Tis the season to be un-fit.

December...tis the time of year to be unfit.  And you should be unfit for fitness comes from un-fitness. Tis the time of year to build, to get stronger, to improve upon weaknesses and to enjoy other sports besides the bicycle.

I (Coach AP) did my Functional Lactate Test today and the results show that I am very much in December fitness season.  Though the numbers are slightly (VERY) ego crushing, (158 lbs- 225 watts LT) I know I can only get better from here and through each bike ride, skate ski, and Pilates session I'll gain fitness and continue toward my goals for 2011.

Here is my graph from today's test done at FasCat Coaching in Boulder, Colorado.

Double check yourself and your training to make sure you are in the correct fitness season.  Tis the season to be un-fit.

Have a Plan

"Fail to plan and you plan to fail". This saying has more importance than you realize.

In order to be successful at anything in life, especially sports, you must plan for it. Amongst other things, you must plan out your race schedule, your training schedule, and your training times. Then you must plan on the best way to make everything happen. "Winging it" only works for so long. The best athletes are the ones who have planned their success.

What's the first step in this planning process? Goal setting. You must set realistic yet challenging goals to keep you motivated and on track.

An example of a goal would be -
Eat healthy

That's a great goal, but how do you eat healthy? What are the steps to eating healthy and how do you know if you are doing it?

You must break your goals down into more goals and tasks. If your goal can be broken down, you are not finished making it.

In order to eat healthy, you must know what eating healthy means. A better goal would be-
I plan on buying more fruits and veggies to have on hand at home for snacking. I will stay away from highly processed (packaged, sugar filled) foods and buy more "natural" foods that have not been as processed. When I will always remember to eat a healthy snack (ie banana and milk) after my ride. Etc, etc.

The same goes for training.  Do you know what you're training for and why you're doing what you're doing this time of year?  Know exactly what you're training for (your goal), then break it down into smaller pieces and train for each piece.

Goals have to be broken down, and down, until all you have to do is follow the steps.
Plan to succeed.

Alabama Cycling Camp

It's official.  ALP Cycles is headed to Alabama in February for the Alabama Cycling Camp.
Join Coach AP the weeks of Feb. 5-12 and/or Feb. 12-19 for amazing riding, training tips, race tactics and an overall really fun time.

The roads in Alabama are perfect to get in your early season miles. Time spent here is an excellent way to start off your season. After riding a big amount of miles in the rolling hills, you're ready to put in the intensity that will turn into race wins in the coming season.

Check out the website for more information.  It is fun and productive, plus we're looking forward to riding with great people.

Injuries

Unfortunately, injuries are a part of athletics.  They are also a part of living and of life.

Obviously, prevention (stretching, strengthening, massage, rest, etc) is the best way to avoid injuries.  But sometimes, no matter how well you have "prevention-ed", injuries still happen.  In this case, there are two ways you can go about healing your injury.

1.)  Take some IB Profen, and call it good.  Option #1 people continue their activities despite the pain/injury.  They half-ass the activity because it hurts, and they half-ass their healing by doing the activity.  In this instance the injury lingers.  It could take days, weeks or even months to recover from this at one time, not so bad injury.

2.) Rest until injury no longer hurts. Option #2 people understand they would rather rest/heal today to exercise tomorrow, and the day after, all while being pain free. In this instance, the injury has time to recover and to heal and the overall duration of the injury is shorter.

Injuries are your body's way of telling you something is not right.  Take time to listen what your body is saying and take the necessary measures to fix that problem so it never hinders you again.

Fall Cycling Camp - Asheville Style

This past weekend, in Asheville, NC, was Fall Cycling Camp.   It was put on by coaches AP, and Robin Farina from Team Vera Bradley Foundation and Robin is out of Uptown Cycles in Charlotte.

Spin Tech Training in Asheville was our "home base".  

Each day started with an amazing breakfast spread.  From there we either talked bikes, training, racing, or general BS-ing or went for yoga at Lululemon.  That was followed by riding. 

