Des Moines Cycle Club

How was your summer riding season? Did you set a new personal best or ride in your first Ragbrai? Are you getting a little more serious about this cycling thing? Good for you, but what are you going to do now that it’s too dark to ride after work or when there’s six inches of snow on the ground? It’s a dilemma for all of us who live and ride in Iowa.

Too many cyclists have great summers enjoying bike riding but do nothing in the winter and loose all of the fitness they gained. And next year they have to start all over again or not start at all. For long term health benefits, it’s important to keep building your fitness, or at least “maintain” your summer gains through the winter and yes, I’m talking about recreational and club riders.

The best way to maintain cycling’s’ health benefits are to formulate a plan, otherwise, known as a fitness routine. You don’t have to tell anyone that you’re on a fitness routine if you’re worried about your image but without some form of structure will you really stay with it? Even with a great plan, the odds are not good that you’ll stay with it, but the odds drop to zero without a plan. As a club rider, there are lots of options to continue enjoying cycling in the winter. And that’s the secret, keep it fun. If you look at your winter routine mostly as a way you can continue your enjoyment of the sport you’ll have a better chance of success. Don’t take it too seriously and you may find that it will provide you with some serious fitness benefits.

First, it’s almost imperative that you get a “resistance trainer”. No that’s not part of the “right wing conspiracy”. It’s a device that attaches to the rear axel of your bike that fulfils two jobs. It holds your real wheel off of the ground so you can ride your bike “in place”, and it adds resistance to the rear wheel so it makes it feel like you’re riding your bike outside. You don’t need some turbo charged, ubber expensive unit. I’ve seen some very good trainers for under $100 and even the cheapies will last for years and I’m sure you can get some pretty good buys on eBay or Craig’s List. You’ll also need to raise the front wheel of your bike when it’s in the trainer to level your bike. There are many inexpensive plastic devices available to do that, but a piece of wood or a book will work just fine. Next is the easy part. You need to sit on your trainer and pedal.

It’s amazing that this “easy part” is the aspect that most of us have the most trouble with. There are hundreds of books, workout tapes, computer programs and dozens of coaches who are ready, willing and able to help. The problem with riding a trainer is it starts out as a lot of fun, but after the first day it becomes the most boring “mind melt” you could imagine. Plus, it hurts. It’s pretty easy to talk yourself out of doing something that’s mind numbing and hurts. It’s no different with treadmills, elliptical machines or even home gyms. You’ll need to find your own motivation. Okay motivation isn’t the right word. You are looking for the “best distraction” unless your ability to concentrate is on a much higher plain than the rest of us. Some riders use MP3 players, some have a TV in front of them, and some ride in complete darkness. It’s a mind game you have to win within yourself. Your goal is to ride 4 times a week for around 40 minutes. That doesn’t sound like a long time, but your trainer is different than riding outside. There are no stop signs or cross walks, no waiting for pedestrians crossing the street, no wind, no rain and no coasting downhill. It is just you and your bike. Forty minutes is plenty to get a great workout and about all your “inner self” will be able to handle.

Next you’ll need a fitness routine. Sure just getting on your trainer and riding for 40 minutes is great and if that’s what you want to do, then do it. But to really maximize your time and focus your goals, a weekly routine is better. There are many books, tapes and website information about setting up your workouts that involve what’s called “intervals”. Intervals are timed periods of when you pedal at a prescribed level of intensity, followed by times of rest. For example, in your 40 minute workout you may do 4 sets of 5 minute intervals with 2 minutes rest in between each set, that’s 26 minutes of work. With a 10 minute warm-up and a few minutes to cool down that will give you a pretty good workout. There are many variations of intervals, some long to build endurance, and some short to build strength. You’ll have to do some research on setting up your intervals. I would recommend a book by local coach Dave Ertl. Dave’s website http://cyclesportcoaching.blogspot.com/ is packed full of training information and his eBook “Indoor Training for Cyclists” is a wealth of information. I personally have grown to rely on DVD’s from Coach Troy Jacobson called Spinerval’s. I’ve got a pretty elaborate setup in my basement for my indoor training with a small TV and DVD player. Spinerval DVD’s are available in many different workouts with short and long options so you can vary your workouts throughout the week. The coach runs the entire workout with several dozen cyclists and he basically acts as a football type coach “encouraging” you all the way through the workout. It works for me, and the time seems to go by faster. I like the group workout feel and the workouts can be very demanding.

If you’re interested, you can get information or order from their website at http://www.spinervals.com/. Bottom line is you’ve got to find what works for you, what makes it fun or worthwhile and what fits your goals and lifestyle. But, spend the time and the investment in your health to make it work, and make if fun for you. When the sun finally comes out next spring you’ll be fit, trim, looking good, and riding like never before.

One last point, you need to watch your weight very closely this time of year! It is absolutely the biggest problem I have in training all year long. For some reason by body knows that the season is over and its time to start storing fat for winter. I’m not eating more, and, I’m still riding outside as much as I can, hitting the gym and my trainer on a regular plan. But almost overnight I gain 10 pounds or more. I have to drastically cut my calories and watch what I eat right now more than any other time of year. If I let the 10 pounds stick and I hit Thanksgiving and Christmas carrying that weight it’ll balloon from there. And the energy it takes to loose 15 to 20 pounds in the spring takes its toll and that effort is better spent on other fitness goals. If you’ve got any questions please let me know, I’d be happy to help you get started. Of course, don’t start any fitness plan without first checking with your doctor.

Live – Love – Ride

Danny Kruzic

President, Des Moines Cycle Club USA Cycling Certified Level 3 Coach