The beauty of bike racing is that no single race is the same in terms of how it plays out. One thing is for certain; you can never predict what is going to happen. The reason is quite simple. You cannot control what other teams and individuals have planned as their strategy and although we want to think we can control their tactics, it’s just not possible.

One of the primary aims in our sport is to improve. We wish to improve in our fitness, results, and positive experiences on the bike. These changes can range from minor adjustments to a massive overhaul, but the common denominator is to see what has or has not worked, and then to try to improve on them. Great athletes are always looking for new methods, or even slight tweaks, to their training and routines to make themselves better.

How many times have you finished a race and not had that last extra effort needed to win or get a top finish? You go though the race and feel great. You are aggressive and active. Then when you need that extra kick or final effort, you just stall as your legs turn to cream cheese? Perhaps you watch in amazement as other racers go by you like you are standing still, wondering where they got that energy.

I’ve been in California many years. I have never seen such a dramatic change of weather from one spring to the next fall/winter. With all this good weather both here and across the country, it seems this year will be optimal in terms of rider preparation for the race season. Here are a few questions to ask yourself as to whether you are ready to race in 2012…

It’s December and the middle of the holiday season. It also signifies the heart of the road cycling offseason. Most athletes have established their winter activities and training programs. They are busy doing things like yoga, indoor cycling classes, Pilates, cross fit, or anything else that has a traditional offseason focus.

There is no doubt that the definition of the cycling offseason has changed over the years. It used to be the offseason meant having this major break off the bike. There didn’t seem to be much happening in the world of cycling and you would look forward to your monthly copy of Velo News in the mail to see what was transpiring in the dead of winter. You couldn’t wait until Spring!

One of the things we value in our coaching program is using other sports or areas of life to demonstrate how “simple” bike racing can be. Of course, nothing is ever “simple” when 99% of what goes on is out of our control. But still, it can be a useful tool that athletes can relate to…

We at AthletiCamps have been coaching for 10+ years. Every athlete that approaches us has specific goals they want to accomplish. There are two at the top of the list that seem to stand out. One is to lose weight (another article) and the second is how to become a better climber, which is the focus of this article.

Over the many years of coaching athletes of all levels, I’ve often tried to identify what makes certain riders successful and others not. Of course, the definition of success ultimately has to be defined by the athletes themselves. What may be defined as a success by one athlete may be a complete failure by another…