10Hours A Week | Your Endurance Lifestyle. Redesigned.

Pre-Riding the Queen K in 2008!

After publishing my previous article on how to become a better beginner cyclist,  I realized that perhaps I spoke in terms too broad to actually help folks take tangible steps to improve. One of the best ways to improve how you ride a bike is to…ride your bike…a lot. That said, most of us don’t have enough time in the week to get enough ride time in. So consider the following list of skills/drills a way to “hack” the cycling learning curve.

Level One

One Handed Riding – One of the easiest way to pick a novice cyclist out in a crowd is to wave…the person who swerves 8 feet to the right is, you guessed, the winner. Learning to ride with one hand takes a bit of skill and coordination. Your weight needs to be firmly placed on the seat, with the one steerin had locked out for support and stability. Bent elbows are a no-no here. Some folks find that engaging your core muscles can help!

No Look Drinking — A pre-requisite before you even think about group riding, this skill builds upon your One Handed Riding skills. When done properly, you never have to take your eyes off the road

Rapid Stop — Super important to have in your skill arsenal. To execute properly, you get off the seat and “sit” your weight way back over the rear wheel. You put pressure on the brakes such that 60% is on the rear wheel (your weight) and 40% is on your front wheel.

Pop and Drop — An easy way to reduce the impact of any last-minute bumps, chips or dips. Simply pop your arms out (so the elbows are bent a bit) and then drop your tosro using the elbows as a spring to absorb the shock of impact.

Over The Shoulder View — Having a clear understanding of what’s behind you at any given time is very cirtical. Most folks over do this by turning their whole body to get a sloid view of traffic. Experience cyclists depend more on their peripheral vision. These folks take a quick glance by touchin their chin to their oshoulder; if thyey notice someting, then that warrants an additional look.  This quick glance minimizes and disruptios from steering.

Level Two (includes all of level One)

QuickDodge — If you have a split second before hitting an obstacle, you can still get around it. As the name suggests, you quickly jog the front wheel by pushing your hands (left/right or right/left). This should b enough to get the front wheel around the obstacle, the rear wheel will simply follow the front.

Sunglasses to Shirt — Wearing sunglasses can help and hinder you. Sure they keep the bugs out, contacts dry and eyes safe, but sometimes on hot days they can fill with sweat, etc. To prevent this, you can move your sunglasses before starting any serious climb and replace them when done.  While riding, simply take one hand to pull your sunglasses off. Holding them by one side of the frame, use your mouth to fold one arm of the glasses down. Then reach behind your head, much like an archer reaching to a quiver of arrows, and slide the open arm of the glasses down inside the top of your cycling jersey. To anchor them, now just fold the glasses down so both arms are closed and you are all set! Once you have reached the peak of your climb, simply reach back to pull your glasses off and then use your mouth to open the remaining arm and slide them on….then ride like a monster!

BunnyHop — With enough advance warning, you should be able to “jump” small- to moderately-sized obstacles. I generally use this to hop over a crack in the road, up onto a construction plate, etc. This takes much practice, so be patient. Know that part of the secret to a successful BunnyHop is simply having enough speed to actually clear the object you want to jump!

First, come out of the saddle. Hands on the hoods with firm grip and pedals parallel to the ground (3 and 9 o’clock). As you approach the object, you need to prepare to jump just prior to the front tire hitting the object. To initiate the jump, bend your elbows and knees. lowering your body closer to the bike frame. Then explode upwards by pushing down on the pedals and handlebars. As you ascend up into the air. you’ll want to pull up on the pedals and handlebars to lift the bike off the ground (Jump 1, Pull 2).

Level Three (includes all of Levels One and Two):

No Hands Riding — Being able to ride with no hands on the handlebars is a significantly important skill. This means you can eat, drink, stretch, change clothes, adjust gear, etc., all on the fly.  Remember that this skill can take some time to perfect, and should only be used in safe environments (read: not the side of a major highway, etc.).

