Chamois or Not to Chamois?

Are you thinking of doing your first century and you see some people with bike shorts? Do I need a pair?

I would say yes, for sure... The bike short has a pad in the seat called a chamois and is contoured to your body. But beware, you get what you pay for. There are some brands for around $60. And it is better than nothing. But for a long ride, it will still leave you feeling not so good. Brands included Louis Garneau, Pearl Izumi

The next level would be around $120-$140. You can get a real nice pair of shorts with a high quality chamois.. At this level, your rear will thank you at the end of a long day in the saddle. The fabrics and components are definitely worth the money. Descente, Castelli

The last level if for people who want the Cadillac version, they are around $200-$300. They are the ultimate riding shorts. The comfort will make you feel like why did I even use the other shorts, but you have to get over the sticker shock.. Assos, Descente, DeMarchi

Again, remember don't go cheap when purchasing shorts. Your body will be very happy with you at the end of the day.

Stephen McCarthy

HED JetC2 60 and 90's are in

We just got word that the new HED JetC2 wheels are ready to ship. Check them out on our website. They are lighter than the Jet60. And to top it off, it has really been creative on how it connects to the tube and tire. Making it more aero, easier to corner and overall perform at a higher level. For the extra $100 per wheel, it is definately worth it. Check back in a couple months and we will have some cool new pictures and content on our product pages.

Stephen McCarthy
Gear and Training

Long Delay

Hello, everybody.

Sorry for the long delay in our next posts. We have been working on some new ideas. Look for them in the coming months. One right out the shoot is the Your Cycling blog. We are one of the editors of the blog. It will include training tips and other great cycling information from some of the industry leaders in the bike industry. Check it out.

Talk to you later.
Stephen McCarthy
Gear and Training

Aerodynamics and clothing, helmets, and shoes

The importance of aerodynamics in cycling and triathlon cannot be stressed enough. To set the importance, here are a couple quotes from industry leaders in the area of aerodynamics.

“This Nike Skin suit should give about 30 sec to 1 minute advantages in a 58km Tour de France Individual Time Trial depending on what version of the suit is worn.“ Chester Kyle, the cycling areodynamist who headed up the Nike Skin suit Project for Lance Armstrong. (Zinn 2003)

Also, stated by Scott Duabert, one of the lead individuals working with Lance Armstrong, “We measured less drag with aerodynamically designed pieces, so I know it makes a difference” (Overton 2004)

With those kinds of statements from high-level experts, if you would like to perform to the elite level, you must take into account the choices you will be making in equipment.

For the sake of this discussion, we are going to limit our application of aerodynamics to clothing, helmets, and shoes. We understand the majority of the drag created by your body position while you are riding, swimming and running. But we will cover those areas in future newsletters.

An additional thought is aero drag and how it applies to swimming and running. Swimming is a totally different discussion for another newsletter, so we will not be covering this area today. Generally speaking, the rules only apply when you are moving faster than 8 mph as the main forces you are attempting to overcome are inertial and related to acceleration. If you are running faster than 8 mph, you might look into the type of clothing and shoes you are using and follow the same general rules. (Burke and Kyle 2003)

So lets dig in.

First of all lets start with an overview statement of aerodynamic drag and how we can improve or lower its forces against your efforts.

“You can decrease aerodynamic forces by choosing shapes that move through the air efficiently. This streamlining, an energy conserving process used by all creatures that must move rapidly through air. Hence, each shape, fabric, or material has a drag coefficient related to it. The lower the number, the less energy it takes to move it through air, as well as the possibility of going faster at the same time. (Burke and Kyle 2003) Summarized another way by Scott Daubert, “For the most part you want air to remain as close the subject as possible. By varying types of textures or the orientation of textures, you can start to control some of how the air flows over the subject. We wanted the air to remain attached to as much of Lance’s body as possible, especially on the trailing side of his hips.” (Overton 2004)

So how does that apply to the gear we are using and what are some general rules to follow when purchasing your gear.

