wise athletes podcast

Can you achieve greater endurance with improved chest expansion? Today’s WiseAthletes episode is with Bob Prichard of Somax Performance Institute. Bob, Glen and I talk to about a Microfiber Reduction treatment he developed for improving restricted chest expansion. Microfibers are scar tissue, which Bob says is very common, especially among those who have ever had injuries to their ribcage and surrounding muscles.  Even though I have had broken ribs in my past, I was certain my chest expansion was good. I was surprised to find I had rather severe restricted chest expansion. It turns out that restricted chest expansion is not something you can feel….you have to measure it. Measure yourself and find out if this applies to you. Bob Prichard, President of Somax Performance Institute   Bob has worked with over 5,000 athletes to improve performance by improving flexibility and efficiency.  His 18 Olympic athletes have won 43 Gold Medals and set 11 World Records. Bob has made original contributions to the sports fields of running, swimming, cycling, golf, tennis, rowing and others. He is the author of The Efficient Golfer and the forthcoming Beyond Muscle and The Great Brain Robbery.   Check out the Somax website (www.somaxsports.com) to see before and after photos and videos of athletes who have completed his program. Somax Performance Institute website www.somaxsports.com

Topics in today’s episode: How can the cyclist be safer on the road?How can the cyclist get justice (and compensation) if injured in a bike-car crash?What are the cyclists’ rights and obligations on the road?What insurance should the cyclist have, just in case? The Cyclist-Lawyer, Megan Hottman, Attorney at Law Megan Hottman has represented over 160 cyclists in their individual legal cases. She has also provided counsel to other lawyers, and to cycling groups and other organizations.  Megan has also co-authored a cycling-law resource book, Bicycle Accidents, Crashes & Collisions: Biomechanical, Engineering, and Legal Aspects (Rev.Ed), (Aug 2016).  Megan handles cases in all 50 states, and is licensed in Missouri, Colorado, Arizona and Nebraska.  She provides frequent legal education seminars on biking laws, trends she sees in her cases and those nationwide.  She also provides education to law enforcement officers.   A competitive cyclist and cycling enthusiast ,” Megan leads by example in the cycling community, whether mentoring newbie cyclists, or sponsoring cycling teams and events.  Megan was featured in an Outside Magazine article in March 2015 titled “Broken Spokes“.   Megan was interviewed in a HBO Real Sports episode titled “Bike Wars“.    Many great resources on Megan’s website https://www.hottmanlawoffice.com Crash Advice: https://www.hottmanlawoffice.com/crash-adviceInsurance Coverage: https://www.hottmanlawoffice.com/insuranceWhen you see a crash: https://www.hottmanlawoffice.com/cycling-crash-bystanders Megan has been racing her bike for 20ish years now. She has raced in 4 cycling disciplines: road, track, mountain biking and cyclocross (and has competed in 3 of their national championships), plus gravel worlds and fat bike worlds.  A sampling of Megan’s cycling career highlights (so far): 2009 Masters Track National Champion, Pursuit2010 Colorado Best All-round Rider, Road (Cat 1/2)2007 & 2010 Colorado State Time Trial Champion2010 Colorado State Criterium Champion2014 Colorado Best All-round Rider, Cyclocross (W35+)2015 Gravel Worlds Female Single Speed Champion2018 & 19 Gravel Worlds, Age Group, 2nd place2019 World Record holder: longest static cycling class (28 hours) https://www.hottmanlawoffice.com/megan Hottman Law Office, P.C. 1211 Avery Street, Suite 103 Golden CO 80403 (p)303 273 5297 (LAWS) (f)866 590 2837 www.TheCyclist-Lawyer.com

My motivation to starting Wise Athletes was to uncover knowledge that would help older athletes like myself to slow the progression of the symptoms of aging on athletic performance and on life in general.  I don’t particularly like the idea of getting old, and I’m happiest when I can forget my age because my body is working well…..working like it did when I was younger. Dr. Mike T Nelson’s programs for building metabolic and physiologic flexibility are just the thing for helping the older athlete “reset the clock”.   