Weight Training for Cycling - Specific Strength Training

I will start with a series of Tips for a correct weight training program specific for cyclists.

Everybody noticed that with aging, the power output declines. Do you know why?

Aging-related decline in power output can be due to a decline in force or in velocity or in both. Well, some latest studies conducted on master elite marathon runners [5] have showed that the decline in performance is not due to a decline in the velocity of the muscle contraction, rather in the ability to produce force.

These studies, therefore, concluded that short-duration, high-velocity intervals are not sufficient for maintaining fast muscle mass and force production and thus optimal training should also include intensive strength exercises.

read more on http://www.davanticycling.com/mastercyclists.html

Also check my Davanti weight and strength training program specific for cyclists based on these latest reserach studies :

http://www.davanticycling.com/strengthtraining.html

Luisa

Top 5 steep climbs in Boulder - Sugarloaf

Sugarloaf Climb

How to get there
Ø From Boulder, take Canyon Blvd west
Ø Keep going west along the Canyon creek
Ø Pass the turn for Four Mile Canyon
Ø Pass the B&B Alps on your right
Ø Pass the Red Lion Restaurant on your left
Ø Go through a short 200 meters tunnel
Ø Pass the sign and the turn for Magnolia on your left
Ø Few hundred meters after you see the sign Sugarloaf drive
Ø Take a right turn on Sugarloaf drive.

Climb details
Ø The entire climb is 7.7 km or 4.8 miles long: from the turn off on Canyon to the top, before the descend starts towards hwy 72.
Ø The first 2.6 km is not very hard : the first km (0.5 mile) is around 7%; then there is over 1 mile (1.7 km) almost rolling with the uphill parts between 4-6%
Ø Then there are 2 km (1.6 miles) steady around 6-8% grade
Ø The last 3 km (exactly 2 miles) are the steepest 10-14%, but the real tough part, where with my 39*28 , my cadence went down to 38-40ish rpm, is 1 mile long, it starts just a little before the 3 mile marker and ends at 4 mile marker. The last 1 mile is more around 10%, it’s steep but you can turn the pedals at a decent cadence and apply power on the pedal.
Ø The top is soon after the right turn-off for Switzerland MTB trail.

Add a challenge
Ø On the way back down on Canyon, take left turn and climb Four mile canyon at your Tempo. It’s much less steep climb and it will feel good after Sugarloaf.
Ø Descend as you came, take lft turn on Canyon and cruise down to town.
Ø To make 3 passes: take left on Pearl, left on 4th, and left on Mapleton and climb Sunshine canyon. This is much steeper than Four mile canyon, so you just climb at the rhythm that what’s left in your legs allows.
To make a loop
Ø After the top, keep descending on the dirt part all the way until your cross Peak to Peak hwy.
Ø Turn right towards Ward. There are 2-3 steep rolling
Ø Take right at the Ward sign
Ø Go back down to Boulder from Ward along Lefthand canyon

Cycling Climbing Tips n 3 - Gearing

Cycling Climbing Tips: Gearing

1. For longer steady climb with regular grade: Use an easier gear and keep higher cadence to favor good blood flow to the leg muscles and consequently good oxygen delivery. Higher cadence will cause a higher HR, a more intense cardio-vascular effort but less muscle tension and fatigue in the legs. Towards the end, last 2-5 km to the top, insert one harder gear and push harder. If you do repeats on climb, do the first reps (1-2) with easier gear and use one harder gear for the following reps.
2. For more beginners riders: do not spin while you climb, you will never gain strength. Try not to emulate your cycling heroes when you cannot produce even 1/3 of their power. They are able to climb at 80-90 rpm, but they also produce around 400 w when they climb. So, look at yourself and try to improve according to your abilities. When you climb, every pedal stroke counts. During the down stroke you need to feel the muscle tension, you need to apply that force on the pedal rather than just turning your legs around. Sometimes not expert climbers, spin because they are afraid to fall off and thing that if they spin they can make the hill faster and easier. All wrong!
3. So, start alternating, pushing1 harder gear at lower cadence you are used to, for 1.5-2 min and then shift to 1 easier gear and increase the cadence back up a little. Do this until you reach the top. In few times, you will get used to push one harder gear, pushing on the pedal and produce that force on the pedals.
4. Also alternate position: when you push the harder hear at lower cadence, slide back on the saddle and engage more your hips and glut's muscles to extend your legs. When you shift up to an easier gear and increase cadence, slide forward and engage more your quads muscles.

