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Friday, January 8th, 2010
Apparently Bicycles are Rare

I hope you are enjoying the start of 2010. We are getting ramped up for a great year with new services, tons of workshops and alot of teaching and coaching…everything we love. There are many new things that get introduced at the beginning of the year and one of them is new indoor bike designs. Like cars, some new indoor bike models have hit the scene.

Let me warn you right from the start of this entry, this is not a happy post. I’m about to go off on a rant about the state of available equipment for indoor cycling. I’m not going to mention companies and product by name at this time, but Stage5 will be producing a guide to indoor bikes next month. We will grade them on a number of criteria including proper fit, real road feel, reliability, quality, maintenance issues and electronics (HR, Cadence, Power, etc.) to name a few. My biggest issue for this post is bike fit. Is it that stinkin hard to find a real bike somewhere in the world to model these indoor bikes from. Come on!

Now understand that even though Stage5 Cycling is heavily entrenched in the indoor cycling industry, we are first and foremost cycling coaches who perform biomechanic assessments and bike fits on a weekly basis. So to say the least, we emphasis proper fit on the bike.

Now to back down the emotion a decibel, it is not that all of the bikes are missing the mark totally, but each one has its issues when it comes to putting a rider in the correct position. The most prominent issue is positioning of the handlebars. Although some manufacturers are getting on board with the need to move the handlebars toward or away from the rider (fore-aft) some new models still do not incorporate this feature. The other issue with handlebars, which is wide-spread, is how low they can be adjusted. I’m 5′8″ and when setup correctly on a “real” bike, have my handlebars approximately 4cm lower than the height of my saddle. The best I can do on most indoor bikes is having my handlebars the same height as my saddle. What about everyone who is shorter than 5′8″? Depending on the length of their legs, their handlebars will “always” be higher than their saddle. Don’t get me started on the various shapes and tilt of handlebars. I’m not talking about just having a set of handlebars that look like those found on a road bike (which would be a nice option), but just general hand positions found on a road bike, mountain bike, whatever. This in combination with poor fore-aft adjustment and incorrect handlebar height starts to become very frustrating.

One manufacturer, in an attempt to make settings easier, reduced the fore-aft saddle positions to 3 settings: (+) (0) and (-). Very simple, but I can’t get a number of riders in the proper position with their knees correctly aligned over the pedals. This is potentionally dangerous as incorrrect biomechanics can eventually lead to overuse injuries or worse.

Tonight I was teaching a workshop for instructors on bike setup for indoor cycling. During the workshop one instructor said that she found that riders who usual bike outdoors rounded their backs to maintain that aerodynamic position when riding during indoor cycling classes. I thought this was an interesting observation. Unfortunately is had nothing to do with aerodynamics and all to do with the fact that the bike was incorrectly designed and without fore-aft adjustment for the handlebars.

Come on people (directed at indoor bike manufacturers)! Health clubs are trying to attract more cyclists to their clubs (more members) and you are not helping. We are also trying to keep everyone safe and in the correct position. Here’s a suggestion: Bicycles are NOT rare. Go to your local bike shop and buy 3 bikes (xsmall/47cm, medium/54cm and xlarge/64cm) and go design an indoor bike that can be matched to all of these geometries. Here’s another suggestion, go and find the people at your companies that ride bikes outdoors and ask them to bring their bikes to work so you can measure them. If you don’t have anyone at your company that rides a bike outdoors, you have no business making indoor bikes.

OK, time to make an appointment with my chiropractor

Tags: Bike Fit, Biomechanics, Fore-Aft Position, Handlebar Height, Indoor Bikes, Indoor Cycling, Seat Height
Posted in Blog, Indoor Cycling | No Comments »

Friday, January 1st, 2010
Cross Bike, 700×32 Tires and Snow Mobile Trails

2010 has arrived and, as is the Scotto tradition, we are in Rome, NY visiting Carla’s parents. Because of this, it has become my tradition to do my first ride of the year in Rome, NY. The temperatures are often colder than Boston and there is a ton snow.

The key to a successful ride is always the gear. I equip my cyclocross bike with 700×32 knobby tires filled to approximately 50 pounds of pressure. It was warmer this year (32 degrees – usually 10 degrees) so I didn’t need 5 layers. Just a base layer, jersey and corsa jacket. Off I went.

My favorite place to ride is the snow mobile trails. I discovered this a few years back when riding in below zero temperatures one January 1st. It is a great way to keep the heart rate up (keep the blood flowing) and generate body heat. Plus it turned out to be a ton of fun. This year was no exception. I cruised through the city of Rome enjoying all of the Christmas decorations as I head to Lake Delta State Park. The roads had a slight covering of snow, but my 32 knobbies were eating it up. I finally entered the park.

Riding snow mobile trails is fun, but one needs to relax and go with the flow. The bike will gain and lose traction every few seconds sending you swerving and fish-tailing at a moments notice. As long as you keep pedaling, you have a 95% chance of staying on the bike. If you fall off, you end up in a snow bank. No big deal.

