Do you have any advice or guidelines for continuing to train while sick? I’ve heard that it’s ok to continue to train if you have a head cold, but as soon as it descends into your chest you should cease training. Is this an arbitrary distinction? What is considered “too sick” to train?
Thanks, - Jason
Jason,
Yes, the general rule of thumb is that if you have symptoms below the neck you should not exercise. This is because symptoms below the neck can be associated with viral infections such as influenza and there is risk of Viral Myocarditis, a condition in which a virus invades the heart muscle, possibly causing significant damage.
If you have mild symptoms above the neck, such as a head cold or mild sore throat and you feel like training, it is probably okay to do an easy ride providing your doctor agrees. But do keep in mind occasional missed workouts will not adversely affect your fitness and the added rest may be beneficial in getting you healthy and back on the road.
Eddie Monnier is a USA Cycling licensed Elite Coach (Level 1, the highest certification achievable), a USA Cycling Certified Power Coach, a bike fitter, a category 2 road and track cyclist, and oversees the NOW-MS Society Elite U25 Development Team. Although he lives in Santa Monica, California, he coaches athletes from all over through his Velo-Fit, LLC coaching business. You may reach Eddie at eddie@velo-fit.com.
Any information or advice offered by the members of the Coaches’ Panel should not in any way be viewed as personal medical advice. The recommendations made in this column are offered as general information for healthy, physically fit amateur and professional athletes. None of the information provided by members of the Coaches’ Panel should be viewed as a replacement for personalized, professional medical treatment or to replace the advice or services of your physician. While some members of the Coaches’ Panel are Licensed Medical Doctors, Licensed healthcare professionals, and certified coaches, their advice in no way establishes a doctor-patient relationship between the writer and readers of this column. If you are beginning or resuming a vigorous exercise program, it is important to visit your health care provider for a complete physical examination in order to identify and treat any potential risks you might face.
I’m working to adjust my bike to fit better. I’m a casual rider. I use a static method, which gave me good starting point. Could you please tell me how can I determine the static handlebar fore-aft?
How can I determine the static handlebar height adjustment?
Do you recommend to use goniometer to fit a bike?
Thank you, -Clod
Hello Clod,
Handle bar fore/aft (stem length) is in part driven by feel. It should simply feel comfortable. However, some people are not sure what that is and need a starting point. A comfortable bike fit will typically end up with the angle between the torso and upper arm around or close to 90 degrees. You can simply have a friend hold up a book (90 degree angled corner) to see if your angle between the torso and upper arm is close. You could use a goniometer but, if that is the only use you think you would have for the tool, then a book or even a square piece of paper will do fine.
Handlebar height is also driven by feel or comfort. If you need some more guidance, the torso angle for casual riding is often closer to 45 degrees from the horizontal (an imaginary line drawn parallel to the ground at the level of the hip).
Scroll down the page and see the torso angle drawn onto the cyclist(s). You can see some comparisons as well for different types of cyclists.
If you view the link you will also see an example of torso/upper arm angle to help guide stem length (or handlebar fore/aft as you reference). Notice it is about as close to 90 degrees as you can get.
Happy Pedals-
- Paul Swift
Paul Swift
An eight-time National Elite Cycling Champion and founder of BikeFit.com, Paul developed the Bicycle Fitting System (BFS), which includes products like the Cleat Wedges. The BFS helped bring the “front view” of a cyclist into the bike fitting world. BikeFit.com offers tools and education for bike fitters worldwide, helping them to better position humans on bicycles.
Any information or advice offered by the members of the Coaches’ Panel should not in any way be viewed as personal medical advice. The recommendations made in this column are offered as general information for healthy, physically fit amateur and professional athletes. None of the information provided by members of the Coaches’ Panel should be viewed as a replacement for personalized, professional medical treatment or to replace the advice or services of your physician. While some members of the Coaches’ Panel are Licensed Medical Doctors, Licensed healthcare professionals, and certified coaches, their advice in no way establishes a doctor-patient relationship between the writer and readers of this column. If you are beginning or resuming a vigorous exercise program, it is important to visit your health care provider for a complete physical examination in order to identify and treat any potential risks you might face.
I am lactose intolerant and would love to know where to buy lactose-free whey protein, as I have not found it in any store (or the associates are uninformed). Also, are there any differences between whey protein and soy protein isolate? I know soy is a complete protein, but still think there may be differences.
Thank You!
-Jason
Hi Jason:
It sounds like you are focusing on some strength and muscle building during this time of the season and are interested in using a high quality protein supplement to support your efforts. Research shows that consuming 20 grams of high quality protein with 25 grams of carbohydrate in the hour before weight training can enhance your muscle building efforts. Consuming this protein and carbohydrate combination in the hour after weight training is also beneficial. If you combine any weight training workout with a cardio or cycling workout, you can increase the amount of carbohydrate that you consume to provide fuel for endurance training (before) or recovery nutrition (after).
You are correct in that both whey and soy protein powders can provide high quality protein though their amino acid profiles can differ. It is also important to know if both these protein sources have positive effects on muscle building.
Whey protein is made from cow’s milk and is isolated from whey, a by-product of cheese manufacturing. Whey protein typically comes in three major forms: concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate. Concentrate contains some lactose, while isolates have had the lactose removed. Hyrolysates are partially broken down and may be more easily absorbed, but is usually more expensive than the other two forms.
