How to avoid cramps

Most of us has probably already been there, while halfway through your training session your legs starts cramping. A horrible and painful feeling, especially if you have 20 kilometers of headwind home still, because it is hard to recover from one in a small span of time.

So how do you avoid it, you probably ask. We have gathered a few helpful tips that will lower the chance of you getting cramps meanwhile working out, right below.

Stretch out

Stretching out before the training session is one of the most efficient ways of preventing cramps. That is due to,that you “prepare” the tendons and muscles for the workout. Just stretch your leg for 15-20 seconds each, and repeat if you feel it is necessary.

Make sure your legs are warm

Another bad thing to do, which can tricker cramps, is that your legs are getting cold. On a bike, that is rather easy, because you ride a lot of wind up due to the speed you are achieving on the bike. Cold muscles and tendons cannot stretch as well, as when they are warm, so you will have a much bigger chance of getting cramps if your legs are cold. Also, make sure your legs are warmed up before you start on intervals or other hard types of training.

Keep hydrated!

Dehydration is another big factor of making your legs cramping. If your body is dehydrated, you will feel more ill after the workout, and it can tricker cramps during the workout too. When you sweat you lose a lot of water, so every few minutes, remember to get some water, because you do carry the bottles with water anyway. A big size 750ml bottle, should only last between 1 to 1,5 hours depending on how hard a workout you are having.

Get salt

When sweating you do not just lose water, but also salt and electrolytes. It is not scientifically proven that losing Potassium, Magnesium or Calcium can tricker cramps, but a lot of people will agree, that if you put some salt tablets in your bottles of water, they rarely get cramps compared to not doing it. I have the same experience on that point. My personal favorite is the High5 Zero tablets, which can come in some different flavors. Putting in salt tablets will also make you recover faster from your workout, so there is literally no point in not doing it, apart from the price. An alternative is to get a salty meal before going out on the training session.

Avoid working out when you are sick

If your body is far from prepared for a training session, like being sick, you are probably in for a really bad time. When you are sick, you are often lacking a lot of minerals, like what was mentioned above, because you probably eat and drink less when you are sick. So listen to your body before starting on your workout.

Avoid heavy training if you are not in shape

There is nothing like thinking you were in the same shape as last year, even though you have not been training much the past few months. So be realistic and stop thinking you are superman from day 1, because you will not be that. Either you will drive yourself out in a few kilometers, or your legs will start cramping because they are not used to working out on that level anymore. In addition, do not increase the time nor intensity of the workouts too fast, because your body needs to have the time to adapt to longer and harder workouts. Remember, It is a lot easier to keep in shape, than to get in shape.

What if my legs are cramping anyway?

If that is the case, stretch out, and make sure your tendons are stretched out too. It will hopefully make the cramps go away for enough time for you to get home. However, remember, if it happens once, you are doing one or more things above wrong, and it can easily happen 5 minutes later. So when you get home, try to think of any of the reasons above that could be the course, and try to find out how you can avoid it.

Written by René

Read more: http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/news/how-to-avoid-cramps/

Craft Performance Bib Shorts Test

Swedish based Craft is a brand most people who does sports probably knows. The company that was created all the way back in 1977 has established themselves as one of the biggest brands for sporting outfit across many different sport genres. I have already taken a look on the “Elite” cycling jersey, and now it’s time for the “Performance” bib shorts.

On the road

I have been riding these bib shorts on distances up to 140 km, and been doing that for several months. They have been used in both races and for training, so they have been through every possible thing that you would ever use them for.

All I can say is, that they ended up fitting me nicely, being both very aerodynamic, but also extremely comfortable on the same time, giving the best of two worlds. They also do not feel tight at all, even though they seems to fit very tightly, because the fabrics stretches further than what I have experienced at other brands. In addition, the gel pads in them are also well made and they are very comfortable. You will not get any sore ass in these bib shorts, not even after a long run. Craft has really done a great job making sure they fit perfectly, meanwhile not being, literally, a pain in the ass. I can certainly understand why Craft has become one of the most favored brands for cycling outfits in the cycling world. 

