Some good first-hand accounts of real people riding their bikes the way they were intended to be ridden. Unlike my bikes, which are collecting dust whilst I get over another cold. Keeerchew! Sniff.

Yes, these are commercial sites and I am testing their product. Still a good read.

SKINS (skinsiders) on Twitter

@skinsiders

Facebook | Skinsider

SKINS Compression Sports Wear
skins.net

Follow us at:
twitter.com/skinsiders

And my previous mention…
addicted2wheels: Cycling Clothing Review – SKINS baselayer and Compression Knicks

…the nice people at SKINS (thanks Matt!) have given me a set of their compression gear to test and I’m keen to wear these out rather prosaically by actually keeping upright and not testing their road adhesion. Whilst I haven’t paid for ‘em they (ie SKINS) and I have agreed that I should be fair and honest and pull no punches in my assessment. So that’s what I will do.

What I am testing right now (well not right this minute as I’m at the keyboard) is a C400 men’s mesh tank baselayer undershirt (well I call it an undershirt, anyway) and a pair of C400 men’s compression BIB shorts. I am hoping to get a sample jersey to test as well. The size is medium and it’s a fine – if snug – fit on my 1.69m and overweight 73kg body. I like snug. I can’t fault the undershirt at all (only the body underneath, frankly) and the BIB shorts (I really only wear the BIB style, it’s the only way to fly) are well made and a good fit.

Some good first-hand accounts of real people riding their bikes the way they were intended to be ridden. Unlike my bikes, which are collecting dust whilst I get over another cold. Keeerchew! Sniff.

Yes, these are commercial sites and I am testing their product. Still a good read.

SKINS (skinsiders) on Twitter

@skinsiders

Facebook | Skinsider

SKINS Compression Sports Wear
skins.net

Follow us at:
twitter.com/skinsiders

And my previous mention…
addicted2wheels: Cycling Clothing Review – SKINS baselayer and Compression Knicks

…the nice people at SKINS (thanks Matt!) have given me a set of their compression gear to test and I’m keen to wear these out rather prosaically by actually keeping upright and not testing their road adhesion. Whilst I haven’t paid for ‘em they (ie SKINS) and I have agreed that I should be fair and honest and pull no punches in my assessment. So that’s what I will do.

What I am testing right now (well not right this minute as I’m at the keyboard) is a C400 men’s mesh tank baselayer undershirt (well I call it an undershirt, anyway) and a pair of C400 men’s compression BIB shorts. I am hoping to get a sample jersey to test as well. The size is medium and it’s a fine – if snug – fit on my 1.69m and overweight 73kg body. I like snug. I can’t fault the undershirt at all (only the body underneath, frankly) and the BIB shorts (I really only wear the BIB style, it’s the only way to fly) are well made and a good fit.

I’ve chewed up a few tyres on a range of trainers, the last couple being fairly standard Elite units. I think the first indoor trainer I tried was in the mid-’80s and was called a ‘Racermate’ or similar. It was a wind trainer with a finned ‘fan’ at the back. It wore out both rear tyres and itself, but I kept it going for maybe 10 years all up before moving to an Elite mag unit. I sweat copiously and am not afraid of a 1 hour session – my all-time record on one of these things is 100km – and every unit seems inevitably to rust. Not to mention the bike, too. I’ve tended to use either sacrificial “retired” steel bikes or newer aluminium ones and catch the sweat with a towel. I’ve tried a fan but prefer a “semi-outdoor” airy under-the-back-deck location. And I use an ibike power meter these days to capture some data from that spinning rear wheel. Whilst it all works OK, there are better indoor trainers with bigger flywheels out there these days. And really, nothing really beats riding on the road.

But maybe the latest crop of indoor trainers, including the interesting LeMond creation (which ditches the rear wheel entirely) will tempt me. The fancy Wattbike has also caught my eye…  not that I can justify the expense!

Wattbike Polar View – Wattbike

When cycling, you can play around with the graph – pushing on the left leg will create a large force shape on the left, pushing hard on the right leg will enlarge the graph on the right. You see a percentage beneath each side, telling you how much power each leg is generating. Standing up and altering your cycling technique will produce a change in the graph.