Whey protein has long been considered the “Gold Standard” protein for muscle building because it is such an excellent source of the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are metabolized directly into the muscle and used during periods of exercise and resistance training. One of these BCAAs, leucine, which is about 50-percent higher in whey protein than soy protein, plays a particularly important role in firing up protein synthesis.
Soy protein can also be a little controversial in that is contains phytoestrogens and there is concern that is may produce the unwanted effect of decreases in testosterone and increases in estrogen in men. Soy in general is controversial regarding is long-term effect on the health of both men and women, particularly in relationship to whether it increases or decreases risk of hormone related cancers, as well as its relationship to other health concerns.
In contrast to whey protein, soy protein has high amounts of the amino acids arginine, which has a role in protein synthesis, and in glutamine, which supports the immune system. Soy protein is available in concentrate form and also in the most pure form as an isolate. Of course all forms are lactose free.
Proper use of whey protein does clearly support muscle building efforts, and a few recent studies have shown that soy protein may as well. One study compared intact proteins form both milk and soy and found that soy was an effective post-workout beverage, supporting muscle building. Another study supported the muscle building results of soy protein, and also found that it had no negative effect on testosterone or estrogen levels in men. This same study also found comparable muscle building results from soy protein isolate, or concentrate, whey protein isolate or concentrate, or a combination of soy and whey protein.
Whey protein is digested quickly, while soy protein is digested more slowly, so a combination may in theory provide a more sustained release of amino acids for optimal protein synthesis.
So, if you are going to use whey protein, look for the isolate form which does not contain lactose. Soy protein also presents as an alternative which is lactose-free, or you can even use both protein sources. You can simply search on the internet for whey protein isolate and come up with some brands that are lactose-free — many of them state this on the container. Also, real food sources such as poultry, fish, and lean meat, and lactose free milk also provide viable protein sources that can be consumed after strength training exercises.
Thanks,
-Monique
Got a question for the coaches panel? Send it to coachespanel@competitorgroup.com
Monique Ryan
Monique Ryan, MS, RD, LDN is a nationally recognized nutritionist with over twenty-four years of experience and is owner of Personal Nutrition Designs, a Chicago based nutrition consulting company that provides nutrition programs for endurance athletes across North America.
Any information or advice offered by the members of the Coaches’ Panel should not in any way be viewed as personal medical advice. The recommendations made in this column are offered as general information for healthy, physically fit amateur and professional athletes. None of the information provided by members of the Coaches’ Panel should be viewed as a replacement for personalized, professional medical treatment or to replace the advice or services of your physician. While some members of the Coaches’ Panel are Licensed Medical Doctors, Licensed healthcare professionals, and certified coaches, their advice in no way establishes a doctor-patient relationship between the writer and readers of this column. If you are beginning or resuming a vigorous exercise program, it is important to visit your health care provider for a complete physical examination in order to identify and treat any potential risks you might face.
We received quite a few questions in response to “Bad to the Bone,” which looked at some recent data in professional and highly training amateur cyclists in regards to their risk for developing osteopenia or osteoporosis. Please see these answers below.
Question 1: Does riding my mountain bike help?
Hi Monique,
Great article. I’m curious primarily as a road cyclist who does some trail riding as well. Are there any studies out there on cyclists who do both or just trail? Hard to imagine that the constant vibration on the trail would not be stimulating a lot of osteoblastic activity in the spine, pelvis, and legs.
Thanks,
KS
Any data on mountain bikers? Seems like this might be an easy way for the road cyclist to get some impact and do useful cross-training.
SM
Currently there is limited data comparing the bone health benefits of road cycling to mountain biking. One study published in the journal “Bone” has compared the bone mineral density of three groups: roadies, mountain bikers, and a recreationally trained control group. DEXA was used to measure the bone density of the femur, lumbar spine, and total body. When data was adjusted for body weight and controlled for age, bone mineral density was significantly higher at all sites in the mountain bikers when compared with the road cyclists and recreationally trained controls. The researchers concluded that road cycling was not any more beneficial to bone health than recreational activity in healthy men. The higher bone density in the mountain bikers also suggests that this type of cycling training may provide an osteogenic stimulus that is not inherent to road cycling.
However, this is only one study. Even if you put in the trail miles, it is recommended that you still complete some type of weight bearing exercise twice weekly, year round.
Question 2: What is the best exercise for bone health?
Monique,
That was a really good article about bone density. I am the perfect case study of this problem. I am a 39 year old Cat 2/master. I ride 12,000 miles per year, and have been racing bikes since I was a junior back in 1986. I lift weight s once a week during the season and twice a week in the off season. I managed to get through almost 20 years without serious injury. In 2005 I broke my left collarbone, 2007 I broke my right one, and I broke three ribs in July of this year. I had my orthopedic check my bone density. One hip was on the low side of normal and the other showed signs of osteopenia. I consume a well-balanced diet with plenty of dairy and I take calcium supplements too. I am in the process of working with a specialist. One thing that I was told is that running seems to provide the best impact for bones compared to weight lifting.
JL
PT
I ride a huge amount and genuinely hate to run. So my question is, how often is the minimum running you would suggest to help combat low bone density? How many times per week (year round) and how far each run?
As you are aware, both resistance training and weight-bearing endurance activity are recommended to help preserve bone health during adulthood. One recent study in the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” looked at the effects of long-term running, cycling, and resistance training on total body and specific sites of bone mineral density as measured by DEXA. Long-term running activity and resistance training both increased bone mineral density when compared to cycling. When the researchers calculated further and adjusted for differences in lean body mass between the groups of athletes, it appeared that a high impact activity such as running, could have a greater positive effect on bone mineral density than resistance training.