Since the snow was not very deep I was able to ride at a faster speed than in previous years (10-12mph). It was as much fun as I remembered. Suddenly I heard a voice in the distance “hey dad!” I turned around and saw my 10-year old son Andre on the back of a snow mobile with Mike, a family friend, heading toward me. He was having fun and thought it was cool to see his dad out there tackling the snow. They sped off and I continued flying (side-to-side) along the trails.

I concluded my traditional ride by stopping for coffee on the way back. It is always interesting to see how people respond when you appear from a snowy side road on what appears to be a “street” bike. Not to mentioned the fact that I’m dressed in my racing kit which doesn’t blend in well with the local attire. One guy, also getting some coffee, made a comment about riding in “this weather” and I mentioned my enjoyable escapades on the trails. He paused and slowly turned to look at my bike leaning against the outside of the coffee shop. He turned and looked at me again with an odd grin as if suddenly realizing he should not have started a conversation with a certified crazy person. He gave me the standard quick-parting line “well, have fun” and ran for the door.

Another successful January 1st ride completed and a great start to a new year. It was a time to appreciate my health, family, friends and the numerous blessings I experience on a daily basis.

I hope you are also having a Happy New Year!

Posted in Blog, Training | Comments Off

Friday, October 23rd, 2009
Who Moved the Finish Line?

It has come down to the final lap of this grueling criterium (bike race). Riders are fighting for position at the front of the race as we weave through the last 3 turns heading into the finish. The pace picks up again with 2 corners to go as we stand and accelerate out of the turn. I’m in good position, about 4 riders from the front, and as we approach the final turn I can see the finishing banner out of the corner of my eye. We hug the right side of the road and prepare to dive into the last left-hand turn, leaving a straight shot to the line. The gears start to shift and the bikes lean into the turn.

What are those guys doing?!?! As we come out of the final turn at full tilt, two guys standing at the finish line, grab the poles holding up the finish line banner and pull them out of the ground. They then start running down the road, carrying the banner above their heads. We fly past the original locaton of the finish line and continue to chase them, desparately trying to to bring this race and brutal sprint to a end. We finally catch them. I didn’t win.

Yeah, I made that up. Well not really. It was just in a different context, such as an indoor cycling class.

We’ve been crankin’ for the last 40 minutes and it is coming down to the last sprint. The instructor has been prepping us for this finale for the last few minutes, building up the intensity for one last all-out effort. The instructor begins the slow and dramatic countdown to our last 20-seconds before we cooldown and stretch. “4………..3………….2………….1……….GO!!!

With all the resistence we can muster, and all the leg speed possibly, we give every last drop of energy for this 20 second sprint……15 seconds…..10 seconds……almost there…… Just as we are about to cross the imaginary finish line, the instructor yells: “10 MORE SECONDS”! What da? What do you mean “10 MORE SECONDS”? Did someone move the _______ finish line?

Dude, you just can’t do that. Mentally and physically we are pulling everything together, with just the right timing, to explode at the finish. There “ain’t” no such thing as 10 more seconds. Yeah, I know it sounds cool and all bravado like, to throw out what appears to be an extreme challenge, but it is more harmful than good.

First, it is a waste since most people doing the final sprint correctly will have nothing else to give, and will only slump their shoulders in exhaustion during that surprise 10 seconds. Anyone who has ever ridden a real bike will write the instructor off as a bone-head. Others may leave discouraged because they didn’t have anything left for those last worthless seconds. A competitive athlete wont come near your class with a 10-foot (or 10-second) pole. Second, this only trains riders NOT to sprint as hard as they can because “someone” may move the finish line, forcing them to scurry for some remaining vapor of fuel.

If you want your classes and workouts to reflect sound training and attract outdoor riders, don’t do stuff like this. Set people up for success and make them successful. Bolt that finish line down and encourage riders to give everything they’ve got left to hit that line at top speed.

The End.

Oh, wait. one more thing………… Yeah, see what I mean. It just ain’t right.

Posted in Blog, Indoor Cycling | No Comments »

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Coked Up!

In all my preparation for last weeks Indoor Cycling Instructor Workshop, I did not post to the blog last Friday. Please accept my apology. I’m still working on this blog thing. Hey, if any of you experienced bloggers want to help me out, send me your suggestions for success.

Well, some of you may or may not know that one of the “sports” drinks of choice, particularly during a criterium, is Coke. Yes Coca Cola. We often would not start with Coke in our bottles but would grab a hand-up in the feed zone. The feed zone is an area around the race course where riders can grab extra bottles from their support crew (which is usually friends, spouses, etc). They try to place these feed zone in an area, mostly on longer straight sections, where a rider has enough time to discard empty bottles, grab a full one and stick it in the bottle cage. Feed zones can be a bit crazy with multiple riders and different teams all trying to get a “hand-up” at the same time. It is best to have the support person in the feed zone wear a team jacket or jersey so they can be easily identified.

