Message from the Coach

Have a seat!

Other people give your bike a weird look. “How do you sit on that seat?”

Road bikes are notorious for having small narrow seats that make people wonder how we ride “comfortably” for hours on it.

Are you having trouble on your seat? You need 2 things to make your ride more pleasant.

First you need a good pair of bicycle shorts. Remember when you were a kid and your bike had a nice cushy seat?

That’s gone in your big boy/girl bike. All that padding is now built into the shorts. Bike shorts are expensive. I’ve always found the ones around $65 and up to be comfortable enough. You’ll find some for $20 but they don’t usually hold up long enough or come close to the comfort.

You also need some chamois cream. The chamois is the padding in your shorts. You put the cream on the padding where it’ll touch your skin to prevent irritation. Brands like Assoss or Butt’r are great options.

Take these 2 steps and be comfortable in all the riding you do!

Mark Izhak, RD

Tour de Simcha Coach

Message from the Coach

We’re not alone on the streets when we ride. You’ve got cars, pedestrians and other cyclists to share the road with. And we have to share it with respect. It’s very easy to ride through streets having fun, zipping by people, maneuvering through crowds like you’re a downhill olympic skier on a gold medal run.

Even if you’re a great bike handler, be cautious on the rode. Not only anticipate where people around you are going, but give plenty of space when passing somebody. It’s very common in parks to pass a runner at what a cyclist would perceive is a safe distance, but the runner you just whizzed by was scared out of his shoes. This is especially important when you wear your Tour de Simcha jersey.

You represent your Tour de Simcha jersey. Ride it with pride and respect for others on the road.

Mark Izhak, RD

Tour de Simcha Coach

Message from the Coach

What if you don’t define yourself as a cyclist? Some of you are active as a runner, spin classes, etc. All that plays into how well you end up riding. Those exercises are no substitute for actual cycling training, but it helps to get you to a good level of fitness.

So if it’s raining, feel free to join in on a spin class. Or if you’ve been riding so much that you need a break, some running will be good for your mind. You have your Tour de Simcha training program to follow. Use that as your main workouts and pepper in other things that you enjoy doing .

Looking forward to riding with you,

Mark Izhak, RD

Tour de Simcha Coach

Braking 101

For many, the ride into Camp Simcha this summer will be a new kind of riding. Riding through hills and mountains brings a new element to cycling that you just don’t get riding to your friend’s house or down the boardwalk. As important as it is to train and keep your speed up, slowing yourself down properly is as important to ensure a safe and enjoyable ride.

Pre-Ride

Before your ride, check your brakes to make sure that the brake pad (rubber part that touches your wheel) isn’t worn out till the end. Also, pull the brake levers try moving the bike forward and backward. It shouldn’t move, if it does, the brakes are too loose and needs to be tightened.

How Not to Brake

Your left brake lever stops the front wheel and the right stops the back wheel. If you’re riding and you need to stop suddenly, using the front brake alone will stop your front wheel and turn it into a catapult (imagine an Olympian in the pole vault competition), causing you to flip over and crash.

If you stop with the only the rear brake, you risk skidding because the rear brake doesn’t have that much stopping power and you will just slide on that back wheel. You want to apply both brakes at the same time for full stopping effect. You can rely on one at a time at very low speeds, but get used to using both of them together.

We Don’t Stop for Rain

If you’re riding in the rain it’s important to brake safely. Your brakes respond differently in the rain. In the rain, there’s a layer of water around your rims as you ride. When you first brake, your brake pads need to first clear the water off the rims before you’ll start to slow down. Because of this, plan to brake much earlier before you need to stop. As you brake in the rain, it’s normal to have a sensation as if the bike is actually picking up speed!

Braking in a Group

When you’re riding in a group, try not to rely on your brakes to adjust your speed. Instead, pedal softly or not at all if you need to create space between you and the rider ahead of you. If you’re riding fast and traffic permits, move to the side out of the draft of the rider in front of you and let the wind slow you down.

Add these practices during your training rides and it’ll come naturally in no time.

If you have any questions on this, please leave it in the comments below. Any questions on other topics can be sent to MarkIzhak@gmail.com with Tour de Simcha in the subject line.

Mark Izhak, RD

Tour de Simcha Coach

Fuel for Long Rides

For your long ride, nutrition is going to play a big role in how well you ride, how you feel after the ride, and how you recover and reap the benefits of that hard training.

For the sake of this article, we’re going to assume that you’re not riding to lose weight. So, the eating that you do is to fuel your performance. We want to give the body what it needs so that it can perform at it’s best.

The night before

If you’re riding early in the morning (about 7am), then the meal you ate the night before is where you’re getting most of your fuel. Saturday night dinner should be mainly a carbohydrate dish (e.g. pasta, rice, potatoes) with some protein (e.g. cheese, chicken, or beans).