Clearly both activities offer an advantage to cyclists who have not been focused on adequate resistance training. “Bone grows in response to stress on the bone. This is true whether the load is from weight-bearing exercise such as lifting weights, resistance training or running. There does not need to be impact for bone to grow, just weight bearing. While there is no definitive answer as to how much weight, it is clear that non-weight bearing activity such as swimming will not provide enough stimulus to maintain bone health,” said Michael Ross, MD author of Maximum Performance for Cyclists and director at The Performance Lab, a medical facility which focuses on sports performance, located in the Philadelphia area. “Weight bearing exercise twice weekly should go a long way towards maintaining bone health. I recommend squats, running, rows, or pushups using a stability ball as bone health exercises that would also be good for cycling.”
Study results regarding the benefits of running have varies with some studi showing that while running may positively influence hip bone density, but not the bone density of lumbar spine. “Running at lower intensities may help provide impact to the hip, with the impact starting at the ankle joint and up to the hip, with the spine not receiving enough stimulus for remodeling,” said Aaron Smathers, MS who has studies low bone density in cyclists. “Of course, no research has yet looked at cyclists who had low bone density.”
It might also be helpful to keep in mind that many of these studies on cycling and bone health have looked at pro cyclists or highly trained amateurs. “The life of a pro cyclist revolves around riding for multiple hours. Because of the overwhelming desire to remain lean, there may not be enough calcium or Vitamin D intake and there might not be enough body fat to maintain stores of Vitamin D,” said Dr. Ross.
Though one study published in Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise did have more “ordinary” cycling subjects. “The majority of subjects were not elite amateurs or top level pros, but mainly Cat 3 and 4 racers. Their body fat percent was normal, “ said Aaron Smathers, MS. “This just drives home the point that anyone that rides competitively or at the level for required for competition should be aware of this problem.”
What other nutritional strategies can improve bone health?
“Exercise is a good way to maintain bone health, however, it may not be the best way to increase bone mineral density. The importance of calcium and vitamin D cannot be overlooked,” said Dr Ross.
“The real question remains as to what mechanism or mechanisms are driving the loss of bone mineral density in the cyclists, or why these cyclists have lower bone mineral density than the control population they were match to for height and weight,” said Smathers. “Although this is speculative, I think it may be a combination of calcium loss in sweat, hormonal disruption, and the non-weight bearing nature of cycling, and no other forms of activity that positively influence bone density.”
There is some other interesting nutrition data coming out that cyclists can consider as part of a comprehensive approach to maintaining bone health. Fruits and vegetables can actually offer a protective effect to your bones by balancing an excess of acid in your body, a condition that can occur as we age. In a recent study published in the “Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” researchers reported that a potassium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate supplement helped to reduce bone resorption and calcium excretion that can occur when the body is titled more towards an acidic balance rather than an alkaline one. These results suggest that leaning towards a diet that is more alkaline could help prevent bone loss in healthy older adults.
Eating fruits and vegetables would be expected to have the same effect. When fruits and vegetables are metabolized they add the alkaline compound bicarbonate to the body. Some components of your diet that could increase the acidity of your diet include excessive intake of protein and cereal grains. The typical American diet does contain high amounts of protein and cereal grains in contrast to fruit and vegetable intake.
In another recent study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” the natural pigments found in plants, called carotenoids, were found to help protect against bone loss in older men and women. Over a four year period, carotenoid intake, particularly lycopene was associated with some level of decreased bone loss in the hip in men and lumbar spine in women. Carotenoid intake may explain the previously observed protective effects of fruits and vegetables on bone mineral density. There are over 600 different carotenoids in foods, and they are what give plants their red, orange, and yellow coloring from strawberries to carrots to tomato sauce. Carotenoids are also antioxidants and may help protect bone by reducing oxidative stress and decreasing bone breakdown.
In fact, bone loss may also be part of the process of inflammation. The bone cells that break down bone, osteoclasts are influence by pro-inflammatory processes in the body. Conditions that induce excessive inflammatory responses can compromise bone integrity. Focusing in consuming foods and beverages that have an anti-inflammatory effect can also be part of a bone loss prevention strategy.
Anti-inflammatory food components include dry beans and tofu, green tea, fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts, canola and extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices such as basil, cinnamon, ginger, mint, oregano, thyme. Pro-inflammatory foods include excessive consumption of refined sugar, highly processed carbohydrate, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, processed meats, and saturated fat.
So, are there any other steps that you can take if you are concerned about bone mass. “Decreasing high volume workouts and replacing them with high-intensity training sessions can also help to decrease the caloric deficiency which can lead to weak bones,” said Dr. Ross.”
Cyclists and especially women over 35 should consider a DEXA scan (a test of bone mineral density) after a fracture or stress fracture.
Got a question for the coaches panel? Send it to coachespanel@competitorgroup.com
Monique Ryan
Monique Ryan, MS, RD, LDN is a nationally recognized nutritionist with over twenty-four years of experience and is owner of Personal Nutrition Designs, a Chicago based nutrition consulting company that provides nutrition programs for endurance athletes across North America.
Editor’s Note: Today we are re-running one of Frank Overton’s most popular columns from 2009, on designing your annual training plan. If you enjoy this, be sure to check out Frank’s second most-popular column: What to do with your new power meter.
