Cycling On Form

“After training with CINCH for the past three years, I’ve learned the cycling-specific techniques that make me a better rider and racer; healthier and injury-free; and more effective and positive off the bike.” -- Lilburn Shaw, 2018 Masters Road National Champion Cycling on Form reveals the pro approach to cycling training. Riding a bike faster takes more than just fitness. It takes skills that you can master to become a faster, stronger rider. In his new guide, former professional bike racer Tom Danielson shows how to transform your cycling from amateur to professional level with the fitness and time you have now. Danielson reveals how the pros go beyond the modern standards of interval workouts, base-building, and recovery to train the whole athlete, mind and body. Danielson shows how to truly ride and train to the fullest through: Fitness: Self-tests to identify your riding strengths and weaknesses then focus on custom training to address them. Mental focus: The pros know that winning means using your head and your legs. You’ll get pro tips on big-picture goal setting and mid-ride concentration strategies to help you stay focused. Execution: Cycling is hard and executing a great ride when it matters takes practice. Danielson shares on-the-bike skills, efficient and powerful techniques, strategies to stay in the race, ways to finish with the lead group, and how to excel on a ride you’ve never done before. Nutrition: Pro riders put sports nutrition into daily practice. Danielson distills the facts of diet, food as fuel, and fueling to recover. Too many cyclists train by trying to set new Strava PRs, only to get frustrated by the limited gains. There’s a better way. Cycling On Form unlocks a pro method for riding faster and stronger.

The bicycle is fast becoming a ubiquitous form of transportation in cities all over the world, making our urban spaces more efficient, more livable and healthier. But many of those bicycles disappear into basements and garages when the warm months end, parked there by owners fearful of the cold, snow and ice that winter brings. But does it have to be that way? Canadian writer and journalist Tom Babin started questioning this dogma after being stuck in winter commuter traffic one dreary and cold December morning and dreaming about the happiness that bicycle commuting had brought him all summer long. So he did something about it. He pulled on some thermal underwear, dragged his bike down from the rafters of his garage and set out on a mission to answer a simple but beguiling question: is it possible to happily ride a bike in winter? That question took him places he never expected. Over years of trial and error, research and more than his share of snow and ice, he discovered an unknown history of biking for snow and ice, and a new generation designed to make riding in winter safe and fun. He unearthed the world's most bike-friendly winter city and some new approaches to winter cycling from places all over the world. He also looked inward, to discover how the modern world shapes our attitudes toward winter. And perhaps most importantly, he discovered the unique kind of bliss that can only come by pedalling through softly falling snow on a quiet winter night.

Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage offers a simple, highly effective core strength program for cyclists. This comprehensive approach shows the 50 essential core workout exercises that will build strength and endurance in the key core muscles for cycling--no gym membership required. Professional cyclist Tom Danielson used to have a bad back. He shifted in the saddle, never comfortable, often riding in pain. Hearing that core strength could help his back, he started doing crunches, which made matters worse. He turned to personal trainer Allison Westfahl for a new approach. Danielson and Westfahl developed all-new core exercises to build core strength specifically for cycling, curing Danielson’s back problems. Better yet, Danielson found that stronger core muscles boosted his pedaling efficiency and climbing power. Using Danielson’s core exercises, cyclists of all abilities will enjoy faster, pain-free riding. Cyclists will perform simple exercises using their own body weight to build strength in the low back, hips, abs, chest, and shoulders without adding unwanted bulk and without weights, machines, or a gym membership. Each Core Advantage exercise complements the motions of riding a bike so cyclists strengthen the right muscles that stabilize and support the body, improving efficiency and reducing the fatigue that can lead to overuse injuries and pain in the back, neck, and shoulders. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced training plans will help bike racers, century riders, and weekend warriors to build core strength throughout the season. Each plan features warm-up stretches and 15 core exercises grouped into workouts for injury resistance, better posture, improved stability and bike handling, endurance, and power. Westfahl explains the goal for each exercise, which Danielson models in clear photographs. Riding a bike takes more than leg strength. Now Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage lays out the core strengthening routines that enable longer, faster rides.