Day 1 included a trip to the Asheville Mellowdrome for a skills session.

Day 2 was a "rolling" route where we were able to work on pacelines, attacking, and chasing.

Day 3 was the big daddy.  Climbing, descending, climbing, and descending.  We worked on skills and mental training.

At the top of climb two, this guy was waiting for us.  That is the biggest snake I have ever seens

Upon returning, after each ride, lunch was waiting for us.  We ate, chatted, stretched and chilled.

"Team" dinners provided bonding and a chance to a enjoy the day we had just had.  Not to mention the great Asheville food and restaurants.

It was a really great experience putting on this camp to teach and to show people how to get better. I had a great time and I think the campers did as well.

Success!

Fall Cycling Camp was a success!  

We had three great days of riding, eating and learning new skills.  It was fun. 
Stay tuned for a report of camp in the next few days.

Count down to Camp

3.5 days until our Women's Fall Road Camp. The ducks are in a row, the devil is no longer in the details, the leaves are in peak color, the weather looks perfect, and now, all we're left with are three great days of riding, learning, and trying new things!  A few spots are still open, so if you want to register, send an e-mail ASAP.

Women's CX Clinic in Boone

Was a big success!!  14 women learned, laughed, rode, and went home happy (and probably a little sore too).
Here are some videos of the fun things we worked on.

Thank you to Pirate Race Productions for putting it together, to Kim for helping me keep everything going smoothly and to all the women who showed up and who made it happen!

A lot to offer

Wow, the next three weeks for ALP Cycles and friends is pretty exciting.
To keep you up to date, here are all the things going on for ALP Cycles this month.

Oct. 12th - 8-9am-  CX skills "power hour".  Dial in your skills for the races this weekend. Meet at FasCat with $10.

Oct. Every Tues/Thurs - 5:30-6:30pm- Ski Conditioning- Scott Carpenter Park. Remember your mat/towel and $8.

Oct. 16th - 10am-4pm- Women's CX Clinic- Boone. NC. See event details here.

Oct. 18th-21st-  Exciting events and clinics at Uptown Cycles in Charlotte NC.

Oct. 22nd-24th- Fall Women's Cycling Camp, Asheville, NC (this is the coolest thing going on all month!).

Oct. 26th - 8-9am - CX skills "power hour" #2.  Dial in your skills for the races this weekend. Meet at FasCat with $10.

Exciting Change

There is an exciting change going on here at ALP Cycles.  ALP Cycles Coaching and Coach AP have joined forces with FasCat Coaching. This merger will give athletes the extra knowledge and resources to become the best cyclist possible.

Now, as a FasCat athlete, you will be able to be coached, tested, fitted and treated like a star all in one place.  Not to mention getting to hangout and ride with your coach or any of the other great FasCat coaches.

This is an exciting merger.  FasCat will provide you with the coaching and ALP Cycles will provide you with the skills necessary to apply all that fitness.

You can improve your skills now with ALP Cycles.  Clinics coming up are-
-Women's Cyclocross Clinic in Boone, NC. Oct 16th 
-Women's Cycling Camp in Asheville, NC Oct 22-24th
-1:1 Skills Clinic, Boulder CO - Available upon request

E-mail Coach AP - Alison@fascatcoaching.com - for more information.

As promised--Pictures

 CX Vegas has come and gone.  For Team ALP Cycles Specialized (me) it was a success.  My result was decent (8th. same as last year), but most importantly, I got to see and hang out with my team Sponsors; Specialized, Pactimo, Rolf Prima and DeFeet socks. I also realized I can race on my own, do ok, and can take care of myself.

I also learned I have a long way to go before I am a true CX racer.  Skills.  More practice is needed (especially cornering skills).  Good thing I have a clinic coming up in Boone, NC-Oct 16th.  More chances to learn, teach, and get better.

Until then, here are some pictures of the race and my new team kit.

 

And the back.  Complete with my name across my bu-tay.