A fun bonus is, that they write how much tension density they have, the thickness of the gel, etc. inside the bib shorts, as you can see in the picture below.

However, they do not come cheap off either, costing around 100 euro’s for a single pair of bib shorts. Nevertheless, I do still recommend them for anyone, because there is nothing worse than having a sore ass the next two days after a 3 hours training session, because you were riding low quality bib shorts. It can really ruin your mood for another training session the next day, which is not good for anyone.

But price and quality seems to be right about these bib shorts, because the fabrics seems to be very strong. After I have used them for a long time, and at points even tortured them, they look just as good as new. Also where the saddle tends to eat the fabrics up on other bib shorts, the Craft Performance still stands strong without any problem at all. In addition, no stitches has failed yet, and the colors still stands very strong. So they may be a bit pricey, but you can use them for years to come.

The verdict

Once again, Craft comes up with a brilliant piece of outfit that will make your training, and ass, a bit better. You can barely feel that you are wearing them, because they fit great, and they are very comfortable. Cheaper bib shorts can easily be found, but you really should not cheat yourself and your ass for a better ride. Moreover, as another plus, they will usable for many years to come because of the high quality. This is easily the best pair of bib shorts I have ever tested, and I can only recommend them for everyone who wants to have a comfortable ride.

You can check out other reviews of Craft products by clicking here.

Written by René

Read more: http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/news/craft-performance-bib-shorts-review/

Rolling Resistance Of Bike tires

Earlier we wrote about how the air resistance increases heavily when increasing your speed. Now we will look on the rolling resistance developed between the tires and the road surface. I will try to make you understand how this works. First, we will have to look on how the rolling resistance is found. That can be done by using equation 1 below:

The equation that shows how great the rolling resistance is. The variables are:

• P is the power needed from the rider to keep the velocity. This power is measured in Watt [W].
• C_rr is the rolling resistance. This value varies greatly from tire to tire and from the surface being used. There are some few numbers below here from Wikipedia:
• 
  

Specific tire	Minimum value	Maximum value
Production bike tires at 8,3 bar on rollers	0,0022	0,005
Typical BMX tires	0,0055	0,0055

• 
  
• N is the normal force of the bike and its rider against gravity. This force is measured in Newton [N], and can be found by the following equation, equation 2:
• 
  

 

In this equation, we have the following variables:

1. m is the mass of you and your bike. This is measured in kilograms [kg].
2. g is the gravitational force. This force is 9,8 m/s².
3. Cos(θ) is Cosine to the horizontal angle. If you are riding on a flat road that would be 0 degrees which equals 1. So on a flat road this is nothing to worry about. But of your are climbing on a mountain or hill, or descending, it has to be taken into consideration.

But as we already saw with the drag, the power needed is different than the force you are experiencing. The equation for the power required is shown below in equation 3:

 

There is only one variable that we have not met before. That one is:

1. V is the velocity you are doing. This is easily measured by your bikecomputer http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/test/bikecomputer-reviews/ . This is measured in meters per second [m/s]. If you want to convert your speed from kilometers per hour to meters per second just divide by 3,6. If you want to change it from meters per second to kilometers per hour, multiply by 3,6.

What this simple equation got, is the rolling resistance multiplied with the velocity. That means that we can put it in equation 1, along with equation 3, and therefore can make it into a single equation, if you want to find the power required at variable speeds. That gives us equation 4:

Calculation of examples

Lets make a few examples at different speeds. We will take 20 km/h, 30 km/h, 40 km/h and 50 km/h. We say that the rider weighs 70 kg, which is a decent average. The road is also 100% flat. The rolling resistance coefficient of the tires will be 0,003.

If we start off at the 20 km/h, that equals 5,556 m/s. So the equation will be:

As we can see, the rolling resistance will account 11,43 Watt. 

