Training Concepts: Body Concepts Kick Off Ride Part 1

image provided courtesy of Body Concepts Inc.

I had originally thought to cover the first Body Concepts training ride for the 2011 season in one blog but realized that there were multiple points to cover so I am making it a three part series. For today, I want to cover the training concepts that were covered in the ride. For those of you relatively new to road bike racing (as I am) I hope to give some insight on what you might expect as you begin your journey.

Concept One: Not As Easy As It Looks on TV
The goals for the first ride were pretty simple.  Take it easy while building time in the saddle and practice pacelines. We did a lot of work on the continuous pacelines in flat and downhill (a long gradual descent) conditions.

Review from a previous blog: Continuous pacelines is where you have two lines.  In this case, the line on the left is the line driving the pace.  The line on the right is going about one mile an hour slower.  As a new rider takes the lead on the left, they only lead long enough to clear the front wheel of the line on the right.  At that point, the rider on the right yells "Clear" to signal that the rider on the left can move over and slow down.  As last rider on the left passes the last rider on the right, he yells "Last One" to signal the rider on the right to join the faster line on the left.

Everyone worked hard to make the continuous paceline run as smooth as possible.  It isn't as easy as it looks on TV when the pros are doing it, but at the end of the day I would say we did an outstanding job.  Through practice, it became much easier. 

Two things that are difficult to remember: 
1. When you take the lead, don't charge ahead, keep an even pace.
2. When you move to the slower line, remember to back off and slow down. 
Helpful hints: Always keep an eye on your speedometer. It will tell you how fast to go when you take the lead. Use your speedometer to maintain the speed you were at when you took over the lead. When you pull off the lead, look at your speedometer again and subtract one mile an hour from it to get your new pace speed.

Concept Two: Not Every Racing Team Has to Leave Slower Riders in the Dust
One of the great things about the Body Concepts team is that they don't leave people behind that can't keep the pace of the stronger riders.  As the stronger riders make it to the top of a hill, they turn around and and go back until they pass the last rider.  At that point, they do a u-turn and do the climb again. Not only does it help encourage the slower riders to keep at it, but it ends up enhancing the ride for the stronger rider by getting more hill work.

Concept Three: Sometimes You Take A Hill in Something Other Than A Granny Gear
As we approached the big climb for the day, Baxter's Grade, Rob (the team leader) suggested that we approach the hill differently than normal today.  To help build strength we are to climb the hill using a hard gear.  Climb it while keeping about 50 rpm (which is really low) and keep your heart rate in Zone 2 (for those without heart rate monitors: you are working hard but still able to keep a conversation).  That was a fun challenge that I hadn't tried before. I can't say that I have suddenly noticed a difference in my climbing since I have only done it once, but it is something that would be good to practice more and see what happens.

Concept Four: Staying Alive in Hazardous (read: wet) Conditions with Good Communication
The road was extremely wet and slick from recent rains.  This made me really nervous to do paceline work during the whole ride.  When you ride in pacelines, you don't have a good view of obstacles in front of you. Pot holes, steel grates, man hole covers, and rocks become major hazards.  If something doesn't get pointed out you can find yourself on the ground or flatted quickly.  Fortunately everyone on the team did a great job of pointing out hazards when they had a turn in front. Communication is key for safety.

Concept Five: Look Out Below!
This is just a teaser. I will be covering this more in tomorrow's blog.

For my first real glimpse into riding with a racing team I felt happy to be a part of the team and really looking forward to the next ride. I hope to have many more lessons to share on my new journey into the next level of cycling glory. Stay tuned for part two (which I hope to post tomorrow morning) when I reveal the story behind Concept Five.