davanti cycling

OFF Season Training

2010-10-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Why it's wrong stop training for more than a week during OFF season?

Because you will loose so much fitness that you would need to spend 3-4 months of the new season just to make up for that loss in fitness. This is every good recipe not to improve year after year.

Training has a cumulative effect, so the level you want to reach the next season depends upon how much training you have been doing and the level of physiological adaptation that you have been creating in the past years.

Especially after 35, detraining occurs already after only one week of doing nothing.

Therefore, if you stop training for few weeks or even months, you will loose VO2max (even more rapidly that the normal decay induced by aging), you will start accumulating lactic acid at lower effort or power-output, and your plasma volume will decrease making your temperature regulation less efficient.

My suggestion is: keep training 4 times/week and keep 2 significant workouts with some intensity and interval structure in it.
Also, do not forget to include 2 weight sessions/week (one session is only for maintenance, it won't induce any adaptation). Make sure that your weight routine are specific for cyclists, and are focus on strength improvement, since strength is the main reason why masters (35+) loose power-output.

Read more about this on:
http://http://www.davanticycling.com/mastercyclists.html

Talk to you soon
Luisa

Weight Training for Cycling - Specific Strength Training

2009-10-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Cycling Climbing Tips: Gearing

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.
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!
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.
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

2009-08-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-06-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

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:

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.

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

2009-06-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

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!

Giro d'Italia - Stage 15 - May 24 - Forli'-Faenza

2009-06-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

This has been my best stage ride and watch of this year Giro.

It's Sunday May 24, stage 15
and we are in the region of Emiglia Romagna. The stage starts in Forli' and ends in Faenza for a total of 161 km over a total of 6 climbs "colli".

I rode the last 71 km of today stage and 120 km total. I climbed the last 4 "colli" of today stage: Colle Albano, Valico la Valletta, Colle Casale e Colle Trebbio.

We decided to watch the race at the top of Colle Trebbio, the steepest. Who will be leading at the top of that mountain will win the stage, since it is almost all downhill from the top of Colle Trebbio to Faenza, the finish of the stage. We got close in our prediction.

It is one of those super hot days and those steep low elevation climbs will be killers for the poor racers. Temperature will get to 35 degree C, which means over 100 degree F with high percentage of humidity.

Hundreds of cyclists are already on the road starting 6:30 a.m. to reach the destination spot form where they will be watching the race coming by. They are trying to beat the heat.

We leave from Riolo Terme, 20-25 km from Casola where the section of the Giro route we ware going to ride begins. At Casola we turn left for Zattaglia. The first climb to Zattaglia is 6 km with a grade between 4 and 6%. We climb at steady state since we know we have many km to go. It's still not too hot, so it's pleasant, we still talk and laugh while we climb. The small road opens to beauiful views of the rolling hills country side of Emiglia Romagna. We descend to the small village of Zattaglia. Soon there is a right turn for Brisighella where the second climb Valico Valletta begins. Wow, this narrow and small road starts to go up steep right the way, grade above 10%, completely under the sun. We stop talking, breath regularly and remember to keep drinking. These are 3 killer, steep and hot kilometers. The descent is crazy steep with part at 18% with a lot of curves. The "panorama" on the open valley is spectacular. Still not many cyclists on this part of the route. At the bottom of the descent we turn left (just follow the Giro signs.... it's easy..) and after 2 km of flat road we reach Brisighella. It's an adorable small medieval town at the top of a hill. We need to stop at John Paul's (JP for us) favorite gelato bar: Carletto . I only get an esepresso, we fill-up water bottles and restart. Boy, now it's hot and it's only 11:00 a.m.