I’ve chewed up a few tyres on a range of trainers, the last couple being fairly standard Elite units. I think the first indoor trainer I tried was in the mid-’80s and was called a ‘Racermate’ or similar. It was a wind trainer with a finned ‘fan’ at the back. It wore out both rear tyres and itself, but I kept it going for maybe 10 years all up before moving to an Elite mag unit. I sweat copiously and am not afraid of a 1 hour session – my all-time record on one of these things is 100km – and every unit seems inevitably to rust. Not to mention the bike, too. I’ve tended to use either sacrificial “retired” steel bikes or newer aluminium ones and catch the sweat with a towel. I’ve tried a fan but prefer a “semi-outdoor” airy under-the-back-deck location. And I use an ibike power meter these days to capture some data from that spinning rear wheel. Whilst it all works OK, there are better indoor trainers with bigger flywheels out there these days. And really, nothing really beats riding on the road.

But maybe the latest crop of indoor trainers, including the interesting LeMond creation (which ditches the rear wheel entirely) will tempt me. The fancy Wattbike has also caught my eye…  not that I can justify the expense!

Wattbike Polar View – Wattbike

When cycling, you can play around with the graph – pushing on the left leg will create a large force shape on the left, pushing hard on the right leg will enlarge the graph on the right. You see a percentage beneath each side, telling you how much power each leg is generating. Standing up and altering your cycling technique will produce a change in the graph.

I could cut this short and write “don’t do interval training on roads with intersections, driveways or other potential hazards” but it’s more complex than that.

At the bitter core of the road cycling training apple is a big, hairy, dangerous risk. If you are on a bike and ride like you ‘need to’ in order to train “properly” then you exacerbate that risk. You probably ride fast, sometimes as fast as (or faster than) the traffic (there’s good and bad in that, I know). Sometimes you do intervals or sprints, both of which increase the difficulty drivers (and pedestrians and in my area dogs for that matter) have in judging closing distances. Sometimes – heaven forbid – you get with other riders and on rare-ish occasions perform small-scale impromptu “faux races” on public roads. Not real races, mind, ’cause that would be illegal. We all know the feeling though – that competitive streak comes out and suddenly you must win that KOM or sprint, even if it means increasing your “road risk”. I understand all that, it’s human – even car drivers do it at times (which must be worse, surely?).

I also understand that many drivers make it all so much worse by not being aware of a wide range of possibilities and in turn making incautious and uninformed decisions. Thus they overtake bike riders when they really needn’t and shouldn’t (like across double lines, around fast downhill corners or just before some other hazard) and pull out in front of them at intersections. In a perfect world both drivers and riders would see all hazards, understand each other’s needs and make optimum decisions. But it isn’t and they don’t.  

And whilst I don’t want to pick on one incident, particularly one I don’t have the full facts about – the accident linked to below is one I ‘just’ manage to avoid almost every day and feel I need to comment upon. Whilst I have an understanding of the hows and whys of these things and take due care, I suspect there’s an inevitability about bikes and cars clashing on shared roads. If I want to continue training on public roads, I run that added risk. I accept it and simply continue to minimise the risk by prudent training risk management (I’ll explain that concept in a momemt). When I was 25 and riding about 5 or more times further per week than now I didn’t have exactly this level of fear and expectation but I did take similar precautions. I was also fitter, faster and had better reflexes. I’m more than double that age now and have to take that age into account.

The basic problem is that in order to train properly I have to:

• ride faster than many drivers expect (exposing myself to ‘intersection hazard’)
• ride even faster in short bursts I feebly call ‘intervals’ (increasing my unpredictability in ‘intersection hazard’ situations)
• sprint up hills (again increasing my unpredictablity as many drivers just can’t imagine the possibility)
• do all this on public roads.

Ideally we’d have safer closed roads available just for training (and yes there are some places like that but they are usually small, offer inadequate terrain and are hard to find – and in any case involve a ride or drive just to get there). And often otherwise ideal training grounds are increasingly flawed compromises – look at Centennial Park in Sydney, once a haven for cycling but so emasculated by speedbumps and car-friendly regulations as to make it almost unusable (but we use it anyway as otherwise..?). OK, we have to share public facilities but sometimes sharing doesn’t work very well. I don’t see much “sharing” going on with other ‘dedicated’ sporting facilities, so why is road cycling subjected to this restriction? Golf courses are for ruined walks, rugby fields for mudwrestling and so on. If I dared to take my bike onto a hallowed field I’d be removed – permanently, I suspect. I also accept that sometimes car and bike racing facilities are shared but there aren’t too many of those around and training is usually not permitted. At least track cyclists have a few velodromes to use.

