December is the time to think about new equipment and equipment upgrades. ‘Tis the season to get your wish list ready now!
Holiday Wish LIst
Now is the best time to think about new equipment and equipment upgrades for your racing season. Even though you might think that purchases smaller than a new bike are not dramatic changes, new shoes and a new saddle could mean new pedals and even a fit check. These changes could also mean an adjustment period to get used to your new equipment, and the non-competitive season is a perfect time for that.
There are two items that I think should be on every SportVelo athlete’s wish list: a trainer (fluid or mag) and rollers. Rollers are great for balance, technique, smooth pedaling, and active recovery because roller don’t load up the legs like a trainer does. Trainers are needed for harder training sessions when you can’t get out on the road, or when active recovery isn’t the goal. Ideally, you can have both the rollers and the trainer for warming up for a race, but if you are going to take only one to a race for a warmup, it would be the trainer.
A more expensive gift to yourself is something that I rate the highest. A power meter will have more of an impact on your performance than new pair of race wheels or a lightweight frame. Power meters are a fantastic training tool (SRM, PowerTap, and Ergomo), and we are learning more and more about them all the time. In fact, because we can set benchmarks for power-to-weight ratios at different training intensity, we have a tangible way of monitoring and tracking progress with power meters.
Resource List
Functional training and recovery aids that all SportVelo athletes should add to their holiday wish lists:
- Foam Roller
- The Stick
- A stability ball
- BBDs (black or blue bands of death) These are also called mini-bands or exercise bands and you can find them at Perform Better.
- A medicine ball (between 8 and 16 pounds)
- Dumbbells (between 10 and 20 pounds) You can find most of these items at Perform Better.
Check the calendar for all SportVelo workouts, as well as races where SportVelo athletes are competing. With the help of Al Painter , theTuesday evening Indoor Peloton and the Wednesday strength workout have been big successes, and we will continue them through the winter, as well as the Monday 7AM core class.