by Anna Magrath | Jul 8, 2013
The folks at Momondo have provided Cycling Shorts with a series of five useful infographics on European city bike schemes. The staff at Momndo put it together in their spare time. So a big thank you goes out the them.
When going on a city break, the best way to explore a city is by bike. You’re plans can be more flexible, it allows to truly experience the city, you can go at your own pace and discover places and streets that one would not see when taking the boring old tours buses. Government sponsored bike schemes make it really easy to do.
The first city in the series is:
London
London with its parks and the river Thames offers the perfect scenery for a bike ride. It’s not just about the great music and fashion scene, the city has so much to offer. A lot of the museums have free admission, great street markets and the place oozes history from the grand buildings and royal history that is woven into the fabric of the city. The tube can be very crowded so the bike offers a welcoming alternative to visit all the hidden corners in the city.
To view the Paris Guide click here.
To view the Berlin Guide click here.
To view the Amsterdam Guide click here.
by Heather Bamforth | Jun 19, 2013
Last year, Huw Williams initiated a number of race training sessions for women at Cyclopark in the South, with a view to providing specific training for women who were either complete novices or were third or fourth category riders. They proved extremely popular and many women wanted to attend a similar set up in other places around the country.
For women riders who are able to get to the Tameside circuit in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, Frances Newstead, a level 3 British Cycling Road and Time Trial coach has worked with Huw to deliver a number of similar sessions up North on 18 & 25 August 2013 followed by a race (restricted to 3rd & 4th category women riders) on 8 September 2013. Places will be limited, so if you are new to racing or are maybe thinking of racing for the first time next year, get involved with Frances’ session. She will be covering a variety of skills and topics, including what type of training to do over winter. Further details can be found in the flyer below:
by Hayley Davies | May 6, 2013
It’s no secret that one of my goals this year is to start track racing. I bought my #pocketrocket at the beginning of the year and joined Reading Velodrome on a Thursday evening for structured training and accreditation from British Cycling coaches.
Four weeks later, after cycling in circles in some very questionable weather (think snow, ice and -2 wind chills), I was officially ready to race at Reading Track league and officially had my first BC race license in my hand riding under Rollapaluza CC (who else would I become a member of but the kings of spin!!)
This is the moment I’d been waiting for. But I can’t say I wasn’t a little nervous. I’d been able to witness the ‘pros’ (well, that’s what I call them given they’ve been riding and racing for a while) at the structured sessions and had the opportunity to practice with them on a couple of occasions when the coaches clearly wanted to see what I was made of. I was also aware about the lack of women that participate in league, which means the races are limited to a final rather than heats; or if against the men, rather tough.
I’d already identified that my main limitation was of tactical knowledge in each of the different races and if anything this is what was going to hold me back, even down to knowing what was actually required in a Devil v a Keirin! And so, I dragged my Dad along for support, not that he objected given his love for the sport.
The key to racing, as Heather has very rightly written in her previous posts about racing, is preparation. This is where I failed on a number of counts.
Firstly, I managed to pack what I thought was everything I needed. I even did a run down before I left the house – shoes, check! Socks, check! Bibs, check!… But somehow, even though it hangs above the front door, I forgot my helmet. Just as well Dad was with me, on hand to lend me his.
Lesson number 1 – write a pre-race check list and place it somewhere I can check and double check it before leaving.
Second failure of the evening was the warm up. New to the sport, I haven’t yet invested in a set of rollers, let alone tried a pair, nervous that my housemate is likely to come home to find me wedged between a wall and a kitchen cabinet. Aware that I needed to be warm, I did what laps I could on the inner circuit of the track trying to raise my heart rate to a decent race equivalent, but it clearly wasn’t enough. End of the first race and all I can taste is metal and I’m wheezing like a Grampus. Not a great sign! And so, I seek out a set of rollers before the next race and low and behold manage to sit comfortable and spin.
Lesson number 2 – warm up properly!
My #pocketrocket & borrowed helmet
I may have already learnt two key lessons, but if anything my evening was a success. The first race was a mixed Omnium. With a nasty headwind on the far straight, the bunch stayed together for the majority of the ride, and I managed to hang on in the middle for most of the race. I got caught on the front of a split half way through the 20 laps, but it soon came back together and I managed to keep my legs spinning, avoid a few close wheel touches to find the extra energy to push through the finish line… and I wasn’t last! Result! The second and final race for me that evening was the ladies Keirin. 3 of the 5 riders have been competing since they were juniors. I stood no chance. My first experience of sprinting off the line for the derny. I had no other objectives but to watch and learn. I now know what I need to do next time round.
