If you're interested in either the Wine & Cheese 2014 Tour, or the Mississippi River Fall 2014 Tour, please contact us at info@shuttleguy.com to indicate your interest. These tours require a minimum number of participants to take place in 2014, so if these tours sound interesting to you, let us know! To read more about the Wine Tour, click
here. To read about the Mississippi River Fall Tour, click
here.
Speed Cycling, located in Fitchburg, WI is a company dedicated to training cyclists to improve their speed and allow cyclists to have the best experience possible on a bicycle. They emphasize hard work in an optimal environment, all designed for top performance.
Cheating the Wind is an article by Speed Cycling which discusses the best way to work with the wind.
It's important to focus on getting into "a less wind-resistant position to help cyclists of all abilities get more proficient at riding more aerodynamically."
Why is it so important to stay aerodynamically positioned?
"A rider who is in the front of a group or cyclists has to do about 40 percent more work than someone tucked behind in the group. Just by staying out of the wind, you are faster without putting out one more watt. If you don't have a wall of riders to hide behind, you still can cheat the wind by reducing the frontal area exposed to the wind; bring in the sail if you will."
How can I stay aerodynamically positioned?
"In a typical, comfortable riding position, the rider would place his or her hands on the brake hoods, or levers. But, that is not very aerodynamic. It's sort of like sitting on a chair, with your torso perpendicular to the ground like a sail. So, to combat the impact of the wind, you must bend at the [waist], and put your hands in the drops.
Let's start with a road bike. First, place your hands in the drops, then bend your elbows not quite to a 45-degree angle. Next, keep your face forward and your eyes looking at the road out in front of you. Resist the urge to look down, as it will cause you to sit awkwardly on the seat.
Keep your back straight."
Will it be easy?
"It takes time to develop strength in the muscles you will use to ride in aero position, because your body uses different muscle groups to pedal in this manner. At first, you may notice soreness in your lower back, hamstrings and glutes, but over time this will subside as those muscles learn to work well with one another."
Thanks Speed Cycling! Visit their website here for more tips and information.
Links of the Month
Each month we'll be passing on a few useful links that we think you might enjoy or find useful.
This beautiful short film is a talented homage to bicycling.
(click the image to view)
Doemstique Tours by Shuttleguy specializes in superior bicycle touring services for bicyclists with discriminating taste. Let us make life easy for you this summer on one of the many tours we support.
Sincerely,
Tym Allison
Domestique Tours by Shuttleguy