By Frank Overton
These days, there’s something to be said for designing your own training program. Athletes that are willing to put some thought and dedicate some time into designing a personal training strategy can be quite successful, more so than just riding around and hoping your form comes around.
A 2010 FasCalendar
It is also helpful to have your own game plan on paper even if you plan to take advantage of the help of an expert.
For those of you who like to do it yourself (DIY), here are four steps and two documents to use for designing a great 2009 training and racing season.
Step 1: Get Organized
The first step in designing your plan is to have everything written down and organized on one sheet of paper like the one pictured. To download this worksheet visit FasCatCoaching.com.
In one view, this worksheet breaks down the entire 2010 calendar into 37 weeks. Start by figuring out when you are going to start (and stop) racing. If you are lucky enough to attend a training camp write that down, too. Even knowing in advance when you’ll be taking a vacation away from the bike is helpful.
Step 2: What are you training for?
The next step is to identify precisely what you are training for. Having a tangible goal to work for will give you the motivation to get on the bike each day with a purpose. For starters, write down your three most important races. Then enter those races into the calendar. Define how many weeks you have from now until your first “A” race.
Having the big picture — the 30,000-foot aerial view, if you will — of how your races are setting up this spring and summer will give you the ability to zoom in your training week-to-week.
Step 3: Advanced Planning
Now that you are organized, and your goals are defined, begin to fill in your plan with more detail. Remember, designing your own training plan is a not a one-time exercise; it’s a work in progress. In January concentrate on the number of weeks you have before your race season begins.
January
Write down how many hours you can train each week between now and when your season begins. Weigh the possibility for a late winter or early spring warmer weather training camp to wrap up your “base.” Conversely, plan around potential business trips and other limitations (we all have to work, right?) Perhaps most importantly, plan on riding after work beginning March 8th with daylight savings.
As you know, the more training the better, but keep it realistic. By having weekly hours written down, you automatically give yourself the motivation to achieve those goals and ride those hours.
February and March
By the time February and March roll around, most local racing associations have posted their 2009 racing calendars. Begin to review and chose which you want to race before and in-between your major A races. Also use this advanced planning opportunity to look at what races aren’t going to work for whatever reason. You do not and should not race every weekend from April through September. Schedule a healthy dose of non-competitive weekends during which you ride for fun in a productive way.
A 2010 Annual Training PLan
I also recommend a mid-season break for all athletes (one week of no riding and racing to recharge mentally and physically). Mid-season breaks are a great time to balance your life outside of cycling for work and family.
Revisit this worksheet in February and March and adjust your weekly hours based on how easy or hard they have been to achieve so far. Once your racing is underway and you have seen how successful you are, and are going to be, revisit your race program and your goals based on your successes so far.
Now that you have your big picture training plan taken care of, you are ready to zoom down to the day-to-day design. I like to use a calendar like the one pictured and you can see that January is planned out as an example. You can download this calendar to use for your design by visiting FasCatCoaching.com.
Take the weekly hours from your big picture plan and pencil them in for the week ending each Sunday. Say, for example, that you planned out eight hours for the week, January 12th – 18th. Working off of those hours, you could do three one-hour mid-week workouts and two 2.5-hour rides over the weekend. Alternatively, you could do one three-hour ride on Saturday and a two-hour ride on Sunday. The benefit of designing your own training plan is that you know the limitations of your schedule and how each week/weekend shapes up against basketball games, business trips, carpools and if you are gonna be able to hit the Saturday morning group ride throw down.
Every two or three weeks plan a recovery week with fewer hours than you normally would ride. Give yourself more complete off days during the work week and ride once on the weekend. Try to train especially hard in the week and the days before your planned rest.
Repeat your day-to-day training plan design once-a-month using a monthly calendar. Always plan ahead based on what has happened with your previous training.
Finally, print out both of these documents. Use them to write down what you did each day. Post them on your refrigerator, desk, garage – wherever you are going to glance at daily so that you already know what you need to do for training the next day. Show your family. Share it with your cycling club and teammates. Rally for as much support as you can find. Oh and honey, can you watch the kids on Saturday morning so I can go hammer with the group ride?
Frank Overton is the head Cycling Coach at FasCatCoaching.com, a cycling coaching company in Boulder, Colorado. If you would like to receive the Training Plan Design Worksheet and the monthly FasCalendar (with an example January Training Plan) referenced above please, email info@fascatcoaching.com.
Metaphorically, the pan flat roads of the upcoming Tour of Qatar are the perfect place for Tom Boonen to kick off his 2010 season. The six-day UCI Asia Tour event that starts February 7 features nary a climb, making Boonen among the favorites for overall victory in a race he’s already won a record three times.
More importantly, Boonen is looking for a smoother ride following a 2009 season that spiked and dipped like the Dow Jones. Despite a steady campaign that included a Belgian national championship title and his third Paris-Roubaix crown, Boonen made far more headlines for his second positive cocaine test in two years, an indiscretion that came to light early last May.
Boonen was initially suspended by his Quick Step team, and he nearly missed his second straight Tour de France before organizers softened, allowing the popular rider to start. But clemency was the only thing Boonen won at the Tour, and after a disappointing first 14 stages, he dropped out and went home.
A year later, those closest to Boonen claim he’s a changed man — at least that’s the hope.
