Riding Techniques
Bicycle Race Techniques: The Basic Principles of Descending
03 months ago
Learning to descend properly and confidently is a crucial skill in bicycle racing. The principles of descending in both mountain and road cycling have similar qualities but are different. In this article I’m going to focus on road descending. Whether you are a casual weekend rider, or a competitive cyclist, knowing the basics to the descent will help you get faster and improve your quality of ride.
Brake Before You Enter the Corner
Cornering in cycling is very similar to cornering in auto racing. The most important aspect of cornering is traction. When you lean hard into a corner, your tires are under stress to keep traction. As you know, if you were to lean too hard, you would lose traction completely.
Similarly the same thing happens when you brake. Your tires are placed under stress to keep traction, and if you brake too hard you loose traction and skid. So the idea is to minimize your risk of losing traction which makes for faster cornering. If you brake while cornering, two forces are acting on your tires (the decelerating force from braking and the forces caused by cornering). You are stressing your tires more than you need to. The solution is to start braking well before you enter the corner. This way you are only placing one stressing force on your tires at a time.
Anticipate how much you need to slow down as the corner approaches; start braking well before the corner and before you start to turn. When it is nearly time to turn in, gradually reduce your braking force while beginning to lean; just before the middle of the turn you should not be braking at all. This will maximize your cornering traction throughout the turn allowing you to enter and exit the corner faster.
When descending, be sure to keep your weight balanced over your bike, it helps to move just slightly aft of your normal positioning for increased stability. When cornering, the crank arm on the inside of the corner should be at the 12 o’clock position (see the photo below). This guarantees that you have enough clearance to lean into the turn and also increases stability.
Apex the Corner
If you watch competitive cycling, they always enter the corner from the outside, move to the inside at the tightest part, and exit on the outside again. This is called apexing the corner, and it is the fastest way through a turn. The “Apex” is the tightest part of the corner. The idea again is maximizing your traction. Obviously you can’t utilize the whole road like the pros because there is traffic to worry about, but you can apex within your lane to keep up your turning efficiency. When applying this technique, go slower than you’d think until you are comfortable executing the turn properly. If correctly done, you will carry more speed through your turns, and consequently you will have to do less work to maintain your speed.
Take a look at this graphic that demonstrates the Outside – Inside – Outside principle.
This video shows a few good examples of proper cornering.
The faster you go, the more wind resistance you face, so get yourself down low and aerodynamic on descents. Just like with exotic cars, aerodynamics will maximize your efficiency. Watch the pros and imitate their positioning on descents. An especially good reference is any pro time trail race. Time trial riding is largely dependent on how efficient the cyclist’s aerodynamics are in addition to power output.
Becoming more aerodynamic means to reduce your profile relative to the oncoming wind. The idea is to slice through the air like an arrow, and not to ‘catch’ air a kite. To do this, position your hands on the drops and lower your chest, but not so much that it is causing discomfort. Compact yourself by keeping your knees close to the frame and moving in your elbows. Having your hands down on the drops typically gives you more braking power as an added bonus.
Keep in mind that descending can be a great time to rest as well. It is not important that you are fully aerodynamic if your goal is to recover. However, if you are trying to get a better personal time, beat your friends down the road, or do well in a race, utilizing aerodynamics can be very beneficial.
Drafting/Conserving Energy
Like I mentioned earlier, descending can be a great time for recover and conserving energy. Utilize drafting, which if you are unfamiliar, is staying right behind another rider to decrease wind resistance. When drafting, you’ll be able to maintain a higher speed without doing as much work. At slow speeds you may not notice any difference, but as you go faster it becomes more effective. Try drafting a friend for a minute and then move out of the draft (also referred to as a slipstream) for a minute, and you’ll be able to notice the efficiency difference. Since you typically are at higher speeds on descents, you are likely facing higher wind resistances. This makes descending an important time to draft so that you are able to stay out of the wind and conserve energy.