None of this is going to change overnight. A set of reserved training roads in public parks doesn’t just happen (although such tracks at Maroubra, Hurstville, Sutherland and Lansdowne in Sydney are good examples of what could be done) and improved driver awareness of cyclists’ needs takes time. In the meantime we cyclists must endure and adapt…      

So what are my methods of ‘prudent training risk management’?

• Use a dedicated car-free area if available – but not a narrow public cycleway or shared-use footpath unless visibility is excellent (a couple of tracks in parks I know are suitable)
• Avoid peak hour unless travelling in the opposite direction
• Avoid competitve bunch rides where taking risks has become endemic

• Choose safer roads with fewer or no intersections or driveways, blind spots and other hazards
• Be aware and cautious where risk is likely and always have a ‘safety margin’
• Back off if you see are driver about to make a decision – assume the worst
• If in doubt use an indoor trainer instead. 

And here’s the incident that started me writing…

Romoli Seriously Injured In Training Accident | Cyclingnews.com

Romoli was doing an interval ahead of her two training partners near Airuno in Lecco when a driver turned in front of her. The rider from Treviso crashed into the side window and suffered deep lacerations to her face and fractured vertebrae.

I could cut this short and write “don’t do interval training on roads with intersections, driveways or other potential hazards” but it’s more complex than that.

At the bitter core of the road cycling training apple is a big, hairy, dangerous risk. If you are on a bike and ride like you ‘need to’ in order to train “properly” then you exacerbate that risk. You probably ride fast, sometimes as fast as (or faster than) the traffic (there’s good and bad in that, I know). Sometimes you do intervals or sprints, both of which increase the difficulty drivers (and pedestrians and in my area dogs for that matter) have in judging closing distances. Sometimes – heaven forbid – you get with other riders and on rare-ish occasions perform small-scale impromptu “faux races” on public roads. Not real races, mind, ’cause that would be illegal. We all know the feeling though – that competitive streak comes out and suddenly you must win that KOM or sprint, even if it means increasing your “road risk”. I understand all that, it’s human – even car drivers do it at times (which must be worse, surely?).

I also understand that many drivers make it all so much worse by not being aware of a wide range of possibilities and in turn making incautious and uninformed decisions. Thus they overtake bike riders when they really needn’t and shouldn’t (like across double lines, around fast downhill corners or just before some other hazard) and pull out in front of them at intersections. In a perfect world both drivers and riders would see all hazards, understand each other’s needs and make optimum decisions. But it isn’t and they don’t.  

And whilst I don’t want to pick on one incident, particularly one I don’t have the full facts about – the accident linked to below is one I ‘just’ manage to avoid almost every day and feel I need to comment upon. Whilst I have an understanding of the hows and whys of these things and take due care, I suspect there’s an inevitability about bikes and cars clashing on shared roads. If I want to continue training on public roads, I run that added risk. I accept it and simply continue to minimise the risk by prudent training risk management (I’ll explain that concept in a momemt). When I was 25 and riding about 5 or more times further per week than now I didn’t have exactly this level of fear and expectation but I did take similar precautions. I was also fitter, faster and had better reflexes. I’m more than double that age now and have to take that age into account.

The basic problem is that in order to train properly I have to:

• ride faster than many drivers expect (exposing myself to ‘intersection hazard’)
• ride even faster in short bursts I feebly call ‘intervals’ (increasing my unpredictability in ‘intersection hazard’ situations)
• sprint up hills (again increasing my unpredictablity as many drivers just can’t imagine the possibility)
• do all this on public roads.

Ideally we’d have safer closed roads available just for training (and yes there are some places like that but they are usually small, offer inadequate terrain and are hard to find – and in any case involve a ride or drive just to get there). And often otherwise ideal training grounds are increasingly flawed compromises – look at Centennial Park in Sydney, once a haven for cycling but so emasculated by speedbumps and car-friendly regulations as to make it almost unusable (but we use it anyway as otherwise..?). OK, we have to share public facilities but sometimes sharing doesn’t work very well. I don’t see much “sharing” going on with other ‘dedicated’ sporting facilities, so why is road cycling subjected to this restriction? Golf courses are for ruined walks, rugby fields for mudwrestling and so on. If I dared to take my bike onto a hallowed field I’d be removed – permanently, I suspect. I also accept that sometimes car and bike racing facilities are shared but there aren’t too many of those around and training is usually not permitted. At least track cyclists have a few velodromes to use.