New Kit!

Thanks to Pactimo, the Team ALP Cycles Specialized skin suit is ready for Cross Vegas.  I just picked it up yesterday, so come watch the race tonight to see it in action. 

Can't make it to the race? I'll post some pictures of the race here, so keep checking back.

More chances to learn- part 2

After the Boone CX clinic, come to Asheville for our race skills clinic.  This ones goona be even better!

More chances to learn!

If you missed the first ALP Cycles CX clinic, don't worry, you have another chance.  October 16th in Boone N.C.  10am-4pm.

Click here to see the event flyer and get more information.  It's goona be fun!

CX Skills Camp Day 2- Video

Video from day 2 of CX Camp.

CX Skills Camp Day 2- a great way to end the weekend

Saturday night ended with a great dinner and campfire s'more roasting (we were now well fueled for the day ahead).

We started Sunday with more "basic" CX skills. Up first was gravel, then sand, followed by cornering in the dirt and grass. We ended with a grass course of 180's and 2 sets of Cross Propz barriers.

Lunch. Again a great spread by the Mom.
Next up, was "putting it all together". We had now learned all the basic CX skills and it was time to put our new knowledge to work.
Barriers, run-ups, corners, and descents.
All campers left camp with things to practice at home and a new respect and confidence for their next Cyclocross race.

I (coach AP) also learned a lot and got to practice my skills.
The happy, Day 2, group.
When's 2011 camp??

CX Skills Camp Day 1- Video

CX Skills Camp Day 1

8 women +1 Mom+ 1 Coach AP= 10 very happy and slightly tired people. Wow, day 1 was a GIANT success. Thank you to Cross Propz for providing us with amazing barriers that made for very easy set up and take down. It saved me (coach AP) a lot of work.
We rode on grass, on dirt, on wood chips and over bridges.



We ran, we jumped, we rode and we did all three at once (sort of).
Lunch was a yummy mixture the Mom set up for us.

We ate, we rode and smiled and said "cheese".
Bring on Day #2.

It's looking good!

The view from CX Camp is going to be awesome.The ducks are in a row, the devil is no longer in the details, and all we're left with is a great place to get our cross on!
Countdown to 2010 CX Skills Camp- 10 days.
Register now before it's too late.

Growing

Word is spreading about ALP Cycles and all we have to offer. It's fun to be part of the growing business.

Check out our new links on 303cycling.com-
CX Clinic
Coaching

On a side note...
Only one day left for early registration for our 2010 CX Skills Camp. Register now to save $$!

CX Skills Camp- New sponsor

Less than 2 weeks to go before Skills Camp (have you registered yet?), and we have exciting news! Cross Propz is providing us with barriers for camp!

We're official now, that's big time!

CX Skills Camp

Interested in racing Cyclocross (CX) but not sure where to begin? Join Alison Powers and ALP Cycles Coaching in Fraser, Colorado for the Introduction to Cyclocross camp. *Come one day or come both days*

CX is a challenging sport as it combines the fitness and tactics to road racing with the bike handling skills of mtn biking. Riders who want to be successful (and have fun) in CX need to be proficient at both and this "green level" camp will teach you the basics to enjoy your progression as a CX rider.

Skills to be covered are-

• mounts and dismounts
• cornering
• barriers
• basic bike handling
• starts
  
• race day strategy

Whats included-

• lunch, snacks, goodie giveaways
• small group, "hands on" coaching
• professional bike fit (add $50-paid upon registration)

Camp Price-

• $80 per day or $150 for both (register by Sept 1)
• $100 per day or $180 for both (register by Sept 8)
• no day of registration
• all riders must have a USAC license. Unlicensed riders can purchase a one day license for an additional $5.

Registration-

• This camp is designed to be a small group learning environment, so call now to reserve your space as it will fill up quickly.

Contact-

• Alison Powers
• 303-501-7890 or ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com

CX Skills Camp

Save the date! ALP CX clinic Colorado--Sept 11-12th.

