For the 10,000th Time, Control Your Urges - By Charlie

I suspect I might be about the 10,000 person writing about how to stay fit over the winter holidays (perhaps there’s some sort of Pullitzer-type prize related to that?). Nevertheless, these sorts of articles appear year after year for good reason: these days, our attention spans have shortened while our mental retentive capabilities are a fraction of what they once were. Don’t believe me? Two words: Michael. Vick.


So here it is, the 10,000th article out there full of advice and tips on how to stay fit & healthy during these the most unhealthy weeks of the year.

Was it Georges Santayana, or Dick Van Patten, who said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it? (The interesting point of this quotation is that he was really making a statement about knowledge acquisition—we need to learn things via repetition—not an exhortation the importance of history; but I digress.) The easiest way to stay fit, is, of course, to not repeat the mistakes of the past, while repeatedly reminding ourselves not to make the mistakes of the past. Therefore, the first step to a healthier holiday is to analyze where you went wrong. Then, have a dedicated plan to stick to in order to avoid those same failings. Here’s a hint: The problem was probably either (or both) that you ate too much, particularly junk food, and that you exercised too little.

But ay, the rub is that the snacks are just too tempting, and the exercising too hard to find time and motivation to do. What is a reveler to do? For starters, if at all possible, have a hand in the holiday grocery shopping. It’s hard to eat crappy food if there’s none around, and it’s a lot easier to show restraint in the grocery aisle (on a full stomach, always!) than in front of this:

Bad food purchases also tend to be ones made on impulse. So when you go to the grocery store, bring cash only. When it comes to the difference between bringing home the toilet paper or the white-chocolate-covered peppermint Oreo’s, the craving for pepperminty goodness packs less of a punch.


Also, when it comes to eating, few things slow you down like carefully tracking just how many calories you consume. A simple mental tally works well, though the peril of snacking just is that you lose track rather easily while snacking. I recommend this (free!) app for android and this one for iPhones (which Lance probably uses in between tweets!). Know that your daily caloric expenditure is probably lower than you think (and wish). During the holidays, when you’re traveling in cars, sitting around the family room or dinner table reminiscing, and watching TV specials, your metabolism is slowing down. Follow these guidelines to estimate what you burn in one day around the holidays, assuming little to no exercise.

1.25 x

 Men: 66+1.3x(6.25 x Weight in pounds) + (2 x Height in inches) – (6.76 x Age in years)

 Women: 655+ (4.35 x W) + (0.73 x H) – (4.68 x A)

Whatever the product, eat that number of calories in a day, and then call it quits to avoid weight gain. Try to have accurate estimates of the calories in each of the snacks—and remember you can eat a lot more pieces of broccoli than you can slices of cheese.

One final tip regarding food consumption—if you go out, volunteer to DD. Designated drivers are wonderful on so many levels, but for purposes apropos this article, it prevents you from consuming one of the most common sources of excess calories around the holidays, alcohol. Alcohol is metabolized just like fat, and the “lightest” form of alcohol, pure grain alcohol, still contains 7 calories per oz. A 1-oz shot of most spirits contains 60-70 calories, and a beer or glass of wine typically have around 150 calories. 4 of those quite literally is a meal’s worth of calories. (More on calories in booze.)

In spite of all of this, we’re probably going to eat more than we should this holiday. Hell is paved with good intentions. Exercise can be a form of self-flagellation, a form of very painful penance. But it’s a lot easier to keep the pounds off preemptively than to try to eliminate them post-facto. It’s sort of like, rather than spilling oil all over the gulf then offering a really heartfelt apology, how about just not crapping all over the livelihoods of thousands to begin with? So try to keep your exercise routine.

One way to do this is to find a partner—someone to meet you at the gym, pool, or coffee shop to begin your bike ride extra early each morning, before you travel, or before the family shows up. When the alarm goes off and you feel like sleeping in, you’ll tell yourself, “no, my friend is waiting for me. I’ll let them down if I bail.” Also, tell others what workout you’re going to do—even brag about it publicly to your friends and family. Then have them ask you whether you did it equally publicly. At that point, if you don’t exercise, you’ll either have to lie to those you love the most, or catch tons of flak from those to whom you were so boastful before.

Now, I’ve waited ‘til the end to mention these, because I don’t recommend being too reliant on certain “tricks” I like to use to monitor my weight. But there are a couple workouts that are especially well-suited toward keeping off excess fat this season. The first is to exercise before breakfast. Cyclists have known about this trick for years, and recently the NYT did a write-up about how exercising before breakfast burns a high ratio of fat. The danger of this exercising before breakfast is likely to leave you feeling extraordinarily hungry the rest of the day, causing you to overeat. I like to counter this urge by drinking & eating things that tend to swell and distend the belly. Consuming a LOT of water helps quash hunger. In fact, one sign of dehydration is an inability to feel sated despite eating a lot of food. Carbonated water like Perrier (unsweetened) will make you feel especially full, as the carbonation sits in your stomach. Likewise with diet sodas. Finally, coffee or tea—caffeinated beverages—speed up your metabolism and suppress appetite. I’ve found a cup of coffee and a whole grain bagel with some peanut butter—a combination of complex carbs, protein, and good unsaturated fats, to carry me from lunch all the way until a late dinner without resorting to snacks.

