So long, 2008, and thanks for the memories

As 2008 draws to a close, I've been looking back at the past year and what a journey I've had in these short 12 months.

Reflections on 2008 (click on the links to see more details)

* it's been a year since I gave up my desk job at the UK Department for Environment to focus entirely on Spinning and associated activities. I don't regret for a single moment that decision;
* I spent a month in India, which recharged me and gave me more motivation to come back and ride, indoors and out;
* I was hit by a car, fracturing my scapula, derailing my preparations for the Marmotte, as I was unable to ride an outdoor bike until the event itself;
* the injury didn't prevent me from attending and riding a weekend of indoor cycling with the Schwinn team in Hemsby, where I discovered my own inner strength in tackling adversity head-on;
* I tackled the Marmotte and finished it, unlike 3000 other riders. An achievement in itself, especially given the circumstances and lack of training;
* I was made to leave a class at a gym that, quite frankly, was and is being run into the ground by its manager...
* ...and immediately afterwards was offered a class by another gym for that same slot, plus another morning class, to help spread out attendance (I had a roll of two months where I was giving up my bike, so long was the waiting list);
* I was asked by Jennifer Sage to do some research on routes in Languedoc for her cycle tour company, also hooking up with her to lead group tours in Italy and France, coinciding with the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France;
* I landed some unexpected translation work for Mad Dogg Athletics (they who own and run Spinning), which was enjoyable and useful;
* I was approached by Andrew Clayton to teach a whole bunch of Spinning classes from next year at his Spinning-only facility in Putney, where the UK Master Instructors will also be teaching (I'll now be a small fish in the big pond!)
* I rode the Croix de Fer and the Galibier the weekend before they were closed off by the snow drifts... it's surreal riding in the snow-covered Alps and painful riding the sub-zero descents!
* I attended the ECA convention in Miami, ostensibly to check out Johnny G's (inventor of Spinning) latest innovation, the Krankcycle, and it was truly eye-opening - not just for Kranking but also applied to Spinning and life in general. Thank you Johnny, if only for that insight into myself;
* in Miami I also attended the Spinning rides, meeting Josh Taylor and Scott Schlesinger in the process, both of whom reminded me of what Spinning used to be and should still be. Simple, enjoyable, effective, empowering
* I didn't know who Josh and Scott were, so I was probably the least star-struck rider in the room... and so was the only one who didn't have his camera! Now I know, I can see they fully deserve the credit apportioned to them;
* after attending Scott and Josh's DJ Ride, it inspired me to get to grips with my digital mixer and I found it extremely easy to master. I used to be a DJ, so mixing comes naturally, but I was always a hands-on type of guy;
* I was so inspired by the professionalism at the ECA event that I signed up for the convention in New York next February. But more of that in my next post!

See you in 2009 - have a fun night, whatever you're doing!

An enforced but welcome break!

Yeah yeah, I know - it's been five weeks since I came back from Miami and you've not heard a word about it. I've been fairly busy since my return:

* I've done some translation work for MDA (the company that runs Spinning)
* I'm doing research work for upcoming cycle tours in Italy and France run by Jennifer, checking out a stage or two of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France
* I've got myself an extra eight weekly classes starting in the New Year, bringing my total to 17 regular classes
* I've booked myself to go to the ECA convention in February in New York
* I tried and failed to garner more support for a ride in aid of breast cancer research, so it had to be cancelled
* I've got my new phone (the HTC Touch HD, better than the iPhone) so I've been playing around with it
* I finally sat down to figure out my digital mixing software (Ableton Live) and it was much easier than I thought, although I still prefer vinyl
* I've been studying sports science research for my own interest, including the use of cola to combat the effects of exercising at altitude
* and I've been planning all the activities I have in store for next year (see my next post!)

So I'm now enjoying an enforced rest, as the gyms are closed over the next two days. Back to normal on Saturday, though, with a nine-week program of recovery and endurance rides. Time to work on building those foundations, that fitness base!

I taught my last Christmas ride this morning and, after doing it eight times to different classes, I'm all out of jingle bells... until next year!

So, just in time before Santa comes down that chimney, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah.

