With the permission of Frank Overton from FasCat Coaching here is an entry from the FasCat Coaching blog.

From: James Jung
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 5:10 AM
To: frank@fascatcoaching.com
Subject: Interval Question

Hey, Frank,

Love your stuff on Velonews.com. Had a quick question about intervals. I just got back into cycling last summer after nearly 10 years away from the sport. I’m 30 now. As a teenager I was a junior expert mountain biker, did some junior road races and a lot of weekly rides with cat 2s and 3s. I was pretty quick. After easing back into things last summer, losing 50 pounds (I was not healthy in my absence from the sport!) and buying a new bike, I’ve been riding about five days a week since early April. I typically hit Central Park in the morning for an hour to an hour-and-a-half, then do 5 hour + ride every Saturday. I just wrapped up 10 days in the Italian and Swiss Alps (was here for vacation) and logged in lots of long rides. Yesterday I did a 105 mile tour that went over two big passes (one being Passo dello Stelvio) and rode hard. Now that I am returning to the States, I want to start incorporating more intensity into my rides (as well as more miles) but don’t really know where to start. I’d like to be in race shape by the end of July or August (for hilly races in northern New York state and Vermont). Got any advice for a born-again rider?

Thanks!

Jimmy

**This informative article is written by Matthew Gibble (Colorado Registered Massage Therapist), Feedback Sports Road Racing team member, and owner of Raining Faith Massage who we are very happy to have as a new team sponsor in 2010. Yes, that is Matthew showing example stretches towards the bottom of the article.**

It’s that time of the year when many cyclists are getting increased time on the bike in preparation for races which are just a few months away. If you’ve taken a break or are significantly increasing the length of your rides the body requires a little time to adjust to that flexed trunk and hip position we maintain while riding. Quite often a rider will feel the urge to get up out of the saddle and try to stretch the low back to gain some comfort. You know the stretch, it’s the one where you’re pulling your abdomen toward the bars and stem.

The muscle that is affected is actually two muscles, the Iliacus and the Psoas. Sometimes they are lumped together and called Iliopsoas. Few people know about them until they have the kind of pain where they can’t quite stand up straight or have a “kink” in their back.

The Psoas is located on the front of the spine, specifically the lumbar vertebrae L1-L5. The Iliacus fills an area called the iliac fossa which lies in the pelvis. The two muscles converge to attach to the femur which makes them primarily hip flexors. They also perform some other minute movements of the hip as well as maintaining that curve in our low back called the lordotic curve; essentially pulling the spine toward the front of the body.

Ben at Ollett Coaching

Learn from Georgia Gould's coach how to become faster

Cross season has arrived! Cyclocross is arguably the hardest form of bicycle racing. If you are just getting into ‘cross racing, don’t let your drooling, cross-eyed competitors scare you away. If you prepare yourself properly, cyclocross can be hard and enjoyable. If you follow the guidelines listed below, you’ll be on the right track to a successful season. Need pre-season advice for cyclocross check this out or how to warm up for a cyclocross race.

Lactate Threshold is Your Limiter
The term “Lactate Threshold,” while narrowly defined in the sport science community, seems to have a variety of definitions among cycling coaches. When I use it, I am referring to an athlete’s 60 minute max power. Lactate Threshold (LT) is the energy system that will determine your race pace in cyclocross. The higher your power at LT, the faster your race pace will be.