Rapha and Team Sky - a challenge for rapha branding?

The news that Rapha is teaming up with Team Sky became a well known fact to everyone on the 30th of August. Exciting news in many ways, as Team Sky is well-known for its high demands when it comes to quality and "marginal gains", while Rapha has managed to picture itself somewhere between the high-end manufacture line and lux. The downfall, at least for Rapha's part is considerable, as any supplier to one of Britain's top performance brands. At the same time, remember Rapha is not new to the racing stage, they have supported Rapha Condor Sharp (RCS) a pro-continental team for several years benefiting from experiences in tech drawn from there.

Branding
Much can be said and written about branding. Worldwide consultants paid by the hour compete telling us as consumers and corporations how necessary it is to be visibly out there. So what is branding? Branding is linked to many aspects; sales, marketing, strategy, storytelling, identity etc. The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as

name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.   

Therefore, it is logical to link psychology to branding, to get consumers to believe that a product/brand is the only one that can meet the standards or solve my "problem."

Upwards, downwards or sideways
It didn't take long before both Team Sky boss Brailsford and Rapha CEO Simon Mottram released the usual carefully written statements surely approved at multiple levels in both organisations. Usually I'm not that interested in them, as many tend to be "attributed quotes" as the eminent Inner Ring has written about earlier.

How will the deal between Sky and Rapha affect consumers?

Yesterday I tweeted exactly that, mentioning that I look forward seeing what will happen to the brand. I must admit I like the brand. The way they have build their brand along the years, particularly the stories and pictures. I also have some clothing, very happy with some of it, not so with every piece of clothing.

When a manufacture sponsor a team, there surely (as well as hopefully) there will be an increase in sales. That's the point in the first place, right? Rapha has managed to link itself somewhere near the lux-scale in clothing today, upscale pricing isn't, of course, in itself a sign of quality, but Rapha has managed to brand itself to that too. Based on activity on twitter when Rapha is being mentioned, it seems people either like it or hate it, not so much in between. Much of the criticism have been regarding pricing. Today, a number of Rapha products are being made in China by KTC, albeit designed in the UK. As volume increases, will we see lower prices? Claims have been made that some manufacturers have operated with one clothing-line for pros and one for the others. Of course, pros might have made to measure jerseys, as they tend to have slightly less arms than most, but if the fabrics are two very different, some people might react. My opinion is that you get what you pay for and perhaps is this the way it will and needs to be. Alex Murray called this "diffusion line" earlier today, "slightly cheaper materials/manufacture, but same look."  

What I surely think Mottram didn't expect when he co-founded the brand in 2004 is the possibility to find a replica jersey in a mobile trailer sales-out at the foot of Alpes d'Huez. Another way of viewing this is that you actually succeeded in building a great brand since people are copying your products.

Summary
What will come out of the Sky-Rapha deal will be exciting. The people behind Rapha have been very consistent and thoughtful in their branding up to now, so there is nothing indicating this will not go the way they have planned. If they are able to meet the formidable focus Sky have on R&D, details and "marginal gains". A chance like this for a manufacture is a once in a lifetime shot so why not grab it with both hands?

To us consumers? Hopefully a lower price on their products, as the volume most likely will increase. If Rapha want to differentiate between the highest end of products and the products for recreational riders, please do so. After all, as Alex Murray wrote, one can still earn lots of money on cheap(er) things:

The voice in ear - helpful?

Becoming king - or should I at least say Sir?

Downloaded here.

When you're out on the road, how do you encourage yourself during the most intensive workouts? Do you picture yourself in a break two kilometres from the finish line as Peter Sagan is closing in on you? Or perhaps you are picturing Lefevere or Madiot behind you in the team car yelling "Allez! Allez!"?

