Sometimes a Solo Climb is Just What I Need
There’s nothing like a long solo climb to clear the head after a busy week. I skipped out on the Spectrum Group Ride yesterday morning to spend some time with my family. I thought I might not get a ride in but my wife and son headed down for a nap in the afternoon. What to do? I could grab a few hours of down time, even nap, or head out for a solo spin. I chose spin.
It’s been a busy week at work and all my riding has been flat and fast with the local Group Rides so for yesterday I decided to head out to one of my favorite local climbs – Kings Mountain Road (map HERE). Spinning in an easy gear, it takes me a little under 30 minutes to cover just over 4 miles to the top.
I love riding this climb alone. It switchbacks through an old-growth Redwood forest with views of the San Francisco Bay and across to the East Bay. Sometimes when I ride solo on back country roads I’ll listen to music in one ear, but not today. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts and the steady cadence of pedaling and breathing, pedaling and breathing.
And, the trees! Before moving to NorCal, I had never spent any time among the Redwoods. They’re gigantic and breathtaking. As I pedaled around switchbacks, I found myself staring back down the road into the forest searching for the biggest trees. Mammoth and imposing, silent and stoic, possessing hundreds (maybe thousands) of years of history. I worked through my thoughts and got clarity on some issues that bad been eating at me during the week. It was therapy. Emotional, physical, even spiritual therapy.
I got to the summit and looked out over the Pacific some 10 miles below. I collected my thoughts and made a promise to myself to remember the clarity of mind I experienced while climbing when I got back down into the city.
The descent down Rt 84 is rip-roaring. I have to remind myself not to chase cars. I smiled a bit when a car at the top honked behind me before the first corner. Two turns later it was gone. It’s one of those descents where it’s much faster on 2 wheels than behind a wheel. While there’s time to think on a climb and the mind is free to wander, on a descent like this there’s nothing but the moment. All that matters is the moment. Head down, eyes up, corner ahead, scrub some speed, accelerate out…it takes all of 7 minutes to descend a 30 minute climb. And back to reality.
How about you? Is there a climb or road that you love to ride solo and just have time to think? I love Group Rides for reasons listed HERE but sometimes a solo climb is just what I need.
Ride on…
Philippe Gilbert Can’t Be Stopped at Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Philippe Gilbert is simply brilliant. He’s now won the past 4 major races in a row: Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. And he’s done it in a number of different ways – sheer power, tactics, even a sprint. If you’re unfamiliar with Gilbert, I did a short write up on the Amstel Gold HERE. Belgians, and Gilbert in particular, are on a tear this year.
When you’re done watching the final 4 minutes of the race posted in the video above, head on over to Red Kite Prayer to read a great write up on this monumental race.
Below, here’s a great insightful video from Leopard-Trek’s resident leg-breaker, Jens Voight, on what makes Liege-Bastogne-Liege unique and what Andy and Frank Schleck needed to do…turns out they were there in the end but maybe too much wasted energy led to their demise? Then again, they wouldn’t have been there together in the end if they hadn’t made the race like they did. Either way, according to Jens, it all comes down to taking a chance and being “brave.” No question the Schlecks rode bravely but in the end another man was simply stronger.
Ride on…
The AGR Daily Newspaper – April 25, 2011
Click Image to View the AGR Daily
Time to catch up on all the past weekend’s cycling news (including race results from Liege-Bastogne-Liege) with the AGR Daily Newspaper. The AGR Daily aggregates all the news from around the world of cycling, allowing you to view in one place. If this is your first time viewing the AGR Daily, you can read a brief explanation of how it works HERE. Just click on the above image to view the newspaper!
Ride on…
Rediscover the Little Kid in You
This is my son, Greyson, on his very first bike ride. He lasted as long as he could until he literally hit the wall.
Remember when you were a kid learning to ride a bike? For many of us, it was our first taste of adventure. At first, the bike was transportation. In 2nd Grade, I started riding my bike to school. Then, my brother and I started riding all over the place on the weekends. Not for training mind you (we were kids!), but for adventure. The bike was a ticket to a world beyond the 4 boring corners of our neighborhood. We would spend all day out in the sunshine riding bikes from one destination to another, basking in the freedom that a bike provided. This lasted for years.
Then I got my drivers license and the bike hung on the wall in the garage. There were new adventures to be had and I all but forgot about the bike. But somewhere in my 20’s, I rediscovered the adventure a bike can bring. Sure, now I have goals when I ride and usually have to hustle home as real-world adult responsibilities await. But somehow, riding a bike as an adult put me back in touch with that little kid that simply loved the wind in my face and the freedom and adventure of riding all over God’s creation on two wheels.
A childhood without a bicycle is a sailboat becalmed. A bicycle has the grace and style to give a billowing gaiety and a transcendent innocence to the fragile moments of childhood. In later years, those moments may be recalled for refuge, however evanescent, from the fits and frights of life. – James E. Starrs, The Noiseless Tenor (taken from “The Quotable Cyclist” by Bill Strickland)
Whatever your motivation for riding, you can’t help but benefit from reconnecting with your inner little kid. Remember that little you that longed for the weekend where you could throw your leg over a bike and ride off for hours on end? Try finding that little kid this weekend. See where he or she takes you.
Ride on…
8 Ways a Group Ride is Like “Fight Club” – Part 2
Yesterday, I posted Part One of 8 Ways a Group Ride is Like “Fight Club.” I encourage you to read the introduction to this series from yesterday’s post before launching into today’s. This post won’t make much sense otherwise. Here’s the continuation, Rules 6, 7, and 8, with adapted explanations for a Group Ride:
#6 – No shirts, no shoes.
- There are some rules when it comes to basic, essential attire in a Group Ride. That’s just the way it is. You don’t need a $5,000 bike, a pair of $500 Assos bibs, or the hottest Italian shoes in order to fit in but don’t expect someone to let you in out of the wind if you show up in board shorts and running shoes. You know who I’ll think twice about making room for in a paceline? The dude that shows up on the huge Saturday ride in a skateboarding helmet and t-shirt. Why? ‘Cause if he hasn’t made the basic investment in clothes that work then he’s tipped his hand that he shouldn’t be out there. And he’s probably riding a bike with loose skewers. I don’t want to follow that squirrely guy around a 90 degree downhill corner at 30mph.
#7 – Fights will go on as long as they have to.
- Some of the best advice I received about cycling came from a 55 year old friend who’s been racing for 40 years and owns multiple national and world masters championships. He told me to take a long-view of this cycling thing. There will be seasons of life where the miles and hours come freely. Other times, he told me, you have to scrap and fight to simply get out on the road a couple of times a week. A bad race or limited training time used to get me down. It would affect other parts of my life and leave me grumpy and pissed off. But you know when I’m most passionate about cycling? When it doesn’t own me and when it’s in its proper, prioritized place in my life. My 55 year old sensei told me that cycling tends to breed or bring out obsessive tendencies in us when it comes to getting the miles in but first things must come first, whatever that means in your life. Unless you’re riding the bike to pay the bills, time off the bike can actually be a good thing for regenerating your passion for riding. So take a long-view. The fight will go on. The road will still be there when you get back. Just make sure to get yourself back in the fight when the time’s right.