“I can’t say he’s a new Tom Boonen, because this year he will have 30 years in his legs,” said Quick Step general manager Patrick Lefevere during the squad’s recent team presentation at the Velofollies cycling trade show in Kortrijk, Belgium. “As a person, he did mistakes like a lot of people do. But I really hope he doesn’t repeat those stupid things he’s done in the past. He’s a very good guy, and a good rider, and I think he understands what he’s done in the past and won’t repeat it.”
His teammates concur, calling the 2010 Boonen more relaxed than in years past. “There is just something a little easier about his character,” claimed Kevin Seeldraeyers, himself a star of the future following his white jersey win at the ’09 Giro d’Italia. “We all think Tom is better this year, at least that is what we hope.”
You can’t blame Lefevere and the others for their optimism about Boonen. When on form, the former U.S. Postal Service rider has proven himself a consistent winner, boasting a resume that includes the aforementioned trifecta of Roubaix titles, two Tour of Flanders crowns, the 2005 world title, and a Tour de France green jersey.
“Despite last year, to me he is still one of the big stars of cycling, along with Lance, Cancellara and Contador,” said Lefevere.
The team and its new bike.
Notably absent from that list is Mark Cavendish, the man widely regarded as the world’s top sprinter, and a rider Boonen couldn’t match at last year’s Tour. But defeat doesn’t necessarily breed respect, and Boonen is quite candid about his feelings toward the HTC-Columbia star. “He’s not my kind of person,” said Boonen. “I’m just not very into his character.”
This year, Boonen and Quick Step may also take a pass on squaring off head-to-head with Cavendish and HTC, instead opting to pick and choose their mode of attack.
“First you have to wait and see if they will be as fast as everyone seems to think,” said Boonen, alluding to HTC’s one-two punch of Cavendish and recent Tour Down Under winner Andre Greipel. “If they are then you have to change the tactic a little bit. There are a lot of good races that you can still win with a few good guys trying to get away before the sprint. And the negative side of having the two fastest guys in the world is that you are always going to have to ride. No one will work with them, and that will give us some more possibilities.”
Of course, sprinting against HTC is only a secondary concern for Quick Step, a distinctly Belgian team with Belgian title sponsors and Belgian-centric goals. As usual, No. 1 on that list is the early Spring Classics. Quick Step scored the double last year, with Stijn Devolder winning his second straight Tour of Flanders a week ahead of Boonen’s Roubaix triumph.
The legs of Quick Step
“Of course I would like to do well in the Tour and some other races this year, but my heart is always with the Classics,” said Boonen, who this year will have a chance to tie countryman Roger De Vlaeminck for most career Paris-Roubaix wins. “For me it’s important to take care of your first objective 100 percent and then think of your other objectives. Right now my mind is set on the cobblestones.”
If Boonen falters in April, he’s says goal No. 2 will come at season’s end, when the cycling world heads back Down Under for the 2010 world championships in Melbourne, Australia.
“I’ll have to survive the season first,” said Boonen in what was either an acknowledgment of cycling’s on-the-road dangers, or a subtle nod to the ongoing battle with his inner demons. “But I’ve checked out the worlds course on DVD and I think I can do well there.”
Lefevere also sees opportunity at the Tour de France, where Boonen owns six career stage wins and the 2007 green jersey.
Big Tom and bigger Tom
“I don’t think that Tom is slower than before, it’s just that the young guys are coming up,” said Lefevere. “But we must remember that it was not Cavendish who was winning the green jersey in the Tour. It was another guy (Cervelo TestTeam rider Thor Hushovd), who wasn’t winning stages either. So I think Tom can still fight for the green.”
Lefevere also had a prediction for yellow, guessing as Saxo Bank’s Bjarne Riis did earlier in the year, that American Lance Armstrong doesn’t have enough left in the tank to knock off reigning champion Alberto Contador.
“I am a big fan of Lance, for I at one time had the same illness,” said Lefevere. “But I agree with Bjarne. With no bad luck Contador will win, no discussion about it.”
Lefevere can only hope the same holds true for his star rider, and that discussion is reserved for on-the-bike accomplishments, not off-the-bike infractions.
Race radios for riders will be banned in nearly all USA Cycling road and track races going forward. The USCF Board of Trustees met this week and on Monday evening amended the rule regarding radios in response to a request from the UCI.
In 2010, race radios will only be allowed for use by teams and riders in UCI Category HC or Category 1 races in the U.S., per UCI regulations. Basically this means radios will only be allowed at the Amgen Tour of California, the Tour of Missouri and the Philadelphia International Classic for men, and the Liberty Classic for women.
USA Cycling rule 1N6, which takes effect immediately, now reads:
“Riders may not use radios, telephones, or other such communication devices. No earpieces may be worn. Audio playback devices are expressly forbidden.”
“I would like to thank the USCF Trustees for moving quickly in response to the request we received from the UCI,” said USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson. “Although I think the jury is still out regarding the future of radios in our sport, given the current direction being set by the UCI indicating their intent to phase out radio usage across the board, we all agreed that it was important to make this adjustment now rather than later in the season.”
Reaction from riders was mixed.
“From the safety standpoint it could be bad, but for the developmental standpoint it could be good,” said Kelly Benefit Strategies rider Andy Bajadali. “It will teach younger riders how to read races, and I think that’s the point. A team like mine, with a good team director, it was to our advantage to have a race radio program, we were very dialed in and made very few mistakes. There’s a lot of depth on our team, guys know how to race, so I think this will be an advantage to deeper teams with older guys and more experienced guys. I’ve been in races where radio makes things safer — maybe you’re overseas and it’s sketchy, or there’s a maniac driving on course, and in that aspect it is good. I’ve been in a lot of sketchy races where something bad could have gone wrong, and was avoided because of race radios, and I think they will find that out — hopefully no one has to be seriously hurt for them to realize that. I think you always want to see progress, and this seems like a step backwards. Maybe soon we’ll all be riding 20-pound steel bikes, Eddy Merckx style.”
