racing Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Tailwind Coaching

Being A Better Bike Racer? Or when is racing actually racing? (Podcast #24)

Sit back for a moment and ask yourself the following question: “When is racing actually racing?” Sure, it's a bit of a strange question, but really take a moment to think about it. Is racing all about winning? Is it about sitting in the pack until the last 150 meters before contesting a sprint? Is it about patrolling the front of the peloton and covering moves, making breaks and closing down gaps before taking a flyer with a lap to go? Is it about having the confidence in your fitness and race reading skills to take a pull or two and recover in time to make a winning move? Or, on the other hand, is racing about hard work and riding cleanly (not chopping others in corners, for example) while putting up the best results possible? Is racing about getting out there and getting your team's colors seen, even if you don't win?

Got your answer? Good.

Keep that answer in your head as you listen to today's podcast where I discuss the concept of racing solely to win, racing to get your team colors out there, and what's inherently wrong with racing (in the beginner categories) these days. I'll cover the concept of racing just to win (and what is and isn't wrong with that), the idea that each race is a new experience in tactics and skills, the concept of the “I'll let someone else do the work” mentality and why you should just stay home if you're willing to race for second place. Finally, I'll touch on ways to make you a better bike racer: why you SHOULD take risks and try different things, especially at the beginner levels of the sport. You have to spend some time becoming a better bike racer somewhere, and this is the place to try them.

Racing is different things to different people, so keeping that in mind, when is racing actually racing? And when is racing NOT racing? (Spoiler: I think people are not racing when the sole focus becomes winning, as opposed to everything else that a race encompasses: tactical sense, risk and of course, failure.)

“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.” ~ Wilma Rudolph

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or post on the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page. Don't forget to rate the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:38 — 41.8MB)

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Tags: Motivation, narrative, podcast, racing|

Post Race Perception

[dc]T[/dc]here's an uncomparably special feeling that accompanies racing. The thrill of the pack, the ticking sounds of other racers rowing through gears, the hum and woosh of carbon tubular wheels cutting through the air and the heart thumping tunnel vision of the hard last push to the line gives way to the inevitable post race decompressing. In those first few moments after the bike is thrown across the line, lunging for those last millimeters that could mean the difference between victory and defeat, we finally allow our senses to take in just how much searing, burning pain we have in our bodies. We experience the aching strain of trying to suck every last molecule of oxygen into our carbon dioxide riddled lungs. We feel the buildup of lactic acid tickling raw nerve endings in our legs. Maybe we even have to shake off the adrenaline fueled jitters that accompany the frenetic dash to the podium.

[pullquote]We finally allow our senses to take in just how much searing, burning pain we have in our bodies.[/pullquote]Even as we warm down, letting the stress of our effort melt away as we spin our legs aimlessly, we begin to take notice of the distinct feelings that only can accompany a good, hard race. It's an almost indescribable, sweet sensation of "job done, now it's time to let it all hang out." As time wears on, we rack our bike and unpin our number so that our racing strip is ready to be laundered and hung for the next round of combat. Through all of it, we feel those telltale signs of a hard race: the tightness in our back muscles, the achy stiffness in the glutes, and the utterly spent feeling in our quads. How I love the feeling of legs quivering while standing in the shower, warm soapy water cleansing and washing away victory or defeat (hopefully victory more often than not). That feeling of stiffness, soreness and completely spent muscles is something to revel in, not shy away from.

It proves we've worked our hardest, no matter what the result. It should be a reminder, akin to a battle scar, of what we have or haven't achieved. But regardless of the outcome we achieved, it proves we've left it all on the road. There's nothing quite as hard or impossibly special as racing, and our legs never let us forget that.

Tags: Motivation, narrative, racing|

Giro del Cielo Race Report (Podcast #19)

The Giro del Cielo is a 2-day stage race in Sussex County, New Jersey. Originally begun as a women's only race, in the 9 years or so that it's been in existence, organizers have added men's cat 3 and 4/5 fields. USA Cycling sanctioned, the 2 day/3 stage event is a great way to introduce people to stage racing without forcing them to commit to something as brutal as the Green Mountain Stage Race, Tour of the Catskills or the like. It's geographical location in northern New Jersey is also the perfect venue to draw a diverse group of racers and teams, ranging from local squads to teams and riders from New York City and Philadelphia.

I'll go through my experience stage by stage, discussing some of the things that worked, some of the things that didn't, and how to improve for next year. I'll cover:

Time Trial warm up – Getting your body primed for a hard, constant effort
TT recap
Post TT recovery – How to make sure the legs are fresh for a second race that day
Crit race warm up – Getting your leg speed online
Crit race recap
Day 1 recovery – The key to riding strong on day 2
Circuit race warm up – Getting the legs moving after a couple hard efforts the day before
Circuit race recap
Overall impression of the race and of my performance

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:16 — 55.2MB)

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Tags: Coaching, podcast, racing, reviews|

On Cycling Hero(in)es

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic with the finish atop the legendary Manyunk Wall. The close atmosphere of the event, combined with a large, high quality field allowed spectators and fans an amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with the action and the main protagonists in the field.

Not only did we watch the Bicycling Classic (which allowed anyone who had a bike and $25 to pin on a number and do a couple laps of the wall) but we were able to watch a brutally hard women's race and an action packed men's race. As the day wore on and we watched as riders suffered for the glory of the win, the QOM/KOM points, the points jersey and even just to stay in the race, it occurred to me that events like the Philly Classic cement cycling's foundation of a sport full of heroes. The more I pondered the events of the day, the more I realized why we react to cycling the way we do.

And honestly, it made me think about who my heroes are. Perhaps you'll consider who yours are as well.

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Tags: pro cycling, racing|

Giro d’Italia Week 1 Review

[dc]T[/dc]he first (and perhaps most beautiful) grand tour of the year arrived and has wound it's way around Italy for a week now. As always, the Giro has been surprise after surprise, with rain and slippery roads playing almost as big a part as the racers themselves. How has the first week developed and what might we see in the coming two weeks?

As for the protagonists (or antagonists depending upon which side of the fence you're on), Katusha is here thanks to the CAS ruling that placed them into the World Tour, although without the defending second place Joachim Rodriguez. Ryder Hesjedal (defending champion) lined up next to Cadel Evans, Vincenzo Nibali, Michele Scarponi, Robert Gesink and the odds on favorite, Bradley Wiggins. It was anyone's guess who could challenge Wiggins for the overall honors of the 2013 Giro, especially after his and Sky's dominating performance in the Tour de France last year. But as has been shown through the first week, the Giro is an unpredictable and fickle mistress, causing a number of the GC contenders to come to grief and leaving us all to wonder who will take home the coveted Maglia Rosa.

Stages

In the past few years, the Giro has been criticized as being too intense. Too demanding. Flat out too hard. Michele Acquarone has done a fantastic job in balancing the act in order to ensure star quality participation and exciting racing from beginning to end. Balancing time trial kilometers with mountaintop finishes, flat sprint stages and stages suitable to allow a break to go clear and somehow managing to not tip the balance towards one specialist or another is a difficult task indeed. Let's see how the stages developed.

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Tags: pro cycling, racing|