Someone had given me wise advice that league is the best place to learn tactics and get to proper grips with racing, and they weren’t wrong. I can’t wait to get back to league next week and build on these lessons. This time with my helmet packed on a set of rollers to hand.
Writer
Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk
by Heather Bamforth | Apr 14, 2013
I have noticed recently that there have been many articles flying around about women’s bikes, but so far nobody has given a review of a women’s specific design bike for racing.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you can’t race on one – for the past two years I have been riding a female specific Boardman, which I bought from Halfords for £1,000, but I have always complained about the sub-standard groupset, despite the bike being very light. I also don’t like racing on clinchers, so I upgraded the wheels that came with the bike and changed the saddle to one I am used to using.
Note the wheels – one of the key upgrades to the Boardman
So what are your options?
If you read the vast majority of articles on women’s bikes, you would think that there are loads to choose from. That may be the case, but the majority of brochures for women’s bikes talk about comfort on long rides, and the women’s geometry is supposed to be more relaxed to compensate for this. But if you’re looking for a bike to race on, this might not be what you’re looking for, so do yourself a favour and look at both the men’s and women’s options but bear in mind the main differences between men’s and women’s bikes, namely:
- Women’s bikes tend to have worse groupsets than their “male” alternative (although some manufacturers are starting to buck this trend);
- Men’s bikes tend to have wider handlebars, making control difficult for women who tend to be more petite in width;
- The top end men’s bikes are very light and very stiff – most women don’t benefit from a stiff frame as much as men due to the difference in power output.
It is possible to change components on the bike before you buy, you just have to be prepared to negotiate with the shop before you buy. Some changes are easy to make, for example by asking for narrower handlebars or women’s specific ones, which tend to have a shallower drop. Furthermore, many bikes have compact chainsets, with 50/34 chainrings, but you may prefer to change it for a double, with 53/39 chainrings, depending on who you are going to race with and what events you intend to ride.
My Top Tips
Remember my top tips and get what bike you want:
- Research the bike you want before setting foot in the shop – if you have a top price in mind, try not to go above it;
- Ask fellow cyclists for their opinion, but remember that its your money and ultimately your decision;
- Remember that just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you can’t ride a men’s bike;
- If you’re going for the full bike, ask to take it for a test ride;
- Remember that you can change components at a later date, although some are easier (and cheaper) to change than others;
- Take advantage of a bike fit;
- Don’t pick the bike because of the colour – get one that fits both you and the purpose you want it for (this also means that you have to be honest with yourself in order to get the right bike);
- Be prepared to negotiate with the shop to change the components;
- Buy what you want not what the shop assistant says you should buy.
Putting my own advice into practice
This year, I decided to buy a new bike. I didn’t want to spend more than £3,000 (which still seems a lot considering). The women’s specific bike that I was going to buy seemed to have weird sizing and I knew before I made the final decision that I wouldn’t want to keep the wheels (the majority of wheels that come with full bikes are not as good as the wheels that you would want to race on), or the compact chainset or the saddle.
My Giant TCR in its first race – note the same wheels as in the picture above
I have ridden Giant bikes for quite a while – men’s and women’s – and I like the compact frame (Giant call it “Compact Road Design”). I had a look at the men’s bikes, as well as the women’s, and for £3,499 RRP I could buy a full bike (the men’s TCR Advanced and the women’s Avail Advanced), both with Ultegra Di2, but the women’s version came under the heading “Endurance” not “Performance”. Indeed, it is described as a bike for “sportives, centuries, fast group rides and epic solo days” – no mention of a race. This did put me off, as I was looking to upgrade my race bike.
The Decision
I decided to go with the men’s frameset option instead – the tag line for this bike is “if road bike racing is in your DNA, this is your machine” – well, it mentioned racing so that was a good start! I was keen to buy a 10 speed double groupset (rather than a compact) before everything changes to 11 speed, and I was lucky enough to buy it for a really good price online. I shopped around and got some slightly narrower handlebars too. My local bike shop did a phenomenal job in building it up for me, even managing to get hold of matching bottle cages!
As for the Boardman, well that has been transformed into my new low profile time trial bike – there will be an article on that in the coming weeks. Until then, enjoy your riding!
by Nick Wachter | Mar 30, 2013
Nutrition for Better Recovery
* ALWAYS SEEK PROFESSION/MEDICAL HELP BEFORE STARTING OR CHANGING ANY EXERCISE REGIME.
The more you train the more important it is to recover quickly. But this is also true for those who work out just once or twice a week. Whether it’s a long steady ride or a hard short training session, you’re muscle fibres are going to take a battering. Whenever you do something different (gardening, DIY, a longer or faster ride) you will break more fibres (and be more sore the next few days too).
