How to ride in Cross Winds
posted on February 11th, 2012 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Reviews, Strength Training, Video Blog by Stephen
I love riding in cross winds. It is a time when power to weight ratio of the sprinters can really put the hurt onto the climbers.
It is a time when how the break works together can be the difference between survival and getting shelled.
Work too little and you may win, or the break may get caught, Work too hard, and you get shelled.
It is a time when knowing where the draft is can be crucial.
Just watch these professional riders have a tough time staying in contact with the rider in front of them due to the cross wind and the speed of the race.
Notice in this video of the 2012 Tour of Qatar – when Cancellara makes the move, the wind is coming from his right side & so he is on the Left side of the road – this is so that anyone behind him gets as little draft as possible. He is doing this in hopes that they will not be able to hold his pace and he can ride away.
Conversely once Cancellara realizes he isn’t going to be solo and wants some help, he edges to the right, so that the person drafting him has room to find the best draft on Cancellara’s back left.
Also, notice how when there are more people in the break they move to the right – so that the other riders can get a draft and they can all work together to hold the gap.
Quick Tip: Mash a larger gear in a crosswind. This is a great strength builder and when you spin (I generally) feel the need to always change to an easier gear and spin even more. If it is a training ride, try mashing that gear! You may feel tired after the ride, but you will get stronger!
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How to compare trainer hours to cycling outside
posted on January 24th, 2012 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Strength Training by Stephen
Many people ask the question of relating trainer hours to hours cycling outside – you can not truly compare the two.
1. On the trainer, there is no coasting.
2. your bike on the trainer acts differently than it does on the road.
3. On the trainer there are no fluctuations in traffic, pacing, hills, etc. just ‘Pedal dammit’!
4. You can zone out and pay less attention to things around you, and focus on the workout.
For these reasons, I don’t attempt to compare trainer hours to outdoor hours. I have heard people suggest that an hour on the trainer is worth 1.5 on the road. If you had to compare hours, I guess you could do that. However, I would suggest getting your workout done in a faster amount of time is really the goal – not just spending time ‘on the bike’.
What this means to me is that you have a goal (a set workout) planned, you warm-up, do the prepared workout, cool down, and get off the bike. Completing workout that is an overall goal of a training plan is much more important than merely ‘hours on the bike’.
These workouts will make you
1) Leaner!
2) faster!
3) stronger!
The Winter Wind Training classes is a series of on the bike workouts that will best prepare you for the Spring rides and upcoming race season. The workouts have been laid out so that you will come into the season in your best possible shape with out being burned out or fatigued. The workouts Build from one week to the next.
- These workouts can be done on the Windtrainer or outside!
What to expect:
-Heart rate based intervals of varying length and time each week.
-Steady state intervals for climbing and Time Trialing
-Individual Leg Training (ILT) for forming perfect pedaling circles
-Spin-Ups to increase leg speed
Or for the rest of this Month, get the Wind-Trainer workouts a 9.95 value PLUS
Get all this:
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$28.95 Stretching – FREE!
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Winter Cycling Training
posted on December 22nd, 2011 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Strength Training by Stephen
This is the time of year when Mother Nature tries to fool you into thinking that the winter will be easy and you will have beautiful days to ride all Winter.
One Winter several of us at a local bike shop got together and did twice weekly spin classes. We started in the first of the year, and it was good to do it with a group. But suddenly our guy that had to lock up when we were done got a change of schedule and we could no longer spin – a month later, the time had changed and we were once again out on the road. But I feel like I was starting all over again.
Many people do all kinds of training this time of year, only to burn out or stop due to the cold and/or wet weather in the early Spring. Remember not to do too much intensity and do not do too much mileage this time of year, unless your plan and commitment is true, and you follow through to the new year.
Remember the old story of the tortoise and the hare – steady wins the race.
Have the proper Winter cycling gear to get you through the cold and dreary days.
Don’t let that happen to you!
1) Get a Trainer
2) Have prepared workouts that ramp up the intensity.
3) Do the workout and get OFF the bike! Riding the trainer can be more challenging for you mentally than physically! Do a workout and get off the trainer.
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StrongerCyclist.com is the site of Stephen Carhart, personal trainer, author, and cyclist.