From time to time anybody enjoys a bit of help on the way, right? A tiny motivational voice somewhere far back, whispering words of encouragement along the way. For a recreational cyclist, this voice, if you have heard one, is probably your own swearing or your annoyingly fitter friend you (at the time) would like to go somewhere the sun does not shine. For a professional cyclist it can be just the same (probably not with the fitter friend but who knows). Suffering is equally hard and not depending on fitness level, there is a saying that climbing hills don't get any easier the more fit you are, you're just going faster.

No interference
Some riders, like Dave Zabriskie, doesn't want any feedback at all during his TTs. Zabriskie's suffering takes place internally, according to Allen Lim, who used to be Garmin's team physiologist, said that "When he's in a time trial, he thinks of himself as a superhero".

Not exactly Marc Madiot-style that's for sure. Whether young Thibault Pinot enjoys this kind of encouragement is unknown. As is if he had any choice I might add.

Remember this one?

Downloaded here.

Wiggins' approach
Bradley Wiggins has a totally different approach than Dave Zabriskie. Constant feedback on time gaps relative to major competitors, distance to climbs, any obstacles and so forth. In the interview below where Wiggo speaks about the Olympics TT, (video tweeted by Rich Land earlier today), Wiggins says that Sean Yates, "who's been in the car all year (...) came down for the day." Never change a winning team, it's all about marginal gains, eh?

Next time you're out there on your favourite climb, try saying some calculated words to yourself. Before you take that ride, take a couple of minutes to visualize yourself going up that hill. Imagine what you see, what you smell and hear and above all - how good you feel.
When climbing, grab a second here and there. 30 seconds after you are on the top of the climb, the pain is gone. How do you want to feel like when you are done?

If this doesn't work you can always download Madiot's monologue, it will probably do the trick too.

French Cycling - the hope is located in Besançon

Today we witnessed one of French cycling's hopes, Thibaut Pinot, claim the stage win on a very entertaining stage. Pinot happens to be the youngest rider in the tour this year only 22 years old. The stage brought fireworks as the broadcast started as the riders crossed the km 0, so the insane tempo and break away-attempts got caught on tape.

Besançon is one of my favourite cycling cities. It could be because its very French name fascinates me, but also due to the fact that I, since I started following the tour, have heard the name mentioned frequently enough to link the name to the tour. Tomorrow the tour will arrive in Besançon and the French media will guaranteed talk about French Cycling's hope.


However, French Cycling's hope is not a rider, it is located in Besançon.

The home of French Cycling's hope

Science meet sports - Australian Cycling and British Cycling lead the way
Down Under, the Australian Cycling had a new and interesting approach to sports performance. Sports in Australia was gathered under the umbrella of Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and later the Australian Sports Comission (ASC). Linking track performance to road, gathering the most promising riders and staff, basing the education and training on research, proved to be a recipe for good results. In addition to being a fun place to work, the emphasis was constantly on development of performance. The man who started this model related to cycling was Gary Sutton, head of AIS cycling. Together with Neil and Gary Stephens and Shayne Bannan, all lifelong friends and associates, the pace and direction for Australian Cycling was set. Shane Bannan became head of cycling at a later stage. 
All the buzz words now familiar with BC was used here, like "rider-centric", "technology based" and so forth.

The first initiative - the original

British Cycling is based on the Australian model. Back in the day, Shane Sutton, after his days as a rider, was Welsh cycling coach. He looked to his brother in the AIS for inspiration, used the same template and got a job at British Cycling (BC). Peter Keen, currently special advisor for performance at UK Sports, had developed sports science techniques in the UK and took them with him to BC. It's fair to say the adaption of the AIS plans and template proved valuable, as the two countries have been the leading nations on track ever since as well as bringing very good talent to the table in both track and road.


Essential in both AC and BC is government sport funding. No medals=less funding. With the medals come money, easy calculation.  