The Anatomy
Muscles are made of two types of protein, myosin and actin, these proteins literally pull on each to get closer and this causes contractions. These are microscopic and there are millions upon millions of them doing this at the same time. When you work hard (or do something different) some of these fibres are damaged and need repair.
The process is called protein synthesis and it happens every day whether you train or not. New fibres are created to replace old damaged one, the debris is then removed and you can start training again. If your body does not have protein then it cannot itself.
What does your body need after a hard ride?
In simple terms protein! But your body will also be low on carbs (assuming it wasn’t a leisure ride), so it’s essential to throw some of them in too.
The aim of recovery fuel/food is to;
1) Get protein into the body
2) Replenish carbohydrate stores
3) Replace any vitamins and minerals used up during exercise (your salts are the main minerals that need replacing, as you lose them when you sweat)
1) Sources of Protein
Meat Meat Meat, it’s the best source of protein. You can also get protein shakes designed for recovery. Although I still prefer the old fashioned cooking option, but if you are in a rush or do not feel hungry after, shakes are a good way to get protein (and carbs) into you.
2/3) Sources of Carbs & Minerals
Although pasta, rice and potatoes are great for replenishing carbohydrate stores, they aren’t exactly high in vitamins and minerals. A better meal replacement would be a mix of vegetables alongside your meat.
Vegetarian / Vegan?
What if you’re a vegetarian or vegan? Well it gets very hard to get your protein intake. However there are chicken style pieces you can buy from your local supermarket which are high in protein. Again add veg to increase carb, vitamins and minerals consumed.
Nick Wachter
PhysiKcal Fitness
Cycling Shorts Resident Personal Trainer & Conditioning Coach
by Nick Wachter | Mar 26, 2013
How To Keep Warm Cycling
With this spring still like the depths of winter I’d thought I’d share my tips for staying toasty if you’re yearning to ditch the turbo for the outdoors.
LAYERS LAYERS LAYERS… It all boils down layers.
SOCKS
1 Pair of Thinsulated Socks. £5- £10 is such a small price to pay
2/3 pairs of very thick wool socks. You may need slightly large shoes.
OVER SHOES
1 pairs of plastic type commuter over shoes. These are not pretty, but keep the wind out!
1 pair of racing over shoe! These are 1) to be stylish and 2) they will prevent 80-90% of the wind getting to the 1st pair of over shoes
LEG WARMERS
The main advantage over leggings is then can be pulled of quickly at any stops and popped into your back pocket. I’ve never had to take them off, just keep your legs covered whether legging or leg warmers. Another advantage of course you can add fashion by mixing shorts/leg warmers.
ARM WARMERS
Cold days wear two pairs. You can always pull them off.
JERSEYS
Forget base layers. My personal favourite is 3 cycling jerseys. The main advantage is 3 zips. On climbs you can undo all 3 and let air in. On cold days this air conditioning works so well. How far you unzip, how many tops you unzip you control how much air gets in and how cool you want to be. The second advantage is pockets. 3 tops = 9 pockets. Plenty of room for spares! Also if it hots up (in Perth the temperature would be 0 degrees Celsius at 6am, by 10am it was 20 degrees) you can take a top or even two off and pop them in your back pocket.
You didn’t really think you got dropped because your jerseys were thicker than theirs did you?
CYCLING NECK SCARF
Essential piece of kit! Can be worn around neck (keeping the cold from entering your top through the collar, pull up over face for the strong head winds and fast descents, and also over your ears if need be. I normally take two, especially if climbing. When you sweat, they will get wet. So having a spare dry one to swap over for the last hour of the ride is always good.
EAR WARMERS/HEAD BAND
These allow heat to escape from your head, cool breeze to flow through helmet while keeping your ears snug. Again if you’re stopping a spare one is a good idea. These and the neck scarves take up no space what so ever. You could get 5 of each in 1 pocket.
GLOVES
Don’t be a hero. Buy expensive winter cycling gloves! Ski gloves can also be very good for keeping your hands warm (£50), but Aldi also do fantastic ones for £5.. On very cold days, a spare pair in a pocket means after 2-3 hours of working and sweating, a clean dry pair for the ride home can help. Whatever you choose make sure you opt for ones that give you the movement you need.
COATS / JACKETS
I don’t like them. However you need them for the rain. I still prefer 3 tops when it comes to cold, but obvious if it’s raining you need to keep dry. Buy a good quality gillet or you will just sweat into the arms of the jacket. One solution is to cut a small hole at the elbow to allow the sweat to drip out
Nick Wachter
PhysiKcal Fitness
Cycling Shorts Resident Elite Personal Trainer & Conditioning Coach
If you have any training or conditioning questions for me just drop me a line by clicking here.
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