None of this is going to change overnight. A set of reserved training roads in public parks doesn’t just happen (although such tracks at Maroubra, Hurstville, Sutherland and Lansdowne in Sydney are good examples of what could be done) and improved driver awareness of cyclists’ needs takes time. In the meantime we cyclists must endure and adapt…      

So what are my methods of ‘prudent training risk management’?

• Use a dedicated car-free area if available – but not a narrow public cycleway or shared-use footpath unless visibility is excellent (a couple of tracks in parks I know are suitable)
• Avoid peak hour unless travelling in the opposite direction
• Avoid competitve bunch rides where taking risks has become endemic

• Choose safer roads with fewer or no intersections or driveways, blind spots and other hazards
• Be aware and cautious where risk is likely and always have a ‘safety margin’
• Back off if you see are driver about to make a decision – assume the worst
• If in doubt use an indoor trainer instead. 

And here’s the incident that started me writing…

Romoli Seriously Injured In Training Accident | Cyclingnews.com

Romoli was doing an interval ahead of her two training partners near Airuno in Lecco when a driver turned in front of her. The rider from Treviso crashed into the side window and suffered deep lacerations to her face and fractured vertebrae.

I originally wrote this back in about 1995… with scant updates since. In a nutshell, don’t focus on peak fitness or the ultimate bike, just join a club and get racing!

bike racing: the penultimate guide

Bike racing is like running, swimming, golf or any other sport. In fact it’s just like anything in life. Put the time and effort in and you’ll get better at it. It’s a simple equation, really, limited more by your own motivation or commitment than by any theoretical potential you may or may not possess. If you are looking for easy fitness and a sport that won’t take up much of your time, stop now – it doesn’t exist. Multiple Australian and World 50km Point Score medalist Gary Sutton was once reported to have replied to the question, ‘What’s the secret to success in bike racing?’, with the statement: “Ride lots”. Eddy Merckx is reported to have said the same, and it’s self-evident really. Let’s face it, if you want to be good at something you practise it, over and over… and over again.

I originally wrote this back in about 1995… with scant updates since. In a nutshell, don’t focus on peak fitness or the ultimate bike, just join a club and get racing!

bike racing: the penultimate guide

Bike racing is like running, swimming, golf or any other sport. In fact it’s just like anything in life. Put the time and effort in and you’ll get better at it. It’s a simple equation, really, limited more by your own motivation or commitment than by any theoretical potential you may or may not possess. If you are looking for easy fitness and a sport that won’t take up much of your time, stop now – it doesn’t exist. Multiple Australian and World 50km Point Score medalist Gary Sutton was once reported to have replied to the question, ‘What’s the secret to success in bike racing?’, with the statement: “Ride lots”. Eddy Merckx is reported to have said the same, and it’s self-evident really. Let’s face it, if you want to be good at something you practise it, over and over… and over again.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101 – part 4 – Your first criterium

If you break your beginning races up into components you will find a few common elements or features. Let’s start by analysing short, fast criteriums (in a low grade to begin with) and work from there.