The 3rd climb: Colle Casale is 8 km long with 6% grade average. The first 2-3 km are the steepest. Then it levels off . It has the same characteristics: small road completely under the sun with no shade at all. Near the top, there are more cyclists, a group of American cyclists are pushing their tandem up trying the take advantage of a small area of shade on the left side of the road. When we get at the top there is nothing to recover: no place in the shade to rest, no cafe' for more water. They are still mounting the barriers for the Giro. Just a quick stop for a picture and we run down the descent hoping for more cooler air. At the bottom there is the cute town of Modigliana. It's only 12:30 p.m. and there is only 1 climb to go. So, this town is the right spot to stop for lunch. We spot a nice cafe' with outdoor sitting in the shade with a lot of cyclists. I don't want to cool down too much but I realize that there will be a LONG waiting on top of the Colle Trebbio, since the race is expected to be there not before 4:30 p.m.

So around 1:20 p.m. I start slowly the last ascend: Colle Trebbio. It's 6.7 km long but 8% grade as average. It's 35 degrees C. and I do not want to experience a heat stroke. I start slow and, oh God, the first 3 km are steep between 12 and 15% grade. I insert my 28 in the back and decide to take easy through those steep parts. There is NOBODY on the road and only few fans along the road. It's too hot and people decided to arrive later. After the first 3 km it levels off. Two guys from Rome (I could tell from their accent) say to me:" Oh now you can relax, just get a coffee....). I know, then, that the worse is over. The 4Th and 5Th km are almost flat.

Now a real fun story comes. This is a typical Giro story. I am 1 km from the top. It is kind early, around 2:00 p.m. since the Giro is supposed to come by the top not before 4:30 p.m. and I am literally the only person riding on the climb and I am wearing my pink jersey. Well, two fans with motor scooters start escorting me hammering their horns, simulating the arrival of the "gruppo maglia rosa" as it happens at the real Giro. I cannot laugh more. All the spectators already lined up along the last 100 meters from the top go crazy when they see me arriving between these two scooters ... They all scream and cheer... It is absolutely funny.. When I arrive all the crowd is complimenting and offering me food and water.... I feel a celebrity.... I get even interviewed by RAI but they apparently will not broadcast. I seat on the grass in the shade. It's only 2:30 p.m.

Around 4:00 p.m. everybody starts getting anxious to know what's happening in the race. There is a small TV under a tend up the hill, but I do not want to loose my first row spot here. I spot 2 guys with a radio on the other side of the barrier. I use my secret weapons (woman, foreigner and cyclist...) and here we go, they start updating me with every thing they hear about the race on the radio. We know that there is a small leading group. It's around 4:15 p.m. and we hear that Basso attacked on the Colle Casale and the crowd explodes in "Basso, Basso.....". We`all start making calculation to predict when they will be arriving at the top of Colle Trebbio where we are. We hear that Basso keeps gaining time on "gruppo maglia rosa" with Di Luca. We all get very excited!

It's 4:45 p.m

"fire him"!!!.

It's 4:50 p.m. and here Basso comes by, but soon behind him (2-3 minutes later) Di Luca and Menchov arrive... Di Luca with his usual fighting expression on his face. They are going "all-out". We predict that Basso will be caught. After that all the others arrive so scattered, Armstrong and Levi Lipheimer are few hundred meters behind Di Luca. It takes almost 1/2 hour until all the racers come by...

It's almost 5:30 p.m. when the car "end of the race: Fine della corsa" comes by and we can finally GO!

I have no water and I have 25 km to go. At the bottom of the descent I catch the wheel of 3 big guys.... I use another secret weapon. With a sweet voice I let them know I am on their wheel asking for directions....and they all proud say "No problem, we will show you the road... come with us....". I know then I could make back to the hotel in Riolo safe and in no time!!!

What a great and memorable day!!!

Giro d'Italia 2009: Stage Blockhaus May 27

2009-05-29T02:15:00.000-07:00

May 27 Stage: The Giro today is in the Region of the Earthquake, Abruzzo, where 300 people died and thousands are still with no houses living in tends. This is the south of Italy, people are happy that the Giro is honoring the land of this tragedy, the race will give them a day of joy, of hope, of smile. This is also Di Luca home region and with the banners they ask him to fly in the stage for them, for the entire region. (see picture on the top left side).

Today is a short stage, only 80 km. They arrive to the top od the Blockhaus. The real climb starts in the small beautiful village of Pretoro. Decorations for the Giro are all over, on small balconies, on the railways of the cliff, along the road.

