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Post by JonnoMarshall on Apr 29, 2015 16:49:24 GMT
If that's the state of the lid, I reckon the shorts went into bin too!
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Post by Muller on May 21, 2015 18:04:31 GMT
Improving Your Climbing Through Attitude and Desire
You’re riding with a friend who’s killing you on the hills (that's not a friend ). You know you’re equally fit because you’ve accumulated about the same number of miles this season, and on flat time trials you can hold your own against him. You weigh about the same, too, so the power-to-weight ratio isn’t a reason for your suffering. Why is your friend so much better when the road tilts up? Climbing is a highly specific form of cycling. Notice the difference in how your pedal stroke feels when you’re riding hard on the flat compared to climbing. Flat riding depends on pedaling speed (and aerodynamics if you’re alone). There’s only a moderate amount of pressure on the pedals if you’re in the correct gear. But when you encounter a hill, pedal speed drops and the effort becomes more muscular than cardiovascular. That’s why in a 3-week tour, pros hate the first day in the mountains. After a week of riding flat stages, tucked in the pack and waiting for the sprint, their legs complain loudly when they have to generate significantly more force per pedal stroke. Just like yours do when you hit the climbs. What, in addition to talent and fitness, separates good climbers from mediocre ones? It’s got a lot to do with attitude, desire and mental focus. Desire to improveIt's possible to have a lot of fun on the bike without being a very good climber . That's why compact cranksets and, to a lesser degree, triple chainrings are so popular. If you want to climb better, you'll have the motivation to work at it. If not, there's nothing wrong with you. Just go a bit slower and enjoy the scenery. Also, motivation can vary from day to day. Some days You like to climb hard and other days you want to cruise. Listen to your body. Ability to sufferClimbing is hard work. Being able to ride right on the edge of blowing up means you can get the most out of your ability. This isn't fun, but it builds character (or so I'm told). You can work on your suffering quotient whenever you climb. When it gets tough, push a bit harder, but only for a minute or so. You have to be careful about training to suffer. A little goes a long way. Suffer like a dog on every hilly ride and you’ll soon overtrain and learn to hate the bike. Love for climbingEnthusiastic climbers have learned to love climbing. Some of them don’t go uphill very fast, but they love the challenge nonetheless. Use whatever psychological gimmick works for you to develop a love for ascending. Maybe it’s the scenery, or the satisfaction of getting to the top, or even a feeling of superiority to your cycling friends who cower in the lowlands instead of seeking out climbs. Maybe it's knowing that every hill ridden fast makes you fitter. And of course there’s the poor climber’s best reason for climbing -- the reward of a screaming descent
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Post by Claudio on May 22, 2015 14:27:11 GMT
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Post by Muller on Jun 4, 2015 16:03:39 GMT
Short Hill Climbing Tips
Choose the right gear. Many riders tend to climb short hills in a gear that's too large. They sprint like crazy at the bottom but they’re plodding by the time they reach the top. You can hit the bottom of the hill in a gear that allows your optimum cadence. Then as the real work begins, shift to an easier gear so you don’t bog down.
Know when to stand and when to sit. Really short hills are best done standing because you can produce maximum power out of the saddle. But on longer hills, some riders like to stand at the bottom, sit and “float” in the middle, then get out of the saddle again to go over the top. Try this to see if it works for you.
Pace yourself. Cyclists who excel on short hills know how to apportion their energy. They don’t sprint like mad at the bottom and then blow to the moon halfway up. This skill takes a careful reading of your form on that day and knowledge of just how long and steep the hill is. Again, experience counts.
Finish the hill. This means you should be going as fast over the crest as at the bottom. Try it on your next competitive group ride or with a couple of buddies. Go a bit easier at the bottom. You’ll get gapped at first, but in the last third of the climb you’ll still have something left. That’s the time to accelerate and carry some speed over the top. Time it right and you’ll be amazed at how you’ll pass your fast-starting friends.