1. For a criterium you need a road bike. One with curvy ‘dropped’ handlebars and a pair of brakes will do – yes, you need to use the back brake too!
2. You need a bike with 2 lightish but stiff wheels, as flexy wheels in tight corners are not good as they feel soft and squishy (yuck)
3. The bike itself could be around 8 or 9 kg in weight but extra kilos on the bike are not that much of a problem as crits are usually pretty flat. Light wheels will assist your acceleration more than a light bike. In any case you shouldn’t stress about the bike. Your fitness will matter more
4. Having said that, the bike should be well maintained and unlikely to break under load!
5. Remove extraneous objects before the race – like streamers, plastic gear guards, bells, toolkits, books, magazines – and keep ‘em for later
6. Pump up the tyres. 100psi sounds good but whatever you see written on the tyre will be a good guide. A harder tyre is a faster tyre, within limits (don’t over-inflate!)
7. Join a bike club and get a racing licence. In Australia it’s around $200 a year but varies with each club and your age. You get 3rd party insurance with that and a cool licence to prove you are a racer. Consider health insurance as falling off at speed may be costly
8. Crits go round and round so you’ll pass the pits several times. If you puncture (or have a ‘mechanical’) you will be allowed ‘a lap out’ but unless you are fabulously prepared and have a buddy following you with spare wheels it’s unlikely you’ll be able to take advantage of that in your early races. You can often leave spares at the start line anyway, just let someone know to watch ‘em, in case they ‘walk’
9. Assuming you have followed my earlier advice and have trained at least enough to have sufficient endurance for the event in question, arrive at the racing venue with plenty of time in hand (30mins minimum, preferably an hour)
10. If you haven’t already done so, get your licence from the club secretary. If you haven’t paid, pay now
11. If you have your licence, look for the entry desk. It could be under a marquee. It could be in a club house. There may be a queue of fit looking lycra-wearers to guide you. Queue up and pay your entry fee (could be $5-$10, more for open races). You will be graded, probably in a low grade at first. They will give you a race number (cool!) and may hold your licence untill you return said number after the race. Race numbers are often colour coded to show grade. Transponders may be used in open races, but you won’t make your debut in an open, eh?
12. Put your number on (usually pinned low on your jersey and slightly to the side where the judges sit (it pays to check out local custom here).
13. Pay attention to what’s happening as races are often organised in unusual orders. Like A grade (fast guys) first, then B grade, then C and D combined, or totally in reverse. Local customs apply – don’t miss your start!
14. If it’s OK to do so, roll around and warm up on the course. Don’t start cold in any case!
15. Don’t miss the start!

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101 – part 4 – Your first criterium

If you break your beginning races up into components you will find a few common elements or features. Let’s start by analysing short, fast criteriums (in a low grade to begin with) and work from there.

1. For a criterium you need a road bike. One with curvy ‘dropped’ handlebars and a pair of brakes will do – yes, you need to use the back brake too!
2. You need a bike with 2 lightish but stiff wheels, as flexy wheels in tight corners are not good as they feel soft and squishy (yuck)
3. The bike itself could be around 8 or 9 kg in weight but extra kilos on the bike are not that much of a problem as crits are usually pretty flat. Light wheels will assist your acceleration more than a light bike. In any case you shouldn’t stress about the bike. Your fitness will matter more
4. Having said that, the bike should be well maintained and unlikely to break under load!
5. Remove extraneous objects before the race – like streamers, plastic gear guards, bells, toolkits, books, magazines – and keep ‘em for later
6. Pump up the tyres. 100psi sounds good but whatever you see written on the tyre will be a good guide. A harder tyre is a faster tyre, within limits (don’t over-inflate!)
7. Join a bike club and get a racing licence. In Australia it’s around $200 a year but varies with each club and your age. You get 3rd party insurance with that and a cool licence to prove you are a racer. Consider health insurance as falling off at speed may be costly
8. Crits go round and round so you’ll pass the pits several times. If you puncture (or have a ‘mechanical’) you will be allowed ‘a lap out’ but unless you are fabulously prepared and have a buddy following you with spare wheels it’s unlikely you’ll be able to take advantage of that in your early races. You can often leave spares at the start line anyway, just let someone know to watch ‘em, in case they ‘walk’
9. Assuming you have followed my earlier advice and have trained at least enough to have sufficient endurance for the event in question, arrive at the racing venue with plenty of time in hand (30mins minimum, preferably an hour)
10. If you haven’t already done so, get your licence from the club secretary. If you haven’t paid, pay now
11. If you have your licence, look for the entry desk. It could be under a marquee. It could be in a club house. There may be a queue of fit looking lycra-wearers to guide you. Queue up and pay your entry fee (could be $5-$10, more for open races). You will be graded, probably in a low grade at first. They will give you a race number (cool!) and may hold your licence untill you return said number after the race. Race numbers are often colour coded to show grade. Transponders may be used in open races, but you won’t make your debut in an open, eh?
12. Put your number on (usually pinned low on your jersey and slightly to the side where the judges sit (it pays to check out local custom here).
13. Pay attention to what’s happening as races are often organised in unusual orders. Like A grade (fast guys) first, then B grade, then C and D combined, or totally in reverse. Local customs apply – don’t miss your start!
14. If it’s OK to do so, roll around and warm up on the course. Don’t start cold in any case!
15. Don’t miss the start!

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101 – part 3 – it’s not about the bike, is it?

Bike racing 101 – part 3 – it’s not about the bike, is it?
Well it could be about the bike, if it matters that much to you. Let’s face it, it’s hard work racing – sometimes it can be just as important (or easier) to you to just cruise, get fit(ter) and not worry about racing. Maybe just dabble but don’t commit.

