Womens Weekend at Joyride 150

Markham, ON – JOYRIDE150 Indoor Bike Park is hosting:

The 3^rd Annual

Women’s Weekend

February 2^nd & 3^rd , 2013

Women of all ages and riding abilities will be coming from across North America to learn bike riding skills from experienced coaches in a supportive environment.  Last year, close to 200 female riders took over Joyride150 to enjoy the annual 2-day event that takes place at Canada’s only indoor all-season multi-discipline bike park.  The park, which is usually filled predominately with male riders, will be open to female riders only for both mornings of the Women’s Weekend so that women can ride without the intimidation of the boys & the big crowds.

JOYRIDE150 will be featuring skills workshops in various areas of the park so that women can conquer their fears and learn to ride such things as the infamous foam pit, pump tracks, the beginner/sport/expert skinnies, resi jump, beginner/sport/expert jump lines, BMX street plaza, vert park, the cross-country loop with climbs & obstacles and much more.  NEW to this year’s event are additional clinics such as Bike Fit by Specialized Canada, Bike Knowledge (How to Buy a Bike) by Specialized Canada, Athletic Therapy & Injury Prevention by Inner Strength Physiotherapy, Bike Mechanics by Norco Canada, Spin Classes, Yoga and more!  There will also be a “Learn To Ride” clinic for those that are new to riding.  All types of riders and skill levels are welcome!

WHAT: 3^rd Annual Joyride Women’s Weekend

WHO: Women of all ages, skill levels & riding styles

WHEN: Saturday, February 2^nd  8:00am-7:00pm

               Sunday, February 3^rd  8:00am-5:00pm

*Note: the park will be open to FEMALE RIDERS ONLY

from 8am until 12pm(noon) both days.

WHERE: Joyride150 Indoor Bike Park

                 150 Bullock Drive, Markham, ON

COST: $25 for one day or $40 for both.

Price includes instruction, park entry, & lunch.

More info about the Women’s Weekend (along with registration) can be found on our webpage: www.joyride150.com/ww                                                                                                        

Sponsored by:

ABOUT JOYRIDE150:

Along with 112,000sqft of indoor riding for every type of bike & rider, Joyride150 also houses a retail concession counter with snacks & drinks, clothing, bicycle parts and accessories.  Joyride provides rental services for bikes, helmets & padding, as well as private Party Room rentals for special events like birthdays or conferences.  Programs, skills workshops, day camps, private instruction, races/competitions, demo days, and PK sessions are all offered at the park.

The park is also home to the JoyrideFIT Spin Studio complete with spin bikes, resistance trainers, weight machines & free-weights.  Fitness testing and personal training services are available.

At Joyride150 Indoor Bike Park there is something for everyone – beginner riders to pros will find challenges, fun, and fitness.  For photos, videos, and updates on the park, please visit our website: www.joyride150.com

Power and Sprint Speed

 Coach Adam Morka of Wired for Performance recently had a blog post regarding the use of sled pushing to enhance sprint power.  You can read this post at the link below if you haven't seen it already:

http://wiredforperformance.ca/multimedia-archive/food-for-thought-power/

Using sled pushing and sprinting has been a great tool for conditioning athletes and different energy systems for some time.

Using it as Adam references to in developing more sprint power requires short duration efforts (5 to 15 seconds) as well as lots of recovery (3 to 5 minutes … the more the better).

Some things to think about when setting up a sled for pushing.

- Safe footing and proper shoes (shoes with poor traction on a given surface can greatly reduce power application and acceleration of the sled).  You can also use some sort of olympic plate for the athlete to get good footing for the initial push (like at a 100m track race...the blocks they stand in to start)

- Proper hand height on sled - it is often ideal to have the hands at a height for the given athlete to be in neutral spine while pushing - if the hands are too low the back will likely be rounded while pushing the load.  As long as the spine remains solid (even if rounded) this is ok, just not optimal.  I like to see a straight line through the wrist, shoulder and hip

- Appropriate weight selection when loading the sled is important and will vary depending on the goal of the session.

  - If the goal is to work on peak power and the initial sprint, just make sure the athlete can push the sled and continue to accelerate through the first 5 to 8 seconds.

