In North America, winter riding can take on a lot of different forms. In the Pacific Northwest for example, constant rain is a necessary evil with occasional snowfall as many in Vancouver have recently experienced!

The constant here is that specialty clothing is required for each type of condition. As the temperature drops and wind chills increase, correct clothing and equipment choice is essential.

A good place to start is your bicycle. Adding some sort of fender to the front and rear wheels will limit the spray from wet roads. In fact, the worst part of riding in the rain is not the rain itself but the road spray coming up from the tires. This is the black gunk that stains your clothes a dark grey and never washes out! Growing up in rainy Vancouver, Canada we even had purpose built ‘Winter bikes’ with extra seals on the bearings, heavier tires and full fenders with mudflaps (cyclo-x bikes are perfect since there is plenty of clearance for fenders). If someone did not have fenders AND mudflaps, they had to stay at the back of our group on training rides. If there is a potential of black ice, studded tires would work wonders.

Getting yourself dressed appropriately for the weather conditions is a critical part of winter riding. It will take some experience to know how many and which layers to use for specific conditions. Generally, as the wind chill increases (combination of temperature and wind velocity), the more insulation layers are needed and the more wind proof the outer layer needs to be.

Starting from the top, your head is where you can lose a lot of heat. There are great balaclavas that are thin enough to wear under your helmet, yet provide excellent thermal insulation. For windy and/or wet days, a gore-tex helmet cover works wonders, albeit slightly geeky. Having a set of mini-earmuffs can also be useful, and these can usually be found at cross-country ski stores.

For your torso, I find that wool under layers really do work best – I really like the Ice Breaker brand. Start with thin layers and gradually thicken the outer layers, depending on how cold things are. Most importantly, buy layers that have a longer zipper so that if the weather warms up or you’re climbing a hill, you can unzip to create increased ventilation and lessen the amount of sweat produced. Finish off with a wind barrier appropriate for the conditions. If it’s wet, it should be a heavier “gore-tex” type jacket with sealed seams, etc. Sometimes, a wind vest is all that you’ll need. Be sure that your outer layer has reflective taping that will help with lower light visibility.

For your legs, a good pair of thermal tights works well – either use suspenders or get the bib style. The cycling pedaling action will tend to work the tights down if you don’t have anything holding them up. Incidentally, tightening a draw string around your waist is actually like choking yourself since your best breathing is done with your stomach contracting and expanding. As the wind chill increases and the chance of rain increases, tights with a water/windproof front panel can be very useful. Tights should also be long enough to overlap the top of your booties.

Keeping the feet and hands warm has been a perennial challenge for cyclists. Some riders with circulation problems will need more robust options than others. Generally, for your hands, lobster style mitts or even full mitts are warmer than individual finger gloves. For rain days, “gore-tex” mitt covers as a second layer can work wonders.  Emergency warming can be done by pulling into a local convenience store and quickly throwing your soaked gloves into the microwave for 30 seconds or so – really, this works!

For the feet, there are greater challenges as they are exposed to the tire spray on wet days. Serious winter riders will have a second pair of cycling shoes, ½ size larger so they can wear 2 layers of socks. In rainy conditions, extra holes are drilled into the bottom of the shoe to let water flow through. On longer rain rides, your feet will get wet, no matter what you do!  In any case, wool socks really do make a difference since they stay warm when wet. The wetter and colder the conditions, the better the bootie cover you need. Extreme conditions will require an insulation bootie along with a rainproof cover. Finish off by pulling your tights over the top of the bootie so water won’t run into your feet. Emergency wind proofing can be accomplished by using small sandwich baggies over the toes of your stocking feet, then sliding your foot into your shoe.

Riding conditions during the winter create additional dangers for cyclists. There are shorter daylight hours so adding flashing LED lights to your bike that can be seen from the front, back AND sides are crucial for any type of dusk or night riding. Tires with reflective sidewalls work wonders. Potholes can fill with water disguising them as simple puddles, so watch out! Snow can melt across the road during the day and freeze over night causing black ice. It’s simply a good idea to ride with more caution during the winter.