When I arrived here, after climbing through the steep swithcbacks of this medieval town and after talking to the local people, I realized that this is the steepest part of this long (20 km climb), thn it levels off. I thought this is the spot where if someone wants to attack will do it. The climb through Pretoro has grades between 12 and 14%, then the climb, soon outside Pretoro, actually becomes gradual and steady aound 7-8% until Passo Lanciano (12 km from Pretoro), then it gets a little steeper again for 1-2 km after Passo Lanciano towards the Top "Mamma Rosa" and then it levels off again all the way to the end.

In fact Pellizzotti and then Armstrong attacked and accellerated exactly on the switchbacks of this small town of Pretoro making the all crowd absolutely crazy.

How many hours of training do I need?

2009-04-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

Few days ago one of the athletes I coach asked me "how many hours" he would need to train more to perform well at his races?

I thought to share the answer with many of you who may have the same question, in order to re-think your expectations based on the "realistic" time you have for training.

I always plan the training based on the "realistic" time people have to train, if they do not race professionally, considering their working and family schedule.

As always, the number of hours/week you need to train depends on your goals:

1. For a race and/or event that lasts less than 3 hours, you need to train:

5-10 hours/week if you just want to finish the race
12-15 hours/week at least for high performance and place yourself in the race

2. For a race and/or event that lasts more than 3 hours but less than 8 hours, you need to train:

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

Of course, it's not just about quantity, the quality of your training is even more important....

Luisa Sullivan

My favorite ride in Italy on a friend's blog

2009-04-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Ride in Italy

Anyone who loves riding and finding undiscovered and unknown places on a bike knows the difference between admiring scenic landscapes and approaching small, hilltop villages by bike rather than from the window of a car. However, when I up the Dolomites passes for the first time, I felt an emotion that I never felt before. With every switchback, the road hugging the mountains, those gigantic ragged peaks looking majestic and intimidating, I felt very small, but also powerful and proud, and like I was in heaven. As I have said when describing my Dolomites tours, you feel a great sense of achievement mixed with the joy of being surrounded by such breathtaking beauty.

I know the Dolomites so well that I can be there for over a week, and never ride the same route twice. However I have my favorite loop that I would like to share with you.
Read the story on : http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/

Giro d'Italia 2009: Why it's special this year

2009-03-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's a Special Giro this year, why?

2009 is the 100th anniversary of the Giro d'Italia, the 2nd most famous and important cycling race in the world after the Tour de France. Even tough this year, the Giro may beat the tour..
The logistic is completely different from all the previous years: it starts in the North, in the city of Trieste, it will go through the Dolomites during the first week, go through Milan but it will finish in Rome, with the individual TT around the Colosseum and along the blvd of the "Fiori Imperiali". This scenario will be spectacular!

It will feature the longest individual TT in the history: 61.7 km along the Italian Riviera and the cinque terre, from Sestri Levante to Riomaggiore.

Stage 19 - May 29 - Top finish on the Vulcano Vesuvio will be memorable.

Decisive stages:

Stage 10 - May 19 - Mountain Stage with the Col d'Izoard and Sestriere

Stage 12: May 21 - 61.7 km Individual TT along Liguria coast

Stage 15: May 25 - Mountain stage in Marche region

Ivan Basso is BACK. He will be racing the Giro after he has been banned for 2 years

Lance Armstrong (collar bone fracture permitting) will be racing the Giro, 1st time ever, to win it.

If you want to ride and watch 5 stages of the Giro between May 13 and 24, join our Tour and email to keith@nonstopciclismo.com or luisa@davanticycling.com - It will be unforgattable!

How much exercise to maintain, loose or prevent regain weight?

2009-03-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

Do you know that :
66.3% of adults in USA are overweight or obese and the cost of treatment of weight reduction
is estimated to exceed $117 billion annually ?

• Benefits of weight loss: reduced risk for
CVD, decreased blood pressure, improved
Lipid profile and glucose tolerance

How "much" exercise ?

ACSM is “American College of Sports Medicine” made a
retrospective analysis of all the research studies after
1999 and came up with these latest 2009
recommendations on:
• how much PA (Physical Activity) for:
– Prevention of weight gain
– Weight loss
– Prevention of weight “regain” after weight loss

For example : To Loose weight

PA of 420 min*wk -1 -> 5-7.5 kg weight loss (>3% loss)
in 12 weeks
• Additional Energy restriction is needed:
Deficit of 500-700 Kcal * d -1 for 12
weeks to loose 7.5 (8%) and 5.9 kg (6.5%)respectively.

These are useful guidelines. Read more on

http://www.davanticycling.com/documents/HowmuchPAforMaintain-Looseorpreventionofweightregain.pdf

and forward to friends, relatives, parents who need weight management. Let's save lives.
YES, "enough" physical activity can help preventing diseases and kill our National health bill.

Luisa

Strength and Power are two different things

2009-03-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Most of the time riders do not know the difference between Strength and Power.
Power is Force (strength) * velocity. So, power depends not only on the amount of force you are able to apply to the pedals but also on how fast you turn those pedals when you apply that force.
In fact, the best power is the best combination between the amount the force applied and the velocity you are able to produce applying that specific amount of force.

Low power can be the result of a huge amount of force at a very slow velocity or of very high velocity and a small amount of force.

The tyranny of the cadence
Do you know that for every rider, for a certain gear on a certain terrain, there is the "perfect" cadence that will provide the best power for the force the rider is able to apply to the pedals when he/she turns them at that specific velocity. If your cadence is higher, you may see your power dropping, because the cadence is too high and the force applied to the pedals decreases.

Therefore, just trying to increase your cadence is not always beneficial, there is that "cadence" threshold, above which your power will drop.

So, when you climb, for example, try the same portion of the climb, different times with different gear ratios, and pick the one that allows you to ride that portion in the shortest time.

Does Caffeine enhance Performance?

2009-02-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

Does Caffeine Enhance Performance?
Several research studies showed improvement in endurance performance followed by caffeine intake. Caffeine increases endurance and speed, but not maximal VO2max and related parameters.

How much?
A minimal dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight (BW) is necessary to induce performance enhancement. However, higher doses of 9 or 13 mg/kg of BW did not show a greater enhancement than the dose of 5mg/kg of BW.
So, a person weighing 60 kg needs to intake 300 mg of caffeine 1 hour before the event to have improvements in his/her performance. Considering that 1 cup of brewed coffee contains 115 mg of caffeine, one pill of caffeine supplement contains 84 mg of caffeine and 1 “espresso” contains 80 mg of caffeine, a 60 kg person would need to drink 3 cups of brewed coffee, or 4 espresso shots OR take 4 pills of supplements or any combination of these drinks (example: 2 espresso shots normally included in 1 largo Latte at Amante + 2 pills of supplements).

There is no advantage to ingesting higher doses of caffeine than outlined above for performance. In fact, ingesting large amounts of caffeine can have deleterious health effects.

Read more on :
http://www.davanticycling.com/Creatine&Caffeine_doc.pdf

Have a great week!
Look for my next posting Monday, February 23!

Training Zones and Physiological Adaptations

2009-02-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Do you know that when you exercise, the intensity level of your session or your interval determines the physiological adaptation you are stimulating in your body?
This is one of the reasons why sporadic and random exercising at different levels of intensity for sporadic and random periods of time will not be very effective in improving your fitness and enhancing your performance.

How do you know which physiological adaptations you need?
How do you know your own Training Zones?
How do you know at which level of intensity you need to train to develop the specific physiological adaptation?
How do you know how long you need to exercise at a specific training zone to stimulate the desired physiological adaptations?
How do you know how to make these suggestions specific to your needs, goals, body and current ability?
Answers are at : http://www.davanticycling.com/documents/TrainingZonesandPhysiologicalAdaptations.pdf

Visit me every Monday morning and you will find a new weekly training tip

The advantage of those 15-30 min. at the same sustainable effort

2009-01-17T18:09:00.000-08:00

To Train Right you have to train Metabolic Zones

I performed lactate threshold testing today to a fitness club in town and watching the pattern of most of the tests, I realized how it's easy to train several days per week, hitting several times high heart rate, burning hundres calories and still not having a strong aerobic system.

First of all: what's Lactate Threshold:

Physiological definition: The exercise intensity where the rate of lactate production is greater than the rate of lactate clearance. More simply: it's the level of exercise intensity where our body starts accumulating lactic acid, which means that our body starts using more the anaerobic metabolism to produce energy over the aerobic system.

The key for performance is to have the threshold occuring at higher level of intensity, to go faster for longer time before fatiguing. It's for this reason that LT is one of the most important predictors for performance.

Common pattern I oberserved: subjects where reaching lactate threshold for pretty low exercise intensity and, moreover, they were not able to sustain intensity staying seated on the bike. However, they were telling me that, during thier spinning classes, many times they were hitting high intensity... but... for a "burst", then they were recovering.

The key to be able to sustain high intensity is to have a strong aerobic system which is able to clear lactate at the same rate it's get produced. In order to build a strong aerobic system, people need to train in the aerobic metabolic zones and stress that metabolic system, until physiological adaptation occurs. To be understood I am talking about those long 15-30 min. interval at 75-80% of your threshold. Read 75-80% of your threshold NOT 50-60% They key is to train at this same aerobic intensity (you know which the intensity is for you after you get tested and your training zones gets assesed), for long intervals of tiime, until you are able to ride 1 hour at that intensity.

Then or, even simultaneously, but in separate sessions, you need to stress your anaerobic system, training your anaerobic metabolism to develop "tolerance" to the accumulated lactic acid. In order to do this you perform short burst of high intensity intervals followed by recovery time.

What I am trying to say that training 30 sec all-out followed by 2 min in aerobic zones and then 10 sec all-out does not work.......

I am sorry for the long paragraph but this is the TAKE HOME MESSAGE:

When you train, you train METABOLIC SYSTEMS, in order to do this Train 1 Metabolic zone a time , the specific zone that targets the correspondent metabolic system....
and please, do not forget to ride long time in that sustainable heart rate or power..... whatever that number is, but if you do so, then that number can get bigger and bigger,

Talk to you soon - Luisa

http://www.davanticycling.com/

luisa@davanticycling.com

Bike Fit Tips

2008-12-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

10 things you should know when you think to shop for a bike fit:

Look for a "certified" bike fitter. Ask if they hold any certification.
Look for an independent bike fit - Why? For different reasons: bike fit done by a bike shop not always have a professional certified bike fitter available; moreover their bike fit are usual driven by the interest to sell not only new equipment but the type of equipment they sell, that not necessarily works for you.
Do not believe if they say you have "legs discrepancy". Legs discrepancy can be assessed only by X-Ray. More often it's a "muscle imbalance" that needs to be addressed by specific strength exercises.
Make sure that bike fitter does flexibility and posture assessment
Ask for the independent bike fit has an agreement with a bike shop near by. The advantage is that the bike shop will sell and mount equipment according to the new measurements and suggestions given by the bike fitter
The bike fitter should ask the main goal of your bike fit: performance vs. comfort.
Ask for a written document that lists what changes have been done and why, which changes have been done to address which problems or pains or performance requests. The document should also list all the new measurements.
Ask if they have "follow-up" process in place. After a new bike fit some discomfort is expected to allow the body to adapt to the new position. However, if you have pain and not discomfort or your discomfort has not gone away in 2 weeks of riding, then you need to call the bike fitter. The bike fitter however should call you any way within 2 weeks from the bike fit, and ask for a re-assessment. The re-assessment should be at no additional fee, unless you changed position or equipment meanwhile.
Do not change position by yourself just because you are in pain or you feel discomfort. Call the bike fitter fist, ask for a new visit. If after they are not able to address your problem, then just shop for another professional bike fitter
It's a plus if the bike fitter has "coaching" and bio mechanics knowledge, to advise for the best position to address performance goals and prescribe exercises and training that can address eventual flexibility and muscular imbalance issues.