The second initiative - rider centric and based on research principles 

French Cycling is on the move 
As certain as the Spring sun will melt snow away, the French sports media will bring out the hopes of French Cycling. Over the years many have been called, but few have past the test consistently. Arguably, French Cycling has been carried on the shoulders of single riders and staffers, giants in cycling whose romantic stories from back in the day gets increasingly better every time they are told. Ideas on training, nutrition and physiology was poor and in many cases, missing. Norwegian pros have told stories from French teams as late as after the millennium where French riders only ate the inside of a baguette in fear of gaining weight. The coaches weighing the riders on a frequent basis and the only issue at hand is body weight and body fat. Not exactly scientific based and systematic approach, is it?

So while the Aussies and Brits had enjoyed the fruits of a scientific, systematic approach to training for years, the French still had focus on length and riders' weight. But, after many years of under development in both the coaching part as well as rider development, a welcomed change came.

The Université de Besançon has a faculty called UFR Staps de Besançon/L'Upfr Sports, regarded as one of the best coaching education there is. Science, nutrition and multidisciplinary activities all incorporated to give the coaches the best preparations possible. The Faculty claim to use "technology in order to be effective both in work and academics in the analysis, interpretation and understanding of sporting events." Names like Jean-Baptiste Quiclet (Saur-Sojasun), Frédéric Grappe (FDJ) and Anthony Perrin, are all recognized in the cycling community as excellent coaches.

In addition to this, Besançon also has a cycling "high school", where the country's most promising riders study and receives feedback from some of the finest coaches in France. Arguably the best amateur team in France, Club Cycliste Étupes, a team which also happens to be the recruiting base for Ag2r, originate from Besançon. Well known riders like Bodrogi, Calzati, Dessel and not surprisingly, today's winner Thibaut Pinot, all come from this team.

Summary
Despite suffering from being late to the party, the French coaching education in Besançon is scientific based and has a systematic approach to the important details necessary to put their riders on top of the resultlist.


Today's win by Pinot is another indication that the future for French Cycling is brighter than ever.

Pinot crossing the line happy and with hearing problems after Madiot's screaming

Downloaded here. 

  







The post is inspired by the book "Røff guide til Tour de France 2012" by Johan Kaggestad, own knowlegde and some very useful guidance by a friend.

Contador advertising more than ever

There is a difference between pay and income for cyclists. As described earlier by the always to the point INRNG, the average annual salary for cyclists is €264,000. Of course, this does not reflect reality. Only a handful of the riders earn this kind of money, and then I haven't even described the financial situation for the female riders.

Riders need to make money doing other things beside just riding bikes, after all, prize money and image rights aside, there is more money in advertising and personal deals and sponsorships. I'll write more on that later, on the new blog.

Today I learned that Geraint Thomas is doing an advert for wristbands, that is so last year, isn't it?

Another thing I learned today was that Alberto Contador may be banned from cycling, or at least banned from competing, but I seem to notice Contador everywhere I look these days. Is the man more popular among (Spanish) companies than ever? Some would say he probably need the money now more than ever before, with the legal bills he had the last couple of years.

You all have seen the pictures of Omega Pharma- Quickstep advertising for pillows? Here you have Alberto Contador advertising for a mattress:

BMC training camp video compilation

It's the season for pro teams training camps. For some riders it is the second training camp with their new team, for others the very first. The nervous first chatter is (hopefully) over by now and the first 6 hours training rides are accounted for. The team is divided into groups depending on goals, social reasons, leadership reasons, season plans or simply due to transfer of experience.

Team BMC has been in Calpe, Spain for several days now, building the team by merging the different riders and staff together. The team to the very dynamic Sean Weide has made many videos from the camp, i have gathered some of them below. Like last year, Team BMC use social media well, in addition to releasing videos on their YouTube channel, they also have an audio line.

Here you can watch some of their latest videos for some insight in the training camp:

All about the details

Healthy or not?

Downloaded here (so it must be healthy...)

Being an athlete is not for everyone. A nomadic lifestyle with several hundred days of travel each year, staying in cheap motels along busy highways in southern Europe. All that while your family is living on  another continent. So next time you're watching a cyclist on tv, and openly expressing your envy in him/her sporting SRAM red and a $10000 bike, have that in mind. And this is before I have begun with the countless hours on the bike over several years in every weather possible. Most of us have the advantage to choose most of the times we're going for a ride, a pro hasn't.

