Group Ride Etiquette

Riding in a group can be a lot of fun and a great way to train, but it can also be intimidating. Knowing the group and some simple keys to remember can go a long way to increasing your enjoyment and training—and keep you invited back—in the ride.
Aero bars — keep the tri bike at home or, if you must ride it, stay out of the aero position when in the pack or around other riders.
Know the ride – established rides have specific sprints and attack points. Don’t attack on your first or second ride; get to know the ride and where the jumps are before going off the front.
Point out obstacles – when you’re in front, it’s your job to look ahead on the road and lead the pack around potholes, debris, etc. When you’re not in front, it’s still your job to protect those behind you— repeat point outs by those in front, even if you can’t see the obstacle, keep your eyes 2-3 riders in front to spot swerves and potential hazards, and never slam on your brakes.
Never overlap the rear wheel of the rider in front of you with your front wheel.
Hold your line – there are times to move around on the road, but be fully aware of who is around you before moving over. Leaning into or swerving into another rider can invite an elbow or a shoulder coming at you, or worst case can cause a crash. If you see an obstacle and don’t have time to look and assess what’s around you before hitting it, either bunny hop or relax the arms and legs, stand up, and take it. [In flying, we say “don’t hit the big bird (another airplane) to miss the little bird (a feathered friend).]
Learn to draft – don’t string out the group or leave a gap in front of you. Those behind you will get upset and will pass you closely to get back on the pack...you’ll get dropped like a campaign promise.
If you have your separate specific workout to do, ride with the pack on the warm up, but drop off the back when the pace picks up. Don’t try to incorporate your intervals into the group ride. The ride has its own energy and flow…don’t interrupt that. Don’t go off the front for intervals either, or you’ll drag the group with you.
Flats – if you get a flat tire, stay in the flow of the pack and move slowly to the right or out of the pack (look first). Don’t expect the pack to stop, and be prepared to fix your own gear. [See my other post on this topic.]
Take advantage of fueling stops – gas stations and convenience stores are usually fine with cyclists filling up at the fountain drink area, but be clean and courteous. Don’t make the group wait on you. Be quick.
Skills – work on taking nudges, elbows, and shoulders while riding. Do this with a friend on grass first, then learn to keep your balance at faster speeds. Practice picking up water bottles while rolling, knowing how your bike handles at a sprint, and being able to both feather the brakes easily without lurching and stop on a dime without crashing.
With these tips, you’ll enjoy the ride more, you’ll be seen as a competent rider, you’ll help to dispel the myths that triathletes can’t ride in a pack, and you’ll be invited back!
Keep the rubber side down,
Brian

Your flat kit

This has come up before, so here's my list of what to carry in your bicycle saddle kit and justification of each.

- Tubes – carry 2, and make sure they have the required stem length or extender if you’ve got deep section rims. Roll them up tight and wrap with tape or a rubber band.
- Tire levers – they’re small enough you can and should carry two.
- Boots – cut a 3 inch section of an old tire and cut off the bead. Use these to put between the tire and the tube if you get a slit or rip in the tire itself. I’ve got over 400 miles on one of these (because I forget to change it out).
- Patch kit – I use a glue-less patch kit for those just-in-case moments. I rode last weekend, punctured, and both my spare tubes were bad. This got me home (and I’ll forget to change it before tomorrow’s ride).
- Multi-tool – you’ll want one when you need it. Get a small one with a Phillips head screwdriver and at least a 4 and 5mm allen wrench.
- CO2 – I carry 2-3 CO2s. If you only carry one, Murphy’s Law says you’ll have a problem with it.
- Pump – get a Second Wind Road pump and carry it on your frame. It’s a CO2 inflator and a pump in one. Use the CO2 part when you want air fast, use the pump when you run out of CO2 and you can’t be stranded. A CO2 can be stored on it and acts as the pump handle, opening up room in your bag.
- Copies of your ID and Insurance Card or a Road ID with allergy info, a coffee shop punch card, and $20.
- Cell phone.
If you pack it right, all this will fit in a small bag under your saddle, and you’ll (almost) never be left stranded.

Brian

Restwise

There's a new program on the market that I'm excited about. As a coach, the hardest part of coaching in understanding quantitatively how you the athlete respond to training and recovery. There are ways to manage this, but since every athlete uses the same words to describe different feelings, it's difficult to get exactly right.