For a more thorough explanation of drafting and paceline riding, check out this article.
Wet Conditions
A few extra precautions should be taken on wet roads. The first thing to note is that a wet road is going to be more slippery than a dry road in almost any case, and you will need to reduce your speed to compensate with the lack of traction. However sometimes a small amount of rain can be more dangerous than a downpour. This is because the road surface contains oils; when those oils mix with water the road becomes very slick. A small amount of rain will not be enough to wash away the oils while a heavy downpour can be slightly less dangerous.
Be very careful of any painted lines, potholes, metal grates, or anything that would be more slick with water. If you are racing, better to be more on the safe side and finish your season rather than crash out.
Cornering can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of cycling. Work to improve your descending and cornering for a faster and more fulfilling bike ride. Remember that the most important thing is to ride safely. Let me know what questions and comments you have.
Top 5 Weight Lifting Exercises for Cyclists
46 months ago
The off-season is a great time to tone down your intense cardiovascular training and focus on building your leg muscles in the gym. Building your leg muscles will help with overall power as well as endurance. Weight lifting also requires your body to use many of the smaller muscles required for balance and agility. Here are 5 exercises to build stronger muscles for increased power and strength.
Squats for Cyclists
The squat is the single best exercise for developing powerful legs, as it works the entire upper leg muscle, butt and lower back. When done right, you will quickly see results in increased power output and sprint speed weather you are on a road bike or mountain bike.
In doing the squat exercise, you first hold a weight bar across your traps just at the base of neck and top of back. You will want to be in a standing position with knees slightly bent, your feet pointing straight ahead or turned out just a bit, and positioned slightly wider than your hips. Then while keeping your back straight, bend your legs and lower your hips until your upper thighs are parallel to the ground. From this point you then push straight up, returning yourself to the standing position.
If you haven’t done squats before, we would recommend that women use just the weight bar and men can add 10-25lbs as a starting point. What’s great about this weight range is that it allows you to develop proper form, which is most important with a technical exercise like squats.
As with all movements described here, in order to thoroughly exhaust the muscle and attain the most amount of blood flow (increased blood flow brings more oxygen and nutrients to the muscle helping it become stronger and recover quicker), you will need to focus solely on isolating the muscle and not tensing the rest of your body. Pay attention to a complete range of motion at the top and bottom of your movement flexing the muscle at the peak of each repetition.
In cycling, along with your hamstrings, the quadriceps in your upper leg will carry a majority of the load, the squat will help you develop strength quickly.
Calf Raises
The Calf Raise is a great exercise to improve your lower leg muscles for two reasons. It will increase your cadence allowing you to pedal faster on a road bike and also increase your ability to push off your pedal transitioning into the next pedal stroke on a mountain bike. There are a number of machines to work this muscle group, all with virtually the same range of motion and movement.
To do calf raises, first position your toes on a raised bar that allows your heels to drop several inches below your toes. A curb or set of stairs will work just fine for this. You can hold dumbbells in your hands, or do this with no external weights.
The secret to this movement is to really stretch your calf all the way down at the bottom of your contraction, and when raising all the way up pinching the muscle at the top. Stand on the ball of your foot with your heel hanging off of the ledge, slowly lower heels down as far as your can then raise up to your tip-toe, and back down. You will feel a nice stretch in the back of your calf. Then raise yourself back up to tip-toe and repeat. Do four sets of this, with 20 repetitions each time.
 |
 |
Hamstring Curls
Strong hamstrings help when sprinting towards the finish line as well as in the steep section of a single track climb. Having strong hamstrings also balances out the quad muscle giving you more power overall.
The Hamstring Curl is done on a bench with a pulley system that allows you to raise a stack of weights. You lay on your stomach, with your legs out straight out behind you. With the back of your lower leg against the bar, you bend your legs so that your heels come up toward your rear, raising the stack of weights.