- This is initiation. If you’re headed out to your first big Group Ride, just know you will get dropped. I don’t mean your first Group Ride in a new area if you’ve been doing Group Rides for years in your old hometown. I mean, your very first Group Ride ever. Dropped. It’s ok. You’ll have aspirations, you’ll hang on as long as you can dangling off the back. But you won’t know where the ride twists and turns or where the regular surges go down. When I first started riding, it took me 2 months just to finish with the big Saturday ride and another 6 months before I started to feel comfortable in the pack. Six months! You may adjust more quickly. Just don’t beat yourself up if you can’t keep up for a few months. Keep at it. You’ll come around. You’ll get stronger. That’s why Group Rides are so awesome. A great truth about cycling that I’ve mentioned before: the best way to become a better, stronger rider is to ride with better, stronger riders. Just know that every single person in the Group Ride including the hot local pro and the old grizzly veteran had to start somewhere. And we all took our turns in those early days getting shelled and dropped. The best fighters at Fight Club have just been at it longer than most, persevering.
There you have it! Any reactions? Any insights to add? Would love to hear.
Ride on…
8 Ways a Group Ride is Like “Fight Club” – Part 1
There are all sorts of Group Rides out there. Some are recovery rides, some tempo spins, some hammerfests. My favorite Group Rides are like a boxing match. Not literally, mind you (though I’ve seen it happen). In the figurative sense, a great Group Ride should be great training. And great training is hard. Head down, pushing to hold the wheel in front, trying to coax another ounce of power from somewhere deep within. When it’s like a boxing match, someone hits out off the front and the group hangs on or chases. Then, there’s barely time to recover and BOOM someone else hits out. Over and over it goes. Barely hanging on. 101% of your maximum effort. Suffering. Too many cyclists ride too many miles in the comfortable, medium tempo zone. These kinds of boxing-match rides balanced with off-day recovery spins are the only way to get stronger. Easy recovery days should feel too easy. On your hard days of training, it should be really hard.
If you’ve seen the movie, “Fight Club” you know that the fights aren’t so much a boxing match as an all-out street brawl. Before you think I’m going all machismo here, let me point out that it’s not a movie about fighting for fighting’s sake. For the characters in the movie, fighting becomes therapy. As the story unfolds, fighting is a metaphor (I guess the screenwriter could have chosen some other backdrop like fly fishing or something but Ed Norton and Brad Pitt punching each other in a basement sell more tickets). I’m obviously not advocating fighting but I am saying that competitive, safe Group Rides are therapy and even a metaphor if you want to see it that way. My favorite Group Rides are like Fight Club.
Here are the 8 rules of Fight Club with adapted explanations for a Group Ride:
#1 – The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.
- It’s usually difficult to find information about Group Rides except for possibly a start location and departure time. Occasionally a bike shop website will list rides. Apart from start location and departure time, the listing might read “fast” or “challenging” or “B group” for a slower ride. But when it comes to what the ride is actually like (friendly, competitive, hardcore, etc), you don’t know what the ride is really like until you get out there and do it. Regulars or veteran riders might be able to give you a few insights or tips but experience is the best way to find out. Because outside of the Group, regular people don’t really talk about it. Not because it’s some big secret but because most of the world doesn’t really understand the allure anyway. Kinda like Fight Club. So get out there.
- Ditto. See above.
- If someone goes down, usually the ride stops unless it’s one of those huge Saturday morning Group Rides. In that case, a small group of riders will stop, usually the friends of the fallen rider, but the rest of the ride will most likely continue. I’m not saying it’s right but watch what happens if there’s a crash on a ride with more than 50 people. If it happens towards the back, the front of the ride won’t even know what happened. However, on a morning ride (where the riders are usually more well-known to each other) or smaller Group Rides, when there’s a crash then the group stops. If it’s a really serious crash involving multiple riders or a car/truck/large stationary object, then the entire ride stops. Game over. Time to take care of a fallen comrade.
#4 – Two guys to a fight.
- Group Rides like Fight Club are competitive. And it is possible to be competitive and safe at the same time. It just means that riders are pushing each other. The best kind of Group Ride is one where you’re in it with riders that are stronger than you. I’ll say it again because it bears repeating: Ride with riders that are stronger than you. That’s the only way to get stronger.
#5 – One fight at a time.
- Get in the fight and do something. Don’t be a passenger. Go with the break. Chase down a break. Initiate a move. Pull through in the paceline. You’ll take your licks and you may even give a few. Maybe you’ll win a town-line sprint. Maybe you’ll get dropped. Either way, make sure you do something. As long as you went to all the trouble to wake up early, kit up, and take precious time away from your family, at least make it worthwhile. Ride hard. Get in the fight.
That does it for Part 1. Part 2 is HERE.
Ride on…
Amstel Gold, 2011 – Yup, Another Belgian Wins
The Amstel Gold was on Sunday and another Belgian won. Amstel is the Netherlands biggest pro bike race and begins what’s called the Ardennes classics. These series of spring races, named for the Ardennes mountains and forests that make up northern Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, include the monument Liege-Bastogne-Liege and also Fleche Wallone (coming up in a few weeks)
Ridiculously narrow roads. Road furniture that comes out of nowhere. Steep, punchy climbs and a crazy uphill finish. That’s Amstel Gold. The beauty of these spring classics (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix + a host of smaller races) is that they all have their own quality and character and they generally favor different kinds of riders. Every few generations, we may see a Fabian Cancellara that can compete in all of them but for the most part San Remo favors the sprinters, Flanders takes a strongman able to burst over short climbs, Paris-Roubaix is sheer power and guts, and Amstel Gold takes an incredible all-arounder with a massive uphill sprint.
In this year’s edition, the rider with the number one on his back as defending champion, Philippe Gilbert, chased down Andy Schleck and powered his way up the finishing climb to reassert himself as a man for the classics. Gilbert is from the French speaking region of Belgium, but hey he’s Belgian, and the Flemish have adopted him as one of their own.
So just in case you’re counting this spring, that’s FOUR BELGIANS that have won the past FIVE classics/semi-classics: Tom Boonen at Ghent-Wevelgem, Nick Nuyens at Flanders, Johan van Summeren at Paris-Roubaix, Philippe Gilbert at Brabantse Pijl, and again Gilbert at Amstel Gold. Belgium is smaller than Indiana and they’re kicking the crap out of the rest of the world in the toughest races on the planet. The legendary toughness of Belgian bike racers is well-earned.
Almost makes me want to go train for 4 hours in the freezing rain. Almost.