At 30 km/h, the equation will be:

Now it has become 17,15 Watt. In a 50 % speed increase, it has increased around 50 % too. At 40 km/h it will be

The value has now increased to 22,87 Watt. As you can see, that is about the double of the value than it was at 20 km/h. So the power required increases linearly with the speed. If you double your speed, you double the power required to overcome the rolling resistance.

However, what if we are having some nice tailwind? How much power will we need to overcome at 50 km/h? That can be found in the equation below:

At 50 km/h the tires are now creating a resistance so great, that you now need to power 28,58 Watt in order to maintain your speed.

Nevertheless, remember, these numbers does not account for much more than just theory. Every tire acts different, and even the smallest difference in production of the same brand of tire can give them two different friction coefficients. And the drag you will experience because of the wind accounts for a much larger value than the tires rolling resistance. Nevertheless, if you want speed, try checking the Continental GP4000S out. They were the fastest clincher tires in the German magazine “Tour” test.

If you want to decrease the rolling resistance as much as possible, ride with a high pressure in your tubes. The higher the pressure the lower the rolling resistance. That is due to the harder the tire will bounce over just the smallest roughness in the surface. But that is different on a mountainbike. On a mountainbike in the forest, a low pressure would actually make you go faster. 

But try to read here why you should focuse on buying good tires before spending much more on a pair of wheelset. You will actually be able to win more speed by changing your tires than your wheels!

Written by René

Read more: http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/news/rolling-resistance-of-bike-tires/

Craft Elite Jersey Test

Craft is one of the biggest producers of cycling clothes around the world, and sponsors the World Tour team Trek, which includes Fabian Cancellara, Jens Voigt, The Schleck-brothers, etc. The Swedish based company has produced sport related clothes since 1977, and is known to deliver clothes in great quality.

(Note, the jersey's design is from my bike club)

On the road

I have been testing the Shirt, which according to Craft, should be aerodynamic, light, and have a great fit. Well, I can certainly say that they seem to be aerodynamic, because you are able to see every gram of overweight on your torso if you wear the shirt correctly. It is very comfortable though. The fabrics got a great stretching-ability making sure that it fits all different kind of body types. No matter if a rider needs a size medium, and either got big muscularly arms or small mountainrider-ish arms, the same size of the shirt can fit you. I am in the last group, but guys with much larger arms fits the same jersey just as good as me.

The shirt got a total zipper from the neck to the bottom, so it is easy to take on and off, unlike some other shirts that only have a half zipper, or none at all. It makes it a lot easier to put on and take off, along with you can zip it a bit down on hot days if needed.

Since the fabrics are not that thick, sweat transportation is almost impossible. Therefore, you would need a sweat-absorbing shirt underneath the Craft-shirt to make that problem go away. However, on super-hot days, it is really nice to wear because overheating won’t become a problem. It lets a nice amount of wind cool you down. I personally find temperatures above 16-17 degrees Celsius, on a sunny day, fine for this jersey.

The shirt got four pockets on the back. Three of them easily accessible, while one is placed on top of the middle pocket, with a zipper. Therefore, you can put valuable stuff in the pocket with the zipper, and do not have to be nervous if it falls out of the pocket during the workout. A nice feature I have been using a lot for my cellphone and money for a pit stop during the ride. Nevertheless, the three other pockets are easily deep enough to stop stuff from falling out of them 999 out of 1000 times.

The verdict

This is a nice shirt! Craft have really done a great job designing this. They have thought of about almost everything and every detail, to make this shirt great in all different kind of scenarios. It is both aerodynamic, comfortable, and practical, and even after a long time, the colors of the fabrics have not faded at all. So if you want the best of the best, these may be the pair you should take a look on.

Written by René

Read more: http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/news/craft-elite-jersey-review/

Cygolite Metro 500 Test

I was never a fan of those big front lights. They looked big, heavy, and I thought the reason they were so bright was because they were alkaline battery powered. I never but battery powered lights, since they aren't USB rechargeable, and don't last as long. 

That was until I discovered the Cygolite Metro 500: 

It sure looked like it could knock someone unconscious. However, I did see that it was rechargeable. Assuming it had the same brightness as the alkaline battery operated lights, it should be somewhat useful. It was better than useful. It was perfect. 