I have some problems with this myself, which I’ll share now. Dabbling is great. I dabble in Art. But I’m always wondering ‘whatif’. What if I had committed to art? Or music? Or writing? Or cycling, for that matter? Life is about decisions and compromises and living with the results. By total immersion you may well achieve your potential, but it’s unlikely that you will achieve anywhere near your potential by dabbling. Of course you can always rationalise these decisions and worry about it all later, but I wanted to make the point – dabbling is not going to help you to achieve at the highest level.

It’s a sliding scale, though. Maybe your life allows you to dabble 20% of the time in cycling, and maybe that’s enough time to reach 80% of your fitness potential? Just be aware that this trade off is your choice, so don’t come to me in 20 years time saying that you could’ve been a pro if only you’d committed yourself… phew, glad that’s out of the way. I never really wanted to be a pro, I just wanted to win club races – really!

So – given that we are dabbling here, not immersing – we are going to maximise our efforts and results and minimise our time. That’s the thrust of my argument. Let’s get the best result for our buck. Which brings me to bikes. You don’t need the flashest gear to win a race. (It may be motivating to have flash gear, but it won’t be a bigger lever than your fitness and skill level.)

My winningest bike was an $800 Shogun in 1984.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101 – part 3 – it’s not about the bike, is it?

Bike racing 101 – part 3 – it’s not about the bike, is it?
Well it could be about the bike, if it matters that much to you. Let’s face it, it’s hard work racing – sometimes it can be just as important (or easier) to you to just cruise, get fit(ter) and not worry about racing. Maybe just dabble but don’t commit.

I have some problems with this myself, which I’ll share now. Dabbling is great. I dabble in Art. But I’m always wondering ‘whatif’. What if I had committed to art? Or music? Or writing? Or cycling, for that matter? Life is about decisions and compromises and living with the results. By total immersion you may well achieve your potential, but it’s unlikely that you will achieve anywhere near your potential by dabbling. Of course you can always rationalise these decisions and worry about it all later, but I wanted to make the point – dabbling is not going to help you to achieve at the highest level.

It’s a sliding scale, though. Maybe your life allows you to dabble 20% of the time in cycling, and maybe that’s enough time to reach 80% of your fitness potential? Just be aware that this trade off is your choice, so don’t come to me in 20 years time saying that you could’ve been a pro if only you’d committed yourself… phew, glad that’s out of the way. I never really wanted to be a pro, I just wanted to win club races – really!

So – given that we are dabbling here, not immersing – we are going to maximise our efforts and results and minimise our time. That’s the thrust of my argument. Let’s get the best result for our buck. Which brings me to bikes. You don’t need the flashest gear to win a race. (It may be motivating to have flash gear, but it won’t be a bigger lever than your fitness and skill level.)

My winningest bike was an $800 Shogun in 1984.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101 – part 2 – goal setting

Bike racing 101 – part 2 – goal setting
Last time I set the scene. (Usual disclaimer applies about starting any exercise program slowly, checking with a doctor first and so on.) In brief, I outlined my personal approach. Go riding, enjoy it and find some buddies to encourage you. Then leverage that fitness and skill to start racing. Of course there’s lots more to it than that.

For instance, what are your goals? Ask yourself why am I doing this? Is it that you want to stay fit and healthy in the long term, and to get out there riding regularly you need extra motivation? Or is it to simply try out racing, just because you’d like to? Try to understand why you want to do it and feed off that motivation. Remind yourself why on those hard days when you question the whole idea. And review your goals regularly. You may want to find out how good you could be, given whatever constraints you may have. (I always had to work (or thought I did), for example, so doing more miles was always a balancing act.)

Goal setting helps you achieve something definite. Just ambling along seeing what happens may lead you somewhere interesting but it probably won’t be exactly what you wanted to do, or be the best that you want to be. It may be great and exactly what you wanted. Or it may be so disappointing that you drift off and do something else. And we don’t want that.

By aiming at achievable goals you do a few things. You are taking aim, and aiming at something improves your chances of hitting it. You are also building a set of stairs, small steps that will make it easier to climb to a higher place. If you aim at the top rung straightaway you may actually get there – we all have our ‘top rung’ dreams – but by setting out intermediate goals you will get there more reliably.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101 – part 2 – goal setting

Bike racing 101 – part 2 – goal setting
Last time I set the scene. (Usual disclaimer applies about starting any exercise program slowly, checking with a doctor first and so on.) In brief, I outlined my personal approach. Go riding, enjoy it and find some buddies to encourage you. Then leverage that fitness and skill to start racing. Of course there’s lots more to it than that.