Bienvenido a Miami!

You're not going to hear much from me over the next week, as I've just arrived in Miami Beach for a week of humid heat (a lovely change from the damp cold of London).

"On holiday AGAIN?" is what I usually hear but, as usual with me, my trip has a purpose - a 4-day ECA fitness convention. A mix of many fitness activities, lectures, workshops, etc. but I'm here mainly to get to know Johnny G's latest innovation: Kranking. The revolution in fitness caused when he invented Spinning... but for the upper body! I'll write more about it when I return but I'm getting goosebumps at the thought of being here at the start of the revolution, rather than joining it further down the line.

So it is work, of sorts - honestly! Mind you, I doubt I'd have been so keen to come had it been held in snowbound Minnesota... I'll also be finding time to take part in as many Spinning rides as I can manage and maybe a bit of retail therapy.

Right now, though, all I can think about after 19 hours of travelling is food and sleep.

Hasta luego, amigos!

Spinning class: Disco Fever!

I never thought I'd say this but I was inspired to put together a disco theme ride by one of those pop star reality TV programmes (X-Factor). I know, I know - but it's better than watching Strictly Come Dancing on a Saturday night!


Usually, I think of a ride profile before choosing music to match. In these types of ride, however, I put together all the relevant tunes before weeding out the not-so-good ones. Then I look at what's left and see what type of ride looks best, weeding out a few more if they don't fit that profile. The other thing I wanted to do was use "updated" versions - whether remixes, mash-ups or sampled tracks. You'll see what I mean from the playlist below.

Other than just enjoying the music, there's no particular aim other than to work as hard as you want and in control (i.e., 65-85% of MHR, although 70-80% is ideal). There are no real breaks, to encourage riders not to overdo it. Essentially, it's three loops - a slow climb, while increasing resistance, which then increases in speed (and thus effort level) by approx 10% before it's back a flat road. If, with gradually increasing resistance, HR is up to 75% by the end of the first part of the climb, it should finish the climb at around 85%. The flat road can be used as recovery as an option, especially for beginners.

Warm up - 4 mins
Climb - 15 mins
Flat road - 3 mins
Climb - 9 mins
Flat road - 5 mins
Climb - 15 mins
Flat road - 3 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Playlist

Love's theme - Barry White
Working my way back to you - Detroit Spinners
Rasputin - Boney M
I will survive (Barcode Remix) - Gloria Gaynor
That's the way I like it - KC and the Sunshine Band
D.I.S.C.O. - Ottawan
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Popcorn - Hot Butter
Stayin' Yeah - Usher vs. Bee Gees
I feel love is a stranger - Donna Summer vs. Annie Lennox
Can you 1999 it - Prince vs. The Jacksons
No more tears (enough is enough) - Kym Mazelle & Jocelyn BRown
Greatest trickster - Sister Sledge vs. Kelis
Funeral pyre - John Powell (from Bourne Supremacy)
I'm goin' down - Mary J Blige

Go on, admit it - you were singing along as you read the playlist!

Going for an English

Earlier this week it was Diwali, the Hindu festival also celebrated by Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains as a Festival of Light, where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. This time always reminds me of that excellent comedy programme, Goodness Gracious Me, and arguably one of the best comedy sketches ever... "Going for an English".

The sketch is a parody of that (not so) great British tradition of going "for an Indian" after getting tanked up on far too many beers, ordering the spiciest thing on the menu (but there's always on who plays it safe with omelette and chips) and enough papadums to feed a small country, and making fun of the waiters.

Oh, the advert at the beginning is itself a parody of the awful home-made adverts seen in British cinemas to promote local facilities.

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Spinning class: Halloween

Okay, I know it's cheesy and I'm not one known for his theme rides... mainly because I only do them at Halloween, Christmas and whenever it's carnival in Brasil. But I do draw the line at fancy dress - not suitable clothing for exercise - nor do I compromise on the amount of work to be done on the ride. I may be no fun but I don't care - you'll work hard and LIKE IT... or else we do some interval training instead! Hehehehe

So, here's how it works. After a long warm-up that gradually builds up HR, we start climbing, gradually adding resistance to prepare our legs for the onslaught. The main block of work is a pyramid. It starts with a slow, heavy climb before picking up the cadence by approx 10%. A slight drop in resistance may be needed if it's too tough - we can't let our HR get too high.