Bissell’s Ben Jacques-Maynes echoed Bajadali’s sentiments on safety.
“Knowing your guy has a flat and is on the side of road, or of some hazards on the road, that there is an ambulance coming the other way — which happens all the time — that is useful information that we honestly need, and race radios provide that,” he said.
However, he said the quality of racing could actually improve because of the ban.
“Teams where communication is already an issue might suffer, but the guys on the big teams already have team captains, the guys have marching orders, and races are usually run according to plan,” he said. “If you look at the stage they ran at the Tour de France last year without radios, it was super controlled, even more so than normal. I don’t necessarily think it’s going to all of a sudden be wild free-for alls and 10-minute breaks. People will have to be smart and think on their feet, but most of the pro peloton is capable of that. I think racing will look pretty the same. There might be a few guys asking, ‘What just happened?’ but that’s about it.”
As the train rumbled north through the Catalan countryside toward the Côte d’Azur, I gazed out the window as my headphones pounded a beat and my thoughts spun through the last months and the coming weeks. Now that the new season is underway I will be moving relentlessly throughout Europe from race to race. There was serenity in the rhythmic motion of the train, which I haven’t felt in ages as I have traveled to races by air since my debut as a professional. Although the scenery outside was a blur of color it was quiet and calm inside the train.
This is the first off-season where I haven’t jumped between continents and flown between training camps. As I start the season I feel relaxed and ready.
Over the last few weeks, since the Team Sky training camp in Valencia, Spain, I have settled into a routine at home in Girona. I rode for hours over the Catalan roads, which twist through the lush sprouting green pastures and the blossoming forests. It is an ideal time of year to ride as the roads are now void of the summer tourist traffic and the weather is pleasant. Soon after the sun rose and we had dropped our boys off at school I was on my bike, only returning when the sun was low and it was time to pick them up.
As the weeks passed the efforts on the bike have progressively intensified as my body slowly adapted to the workload. During the camp I became comfortable with the fluctuations in cadence and speed as we trained in groups, rode in pacelines, and practiced lead-outs. I arrived at the hotel after riding for most of the day feeling tired but eager.
As the train reached France and sped through the small southern towns my thoughts rewound to my youth when I raced for a small French club based in the heart of the Alps, in the town of Annemasse. Like the generations of northern French cyclists who had made the same journey in the early spring, we would pile into the old Renault team cars to head south to escape the snow and train along the warmer Côte d’Azur. We rode the same routes Louison Bobet rode in the 1950s, Richard Virenque grew up training on in the ’80s, and thousands more have ridden to find fitness.
First race number of the new year, and new team.
There was an exotic and romantic element to the trip. Our training rides took us through St. Tropez, we raced into Cannes, and finished other races in Nice — they were places that were alluring and intriguing to a young Canadian.
Since my amateur days I haven’t had the opportunity to start a season in France. Twelve years later I am now racing in the professional events I once watched from the sidelines as an amateur. Ironically, one of my teammates on Sky, Calzati, was a rival back then and our team coach Rod Ellingworth rode for another French club.
La Marseillaise, the race that opens the French racing season, started in the center of Marseilles in a concrete square beside a stadium. The crowds who were bundled in their winter parkas and scarves looked on as we readied our bikes for the first race. The event is a hilly one-day race sponsored by the local paper with a course that loops around the countryside over 140 kilometers and finishes back in the center.
The new jerseys of this season’s peloton colored the gray square in the low afternoon light as we set off to cheers and applause. Under the neutral flag of the commissaire we left the city center, rolling along and chatting with friends not seen since the end of the last season. Being the first race of the year there was a nervousness in the peloton—everybody seemed eager to make an impact early, to show off the hard work they put in through the winter, and to prove their worth to their team.
In the first kilometer of the race we attacked a climb and the peloton was quickly forced into a single line that snaked up the hillside. The change in rhythm felt odd to my legs, which have become accustomed to efforts in small groups or solo efforts on the road alone. Racing is completely different as the peloton surges and slows unlike training where efforts are usually gauged and premeditated. For the first hour my legs were slow to adapt; in the cool winter air my muscles ached and my lungs burned with each surge. But, as the race wore on, I found comfort on my bike, power on the climbs and they adapted to flow of the peloton. Each rider in the peloton goes through the same changes — some are slower to find fluidity depending the work they did through the off-season.
Training is great. But it's not racing.
Not only did our bodies feel different in the race, but we also could feel the sharp transition to our race bikes — changing from a well used workhorse of a training bike to a new race bike is like chopping tomatoes with a worn kitchen knife and switching to a high carbon steel chef’s blade. The tubular tires glide and grip, the race wheels are stiff and smooth and the bike is clean and crisp.
The team was present at the front throughout the race, and in the finale, my teammate Steve Cummings charged up the final ascent with 20 kilometers to go. Pushing into a fierce headwind the group of nine riders who had followed his attack held off the chasing peloton. In a headwind attacks are dulled and efforts are curtailed as riders give into the wind. Up front, the nine strongest men persisted and sprinted for the victory.
