Cyclist / Cross-training

[old] Jim Barry · Post by **[old] Jim Barry** » September 7th, 2005, 10:29 pm

I too have trained for 24 hr mt bike races and 3 hour xc races essentially from a winter base on the erg. This past year I tried to use an indoor trainer for the bike and all things considered would not do it again (although a better fluid model could maybe make a difference, I'm not sure). A winter of erg time fuels a summer of hill climbs, this is certain. Plus you get to be good on the erg. And where's the indoor biking forum and ranking pages anyway?

[old] ancho · Post by **[old] ancho** » September 8th, 2005, 5:02 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Jim Barry @ Sep 8 2005, 03:29 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> And where's the indoor biking forum and ranking pages anyway? <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Jim, there you got the pont!<br />

[old] Calgary Rob · Post by **[old] Calgary Rob** » September 9th, 2005, 12:57 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Jim Barry @ Sep 7 2005, 07:29 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I too have trained for 24 hr mt bike races and 3 hour xc races essentially from a winter base on the erg. This past year I tried to use an indoor trainer for the bike and all things considered would not do it again (although a better fluid model could maybe make a difference, I'm not sure). A winter of erg time fuels a summer of hill climbs, this is certain. Plus you get to be good on the erg. And where's the indoor biking forum and ranking pages anyway? <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Thanks Jim, that's good to know.<br /><br />As I said, I prefer the erg to indoor cycling. I find the readout on the erg to be much more motivating and more importantly the erg is less painful on the nether regions <br /><br />I believe there are rankings and forums based around one of the cycle trainers but I reckon the erg is more universal.<br /><br />So, primarily it'll be the erg with the occasional bike session just so that my legs remember how to pedal <br />

[old] AtlCyclist · Post by **[old] AtlCyclist** » September 9th, 2005, 2:33 pm

Thanks for all the insightful replies. I'm motivated to row this fall and winter, especially as I'm finishing my 15th season of cycling. I had a poor year on the bike and the erg will provide something new and fresh for me to concentrate on.<br /><br />Both cycling and rowing are sports that require BOTH power and endurance. It's a great combination for total fitness. I'm hopeful the main benefit I'll see is the ability to generate more power at my threshold. <br /><br />So far, I've done five 30 minute rows. The first four were just aimed at getting used to the erg and last night's was pyramid intervals (500-1000-1500-1000-500). <br /><br />MT

[old] Physicist · Post by **[old] Physicist** » September 10th, 2005, 9:44 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>where's the indoor biking forum and ranking pages anyway?<br /><br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />try the tacx i-magic league (it has a forum as well.)<br />

[old] Jim Barry · Post by **[old] Jim Barry** » September 10th, 2005, 11:27 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>tacx i-magic </td></tr></table><br /><br />Mmm.. that looks cool. $800 here. Steering unit too. Virtual Reality. <br /><br />I could get into it. <br /><br />

[old] jfisher · Post by **[old] jfisher** » September 10th, 2005, 2:55 pm

Ok, I guess I'm going to have to be the one descenting vote here as to whether erging is good for cycling. I'm a cat 2 masters cyclist but haven't raced in a while. When I was seriously competing there is no way in h*** I would have EVER gotten on an erg. Since I was a climber there was no way I would want any kind of extra body mass on my upper body. Also to compete at the elite level I had to train between 3 and 6 hours per day. That included riding all winter long. So if you are riding anywhere near an elite level I wouldn't touch the erg. Or, if you do, maybe occasionally in the winter.<br /><br />Now, having said all that, if you are not an elite cyclist and a masters rider I would say that erging would be good for you. Cycling promotes some major muscle imbalances and erging would help remedy that to a certain degree. Also any muscle mass gains made won't be as critical as they would at a higer level.<br /><br />Lastly, remember the 80/20 rule. Erging will help you stay fit, but you need to ride your bike to bike racer. Erging just won't help with that.<br /><br />Jeff

[old] Byron Drachman · Post by **[old] Byron Drachman** » September 10th, 2005, 3:27 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Since I was a climber there was no way I would want any kind of extra body mass on my upper body. </td></tr></table><br /><br />I can't say I was an outstanding bike racer, but I do understand your point. A high power to body weight ratio is what makes a good climber. I'm not sure that you always gain weight in the upper body from rowing. It might depend on how you were before you started rowing or erging. But your point is well taken. We all know about Lance and how losing some upper body mass made him a better climber. People usually say that specific training for a specific activity is best. You could certainly strengthen your quads by doing high intensity intervals on the bike or bike-ergometer. I've seen it done. I think for most people, not serious, competetive cyclists, erging or rowing makes people better at climbing on the bike. But you're right--those climbers at the Tour de France with the huge legs and skinny upper bodies and skinny arms don't want any additional mass on their upper bodies. <br /><br />Byron

[old] FrancoisA · Post by **[old] FrancoisA** » September 10th, 2005, 7:07 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Jim Barry @ Sep 10 2005, 03:27 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>tacx i-magic </td></tr></table><br /><br />Mmm.. that looks cool. $800 here. Steering unit too. Virtual Reality. <br /><br />I could get into it. <br /> </td></tr></table><br />Jim,<br /><br />I you are going to spend that much money you might as well spend a little extra and get the Tacx Fortius instead; it has a much improved motor brake unit that can even simulate descents. It should be available very shortly if not already. Another option would be the Computrainer.

[old] mark12_30 · Post by **[old] mark12_30** » September 10th, 2005, 10:48 pm

Interesting topic; I approach biking rather casually (I bike mostly to keep up with my sons) but I do find that with combined rowing and biking, I am losing back flexibility and getting stiffer in general. I'm considering a stretching (yoga-type) routine to counteract that, using mostly lunges, hamstring stretches, various backbends & twists. <br /><br />Any comments or suggestions, or anyone have favorite stretching routines you'd like to share?

[old] Byron Drachman · Post by **[old] Byron Drachman** » September 11th, 2005, 6:25 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(mark12_30 @ Sep 10 2005, 09:48 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Interesting topic; I approach biking rather casually (I bike mostly to keep up with my sons) but I do find that with combined rowing and biking, I am losing back flexibility and getting stiffer in general. I'm considering a stretching (yoga-type) routine to counteract that, using mostly lunges, hamstring stretches, various backbends & twists. <br /><br />Any comments or suggestions, or anyone have favorite stretching routines you'd like to share? <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Xeno Muller's upper body workout DVD works on strength and flexibility. Also, the training guide at the UK forum has a section (section 1) on warmup, stretching, and cooldown. You can download it.<br /><br /><a href='http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/</a><br /><br /><br />Byron

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