As February comes to an end, many of you in North America racers will begin racing in the next few weeks, if you haven't already. Unless you spent the winter somewhere warm where the early season races actually mean something, most of you will start the year with a month or so of smaller training races to get your feet wet (often literally). Training races are a great way to evaluate your early season fitness, sharpen your skills for the real races coming up, and get some higher intensity, variable power training done in a mentally easier environment than solo intervals staring at your handlebars.The catch here is that many riders forget the "training" part of "training race." The ...
The Philly File
This article was written in 2003, shortly after the USPRO Road Race in Philadelphia, aka “Philly,” a 152-mile road race that was the pinnacle of American bike racing at the time, and the dream of every US rider. I was lucky enough to ride it 11 times in my career, and as one of the first professionals to race full-time with an SRM, likely one of the first riders to collect power data for the race. This article was born from that experience. - Adam Myerson
Although I've been racing my bike "for a living" half my life, 2003 was my first as a professional, at age 31, and thus my first chance to ride the USPRO road championships in Philadelphia. As a ...
Preparing for Pain
In my article "Why Do You Race?" I asked and answered the question as an exploration in motivation; as a coach it's not just my job to tell a rider what intervals to do or when to rest, but also to help them find the inspiration to climb on the bike day in and day out amidst the pressures of work, family, and the inevitable failures that come during a season of racing. It helps that as an active racer I struggle with the same issues as my clients, and spend a great deal of time trying to solve these problems for myself as well.In the course of this constant search, many years ago a friend passed on a book called "Sun and Steel" by Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima. In it, Mishima details ...
Vacation Time
It never fails. After a winter of logging long miles and a spring of racing into top shape, summer rolls around and the bottom drops out of your form. With the first half of the season done and many target races come and gone, July is notorious for being many road and MTB riders' worst month of the year. A summer stage race or criterium series is a great incentive in the early season, but can turn into concrete shoes once it's over. It can feel like you haven't trained in ages, the heat's making you lethargic, and there's just no motivation to get out the door and ride anymore.At this point, one of two things typically happens. Many riders in the lower categories will simply pack it in ...
Swapping The Cycles
These days, there's an abundance of training information available that didn't exist even 10 years ago. Books written by Eddie B. and Greg LeMond were bibles in the 80s, and while they're still relevant today in some ways, they've been supplemented by more modern, scientific training literature. But despite all the good information that's out there, or maybe as a result of it, many racers still have the same question: what should I do for training today?I am still very much a fan of the classic weekly schedule laid out by LeMond in his Complete Book of Cycling, with some tweaks: easy on Monday, sprints on Tuesday, intervals on Wednesday, long ride on Thursday, easy again on Friday, ...
Mountain Bike Recovery
Author: Serena Bishop Gordon In a previous article, Adam talks about the importance of rest, recovery, and the difference between the two. Recovery serves to allow healing from recent efforts or training you’ve done, while resting prepares you to be fresh for what’s ahead. Recovery from a mountain bike race differs from that of road and cyclocross, and varies depending on the duration and terrain of the race completed. For mountain bike racing, in addition to the recovery needed from muscular damage due to repeated high intensity efforts, it is also necessary to give your body healing time from the jarring nature of a mountain bike course. When we ask our bodies to perform at ...
Choosing a Club or a Team
Should I join a club or at team? The question is posed often enough by beginning and intermediate bicycle racers that it deserves in-depth review. I started racing bicycles in 1984, riding about six years with a club before moving on in succession to a not very serious amateur team, a few serious amateur teams, and finally spending the past six years (five of them as captain) on a UCI Division III Trade team. In addition, I have worked formally as a USAC-certified coach for the past two years and informally for five more. Both clubs and teams are integral in the development process of every racing cyclist and knowing which to choose, why, and when, can be a difficult process. I will ...
The Vegetarian Athlete Part 3: Logistics
In parts 1 and 2 of this 3-part series on the vegetarian athlete, I focused generally on overall nutrition, and specifically on the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat), and micronutrients (iron, B12) important to those competing on a meat-free diet. In this final installment of this series, I'll discuss practical strategies for travelling and racing as a vegetarian or vegan, and what, if any supplements you should consider.One of the most difficult things to do as a vegetarian or vegan bike racer is travel. I wrote in my first article about the normative American food supply, and how it can be a challenge when you choose a path away from the norm. Nowhere is that ...
The Vegetarian Athlete Part 2: Micronutrients
In my first article on the vegetarian athlete, I tried to outline the primary dietary concerns of protein and iron intake, focusing first on protein. In this article, I'll move from macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) to micronutrients, specifically iron and vitamin B12, as these are the most challenging to those eating a meat-free diet. Anemia is one of most common problems vegetarian athletes face, and is often a result of inadequate iron and B12, so we'll also talk specifically about that. I want to again stress the perspective I'm writing from and remind you that I'm not a nutritionist. Bike.com has recently added former top cyclist and registered dietitian Jane ...
The Vegetarian Athlete Part 1: The Basics
I've been a vegetarian for 14 years, just about my entire racing career. The past 3 years I've been completely vegan, which means I don't use any animal products whatsoever. As a coach, I'm in a position where many of my clients rely on me for nutritional advice, and as an athlete I have specific experience about what it takes to be a vegetarian and still compete at a high level. For the duration of time that I've been writing for Bike.com, many of you have e-mailed asking for an article about vegetarianism where I shared that experience. So, here it is, with some conditions.There are many reasons why people become vegetarian or vegan: moral, ethical, environmental, health, financial. ...