Ride on…
Art of the Group Ride Daily Newspaper – April 18, 2011
Click image to view The AGR Daily
The AGR Daily aggregates the most popular stories, photos, videos and trending twitter topics related to cycling. It’s a great way to find the most popular daily cycling news stories from around the world in one place. You can click on the headlines to read the full stories from sites like VeloNews and CyclingNews as well as personal tweets from pro riders and writers. Just click on the image above to go to the AGR Daily at Paper.li to catch up on everything that’s happening now. You can even subscribe to the AGR Daily (see subscribe button in the newspaper) to keep up to date with daily stories in the world of cycling.
Ride on…
Your Weekend Training and Racing Inspiration
Halfway up a local climb
Ah, the weekend. Don’t know where you are but hopefully you can get in some long miles over the next 2 days. If you’re in California, maybe you’re over at Sea Otter tearing it up.
I take a lot of inspiration from quotes and on occasion tape a quote to the stem of my bike. Some have gotten me up long climbs & have kept me hanging on in a tough Group Ride long after I’ve wanted to sit up. Here are a few that have made it onto the stem or top tube:
“To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain. Sure, the sport is fun with its seamless pacelines and secret singletrack, its post-ride pig-outs and soft muscles grown wonderfully hard. But at cycling’s core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peace. It doesn’t matter if you’re sprinting for an Olympic gold medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you’re missing the essence of the sport” – Scott Martin
“I know the pain of cycling can be terrible: in your legs, your chest, everywhere. You go into oxygen debt and fall apart. Not many people outside cycling understand that.” – Greg Lemond
“When you are having a devil of a job to stay with the pack, when you can’t remember your name and you can hardly see your own front wheel, it’s at such moments that you must remember that Coppi, Van Steenbegen, Poulidor, Gimondi and all the others achieved greatness only because they knew how to fight through these moments.” -Charles Ruys
When I read these, I’m reminded that it’s worth it. That I love this. Momentary pain and suffering are minor costs compared to the lifelong rewards of physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Do you have any inspirational quotes that you’ve taped to your bike?
Have a great weekend!
Ride on…
A Sunday in Hell
Today, the big dogs throw down. Pain and suffering, power and bike-handling, tactics and head games, Roubaix is a true test of guts and heart. Versus is airing 3 hours coverage of the Queen of the Classics this afternoon starting at 4pm PST.
Below is the full version of A Sunday in Hell. Still considered the best film ever made about pro cycling, it follows the 1976 edition of Paris-Roubaix. Grab a cup of coffee or bottle of Chimay. Embrocate. Soak it all in.
Ride on…
Everything You Need to Know About Tomorrow’s Paris-Roubaix
The following video is from Road to Roubaix. Simply beautiful. You must watch this before the race:
Honestly, there’s nothing I can say about Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix that hasn’t already been written. So here’s a smattering of coverage from across the interwebs to set you up for the big show.
- Cycling News presents it’s top contenders.
- Tom Boonen believes there will be an early selection rather than late heroics
- Fabian Cancellara weighs in on his favorites and believes the Forest of Arenberg will again be a key moment.
- World’s fastest sprinter, Mark Cavendish, feels like a little kid before his first Paris-Roubaix.
- Velonews covers each cobbled section with rankings.
- Come to find out, Taylor Phinney will not make his P-R debut because of nagging injuries.
- Daily Peloton shares it’s P-R preview.
- Included in Euro Peloton’s Roubaix preview is one of his favorite parts of the race: watching the mountain goats from Euskatel Euskadi get shelled and dropped off the back in the first 50k.
- Pez Cycling News gets you up close and personal with the Pave.
- Red Kite Prayer reminds us Flanders proved that the actual winner may not be a pre-race favorite.
- Velominati invites you to participate in the V Super Prestige and pick your own top five. Join the party.
Here are my top five:
- Spartacus
- Tommeke
- Hincapie
- Hushovd
- Flecha
Going with the favorites but hoping I’m wrong and Big George finally gets his cobblestone.
Who’s in your Top Five? Please leave a comment and let us know.
Ride on…
Tempers Flare as the Noon Ride Heats Up
Click on image to view interactive map of the Noon Ride in Palo Alto, CA
The Noon Ride got a little chippy today as tempers flared. Essentially, the issues centered around basic Group Ride etiquette. Without going into too much detail about today’s ride in particular, there are some basic, unwritten yet clearly understood rules that apply to all Group Rides. That being said, we’re all competitive beings and sometimes the adrenaline gets going and riders take unnecessary risks. Hopefully not too many, too often as unnecessary risks put not only the offending rider in harms way but the rest of the group as well.
Riding bikes in fast moving groups has certain inherent risks but when individuals take unnecessary risks on a regular basis, this is where the group must step up and point out the offense. Here’s a short list of basic etiquette based on what I saw on the Noon Ride today. These rules should really go without saying but I’m still amazed when they’re not understood or flat out ignored.
Here’s an additional thought after the original post: I want to clarify that these points of etiquette have not been invented by the author. Actually, all of the posts on this blog having to do with Group Ride etiquette are simply collective wisdom that’s understood by most cyclists who frequent Group Rides of all sorts. In other words, my comments here are based not only on my personal thoughts and experience but also on what I heard expressed from other riders during the Noon Ride. If you disagree with any of the points of etiquette below (or any listed in previous posts), I would actually love to hear about it. This blog is open to all kinds of questions and comments are encouraged (see comment box below). I would ask that comments keep a generally positive tone. My purpose for writing this post is not to bash, judge, or call out anyone in particular but simply to re-emphasize that it’s up to the Group to keep things in line and safe.  Furthermore, I’m also not claiming to be perfect! At one time or another in my riding life, I’ve violated different rules and etiquette. My hunch is that we all have at one time or another. When possible I try to own up to any of my offenses and apologize when necessary. When the air is clear, we can all get back to the business of having a great, safe ride.
- Riders should never blow through stop signs. That being said, it would be hypocritical to say that we never run stop signs. There are a few stop signs on this ride in particular that we roll through (the front riders calling out “all clear” or “car” whichever the case may be) and everyone knows which ones they are. For example, there’s one at a dead end right turn deep in the back roads with little traffic (I’ve never actually seen a car there). The stop signs I’m talking about are at busy intersections where the Group is clearly slowing and stopping for other traffic on the road.
- If sitting 20 wheels back when the group slows for a stop sign, it’s considered poor etiquette to fly up alongside the group and blow past the front riders in order to gain an advantage as the group accelerates slowly out of the stop .
- If a rider is in a paceline and finds themselves on the front, that rider must do work like everyone else. If a rider is in a break, everyone must work. If a rider isn’t strong enough to work in a paceline or in a break like everyone else up there, then that rider should sit in the bunch rather than upset the tempo on the front.
- If a rider wants to hang around on the front but isn’t strong enough to do an equal share of the work, there’s a simple solution: Ride more and get stronger.
