FitView By Efren Martinez
Train On The Heavy
It was on one of my group rides when my friend Vernon Dupree showed up on his 36lb. 1974 Schwinn Varsity road bike. It caught my attention and I was thinking this guy will never be able to keep up with our high end, very light road bikes. What’s he thinking?
Vernon was thinking outside of the box with his vintage Schwinn that he modified considerably, with time trial bars and a single speed but still looked original and maintained a 1974 heavy weight ride. Vernon is an experienced cyclist with over 25 years in the saddle so I wasted no time getting the skinny on Vern’s thoughts behind his modified prehistoric bicycle. Vern shared with me that he has 2 bicycles, his 20lb carbon Bianchi C2C and his vintage Schwinn. Vern explained that training on your racing bike is essential. The more you ride it, the comfortable you become with it in a race. But, it’s also a good idea to train on the heavy. When you lay down miles upon miles on a heavy bicycle, it helps you build up strength and endurance because it’s tacking your body outside of the normal. So, when you ride with a faster group on your carbon framed racing bike that can be as much as 15lbs lighter, you will beable to go faster for longer with less of an effort compared to your competitors.
Ingenious? You bet! Some cyclists have been know to achieve this very same concept by filling their water bottles with rocks or cement while others simply strap on a weight vest for there training rides. The concept is solid; I too decided to add on more weight to my training bike as well as my racing bicycle by adding gizmos and gadgets for comfort and safety. But on race day, I strip it down to the bone and the benefits I gained added as much as 5MPH on my average speed. As I pried into Vernon for more bicyclinginformation, I found myself asking him what was the most beneficial component he got out of riding his 1974 Schwinn compared to his Bianchi. His reply was totally in Vernon’s character. “This Schwinn I occasionally ride is a polar opposite of my carbon fiber high-end bicycle, I use it as a reminder of how fortunate and blessed I really am.”
Vernon is expected to be at this year’s Memorial Medical Centers Cancer Awareness Run & Ride on September 15th in Modesto. The Cancer Run & Ride is one of my preferred, local family fitness Events of the year. It features many free informational healthy lifestyle booths as well as a 10K and a 2-mile run or walk, free kids fun run, as well as three cycling rides with distances varying in a 12-mile, 25-mile and 63-mile ride and a BBQ for its registeredparticipants. For more information, call 209-569-7789 or log onto http://www.bit.ly/IRuwlR
Smart Cycling Tips Below
Inspect your bike, test your brakes & inflate your tires to proper PSI prior to each daily ride.
Refuel every 30-miles with 150 calories. A few cranberries mixed in with salted soy nuts are packed with protein in the nut and the salt on the nuts helps you retain water so you don’t cramp up. The cranberries are a natural sugar balance to sustain the hunger so you don’t bonk on the ride.
Putting a hairnet over your helmet keeps bees from getting caught in your helmet during your ride and may prevent a bee sting. “They can be purchased at any restaurant supply store or drug store”
Carry 2 water bottles and re-hydrate every 15-miles; top off 1 bottle with h20 & the other with an electrolyte 80 calorie sports drink.
Invest in a Road ID & or have some kind of contact info on you.
Apply sun block, ride with others and carry a cell phone.
Carry a few dollars as well as a spare tube, air cartridges & a tire patch kit.
Obey all traffic laws while cycling as if your where driving a car, clip out and stop at stop signs.
Be aware and be careful out there and have fun.