Open to everyone! New riders, experienced racers and every person in between. Everyone can learn how to become a better CX rider.

The camp is guaranteed to be affordable and informative. All within a fun, non-competitive environment.

More info to come (we are working out the details), but if you are interested send an e-mail to ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com to save your spot.

Girls Only Ride!

Attention ALL women who like to ride bikes fast- Coach Alison will lead the first ever Women's Only ride tomorrow- 6pm-from FasCat Coaching in North Boulder. The focus is on racing, but everyone is invited.

This is your chance to learn from the best and become a better racer. See you there!

CX Skills Days

CX season is just two months away. Want to improve your skills before race season? ALP Cycles Coaching is offering "skills days" in August.

Come alone, bring a friend or bring 5 friends. Spend an hour or spend a day learning and improving your bike handling skills in preparation for the upcoming CX season.

Don't race CX? No worries, road skills days are available too.

Become efficient at riding in a pack, saving energy in the race, mounts and dismounts, cornering at speed, riding over rough terrain, etc.

As always, with anything ALP Cycles Coaching related, the options are limitless and the prices are affordable.

E-mail Coach Alison with questions, interest, or for more information-
ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com

Intensity

Yesterday, via twitter, a question was presented to me-

"How can I get more than 25 min of intensity out of myself?"

This is a good question as many races are longer than 25 min. The simple answer can be answered by math (I know...I hate math as much as most people).

You want more than 25 min of intensity but it's hard to go hard for more than 25 min.
Break it down.

3 x 10 min intensity with 8 min recovery between sets = 30 min intensity.
4 x 8 min intensity with 5 min recovery between sets = 32 min intensity.
2 x 15 min intensity with 10 min recovery between sets = 30 min intensity.
and so on. There are several equations you can use to equal more than 25 min of intensity training.

intensity - time + recovery x 3= greater overall workload

Things I've Learned

Even though I'm a coach, I'm still very much an athlete. I race bikes-professionally-on Team Vera Bradley Foundation.

Over and over again, I am learning that my own athletic success and challenges go hand in hand with my coaching business. What I learn as an athlete, I can pass on to my athletes. With this knowledge, they can either use that specific technique or tip to get better and ride faster or they can avoid the mistake all together and still learn from it.

This past week, I competed in the USA National Championships. Overall, it was a pretty big let down for me. A lot of build up and all kinds of specific preparation and no results to write home about.

However, I learned A LOT.
I continued to learn about time trialing tactics and mental toughness during a race.
I learned about course inspection
I continue to learn about disappointment
I re-learned how fun it is when your team rides and races like a complete unit
I re-learned how frustrating it is when your team does not ride like a complete unit
I learned more about training and what needs to be done at the top level
I learned what I can do better as an athlete
I learned what I do well as an athlete

8 things. 8 items I learned and can now pass on to each and every athlete I coach. That's a pretty good deal.

Need a cycling coach? E-mail Alison at ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com

Go time!

June 24th
Bend, Oregon
2:42pm PST.

Think fast thoughts.
The game is on.

Bikes are Bikes

Bicycles are bicycles and learning to ride any bike better and faster will help you ride another type of bicycle better and faster. This is especially true at a young age (but is still important at ANY age).

I was lucky enough to get to ride with some of the SMBA kids last week in Nederland, Colorado. SMBA stands for Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures and it is a really great program. These kids know how to ride their bike and they know how to do it well. Most of their skills are better than mine and I was truly privileged to ride with them.

Here's a picture of the group doing the standard "bike check" that they do before every ride. They not only know the name of every part of their bike, they can diagnose a problem BEFORE they start riding.

After a brief time at home, it's back to racing my bicycle. Maybe I'll be a more balanced rider after spending some time getting beat up by kids on my mtn bike.

©Brian Hodes/VeloImages

ALP Random Tips-Listed

ALP Random Tip #12-Learn your weaknesses so you can maximize your strengths.

