Urban Bike Training?

A common barrier we see with clients is residence in city areas.

The traffic, stop signs and lack of trail systems can make many workouts challenging ... But impossible?

There are a few tricks we have found and been shown by clients and friends who live in cities.

1) Try finding a small loop in a park that has some single track and a short climb ... 3 min means 10 laps gets you 30min 'offroad'
* offroad endurance, tempo or race sims

2) Explore subdivisions and industrial areas for safe loops, look at loops with mostly right turns.
* sprints, tempo, thresh, TT

3) Get out with group rides ... This gives you new routes, motivation and a bit more 'girth' on the road so traffic is less of an issue
* endurance

4) Out and back sections of trail or road can be good options for longer steady intervals
* tempo, thresh, TT

5) You tell us how you beat city life?
Post to comments

Steve and Peter
www.steveneal.ca

Ps. Camp spots moving book your seat for fall colors now (link on sidebar)

Pss. Can you ride with no hands ? Read latest post at www.cranktheshield.com to see why you NEED to be able to
www.steveneal.ca
www.trainwithpeter.com

Workouts of the Week July 29 2009

Steve's Workout of the Week
Complete all the following exercises as many times as you can for each pairing in 5 minutes...take 2 min easy spinning recovery (can also be jogging or rowing)

5 reps of first exercise / 10 reps of second exercise

pullups / air squats

pushups (clapping if you can!) / box jumps

jumping pullups / kettlebell or dumbell swings

med ball squat throws (take a med ball - squat down and throw straight in the air as high as you can) / medicine ball jumping slams (take a med ball -- be careful it will bounce back at you if it isn't a plyo ball -- jump up from squat position and on way back to the ground slam the ball in front of you)

burpees / situps

Post rounds and compare to LINK

Peter's Workout
- This week spin 10min @ 100RPM as warmup and cool-down focus on smooth pedal stroke without bouncing while keeping your effort the same by shifting.
- Then for 30min ride around a park / urban 'hotspot' / trials area / bike park and practice balancing on skinny objects, track-standing (balancing in one place), log/obstacle hoping (front and rear wheel)

Pay special attention to how relaxed you are in breathing and upper body ... focus on relaxed precision and power !

Steve and Peter
www.steveneal.ca

http://www.steveneal.ca

Peter on sketch rock downhill at mt. st anne world cup

Video from the tech rock downhill at this past weekend's race attached (thanks to Amanda Sin for the video and the cheering props as I descended !)

 

bit of a story and more pics to come at www.trainwithpeter.com or www.peterglassford.ca

 

we posted another video of Andrew Watson doing same downhill day before in practice at www.steveneal.ca

Steve's Observations from World Cup Weekend at St. Anne 2009

Check out the rocky terrain that the riders faced at the world cup on the weekend

Most interesting was the smooth and seemingly slow way that the top riders approach this technical downhill

The constant average speed with no dabs ends up being much faster then the surging and dismounting so many of the other riders default to.

On your next off-road ride focus on being relaxed and steady through technical sections rather then attacking them

Doing work to accelerate into a section or corner can often result in hard braking or dabs

Steve and Peter

www.steveneal.ca

PS. Remember to check out the Camp section of the new site for info and Registration links ... how to approach technical sections like the video above is part of the camp!

Registration Link active for Fall Colors

 

Things are coming along with the Fall Colors Camp

 

We have initial Pricing and information up with more to follow.

 

Hardwood Ski and Bike will be the host to our small group of guests on October 9, 10, 11 2009.

 

The Camp will include 2 nights accommodation at a local resort, with full cooking capabilities and private bedrooms.

 

Look for camp topics and sessions such as Fact Testing, Bike Fit, Nutrition, Cornering, Rocks/Roots and Of course a Daily Cross-Fit Session!

 

Are you an eligible Camp participant?? If you are an Adult looking to learn more about Riding and training for Mountain Biking then YES YOU ARE !

 

Lunch Provided by a local Organic Caterer as well !

 

Questions to [email protected]

 

More info and Online Registration (if I set it up right!) at http://www.steveneal.ca/fall-colors-camp.html 

 

Steve and Peter

 

www.steveneal.ca

 

Ps. Check out World Cup action this weekend as SNPD athletes Amanda, Cam and Peter take on the world !

