Entries Tagged 'general cycling' ↓

I checked out the new crit series tonight (as a spectator for now) and I was very impressed.  Props to the Provincial Team for organizing this series as it’s been a few years since we have had such a thing.   If you want to kick back in the park for an evening I would suggest checking this out.   Not only is is it fun to watch but it’s free.

Okay I’ve gone from not posting for awhile to 3 posts in one night.

See ya later,

Allan

So I’ve had the time to sit down and go through all the registration and as of today we have 34 members with more coming in each day.   There are a few members that still have some paper work to complete so if you haven’t done so please take a moment to look after this prior to you next club ride as it is mandatory for all members.

Thank you,

Allan

This will be my first attempt to post a blog.

This is also my first post about the 2009 racing season.

I rode a new bike today.  It was a trek top fuel 9.9 ssl.  It was unfamiliar at first and by at first I mean about 25 minutes.

After my first lap something clicked.  It may have been the arrival of  Rob Brigden a long time Alter ego team mate, or it may have been the alignment of something cosmic, nonetheless I clocked a sub 21 minute full lap at the bur oak trail.

I have never done this before.  Not only that but my average heart rate was lower than what I am capable of holding for an extended period.  Fast bike?  Yeah I would say so.

Thanks for the push Rob, or should I say the pull .

The bike is unfreakinbeleivable, yes one word.

See you kids Wednesday night for the first Bur oak race.

Weeeeee!

Dave.

The Olympia Cycling Club is heading to Grand Beach this Saturday to work on the XC course. I came across this note – if anyone is interested in helping out…

Grand Beach Trail Prep

With the coming of a new bike season we have taken the feedback from last year and have upgraded our Club to the 2009 version!

Club info in a nutshell:

Requirements

• Must hold a valid MCA licence (recreational, citizen, or race) for insurance purposes
• $25 fee

Ride Calendar

• Sunday Road Ride
• Monday MTB Ride
• Tuesday & Thursday MTB Ride to coincide with Kids of Mud
• Saturday Road Ride (for FOG members)
• …and Monthly Adventure Rides

Club Benefits

• Earn up to $75 in store credit for riding your bike
• Receive 2 complimentary Ready to Roll tuneups
• Members Only discounts
• Free super cool water bottle
• Free Level 1 and 2 CCA coaching for anyone who wants it

All the Details
AECC Membership Information (MS Word)
AECC Membership Information (Open Office)

AECC Club Ride Information (MS Word)
AECC Club Ride Information (Open Office)

AECC Membership Form (MS Word)
AECC Membership Form (Open Office)

day two heated up of the classic season at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, a lot of the top guys raced 209km yesterday in Het volk and took on the feild today. wow.

Boonen pulled out the top rung of the podium today after coming up short yesterday.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) gets it by a bike length in Kuurne. Photo ©: ISPA

Ah yes, it upon us, the best time of the cycling calendar, Classic Season.

Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) gets the win in the season opener in Belgium.

Yesterday it all started with the first one, Het Volk, or now called Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.  Under usually nice weather the real racing season got under way, the usual breakaways formed and lasted until the big boys come out to play. With 55km left in the race Rabobank hammer the pace and when they got to the top of the Taaienberg four of them were at the front, including one of my fav’s, Juan Antonio Flecha. They never go more than a 15 sec on the main field and then after 15km the four were caught buy a groups with all the favorites. The move contained Boonen, Sylvain Chavanel, Leif Hoste, Gilbert, Greg Van Avermaet, Nuyens, Langeveld, Flecha, Posthuma, Bram Tankink, Haussler, Andreas Klier, Hushovd, Pozzato, Niki Terpstra, Martin Velits, Marcus Burghardt, Tomas Vaitkus, Kevyn Ista and Thomas Voeckler. Langeveld and Haussler attacked out of this group but were caught in the last 200m, with Thor Hushovd pulling off the first classic win in 2009 for the Cervelo test team. Hasussler,  Cervelo test team finished in 8th

I love the under dog, a Professional Continental team coming to the top of the Pro tour teams

I just got back from the Trek level two fitting course in Portland Oregon. Two things:  first, it is a very cool and friendly city and it’s unreal how bike friendly it is. It’s the rainy season right now and everywhere I looked there were people on so many different types of bikes riding around. Everywhere there are bike lanes and bike paths to be seen- Winnipeg could learn a lot from Portland.  Secondly, I learned  a lot of new and great information on fitting.

