Wholistic Fitness

COACHING TIPS FOR AN INTERMEDIATE ROAD CYCLIST

Wayne Williams, shown here with WF Manager Ananda, who both glow the typical SUNRIDER glow, has come a long, long way since his first bike ride with me two years ago. This fifty-something Warrior has lost an entire Old Self in bodyfat, went from Dangerously High to Elite in medical indicators, and continues to reverse his chronologic age by devoting himself to cycling nearly everyday and of course, ordering his 500 SV each month of SUNRIDER herbs! After today’s 70+ mile bike ride out in the Simi Valley at a pace of 17 mph, it rings as clear as Zen Gong to me; that those cyclists that seek out professional coaching and attend to their fitness OFF the bike (Nutrition, yoga, etc) progress at lightspeed compared to those cyclists that think they are going to make great advances by buying fancier equipment and just riding.

i include the below intermediate level bicycle riding tips for those DL readers who are doing their best to make the bicycle what it truly is:
Health Insurance, Practical and Globally Conscious Transportation, Fun, and a vital Pathway Tool for a Spiritual Fitness Warrior!

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Wayne,
you did sooooooooo well on our ride today!
i cannot tell you how FAST you are moving through these adaptation years in road cycling! you have come so far in two years, i just shake my head. if i had an OUNCE of your natural talent on a bike,
wow…
yet this ain’t about me and my feebleness, it’s about you:

First,
if i ain’t saying a lot to you about your cycling, trust me, that is a GREAT thing!
it means i am Watching you like a Wolf,
and i like what i see.
i don’t start fixing things that don’t need to be fixed. you have a LOT of
very positive attributes in your cycling.

a couple of Coaching Considerations to Work On:
* keep working, whenever you have the opportunity, on Paceline Finesse i.e.,
maintaining and holding a strong, clean line while in a paceline with minimal
distance between your front tire and the rear tire in front of you,
not accelerating when taking a pull in a paceline,
not allowing gaps to occur (JUMP onto the wheel even if you think you are about to
explode…can’t tell you how important it is to commit to following wheels…yang,aggressiveness
is needed in order to find the yin after crucial moments. it is ALWAYS easier in a draft.

* do not pace your effort to the top of a hill (and there is ALWAYS another hill!)
instead ride strong PAST THE TOP OF A HILL
a peleton or a paceline will ALWAYS accelerate approaching a summit; be ready for it.

* your cadence, quiet mind, and pedaling mechanics are a downright joy to behold…and you definitely
can pack a punch in a fast twitch moment, something that i am watching closely and
can easily develop later on. right now? hours and hours in the saddle with stronger riders
than yourself to build Aerobic Capacity. we can easily superimpose your Anaerobic Quality
on top of your Aerobic Capacity later on…for now, however, your sprint ability ain’t gonna
mean diddly squat unless you can get yourself near the finish line!

* next year, i would like you to consider beginning to race.

* finally, i suggest cataloging your cycling efforts not in miles. instead keep track of your weekly hours spent cycling.
your body does not register miles (in road cycling in particular, downhills, wind, etc. are all subjective variables that
screw up training amplitude). it does however, register HOURS spent cycling. a general fitness week for a cyclist is
to get in 7-8 hours, with the majority at Zone 2 and no more than 30% at Mid-High Zone 3.

* oh, and you might want to practice your Trackstand in tennis shoes, on your bike. think soft. think still. turn your
front wheel into the uphill terrain, if available.

see you out on the cobbles,
coach ilg, USCF