LATEST TRI FIT

Meet Geoff, He has been involved in Triathlon for only 6 months and will be doing his first full Ironman this August at Mt. Tremblant, Que.

Geoff was referred to me through BeginnerTriathlete.com and his objective was to optimize his position for Comfort and Power.

Geoff's current position as you will see in his Before Fit video (see below) had some issues very common with triathletes in general.

1:  Geoff"s torso is compressed. ( notice how curved it is ).

This causes your diaphragm to be restricted, which prevents you from taking full deep breaths.

2:  Geoff's sacrum is rolled back, very indicative of a person who slumps in a chair while at the computer.

Posture is very important on the bike, This poor posture causes the compression of the torso as mentioned earlier, restricts your ability to look down the road causing neck pain, disengages your glutes, drastically affecting the power and efficiency of your pedal stroke.

This also causes your centre of gravity to be too far back on the bike, causing a poor handling front end which can be very unnerving on fast descents.

3:  Saddle too far forward.  this causes loss of power,
 
Yes, we want to be further forward than what we would typically be on a road bike to open up our hip angle a bit and take pressure off the hamstrings so that we can run faster, sooner when we get off the bike, however too far forward cause loss of power and the we lose the ability to efficiently use our hamstrings at all, putting excess pressure on the quads.

Effectively we end up pushing the pedals back instead of down.

4:  Not enough leg extension

This decrease pedal efficiency especially coming over the top of the pedal stroke where most cyclists have a major dead spot

5:  Arms too stretched out

Causes the rider to hold themselves in position using upper body strength
You need to supported skeletally on the aerobars so that you can relax the upper body and put all of your energy in to your pedal stroke.

These are just a few of the issues that can be resolved with a proper bike fit.

Watch Geoff's After fit video and listen to what he has to say, I couldn't have said it better myself.

Have a great race at Mt Tremblant Geoff

GEOFF BEFORE FIT

                                                              GEOFF AFTER FIT

FITT 1ST GOING TO RACE ACROSS AMERICA ( RAAM ) IN 2013

I have some exciting news to announce.  Peter Oyler, a well known Canadian ultra endurance cyclist will be competing in the RACE ACROSS AMERICA (RAAM) this June in the SOLO division.

This is a 3300 mile race that Peter hopes to complete in 10 days,  YES that's 10 DAYS

I am very excited to have been chosen as part of Peter's 6 man/woman crew to help him accomplish this incredible goal.  My main responsibilities as his bike fitter and head mechanic will be a challenge indeed, and I am thoroughly looking forward to it

As a bike fitter, it is a rare opportunity to observe and engage in a challenge of the human body and spirit of this magnitude.

The race starts is California on June 11, 2013 and finishes in Annapolis, Maryland

For more information visit  www.raceacrossamerica.org  and  http://www.peteroylerraam.com

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES AND REPORTS
  

TORONTO SPRING BIKE SHOW MAR 1 -3

The Spring bike show is just around the corner and although it is -15 deg C out there most cyclists minds are well in to the 2013 season, planning races and well in to off season training

Possibly this is the year you are going to get that dream bike you've been saving up for

If so, you will want to make sure that you buy the right one for you. Consider a size cycle fit, and make sure all your hard earned cash is effectively spent

Just a reminder that NOW is also the best time to get a bike fit done on your existing bike, if your bike is not feeling particularly comfortable on the trainer.

The reason why you felt pretty good on your bike last Fall and now not so much so is that cycling on the trainer is a very static activity, constantly pushing on the pedals, no ability to coast and no wind to cool you down.

In this type of situation all the flaws in your position and pedal stroke are AMPLIFIED

Ever notice how your saddle feels comfortable for a 6 hr ride outside and after an hour and a half on the trainer you are wondering if this is the same saddle.

Most of us will be outside hopefully in just another 8 weeks, That's 8 solid weeks of muscle memory building

MAKE SURE ALL THAT HARD EARNED MUSCLE MEMORY IS IN THE RIGHT POSITION ON YOUR BIKE!!

Here's to another GREAT cycling season