Overall, the most important thing is to be mindful about what you do. Have a plan: I will exercise for X minutes; I will only eat Y number of calories. And if you stumble one day, pick yourself up, brush the cookie crumbs from your stomach, and carry forth determined to do better.

Cross Training - By: Coach Todd

Winter is now truly upon us. Not in terms of large snow falls that our own California born head mechanic (Shawn Hurley) for some reason adores, but in terms of some genuinely cold temperatures. Riding outside this time of year is not for the faint of heart. The wind and cold can exact a great physical toll that may outweigh the cardiovascular gains. So, many athletes explore cross training options as both a way to both prevent getting sick and work on improving their training in other ways.


It is important to keep our daily training fun. Let's be honest, most of us will never make our livings riding or racing bicycles, running, or competing in triathlons. Most of us pursue these endeavors because we enjoy both the activity and challenging ourselves. So how can we mainatin our potentially waning motivation this time of year? Cross Training.

Variety is the spice of life and there are many ways to both maintain cardiovascular and neuromuscular fitness beyond solely partaking in our main sport. One way to maintain as well as develop neuromuscular as well as increase explosive power is through weight training. Beginning a structured weight training program will allow you to focus on the specific muscle groups you want to target. It can assist in enhancing your strengths as well as improving on your weaknesses. Additionally, it is an opportunity to push yourself in a way you normally may not. Focusing on making perfect lifts each time is far more important than poor form with higher weight. Push yourself, but do so safely.

Running is another way to maintain and increase your cardiovascular fitness. I ran for 28 years and 6 marathons as well as 6 stress fractures led me to bicycle racing. That being said, running is a fantastic way to gain fitness and provides excellent bang for your training buck. You don't have to go for 3 hour runs to derive the benefits. Besides, it's simple to do, you don't have to wear nearly as much winter gear to get out and run comfortably and the endurance gains are undeniable.

Yoga is another activity that can be crucial to maintaining health and increasing flexibility for your chosen sport. Many members of the QCW/Breakaway race team got an introduction to "Yoga for Cyclists" earlier in the fall instructed by Keri Smotrich. Everyone I spoke with regarding practicing yoga said how much they enjoyed it and found it beneficial. If you haven't given it a try yet, give it some serious consideration.

Once the snow hits, both cross country skiing and snow shoeing are great ways to make massive cardiovascular endurance gains. World Class cross country skiers regularly record the highest VO2 max values in the world. It is a great way to see and explore local parks in a way you may never have. Getting a great workout and enjoying some of the local beauty that is a part of our city; not a bad way to spend your time.

Finally for you "roadies" out there (me included), feel free to as Head Coach Joe Wentzell says frequently, mix it up. Meaning of course, both mountain biking and road riding...with a dash of cyclocross riding for good measure (If your looking for MTB rides in the area contact Joe so he can add you to his ride list or help find rides that are right for you). Exploring disciplines of cycling beyond your mainstay once again break up the monotony, as well as help to aid in skill acquisition which will help all riders in any discipline.

The goal for all of us should be to have fun with our training. When you are starting a new activity, or one you haven't done in a significant amount of time, then be prudent and cautious and DO NOT OVERDO IT! Consult a coach (we have several here) or another trusted expert and begin gradually. Make a plan that you are certain to enjoy, be consistent, and don't forget to have fun!

Why RPM? - By: Charlie

In the winter, this question is relatively easy to answer:

You can try riding in the snow, ice, and freezing temperatures—and surely we have—but from experience let me tell you that falling over every thirteen feet does not a workout make.

Of course, you could train at home on your rollers or trainer, but most of us don’t have the amenities of the Breakaway Training Center: a fun, competitive atmosphere with a dozen other riders to push you, industrial fans and A/C units to cool you (and you’re not paying the utilities), and computrainers to simulate real course conditions like drafting and hills both up and down, track your speed, distance, heartrate, and, importantly, your power, and even more importantly, a coach on hand to guide your workout and answer your training questions.

In other months though, the choice might be less obvious: why ride indoors when the thermometer starts creeping up out of the nether regions? The answer is that an RPM class is all about efficiency. RPM is for people who value their time, because they don’t have a lot of it to spare. Few of us are professionals (though you are apt to meet a few from time to time if you train at breakaway), but most of us have lives—jobs to work, errands to run, families to support, people to meet other than those wearing spandex. Yet, just like other aspects of our lives, we want to be good at what we do, and that means approaching our training in a serious manner. That is where RPM comes in.

