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

RIDING WITH THE " LION KING " MARIO CIPOLLINI

I had the distinct pleasure of attending the " 2012 Tour of Niagara "  at the Jackson-Triggs Winery in Niagara on the Lake yesterday, put on by the B1 Group who are the North American disrtibutors of Cipollini Bikes.

Super Mario was on hand to help officially launch Cipollini bikes in Canada

This was a 1st Class affair and how could it not be when you get to ride around wine country with one of the best sprinters in the world, sip great local wine and espresso served fresh on the spot by Krys Hines, Owner of the Le Domestique Cafe in Dundas, Ont.  www.cafedomestique.com. Not even the sketchy weather could put a damper on the festivities.

All the latest Cipollini bikes were on display and they are SWEET!!,

Totally handmade in Italy and a sight to behold, You really should get down to the Cipollini studio at 70 Yorkville Ave in Toronto   www.b1group.ca    and check out these works of art. These are not your ordinary run of the mill bikes

 Better still .... buy one of these beauties and get personally fit right onsite.

When Mario took off in the last km of the ride, believe it or not I was able to hold his wheel, very satisfying even though he was probably not even breaking a sweat.

Many thx to Mario,Vito, Demis and Danilo for a very memorible day

Here is Mario and myself with his personal 2013 RB1000, He is a lot taller than I thought, I'm almost 6 ft and he's got the longest femurs I've ever seen, no wonder he puts out so many watts.

Remember this Guy ANDREW BOLTON !!

We introduced you to Andrew last December as a new FITT1ST sponsored triathlete, and mentioned to watch out for this guy  "He is going places"

Well Andrew has just finished his first full season of triathlon, competing in the Elite Division of the Multisport Triathlon Series and "WOW"  What a result

Andrew finished THIRD OVERALL !!! and he's only 20

Congratulations Andrew, on an awesome year

Here are the results of his races this year showing his OVERALL finish position along with his bike splits :

* represents fastest bike split in the race



Lakeside Olympic Triathlon: 3'rd 1:58:52*

Wasaga Beach Modified DU: 5'th 1:22:10

Bracebridge Olympic Triathlon: 2'nd 1:58:35

Cobourg Olympic Triathlon: 3'rd 2:03:34

Huronia Olympic Triathlon: 4'th 2:01:54*

Welland Half Iron Triathlon: 18'th 4:33:13

Binbrook Triathlon: 1'st 1:24:22

Woodstock Triathlon: 3'rd 1:27:00

Strides For Stroke 5km Run: 2'nd 16:10

If you would like to follow Andrew and his progress you can read his blog at:

http://www.andrewbolton-triathlete.blogspot.ca/

" FIT TIP OF THE WEEK "

Feeling pressure or pain on the outside of your foot when you ride??

This is a much more common issue than you think and it all has to do with the anatomical structure of your foot.

Most people when they walk (about 87% in fact) strike on the outside of their foot first and then roll to the inside.   What causes this is the way your foot is made.

If you were to lift your foot off the ground and let it hang weightless in the air you will notice that the inside of your forefoot is hanging higher than the outside of your foot ( see diagram below showing rear view of the right foot )

This means that in order for your foot to be in its neutral position, the inside of your foot wants to be higher than the outside of your foot  This is called FOREFOOT VARUS

About 9% of the population has a foot that hangs higher on the outside than the inside. This is called FOREFOOT VALGUS, But thats another issue that we will not discuss in this article

Now...  When we have a foot like this that wants to be higher on the inside to be happy and we put it into a cycling shoe that is flat, and then we clip in to a pedal on our bikes that is also flat, our foot is forced in to a flat position that it is not happy with.

As a result this causes our tibia to rotate at our knee, causing our knee to turn inward, which causes pressure and in extreme cases pain on the outside of the foot. ( see diagram below figure 3)

Average varus for most people is about 3-5 degrees, however I have seen people who have as much as 18-20 degrees of varus to their foot.  The more varus your foot has the more pressure you will feel on the outside of your foot.

How do we relieve this pressure... Well it is simpler than you think

If you look at figure 4 in the picture above, we simply add wedges either inside the shoe or between the cleat and the bottom on the shoe ( location depends on numerous factors ) , to keep the foot in a more natural position and prevent tibial rotation from occuring, therefore spreading the load more evenly across the ball of the foot relieving the pressure on the outside of the foot.

Good insoles like eSoles when fitted correctly will also stop tibial rotation resulting from over pronation and also relieve foot pressure.

If your feet are not happy on the bike, you will not be happy on the bike

If you have unhappy feet consider having a foot assessment done.

OH... by the way, this service is also included as an integral part of our full bike fitts.

Great Riding

 

TORONTO TRIATHLON FESTIVAL " BIG RESULTS FROM SOME OF OUR ATHLETES "

 Toronto, Ont hosted its inaugural Urban Triahlon on July 22, 2012, which also served as the 2012 Canadian Championships for the Duathlon, as well as a Qualifier for the World Triathlon Championships for 2013 in London, England, for Olympic and Sprint distance Two qualification spots for 2013 Worlds were available for each age group, so there was a lot on the line.