I have taken Dr. Mike’s FlexDiet certification program (I paid full price for it) and have followed the program for the last 3 months. I have gained a lot of muscle and lost a lot of body fat in the process, so I know quite a bit about how effective it is. Send me an email if you’d like to know more about my own experience. Key Concepts (train your body to be able to:) Burn body fat when resting or doing low intensity exerciseBurn glucose for high intensity efforts (and whenever you eat carbs)Switch between fat and glucose burning quicklyBuild and maintain muscle mass for strength when you want and need it (and for metabolic benefits)Shift between high energy (exercise, work) and low energy states (relaxation, sleep, recovery) with & without chemical interventions (e.g., caffeine)Expand your comfort zones in temperature, oxygenation (CO2 tolerance), muscle pH, and heart rate reserve (max HR – resting HR) to build physiologic headroom Dr. Mike T Nelson Creator of the Flex Diet Certification & Phys Flex Certification, kiteboarder, lifter of odd objects, metal music lover.   PHD IN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY FROM UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTABA IN NATURAL SCIENCE FROM ST. SCHOLASTICAMS IN BIOMECHANICS FROM MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITYASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT CARRICK INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL NEUROLOGYMEMBER OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE (ACSM)CERTIFIED SPORTS NUTRITIONIST FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF SPORTS NUTRITION (CISSN)INSTRUCTOR AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN UNIVERSITYPROFESSIONAL MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NUTRITION (ASN)PROFESSIONAL SPORTS NUTRITION MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF SPORTS NUTRITION (ISSN)NATIONAL STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING ASSOCIATION (NSCA) CERTIFIED STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SPECIALIST (CSCS) Dr. Mike’s Website https://miketnelson.com Dr. Mike’s Instagram drmiketnelson

Mastering Sleep for Better Recovery The one thing the masters athlete needs to do to speed up recovery is sleep, which is the one thing most of us just cannot do well anymore. Listen in as Dr Bender shares the tools you need to master your sleep. Amy Bender, MS, PhD Director Clinical Sleep Science at Cerebra, a digital health company focused on improving access to advanced digital sleep analysis and diagnostic sleep technology. Award winning sleep scientist Dr. Amy Bender is our source of evidence based insights that will play an integral role in creating your new sleep strategy. After spending over 15 years studying sleep through many avenues including work as a sleep technician, clinical research, written publications, interviews for stories in Oprah Magazine and public speaking appearances including her Ted Med talk, Dr. Bender has an intimate relationship with the science. Her ability to translate the science to the field is evident through her successful work with NHL, Canadian national team athletes and Olympic athletes. How much sleep? Everyone is different, but 7 hours seems to be the sweetspot for most. What is quality sleep? Falling asleep in less than 30 minutesWaking up no more than 1 time per night for 20 minutes or lessSleeping 85% or more of your time in bed. Does Sleep Timing Matter? Yes, although people are different. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for when you need to go to sleep. Sleep Supplements? melatonin (0.5mg is a dose similar to what your body makes…more is too much) — good for sleep time shifting. Get a reliable brand to get accurate dosing.magnesium — can help, especially if you don’t get enough in your diettart cherry juice — 1 oz taken an hour before bedtime (also suggested to take in morning)prescription sleep meds are powerful….best if only taken for a short time Sleep Skills? 4-7-8 breathing — breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, breathe out for 8 seconds. repeat 4 timescognitive shuffle – start with a word “bed-time”. start with the first letter “b” and think of as many objects as possible that start with “b”…ball, bat, bear, button, bed, etc., then move to “e”, and continue until you fall asleep.if nothing is working, get out of bedroom, and go do a relaxing activity such as reading in low light until you feel sleepy before returning to bed.20-minute naps to catchup on lost sleep can help taken in the 1-4pm to not be too close to normal sleep time. Set alarm for 30 minutes…try to wake up before alarm.have a sleep routine….get ready for sleep What’s a Sleep Routine? Set a one-hour time before bed to start winding down each nightA warm bath or shower can helpStretching, reading, making a to-do list to clear your mind of things you need to remember Sleep Environment? Dark room: keep the sun out of the room and get the lights out of the room when you sleepQuiet: ear plugs can help, white noise machines or fansCool: find a way to keep the room cool at night; if you warm up during sleep, you will wake upNo phone: noises, tempting distraction Learn more from Dr. Amy Bender below as well as find access to links from topics discussed during our conversation. