I’m also a triathlete and I’ve done 3 Ironmans in the last five years. This year I plan to expand my riding horizons and dabble in a little mountain biking (New Belgium Short Track, here I come.) I’ve also taken a pledge to ride my bike and drive my car as little as possible this year. You can find me working in one of the stores on the weekend as well helping to keep this blog up to date and getting an email newsletter out to you each week.

I’m going to be keeping you posted on what the staff is doing as well as all the bicycle related happenings in town. If I miss a big event, be sure to ping me by commenting on this blog.

Okay, so here it goes. First off, the Lee’s and Trek staff received training and a refresher course bike fitting last week. The class was taught by our Serotta Certified bike fitters Heath Garvey, Barry Schiebel and Tyson Kaman.

The class went over the basics of bike fit including selecting the right size frame, determining proper saddle height, fore/aft position, hip angle, stem length and rise as well as handlebar width. All of our staff is trained on how to do these basic “floor fits.” The staff members are proficient at using the goniometer and plumb bomb to measure body angles and ensure that your get a solid, neutral fit that is optimized for the type of riding that you are doing.

Our staff also received some great pointers on how to help (particularly new) riders hold a better posture on the bike. These tips, plus the right fit will make for an excellent riding experience.

Now that being said, if you have any major biomechanical issues or injuries we still recommend that you come in for one of our more advanced fittings. These fitting sessions can be scheduled by calling our South store at 226-6006. Learn more about bike fitting on our website (and yes, that’s me being fitted.)

Finally, Lee’s and Trek of Loveland owner, Archie Solsky, is hanging out this weekend at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey California. Friend us, or visit our new Facebook fan page to check out the action and some bike candy.

Just as the laws of motion define the way things move, the way we think defines how we move.  For every negative thought, there is an equal and opposite, positive thought.  Think of every obstacle you encounter on your mountain bike as a chance to excel; not a chance to put a scratch on your shiny bike.  Think of every piece of road as purposeful; the ones less traveled are builders of character and strength.  Think of the wind as always blowing in your direction; at your back,it’s helping you along; in your face, it’s giving you a taste of what’s ahead; to the side, it’s keeping you from traffic or from the shoulder. Your bike never breaks by itself and would last years if you didn’t touch it; never blame your bike.  Hills are great; if we didn’t have hills, Shimano wouldn’t be in business!

One of my favorite quotes and words I try to live by came from JFK, which I have written on my top tube by the way, “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly”.  A bit more profound than “Yes we can” because let’s face it, at times there are things that happen beyond our control and we can’t.  If you have the chance to race against Lance, take it! Not because “you think you can” beat him, but because if you dare and he has a bad, albeit very bad, day you may succeed.  If you go to a race and don’t win it’s not because you lost, it’s because someone else rode better than you and you had no control over that person.  Likewise, pushing yourself to complete your first century or conquer an obstacle on your mountain bike takes a willingness to succeed.

I hope some of these thoughts help you get through your next ride; if they don’t, I’m positive you didn’t need them in the first place.

This week’s tip was inspired by a thorn in my tire which I was happy to remove from the street.  When patching your tube, stretch the tube around your pump or other cylindrical object when scuffing it up.  This allows the sandpaper to work better and provides a good base to support your tube.  Don’t forget to remove the thorn from your tire before replacing your tube!

By the way…..Did you happen to see Lance lose the Giro or Team Astana win the Giro?

Have a good ride!

Brain picture by dierk schaefer

However, not all training programs are created equal. Selecting the right training program depends on your final goal and how much time you have until your planned event.  A racer training for a 2 hour race will follow a different training plan than a person wanting to complete their first 100 mile ride (aka a century).  No matter what plan you choose to follow, aspects of the plans are constant — hard days, easy days and rest days.  The duration and frequency of each of workout or rest day depends on what your end goal is and where you are in the training program.

So……Where do these training programs come from?  Search any of the top bicycling periodicals, websites or books and you’ll be able to find generic training plans for most riders and rides like this one.    Specialty training sites like Training Peaks will set up a training plan specific to your needs using a questionnaire to help determine your goals.  For the more serious riders, a personal trainer may be the ticket.  I recently spoke to Kevin Livingston from Pedal Hard Training Center in the basement of Mellow Johnny’s bicycle shop, the one Lance owns, about training, pedal-hard  and it was truly enlightening.  I must admit, I have some work to do on my training program, or lack thereof after talking to him, and in weeks to come, I hope to share my progress with you. No matter which style you choose, the key is to write it down and follow it.  I’d be willing to bet if you’ve never followed a structured training program before and make an honest effort to follow one you’ll be amazed at the time it saves actually spent on the bike and the rate at which you improve.

My riding tip for this week is more like a resting tip.  Rest is the most important day in a training cycle. It’s when all the good stuff happens.  Riding hard or long tears muscle fibers down.  These fibers get repaired and grow during the rest days and recovery days.  Even during interval training, the rest phase is not to be skipped to cut down the work out time.