If you’re having a bad day in the cold, just think about how hard this day was for the boys during the ’88 Giro over the Gavia Pass. This was an epic day that started in the rain, went up into the snow and down to Bormio in the rain. This clip is from the top of Gavia as the guys are stopping to put on warm clothes. At the finish, many can’t even walk. There’s bit on Bob Roll (in a green rain hat) sobbing….these boys aren’t made of chocolate:

Finally, it’s important to pay attention to the constantly changing conditions of winter and adapt with your equipment and riding style. Have fun out there and be safe.

You may want to kick some butt in more than one GranFondo next year…or just better your time in the one you did last year. Either way, setting a goal is going to keep you motivated throughout the long winter months.

I thought that I’d make sure that you were aware of some very cool Pro races happening in North America these days – watch the videos on their sites and get inspired to go down and watch! Some of the climbs of these races are just like being in Europe watching the best ‘players’ duking it out.

The best pros in the world will be planning to win these races and they are training hard right now to be ready. Most of the guys will put on 10,000+ kilometers at low intensity over the winter before they start to go hard. The bigger the base, the more consistent their season will be.

Amgen Tour of California
May 13-20
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/
You can even ride a full stage of the event on April 28.

Tour of Utah
August 7-12
http://www.tourofutah.com/

U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge
August 20-26
http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/

So, set your calendars and plan to be one of those screaming fans giving Cadel or Andy a push!

Giving Andy a "push"

Pedaling motion should include a flexible ankle. Much like a walking motion, your heel should lead the downward motion—this allows for power to be applied as high as possible to the pedal stroke. At the bottom of the stroke, use a scraping motion, as if you’re cleaning off the cleat. To start the upstroke, pull up on the heel first so that the heel leads. Try working with one foot first by unclipping the other foot and resting it on the trainer. Focus on the downstroke, then the upstroke, then combining the two. Start with slower 50 RPM range, focusing on technique. Progress to the other foot, then combine both feet. The key is  to start with 5 minutes per foot then increase to longer  periods until you are “ankling” for the whole workout. Once you feel comfortable,  keep the cadence at a minimum of 90 rpm.

Breathing properly takes practice and concentration. Most people try to breathe deeper by expanding their chest—the intercostal muscles between the ribs don’t move much so there is not a maximum expansion taking place. The best way to pull air into the lungs is with your diaphragm. By expanding the stomach outward, you pull down your diaphragm, opening the thoracic cavity and allowing the lungs to expand to maximum capacity. Conversely, when you contract your stomach muscles, the diaphragm pushes upward, forcing the maximum amount of air out. Just like the pedaling skills, try the breathing technique for 5 minutes at a time and gradually increase the time that you breathe properly.

As these pedaling and breathing techniques become second nature to you, you’ll become more efficient at using the horsepower that you have. As you become fatigued, you will then have these techniques to focus on to help you through those ‘rough patches.’ Repeated practice will reinforce the skills—be diligent and you’ll be ready by Spring!

For more tips, go to http://www.thesmoothride.net/

Long View along with our clients and partners rode the RBC GranFondo Whistler as a group of 18 - most had never done a GF, let alone ridden 120km at 30kph! Here is a video recap of their day.

Long View Systems (a NetApp Gold Partner) assembled a group of 18 riders to take part in the RBC Gran Fondo Whistler – a 120km “Big Ride” from Vancouver to Whistler, Canada on Saturday, September 10, 2011, including 7,500 feet of climbing! Participants included Andrew Bentley, Gord Mawhinney, Michael Kochorek, Alex Stieda and Robert Rodriguez from Long View. Partner participation from NetApp (Patrick Rogers, VP Corporate Alliances & Phil Brotherton, VP Microsoft Business Unit) and VMware (Scott Munson, Senior Director, Global Strategic Alliances). Benny Cifelli, NetApp’s Western Regional Manager tagged along as well! 10 Long View customers rode with us including clients from Cole Financial (Phoenix); CNRL and Alliance Pipeline (Calgary); West Vancouver School District, Glacier Media, Aritzia and Intrawest (Vancouver); and Simmax (Edmonton). The intrepid group was sponsored by the members of Team FlexPod – NetApp, VMware, Cisco and of course, Long View! All riders rode in the colours of NetApp’s professional cycling team, Team NetApp.