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sleep4Sport Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleep4sport/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramymbender/ Centre For Sleep: https://centreforsleep.com/ Athlete Sleep Questionnaire: https://centreforsleep.com/education-and-awareness/athlete-sleep-screening-questionnaire/athlete.html Sleepwellforsport.com (COMING SOON STAY TUNED!) Light Meter (app in apple store FREE and Pro version) Luminette Blue Light Glasses: https://www.myluminette.com/en-us

Our topic today is mushrooms, and whether mushrooms are a missing element in the older athletes’ arsenal of performance, recovery, and longevity.  Helping Glen and I to better understand mushrooms is Jeff Chilton, an expert in the study of historical uses and impact of medicinal mushrooms, and who is also the Founder of Nammex, the very first company to supply medicinal mushroom extracts to the nutritional supplement industry. Who is Jeff Chilton? Jeff Chilton studied Ethno-mycology at the University of Washington in the late sixties and in 1973 began a 10 year career as a large scale commercial mushroom grower. Jeff is the co-author of The Mushroom Cultivator, published in 1983. In 1989 Jeff established Nammex, the first company to supply medicinal mushroom extracts to the Nutritional Supplement industry. In 1997 he organized the first organic certification workshop for mushroom production in China. Jeff is a founding member of the World Society for Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products in 1994 and a Member of the International Society for Mushroom Science. Nammex extracts are used by many supplement and food companies and are noted for their high quality based on scientific analysis of the active compounds. Nammex website: www.nammex.com Consumer website for buying Nammex mushroom extracts: www.realmushrooms.com Additional information about Mushrooms A review of chemical composition and nutritional value of wild-growing and cultivated mushroomsDownload Mini-review on edible mushrooms as source of dietary fiber: Preparation and health benefitsDownload Redefining Medicinal Mushrooms (Nammex_white_paper2017)Download What Mushrooms to try? Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)Maitake (Grifola frondosa)Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) The key active compounds of medicinal mushrooms are: Beta-glucans, which support immunity, and are considered to be antibiotic and antiviral.Triterpenoids, which are found to be liver protective, lipid lowering, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and inhibit histamine release.Ergosterol, which has antitumor and antioxidant properties, and is a precursor to Vitamin D2.

SBT GRVL is a world-class gravel race experience held on the amazing gravel roads in and around the iconic Steamboat Springs, CO. The combination of the great views and fun people make for an unforgettable gravel riding experience. Listen in as Glen and I talk to Amy Charity about the 2021 SBT GRVL (Steamboat Gravel race). She even reveals how you might guarantee a spot in the 2022 event. Amy Charity is an American professional racing cyclist. She rode for the Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies team. She raced in the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. Wikipedia Amy’s personal website: amymcharity.comSBT GRVL website: sbtgrvl.comSBT GRVL Volunteers: https://sbtgrvl.com/registration/volunteers/Amy is the Co-founder and Owner of SBT GRVL

I asked Dr. Stephen Seiler to join me on Wise Athletes to discuss Athletic Performance Longevity. We discuss his research and speculate about how older athletes can keep the machinery healthy for performance today while also doing the right things for athletic longevity, which is way more than just healthspan. You and I, we all want to be strong, healthy, and athletic as long as we live. Guidelines for Older Athletes Seeking Athletic Longevity Do What You Love, what gives you joy.  If you do the thing that provides camaraderie or whatever you love, you’ll keep doing it.  If you are not smiling and enjoying yourself while doing your training or sport, at least on most days, then figure out why not.  Be Kind to Yourself.  You can’t go hard every day.  