Wenzel Coaching adds Head Coach Tony Cruz

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Wenzel Coaching Newsletter

Spring 2010

Greetings!

Wenzel Coaching is pleased to announce the addition of Head Coach Tony Cruz, 2000 Olympian and six-year teammate to Lance Armstrong. Tony hails from Long Beach, California and will be working with all levels of goal oriented athletes. Read more about Tony this month in his profile below.

This month we also take a look at traveling with cycling equipment with one of our resident track specialists, James Hibbard. And with the sun making more appearances, check out the Nutrition Q&Aon Vitamin D and learn from Heather D'Eliso Gordon RD, CSSD on why you may need to supplement your intake.

As always there are the Tip of the Month, Resource and Quote of the Month as well as Client Successes. We encourage you to submit your nutrition and sports psychology questions for our monthly column and value your email input always.

Happy training and racing!
~ Kendra Wenzel, Scott Saifer, and the Staff of Wenzel Coaching

In This Issue

Nutrition Q&A: Vitamin D-The Sunshine Vitamin

New Coach Profile: Tony Cruz of Long Beach, CA

Quote of the Month

Training Tip of the Month: Heels Up, Toes Down, What Does It Matter?

Resource of the Month: First Aid for Cyclists

Client Successes

Featured Article: How to Manage Your Equipment

Cycling and Fitness Classes Offered with Head Coach Scott Saifer

Cycling Clinics Offered in May and June with Associate Coach Ron Castia

Personal and Team Clinics Available

Nutrition Q&A: Vitamin D-The Sunshine Vitamin
by Expert Heather D'Eliso Gordon

Q: I've heard a lot lately about the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiencies and the need to take supplements. Should I be taking Vitamin D? As an athlete, is there any harm to being deficient or any positive benefits in having adequate levels?

A: The short answer is yes, yes and yes. The intriguing answer follows: Without going into a lengthy, scientific description, Vitamin D is a unique nutrient that can be obtained entirely from the UVB rays of the sun via the skin. Your body converts an initial form to a usable form necessary to the function of various tissues in the body. Long-known targets include bone, intestine and parathyroid gland and recently discovered targets include prostate gland, breast and colon cells, immune cells, pancreas (beta) cells and muscle cells. As you can see, the impacts of Vitamin D are far-reaching for a healthy, strong body. On the other hand, insufficient Vitamin D levels may negatively impact bone health, immunity, muscle strength, inflammatory responses and, ultimately, athletic performance.

Does where I live matter?

There is an unfortunate reality that plagues at least half of the world's population: Vitamin D absorption and synthesis is greatly reduced if...

Wenzel Coaching would like to welcome new Coach Tony Cruz of Long Beach, CA. Tony has raced professionally domestically and internationally on teams including United States Postal Service, BMC and Toyota-United. Beginning his career as a sprinter, Tony developed himself into an all-around rider that could contest sprints in hilly races. Tony brings his ability to teach skills and mental toughness to all disciplines including road racing, triathlons, mountain biking and century riding.

Learn More About Tony>>>>>

Quote of the Month

"The mind is everything; what you think, you become."

~Gautama Buddha, Philosopher and Teacher

Training Tip of the Month: Heels Up, Toes Down, What Does it Matter?
by Head Coach Scott Saifer

Riders often ask me about heels down versus toes down pedaling and which is better. The first thing I like to point out is that the Tour de France has been won both by famously heels down and famously toes down pedalers, so it's probably not right to think that one is intrinsically better than the other. There is one sort of pedaling that is definitely inefficient and to be avoided. That is what might be called "slack ankle" pedaling. Whatever angle your ankle makes over the top of the pedal stroke, you want that angle to stay the same or to gradually point your toes (plantar flex the ankle) during the down stroke. Coming over the top with the heel high and then dropping it is B-A-D, robbing you of the opportunity to make more power and go faster with the same perceived effort. It's hard to see yourself do this sometimes, so having a coach or other skilled observer check you is a good idea if you're not sure. If you are dropping the heel during the down stroke, usually that can be corrected by a proper bike fit, especially by moving the cleats back. If you are having this problem, move your cleats back about 3 mm and check again. Keep going until you are not dropping your heel on the down stroke or until you run out of adjustment. If your run out of adjustment, consider different shoes. (SpeedPlay makes an adaptor plate that gives you 15 mm of extra rearward movement with SpeedPlay pedals). If your bike fit was really dialed in other than the cleats, you'll need to drop the saddle 1 mm and move it forward 2 mm for each 3 mm you move the cleats back.

What does a perfect pedal stroke look like? Starting from the 1 o'clock position, the ankle is rigid or the toes extend all the way to the 6 o'clock position. At the six o'clock position, the ankle is at it's most extended and it stays that way up the back stroke all the way to the 11 o'clock position, at which time the ankle suddenly snaps back to it's most heel-down position again. One way to think about it is that you use your ankle movement and your foot to minimize movement of the upper leg. At the top of the stroke, the toes are high so the thigh can be low. At the bottom of the stroke, the toes are low so the thigh can be high. Again, this rarely comes easily unless the cleats are set up properly, and if the cleats are set up properly, it usually happens without even having to think about it.

Resource of the Month: First Aid for Cyclists

You are riding along a single track trail with your friends when all of a sudden the guy in front goes off a ledge too fast and wrecks hard. He is mumbling, bleeding and possibly has broken collar bone. What do you do? The New York Cycle Club has a great article about basic first aid knowledge every cyclist should be familiar with. If you have the time it is also a great idea to take a first aid class through your local Red Cross branch. By becoming prepared to act in an emergency situation you could be the one to make the difference in an emergency situation out on the trail or road.

Check It Out>>>>>

The websites found in the "Resource of the Month" are in no way associated with Wenzel Coaching and we are not responsible for any information they contain.

Client Successes

Wenzel Clients had 44 top 3 finishes including 27 victories this month

Erika Krumpelman

-1st at the Tri-State Outfitters Spring Duathlon, Women Overall

-2nd overall at the Walla Walla Stage Race, Women Cat 3

-2nd overall at the Frozen Flatlands Stage Race, Women 1/2/3

-Upgrades to Women Cat 2

Darrin Braun

-1st at the Big Frog 65, MTB XC

Leia Tyrrell

-1st at the University of Oregon Collegiate RR, Collegiate Women A

-1st at the Western Washington Collegiate RR, Collegiate Women A
-1st at the University of Washington Criterium, Collegiate Women A
-1st at the Whitman College Criterium and RR, Collegiate Women A
-1st at the University of Montana Criterium, Collegiate Women A

-1st at the University of Idaho Criterium, Collegiate Women A

-1st in the Omnium at the Northwest Collegiate Cycling Conference,

Collegiate Women A

-2nd at the Washington State University RR, Collegiate Women A
-2nd at the Montana State RR, Collegiate Women A

Cara Bussell

-1st at the Buckeye Criterium, Women Pro/1/2/3

Alissa Maglaty begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting

-1st at the TopSport Stage Race Stage 2, Women Cat 4

-1st at the Wente Vineyards Criterium, Women Cat 4

Jeff Lively

-1st at the God's Country Duathlon, Men 35-39

Coach Anne Linton