No Pain, No Gain: Injury Prevention & The Foam Roller

To this point in the season, I’ve managed to keep myself pretty much injury free. By absolutely no means do I feel that this is an accident. Pro-active body maintenance plays a pivotal role in lowering my chance of injury.

In a previous article I mentioned the importance of warming up, stretching, recovery, massage and Active Release Therapy (A.R.T.) as methods to combat injury, but there is another element that I neglected to mention (or wasn’t aware of at the time). It combines the benefits of stretching, massage and active release in to one magical device of both torture and relief.

It is the foam roller. (insert dramatic music here…)

Bearing in mind that nothing can really replace what a trained professional brings to the table, the foam roller acts as a very close second and is a fantastic way to maintain and extend the benefits of a great massage or active release therapist.

Now, I’m not going to lie to you – using a foam roller (especially on tight areas) hurts like a *$%&#^@, but just like a really deep massage, it’s a good pain that pays dividends after the fact ;-)

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Cross is calling!

Sadly, as August makes way for September, the mountain bike race season comes to a close and many racers will be hanging up their team kits until the spring. But, with the cooler temperatures rolling in, if you’re one of the race-addicted and you listen closely, you can already hear the foreboding call of Cross! Ahh… Yes! Cyclocross, the demented sport of racing rigid framed bikes, with skinny tires and cantilever breaks over loamy, grassy knolls, through sand pits, up stairs, and over wood plank barriers… How could you turn that down?!

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Zoot CompressRx Recovery Tights

At first I didn’t really buy into the whole compression scene – I wasn’t sure if it was simply that I thought it better to let my body recover at a natural pace, or whether I thought the whole thing was a little goofy.

But then it occurred to me… I’ve shaved my legs, I routinely wear lycra, and think a big helmet with a bunch of holes in it makes me look cool. I’m already pretty much as goofy as it gets.

With multi-day races (TransRockies) and enduro events (Giver-8-r, Superhero Enduro) on my race calendar, I felt that exploring a decrease in recovery time might be worth the money. After checking with some friends savvy to the compression gear the recurring recommendation were the Zoot CompressRx Recovery tights.

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2010 Trek Dirt Series

I love anything that gets women on bikes… Primarily because women on bikes are at least 15% more attractive than all other women (it’s a proven fact, don’t bother disputing it), but also because I feel that cycling (especially mountain biking) can be a slightly intimidating environment for women.

Anything that able to put women in a comfortable environment and let them immerse themselves in the awesomeness of cycling is something I can get behind!

Not being of the female persuasion, and not willing to pull out some Ms. Doubtfire action, I reached out to two of my friends to recon the 2010 Trek Dirt Series (originally the Sugoi Dirt Series) and answer some questions for me. I wanted some different perspectives, and since both Cate and Kim come from fairly different backgrounds, I think I got it.

If you’re sitting on the fence, or even considering doing something like a mountain bike camp, I’m sure the answers below will have you signing up in no time!

So without further ado, meet your hosts:

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Racing Smart

For the most part, I don’t know what I’m doing. I haven’t been racing long enough. For example, I don’t know how I should feel before a good race, versus how I feel before a bad one. I’ve thought I felt great, and raced terribly, and visa versa. Sure, I’ve read a lot, and talked to a lot of people about this stuff, but for me it’s still just guess work.

Last weekend at Nationals in Canmore, I had a good race. Best result of my season for sure, coming in 3^rd. It was a great experience landing on the podium, and one I’d like to repeat. But now with only 2 races left this season, I’m convinced more than ever, repeating that is going to be something that’s a lot easier said, than done…

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Descend

As a cross country rider I’ve long since come to terms with climbing. I may even enjoy it in a masochistic type of way. But the real reason most of us enjoy climbing, the real payoff, comes after the fact… When gravity turns from your foe, to your ally.

I appreciate the balance that climbing everything I descend offers, but there are times when you just want to point your wheel down the hill and let ‘er rip… To constantly feel the wind in your hair, weaving between rocks, roots and singletrack in search of the best flow.

It’s the appreciation of these things that got me so excited to work with two friends of mine and help realize a dream of theirs.

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I scolded my first rider today

Like many days prior, I was on my way to work, merrily spinning away… On this particular day the paths and roads were teaming with riders and pedestrians, it was the first nice day we’ve had in a while after all.

I’m lucky enough that there’s only one *major* thoroughfare that I need to bisect on my way to work, and for the most part the cyclists all behave in the same predictable manner – We all skirt across a few lanes on the red light and use the left turning lane to head off into the path system on the other side of the roadway.

When it comes to traffic and cyclists I think predictability and common sense are a pretty good combination.

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Bacon Buffet + TransStoney Race Report

There was to be no surprise, the May long weekend greeted us as it always does. Higher gas prices, substandard weather and of course the killer double header of the Bacon Buffet and Trans Stoney Enduro.

Since fortune favors the bold, the snow and sleet we encountered driving east from Edmonton gradually subsided, leaving only slightly cooler temperatures and a brisk wind… Nothing men like Sheldon and I couldn’t handle ;-)

Fern & Harvey were kind enough to once again loan out their MTB farm just outside of Stoney Plain, and once again, it served up lap after lap of pain. It seemed however, that I once again needed to be reminded of the important lessons I had learned the year prior:

• Don’t race hungover
• I should really get on my mountain bike prior to the first race of the season
• I’m slow

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Spring is in the air

Arguably one of the most exciting days in any cyclists life has to be “new bike days,” and one of my co-workers, Sarah, has been lucky enough to experience a few of these days over the last few years as her riding needs have changed. Given her depth of experience I thought I would toss a few questions her way and see if she could impart some of her bike purchasing wisdom unto our readers ;-)

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Shot the gap, and failed

This weekend was my very first road race. I had been looking forward to it for weeks. The Prairie Roubaix, hosted my Speed Theory in Calgary. Racing in Calgary is always nice. I mean you’re in the foothills, with great views of the mountains just west, and of course I get to see my buddy Ken.

I drove up Saturday morning so I’d be there in time for a ‘funzies’ ride put on by Dead Goat. Tim set up a course, starting from his place it led us all over. Me, not being from Calgary, I was lost a lot of the time, but I didn’t care at all. It was 23 degrees, sunny and I was riding a brand new carbon Lapierre Xelius 200, courtesy of Edmonton’s friendly neighbourhood River Valley Cycle. What a machine! Super stiff and responsive. The bike literally surges with each pedal stroke. It was nuts how much I loved this bike. And, I have to give it credit where credit is due on the hill climb challenge we did from the bottom of Canadian Olympic Park (COP) up to the Tea House. I flew up that steep, switchback road, cranking over that 42 tooth inside ring to just eek out a win in the A group. My closest rival, Ken Hurd of course, just 2 seconds behind me.  This might be the only thing I beat Ken at all season, so good times, indeed. Hill climb victory aside, Sunday was going to be the real race.

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