Biking/Cycling & Training Resources (02)
Preventing Hamstring Fatigue While Biking
It's inevitable that body parts will get tired with the rigorous movements cycling brings. This article is a great offering of information about how to prevent hamstring fatigue during cycling. The author recommends downstroking, since most of a cyclists power is released during the downstroke. Backstroking is also effective, as each pedal stroke reaches a crisis moment when one pedal is at 12 o'clock and the other is at 6 o'clock. Since neither leg is engaged in a downstroke, creating a little bit of power in this "dead spot" carries momentum through to the next downstroke. The backstroke lets the hamstring muscles relax a little. Upstrokes are also vital. The movements of the upstroke are hip-flexion (lifting the knee) and knee-flexion (lifting the foot). Since the hip-flexors are active only in this range of the pedal stroke, they should be the primary muscle contracting. Efficient riders relax the hamstrings during the upstroke phase.
Triathlon Biking Tips
This article from June 2005 discusses a triathlon in Philadelphia, and offers expert advice for improving cycling for triathlons, and in general. Cadence, the official coaching company for the USA Triathlon, offers a number of cycling tips. They include looking ahead and being aware of others around you, not overreacting to rough roads or close-by riders, keeping line and pace, and only braking when necessary, thinking ahead before turning a corner, cheating the wind by finding the least windy sections of road, and maintaining a comfortable pedal cadence in a gear that doesn't over-burden your legs or your aerobic system.
6 Weeks to Swimming, Biking and Running Success
This triathlete participated in the Danskin Women's Triathlon, and recommends the following tips to prepare for the swim-bike-run event. It will take two weeks to develop your skill training. She highlights training plans here, and recommends training for a short time to develop techniques. As you progress in your training, you will systematically add time or distance to your workouts while you concentrate on improving your skills at swimming, cycling and running, she says. The next step is to work on building a bigger base and improving cardiovascular conditioning. She outlines her plans with charts that show how much time to put into various workouts.
Raising Cadence and Other Pro-Cycling Tips
A very valuable PDF e-book on 29 pro-cycling secrets. This e-book was written by Ed Pavelka and Fred Matheny. The topics include thinking like a climber, riding in the rain, riding in the dirt, sprinting, raising your cadence, block training, speedwork, 10-hour training, and how not to lose weight while you train for a triathlon.
Bikers Unite on the Web: Connecting with Other Cyclers
Connecting with other bicycle riders on the Internet is easy with this website. It includes a listing of newsgroups on bicycling, including topics such as buying a bicycle, mountain biking, off-road biking, repairing bikes and more. There is also a useful section on frequently asked questions with regards to biking for kids and adults. An archive section has a directory of cycling-related gifts. Then there are a ton of cycling-related websites, including those of bike clubs, bike rides, bike tour companies and more. Site is for mountain bikers but anyone who enjoys biking will enjoy.
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