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Safety and Speed: 2015 goal
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First of all, I want to say all of the technology we have is great. With that being said, I am surprised Chris Froome has not had a major crash that we know of.....always looking down, wether it be his computer or his 120 cadence.

Back in 2010, I had a good friend who was all set to do the Tour of Calif TT (VIP division) Without saying his name, he is on Slowtwitch a lot! The day before he was to race, we went for a short ride where I noticed his head was down more than up, while pedaling his tt bike. The morning of the race in downtown LA, we both noticed that recessed man hole covers and pot holes that covered the course. I reminded him that he has a tenancy to ride with his head down and to look up for the land mines in front of him. He broke his collar bone and did not finish.


Last year, I was coaching a IM athlete who was putting the icing on the cake the week before he was to fly off to his first IM of the year. Initially, the workout was 4x12min at x wattage. I then realized that he is always looking at his computer, giving more chance for catastrophe. I then changes the workout to 4x hill stopping at fire hydrant near top, just so he did not have to keep eyeballing the Garmin on the countdown to 15min.....He convinced me that he would rather do the 15min and he promised to stay focused and not crash. 12 hours after discussing workout, he called to tell me he hit a rock in the open road, breaking his collar bone.

Yesterday, I got the same call from Coach Muddy. Athlete crashes while in aero bars, head down looking at his data......


I love power, time, speed etc. However, at some time, you have to let it go and just ride, mainly to be safe. When a ride is void of anticipation/forecasting, not only is the rider in more danger, he/she is checked out, not making the mental stimulation gains that is available.

I assume most slowtwitchers race events where the bike portion is non-drafting. I may be wrong, but I do not feel that these athletes are not putting much emphasis on the art of riding a bike. Wether it be for safety or learning to be more efficient and to go faster, there are a lot of hours being spent on the bike, giving valuable time to learn to be better.

A few athletes on the opposite end of these spectrums are Kienle and Lionel Sanders. Maybe KInele trains with power, but he did not during his stint last year. I found him to be very savvy on the bike. Take a look at a few of his performances where he blew everyone apart where he surely wash not obsessed with his power meter: Vegas Worlds when he used the conditions and gradients to win the race. Sanders is the first to admit he lacks these skills but has laser vision focus on a CompuTrainer.


As for results, you can have a different scenarios of a rider at a given power, with totally different results. Depending upon how power is used, the same rider could have a 5 min difference at 300w. Many want to discuss ave power once the race is done. That goes in one ear and out the other, as I look for aver all performance.

The art of riding a bike will make you a faster athlete, but more importantly one who will less likely crash because he/she their brain is engaged at all times!

Living in Tucson is the best place in the US to become a good rider. No matter where you live, use your resources to gain a bunch of free speed and safety for 2015 by learning how to best pedal your bike.


PT

PS. Anyone dare to share their "staring at the Garmin" crash?!?!?
Last edited by: paulthomas: Oct 3, 15 14:03
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Re: Safety and Speed: 2015 goal [paulthomas] [ In reply to ]
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In addition to safety, a reason I advise athletes not to stare at their head units (or watch when running) is what I call "handcuffing."

Handcuffing is when an athlete is too data driven and mentally shackles themselves into a certain level of performance. Athletes seem to forget that a race plan is a living plan. It can/should change depending on how you feel and circumstances presented on the day. Athletes will mentally handcuff themselves in a certain power range or pace in a race preventing themselves from having a breakout performance before the race or test even starts.

Athletes should have a plan for pacing but not be bound by it. Have the confidence to take a chance and throwdown if they feel great, need to go with a competitor, etc. That's what racing is all about.

"Just don’t abandon everything you’ve ever learned because of something someone said on the internet." - Eric McGinnis
Last edited by: ScottWrigleyFit: Oct 3, 15 17:00
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Re: Safety and Speed: 2015 goal [paulthomas] [ In reply to ]
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I don't have a staring at my own Garmin crash, but last June I was taken out by a rider that collided with a barricade on a wide open course. His bike bounced into my path after he went down and i went over it and into an ambulance with a broken collarbone and 7 broken ribs and punctured lung. No idea if he was looking down at a garmin, but he pretty clearly wasn't looking up.

If you don't look up for your own safety, look up for mine. Just now able to sbr again
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