ALP Random Tip #34- To race well in a time trial, one must train well on their time trial bike.

ALP Random Tip #76- do more than just ride your bike. Don't forget about your core, your active recovery techniques, and your flexibility.

ALP Random Tip #80- Nutrition is just as important as training.

ALP Random Tip #34- Learn from your mistakes.

ALP Random Tip #24- Train smarter not harder.

ALP Random Tip #21- Learning to pedal with a high cadence makes you a more efficient bike rider.

ALP Random Tip #26- There are going to be days when you don't feel good and/or fast. It's ok.

ALP Random Tip#19- Ride different bikes (ie. road, mtn, cross, singlespeed). It challenges the mind and the body and creates "freshness".

Teaching

Coaching is really a fancy name for a teacher. Here at ALP Cycles Coaching, we like to think of ourselves as "cycling teachers". We do more than give out training plans. We teach you how to become a better cyclist; something more than just a person who can ride a bike fast.

This past week, Coach Alison has been putting her cycling teaching skills to work.

First up was to guide the High Altitude Colorado Cycling Camp. Saddle hours were put in, elevation was gained, dirt roads were ridden and red blood cell count was raised. All of this accomplished while learning how to ride, how to train and how to recover at elevation.

Campers Ted and Will refueling before the climb up Super James.

Next up was the 2010 Inaugural Skills Clinic. Coach Alison rode along side 60 other riders and taught them skills such as riding in a pack, how to move up in a pack, being efficient in the pack and then she finished it off with techniques on how to climb better.

AP talks to a group about "keeping your spot" in the peloton.

Climbing a hill efficiently leads to staying with the leaders.

Post ride margs always keep the coach happy. Great job to the Get Some women for putting on a great clinic.

To continue with the "cycling teacher" theme, Coach Alison will ride with the young ladies of the Flatiron Flyers cycling club tonight. We will preride the famous "wall" climb of the Morgal Bismark race.

ALP Cycles Coaching: Cycling Teachers-more than just a coach.

Training at Altitude

The High Altitude Colorado Cycling Camp is underway. As a "helper/ride guide" of the camp, I have learned many things. Mostly, riding and training at high altitude requires a different thought process and mind set to training. A process not many people or coaches really understand.

Most people understand that yes, there is less oxygen at 6,000ft and yes, the air is dry at 8,000ft. But what does all that mean to your training as an athlete? How does riding at elevation help you improve? How does sleeping at altitude make you faster?

I grew up at 8,000ft in the Fraser Valley, Colorado. Before I started bike racing, I took the high altitude for granted. But now, after years of bike racing and training at sea level, at 4,000ft, and at 9,00ft, I have learned MANY lessons. These lessons I am happy to share at camp with the campers. The campers are tired, but riding strong (isn't that what a camp is all about?), and they are looking forward to each day and the new route they will explore in the Rocky Mountains.

Results speak louder than training

It doesn't matter how hard you train, how well you eat, what sacrifices you make or how much of an athlete you claim to be if you can't "lay it down" on race day.

Training well and racing well are two totally different things. Just as you have to be smart with your training, you have to be smart with your racing. Because it doesn't matter how much fitness you have if you waste it during the race. You have to know when the right time to expend energy is, and you have to know when the right time to save energy is.

Bike racing isn't always about who the fittest rider is. It's often about who the smartest rider is. Be fit AND smart...then your deadly.

To Eat or Not to Eat

I (Coach Alison) just finished racing the SRAM Tour of the Gila (where I got a stage win and finished second overall). Everyday of racing, I started to notice a common theme.

Eating.

Eating is normal in a stage race. What you do or do not eat during not only a one day race, but during a stage race, can have a MAJOR impact on your personal race outcome.

Nutrition is key in athletics, especially in an endurance event that goes on day after day.

Usually, during a stage race, we talk about eating, eating more, "I'm still hungry", "I'm tired of eating", etc. But this particular race situation lead to talks about NOT eating. Most notably, not eating to be skinny and thus to climb better.

