Relish the Moment

Cycling has always been a strong passion of mine – I’ve often said that I got into the sport for the right reasons…for the love of it, not for the money. I know some of my peers gave up riding altogether when they stopped racing as a pro. Hard to imagine.

At any rate, as I look back on my many years of riding starting as a junior in 1977, retiring as a pro in 1992 and continuing to stay active in the sport into my 50’s, there is one constant that keep bubbling to the surface.

It’s about relishing in the experience that I have whatever I’m doing. It’s about living in the moment and taking the time to revel in the surroundings with the people that you’re with. I found that I look for (or maybe gravitate to) these kind of experiences in other parts of my life as well. It’s become part of my DNA.

I just returned from a weekend of skiing with a group of people that I barely knew. Thoughts ran through my mind. What would we talk about? Would I be accepted? We did the mammoth 4 hour drive from Edmonton to Marmot Basin in the Rockies spent a day skiing there and then drove further into BC to do a day of cat skiing in Valemount. Confession: cat skiing is truly cheating…no ‘skinning’ is required to gain elevation and each run is magnificent! However, the best part was getting over my unsuredness to know the group along the way which was at least as stimulating as the skiing itself.

Another example of that intuitive feeling was my first trip to Belgium in 1981 – much like Joe Parkin described in his book, “A Dog in a Hat” it was a hard scrabble few months with cold showers eating boiled rice and canned tuna. Not the kind of fun most 20 year olds would revel in. However, I first learned that this feeling of living in the moment could help me win bike races.

It was raining and the crosswinds were blowing hard as is normal for a multi-lap circuit kermesse race in Belgium (or Spring in the lower Mainland of Vancouver!). I was battling to stay in the front echelon while other riders attacked when a friendly Australian voice shouted out to me – “Alex, go across to the break if you can, I’m blown”. I looked over to see my friend Ricky Flood with pain written all over his face. I looked down at my legs, looked across at the growing gap between us and the breakaway and made the decision to jump. Across the gap I went and went on to win my first of 4 kermesse. Looking back it all seemed so easy but in reality, it was because I had put myself in the situation that provided the opportunity.

Another race situation that stands out for me was the amateur Tour of Belgium in 1985, racing for the national team. Again, crosswinds ruled the day and I was close to front when the race course dropped into a dip…intuitively, I somehow knew that when we came back out into the open we would hit the deadly crosswinds. As we came out I went to the front and went as hard as I could for a few minutes, leaving room for 3 guys on my wheel. I looked back and we had a gap which grew as we worked together. Attacking the break was a formality and I went on to win the stage.

My question to you is what situations are you putting yourself into that may be uncomfortable or foreign? And, when you are in those moments what are you feeling? I’d suggest to you that the best experiences are ones where you’ve overcome your fears and inhibitions to rise up and meet the challenge, no matter how big or small. Everyone has their internal ‘rev limiter’…see if you can push the boundaries just a bit next time you find yourself feeling uncomfortable…you might be surprised at what happens.

Practical Advice for Every Cyclist

Well, Winter has descended on Canada and contrary to the California-based bike publications, for most of us, outdoor riding is really hard to do. And, even if we do venture out, it can take just as long to get dressed and undressed as it does to actually ride…well, maybe that’s a bit exaggerated but, you need to plan your clothing to be sure.

I live in Edmonton these days after spending many Winters on the wet coast. I’ve experienced 4 hours soaking wetat +2C and also a similar length of ride in the snow at -15C. The key to any ride is being prepared and knowing how much you can do at any given time.

Firstly, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Set your training plan to target your fitness to be ready for the Spring. Map it out so that you slowly add hours in the saddle as well as intensity over the Winter months – whether you’re riding on the trainer or outdoors. The pros put on about 5,000km of low intensity mileage before doing any hard work…you need to be patient and build an aerobic base. There are no shortcuts, I don’t care what anyone says about ‘junk miles’.