Schedule a Bike Fit for an existing or for a new bike with Davanti Cycling by February 28,2009 and get 20% discount. Mention the discount code "10 tips for bike fit".

email now to: luisa@davanticycling.com or call 1-888-348-5228

OFF Season Nutrition - 5 Tips - Versione Italana sotto

2008-11-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

Most cyclists, recreational or elite, in October already have gained between 5 and 10 lb as a consequence of the OFF season and training less and eating more.

I would like to share some nutrition tips and info about how to avoid gaining weight in this season and why it's wrong to gain weight.

Nutrition should follow training demand. Train less? Eat Less. Remember you eat to train, you do not train to eat.

Do not think to gain weight now to loose it later when you start training more seriously, because, when volume and intensity of training increase, you would need more calories and carbo intake and dieting would affect your performance

Also, in this season, beside fluid intake before, during and after training, and beside the usual light snacks (200-250 Kcal) mid morning and mid afternoon, you do not need any power bar or food during training. In this period training has low volume and intensity and not to eat during your 2-3 hours endurance ride or weight routine, would help to use fat as fuel and loose weight.

Use only sodium in your drink after training, not carbo.

Weigh yourslef and take 200 mg sodium for each 1/2 kg (1 lb) lost.
I will send to you a OFF season nutritional plan for $15. Email me to luisa@davanticycling.com indicating your weight.

Do you want to hear more on

how to stay way from hunger feelings?

How many grams of carbo, proteins and fat you need to intake in this period based on your weight?

How to get over holiday without gaining weight?

Come to my Seminar in Boulder,

Sunday Nov. 23 at 3:00 p.m. or Tuesday December 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: 2020 Pearl St. Suite B - Boulder

How long: 45 min. presentation and 15-20 min Q&A questions - arrive early if you like the 15 min. free chair massage

Complimentary: 15 min. chair massage, tea, coffee & cookies

Cost: $15

Registration: email to luisa@davanticycling.com or call: 1-888-348-5228

-------------------------------- Versione Italiana -----------------

In Ottobre, la maggior parte dei ciclisti, da amatori a professionisti, aumentano di peso, dai 5 ai 10 kg. Vorrei darvi 5 consigli su come eviatare di acquistare peso in questo periodo di transizione e perche' e' sbagliato acquistare peso.

L'alimentazione deve seguire le necessita' fisiologiche dell'allenamento. Ci si allena di meno? Si deve mangiare di meno. Ricordatevi : si mangia per allenarsi bene non ci si allena per poter mangiare
E' sbagliato pensare che "tanto poi perdo il peso acquistato quando ricomincio ad allenarmi seriamente". Quando il volume e l'intensita' degli allenamenti crescono, allora cresce sia il numero delle calorie, che di carboidrati che si devono ingerire, e fare la dieta a questo punto influenzerebbe negativamente la vostra prestazione.
In questo periodo invernale, non mangiate o prendete integratori durante gli allenamenti. Solo il solito piccolo snack a meta' mattina e meta' pomeriggio. Se fate l'allenamento subito dopo colazione, aspettate il pranzo, dopo.
Come fluidi, solo acuqa prima e durante, e un po' di sodio (200 mg) per ogni 1/2 kg perso dopo gli allenamenti.
Abbinate proteine (un pezzo di parmigiano, yogurth..) con qualcosa di integrale come snack per tenere lontana la fame tra pasti principali.

Scrivetemi a :luisa@davanticycling.com, indicandomi il vostro peso per Euro 15 vi mando il piano di alimentazione e il numero di calorie che dovete ingerire in questo periodo in base al vostro peso.

Luisa Sullivan

http://www.davanticycling.com/

2008-10-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

Why Cyclists should do Weight Training in Winter?

Controversial issue!