Before I started using the Metro 500, I used the compact lights. Lightweight, and bright enough to see where you're riding most of the time, these lights had one major issue. The rubber straps could break easily. That's were the Metro 500 comes into it. My front light could no longer attach to my handlebars, and I was riding blind. I wanted something stronger, something like a clamp. But I thought it would be heavy. It was worth the gamble, and boy was I mistaken. Weighing in at 110g, this light will barely make you realise it's there. The clamp is a little bit difficult to attach around the cables, but once it's there, it's not going anywhere. Cygolite includes non-slip padding with the mounts, however these didn't fit around my handle bar with the clamp, and quite frankly weren't needed. Once the screw was attached, and the clamp was on, the light wasn't going anywhere. The only way the light has ever moved unusually for me, is the screw holding the swivel plate attachment coming loose. Nothing a screwdriver can't fix.

Moving onto the light, it is USB rechargeable, and will last anywhere from 1.5 hours, right through to 30 hours. The only reason why you would use the brightest setting, as Cygolite claims is possible, is for daylight riding. Yes, a light designed to make you move visible in the daylight. As this it is not a requirement, I use it on SteadyPulse setting when riding at night, which gives the brightness of a fixed beam of light, and the obscurity of a flashing light. Cars will not miss the brightness, and the light wont blend into the scenery by staying on. 
The design of the light itself is very nifty. It has side illumination points, to increase the angle of the light, as well as custom optics which further maximise the beam angle, and distance. The shape is streamlined, and rather inconspicuous. Next to a Garmin, or other cycling computer, you will hardly be able to notice it. 
 

The other features that I love about this light, are the Li-Ion battery, allowing extra run time by being rechargeable. Unlike other lights that use the Li-Ion battery for recharging, Cygolite have managed to up the brightness, even on such a battery. This is mostly due to the Cree XM-L LED, which allow 1040lm at 10W. These LED's are getting stronger and stronger. I also love the on/off button. It is large, and actually works unlike others that I have tried. It can easily be turned on by a gentle touch. As a matter of fact, press it too hard like other lights, and it will have already started its cycle through the functions. As for the functions, if you press and hold the light, it turns off. Most other lights automatically turn back onto the first function, however the Metro 500 remembers your last used function. 

Verdict
In summary, standard assembly is a little tricky; the light is very bright, but not over weighted; the battery is rechargeable; and the on/off button is very easy to use. Ticks all my boxes.

My rating: 9.5/10 

Written by Kieren Barnett

Read more: http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/news/cygolite-metro-500-review/

Hands Become Feelingless When Riding The Bike?

Everybody knows the feeling of their hands beginning to tickle and even get feelingless, when they are riding both small and longer distances. An annoying problem can make a great training end up being a dreadful training. The problem that makes it occur is that the Ulnar nerve is getting compressed when having your hands on the handlebars. No matter if you are in the drops, hoods, or tops of the handlebars, you will end up getting this very annoying feeling at some time, and 9 out of 10 reading this, have already experienced it before. There are a few ways to make this disappear though, and we have collected them below.

Wrong angle of your saddle is a pain in the.. hands

Try looking on your saddle angle. As we already stated in the article of how to prevent damage and pain, if the saddle is pointing too much down, you will make a greater part of your bodyweight rely on your hands and handlebars, instead of your saddle. Many who are experiencing this problem, can actually get it fixed by this simple adjustment.

Gloves is the answer

However, if your saddle will kill your groin by pointing more upwards, try getting a pair of cycling gloves with gel pads. If you take a look on the picture below (Borrowed from the University of Wisconsin-Madison), you can see the red and yellow areas. These areas are where the problem starts, and as you can see, by fitting a pair of cycling gloves, you can make this area more or less disappear.

The gel pads in the gloves simply makes the pressure even out on a larger area, making the Ulnar nerve less compressed. This is usually the best way to prevent the damage from happening, but if the saddle angle is pointing too much down, you will just face problems with your shoulders still. Therefore, I will recommend adjusting the angle of your saddle first.

