Coach George's Opinions on....

EPIC TRAINING SYSTEMS

Endure. Excel and Achieve

In My Opinon.....

On Group Riding -

- First rule: Be predictable. Close riding demands that everyone be on
the same wavelength. NO QUICK CHANGES OF DIRECTION, KEEP TO
YOUR LINE. We are on a ride not a race

- Riding a Straight Line. Keep your actual focus 20 or 30 feet in front
of the bike. Remember, the bike will go where your eyes go.

- Don't accelerate when it's your turn at the front. Note your mph and
maintain the groupï¿½s speed when the lead rider pulls off. After your own
bout against the wind, pull off to the side agreed upon and stay close
to the others as you soft pedal and slide back to the rear of the
paceline. It keeps everyone as far out of the traffic flow as possible,
making paceline riding possible even on busier roads.

- Protect your front wheel. If your rear wheel is struck a fall is
unlikely because it has nothing to do with steering the bike. However,
if your front wheel is contacted it will often be twisted off line
faster than you can react. You'll almost certainly go down. Help prevent
this by never overlapping someone's rear wheel.

- Use the brakes sparingly. Jerky braking creates chain reaction
problems for riders behind you. If you need to brake, feather the levers
lightly instead of clutching at them.

- If a gap opens, don't make things worse by accelerating too hard,
overrunning the wheel in front, then grabbing the brakes. Instead, ease
back up to the rider in front. If you don't become proficient at
following a wheel, you can waste more energy than you save by constant
yo-yoing.

- Be Wary on Climbs. A major cause of group crashes is riders who stand
abruptly. They slow for a second, causing the rider behind to hit their
rear wheel and spill. To avoid this danger, let the gap open a bit on
hills or ride a foot to either side.

On jerseys...

I do have to air something that rubs me the wrong way. I personally can't
stand to see unfit, unskilled, uneducated riders wearing Tour de France
jerseys. The Green Jersey for the Sprinters, the Polka Dot for the climbers
and the Yellow Jersey of the General Classification (GC) leader. Cyclists
train and race their whole lives and never get a chance to wear one. The
mystic and honor of wearing these jerseys should be reserved for those
incredibly gifted and disciplined world class cyclists. What gives these
people the right to wear one just because they bought it at a Trek Store
(Nike makes them and they sell Nike gear).

And it doesn't stop there...National Champion jerseys and World Champion
jersey are definitely off limits.

On climbing....

A. I love climbing because it is the simplest form of riding a bike. It's just
me and my machine against gravity.

B. I love climbing because of the views. The views from the top of a climb
are usually spectacular. Doesn't really matter where you are but the higher the
elevation the more spectacular the view. I used to live near Soledad Mountain.
It is only a 3.5 mile climb but early in the mornings there is usually a heavy fog
at the lower slopes. As you ascend you break through the fog and when you
reach the top you see the blanket of fog that is covering La Jolla, Pacific Beach,
Mission Beach and Downtown San Diego. I loved that "alone time" at the top
before the hustle and bustle would begin as the 7th largest city in America would
awake.

C. I love climbing because I love descending. I love "free-falling" down a
mountain. I love going 60 mph taking long sweeping curves. Or 40 mph on a
switchback road- when the recommended speed is half as much. I love the
adrenaline and that feeling that I am just barely in control and something bad can
happen at any moment.

D. I love climbing because I feel alive. Every muscle in my body is working,
my lungs are searing, my legs are pumping, sweat is pouring down my face, and
because lactic acid is finding its way to every part of my body, I feel a tingling
sensation overtake my body.

E. I love climbing because I love suffering. Enough said!

F. I love climbing because I love watching other people suffering. I love
when I'm climbing and I hear the cyclists behind me shifting and shifting trying
to find the right gear to keep up with me. Then each time I look back another
rider falls off the pace. I keep counting them down and then it's just me and one
more cyclist. Shift up, stand up and ATTACK, ATTACK ATTACK!

G. I love climbing because I love to eat. After a long day in the saddle
climbing, I could eat a horse and not worry about my waistline.

H. I love climbing because a 50 mile hilly ride beats a flat century any
day. Who wants to do a boring flat ride when a few rollers will get that heart
rate pumping.

I. I love climbing because it separates the men from the boys. Or the
contenders from the pretenders.

J. I love to climb because most people can't!

On Camelbacks-

Camelbacks-- I personally don't like camelbacks for the following reasons:

A. I don't like the extra weight on my back.

B. I don't like the fact that you can overheat while wearing one.

C. I don't like the fact that with all the extra pockets you end up stuffing things
in them because you have the pockets, and you think you are going to need
something later so you better pack it now.

D. They are a pain to refill quickly at aid stations.

E. I used one once on a 400km brevet. I experienced all the points above and
was miserable. Since then I have done many Ultras of longer distances and
never seemed to need the extra fluids that the camelback carries. I think they
are better suited for Mountain Biking.

