Training tips for (The Des Moines) Register's Annual Great Bike Ride
Across Iowa by Brian Duffy

TRAINING FOR RAGBRAI – FEBRUARY 2008
By Brian Duffy, RAGBRAI Host

I have agreed to be your RAGBRAI training coach for your "hoped for"
assault on RAGBRAI 36 this year. I say "hoped for" because no one
knows if they are going for sure until May 1st. That's the day that
we dump everyone's application off the top of the Register building
and pick up the ones that don't blow away in the wind. But May 1st
doesn't give you enough time to find your bike, let alone train
properly for the upcoming rigors that will be visited upon you on
this year's ride. So let's start training like you are already in.

Let's begin. First off, buy a bike. If you don't have one it will
make training very difficult. Hopefully it is a road bike, because
that is the bike that works best on the road. No, I'm not kidding
now, a majority of the riders have a road bike with thin tires and
enough gears to tackle any terrain that Iowa has to throw at them.
Preferably it is in good working order, however if you are like some
of our riders it is not. You see many of them have a tendency to
ride 'em hard and put 'em up wet. If your bike has not had a check up
since last RAGBRAI it would be a good idea to bring it into a bike
shop to have them do a thorough tune up. It might be a good idea to
have your doctor do likewise. Not to the bike, but to you. That low
rumble that you hear behind you is not a semi, but age. Our
demographics show that our ridership is getting older, and with age
comes unforeseen conditions that you should be aware of before
embarking on any exercise plan.

We're going to start off with some prep work before you get on a
bike. Have you stretched your muscles since 8th grade gym class? I
hope so because stretching is a very important step to getting your
body ready exercise. It also helps to reduce injuries while
exercising. Work all major groups of muscles when performing your
stretching routine that includes upper torso, core area, and legs.
When stretching, you want to go to the point where you feel a minimal
amount of tightness or discomfort, hold that position for 30 seconds.
After 30 seconds you should feel the tightness ease a bit, at that
point try and go a bit farther into the stretch until you reach that
discomfort point again and hold for another 30 seconds. Repeat for
all the muscle groups that you are stretching. Do not bounce when
performing a stretch; it does more harm than good. When you bounce
the muscles and tendons, they have a natural reaction to tighten
instead of loosen.
Additionally the bouncing motion can cause tiny tears in the fibers
themselves. Don't expect to turn into Gumby overnight, a stretching
routine will take time to pay back full dividends.

Ok, so we have you off the couch, and all stretched out and ready for
action. Now jump on that bike, or elliptical, treadmill or trail and
go for it. "What's that?" you gasp? You're hurting, you can't
breathe, and you feel like you're completely out of shape? Well
you're probably partially right about the out of shape part, but
there is something else going on here.

Your body is not prepared to go from the static, couch position to
full activity. Think of your body as a diesel engine, it takes awhile
to warm up.
At rest your body concentrates all of its energy and blood flow into
the organs that need it the most such as the kidney, liver and the
brain, everything else gets what's left over. But when you begin to
exercise, your muscles demand to be moved to the front of the line.
The call for more power reaches the engine room and your heart begins
beating faster and attempts to push more blood with each beat. Like
shoveling coal to get a train up to steam, it takes a few minutes to
get the aerobic glycol sis process really going. In the meantime the
pain of the effort makes you want to quit. Don't give in, wait a few
minutes and you are guaranteed to feel better. A way to ease your
body into the workout is to slowly work it up to speed by riding at a
very easy pace until you can feel your body warm to the task.

Now that you are primed and ready to roll, head out, but don't overdo
it, especially if you are just beginning your training for the year.
Whatever cycling related activity you do, make sure that you ease
into it. A rule of thumb is to not increase your miles, or effort
more than 20 to 25% over the previous weeks mark. When you are done
with your ride donąt forget to stretch again, and donąt forget to eat
something shortly afterwards. Studies have shown that eating within
30 minutes after strenuous exercise aids recovery. I am not talking
pork chops here; I am talking something that will refill your
glycogen gas tank. There are many sports drinks out in the market
that will help aid recovery, but they can taste horrendous and are a
bit on the pricey side. A great alternative is chocolate milk. No I'm
not kidding! It has the near perfect combination of protein,
carbohydrates, calcium, vitamin D and fat that your body craves, and
it tastes pretty good. My good friend, the late Dr. Bob Breedlove,
swore by it. He would consume it during and after a long ride.

I hope some of these tips give you a good start. Iąll be back next
month with some more tips and hopefully by then the snow will be gone.
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Personal Preparation Tips from RAGBRAI Host Brian Duffy

Personal Preparation Tips from Register Host Brian Duffy
For those of you who have not heard, RAGBRAI Co-founder John Karras
penned his last postcard from the ride in 2000 and retired as a co-
host. John assures us that he will still be riding RAGBRAI but he has
joined the ranks of cyclo-tourist whose only worry will be what type
of pie to have. I am the front-page cartoonist for The Des Moines
Register, and was named as a co-host of RAGBRAI in 2000. I have
ridden and drawn cartoons on the ride since 1988, so I am not brand
new to RAGBRAI.