Get good position in a group. If you’re approaching a steep hill in a large group of riders, move near the front before the road tilts up. If you hang back around 20th position, you’ll be well off the back of the leaders going over the top because you’ll get stalled by riders who are fumbling with their gears or blowing up. But if you start the climb near the front, you can use the smallest amount of energy needed to stay with the leaders. Then you won’t have to use even more energy to chase back on.
Training Tips
Power accelerations. The key to short hills is the rapid application of power. Here’s a specific workout: After a good warm up, roll at walking pace in a big gear (53x12-15; or 50x11-14). Stay seated and accelerate as hard as possible, using smooth pedal strokes to get that big gear turning. Push for 10-12 seconds, then roll easily for a few minutes to recover. Repeat 3-8 times.
Gut-buster intervals. Find a short, steep hill with a slight downhill leading into it. After a good warm up, roll fast to the base of the hill in a big gear. You should be pedaling slightly too fast when you start the climb. Stand and power to the top. If you chose your gear correctly, your cadence will be down to around 80 rpm by the top. Roll easily for 3-5 minutes to recover, then do it again, this time seated. Repeat 2-4 times.
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Post by Shay on Jun 26, 2015 9:59:25 GMT
The benefits of drafting "in crayon"! Attachments:
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Post by Muller on Jun 30, 2015 3:30:32 GMT
Cycle helmet split in two in crash but still saved the guys life So if you know any idiots that say they don't like wearing one, show them this.
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Post by Muller on Sept 24, 2015 15:16:18 GMT
The 10 most common mistakes by riders winter training 1. Not Using the GearsYour bike may have twenty gears or more – but those won’t do you any good if you don’t use them. Besides looking bad, poor gear use can place heavy stress on your muscles and put your joints at risk for injury. Don’t be afraid to use your full range and get confident; make your gears work for you. 2. Letting Yourself OverheatEspecially if it’s warm out, stave off the heat by wetting your clothes in key areas, such as the neck, armpits, and backs of the knees, to cool you off. Just be careful not to get too cold by doing this before a downhill stretch. And while warm weather may not be a problem too often during the Irish winter, the weather can be very mild at times. 3. Forgetting to HydrateEven relatively minor dehydration can handicap a rider by up to ten or twenty percent, and puts you at much higher risk for injury. You will be sweating no matter how cold it is, so be vigilant and drink often. 4. Going Too Hard Too SoonIt takes time for your heart rate to raise to the optimum level and for your muscles to warm up. Not allowing your body warm up can lead to muscle weariness in even the most well-trained athletes. 5. Poor Pedaling TechniquePedaling isn’t just about how hard you can slam your foot down. The best pedaling puts power in to the gears on all 360° of the movement. Use a mirror or video camera to monitor your feet, and strive toward a smooth, circular motion. 6. Matching Other People’s PaceEven if someone else is going a certain speed, it might not be the right pace to take. Stay with your personal pace and ride in your zone, or risk burning out or injuring yourself. It is best to train during the winter with riders of similar ability, or certainly with the same training goals. Don’t be afraid to wait for each other, especially when riders get dropped on climbs. 7. Neglecting InjuriesIf your body is sending you pain signals, listen to it or risk permanent damage. Stop what you are doing, rest for more time than you think is necessary, and start back out slowly. 8. Taking the Inside BendWhen going uphill, your first instinct can be to take the shorter route on the inside of the curve. This is the point with the steepest grade, and you can save your stamina by swinging around on the outside, where the gradient is more forgiving. 9. Poor PositioningWhen taking curves, especially downhill, learn your lines and make sure you are positioned so that you can see oncoming traffic. You can get all the speed you want, but if you get hit by a car your time won’t be worth much. 10. SlackingIf you’re riding with a group, make sure to take your turn in the front. If you are the person consistently riding in the easy spots, be prepared to be asked to help out or get out.
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Post by Muller on Oct 16, 2015 15:06:24 GMT
Seven signs of overtraining and how to avoid it; vital for this time of year Whether you’re training for a sportive, a major stage race or even an Ironman, you need to balance your routine the way you do with your work and general lifestyle. If you get the balance wrong it can be very destructive, leaving you extremely fatigued and operating at a very low percentage of what you are capable of. Known as over-reaching, this can be a short-term problem. It’s simply a natural reaction to heavy training or racing and is usually remedied with easy training for a day or two. However, if negative symptoms persist over a longer period of time – maybe a number of days with no sign of improving – you body could be warning you that you are overtraining. This can dramatically reduce work capacity. If it is not corrected quickly, the issue can develop into a long-term problem, which can destroy a complete season. The best strategy is to avoid overtraining in the first instance. And the best way to do this is to follow the principles of training, a sporting lifestyle, well planned periodization and to monitor your response to training. LifestyleLifestyle has a part to play in overtraining. Poor Nutrition, lack of sleep or relaxation, problems or pressure with meeting education or work deadlines, difficulties in relationships and moving house are just some of the many factors that can add to the loads on an individual. These all need to be taken into account when planning training. And sometimes training loads need to be reduced to keep the balance right. An 80 per cent fit healthy athlete will always perform better than a 110 per cent fit, but ill or over trained, athlete. So balance is everything. Anxious athletesThis time of year is one of the danger times for overtraining for cyclists and triathletes. You can begin to get edgy about the season beginning just a few weeks away now. So you might load up both mileage and intensity together which is the most common cause of overtraining. Training diaryIf you keep note of the following areas in your training diary you will be able to ensure you’re getting maximum returns from your training. You will also prevent simple tiredness from developing into a longer term and much worse overtraining problem. •Exercise response appraisal: Signs of overtraining when you probably should take a few days really easy. •Mood: Reduced feeling negative and irritable •Enthusiasm for training or racing: Poor, Not wanting to go training or racing •Sleep: Poor, not refreshed in the morning. Waking during the night or early morning, difficult to sleep •Appetite: Poor, reduced •Muscles: Sore, during training and racing, unable to hold efforts. Sore and tired walking up stairs. •Exercise Heart rate: Lower than usual for a particular effort. But the effort feels much higher than usual at this particular heart rate •Resting Heart Rate: Elevated by 5 beats or more above normal range over a number of days. It’s normal to have some of these symptoms in the short term; after heavy training sessions, intensive blocks of training or races. With balanced training and recovery these symptoms should be reduced in a matter of hours or days. Alarm bellsHowever the alarm bells should ring when a number of the symptoms are present at the same time and they become persistent. In this case, reduce the amount of training and train at a very easy intensity until the symptoms subside. If the symptoms are very strong and persistent get some more help from an experienced coach who may be able to help or refer you to medics if required. Macho doesn’t workThe longer you attempt to train through the symptoms associated with overtraining, the longer the symptoms will remain. This sounds basic, and it is. But you would be surprised at the number of athletes who make this mistake. Remember; early intervention and common sense is important. Medical adviceTake nothing for granted. If you are very fatigued and out of sorts and improvements are slow or nonexistent, seek qualified medical diagnosis and advice. Preferably you need to seek this from a professional with sports medicine qualifications. Analyse your training diaryTo avoid overtraining or to determine how you might have gotten into an overtraining situation, keeping a simple training diary can be an invaluable tool. Usually the overtraining symptoms show themselves after a few weeks of overload and/or demanding changes in lifestyle. So you need to trawl back through the diary. The signs are usually in there somewhere if you have kept the diary updated. Note the seven signs and have a great season.
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Post by Muller on Nov 6, 2015 16:55:04 GMT
Safe Descending Tips
Be balanced. With the crankarms horizontal, rest about one-third of your weight on the pedals, one-third on your hands and the rest on the saddle. Don’t sit heavily on the saddle but rise up slightly — just enough to take some weight off the part of the saddle where you normally sit. Pin the nose between your thighs for greater stability.
Touch the top tube. As you coast down a fast hill, press the top tube between your knees or upper calves, depending on the frame design. Doing so helps avoid bike shimmy because your legs damp vibrations in the frame that might make the whole bike shake. Even just resting one leg against the top tube can be enough to prevent shimmy.
Keep hands wide. Grip the brake lever hoods or put your hands in the handlebar hooks within easy reach of the brakes. Forget holding the bar on top next to the stem. Sure, this position is slightly more aerodynamic, but it’s less stable due to the narrower grip and it puts your hands far from the brake levers. An experienced descender desperately in need of another mile per hour can use it on a straight road with good visibility. But it's best left to the pros.
Look ahead. Keep your back flat and your head up. A flat back is best for aerodynamics and stability, too, because it gives you a low profile from the side. There’s less area for crosswinds to catch and push you off line. With your head up you can see down the road. You’re going fast, so problems come at you much quicker, too. Looking well ahead helps you anticipate and react.
Feel like a cat. Mountain bike racers need superior descending skills because the surface they’re zooming down is rough, narrow, curvy and lined with rocks. Laurie Brandt, a multi-time winner of the Leadville 100 off-road race, coaches riders to imagine they're a cat, emphasizing suppleness, relaxation and a “pounce” position on the pedals. Think about it next time you have the opportunity to observe a cat stalking a bird or playing with a toy. Cats are both loose and coiled at the same time, always ready for action. They jump from scary heights but land lightly. Feel like a feline on descents, weight balanced on your hands, feet and the saddle.
Relax. The biggest descending error for most riders is unnecessary tension in the hands and upper body. Bikes are meant to be piloted with a light touch on the handlebar so the front wheel can move slightly back and forth for balance. But it can't happen if you have a death grip on the bar and an advanced case of rigor mortis in the shoulders. Tension starts in the face, so consciously relax your jaw muscles before you start downhill. Then let that relaxation flow down through your shoulders, arms, and hands. Be loose. Be a cat.
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Post by Muller on Nov 14, 2015 12:33:05 GMT
LADIES, The sportive season may be a few months away, but now is the time to consider how you’re going to set your stall out, here are some tips for preparing for sportives
1. Training If you’re planning on participating in any sort of event, make sure to thoroughly prepare your body for hours in the saddle. Learn your course and train for all aspects of the event – aim to train for at least three quarters of your event completion time, in all kinds of weather.
Try to match the terrain on your training routes to the course of your chosen sportive – if you will be participating in an event on a hilly route, training on flat ground won’t cut it!
2. Maintenance Don’t leave thorough checks until the night before the race – the sooner you notice a potentially threatening problem, the more time you will have to fix it. You should clean and check each of the following areas for wear, cracks, stiffness, misalignment, or damage: •Drivetrain •Bike Frame •Wheels and Tires •Brakes •Bike Shoes
Replace components where needed, and make sure that all your bolts are tightened to spec. You should also perform a test ride to ensure that steering, braking, and gears perform properly, both up and down hill. Listen for unusual noises, and investigate any changes that you notice, no matter how small.
3. Group riding Don’t let the day of the event be your first exposure to group riding.
The group ride should enhance your cycling experience. In a group you can cover greater distances than you would on your own but it’s important to understand and be comfortable vocalizing common safety signals (car up, car down etc). Safety is the primary concern while riding in a group. Head up, accidents down!
4. Dress for the Weather You should be aware of the weather going in to the event and dress appropriately. Keep your eye on the weather forecast in the week leading up to the event. Pack a kit to allow for any unexpected weather conditions, such as rain, heat, or cold weather, so that you will be ready to change your attire for any situation.
Utilize the rear pockets of your jersey; in Ireland we are always likely to encounter a heavy shower. Have your rain cape folded neatly in your rear pocket so you can access it when needed.
5. Nutrition and Hydration A good basic rule is to consume one gram of carbohydrates for every two pounds of bodyweight per hour of the ride. You should eat small amounts of food often and focus on foods that will give you nutrition as well as energy, such as bananas, bread, dates and peanut butter.
As for hydration, remember that it is hard to drink too much water, but you will suffer both immediately and in the long run if you don’t properly hydrate. Most professionals recommend a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink for every hour of normal riding, or more in hot weather or high-stress situations.
6. Recovery After your event, the key to recovery is rest and restoration of lost nutrients. What is truly important in the 30 minutes following the event is to replenish your glycogen stores with carbohydrate- and protein-heavy snacks, which will help your body restore muscle. Chocolate milk or tuna sandwich make for a perfect recovery snack. Look to have a well balanced meal no more than three hours following the event.
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Post by Muller on Nov 17, 2015 17:36:33 GMT
Base training season is here again. This time of year always seems to roll around very quickly.
Racing and sportive riding has long since finished. Riders have taken a well-earned rest from the bike during September and October.
And now it’s time to contemplate next year’s events.
It’s a good time to evaluate how you did this year and to perhaps learn from some of the mistakes you made with a view to getting it right this winter.
Base training sounds very easy; lots of long steady miles with some specific strength and conditioning.
It’s a time to work on weaknesses and injuries, and to generally build a big strong aerobic base.
Then once you have the miles in the bag, you build on top your goal-specific fitness as the New Year turns to spring and then summer.
When it’s done correctly, base training can produce great improvements in performance.
But when it’s done badly, it can be destructive.
It may sound easy, but so many riders get this critical phase of training wrong.
Some of the most common mistakes made, even by experienced riders, during base training include:
•Riding too hard – there are no prizes for winter champions.
•Not riding enough base miles – no prizes for turbo torturers.
•Overdoing the gym work – no prizes for this either.
•Ignoring good nutrition principles because “it’s not the racing season”.
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Post by Muller on Nov 18, 2015 13:45:14 GMT
What is the real purpose and philosophy behind base training? There are two basic energy systems you use when training; anaerobic and aerobic. Unfortunately, you cannot build both your aerobic and anaerobic systems at the same time with any great effect. The idea behind base training is to train your aerobic energy system specifically and solely. Why is this important?The more work you perform aerobically, or in the presence of oxygen, the more efficient you are. Prolonged aerobic training produces muscular adaptations that improves oxygen transport to the muscles, reduces the rate of lactate formation, improves the rate of lactate removal, and increases energy production and utilisation. These adaptations occur slowly over time. Fat is a primary fuel source for the aerobic energy system. Over the course of a base period your body learns to more readily break down and utilise fat as an energy source. As an added bonus, this adaptation helps post-exercise fat metabolism as well. This is an important factor, especially for long distance athletes. Even if the weather can be tough, now is the time to get stuck into that base training that will stand to us in the months ahead. The fat we have in our bodies could provide enough energy to perform many distance events back to back, whereas muscle glycogen depletion can occur in as little as one hour. The less muscle glycogen you utilise, the more efficient you are. Contrary to the aerobic system, the anaerobic system consumes carbohydrate rapidly and the by-product is lactic acid. Other adaptations of aerobic training include increased stroke volume of the heart, capillary density, and mitochondrial density. Stroke volume increase simply means your heart pumps more blood per beat. Mitochondria are structures within muscle cells that produce energy from fat and carbohydrate oxidation. Think of them as tiny batteries for muscle contractions. Regular endurance training can double these structures; by increasing capillary density we can effectively transport more blood to the working muscles. The process of building capillaries occurs gradually. Because high-stress training breaks down capillaries, base training is best for allowing the slow growth of capillaries. This training period can take anywhere between 8-12 weeks depending on your training background. It can be split into 2-3 different intensity sessions Even if we have lofty training goals, we shouldn’t forget we’re out to enjoy our bikes this winter and to be a bit social.
Longer slower endurance rides of 2.5-4hrs with heart rate between 60-70% of max, shorter more intense rides of 60 mins with heart rate between 70-80% of max, and some short sharp alactic sprint work of 5-10secs with long recovery
Base training is one of the most important phases of an athletes season, setting the foundation stones for the intensive sessions that will follow later in the year.
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Post by Muller on Nov 19, 2015 15:40:13 GMT
Anticipation
Every action on a bicycle is where you anticipate being two seconds down the road…shifting, lane positioning, signaling, standing/seated, etc. Any action you take on a bicycle for “now” is too late. "Anticipate your moves".
Two shifting tips: Shifting, is anticipation. You don’t shift gears for “now.” You shift gears for where the bicycle will be “two seconds up the road.”
Shifting doesn’t make hills easier. Shifting is to help you maintain 60 – 70 rpm cadence (faster for more experienced riders). When you anticipate that your cadence is going to drop below 60 RPM’s (at the bottom of a climb), downshift. When you anticipate it will climb above 70 RPM’s (as you crest a hill), shift up.
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Post by Muller on Nov 26, 2015 16:43:16 GMT
“Headless chicken” training and how strava makes it worse The number one biggest mistake repeated time and time again, which is stopping cyclists from maximising their available training time, is not training in pre-defined zones. Zonal training is the key to maximizing your training hours and allowing you to peak at the right time for your target event. Zonal training is the idea that we should train at different intensities to stimulate a different physiological response. Racing and sportives have very definite (and known) demands which are placed on the body. In order for us to effectively prepare for upcoming events we need to train the specific physiological systems associated with those demands. A bi-product of not training in pre-defined zones is a culture that has developed around ‘average speed’ going out for a ride and determining its success by the average speed. There are a number of problems with using speed as your sole metric for judging performance. For example, if you ride into a head-wind or up a hill your speed is likely to be lower than the converse. Therefore, you may have generated your personal best 20 minute power output into the head wind, but only averaged 25kmph, so you judge this ride to be a failure. The main training-related problem with this emerging average speed culture (made worse by Strava) is that riders now ride around at a perceived effort of 7 out of 10 all the time. So, whether you have one hour or three hours available, you tend to ride as hard as you can for that time. In your mind this is the best way to make use of your available training time. In this way, unbeknown to yourself, you are just riding around in a ‘Tempo’ zone all the time and not actually making the best use of your available time. Riding around at ‘Tempo' all the time leads to a very narrow range of physiological response in the body. That is, we get really good at riding around at this exact pace but poor at everything else. An excess of Tempo riding is why you struggle to respond to changes of pace in your event or race, why you find it difficult to accelerate over the top of a climb and get dropped, and why you have no ‘pop’ when the final sprint is decided.
If you have 20 plus hours per week to train you can ride around without a plan and sooner or later you’ll probably stumble on something that works.
However, for those of us with busy lives, we need to embrace the science and start questioning the old-school methods.
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Post by Muller on Dec 3, 2015 13:02:01 GMT
How to Make the Most of Your Trainer Time Riding on the road is fun. Riding on the trainer is not fun (unless you’re a masochist!). If you're a typical roadie, though, you’re always looking for ways to improve: better equipment, smarter training, losing weight, etc. So, figuring out a way to add your trainer time to this list of ways to improve makes perfect sense. Your trainer is a useful tool you can use to tune up your cycling – without driving yourself batty in the process. Let's take a look at how you can do it. To improve at any sport you need to work on (at least) 6 things:1.Endurance—even if you don’t do longer rides, good endurance is the foundation of all that follows. 2.Power—power gets you up the hill with your riding buddies and also speeds your evening commute so you can beat the weather. 