And you shouldn’t wrap your self-worth in your ability to go hard all the time.  Enjoying it is far more important than extracting the last 1% of performance. If you enjoy yourself, you’ll be better in the long-run. And here are some details to get it right: Keep At It.  Exercise is good for your quality of life and longevity, and stopping will just make it harder to start again.Tone Down the Risk Taking.  Don’t “die of stupid”, but also don’t get hurt because then you’ll have to stop exercising.Seek a Flow or Rhythm in the Training Process that accommodates actual (which might be slower) recovery from the hard efforts.  Earn the right to go hard by going easy and recovering well.  Working out too hard, too often can turn exercise into an unhealthy behavior.Lengthen the Workouts to Emphasize Muscular and Cardiovascular Endurance over pure power to compete better with the younger athletesAdopt a Preventive Maintenance Mindset to keep the machine healthy and avoid nagging pain and injury that will interrupt consistency and sap the joy from athletics.   Take time to do some strength training, some mobility work, some core work and some daily stretches to keep you in the game.  And do some body weight-based, speed/power and agility/balance work to hang on to it longer.If You are Not an Athlete yet, then Get Going.  It just gets harder later.  You’ll never be as young as you are today. Find one or more things you love and get going.  And, as a bonus, the newer athlete can make fast progress, and keep getting better for a long time. Dr. Stephen Seiler YouTube presentation on Aging Athletes Dr. Seiler published a YouTube presentation called “Does Our Endurance Machinery Slow Down At Different Rates as we Get Old?”   Dr. Seiler’s presentation concluded that athletic performance does drop due to 3 primary factors: https://youtu.be/bzphy5EN8lg My Notes from Dr. Seiler’s presentation: (1) Maximum Heart Rate Falls As We Get Older. The drop is steady after age 30 but accelerates after 55. The good news is: (1) at VT1 (the maximum endurance pace, older guys can achieve higher % of VO2Max at the same lactate as younger guys. And, at VT2 (FTP), while older guys have less range in BPM above VT1, old guys can still use a higher % of VO2Max (less advantage than at VT1), perhaps due to larger proportion of slow twitch muscle fibers.  More good news, looking at multiple biometric factors for older athletes vs. younger athletes with the same performance, older athletes seem to have better cardio adaptation from more years of training. So, while central capacity (heart ability to pump blood) is declining, the peripheral capacity (muscle ability to do work) holds steady if training is maintained. (2) We Lose Muscle Mass, and Type II Fibers Disappear More Rapidly. Mitochondria are highly responsive to activity, so if we remain active and provide a stimulus they remain number ours and healthy.   Masters athletes have better muscle adaptations than younger athletes which tend to offset the lower vo2max.  Could also be related to lower type 2 which are larger and have less blood flow?  Can fight this off with weight training.  Which can also help us to avoid becoming chair shaped as we adapt to sitting in chairs (or on bike). Drop in muscle mass accelerates after 50. Strength remains proportional to the muscle size which seems inconsistent with the preferential loss of fast twitch fibers. (3) loss of loss elasticity in connective tissue. Injury risk?  Pain from lack of mobility. Need to do mobility work.  Sustainable power = vo2max (what is max oxygen delivery and usage?)fractional utilization (what % vo2max is sustainable over many minutes?) – FTP/VLSS/VT2/Lactate ThresholdWork efficiency (oxygen cost of external work) – how efficiently does the aerobic capacity translate to power or velocity?anaerobic capacity plays a role in shorter events for power and velocity Take homes Maximal oxygen consumptions declines with age – mostly because max hr declines, no matter whatMuscle explosiveness declines no matter what as we ageMuscle endurance is well maintained if we keep trainingTherefore, our maximal endurance capacity declines faster than our sub-maximal capacityOlder athletes perform better and decline more slowly in longer races and longer, low-intensity training sessions as we age, at least in the age range 35-65 yo. –> Maximal endurance capacity falls faster than submaximal capacity Dr. Stephen Seiler contact info: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Seiler https://twitter.com/StephenSeiler?s=20