We have already tested the Sportful Bodyfit Pro racing gloves, which we loved. You can read about them by clicking here.

Keep shifting

Usually, the two fixes above should be enough, but if that does not help with the problem, there is another reason why this problem occur is. A potential problem is that you are probably placing your hands in the same position for half an hour without actually noticing it. For example if you have 20 kilometers of headwind, you are having your hands in the drops, and this will give you quite some time without shifting the placement of your hands. That makes the Ulnar nerve getting pinched for a long time, and therefore this problem can occur. So to cure this, try shifting from the hoods to the drops and the tops and back again, every 5^th minute or so. It will actually make quite some difference.

Do you have any other treatments for this problem? Please write about it in the comment section below.

Written by René

Read more: http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/news/losing-the-feeling-in-the-hands-when-riding-the-bike-/

Beginners Guide On What Cycling Equipment You Will Need

We have all been there , pacing up and down the isles of our local cycling shop , staring at equipment and fiddling , unsure of whether we need the item that we are holding in our hands or not. The friendly salesman only to happy to give you all of the reasons on why you should empty your wallet , well after reading this it will happen no more. This article is especially for entry level cyclists. 

So what do you need?

* A helmet , definitely a necessity most races state “no helmet , no ride” 

*A spare inner tube, here more is better but nothing a patch kit can’t fix 

*A patch kit and some rubber cement (solution) those in the kit usually run out before the patches. 

* Tyre levers , they are little plastic bars , just ask the salesman. If you are in need two tea spoons will do the job at hand. 

*A multi-tool , as well as allen-keys that fit the screws on the bike. 

*A wrench with which you can remove the pedals and wheels if your bike is not fitted with a quick release system. The same goes for the saddle. 

  -Note that most modern bicycles almost exclusively require allen-keys 

*A bicycle pump , for that flat tyre you fixed with the equipment mentioned earlier 

* Water bottle cages as well as water bottles which fit snugly in the cages. 

*Sunglasses to block out the wind , your beach shades will do , but there are glasses designed just for this purpose , brands like Rudy Project , Oakley , D’arc to name a few. 

*A saddle bag into which you can fit the allen-keys , tyre levers and spare tubes atleast. 

*Gloves , but this is not a must although I would recommend buying a pair
   

If you like DIY you can purchase some additional tools to fix your bike , but especially for a beginner I would recommend taking your bike to a bike shop if it needs mending , bar a puncture and loose bolts of course. I hope this saves you from buying that thing without a name which just gathers dust in future. 

Written by Janneman

Read more: http://www.cyclingtipsonline.com/news/beginners-guide-on-what-cycling-equipment-you-will-need-/

Make Grouptraining More Fun And Varied

Below, there is some different kind of trainings you can do if you are training in a group. The preferred size of the group is mentioned right after the name. It can make the training more exiting and challenging for everybody.

Sprint on a line (6 – 20)

The riders’ rides on one straight line (one after one) in a pace they will maintain. On the captain’s signal, the last rider sprints all the way to the front. It is important that this rider after overtaking the rider in the front, goes in front of this rider, and maintain the exact same speed. This way it will go around, and train the sprint abilities for the riders. It is good intervaltraining.

After all riders have done this, they go one gear up, and start again. This is done as many times as the riders wants to do. The captain has to make sure that there is no upcoming traffic behind, and therefore he will not be a part of this training exercise. Remember to have done half an hour of warm up before. In addition, a good trick is that the captain yells the name of the rider, so the riders do not always look back on when it is their turn. That can create some dangerous situations.

Accelerations to the group (6-24)

The riders rides one after one on a straight line in low speed. The last rider stops, clicks out of the pedals, goes of the bike, and then he goes back on, clicks in the pedals, and sprints up to the front of the group. He will have to maintain the exact same speed as before. This way it will go around, and train the sprint abilities for the riders. It is good intervaltraining.

It can be done with pairs so it can be done faster. In addition, a good trick is that the captain yells the name of the rider, so the riders do not always look back on when it is their turn. That can create some dangerous situations.