I have dabbled in every type of cycling from criterium racing to a
few ultra-marathon events. It was through the ultra-marathon
experience that I discovered riding 400 kilometers in a day can make
the hands go numb and that is not a good thing for someone in my
business.

In addition to the host gig, I have inherited Karras' traditional
training tips column. For those of you who live in Iowa or other
northern climes, our winters are not conducive to outdoor riding.
Many of you are forced to sit on a trainer, rollers or take spinning
classes to get your cycling fix. I'm sure one thing that you have
found is how exceedingly difficult it is to force yourself to sit on
a trainer for an hour, even with a whole library of old Tour de
France tapes to keep you pedaling. The key to indoor cycling workouts
is to vary the types and intensity. One day a week, work on hill
climbs doing a group of steady efforts lasting five to seven minutes
a piece. Another day, work in an easy gear and concentrate on your
pedal stroke. Another day, practice short hard intervals that get you
close to your maximum heart rate. If you feel nauseous or light-
headed while doing a workout, stop immediately.

Many health clubs offer spinning classes that incorporate many of the
techniques already mentioned. Don't forget that cycling uses other
parts of your body, not just your legs, heart and lungs. Do crunches
for the abdominal muscles because strong abs help decrease the chance
of back problems. Push ups and bicep curls with weights are great
exercises for your arms. If you find you are experiencing shoulder or
neck pain when riding, try this exercise. Hold a dumbbell in each
hand with your arms relaxed at your sides. Shrug your shoulders for
three sets of 10 reps.

Some people wait until it gets warm outside before attempting that
first ride of the year. Don't wait! If the roads are clear of snow
and ice, bundle up and head out on your bike. One major mistake that
many people make is to charge out on their first ride and mash big
gears until their knees explode. Start out with short rides and spin,
spin, spin. The French have a term for a supple, smooth pedal stroke.
They call it souplesse. That's your goal!

Slowly add miles to your rides and try to make sure you begin your
ride by heading into the spring winds to push you home when you are
tiring. Take advantage of the wide selection of two-day weekend rides
in the late spring and early summer. These are the kinds of rides you
need to get accustomed to longer rides on consecutive days. A base of
at least 600 miles with a healthy dose of hills thrown in should go a
long way to prepare you for the rigors of RAGBRAI.

One of the questions neophyte RAGBRAI riders invariably ask is what
kind of bike to get for the ride. In years past, a majority of bikes
on the ride were the typical drop-handled road variety. Over the last
few years, tandems, hybrids, mountain bikes, and recumbents have been
showing up in increasing numbers. It really depends on what type of
bike you are comfortable riding. People with shoulder and back
problems might ride a mountain or hybrid bike because it allows them
to sit in a more upright position.

Gearing is another area where personal preference comes into play.
Many RAGBRAI riders like a third chain ring known as a "granny gear."
This small chain ring allows a rider to spin comfortably up even the
biggest hill. One of the greatest cycling inventions in my opinion
has been the clipless pedal. The system incorporates technology first
used on ski bindings. A cleat attached to the sole of a cycling shoe
clicks into the pedal. The pedal can be adjusted for lateral movement
which eliminates a lot of knee problems associated with the older toe
clip system that locked your shoe into one position.

What to wear on RAGBRAI? You see everything from jeans to bikinis. I
personally wouldn't recommend either. A helmet is a number one
necessity. Bike shorts are advisable. And don't be embarrassed about
wearing those lycra numbers. Everybody else is wearing them too. If
you really don't want to wear something that looks like it was
painted on you, many bike shops have alternative shorts that have a
padded seat. Cycling gloves are another must. Many of the gloves have
gel padding which helps reduce road vibration.

To steal a phrase from an old TV show, "Let's be careful out there."
RAGBRAI has close to 10,000 riders of all different levels of
experience on the road at one time. Accidents are bound to happen,
but RIDING RIGHT can reduce many of them. Essentially practice the
same common sense that you use every day in the car. Don't turn right
from the left lane in your car and don't do it on a bike. Signal when
merging with traffic in a car, and signal when merging on your bike.
Ride your bike like you would drive your car.

Practice road etiquette. Slower riders generally stay over to the
right, sometimes, especially on hills and at corners, they move
further to the left. If you are smoking up from behind, be patient,
slow down and don't scream at them, "ON YOUR LEFT!" Announce signals
in a calm and clear manner. We don't allow road rage on RAGBRAI.

You have already read it several times, but it bears repeating that
this is not a race. This is a discovery tour of Iowa. Scenery and
communities along the way are meant to be savored. I can tell you
that every community along the route is excited to have you visit
them. They have spent thousands of dollars and untold volunteer hours
just to welcome you to their little piece of the world. So when you
come to RAGBRAI, leave your cell phones, palm pilots and all other
tools of the ever-quickening world at home...slow down and enjoy!