Winning Racing and Training Secrets from Peak Cycles Bicycle Shop Sponsored Cycling Teams

June 11, 2015
BikeParts.com Team Rider Kyle Crawley on his way to finishing in 4th Place at the Gunnison Growler 32

BikeParts.com Team Rider Kyle Crawley on his way to finishing in 4th Place at the Gunnison Growler 32

Guess who is rocking the coolest bikes, the best bike parts, and crushing it in Colorado’s toughest road and mountain bike races?

You guessed it – Peak Cycles Racers!  We’re super proud of Peak Cycles Bicycle Shop Sponsored Cycling Teams including Peak Cycles XC, Gravity and BMX teams, Colorado School of Mines, The Golden High School mountain bike team, Tough Girl Cycling, Twin Peaks Racing, and The Colorado Collective.  Early season success has come easily to these athletes.  Countless podium finishes and successful racing has caused many followers of the teams to wonder what are the secrets to combining racing and training for a successful summer cycling season?  What are these athletes doing that we all can do to improve our cycling performance?

For starters, there are many different approaches to training and racing.  Typical training weeks may vary in distance, intensity, and training hours. Some athletes prefer a structured approach to their racing season; whereas others prefer to keep it casual by mixing in shop rides and even front range bucket list rides to test fitness and keep training fresh.

But at a minimum, there are the basics which pretty much everyone follows.  This includes ongoing bike maintenance, repairing and/ or replacing bike parts, continued bike nutrition while riding, and a strong focus on hydration on and off the bike.  It sounds simple enough but a properly fit bike – that is ready to ride –  makes cycling fun, easy, and keeps you riding!

Regardless of your approach, one of the winning secrets for training and racing is using tools for bio feedback. Cycling accessories, as in power meters and /or heart rate monitors offers bio feedback monitoring of your efforts with specific data so that you objectively know when you are pushing beyond your targeted indictors, as well as, when you aren’t pushing hard enough.

Our post, The Best Training Aids to Launch into Spring Cycling, dives into the benefits of training with power. You may also want to check out our post, Heart Rate Training – What You Need to Know for our staff picks at Peak Cycles Bike Shop.  You can also learn steps in discovering your “threshold” heart rate range, setting up heart rate training zones, and identifying the daily variables that affect heart rate.

While it’s not a secret, and we hinted at it earlier, an often overlooked component of successful racing and training is a bike fit.   If you haven’t ridden much this Spring, now is the best time for a bike fit.  Why? Because your body is unaccustomed to the riding position.  You have an opportunity to optimize your position and make needed upgrades to your road bike or mountain bike.

There are countless suggestions that we can offer for training and racing tips but nothing can replace the passion, discipline, and love of the sport that our staff and team riders embrace.  For more winning race and training secrets, stop by the Peak Cycles Bicycle Shop and ask our staff for ideas and suggestions.  Also, keep current by following our Facebook page for updates.  Happy riding!

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Posted by staffwriter8

Bicycle Racing in the Colorado Front Range Doesn’t Have to Be Intimidating – Here’s Why

May 28, 2015

front range cyclingWith countless mountain bike trails and exquisite road rides available throughout the state of Colorado, it’s no wonder the state boasts of high percentage of recreational cyclist. Many enjoy the joys of recreational cycling yet some yearn to challenge themselves a bit more and begin to explore ideas of racing road bicycles and mountain bikes.

The idea at first is exciting!  But not long after, questions emerge and sometimes the idea of stepping out from recreational riding to racing can seem a tad intimidating.  Some cyclist making the transition struggle to find a network for training and racing.  Whereas others just can’t seem to find the answers they are looking for to help them make that jump.

Peak Cycles Bicycle Shop staff helps answers questions related to the best bike parts for different race venues.  We’ll help get your bike in order prior to racing with a proper bike fit as well as any bicycle maintenance needed before or after your event.  We even take it a step further!  We have a local group ride to support camaraderie and training and we also support several local race teams. One in particular, Twin Peaks Racing, is the ideal solution for a cyclist taking that first step towards racing.

Twin Peaks Racing is the Colorado front-range racing team for the average joe. Known for its “laid-back culture” and “grass-roots bicycle racing,” the team aims to give cycling enthusiasts of all abilities an outlet for bike racing.  The group was found in 1986 and is made up of a group of about 40 men and women.  During the 2014 race season, the team competed in 31 races and had 96 individual finished. 40 of those finishes were ranked among the top 10 finishes and 25 ranked within the top 5. In 2015, the team has already seen 3 top ten finishes by Omar Dickson, Mark Mortell, and Jeff Warner.

If you have ever wondered if bicycle racing is for you, this team would be the best next step in moving towards those racing goals.  Peak Cycles Bicycle Shop is proud to support Twin Peaks Racing with bike parts and the cycling accessories they need for the 2015 season.  You can stay up to date with Twin Peak races on their website  or on their Facebook page. With a great team like Twin Peaks Racing, it’s easy to make the jump from recreational riding to racing!

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Posted by staffwriter8