Staying Focused on the Bike via 8 Minute Efforts
1) This week’s banner is from artist, and bike lover, Keith Haring. One of the first public figures to die from HIV/AIDS, his art and foundation became synonymous with the movement to eradicate the disease. There’s a new art institution in DC, the Rubell Museum, and they have a fabulous Haring room. It’s free for DC residents. A modest fee otherwise.
2) This week’s profile includes four, 8-minute efforts. When you consider there are 1440 minutes in a day, and one-mile running is about three to four miles on a bike, this really isn’t much. Or at least that’s what I want you to tell your legs! Each block poses a different challenge: an endurance effort, a pyramid, and two high-intensity intervals — one cadence driven, the other watts driven.
3) There’s a new comic movie out and I read an article (don’t click if you’re avoiding spoilers) about one of the characters being killed and the actor being upset. The director explained, this is Marvel (not the Sopranos), you don’t really die. I found it humorous when riders (and instructors) make every song a life-or-death event. But we all know, you not really losing your breath. You just did too much too soon . . . learn how NOT to lose your breath.
4) One of our goals for this year is the ability to pull back on the throttle and slow down before we bonk. Often, the ability to maintain your breath comes down to focus. I wrote an article for Echelon Fit on keeping your focus on the indoor bike. I’d love your feedback.
5) We continue our look at the various types of cyclists. Sprinters are the Ferrari’s of cycling. Their teams work the whole race to give them a chance to win the sprint finish. Missing is all of the work sprinters do to stay with the peloton, especially when big climbs are part of the profile. Professional riders can generate up to 10 times their body weight in watts on a sprint. Coryn Labecki (nee Rivera) is one of the best . . . see more below.
And if you want to see what the toughest cyclists look like, immerse yourself in cyclocross. Commonly called 60 minutes of hell. In recent years, top cyclocross riders have seamlessly transitioned to the road with success. Lucinda Brand of Team Trek is the latest to do both successfully.