From time to time I think this is an issue most tend to leave out, persistence and attention to details, every single detail. Let's go through some of the basics:

Several years ago I got to know the nutrition plan belonging to a WC in biathlon. Speaking of details, I had never seen anything like that, completely broken down every meal possible with calories, vitamins and minerals to every vegetable and dish. If I remember correctly, the MS word document was around 35 pages. 

Double Olympic gold medallist Olaf Tufte says he don't sacrifice anything, he "just prioritize differently for some years", apparently aware that most athletes, at least those who succeed, have only a few years on top of their game.  

I admire people who know stuff I don't, that is something I've been doing my entire life. Not just limited to sports, I might add. People who invest so much time in themselves and their body over so many years, while others study and gets MBAs, really need to know their machinery; their own body to perform at their best. How does the body reacts to 8 hour sleep versus 10 hours? Is there a difference between the amount of sleep before a race and training? What kind of food do I eat before a race, two days before to be at my very best? This level of detail makes you wonder how some athletes continue to fight the ADAM, while having such focus on detail on every other aspect of their life.

Imagine the level of detail needed in a GT like the giro or the tour. Remember Nibali was flown down from some mountain top finishes in helicopter to maximize the recoverytime. One thing is the strictly physical part, another is tactics, press, sponsors, waiting time for massage and dinner. Not to mention the work I know pretty well, the mental training needed to stay focused when needed. 

What does it take? Talent or training? A mix of both probably. Famous writer Daniel Coyle writes in "The Talent Code", that a mix of talent, motivation and coaching is the way to go. If I remember correctly, he says that anyone with a certain basis of skills can be a champion, given the amount of one or more of the prevois mentioned factors. 

Speaking of details, Hushovd finished his Christmas vacation in Grimstad earlier this week and flew to the Caribbean with his family. Did he bring his bike? No, but rumours says he brought his Bont cycling shoes and his own pedals to use on a spinning bike. Guess what, I'm pretty sure he partly chose the hotel with just that in mind.    

Some catch my interest - an #ff

We surround ourselves with different media and technologies. Sites, people, different media outlets and others scream for attention 24/7, much to the appreciation of some, a pain in the butt to others. Twitter, facebook, blogger, wordpress, Google + (which I honestly don't get) competes in stealing attention from housekeeping, training, hanging with friends or spending time with your spouse or kids. It really is a jungle out there and it is easy to get lost. I wonder what small kids makes of this, seeing parents "constantly" online.

Don't worry - there are cycling blogs for everyone!

The Badger had enough, Paris-Nice 1984

Downloaded here.

I know I spend my share of time online, but as long as one keeps an healthy attitude and is aware of the the use and consequences, I guess things are under control, right?

The Jungle
I mentioned that it is a jungle out there. Some might find it difficult to keep track of development and to discover new quality people, blogs and sites to follow. Personally, discoveries like this are some of my favourite things I enjoy online. As the very skilled commentator Thomas Friedman says, the world is flat. By saying this, he emphasis on the ability we have to collaborate and share thoughts, ideas and merge technologies at the speed of light.

I thought I could share the blogs I follow the closest. I try to take the time to stop by those blogs, some daily, others on a more weekly or monthly basis. The point is, these have managed to catch my interest. Could be because of the pictures, the lyrical texts or the amount of detailed, behind the scene description of what is going on in the cycling world. Some inspires me to go for a ride, some to write and others to learn more. A nice variety there you could say.