Weekday RPM classes are 1 hour long, and those on weekends last 2 hours. When you sign up for RPM, you’re getting 2 hours worth of class per week. As an instructor, I do not allow that any of that hour is wasted .Classes start on time, and you are working hard right away. (You’re welcome to come 15 minutes early to get in a warm-up.) I have written in the past about what sort of riding “counts” as training, where power zones 2 or above are breaking your muscles down in order for them to rebuild—thus making you stronger after recovering from those rides, while zone 1 is for recovery or “garbage miles.” There are no garbage miles in RPM. Contrast this to a typical workout outside, one even done solo:

This is from a ride I did while preparing for my peak race last year, about three weeks out. This chart shows the amount of time I spent in zones 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-5b on a typical endurance ride—one where I was continuously conscious of my power effort. It was a 3.5 hour ride. If you consider what I said about zone 1 not being training, then you can see I spent nearly half the ride wasting time; I did in 3.5 hours what I could have accomplished in 2 hours inside. This is not atypical for a ride outside, and group rides are usually much worse.

This is from an actual weekend RPM class:

See how little time is wasted in zone 1? That’s because you can’t coast on a trainer. You don’t wait at stoplights. You don’t have to regroup. You don’t have to stop to refill bottles. You don’t have to slow down to see your cue sheet. You get on your bike, and start training.

Of course, you can do indoor training workouts on your own. But do you have the will to constantly push yourself? Remember, riding in z2 is essentially going just hard enough to be pretty uncomfortable, and then staying there. The coaches and the competition in the training center will keep you there. Plus without a power meter, you don’t know for certain what zone you’re in; our computrainers tell you your power.

Simply put, there is no better way to get a good workout in with as much time to spare as possible. And RPM classes are structured so that you can do your interval workouts during the week, then maybe go outside for your long ride. Or do your interval workouts at home, and come in on the weekend for your endurance ride, particularly if the weather is lousy. Or maybe—why not just sign up for both?

All I Want for Christmas is a Comfortable Crotch - By Sarah

Sometimes, it feels like days since I’ve seen my legs. With the frost coming on fast, there are fewer situations where taking my pants off is a good idea. It’s only December and already I ride every day wearing a layer of spandex under my jeans.
Then again, it’s like this every year: come Thanksgiving there’s a temperature drop, and soon enough we’ll have regular snow and ice.

So layering up is a good idea. It’s hard to keep your legs going when they’re a blistery red, and it’s not easy to shift with stiff fingers. Most of you are probably familiar with the routine of pulling on one article of clothing after another just to go on a Sunday ride through Fairmount Park.

For some of you, though, this might be your first winter of cycling. Maybe you have some concerns about enjoying your bike despite inclement conditions. And rightly so. Even if you’re a seasoned cyclist who has had her fair share of nose-sicles, there still might be some questions you’ve always wanted to ask but never did.

Especially about the infamous down there. After all, more layers and less breathability often implies added discomfort between the legs. I’m sure this is something that many, if not all, women on a bike have experienced; but it’s not something we often discuss openly.

Not only is it difficult for a woman to muster the courage to walk into a shop and ask which saddle won’t feel like a vice grip, but it’s also a touchy subject for many guys who work at the shops, many of whom aren’t sure how to answer your questions.

I’d like to use this blog post then as a resource for Breakaway customers and employees, both male and female, who might be hesitant to say anything out loud. Perhaps if we open up the issue, it will become less intimidating.

First, I think it’s important that we establish a word for down there. Personally, I like the word crotch because it describes the entire area. That way, we don’t really have to know all that much about anatomy, just location. For certain issues, it might serve to be more specific. But for the purposes of this blog post, I’m going to stick with crotch.

Tip #1: Skip the panties

In case no one told you, padded cycling shorts/pants are made to function without underwear. The seam in your underwear can cause chafing in the creases between your legs, while a good padded chamois eliminates these seams. If you haven’t already, invest in a pair of padded cycling shorts. It’ll make your bottom feel great. Otherwise, breathable underwear and loose-fitting clothing work best to prevent crotch discomfort.

Tip #2: Cut out crotch cram

Women-specific saddles are more than just flower and butterfly decorations, they also support female anatomy in a way that other saddles cannot. For example, many women-specific saddles are broader towards the back to accommodate wider hips. Women’s sit bones, those that should carry your weight when you’re cycling, are usually set farther apart. Consequently, a stock saddle might feel less comfortable because it puts our weight on softer tissue. In addition, women-specific saddles will often have a cut out in the middle to relieve any pressure on this soft tissue. Finally, if you’re still not satisfied, ask a shop employee to help you out with saddle positioning, which can have a significant impact on your riding comfort.

Tip #3 Women are like yogurt

We produce natural bacteria that help to keep our crotches healthy. This also involves a delicate balance, however, that can be disrupted. In order to prevent bacterial infections, it’s important to practice good hygiene. For example, wash your panty-free padded shorts after each ride and never ride in dirty shorts. Ultimately, if you have a concern about a possible infection, please forego the bike shop and visit a doctor.

Of course, I couldn’t cover everything about crotches because they are so very complicated. But I do implore customers and employees alike to start asking more questions about issues like these because they often have significant health implications. Plus, our mission is to make your bike ride enjoyable. And if your crotch doesn’t enjoy it, chances are you won’t either.