Category: Uncategorized

Clinics, Coaching General, Cyclocross, Mountain Bike, Uncategorized

The “Van der Poel” Position

We’ve run a few cyclocross and mountain bike clinics recently where we have been talking about cornering and getting our cranks level before initiating the turn.  This “ready position” we’ve nicknamed the “Van der Poel” position, as he frequently seen demonstrating this to set up for corners, technical sections and to help him recover from high intensity bursts of power.  Here’s an example if you aren’t familiar with it.

This is a great position to initiate a turn from when on dirt, drop and weight the outside foot and push down on the inside hand to make the turn.

Clinics, Coaching General, Cyclocross, Uncategorized

Gear Up partners with SoCalCross for Cross Clinic

Gear Up coaching will partner with SoCalCross to offer a free cyclocross clinic on Saturday September 14, 2019.  With a tag line of “Skills, Drills and Thrills” the clinic will cover cyclocross skills with a breakdown of the techniques, then practice of those skills and the session will finish with a practice race.  All skill levels will be catered for.  For more details and sign ups, follow the links below:

Flyer:  https://tinyurl.com/y6o6jus8

 Eventbrite:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skills-drills-and-thrills-preseason-cyclocross-training-2019-tickets-69351792077

Coaching General, Racing, Uncategorized

Pro Cyclist Quotes

I’ve just been reading an interview with Dutch hard man Niki Terpestra.  Well known for his attacking riding and being an all round strong man, a couple of quotes from him resonated with me:

“You know sometimes I just have the feeling or thinking ‘why not?’ Instead of ‘why should I attack?’, it’s just ‘why attack – why not?'”

and

“I’m not a sheep in the group.  I mean, if there are two doors and everyone is standing in line for one door then I am going to check if the other door is closed….And if it’s closed I am going to look like a fool, ‘Yeah, yeah, get in line,’ but if it’s open…. I’m not afraid to try.”

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  Terpestra has the legs to back it up of course but he’s right, if you want the best result in a bike race….don’t be a sheep.

Coaching General, Uncategorized

New Year’s Resolutions, New Year’s Discounts!

Discount?!  Did someone say discount?!

Thinking about hiring a coach to help you with your 2019 season?  We are offering a 50% discount on your first month’s coaching on all of our individualized plans. That means you could have a fully customized coaching plan, tailored specifically for your needs from $2.50 per day, or a semi customized goal focused plan for $1.50 per day.  Wow!

Quote WP2019 with your enquiry to receive this discount.  Offer valid through Jan 31, 2019.

Coaching General, Cyclocross, Racing, Uncategorized

Cyclocross Starts, aka what to do when you’re not on the first row of the grid…

Getting a call up onto the first row of the grid means you’re in prime position to make the holeshot if you have the legs.  But what about if you are on the third or forth row of the grid?  Perhaps just making sure you get your foot in and away cleanly and then to make up the placings as the race progresses is all you can hope for .  But sometimes fitness and skill can move you up from a poor grid position into prime position very quickly.  This will still depend on the course and more than a little luck but be ready for when/in case it happens!

This is how to do it…1st 20seconds… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_gapb8BIL0&t=41s

So what can we learn from the video?  The shallow left hander had everyone moving over and it opened up on the right.  By not slowing too much and going in (slightly too) hot into the first corner and not being able to set up well for the right hander immediately after the rider made up a huge number of places and set themselves up for the rest of the race by getting to the front group.  It was a risk and could have resulted in them coming down at worst or just coming off line and having to brake hard to make the next turn (and then losing all those places they had made up) but on this course it paid off.

So, if you get a choice, always think about your grid position, even if you are on the last row.

Clinics, Coaching General, Cyclocross, Uncategorized

SCNCA Cyclocross Clinic, Sept 2018

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Saturday we ran a cyclocross clinic for SCNCA.  With 20 attendees, it was good to see a mix of young and old, experienced and novice, and local and not so local (San Diego, Redlands, Redondo Beach for example), it just proves cross appeals to a broad range of riders.  Thanks all for coming out, I hope you enjoyed it.

Here are some photos taken at the clinic.  Sorry if I didn’t get a picture of you but I struggle to take pictures and coach as I am usually focused on the coaching, not recording of the event.

Anyway it was a fun clinic and hopefully we can repeat next year, I love group coaching.  We run Tuesday evening cross clinics leading up to cross season, PM us if you want to attend.

Here’s a link to some other pictures from the day from Dorothy Wong…

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMsNLwqynwt-jmYEiEJNezLWZ_E2rqm54Rx5cujBJTbpG5O1lV1RvWHQGtwZP4Lmg?key=TVd5NG1BQTRXTE9pNXpJb0xjdzNldmRyd0lta3Z3

 

Mountain Bike, Racing, Uncategorized

Head Coach Nick wins State XC Mountain Bike Championships!

This past weekend, Head Coach Nick raced the Crafts and Cranks/California State Championships Mountain Bike Cross Country up in Big Bear.  This event had been one of three “A” races Nick had picked out at the beginning of the season.  He duly took the “W” and with it the State Champions jersey!

2018 CA State Champ Jersey

Speaking afterwards he said “I learned a lot from the last round of the Gold State series  that I raced here a few weeks back where I got passed and beaten into second in the last half mile;  I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.  Training has gone really well leading up to the event, I tapered well and came in feeling fresh and ready to go.  I’m absolutely stoked to win the Bear Jersey and will wear it with pride!”