Next, be prepared for the elements…this usually takes some experimenting to find out which gloves, under layers and wind protection you will need based on the temperature, wind exposure, rain, etc. Personally, for the Edmonton snow rides on my mountain bike I use a 2 layer system for my hands…a thin glove under a wind and water proof mitt. For my feet, I’ll use a Winter specific cycling ankle boot with a battery powered, heated foot bed – the type used for ski boots. Magic! In Vancouver, my Winter bike always had fenders and mud flaps to keep the spray off of myself as well as guys on my wheel. Tights are windproof and for colder than -10C, I add a thin wool layer such as . On my upper body, it’s all about layering and ventilation. I like to wear clothes that I can unzip on the climbs to keep from overheating and sweating too much. Sweat can chill you instantly so zip up for the downhills or headwind sections.

Indoor riding can be very useful during the mid-week when it’s dark traveling to and from work – sorry, I don’t commute on my bike in the Winter. The key for this type of training is to follow a similar program of slowly increasing the length and intensity of each effort over a period of 3-4 months. This can be hard to do when it’s tempting to give yourself a ‘killer’ workout each time you get on the trainer…whether on your own or in a group situation. The best way to manage your workouts is to have a VO2 max test done at your local university and get your Anaerobic Threshold heart rate and associated heart zones calculated. Now you’re ready to follow a proper training program from a training book, DVD or online or live instruction.

Of course, it’s always a good idea to diversify and improve your cardio fitness with supplemental activities that stimulate your heart and work the muscles and ligaments in the similar way – cross country skiing (skating and classic technique), snow shoeing and speed skating are great cross-training workouts that easily translate to the bike.

And finally, to keep you motivated, set a goal for yourself. It can certainly be hard to stay on a consistent, 3-4x/week program over the Winter…you need to stimulate your aerobic system at least 3x/week to see improvement. Pick an event that you really want to do and register early to ensure that you can get in. It will also help you to commit to the dedication that it will take to push through the long, cold Winter that we know and love in the Great White North.  

Practical Advice for Every Cyclist

Well, Winter has descended on Canada and contrary to the California-based bike publications, for most of us, outdoor riding is really hard to do. And, even if we do venture out, it can take just as long to get dressed and undressed as it does to actually ride…well, maybe that’s a bit exaggerated but, you need to plan your clothing to be sure.

I live in Edmonton these days after spending many Winters on the wet coast. I’ve experienced 4 hours soaking wetat +2C and also a similar length of ride in the snow at -15C. The key to any ride is being prepared and knowing how much you can do at any given time.

Firstly, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Set your training plan to target your fitness to be ready for the Spring. Map it out so that you slowly add hours in the saddle as well as intensity over the Winter months – whether you’re riding on the trainer or outdoors. The pros put on about 5,000km of low intensity mileage before doing any hard work…you need to be patient and build an aerobic base. There are no shortcuts, I don’t care what anyone says about ‘junk miles’.

Next, be prepared for the elements…this usually takes some experimenting to find out which gloves, under layers and wind protection you will need based on the temperature, wind exposure, rain, etc. Personally, for the Edmonton snow rides on my mountain bike I use a 2 layer system for my hands…a thin glove under a wind and water proof mitt. For my feet, I’ll use a Winter specific cycling ankle boot with a battery powered, heated foot bed – the type used for ski boots. Magic! In Vancouver, my Winter bike always had fenders and mud flaps to keep the spray off of myself as well as guys on my wheel. Tights are windproof and for colder than -10C, I add a thin wool layer such as . On my upper body, it’s all about layering and ventilation. I like to wear clothes that I can unzip on the climbs to keep from overheating and sweating too much. Sweat can chill you instantly so zip up for the downhills or headwind sections.

Indoor riding can be very useful during the mid-week when it’s dark traveling to and from work – sorry, I don’t commute on my bike in the Winter. The key for this type of training is to follow a similar program of slowly increasing the length and intensity of each effort over a period of 3-4 months. This can be hard to do when it’s tempting to give yourself a ‘killer’ workout each time you get on the trainer…whether on your own or in a group situation. The best way to manage your workouts is to have a VO2 max test done at your local university and get your Anaerobic Threshold heart rate and associated heart zones calculated. Now you’re ready to follow a proper training program from a training book, DVD or online or live instruction.

