Thursday, March 22, 2007

Meredith Miller of TEAm Lipton is NRC leader!

The claims of a products battle in the cycling world becomes more like "Friends or Foes". We even have the major distrubtion companies detecting what they want for stem angles. After all, they don't focus on the game, they focus on moving product!

We feel that there is an information gap in the industry. So, if you really want to boost your knowledge and ride better, plus widen your lead over the competion, you best do your homework!

Meredith isn't the leader of the NRC simply because she just started. She has been working hard on cutting-edge techniques, training, and racing information for years. She'ss also stayed with our fit solution throughout the years.

The industry wants more people on bikes (in our example: horse). There are different types of horses. Are they concern about performance? Or is it more about getting people to ride "right or wrong". After all, do you know a jocky who races horses on the track?

Each year the cycling market attempts to push their product line because someone is using it (i.e. bike, stem, handlebar, steapost, powermeter, the wind tunnel tested, etc...). This product will do that, and that person uses this? You are only a "Sunday-rider" and you don't race! This store says this, and that store said that? I read this, and I've heard that?

The same thing is now happening in the roadbike body position and aerodynamics game. Is it possible to gain "free" speed with the right equipment? Yes! To go faster, for no increase in effort or fitness, requires you getting your chest flat, which means you need positioning to do so! You still have to learn to pedal.

It's true that some of our racers can make high power on moderate grades and remain in a seated position, chest high. In lower power outputs, along with steeper grades, the velocity is almost equal in both saddle and standing positions. The type of upper body that you have affect this. So, even on the steepest road grades, it might be best to remain seated for metabolic costs. However, for speed, you need to get the chest lower, and get the head out of the wind.

Most training happens in the saddle, but there are scenarios where climbing is unavoidable. We all understand to make maximum force, standing is the key. So a cyclist should learn standing as well. We have not changed the fit here, rather we have changed our understanding.

Comfort vs. Power. Loot at tt and note that discomfort is a part of that game, and expect the shoulders and arms to fatigue quickly, along with the sensitive parts. Muscle strain will always be there, and only with riding that horse, as well as training and stretching, will these muscles fatique less, but they will still fatigue. Any 76-80 degree seat tube and aero position is going to take the weight off the head, chest, and even the size of arms, and cause it to fatigue as you are trying to get it out of the wind.

For any improvement in the aerodynamics of the machine must be viewed w/in understanding the frontal area of your body than that of your bike. Velocity is a result of balance of muscles being on/off, handling, sight, propulsive force to the pedals and the sum of any resistive forces. Did we say time riding like that!!!

Different body positions are going to be better for one over another and under various conditions (flat terrain, climbing, etc...) Velcity will decrease with increasing road grade, and this holds true for novice or elite cyclists. Standing will always increase your metabolic process, but not adopting to it will decrease your chance for high power outputs. It might be that high power output that puts you ahead of the field.

It seems like there is a new method or processing of fitting each year? There is always a new expert who can always "spin" words around and say that's not a correct solution because? You need to do this or do that, because that guy/gal does it,and I know?

With all this know how, where is one to go? There is no question that many retail stores, coaches are "Sizing Each Other Up". I get phone calls from custom bike makers,fitters, knowing that the person on the other end and their questions are attempting to learn what we do. I ask, what horse are they talking about? They don't like it when I say are you "elk hunting or on the race track"? Horse sense!!!

I quote Rick Carwford "when you got it going on, many are going to be after you". I guess it is good they are so good at what they do, and are calling us out for a gun fight? I'll be your huckle-berry!

We have been doing this for a while now, been in a few gun fights. From day one, we can't make any claims, except that we have had a good trend! Results with so many different people in our mind speaks "Loud & