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Intermediate Bike Training News |  |
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Greetings, This is it! One more day and the 2006 training season is officially over. September is a transition month to relax and enjoy cycling. We have no real training goals for this month. We'll do our final set of "big" rides just because we like the routes. My favorite, coming up, is the Copper Triangle on Sept 16th. The weather will be cool, the trees turning, and the scenery breathtaking from the top of three passes. It's not a ride to see who can finish first or hammer the hills the hardest. I usually take time to eat lunch at the top of Tennessee Pass at the 10 Mountain Division memorial. What you should do this month is just ride. If you want a head start on the 2007 season then concentrate, as usual, on endurance. Ski season will be here soon so work on the core exercises and focus on building hamstring strength. We overdevelop the quadriceps by cycling. When the hamstrings are less than half the strength of the quads your ACL is at risk. Also, try some mountain biking or cyclocross. September is also a good time to take inventory of your riding abilities. The CompuTrainer can quantify your condition or I can take a look at you on the road. The 60 minute road assessment was too short so I've standardized on 90 minutes for both assessments. On a final note, Midlife Cycling is still young but gaining momentum thanks to my part-time copywriter, graphic artist, and event planner. We continue to work on ways to bring the Midlife Cycling "Full Circle Lifestyle" of Fitness, Food, and Travel to you. Open and print the latest Ride Schedule immediately. It has been changed to remove the last two mega- rides that many in the group did not feel comfortable with. While I love to keep pushing my own personal envelope, it is more important to me to ride with as many of you as possible. Have a great week.  Rick Russon
The following is my personal ride schedule for the remainder of the season:
Sep 2 - Golden Gate Canyon (58 mi) After this we will start pulling our mileage back. FULL CIRCLE LIFESTYLE: What is it? I want to constantly remind everyone that Midlife Cycling is not just about motoring around on the bike. The vision and purpose is much larger than that. Our goal is to achieve a level of health and fitness that many others can only hope for. Sure you can dabble and get by with a 1 hour fitness class three days a week. But I'm talking about a level of fitness where you can bike, hike, tour, shop, ski, golf, or do anything else all day without giving it a second thought. As hard as the LIVESTRONG Challenge was I still came home and mowed the lawn and played with my daughter that day. So please try to keep the big picture in mind. GROUP RIDING: How to use it effectively Let's face it, most of us don't like to spend any money if we don't have to. But after joining clubs, taking free seminars, and studying newsletters, library books and other free resources, why do so many people still ride with average ability or less? The main reason is that what you think you are doing may be very different than what you are actually doing. Or, doing Lance Armstrong's training is not appropriate for your level of conditioning. Many join Rocky Mountain Cycling Club or the Intermediate Training Group with the impression that we all ride together in one giant group while the coach calls out instruction. Unfortunately, the nature of cycling is very unfriendly to group training. With swimming, track, or team sports the participants are confined to a relatively small area. On the bike it doesn't take much to get spread out over a lot of miles on a long route. It is very rare to find a group of cyclists with the same abilities. In a group you will always find yourself going either too fast or too slow for your abilities. The benefits of riding in a group are fellowship, moral support, and help if you have a problem. The BEST way to train is one-on-one with a coach every week. This is usually not justified unless you are training for a specific event by a specific time. The SECOND BEST way to train is to study materials from a single coach, ride with a training partner, and work with the coach once every month. This is what I usually recommend. The THIRD BEST way to train is to follow a single written/multimedia program. The WORSE way to train is to pick up random hints and tips. Unless you are an experience athlete you will not have the skill to select the tips that are appropriate for you and integrate them into a consistent training program.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter I have decided not to do any core fitness clinics this winter. Due to meeting room scheduling challenges it looks like we may not have the seminars either. In their place will be DVD programs and larger special events.
Those of us who maintain our bikes and perform a through pre-ride check are becoming less tolerant of those who have regular problems on the road. The "Getting Started" CD explains in detail how to prepare for long-distance, self-supported riding. Perhaps an unfortunate choice of words for the title but it is not just for novices. It is for anyone who is not completely familiar with our type of riding. A couple issues come to mind immediately... first, we run liners to prevent flats. They haven't slowed me down any. And, unless you are 128 lbs like me I would suggest focusing on your body for weight savings. (note: for the techies out there - the added rotational inertia is insignificant also). Second, we eat on the bike. There is no way that you can ride at the distances and intensity we do relying on just a large breakfast. Finally, you won't last the ride without proper riding technique. If anything, we are generally faster on the last 40-50 miles than on the first. So, if you don't manage energy properly during the first part of the ride you won't last. All of this is explained, in detail, on the CD.
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