TOP FINISH RESULTS GO OUT TO ALLISON CHISHOLM WHO FINISHED 2ND OVERALL IN THE WOMENS DIVISION  AND 1ST IN HER AGE GROUP AT THE OLYMPIC  DISTANCE IN A TIME OF 2:16:24.  OH BY THE WAY  ALLISON HAD THE FASTEST BIKE SPLIT IN THE ENTIRE WOMENS DIVISION COVERING THE 4O KM'S IN 1:04:57

                                                       WAY TO GO ALLISON  !!!!!

SUE YORKE FINISHED 4TH IN HER AGE GROUP, COMING OFF A 6.5 HR RIDE THE PREVIOUS DAY. SHE IS IN TRAINING FOR IRONMAN AND WAS OFF ON A RUN AFTER THE RACE WAS OVER . 


TOP HONOURS IN THE DUATHLON GO OUT TO CAROLYN SILVEY WHO FINISHED 5TH OVERALL IN THE WOMENS DIVISION AND 1ST IN HER AGE GROUP, ANOTHER FANTASTIC RESULT ( Unfortunately Carolyn was not available for a photo )

RESULTS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER FOR FITT 1ST SPONSORED PRO MIRANDA TOMENSON - BHARADWAJ

WHAT CAN WE ALL SAY BUT  " WOW " FOR MIRANDA'S PERFORMANCE IN THE AMICA 70.3 ON JULY 8TH IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

3RD PLACE !!!!  PRO DIVISION

IN THE FIRST 3 RACES THAT MIRANDA HAS COMPETED IN AS A 1ST YEAR PRO, SHE HAS FINISHED 8TH, 5TH AND NOW 3RD,  JUST AN INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE

MIRANDA WILL TAKE THE NEXT FEW WEEKS OFF FOR TRAINING AND RECOVERY AND WILL BE BACK RACING IN AUGUST

LOCAL MOUNTAIN BIKER RACES 3 HRS AFTER HIS BIKE FIT AT FITT 1ST

Hi Scott,

I really enjoyed working with you today and will definitely recommend your services, I'm sure I'll be back in the future with a new ride to set up.

I wanted to inform you that the mountain setup seemed to help my performance immensely tonight, especially considering it was a big night for climbing (up the WALL OF PAIN 3 times).

I beat the 2 guys who normally beat me however a couple of expert riders showed so I didn't end up winning overall but I was very satisfied with my performance.

The position felt more in control, faster, and overall I didn't fatigue and fade nearly as bad as normal.

So again thx and I look forward dealing you in the future.

Cheers Jeff Lee

EARLY SEASON GREAT RESULTS FOR PRO TRIATHLETE MIRANDA TOMENSON - BHARADWAJ

BIG congratulations are in order for first year PRO Triathlete Miranda Tomenson - Bharadwaj from Toronto, who has posted great results in her first 2 Ironman 70.3 races of the year.  8th in the Mooseman 70.3 on June 3, 2012 at Newfound Lake, New Hampshire, USA with a time of 4:56:06 and  4th in the Mont Tremblant 70.3 on June 24, 2012 at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada with a time of 4:40:58.

FITT 1ST is a proud sponsor and official bike fitter of Miranda in her quest for excellence.

FASTASTIC EFFORT MIRANDA  ......   CHEERS TO YOU !!

LATEST CLIENT BEFORE AND AFTER BIKE FIT VIDEOS

SHANNON BEFORE FIT

SHANNON AFTER FIT

LATEST CLIENT FEEDBACK

Scott is the absolute best at what he does. I had to quit bicycle racing at 18 due to pain in my knees attributed to chondromalacia patella. I tried repeatedly to get on a bike over the next thirty years but could never ride for more than a few minutes without pain. I bought and discarded numerous bikes trying to get back in the saddle. A friend finally suggested that because I am very tall, I might be in the wrong position and that Scott could probably fix me up. I gave it one last shot, and amazingly Scott did fix me up! I now ride as much as I want as often as I want and enjoy many sufferfests climbing countless hills and riding in unbearable heat with people much younger than me. He has given me a gift that I am grateful for.

I recommend him to everyone I know who would like to start riding or who wants to increase their mileage.

Don

“Scott has an incredible wealth of knowledge that he has accumulated over years of experience. His 'fitt' far exceeds anything I've seen offered before. The 5 Steps actively involve you in every aspect of the process so that you fully understand your body, bike, and how the two will work seamlessly together. The bike becomes an extension of you, and the strongest asset that Scott shares is his knowledge. This means you do not only walk away with a perfect fit but also the understanding required to drastically improve your riding. It is incredible value and I don't think anyone should ride a bike without having a 'Fitt1st' by Scott.”

 Brandon 


“I recently had a bike fitting with Scott and cannot say enough good things about his service. He is extremely knowledgeable and thorough, takes the time to explain the mechanics behind the adjustments and simply knows his stuff. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services to anyone who wants to maximize their performance (power, comfort and speed) on their bike, regardless of whether you're a Cat 2 racer or recreational weekend warrior.”

Gayle


“The bike fitting that Scott did for me has improved my riding experience incredibly. The changes he made to my bike and my position on the bike has increased my power, improved my stamina and made riding a much more comfortable experience. Scott came highly recommended and he exceeded my expectations.”

 Daragh