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2014 Holiday Gift Guide

[dc]T[/dc]he holiday gift giving season is nearly upon us, and many of us are creating our own "wish lists" for loved ones to peruse. Others may be on the hunt for the perfect gift for "that crazy bike guy" in their life. In the spirit of the season, I'm listing some of my favorite gifts for beginners, some gifts for the hardcore racing crowd, and a few items that will suit anyone who appreciates the two wheel lifestyle. Without further ado, let's look at some gifts for:

For The Beginner Cyclist

Chamois Butt'r

Beginners to the sport are often somewhat squeamish about the idea of wearing lycra shorts with a chamois in them in the first place. Introducing them to the process of smearing chamois lube (in this case Chamois Butt'r) on their rear end may sound like a huge step, but once they get a couple of lubed up rides in, they'll wonder how they ever did without. Not only does Chamois Butt'r help to prevent chafing during long days in the saddle (and thusly prevent saddle sores) the proprietary non-greasy blend is gentle on sensitive skin and easily washes off both skin and clothing. And if the recipient does tend to suffer from saddle sores, try the Eurostyle which adds a cooling element to cut down on the soreness of long days and weeks in the saddle. Forget the awkwardness of giving your cycling obsessed loved one some bit Butt'r, and dump a tube of lube in their stocking.

$16/8 oz. tube or $20/8 oz. Eurostyle tube.

http://chamoisbuttr.com/

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Tags: beginner, coffee, components, power|

Coaching Q&A (Podcast #28)

Have you ever heard of the phrase “if you have a question, ask it. Someone else probably has the same question but is afraid to ask it?” Over my time in practice and coaching athletes, I've found this to be true time and time again. Cyclists both young and old, new and seasoned, racer and group rider come to me with many of the same questions, each one looking for an answer as to why they are having trouble with something and how they can advance their fitness. In most cases, it's simple changes to their program that can produce stellar results.

In today's podcast, I'll go over a couple of questions and concepts that I've been seeing a lot lately. These are all things that you average cyclist needs to know in order to become a faster, stronger rider. I'll shed some light on:

Do you need a power meter to train effectively?
Who benefits from training with power?
How many “A” races are too many?
What pitfalls are there in planning a season?
Why do my legs “get heavy and lose their ability to push?”
What can I address to take my fitness to the next level?

If you like what you hear, go over to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars. Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page.

And don't forget: BATTENKILL registration is November 15th at 7PM. You can get my new, revised and improved 20 week Battenkill Training Plan in my store, and be well on your way to the podium. Remember to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.

Tags: battenkill, Coaching, planning, podcast, power, training|

10 Reasons to Use a Power Meter
10 Reasons to Use a Power Meter

Coaching discussion, Power training and discussion

10 Reasons to Use a Power Meter

A power meter has become ubiquitous with performance in the past few years, and their popularity has led many companies to jump headfirst into the power market. Previously dominated by Saris and SRM, the power meter market has expanded significantly in the past few years. Quarq, Power2Max, Look/Polar, Rotor, 4iiii, Brim Brothers and Stages Cycling have joined the fray, while Ergomo has disappeared, iBike has suffered mightily from the lack of direct measurement and Garmin has finally brought the long-awaited Vector to market.

Despite the myriad of options, one thing has remained (fairly) constant in the world of power meters: the high cost of admission. True, the Stages power meter has entered the market at a very attractive price and older model Powertaps are plentiful and more affordable, especially since the G3 price drop. The fact remains that your average power meter will run you around $800 or so.

It's expensive, yes, but that doesn't mean you don't need one, and you can read why after the jump:

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Tags: Coaching, power|

SRAM Red Exogram Quarq Review

After managing to put paid to my third Cinqo power meter, Quarq went above and beyond the call of warranty service and upgraded me to a Red Exogram power meter to replace the problem child Cinqo. I detailed the warranty process in this post, so you can read about it in detail there. Suffice to say, Quarq was wonderful throughout the process and I feel confident recommending them and their power meter units to anyone.

As for the Red Exogram model, while it may look similar, in reality it is a radical departure from the (now discontinued) Cinqo model, both in terms of the power meter spider and the SRAM crank components themselves.

After the jump we'll take a look at the Exogram unit as a whole and as a sum of its parts.

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Tags: components, power, reviews, wrenching|

Zone 5 and VO2 Max Training (Podcast #18)

With the solstice and the arrival of summer, the cycling scene could literally not be hotter. Group rides are rolling out almost every night of the week, centuries and charity events are plentiful and of course the racing scene is full speed ahead. However, many cyclists, from weekend warriors to racers are often missing something. Something that could be the difference between being dropped from the group ride or peloton and being the one pushing the pace and shelling other riders.

That something is an understanding of the importance of VO2 max (Zone 5 or Z5) training. This season, much like every other one before it, I see lots of riders who are plenty strong and tactically fit. However, they lack that one last skill that would turn them from a “one-speed rider” into a group shattering monster. They lack the punch to match accelerations on climbs, make it over short, sharp pitches and surge with the group. More than that, they lack the ability to repeat these surges over and over again, and they invariably find themselves off the back asking “what happened?”

Today's podcast will deal with the how and why of VO2 max training, including:

Describing what VO2 max is
Why VO2 max is important to train
How to train Zone 5 properly
Indoor trainer workouts for Zone 5 power and repeatability
Outdoor examples of how to incorporate Zone 5 work into your rides

As always, if you have questions or comments about today's podcast, feel free to contact me. And always remember to rate the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes!

And for my podcast listeners, you can take 15% off everything in my downloadable training plans section by using the code “spower”. This code will expire on July 4th, so act fast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:21 — 39.7MB)

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Tags: Coaching, podcast, power, training|