Conference noted::bicycle

    Hi Deb,
    
    I'm a bit the opposite.  I'm a cyclist (reasonably serious but not fit)
    who does some running in the winter since I prefer to wash the mud off
    me and my clothes than off my bike.
    
    The first thing that I found was that my fitness was much, much, greater
    than my strength and I got all sorts of injuries from over-doing it
    (shit splints, achilles, you name it).
    
    So if you are starting in the other direction I would recommend that
    you get an experienced, but understanding cyclist to help you to
    get your bike set up.  This will include clipless peddles (by the way
    the word you are looking for is `toe clips', or `rat traps'), but most
    of all the posture and other such setting of the bike (the most
    comfortable is not necessarily the best).
    
    If you are *very* fit and are frightened of injuries you may want to go
    as far as getting someone to suggest a small series of sessions of
    weights to get the required muscle balance.  Otherwise keep it well
    within your capabilities and most of all keep in a small (low) gear. 
    The possibility of damage is much increased with low peddle revs (I
    should know, I sprained several muscles because of exactly that in a
    race last w/e).  Get a cadence (peddle rev) counter and train yourself
    to keep high - at least 80-100 rpm.
    
    Beware of stretching, most cyclists don't stretch and cycling is one of
    the worst sports for flexibility.
    
    And most of all, enjoy it.  Its a great sport and a good cross
    training...
    		/rod

Deb,

I was a miler and two-miler in high school when I switched to biking.  You'll
find many of the things you built up for running are directly transferrable to
biking like "endurance", "strength", etc.  But some of the things you need to
work on are:

Shifting - One bad shift and you could be left in the dust by an experienced 
           racer.  This is probably what will keep you from winning your
           first few times out.

Riding in a pack - It will be a little scary at first to be going almost 40
           mph with your front tire inches from the rear tire of the bike
           in front of you.  It will be equally scary for the person in
           front once she learns this is the first time you have done it.

Turning on sand/gravel - With your strong legs, you will be going pretty fast 
           from the first time you hop on a road bike.  Take the time to learn 
           how the bike performs on poor road surfaces.

Know the limits of your equipment - You will be far stonger than your 
           bicycling skills say you should be.  Don't push it to the limit
           until you now what the limit is on your equipment.  


In my first bicycle races, I did very well, but the above items were things
I needed to master over time.

Jim

    Hi, Deb,
    I run around 600-800 miles per year and ride around 1700 miles.  -.1
    has given solid advice and I second it regarding getting your bike
    properly setup and spinning 80-100 in relatively low gears for around
    300-500 miles. I do a lot of recreational riding out exploring the
    country side and I enjoy it greatly!
    
    The additional caution is that if you are running 5 times a week or
    more and want to supplement with bicycle crosstraining that you are
    careful not to overdo the biking.  If you do a hard ride or an
    especially long ride you must count these rides as hard workouts for
    that week in order to keep your training balance between hard and easy
    days.  That was hard for me since I wanted to run the same but
    bicycling was so seductive that I wound up going on longer and longer
    weekend rides.  Once you are used to riding you can certainly work in
    more riding and still count the riding as easy days.  The time trial
    rides are not easy days, especially at first.  But they are a lot of
    fun and a great workout!
    
    I now ride more than I run in the Summer and switch to more running
    during the Winter.  
    
    Enjoy!  You have much fun ahead of you!
    Rick 

    If you truly want cycling to complement your running, I would take
    advantage of something cycling can give you with minimal risk of
    injury.  Intense interval training.
    
    I am a runner by birth.  Interval training (sprints) to build speed
    is essential to being a competitive runner at any distance.  Runners 
    risk injury doing speed work (high impact).  This is where cycling 
    can help.  If you do 5-10 sprints on your bike over a distance less 
    than 1 mile you can give the heart and lungs a major workout *without* 
    stressing shins, feet, knees.  Find a safe (low or no vehicle traffic)
    road to do this where side roads don't exist.  Wear your helmet and
    enjoy the endorphin highs from the effort.
    
    Save your training runs for endurance builders.  Add cycling speedwork 
    to make you a superwoman who can compete in running or cycling.

Come to the Bedford, MA, library this Sunday AM at 9:30 and partake of the NEBC
(Northeast Bicycle Club) new racer training, if you wish to learn about bicycle
racing.  Even if you don't want to race, you can get some help with riding
technique, pacelines, cornering, time trialing, and most important, bike fit. 
Your node would tend to indicate you work in Maynard, so Bedford probably is not
too far off for you.

Another option is to show up there at 6pm on Monday night for the "recovery
ride", which is usually 16-20 miles, at a moderate/light pace.  We are
recovering from racing on Sunday, so we don't push it.  There you can get advice
on bike fit.

You may also take yourself & bike to your local bike shop and ask their help.

Good Luck,
Tim
(I only run 7 miles, twice a week, in the dead of winter, and I don't really
enjoy it much)

    WARNING WARNING WARNING
    
    Biking may become habit forming...your endorphin high may wish to 
    switch to biking.
    