 Link to video updates

 

Pss. Rachael is getting many requests for coaching, get your spot now ... also good luck to her and her partner Brad as they take on the Intermontaine Challenge in Kamloops, BC!

Wo of Week July 20 2009

Steve's WO
- Complete 30 burpees for first timers and 50 for everyone else .... for time after choice ride this week or after 10 min of active flex warmup if wo on its own.
--- Post results and progress to. Comments ----

Peter's WO
- complete 5-8 x 30 second spinups where you gradually increase cadence to maximal (120+) and hold for last 10sec
- 3-5min endurance effort between

Steve and Peter

Ps. Let us know what you think of new website
www.steveneal.ca
www.trainwithpeter.com

Weekend Results

Stafford Back on the top box ! Great Race Jared (photo Courtesy the Watsons)

 

Buckwallow Ontario Cup #5

 

Stafford - 1st Junior Ex Men

Gracey - 11th ''

Loney - 8th Cadet Ex Men

Bergman - 1st Master Sprt

Febrey - 20th ''

Berger - 2nd Master Ex

Glassford - 3rd Pro Men

Samson - 21st

Jette - 23rd

Davis - 3rd Sen Ex Men

Farquarson - 7th ''

WhiteKnight - 1st senior ex F.

Davie - 6th Mas Ex Fem 40

Near - 5th Master Male 50

 

 

Steve and Peter
Need Help Training for Endurance Sport ? www.steveneal.ca
Sign up for Free Training account at www.cranktheshield.com

Questions About Prep for Mud From FaceBook

Thanks to Matt Farqharson for Video of the start of the Men's Bike / Run Race At Bromont

So Great Question came to us via Facebook from a good friend of SNPD

The Question after the muddy fun at Bromont was how can a MTB racer be prepared for a race like Bromont ?

Steve and Peter had a good discussion to compile our thoughts on this and thought we would post some of the thoughts for everyone's consideration, please add your own thoughts / questions via Comments.

- Many of the most important races are subject to harsh weather, inevitably leading to running, dismounts/mounts and riding in muddy conditions. The unfortunate thing is that no one really prepares specifically for these races. Typically we see the mentally tough athletes and the fastest athletes doing well in these races simply because they keep moving forward and don't stop running (I.e. NO WALKING)

The question of how to best be prepared or how we prepare our athletes needs to include several aspects of training
1) Mentally being prepared for muddy conditions, regardless of your experience you need to go into the race with an acceptance of the situation. There is nothing that can be done to change it, you have chosen to race and so choose to continue moving forward all day until you get to the finish line regardless of what it takes.

2) Training in all conditions - having ridden in muddy conditions in training can only help improve an athlete's ability to ride more of a course and ride more efficiently in the wet. Look especially at locations that do get muddy rather then searching out the sandy locations.
* this would establish skills on the bike and also for mounts/dismounts and running with your bike ... remember that your right hand should be on the seat or top tube to help posture be upright and to help rear wheel get smoothly over obstacles (ie. no banging wheels into things as it slows you down)
** in a race situation walking is a NO-NO ... if you try peter's workout of the week this week offroad try starting the interval with biking, jogging and walking once each and compare how far you get ... it should be noticeably farther with a light jog vs. walking ... think quick, little steps with the head up and right hand on top tube or seat.

3) Run Training - ideally we would look at 4-6 days of running each week. This can include short 20-30min jogs prior to breakfast at low intensity but also a few runs of a bit longer duration and varied intensities would enhance the 'mudding' capacity of a given athlete. a few of these 'runs' could also be part of longer endurance bike rides where the athlete quickly dismounts and runs for a minute every 20min for example. This would establish a good run familiarity, form and fitness so that the body is completely ready to take on a race situation without quickly deteriorating and causing extended recovery.

- if a race were coming up that would likely include extended running it may be wise to look at adding intervals (this would be only if the above base program had been adhered to comfortably for several months).
something like 5x3min min intervals on the bike with the middle 2min cycling race effort and the 30sec on each end being max runs with the bike.

4) Strength training - adding some strength (like the exercises we include in our workout of the week and in the Crank the Shield Training Plan ) also help with lifting your muddy bike, jumping on and off the bike and your body's ability to deal with the stresses of running and sliding around the forest.


