Over the years, I've been building, maintaining, and riding all types of bikes and as technology changes, and all the processes that goes along with the sport advances, there are few things I've learned that make's life with bikes a little easier or better. Its not comprehensive, or in any particular order of importance, and I'm sure many people out there have better or different solutions that they've learned as well. Whatever works for you is always the best, but here are some of my Elite Performance tips.
1. TUBE/TIRE POWDER : Using talcum powder inside new clincher tires and on tubes helps reduce the risk of pinch flats, makes them easier to install, and allows the tube to "roll" inside the tire at pressure under load, achieving a better ride quality.
2. BATHROOM TIRE CHANGES : (relates to #1) Always powder and install tires in your bathtub or shower. Years of trying to clean up powder from kitchen, shop, living room, garage, floors. Soo much easier to just wash down the drain !
3. TIRE SEALANT : Use Stan's Sealant in all your tubes, the weight gain is very little, but not having a flat for an entire season is worth it !
4. SUNSCREEN : Always apply sunscreen to exposed skin before riding in hot, sunny, conditions. I know this sounds like a No-Brainer, but I learned over the years, that sunscreen (a greaseless formula) allows your pores to breathe better, moisturizes your skin to aid in keeping you hydrated, and actually keeps your surface body temperature cooler. I know everybody loves sharp tan lines as a badge of honor.. But I always thought Cadel Evans (Tour De France winner) was cool, figuratively and literally ! He had the whitest legs in the pro peloton ! No shame in pale legs folks !
5. HOT FEET : or hot spots on your feet when riding. I tried every sock in the world, foot powders, even drilled extra holes in my shoes to allow more airflow. Some say it's about shoe fit, insoles, etc.. believe me, I tried almost everything. What eliminated this symptom completely for me was -- exfoliate !! Yes, you've seen your wife or girlfriend do it in the shower or sink with one of those little lava/pumice stones, or a fancy motorized skin buffer. Well, gentlemen (and gals), I started exfoliating my feet every time in the shower.. mostly the bottoms and sides, especially the heel and contact points like the ball and toe pads.. Try it out, it takes a few weeks before you start to not feel hot but it worked for me. Hope it works for you.
6. COLD COMPRESS PACKS : If you are driving to a race or ride and have a cooler in the trunk with drinks and cold packs. Throw in a couple of soft-gel cold compress packs in with the drinks.. I have done many a long ride where my lower back was jacked up post ride.. Stuff a cold pack in your bibs or whatever's ailing you post-effort for the car ride home. Many years of stepping out of a car after a long drive post race/ride feeling like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.. The ice packs on neck, back, legs, whatever.. made for a better transition from ride to recovery via transport.
7. CLEAN BIKE : Keep your bike clean ! I know its a pain to wash your bike all the time, and if you don't have a yard or outdoor water source, cleaning your bike indoors is never fun. But I've learned that its not just that a clean bike actually rides better, but it also gets you in the habit of "going over" your bike and looking at it very closely, every part of it. This is a great way to make sure there is no damage, or things out of adjustment, loose cables, bolts, etc. I have found that once you start cleaning your bike regularly, you will also notice when things need maintenance or servicing. If you don't, you often discover things that are broken or need replacement after its too late. Get some cleaning wipes, and try to go over your bike between every ride, you will always ride worry free because you know the current condition of your bike.
8. SPLASH THE LEGS : When you are riding hard and feeling the effort in your legs and especially in the heat of the summer. If you have enough water (not your mix) in a spare water bottle..pouring water over your head and neck can really keep you going.. But .... I started noticing a lot of pro's were squirting water on their legs on hot climbs in summer races.. I never thought of it till I tried it. I don't know the actual physical benefit of it other than lowering the surface temp , but I must say, it definitely helped keep my legs going and cooled my body down, maybe it is just the feeling of cold water on tired legs that I thought helped but when you are suffering, anything that "makes" you "feel" better is a good thing. (**** Please DO NOT sacrifice valuable drinking water for this, this is only if you know you can refill down the road or have plenty to spare...)
9. KEEP A JOURNAL : A little book if you are a traditionalist like me, or any iDevice or whatever you write stuff down in. When I was racing, I primarily used it to track my weight, and what I ate pre and post training and racing. But over the years, I started using it for everything. Jotting down notes about gear I wanted , or things I needed to upgrade on my bikes, websites I came across that I wanted to investigate further. I use one now to keep track of any bike fit adjustments I do, if I raise my seat, drop my bars, move my cleats, etc. It's easy to lose track of small changes, and often you don't remember what you changed, why, and if it helped or not. I tell my pilots (team) now to use one to record their post race thoughts. What worked, how they felt, anything they noticed on the bike or with their body.. you can learn from lessons that you write down.. Plus, now looking back at my race reports from 20 years ago, it's great to have a written record of victories and failures, funny training diets, and general bike OCD craziness, e.g. "4/23/94..today I moved my seat 1mm forward.., felt better..!"
10. BREATHE : In 20+ years of riding and racing, I never really gave it a second thought. Breathing is just breathing, right ? When you go harder, you breathe faster and harder.. simple, right ? Wrong .. Now that I am working as a performance coach with both inexperienced, and experienced riders, I am continually surprised how often I notice their breathing rapidly and shallow, or too deep and/or not enough at the appropriate times. I became more aware of this as I got older, I realized that I had to implement more biofeedback in my training to keep my heart rate and cardio/respiratory system from "jerking" around. I was not a young immortal racer anymore..! I needed to pay attention to my breathing, make sure my legs were getting all the oxygen they needed. I investigated and researched that breathing technique (which swimmers know well) affects how your body regulates core temperature, provides central nervous system stability, emotional stability, and of course, cardiac stability. So the next time you are going "full gas", practicing your sprints or lead outs, or slogging up a super tough climb, on the limit.. Remember to Breathe ! and breathe well ! and not panting like a dog even though you feel like one !