Friday night, VMware sponsored a group dinner to warm things up. We woke up at 5AM for a healthy buffet breakfast, then at 6AM rode over to the start in the dark under the street lights – very surreal. We turned the corner to see 7,000 other participants lined up to ride! After a team photo and stirring rendition of O’ Canada from long time Vancouver musicians Jim Cuddy and Barney Bentall, started the ride at 7AM. While the sun was rising, we rode over the Lions Gate Bridge….an incredible start to the day.

At the top of the first climb, we re-grouped into 2 teams of 9 (a Tour de France team has 9 riders) and rode together to the rest stop outside of Squamish, half way through the ride. After a quick water bottle refill, we starting the work of climbing to Whistler against a strong headwind and temperatures approaching 30C. Everyone rode at their own pace, wrestling with their inner demons and many finished with surprisingly fast times. After a cold ‘pop’ in the beer garden we took a power nap and got together for dinner that night sponsored by NetApp. Sunday morning, Cisco sponsored the breakfast hosted by Ronnie Scott one of their senior SE’s. A private bus whisked everyone back to Vancouver for their connections home.

Team NetApp Cycling also included a mention of our ride. Check it out here.

I strongly support trying a new activity. Technical sports can be frustrating at first but the mental benefits of learning a new motor skill are worth it. However, if you want to keep improving as a cyclist, your cross-training needs to be at least somewhat complementary to the kinesthetic systems that keep your bike moving. I tend to avoid impact sports like squash, basketball or volleyball that are tough on knees and ankles. You don’t want to spend your off-season recovering from a strained ACL or torn Achilles tendon.

For cyclists, an ideal cross-training program should help you meet at least one of these three goals:

WORK CYCLING MUSCLES Any kind of skating motion will use many of the same muscles as cycling. Cross-country skate skiing, ice hockey and speed skating are great cross-training activities. If you don’t live close to snow or ice, try rollerblading or roller skiing.

MAINTAIN AEROBIC POWER It’s important to train aerobically during the winter to maintain your base power. Watch that your heart rate doesn’t spike very often over your Lactate Threshold into the anaerobic zone. Wear your heart rate monitor as long as you know where your Lactate Threshold (LT) heart rate is. If you don’t know your LT then get a VO2 test done so that you can train effectively. My general rule of thumb is to work out at a level where you can still carry on a covnersation. Classic and skate cross-country skiing are excellent aerobic activities, as is running—but be sure to build mileage slowly to prevent injuries.

IMPROVE STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY Rebalance your body by strengthening your core muscle groups, which aren’t developed by cycling but are key to generating power on the bike. Yoga or Pilates will build core strength, especially in your lower back and stomach. Also, stretch after your rides and cross-training workouts, concentrating on your calves, IT bands and hamstrings.

I’ve heard rumblings about Cadel being too passive and amazement over Andy Schleck’s gutsie ride…but this just means that people care…and they were watching and getting informed.

Cadel’s BMC team came into the Tour with a plan, and in reality, made it work just like they needed to, to win. Their preparation before the race was perfect. Riding the Dauphine (instead of Tour de Suisse) was the right thing to do as the TT in the Dauphine was on the same course as the final TT of the Tour. As any of the guys will tell you, riding a course at race pace is the only way to really understand where you can gain time. There was no thought of sprint stage wins, just a clear focus on getting Cadel into yellow in Paris.