Eating and being skinny is a touchy topic amongst cyclists. Power to weight ratio is a big deal when it comes to the outcome of a race. Everyone wants to maximize their own power to weight ratio in order to ride faster and more efficiently. But when does this power to weight ratio obsession become too much? When do you know if you have taken it "over the edge" and started to do damage not only to your cycling career but also to your own body? OR how do you know when it's time to drop a few pounds to really maximize your own training and racing?

The simple answer, know what your personal cycling goals are. If they are to be a pure climber who can do nothing else but ride uphill fast, then get as lean as possible. If your goal is to be a good time trialist, then you need power on flats to rolling hills and you may need to be a bit bigger than a climber. If you are a sprinter, you need fuel to fire up your fast twitch muscles.

Remember, life is more important than cycling. Cycling is supposed to create a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle. It's not supposed to damage one.

And so it begins

I feel like I've been here before- I have
I feel like I've done this before- I have
Third times a charm- I hope

Welcome to Silver City and the Tour of the Gila. It begins tomorrow and ends on Sunday.

I've got cookies made, rice balls chilling and meals planned.
I've got great host housing, an amazing team and super support.
I've got the will to win, the team to win and my game face on.

It begins tomorrow and ends on Sunday.

Better your cycling skills

Join Alison May 23rd at the 2010 INAUGURAL CYCLING SKILLS CLINIC in Morrison, Colorado.

Learn skills such as bike handling, fast cornering, descending, climbing, bumping and riding safely in a pack.

Other coaches that will be there-
~Tyler Hamilton, Olympic Gold Medalist, Men’s Time Trial
~ Kerstin Weule, Xterra Triathlon World Champion, Ret. Pro

Learn now, or forever hold your tongue when you complain about getting dropped on a decent or someone taking your spot in the pack.

Click here for more information.

(mis)Information

This past week I've found myself giving a fair amount of advice and information. Whether its on post ride nutrition, proper recovery techniques (is the hot tub good or bad?), or training advice (volume vs intensity), I've come to realize that even with all the really great information out there, there is a lot of misinformation as well.

How do you know the advice and information you're getting is good advice? How do you know if it will work for you? There are two simple answers to these questions.

1.) Give everything a try. If you read about something on the internet that's supposed to up your power by 15% and decrease your recovery time, give it a try. See if it works for you. How does your body respond to said method? If you read about a diet that tells you if you go on a flank steak only diet for a week, you'll gain 2 pounds of muscle, lose 3 pounds of fat and rip the legs off everyone at your next race, do it. See how you feel after only eating steak for 7 days then go race.

or

2.) Find a trusted person to ask. This person should be someone who you believe has the knowledge to help you get better. Though the #1 answer above is a good option for someone wanting to try everything them self, it is not a good option for someone who has limited time and who would rather see improvement sooner rather than later. It takes time to learn what works for you as both a person and as an athlete and if you can "weed out" all the bad options, or all the misinformation, you can improve your chances to get better, faster, and stronger while the race season is still going on.

My advice? Time is precious. Don't waste that precious time on misinformation. Instead, use your time wisely by getting correct information from a trusted source.

Wattage

Ever wonder what it takes to win a race? How often have you thought, I wonder how many watts that person is doing on the climb or how many kilojoules did that person burn?

Well, your in luck.
Here is Coach Alison's info from a local Colorado race on April 3rd 2010.
She got first place and she weighs 152 lbs (that's an important factor to keep in mind when comparing data)

Distance- 25.6 miles
Time-1:21
Average Watts-235Max Watts- 686
Kj's-1,144

What you can control

There are things in this world you can control. You can take charge of the situation and make it (or try to make it) work out for you.

On the other hand, there are things in this world you can not control. There are times you just have to relax and accept that you have no control over the situation. It is what it is.