- If a rider is on or near the front, it’s the duty of that rider (and others up there) to point out branches, soda cans, traffic cones, baby strollers, etc for the rest of the group. It’s not optional. It’s the responsibility of the leaders of the ride. The best Group Rides have trustworthy leaders.
- If the majority of the group has to slow for a car or other obstruction, it’s poor etiquette to attack. If the group splits because of an obstruction, it’s good etiquette to wait for everyone to safely pass before dropping the hammer again. The last riders to pass through the obstruction should give an “all here” call.
- Don’t get tactical. There aren’t any trophies, podium girls, or photogs waiting for us at the end. “I’ve got a teammate in the break” is not an excuse for not doing work. Which brings me to my final point…
- I’ve written HERE about what a Group Ride is and HERE about what a Group Ride isn’t. Bottom line, it’s not a race. It should be hard, competitive, and challenging but it’s not a race.
When these things happen, my personal feeling is that it’s up to the group to hold one another accountable to safety and basic etiquette. I’ve written previously HERE and in other posts about the character of Group Rides. The character of any Group Ride is defined over a long period of time by a well-known psychological concept called Group Think. This can be a either a really good or really annoying truth. No single rider defines the character of the ride, but rather it’s the collective consciousness of the group itself. And it’s this collective consciousness that needs to define and enforce safe parameters for a fun, challenging, competitive and safe ride.
The Noon Ride is a great ride with great group of riders – and it’s generally safe and very challenging. A few guys stepped up today and pointed out to offending riders where unnecessary risks where being taken and poor etiquette was being displayed. It usually comes down to the veterans and leaders of the ride to speak up. We’re all out there to have fun and get some good training after all.
Be respectful. Ride safe. Ride hard. Everyone wins.
Ride on…
The Queen of the Classics
Paris-Roubaix. The Hell of the North. The Queen of the Classics. The greatest one-day race of the year. The biggest of the 5 monuments. Whatever you want to call it, this is THE one-day race. The battle goes down this Sunday.
It used to be that the same riders who contested the Three Week Grand Tours would do quite well in Roubaix (Merckx, Bobet, Coppi, et al). But in the modern era, it takes a completely different kind of rider to even think of coming close to the podium. Grand Tour winners of the past 20 years won’t touch it. Just think about that for a moment – Hinault, Indurain, Armstrong, and host of other Tour de France winners don’t even come close. Like the Tour of Flanders last week, Belgians have dominated this race since it’s inception in 1896: Belgium 53, France 28, and it drops from there. This race above all others takes an unworldly threshold for pain and suffering, a quality of toughness that Belgium breeds in its riders.
It’s no secret who’s going well this year. With Ghent-Wevelgem and Flanders in back to back weeks, it’s the same group of riders who stand a chance. If you want to know who to put your money on, just check the top ten from the last 2 weeks: Cancellara, Boonen, Gilbert, Nuyens. But don’t count out Hushovd, Hincapie, Chavanel, Hausler, or Ballan. It won’t be a climber. Not here. Also probably not a pure sprinter like Mark Cavendish. Roubaix dishes out so much pain and suffering that it takes a freakish power monster to arrive in the Velodrome with a chance.
The record for wins stands at 4 (Roger De Vlaeminck) with 7 others holding at 3 wins. Six of those riders hung up their cleats long ago. Only Tom Boonen, with 3 wins to his credit, lines up on Sunday with a chance to make history and join De Vlaeminck in the elite 4x winner club. But let’s not forget American George Hincapie. An American has never won this race and for YEARS Americans have been cheering for George to come through. Second place in 2005 has been the closest he’s come to the top step. Big George has suffered through every kind of bad luck and oppositional tactics that you can possibly imagine. In 2006, with 2 teammates with him in the winning break 30k from the finish, George’s steerer tube broke sending him careening into a ditch. The stars have never quite aligned for him but I hoping this will finally be his year.
Also keep a look out for American Taylor Phinney in his Paris-Roubaix debut. He won the U23 Paris-Roubaix just last year and is suited to this kind of racing. But he may not yet have the power to go the distance with the big dogs.
In case you’re wondering what a pre-Classics PRO Group Ride looks like, here’s a video of BMC getting ready to roll out. Except for the $8,000 bikes, rolling mechanics, team cars, vans, and impeccable kit, it looks just like every other Group Ride roll out: a bunch of skinny dudes standing around waiting for someone to call it out.
Here are a few recommended posts from Velonews to get you going for the race this weekend:
Velonews ran a great collage of Vintage Paris-Roubaix photos from years-gone-by. It’s worth a look to get a sense of the race’s history.
Graham Watson posted his photos of pre-Roubaix training rides on Velonews HERE.
Versus is airing 3 hours coverage of the Queen of the Classics this Sunday starting at 4pm PST.
Ride on…
Anatomy of a GREAT Group Ride, Part 5
This post is Part 5 in the series Anatomy of a GREAT Group Ride. I highly recommend that you read PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE, and PART FOUR (below) before launching into this final addition. Along the way, we’ve taken a detailed look at the different phases of a great Group Ride, starting with the Meet Up and ending with what you read below. So here goes, the wrap up to a GREAT Group Ride:
- The Roll-Back – The Roll Back happens after the Lead Out and Sprint where usually there’s a regrouping of the pack. This is an often over-looked aspect of any ride but I contend that it’s actually the most social aspect of any Group Ride. The ice has been broken. The riders have shared an experience. First, conversation focuses on the ride and the sprint. Tactics are discussed, close calls are dissected, and memories of similar rides come to mind. Then talk drifts towards the days activities, work, family, etc. It’s during the Roll Back that I get to know the folks that I’m riding with and catch up with old friends. This also happens at the Meet Up but if it’s an early ride I’m usually still just waking up when the ride departs. At the end, it’s a different story. Adrenaline from the ride wakens riders up and chatter is usually louder and more animated. We’ve had the best possible start to the day: a great ride.
- The Coffee – The ride’s come to an end and a GREAT Group Ride usually winds up at a great coffee shop. Cycling and coffee just go together. Try Googling “cycling and coffee” and you’ll get almost 20 million search results (at least I just did). Great coffee after a great ride is just right. After a Group Ride, I don’t always have the time to sit and chat as work and the day’s activities are bearing down. But when I do have the time, hanging around the coffee shop with other riders feels like a luxury. For those who are self-employed, set their own work schedules, or just have more time on their hands, conversations over coffee can go well into the morning. Along with the Roll-Back, if you’re looking to get to know your fellow riders, grabbing a cup o’ Joe or espresso after the ride is the best way to go.
- Character – Does the ride remain true to what it is? Is it meant to be a recovery ride or hammerfest? There’s nothing more annoying than waking up fresh with a desire to go hard and find out that someone decided that this particular morning we weren’t going to break 18mph. On the other hand, if I roll out to a Monday ride that’s well known as an easy spin because everyone’s usually recovering from a weekend of racing and a few riders skipped the races and decided to make our recovery ride a hammerfest, that’s my cue to find some other place to ride. A great, long-standing ride sticks to it’s character…or riders will go find another ride.