Here my thoughts and believes based on science evidence

Starting 35 years old we start loosing:

muscle mass and also
strength. Loosing strength is the primary reason of aged-related decline in power (power=Force * velocity) rather than velocity [2]. Studies on older marathon runners state:"single muscle fiber from veteran runners are smaller, weaker, contract faster and produce less power compared with normal sedentary individuals".
Moreover, there is some scientific evidence [1] that strength and plyometric training can improve economy (the amount of oxygen requested for producing a certain power), which means that you can still produce 300 w using less oxygen, which means you can sustain that 300 w longer and with a lower rate of perceived effort (RPE).
number of neurons, especially those who innervate Fiber II (the fast) type muscle fibers.
stability and balance. P lyometric training, that I always include in the first phase of my strength training for cyclists, enhances stability on the bike and prevent injuries, since enhances the strength of tendons, joints and ligaments.

These are all good reasons to engage a strength training program specific for cyclists.

Why specific for cyclists?

Because you want to regain that muscle mass you loose aging and with long endurance rides during the season, without adding harmful weight gain. You also want to do the weight exercises that stress muscles involved with the cycling movement, performed at the correct angle, position and velocity for a quicker transfer of the strength gained in the weight room to the cycling movement.

So, it's very important a correct balance in terms of length and number of sessions among the hypertrophy phase and the strength phase. Also this balance depends on your own cycling and training goals. A weight program for a track racer is different from the one for a climber, and it's different for a young cyclist below 23 years old versus a 40 years old cyclist.

Read more details on how a strength training works on my article :

http://www.davanticycling.com/StrengthTrainingforCyclists.pdf

or contact me: http://www.davanticycling.com/contact.html

Do you want a "12 weeks weight training" for "all around" cyclist?

email to luisa@davanticycling.com and I will email it to you for $45 (procedure to assess 1 RM included).

I also offer strength training program at the Mountain's Edge Fitness center in Boulder.

Contact me for details and registration.

Stay fit during the winter....

Ciao

Luisa

References:

Sports Med 2007; 37 (4-5): 316-319 CONFERENCE PAPER 0112-1642/07/0004-0316/$44.95/0
Marathon Runners
How Do They Age?
Scott Trappe
Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA

2008-10-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Winter 2009:

Sunday Feb. 8, at 3:00 p.m. and Tuesday Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

Davanti Cycling Seminar: Aging & Exercise
2020 Pearl St. Suite B (behind Bartlett Interiors)
Complimentary tea, coffee and cookies

Some of our physiological factors determinants for performance start decling at the age of 35.

Come over and learn which factors are affected by aging and in which way.
Come over and learn how execise can or cannot help this decline.

It's not only a matter of competitive perfromance, but it is also a matter of performance in our normal daily acitivity. We cannot avoid aging, but we can age in a healthy way to have a better quality of life as we age.

I want to share what I know and what I studied to make difference in your life.

Be there!!! register emailing to: luisa@davanticycling.com -
Cost: only $15
Ciao
Luisa

2008-10-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday October 23, I opened a new cycling coaching center in Boulder. It is located on 2020 Pearl St. Suite B, behind the store of Bartlett Interiors.

I want Davanti Cycling coaching center becoming the "one stop shop" for the cycling community in the Boulder area.

The name "one stop shop" comes from the idea of "Integrated approach" to coaching.

What does integrated mean? It means that unlike other cycling coaches who send you all around town for services like bike fitting, performance testing, and nutritional advice,we bring the proven experience needed to provide these services for you.

I strongly BELIEVE that an integrated approach ensures that people train more efficiently and consequently with better results.

Correct assessment of training zones, correct bike position, well balanced nutrition to match training demand, learning technical skills are all aspects of your training, all these aspects together make you a better and a faster rider and we will follow you through for an overall view.

Come over and visit us and check out all the programs and services we offer.

We offer a professional and yet a suppprtive and friendly environment!

Ciao

Luisa

What this blog is about

2008-09-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

This blog is a cycling brainstorm.
It's for sharing my thoughts, experience and what I daily learn about cycling and what I love about this sport.
Cycling in terms of performance, training, rides to explore, experience with others, what cyclists should share and have in common.