It’s that time of year — short days and cold temps mean more time on the trainer and treadmill for many of us. While winter might not be the most enjoyable time to get those miles in, it’s a good …
Category: Performance Tips
Indoor Cycling Doesn’t Have to Suck
It may be tempting to wait for the all-clear from the meteorologists to resume training each spring, but the folks you’ll be racing against when the weather improves are training through the winter, and consecutive months of consistent training really …
What It Takes to Run an Ultra-Marathon: An Interview with WC Athlete Henry Slocum
Ever wonder what it really takes to run an ultra-marathon and push far past the limits that you have imagined for yourself? Getting into ultra-marathon is a bumpy process, rife with pitfalls and setbacks. There are many details which can …
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Three Essential Training Components to Run a Faster Marathon
So you’ve run a marathon or two, and you’ve “caught the bug.” You are now looking to finish with a faster time. How can you run faster marathons? If you asked me this question, the first thing I would want …
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Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
Living and riding in the Pacific Northwest wet winter weather, my family sets up trainers in the sun room to start indoor spin season. I catch up on watching race coverage while turning the cranks. While watching professional road races, I …
The Complete Pre-Race Checklist for a Competition-Ready Bicycle
Races can be decided by a dropped chain. Just ask Andy Schleck after the 2010 Tour de France. Some folks are more excited about the mechanical aspect of bicycle racing than others, but the fact is that maintenance is part …
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Overreaching During a Peak and Taper May Make It Worthless
Cyclists and triathletes want to be ready for a peak performance at their ‘A’ race. It’s common practice to attempt that by doing a period of “overload” or extra hard training ending 1-3 weeks before the race, and then a period of …
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How to Avoid Dead Legs on Race Day Forever
“My legs felt like lead!” I told my dad. It didn’t make any sense at all. I had been training for a full year for the Junior National Cycling Championships. I hadn’t missed a single day of training and had …
Opener & Tune-up Rides for Cycling
Opener/Tune-up rides are essential preparation for race days. There are many possible Opener/Tune-up exercises. Not everyone needs quite as much intensity as some athletes may. Either way, this method will provide an adequate challenge to prepare anyone: You will need …
Improve Your Cadence for Faster Gran Fondo Finishes
Whether you have a lot of time to train on the bike or just a little, optimizing your pedaling cadence1 will help you to finish gran gondos both faster and stronger. This is because the main moment-by-moment determinant of fatigue …
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Learning to Win – Waiting to Upgrade Your Road Racing Category May Pay Off Later
For some racers, the upgrade from Category 4 to Cat 3 on the road, for instance, may happen as quickly as a few months. For others the challenge to break out of the same category may take years. It may seem …
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Poker Face at Threshold
It’s certainly not necessary to be playing high-stakes at the card table to benefit from a poker face. The ability to mask one’s reactions from the competition is useful outside of gambling – in sport. We often hear about athletes …
Adding a Triathlon or Running Event to Your Cycling Season
By Liz Varner If you are primarily a cyclist, adding a triathlon, duathlon, running or other multisport event to your year is a great way to cross train, refresh a season or just try something a little different. Some coaches …
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Can You Do These Essential Road and Off-Road Cycling Skills?
How good a cyclist are you? You may or may not be super fit, but skills can make riding more fun and can make you a safer, faster, more victorious cyclist or a better ride buddy no matter how fast …
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Recovery Tips for Stage Races, Omniums & Multi-Race Weekends
When racing twice or more over a weekend, your between-race recovery activities will determine how well you feel and perform in the later races. Follow this guidance to improve both. Wenzel Coaching Head Coach Scott Saifer, M.S. raced over 300 …
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