- Aesthetics – Finally, great aesthetics do matter. A Group Ride through the urban jungle may be all that’s available during the week but make sure to find a Group Ride that gets you out into the country at some point. The landscape of a ride, where the road takes you, across rolling fields, up a beautiful climb, adds to the adventure and sense that the bicycle is taking you somewhere. We all fell in love with the bicycle as children because it was this vehicle that allowed us to leave behind the 4 boring corners of our neighborhood and opened us up to a world of adventure. That feeling doesn’t have to go away just because we’re all grown up. The bike can still take you to beautiful, less traveled places that most people have never even seen.
Well, there it is! Hope you’ve enjoyed this series. Here are links to the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. Is there anything I’ve missed? Anything else that should be included in what makes up a GREAT Group Ride? Thanks for reading.
Ride on…
Anatomy of a GREAT Group Ride, Part 4
This post is Part 4 in the series, Anatomy of a GREAT Group Ride. I highly recommend that you read PART ONE, PART TWO, and PART THREE. As in the previous posts, some of these phases will seem obvious but I contend that most of us rarely take the time to fully observe the dynamics present that actually influence the rest of the ride. This series is designed to intentionally take a step back and consider the innumerable social and physical factors that determine the character, quality, and tone of the communal nature of training rides in large groups.
There are all kinds of Group Rides out there, some great and some not so much. Part One of this series in particular defines the various factors that go into making a Group Ride great. Before we jump in, the phases of a GREAT Group Ride leading up to this post are the Meet-Up, the Roll-Out and Early Stage, the Initial Surge, Attacks and Bridges, the Paceline, All Strung Out, and the Final Pulls. These are the phases detailed in previous posts.
So here we go, the final phases of a GREAT Group Ride:
- The Lead Out – Great, long-standing Group Rides almost always end with some kind of sprint. The Lead Out sets up the sprint and it’s where the sprinters come out to play. This is also quite possibly the most dangerous aspect of any Group Ride so it’s important to know what’s going on. The Lead Out is usually initiated by an attack where others follow or a veteran rider moving to the front and simply drilling it. Everyone familiar with the ride will recognize this when it happens. If you’re new to the ride, it’s best to sit in and watch how things unfold. Every Group Ride and Lead Out has it’s subtle nuances and regular players know one anothers’ tendencies. This is key in a Lead Out on an open road with 20 or more cyclists traveling faster than 30mph. You don’t want someone in there who doesn’t know what’s going on. When you’re sufficiently familiar with the ride and other riders’ tendencies, you might feel ready to mix it up. When you’re ready, your timing and choosing the right wheel to follow are key. When you’re in the mix, the one thing you cannot do is lose a wheel or open up a gap. This is simply bad form and will identify you as an unreliable wheel. So hold the wheel in front of you. Usually the first few riders know the job: go as hard as you can for as long as you can then slowly and smoothly move off to the right. Do not move out of line to the left, out into the road. When you find yourself on the front, don’t get tactical, just go as hard as you can for as long as you can. If you wanted to contest the sprint and find yourself on the front too early then recognize where you are and what’s going on: you messed up your timing or place in line. You’ll have another chance tomorrow or next week to get it right so just get down with the job at hand and ride hard. If you pop, pull off to the right slowly and smoothly. If you’re in a good position a few wheels off the front, 100 meters or so from the line, then you’re in a good spot to sprint.
- The Sprint – The sprint line is usually a road sign or other roadside marker. Just like in the Lead Out, if you’re new to a Group Ride it’s best to sit back and watch as the sprint “line” is not always easy to pick out. Veterans of the ride usually aren’t quick to point out where it is to newcomers as this may encourage those unfamiliar with the ride to join in the high-speed finale. And for good reason. If a rider is unfamiliar with the location of the sprint then they’re most likely unfamiliar with the subtle nuances of how a the sprint unwinds on a particular ride. Even strong riders new to a particular Group Ride would be best served to take part in the Group Ride for a few weeks before stepping into mix. So you’re in a good position from the Lead Out and you’re ready to uncork your final burst for the line. If you’re second in line 100 meters out, perfect. Wait for the Lead Out rider to pull off and launch. Above all else, hold your line and sprint straight. It’s most likely that all hell is breaking loose behind you as riders try to match your sprint, follow your wheel, or come around you. You’re on an open road with traffic too so all this is going down in the narrow area from the shoulder/bike lane/part of the right lane. If you’re a few wheels back and start your sprint early to try and come around the riders in front of you, it’s a good idea to take a glance to your left to see if someone is coming around you. Do not sprint or try to come around riders on the right (shoulder side of the road). And don’t take your attention off the wheel in front of you. A lot is happening here in the blink of an eye and realistically it takes years of experience to do this well AND safely. I’ve had riders go down right in front of me because someone up front swerved out of the Lead Out unexpectedly to start their sprint. This is bad. Additionally, if there’s a car coming up from behind, that kills it. Sprint over. So hopefully the riders behind the Lead Out will have your back and give a “car back” call. If all goes well, if the Lead Out and Sprint are done safely and smoothly, you’ll get that great rush of flying along north of 35mph with your guts in your throat. Maybe you’ll even win a sprint or two! But remember, it’s not really a race after all. Unnecessary risks are not worth it. We’re all out here to have fun. Identify consistently unsafe riders and stay away. Or better yet, calmly point out (after the testosterone from the sprint dies down) an unsafe habit or move that puts the rest of the ride in jeopardy. Be safe above all.
Tomorrow we’ll wrap up this series and take a look at the final stages of a GREAT Group Ride. Here are links to the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Ride on…
Flanders Proves the Strongest Rider Doesn’t Always Win
One thing that’s true about bike racing at all levels, the strongest rider doesn’t always win. That’s racing. If you watched the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, it was clear why everyone was so concerned about Fabian Cancellara in the weeks leading up to the race. As advertised, he was clearly the strongest rider in the field. The guy’s a monster, actually. The only thing that can be said about his ride is that possibly he lost out on some tactics that didn’t go his way. When Tom Boonen attacked, Fabian had to go with him. Boonen literally pulled Cancellara up to the front of the field and then launched him up to a Quickstep teammate, Sylvain Chavanel, who was up the road on a solo flyer. Then Boonen faded. Not big Tom’s greatest move. Once this happened, Fabian had to play the card he was dealt. Potentially, his other option would have been to sit in and wait for the final climb. But this would have been a big gamble and a thoroughbred can only be held back for so long. So off he went. Fabian bridged up to Chavanel, eventually got reeled in by the pack, then unbelievably launched again. It finally came down to a group of three: Chavanel, eventual winner Nick Nuyens, and Fabian. The following video reveals the final k – all of the work being done by Cancellara. He made the race, broke it open, and dragged the trio to the finish line where an astute Nuyens took advantage of having done the least amount of work. Very smart tactic on Nuyen’s part. He was invisible all day until it counted and rode away with the biggest victory of his life. After crossing the finish line, the first thing he should have done was turn and say a big thank you to Spartacus. Reaction in the Saxo team car is priceless.