In this exercise, do three sets of lifts with ten repetitions in each. The weight can be the same in each, but the rest interval between sets should be only 30-60 seconds. Start light at 20 % of your body weight until you find the right weight for you for these exercises. The right weight is one that challenges you over ten repetitions, and failing in the 12-15 rep range.
The Leg Press
You can do three sets of leg presses, performing 12 repetitions in the first set, then 10 in the second and then eight repetitions in the last, getting progressively heavier (10-15%) each time. Allow three minutes rest between sets. This exercise will mainly work the outer muscle of your thigh and your upper quadriceps. This helps to balance the muscles worked in the squat exercise building muscle evenly across the top of your quad.
To determine the right starting weight for your exercise, a good rule of thumb is to start with an amount roughly equal to your body weight. If you can do this twelve times easily, bump up the weight by 10-15%. If it is already too difficult, trim it down by the same amount, making these adjustments until you get to that good starting point.
Leg Extensions
The leg extension is performed on a bench with a pulley system that allows you to raise a stack of weights. You sit on the bench with your feet and ankles pressed against a bar that, when raised by slowly kicking your feet out and forward, lifts the weights into the air.
In these exercises, do three sets with ten repetitions in each. The weight can be the same in each, but the rest interval between sets should be only 30-60 seconds. Start light — maybe just 20% of your body weight at first — until you find the right weight for you for these exercises. The right weight is one that challenges you over ten repetitions, but that you can ultimately complete.
This exercise will develop the quads right above your knee, along with the squat, hamstring curls and leg press your will successfully isolate all muscle in the upper leg, seriously increasing your climbing and sprint speeds, as well as enlarging your endurance potential.
Whether you are a trail hunting All-Mountain/XC rider or a pavement seeking road cyclist, this group of leg exercises will bring immediate results and bring more enjoyment into your biking.
Paceline Riding, Hand Signals, Drafting, and Traffic
09 months ago
Being a first-time road biker and riding with a group can be a little intimidating at times. There are confusing hand signals, different drafting techniques, and cars to worry about. Here are a few tips to help increase you’re bike-riding IQ in these areas.
Hand signals:
Basic hand signals used for communication will help you stay safe and keep the rubber side down when riding in a group.
Too often there is debris on the road like rocks, gravel, sand, sticks, and even the occasional road kill. Pointing these out can help save someone in your group from some road rash. When riding in a pace line, or drafting, and a road hazard is spotted, the rider in front makes a pointing motion with his right hand if on the right side or with his left hand if on the left side to identify the obstacle. The following riders each repeat the motion until all down the pace line are made aware of the hazard.
Hand signals combined with verbal warnings can help as well. When mountain biking in an area where there is both uphill and downhill traffic on the same trail, always let the opposing traffic know how many riders are behind you in your group. It’s also good form to yield to the uphill riders and step aside. You have gravity on your side when it comes to gaining your momentum again.
There are many different styles of bringing attention to a hazard. I personally like to point with my finger and move my hand in a circular motion. Talk with your group and see what works best for them.
Drafting: How to Ride in a Pace Line
You have probably seen the guys in the Tour de France riding in large groups and in lines wheel to wheel. That’s called drafting.
Drafting is common when there is a headwind, crosswind, or when an overall faster pace is desired. Drafting in a group can be a lot of fun but also dangerous because it requires cyclists to ride within inches of each other’s tires in order to get the maximum aerodynamic benefit. Most of the crashes I have witnessed were the result of someone clipping the wheel in front of them, or someone not pointing out a hazard, etc.
For general group rides, drafting, or riding in a pace line, can increase your average speed by 5-10 MPH, or even more. When drafting the rider at the front of the group is doing 100% of the work while the person sitting behind his tire is doing 80% or even less. This is because the front rider creates something called a slip-stream that the second rider can sit in and not be affected by wind resistance as much. When riding, get used to following closely to the rider in front of you to get the benefit of the draft. You use much less energy following a cyclist than you do riding out in the wind by yourself. Top riders feel comfortable riding within inches of the wheel in front. Here are some basic drafting techniques and tips for drafting:
- Put weaker riders behind stronger ones. A pace line is a team. It’s only as strong as its weakest member, so help that person.