Great Question Feel free to follow up or post a new question to Comments Below

Steve and Peter


Need Help Training for Endurance Sport ? www.steveneal.ca New Coach Rachel Mirvish accepting Clients

Great Question posted today at http://cranktheshield.blogspot.com/ regarding using hydration packs in Crank the Shield

Workouts for the Week July 13 2009

Lucas Gracey at Bromont Canada Cup

 

Steve's WO
- complete 5 burpees every minute on the minute
- after each set of burpees finish minute by doing thrusters (10lb db women / 15-20 men) until next minute's burpee set
- continue this till 100 thrusters
* Thrusters are a full squat with db at shoulders, at top of each squat use the upward 'thrust' to press db overhead - video link- 

Peter's WO
on a climb longer then 3min
- ride 1min race climbing pace
- walk 1 min
- jog 1min
(Repeat 5-10 times during ride)

* mount/dismount b/w each change of pace with clip in
** remember good posture/cadence when climbing and on foot.
*** remember right hand on top tube or seat while on foot

Enjoy and share your experiences and questions please!

Steve and Peter
www.steveneal.ca
www.trainwithpeter.com

Men's National Video and Day 2 SNPD Results

Watch The Men's Race from Nationals ! It's Motivating !

Great Job Colt / Cycling Dirt !

Day 2 Results for SNPD athletes on their first trip out to big races and Quebec !

Matt Farquharson - 8th Sen Ex
Holly Hamilton - 10th Senior Ex.

Congrats Guys !

http://www.steveneal.ca

Ps. See Peter's Interviews and Commentary at www.trainwithpeter.com

Pss. Remember Crank the Shield is coming soon ... not to late to join the training plan at www.cranktheshield.com ...

Nationals - Watch the Women's Race !

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

Great Day with Amanda Sin Taking 3rd in the Elite Women Field
- followed closely by Mical Dyck in 4th !

Lucas Gracey finishing his first nationals and Quebec Trip with a 25th in the solid Junior Ex field.

Peter Rounded out the top 10 in Pro Men

Best of luck to Matthew Farqharson in today's Senior Ex Race

http://www.steveneal.ca

Practice

Had a great workout this morning working on some sprint technique ...

In the warmup and recoveries I practiced cornering on pavement, grass, gravel and dirt .... On a little course I made that got me back to the sprint location just in time.

Yesderday I spent some time with Amanda sin working on the pump track and jumps at bromont ... The day after her big muddy win at Bromont Canada cup.

Last week a masters client and I rode in the mud, worked on wheelies and log hops

What's the point ??

Continually striving to improve skills and comfort on the bike is an important component of training.

I corner pretty well, Amanda can ride over bumps and my masters client can get over most logs BUT there is always room for improvent, room to go faster, go higher, smoother or more efficiently.

Plan it into your weeks on off days, during recoveries or on days you can't do a full workout because of work or other commitments.

Steve and Peter

Ps. Did you get your free account and training plan at www.cranktheshield.com.

Pss. Details for fall colors camp are coming ... Are you ready?
www.steveneal.ca
www.trainwithpeter.com

What did You get up to on Weekend ???

What did you do on the weekend to get ready for the big race ?

Many of our athletes were out doing race sims for Crank or other stage races.

This meant riding with their packs, similar fueling practices, pacing etc.

For those athletes racing in Bromont they got a good taste of dismounts and running !

Good experiences had by Jerome Samson, Matt Farquharson, Stuart Loney, Matt Farqharson, Holly Hamilton and Peter Glassford in the Mud and Rocks !

Great Job Guys

Steve and Peter

**** SIGN UP FOR YOUR TRAINING PEAKS ACCOUNT AT TOP LEFT OF THIS PAGE ***
Get full Program Details, log your training AND optional features like daily workout emails !

SNPD adds New Coach

Steve and Peter would like to announce that we have welcomed Rachel Mirvish to our Company.

Rachel brings a wealth of knowledge from educational and sport fields in addition to her years of riding and competing in several discliplines.

Her first objectives will be the launching of our new Performance Camps, which kickoff this fall, and to welcome her new coaching clients to SNPD.

See Rachel's bio on www.steveneal.ca and feel free to use the contact info on the site to inquire about starting with SNPD and Rachel!

Steve and Peter

Ps. Stay tuned as info about our Performance Camps is released over next few weeks!
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