Now keep in mind that the Coke first needs to be “de-fizzed”. You definitely do not want a carbonated beverage in your water bottle. So here we are, the night before the criterium of the Fitchburg Stage Race, reclining in the TV room. Each of us has a 2 liter bottle of Coke and is gently shaking it and slowly releasing the cap to let out of the carbonation.

Cool and TOO Refreshing

Race day. We are at the half-way point in the race and I maneuver through the pack of riders to position myself to grab my bottle from the feed zone. I discard my empty bottle by flicking it low at the ground near the feet of my support person and then successfully grab my full bottle. I was really looking forward to this drink. We place ice cubes in the bottles to keep the flat Coke chilled. It can be quite refreshing (if you like that sort of thing). With one movement, I slide that refresshing drink in the the front cage on my bike and dive into the next turn.

Once around the corner it is time! I reach down grab the bottle and prepare for that sweet taste and a good o’l energy boost. I place the nipple of the bottle between my teeth and pulled to open the top. “BAM”…”SNORT”…”COUGH”….”SNIFF”…..”BREATH”. What da! Turns out the Coke had not been fully de-fizzed. Once I popped the top, the Coke and fizz just darted down the back of my throat. I couldn’t breath for about 20 seconds. I’m amazed I didn’t crash. I had Coke all over my handlebars, dripping down my chin and jersey and coming out of my nose.

I spent the rest of the race slowly trying to de-fizz the Coke while riding. I would shake the bottle a bit and then let out some carbonation, but this time I was prepared. After a few shakes, it was safe for consumption. Furtunately, I had only lost about 1/3 of the liquid during that first explosion. Unfortunately, I was left with very stickly brake levers and hands for the last 30 laps.

Enjoy your Coke responsibly.

Posted in Just Funny, Racing | No Comments »

Friday, September 25th, 2009
A New Concept: Recovery Makes the Workout Harder

A few weeks ago I taught an explosive power workout composed of various types of sprints. We started with a 15-minute gradual warm-up followed by 4 sets of sprints of different lengths. Recovery was provided between sprints and between sets. During a 60-minute class we spent only 15 minutes at sprint intensity leaving 30 minutes of recovery (not including the low intensity of the warm-up). When the classes was over, many of the riders commented that it was, by far, one of the hardest classes they have ever experienced. How can a class where riders spend more than 50% of their time recovering be “that” hard?

The following was written for the third edition of Stage5 Cycling’s indoor cycling instructor handbook

A good indoor cycling instructor takes time to explain and reinforce the key elements of proper training. In doing this, riders can even get excited about recovery. Recovery is often considered a bad word in the indoor cycling studio because riders feel they are getting robbed of valuable training time. There is nothing farthest from the truth. Recovery is the only path to top performance and maximum intensity. Unless a rider recovers “hard” they will not be able to ride “hard”.

In fact, including the appropriate time to recover between efforts in your indoor cycling class makes the workout harder. It is unfortunately common for riders to experience multiple back-to-back efforts with NO recovery. Instructors sometimes believe they need to do this in order to make riders feel they are getting their butts kicked. In reality, riders start out strong and eventually fade as they hopelessly flail away at the pedals in an attempt to keep up an unrealistic and unobtainable effort. This behavior teaches riders to hold back because they have no idea how long they will be required to sustain the intense effort and want to avoid blowing up.

Instructors should not only include recovery but should let riders know when to expect it and how long they will have to recover. This knowledge will empower your class. Riders will risk giving 100% knowing they will get an opportunity to properly recover after a reasonable amount of time. This approach allows them to maintain a higher level of intensity over a greater portion of the class, making the workout truly “hard”. A workout void of needed recovery is not hard, but wrong, and only serves to break down the body and lead to possible injury or overtraining.

Make your classes hard by teaching your riders to recover hard.

Posted in Articles and News, Blog, Indoor Cycling, Training Concepts | No Comments »

Friday, September 18th, 2009
Nice Feedbag

I like to start the day with a cup of coffee. Coffee for me falls into 2 categories. There is the “sit and enjoy a rich cup of Sumatra, savoring every sip” coffee and then there is the “functional” coffee. Functional coffee is for caffeine consumption and jarring the pulse. I’m odd this way. With the former, I take my coffee black or with a little sugar and try to taste the nuances of the blend. The functional coffee I take with cream and sugar.

Now this causes problems with my friends. Some of my Dunkin Donuts friends snear at me if I’m holding a cup of Starbucks, Peets or Seatle’s Best coffee, exclaiming “how can you drink that snob roast”. My “sit and enjoy” friends are stunned when they see me with a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee and can’t understand how anyone would brew java without a French Press.

Early Morning Group Rides

A couple of the early morning rides I attend start at, or just before, 6:00am causing me to leave the house at 5:30. I don’t like to start the coffee machine that early out of consideration for my wife. If I start the coffee machine at 5AM, the brew is nasty by 6:30 when she gets up. So on early ride days, I leave a few minutes early and go to the Dunkin Donuts 2 blocks from my home for a “functional” cup of coffee (French Press friends shutter).

