Masters Road Race results
Christa Zielke rolling out at the start
Blair Barter during the race
Congrats to Christa Zielke and Blair Barter for their results in the Ohio State Masters Cycling Championships on Saturday. The road race was in Georgetown, Ohio, about 45 miles east of Cincinnati. Christa got 3rd in her age group and Blair got 2nd. Both of these ladies are a pleasure to coach. Good job ladies!
Read MoreKness in – knees in – knees in!
Coach O'B says keep your knees tucked in while cycling!
I see bike riders who spend thousands and thousands of dollars on fancy bikes, TT equipment, tricked out wheels, etc. HUGE $$$! And they are missing one of the key fundamentals of efficient bicycle riding – KEEP YOUR KNEES IN! You can save yourself a few grand in aerodynamic equipment, and BE JUST AS FAST, if you keep your knees tucked in!!! It is more aerodynamic and it is so much more efficient! Think of your legs as the pistons of your car engine. Do the pistons bow outwards as they go up and down? That would reduce the amount of power if there was a curve to the movement.
Same with your legs. Your legs will transfer more power to the pedals if there is a straight up & down motion without any “bowing”. With your knees in, or just simply in line with your hips, you are able to fully engage all the muscles in your legs, hips and butt in the down stroke. AND the up stroke, so much easier to pull the pedal upwards!
Think how much more aerodynamic it is!!! Less drag to slow you down. Keeping your knees tucked in is one of the first lessons I teach to all of the young cyclists I coach. If you learn at the beginning of your cycling experience, you will hold onto that principle for the rest of your cycling career.
So, KNEES IN!
The FUTURE of Cincinnati cycling
Mr. Spencer Petrov winning the 10-12 Ohio State Crit. Championships!
Here is the future of Cincinnati cycling, Mr. Spencer Petrov! Spencer, from Mason, Ohio, is shown here winning the 10-12 age group in the Ohio State Junior Criterium Cycling Championships! Coach O’B is watching this guy!
Team Turner Juniors take 1st, 2nd, 3rd at Ohio State Junior Crit Championships
Jack McCann Winning the 15-16 Ohio State Junior Crit. Championships
Congrats to Jack McCann (1st), Samuel Debrozsi (2nd) and Logan Pitcher (3rd) at the Ohio State Junior Criterium Championships. All threee are working with Coach O’B. All of their cycling and hard work has paid off! Nice work boys!!!
CONGRATS to Dan Lach!
Dan Lach - Client of Coach O'B
Coach O’B client Dan Lach takes the win for the 50+ field at The Indianapolis Crit bicycle race on Saturday. Nice ride Dan!!!
The OTHER side of the PEAK
I was thinking today on my ride: How cool is the body? You can totally prepare it for an event, everything can be perfect, you are totally fit, you are 150% mentally prepared, you have all your ducks in a row! You get my point. You are PEAKED for your event. I was peaked for Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. It was great!!
But let me tell you, there is the OTHER side of the peak. That is the mental and physical recovery time necessary after hitting top form. And, brothers and sisters, I was on the OTHER side this week. My cycling this week – Monday: off. Tuesday: attempted a long ride, no go, no juice! Wednesday: tried another 2 hours, felt like poo! Thursday and Friday: OFF, I had too! Saturday: 3 hours and starting to feel a bit better. I went up a hill Saturday where two weeks ago I would have flown up. Today, I felt okay, but my power was down and my HR was still not hitting the higher numbers it should have on this hill. In other words, I am still recovering.
NOTHING wrong with this. It was my intention to hit peak form for Nationals. Here is the cool part – for every action there is a reaction. My action was peaking, my reaction is the total fatigue and tiredness I have felt all this week. What does this tell me? It tells me that I WAS ready for Nationals. If I would have felt great, or even normal, all this week it would mean that I wasn’t prepared. I have heard some say you have to train at 100% ALL THE TIME to be good. That way you are good all the time! Well, if you do that, how can you find your PEAK???
Eat Well! Sleep Well! Train SMART!!!
Coach O’B
Nice article on finding a good coach
http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2010/08/finding-good-coach.html
Should I SIT or should I STAND???
Proper coaching includes both seated and standing climbing
I get asked this question A LOT, “Should I stay seated on a climb or should I stand on a climb?” Well, there is no right or wrong. There is no rule that says you must stay seated on a climb. I have had numerous people I coach tell me that they heard, “YOU MUST STAY SEATED ON ALL CLIMBS! You are faster that way!” Simply not true. There are too many variables to determine HOW you climb.
-
What is your intended pace?
-
How steep is the climb?
-
How long is the climb?
-
Does the climb change as it goes upwards?
-
How long is the hill?
-
What is YOUR individual style?
-
Where is the ride/race does the hill happen? Will fatigue factor in?
All of these determine HOW you climb a hill. For the hills that we have here in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, or wherever you are training, it is best to change your position as you climb and have the ability to climb using both methods; you should train yourself to be able to do both. In my coaching, I have my clients do different climbing drills; doing a whole climb in the saddle, doing a whole climb out of the saddle AND mixing it up during the whole climb.
There are positves for both. While climbing in the saddle, you can generate a little more power. Your pedal stroke is a little smoother and more controlled. While you are out of the saddle, you can deal with accelerations in the pace or changes in the gradient more easily. You can also use your body weight to help you push down on the pedals. Best of all, it allows you to engage different muscles and get a good stretch at the same time.
Now, you also need to factor in the different hand positions; on the tops of the bars, on the brake hoods or in the drops. Just like the reasons listed above, your hand position while you are climbing is not set in stone. A lot to take in, I know. So much to learn……
Eat Well! Sleep Well! Train SMART!!!
Read More
Skype …ing!
Coach O’B 
‘s with clients!
Coach O’B is based in West Chester, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. With Skype, Coach O’B can communicate face-to-face, if you will, with his clients from any remote location that has Skype accessibility. This way, he can look into your eyes as you are telling him about your training!
Read MoreSeeing it, feeling it and listening to it
Feeling the legs
Such a nice day today in Cincinnati. Low 80′s, sunny! Perfect weather for cycling. I was really looking forward to getting out for a nice casual 3+ hours. Too bad my body AND my mind were not on the same page. 30 minutes in, my legs felt like dog poop and my HR was super low. One thing I have learned over the years is to listen to the signs! Seeing my low HR numbers and feeling my aching legs, I made the mature decision and headed home early. Yep, I could have stayed out and pushed through it. But, in the long run, it would have done more harm than good. Gorgeous weather and all.
This is something I really try to stress to the people I coach. Listen to your body! You just have to know when to say when. There is nothing wrong with it.
Eat Well! Sleep Well! Train SMART!!!