- Ride smoothly and predictably. Never accelerate or brake quickly. If you are running up on the wheel in front, slow down by moving into the wind slightly. Avoid hitting the brakes.
- The tendency for new riders is to jump and pick up the pace.
- Maintain a constant speed when you get to the front by glancing at your bike computer. (Click here to check out some great cycling computers). If the rider at the front charges off, let that person go and hold your speed, you can move faster as a group than you can riding alone.
- If you get tired, sit out as many turns as necessary at the back. Let riders coming back know that you are resting, and give them space to move in ahead of you.
- As the speed increases, gaps may develop because riders can’t hold the wheel ahead or miss the last wheel as they try to get back on the end of the pace line. Strong riders need to fill these gaps in order to preserve the flow, even if it means jumping across and moving back up the line early.
- When coming off the front of the pace lane give a flick of your elbow to let the rider behind you know you are pulling off and for him/her to take the lead position.
- When rotating to the rear of the line, stay close to the pace line coming up the side of you. This will help you stay in contact with the group as you hook onto the back of the line.
Drafting can be fun, but also dangerous. Practice with a riding buddy before you get in a large group.
Riding Your Bike in Traffic:
Riding in traffic is something all cyclists encounter whether it’s on a daily commute or getting to a favorite riding spot. Be sure to obey local traffic laws when on a bike. For the most part the same laws that apply to cars apply to bikes. There are a few exceptions, so be sure to educate yourself on the bicycle regulations for your area.
When riding in traffic stay to the far right of the lane. This will help keep you safe. Also when riding in traffic be sure to ride in a single file line. All too often I have seen group rides were a few guys ride 3 or 4 wide at the front of the pack while blocking an entire lane of traffic (not to mention police officers can and do hand out tickets for doing this). Technically the bikers do have the right of way, but when a bike gets in a fight with a car the car usually wins. Be smart and respect the heavier, faster moving objects even if you have the right-of-way.
Hand signals (see above) are a good way to let motorists know of your intentions. Also, it’s not a bad idea to ride with a light on your bike. This just helps motorists see you better. My favorite headlight/taillight for this is the Knog Beetle.
Hopefully these few tips can help you stay safe, ride more frequent, and enjoy the sport more. Go ride your bike!
US Ski Team Member Cross-trains on Fezzari Fore CR5
11 year ago
Cross Training Really Does Make a Difference
My name is Bryan Fletcher. I am a Nordic Combined skier on the U.S. Ski Team. I have been on the team for 5 years now. For those of you who don’t know Nordic Combined is the combination of Ski Jumping and Cross Country ski racing. About 4 years ago I started road bike as a way to cross train and limit the overuse on my muscles.
How I Discovered Fezzari
Two years ago I came across Fezzari Bikes at the Moab Century Tour. As a kid I battle Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. So for me it’s always been important to give back to the community that has done so much for me. While at the charity event I took a good look at Fezzari and their products. I was impressed to say the least. Over the years, with my training load increasing, I started to spend more and more time on my bike. When I realized I needed a better bike to make my training more effective I picked up a Fezzari Fore Cr5.
The Road Bike/Cross Training Difference
The difference it has made in my training is clear. This winter has been my best season on record. In the opening World Cups I finished a career best 18th in Kuusamo, Finland. Two weeks later I landed another career best 8th place in Ramsau, Austria. It’s not always training more that makes the biggest difference, a lot of the time its training smarter that bridges the gap. For me that’s exactly what my Fezzari CR5 did for me. The amount of time I spend cross training on my bike is huge. My Fezzari Fore CR5 has made that time more effective. The custom fit of the bike reduced the stress on my back and legs making the longer rides way more comfortable and easier to train in my heart rate zones. The laterally stiff frame made my power transfer more efficient, which means my interval speed increased, which also reduces the stress on my legs. Being more efficient allows you to be more in control of heart rate zones as well as your power output. This helps make the easy trainings easy and the hard trainings harder. The reduced stress improves your recovery for the next day allowing you to do it all again with out burning yourself out.
