How to Improve Nutrition & Recovery – Insights from Elite Cycling Coach, Scott Bugden

How to Improve Nutrition & Recovery – Insights from Elite Cycling Coach, Scott Bugden

In this video, Coach, Scott Bugden from Swiss Cycling Track Team explains to Michael how you can use nutrition and recovery to optimise your cycling performance.

Michael is a Level 3 British Cycling coach who works with cyclists across a range of disciplines, developing fitness, skills and competitive performance. He is a keen bike racer, currently focusing on Downhill and Enduro MTB. He has a strong endurance background, having raced at a National Level in XC, Road, and Cyclocross.

 

To get in touch with Michael about performance coaching please head to his website RideAbout.

How to – Descend with confidence

How to – Descend with confidence

Whether you’re riding on or off-road after working hard to get to the top of the hill it’s good to be able to recover and enjoy the descent.

In this blog post I am going to give you my top tips for going downhill on your bike with confidence.

Mountain Bike:

Going downhill on a mountain bike is the most exciting part, most of the time, gravity takes charge and with good skill you can navigate down almost any terrain whilst the countryside zips past, with the wind on your face and the ground undulating underneath you it’s a thrilling experience, as long as you feel safe and in control that is.

 

 

Here are my tips on riding with confidence downhill on a mountain bike.

  • Get your body in the correct position. Make sure your feet are level on the pedals, this is called the ready position; raise your bum off the saddle so you can move around on the bike. Have a bend in your knees and elbows, your heels should be down pushing into your pedals.
  • Keep two fingers over your brakes all the time this allows you to gently squeeze them on as and when you need them. Use your back brake before your front brake.
  • Stay relaxed. Your knees should be pointing slightly outside your toes, not gripping your frame and your upper body should be loose. Do a few shoulder rolls and you will soon find out if you have tensed up.
  • Look where you want to go. This sounds like an obvious one but looking further ahead enables you to pick the best line down the trail so you can flow down the single-track not losing any speed and avoiding obstacles.
  • Practise makes perfect. Practise your descending technique on hills you feel comfortable with and as you feel more confident move to steeper longer descents.

Road bike:

The speeds you can reach on a road bike can be incredible, to enable you to be safe on the roads here are some key points you should follow.

  • Controlled braking. Control your speed using periods of braking with both your front and rear brake together with equal force.
  • Descend on the drops. You can get more leverage on the brake levers if your hands are on the drops, rather than the hoods.
  • Body position. If you want to slow up use your body as a wind brake by sitting up.
  • Look ahead for hazards. It’s important to spot hazards early, which means looking well ahead down the road to anticipate any potential obstacles, changes in terrain or oncoming traffic. Wet drain covers, painted lines, speed bumps, gravel and leaves should be avoided were possible.
  • Set your speed before a corner. This applies off-road as well; setting yourself up to carry the speed you are comfortable with around the corner is important for smooth, safe cornering.

I hope you have found these tips helpful. If you would like to find out about coaching or have a question please comment below.

 

Thank you

Mother and Daughter Spring Sportive

Mother and Daughter Spring Sportive

After the Trans Alp last July my Mum decided she would like to take on some cycling challenges, as you can imagine I was thrilled at the thought of being able to share some biking adventures with her.

On Sunday the adventures started with a trip to the New Forest to take part in the Spring Sportive.

Since buying her road bike a few months back my Mum has managed a few rides but had not really been out for any distance so this was a great test of her endurance.

We arrived in the New Forest early Sunday morning to cloudless skies and warming sun. We picked up our Power Bar goodies and numbers and headed to the start. We were soon pedalling our way through country lanes around the New Forest on our 30 mile route.

The miles seemed to fly by and soon we were at the feed station, a very pretty village hall where we stocked up on jammy dodgers and flapjacks. 12 miles down we rolled out for the final 17 miles Mum was doing really well and we were averaging around 13/14 miles an hour eating up the miles passing through quaint villages, farmers’ fields, New Forest ponies and even a Donkey greasing the verge.

The elevation of the last section included a few steady inclines and I could tell this last 2/3 miles were becoming difficult for her so we eased off enjoying the views. The great thing about Sportives over races in the huge mixture of abilities enjoying time on their bikes, there is no pressure to go fast you can take things leisurely.

Cycling through the New Forest

We soon turned back down the long track to the finish line to complete our first mother and daughter sportive.  I am sure there will be more to come!

Sportives are a great way to test your endurance cycling ability in a safe environment knowing you can rely on feed stations and mechanical support if needed, making them a great opportunity for new cyclists to get out and enjoy time on their bikes and explore new areas on two wheels.