In part 1 (Episode 24) of this 2-part series about what to do in the 24 hours before a race or big event, we talked mostly about the “warmup”.  Glen talked in detail about what he does in his extensive warmup that he needs to perform his best, which is complicated by many old injuries (to his back and heart, primarily) and just simply, a body that is getting older.  Episode 24: The 4-Step Winkel Warmup: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/how-to-warm-up-the-older-body-to-prepare-for-a-hard-cycling-event/ Today, in part 2, we’re going to finish up by covering more variables that impact the day’s athletic performance, especially for the older athlete, and tactics that can be implemented to try to maximize performance.  Why bother, you say?  Well, here’s the thing.  Racing is a special opportunity.  As an adult, you don’t get to feel this alive very often.  Yeah, sure there are other things you can do but this is one of them.  Enjoy it, and avoid wasting it or turning it into a disaster you’ll regret. So, if you want to do your best, after all your training and paying your money and bothering to show up, why not remove impediments that CAN be removed quite easily.  This stuff isn’t hard or expensive.  It just requires a little planning ahead.  And a little discipline. Again, in the 24 hours prior to an event/race, you can do a set of things to get your body ready to perform maximally for your event.  So aside from the warmup that we discussed in detail in part 1, what are those tactics, those things we could do well to maximize our performance?  Why does they matter?  How does it matter even more for older athletes? We are not going to talk about training for an event, or tapering for an event.  We’re just talking about the 24 hours before.   And there are a lot of things you can do that will probably help, yet, for all of us, time is a luxury.  We’ll discuss 10 categories, and then we’ll put them into a timeline for implementation. The categories are: Exercise:  Goldie locks:  not too hot and not too cold.  You don’t want dead legs, but you don’t want a tired heart.  People are different.  You are different from year to year, and race to race.  Figure it out by seeing how you feel in advance.Food – macros:  carbs, fat, protein.  No big changes.  Nothing new.  No alcohol.  Focus on carbs.  You already have plenty of fat, and fat is slow to digest.  Protein can also be slow to digest and is a poor fuel.  Eat real food, like oatmeal, in the final meal before the race.  Most carb sources have fat and protein but not too much.  Some protein before training has a protective effect, but get enough carbs.  Stay away from sugary junk until you are exercising.  Many people suffer from dropping blood sugar if they eat 1-2 hours before warmup due to the compounding effect of insulin and muscle pulling in sugar during exercise.  It makes you feel very tired.Hydration:  avoid dehydration. No alcohol.  maybe drink extra water the day before and morning of.  Beware impact on sleep. And need for toilet at race.  It isn’t cool to pee in the bushes at a race.Supplements:  nothing new,  caffeine,Nerves:   adrenaline is good, but…(need a toilet, can’t concentrate, etc.)Logistics – driving, parking, sign-in, toilet, water, food, ….Race / course:  know the course (ride it, if possible, the day of if possible), know the competition (people (someone you want to beat; what will they do?), yourself (goals to feel good; weaknesses to offset)), have a plan to accomplish your goal (win?, finish with pack?, not crash?)Gear prep (prep the bike, check the gear: bike bolts, shoes, cleats (no new cleats), check tires and tubes).  Spare wheels?Tech prep (batteries, charged, spares, computer reads your data only, xxxx)Cool down (starting the recovery with an easy ride afterward before the car ride, don’t do something stupid like contesting the sprint for 15th place, eat some food with carbs and protein, rehydrate), Here’s the timeline:  We’ll assume the event is in the morning. 2 nights before (yes, a bit more than 24 hours ahead).Just focus on getting a good night’s sleep for the last bit of recovery when you don’t have much stress to contend with. Keep the same diet as before. Check the gear that you don’t use everyday…have time to react / replace / fix something. If possible, ride or drive the course.  Look for off camber and broken pavement, sand on the road, manhole covers, low hanging trees, anything that helps you visualize the race.  You’ll need to ride the course again on race day to discover any newly arriving obstacles, such as parked cars, standing water or wet pavement, etc.Make sure you’ll have a clean kit for the raceMorning of the day before the race (before going to work):Okay, you are now on the clock.  