Below is an incredible video from a documentary on de Ronde that I had saved in a draft and meant to post last week. I thought about saving it ’til next year but it’s just too good not to share now. In it, the toughest men (Cancellara, Hausler, Gilbert, Eddy Merckx, and others) talk about the toughest race and just how massive the Tour of Flanders really is:
Next up: The Queen of the Classics, Paris-Roubaix.
Ride on…
What Does “The First Weekend in April” Mean to You?
If the glory of pro cycling lies along the country roads and cols grandes of France in July and the romance lies in the boulevards and passi di montagnes of Italy in May then surely the heart and guts lie among the cobbles, muurs, and bergs of Belgium in April. Especially in the Flemish region. To the Belgian faithful, where bike racing is a national pastime, the Tour of Flanders is the Super Bowl and World Cup combined.
“I told the organisers it wasn’t a race but a war game. It’s hard to explain what the Koppenberg means to a racing cyclist. Instead of being a race, it’s a lottery. Only the first five or six riders have any chance: the rest fall off or scramble up as best they can. What on earth have we done to send us to hell now?” – Bernard Hinault (5x Tour de France champion, never won Flanders)
First raced in 1913, Flanders was held in March during those early years – on the same day as Milan-San Remo, actually. As the race grew in stature, it was moved to the first weekend in April after World War II. One of cycling’s five “monuments” (Milan-San Remo, Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and Tour of Lombardy), the Ronde van Vlaanderen is characterized by narrow roads, and short, punchy cobbled climbs dotted throughout tiny Belgian towns. And for a few hours at the beginning of April, the world descends upon these sleepy Flandrian villages. It’s always a war of attrition and only the strongest survive.
“Only those who are in top condition can say that the Ronde is not hard. For everyone else, it’s the Way of the Cross.” -Andrea Tafi (’02 winner)
In total, Belgian riders have won Flanders 66 times. The next closest country is Italy with 10. No American has ever won here. Only 4 men have won the race a record 3 times. This year, 2 men will line up that have won de Ronde twice, Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder. Both Belgians. Will this be the year one of these riders join the exclusive 3-win club or will Fabian Cancellara or a host of other strongmen ride away with it?
“As a Belgian, winning Flanders for the first time is far more important than wearing the maillot jaune in the Tour” – Johan Museeuw (’93, ’95, & ’98 winner)
The Flemish have a term for the strongest of strong men who take well to a race like de Ronde: Flahute. A Flahute is Vlaanderens mooiste (Flander’s finest). The website Cycling Revealed has an incredible post written by Graham Jones on what it means to be a Flahute. It’s required reading. But in part:
The Belgian school breed them tough. They thrive in foul weather and on atrocious roads. As children, they grow up “playing racing.” Museeuw tells us that the Tour of Flanders route passed right by his house. The kids dream of being like the great champions. When they are old enough to race they start to train in conditions similar to the races. Only the toughest survive and in the Flemish tongue these “hardest of the hard men” are known as Flahute. – Graham Jones
Welcome to the first weekend in April where the Flahute come out to play and destroy. Versus coverage of the Tour of Flanders airs at 1pm PST on Sunday. Set your DVR or, better yet, watch it live.
Ride on…
6am Group Ride? Here’s How to Go from Sleeping to Pedaling in 15 Minutes
I love to sleep. And I’m not a morning person. Not a good combo for a cyclist. In order to ride during the week, it’s those early morning hours that I’ve had to make friends with over the years in order to get the miles in. But I usually can’t think straight right when I wake up. Maybe you’re the same. For years, it took me 30 minutes or more from the time I woke up to the time I rolled off in the dark to meet up with the Group Ride. I just move slowly. Searching for knee warmers, fiddling with the floor pump, even struggling with the ratchets on my shoes…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rolled out the door without bottles.
So over the years, I’ve had to develop a routine that involves planning the night before so that I don’t have to think when the alarm goes off. Here are a few tips I’ve learned for making the most of those early morning minutes. The key is preparing all I can and laying it all out so I don’t have to think in the morning. All of this occurs the night before:
- Check the weather and temp for the morning, especially for the colder months. The Weather Channel iPhone app has a temp predictor that’s fairly accurate.
- Lay out appropriate kit based on temp in order of how I put it on. Socks, knee/leg warmers, bibs, base layer, jersey, arm warmers, gloves, hat, helmet, vest/jacket.
- Prepare one bagel with Nutella. Put it in a baggie so it keeps ’til morning.
- Fill bottles and put in fridge in the front next to the bagel I’m going to eat in the morning. I’ll forget the bottles if they’re not right next to food. Again, it’s early and dark and I can’t think straight.
- Pump up tires. Leave bike by the door. Check to make sure bike lights work. Put phone/ID/keys next to bike.
- Fill coffee maker. Set timer on coffee for 5 minutes before I get up.
Here’s the routine in the morning:
- Wake up to my ridiculously loud, annoying alarm. Think of 10 reasons why I should stay in bed. Visualize my riding buddies calling me all kinds of names if I skip the ride. Drag myself out of bed.
- Dress while checking current temp. Hopefully, I don’t have to look for more layers.
- Coffee.
- Hit the fridge. Grab bagel and bottles.
- Roll out and eat while riding to the Group Ride.
Unless I forget something, I can usually go from getting out of bed to pedaling in 15 minutes.
Any tips from your morning routine? Can you get out the door in less than 15 minutes?
Ride on…
The Bulldozer Attack
Here’s a companion video to my previous post The Subtle, Devastating Attack. In the previous post, we see Fabian Cancellara simply riding away from heavy hitter Tom Boonen on the decisive climb in last year’s Tour of Flanders. In this video from the 2010 edition of Paris-Roubaix, we see Spartacus riding away once again (at the 2:10 mark) from the strongest riders in the world. Poor Boonen could only watch as he was sitting too far back in the field to respond. To give chase would only mean pulling the entire break up to Cancellara…assuming he could. My guess is that he would have if he could but he didn’t. My favorite moment comes around the 6:20 mark when Leukemans, sitting on Fabian’s wheel, literally just sits up because he can’t follow the pace any longer. He rode the final 46k solo. Spartacus bulldozed the field.
The first video includes the Bulldozer Attack. The second video takes you to the finish of one of the most dominating Roubaix wins in the modern era.
De Ronde and Roubaix are coming up in the next 2 weeks. Can’t wait to see what fireworks go off this year!