In the coming weeks I hope to make some changes to my own training program dealing with my rest and duration in preparation for the upcoming race season and report on my progress.  I hope to see your progress as well but until then, remember to kick back once in a while and put your feet up and rest!

So, the weather finally allowed the New Belgium Brewery short track race series to begin and boy, did it ever!  Close to 100 racers in all showed up! The kids started off the evening followed by the beginners. Then the “A” class got started and the “open” class wrapped up the evening.  I have to say, it’s great to see the parents get their kids involved in a sport that tests their inner strength as much, if not more than, their physical abilities.  No matter what your ability level is or what you ride you quickly find riders on the course you can race with and learn from.  Sure, we all want to be out front at the end of the race but that’s only a small part of it all.  Many thanks to NBB and the volunteers who come out to put this thing together.  If you want more information on the series and the next race go to here, more pictures of the race here.  Just to give you a taste of the evening…. here’s my own little racing folly…

As I approached the sign up table and saw the list for the “A” class I began to wonder if I should have arrived a bit earlier and taken off with the beginners — 42 riders in the “A” class!  The spectators with the cameras may have had the right idea.  I chose to mount my camera on my handle bar and set it up for movie mode.  The camera setup  received a few curious questions on the starting line, however.  And now, whew! here come the butterflies! Looking around, I notice a few faces I haven’t seen since the snow started flying.  “Hey Mike how you been, you been riding much?”….Hopefully you hear ‘no’, but nobody ever says yes.  Jason gives a little speech and soon after…. READY GO!  OK, here we are at that first turn in the top 10 and remember that first big dip.  Relax, get your weight back.  Alright, I’m about fourth at the moment and here’s the first little climb, I stay on Brain’s wheel (I hope he’s breathing just as hard as I am).  Good thing my heart rate monitor was not charged! I’d hate to see a fourth digit appear!  Settle in on this next straight away and get the breathing under control before the next section of climbs and descents.  Take the corner wide…. keep the momentum now out of the saddle and down….again.  Oh, it’s a little breezy on this back section, should be on Brian’s wheel.  Careful on these off camber turns so…….dang it! how’d he get by me?….You don’t go down. No No.  Stay with him on this next sweeper, good.  Ooofff! Watch out for that branch on the next lap, remember to check your helmet after the race.  Got a bit of a separation from the guys behind… nice…keep a good rhythm.  This dirt pile is new, don’t go off the edge.  Watch out for the next couple of turns, they’re tricky…don’t lean into them and wash out the front wheel.  Crank it up around this section now and stick your tongue back in your mouth (always helps!).  There’s the tree, I hope these guys get through it clean… c’mon boys, stick it.  Last turn, show everybody you’re doing fine.  Four more to go….3….2..1. Just hanging on..AHHHH relax.  Wow, did I drink gasoline before the race?  Those fire eaters would do good out here, where’s my camelback?  But you know, I’ll be back!

If you want to see some coverage of the open class race visit you tube at the following link  Sorry, I forgot my camera was on the lower resolution setting.

That’s my story for the week. Have you seen the latest news coming from the Lance Armstrong camp?  Itseems while training in France he literally got himself into a bit of hot water with the AFLD, the French anti doping agency.  After returning from a training ride, a tester from the AFLD was waiting for Lance wanting hair, urine and blood samples from him.  With all the groupies Lance has in France naturally, he wanted to check this guy out.  While his team made some calls, Lance thought he might freshen up a bit and hopped into the shower.  If you don’t know, that is a big NO NO in the world of drug testing.  You must not leave the sight of the tester after the request for a sample has been made and certainly not to go take a shower, especially in Europe.  Just kidding Yann!  Since announcing his return to cycling Lance has been tested 24 times each without incident, or is it indecent exposure?  This little slip may be just what the Tour De France race organizers need to keep Lance from becoming an eight time Tour winner or even help Levi or Alberto win the Tour for Team Astana.  By the way, Lance was in our own back yard recently, in Steamboat, and gave a video update of his recovery and his brush with the AFLD.  Sounds like the training is going well and we’ll be able to see him in the Tour of Italy or Tour de Italia May 9 – 31

* Good ole duct tape – Wrap 1/4 ” thick around your pump to get out of a sticky situation.

That’s it for this week. Oh, I just about forgot = an update on Colorado Safety Bill 148 — it is back on the House floor.   Thanks to the Conference Committee, the confusing amendment was voted to be removed from the Bill.  Hopefully, the clarity of the Bill will make it easier for it to pass at the Senate level.  But before it gets to the Senate, it must return to the House for a “yes” or “no” vote.  This is where you can help, call or email your state Representative and urge him to vote yes on the Bill.  I just sent another note to House of Representative John Kefalas and it took less than five minutes.  Follow the link http://bicyclecolo.org/page.cfm?PageID=988 To find your State representative and send him a note.

Now that’s really it for the week! Hope to see you at NBB next week!

Steve Lacey