    You may wisht to check out some of the more "touring" oriented
    clubs such as Nashoba Valley or Charles River.  Sometimes the 
    racing clubs can be a bit intimidating to newbies.
    
    Steve
    

NEBC is very friendly to new comers, especially if you come on a"newbie day". 
I rode 5 CRW rides and it is very much a clique.  The faster groups go out of
their way to drop you, if they don't know you.  I saw MANY riders riding alone.

If you show up for a training ride, know in advance what to expect and you won't
be disappointed.  For example, don't show up at the Tuesday night North Reading
ride, because it is a take-no-prisoners training ride with some cat 2/3 racers
showing up and pushing the pace.  Monday night recovery rides (NEBC, Bedford MA
library, 6pm) are slow by training ride standards and will usually have some
non-racers who go in the even slower group.

It's all expectations. 

Tim

    I find running and biking muscles pretty much complementary.
    After running Boston, I couldn't climb or descend stairs the
    next day, but rode to work fine!
    Kratz

Biking uses the front-of-the-leg-and-hip muscles and running uses the back. 
Climbing on a bike requires more of the back-of-the-leg muscles.

A really good spin will make use of the hamstrings and calves. 

Tim

    Thanks for all the wonderful advise!  This has really helped a lot.  I
    am planning to go see George (Gamache) this weekend, and have him help
    set me up on my bike.  He's invited me several times to ride with him
    in the morning weekdays, but I leave my house by 5:15 for work, so it
    doesn't really work out for me.  
    
    I think I definitely need a new seat.  I am VERY uncomfortable on mine.
    
    I do have a cyclometer, and try to keep the cadence about 90.  For the
    most part I do, although I usually drop down on the inclines.  
    
    I rode a hilly course after work yesterday.  For those of you who know
    the area,  I took 31 from West Fitchburg, through Ashby center, then
    hooked a left onto 101, and an immediate left onto Rindge rode back
    down to Fitchburg.  My average speed was 16.6 mph.  Is that good?
    
    I know what you mean about habit-forming.  I was really getting into it
    yesterday (especially the downhills!).
    
    Regarding 40mph in a pack, 40mph riding ALONE scares me!  I did reach
    almost 37mph yesterday, and it was pretty thrilling, but kind of scary,
    too.  
    
    I am also going to invest in the clipless pedals & shoes.  And I
    definitely need to learn how to shift better.  Right now it's pretty
    much trial & error.
    
    I won't be able to make Bedford, but thanks just the same for the
    invitation.
    
    I agree about recovering from the Boston Marathon.  I also wasn't ready to
    run the day afterward (and still am not), but the biking feels great!
    
    One last question:  what are some good stretches for biking?  I know
    the usual running stretches, which I am sure would help.  Are there any
    specific to the muscles (quads?) you use for biking?
    
    Keep the notes coming, and thanks again.
    
    Deb
    

Bike racers are notoriously bad at stretching.  I stretch in front of the
evening news every night for 1/2 hour.  I don't stretch much before or right
after a ride.  I will before a race.  I warm up first (10-15 minutes on rollers
next to my car), then stretch.  It is then a battle to stay loose but be able to
jump to the line when they call you so you don't start at the back of the pack.

I stand, and hold my foot at the ankle behind me.  This is the best quad stretch
that I am aware of.

Riding 45 mph is not scary.  Having to TURN at that speed is.  I'm still not
comfortable decending in a pack.  And that is my natural advantage, at 6'3" 185
pounds.

Is 16.6 good?  Probably!  How far did you go?  Most rides I do I can average
that wihtout breaking a sweat, but I ride 5K+ miles a year.

16.6 mph all alone on a hilly course like the one you described puts you in
the intermediate category.  Seasoned riders will do it more in the 20+ mph
range and beginners in the 8-14 range.  15-18 mph is a range I really enjoy
because I frequently ride alone and I gave up racing years ago.  You will be
able to enjoy the scenery and it will keep you in shape, but it won't help you
win races.  If you ride with a pack, you can easily do 3-5 mph faster than that
with the same effort. 

As for the seat, check out the new women's models with the anatomical cutout.
My wife just bought one from Bike Nashbar and loves it. She complained before 
that her seat made her so sore, and that prevented her from riding much.

Jim 

    I agree with Tim on the stretching. I wouldn't do it at all except that
    I am on a PT program for an arthritic spine. 
    
    Besides, stretching just bites into your ride time :-)...
    
    Deb, I ride that section of 31 a lot with the Willard Brook climb
    thrown in. For a woman (I'm not being sexist here) starting out that
    16+mph is damn respectable.
    
    Chip

    Thanks, Chip!  I appreciate your comment.  Do you run anymore?  (Didn't
    you run at lunchtime when we were in Westminster?)
    
    I did get a woman's seat, and also the clipless pedals & shoes.  I took
    a ride on Sunday, but I was pretty tired from a long run that morning,
    so it's hard to say how much they will help me.  One question, though:
    do I need to CONSCIOUSLY use the pedals to my advantage, or will it
    happen "naturally"?  What I mean is do I need to pull up on the
    ascending foot while pushing down on the other, or does that all just
    happened once I'm "hard-wired" to the pedals?  Does this question even
    make sense?
    
