Today’s coaches corner is all about gears. Simon Tacx wanted to understand more about the variations in chain rings & gear ratios.
Firstly basic terminology:
Spider: this is the five probes which spread out from the centre of the cranks. Road bikes traditionally have five to spread the load where mountain bikes typically have four due to the smaller circumferences.
Crank length: this is the length of the pedal arm from the centre to the pedal. These came range from 160mm to 175mm. Depending on the length of your length the length of your cranks will vary.
Chain rings: these are the discs which go around the pedals which generates the momentum to cycle. See below for further information. Bigger = harder small = easier
Cranks sizes: 130 or 110. This is the circumference size of the cranks rings. 130 is standard & 110 compact. If you buy 110 chain rings they will not go onto a 130 crankset and visa versa.
Rear cassette: either 10 or 11 cogs on the rear wheel. Smaller = harder, bigger = easier. The opposite to the front chain rings
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Todays focus for coaches corner is all about recovery.
‘Recovery‘ for most athletes can be seen as a dirty word, a sign of weakness that you can’t cope mentally or physically with the demands of the sport & training. However recovery is key to progression and success. Rest can be more benefical to an athlete than training on through which can cause more harm than good. If you are needing that rest / recovery and try to train hard, the failure of the session could affect the mind set and this is simply avoidable by listening to the body.
The legend of Yoga that is Lexie Williamson asked today’s coaches corner question. What core exercises should cyclist do to improve their core & what stretches.
Cycling can over time put stress on our lower backs due to the lack of strength and or fatigue towards the end of a long ride. Sitting in the saddle up hills also strains the lumber region as we look to use out legs to cycle up the hill. As a result the hamstrings pull on the pelvis and over time this gets tired. Having a strong core will reduce the aches and pains we get and help improve efficiency in the bike.
Susie posed today’s Coaches Corner question about Testing. She wanted to know How often we should test and What tests we should do.
Testing periodically is key to monitoring progress and checking whether the previous weeks / months training is working. If you have positive test data, then you can imply that the training is working. If the data is however not what you expected, it could come down to breaks in the training phase due to illness, injury or missed session or could indicate the the structure of the sessions are no appropriate.
Today’s corner is all about Training Zones and the terminology associated with them.
The body has two clear energy systems, aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen). Anaerobic is divided into two. PC (Phosphate Creatine) which is about dynamic power / speed for 2-10sec. The second is LA (Lactic Acid) which is about sustained power / speed for 10 – 60sec. You’ve heard of lactic acid as its the bi product produced by the body due to the lack of oxygen in the body for the working muscles.
Mike Tumilty posed the latest Coaches Corner – What wetsuit and is there a difference between a budget £100 & a top end wetsuit?
Well, with the season fast approaching and the lakes soon to open up. It could be time to dust off that wetsuit. However, if you have had that suit for years & years or it’s got more holes than a string vest, it could be time to open up ya wallet.
Today’s coaches corner is looking at Group Riding.
When riding in a group, there are a number of things you should know, do and avoid in order to ensure that the group is safe, productive & effective. Here’s a basic guide.
Single line or two-a-breast?
A certain times you can look to adopt either riding position in a group. Knowing when & why will aid for a safer and more enjoyable ride.
With the weather being up or down. There are times when you don’t want to ride outside due to the rain, cold or even restricted by time. If you chose to opt out of that weekly long ride you will be pausing your progress and the stronger the base developed during the winter months then the higher you will be able to push your threshold come the season.
Here are a couple of simple ways to break down that long turbo session:
Today’s Coaches Corner is a key one – Riding Safely.
We love riding our bikes, but at times, it can be dangerous out there. This can be due to the weather, fading light, road conditions, such as pot holes, oil and of course cars. Minimising those risks will make for a more pleasant and relaxing ride.
Here are a few tips and pieces of advice that may well help.