On riding fixed gear....

I love riding fixed gear because of the shock on people's face when they see
me keeping up with them on a hard hilly ride. Many times I am riding with
people and just chatting and then they look down and say "Oh my God you've
only got one gear. I could never do this ride without being able to shift."

I love riding fixed gear because it is harder. If I don't have much time for a
long ride then I go out on my fixie and it feels like I have done a lot more work.
According to Chris Charmichael:

---"Because your legs are constantly in motion, this type of riding provides much
more aerobic benefit than geared-bike riding," Carmichael said. "An hour and a
half to two hours of fixed-gear riding is equivalent to four hours of regular
riding."
Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company

I love riding fixed gear because it makes me a better rider. I have to think
about every situation even more than when I am on my multi-speed. Simple
things like coming up to a light or stop sign so that I can dismount and also so
that I can set myself up for when I take off.

I love riding fixed gear because it helps with my bike handling skills.

I love riding fixed gear because it is so much fun. It keeps your attention all
the time.

On dieting and weight management...

Here is another subject that is near and dear to me. Far too often people
comment on my physical appearance and say "Oh you're so lucky you don't
have to watch your weight" or comments similar to that. This couldn't be
further from the truth. I do have to watch my diet and I have to use weight
management strategies. I'm in my 40's now and I will tell you I have to work
really hard to keep the weight off. It is particullary challenging when I'm
preparing for a climbing event. You see the impact weight loss/gain has on us
is proportional. To me 10-15lbs is a lot where for someone else 10-15lbs is just
a start to their weight loss program.

Indulge me as I share a couple of analogies with you.

#1

Let's say every Sunday you fill the gas tank in your car for just a week's worth
of commuting to and from work. Now let's say you add an errand on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday that takes you off your routine commute.    Your typical
tankful won't last through the week with the added errands. Additionally, it
would be foolish at this point to reduce the amount of gas you are putting in
your car or you risk the chance of standing along the roadside with your thumb
out and a gas can in your other hand.

#2

On the other hand, if you lose your job and you stop commuting to work but
keep filling your gas tank as you did when you were commuting then you would
be overflowing and creating a Hazardous Material spill at the gas station every
Sunday.

Your body is an amazing "machine". In my first analogy I am making the point
that your body knows what it needs to keep you alive and functioning. When
you increase that demand by EXERCISING, then your body will need more
"fuel". This demand for more fuel can be met by one of two methods and/or a
combination of the two. You can take in more calories--- while making good
decisions on what you take in. Or you can allow the body to slowly burn off
your fat stores. A combination of good meal choices and some fat stores is the
best long term solution.

In my first analogy, a car doesn't have a reserve tank but the body does. We
commonly refer to this spare tank as "love handles" and other things. Losing
weight doesn't have to be about starving yourself. We all know it is foolish to
put less gas in our car if we are driving more. Why don't we make the
correlation of this immutable fact to our bodies?

You can cause serious damage to your body if you starve yourself. The added
workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday help increase your metabolic rate.
This now allows more calories to be burned and that in conjunction with your
healthier meal choices will ensure the success of your weight loss program.
Furthermore, an increase metabolic rate allows you to burn fat even when you
aren't exercising.

My first analogy is meant to get people off their couch and start exercising.
Whether it be walking 20-30 minutes three times a day or signing up for a 5K
fun run or that marathon for your 50th Birthday.    DO SOMETHING!!! And do
it regularly!! You will not only lose weight but have a healthier cardiovascular
system.

In my second analogy I am referring to people who are sedentary and eat like
they are actively participating in sports or have a fitness routine. Or even people
that are active but just overeat. I have seen many group rides were the riders
start with coffee and bagels or donuts drink and eat bars and sports drinks on
the bike. Then they stop for lunch stuff their faces and then at the end of the
ride they sit down for another meal. THEN THEY WONDER WHY THE
DON'T LOSE WEIGHT EVEN THOUGH THEY RIDE SO MUCH. If you
aren't exercising regularly then you shouldn't be eating so much. Conversely,
even if you are exercising you shouldn't eat so much either.

IT IS A VERY SIMPLE FORMULA --- CALORIES
CONSUMED MINUS CALORIES EXPENDED!

If you take in more than you burn then you will gain weight get fat and cause
yourself health issues. If you take in less than you burn then you are losing
weight and all things being equal you will be healthier.

DIETING ALONE will not help you maintain a healthy body. YOU NEED TO
MAKE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE. Exercise is good. You feel better after a
workout. Get those Endorphines surging through your body they make you feel
good. If you feel good you will look good too. Your self-esteem will improve
and people will notice the difference in you. Here's something many "dieters"
don't realize or get the benefit of experiencing--- the more you exercise the more
energy you have and the more you want to exercise. This lifestyle change will
keep the weight off longer than some fad Atkins or South Beach diet ever will!!

I advocate exercise OVER DIETING EVERYDAY AND
TWICE ON SUNDAY.