This keeps going until the "point" of the pyramid - a very fast climb or a hard flat road, depending on your point of view, where we're running away at top effort (HR 80-85%). Without thinking, you may find that the level of reistance at this faster cadence is higher than you'd otherwise have - your legs have gradually got used to working at heavy resistances, before easing off some of that resistance, increasing cadence and then maybe adding some of that resistance back on again.

A quick, 30 second break, before we resume our way back down the pyramid - slower leg speed, which means higher resistance. Cadence drops by 10%, so resistance acts as compensation. Again, you may find yourself working harder than you'd have thought - just when you think you can't work harder at a set cadence, it drops and your effort level drops... so you increase it some more!

Just when you think you're safe from harm, you realise you still have a final climb to go and, along the way, you'll be chased by demons and goblins blah blah blah (can you tell I'm no good at this cheesy talk?). Anyway, the reality is that we have three sprints on a hill - 40secs, 30secs and 20secs, with about a minute in between. The sprints may not be easy but the recovery in between certainly won't... as you have to keep climbing! Resistance remains the same throughout and the sprints - accellerations, really - are achieved by increasing cadence as much as is possible with all that heavy resistance. Recovery, well, you just slow down to a steady climb.

Time the last track well and, at the end of the final sprint, you'll hear a huge sigh/gasp/breath of relief from the riders... just before the voice of the tracks kicks in with "There is hope!"

Happy haunting, fiendish friends!

Warm-up - 9 mins
Steady climb - 6 mins
---------------------
Climb @60rpm - 4 mins
Climb @65rpm - 4 mins
Climb @70rpm - 5 mins
Fast climb / hard flat road - 5 mins
Climb @70rpm - 4 mins
Climb @65rpm - 3.5 mins
Climb @60rpm - 6 mins
---------------------
Sprints on a hill - 5.5 mins
Cool down - 8 mins

Playlist

High priests - Michael Flatley
Riders on the storm - Snoop Dogg ft. The Doors
Somebody's watching me - Beatfreakz
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr
Breathe - Prodigy
Nightmare - Brainbug
Voodoo people - Prodigy
Firestarter - Prodigy
Vater Unser - E Nomine
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Keep hope alive - The Crystal Method
Spirit's lament - Michael Flatley
Angels will help you - York & Ginger Macenzie

Giro d'Italia 2009

Hot on the foot of the announcement of next year's Tour de France route, the rumour mill is already in top gear regarding the route of its Italian cousin, the Giro d'Italia. A notable newspaper as La Stampa has even gone so far as to publish a map of the likely route - they usually do so, with great accuracy, a few weeks before the announcement in December. It's a long way to December but... they must be confident of its accuracy!


NB - the rest days are down as 18 and 26 July but I think they mean May!

The 2009 edition of the Giro marks its Centenary, so the idea is to follow the original route while including a few classic stages, such as the Cuneo-Sestriere stage that in 1949 saw Fausto Coppi win after a 150Km escape (no, that's not a misprint - think of Lance Armstrong attacking that far in advance!). His greatest rival, Gino Bartali, finished 11 minutes behind him.

The 1949 Giro is probably the most famous among Italians, with arch-rivals Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali battling against each other against the background of a newly united nation (the Italian Republic was still in its infancy after the ravages of war). It's difficult to imagine the impact they had on the morale of a nation. Think of the effect of Lance Armstrong and the hope he gave (and still gives) to cancer sufferers... now match that with Greg Lemond's effect on the USA's interest in cycling. Now imagine the race being held in a post-Depression US and you start to get the idea!

How good were they? They completely dominated that year's Giro and Tour - all else being equal, nobody else stood a chance against them. Some will remember how Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond tore up the field in the Tour, some hark back to Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocana. For the present generation, imagine Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador...

The 2009 Giro may well turn to be just as much of a classic 60 years after Coppi's and Bartali's exploits.