I'm not that good on #FFs, so here are my present top eight (there are way to many people that could possibly be on a top ten list, that's why I cut it down to eight) list:


8. Bianchista
Stylish and reporting from the daily life as a cyclist.

7. Tenspeed Hero
The freshest take on my list, hope they keep up the quality.

6. Twisted Spoke
Humour combined with news and stories.

5. Sprinting for signs
Passionate for Flanders and pavé.

4. Big Ring Riding
The site who celebrates the toughest machines (riders) out there. Great pics. A bit loud but he's really nice. Born on the hills near Grasse if I remember correctly.

3. Cycling Tips
Nice pictures and interesting stories from Wade down under. Tips & tricks for cyclists too.

2. Red Kite Prayer
Fuel for both body and mind.

1. The Inner Ring
Currently the best cycling blog in the world. A step ahead others on news, interesting stories and an amazingly wide focus on his blog (from food to a pro's daily life).


Summary
These were on the top of my list for blogs i regularly check in to for the time being. All quite different, something for all tastes I guess. Some I know I'll be keeping on that list for long, as I wrote earlier, I really enjoy to discover new people and sites so the list might be different next time. Perhaps I'll make it longer.

And for those who wonders who I follow, check out my conversations. Not everyone got their own blog, there are many interesting people who posess great knowledge out there whose company I enjoy.

Gilbert focusing on the details - video

The famous date is closing up on us, the "final" Giro di Lombardia is soon here. There are several riders who can make it this weekend, albeit many seem to have settled down with Gilbert as the winner already, or at least the man to beat. I don't disagree with that he's the man to beat, but I'm brought up with a nice ability to take nothing for granted. In this, I will never settle for one man to win, this is racing and anything can happen. Above all, the Lombardia is a classic, where mental toughness, intense preparation succeed over fear and the fact that Gilbert is the only man who can nail it.

Top athletes need a certain ability to focus on the important details. Professionalism in every possible way, every step is examined, tested and developed further. Some of course, get scraped on the way, but that is all about prioritising. Winners don't feel they miss out on something by living like they do, they just prioritise differently, in that specific time of their life. In this video, which of course is a promo, Gilbert says that success "is 50% training, the rest is all the other small things."

This attitude is transferable to our daily life or business too. Imagine how many who exaggerate their ability to achieve massive goals in a relative short period of time? I'm sure you recognize this, either from your life or someone you know. At the same time, people tend to misinterpret their ability to achieve goals over longer periods.

Winners, top performers or whatever you call them are not interested in reaching their goals, they are committed.  When you feel it, you'll know the difference. They will never loose sight of their goal, their level of persistence is unbelievable.

Let's have a moment to see the great rider Gilbert talking about the little details. Sadly, I will be in the US as the Lombardia takes place, but I hope the race will be exciting. And for picking the winner? I don't know, but I'll you this; nobody is unbeatable, even Gilbert.

Craft overshoes - a review

Finding the perfect overshoe is a continuing task. In my opinion, it is actually a very important item, at least when you live in conditions I face. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably live in California, south of France or Texas - somewhere warm and sunny.
Let's say the day you thought should be sunny turned ugly halfway. Pouring, ice cold rain vs road shoe. I know which will win, I was surprised once - and I hope it will be long until next time. Being cold, wet and miserable is a cyclist mantra, but I prefer staying dry for as long as possible. I would go so far to say overshoes are a necessity. A nice pair of overshoes look PRO as well, remember Cancellara winning Paris-Roubaix 2010?

So I bought myself a new pair of overshoes. Yes, I bought them, no discount either in case you wondered.

Let's begin the fun - will it fit?
Size 43 in shoes=XL in overshoes

The Craft rain bootie is actually very good. Firstly, it is slim fit. I don't know about you, but bulky neopren overshoes are not my style. The Craft overshoe is thin, seams have been taped both inside and outside, which always is a good sign.

The basics
The inside of the overshoe consists of very thin fleece, adding comfort to you while riding in wet conditions. As mentioned, the seams are taped on the inside as well, meaning that the chance to stay dry is far greater. Riders, be aware I wrote "far greater", not guaranteed.

Fleece equals comfy, at least mentally.