Riding with no hands is not that different than riding with one hand…only there’s no one hand. Once you are in a good gear given the terrain that ensures you’ll be able to continue pedaling without over-exerting / spinning out, then you are ready to begin. Basically as you continue to turn the pedals over, you push off the bars simultaneously with both hands, sitting straight up. If you attempt to do one hand at a time, you’ll really struggle with the sudden shift in your center of gravity from one hand to zero hands…this is actually harder in my mind.  Once you are up — still pedaling, of course — you can use your hips to tilt the bike and correct your direction. Be ready at any time to grab the bars, as anything, even a light breeze or a tiny bump, can make you very unstable. One you can master his skill, your cycling world is an entirely different place…the effort is very worthwhile!

Sunglasses to Helmet — Fundamentally no different than putting your sunglasses on the back of your jersey, this just looks more “pro” — and sometimes that’s enough. Your goal is to anchor your glasses by putting them, upside down, arms into the slits in your helmet just above your eyes. The upside down part is key, as this is what keeps them from falling back out again!!!

I find it’s best to do this with your helmet off, when not riding, to find the optimal placement and to ensure stability. Once this has been done, you can then execute while riding. Simply sit up to ride no hands, remove your sunglasses, flip and insert into your helmet and done. Once you are competent you should be able to do this in just a split second. Note: If you need to get your hands back on the bars pronto, you can always hold your sunglasses in your mouth.

Got Other Skills???
Post’em in the comments and we’ll add them to the list!

Thanks!

[Rant Alert!]

Over the past 8 years, I have either organized or participated in well over 30 triathlon training camps. I have trained at altitude and at sea level. I have trained in the winter and the summer. I have trained reasonably and I have buried myself. Yet across all of these different experiences, one thing remains the same. All the camps had triathletes in them…and triathletes need a training camp wake up call.

The Problem: A Basic Lack of Respect
Like any group of people who go on vacation, triathletes are pretty excited to train in new places. It means new roads, new scenery, new challenges, new memories. But being in a new place is no excuse to forget the common training rules that you follow at home. At the end of the day you are still a guest, someone calls the place you are visiting “home.” Do the good karma thing and keep a positive vibe going for all future triathletes and for race day.

My latest dose of this was our recent training camp in Lake Placid. It’s a popular training destination because of the event’s proximity to New York / Boston / Toronto / etc.  We showed up mid-week, so the tri-vibe was pretty light. But by Friday the town — and race course — were both saturated with triathletes.

It was crazy to see three or four people running side by side on a major road, not moving out of the way of cars. Packs of bikers taking up entire lanes of traffic, cutting off cars and motorbikes, descending on tiny restaurants and cafes in sweaty spandex. I saw angry drivers, tired townspeople, and way too much nutrition trash on the roads.

Some Simple Solutions:

Remember You are a Guest — Simply be considerate of the folks around you as you train and eat. Just as you (probably) wouldn’t wear a full-on sweaty one-piece spandex race suit to shop at home, you might want to change before shopping in a new town. Just sayin’.

Traffic Laws Haven’t Changed — Even though your new training home seems cool and exotic, the same laws apply. Since you left home, people still ride on the right, run against the flow of traffic, use hand signals to indicate turns, etc.

Remember To Represent — As a triathlete in a new place, you have the chance to make a really good impression. Or maybe reverse some bad preconceptions left by previous visitors. Be courteous to the locals, show respect for their home.

I guess the bottom line is “Don’t act any different than you would at home.”  While your new training place is cool for a weekend, remember that there are folks there who - every weekend - have people like you descending on their town/roads/lake to train. I bet that can get really old, really fast.

If you have any other tips, thoughts or feedback, please put them in the comments below!

Every year I hold one or two beginner cycling clinics. These aren’t massive, sold out events…they tend to be neat little affairs with 8-10 folks each. I don’t really make money on them, but they are just so much fun to do. I love connecting with people and, in the course of two hours, doing my best to transform how they ride. In fact, my clinics used to be four hours, but I cut them down to challenge myself to identify and communicate the critical elements of cycling in as short a time as possible. The following is a slightly more in-depth version of the agenda I use, with a brief explanation where necessary. I really hope this is helpful to you. If you like it, please consider passing it along.