Now there is a method to the madness. I order a small “regala” (cream and sugar). This is key because I’m going to be riding AND drinking as I roll to the rendevous point. Dunkin Donuts uses a stiff cardboard cup with a rolled lip for their small coffees. The medium or large (…you know….grande…venti) are served in styrofoam cups. I like the small cardboard cup because of the hard rolled lip. This lip is strong enough for me to clasp between my front teeth leaving my hands free to shift or brake when necessary. Most of the time I ride one-handed, with the coffee in my other hand. However, there are times when one needs to stop at a light (although rare at 5:30am) or put both hands on the handlebars over rough, busted-up pavement.

So, one morning I roll up to the start with the cup dangling from my front teeth and one of the riders says “nice feedbag”. This was followed by an escalating discussion/argument over functional vs. French Press coffee. I down the last sip (mostly sugar) and toss the empty cup in a near-by trash can as I ride off. At least I had my first cup of coffee, unlike “some” people.

Posted in Blog, Just Funny | No Comments »

Friday, September 11th, 2009
5:15AM and a Mouthful of Water

I teach a few early morning indoor cycling classes in and around the Boston area. When weather permits (based more on emotion than on weather forecasts), I prefer to cycle to class. Over the last few weeks both the temperatures and available daylight have been changing (diminishing) so my emotional decision of whether to ride or not ride to class is becoming…well…more emotional.

A couple of weeks ago I overcame my emotion (basically, it was warmer) and at 5:15am I rolled out of my driveway looking forward to my 30-minute ride to the club and the class I had prepared. I don’t have the best headlight on my bike so the road surface can be tough to see at times. I’ve become an expert in shadow-reading through trial and error (mostly error in the form of pinch flats). This particular morning I noticed that the surface on this one road was wet, so I immediately assumed it had rained overnight and rode on enjoying the rolling out-of-the-saddle efforts.

I Heard it and then a Split-Second Later, I Swallowed It

It is funny how your mind can quickly connect sounds to action. However, at 5:15 in the morning, my brain is on a 7-second delay. First I heard this rhythmic hissing sound and then I immediately rode directly into a thick stream of water perfectly aimed at my open mouth. Four seconds later….”rhythmic hissing sound equals lawn sprinkler”.

Now that will wake you up!

The immediate chill I felt was heightened by the still dark roads and the fact that my body thought it was receiving oxygen and NOT freezing cold H2O. After a few minutes my body heat again prevailed and I arrived at the health club with a great story to tell to open the class.

Reprogramming the Brain…
“hiss…hiss…hiss…hiss” = Close Mouth, Duck and Swerve Left…..Save.

Posted in Articles and News, Blog | No Comments »

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
How to Safely Launch a Sprint on an Indoor Bike

As Jennifer Sage (IndoorCyclingInstructor.com) and I were discussing Jumps and the safety and movement of the body, another discussion started concerning sprinting in the indoor studio. Here is Jennifer’s questions that prompted this dialog and article:

“With the lack of side to side movement in the indoor bike, you wouldn’t condone the same relative side to side movement of the body when someone is sprinting indoors?”

[To Jennifer] Well I again agree with you 100%. The art and technique of sprinting has been utterly destroyed in the indoor studio. This is the main reason why I DO teach it. It is funny that you brought this up because I just finished a week of Explosive Power sessions with the riders in all my clubs. It is a total eye-opener for them. I teach them the form, the target energy system (ATP PC) and strategies for executing various types of sprints. We spend quite a bit on the importance of recovery and how to use it as an indicator of proper intensity and recognizing signs that the body can continue or is too fatigued. I use a bunch of cool teaching aids and analogies that make it fun and interesting for the non-cyclists (80% of the class). I’m always surprised that people tell me afterwards that it is one of the best classes they have every taken.

Here is the basic outline of the class which I think will do a better job of answering some of the questions you had in your email. I’ve taken extra time to write this because I know you are a great instructor that not only understands this stuff but appreciates it.

WARM-UP

We perform a gradual / progressive warm-up for approx 15min. The ride starts on a flat road and then progresses to a rolling terrain to allow riders to come out of the saddle on a few of the hills and continue to raise their heart rate to a RPE of 75-80%. We talk through the workout and issue warnings for anyone who may be dealing with injuries (knees, back, neck, etc.). Everyone is always encouraged to work at their own pace (fitness level) and remember that FORM always comes first. If you can’t maintain good form, you should not maintain the intensity.

FORM SPRINTS

Just like on the road. We perform 4-6 sprints at an 80% effort. We discuss the limitation of the indoor bike. I give them a formula for executing the sprint which we practice. Here is the formula: As I count down (4…3…2…1…) the riders are adding the necessary resistance for the sprint. Once they have added the resistance they come out of the saddle THEN the sprint starts. Coming out of the saddle before sprinting compensates for the lack of fore-aft movement of the indoor bike and takes pressure off the lumbar spine.

