Skills and techniques Archives - Page 4 of 6

Safe Cycling In The Rain (Podcast #16)

How 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.)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:59 — 18.3MB)

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Tags: podcast, training|

Coaching Tool: Ubersense

Ubersense is a tool which I have recently become acquainted with that has to potential to change the way coaching and fitting consults are performed. To put it simply, Ubersense is a magnificent app which utilizes your iPhone's (or Android's) video capture function to record a sports activity. Yourself (or your coach) can then view the video, analyze it in slow motion, mark up the video with angular measurements, record commentary over it, etc etc. This makes it extremely easy to perform consultations from a distance or work out mechanical issues in fitting environments or coaching environments.

Not only an app, Ubersense has a web presence and social media presence; users can share their video files with coaches and their friends, making it simple to see what others are doing and how training or activities may increase their skills. You can visit Ubersense on the web and download the app. We'll take a look at the functionality of Ubersense below, and you can follow along on the app.

More after the jump:

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Tags: Coaching, reviews, training|

Coaching: Singlespeed Workout

Learning to control and range your cadence outside your “comfort zone” of your sweet spot is a critical skill for all cyclists. It's the basic skill that allows you to succeed in group rides, modulate energy systems (switch from aerobic to anaerobic and visa versa) and make you a stable rider that others can draft. But many cyclists find it difficult to learn how to control their cadence, until now. The singlespeed workout is an excellent way to build confidence in your cadence control and it doesn't even require you to buy a new bike (although any excuse to buy another bike is a good one.)

In order to perform this workout, you'll need to find a segment of road that has some varying terrain: avoid steep climbs or sharp descents. Rolling terrain works best for this kind of workout. Shift into a gear that allows you to spin at your sweet spot cadence (the average cadence you pedal at for a LTHR/FTP test) and DON'T SHIFT OUT OF IT FOR THE ENTIRE WORKOUT. You'll pedal through the designated stretch of road (I like to run this workout on a 2ish mile long, gradual climb that includes some up and down rollers) using only your cadence to control your speed.

If the road climbs, your cadence will drop and you'll have to add tension to the pedals in order to get up the roller. As the road declines, you'll need to speed up your cadence to keep tension on the pedals. Don't coast unless you spin out completely (your spinning becomes choppy and poorly controlled.)

Adding this short workout to your rides will have you confidently controlling your cadence in a wide range of leg speeds. You'll thank me next time you're able to accelerate on a group ride by just spinning up 10 RPM more and hanging with the wheel in front of you.

Tags: Coaching, training|

The Irrelevance of the Triple

[dc]S[/dc]ince my previous post apparently stirred up a bit of controversy, I think it's appropriate to address the following question:

"Why didn't you include triple cranksets in your comparisons?"

Well, the simple explanation is because triples are irrelevant.

"What?"

Yes, they're irrelevant. With the rise of compact gearing and wide range cassettes, triple cranksets have been relegated to the dustbin of cycling history (with the notable exceptions of loaded touring and possible commuters.) But the question remains, why is this the case? Let's find out.

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Tags: components, cycling, physiology, wrenching|

Breathing Techniques – Part 2

If you missed part 1 of this article, which details some simplified physiology of breathing and exercise, I suggest you take a few minutes to get familiar with it now, as it will help you put into practice what will be discussed below. Ready? Cool, let's rock.

BREATHING TECHNIQUE

Now that we understand the fundamental differences between deep belly (diaphragmatic) breathing and chest (thoracic) breathing, we can begin to work technique into the mix.

First off, we need to consider that our work load is largely going to determine our breathing and pick our battles appropriately. If we're in an all out anaerobic sprint, there's little you can do to relax and breathe properly. If you're slogging up a long climb, you may be able to eke out a few extra watts or keep your heart rate a few BPM lower with good technique. The same could hold true for taking pulls on the front of a paceline during a fast group ride; proper breathing will keep you out of the red and pulling longer.

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Tags: Coaching, cycling, physiology, road bike, training|