Tuesday, April 27, 2010

CYCLING PERFORMANCE TIPS


LONG DISTANCE

This ride will definitely cause you to bonk if you don't replace carbohydrates, so snacking on the bike is essential. As intensity increases above 60% VO2 max., it becomes more important to avoid eating in the 4 hour pre-ride interval to avoid GI distress. If this is really planned as a slow, long training ride, that is not as important. A 300 gram carbohydrate meal 3 to 4 hours before this ride helps "top off the tank" so to speak in terms of muscle glycogen stores.
4 days prior - balanced diet with 70-80 % Calories from carbohydrates; at least 600 grams per day of carbohydrates in the 2 to 3 days prior to the ride
4 hours prior - if the intensity is moderate, eating during this interval is OK, but avoid fatty foods and eat at least 2 hours before the ride. A 300 gram carbohydrate meal 3 to 4 hour pre-ride is recommended if possible
4 minutes prior - nothing special
during the ride - regular snacks, energy gels, or sports drinks to replace the estimated Calories burned per hour
post ride - a post ride carbohydrate snack, particularly in the 10 to 15 minutes immediately afterwards, will take advantage of the window for maximum glycogen resynthesis and may cut down on muscle soreness. Eat a high carbohydrate meal that night after the ride. fluids - one water bottle per hour, perhaps a bit more in hot weather
An example of the ultimate long distance event is the Paris-Brest-Paris ride. Here is a question from a reader that provides a good example of how to analyze the challenges of a ride.Q. I have been doing a type of riding called randonneuring (200km to 1200km, moderately-paced bicycle events) and would like to know how I can use heart rate or perceived exertion information to improve my training. The pace of brevets is only an average of 9.5 mph in order to get under the time cut off, but the clock continually runs (flats, eating, resting, etc). Effort at the 600k, 1000k and 1200k distances becomes a challenge. Since these distances are not reasonable training distances, how can/should one use some science to improve chances of successful completion? By the way, the time limit for a 1200k brevet is 90 hours.) M.G.
A. I amgoing to keep this very high level:
PBP is the ultimate endurance event. So cardiovascular training is not the issue. You are probably riding at 50 - 60 % VO2max most of the time and thus are burning a fair amount of fat calories as opposed to sprint type events.No need to worry about intervals.
Nutrition will be important - you have to focus on eating as many Calories as you are using per hour - and maintaining good hydration.
This will really be more of a musculoskeletal challenges - being on the bike for a long period of time - which means body conditioning, not heart conditioning will be the tougher part.
And of course the psychologic component - having faith in your abilities - will be a key factor in your success.


COMPETITIVE EVENT

This is what it's all about, and good nutrition and planning your eating strategy can make a difference. You will need a good carbohydrate base to maximize your muscle glycogen reserves. And you need to avoid eating in the 4 hour pre-event interval to keep your stomach empty or you risk the GI distress that goes with exercising close to or above 100% VO2 max. You will also sweat more so fluid replacement needs to be watched. If this is a ride of less than 1 1/2 to 2 hours, there is no need to carbo supplement during the ride.
4 days prior - balanced diet with 60-70% Calories from carbohydrates; 600 grams of carbohydrate per day in the three days prior to the event
4 hours prior - don't eat in the 4 hours before this ride
4 minutes priorr - a candy bar, energy bar, or other carbohydrate snack is a good idea
during the ride - even for an event of 1 1/2 hours or less, a liquid carbohydrate supplement should be used. And if it's going to be longer, you will definitely need carbohydrate supplements (beginning regular snacks, energy gels, or sports drinks as soon as the event starts to replace the estimated Calories burned per hour
post ride - a post ride carbohydrate snack, particularly in the 10 to 15 minutes immediately afterwards, will take advantage of the window for maximum glycogen resynthesis and may cut down on muscle soreness. Eat a high carbohydrate meal that night to replace the muscle glycogen that was probably completely depleted during the event.
fluids - one water bottle per hour as an absolute minimum


