by Brianna "Brie" Walle, ALP Cycles Coaching

What better way to embrace the recent snowfall here in Boulder...snow calls for skills and drills!

For our monthly ALP cycles Coaching Ride, Coaches Alison, Paddy, and Brie took the opportunity to cover essential bike handling skills that can be applied across all disciplines in cycling.

The importance of skill work includes: better balance on the bike and in the peloton, maneuvering through a pack of riders during a race, managing obstacles/avoiding crashing and how to pick up speed quickly in a mass start situation (applies to: MTB Cyclocross and Road situations).

We started our ride with our friends at the Specialized Retül Experience Center for some delicious espresso, activation stretches and warm-up...and drooled over the 2019 Specialized bike fleets.

• Bumping and balance: On the field (used cones to square off a designated space) rode 2-3 abreast, around the square, whilst bumping into each other along the way. Focus being : keeping center of gravity, shifting the bike underneath for stability and aiming to bump without going donw. Elbows and knees bowed out to help with balance.
  
  
• Starts: Lined up across the field (sprinting for about 15 seconds) in the smallest gearing combination, moving to the biggest gear combo and lastly gearing of choice. Focus on being: fastest lines, pedal and crank position, and accelerations.
  
  
• Cornering: Weaving around a section of lined posts, spaced 3 feet apart, practicing maneuvering around 1-2 and then every post.
  
  
• Wheelies & riding over obstacles: Shifting weight, pedal power transfer and core activation.

Incorporating skill work into your weekly training routine is as essential as interval training. Mistakes will be made, falls could happen, but you get up, have a good laugh and take away valuable lessons. 

Ask your ALP Cycles coach if you need or want help improving your bike handling skills.

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ABOUT BRIANNA "BRIE" WALLE

Brie is originally from Portland, Oregon and comes from a multi-sport background. Alpine ski racing and cross-country running were her early specialties, but cycling has always been #1.

Brianna has close to a decade of racing experience, including Cyclocross. She joins us after racing 5 years on UCI international teams TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank and Optum Por Cycling p/b Kelley Benefit Strategies (currently known as "Rally Cycling"). She was a General Classification (G.C.) rider with strengths in individual and Team Time Trial. Her proudest moments include winning the 2016 North Star Grand Prix, 2014 Tour de Feminin (Czech), 2015 USA Team Time Trial National Championship and working for Mara Abbott (USA National Team) at the 2013 Giro Rosa.

 Brianna specializes in: Road racing and tactics, cyclocross and exceptional communication skills.. She is looking forward to passing on her knowledge and assisting her athletes in reaching their full potential.

Make the most of the winter training

by Patricia Schwager, ALP Cycles Coaching

The winter and the holiday seasons are coming closer. Most of our ALP athletes enjoyed their off season break sometime back in October or November and by not it is time to be back training for next season.

How do we manage to get back into training and build up for the year despite the holiday stress and possible dark, cold, and nasty winter weather? It is time to come up with a plan! That's also why working with a coach year-round is important. A good winter training/build-up is key to perform. Here are a few tips on how to make the most of the training during the winter and holiday seasons:

• Have a goal: As always, having a goal is more motivating. By now you should have thought about your goals or events for the New Year. If not, think about a goal. It doesn't need to be a race. It can be an event, challenge, or ride.
• Mix up your training with different activities, especially this time of the year. Some examples include: nordic skiing, weight lifting/strength training, hiking, MTB-ing, cyclo-cross, running, yoga, snow shoeing, skiing, etc. This will also help you to keep balance and stay motivated.
• Work on skills and weaknesses. Fall and winter time is a great time to work on your skills and weaknesses. There is no stress or pressure of having to perform in the next race or event and that means you can really focus to work on your skills and weaknesses. The more you work on it, the more you will improve. Common weakness we see are lack of leg speed, lack of leg strength, lack of solid bike skills and bike handling.
• Wear the right gear. Make sure you are wearing the right clothing for the dark, cold, wet winter weather conditions. Having the right gear vs. the wrong gear will make a big difference. We highly recommend the winter bike clothing from Indy freelance for men and women!
• Ride with a group. It is a lot easier to stay motivated if you need up with folks for a ride or other activity. The ride and training go by faster with good company!

If you are in a time crunch with all the holiday activities: think about the holiday season and plan ahead. Let your coach know if you like to have a few days off to spend with family, friends, or for travel etc. Schedule 1-2hrs per day for yourself to get your training done and then spend the rest of the day doing holiday activities. 

Happy training!

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ABOUT PATRICIA SCHWAGER

Patricia Schwager began cycling in 1998, racing as a junior. After racing on the domestic level and completing her Diploma as Pastry Chef, she got her first pro contract in 2006. 2015 will be here 10th year of professional racing. Patricia has a lot of experience racing in the European peloton. In 2013 she started working with Shawn Heidgen as her personal coach. In 2014 she changed her focus to racing in the US. Patricia is a 6 time national Swiss champion and has represented her home country, Switzerland, at the World Championships 12 times.