You?ve made the commitment to get into shape for the spring riding season and you are not afraid of a little hard work. In fact, you look forward to pushing yourself. The problem is, working hard is not as good as working smart. The following are the most common mistakes made by riders.
FORGETTING TO STRETCH
You need to stretch for at least five minutes before and after every ride. Stretching will help relieve the stress on your muscles and may even help reduce or eliminate an injury during your ride. If time is tight, take five minutes out of your ride rather than skipping stretching.
Which stretches should a mountain biker do before his ride? The absolute best book on stretching is ?Stretching? by Bob Anderson. It is available in book stores everywhere. If you can?t find a copy, it is published by Shelter Publications at (415) 868-0280.
GOING OUT HARD
Jumping on your bike and hammering down the trail or attacking a hill will wreak havoc on your muscles. Warming up by riding at a moderate pace for at least five minutes (or until you feel sweat on your helmet pads) delivers blood and oxygen to your muscles to prepare them for the hard efforts that lie ahead.
MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME
School or job obligations cause you to miss two workouts. ?No problem,? you think, ?I?ll push myself twice as hard today.? Not a smart move. It is better to ride regularly and progressively improve your fitness level than to try a crash course. Going too hard will lead to fatigue and weaken your immune system. Both of these conditions will cause you to miss more rides. If you are like most of us and have to miss rides from time to time, work your way back up to speed.
DRINKING TOO
LITTLE
Have you ever noticed that when you work out on a stationary cycle in a gym you sweat like a pig? Well, you are sweating just as much while you?re on the trail. You don?t notice it in the wilds because the air evaporates the sweat before it falls to your top tube. Remember to drink during your rides, even if you are not thirsty.
NOT COOLING DOWN
The end of your workout is when you decide not to push the pace anymore. The end of your ride is when you step off your bike. Understand that the end of your workout and the end of your ride are two different things.
We are big believers in laying down a winner-takes-all sprint at the end of our workout, not the end of our ride. What?s the difference? After that sprint, we?ll pedal at a comfortable pace for about five minutes. This allows your blood flow to gradually slow down. Jumping off your bike after a hard effort can leave you lightheaded because of reduced blood flow to the brain. After a good training ride, continue to spin your gears until your breathing is back to normal.
PUSHING TOO BIG A GEAR
Don?t sacrifice good form by pushing too big of a gear. The rule of thumb is that spinning 90 revolutions per minute is optimum for cycling. Dave Grylls, an Olympic medalist for the United States in 1984, put it quite simply: ?If you can?t spin your smaller gears, you ain?t gonna be able to spin your big gears.?
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