For instance, what are your goals? Ask yourself why am I doing this? Is it that you want to stay fit and healthy in the long term, and to get out there riding regularly you need extra motivation? Or is it to simply try out racing, just because you’d like to? Try to understand why you want to do it and feed off that motivation. Remind yourself why on those hard days when you question the whole idea. And review your goals regularly. You may want to find out how good you could be, given whatever constraints you may have. (I always had to work (or thought I did), for example, so doing more miles was always a balancing act.)

Goal setting helps you achieve something definite. Just ambling along seeing what happens may lead you somewhere interesting but it probably won’t be exactly what you wanted to do, or be the best that you want to be. It may be great and exactly what you wanted. Or it may be so disappointing that you drift off and do something else. And we don’t want that.

By aiming at achievable goals you do a few things. You are taking aim, and aiming at something improves your chances of hitting it. You are also building a set of stairs, small steps that will make it easier to climb to a higher place. If you aim at the top rung straightaway you may actually get there – we all have our ‘top rung’ dreams – but by setting out intermediate goals you will get there more reliably.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101

Bike racing 101
Think of this blog post as my personal attempt to inspire you to race. I am looking at the non-racer, the recreational rider who is quite fit and interested in the sport of cycling but for whom racing is ‘something I can do later’ or ‘something that’s just a bit out of my league’.

Firstly, never put off to tomorrow what you can do today. I first ‘enquired’ about bike racing when I was 16 and riding perhaps 100km a week, including 60-80km ‘fun rides’ on the weekend. Having not been involved in competitive sport in any organised way before – I was a total bookworm – I lacked the confidence to give it a go, so I put it off – for about 8 years, in fact!

Secondly, you never know until you give it a go. In my case I only gave it a go after much encouragement by other riders. Luckily I lived fairly close (10km away) from arguably Sydney’s premier cycling resource – Centennial Park. So for about 8 years I frequently rode to and around the Park. Just by riding around with other riders I got fitter, faster and more skilled. I found that I could chase and catch other riders and that I had a previously undiscovered urge to improve and even to race. I still didn’t think I could do it, but the thought entered my head that I had a chance. Eventually I found another rider at the same level and we (at the urging of another rider – as it turned out the president of one of Sydney’s oldest bike clubs, Randwick-Botany) made a commitment to try a race together at Heffron Park. We were placed in D grade. He won and I came 2nd. Now for him that ‘proved’ enough and he didn’t race again. But for me I was hooked. I came back and won D grade the following week – and went from there.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Bike racing 101

Bike racing 101
Think of this blog post as my personal attempt to inspire you to race. I am looking at the non-racer, the recreational rider who is quite fit and interested in the sport of cycling but for whom racing is ‘something I can do later’ or ‘something that’s just a bit out of my league’.

Firstly, never put off to tomorrow what you can do today. I first ‘enquired’ about bike racing when I was 16 and riding perhaps 100km a week, including 60-80km ‘fun rides’ on the weekend. Having not been involved in competitive sport in any organised way before – I was a total bookworm – I lacked the confidence to give it a go, so I put it off – for about 8 years, in fact!

Secondly, you never know until you give it a go. In my case I only gave it a go after much encouragement by other riders. Luckily I lived fairly close (10km away) from arguably Sydney’s premier cycling resource – Centennial Park. So for about 8 years I frequently rode to and around the Park. Just by riding around with other riders I got fitter, faster and more skilled. I found that I could chase and catch other riders and that I had a previously undiscovered urge to improve and even to race. I still didn’t think I could do it, but the thought entered my head that I had a chance. Eventually I found another rider at the same level and we (at the urging of another rider – as it turned out the president of one of Sydney’s oldest bike clubs, Randwick-Botany) made a commitment to try a race together at Heffron Park. We were placed in D grade. He won and I came 2nd. Now for him that ‘proved’ enough and he didn’t race again. But for me I was hooked. I came back and won D grade the following week – and went from there.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Pedalling 101

Pedalling 101
It looks simple and it is – and it isn’t.