MULTI-DAY RIDE or BIKE TOUR

This ride is basically the same as the long training ride, but you need to be very careful to eat a high carbohydrate meal each evening or you will slowly become glycogen depleted and chronic fatigue will develop. If this is going to be a high intensity event on certain days, (intensity above 60% VO2 max.), it is important to avoid eating in the 4 hour pre-ride interval to avoid GI distress. But on those long slow days, that's not an issue. A 300 gram carbohydrate meal each day 3 to 4 hours before the ride will maximize glycogen reserves. This is the dietary program most appropriate for a multi-day bike tour.
4 days prior - balanced diet with 60-70% Calories from carbohydrates; at least 600 grams per day of carbohydrates in the 2 to 3 days prior to the ride
4 hours prior - if the intensity is moderate, eating during this interval is OK, but avoid fatty foods and eat 2 hours before the ride. A 300 gram carbohydrate meal 3 to 4 hour pre ride is recommended.
4 minutes prior - nothing special
during the ride - regular snacks, energy gels, or sports drinks to replace the estimated Calories burned per hour
post ride - a post ride carbohydrate snack, particularly in the 10 to 15 minutes immediately afterwards, will take advantage of the window for maximum glycogen resynthesis and may cut down on muscle soreness. Eat a high carbohydrate meal that night after the ride, and try to eat at least 600 grams of carbohydrate per day above and beyond that needed to replace the Calories burned on that day's ride.
fluids - one water bottle per hour, perhaps a bit more in hot weather

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Interteam Joy Ride at Segong, Bau.


On Sunday afternoon, 21st February 2010, 114 mountain bikers gathered at Segong, Bau to join the 2010 1st Interteam Joy Ride organized by GOH SENG KEE and his team the "Trail Hunters". Everyone enjoyed the ride and well done!


All bikers shooked hands and greeted each other in a conveyor formation before the ride.


Carrying bikes upstream after crossing the river.



This river was about 3 to 4 feet deep and the water is cold. This particular crossing track is situated just a few kilometers towards the end. I consider it as the climax of this ride where we can ease ourselves by swimming and geting ourselves clean in the river.




Refreshments after the ride.

Monday, February 8, 2010

MTB Ipoh Jamboree 2010 On Sunday 30 May 2010

Dear All

Please to invite to our event organizing MTB Ipoh Jamboree 2010, which will be held on 30/5/2010-Sunday. All MTB Fans are welcome to Join this recreation Event in Ipoh.
Below is the details, for your reference

EVENTS : HAPPY TO RIDE IPOH JAMBOREE 2010 (MTB RECREATION RIDE-OFF ROAD)
ORGANISER'S : HTR IPOH CYCLING CLUB (HTR TEAM IPOH)
SUPPORTED BY : PERAK CYCLING ASSOCIATION

LOCATION : ULU KINTA, IPOH PERAK
DATE : 30/5/2010 - SUNDAY
ENTRY FEES : RM 50.00 (PRINTED T-SHIRT/LUNCH/DRINK/MEDAL/CERT ETC)

NEEDS FURTHER INFO, PLEASE CONTACT : EN ZULFAMEE 012-5662789
EN AHMAD - 012-5199459 (ahmad_htr@yahoo.com.my)
EN AWI - 019 5572256
EN SAZALI - 019 5141133 (sazali@nftc.com.my)
EN FAIZUL - 019-4763395 (joi_htr@yahoo.com)

OR MAY LOG IN WWW-HTR-TEAM-IPOH.BLOGSPOT.COM
happytoride-ipohjamboree2010.blogspot.com

Your are welcoming to Ipoh and enjoy the Recreation MTB Off Road and your support to this event is appreciated.

Please also forward this brochure to your neighbourhoods and all the MTB fans around Malaysia and Asean.


Attached - Entry Forms

on behalf
committee member Happy to Ride Ipoh Jamboree 2010


Sazali reduan
event Director

Monday, January 4, 2010

Muscle Strains & Their Prevention

I went mountain biking on 13.12.09 at Keranji, Sematan with Goh Seng Kee as our trail leader with Hj Khaider, Faiz, Juaini, Ahim and Seiji. It was a 48km off-road return ride from Kpg Keranji to Pandan Beach. During the return ride, I suffered muscle strains on both my thighs and my right calf. I managed to ride back slowly otherwise I'll be left behind in the forest. I rested for 2 weeks and still suffered a little bit of pain behind my right knee. Below are some articles to share with for our future undertakings. (The photos above were taken during our pit-stop at a charcoal factory, Hj Khaider was not in it as he was the camera man).

Muscle Strains and their Prevention

In a survey of injuries at a professional football club, it was reported that 26.8% of all injuries involved muscles and tendons (Lewin,1989). Muscles and their tendon attachments combine to form what are known as musculo-tendinous units. These musculo-tendinous units provide the force which is necessary for movement. Football is a dynamic sport which requires explosive movements (such as sprinting, jumping, shooting and heading the ball) with large forces generated by muscles and tendons. It is easy to see why over a quarter of all injuries affect these structures.

How is Muscle Structured?

anatomy of muscleIn order to understand how muscles are injured it is helpful to know how the muscle is made up. The muscle is surrounded by an outer sheath or covering. Inside this outer sheath are bundles of muscle fibres which are known as fasicles and are themselves surrounded by another inner sheath. If you looked at the bundles very closely you would just be able to see the individual muscle fibres. (The muscle fibres are made up of even smaller parts but a microscope is required to see them).

