INDTRODUCING: BUMSONTHESADDLE PERFORMANCE ROAD COACHING PROGRAM

If you have been riding your bicycle for over a year, we are sure your thought will be at getting into training or coaching to improve your cadence / average speed / climb timings on our pilgrimage Nandi hills or the deadly kalhatti climb / ability to sprint faster — If have you not been thinking so, probably it is time to step up your cycling goals. The year 2017 will be filled with events for you to take part in. To name a few popular ones, as below:

• BBCh (Bangalore Bicycle Championships)
• GMC (Great Malnad Challenge)
• Brevets — long distance self-supported riding
• TFN (Tour of Nilgiris)

The event listed above need solid preparation and attempting any of these without a structured plan is surely not a good idea. Some of the common pitfalls for riders have been: fatigue at the early stages of the event and/or injury to muscles & ligaments.

Preparing for the event involves the following:

1. Understanding your current fitness level by either getting a FTP (Functional Threshold Power) / FTH(Functional Threshold Heart rate) / RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) test
2. Designing a training program taking into account your current ability with fitness, over all muscle flexibility & goals you want to reach
3. Complimenting the program with adequate & proper nutrition, rest & equipment
4. Evaluating the progress of your training as the event you have been training for is inching closer (a month before)

With a growing number of rider in Bangalore & across India taking part in various events in India & abroad, we have made it our goal to help all of you achieve better results and stay injury free. Our partnership with Yoska performance coaching has enabled us to design coaching plans for various type of cycling goals. Here is a intro into the program:

• Personalized cycling program which caters to people of all fitness levels (newbie to seasoned cyclists) and for anyone above 14 years
• Detailed workout instructions would be delivered via an online platform with weekly virtual information, clarification sessions along with instructions on available training routes
• Focus on all facets of Cycling – Workouts, Nutrition, Rest, Equipment
• Provide detailed instructions for everyday and workouts ranging from endurance rides, intervals, hill repeats, recovery rides, etc
• Caters to Power Based Training or Non Power Based Training depending on your bike having a power meter or not

Now talking about the benefits of having a training program. To name a few, as below:

• Structured Training and Workouts focussing on the key areas for building endurance and strength for meeting your goal
• Overall development with improvement on core and conditioning to avoid injuries
• Guidance on Pre, Post and Training Nutrition including race specific information
• Guidance on bike equipment, accessories and access to experts over group interactions

The thought about: “I Need a power meter / Heart rate Monitor (HRM), before I begin”

We definitely agree to that trend of training using a Power meter and HRM has picked up and that your ride buddy / someone in your community has already purchased one.

Here is something you need to know if you worried about that thought. Power meter & HRM deliver metrics during your training and surely aid you in getting accurate data points. But you can still train on basic time and RPE (rate of perceived exertion). Our training plan and the workouts are defined to handle those scenarios also.

Here is our program especially for the upcoming Nandi race on 19th November:

• Coaching registration deadline: 15th October 2016
• Training starts on: 17th October 2016
• Sign-up here: http://bit.ly/road_performance_coaching_program

Suraj LN Swamy

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT CYCLING
Having started cycling quite late in life, I love riding whatever I get my hands-on! I love the sense of accomplishment I get every time I ride my bike and the fact that I feel younger with more saddle time. I enjoy riding my road bike hard on gravel and am looking forward to someday riding The Paris-Roubaix challenge.

DISCIPLINE: Mountain Biking & Gravel Road
CURRENT BIKE(S): Specialized Allez Comp & Specialized Rockhopper Pro
DREAM BIKE: S-Works Stumpjumper FSR & CruX Expert X1

OTHER PASSIONS: Dogs, Cooking, Photography & Travel