  - If the goal is to work on the maintenance of momentum, some cheering of the athlete will help! .. but you can also strip a little weight off each time you see the athlete starting to slow down.  I like to put small 5 pound plates on the sled and take one off at a time to keep the athlete's speed and momentum high until they reach goal duration or distance ** THIS WOULD BE SIMILAR TO CYCLING WHEN POWER IS  DROPPING BUT SPEED CONTINUES TO RISE ** SEE PICTURE BELOW

- In regards to applying this idea to cycling, you can see in the picture above that power and speed take on a different pattern at the beginning of an effort.

If you are really trying to work on initial sprint power and the ability to apply pressure to the pedals, you need to understand that different things can affect these sprints.

As the picture explains, initially power, torque and speed will all increase from the beginning of the effort.  At some point during the effort, power and torque will drop off and speed will continue to rise.

This is the point that will dictate the effect of the sprint workout.

If you want to work on peak sprint power, you can stop your effort as soon as power drops and speed continues to rise.

On steep hills, the sprint will likely be longer in time as you can continue to accelerate against the hill for resistance for longer.

On flats the sprints will likely be shorter depending on how long you can continually build your rpm in your selected gear to continue to apply power to the pedals.

Some different workout suggestions for developing the above.

1) Slow rolling start sprints (develop initial sprint power and work on peak power) - Start in a big gear, rolling along at a slow speed about 5 to 8 km/hr.  Start the sprint and try and get up to max speed as soon as possible.  Continue to accelerate as long as you can feel power increasing in your legs.  As soon as you start to feel that you are spinning the gear instead of really turning the cranks under load you can stop the effort.  Efforts should be 3 to 15 seconds long (optimal maybe 8 to 15 seconds).  These can and should be done both seated and standing.

2) Hill Sprint to flat or slight downhill sprint (develop maintenance of momentum) - this is a favorite of mine (usually used for running and team sport athletes but would apply to cyclists as well).  Find a hill that takes 6 to 10 seconds to sprint up - but then has a flat to slightly downhill runout.  Sprint at max effort to the top of the hill, then continue to accelerate on the downhill/flat for another 10 seconds or until you can't accelerate any more.

Make sure when you work on maximal efforts you recover well.  A good session would consist of 8 to 12 repetitions only.  Taking about 90 seconds to 5 min of recovery, whatever it takes to do quality work each time.

When working on maximal efforts in the gym with weights...5 min recovery is very normal...but in the endurance world we just can't seem to sit around for that long.  Try it sometime and see how the sprint workout feels with lots of rest.

Let me know if you have any questions and leave them in the comments section or email me at stephentoddneal@gmail.com  and I will respond in the blog.

Great Tips...check this out!

Peter Glassford of...

Train With Peter

or

Bike Skills Project

Finally convinced me to stand in front of his camera...I should do this a little bit more often.

1 -  It was really quite fun

2 - I really need to practice !

Had a good max strength lifting session with Peter, got him to test drive a little airdyne/sled push sprint workout as well as go over some tips for helping improve your stability on the bike.

You can check it out below...or following links at the top to see more of his great episodes.

Wild Bettys Crossfit Clinic

I posted this little workout for The Wild Bettys over the last few days.  A little bit of a prep workout for upcoming gym visit :)



For the workout try the following:

10 min bike warmup

5 rounds of the strength in video - keep perfect form - time your 5 rounds - try and go at 85% effort.

5 min spin easy on the bike 65/70% max heart rate at comfortably high cadence, a little higher than you would normally ride.

Continue to rotate between strength (5 rounds) and bike as above until you have complete 4 rounds of the above.

10 min bike spin at comfortably high cadence to finish the session.

Will be hosting The Bettys over the next few weeks at the gym for a Crossfit Clinic.

Goal will be to learn about some different methods of training during the winter months to get ready for the 2013 season.

Smart Athlete clinic at Joyride 150

My friend Peter Glassford of Smart Athlete is putting on a skills clinic or two at Joyride150.

Check out the information below and don't miss a great opportunity!