Outside
On the outside, the fabric is water and wind resistant. The material is very elastic, giving the tight fit I like. It has reflective prints on the side as well as a thin reflective line along the zipper on the back, which is great for safety.

The only thing I was worried about concerning this overshoe, was the zipper. Being one of two critical aspects of an overshoe, the zipper is the first thing to break or cut holes in the overshoe. The zipper is a so-called 3/4 zipper, so applying the cycling in the overshoes might be tricky the first times. The overshoes are to a certain degree quite open underneath the shoes, it's just a broad velcro holding the two pieces together.

The zipper on the Craft shoe look very thin to me, but so far it has been working quite well. Of course there is a flap on the inside of the zipper, preventing water to come inside. This flap annoys me, since it has got the initiative to get stuck in my zipper while I zip it. This could be a source to everlasting pain, but I prefer to register it under the fact that the shoes are quite new.

Reflective line and the zipper

The overshoe also has the mandatory Kevlar reinforcements on its nose and on the shoe cover heel. They are positioned to areas vulnerable to wear and make sure you are able to walk without destroying your overshoes. They give the overshoes a good grip on the cycling shoes as well, so that they stay in place.

The shoes have a Velcro adjuster on the very top, making it easy to get a tight fit around the ankles. No good in having water resistant overshoes if all water known to man can get into the shoes by following your ankles.

Ready to ride

I mentioned it is slim, right? It is to put on too, but that is how things are. The overshoes' size is so small you can easily bring them in a jersey pocket if you want to, but I think it is necessary to stop to put them on. I've seen pros putting them on while on the bike, but either I'm not pro, or my overshoes are too new, I can't imagine doing that. For safety reasons, use your head.

Summary
The overshoes work very well. I'm pleased with having bought them, they are water and wind resistant, not water proof, even though I didn't get wet while using them during rain. On the downside, the shoes are vulnerable to water underneath and the zipper look very thin. That said, the zipper hasn't let me down yet. The fit is superb and they do their job.

Remember to bring your road shoes when buying, so you can try them on.

Tight fit - a definitive bonus.

Gilbert's pedal stroke - new era?

Gilbert style


Photo downloaded here.

Gilbert possess abilities in sprinting in addition to being what analysts characterise as a "punchy climber". During the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, I found myself noticing his pedal strokes. He has a certain way of pedaling which I find quite extreme. I can´t come up with another rider who perform one like Gilbert. Let's walk through the basics.

Pedaling a bike is all about getting as much power relative to weight as possible. Easy, right? But there is more. Some say you get the most power generated between 2 o'clock and 5 o'clock, and there got to be a reason they made pedals cleats at all, no? Personally I find it strange that Gilbert is able to put such extreme watts from his pedaling. The reason for this is that his position with his ankles seem to contract his calves, normally this would make the muscle less flexible and as a result less powerful. But then again, I was only watching the last 25 km so I can't say if Gilbert was focusing solely on attacks and sprints or just pedaled that way the whole race.

The old days vs the new
Well, pedaling, at least how I learned it back in the day was something like this:
When pushing down - heel down. When pulling leg upwards - heel up.
Now, I know I'm not alone on this one.

The trouble is, this is not the way Gilbert is doing it. Not the Schlecks either, although they are not as extreme as Gilbert.

I'm not all found of the method where you do all the stuff the PROs are doing, just not so much, but technique-wise learning is always important.

The way they rode was with the toe-down, bring all the leverage down, after all, that is where your power is going in the first place. Gilbert's position on the pedals is like a ballet-dancer, he is very pointy with his toes down. If you have really strong calves and ankles, that is something you could do, but most in the peloton seem to point the toe only slightly down.
Don't pull your foot up as hard as you can, that will bring fatigue to the hamstring very fast. This is what you could do on a sprint battling your mate for pints or climbing a short hill. Try focusing on assisting your foot who is pushing, pull just as hard as the "working" foot don't have to compensate.

