What I've been up to

helen@pbscience.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:59:13 +0100

I’ve had a few ‘complaints’ recently: people disappointed that my ‘sabbatical’ has resulted in no blogging! This is the first post I have made since the beginning of October – where HAS the time gone?

That is the intention of this post – to update you on what ‘Coach Carter’ has been doing. As Dan reported a few weeks back on his blog, I have NOT disappeared off the face of the Earth. I have been taking some time to transition from full time cycling coach and business [...]

Sports Science - more than just research and journal articles!

dan@pbscience.com — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:27:11 +0100

Since the last post, progress has been steady on the content upload and we’re now up to 8 factsheets in the new html based free resource section. I’m pleased to report that some of them have had a few hits too so it doesn’t feel like a wasted effort! Incidentally it’s been quite an experience reviewing some of the material. Although I wo [...]

Website Overhaul

dan@pbscience.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:35:39 +0100

The last few weeks have finally seen some much needed TLC for the PBscience website. One of the aspects that we have looked at is the role that the site has in supporting the PBscience community with their training and other preparations. Hidden behind the member login has been steadily building a big resource library, with close to 50 factsheets and a comprehensive session descriptions section to help with the execution and subsequent analysis of individual workouts. It’s long been my susp [...]

www.cycleprecision.co.uk

dan@pbscience.com — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:22:21 +0100

In my last blog post on mobility training I mentioned a recent bike fitting session I underwent so time for a bit more information. Bjorn and Nathan have both been PBscience coached athletes for a while now and so I was well aware of the bikefit training and experience they had both been gathering over a lon [...]

Mobility Training

dan@pbscience.com — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:44:46 +0100

A quick post based on the aspect of training that I hate most and (surprise, surprise) has therefore become my own personal weakness - flexibility. I was given a rude awakening at a recent bikefit from Bjorn and Nathan (more on that later), with the realisation that at my current flexibility levels, I should really have my bars above the level of the saddle to preserve optimum posture. Not [...]

Dave Brailsford

dan@pbscience.com — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:06:46 +0100

Busy times in the PBscience camp at the moment, with the majority of the PBscience community returning to training ahead of the 2012 season. This means many hours spent discussing goals and targets and deciding on the best approach to meeting these goals. It was an absolute delight then, to listen to Dave Brailsford on BBC Radio Five Live this morning talking through the plans that British Cycling have got in place and the approach that he has championed in his time at the top of the sport. L [...]

Girona Camp Reccie

dan@pbscience.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:32:39 +0100

Helen has previously blogged about her reccie of a venue in Girona as a potential for a future PBscience camp. Well... we've decided to host the 2012 PBscience Spring camp at Gironacycling.com, so I decided it was only fair that Oli and I got to take a look too! Here is my report on what we've all got to look forward to.

The venue

Time for change

helen@pbscience.com — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:11:40 +0100

There are a lot of changes going on in my life right now, and I am having to remind myself daily what I tell my athletes - that we only have a finite resource, a "total stress" allowance to draw upon. So, while I am juggling the various aspects of my life, I am having to remember (and accept!) that its no wonder I am stressed right now.

The toll of setting up my own business has finally caught up with me. The first year of 14h days, my attempts to reduce that by decreasing my athlete [...]

A fresh start

helen@pbscience.com — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:48:36 +0100

The end of the season is nigh. Athletes (and coach in fact) sit in that twilight zone: to compete or to pull the plug on the 2011 season. Some athletes have found good form through the planned second peak; the temptation now is to wring that purple patch dry, to ride on the wave a little longer. Others are still looking for an upward turn in form, or more frustratingly having good fitness but not the right situation in order for that form to equal a personal best in a race. And, in that latte [...]

Haute Route 2011

dan@pbscience.com — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:17:41 +0100

This year saw the inaugural running of the Haute Route, billed as Europe's highest cyclosportive. Certainly not one for the faint hearted, the route would see riders cover 730km with 17000m of climbing (15 cols) over 7 days. Add in the competitive element of fighting for the leaders jersey or a high placing in your respective age group and you have all the ingredients for a fantastic event. Never one to shirk a challenge, Tony signed himself up. Here is a collection of his daily text message [...]