    Hopefully, I will get to try out the bike more next week.  I haven't
    been able to ride since Sunday, between work, school, running, and
    family.  I have a [foot] race this w/e, but after that I'm going to try
    to squeeze in more bike time.  I wish I had more than 24 hours in a
    day!
    
    Thanks again.
    
    Deb
    
    PS  For the person who asked, that ride through Ashby was just shy of
    24 miles.
    

RE: <<< Note 3202.14 by POWDML::DSPENCER >>>

>    One question, though:
>    do I need to CONSCIOUSLY use the pedals to my advantage, or will it
>    happen "naturally"?  What I mean is do I need to pull up on the
>    ascending foot while pushing down on the other, or does that all just
>    happened once I'm "hard-wired" to the pedals?

Pulling up does not happen automatically just because the foot is attached to
the pedal, unfortunately. Gravity still rules, and so your leg would naturally
weigh down the up-coming pedal if you didn't use muscle energy to pull it up.

After four or five years with clipless pedals, I still wish that I had a more
effective pedal stroke. I often find myself letting my up-coming leg drag. I've
tried to put more ankle action into the pedal stroke to counter this, such that
the foot is heel-down (or level) on the down-stroke and heel-up on the up-
stroke. That seems to help, though I've never tried to measure it. The benefit
is most pronounced on climbs, where my cadence is lower and I can pull more.
						-- Tom

     I did run for a while (or tried it). I developed shin splints quickly
    and have a not-so-good back so I gave it up. I didn't think it was for
    me anyway. I didn't enjoy it any where near riding.
    
     Deb, one of the advantages of the clipless pedals is the ability to add
    efficiency to the stroke, as mentioned. A lot of folks will advocate
    that the goal is to develop a circular stroke. This, in fact, should
    not be the goal. Studies have concluded, even among the pros, that it
    is a very rare individual that can develop an efficient stroke that
    utilizes most of the stroke. The study showed that most professional
    riders develop what described as more of a square stroke. There are
    only two areas of the stroke that allow any real power delivery 1) the
    down stroke 2) the upstroke. It's the coordination of these two power
    ranges that makes someone fast and efficient or...
    
     BTW, Greg LeMond had an almost perfect pedal stroke. It was said that
    he could deliver as much power on the upstroke as the down stroke.
    
     If you ever get a trainer it will really help you concentrate on the
    stroke. It is difficult while riding due to hills and distractions. I
    really work on my stroke during the winter months on the trainer.
    
     In the meantime, try and pay attention (but not become obsessed with)
    the downstroke - the upstroke and the coordination of relieving your
    opposing (non-power stroke) foot. You'll develop an unconscious rythm
    over time. Once the feel/ryhtm is developed you can work on
    strengthening the stroke 
    
     Oh yeah, one more thing that clipless pedals are great for, stretching
    the calfs :-).
    
     Chip
    
     A strong upstroke really comes in in handy for climbs and sprints.
    Being that you're attached to the pedal you can really torque the
    beejeebers out of the machine. 
    
    

Deb,

Don't think of it as "pulling up", because most experts think there is little
power (15% I think for the pros) as a % of total power, coming from the up
stroke.  Instead, concentrate on "getting the back foot over the top", and the
front foot will take care of itself.

Rollers and fixed-gear are the two best ways I know for rounding out one's pedal
stroke.  A fixed-gear makes you pedal around, develops power on the climbs (stay
seated!) and leg speed on the descents.

Rollers make you smooth.  They remove the upper-body motion that is so wasteful
of energy (they do this because if you aren't smooth, you will fall off.)

I rode about 600k on the rollers this winter (~350 miles), including roller
racing, which greatly improved my leg speed.  I rode the first 500 road miles on
a fixed-gear (67") which improved my power and my leg speed, as well as rounding
out the pedal stroke.

Whenever you're suffering, it's easy to make the mental mistakes.  Don't forget
to think "round strokes, over the top."  Way too many racers make the mistake of
standing up for every climb, and they burn out too quickly.

Ride with an experienced rider, or better yet a racer, and watch and observe.  A
good rider, from behind, will NOT MOVE the upper body at all.  All motion comes
from the hips on down.  They are the riders who track the straightest lines and
waste the least energy.


Tim

    hi Deb,
    
    I run and bike.  I just kinda jumped right into biking (...didn't spend
    too much time incorporating it into my schedule).  I started by
    commuting to work and back.  At the time I was riding to AKO
    (50minutes/each way).  I've been able to bring the time down to 35
    minutes since I moved to LKG.
    
    I find biking a SUPER Xtrainer to my running.  I'll run in the morning
    before work on rainy days (like today).  I've been experiencing some
    knee problems over the past few weeks, especially since my bike has been 
    sitting over the winter.  It usually acts up about 2 or 3 miles into a run
    so I've been riding more and running less.  Last night I did 4 miles
    with NO knee pain and I'm sure it was due to the Xtraining.
    
    Linda