Intro to Joyride: A Bike Skills Clinic for Beginners and  XC Riders

http://www.smartathlete.ca/2012/11/check-out-this-cool-opportunity.html#more

Come to Joyride on 3 consecutive Tuesdays to improve your skills and learn to maximize the bike park. If you are looking to improve your bike skills, Joyride is the place to do it regardless of your discipline or your experience. The park has features that allow you to improve in a safe and controlled environment. Joyride's great environment paired with skills development by Peter Glassford, Professional Coach and Racer, will make you a safer, faster and more confident cyclist. This is a great way to gain an advantage on competitors and blast into your 2013 season. 

Cost: $75 + Tax for 1 Session  (includes rental bike, park entry & instruction)  – OR - $150 for all 3 nights

Dates:  Tuesday November 20, 27 and December 4, 2012 

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm 

Register:  email peterglassford@gmail.com

Preparation: www.bikeskillsproject.com to get started on your skill development for free. 

Location: Joyride150!  CLICK HERE for directions to the park.

Request ...

Hello Everyone,

I have had a few requests for a video I shot after a Wild Bettys clinic last year.

Hopefully the videos explain a few good tips to change a tire and make sure it is installed correctly.

Betty Clinic Tire Change

Seating A Tire In The Rim (really should have cropped out the funny face at the start don't ya think!)

Race Day Preparation

Just months ago your felt there was lots of time until the first big race of the season...now here it is already!

I just wanted to share a few ideas to help you get prepared for race day.

The Day Before

Anything you can do the day before to help the race day morning go relaxed and smooth is the goal.

Bike


Make sure to take a spin on the bike early in the day just in case there are any last minute repairs that may need done, this will give you time to take it to the store or beg a friend to help.

Once you know the bike is in good working order, lube the chain but don't wipe it (let it sit overnight and remember to wipe it in the morning.  It will drip so be careful where you set the bike or place a towel under then entire chain area).  If you have your number plate for the season, I would place this on the bicycle so it is one less thing to do race day morning, it can be a finicky thing to do so the night before you allows you to do it while relaxed.

If you pack your bike in your car to travel and it will be safe in there overnight, I would even add that to the list so you just have to get up, eat and leave.

Gear


Having all the gear in one place that you need to race make getting dressed and ready at the site much easier.

Shoes and Socks together

Jersey, Shorts and Undershirt

Helmet with gloves and glasses inside

Heart rate monitor strap, gels to carry in race, multi tool, spare tube

Extra zip ties are in case one breaks on my number plate, not for carrying during race.  I also take a big air to fill my flat if I need to change a tube (not pictured need to get one for the weekend).  You can also carry a small pump of some kind, there make some really good ones that fit in a jersey pocket now.

All together now...

I like to have the absolute least I need to race all in one place in the car to get dressed and ready. 

I then have a separate bag of extras like knee warmers, leg warmers, arm warmers, jackets all in one spot in different bag in case they are needed.

The Night Before

If you have had an opportunity to pre-ride the course (this is always an excellent option when available in your schedule) try and download a map of the course and go over it mentally, it is amazing how much this can increase confidence of remember the turns, climbs and downhills.  When you go through the course mentally always imagine yourself racing relaxed and riding strong with confidence on all sections, making sure to imagine crossing the finish line strong and with a huge smile on your face!

Race Day


If you have the ability to wake early enough to eat 3 to 4 hours before the race that would be ideal.  I always feel that if you race really early that sleep may be a better option than getting up much earlier than normal to eat, you will have to try a few different methods to see what you like best.

Try and eat something you are familiar with and contains about 70% carbohydrate but limited in fibre and fat.  The more simple the breakfast the better.

I have had great success with athletes racing by having Ensure HP (high protein) for breakfast.  If you decide to try this it is important to get about 200 calories per hour before the race, and eat 2 to 3 hours before.  So 2 hours before 400 calories of Ensure, 3 hours before 600 calories of Ensure.

Other than the meal just make sure to hydrate well but not too much.  Hydrating in days prior is likely as or more important than just race morning.

Warming up for a race is also very individual.  It should consist of 20 to 40 minutes of riding.  The first 5 to 10 min really easy.  Then during the remainder of your warmup you should attempt 3 to 8 sprints lasting 10 seconds each, trying to make each one a little harder than the last and finish strong (recover about 90 seconds to 2 minutes between these).  You should also try and include 3 to 5 min of effort at the pace you are going to start the race at, ideally this would finish about 8 to 10 minutes before your race, then spin really easy to recover near the start line.