During the form sprints the riders are encouraged to experiment with different amounts of resistance and various leg speeds (I recommend UNDER 100rpm). They MUST be in control at all times. I also give them instruction on proper use of the toe cages. I’ve seen riders slip out of their pedals many times. So many people don’t know how to proper adjust and position their foot in the cages. A pet peeve of mine.

We also cover movement of the body (side to side) when out of the saddle. I encourage riders to move their body naturally side to side. This is always a training issue because you don’t want people swinging back and forth too much. Certainly NO WHERE NEAR the movement in that photo I sent you of Tom Boonen. On an indoor bike, I find a rider can move approximately 2-4 inches in either direction. This applies to ANY out of the saddle effort. We work on this during our form sprints. Riders are given 1 minute between form sprints to recovery.

If a rider does NOT move their body out of the saddle (and even in the saddle – I’ll address this later), additional stress will be placed on the neck, shoulders, arms, back and chest. Besides hindering their biomechanics, this lack of movement (that may people incorrectly think is proper form) will fatigue the upper body muscles, waste energy (the muscles need fuel to contract), waste oxygen (fuel requires oxygen to burn) and can even restrict breathing (tight muscles wrap and place pressure on the rib cage hindering expansion and movement restricting lung capacity). Most people are total convinced after that speech. I encourage people to remain as relaxed as possible. Tight muscles hinder joints which hinder movement. Not good. We also deal with issues of leaning too far forward or backwards.

GENERAL PURPOSE SPRINTS

After the form sprints, we recover for 3-4 minutes and prepare to sprint for real. Riders are encourage to continue to work on their form, amount of resistance and leg speed and learn as they go. We will recover 2 minutes between each 15sec sprint and then recover another 4 minutes after a set of 4 sprints. I EMPHASIS THE RECOVERY after the set. We are dealing with extremes…..Extreme Effort…..Extreme Recovery. You can’t have one without the other. Ironically, the recovery is there to make the ride HARDER. Since they know I will give them time to fully recovery, they are now free to give all they’ve got without the fear of having to sprint again too quickly. I remind them that when I’m coaching a rider or team on the road, we will recover for 4-6 MINUTES between sprints. We make a slight adaption for the indoor studio. Rider are also encourage to SKIP a sprint if they are not recovered enough and then jump back in when ready. This is one of the issues I see, when instructors without cycling knowledge, attempt to do sprints in their classes. They don’t teach form (or correctly) and have little concept of the body’s physiological thresholds and capacity. They will have riders sprinting every 15 seconds. After the first sprint, riders are just flailing at the pedals aimlessly (with terrible form).

CRITERIUM AND HILL SPRINTS

After the appropriate recovery, we will perform 2 more sets of sprints. Next up are Criterium sprints which are 30 seconds long. I again give riders a formula for executing a successful 30 SECOND sprint. After the usual countdown and first coming out of the saddle, riders do the following: (1) Ramp up speed for the first 10 seconds, (2) maintain 95% intensity for 10 seconds and (3) pull the trigger and go all out for the final 10 seconds. This is to help them make use of the ATP PC system which only has 6-10 seconds of go juice. I want them to hit the finish line at full tilt and not start out at full tilt and fade at the line. I give them the visual that we are approach a left hand turn as I count down (4…3…2…1). They are adding the necessary resistance as they approach the turn. They then come out of the saddle and sprint down the final straight-a-way. If someone has never sprinted for 30-seconds before, it is quite an education and I warn them of such.

HILL SPRINTS

We conclude this particular workout with a 7-minute climb on which they will sprint the last 15-seconds of each minute. There is no real recovery since we are still maintaining the climb between sprints (different than hill repeats). To keep it interesting, we alternate climbing in and out of the saddle, one minute at a time. This gives them an opportunity to sprint or accelerate standing or seated. Here is where I emphasis upper body movement when riding IN THE SADDLE. Again, people incorrectly believe that the body should remain still. I prefer the term “quiet”. There should be some movement (but not 4 inches). Riders that do not rider outdoors are not aware that the bike will rock slightly side to side when they are seated and applying greater force to the pedals. We just don’t often notice it because our body is actually not moving – the bike is. The same issues will apply as when trying to remain still out of the saddle. The movement should be natural and the rider needs to remain relaxed. This is why I love coaching. I love enhancing their riding experience, helping them achieve better performance and a safer more natural ride.

Posted in Articles and News, Indoor Cycling, Technique | No Comments »

Friday, September 4th, 2009
I Stole This Guy’s Bike!

A few weeks ago I biked downtown Boston to teach one of my indoor cycling classes. As I’m locking my bike to the rack in the parking garage under the health club, I take notice of this nice new red Trek mountain bike in the rack. I believe it was a Trek 4300 hardtail. It was secured with one of those self-coiling cable locks (or so I thought). The first think I noticed was that the wheels had quick release skewers and the owner didn’t lock both the front and back wheels. As I look further, I noticed that the cable lock was only securing the front wheel and simply wrapped around the handlebars. This just couldn’t be.