Throughout the summer I had several weeks that would top out at over 1200 minutes of endurance. Add that to time spent on the jump hill and time spent in the weight room, suddenly recovery becomes very important. Every step to make your training more efficient is important. I hope to see you and your Fezzari out on the road!
8 Innovative Uses of Bike Lanes from Around the World
41 year ago
While many cities are working to decrease carbon emissions around the world, some are taking it a step further by going out of their way to make their cities safer for bike enthusiasts with innovative uses for bike lanes. Not only is it helping to reduce carbon emissions, but it’s helping people to get more exercise. (Sidenote: The writer started riding a road bike this year, and has lost almost 20 lbs).
The following list showcases bike lanes from around the world, from the simple to the creative.
Denmark Bike Lanes of Blue
Copenhagen, Denmark
Dubbed as one of the best bicycle cities in the world, Copenhagen uses differently colored bike lanes to ensure better visibility to vehicles. The city’s goal is that by 2015, 50 percent of commuting will be done by bike, thus lowering annual CO2 emission by 80,000 tons, Image source
Portland Oregon Bike Lanes of Green
Portland, Oregon
Bike lanes in Portland are painted green especially in intersections where there is conflict between turning motorists and cyclists who are going straight. The green shaded lane serves as a warning to cars and helps prevent one of the most common ways cyclists get hit by cars., via bikeportland
Trondheim Bike Lifts (Norway)
Trondheim, Norway
Just like ski lifts carry skiers, bicycle lifts in Trondheim, Norway are designed for easy uphill travel. Bike lifts have become one of the popular tourist attractions in Trondheim. See it in action here.via neofob
Protected Bike Lanes of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco has put up protected bike lanes that physically separate motorists from cyclists. The separator is made up of 3-foot-tall posts and are designed to flip back up if a driver rolls over them. via
On-Street Bike Lanes (Davis, California)
Davis, California
Being the first city in the U.S. to create on-street bike lanes, it is no surprise to see many bike paths in and around Davis, CA. The city has the highest per capita bicycle use in the U.S.via BikeCommuteTips
Boulder Colorado Bike Lane Beauty
One of the only three cities in the U.S. achieving platinum-level for bicycle friendly cities according to the League of American Bicyclists, the other two cities were also mentioned in the list (Portland, OR and Davis, CA). What makes this bike lane unique is that attractive landscape design was used to separate the lane from the main road.via beyonddc
Sidewalk Bike Lanes in Munich Germany
Munich, Germany
Bike lanes in Munich are so unique that they are not installed on the street but on the side walk itself. It’s a much safer way to ride bikes, where there’s also a mark intended for pedestrians.via craige
Make Your Own Bike Lane with LightLane
LightLane
This one is a little different from the others on the list. A clever innovation from LightLane, this gadget aims to give motorists a clear view of your path even when bike lanes are not available. Though not yet out in the market, the LightLane is an outstanding concept for cyclists’ safety and shines a lighted bike line behind the rider. Image source
15 Epic Bike Face Plants That are Sure to Make You Squirm
01 year ago
15) “I just Wanted a Closer Look”
14) Better Than a Facial
via Photobucket. This guy needs a new mountain bike.
13) Look. Shadow!
12) Your Tongue Will Stick to a Frozen Pole, but Not to a Tree
11) Stop. Hammer Time.
10) We’re not sure how, but the umbrella is still protecting his head from the rain.
9) Give Us a Hug
Frankly, We Hope This Guy is Okay.
7) Sick? Yes, I’d Say You are About to Feel Sick.
6) The Guy in the Blue Tank Top is Not Impressed. Yawn…
5) Look at the Shadow. Is that a Gargoyle?