24 hours to go.You need to figure out how to get the legs to be super fresh and full of energy on race day.  Some people feel best with an easy spin with a few hard efforts.  Some people like complete rest the day before.  Find what works for you, but the morning of the day before, it will be useful to see how you feel.  Do you feel great?  Do you feel tired?  Do you feel injured?  Now you have a bit of time to figure something out.Keep down the caffeine intake.  You may have nerves anyway; you don’t need so much.  Definitely stop the caffeine after your wakeup drink.After work of the day beforeThis is the most common timing for “openers” which is a few very short duration but high intensity efforts along with some spinning / super easy to flush out / burn off the lactate.  You just want to feel your legs are strong, but not get them tired.  Discipline is key.Check the bike now if you haven’t so far.  Maybe you can get to the store before it closes.  Or have spares handy.Plug in the batteries.Figure out the directions, where to park, when to leave. Ride or drive the course, if you can.  Look for off camber and broken pavement, sand on the road, manhole covers, low hanging trees,Pack the car or your bag now.  Anything you don’t put in the car, put by the door.  Don’t rely on thinking about what you need in the AM.  Your brain will not be functioning well from sleepiness and/or nerves.The Night before (the battle of nerves)The main things here are dinner and sleep, and anything you didn’t do from the earlier timesDon’t change your normal meals.  NO surprises.  Eat earlier than normal if you normally eat late.  You want to go to bed early, especially if you have to get up early (we’ll get to this).Don’t sweat it if you don’t sleep well.  The previous night was the important one.  But don’t be crazy either, if this event is important.  Don’t stay up late, don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat stuff that interferes with your normal bowel movements in the morning.Pump up your race tire.  We’ll see if they hold air in time to make a change.Did you get your directions worked out?  Set the alarm for Race Time minus ~2 hours (your on site work plus warmup) minus drive / look for parking spot time (with a cushion) minus wake up / make breakfast / eat breakfast / get into car time.  For me, that’s 2+1+1 or 4 hours before race time assuming only 1 hour drive.  I usually have extra time to kill, but once in a while the extra time saved me.  It’s always nice to be able to stop and chat with a teammate or a friend you see at the race.  And, yes, racing on zwift is much easier as far as logistics go.       The morning of before you leave the houseYou got up in time to eat your breakfast 3 hours before race time (or before warmup!).  Yup.  That’s the deal.  Don’t eat much fat.  Don’t eat much protein.  It’s a slow carb breakfast.  Don’t eat anything again until warmup begins.Check to see if the air leaked out of your tires.Pack the car if you haven’t already.The pre-raceSo you found the race and got a good parking spot.  Find the toilet, and use it as soon as you can.  Having a bit of spare paper in a ziplock bag can be a lifesaver.Find the race organizers table and check in.  Ask about which side to face the race number.   Grab some safety pins if they have some.  You should have some spare ones in your car just in case.Pin the numbers on.  Yes, you have to take off your jersey and put it back on. Or use glue. Or have someone else pin on your number and take your chances (ouch).Do your warmupLeave time to ride the course in between races or just before your own. Visualize the race. Where are the key checkpoints for assessing pace and performance?  Competition?  It could be a simple as just knowing when to get to the front before a hill or knowing which side of the road is better along the course or knowing how to avoid that pothole that you’ll never see comingThe raceNow we’re going to find out if you are a winner or a learner.  There are no losers.  It is not your living, and your ego should not rely on being the fastest or the strongest in your hobby.  Enjoy yourself, learn a lot, and use the race competition to push you to work harder than you can on your own.  Racing is wonderful if you win AND if you just allow the experience to be a pleasurable one.  There aren’t many ways to get this kind of experience.  Not everyone is as mature as you, so be careful out there.We are not going to get into race tactics or team tactics, even though that would be very fun.  We’ll definitely get into that in the future.  