.  I don't want to ride in this."  Be honest.  

Good, now of those of you who answered "yes" to the last question, how many of you would ride in the rain if you felt more comfortable?  How about if you could feel safer?  

Riding in wet conditions, from damp roads to a driving rain, can not only be safe and comfortable, but it can even be fun.  It's a great way to keep you on your toes, keep your skills sharp and break out of the ordinary riding rut.  Roads that are wet change character completely: climbs become more demanding of finesse to prevent wheels from slipping, descents require perfect lines and braking and handling skills are sharpened by the constant barrage to your senses.  But in order to safely partake in these fitness and skill challenges, you'll have to have the proper preparation and keep a few things in mind.  In today's podcast we'll discuss a few of these such as:

  • Proper dress for warmth (and maybe even dryness)
  • Tips to ensure road safety, including braking distance and traction concerns
  • Post ride concerns to make sure you recover well (and keep your bike happy)

As a side note, there's only a few days left to take advantage of my Giro d'Italia modular training special.  Remember to use coupon code "giro2013" to take 15% off all modular training plans.  And keep a look out for my new Century Module, which will be coming out in the next week or so.  

Questions and comments are always welcome.  Post below to get the discussion rolling (hopefully in the dry.)

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Giro d’Italia Modular Training Special

By | Published May 5, 2013

G2013 plan generale 230x300 Giro dItalia Modular Training SpecialIt's May, the Giro d'Italia is in full swing with today's team time trial, and spring has arrived in a big way.  There's an amazing phenomenon during a grand tour: people are inspired by the efforts of the professional cyclists on TV, plying their trade on some of the most beautiful terrain in the world.  

If you're one of those people who uses the Giro for motivation and you want to get a little more out of your spring training blocks, now's your chance.  Through the end of the Giro, you can take 15% off any of my modular training plans by entering the code "giro2013" at checkout.

Now's your chance: the sun is shining, the sun is high in the sky and motivation is pouring out of the TV right now.  Don't miss the chance to boost your fitness and ride your buddies off your wheel like Vincenzo Nibali or Ryder Hesjedal.

As always, if you have questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact me.

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Cycling Efficiency Tips (podcast)

By | Published May 2, 2013

sundayride2 300x300 Cycling Efficiency Tips (podcast)Mainstream advertising has led us to believe that we have to buy things to make us faster: wheels, bike frames, helmets and special clothing are all touted as the quick way to get faster.  It's also a quick way to drain your wallet.  But if you're looking to invest in some speed, most of you know that you can't go wrong with hiring a coach or following a structured training plan.  What you may not know is that you can squeeze even more speed, power and endurance out of the fitness you already have or you can raise the bar on our structured training by increasing your efficiency.

Defined as "accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort", raising your efficiency will allow you to ride faster, raise your functional threshold power (FTP) and feel fresher at the end of a long ride so you can contest that final sprint.  But how do we accomplish this?  Today's podcast will discuss how to become more efficient on the bike, including:

  • Positive vs negative self talk
  • Learning to relax
  • Neuromuscular efficiency
  • How to integrate these concepts into your training

Comments and questions are always welcome.

 

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Race Day Preparation (podcast)

By | Published April 11, 2013

Battenkill Rob Race 10 100 94 200x300 Race Day Preparation (podcast)"Do it right on race day" is a lesson that every racer should live by and one that should be drilled into their head.  Race performance begins in the days before when you start to get everything ready to roll.  In fact, poor race day prep can actually set you up for a poor performance even before the first pedal is turned in anger.

We'll discuss proper race day preparation as well as preparation in the days prior.  Some topics we'll cover include:

  • Loading your gear and prepping your bike
  • Eating prior to your race
  • Arrival time and warmup time
  • Warming up on the trainer
  • Proper dress

As always, comments and questions are welcome.  

As a reminder, my "Berg Buster" is still available (until April 21st) for FREE with the code "classicsgift".  

For those of you racing Battenkill, I'll see you there.  Good luck, stay safe!

 

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Peak Performance Concepts (Podcast)

By | Published April 4, 2013

ctl atl tsb annoted 300x226 Peak Performance Concepts (Podcast)With spring racing in full force, many people are hitting the peak phase of their periodized training plans.  Periodized training is a method by which an athlete structures their training towards certain goals, and it consists of a long term, full year picture (macrocycle), smaller blocks of training and recovery (mesocycles, typically 4 weeks long) and the single week's worth of training and recovery (microcycle).

Within this concept of periodized training, the ultimate goal of a training block, which I like to refer to as a super-mesocycle (basically a group of 3 or 4 mesocyles bundled together) is a peak performance, usually for an "A" category race.  The question most athletes ask is "What exactly is peak performance and how do I get there?"  After an event, people often ask me "Why was my performance so poor?  Did I not train enough?"

I'd like to suggest that peak performance is not really driven by what happens during the "build phases" of your training plan, and is not really driven by the amount of training you've done (to some extent anyway.)  You can be one of the fittest riders in the group, but a poor quality "peak" phase can destroy an otherwise strong and fit athlete.

On today's podcast, we'll learn what the significance of the "peak" phase is and how we transition from the build phase into a peak performance, including:

  • The peaking model
  • Building form vs. fitness
  • Peak week intensity, frequency and duration
  • The importance of "painkillers" in relation to peak performance
  • Should you rest the day before an "A" race?

As a reminder, you can get a FREE "Berg Buster" HIT workout by using the code "classicsgift" through April 21st.

Thoughts?  Comments?  Remember to head over to iTunes and leave a review if you enjoyed the podcast.

 

 

 

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