BMC brought some real ‘horses’ (Hincapie, Burghardt, Morabito to name a few) to the Tour so they could protect Cadel at the front of the race during the first, frantic week. All of the players were hand picked to provide support for Cadel at certain points of the 3 week race. Everyone knew that these routes would be narrow, windy and wet (it always rains in Brittany). I got tired of hearing guys complain about it…that’s racing.

Being 1 second out of the lead was perfect for BMC in the early weeks. Voeckler’s team, Europcar did most of the pacing and BMC was happy to let them ride.

Into the Pyrenees, all Cadel needed to do was to stay close to the GC rivals; mainly the Schlekies & Contador. All he needed to do was to go into the final TT and be within 2 minutes of these guys and he knew that he would be able to destroy them in the TT.

Watching Cadel descend down technical descents was magical as Contador flailed behind him with no technical skills what so ever. Hearing the Schleckies complain about dangerous descents made me tweet irresponsibly…how bad does it get when full on pros are whining about the race courses. ‘Get over it’ is all I can say.

In the Alps, BMC didn’t panic even when Cadel had a mechanical (what happened to his bike, anyway, does anyone know?). BMC re-grouped and chased back as close as they could before Cadel took the reins to bring back Andy…that was the day he won the Tour.

Why do we care? It’s really a great lesson in preparation and planning of strategy. Being flexible in times of stress and sticking to the plan when situations may have dictated otherwise. Every business could learn something from these incredible 3 weeks in July, 2011. Cadel in yellow on the podium in Paris was really a culmination of 2 years of planning by Jim Ochowicz and his management team. Congrats boys, chapeau.

Gastown 1983 - Cornering at speed and staying relaxed! Dave Mendenhall Photography

Descending can be the most exhilarating aspect of cycling but you’ve got to do it right. During this year’s Tour de France, watch the pros as they ‘bomb’ the descents. There is always a smooth, calculated line and careful consideration taken, even if it looks like they are descending like madmen. Many times during my European racing campaign I often had to rely on my descending skills to get me back into the main peloton…after being dropped on the climbs!

Over many years of teaching cycling skills, I have found that going fast downhill is one of the hardest things for new cyclists to get used to. The reason is simple: Speed scares people. Even some pros don’t descend correctly, either because they’re nervous or don’t practice it enough. As I noted above, the guys that don’t climb as well have to improve their descending in order to catch up. Personally, I live for carving turns, fast.

To start, familiarize yourself with the condition of the road surface by riding up the hill. Watch for loose gravel on the shoulders, potholes or cracks on the pavement. I recently took a group on the descent in the Pyrenees where Italian rider Fabio Casartelli died after crashing in the 1995 Tour de France. After gazing at his memorial, I pointed out the shaded areas where slick, green tinges of moss sprouted from gaps in the pavement. Reduced traction, plus the quick changes in light from brilliant sunshine to heavy shade, no doubt contributed to his accident. If you don’t know the road, GO SLOW.

For some quick tips, check out:

Look also at the radius of the turns—do they follow a continuous arc, or do they become sharper during the middle of the turn? Are there sections that suddenly become steeper? As you gain experience, you will be able to analyze on the fly, at speed. When you’re ready to head down, follow these simple steps:

1) Space yourself out. In group situations such as a Gran Fondo, leave at least a bike length gap to the rider in front of you. This will let you see the road surface ahead and give you time to react. You also don’t know the skill level of the riders around you!

2) Ride in the drops. With your hands on the lower part of the handlebar, your center of gravity is lower to the ground, like a race car. Also, your weight will be more evenly distributed between the front and rear wheels, which helps maintain traction, especially during braking and turning.

3) Scan ahead. Look for danger signs, so you have time to react. In the turns keep your eyes on the turn’s exit, which will help you carve a smooth, steady line through the whole turn.

4) Stay Relaxed. Start at the top of your body and feel yourself relax. Keep breathing (!), unclench your jaw by opening your mouth, drop your shoulders, bend your elbows, flex your fingers so that you don’t have a ‘death grip’ on the bars, uncurl your toes and let your feet lie flat on the bottom of your shoes!

