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In coaching we often discuss the pedaling dynamics
for an athlete and focus on how to improve them, but
what does that mean, really? Pedaling Dynamics is a
way of thinking about the entirety of the pedal stroke
through all 360 degrees, from knee to ankle to hip,
and involving all of the different motor patterns and
musculature - whew!
Two of the more important, yet often overlooked,
considerations to a good bike fit are the movement of
the knee in the "Z Plane" and the Varus/Valgus action
of the foot relative to the knee and pedal. The "Z
Plane" is the term applied to the rotational movement
of the knee in the anterior plane relative to the hip and
ankle. A good way to think of it is the simple "figure -
8" pattern of the patella during a pedal stroke. The
smaller and straighter we can make this movement
(or completely eliminate it!) the more efficient the
energy transfer. Evaluate the athlete from a relative
baseline since some people will have a
naturally 'bigger' figure 8 pattern to begin with, even in
a neutral position
To read the whole article in PDF format simply click
the link below...
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Matt Ider, our vaunted associate coach in the
Sacramento area, has put together a great selection
of clinics and rides this summer. He'll be offering our
Climbing & Descending Clinic, a Time Trial Clinic and
a cool new class on bike fit
The Bike Fit Clinic is a really cool premise. The class
will be both a chance to get your bike fit dialed, and
really learn what makes a good fit. Participants will
learn how we measure all the different elements of
both the bike and rider, and then how to sync them up
into an optimal position for comfort and efficiency.
This Sumers Schedule for the Sacramento Delta is:
Mat 25th - Time Trial Camp (just a few weeks before
District TT!)
June 15th - Climbing & Descending Clinic
July 12th - Bike Fit Clinic
September 13-14 - Cyclocross Camp
In addition to the clinics above, Matt will be leading a
series of bi-weekly training rides that are free to join!
Simply e-mail Matt at: coachidler@sterlingwins.com
and let him know you're interested. He'll send you all
the details (time, route, etc). Here is the brief schedule;
Climbing Intervals: May 8, June 5, July 10, July 24th
Sprint Intervals: May 22, June 19, July 17ty, July 31st
Cyclocross Trail Rides: September 11th, 20th, and
25th, October 9th and 23rd (don't worry we'll remind
you about the CX stuff later!
You can sign up for any or all of these through our
online system by clicking the link below or visitng us at
www.sterlingwins.com
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In March we asked you to take our online survey to
help us plan our new race team. The survey set out to
determine both the interest level in a Sterling Race
Team (Squadra Genuino in Italian!) and what
elements of that team were most important. Oh yea,
and we wanted to get an idea of how many cycling kits
we should order for the first ever Sterling Kit.We've put
together a short overview of the answers below:
Interest in the new team proved to be pretty high. Of
those surveyed fully 85% would join either the club or
race teams (with 28% joining BOTH!). We also had
55% of you that were interested in purchasing and
wearing the Sterling Kit this year, even if you already
had a team.
So the next question was what elements of a team are
most important to you? The areas with highest value
to respondents included a coaching program (85%
ranked as Very Important or Important), structured
team rides ((84,.2% VI / I), team camraderie (80% VI /
I), race support (75% VI / I), team events, trips etc
(68%), access to pro deals (65%) or free equipment
(55%). Of slightly less importance were things like
access to riding partners (52.6%), casual group rides
(50%) and paid entry fees (47.6%).
(47.6%).
Individually respondents are looking for the program
to help them most with individual race tactics and
mental skills training (62% ranked as essential for
each).
These were closely followed by team race tactics
(57% essential) and creation of a training program for
physiological development (55%). 45% and 40%
respectively wanted to work on bike handling skills
and pack riding. Of considerable note was the desire
of over 90% of you to have access to team equipment
like power meters, TT wheels and bikes, and travel
cases. Clearly that is an area where team dues and
dollars can be effectively allocated!
Thanks to all those that took the time to respond and
give their advice, thoughts, and ideas. We will be
incorporating these responses into our team charter
and planning. If you have any questions, drop me a
line - coachmatt@sterlingwins.com
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If you are not currently on a coaching program now is a good time to start (or restart)! We offer a variety of coaching options for athletes at every level. From the ease and simplicity of our pre built training plans to the private training sessions of our Gold and Sterling programs, each one is created with athletes in mind. In addition, If you are a member of one of our sponsored teams you'll enjoy a substantial discount as well. So do something productive for your cycling...Sign up for a Sterling Sports Group Program Today!
Sincerely,
Matt McNamara
Sterling Sports Group
email:
info@sterlingwins.com
phone:
408.891.3462
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