La Marseillaise was not only the first event of our season but also the first race of our short campaign in France. We will remain in southern France for a five-day stage race, Étoile de Besseges, before heading straight to a training camp in Valencia where we’ll join the majority of the team for another week of focused work.
As a new team, we are also discovering our roles and our direction. We are progressing quickly as everyone seems open, eager and fit. In Marseilles we were tested as a team, found our place, and knowing our strengths can attack the next races with confidence.
To increase the day’s load, we rode the hilly 30 kilometers back to the hotel from the race finish with a team car close behind. Pedaling under the setting sun we were content. After months of preparation the season was underway.
Norwegian Thor Hushovd has pulled out of this week’s edition of the Etoile de Besseges stage race because of illness, his Cervélo team said Tuesday.
“Thor Hushovd was scheduled to start the Étoile de Bessèges on Wednesday, but because of a bad cold he will postpone his season debut until the Volta ao Algarve,” the team noted in an announcement posted to its website on Tuesday.
Hushovd, the green jersey champion from the 2009 Tour de France, will formally begin his season on February 17 at the Portugal’s Tour of the Algarve in Portugal.
The Etoile de Besseges is held in southern France from February 3-7 and suits riders of all capabilities. France’s Thomas Voeckler is the defending champion.
Cervelo TestTeam for the Etoile de Besseges:
João Correia (POR)
Stefan Denifl (AUT)
Ted King (USA)
Brett Lancaster (AUS)
Daniel Lloyd (GBR)
Oscar Pujol (ESP)
Dominique Rollin (CAN)
Marcel Wyss (SUI)
The 20-year-old with the Italian Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan team out sprinted a 30-woman pack at the end of the 104km stage from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha to Al Khor Corniche.
Eighty-nine riders started the race, which began with a favorable wind for the first 45km. An intermediate sprint broke up the pack, which reformed into a front group of 22 riders that included defending Qatar champion Kirsten Wild (Cervelo TestTeam).
A Qatar cycling federation official presents Lelivyte with her silver leader's jersey.
Wild grabbed the next sprint at the 45km mark, but in the second half of the race the leading group was caught by two chasing groups and a pack of about 60 riders formed.
After several unsuccessful solo breaks, Wild grabbed another intermediate sprint and her team began to set her up for the final charge, with the front group now whittled down to about 30 riders. However, Wild could not deliver this time and Lelivyte took the win ahead of Giorgia Bronzini of the Italian national team and Australian Chloe Hosking of HTC-Columbia.
The Lithuanian now leads the GC with a 4-second advantage over Bronzini and Wild.
American Amber Rais of the Kuota Speed Kueens team, did not start the race after braking her hip in a training accident Tuesday evening.
USA Cycling’s Women’s National Team Director, Manel LaCambra, said the team is aiming for a stage win this week.
“Our situation right now is not tops,” LaCambra said. “Today was very hot and windy like always here, and made the race even harder for us. There have been a lot of crashes and flats on these rough roads. I am expecting the girls feel a little better the next two days. They are very motivated and for sure we will try to win one stage,” he said.
The three-day race continues Thursday with a 107km stage from Al Zubarah, on the Gulf of Bahrain, to the Oryx Farm, an animal park in the middle of the country, about 15km from Doha.
The second annual Ladies Tour of Qatar will be made up of three stages and will cover a total distance of 304 kilometers. The 2009 event was won by Holland’s Kirsten Wild.
Skil-Shimano objects to negotiations while rider still under contract
By Agence France Presse
The Skil-Shimano cycling team has agreed to annul Fumiyuki Beppu’s contract after the Japanese rider acknowledged that he had violated UCI rules in reaching a verbal agreement to join the American RadioShack team.
Beppu, a former member of the Discovery team, had a year remaining on his contract with Skil-Shimano, which debuted at the Tour de Fance last year, but nonetheless negotiated a deal to join RadioShack without informing his team.
Skil said Wednesday that the team has “agreed to annul” Beppu’s contract, but only after establishing that the rider violated UCI rules in reaching an agreement with RadioShack and forcing him to pay damages.
Last year Fumiyuki Beppu and Yukiya Arashiro became the first Japanese riders to complete the Tour de France.
“Beppu recently reached a verbal agreement with Team RadioShack, without permission and without notifying Skil Shimano,” the team noted in a statement issued on Wednesday. “The 26-year-old has now acknowledged that he has a valid contract with Skil-Shimano and is unable to leave the team and sign a contract elsewhere without Skil-Shimano’s permission.
“This acknowledgment was a point of principle for Skil-Shimano, because an alternative reading would have undermined relations between teams and riders under contract, and existing contracts would no longer have been binding.”
Nonetheless, the team said it was willing to release Beppu from the final year of his contract since he had acknowledged the violation.
“After this principle decision … Beppu was offered the option of getting out of his contract through payment of non-negotiable compensation to his employer, bearing in mind the team is no longer confident of a continued successful relationship due to the rider’s actions a few months ago.”
Skil said it had no plans to replace Beppu, who has yet to claim a major victory in Europe. Beppu was, however, one of the first two Japanese riders to have finished the Tour de France, when he and Yukiya Arashiro (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) reached Paris at the end of the 2009 Tour.
Skil, meanwhile, said that the decision in no way detracts from the team’s mission of offering opportunities to Asian riders.
