Posts belonging to Category Training

Old La Honda Road.  Probably anyone that has been riding a bike in the Bay Area / Peninsula region for any length of time has heard of it.  It is a staple – the benchmark of climbing in the area.  Without too much poking around on the internet you can find the times on the route for many of the US national level cyclists – including pros.

I finally had a chance to ride this – along with Al Painter of Integrate Performance Fitness.  Al was gracious enough to not mention what his particular time on the climb was, while I turned in a … well, an elapsed time that I have will have ample opportunity to beat in the future.

(more…)

Photo via VirtualErn

I hadn’t really realized how much I had become used to riding on the same ol’ roads and paths around my family’s home in Sacramento.  I had several routes I already knew of, and was familiar enough with them to match them to whatever my particular goal was for the ride.  If I wanted to grind hills, I knew where to go.  Looking for a flat TT type ride?  That would be repeats on Captain’s Table road.  Long endurance ride?  Ride through Old Sacramento to the American River Bike Trail and just keep going.

However, now that I’ve got my self a new hometown (well, part time hometown at least) in San Mateo I’m kinda at a loss for where to ride.

(more…)

To a cyclist there is possibly nothing worse than an injury in spring.  The sun is shining, and folks are out en masse riding around.  Every corner seems to echo with the sounds of folks clicking in – the whir of chains on cogs.

At least, that is how it seems when you are stuck waiting for a silly collarbone to heal.

But yesterday I did take my first tentative steps by mounting my bike on the trainer and spinning for a little less than an hour.  The tenderness at the broken bone as I supported my weight on the bars for the first time indicated that the bumps and vibrations of the road are at least a week or so out for me still.

Nonetheless, this may be one of the first times that my indoor trainer was a welcome device – instead of a necessity to grumble through.

It was about 8:30am on Dec 12.  It was a chilly winter’s day.  The skies were overcast, the ground was slightly damp, and the temperature was…

…57 degrees.

OK.  For most of the country Dec 12 is supposed to be a chilly winter’s day.  Folks think about storing the bike for the winter, or long workouts on a trainer until spring comes around to thaw out the ground and let us all outside.  But I ride in Sacramento.  And to be honest, I can’t really find a good reason to ride any differently in the winter than the summer.

I was out in my normal kit – just jersey and bibs.  No base layer, no arm warmers, no leg warmers.  And I wasn’t cold at all.  My only real concern was the wet mass of leaves that formed into slippery piles in my paths.  I also wasn’t some “nut job” out in inclement weather.  Lots of folks are realizing the possibilities of winter riding.  57 degrees is early morning summer temperatures in some parts.  Even if you are the type that favors warmer weather, a simple jacket, or long sleeve jersey, will probably make you comfortable.

And don’t forget – pro cycling goes on too.  Teams are out at training camps, getting to know new team members after transfers.  And the race calendar kicks off with the Tour Down Under on Jan 16.

If you really must have an off season, take off the week of Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Otherwise, keep on riding!

Time trials.  The race against the clock.  The race of truth.  The race of pain…

Time trials are probably the purest test of physical abilities in the cycling world, with no small measure of psychological toughness required as well..  There is always some amount of strategy in every human competition, but here the strategy is simply about how to meter out your power in such a way that you don’t blow up somewhere in the middle.  There is no drafting, no jockeying for position, no antics.  Just rider, bike and the course in front of them.

(more…)

September.  The daylight starts to go away a little earlier and arrive a little later.  Students are heading back into the classrooms.  For some, it is time to break out the toe clips and start the cyclocross season.  But unfortunately for many of us, it just means less hours of daylight and a higher chance of rain or snow ruining our outdoor riding experiences.

(more…)

Today I had the opportunity to ride with Al and Kristen from Integrate Performance Fitness.

Al Painter is Mr. Integrate Performance Fitness.  When he is not spending time making folks enjoy his special brand of fitness building pain, he is also spreading his fitness wisdom at the VeloReviews podcast and cycling social media website.  In fact, the VeloReviews podcast is where I first heard of Integrate and Al Painter.

(more…)