Back on the Horse
It’s been a long two weeks around here. Days on end of heavy rains and increased work responsibilities have left Northern California and my training a soggy mess. I had a plan at the beginning of the season and it didn’t include a few weeks of miserable, short fixed-gear riding in torrential rain and too many days on the trainer. But all that went away today with the end of a work project and the return of bright, sunny skies. Undoubtedly, we’ll have a few more days of rain and a few cold mornings ’til summer but it felt like spring arrived when I woke up this morning.
I used to stress about these kinds of interruptions in my riding schedule but I now look at them as blessings in disguise. In fact, I think it’s the interruptions that rekindle the passion for riding and training. Besides, fitness doesn’t go away overnight so I’m learning to just go with it. Plus, I’m more amped to get up early than I have been in months and the weekend can’t get here soon enough. I would imagine it’s the same kind of feeling if you live in an area that truly has seasons. It’s a common occurrence among my friends in the more southerly climes to suffer a mid-season burn-out around May. I’ve never known my cyclist friends in the Northeast or Midwest to suffer the same burnout that early. My friends in New England are always stoked when things thaw out.
Maybe it’s time to view interruptions as a vital part of training. Maybe periods of not riding and even the ensuing frustration are actually as important to the journey as those seasons when all our available time is spent in the saddle. Honestly, I might just be saying that to make myself feel better because I’ve been out of the saddle for a bit. But I can’t deny that I’m actually stoked to get up at 5am when I know that the roads are clear and Spring is here.
So what do you do? How do you handle interruptions in your training schedule when weather or life intervene? Be encouraged! Whether bad weather, overload at work, or other responsibilities come your way, remember that “this too shall pass.” Besides, Spring is upon us and we’re off to the races.
Ride on…
The Spectrum Ride: March 12th, 2011
The Spectrum Ride is my regular Saturday spin. Leaving from Cupertino and heading north on Foothill Expressway, the ride winds it’s way through Portola Valley and out Canada Road to the turnaround point at Hwy 92. It’s as fun and sketchy as any large weekend Group Ride but yesterday morning was more interesting and sketchier than usual…before I go on, here’s video posted on YouTube by CyclistAndre to give you a brief overview of this institution of a ride:
Thanks for posting CyclistAndre. Don’t know who you are but cool video bro.
Interesting and chaotic notes from yesterday’s Spectrum Ride:
- It was strung-out most of the time. Usually, like many Group Rides, the Spectrum Ride vacillates between surges and regrouping but not today. Even with my slow meandering out and back from the ride, I averaged just over 21 mph for 3 hours (the actual ride is about 2 hours) which means the ride probably averaged in the upper-20’s.
- Cops were everywhere. They were pulling over cyclists at virtually every stop from four corners in Woodside, out Canada, and even at Alpine/Portola in the valley. Tough to get a group of 75 riders to all stop and put a foot down but when a $400 citation is at stake, we’d all rather stop and chase like maniacs than take the hit.
- Road rage was all the rage. I swear, it seemed like every car or truck that came up behind us laid on the horn for minutes. At one point on Portola Rd, a Ford F-150 brushed my elbow as I was in the bike lane and revved his engine at the front of the group while laying on his horn…and then…
- A rider tried to throw his bottle at the truck. I say “tried” because he completely whiffed and hit the rider next to me in the side of the head with his bottle. Don’t throw your bottle, dude. Even if the Ford is the most obnoxious driver on the planet (which he was), throwing bottles sucks. Especially if you hit a fellow rider in the side of the head.
- After the F-150 passed the middle part of the group, it swerved in the direction of the front of the group then drove off. This created a major split in the group as those of us behind the incident slowed down to see what Mr. Insane Maniac Driver would do. When he drove off, we had to chase back on to the front group. As we got down to work, 6 of us started a nice, even, fast paceline and then a few riders unfamiliar with how to work in a paceline would pull through and wreck it. Surging, not pulling off, not holding wheels, not pulling through, it was all frustrating. It still surprises me that so many riders still don’t know how to ride in a paceline properly. But we eventually caught back on.
I should probably post on proper paceline etiquette soon.
Anyone else out there on yesterday’s Spectrum Ride? Hope your Saturday Group Ride was super fun and less harrowing than mine!
Ride on…
Bike Religion Saturday Morning Group Ride
At 7:30am on Saturday mornings, the Bike Religion crew hosts a Group Ride leaving from the shop at 149 Riverside Drive in Newport Beach. If you live and ride in the Orange County area, you’ve got to check it out.
In case you’re new to this Group Ride thing, here’s why they’re so important for cyclists of all skill levels:
It’s a fact that the strongest cyclists regularly do Group Rides. If you’re even vaguely interested in becoming a better, stronger rider then you need to find a Group Ride near you that fits with your aspirations and get out there. If you’re a regular on a Group Ride then you already know this and you’re reaping the benefits. Being a regular on a Group Ride gives us challenge, motivation, accountability, fellowship, a goal, and a little bit of daily purpose alongside our bigger purposes. When you get the kids to bed on time, get yourself good sleep, wake up early before anyone else, push yourself on the road with those like-minded, and have more fun before 11am than most people have all day then you know you’ve stumbled upon something worthwhile.
A good Group Ride can change your life. Seriously. If you’re a regular on a Group Ride, it already has. You’ve become a better, stronger, faster rider (and maybe even a better person) over time because of your passion and participation.
There are all kinds of Group Rides out there, some great and some not. So you need to know what you’re getting yourself into before you head out. The great aspect about the Bike Religion Group Ride is that riders of any fitness level will fit right in.
So you know what you’re getting yourself into, here are the Top Ten Reasons you should do Bike Religion’s Saturday morning Group Ride:
- Discipline, Motivation, and Inspiration – I find that when I’m disciplined enough to get out of bed to jump in with the group, I’m also more disciplined in other areas of my life: quality time with my family, patience with my toddler, work, sleep, diet, and other life priorities. I’m more motivated to train consistently when I know there are friends out there waiting for me. Additionally, it’s easy to find inspiration when riding with others. I learn a little bit every Group Ride – how to be a better bike handler, when to push and when to sit-in, how the newest gadgets and products work, and how to drive myself just a little bit further.
- Training – The physical, psychological, and emotional benefits of regular exercise are obvious and well-documented. Add to this, because there’s usually someone stronger than you in the group, there’s no better training than riding your bike with others stronger than you.
- Therapy – Most likely, you’ll always in a better state of mind when you get home. The endorphins get going, your brain and body are in sync, and you’re doing something you love. If more people had a positive, healthy outlet like this, the world would be a much better place.
- Rhythm – Variety may be the spice of life but regular rhythms and routine are the foundation. The Saturday morning ride is regular and you can count on it. Life = family, work, eat, sleep, ride. Wash, rinse, repeat.
- The Cycling Tribe – There are few subcultures with more etiquette, opinions, unique customs and language, unspoken rules, and causes for celebrations. Not many people get it but if you do there’s a special sense of belonging. To the uninitiated, cycling is sometimes viewed as an individual pursuit or maybe something to be shared with a few friends. But you can only be Han Solo for so long. Something special happens when a group of riders all show up at the same place, chat for a few minutes, click into their pedals simultaneously, and roll away into the morning in a blur of color and harmony of movement. The Bike Religion group is a tribe. There are no dues, interest fees, or weird rituals but membership still has its privileges.
- An Escape – When you’re pulling along in a good paceline, you’re completely in the moment and there’s not much room to think about anything else. You’re able to forget about struggles at work or home and simply focus on the present. The struggles are obviously still there when you return but you’re usually in a much better frame of mind to face them than when you left. Also, see #3.
- A Reality Check – When I ride on my own, I generally take it easier than when I ride with the group. If I go too long without a regular Group Ride then jump back in after a lay-off, I know right where my fitness is. And it’s usually not as good. The Group Ride will make you a stronger, better, more consistent rider.
- Self-Selecting – You want to be doing a Group Ride that challenges you at times. So you have to know that there’s a hierarchy out on the road that has nothing to do with your job, paycheck, education, ethnicity, or background. It has to do with your legs. You will find your place in that hierarchy quickly. If you stick with it, you will move up. If you respect the Group Ride’s etiquette, your personhood will not be judged based on where you are in the pecking order; but your legs might. That’s fine because your legs will get stronger.
- The Center of Your Local Cycling Culture – Similar to #5 but on a larger scale, those who talk and think about cycling, spend the most money at local bike shops (or online), watch race coverage on Versus, and read the magazines/blogs/websites, are the same folks who frequent Group Rides. If you want to know what’s going on in a local cycling scene anywhere, go do a Group Ride. If you want to know what’s happening in the Orange County cycling scene, you must do the Bike Religion ride.
- The Bike Religion Crew is the REAL Deal – We’re talking about the best bike shop with the most knowledgeable and experienced team in Southern California. If you haven’t met the owners John and Rachel personally, be sure to introduce yourself. They’re a power couple but very unassuming and willing to help with anything you need. Rachel is a former PRO racer and in the other, male-dominated Group Rides in the area, she’s up there with the strongest riders. I remember suffering along in the Pro/1/2/3 race at El Dorado Park a few years ago, I looked to my left and there was Rachel spinning effortlessly and breathing normally in the men’s race while I was praying for a flat tire to put me out of my misery. John’s an amateur Cat. 1 but don’t be fooled – he does all the PRO races with all the PRO riders in SoCal and puts the hurt on all the young talent. To this day, one of the hardest efforts I’ve ever made on the bike was simply trying to hold John’s wheel in a race! That being said, the BR ride isn’t a hammerfest and you can trust it’ll be safe and orderly with these folks as your guides. What’s more, with these kinds of pedigrees, you can be sure you have a bike shop staff that knows what they’re talking about.
If Group Rides are the center of any local cycling culture, then the local bike shop is the nucleus. That’s where it all goes down. Bike Religion is where you’ll hear all the stories, get all the information, pick up all the wisdom and insight that you need to become a better, stronger, more informed cyclist. So now there’s really no excuse – get out there! You’ll be happy you did.
Ride on…
Group Ride for Two, Please
Grey@Stanford
Maybe you know this feeling: It’s been a long week. You haven’t had a ton of quality time with your family. Then Saturday morning rolls around and you’d love to get out for a few hours on the bike but the idea of getting up at 6am on your day off sounds about as fun as, well, getting up at 6am on your day off. What do you do?
Unless you’re blessed enough to have a family that rides with you, cycling can often take us away from our loved ones for hours at a time. A constant tension that I battle is “how much is too much” when it comes to taking off on a Saturday morning for a long ride and missing out on a few precious hours of hang time with the fam. Maybe you live with this tension too – I’d be interested to hear how you strike the right balance between riding and spending time with your family on weekends.
I don’t know why I waited so long to look into this but I recently invested in a bike trailer for my 2 1/2 year old, Greyson. Who am I kidding, it’s just as much for me as it is for him. It’s been the greatest thing for us. He loves being outside with the wind in his face and consistently encourages me to “go faster daddy!” I roll a little slower pulling a 40lb load but we still manage 15-18mph or so. Obviously, this isn’t time for a Group Ride but I pack up a lunch and we roll about an hour to a fun playground, play around for a bit and eat, then roll an hour home. He almost always falls asleep on the way back and then it’s nap time when we return. I find that I can spin the whole time and actually get some good training out of it as well.
I have a few friends that, on Saturday mornings, pick out a coffee shop or lunch spot in a neighboring town, ride to it, and have their family meet them. There’s a creative idea I want to try. Â If you have some creative things that you do to involve your family in your riding habit, I’d love to hear them.
Leave a comment, let us know.
Ride on…
Ideal Post-Training Ride Routine
If you’re like me, you try to squeeze every last second out of every ride. Time in the saddle for me is extremely limited based on family, work, and life concerns so I try to make the most of every opportunity even if it means skipping out on stretching (or a shower!). Most often, I roll home and run through the door, change on the fly and run out to whatever I’m already late for. Sound familiar?
Every once in a while, I get a chance to indulge in my ideal post-ride routine. As an extremely amateur cyclist, I don’t have a physio or soigneur waiting for me with an iced towel, massage, or recovery embrocation, but I do have a few things that I do to help recovery. If I have the time, here’s my ideal post-training ride routine:
- As soon as I walk through the door, I’ll make a recovery drink. I usually go with a product like cytomax or something similar but I’ve also been known to make a milk shake with protein powder, ice cream, and herseys syrup. Sometimes just the thought of that during a long ride keeps the pedals turning.
- Change out of cycling clothes into comfortable shorts and stretch while downing recovery drink. I like to stretch for about 20 minutes.
- HOT shower.
- Lay on the couch with legs elevated. I have a massage device called The Stick that I roll over quads and calves. A massage would be really ideal but that would require motivation to leave the house because I’ll never have the pros’ option of a physio or soigneur coming to me. I’ll keep my legs elevated for as long as I can keep my eyes open.
- Nap. But just before, I’ll eat something light (bowl of cereal or yogurt and granola) to give my body something to work on and recover while I sleep. Nap can last from 1-2 hours.
- I usually wake up hungry. If I’m ravenously hungry then I’ll know I didn’t eat enough on the ride or before napping. Continuing to eat and drink after a ride is important for recovery. For this post-nap meal, I try to keep it organic and fresh including veggies, pasta, and chicken.
- The rest of my idyllic day will find me with legs elevated and only walking when absolutely necessary. Perfection would be an afternoon of Paris-Roubaix coverage on Versus.
Disclaimer: This hardly ever occurs. If I have a few spare minutes, I’ll do a few of these things like make a recovery drink and stretch but like I said, most of the time I’m flying off to whatever’s next.
What’s your Ideal Post-Training Ride Routine? Leave a comment and let us know.
Ride on…
The Art of the Group Ride 