Race | Stronger Cyclist

2012 Winter weather forecast

posted on December 12th, 2011 in Cycling by Stephen

The Farmers Almanac has finally released their predictions for the U.S. 2012 Winter weather conditions. As always, this is just predictions fluctuations will occur.

As usual, it looks like the South-West U.S. has some of the best winter training weather.

The Northeast is predicted to have average temps, but be very stormy.

For here in the Southeast the forecast calls for a mild winter, Cold and dry initially, then scattered showers. This doesn’t mean that it will not be cold this winter, just that it should not be as severe as what it was last year. This will allow for an uptick in the pace of the early season packs as many cyclists will be able to train outside together, increasing their speed in the early season races.

Florida looks to have the best winter weather in the Southeast – dryer than normal and mild winter temperatures.

“If the weather is a common reason for missing workouts then achieving high goals is unlikely.” ~Joe Friel

Farmer’s Almanac 2012 Winter Weather forecast.

Here is a more detailed Southeastern forecast

Scattered showers in the Spring will still have cyclists inside on the trainer. Let’s face it being below 40 degrees and wet makes riding the trainer seem like a good idea! Here are 2x a week for 12 weeks worth of Wind-trainer workouts that will get you through those rainy days indoors. These workouts can be done on the Windtrainer or outside!

These workouts will make you

1) Leaner!
2) faster!
3) stronger!

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:

$28.95 5 things for Fat Loss and weight management: – FREE!
$28.95 Stretching and flexibility for increased aero-dynamics – FREE!
$28.95 Four things for Stronger Cycling, training phases – FREE!
$9.95 24 Windtraining Workouts – Included!

ALL for just 14.95!

Get the down-loadable workouts

How guys pee while cycling

posted on May 18th, 2011 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Ride Reports by Stephen

When you hydrate, at some point, you have to take a nature break. And if you are a racing cyclist, sometimes you can’t stop to take a nature break.

I have found the ability to pee while riding has come in handy in a couple of races. I remember 1 race in Augusta that is on a Army Base, I didn’t realize that our vehicles were going to be inspected before we were allowed past the gates. I was topping off the hydration on the way there & basically had to go when I pulled up to the base – once my vehicle was allowed onto base – I REALLY had to go….. but, now I was cramped on time and had to go straight to race parking.

I quickly dressed & hopped on the bike thinking I could find a porta-potty – what I found was the whole Pro1,2 field lined up and the referee giving pre-race announcements. I got inline with the other riders and a moment later we started the race.

So, there I was feeling like my bladder was about to burst before we even started the race….I basically had the choice to stop and have to chase back and probably be out of the race or pee while cycling. I choose to pee while cycling.

- This is best done on a slight downhill grade. Stability can be tricky while doing this, so a consistent and long, gradual down-hill grade is ideal. Make sure that the road ahead is clear of obstacles, potholes, etc. this maybe the worst moment to have a crash.

Also, it is best done at the BACK of the pack, with no one behind you.

There are 2 common options for this
1) Stand, put most of your weight on your right leg, rotate the hips to the right side, ideally you will be holding the saddle with your legs as extra stability, use the left hand to hold the H-bars straight, pull down bibs/shorts pull out hose, and ‘make water’.

2) roll up right leg of shorts using right hand, shift the hips slightly to the right, stick out right knee, pull out hose, try to relax, make water allowing the flow to go between the knee and the bike frame. This allows the wind to take away the stream.

Here is a PG description from 1 of my favorite interviewed cyclists, Dave Zabriski:

It is best done on a long gradual downhill, however, if a downhill isn’t available or not long enough, maybe you can enlist the help of friends or a team-mate to assist you. NOW this can be tricky!
The key is to maintain a consistent push, because otherwise there is no telling who will get sprayed, or potentially fall and get road rash.

It isn’t very difficult, but it will take a little practice. Just make sure that you are not somewhere it maybe illegal.

And if you are a woman - I have heard that standing and peeing has been done successfully, but I can not confirm that fact.

How to tell wind speed while cycling

posted on February 2nd, 2011 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Reviews, Ride Reports, Strength Training by Stephen

When you are out riding or racing do you look at all the flags that are around?
I do! And if you want to become a better bike racer, you should too! Ride and Race tactics can change due to the wind. Sprint lead-outs can change due to wind variables. Paceline echelons can will change based on winds, and outcomes of races can change due to wind changes!

Knowing which way the wind is blowing can play a big role in rides and races. While doing the Winter Bike League I will sometimes have guys ask to swap sides of the double pace-line with me. Or I have seen cyclists jump out of a corner, just to swap which side of the road they are on to get a buffer from the wind.

Flat stages of races can often be fairly mundane – unless there is a stiff wind, then maybe a team will come to the front and change the pace-line and really put on the pressure. To me the windy stages can be just as exciting as the mountains. Being prepared for which way the wind is blowing and how hard can sometimes make the difference between being in all the action as it happens or getting shelled out the back of a race wondering why it got so tough. Racers who are aware of wind changes can often use it wisely to their advantage.

For example, if the wind is coming in from your left, and you are going to make a right hand turn, then you will have a tail wind. This is not the time for the break-away. As easy as it is to create a gap, it is likely just as easy for riders to close it back down. Each rider in the front will not be fighting a headwind, and they will most likely put more energy into reeling-in a break-away. However, for this reason it can be ideal situation for a sprinters team that are doing a lead-out. Each member will not be fighting the wind as they lead the field.

However, if the wind is coming in from the Left and you make a Left hand turn, you will be going into a head wind. This is a situation where the Time-Trialist riders have the best advantage of creating and maintaining a gap on the field. A break away has a better chance of creating and holding a gap with a headwind also, IF the break away riders work together and are committed to the break away. Remember, to close a gap, the pack has to ride Faster than those in the break away.

During a Time Trial, it is important to know which way the wind is blowing and to also adjust your Heart Rate and power output accordingly. If you start with the wind to your back and then have a head-wind on the way back, then chances are you are going to a much slower split than what is necessary. Save a little extra for the head-wind section. Also, if the Time trial has cross winds, it can be a factor to what wheel choice you make. A dish wheel and a strong cross-wind can be very dangerous.

I remember riding across America we had gotten to Las Vegas and the wind was blowing so strong that you would be riding in a normal upright position, but watching the sand blow across the road in between buildings. Then as we passed each building we would have to adjust our riding position to even stay on our bikes, only to almost fall over when the wind was blocked by the next building.

According the the Beaufort Scale Wind Speed (Bft) (size of the flag makes only a small difference) some easy way to approximate wind speed for are:

1-3mph – the flag only occasionally flips open, the outer end hangs lower.
4-7mph – the flag is mostly extended, the waves are deep, a large portion of the outer top corner flips back and forth.
8-12mph – the flag is completely extended, the waves are faster and smaller than 7mph
13-18mph – the flag is still completely extended, the waves are faster than 12mph. The changes from 20mph and up are more subtle and harder to distinguish from each other.
Info on flag related wind speed pictures, click here

Airports are a great place to check out the ‘wind sock’. At the airports you can see not only which direction the wind is blowing, but also fast the wind is going, due to how much of the ‘sock’ is extended. (if you have never seen them they are orange and cone like).