Pedaling power and pedaling efficiency
Two aspects of pedaling that you can work on. The first one could be trained by adding a heavier gear and perform intervals up a hill, at lower cadence and PROs use both one-legged intervals as well as both legs. Pedaling efficiency is equally important, especially if you don't want to feel knackered after every ride. A good way to train this is putting on a very light gear and pedaling at very high cadence, trying not to bounce off the seat. If you can be comfortable at 120 RPMs, you're in the zone.

Next goal?


Photo by remepro.nl, here.

Embrocation - the key to winter and spring survival?

Winter is over, well, at least in other parts of the world. Outside my window, the snow is still 25 cm high. But the roads are now free from snow, revealing the tarmac I have been waiting for. In a previous post, I described why winter cycling is so important, not only to log those important base-miles, but also because we celebrates the psychological aspects of the sport. We are students of will, determination and suffering.

Winter and spring are special in many aspects, many people have discovered (or studied through trying and failing..) what can be done to make sure we stay on our pedals through bad weather. Different creams, oils and salves have really increased in popularity the last years. Some are just to help restitution, some for massage and feel, others for warmth. Ingredients like lavendel, eucalyptus and chamomile gives a nice smell too. Some manufactures use fauna from Ventoux as well, sounds a bit close to, or other the edge to me, but since I haven't tried it, I won't stand firm.
  
Stimulating the blood circulation prepares the muscles and gives you a warming sensation. That sensation will help to keep you warmer while the sun is still low on the horizon. Just remember to have an eye on the clock while you warm-up, the feeling of heat in your muscles can fool you and make you believe you're ready to pedal all out way before you actually are...

So there are no excuse to celebrate yourself and those hard men and women before you now. Get outside and enjoy the ride.

You can also make it yourself, the people at La Gazzetta Della Bici, in addition to make and sell good embrocation, have also a recipe for people to make chamois creme at home, perhaps can you do some R&D on your own? Along with the sale increase, the prices for embrocation are quite high, money can be saved.

Here are some of the embrocation out there:

La Gazzetta Della Bici - Verde.

Rapha's winter embrocation 

Northwestern knee warmers - great blog with tips and how-to here

Why cycling has changed my perspective of sports

Will I make it to the finish?


Photo by www.teamtraveller.com , downloaded here - Creative Commons attibution.

I consider myself as a competitive guy. I like to win, not just in playing cards with mates but also in sports. This is how I've always been. At the same time I can enjoy when athletes I admire or look up to win, especially on the TV... They deserve it, having devoted so many hours on training, setting other parts of life aside for a period of time. Things like late nights with friends, excessive partying with friends, spending time with family. Most say they don't regret it, they just prioritise differently. I admire people who are able to do just that, seeing them in tears at the podium while their national anthem is on the speakers.

Achievements in sports
"Everybody loves a winner", they say. "2nd and 3rd place are first losers", others says. As I have mentioned before here and here, and as you all know, cycling is a team sport.
What I love about cycling is that people, at least those with some insight of the sport, celebrate the performance as achievements on their own in addition to the winners. We celebrate and admire those who have the desire and will to attack, even when they are so tired and you can se other riders' eyes are filled with despair. Those who give their all for other team mates, making sure the leaders are ready and fit when the decisive attack of the day comes. We celebrate those who each day step on their bike, although their bodies says "not again". We admire those who have devoted themselves to cycling, those riders who have that all-or-nothing mentality. We celebrate those who decide to play along with the environment instead of fighting against the bad weather that makes the riding tedious. We celebrate those who get up with the morning mist to ride their bikes.

I truly believe that sports need to have this perspective in addition to all the others. This is a perspective that won't bring the most $ in the bag, but to me it is important. Maybe we all can learn something by uphold this perspective?

The rider Michael Barry writes in the book Le Métier after completing a TT: "A mechanic takes my bike from me and pats me on the back. He congratulates me - not for the result but for the effort."