Make Sure No One is Looking…

I couln’t believe it. I simply stretched the cable lock and pulled it over the handle bars. I was then left with a dilemma. If I leave the bike and go teach my class, I will feel bad if I return and only see the front wheel remaining. If I take the bike, the owner might not appreciate my jesture. I decided on the later and left one of my business cards in the spokes of the front wheel. On the back of the card I wrote “your bike is upstairs at the health club”. I also left my cell phone number.

I then carried the bike into the club and tucked it in the staff room. I warned the people at the front desk that a panicked individual may appear asking for the bike. The front desk staff just starred at me (insert cricket background noise) so I had to explain what I did. They smiled (in a sinister fashion)and readied themselves for a possible confrontation.

As I’m teaching my indoor cycling class, one of the front desk people enters the cycling studio followed by this guy who looked lost and disoriented. The bike owner. He humbly thanked me for saving his new bike. I offered to give him a quick lesson on properly securing his bike to the rack if he gave me a call.

After class I returned to the bike rack and there way no sign of the Trek 4300 (not even the front wheel). I hopped on my bike and commended myself as I climbed the exit ramp out of the garage.

Who knew being a thief was this rewarding.

PS. If you return to find your bike missing one day, there is no guarantee I took it. Sorry.

Posted in Articles and News, Indoor Cycling, Just Funny | No Comments »

Friday, September 4th, 2009
Jumping in the Indoor Studio

Recently I responded to an article by Jennifer Sage on IndoorCyclingInstructor.com entitled “To Jump or Not to Jump: That is the question”. We joined in to add a USA Cycling coach’s perspective taking into consideration some of the limitations of the indoor bike, safety and purpose.

You can read Jennifer Sage’s original article at www.indoorcyclinginstructor.com to see how the discussion started.

Just to be clear, we are solely referring to indoor cycling jumps and not jumps familiar to cyclists that train outdoors.

In summary, jumps (as Spinning and Schwinn) define them, should never be done on an indoor bike. There are some dangers and misconceptions that can help instructors understand why this is not an appropriate technique.

Let me start by saying, as a USA Cycling coach, my perspective is very real-cycling focused. Regardless, I’m not a big fan of distinguishing between and indoor (non-cyclist) and a outdoor cyclist, both of whom may take an indoor cycling class. Both are riding a bike which require similar biomechanics and technique with a few adaptations (I’ll explain below). The determining factor is the workout. A well defined, appropriate and purposeful workout (with good music) will please any crowd regardless of age, fitness or skill level.

I am in agreement with Jennifer Sage’s definition of “real” cycling jumps. Dead on. My issue lies with the non-cycling (Spinning, etc.) jumps.

Why NON-Cycling Jumps are potentially Dangers

(1) Strain to the lower back (lumbar spine). When a rider stands on a real bike, the bike moves backwards under the rider approximately 3-6 inches. The better the rider’s technique, the least movement. You may have noticed this when riding close to a someone’s back wheel. They stand to climb or accelerate and now your front wheel is hitting or overlapping their rear wheel (hopefully the later). THE PROBLEM: Indoor bikes don’t move. When an rider stands too quickly or forcefully on an indoor bike, stress is placed on the lower back and spine because the force and momentum of the pedals thrusts them forward. When sprinting or accelerating out of the saddle on an indoor bike, riders should be instructed to smoothly come up out of the saddle with the appropriate resistance BEFORE launching their effort to reduce the force on the lower back.

(2) The Bike Doesn’t Move (Part 2). Because bikes don’t move SIDE to SIDE, a rider can potentially stress hip and knee joints and strain upper body muscle without proper technique. When a rider stands and pedals on a real bike, the bike gently (and sometimes, not so gently) sways/rocks side to side underneath the rider. This is proper technique and done to achieve better mechanics between the legs and bike. If a rider stands and tries to keep the bike from moving side to side, this will cause the upper body muscles (shoulders, back, neck, biceps, chest, forearms, etc.) to contract against the force. This unnecessary muscle contraction wastes energy (fuel), uses oxygen, fatigues the muscles and, more importantly can strain the muscles. Similarly, if a rider tries to stand and keep the bike still, the mechanics of the legs will be hindered placing stress on the hips, knees and sometimes the ankles and feet.

With that said (whew…), non-cycling jumps are too fast a movement to compensate for the NON-MOVEMENT of the indoor bike. In addition, it is more difficult to monitor a larger indoor cycling class to ensure everyone is fit correctly to the bike and is using proper form and technique.

It Doesn’t Teach Real (Functional) Technique

I appreciate Jennifer’s comment on using non-cycling jumps as a drill to improve technique. Her examples of a tennis player, soccer player and volleyball player are correct. However, this does not translate to cycling for one reason – The Bike Doesn’t Move. The tennis, soccer and volleyball players are using the same equipment and functional movement required of their sport. The movement on the indoor bike is not “functional” for the purpose of non-cycling jumps because the static nature of the bike does not promote proper, movement, reaction and bike handling out of the saddle. If you are still not convinced, go outside on your real bike and do a few sets of 2 second jumps (wear a helmet).