5) Use subtlety to slow. It’s all about anticipating your next movement. By thinking about what you’re going to do next, you will brake more gradually and cause less anxiety for yourself and those around you. For more controlled slowing, gently squeeze both levers with 2 to 3 second light brake pulses, equal pressure on both levers. Constantly riding the brakes on big descents can cause rims to overheat—and possibly blow out a tire.

6) Corner smart. The biggest mistake I see people make descending is that they wait until they’re in the middle of a turn to brake. Instead, brake before the turn, so that once you enter it, you’re off the brakes with your fingers around the handlebar. If you have to brake while you’re in the turn, you didn’t slow down enough to begin with. After finishing your braking, push your outside pedal down (right turn, left foot down) with pressure on that foot. To initiate the turn, lean the bike—not your body—into the turn (right turn, lean bike right). The faster and sharper the turn, the more the bike leans. This action is very similar to downhill skiing where the lower body angulates into the turn while the upper body remains upright. Exit the turn by gently straightening the bike.

7) Practice. Start out on a flat parking lot and go through the progression until it becomes second nature. Then graduate to your favorite downhill corner going a little faster each time. NEVER cross the center line to shortcut a turn.

Visit The Smooth Ride for more details on how to descend.

As a newer rider, one of the most intimidating aspects of participating in a Gran Fondo is riding safely in the group. You’ve got to follow a few simple rules in order to be a safe group rider:

1) Ride predictably – try not to make quick or sudden moves that will cause a chain reaction behind you.

2) Keep your fingers close to the brake levers – if you need to brake, simply squeeze gently on both levers with even pressure on both. Avoid sudden braking by looking ahead and anticipating what is happening in front of the group you are in.

3) Keep your cadence in the 90 RPM range so you can easily adjust your speed up or down – adjust your gearing for the terrain BEFORE you need to by looking ahead. Get used to changing your gears, WITHOUT LOOKING down!

4) Do NOT overlap the wheel of the rider in front of you – focus on looking ahead of the group you are in and use your peripheral vision to gauge the distance to the wheel in front.

5) Point out (and yell if you have to) when you see a dangerous object on the road in front of you.

6) Stay focused – 100% concentration is needed to continually scan the road ahead of you watching for any situation that could cause problems.

Finally, if you feel up to it, take a turn at the front to help the group along. No one likes a wheel sucker and after all, if everyone does their bit, you will all roll along faster to your destination.

You may also want to buy a new frame or bike, try a different saddle, upgrade your shoes or change your handlebars. In either case, it’s important to get good advice from your local pro shop.

When buying a new frame or complete bike it is crucial to be fitted by a professional bike fitter. The #1 reason why people don’t ride more is because they are uncomfortable, usually due to improper bike fit. In addition to correct saddle height,  saddle fore-aft position, reach to the handlebars, height of the handlebars in relation to the saddle height will all contribute to your overall comfort level.

Trying a different saddle can be bring real benefits – recent developments in saddle design have made 100% difference in my personal riding comfort level. Be sure to record your saddle height before removing the old saddle as some saddle rails sit higher than others. Also, once you find the saddle you like, be sure to put the same one on your other bikes. Again, if you’re unsure, consult with your local pro shop.

Upgrading your shoes needs to be carefully addressed. Cleat position is critical and again, a professional bike fitter is your best friend! Most people can benefit from an arch support insert, whether it’s a custom orthotic or off-the-shelf version.

Handlebar shape design has developed significantly in recent years. Changes in reach, width, drop and bend can effect how your hands rest on the bars as well as how easily you can reach the brake levers. This is especially important for riders with small hands. A good pro shop will help explain the best options for your needs. Bar tape has also been raised to new levels with gel pads that can be inserted under the tape and spongy, soft wraps that make the bar feel like baby’s skin.