“The team will continue to focus on the current roster of riders and prepare thoroughly for the coming season,” added the statement. “The team is also confident its four remaining Asian riders will be able to make an undiminished contribution to the development and promotion of cycling in China and Japan, which is one of the goals of Skil-Shimano.”
Tasmanian Belinda Goss added to an impressive list of victories when she collected her fourth straight points race gold medal at the Australian Track Cycling Championships at Adelaide’s Super-Drome on Wednesday.
“I am so excited, I was sick last week, so I was a little bit nervous coming in not knowing how I was going to pull up, but I couldn’t be happier,” said a glowing Goss. “Women’s track cycling in Australia has certainly stepped up and the standard we have here is world class, so to win here tonight, I am really happy.”
In a dominant display Goss secured points in all but two of the ten sprints contested in the 100 lap race. She had the gold medal wrapped up 19 laps from home ended the race with 22 points, six ahead of reigning omnium World Champion, Josephine Tomic on 16 points. Six time junior World Champion, Megan Dunn, lined up for the first time in an elite points race at an Australian Championships and her debut was impressive. The 18 year old from Dubbo returned last week from the Beijing World Cup round where in her elite debut she won the points race. Tonight in Adelaide the gutsy teenager overcame a mid race crash to recover and ride home with 14 points for the bronze medal.
“It was a fantastic ride by Belinda and Josephine, but I am disappointed with a few mistakes on my behalf, but you live and learn and at the end of the day it is just another bike race,” said Dunn. “The fall did happen, and I missed out on a sprint, but it is what it is and you can’t say what if.
“The points is my main event and what I was focused on, so I will be putting everything into the scratch race now with lots of motivation after tonight’s result.”
In her return to the track, 2004 Australian points race Champion and now established road professional Alexis Rhodes (SA) launched three attacks during the race in a bid to gain points but was unable to hold off her rivals who kept her to 11 points and a fourth place finish.
Earlier in the night Canberra’s Daniel Ellis won his first senior individual Australian Championship claiming the gold medal in the men’s sprint.
“It feels great, to come out here with the training our whole group has had, to come out with the win, it is a perfect lead up to the World Championships in March,” said Ellis who claimed silver in the team sprint and bronze in the keirin at the recent Beijing round of the World Cup Series.
Ellis posted the fastest qualifying time yesterday of 10.266sec and cruised through the rounds to a gold medal showdown with Perth’s Scott Sunderland. The pair are usually on the same team in Team Jayco colours in the team sprint but in tonight’s final it was all business.
“It hurt, it hurt a lot, but being up against Scotty, one of my teammates, we know how to ride each other, so it made it a little bit easier,” explained Ellis. “First individual gold medal at an Australian Championships, it is a great feeling, to come out with the green and gold jersey, it is excellent.”
Ellis powered around Sunderland in the first of their best of three heats to clear away for a win but in the second heat the pair played cat and mouse in the final lap until Ellis jumped with 200m to go. Sunderland challenged but it was Ellis who crossed first to clinch the gold medal.
Defending champion, Shane Perkins, was forced to withdraw from the Championships last week with a bulging disc in his back opening the way for the 2009 silver medalist to claim the crown.
“It would have been nice to have Perko around, to have a rematch from last year, but I will just have to wait and see come the World Championships,” he said. “It is a big boost for my confidence, even with just the time of 10.2 (qualifying), it should qualify me up in the top seven at the World Championships.
“To go faster than that would be great, but to get that extra speed is a whole process between now and worlds, and as we are in a building block in training, it can only get better from here.”
Canberra’s Alex Bird was awarded the bronze medal after Victoria’s Jason Niblett, the second fastest qualifier, was forced to withdraw due to illness prior to his scheduled semi-final match up against Sunderland.
A consistent performance by Tasmania’s Amy Cure saw her collect her second gold medal of the Championships as she rode to victory in the Under 19 women’s points race.
Cure, who claimed gold in the 2km individual pursuit last night, collected points in all eight sprints, taking a maximum five points three times, to finish on 24 points.
“I just wanted to try and get points in each sprint as I knew the West Australian girls had a strong team and I had to keep an eye on them,” said the seventeen-year-old. “Once I was out in front early in the race, I was just trying to keep calm and keep up in the sprints.”
West Australia’s Isabella King took the silver medal on 20 points, with South Australia’s Letitia Custance powering home to take the final sprint points and the bronze medal with a final tally of 13 points.
After yesterday’s record breaking day in the pursuit, more records tumbled in this afternoon’s sprint qualifying.
New South Wales’ Kaarle McCulloch set a new Championship record in the women’s sprint qualifying with a time of 11.383sec for the flying 200m, beating the mark set by Anna Meares in 2007 of 11.390.
With Meares and fellow Queenslander Emily Rosemond absent from the Championships, McCulloch, who with Meares is the reigning team sprint World Champion, was anxious for a good performance.
“There is obviously a little bit of honor to uphold here and I have put a little bit of pressure on myself too, but I really wanted to come out here and stamp my authority and put a good time on the board which I did, so I am very happy,” said McCulloch.
South Australia’s Matthew Glaetzer set a new Australian record in the U19 qualifying with a time of 10.410, breaking Scott Sunderland’s record of 10.452 and erasing the Australian Championship record of 10.590 set by Sydney’s Ben Kersten in 1999.
West Australian Holly Williams clocked 11.782 in the U19 women’s sprint qualifying to break the Championship record of 11.840 set by Victorian Rahna Demarte in 1999.
The finals of all three events will be held on Thursday.
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