Before you ask, yes, this is relevant for triathletes even though I don’t mention aerohelmets or disc wheels. At the end of the day, you are still riding a bike!

Part One: Understanding You + The Bike
Everyone has a relationship with their bike. Some people give their bikes names, others think they bike is out to get them…wherever you fall on this spectrum, you understand that your bike is more than just a frame with some wheels hanging off it.

1. Respect Your Ride — The majority of bike issues are a direct result of poor maintenance and bike supervision. If you want to make the most of your bike time, then you need to make sure that your bike is ready to support you in that regard. Take 5′ after a ride to clean it. Take 20 minutes a month to give your bike a good looking over to see how well everything is functioning, to identify red flags, etc.

2. You Operate It / It Does What You Tell It To — Bikes don’t do things. People who ride bikes do things…and some of those people blame their bikes. A huge part of becoming a better rider is coming to terms with the fact that you are 100% in control of everything on the bike.

3. Five Points of Contact / Three Matter / One Does The Most — You touch the bike in five specific points: Two hands. Two feet. One bottom. You can drop either the feet or the hands at any given point in time. But you really need your butt. Sure, it comes off the saddle when you stand and pedal, but the other 99% of the time it’s hard at work…helping you steer, corner, brake, etc. Don’t underestimate the value of…your butt. Seriously. t

Part Two: The Three A’s To Riding Well: Anticipate, Act, Adjust
One critical skill the experienced cyclist has at her disposal is the ability to anticipate what will happen. After countless hours and miles on the road, she knows how do deal with a car door, a sudden stop, that darting dog, and much more. The ability to anticipate what’s doing to happen is critical.  Since you are on two wheels travelling at a good speed, your reaction time is minimal, if not instinctive.  Do your best to keep tabs on what’s going on around you and don’t get lost in managing the minutiae of operating your bike.

I am not talking rocket science here. Remember that 10 years ago if I told you that you would need to drive to work everyday while talking on the phone, checking email and drinking coffee…with the radio on…in rush hour…you would have told me that I was crazy. Not so today.

If you can anticipate a problem, you can have 2-3 potential courses of action. If you have to act then, you choose an option and adjust your current actions. Here’s a real world example of the Three A’s:

Here are some practical examples of anticipation that have served me well:

• If you see a hole or obstacle you need to get around, start riding a straight line to the outside of the obstacle. Avoid last minute swerving, as that is dangerous and can freak out the other drivers/riders around you.
• If you can’t see more than 100-150 feet ahead of you when riding or cornering, then you need to sit up and have your hands on the brakes just in case.
• Check over your shoulder for cars before making any turns or adjustments.
• Watching front wheels of cars near to me, as they’ll reveal the first sign of a turn.

Part Three: Your Four Core Skills
As you get started on a road bike, there are a few key skills that you need to have in order to be able to ride safely. Here they are in no particular order:

• Starting: It’s critical to learn how to get up to speed from a dead stop. The first order of business is making sure that you are in the proper gear…this is done as you decelerate into the stop. Part two, then, is to lift your clipped-in foot up such that the cranks are parallel to the ground. Getting started then is as simple as standing on that foot. Without sitting down, you can then clip in your other foot, making sure to use your body weight to get the cleat in. Then you can resume pedaling as you sit down.
• Unclipping: Once you have decided to actually stop, your next order of business is making sure you can un-clip a foot. Stop pedaling, and stand up out of your seat. With one foot down, you can then un-clip the other as you coast to a stop. All that’s left to do is then gently place the un-clipped cleat down on the ground.
• Stopping: 99% of the the time, stopping is as simple as applying even pressure to both brakes, then standing and unclipping as outlined above. For the other 1%, when you need to stop quickly, get your pedals parallel to the ground, your weight to the back of (or behind) your seat, and apply pressure predominantly to the rear brake.
• Shifting: You have two goals with your shifting. First, to maintain a continuous pressure/rhythm on the pedals as you encounter different terrain. Your second goal? Don’t screw up #1. Seriously, however, shifting is pretty straightforward. In keeping with the “Three A’s”, you want to anticipate times when you’ll need to shift and do so quickly. There are two relatively important things to think about when shifting.