Trek set up a few new things to cover this time at level two, and the one thing that most of us wanted was Triathlon fitting.  We got to Tri fitting in day two, as they set out to work  us up to this over day one. The main brain behind all of this fitting was Michael Sylvester. Two words to describe him: brain and bike fitting.  He has helped build bike fitting in the northwest over the last twenty years and now with Trek’s help is bringing his knowledge to the rest of us.  At level two Michael brought in some outside help: M.D. Mark Timmerman, Warren Mays (a leading expert in orthotics and prosthetics), and Jay Dicharry (Director of the SPEED performance Clinic in the Center for Endurance Sport at the University of Virginia). All three brought such a wealth of knowledge related to bike fitting that we just touched the surface of their related fields.

It was like going back to school on day one: a lot of terminology on lower extremities of the body, levers, and planes of movement. Then after the first break, we dove into anatomy and physiology, muscle and joint relationship, kinetic chains, and cycling biomechanics. Oh boy that sounds like fun….but it was all building us up for what was to come. Linking it all together, with altering alignments, and relieving or eliminating pain.  Before we broke for lunch, Dr Timmermann had all of us on the floor doing core exercises. Then he walked us through a few Case presentations, and how to develop plans and course of actions in fitting and referrals.  After lunch we learned simple but yet effective tests to examine the rotational relationships of the upper and lower leg and testing core stability and core strength. Both of which it turns out I need help in, in fact most of us do. We finished off day one in groups of 5-6 doing the tests that we learned and applying this to (on the bike) cleat fitting.

Day two started a little rough for lot of us at the course, due to the night before….but that’s another story, for another time.

Jay Dicharry started day two off with a lot of  great information leading up to the triathlon fit.  He debunked a lot of myths and summed it all up with this statement “we know that there is a tipping point in every rider where we could make them more aero, but they will lose ability to move joints through an efficient range of motion and therefore be slower”.  Think about that, why do we all looking to be 1% more aero, when we give up 10 to 20%  or more of our power due to our own range of flexibility, lack of core strength/stability, and the big one our own range of motion our joints (functional anatomy). The pros can look at that 1% aero improvement because they get paid for their results – and most of them work on core stability and flexibility every day. They have a endless supply of resources. We all should look at tri/TT positions that do not take away our ability to use our own power and try to work on increasing flexibility, core stability, and work within our own range of functional anatomy.

After lunch Jay and Michael then lead us down the path on Tri fitting. This is not a straight and narrow path, there is no easy simple answer to this. We are all different in so many ways. The thing to think about is: let’s put the rider in a position that is not limiting their functional anatomy, and the rider then can sustain that position over the event that they are riding in. Sustain the position – this is key. Sustain the whole body, not just the arms.  We looked over ride height, seat tube angle, bar drop, bar fore/aft, bar tilt, and width.  Jay really stressed preservation of power as the number one goal. Lower is not always better. We then got to break into our groups and work on Tri/TT fitting. I was the guinea pig. Wow, how low can I go? Not very low, until I work on a few things…core stability is one of those things. However, I now have a good understanding of a better Tri/TT fit that will allow the better use of power, without worrying about achieving the lowest position. Doing that without being able to maintain the position will cause a loss of power and eventual slowdown.

It’s good to be back, and I have a lot of things to go over and digest. But I want to thank Trek, Michael, Warren, Dr. Timmerman, and Jay for the wealth of information that they provided and shared with us. It has given me a better understanding of what we as fitters can do to help people have more fun on the bike in comfort with proper bike fitting.

Outdoor Magazine has featured the brand new 2009 Specialized Epic in their November 2008 edition. Check it out, it is a must read for any bike enthusiast!

Outdoor Magaine November 2008

The City of Winnipeg and Bike to the Future are hosting the 1st annual
Bike to Work Day Winnipeg on Friday June 20, 2008. Bike to Work Day
promotes healthy commuting that benefits the rider and the community by
reducing pollution and traffic congestion.

Winnipeg residents are encouraged to register online (free) and ride
their bikes to work and back. The day will feature a free pancake
breakfast at The Forks, energy stations set-up at at various locations
around the city, great prizes and more.

The event was announced by the Mayor of Winnipeg on Friday May 9th.
Over 1000 Winnipeggers have already registered. Let’s make this a
really big celebration of cycling, and continue the trend towards
increased recognition of cycling as transportation in Winnipeg.
More new investments in bicycling infrastructure are sure to follow.

To register for Bike to Work Day (or learn more about it) please go to

http://www.BikeToWorkDayWinnipeg.org