Rhythms

helen@pbscience.com — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:36:35 +0100

My two week holiday ticked a lot of boxes: relaxation, book reading and a lot of activities you would expect on a trip to the Loire valley in France: good wine, fine cheeses and bike rides taking in the numerous chateaux. My one small complaint is French coffee - it is nice to be home, and I am making good ground catching up on cappucino drin [...]

Just being a fan

helen@pbscience.com — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:13:58 +0100

You'll probably spotted that my blog posts have become less frequent: not only is this a sign of my busy-ness (given a two week holiday on the horizon does strange things to a Coach's workload), but also with time it becomes harder to come up with original topics to discuss or share. Writing about the ins and outs of my daily, weekly routine could look like the sequel to Groundhog Day!

I could quite easily share some of the current issues I work with my athletes on: but as I put finge [...]

The Longest Day

dan@pbscience.com — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:13:52 +0100

Last month I had the pleasure of supporting Peter Moon as he took to the roads of Sussex for the East Sussex Cycling Association's promotion of the RTTC National 24hr Championship Race. Peter has been kind enough to share his story, so here's part one of a two part post. First up we have the build up to the big day and stay tuned for a blow by blow account of the race itself. Over to Peter...

The Longest Day
My preparation for the 2011 RTTC National 24 Hour Time Trial

I a [...]

Performing from the heart

helen@pbscience.com — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 11:56:36 +0100

As part of their ‘Fuelling the Dream’ campaign for London 2012, BP has advertising hoardings at many of their garages. In the past few weeks I have passed one of these regularly on the A22, a poster claiming “Great performances come from the heart”. As a physiologist I would probably add the lungs and muscles to that (!) but of c [...]

Best laid plans

helen@pbscience.com — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:08:26 +0100

I have recently written about the work I do with French pro athlete Nic Baldo: his physiology and also how we have been preparing him for his big goal for 2011 - the French TT Champs. The day of the big event was last Thursday - so its time to update you on how Nic faired...

Between Nic's last visit to the UK (and his [...]

Sedentary athletes

helen@pbscience.com — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 07:18:28 +0100

I'm moving this summer, so for me right now my days see a juggling act around administration for my move, acting as project manager for my parents' move (they are retiring to the south coast, hence my move across town), and of course my cycle coaching. Unfortunately it's meant my free time is a little restricted and as a consequence I am getting to fewer race weekends - for instance, this is the first time I haven't been present at the National TT champs for many years.

The other down [...]

Necessary evil

helen@pbscience.com — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:24:41 +0100

Last week, I asked Dan and Oli for ideas for my weekly blog. Oli was obviously pre-occupied because he suggested 'food' (I think it was lunchtime when I emailed them!); Dan on the other hand came back with 'motivation', a good topic to cover mid season, as its very common to observe a downward cycle in enthusiasm during this period. Questions as to 'why do I do this?' surface, but it is quite simply hard work commiting to a training programme 10 to 11 months of the year. From my perspective, [...]

Winning the workout

dan@pbscience.com — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:59:57 +0100

Watching this video clip this evening really got me thinking about the differing ways athletes go about their training schedule. It never ceases to amaze me, how much thought and discussion goes into the planning and writing of a training plan and how little thought and commitment sometimes goes into the execution of said plan. Vern Gambetta's wealth of experience offers a great insight into what it takes - I'm afraid "Just do it" doesn't really cut it if you want to be the best you can be!

Improving pro performance

helen@pbscience.com — Wed, 25 May 2011 07:48:02 +0100

A few weeks back, I wrote about the physiology of a professional cyclist - based on my work with French pro, Nicolas Baldo. The blog post was very popular, gaining over 700 hits so far and being the centre of a fair bit of discussion on cycling forums. I have had some nice feedback on the post, and also some lovely words of encou [...]

Fishing the net

helen@pbscience.com — Thu, 19 May 2011 06:09:00 +0100

Part of my daily routine, and indeed my weekly workload is devoted to Internet reading. The age of technology means more people are airing opinion and sharing expertise. Through blogs, people are also sharing their experiences - and we can all learn and grow through that sharing. This week, I have picked out a few web links that have interested me rec [...]

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