Your Energy Drink

Depending on your riding you’ll burn between 550 and 750 calories every hour. Because you don’t want to end up severely depleted, you should start taking in calories the first hour. Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are great to start off your first hour of riding. Have one bottle per hour.

If you have stomach distress that can be from too much sugar in your stomach, if that’s the case try half a bottle per hour plus water or try a different brand of drink.

Along with the sports drink you still need more calories, which you can get from an energy bar, sports beans, gel, or banana. Eat something every hour to keep your energy reservoir from completely depleting. You can ride on sports drinks alone for rides less than 40 miles or 2 hours.

Study Your Body

How much every hour? That is up to you. Monitor what you’re doing now and how you’re feeling. Everyone is different and the long training rides you’re doing now is not only to prepare your legs for Tour de Simcha, but an opportunity to fine tune your nutrition plan and see what works best for you.

If you’re feeling sluggish and weak towards the end of the ride then you probably need some more calories.

Recovery Meal

In the 30 minutes after your ride your body is like a sponge eagerly waiting to soak up good calories and start the regeneration process. It’s a small window of time that you want to get 200-300 calories of mostly carbs and some protein (the optimal ratio is 4:1 but you don’t need to be that meticulous). A peanut butter sandwich, energy bar, or a bowl of cereal are all great options.

Your recovery meal isn’t lunch. Go back to your regular healthy eating for the rest of your meals. As with every diet, have a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday and keep away from the junk food.

We all have different needs and it’s important to find what combination works best for you. When you ride Tour de Simcha you should know what your body needs that day to keep you working at peak performance.

If you have any questions on this, please leave it in the comments below. Any questions on other topics can be sent to MarkIzhak@gmail.com with Tour de Simcha in the subject line.

Mark Izhak, RD

Tour de Simcha Coach

Smooth Strokes

Riding up a tough hill is very different than riding the flats. Aside from how hard it is, think about what happens to your pedal stroke as you ride up.

While climbing a hill, not only do you pedal slower, but also your pedaling turns choppy. In the most basic form you’re struggling to push each leg down. Left. Right. LEFT! RIGHT!

The big mistake most people make here is not using your pedals to pull all throughout the pedal stroke. Your feet are clipped in for a reason. The more you use the entire pedal stroke, the more power you can get into your bike.

While you’re out for a ride, as you pedal down think about pulling your leg back like you’re scrapping mud off the bottom of your shoe. Try to continue the motion by pulling your leg up and pushing forward and back down. This way, you’re applying pressure on the pedals the whole time.

Practice this motion with single leg drills: Unclip one leg and hold it off to the side while you pedal with only one leg. Keep the rpm’s lower than usual. You’ll feel very choppy at first. Focus on applying pressure the entire time. Do this for 30 to 60 seconds with both legs, ride with both legs in for a few minutes and then repeat.

Add this drill on your recovery day and you’ll feel your pedaling become much smoother on your regular rides.

If you have any questions on this, please leave it in the comments below. Any questions on other topics can be sent to MarkIzhak@gmail.com with Tour de Simcha in the subject line.

What bike should I get?

The Tour de Simcha ride might be your longest bike ride ever! So is your bike that you use to go to grandmas house good enough to get you to Camp Simcha?

There are 2 types of bikes that you should choose from if you’re getting a new bike; a road bike or a hybrid bike.

A road bike is the racing style bike. Even though you’re not racing, it’s the best bike for riding long distances over hilly terrain. They’re aerodynamic, have skinny tires, and are the lightest type of bike; everything you need to make the ride easier.

A hybrid bike is a mix between a road bike and a mountain bike. The wheels are medium thickness, the bike is somewhat light, and less aerodynamic, but puts you into a more upright position that you might find more comfortable. That said, you could be just as comfortable on a road bike that is fitted properly.

As far as brand or model, that will depend on your local bike shop. And I do recommend buying from a bike shop where you can test ride several bikes and see which one you like. The bike shop should also adjust the bike for your best position.

Road bikes are generally more expensive, starting at around $1,000, where a good hybrid bike will run you in the $400’s. My suggestion is that if you’re not going to do much riding after le Tour de Simcha, go for the hybrid bike. If you’re still going to ride afterwards then invest in the road bike, as it will last you years of good riding.

But remember, with any form of transportation, nothing matters more than the engine. So get out on the road and get those legs ready for your metric century.

Mark Izhak, RD

Le Tour de Simcha, Coach

Message from the Coach:

Tour de Simcha riders, there are 63 days until our amazing ride into Camp Simcha.

The ride will be 60 miles long, and I wanted to remind you that even if you haven’t ridden close (yet) to that distance, you will make it to Camp in tip top shape.

If you’ve ridden anything at all, I’m more than confident that you’ll make it. How do I know? Please read my article, “Lose 1 Pound,” at the link below.

http://marineparkfitness.com/lose-1-pound

Looking forward to riding with all of you,

Mark Izhak, RD