3.Technique—power comes from stronger muscle fibers and from muscle fibers that are trained to fire at the right times. 4.Core strength—your legs are levers, and your pelvis is the fulcrum, the point on which the levers turn. Core strength stabilizes your pelvis so all the power in your legs moves your bike, not your pelvis. 5.Conserving energy—your heart is beating hard moving oxygen and nutrition to your muscles. You want the vast majority of your O2 and calories to go to your legs, not to other muscles. 6.Focus—is the ability to concentrate on the task at hand, to put all of your physical and mental capacities into moving the bike down the road rather than being distracted. Riding on the road you can work on all six of these. How to Put Together an Effective Trainer WorkoutAn effective trainer workout includes a warm-up, a main set, and a cool-down. Even if you’re pressed for time, include the warm-up and cool-down. They don’t have to be long—five minutes of each is sufficient for many trainer rides. If your main set includes intensity, then try to warm up and cool down for at least 10 minutes each. The main set should have a specific purpose (or purposes)—don’t just grind away. Here’s how you can work on the above 6 areas: 1.Power—hard riding in the Sweet Spot plus recovery is the most effective way to increase power. You can do Sweet Spot intervals defined in minutes or random hard efforts and recovery—both work. The Sweet Spot is: a.By perceived exertion—you can talk in short phrases but not short sentences. b.By heart rate—93-97% of lactate threshold c.By power—88-94% of functional threshold power. 2.Technique—sprinting is the best way to improve the coordination of your muscle fibers firing. Don’t worry about gauging how hard you’re riding; just go as hard as you can for 20 to 60 seconds with plenty of recovery between sprints. 3.Core strength—practice riding your bike with firm core muscles so that your hands are resting lightly on the handlebars like you’re typing. 4.Conserving energy—practice riding with a quiet upper body. Rocking your upper body doesn’t produce more power, it just wastes energy. 5.Focus—rather than trying to think about anything other than how boring and painful your workout is, practice focusing just on your breathing or on the feeling of your leg muscles or pedaling with a round stroke. Technique DrillsHere are several sets for trainer workouts. These first three are great technique drills and can be done any time: One Legged Pedaling: This is also a great way to warm up. Set a moderate resistance. Unclip and rest your left foot on a box, stool, etc. and start with your right leg: 0:30 - 60 (seconds) right leg 0:30 - 60 both (don't bother to clip in your left foot; just pedal easy to recover) 0:30 - 60 right leg 0:30 - 60 both 0:30 - 60 right leg 0:30 - 60 both After your right-leg set, switch to your left and repeat. Each week try to increase each one-leg effort by 5 seconds. Spin-ups: Use a moderate resistance and in zone 2 and 3 increase the cadence as follows. Only go as high as you can while pedaling smoothly: 1 min @ 80 RPM 1 min @ 90 RPM 1 min @ 100 RPM 1 min @ 110 RPM 1 min @ 120 RPM 1 min @ 130 RPM 1 min @ 120 RPM 1 min @ 110 RPM Continue back down to 80 RPM. Accelerations: Use a moderate resistance. Every 3 to 5 minutes accelerate your cadence as fast as you can for 30 seconds while pedaling smoothly. Intensity SetsThe next three are intensity main sets and always take at least a day of recovery between them: Power pyramid: Set a moderate resistance. Pedal for 1 minute in your lowest (easiest) gear, then shift up one gear and pedal for another minute. Keep shifting up one gear every minute until you get to your hardest gear. Pedal in it for a minute and then work your way back down one gear every minute. Try to keep the same cadence throughout. Improvise Sweet Spot: While watching TV, push your intensity up to the Sweet Spot during all the commercials and pedal at a conversational intensity during the show. Short sprints: Repeat three to five times: 20 seconds flat out 40 seconds very easy 4 minutes steady Every few rides make the workout harder by increasing the number of times you repeat the pattern or by reducing the steady riding from 4:00 to 3:30, etc.