For example, I had a travel day yesterday where I was in control of the situation for less than 1/3 of the day. But that 1/3 made the 2/3 of the rest of the day no problem.

-Wake up early to ride the trainer (just in case I am not abale to ride when I get to Redlands).
-Prepare food/drink for the flight and day of travel (my food is better than airport food).
-Play with dogs and boy and enjoy the last hour at home (I love home).
-Drive to the airport, get there early to check in and to see my Dad (chill time=happy time).
-Board the plane.
-Sit on the plane for 2 hrs without ever leaving DIA (broken valve=something I can't control. Packed lunch= happy belly).
-Change planes
-Fly to CA (packed snack=happy belly, again) and ride with host Mom to Redlands.
-Arrive at 6:30pm to host house (no time to ride. Good thing I rode the trainer in the AM), go to dinner with teammates, grocery store, host house, bed time.

Thanks to my preparation in the morning, my "less than ideal" travel day, turned out to be no problem. I took control over what I could, didn't stress over what I couldn't control and it was a no problem day.
-

Priorities

Remember the goals you set for yourself? (if you have not set goals yet, you are way off the back)
Remember what your top priority is?

Now is the time to keep these two things in mind-goals and priorities. It's easy to get caught up in the racing, the riding, and the general bike riding dorky-ness that is March.

Some people come out of the winter "flying", while others emerge slowly from the winter only to "fly" later in mid summer.

What are your goals? When are you hoping to race and ride at your strongest? Keep that in mind as you are either racing, riding or still taking your skis out to "shred the gnar".

More ways to follow!!

ALP Cycles Coaching has moved into the 2010's. Follow us on Twitter!
@alpcycles

Webpage too (though it just links to this blog)!
halfwheel.com

Ride hard!

Race time in Colorado!

After a winter of training, it's time to be put to the test. That's just what Coach Alison did on Saturday.

Athlete Kimberly came to the race to not only provide moral support, but to learn about the racing and about the girls who race in Colorado (she is a new Colorado resident).
In less than one month time, she too will be racing and talking race tactics/results.

Race time!

March...tis the season. For many of us, March signals the start of the race season.
Many feelings arise when we think ahead to our first race of the season.
Nerves, excitement, anxiety, fun, and mostly, "how will I do"? "Will I be good enough?"

The first races of the season are here and though many of you may not feel you are ready for them it's important to race. Enter the race, do the best you can, and most importantly, learn from the race. What did you do well? What could you improve one? What were your strengths? And what were your weaknesses?

After the race, re-evaluate your training plan. Plan to work on and train what challenged you most in the race. Maybe the length of the race proved too hard on your legs and lungs, or the multiple hard efforts left you gasping and unable to recover.

Train your weaknesses so you can improve for the next race.

Alabama Cycling Camp

Holy cow... I'm tired (and you know it was a good if the coach got tired).
What does-
7 days, 410 miles, 23 hrs of riding, and 20 great people add up to?
Alabama Cycling Camp 2010.

WOW was it fun.Some of the group serving Breakfast

Athlete Renee invited me to come to her Alabama Cycling Camp as the Guest Coach. I had never been to Alabama before and I must admit when I heard of Alabama as a destination spot for riding a bike, I was skeptical. But now, I can't wait to come back.
The riding here is AMAZING. There is very little traffic and the roads and terrain are never dull.
Add in the fact that I had someone cooking and cleaning for me, and the result is an A+ cycling experience.

Coach Alison and "The Woman Who Makes it All Happen", Renee, at the Pecan Factory.

Some of the Women posing for a pre ride photo.

I got to meet, to ride and to share my cycling knowledge/experience with 19 other people I had never met before but now with whom I can't wait to see again. Post ride lunch

For anyone wanting to improve their riding skills/knowledge/fitness, I highly suggest coming to this camp (there are still spots open for March camps). Renee and her staff take care of all the cooking, cleaning, ride leading, etc. All you have to do is be ready to ride your bike and to hang out and enjoy the company of others who have a passion for bike riding.