Downside of the Pyramid

1) This week’s profile contains an 11-minute warm-up followed by three decreasing intervals of 7, 5, and 3 minutes. [Spotify Playlist]. Discernment is the word we discuss every class. The goal is to match intensity with duration.

2) The banner for this week comes from the prolific painter Alex Katz — Bicycle Rider (1983). At 95, he is still getting love from the art world. The Guggenheim currently has an exhibition of his work and CBS Saturday Morning aired a lovely piece on him. As I watched this piece at the car dealership (4 times!), it made me wonder: “Am I still dreaming? Do I expect great after years on the bike or am I on the downside and accepting my new limitations? “

3) Understanding the relationship between heart rate and effort continues to be our focus. Check out this article on heart rate metrics I wrote for Echelon. We gotta stop pedaling to music. Gotta add specificity to understand how (if?) indoor cycling is impacting our bodies.

(from the article)
A study published by the Journal of Preventive Cardiology revealed cyclists who pedaled with more intensity lived 1.7 to 2.4 years longer than those who pedaled with average intensity.

4) I have uploaded an abridged version of this week’s profile. To access, download Intelligent Cycling for your computer (iOS or Android available too) and search for “Dru Cycles or DruCycles”. You’ll see the ride on the app. It even syncs the cues with music if you link it with Spotify. If you go this route, please reach out to me (or blog name @gmail) and share your experience. I’m exploring ways to connect beyond the spin room. Let’s train!!!

Download Intelligent Cycling to access the profile

5) This playlist contains one of my favorite jazz groups: Gogo Penguin (GGP). They are from England but signed to the legendary Blue Note record label. The track starts with a three-minute lull, followed by a three-minute build. Perfect for our recovery that turns into a time trial. Here’s a clip (this one too) of GGP from their show at the 2022 jazz festival in Montreal. I first saw them at Austin City Limits in 2019.