General Fitness
Why not to stop?
Cafe stops on a Sunday ride are a great tradition, and for many are considered as a way to refuel, socialise, get some warmth back in the hand and feet, and possibly a chance to dry off. But are they really a benefit??? Well here are three physiological reasons to keep riding.
Ten Tips for the Winter
| Ten Tips for the Winter Club Run by SportsTest
With next year's main objective's a long way away, Sportstest give us Sportivers some good advice about how to approach winter training and group rides sensibly. Before: 1) Make sure your bike is in good mechanical condition and has mud-guards fitted. It about being considerate! You don't mind a wet backside, but the rider behind you may not want a face full of dirty water, likewise whilst everyone on the run will want to assist you don't want to get stuck 20 miles from home with a broken chain, or only one gear working, and have to get a push home. 2) Carry a spare! On the wet roads it is always easy to pick up a puncture or two, so carry a couple of spares. and whilst on the subject of spares, always carry a couple of spare energy gels, they will help you get home if your legs "fall off" and the packaging can be used to patch a gash in a tyre! 3) Dress for the worst of the weather You lose most heat through your hands, feet and head. So always wear gloves, booties, and a hat. If you get too hot you can always take off a layer, but if you get too cold you are stuck! Also, it takes energy to maintain body heat in the cold you may need all your energy to get round so think sensibly. 4) Start with the easy group If you are new to the club run, start with the easy group. As you get stronger and more confident, you can always move up. Often you will pick up far more about technical issue, how to hold a wheel etc, by going with the steady group, than spending the morning hanging on to the faster boys!
5) Drink well from the start of the ride Even in the winter, it is easy to become dehydrated. Drink plenty, and from the start of the ride. Ideally, this should an energy drink (more on this another time). 6) Don't race (especially the hills), or work too hard at the start, and share the workload Consider the club run as a long steady ride to benefit your cardio-vascular endurance. Racing up hills, or riding hard at the start of a long ride will not only mean you are more likely to suffer at the end of the session (the faster you go the more carbohydrate reserves you use in the early stages of the ride [again more later]) but you will be working at a rate that does not serve the aim of the ride. 7) Don't half-wheel Aim to keep the pace steady. Riding too hard will only make you and everyone else suffer towards the end of the ride, and mean the purpose of the ride is lost. When you are on the font, don't take this as a chance to up the pace. Half wheeling usually gets the competitive nature in everyone going, but often makes many suffer! 8) Record your heart-rate Use a heart-rate monitor to record your progress, and help you ensure that you are working at the desired intensity (usually on the club ride it will be an indicator that you are riding too hard!). It can also serve as an early warning system if you are not drinking enough, or are running out of energy.
9) Plan a recovery strategy Use the winter rides to develop your post exercise recovery strategy. This should include type and timing of food intake, the need for nutritional products, stretching, possibly a massage, or bath (hot and cold!!!). If you sort this in the winter, the lessons learned will help you recover faster from races in the summer. 10) Train sensibly in the week Put the good work you have done in the club ride to the best possible use by training sensibly in the week. Ideally this should mean riding 2-3 times as a minimum, with a structured approach considering both intensity and duration of the mid-week efforts. About Sportstest Sportstest are pleased to announce they are now offering their services in South West London. Sportstest already has a national profile and reputation for providing high level sports science support services to athletes in a wide variety of disciplines including running, cycling, rowing, duathlon and triathlon to name just a few. Headed by Dr Garry Palmer, a world renowned sports scientist with vast experience of working with athletes to World Championships and Olympic level, Sportstest are now offering their successful testing and coaching programme at the Pavilion Sports, Health and Fitness Club, Hampton Court. Think this sounds "too elite" for you? Not so. Dr Palmer can advise everyone from grass roots level through to elite athletes as each test is tailored to the individual. At Sportstest, exercise + science = results. tel:
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2009 Starts Here!
Well, as the season is drawing to a close, the nights are drawing in, and the weather has got decidedly chillier & wetter, many riders are thinking about hanging up their wheels for a well earned rest, but is that really what you should be planning?
Climb Like a Pro
Michele Ferrari, depending on who you talk to (and in what context), is either a sinner or a saint. He has without doubt left as many brilliant landmark achievements in the world of cycling as he has dodgy.
Keeping Healthy
As we enter the crucial phase of our winter training programme we become more susceptible to picking up coughs, sniffles, sore throats and other contagious infections from others. There are, however, a few defence strategies we could be deploying to make sure we stay healthy; this factsheet will explain them. The closer you stick to them the more chance they can help keep you riding this winter.