A muscle contracts when two of these microscopic parts link together and slide together (causing the muscle to shorten) or slide apart (causing the muscle to lengthen). If the muscle shortens, the result is movement of a joint in one direction; if it lengthens, it causes movement of a joint in the other direction. The co-ordination of this muscle activity by the brain allows us to perform complex movements such as kicking a football or running.


What is a Muscle Strain?

A muscle strain is damage caused by over-stretching of muscle tissue. In football, this is thought to occur most frequently when movements such as sprinting, stretching for the ball or kicking the ball are carried out in an unco-ordinated manner. The muscle tissue becomes overloaded and reaches a breaking point where a tear or partial tear occurs. The player will experience pain that will persist if he or she attempts to stretch or contract the muscle. Depending on their severity, muscle strains are categorised into Grades 1, 2 or 3:

  • GRADE 1 STRAIN
    There is damage to individual muscle fibres (less than 5% of fibres). This is a mild strain which requires 2 to 3 weeks rest.
  • GRADE 2 STRAIN
    There is more extensive damage, with more muscle fibres involved, but the muscle is not completely ruptured. The rest period required is usually between 3 and 6 weeks.
  • GRADE 3 STRAIN
    This is a complete rupture of a muscle. In a sports person this will usually require surgery to repair the muscle. The rehabilitation time is around 3 months.

All muscle strains should be rested and allowed to heal. If the patient continues to play, the condition will worsen. If ignored, a grade one strain has the potential to become a grade two strain or even a complete rupture.

How does a Damaged Muscle Heal?

The healing process of a muscle strain begins with an inflammatory response which can last for three to five days. This is a crucial time during which rest and protection of the injured part is vital in order to prevent any further damage. During the inflammatory reaction the body produces chemicals and cells which remove dead muscle fibres and start the repair process. The repair process consists of three stages:

  1. REGENERATION OF MUSCLE FIBRES
    New muscle fibres grow from special cells within the muscle.
  2. FORMATION OF SCAR TISSUE
    There is bleeding in the gap between the torn muscle ends, and from this blood a matrix, or scaffold, is formed to anchor the two ends together. This matrix eventually forms a scar within the muscle that makes the muscle more resistant to further stretch damage.
  3. MATURATION OF THE SCAR TISSUE
    The collagen fibres which make up the scar tissue become aligned along lines of external stress and are able to withstand more force.

How are Muscle Injuries Treated?

The immediate treatment consists of the 'PRICE' protocol: Protection of the injured part from further damage, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. The aim of this protocol is to reduce bleeding within the muscle tissue. Ice therapy in the form of ice pack applications should be continued for the first three days after the injury (never apply ice directly to the skin). The rehabilitation after this period involves gradually stretching the muscle to elongate the scar tissue and progressively increasing the muscle strength. Once this has been achieved, the player can begin sport-specific exercises, such as running, jumping and kicking. To reduce the risk of re-injury, this should be done under the supervision of a chartered physiotherapist.

How can the Risk of Muscle Injury be Reduced?

The following measures may have the effect of reducing the chances of sustaining a muscle strain:

  • Warm up prior to matches and training is thought to decrease muscle stretch injuries because the muscle is more extensible when the tissue temperature has been increased by one or two degrees. A good warm up should last about twenty minutes - starting gently and finishing at full pace activity. Practising match activities such as sprinting and passing helps tune co-ordination and prepare mentally for football. Recovery after training sessions and matches can be enhanced by performing a cool down, which is thought to help muscles get rid of waste products. This is also the ideal time to do stretching execises.


  • Maintaining good muscle strength and flexibility may help prevent muscle strains. Muscle strength allows a player to carry out match activities in a controlled manner and decreases the uncoordinated movements which can lead to injury. Tight muscles are associated with strains and stretching is therefore practised to maintain muscle strength and prevent injury.

  • Diet can have an affect on muscle injuries. If a player's diet is high in carbohydrate in the 48 hours before a match, there will be an adequate supply of the energy which is necessary for muscle contractions. However, if the muscles become short of fuel, fatigue can set in during training or matches. This fatigue can predispose a player to injury. Carbohydrate and fluids can be replenished during training and matches by taking regular sips of a sports drink.

Common Muscle Injuries

Adductor muscles - these are commonly injured during football because they are put under a great deal of stress during turning activities. They are also very active during side foot passing.

Hip flexor muscles - these are the kicking muscles at the front of the hip which are very active during shooting and striking a ball.

Quadriceps muscles - these powerful muscles of the thigh are responsible for straightening the knee and are active during running, kicking and jumping.

Hamstring muscles - these muscles are located at the back of the thigh and are most active during running, particularly sprinting, which is when they are most often injured.