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Post by Muller on Dec 4, 2015 17:19:19 GMT
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Post by Muller on Dec 8, 2015 15:50:02 GMT
Cyclists and alcohol over Christmas – the hard facts The temptations of work parties, meeting with friends and family, and the general festive atmosphere, can also lower our defences and shatter our normal discipline and routine. Here, we offer you some of the facts about the relationship between alcohol and fitness and these may help to make sensible choices about alcohol use in the coming weeks. Impaired Metabolism and Fitness GainAlcohol interferes with the way energy is metabolised and how muscle is developed through protein synthesis. The liver is busy dealing with the alcohol toxins and struggles with the normal metabolic process of energy production and muscle replenishment. In short, the metabolic interference reduces the training effect and fitness gain. Poor Recovery and IllnessAlcohol impairs recovery significantly and increases the risk of illness. It increases the levels of cortisol – the stress hormone – and interferes with the sleep cycle which is crucial for recovery and healing. This combination can result in a reduction in growth hormone by up to 70 per cent. This combination lowers our illness defences and hinders recovery. Weight GainThe ‘empty calories’ of alcohol obviously produce weight gain – its seven calories per gram is almost as much as pure fat. But it isn’t just the alcohol – we are usually tempted to eat more high-calorific food with drink and the combination will undo a lot of our weight loss efforts. DehydrationAlcohol is a powerful diuretic and this promotes the production of urine. This can lead to severe dehydration, sometimes for many days depending on how much we drink. When dehydrated, we are much more vulnerable to injuries such as muscle pulls and strains, and it has an overall detrimental effect on training and recovery. Abnormal Heart RhythmThere is strong evidence that alcohol may trigger cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) and atrial fibrillation in those who have a propensity for it. In this case, using a hard training session to clear the system after alcohol excess is not a good idea. InjuryThe risk of being injured on the road is increased the day after drinking. Alcohol residue continues to affect our co-ordination and dexterity. Concentration suffers and reactions are slower. We all have those lucky escapes on the road from time to time, but we will be less ‘lucky’ after alcohol and the season can be wiped out from just one delayed reaction. The Facts and the ChoicesBy presenting these facts we are suggesting that alcohol shouldn’t be part of the holiday relaxation and celebration. A lucky few abstain totally without any loss of enjoyment or sociability. Some are happy with an odd bottle of beer or glass of wine. More of us struggle with temptation! We hope these facts will help in making good choices about alcohol during Christmas, and to hit January feeling fitter and stronger, without any feelings of guilt or regret. I don't really give a SHIT Happy Christmas to all
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Post by FinbarrL on Dec 21, 2015 11:35:06 GMT
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Post by Muller on Jan 13, 2016 16:56:25 GMT
How to cycle as part of a group
1: Always have your bike in 100% good working order. 2: When chatting always keep you focus on the road and especially on the bike in front of you. 3: Always cycle behind the person in front of you and not up beside their back wheel, this is a primary cause of crashes. 4: When in a group have your fingers either placed or "tethering" the brakes so you are ready at a seconds notice to slow up or avoid a collision ahead. 5: Always pass on the road obstruction calls. When possible compliment with hand signals they are more effective at pin pointing the location of the obstructions and avoid a general panic reaction and risk of crash. 6: "Always always" concentrate on the bikes in front. if you loose concentration you (and those behind you) crash. 7: Always be prepared for a rider in front getting off the saddle (standing on the pedals) This causes a momentary loss of momentum and often results in wheels touching and resulting in crash. Be especially alert for this at the base of inclines and climbs Group Rotation Guidelines 1: Always cycle in parallel pairs - don't "half wheel" e.g. cycle 1-2 feet in front of the person beside you. 2: Always rotate around in an anticlockwise direction and never jump across to a gap beside or diagonal to you as this upsets the whole formation of the group cycle. 3: Ideally the group rotates at a minimum every 2 minutes. However can be reduced depending on the nature of the cycling. It is the Group members responsibility to call out if the change does not happen in the expected time frame. 4: When riding at the front and its your turn to "move up and over to the left" do so very steadily - very often people sprint up and fly on ahead 10-20 meters.5: The group NEVER slows down, its the outside line that moves up. 6: If you are finding the "going" too hard just stay at the back 7: When at the front be very conscious that you are cycling with a group. No sudden movements.
8: When its your turn in front, get in position and MAINTAIN the same speed you had when in the bunch. Do not go slower do not go faster (unless road and overall circumstance dictate) 9: Also if you see others not concentrating or not moving up - SHOUT. Its everyone's right to do this. The group fun is at risk.
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Post by Muller on Jan 14, 2016 18:37:16 GMT
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