Restwise takes the guess work out of recovery. By answering a very brief series of questions every day, Restwise provides and tracks a Recovery Score to quantify your recovery state. The best part is your GEC coach can then see your score and will adjust your training appropriately. I’ve been using this system for a few weeks and already see how by using this I can make your hard stuff as hard as you can handle and can nail your taper based on how you're recovering real-time!

I’m promoting this only because it works—GEC makes nothing off this except your success. Use code GEC for 25% off…AND get a free pulse oximeter for instant measurement of blood oxygen level and pulse. www.restwise.com When you order, let your coach know and we’ll bring your file into our program so your scores instantly download for our info. If you're not a GEC coached athlete you can still use this program to manage your training and recovery.

Brian

Mix it up

A buddy asked the other day “I run 2-2.5 miles all the time. Why does it not get easier?” It’s all about the body’s ability to adapt.

When stressing the body repetitively in the same mode, the body can adapt but it adapts in more a survival mode by being able to handle that finite amount of stress. We subconsciously know that the run will be over in 2-2.5 miles so we plan for that and the run gets worse at the 1.5 miles mark as we see that on the treadmill or round that corner. After only a short time of this repetitive training, the body’s adaptation slows and fitness growth is limited.

If we mix things up a bit by varying the speed, intensity, incline, and/or duration, the body will adapt with more fitness and strength than survival methods. As simply as increasing one run a week to 20% more than what is “standard,” fitness will increase faster. If you need to, run/walk by time (run 8 minutes, walk 1 minute, etc) to get to the longer distance. Or vary the speed on one run and doing repeats of 2 minutes faster followed by 3 minutes slower. By mixing things up and varying the induced stress, the body responds by increasing true strength and fitness.

Hope this helps. Go train.

Brian

Exciting News!

As endurance athletes, we are good at going in a straight line for ever, right? We're not so good at anything lateral or at strength training. Strength training is too important not to do, but it takes a back seat to the many hours of swimming, cycling and running we're doing.

Strength training is too important to neglect because it builds the durability and injury resistance needed for the long aerobic training, aids in maintaining the body's structure when fatigue sets in under aerobic loading, and just plain makes you tough. Triathlon is about strength just as much aerobic fitness.

So...Grasky Endurance Coaching is teaming up with CrossFit Purgatory! CFP is the perfect compliment to GEC's aerobic training. Not only are Tony and Marcy and their trainers effective and proven at what they do and great people, but they understand our priority of aerobic training. CFP workouts of the day (WODs) are time efficient (read: short) and very effective.



From www.crossfitpurgatorytucson.com: CrossFit Purgatory is an elite strength and conditioning facility in beautiful Tucson, Arizona. We use and implement CrossFit classes as our principle training program simply because we have found it to be the most effective way to produce elite fitness. Our goal is to increase an individuals overall work capacity. We progress towards this through many different sport modalities, including but not limited to: Olympic lifting, kettlebell training, gymnastics, running and sprinting, Strong Man training, climbing, rowing, and throwing. In doing so, our athletes become stronger, faster, and mentally tougher. Specifically, we strive to build and improve the following ten components of fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, stamina, speed, strength, power, flexibility, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. Add all of those components a few times a week in a one hour class each time and that’s how elite fitness begins. Superior strength and fitness allows our athletes to go out and succeed in whatever comes their way, no matter the circumstance or context.

Each CrossFit class is a combination of a warm-up, skill-work, a WOD (workout of the day) and cool down/stretch. You may do a WOD different than the person next to you, depending on your goals, but the movements will essentially be the same as the person next to you. We have the ability to scale workouts to your ability but also to tweak them slightly to get you to your goal (Football player vs. Triathlete, as an example). Your Purgatory coach will be your trainer, your guide, your CrossFit mentor and biggest fan.

We are a family-friendly facility and while we do not provide childcare, we do have a very nice area for kids to stay occupied while you workout. Come see for yourself!


I encourage all Tucson GEC athletes to check out CFP and give them a try. This will be the most effective non-swim/bike/run session you do. My recommendation: twice a week. You'll be a bit sore the first few weeks, so start at least 3 weeks out from an important race and 5 weeks out form an 'A' race. Look for clinics and talks at CFP, and GEC's testing and services will be conducted at CFP.

Brian