Of course, it’s always a good idea to diversify and improve your cardio fitness with supplemental activities that stimulate your heart and work the muscles and ligaments in the similar way – cross country skiing (skating and classic technique), snow shoeing and speed skating are great cross-training workouts that easily translate to the bike.

And finally, to keep you motivated, set a goal for yourself. It can certainly be hard to stay on a consistent, 3-4x/week program over the Winter…you need to stimulate your aerobic system at least 3x/week to see improvement. Pick an event that you really want to do and register early to ensure that you can get in. It will also help you to commit to the dedication that it will take to push through the long, cold Winter that we know and love in the Great White North. 

Remembering La Grande Boucle

27 years ago I crossed the finish line on the Champs-Élysées, completely shattered not really knowing what I had just done.

I knew that I had just ridden longer and farther in one sustained effort (4,094 kilometers in 3 weeks with only 1 rest day) than I had ever done in my life. Looking back on the pictures, I looked like a ghost warmed over. What I hadn’t realized at the time was that I had created an indelible memory that I would be truly proud of for the rest of my life.

So, in the Winter of 2013 when the ASO (which owns the race), invited me to attend the 100th anniversary along with the other living finishers I jumped at the opportunity. I had already made plans to be in Chambery with my wife and friends to ride, relax and watch the Tour for a few days so getting to Paris was a short TGV ride away.

Arriving at the Eiffel Tower hotel we were greeted by the friendly staff of the ASO who provided us with some small tokens of appreciation and an itinerary for the day. It was apparent that there were many old time French pros and quite a few Italians as well….none of whom spoke any English and couldn’t understand my French.

15 tour buses were loaded up for the drive over to our tribune where we would be watching the race – the point on the Champs-Élysées where the course splits and goes away from each other. But first, we did a lap of the course on the buses to remind ourselves of the pain and suffering we each endured along with the elation of joining a pretty special club – a finisher of the Tour.

We disembarked into an amazing Paris sunset and watched the French air force fly directly over us with their classic blue, white and red streamers. Great food and beer awaited us as we mingled with the guys who all had shown their mettle at some point in their lives. Amazingly, I didn’t recognize many and it took the name tag for me to remember a few. Alain Bondue was there with a lot of grey hair – he was a pursuiter like me and I shared my memory of him of an Alps stage that went over the Galibier, Croix de Fer and finishing on the Alpe d’Huez, We both got dropped from the grupetto on the Croix de Fer and on the descent into Bourg D’Oisans it was Alain and myself with our own private lead police motorcycle screaming down roads that I had never been on at speeds that I’d never thought possible. We TT’d to the base of the Alpe and then I never saw him again…turns out that he got a lot of spectator pushes that helped him gain 5 minutes on me by the top! It didn’t matter though as I finished within the time limit to live another day. Now, with a few more gray hairs, we traded a few tweets and wished each other well.

 

There were only a few English speakers there including Barry Hoban, the British TT specialist whom I had only read about in old bike racing mags.  We had a great conversation about the history of the sport and how far it’s come. Jock Boyer was there – my good friend who I had last seen at the Cape Epic in South Africa in March.  Jock is leading the charge with Team Rwanda and the Rwandan National Team as well as working with other East African nations to help them with their cycling programs.

I shared a cold beer with Marty Jemison, a stalwart rider with the early days of U.S. Postal who now runs a bike touring company. We shared thoughts on our love for the sport and how much our lives have changed since we finished the Tour.

I told Bernard Hinault that I was very grateful to have won the yellow jersey – I think he remembered me…but his English and my French didn’t really mesh.

Watching the amazing digital video technology play out on the Arc de Triomphe was a wonderful end cap to what had been a truly special and memorable day. Thank you ASO for the fine French hospitality.