Fitness questions and answers for November 8, 2004

Form & Fitness Q & A

Got a question about fitness, training, recovery from injury or a related subject? Drop us a line at fitness@cyclingnews.com. Please include as much information about yourself as possible, including your age, sex, and type of racing or riding.

Carrie Cheadle, MA (www.carriecheadle.com) is a Sports Psychology consultant who has dedicated her career to helping athletes of all ages and abilities perform to their potential. Carrie specialises in working with cyclists, in disciplines ranging from track racing to mountain biking. She holds a bachelors degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University as well as a masters degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.

Kelby Bethards, MD received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University (1994) before obtaining an M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2000. Has been a racing cyclist 'on and off' for 20 years, and when time allows, he races Cat 3 and 35+. He is a team physician for two local Ft Collins, CO, teams, and currently works Family Practice in multiple settings: rural, urgent care, inpatient and the like.

Fiona Lockhart (www.trainright.com) is a USA Cycling Expert Coach, and holds certifications from USA Weightlifting (Sports Performance Coach), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach), and the National Academy for Sports Nutrition (Primary Sports Nutritionist). She is the Sports Science Editor for Carmichael Training Systems, and has been working in the strength and conditioning and endurance sports fields for over 10 years; she's also a competitive mountain biker.

David Fleckenstein, MPT (www.physiopt.com) is a physical therapist practicing in Boise, ID. His clients have included World and U.S. champions, Olympic athletes and numerous professional athletes. He received his B.S. in Biology/Genetics from Penn State and his Master's degree in Physical Therapy from Emory University. He specializes in manual medicine treatment and specific retraining of spine and joint stabilization musculature. He is a former Cat I road racer and Expert mountain biker.

Since 1986 Steve Hogg (www.cyclefitcentre.com) has owned and operated Pedal Pushers, a cycle shop specialising in rider positioning and custom bicycles. In that time he has positioned riders from all cycling disciplines and of all levels of ability with every concievable cycling problem.They include World and National champions at one end of the performance spectrum to amputees and people with disabilities at the other end.

Pamela Hinton has a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and a doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She did postdoctoral training at Cornell University and is now an assistant professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she studies the effects of iron deficiency on adaptations to endurance training and the consequences of exercise-associated changes in menstrual function on bone health.

Steve Owens (www.coloradopremiertraining.com) is a USA Cycling certified coach, exercise physiologist and owner of Colorado Premier Training. Steve has worked with both the United States Olympic Committee and Guatemalan Olympic Committee as an Exercise Physiologist. He holds a B.S. in Exercise & Sports Science and currently works with multiple national champions, professionals and World Cup level cyclists.

Richard Stern (www.cyclecoach.com) is Head Coach of Richard Stern Training, a Level 3 Coach with the Association of British Cycling Coaches, a Sports Scientist, and a writer. He has been professionally coaching cyclists and triathletes since 1998 at all levels from professional to recreational. He is a leading expert in coaching with power output and all power meters. Richard has been a competitive cyclist for 20 years

Andy Bloomer (www.cyclecoach.com) is an Associate Coach and sport scientist with Richard Stern Training. He is a member of the Association of British Cycling Coaches (ABCC) and a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). In his role as Exercise Physiologist at Staffordshire University Sports Performance Centre, he has conducted physiological testing and offered training and coaching advice to athletes from all sports for the past 4 years. Andy has been a competitive cyclist for many years.

Let us make the assumption that your road bike position is good. Everything that I will say is contingent on that. If that is the case then the position for occasional TT's and short course triathlons should be unchanged. The aero bars that you would use for the occasional TT's and short course triathlons should allow you to mimic the upper body position that you would assume on the drop bars on your road bike other than forearm position which obviously is different. You should feel that when moving from the drop bars to the aero bars nothing changes in terms of back and head position. You definitely should NOT have to crawl forward on the seat or arch the back more which is common unfortunately. Forearm position should be such that the elbows are within the line of the hips as viewed from the front providing of course, that this is consistent with comfort. The aerobar cups should be behind the road bar and closer to the elbow than the wrist. Typically, the forearms should run slightly down from elbow to wrist.

I'm a 51 year old rider, 6'2", and 195#. I'm not a racer, but a strong recreational rider who loves riding the Rockies (I live in Colorado). I'm comfortable riding bigger gears than most, and will climb the passes using a 39x23 or 25. I've been using Sidi Genius 3's for 5 years now. Lately I've been finding my right foot is tending toward numb on longer rides (2 hours or more), and is generally uncomfortable in the shoe. I do have insoles, but they're not helping. In fact, I've changed insoles a couple of times, and do not see any difference, no matter what type of insole I use. I've checked my cleat position, and it appears "spot on."

I am a 23 year old Cat 2 cyclist who has been riding for less than 1 year. I had been inactive for a number of years, when 18 months ago, I underwent max V02 testing as part of a clinical study. At 157 pounds, my max VO2 was 74. At my racing weight of 135-140, I believe my max V02 to be in the mid 80s. I trained alone 20-30 hours a week during the winter and spring and somehow I did not fall apart with injuries.