Training Tips

Unless you live in the tropics or some warm southern state like Arizona or Florida, chances are you’ve succumbed to the trainer this winter. While the trainer is better than not getting on the bike at all, you may experience differences in power output. I asked a bunch of coaches, from my fellow ALP Cycles coaches as well as my network of colleagues to see what their experience is with indoor verses outdoor power, and it turns out they all agree that for some athletes, there is a difference. But just how much of a difference is unpredictable at best.

Last weekend, in Colorado Springs, was the USA Cycling Coaches Summit. Every two years coaches from around the country come to USA Cycling to increase their coaching knowledge and knowhow.

This blog is about my experience at the UCI DS training program. I spent the last 3 weeks in Switzerland and it was almost like a reunion! I knew lots of the people in my class, people that I have met somewhere during my long pro racing career.

"How many of you have overtrained?"  asked Dr. San Millan to a room full of 25 coaches and athletes.

Every single person raised their hand.

Everyone, at some point in their athletic lives, will overtrain. In the summer time it's easy to throw in extra mileage even though you've done 15 hours of riding that week and it's only Friday - what's the harm? And while it's ok to pile on the extra miles every once in a while, making a habit of it means you'll eventually find out why rest days are super important. And that lesson could cost you a week, a month, a season or a full year. 

We’ve become obsessed with data and athletic performance: watts/kilo, time spent in specific zones, nutrition, strength training and conditioning - yet very little emphasis is placed on the importance of sleep as a means to optimize athletic performance. You work hard at hitting your numbers during interval workouts, gaining strength at the gym, logging your every move - but are you sabotaging your efforts by not getting enough sleep?

As a coach, I'm always looking for ways to improve my coaching game. I read anything sport psychology I can get my hands on, study race tactics, share information with other coaches and I also get to apply self-coaching to see if what I'm sharing actually works.  I'm also blessed to be married to a coach and we frequently bounce ideas off of one another. When I found myself floundering in the national level crits this season, struggling with how to surf the front of the field verses tail gunning the back, Benjamin had some suggestions.

Fall is right around the corner. The road racing and MTB season is coming to an end, many of my athletes have already completed their last race for 2016 or then they maybe have 1 or 2 races left. The question is now what? Taking an off season break already is a bit early- even though your mind is probably tired and the motivation not as big anymore.

Preparing for race day is more than training and recovery. by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching 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 […]

…cluttering that routine with unnecessary rules is a good way to keep chaotic dialogue going in your head. by Jennifer Sharp, ALP Cycles Coaching This past April and May, I had the pleasure of racing the Cherry Creek Time trial series with ALP Cycles Coaching Athlete, Kimberly Hodes. Kimberly (who is very goal driven – […]

What to do when riding isn’t an option. by Alison Powers, ALP Cycles Coaching Good fitness requires consistency. Good bike riding fitness requires consistent bike riding. However, for some of us, it can be tough to find time to fit in 3 bike rides a week. And for others, due to travel, work, family, and […]

“Chicago Women’s Elite Cycling Team Warming up for the Time Trail at Joe Martin Stage Race.” by  Jennifer Sharp, ALP Cycles Coaching 3% You spend money on equipment, coaching, nutritional advice, etc. yet are you getting the most out of your racing? If you knew that you could improve your cycling by 3% and increase […]

“If all else fails, try taking melatonin 30 min before bedtime.” by ALP Cycles Coaching A lot of us use exercise to improve our sleep. However, for many of us, after a hard training ride, it can be tough to get a good night sleep. Here are some tips to help ensure a better night […]

“Race season is here!” by  Jennifer Sharp, ALP Cycles Coaching As winter becomes a distant memory and spring arrives with a bang – you can look back and reflect on the dozens of intervals, hours of gym workouts, and mental preparation you’ve devoted to the dark winter months. Race season is here! Whether you’ve been […]

“We rode to the Louisville Criterium course, a moderate course with 1 tough corner and an uphill finishing stretch that is usually windy.” by ALP Cycles Coaching We think the most important thing a coach can do for her/his athletes, is to ride with them. So much knowledge and information can be gained from seeing […]

“It’s important to plan structured, targeted and regular training followed by rest days and rest periods.” by Patricia Schwager, ALP Cycles Coaching We all know that to become better at something we need to practice. Consistent training is key, in order to make progress in your training. If you like to become better at riding […]

“Recovering on the bike is actually harder than it sounds.” by  ALP Cycles Coaching Everyone at the camp has been working hard with long endurance rides with pack handling skills, how to get up and over punchy climbs, technical fast downhill cornering, climbing in and out of the saddle, and eating cookies at the Cookie […]

“The worst part about having a job is how it affects your training. Let us be really realistic here – the majority of cyclists in the United States work some type of job.” by Raquel Miller, ALP athlete who works with Coach Alison Powers April 2013 was my first month of coaching with Alison Powers/ALP […]

“…when you can’t quite get to everything, do what you can when you can.” by Mia Cheeseman, Athlete that works with Jennifer Sharp, ALP Cycles Coaching This week’s blog post is written by ALP Athlete Mia Cheeseman who works with ALP Coach Jennifer Sharp. Too often, life gets in the way of our cycling training. If […]

Cyclo-Cross Clinic Part 3: Fitness and Training In part one and two of our Cyclo-Cross clinic we have looked at technique and equipment, in this edition we move to how you can adapt your body and fitness to handle and demands of this highly intensive racing discipline. For those people who are new to cross racing […]

Cyclo-Cross Clinic Part 2: Equipment In part one of the cyclo-cross essentials series we talked about the various techniques needed to race cyclo-cross. In part two we are going to talk about equipment choice, everything from tire pressure, specific tire choice, brakes, bike set up and even the importance of having two bikes. The correct […]

Cyclo-Cross Clinic Part 1: Technique Cycle-Cross has become one of the fastest growing disciplines within the UK cycling scene and with the ever increasing amount of newbies taking this sport up it’s important to get to grips with the basics of cross racing. The team at Dig Deep Coaching has spent many years learning, practicing […]