Most of us learn to ride a bike as kids – without toe straps or clipless pedals. (I’m an exception – I didn’t regularly ride until I was about 16 years old, with toe clips and straps very soon thereafter.) Years of riding without a mechanically-enforced connection with the drivetrain teaches your legs to push down (and probably to ‘grip’ the pedal a bit by wrapping your foot slightly around it) but not to pull up. There’s no solid connection, so you naturally don’t even try to pull up. But as soon as you do get clips and straps or clipless pedals suddenly a whole new world of pedalling efficiency opens up. The big problem is re-learning how to pedal. It’s neurological as well as muscular.

Essentially – in my experience only, I’m no sports scientist – you should pedal by pushing down hard from as early in the ‘power stroke’ as you can, then by pulling across the bottom of the stroke (as if wiping mud off your shoe) before smoothly switching to a ‘pulling up’ phase which ends just before top dead centre (TDC). The emphasis will be on the downstroke but it’s important to realise that the upstroke matters too. And repeat over and over. Smoothly, all the way around.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Pedalling 101

Pedalling 101
It looks simple and it is – and it isn’t.

Most of us learn to ride a bike as kids – without toe straps or clipless pedals. (I’m an exception – I didn’t regularly ride until I was about 16 years old, with toe clips and straps very soon thereafter.) Years of riding without a mechanically-enforced connection with the drivetrain teaches your legs to push down (and probably to ‘grip’ the pedal a bit by wrapping your foot slightly around it) but not to pull up. There’s no solid connection, so you naturally don’t even try to pull up. But as soon as you do get clips and straps or clipless pedals suddenly a whole new world of pedalling efficiency opens up. The big problem is re-learning how to pedal. It’s neurological as well as muscular.

Essentially – in my experience only, I’m no sports scientist – you should pedal by pushing down hard from as early in the ‘power stroke’ as you can, then by pulling across the bottom of the stroke (as if wiping mud off your shoe) before smoothly switching to a ‘pulling up’ phase which ends just before top dead centre (TDC). The emphasis will be on the downstroke but it’s important to realise that the upstroke matters too. And repeat over and over. Smoothly, all the way around.

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Training – the old way and the modern way?

Training – the old way and the modern way?
Power? Who cares? Oh yeah, I do. Well a bit, anyway. If I didn’t have an ibike – and let’s face it, I do – I would simply use my HR monitor and speedo in conjunction with “perceived effort” and a training diary. But before I had an HRM I just used the speedo. And before I had a speedo (or a “bike computer”) I just had perceived effort (as in easy, hard or very hard) and a training diary with estimated distances. And before that I didn’t actually ride – or race.

And guess what? Irrespective of the gadgets acquired I still got fitter, and I still won races. Ergo, you don’t need this stuff. So save your pennies – you can get by.

But wait, if this is the case then why do so many bike racers use power meters? Are they all just nerdy, trendy data-analysers with too much money? Well, yeah, maybe in some cases. But what power measurement does give you is lots of lovely data to play with, all about narcissistic old you. And that additional data makes targeted improvement simply more likely. Progress can be swifter, especially if you’ve never seriously trained on a bike before. And you’ll be convinced more easily of the relationship between certain specific training techniques and success in different events. Which is to say it takes a bit of guesswork out of things.

So what should you consider in terms of “power training”?

bike racing: the penultimate guide: Training – the old way and the modern way?

Training – the old way and the modern way?
Power? Who cares? Oh yeah, I do. Well a bit, anyway. If I didn’t have an ibike – and let’s face it, I do – I would simply use my HR monitor and speedo in conjunction with “perceived effort” and a training diary. But before I had an HRM I just used the speedo. And before I had a speedo (or a “bike computer”) I just had perceived effort (as in easy, hard or very hard) and a training diary with estimated distances. And before that I didn’t actually ride – or race.

And guess what? Irrespective of the gadgets acquired I still got fitter, and I still won races. Ergo, you don’t need this stuff. So save your pennies – you can get by.

But wait, if this is the case then why do so many bike racers use power meters? Are they all just nerdy, trendy data-analysers with too much money? Well, yeah, maybe in some cases. But what power measurement does give you is lots of lovely data to play with, all about narcissistic old you. And that additional data makes targeted improvement simply more likely. Progress can be swifter, especially if you’ve never seriously trained on a bike before. And you’ll be convinced more easily of the relationship between certain specific training techniques and success in different events. Which is to say it takes a bit of guesswork out of things.

So what should you consider in terms of “power training”?