Update on Jodie and Jane's training preperation

In thinking about the year ahead, I find it effective to put some structure into my plans by starting to set some short and longer term goals.  I always have a big goal for October but that is a long way off, so I have shorter term goals along the way that help me perform at optimal levels by the time October rolls around.

MELBOURNE cyclist Shane Perkins gave himself the perfect present when completed a clean sweep of UCI international sprint events when he won the individual sprint final at Devonport last night.

Shane is in Tasmania for the Track Christmas Carnival and raced at Launceston on 28th Dec - here are his results.

Don't let a raining day get in the way of a great cycling workout.

In this article I discuss the merits of fixed wheel riding. 

Sure is nice cruising down your favorite road at 50km/hr with the wind at your back and barely breaking a sweat. This is what I did this morning with a gusty northerly. After an easy hour of riding, I realized that I was 50km away! I still had to turn around…

One of the most successful ways of improving your performance only takes 5 mins.

Thank you to Michal Krodkiewski for this tip on a good technique to clean your chain properly.  I use a Wipperman link myself and it’s the most convenient way to remove your chain when cleaning.  Remember, a clean chain = 5 watts!

I recently wrote a post about crosswinds and I’m going to do it again today.  It’s been a major theme of my past couple of races.

Found this great article about nutrition for touring and adventure cyclists. I have republished it here. Written by Nancy Clark.

Found this intresting article by Philip Bray on The Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Lean Tissue and have republished it here.

This quick tip describes how to move up a bunch with no or little effort.

Want to know where the safest place to ride in a cycling bunch is. Read on....

This article discusses how to boost your training to get fantastic results.

This article is for all you young guns out there wanting to get sponsored by a big team or bike company.

Ever installed a valve extension on those fantastic new deep rimed wheels only to have them leak? This article discusses how to stop leaks for good.

This article discusses an interesting phenomenon that I have observed personally and in my research of HR data in the people that I coach.

In this article I discuss a great tip that Brett Phelan gave me...

Here is another article from Carl brewer is about how combining strength and power with endurance training may not be ideal for sprinters. Carl Brewer is from aboc Cycle Coaching. It's a great read and republished here from his original content.

This great review on the Kinetic Road machine written by Carl Brewer from aboc Cycle Coaching. It's a great read and republished here from his original content. Carl runs a very successful coaching service and can be contacted on 0419 966 003 between 8am and 10pm any day of via e-mail at coach@aboc.com.au.  We Appreciate Carl for allowing us to republish his article on our site.

This great article about your first Criterium written by Carl Brewer from aboc Cycle Coaching. It's a great read and republished here.  Carl runs a very successful coaching service and can be contacted on 0419 966 003 between 8am and 10pm any day of via e-mail at coach@aboc.com.au. We appreciate Carl for allowing us to republish his article on our site.

Even though the the peloton is riding at a very steady speed, the distance between riders is constantly changing.  This tip describes how to move through a a tight pack during races.

You’ve probably been in a situation where some shifty bugger keeps stealing the wheel you were sitting comfortably behind. As this happens again and again the next thing you know you’re at the back of the bunch.

Are you secretly envious of your co-workers and friends who, like superheroes, never seem to get sick? You know, the ones glowing with good health while everyone around them is sneezing, sniffling, and coughing like villains. Don't hate the healthy people. Instead, steal the secrets of people who manage to stay above the sickroom fray and take steps to boost your body's immunity. Written by Jennifer Soong

Although you develop more power while standing (you are taking advantage of all your upper body weight pushing down on the pedals), you also use 10 to 12% more energy as your pelvis isn't in contact with the saddle which means more work for your core and back muscles as you pull up on the unweighted pedal. The net effect is more energy used (less efficient) to climb standing versus to climb seated. Written by www.cptips.com

Rest and recovery deserve just as much consideration as your workouts if you’re serious about getting in shape, particularly when your program includes weight lifting and other types of resistance training. Even after exercise, you still have to pay attention to what you're doing during your day! To understand why, a simplified physiology lesson is in order. Sourced from: www.homeexercisecoach.com

I have recently been having problems with my Polar heart rate monitor - it has been dropping out and not getting a reading. Anyway we have been working through the factors to identify the problem including replacing batteries and getting a new heart rate strap. Included with the new strap was a leaflet on haw to care for your strap, so I thought I would share this with you. I have a heart rate strap where the centre module has 2 press studs to clip and unclip.

