Endurance Cycling Clinic Put on By Experienced Cyclists

T2 members Jim Edwards and Leslie Curley and Manhattan visitors Jack and Jenny Williamson shared information with over 20 attendees at the SW YMCA on Thursday, November 20. Jim, a long-time triathlete who has been fitting bikes to people for many years, discussed the elements of good bike fit and being aero, both of which depend on the individual’s goals. For example, endurance cycling may be best performed in a certain aero position, whereas a triathlete who must complete a lengthy run after a cycling leg may be better in a slightly different aero position. He shared the fact that a person’s body creates 85% drag while on the bike and gave examples of changing frontal mass to reduce that drag as much as possible. He also discussed the importance of nutrition and hydration for endurance athletes and provided links to Web sites with more information on this as well as bike fit.

Leslie, a USAT certified coach and triathlete for many years, then discussed cycling technique and gave several ideas for indoor winter training, including one-legged drills, force drills, and high speed cadence drills. She advised attendees to reflect on their individual goals, current fitness level and time available for training when planning off-season schedules. When asked the best way to improve the cycling leg of a triathlon, Leslie responded with what she considers the two most important ways to improve as a cyclist: 1) time in the saddle and 2) cadence and gearing, which is shifting gears to keep at a target cadence.

Jack and Jenny Williamson, endurance cyclists who participated in such ultra marathon events as the Paris-Brest-Paris, a 750 mile ride in France that takes two years just to qualify, talked about how they got started, how they trained, and shared some of their experiences with the eight qualifying rides and the Paris-Brest-Paris ride itself. 

One topic revisited during the clinic was the importance of monitoring heart rate and working within zones while training, and visitor Dennis Weinbeck, an accomplished cyclist and member of Capp’s Rebound team, encouraged attendees to know what our resting heart rate is; if it’s elevated, especially first thing in the morning, take it easy that day.