Next it will be on rolling hills

Climbing tip n 2

• Climbing Tip n 2 -
  
  Hands on top of the handlebar (when grade is steeper than 4-6%)



• Up-right position to open up your chest



• It has been proved by research study that for a grade above 6%) the upright position wit hands on top of the HB is the most efficient in terms of VO2 cost and time (it's faster)



• Do not squeeze the handlebar rather pull on the handlebar with the hand of the same side of the leg you are extending.

Climbing: it's all about pacing and rhythm

The more I ride and watch people climbing (regardless how strong riders they are) the more I notice that the most common mistake people make is starting too hard and bonk half way...



When you start a climb, you need to know:

- length in miles or km

- the average grade

- where the steepest parts are and how long they are


Then it's all about to pace yourself and save your energy or for the toughest parts (the more tired you arrive to those steepest parts, the more they will feel hard) or to push and finish strong at the end. Especially if it's the first time you are climbing a hill, it's better having a conservative approach. Study the terrain, how your body respond, where the toughest parts are... how do you feel near the end etc...


Never start a climb hard or fast just because "you feel good", especially if you do NOT know how long can you sustain that effort? Do you know at which your own training zone that effort corresponds?


My 1 million $ tip of this week about climbing:

- Approach a climb in PROGRESSION. Start at your Tempo at steady pace, let your body gets adjusted to the type of effort, as you feel your legs turning smooth and fluid, then accelerate to your sub-threshold and see how your body respond. Stay there most of the climb, when you are 3-5 km (2-3 miles) from the end if you feel you have energy left, go to your threshold. Do you still feel good? Ride at race pace in the last 0.5 -1 mile, sprint the last 200-300 meters. Also, let your breathing go with your legs at the same rhythm.


Watch the climbing stages at the Giro or at the Tour. The peloton increases the pace as they go up progressively to start the selection. Usually who wants to win the stage or they attack on the steepest part (if they are pure climbers) or they attack in the last 3-5 km NOT at the bottom of the climb.

Think about it during your next climb.

Luisa

Do those extra miles help your cycling performance?

Do I need those long 4-6 hours endurance rides ?

Are they part of the old school of training ? Is it better to focus on shorter but high intensity workouts?

Here, in USA it's common belief that if you race mainly criterium you do not need to ride longer than 2 hours. In Italy when you register for a Granfondo (90-200 km) the first thing they ask is "Do you have 7,000-8,000 km (4,000-5,000 miles) in your legs?". If your answer is no, you don't want to experience that "look mixed with disappointment and disapproval" that you will get.

Who's right? Again, depends on your goals.
If you participate in road racing (60-80 miles) , which means 2.5-4 hours races with some climbing, for sure you need those long 4-6 hours endurance rides.
You need to be able to ride with comfort 4-5 hours, in order to be able to race 2.5-3.5 hours.
If you are able just to ride at endurance level for 3 hours, after 1 hour of racing you will bonk.

Do you remember from my post back in April? For Events/races longer than 3 hours

• 7-12 hours/week if you just want to finish the race
  15-25 hours/week for high performance and place yourself in the race

Why? The bigger and stronger is your aerobic system, longer will be the period you will be able to ride at high intensity in racing still using your aerobic system and consequently before you accumulate lactic acid and you fatigue.

You cannot rely for too long time on your anaerobic system..... especially if you cannot recover much between high intensity efforts. You max can sustain 20 min at your threshold or 2-3 min a time in your anaerobic zone.

Now. Does this mean that your training should focus only on long endurance rides? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Otherwise you will have the opposite problem. You will never improve or get faster, because your body is not used and trained to clear lactic acid or tolerate lactic acid and you will fatigue as soon as you hit that intensity...

I will come back on this later in specific, but latest studies show that the majority of the physical adaptions that will influence your performance occur if you train at a specific high intensity!

I recommend that during the week you keep your short and intense workouts, but do at least one long endurance ride during the weekend.

These are my 1 million dollar TIPS:

1. Have 2 groups to ride with. Use the group with riders stronger than you for shorter (70-80% of the length of your races) group rides where you can simulate racing environment and where you can push yourself beyond the point you go during a training session by yourself. Use a group with riders at your level or lower for that weekly long endurance ride (120% -130% longer than your races). In this way you will not feel the pressure, and you will be able to keep that comfort pace for long period.


2. Now, endurance does not mean "recovery". Include in your long endurance rides, climbs or efforts where you stay at 75-80% of your max for longer periods, 2-3 times during the ride.

TESTIMONIAL - Incredible but true (incredibile ma vero)!

While I was writing this post, I got an email from one of my athletes in Italy. This is the 1st year I am coaching him.

