|
 |
Intermediate Bike Training News |  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greetings, Well I'm either six days late with the newsletter or a day early depending upon if you are a glass-half-full person. Midlife Cycling is growing along with my computer company, 2 year-old daughter, church, and new flying organization Knight Flyers. Time-limited doesn't even begin to describe the situation which is why I intimately understand the obstacles to fitness that the majority of you are facing and why I can really help you if you will let me. Two weekend's ago ride was fabulous. A very important ride to guage our current level of cycling fitness. For new cyclists, it was an opportunity to learn the concept of managing energy over the route. High winds were the only thing that blemished an otherwise perfect cycling day. BTW - do you know anyone who would like a part- time job as my personal assistant? Mainly light filing and other admin. It would be great if they could help with the newsletter and website. Can be someone retired, stay-at-home mom, between jobs, or looking for a new career. Have them call me directly at (303) 229-5883.  Rick Russon
As I mentioned in the introduction numerous people learned about energy management on the Deer Creek ride. I often hear that it is easy to ride fast or hard because you feel good. Of course you are going to feel good at the beginning of a ride! You need to be thinking how to manage energy over the entire route. First mistake is taking off on the ride fast. Warm up your muscles before riding fast or hard. Some of the people you follow who take off fast either rode their trainer, rode the bike a little before the group ride, or their conditioning is better than yours so they ARE taking off slow. Next, was attacking Deer Creek Canyon. Oops, you forgot you still had a couple thousand feet to climb through Parmalee Gulch. And, wind force affects cycling way more than elevation gain. So think about the entire route. Hammer a hill if you know you have several miles to recover.
Weight training is over for us. We may still to upper body and light workouts for the legs but IT IS TIME TO RIDE. Took a PiYoChi class last week. This is a combination of Pilates, Yoga, and Tai Chi. This will be great for maintaining core strength and stretching during the riding season. A session on the CompuTrainer is a great way to see, in hard numbers, where your cycling abilities are. A 1 1/2 to 2 hour session is $95
I still have people showing up for rides with just a water bottle. We use a lot of energy on training rides. You need to replace anywhere from 400-600 calories per hour. Even if you are trying to lose weight you still need to maintain blood glucose levels to help transport fatty acids to your muscle cells. Some favorite products are Cytomax, Sustained Energy, Perpetuem, Hammer Gel, and GU. All the sports drinks and gels are similar. Test to find out which one tastes best, agrees with your stomach, and works best for you. Also, try regular foods for longer rides. Classics include Fig Newtons, pretzels, Payday bars, Fritos, and Mountain Dew.
Many of you will be wrapping up skiing over the next month. When you start cycling again you may get dropped on group rides. While you have built some great systemic conditioning you may not have much cycling-specific conditioning. Not to worry, a few long rides at endurance pace should get you caught up to most of the group.
Slowly but shirley the store is coming online. Still just a few used items. I just added some free papers. This is information from myself and others that provide the background theory on which the Midlife Cycling program was developed.
The other item I'd like to point out is the Liquid
Glucosamine. We BRENT'S PLACE ROADLESS RIDE - Mark your calendars for April 28th. This is a one hour group ride on stationary bikes at the Athletic Club at Denver Place. Your donation helps the Brent Eley Foundation build and provide housing to children who have undergone bone marrow tranplantation and their familes. Please visit or call www.brentsplace.org for more information.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