This can be done early when everybody has done just a slight warm up. Muscles are needed to be fresh to perform this task.

“Race” with individual tasks (14-30)

The riders drives a bikerace with a masstart. Preferable on a 7-10 km route. They drive a couple of laps (20 – 30 km). Before the start, each single rider gets a task they have to follow somewhere in this “race”. The tasks has to be given, so most people can finish the race in the leading group. Therefore, the strongest riders gets the hardest tasks. The riders must not know what the other riders have to do.

The roles can be everything from going into break away, or catching the breakaways. Also, like pushing the peloton as long as no are doing any break away. The roles can be given on a warm up lap on the route.

The captain has to know how strong each of the participants are, in order to make this successful. He can participate himself. It will be good to find a route that doesn’t have much traffic.

“Race” with team tasks (12-30)

The riders rides a 15-20 km race, preferably on a 4-7 km route. Before the start, the riders are made into a team of 3-4 riders. The teams have to be as varied as possible. So weak riders are put along with strong riders. The teams gets different tasks. Typically some offensive and other defensive tasks. Example, a team rides for 1 rider on the team, and has to make sure that no break away can get away. The teams will have to have a tactics meeting before the “race”, which can be done while driving the route as a warm up.

For fun, the teams can get point for how many riders they get in top 10. 10 points for a win, 1 points for a 10^th place.

The captain has to know how strong each of the participants are, in order to make this successful. He can participate himself. It will be good to find a route that does not have much traffic. The task can be done as a ending part of the training, or in the middle of it.

Time trial/hunting (8+)

The riders rides a time trial based on a huntingstart. the slowest rider in that time trial, starts first, and the fastests starts last. The difference between the riders, will be the same as the difference was in the time trial. That way, every rider got just as big a chance to win the race.

It can also be done in groups. Alternatively, the slowest and fastest rider gets send out first, and has to be together. After them the 2^nd worst and 2^nd best gets, send out. The captain has to take time in the time trial, so he cannot drive in that. But he can sit on the wheel of the last rider in the hunting.

The exercise can be placed just after a short warm up, or at the end of the training. But an important thing is, the riders must not know that they have to ride a hunt right after the time trial. Some riders will probably ride slower than they can, just to get an advantage then.

Intervals in pair or groups (8+)

The riders ride on a known route between 5 and 15 km long. The riders drives a huntingstart either individually or in groups up to 5 riders. The riders/teams gets send out so the weakest starts first, and the strongest starts last. The time between the different riders /groups gets send out can vary from everything so they get together before the route is done, or they will ride solo all the way. That way, the riders can be motivated, so they can “win” once a while. If overtaken, its allowed to follow the one overtaking you, if possible.
The captain has to ride with the last team, so he/she can make sure, the timegaps are big enough. Therefore, the captain has to ensure, that he/she is strong enough to ride with the strongest riders. The riders will need a warm up before this can be done.

Sprint with numbers (8+)

The riders ride on a known route with about 5 citysigns, they will sprint to. The captain will give a few riders some numbers before the first sprint is made. The other riders must not know who has been given a number, or what number a person has been given. The captain will yell a number, like “3”, and the rider that has been given the number 3, will have to decide whether he will attack 5 km before the citysign, or 100 meters before. The other riders will then have to try following him, or outsprinting him.

This is easy for the captain; he just needs to point out the ones opening the sprints. This can be done in the start, where the captain gives numbers during the warm up. It is important that the riders knows the route.

Sprint from group to group (5-20)

The riders rides in a single group. At the front there will be a rider who is 200-400 meters in front of the group. The riders will one after one have to close the gap to the rider in front. The rider in front have to try to maintain an agreed speed all the time. The frontgroup that will grow bigger and bigger must not increase this speed.

If there is too many riders, they can do this in a group. The speed of the frontgroup can be increased, if the strongest riders will be the last ones to be send out. The captain will have to be in the group behind, and therefore be the last rider to sprint up to the frontgroup. It is a good idea to have everybody warmed up.