• store the strap and the transmitter module seperately
• wash the strap regularly in a washing mashine at least 40oC at least after every 5th use. This ensures a reliable measurement and maximises the life span of the transmitter. Never put the tranmitter centre module in the washing machine.
• don't use detergent with bleach or fabric softener
• wash in a pouch (i.e. same kind you use to wash your gloves when you throw them in the wash)
• don't put the strap in the dryer
• don't store your heart rate monitor in a damp sports bag
  

Here is Sean King's account of his adventures on the "La Marmotte" and then riding from "village" to "village" averaging 129km (80 miles) per day through the French Alps in his quest to ride 100 mountain passes (Cols). Here is his story...

Basics to look for when shopping for rollers or a home trainer by Lucas Wall

Depending on the mood of the peloton, sometimes races can be extremely negative.  What I mean by "negative" is that every time someone attacks and attempts to create a break-away it gets chased it down.  Sometimes this can be a very intentional team strategy for those who want the race to come down to a field sprint.  Or it can also be a result of too many people in the peloton being nervous and excited where every time a rider goes up the road, someone tries to go with him and ends up dragging the whole pack up to that rider.  If you have some nasty crosswinds at your disposal, there is one way to split up the group so that you can get rid of those riders just sitting on.  Throw it in the gutter!

Now, if Gummy Dinosaurs all of a sudden appear on the UCI banned list next year then you know they read my post. And you'll see cyclists being thrown out of the Tour next year swearing they thought it was Gummy Worms in the bag.

These five postride beverages will warm you up while you're cooling down. Written by Kelly Bastone

This article discusses the merits of Viagra and it's effect on athletes performance. Written by By Jeré Longman.

Liam's Wood's Race Report: Metro Track Championships (DISC) November 29-30/11/2008. The Metro Track Championships Consisted of four championship events over two days.

If you’re going to do something, why try to be good at everything? For most of us, all that will happen is that we’ll end up being mediocre a wide range of things which will put us in the middle of the pack nearly all the time.

Whether riding for fitness or commuting, the bike doesn't have to stay in the garage during the cold and rainy seasons. But cyclists who hit the road need to prepare for the outdoor conditions during the fall and winter months. By Craig Hill, McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

This article written by Al Lyman for Triathletes but is very relevant for all endurance athletes. It discusses the merits of incorporating the power of functional strength training in your base building phase to power up your neuro-muscular systems. Something that I'm strong believer in too.  

This article by Coach Al Lyman talks about planning for Triathlons but is message is very relevant to any sports person planning our their season.

In this article Brian writes about building base and while I agree with Brian that base building is very important to endurance athletes like Roadies. It's important to remember that the amount of base training and the weeks that you do it for relate very closely to the events that you are training for.

I'm a strong advocate of building strength before speed for many reasons and apply it to my coaching programs all the time. While most cyclists will have built enough endurance base after three years of riding and can then start focusing on their speed. This article, written by Brian Grasky, discusses developing power on the bike from the triathlete's perspective. It caught my eye as much of what he writes about here are similar to the methods that we use in our coaching programs for building power on the bike.

Found this article on the web about tile trial tips and water bottles. It's a good read.

This is a great introduction to track racing provided by Cycling Queensland.

Found this great list for newcomers to cycling racing and thought I would publish it here.

I came across a great article on building your endurance on the bike from Bicycling Victoria's website and thought I'd pass along thier great insights.

This covers simple tips for preparing and training for cycling events and was written by Bicycle Qld. I have modified it slightly

Found this article on Bicycle Qld's website. It covers some simple tips on setting up a bicycle to fit you