Tag: spinning

Bike and Beers #3

March 27, 2014 was my last day of training indoors.  Time to put the Fluid Trainer away, and hit the asphalt of Dane county for the rest of the cycling season. I always look forward to the first outdoor rides of the year. I get to check on my riding form and see if all the hard work done indoors pays off in performance on the road.

Riding outside is a lot different than indoors, wind, hills and surface of the road are constantly changing which makes training in the elements a fun little factor to play with as a rider. My early season rides usually consist of using my small chain ring to work on my spin and leg speed. My cadence is 87 RPM so I am constantly checking on that.  If I get 30-40 miles in for a ride 3-4 times per week over the next two to three weeks I should be ready for racing.

 matt blog3

April 6th is my first race of the year for 2014. The race is 35 minute criterium at Research Park here in Madison. My race is at 12:55 PM and I hope that a few of my fellow Bobcats will come out for the race.  Crits are lapped races and usually start fast and stay fast for the 30+ minutes that they last. They are also good races for spectators to watch because I come riding by every few minutes without the spectators ever moving from where they are siting.

When I race I am constantly trying to hold my position at the front of the field and keep an eye on my competitors. I like to ride 3-4 riders behind the front rider so I get the draft of the riders in front of me and I am able to mark any attacks off the front and possibly get into a break away. The crits that I race usually come down to a sprint finish and over the years I have become quite good at sprinting.

I like racing bicycles and after 30+ years, I think of it as just a part of me. Over those 30 years I had many teammates so I always look forward to the first race of the year and seeing the new racers. I sure hope my blogs become more entertaining with stories of success on the racing circuit this year. Winter training and lifting weights, while fun, do not make for good story telling.

Last year was a great year for the team and me so I am hoping for more success this year. Next week I will be able to give you a full report from the world of training outside on the road. My Regular racing bike, De Rosa Dual HF, is still getting tuned up for the year so if you see me out there I will be riding the Trek training bike.

    Bikes and Beers: “Weighting” for Better Weather

    Well it seems that ole man winter will not release his grip from me just yet. It snowed once again this past week, which means the temperature drops which means I am inside training again. I am starting to like my fluid trainer and how well I am riding on it. I wouldn’t mind some more sun outside, or even a good hard rain to wash the last bits of salt and sand off the roads so I can get the DeRosa on the road again.

    For the first time in my racing career I am settling into weight training. Hard to lose weight as my legs get a little bigger and stronger but I figure if it helps me go faster and uphill easier I am all for it. I started in December with my training partner Eric Gibson and we both seem to think it is working really well.

    eric and Matt

    I just could not go at this weight lifting thing alone. Anyways, two days per week of legs and a few hundred abs and other core exercises gets me through the week. I haven’t missed a workout yet, so this weight training better work.

    Before I continue with this journey I have to give big thanks Shana German for loading my blog onto the Pinnacle Health + Fitness website each week and allowing me to see if this kind of entertainment really works with readers. I figure the more of you reading this and giving feedback the more they will allow me to write.  Drop me a line on Facebook, matth@phfitness.com or come out and ride with me and let me know what you think?

    I hope to very soon have a report from the roads of Dane, Green, Rock and JeffersonCounties. Stay tuned.  Matto.

      Bikes and Beers: Stories from the 2014 Season

      Bikes and Beers My 2014 season

      Well this is my first attempt at a weekly blog as I traverse through a typical Matt Hanson road bike racing season. At Pinnacle Fitchburg I am the Fitness Director but I am also the owner and racer of the Flying Bobcats Cycling Team these past many years, I have put a few miles on a bike. This will be my 34th year of racing and my first as a story teller of how that season progresses. I hope to share my thoughts, tips, strategies, and plenty of training and racing stories over the coming weeks and months.  

                                                                   Matt Hanson

      January through March you can find me on a fluid trainer, lifting weights, or teaching my High Performance  Spinning (HPS) training class. Winter training is not much fun if you ride because I spend hours upon hours just staring at the floor while pedaling away to music. I work on my spin with single leg spinning routines, constantly work on my relaxed position on the bike or look at my feet to make sure that I am spinning them in the correct position to get the most out of my abilities. As riders go, I am good but will never race as a pro; I just don’t have the time or the gene pool. I do try and get the most out of my abilities and that seems to fit me just fine.

      My weekly workout routine goes something like this:
                  Sunday             ride on a trainer for an hour then lift weights for an hour
                  Monday           off
                  Tuesday           ride in HPS for an hour and a half
                  Wednesday     off
                  Thursday         lift weights for an hour and ride HPS for an hour and a half
                  Friday              off
                  Saturday          ride on the trainer for an hour and a half or longer

      So stay tuned for more stories about the cycling journey 2014. To learn more about me, my cycling team, how to train to cycle, or just personal train with a fun guy contact matth@phfitness.com or read my bio.