1. 1. Shifting the front derailleur can mean a drastic change in cadence given the size differential in the chain rings. To minimize this issue, we use the Rule of Two. Before you go small to big front ring, you should shift 2-3 gears easier in the back then hit the front derailleur. This will allow you to maintain a manageable cadence and will ensure a smoother shift as the chain will not be at an extreme. The opposite is also true; when shifting from big to small front rings, move 2-3 gears harder on the back then hit the front derailleur.
   2. Standing when riding is a powerful tool to help gain speed, crest a difficult hill or simply stretch out your back, etc. Done poorly, however, and the only thing you get for your standing is…being tired from standing. Once again using the Rule of Two, I recommend that you shift two gears harder than the one you are in now…in the body of the climb…then stand. Once done, sit down and shift only one gear easier…allowing you to gain a gear on the hill (when possible).

Part Four: Riding On The Road
A large part of being a quality cyclist means becoming comfortable with riding on the roads. Wide roads, narrow roads, fast roads, hilly roads, highway roads, wet roads, dark roads, etc. The list of potential skills here could take years to compile, so here are the basics you need to know.

• Know Your Route: It sounds simple, but it’s true. If you know where you are going, you move with purpose and clarity on the road. When you are lost or in a new place, you have to spend a ton of time getting oriented and too much time reading maps, cue sheets, etc. Do yourself a favor and plan ahead.
• Follow Basic Traffic Signs: When riding your bike you are considered another vehicle on the road, a vehicle that’s governed by the very same rules that cars are. Stop means…stop. Yellow means slow down.  Caution, speed limit, yield to pedestrians…all these rules are in full effect. To not follow them seems innocent enough. In reality, disobeying traffic signs and signals puts you at odds with the cars you are trying to ride with. They are expecting one things and you are doing another…not cool (or safe) when this happens at 20+ miles per hour.
• Ride Confidently: More on this later in body language, but suffice to say that if you act like you know what you are doing, you’ll ride like you know what you are doing, which means others (riders/cars) give you respect and room to breathe. Show weakness and they’ll be all over you in a second. Try something new or ride outside of your comfort zone and you could be in trouble. You musy ride with deliberate movements. If you want to go left, go there. When you are travelling at 20+ miles per hour, there’s no time to do the left/right/left/right dance you do in the hallway at work with your coworkers.

Part Five: Communication
While most of your verbal interactions with motorists might be of the four-letter variety, we can’t ignore our motorized counterparts completely. Assuming that everyone behind the wheel is texting, drinking coffee, and shuffling an iPod, here’s how you can do your part to ride safely:

• Simple Directions: When using hand signals, it’s very important to point where you plan to go so the cars in your vicinity can make an educated (and safe) decision on how to respond. Going left? Sit up and point left. Going right? Sit up and point right. Nothing irks me more than seeing cyclists use poor signals and / or no signals at all and sending the cars around them into a total frenzy.
• Body Language: Remembering that visual signals travel further–and faster!–than sound, know that even simple body language is an effective tool. If you are totally aero and hammering, no one is expecting you to stop. If you are hanging your head and flopping all over the place, folks can’t tell what you are up to. If you are going to make a big change, do everyone a favor and sit up tall…movement like that catches the eye and let’s me know that you are about to do something. Other great body language tools are nodding your head, waving others on, or asking them to stop.
• Using Your Voice: As a last resort, you can use your voice to make others aware. From a traffic perspective, I really only use my voice to yell “bike” when someone in a parked car is opening a door or someone is backing out of a driveway. That’s it. From a group riding perspective, vocal commands/warnings are critical as technically only one other person can see you.

Stay tuned for the second half of this post, when I cover the basic skills and drills I use at my clinics.

Thanks!

Coach Patrick