MISCONCEPTION: Standing on the Bike.

Riders in general (indoors and out) have a misconception about riding out of the saddle. I’ve encouraged my indoor riders to watch at least one stage of the Tour de France this year and observe how often riders stand. One will notice that riders not only stand on climbs and to sprint and accelerate, but they stand on flat roads and at lower intensities as well. I’m not going to get into the different standing techniques, but let’s just say riders should be standing way more often than they do. One reason riders will stand is to stretch the legs (they will often do this on flat sections of road). It allows the leg (which cannot not fully extend seated) to elongate and stretch the muscles keeping them from shortening from multiple contractions. This year I coached a training camp with Tour de France rider, Fred Morini (Gerolsteiner). He spent a good amount of time getting riders out of the saddle and teaching them stretching techniques. I was even challenged to get out of the saddle more (and I thought I stood a lot).
This can be a tough concept to explain, even to outdoor riders (and instructors) because they are not often spending enough time out of the saddle themselves. This needs to be incorporated in drills and recovery.

MISCONCEPTION: We Need Variety

We don’t need variety as much as we need real training. We (Stage5) have over 40 different indoor workouts. Each with its own focus (training effect), specific drills, music and charts. There is no mystery or magic here. We are simply adapting outdoor workouts to the indoor cycling studio. The workouts are designed to target different skill and fitness levels and are appropriate to the time of year (periodization). Our riders will often not get the same workout more than once in a 2-month period. Rides can vary from focused training sessions (aerobic development, speed-biomechanics, muscular endurance, explosive power, threshold, etc.), rides (rolling terrain and famous routes), to race day events (Tour de France, local races and the like). If an instructor does their homework and understands how to lead their riders through the training session, ride or event, they will please and motivate any rider, any age, skill or fitness level. That is the beauty of indoor cycling.

Sooooooooooo, that is my $0.02 (or maybe $0.10).

Posted in Indoor Cycling, Technique | No Comments »

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Gun Show, Air Drumming and Some Cycling

A number of my clients have been telling me about this “insane” indoor cycling class and instructor. This morning I decided to check it out (eventhough it caused me to get up early on a morning I don’t teach myself).

Before I Continue…

I want to make it clear that I’m never down on an instructor. Almost all of the instructors I know are passionate, hardworking and want to give the best workout for their riders. Most of what we do in our classes (including that which is incorrect) we were taught. If I’m pointing a finger at anyone it is the indoor cycling industry that does not provide adequate training nor effective continuing education AND health clubs that are not providing professional feedback and development for instructors and maintaining group exercise standards.

On to the class

Now I’ve heard all kinds of crazy things about this class, but I tried to enter the studio with a clear mind and see for myself. The instructor entered the room and was very pleasant and soft spoken as he was wrapping up a conversation with a rider he walked in with. We rode for approximately 5 minutes in silience before the class officially started so I kept my iPod on low volume and waited.

Finally, the instructor looked and said that we were going to get started by warming up for 5 minutes and then “kickin it”. The music began and we started the warm-up. After 1 minute, he had us start stretching (for approximately 1 minute) and then it was time to “kick it”.

My thoughts at this point…

The instructor was not off to a good start. We began the class without an introduction (he didn’t say his name) and he didn’t ask if anyone was new, never taken indoor cycling or had any injuries. He then got off the bike to stretch with no instruction. I guess we were just supposed to imitate him. There was no description of the stretch, which muscle it was targeting or how to perform it correctly. He didn’t talk at all. He faced the mirror the entire time. He didn’t use the microphone so what he did say early on was hard to hear over the music. Ok, so let’s “kick it”.

Back to the workout

The warm-up was a total of 2 minutes (not 5) and we were off. His first instruction was to “keep it light and fast and come out of the saddle”. He stood on the bike with his hands together on the center of the handlebars, pedalling 120rpm. His shoulder were so tight that it appeared as if his arms were extentions of his earlobes. Then he started yelling (and I mean yelling) “TAU….THRA….TAU…TRA…” It took me a few moments to realize he was switching his hands from the top of the handlebars (2) to the end of the handlebars (3). Remember, he is still out of the saddle and pedaling at 120rpm. This went on for 4-5 minutes and then he yelled “saddle sprint” at which time everyone sat down and continued flailing away at the bike. No options were given and no cautions issued to riders who may be recovering from injuries, pregnant or have other physical issues. I scanned the room to find people making attempts, with little success, to follow him. I just maintained my form and either stayed in the saddle or out of the saddle at 90rpm. I was just their to observe.

Recovery??

He gave us a break and said we would recover for 30 seconds. It was bad enough that 30 seconds was far from adequate, but he actually only gave us 20 seconds. In reality we would have only gotten 10 seconds to recover if he had not spent so much time trying to find the next song on his iPod or iPhone. He seemed to be picking music randomly without a predetermined order. We continued with more super-fast drills in and out of the saddle.