Today he placed himself in the top 10% of his category (39 on 353 ) and this is what he wrote:
" I do not have comparison with last year for this race, since they changed route, however, I finished after 4 hours and 15 min still fresh while the previous years I was already exhausted after 3 hours and 30 min for the same race with a shorter route and with less climbing..This year I felt good and I could still push all the way until the end" (Massimo Marinozzi, Verona, Italy).

Giro d'Italia 2009 - Tappa 12 - Individual TT

It's Thursday May 21 and today is the stage of the LONG Individual TT along the Italian "Riviera" that everybody was waiting for.

We are in Liguria Region, on the north west coast of Italy, along the Tirreno sea. The TT starts from Sestri Levante, south of Genova and North of Portofino and ends in Riomaggiore, the last of the 5 Terre. The course is 60.6 km long, VERY technical, it features 2 climbs, tons of curves and two crazy curvy descents. All different from a hard but sustained and steady effort of a more typical flat or rolling straight TT course. The first climb is over 15 km long and the 2Nd climb is 8 km long , both with an average grade of 6-7%. The tons of curves require good technical skills of continuous decelerations and accelerations.

When, the evening before, we arrive and leave the high way at the Levanto exit, we realize we are on the TT course. We are on the descent from the top of of the first climb (Monte Bracco) down to Levanto. Wow, we say, this is crazy! The descent is very steep, technical and difficult. The scenery is beautiful as well, as you can see the sea and the golf with the town of Levanto from the top coming down. We also think that they could and should not use TT bikes on this course. Sure, enough, we start seeing team cars driving by with all the bikes with the numbers ready on top and none has TT bikes.

Levanto is exactly half way on the TT course. As we arrive in town and settle down in our hotel we notice how beautifully this small town has been decorated to honor the racers coming by tomorrow.

It looks more like an arrival and not an intermediate destination. They built a huge stage, barriers or along the main street with the beach and see on one side.

We hear that they will close the roads even to cyclists as early as 10:00 a.m. the next day. So, the next morning, the day of the TT stage, we get up early and at 8:00 a.m. we start riding the 2nd half of the course from Levanto to Rio Maggiore.

Soon outside the town we start the 2nd climb of the course. Wow, all the fans are already all lined up along the switchbacks of the climb. It's a nice climb, it goes up regularly but always around 6-7% grade and it's almost 8 km long. Once we arrive at the top there are huge tends of the fans set up with food and drinks. They will eat and drink all day long.

We need to stop for pictures. The views are absolutely spectacular!!

Soon after the top, the descent is kind short and leads to a rolling beautiful road that winds and curves all along the cliff. There are only cyclists on the road and team cars. It's beautiful!

We also see Davide Cassani (the official commentator of all the cycling races for Italian TV RAI (ex pro racer) in a car and we also see few pros, followed by their team cars, riding to test the course. We reach a beautiful spot where there is an astonishing view of Vernazza and Corniglia (the 2nd and the 3rd of the 5 Terre) (see the picture here on the side below.

Soon after this view point the terrific and terrifying, at the same time, descent to Riomaggiore begins. It's narrow, curves tightly hugging the edge of the cliff with no protection. We cannot imagine doing this descent racing at all speed. It requires unbelievable focus, concentration and skills. We pray that none would crash.

We also feel sorry that the pros racers will not have any time to enjoy and appreciate this amazing scenery.

We go back in town just in time, the police starts stopping the cyclists, but we are good enough to sneak through their cars and motorcycles and elude their attention and make back to the hotel.

Quick shower and we are ready to hit the road to watch the racers coming by. Keith is lucky enough and he will drive the PezCycling (http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/) car to follow Zabrinski during the race. Mike and Allen decide to hit the beach for a nice swim before watching the race (they come from California) and myself with Katarzyna and JP go for a "gelato" in downtown where we start seeing the first racers coming by welcomed by an am zing crowd all cheering and screaming. Then we start walking up along the climb we did earlier in the morning. It's incredible hot.

We stop along a steep section in the shade and there we will stay for over 3 hours watching all the top 50 racers in the GC coming by. Below you can see good shots of Simoni, Lance Armstrong, Leipheimer, Menchov and Di Luca.

Everybody arrives fatigued already on this climb, it's a tough course for a TT and the heat is also making a huge difference. The most composed looks Basso, the fastest looks Bosisio and Menchov.

Some spectators near us, have the table with the starting times (from the Gazzetta dello Sport) and we all start making calculations to predict the winner based on the time when they start and the time they come by. Too much fun!!! Actually we end up not too be too far off. Who arrived with the best time at the first steep part of the 2nd climb got one of the first places.

Another hot but incredible and memorable day!