4) The Caption Says it All.
3) His Career in Hockey Didn’t Work out Either.
2) “My dad is better than your …, uh dad?”
1) Priceless.
How Can Cadence Help?
01 year ago
Cadence – From Inside a Sports Car
To understand Cadence, place yourself in a sports car. After adjusting the seat so you sit comfortably in the leather racing bucket seat, you stick the key in, start the engine and hear it purr. Press in the clutch and grasp the leather covered shift knob. Press down the gas pedal as you slowly let off the clutch. The wheels start to move and the car takes off. The speedometer needle rises from 0 quickly. The RPM gauge shows the needle rising quickly as well. The needle approaches the red area. Now what?
Exactly, you prepare to shift. The RPM gauge (Revolutions per Minute) on your car measures the engine speed. Likewise in cycling, you can measure your engine speed, it is called Cadence.
What is Cadence?
Cadence measures your RPMs just like the gauge in your car (however, your car will measure them in thousands of revolutions per minutes). The RPM for biking is the number of times one of your legs revolves around as a pedal stroke.
Most efficient Cadence
Just like in a car, you do not want too low RPM or you will not have enough power. On the other hand, you do not want too high RPM or you will hit that “red zone” resulting in too much energy consumption.
Most cyclists have a preferred cadence level that is optimal for them. If you do not already use cadence as a very high factor in your cycling, be willing to experiment. A decent range for an efficient cadence is between 75-100 rpm. If you are on the low end or below this limit you will find yourself using too much strength to turn each pedal stroke. If you are at the high end or above this limit you will find yourself increasing your heart rate too much because you are spinning too fast compared to the wheel rotation.
How to use Cadence
First, cadence is most easily measured by having a cyclocomputer that includes cadence. As mentioned before, try to find a cadence range that is comfortable for you. This should be a range of about 15 rpm inside the efficient cadence range mentioned above (75-100 rpm). Keep in mind that your cadence could go above this limit when sprinting and could very easily go below this range when climbing hills. At that point the most important thing is just getting up the hill, no matter how you do it.
For example, one particular rider has found that his cadence range while training is between 80-92 rpm, however, during a race his range increases slightly to 87-97 rpm. Once again, find the range that works best for you.
Benefits from using Cadence
Just like when driving a stick-shift car, your rpm tells you exactly when to shift. When the cadence gets high, it’s time to shift. When you start going up a hill and the rpm drops, your cadence lets you know when to shift down. This makes it so you are using the correct amount of energy compared to strength. You can ride almost endlessly while in the correct cadence range because your muscles will not tire out as quickly and your energy will not be depleted through anaerobic sprinting. Some riders look almost exclusively at their cadence while cycling. They rarely look at their speed. There are factors like hills and wind that the rider cannot control that will affect their speed, but they can control their cadence and that way they can be riding at optimal performance.
How to increase Cadence
Remember that you don’t really want to increase your cadence, you want to stay in your range. But here are two things to remember:
(1) There are moments when you will want to stay in the same gear and sprint to pass other cyclists or sprint at the finish line. In these cases you do not always need to worry about whether you are still in your cadence range. You need to be able to pedal above 100 rpm (many sprinters can reach 170 rpm). During some of your rides practice sprinting and try to reach a very high cadence level. A simple workout is to do several 30 second sprints with normal cadence in between. These sprint workouts will help build your anaerobic threshold. This simply means that you can sprint longer or more often without your muscles fatiguing while sprinting.
(2) As you build up your endurance, strength, and power, you will be able to ride at a higher gear while staying in the same cadence range (this is like driving in your car at 100 mph in 4th gear, at 6000 rpm instead of driving at 60 mph in 3rd gear, at 6000 rpm).
How can I get my hands on one of these Cadence cyclocomputers?
Fezzari.com offers bike computers for tracking your cycling cadence, which not only measure your cadence, but also measure current speed, average speed, total distance, trip distance and much more.