Cycling in the winter wonder land

I used to love winter. Being out in the cold, training cross country skiing or thundering down a ski slope. After all, Norwegians are born with skis on their feet they say. Well, I'm not so fan of winter any more. If it derives from the fact that I am older and not play outside I don't know. Could be my interest in cycling as well, I have stated that I will reside in Nice or around there. Partly because it is nice and warm, partly because I can bring my bike. A great combo.

As you can imagine I like cycling a lot. This year I bought meself a turbo, installed it in the basement and have been using it. I find it slightly boring I must admit, but it is better than not riding at all. I also can look at some movies or follow one of the DVDs that followed the package from Evans.
But I have been feeling rather angry and disappointed by meself reading stuff on twitter, like: "just came back from a 2 hrs easy spin outside" or  "the essence of cycling is found outside now folks!". And the worst is that many of these don't even live in the Southern part of France or in Mallorca for that matters, they who do don't count and they don't get free points for winter training. No no, these people live in "winterly" places, Britain, Canada, Germany, Belgium or Norway.

So I have decided to buy some wheels with spikes for training outside, even if I have to buy meself a new wardrobe. My Rapha kit is spring/summer/autumn-only... I will have to use my MTB for winter training but so be it. I'll pack some kilometres in the legs anyway, and winter is long here. I rode my final outdoor ride on my roadbike early in November, still the snow will be here until April.

But there are those who fight the cold here a long way from the south of France. At the same time logging those essential kilometres. Actually, a Norwegian guy got selected during the annual Rapha festive 500.

Check out some of the winners here, the rest of the winners know who you are. Chapeau.

Rapha has a nice article here as well, take a look!

Why most probably need a turbo instead of a roller

Came across this video today showing a guy testing his newly bought roller what appears to be for the first time. I know why I prefer my turbo...

Think he deserves some credit for taking it as easy as he does, me I would be yelling and swearing after no time. You can actually tell after 10 seconds of cycling that this is not going to be the most intense workout this guy has done..

And this guy have probably done a bit more time on the roller, hope he has found the time to actually work out as well.

Training with very high cadence

The internet is flooded with people giving training advice, what to eat when and what to wear while you work out. Much have been said and written on how you should keep your cadence. There are differences of course, depending on what you are training towards. Beside keeping a very strong and solid base of endurance capability, you should vary your work out. Especially important when those oh-so-important-base-miles are in the box.

And variety in training on a bike means not only changing environment like rolling hills, or climbs, but also a change in cadence. One could argue that changing area will naturally mean change of cadence but that is a subject I'm not going to dive in to.

Steady-State, intervals and time trial are examples of exercises that need different sets of cadence.

The guy on this video has a workout all right, I'm mighty impressed by his cadence although I'm not sure I recommend that frequency to others...

You might want to keep the sound a bit low, it has a funny metallish sound...

How fast is Farrar

We seen the sprinters thunder towards the finish line, all elbows and teeth. Great fun listening to commentators like the legendary Phil Ligett and Paul Sherwen, insisting that the riders move at a speed of 60-70 km/h. The peloton gain about one minute per km on the break away when the finish line is close. I love seeing those nervewrecking marvellous scenes when the peloton roars and swallow a small break away when it is only 400 metres to go. That's some calculation by the different Sport Directors. What a disappointment to the riders in the break away, being alone for 150 km only to be catched just before the line. They will not have a easy day next day, having given all they've got on the bike to stay clear from the peloton.

How do the sprinters train to accomplish that speed? It certainly takes it turn on the sprinters, being able to actually sprint after 185 kilometres and 5, 5 hrs on the bike. Sprinters are normally shorter and more bulky than other riders. As a result they struggle if there are some climbs in the race. Not many knows that sprinters does not get carried to the finish line; in order to sprint they need to give away their capacity to climb, which in return gives them no easy days on the bike.

Here's how Tyler Farrar trains his ability to reach his top-end speed, normally sprinters do these after some hours on the bike as well.

Via TGTProCycling