So, all that is left to talk about for the race in today’s episode is the start line, eating and drinking during the race, and the finish line.  Oh, and preems.If you want to do well, get to the start line early so you can get a spot on the front.  If you are just happy to be there, don’t get on the front line; there will be some very fast people trying to get around you very fast.Know how to clip in quickly.  Use speedplay if you have trouble.  Practice this until you never miss a clip.  Don’t put on new clips before a race.Don’t bring water and food unless the race is more than 1 hour.  If it is that short, the race will be too intense to use food and water and you won’t need it.  If it is longer, then plan ahead.  Carbs in the water can definitely helpShould you go for the preems? I’m always glad to see my competitors burning matches that don’t cost me anything.  Preems are a race organizer trick to spice up the race.  I never do unless I think it is an attack.  If you are there for the finishing sprint, go for it.  And congrats, you already succeeded.  Staying with the front group is a fine goal.  The final sprint is where bad things happen.  If they happen behind you, that’s a shame it happened.  If happens in front of you, that is a problem.  Don’t sprint for 17th place if the field is crowded.  And don’t sprint for 1st place if the field is crazy.  Instead, start your sprint way early to catch everyone off guard and try to stay away.  A mass sprint is a crazy, hazardous activity that even the pros get wrong sometimes.  Nothing to gain and everything to lose:  your health, your gear, your nerve.The post raceThe post race can start before the end of the race.  If you are off the back, make sure to finish your water and food.You need to clear your legs before you get into the car for a long drive home.  You don’t want blood pooling in your legs.If you do have a crash, get it cleaned up before you head home.  An infection will keep you off the bike for too long.

It wasn’t 6 months ago that I was thinking that someone should organize a gravel race somewhere along the Peak-to-Peak highway above the Denver-Metro area. I was starting to think I might have to do it myself when I heard about NedGravel. It sounds amazing. I’m definitely going to ride in this one. Listen in as I talk to Gavin Coombs, Founder and Race Director of NedGravel about how he and his team have pulled out all the stops to make this a great ride or race, whether you are a beginner or a hardcore gravel racer. Coming July 31, 2021 (80% full as of the end of April) Gavin and his team built one of the most challenging gravel races in the world. They built organized rides for all of us out of their regular fun rides, which have a ton of climbing and technical sections, and all at an elevation of 8,000-10,300 feet. The 3 courses pay homage to the hardened miners, dreamers and misfits who came before us as we ride through ghost towns, past mines and up mountains. The 3 courses vary in length and difficulty to accommodate a wide range of skills and desires for suffering. A fun, inclusive and challenging event in beautiful Nederland, CO (in the foothills above Boulder, CO) https://www.nedgravel.com/

Today Glen and I are joined by Jesse Jarjour of MyVeloFit, the recently publicized “ World’s First AI Powered Online Bike Fit.”  I tried the MyVeloFit system to test my own fit…..I learned a ton, and you should do the same. It is an amazing bit of technology. www.myvelofit.com Jesse and his team designed the MyVeloFit system to mirror the process you would experience during a professional bike fit. This starts with assessing your mobility, then analyzing your on-bike position, making adjustments to that position, assessing the changes, and repeating this process until you find a fit that works for you. Jesse Jarjour has been fitting bicycles to people for over a decade. He holds certifications from Retul, Trek Precision Fit, and has a level 2 certification from the International Bike Fitting Institute. Jesse has fit over 3000 individuals of many different athletic backgrounds. Jesse embraces technology in bike fitting. His Studio in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is one of the most technologically advanced fit studios in Canada. He uses the MyVeloFit technology alongside technology from industry leaders such as Gebiomized, Retul, and Dartfish. He uses MyVeloFit to to take a baseline of his clients and give them visual reports of how the measurements work while they are in the studio and as a “pre fit” tool to ensure the clients are in a relatively sound position before coming in. Sample output from MyVeloFit analysis: