Training Tips – Last Minute (August 10, 2021)

A few last-minute tips to make sure you, and your steed, are ready for the weekend.

Clean and lube your chain. According to Friction Facts, a company that studies this kind of thing, you could be giving up over 5% of your total effort to a dirty chain. So clean and lube your chain, ride 5% faster, and avoid those nasty black marks on your right calf. (Pro tip: if your chain looks wet from lube, it’s too wet; wipe it off until there’s just a light coating of lube left).

Check your tires. Nothing ruins a ride faster than a flat tire, so give your tires a quick once-over and make sure they’re in good shape. An ounce of prevention can prevent 15 minutes of frustration on the side of the road.

Clean your bike. A clean bike is a happy bike, and a happy bike is a fast bike. It’s science. And while you’re getting ready to look #pro on Saturday, pay attention to anything that’s worn or loose and get it sorted.

Write down your packing list for the ride on Wednesday, then double check it on Thursday, and then pack on Friday. There’s no point in rushing around Saturday morning and forgetting something. (And you’ll probably sleep better, too).

Write down your nutrition and hydration plan. Wait, that sounds overly complicated and confusing. Just make a list of what you’re gonna eat, and drink, before and during the ride. Make sure you’ve got plenty, and make sure it makes it on the packing list.

Finally, take it easy this week. With the exception of the things above, there’s absolutely nothing you can do at this point to make yourself faster this weekend. There are, however, several things you can do to make yourself slower. There’s no training, no heat acclimation, no supplement that’s going to make you faster. All you can do is trust your training and show up rested and fresh on Saturday. Do a couple of easy rides this week, take a couple of days off, and be spunky Saturday morning.

One more pro tip: carb loading is a myth and has been thoroughly debunked. Please don’t gorge yourself on pasta Friday night. Eat the same thing you’ve been eating the past few weeks in training.

Final pro tip: it’s not the sleep Friday night that determines how you do on Saturday, it’s the sleep on Thursday. So go to bed early Thursday, lay off the caffeine in the afternoon and the alcohol in the evening, and get a good night’s rest. Then, Friday night, if you go to bed late because you’re packing, or don’t sleep well due to nerves, or have to get up early to drive in Saturday morning, you know it’s not a big deal.

Know When Enough Is Enough (July 15, 2021)

We are cyclists, and more is always more, right? More miles. More days. More hills. More intervals. More is more, and more is better, and more makes you faster.

Except that’s not always the case. We’re not looking for maximization (more is more) and we’re not looking for minimization (less is more), but we’re seeking optimization. As humans, we’re not very good at that. Tell us to do more, and we’ll gladly do way too much. Tell us something is bad, and we’ll gleefully excise every bit, even to detriment or throwing the baby out with the bath water. But tell us to find just the right amount of something, and, well, we’re not very good at that.

And that is the key to training, the key to getting faster or riding further or finally keeping up with (insert the name of your nemesis here) or finally making it to the top of Wye Mountain or Ox Pull Hustle or Mount Magazine.

In the spring it’s easy to keep doing more. You’re fresh, you’re excited, and the weather is usually cooperative. But now that summer has set in, you probably have a bunch of miles in your legs, it might start to feel like a chore or a job, and the heat and humidity are oppressive.

So this week’s training tip is this – know when enough is enough. Know when to take a day off, take the shortcut home, or to let the group go and do your own thing. It’s not a defeat. It’s not a setback. It’s being smart, and realizing that alls you can do, is alls you can do.

Stay Cool and Less Stinky (June 10, 2021)

It seems that summer is finally making its way to Central Arkansas, and that makes for some hot, muggy rides with lots of sweaty gear afterwards. Here are a few tips to stay cool, and less stinky.

Insulated water bottles are fantastic. The best are the Camelbak Podium Ice, if you can find them, followed by the Podium Chill.  Polars aren’t quite as good in my experience. Fill one with ice, then top off with cold water, and freeze the 2^nd.

Remember to wash your helmet, gloves, and shoes to avoid funk! Take your helmet and gloves in the shower with you, then let them air dry. If they’re going to be in the car for a while, take a small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and give them a good spritz. A few minutes in the sunshine always helps, too.

Sun sleeves and arm coolers, like those from Pearl Izumi, DeSoto, and others, are a great way to avoid too much sun, but they can be hot in humid climates. Wetting them down with water will help keep you cool as well as protected from the sun.

Don’t be afraid to stop and take a break in the shade, or grab a cold drink from a gas station. Most places won’t charge for ice and water, but I like to carry a couple of bucks with me in case I need a Coke. Plus, the bills make a great tire boot in a pinch!

Happy Pedaling, 

Coach Steen

The Uphill Climb (May 27, 2021)

I watched the Giro d’Italia recently, and there are some amazing and beautiful climbs in Italy. While there’s nothing quite that big in the Tour de Rock, here are some tips for when the road goes uphill.

Shift, and Keep Shifting

Downshift to your small chain-ring before the climb starts. This will keep you from shifting under load and minimize the risk of a dropped or broken chain. Then, keep shifting as you climb. Your cadence should stay roughly the same on a hill (or a mountain) as on the flat, so keep shifting to keep your cadence up so you can stay on top of the gear.

Ride Your Own Pace

The quickest way to end up going slow on a hill is to blow yourself up, so ride at your own pace. If you’re riding with somebody faster than you, either plan to regroup at the top, or try to ask them a question about their favorite topic at the bottom of the hill – that way they’re talking a lot and riding slower, and all you have to do is pedal!

Push Over the Top

You’ll see a lot of riders ease up as they near the top, either when they can see the top of the hill or when the grade flattens out. Don’t let this be you; keep pushing over the top until you’re on your way down and gravity takes over!

Happy Pedaling,

Coach Steen

Riding Like the Wind, When It's Windy (May 13, 2021)

Nobody loves riding in the wind, but there are some things you can do to make it more bearable when you’re riding in a group. And that’s probably the biggest tip – bring a friend! That way you can take turns and get an occasional break from it!

Headwinds are the easiest to ride in, as you just sit right behind the rider in front. Tailwinds can get pretty hard as the speed of the group can be really high, but they are still fairly simple from a drafting standpoint – just stay right behind the rider in front. Crosswinds are the hardest, and require the most skill and concentration. Since the wind is coming from the side, the best draft will be at an angle behind, and to the side of the rider in front of you (this is called an “echelon”). Keeping riders close is also key to maximizing the draft, but don’t exceed your comfort level! Better to be relaxed and comfortable with a little less draft than to take chances or ride outside your comfort zone.

Since a picture is worth a 1,000 words, here are some images of ecehlons that should help, rather than talking about Vees of geese!

The wind is from the left. The leading rider pulls off into the wind, then drifts back to the back diagonally.

Here’s what it looks like in a pro race, on a completely closed course. Please obey all traffic laws! But if you’re out in the country, in the middle of a corn field, your group might end up looking something like this (again only in one lane!)

The Dreaded “Gutter”

Obviously, the road is only so wide, so only so many riders can benefit from the draft. Everyone else will either be in a long, single-file line behind the echelon, fighting for space “in the gutter.” On a social group ride, split into two or more groups, and then regroup after the crosswind section. If your group isn’t so social, stay towards the front and in the echelon, or just find a more fun group to ride with!

A Few Key Points and Takeaways

Since the group will be at an angle in a crosswind, the lead riders will need to point out obstacles or potholes that may not be right in front of them – think about where the riders behind you are.

Protecting your front wheel becomes more important when you’re overlapped to draft in a crosswind. A little movement up front can accordion into a big shift further back, so stay vigilant – crosswinds are not the time to eat, drink, take off your arm warmers, or fiddle with your bike computer. This is also why it’s important to pull off into the wind, so that you don’t take out the rider behind you.

Otherwise riding in an echelon is pretty similar to riding in a normal peloton: don’t surge, don’t pull too hard or too long, and make to communicate with one another.

Bringing It All Together

Left to Right:

1) Single paceline

2) Double paceline

3) Rotating paceline

4) Echelon

Group Riding Tips (April 15, 2021)

Springs means group rides for most cyclists. Let’s look at how to make group rides safe, fun, and fast.

Riding in a group can be a lot of fun: it’s social, motivating, and can be fast. Just like a V of geese, a pack of riders can go further, faster than a lone cyclist or a small group. But unless you are comfortable and capable of riding in the pack, you’ll soon find yourself dropped. We’ve all been there, and it’s a terrible feeling, so how do we avoid it?

Safety First

Like we talked about last time, safety is the biggest goal. Crashing is the fastest way to get dropped! If you missed that article, there are some great tips on protecting your front wheel, looking ahead, and staying safe and steady in the group. After that, you’re ready to start going fast and having fun.

Smooth is Fast

Keeping the group smooth and steady is the best way to make a ride fast, fun, and safe. Surges kill everyone’s legs and create a dangerous yo-yo effect. The “no sudden movements” rule from last time applies to speed changes, too.

Taking a Pull, Or Not

If you’re not strong or confident enough to pull through at the front, sit several riders back in the group so that you’re not interrupting the flow at the front. If you think you can contribute, but aren’t sure, or it’s just a hard section, it is okay to just roll through. That’s where you take your turn at the front, but then immediately rotate off.

When you get to the front, keep the speedy steady. Surging saps everyone’s legs, makes it really hard for the rider who was just pulling to get back on, and makes you unpopular. If you are Billy Bad A, just take a longer pull to impress everyone. If you do need to up the pace a bit, wait until the rider who just pulled is back on, and then roll the speed up slowly over a minute or so.

It’s okay to take a short pull. You don’t need to impress anyone, and if you pull until you’re gassed and about to die, you’ll just end up dropping yourself! It’s okay to work a bit, but make sure you have enough energy to get back in the group and recover, especially if you know there’s a hard section, like a big hill or a crosswind, coming up.

When you’re ready to pull off, make sure to signal to the rider behind you first; flicking your elbow is the normal way. If it’s windy, make sure to pull off into the wind, or if there’s a lot of traffic, you’ll probably want to pull away to the right, away from traffic.

Don’t wait until the last rider passes you to start speeding back up, as you’ll find yourself having to sprint when you’re already tired from pulling. If the other riders in the group are nice, they’ll call out “1 more” or “last,” to let you know it’s time to get back on.

Happy group riding,

Coach Steen

Pack Riding Tips (March 25, 2021)

Daylight Savings Time, warmer temperatures, and vaccinations have many of us thinking about returning to group rides. The first several group rides of the season can often be a bit hectic as riders get reaccustomed to riding in a group.

That’s going to be even more true this year for a couple of reasons. First, it’s been longer than normal since most of us have ridden in a group. Second, a lot of people have good fitness from lots of indoor training, but haven’t been on their bikes outside much. Third, one silver lining to all this craziness is that there are a lot of new cyclists, and some of them will be joining group rides. Let’s look at a few reminders to make group riding safe, fun, and hopefully fast!

Call and Point

Cracks in the road, bumps in the road, cars turning, upcoming stops and turns should all be communicated in the group. Often the riders in the front are the only ones that can see these coming, while riders further back are depending on those in the front to communicate. Not communicating is the number one mistake I see groups making. If you’re in front, call, and point out, these things. If you’re a little further back, make sure that you pass the word along to those behind you.

Avoid Overreactions

I almost called this section “stay off your brakes,” but I didn’t want that to be confusing, since you do need to stop or slow sometimes. But think about a flock of birds or a school of fish, and then imagine one crazy one in the middle suddenly swerving, or stopping. What do you think would happen? The key to a smooth group could be boiled down to “no sudden movements.” This takes time, and practice. If you’re not sure you’re there yet, that’s okay. We’ve all been there, and we can all get out of practice. Just ride at the back, or on the edge of the group, until you get back into the flow of things and can be smooth. (Making sure you’re relaxed, and not tense, is key to this. If you’ve got a white-knuckle grip on your bars, or elbows locked, or shoulders high and tense, it’s going to be almost impossible to be smooth)

Be Careful Standing Up

It’s normal and natural for your bike to move backward underneath you when you stand up to pedal. It’s normally not a big deal, but it can take the trailing rider (and everyone behind them) down if they’re not expecting it. The biggest mistake is just not being aware of this phenomenon, so be careful when you stand, and expect it if you’re behind someone. If you’re the one standing, call out “standing,” keep even pressure on the pedals and stand smoothly. If you’re in a group and approaching a hill, give yourself a little extra buffer.

Where to Look

Don’t give in to the temptation to just stare at the wheel of the rider in front of you. If anything happens, you need time to react, so look 5-6 riders ahead. You’ll have a much better idea of what’s going on, and plenty of time to speed up, slow down, hit the brakes, or move over.

Protect Your Front Wheel

The biggest thing that my first coach drilled into me, and all of us, was that it’s your responsibility to protect your front wheel. Give yourself plenty of space and make sure that you are riding safely and with a buffer zone. If we all do this, and communicate within the group, rides will be safe, fun, and fast for everyone.

Next time we’ll talk about some tips for riding in the wind, which seems to be a constant in the spring!

Happy pedaling,

Coach Steen

Spring Into Cycling Season (March 11, 2021)

The snow has melted, the sun has come out, and Daylight Savings Time kicks in this weekend. It’s finally starting to feel like spring – and cycling season!

CARTI’s Tour de Rock is 22 weeks away, but it’s going to be here before you know it, and now is a great time to start getting ready. Whether your bike has been on the trainer for Zwift rides all winter, or sitting in the garage collecting dust, here are some tips to kick off your spring training.

Get Your Body Ready

It’s easy to get excited about the good weather and go out for a ride that your legs, and bum, might not quite be ready for yet. Ramp up slowly, and be smart about it by avoiding any crazy long or hard rides for the first few weeks. Give your body some off days, and plenty of time to adapt to more mileage. Your muscles, connective tissue, hands, and probably mostly your sit bones will thank you.

Get Your Bike Ready

With more, and longer, outdoor rides on the way, now is a good time to give your bike a little TLC. Start with a good bath with dish soap and water, Simple Green, or the bike wash of your choice. Once it’s clean give it a thorough inspection and replace anything that’s worn. I like to start the season with fresh tires, a new chain, and fresh bar tape – especially if you’ve been sweating on it on the trainer all winter! Finish with a tune-up for the shifting and braking and you’ll be ready to roll.

Get Your Kit Ready

As I ramp up the miles in the spring, I like to be nice to my body by replacing my gloves and bike shorts. We don’t always think of these as wearing out, at least until our riding buddies start to make snide comments, but the padding wears out over time, and a fresh pair can make all the difference for a comfortable ride. Replace anything that’s worn, and don’t forget to check your cleats. You should replace your helmet every 5 years, but if you’re not due for a new lid, dig around in your cycling drawer and see if you can find the extra set of pads that came with your helmet, or ask your bike shop if they have a set. These can do wonders for how your helmet feels, fits, and smells.

Happy pedaling,

Coach Steen