Rocky Mountain Cycling Club
The Club for People Who Love to Ride!
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Rocky Mountain Cycling Club
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Intermediate Training Group Let me start off by stating
that the Intermediate Training Group is not specifically for riding in a paceline.
The name has been carried over from the group’s original inception. From that blustery day one
March when six of us first rode together, we have seen literally hundreds of
riders come and go. Cyclists have
told me they don’t come to rides because they are afraid they are not fast
enough. Ironically, the reason we
lose riders is NOT because we go so fast that others cannot keep up with us.
Rather it is a lot of work to train and ride precisely. The intention of the Paceline
group is to develop advanced bike handling skills and to gain the maximum amount
of physical conditioning possible within a limited time (two to three days per
week) to ride. It takes commitment,
a desire to learn, and a team spirit to ride well in a paceline. Commitment
With so much happening in our
busy lives, it is hard to keep commitments.
The key is to find a reason to cycle that is so compelling that it takes
priority over almost everything else. For
me, it is the realization that when my daughter turns 13 years old I will turn
60. Being a healthy senior is not
something I would LIKE to do; it is something I MUST do.
If you can’t find this compelling reason to change your lifestyle, then
don’t bother reading any further. Desire to Learn Each ride that I select has a
specific training purpose. Not only is the individual ride important, but the way in
which I sequence them is also important. To
create a well-rounded recreational rider, I am trying to condition the three
energy systems of your body in equal amounts.
The body responds to exercise stressors in very specific ways, for
example, crunches don’t make your biceps stronger. The improvements can be fast, so if you pick and choose rides
based on how “fun” they are, you will rapidly fall behind the cyclists who
are strictly following the program. Team Spirit
What is impressive is how
seamless you ride in the group and how willing you are to help your other team
members. Like a Navy SEAL team, we
will never leave anyone behind (assuming you are committed and not a slacker).
And if you blast out ahead, it is only a matter of time before the group
catches you. In a paceline, the
riders behind the lead person use 25% to 40% less energy.
So unless you are 25% to 40% stronger than the other riders, the paceline
will eventually pass you, and they won’t be too accommodating about letting
you join back in. With the number of members
approaching 200, it is impossible to train a single group on the road.
This training season, the Paceline group has existed mainly as an e-mail
list. But researching cycling topics, organizing the information,
verifying the concepts with actual riding, and writing a paper takes a lot of
time away from my family and paying job. So
next season, I will be trying new ways of delivering the coaching information. There is no shortage of cycling
information on the web and in print. The
problem is to determine what is correct information or what applies to your
specific situation. With any
cycling tip, you need to determine what the riding context is, how experienced
the cyclist is, how many miles they ride per week, how many years they’ve been
riding, if they are a competitive cyclists, and much more. The information I give is
specifically developed for the recreational rider between the ages of 35 and 65
who has only two to three days per week (six to 10 hours) to ride and is either
a novice or has limited riding experience.
It is based on the best practices of USA Cycling, the American Council on
Exercise, and national experts including Chris Carmichael, Arnie Baker, and Joe
Friel. I have formed a company around
my coaching license called Midlife Cycling.
The intent is to create an organization that can help people create a
sustainable, healthy lifestyle through cycling.
I believe the most effective and economical way to deliver practical
riding information is through seminars and clinics.
Seminars give you the concepts behind the training topics and the clinics
help you integrate that training into your specific situation.
I don’t believe you can just “phone in” your training like some
other coaching companies promote. At
some point, a coach must actually see you ride. So in summary, the Paceline
group is here to help you improve your cycling from 20 or 40 miles up to 100
mile rides. I will continue to
provide generalized information to club members at no charge through my weekly
e-mail. If you form a small group
that wants to train together regularly, I will be glad to ride with you on one
of the club group rides to get you started in the right direction.
For more detailed information and the chance to ask questions, I will
offer seminars and clinics for a small fee.
Finally, I offer training packages and hourly coaching if you want to
work on your specific cycling issues one-on-one. The new training season starts
on October 1st. The first seminar will be “Getting Started”, which will
cover equipment, maintenance, training, nutrition, and more.
It is tentatively scheduled for October 5 from 7 pm to 9 pm.
I am trying to hold it at the REI Flagship Store.
Cost will be $30. Designed by me but taught by
one of the YMCA instructors, the first clinic will be a one-hour,
cycling-specific “Stretching and Core Strength” session in October at the
Littleton Family YMCA. I have
selected exercises that, having taken the clinic, you will be able do in your
home with no or low-cost equipment like an exercise ball, dumbbells, or exercise
bands. Date, time, and cost will
depend upon arrangements with the YMCA. If you have an interest in
taking the seminar and/or clinic, please send me an e-mail at rmrusson@midlifecycling.com.
I need to show REI and the YMCA that there is an interest and schedule
appropriately sized rooms. For
other information, please visit my website at www.midlifecycling.com. |