Starrace (10+)

The route will be made into a route with 5-6 spots (like a star). Maybe in every corner of a town. The riders will be send one after one, and they can be send after each spot at the same time. will ride out to one of the spot, and then back to the center, and go after the next one. The winner will be the one to ride to all the spots and back to the center.

It can be done in pairs too. The captain has to stay at the center, so he/she cant participate. If he has to participate, it will demand no cheating from any of the riders. It will usually be ridden as special trainingsession, that will take all of the trainingsession.

Break away corporation (4+)

This is trained best under realistic circumstances, so in groups of 5-6 riders. If the riders are trained in this, they will ride with a bit high intensity. It will usually be ridden as a huntingstart, with the slowest group starting first. The riders will change position, and ride 2 on 2. They will circulate, so they shift to ride in front, but only for  a small time, until the next rider gets in front of you. When you are the front rider, you ride over the other side, in front of the rider that took lead before you, and throws it a gear down. When you are the one to enter the pushing side again, you go a gear up. Remember to maintain a specific pace is important. This way you are having 50% pushing and 50% “relaxing”. That way you as a team can maintain a high speed for a large time, because you are working together. You see pro’s do this too, especially in crosswinds. If the crosswinds are coming from the right side, the left side can relax and fall back, while it is the right side that will do the pushing.

The captain can participate in this as he/she wants too. Alternatively it can be done 5-10km outside a city, and the finishline with be at the citysign. Therefore, groups will have to corporate to get first over the finishline.

Written by René

Read more: http://cyclingtipsonline.com/news/how-to-make-grouptraining-more-fun-and-varied/

What Pro Riders Has To Deal With

Usually its the riders climbing Alp' Huez, or Cavendish fighting all the other sprinters on Champs Elysees that takes the spectators focus. Other times it ends up being something very different, from the specators, or from the helicopters showing you the race, like in the 2013 Vuelta A Burgos, where the TV-helicopter got a bit too close to the riders, and send them in a ditch.

From the Tour Of California 2013, we have this guy. I guess if you have to go, you have to go.

The 6th of June 2013, Tourmalet looked like this. I can only wonder how big the trucks were to get that road cleared

They arent having much more fun in the 2013 Tirreno-Adriatico though

Maybe even Frosty the snowman will have a chance at a win there?

Nah, it looks like Nibali wins it (2013 Giro d'Italia)

Nope, this is not Nibali, even though they are easily mistaken

Also, massive airbanners are not always working as intended. 7th stage of Tour De Suisse 2013 this happened, and this man had to stand like this for quite some time.

Also, not only Mount Roswell gets visited by Aliens, Pierre Rolland in the Polkajersey in the 2013 Tour De France seems to have a fan amongst the marsmen.

And some other fans gets to face the tarmac a bit more than they wanted to. That happened to this guy, chasing TeeJay Van Garderen during the 2013 Tour De France.

But some fans are going even more nuts. The Alp Huez is called the Dutch Mountain for one simple reason. They are everywhere at the 14th hairpin! Just look on the greeting Lars Boom got from his fellow countrymen during the 2013 Tour De France

Cyclocross isnt always fun. Especially not when it has been raining quite heavily and you are covered in mud everywhere after a race

Peter Sagan is a man who does a lot of tricks.

And he loves ladies too

Or was it men?

But he can his shit, you can say 

He isnt good at remembering which side the fuel cap is placed though

At the Lotto Belisol, Training camp isnt always easy

And Down Under, O'Grady battles big fearsome snakes!

While they in The 2013 edition of Giro d'Italia climb 30%+ hills on their bikes

Or on foot, if you ate too much Pizza last night.

And this is how Alex Rasmussen says goodbye to his bike, when he is getting a new one.

 Meanwhile in San Luis they need watercycles.

And last but not least, maybe you are the 2012 Tour De France winner, and honoured by the British Queen, but such clothes just doesnt seem to be right. May I represend you Sir Bradley Wiggins and his transparent jersey

Written by René