Inside Computer Music is an investigation of how new technological developments have influenced the creative possibilities of composers of computer music in the last 50 years. This book combines detailed research into the development of computer music techniques with thorough studies of ninecase studies analysing key works in the musical and technical development of computer music. The text is linked to demonstration videos of the techniques used and software which offers readers the opportunity to try out emulations of the software used by the composers for themselves and view videointerviews with the composers and others involved in the production of the musical works. The software also presents musical analyses of each of the nine case studies using software and video alongside text to enable readers to engage with the musical structure aurally and interactively.

Investigating the scientific wonders that keep the cyclist in the saddle and explaining how the bike and rider work together, this fascinating book is the perfect way to analyse your own kit and technique by showing you the techniques of the professionals. Each chapter investigates a different area of physics or technology and is organised around a series of questions; What is the frame design? How have bicycle wheels evolved? What muscle groups does cycling exploit? How much power does a professional cyclist generate? Each question is investigated using explanatory infographics and illustrations to clarify the answers. Dip into the book for answers to specific questions or read it right through for a complete overview of how machine and rider work together. At its heart, the simple process of getting about on two wheels contains a wealth of fascinating science.

Full of Exercises, Training Tips, and Injury Remedies That Every Cyclist and Coach Should Have! Every year, more and more people take up cycling to get in shape and stay fit. Thousands of people are buying new bikes with the latest technology, entering races, and even forgoing rush hour traffic and crowded public transportation to ride to work. But the joy and thrill of cycling are often marred by injuries that can bother you for a few weeks or for years. That’s why every cyclist needs to have Anatomy, Stretching & Training for Cyclists. Lisa Purcell includes a detailed exercise program that is designed for cyclists from beginner to advanced levels and that is devised to strengthen and stretch the major muscle groups used in cycling. She provides answers and tools for training, including: • Step-by-step photos • Tests to assess your form • An assessment of cycling gear • Exercises to improve your core • The truth about stretching • And much more! Featured are targeted stretches to increase flexibility and a wide-ranging selection of exercises that thoroughly strengthen the legs and arms and build both core strength and stability, as well as hone your balance and posture on the bike. A handy guide lets you know which muscles are the main targets of each exercise, as well the exercise’s benefits and cautions, along with tips on perfecting your form. With a series of sample workouts that show you how to devise a training program to suit your unique goals, Anatomy, Stretching & Training for Cyclists is the ultimate reference for anyone wanting to achieve optimal cycling fitness.

This book presents a thorough discussion of utility cycling, cycling in the urban environment, and everyday mobility. It is based on large survey answered by 14,000 participants in the bike to work action in Switzerland, and quantifies the various dimensions of utility cycling. It proposes an innovative theoretical framework to analyse and understand the various dimensions of the uses of bikes and their diversity. It addresses the factors that motivate commuters to get on their bike, and highlights the barriers to this practice between deficient infrastructures and lack of legitimacy. This research makes a diagnosis and discusses the way to develop this sustainable mode of transportation. By combining quantitative results in the form of tables, figures, and maps, and including qualitative results in the form of quotations from survey participants, this book provides a thorough and enjoyable read. It will be of interest to researchers, policy makers, advanced students in the field of urban planning, social sciences, and transportation.

In his book Pro Cycling on $10 a Day, Phil Gaimon brings the full powers of his wit to tell his story. Plump, grumpy, slumped on the couch, and going nowhere fast at age 16, Phil Gaimon began riding a bicycle with the grand ambition of shedding a few pounds before going off to college. He soon fell into racing and discovered he was a natural, riding his way into a pro contract after just one season despite utter ignorance of a century of cycling etiquette. Presented here as a guide--and a warning--to aspiring racers who dream of joining the professional racing circus, Phil’s adventures in road rash serve as a hilarious and cautionary tale of frustrating team directors and broken promises. Phil’s education in the ways of the peloton, his discouraging negotiations for a better contract, his endless miles crisscrossing America in pursuit of race wins, and his conviction that somewhere just around the corner lies the ticket to the big time fuel this tale of hope and ambition from one of cycling’s best story-tellers. Pro Cycling on $10 a Day chronicles the racer’s daily lot of blood-soaked bandages, sleazy motels, cheap food, and overflowing toilets. But it also celebrates the true beauty of the sport and the worth of the journey, proving in the end that even among the narrow ranks of world-class professional cycling, there will always be room for a hard-working outsider.