Gloves, Suits, Bibs, Shorts, and Jerseys:
The type of fabric makes a difference. Regular materials such as wool or polypropylene used in jerseys or tights could slow the rider down over 1 min in 40km (Burke and Kyle 2004)
Are the seams hidden. If they are showing, make sure they are not across your body.
The amount of body coverage, the more the better. They have found that the newer fabrics have a lower drag than shaved legs. (Overton 2004)

Helmets
You must make a decision between an aero helmet and a standard racing helmet. Aero helmets should be used when cooling is not critical. Standard helmets can loose more than 1 sec per mile to an aero helmet.
Rounded edges are better than hard square, pointed edges. (Burke and Kyle 2003)

Shoes
A smooth upper with the fewest interruptions to air flow. Shoe covers are the best, when cooling is not an issue.
In some cases the type of material the shoe is made of can influence the drag, but we did not find any specific numbers related to this subject. (Burke and Kyle 2003)

After doing all your research and starting down the path of making yourself more aerodynamic, that leaves one question: How do I test aerodynamics if I don’t have access to a wind tunnel? Steve Hed of HED Cycling has a great solution,

“One way to find trends is to do roll-down tests. You’ll need a calm day, a friend on his bike to be the control and a gradual hill 1-2 minutes long. Coast top to bottom next to your friend and make a note or time the difference the two of you at the bottom. Make one change to your position or equipment and do it again. Make sure your friend doesn’t change anything- he is the control. (Overton 2004)

A closing thought.

After all your research, remember sometimes in cycling and triathlon elite performance is an art. What is the best for one person does not mean it is the best for you. If a piece of equipment is the best in class for drag and your friends all think it is the greatest, but it does not fit with your style or makes you feel totally uncomfortable, then stick with the product that makes you feel the fastest. Even Lance Armstrong used the some of the same gear for almost 10 years, because the other solutions did not feel right.


See you next month.

Stephen McCarthy
Extreme Performance Gear and Training


References

Zinn, Lennard, July 25,2003, Tour Tech-It’s Gotta be the Suit, VeloNews.

Overton, Frank, July 6, 2004, F One Aerodynamics: What Lance Armstrong’s Wind Tunnel testing means for your time trial, PezCycling News.

Burke, Edmund and Kyle, Chester, 2003, High-Tech Cycling, Human Kinetics, pg. 1-46.

February Coupon: Take 5% off your next purchase from Extreme Performance. Simply, visit http://www.gearandtraining.com/ and use the discount code of “Aero” or bring a copy of this newsletter to our store.

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Extreme Performance Gear and Training

Triathlon Training

We would like to introduce a new relationship. We have partnered with Training Smart Online, a leading online provider of Triathlon Coaching and Triathlon Training Programs. They will provide free triathlon articles to us as well as professional coaching and training programs completely customized to your our clients.

Extreme Performance Gear and Training

Triathlon Training

We are proud to annouce a new relationship. We are going to be using Training Smart Online, a leading online provider of Triathlon Coaching and Triathlon Training Programs They will provide free triathlon articles, professional coaching and training programs completely customized to your goals and situation. Here the a great piece on carbohydrate loading that they forwarded over to us.

