Alison's Powers - Featured Cycling Training Tips Blogger

7 Tips to Becoming a Better Climber

by Alison Powers
April 22, 2019

Climbing. People think it's this magical thing that only lucky or skinny people can do. This is a misnomer. Anyone can climb. Anyone who likes to ride a bike, can ride up a hill.

Team Bonding, Exiting Your Comfort Zone, and Views, Views, Views

by Alison Powers
April 02, 2019

"We Alp Cycles Women's Racing Team headed to Leadville, Colorado for #alpfatcamp - three days of fat biking, Nordic skiing, yoga, and team bonding. Some teammates were meeting for the first time, and others were completely new to fat biking and Nordic skiing. At 10,000ft with cold temps and new equipment, we were all in for a great adventure."

The Art of Being Prepared

by Alison Powers
March 29, 2019

The art of being prepared comes down to one thing - no surprises on race day.

Preparing for race day is more than training and recovery. Success on race day requires precise preparation. This means the things you can control should be dialed in, ready, and give you confidence to have the best performance possible.

Training to Train

by Alison Powers
March 29, 2019

Two weeks ago, while in Leadville for ALP Cycles Racing's Winter Training Camp, a few of the riders asked me if I had started to train yet, and if so, how it's going. A bit of history here: 3 months ago, I signed up for the 141 mile Steamboat Gravel race in August. My reply to the if I had started to train or not question was, "I'm more in the training to train phase. Meaning I have to get my body back to a place where it can handle a training load required."

The Limiter

by Alison Powers
March 23, 2018

"I'm 100% sure I can't do this." I told the yoga instructor after she showed us the next pose we were supposed to get into and hold. With tight shoulders and a delicate elbow, I was sure that my body would not get into or like the pose. The nice instructor came over and, in less than a minute, I was in the pose doing something I was convinced my body couldn't do and it actually felt good.

Community

by Alison Powers
January 12, 2018

"Other than taking over the world, our goal, here at ALP Cycles, is to build community. Through our coaches, our athletes, and our race team, we have a group of cyclists who enjoy learning, trying new things, being challenged, and most of all, enjoy riding and spending time with each other; Community."

The Art of Being Prepared

by Alison Powers
April 04, 2017

The art of being prepared comes down to one simple thing—no surprises on race day.

Preparing for race day is more than training and recovery. Success on race day requires precise preparation. This means the things you can control should be dialed in, ready, and give you confidence to have the best performance possible.

“Fail to prepare and prepare to fail”—famous quote by someone who inspires people to get their sh*t together.

Quality Over Quantity

by Alison Powers
March 10, 2017

For most of us, we don’t have 15-25hrs each week to train and ride our bike. We have to make the most of what time to train we have. For this reason each training ride or workout session must be quality. The secret, then, is knowing if your ride or workout really was good quality, or if you were just going through the motions.

Turn Strong Into Powerful

by Alison Powers
February 22, 2017

Over the past 4-6 months, many of us have spent time in the gym, or home gym, strength training. We're making our cycling bodies strong, well rounded, and ready to hammer out a strong and long lasting cycling season. However, no matter how strong you are in the gym, it doesn't necessarily translate into a fast bike rider. In order to make that strength transition to the bike, you need to transition those strong muscles to powerful and quick muscles.

Strength Training, Cyclists & DOMS

by Alison Powers
January 13, 2017

After spending 4 hours re-creating our Off Season Strength Program last month, I was sore. My glutes, upper back, and hamstrings all had signs of DOMS. DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness) is a common result of physical activity that stresses the body...

How to Stay Motivated for Racing in the Summer Months

by Alison Powers
June 20, 2016

“Before training for Goal #2. it’s really important to take a mid season break.” by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching It’s finally summer time. The weather is nice and the days are long. However, for many bike racers, June is a tough month, motivation wise. Early season races have come and gone, goals have either […]

What Does it Take to be the Best?

by Alison Powers
April 11, 2016

“For me, my hard work, focus and sacrifice were 100% every day.” by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching While visiting my parents a few weeks ago, my Mom asked me to clean some of my old stuff from the closet. I found many notebooks of old training logs, on snow training plans, workout ideas, and […]

How to Stay Motivated for Racing in the Summer Months

by Alison Powers
August 03, 2015

My favorite way to keep training fun is to ride different bikes. by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching It’s finally summer time. The weather is nice and the days are long. However, for many bike racers, July is a tough month, motivation wise. Early season races have come and gone, goals have either been met […]

New Year’s (Bike) Resolution

by Alison Powers
December 30, 2014

‘Tis the time of year for us to make New Year’s resolutions… by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching How about making this year’s resolution about your bike riding? Pick one thing that you know you need to do to make yourself a better bike rider and/or faster bike racer. This one thing usually isn’t something sexy […]