I need to keep up....

It has been a while since I completed my last post (other than the one on fittings that I just did). I still have to write about Lanzarote, the Glasgow revolution, my new steed, some testing at university a new trip I planned amongst other things.

This post though is about the training. Once again the weather is conspiring against cyclists with temperatures out there similar to my freezer. Throw in a chill factor and the body quickly starts to shut down and long mileage becomes difficult. I opted to fight this and invested in some excellent bioracer winter kit. The sort of clothing the Palefish and Polocini  teams use as well as others up to and including World Champions. To finish it off a superb Goretex jacket and winter socks from Cheshire Oak cycles have seen me out in sub zero temperatures. So my outdoor mileage has jumped up to about 200 a week again, apart from a short illness dropping one week down to 150. With another freeze this week the winter that never ends shouldn't stop me from enjoying myself.

So what have I been up to? First of all I wanted to drop my weight a bit more. I made a conscious effort to watch my diet over the last three weeks without loosing power and managed to drop 7lbs. Another 7 as it warms up will really help over the hills.

My weeks are getting interesting. They are still fairly routine but all the winter base miles are now paying dividends.

They look like this:

Monday is still a rest day though it is often hard to stick to this it allows me to catch up on things (other than blogging)

Tuesday, I have been going to meet the science chaps at Hope University to collate some data that should help me become more competitive. More on this in another blog when I finish. In short I am finding my functional thresholds using ramp tests, and simulated time trials.

Wednesday is a bit of a recovery day usually a 1-1/2 to 2 hour zone one session to spin the lactate out of my legs. This week I went on my TT bike and overdid it (a lot) but boy was it fun and that machine flies.

Thursday is a long steady ride up to 4-1/2 hours in zone 1 and 2 hitting 3 on the hills.

Friday is a hill session working in laps after an hours warm up I alternate climbing a 9% hill about 400m long, 1 lap standing 1 lap sitting for five laps. The idea is to push the hardest gear you can and just roll over the top. I am doing the following at the moment 53/1 standing. 53/17 sitting, 53/14 standing, 53/16 sitting and finally a horrendous 53/11 standing when I just about make it.
It does appear to work. I climb an 11% hill on the way home and I fly over it using the lower gears.

Saturday is interval time, it should of been on the TT bike but with heavy rains the night before there was a lot of debris in the gutters and I don't want to ride a new style of riding in poor conditions yet.

So I took the Scott foil out, after a 40 minute warm up finishing at the top of zone 2 I planned to start a loop through Thornton Hough.  8 minutes in zone 5 (yes zone 5) followed by 8 minutes in zone 2, with three of the zone 5 sessions - you get the idea. The course was undulating, the wind breezy and temperature cold but it was dry and  I was looking forward to the challenge. Zone five isn't easy and it takes some training to get the body used to it. I managed to average 24mph on the first lap but my legs were sore from the day before and I knew I was going to struggle on the next two. After what felt like two minutes I was into the second 8 minutes. I was going OK but with just over a minute to go I punctured in a lane with no pavement. I gingerly rode to a footpath stopping 20 seconds before the 8 minute time. Wheel out bike flipped, the heavens opened with fat, cold rain. I put a goretex coat on top of my other three layers and fixed the bike but it was no use. I ended up very cold, very quickly. Once I started again I managed 21mph for the second lap, not bad considering the slow punctured wobble at the end. The third lap though dropped to just over 19mph, still OK though considering how cold I was and how many layers I had on.
I span off to Eureka for some coffee and back adding just over an hour and a half to the ride so not a bad day.

Sunday was going to be an easy spin in the evening but I didn't make it home in time to get out so opted for a thirty minute spin on the tacx to ease the legs and keep them moving.

Over all its going well. I was going to do my first T next week, just a ten, but my club hasn't registered yet so I have had my entry refused. I will give them another week then I need to consider joining someone else perhaps.

That's it more soon

Bike Fittings-Do we need them?

 

I suppose the answer, like many things, is it's up to you. Not a lot of help I know so perhaps a few more thoughts. Most of us got our first bikes when we children. Many of us would of been stood next to something with one large and two small wheels at the back and possibly of heard a comment similar to 'He will get a lot longer out of this'. Roughly translated, we only have this size in and I need to sell it to pay the rent'. There then followed a period of uncomfortable/dangerous riding with everything from crashes to high pitched squeals as you hit the cross bar. Then, after a growth spurt suddenly cycling became easier, safer, faster and well more fun. What happened was you grew to fit the bike. Unfortunately as you continued to grow it lost this moment in time when everything was perfect.

 

How does it relate to today and maybe as an adult our fixed height? Well you have several options with a bike fit.

 

1. Guess, it worked as a child.
2. Have a look on the Internet, it will explain plumb lines, and knee angle
3. Get a fit at the shop when you buy a new bike
4. Go for a professional  bike fit

 

I have done the latter for some time. I had a shop fit when I bought my orbea and although they worked hard on it frankly they didn't have the equipment needed to get it perfect. I had aching shoulders and lower back, knee pain and appeared to be rolling around in the saddle. All signs that the bike doesn't fit properly. 

 

So I went to meet Richard Salisbury at Pedal Precision in the Manchester Velodrome www.pedalprecision.com Not so much, just a fit as a complete adjustment of all contact points to match your goals. One of the things I am always keen to check is the credentials of anyone I am paying money to. Richard not only has all that is required he has vast experience of, well people like me, to world champions. Good enough for me. 

Pedal Precision takes bike fitting personally. That is to say that they really work with each individual rider, taking into account their sports and injury history, and helping the rider work together with the bike. It’s not about telling someone “this is what your position SHOULD be” it’s about helping achieve a position which allows the riders body to get the most from every pedal revolution whilst preventing overuse injuries or offloading any structures which are already compromised. They will also help you identify areas of weakness which can be addressed through exercises or physio style treatment in order to help you get the most from your riding.

 

It begins with a conversation about your goals, training, experience and, well, many other things so that Richard can begin to understand your needs.

 

Next are the shoes and cleats. I began by standing then walking up and down the room. Then, a little bit of sorcery, Richard simply set my pedals and gave the shoes back to me. I hadn't even used them on the bike. I have to admit I was a bit sceptical at first. However, once back on the bike the knee pain disappeared so that bit was right.

 

Next was onto the turbo machine. Once I was spinning Richard captured my movements using a slow motion camera to optimise power and comfort. When he fitted my first bike some major tweaks were made. The stem was too short causing my back to curl and shoulder blades to stick out hence the upper and lower back pain. Problem solved. The other thing that happened was my average speed jumped an incredible two miles per hour.

 

Finally we discussed injuries, Richard was able to offer credible advice he is qualified to give that helped me pre and post ride.

 

I mentioned that the first bike needed significant changes, I have been back three times now and although I set my bike roughly in the right position mainly because I can't wait to have a ride each bike is different. The geometry changes and it can actually be impossible to set the measurements exactly the same between bikes. Then of course there is the TT bike. A balance has to be struck between aero tuck and the ability to breath and transmit power. Again something Richard really helped me with. Each bike was adjusted and two of them even required different length stems.

 

So my view it is worth taking each bike for a fitting and perhaps have a quick go on the track at the same time. The price for increasing your joy on the machine? Well, check his site as it may change but when I last went it was £110 for the first bike and half price for any others. I have spent more on a stem which didn't come close to benefiting me as much as the pro fit did. Go and try it.