My favorite quote…

During a fast seated section he instructed the class to “push your knees together because most of your muscle is on the inside”. OK….

Thoughts Continued…

Although the instructor didn’t say much, his quick, barely audible utterances were difficult to follow. There was no instruction and we had no idea what to expect next (at least I didn’t). We’d be in the middle of an out-of-the-saddle effort and he would yell “saddle sprint” seemingly out of nowhere. The only training zones I was able to extract were:

(1) Light, fast and hard.
(2) Light, fast and hard out of the saddle.
(3) All Out.

I’m not sure how to interpret the first 2.

Gun Show and Air Drumming

After 20 minutes of the above, he gets off the bike and starts posing in the mirror, flexing his arms and chest. He would walk to one side of the bike, pose in the mirror, and then walk to the other side of the bike and pose in the mirror. He would turn toward us from time to time and flex his bicep for us as he admired it himself. While he traveled back and forth across the room he continued to yell “All Out for 10 seconds”, “Saddle Sprint”, “Faster”, “Go…Go…Go” and “Dig…Dig…Dig” in no particular order. He stayed off the bike at this point and started bouncing up and down (sorta like dancing) and air drumming to the music. He was air drumming so much that I decided to time him. At one point he air drummed for just over a minute straight looking up at the ceiling and not saying a word. In between posing, air drumming and occational singing loudly (a semitone off pitch) he would walk over to the window that looked out onto the street. As he stared out the window with his back to the class and continued yelling “Faster….Go….Dig..” etc. This lasted for the next 20 minutes.

Stretch and Wrap Up

We turned off the intensity for the final 5 minutes as we ended with more undefined stretches (performed with poor form) and no instruction. He did use some good motivational music, particularly this one percussion piece that I really liked. Unfortunately, he never pedalled to the rhythm of the music or used the tempo of the music in any way.

After the class his voice was again soft-spoken as he talked to a couple of the riders. He seems like a great guy and appears to have a good report with his class. In the end, unfortunately, everyone suffers. The instructor is not given the necessary training, riders are subjected to poor and dangerous workouts, and other instructors at the same health club can recieve a bad reputation purely due to association. In a situation like this, the health clubs need to step up and evaluate and train their instructors. For the sake of the instructor and the safety of their members.

For Health Clubs and Group Fitness Directors

It is very challenging to stay on top of every aspect of your group fitness program. Stage5 Cycling would like to help. Please contact us if you would like a copy of our instructor evalutation form or would like us to provide training workshops and even instructor evaluations or auditions at your club.

Posted in Indoor Cycling | No Comments »

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
6..ish

So my wife comes home from a early morning indoor cycling class and starts telling me how it went. She was a little frustrated because the regular instructor was away on vacation for a few weeks and this morning they had a sub. There were a number of things she said that were amuzing (from an indoor cycling perspective), but this one took the prize hands-down.

During class the instructor is yelling “seven”. My wife, uncertain to what this means, asked the rider next to her. They don’t know so my wife yells out to the instructor “what is 7?” The instructor replies, “you know….4..5..6..7″. Well that clears it up. A bit later the instructor asked people to work at “6..ish”. Now is that between 5 and 6 or 6 and 7?

Hearing my wife’s comments, and those of others, continues to fuel my passion to bring real cycling and training to the indoor masses. I’m not down on instructors or blame them. Often times we are only using what we have seen or have been taught. All we can do is be the best we can be…..or at least the best-ish.

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Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
One would have thought I was watching a football game!

OK, I’m watching stage 16 of the Tour de France live and I’m on the edge of my seat pumping my fist, cheering on Armstrong. Yelling at the TV. What a blistering acceleration by Lance!

With a few kilometers to the top of the Cat 1 Col du Petit Saint Bernard, Andy Schleck, his brother Frank, Contador and a few others launch an attack shattering the main field. Armstrong is left behind with Sastre, Evans and others. Lance seems to be playing the team card, which is is job. I must admit, I was dissappointed to see Lance hanging back, but I understood.

All of a sudden Lance takes off so hard that no one is able to stay on his wheel. A few riders eventually latch back on but Lance’s quick tempo proves too difficult to follow and everyone becomes dislodged from his rear wheel again. It was absolutely beautiful to watch Lance storm up to the chase group. He bridged that gap so quickly, I dare say his acceleration matched that of Contador.

I teach indoor cycling classes at a number of health clubs in the Boston area. We have been doing indoor TDF stages for the last few weeks and I have been fielding questions about the race and, of course, Lance Armstrong. For those of you who were a little worried after Sundays, stage 15, don’t count Lance out yet. I feel Contador is presently the best rider and at the top of his game. Come on, he won the Tour de France, Giro and Vuelta in little over a year. That’s impressive. However, I believe Lance has something Contador does not – mental toughness.

I don’t know what is going on inside of Lance’s head. I’m sure we will find out over the next few stages. Personally, I’m waiting for Saturday’s HC climb up Mont Vonteux.

Posted in Blog, Tour de France | No Comments »