Written by the Department of Sports Nutrition, AIS www.ais.org.au/nutrition © Australian Sports Commission 2004
Carbohydrate Loading
'Carbohydrate loading' is probably one of the most misunderstood terms in sports
nutrition. People commonly think anyone involved in sport needs to 'carb up' and the
way to do this is to eat 'flat out' in the days leading up to an event. Read on to get the
facts on carbohydrate loading.
What is carbohydrate loading?
Carbohydrate loading is a strategy involving changes to training and nutrition that can
maximise muscle glycogen (carbohydrate) stores prior to endurance competition. The
technique was originally developed in the late 1960's and typically involved a 3-4 day
'depletion phase' and a 3-4 day 'loading phase'. Ongoing research has allowed the
method to be refined so that modern day carbohydrate loading is now more
manageable for athletes.
Does carbohydrate loading improve performance?
Muscle glycogen levels are normally in the range of 100-120 mmol/kg ww (wet weight).
Carbohydrate loading enables muscle glycogen levels to be increased to around 150-
200 mmol/kg ww. This extra supply of carbohydrate has been demonstrated to improve
endurance exercise by allowing athletes to exercise at their optimal pace for a longer
time. It is estimated that carbohydrate loading can improve performance over a set
distance by 2-3%.
Who should carbohydrate load?
Anyone exercising continuously for 90 minutes or longer is likely to benefit from
carbohydrate loading. Typically, sports such as cycling, marathon running, longer
distance triathlon, cross-country skiing and endurance swimming benefit from
carbohydrate loading. Shorter-term exercise is unlikely to benefit as the body's usual
carbohydrate stores are adequate. Carbohydrate loading is generally not practical to
achieve in team sports where games are played every 3-4 days. Although it might be
argued that players in soccer and AFL have heavy demands on their muscle fuel stores,
it may not be possible to achieve a full carbohydrate protocol within the weekly
schedule of training and games.
How was carbohydrate loading originally achieved?
Originally, carbohydrate loading involved a depletion phase. This required 3-4 hard
training days plus a low carbohydrate diet. The depletion phase was thought to be
necessary to stimulate the enzyme glycogen synthase. The depletion phase was
followed by a loading phase that involved 3-4 days of rest combined with a high
carbohydrate diet. The extra carbohydrate combined with the now-activated glycogen
synthase was shown to boost carbohydrate stores beyond their usual resting levels.
How do modern-day athletes carbohydrate load?
Today's endurance athletes use a modified carbohydrate loading method. Ongoing
research has demonstrated that the depletion phase is no longer necessary. This is a
bonus for athletes as the depletion phase was very difficult. Australian marathon
runner, Steve Moneghetti has described the depletion phase as making him feel like
"death warmed up". Today, 1-4 days of exercise taper while following a high
carbohydrate diet (7-12g/kg body weight) is sufficient to elevate muscle glycogen levels.
Written by the Department of Sports Nutrition, AIS www.ais.org.au/nutrition © Australian Sports Commission 2004
What does a high carbohydrate diet look like?
The following diet is suitable for a 70kg athlete aiming to carbohydrate load:
Breakfast
3 cups of low-fibre breakfast cereal with 11/2 cups of reduced fat milk
1 medium banana
250ml orange juice
Snack toasted muffin with honey
500ml sports drink
Lunch 2 sandwiches (4 slices of bread) with filling as desired
200g tub of low-fat fruit yoghurt
375ml can of soft drink
Snack banana smoothie made with low-fat milk, banana and honey
cereal bar
Dinner 1 cup of pasta sauce with 2 cups of cooked pasta
3 slices of garlic bread
2 glasses of cordial
Late Snack toasted muffin and jam
500ml sports drink
This sample plan provides ~ 14,200 kJ, 590 g carbohydrate, 125 g protein and 60 g fat.
Are there any special considerations for females?
Most studies of glycogen storage have been conducted on male athletes. However,
some studies suggest that females may be less responsive to carbohydrate loading,
especially during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Further research needs to
be conducted specifically on females.
What are the common mistakes made when carbohydrate
loading?
Research indicates that many athletes who attempt to carbohydrate load, fail to achieve
their goal. Common mistakes include:
• Carbohydrate loading requires an exercise taper. Athletes can find it difficult to
back off training for 1-4 days before competition. Failing to rest will compromise
carbohydrate loading.
• Many athletes fail to eat enough carbohydrate. It seems athletes don't have a
good understanding of the amount of food required to carbohydrate load.
Working with a sports dietitian or using a carbohydrate counter can be useful.
• In order to consume the necessary amount of carbohydrate, it is necessary to
cut back on fibre and make use of compact sources of carbohydrate such as
sugar, cordial, soft drink, sports drink, jam, honey, jelly and tinned fruit. Athletes
who include too many high fibre foods in their carbohydrate loading menu may
suffer stomach upset or find the food too bulky to consume.
• Carbohydrate loading will most likely cause body mass to increase by
approximately 2kg. This extra weight is due to extra muscle glycogen and
water. For some athletes, a fear of weight gain may prevent them from
carbohydrate loading adequately.
• Athletes commonly use carbohydrate loading as an excuse to eat everything
and anything in sight. Consuming too many high fat foods will make it difficult to
consume sufficient carbohydrate. It may also result in gain of body fat. It is
important to stick to high-carbohydrate, low-fat foods while carbohydrate
loading.

Extreme Performance Gear and Training

Nike heart rate monitors

A quick guide to Nike heart rate monitors and running logs:

1. Nike Triax C3- A great entry level basic heart rate monitor that has a lap counter and is water resistant at a great price
2. Nike Triax C5 - A few additional features like alarms, 30 run lap counter, etc but called "the basic" by Nike
3. Nike Triax C6 - All the basic figures with the addition of programmable workouts, and a 30 lap counter and 30 m water resistance.
4. Nike Triax C8 - Expanded lap counter to 50, water resistance to 30 meters, two segment interval timer, and all the features from the previous models.
5. Nike Triax C10 - 100 lap chronograph, 5 segment interval timer, programmable target heart rate zones with alarms
6. Nike Triax CV10 - All the features of the C10 with a speed and distance monitor
7. Nike Triax V10 - Speed and distance monitor or running log with no heart rate monitor
8. Nike Triax Elite - All the above features with pc download capabilities and the software to analyze your workouts.

Extreme Performance Gear and Training