The Rocky Mountain Spine and Sport Cycling Team held a three day training camp in Moab, UT March 25-27, 2010. Practical Coaching provided all of the ride info, coaching and group tactics/bike handling skills at the camp. We had a tremendous time with three great days of riding. 

-Arches National Park: steady climbing 

-Canyonlands National Park: 6 hours of riding through snow and rain up to Dead Horse Point. Worked on pace lines, climbing technique and moderating power output

-The Big Nasty: hill climb

 

 

Next year will prove to be a better year as we build on what we learned this year.

 

We’re looking forward to great racing season. 

 

Thanks,

Steve  

Sometimes when riding in a group it becomes comfortable to have the person in front of you making decisions. Relying on the person in front of you to make decisions could place you in an unsafe situation. People blindly follow the lead rider across streets and depend on them to point out debris or dangers in the road. The only person you should count on while on your bike is you. Ultimately in all situations you are responsible for your front wheel.

Here are some tips to help you navigate your way through situations on your bike.

• When going through intersections or crossing streets look for yourself. Don’t just follow the person in front of you across.
• By watching body language you can anticipate what the person in front of you is going to do even before they could tell you what they are going to do. You can read a lot about what the next move is going to be by where their hands are on the handlebars, what their calf muscles are doing, and by other body language. Looking “through” the person in front of you allows you to see the road ahead and make decisions based on what you see ahead as well as seeing body language.
• Don’t take your hands off the handlebars to point out debris or dangers in the road. Instead call things out. Removing your hands from your handlebars subjects you to instabilities if you were to encounter an article, hole, or seam in the road or the person in front of you brakes or makes a move you weren’t prepared for.
• Don’t cross wheels. When a front wheel hits a rear wheel the cyclist of the front wheel is more likely to go down!
• Braking while descending isn’t always the right decision while riding in a group. Instead of braking come out of the draft and use the wind to regulate your speed.
• By monitoring your power output you can eliminate the necessities of braking and not pedaling and use your energy more efficiently while riding in a group.
• When it is your turn to pull at the front of the pace line do not pull through faster than the previous person.
• When making a left hand turn safely merge to the left hand turn lane and stay to the right side of the turn lane so when finished with the turn you end up in the safety lane on the right side of the road you turned on. This allows cars to make their left turn unobstructed.
• Ride single file when posted. Don’t cross double yellow lines. Never ride more than two abreast. Remove yourself from the road when waiting for other cyclists.
• Being kind to motorists and understanding their needs will help them be more empathetic to our position on the road as well.
• Most important, stay within your abilities when riding your bike. Statistics on injuries and helmets state that most injuries occur when people are wearing their helmet because they go outside of their abilities and become unsafe.

  

Riding Up Mt. Evans

I was intrigued with the idea and hesitant about joining at first. I was worried that my ability wouldn’t measure up to what was needed to make it to the top. I knew I could make it; I just wasn’t sure if it would be graceful or with the group. After riding my road bike for one short season, I had an idea of what not to do. I remembered these things as we started. I also thought to myself that this was my second time on the bike this season and maybe riding up Mt. Evans wasn’t the brightest thing to be doing in terms of my training.

As we started, I remembered to keep a high cadence and not to go out too fast too soon. I kept it right with the group and was thankful for their skillful pacing. This was a time for me to warm up and get into a good rhythm. I noticed that I was keeping a very aerobic heart rate and I was pleased that the first two hours were not a major struggle for me. This climb was relentless and I had not visualized an end coming at all. I think that this helped me because by not picturing the end, I was focused on the present moment and nothing else. I worried only about one minute and one second at a time.

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The American Cycling Association website has all their races posted on their calendar.

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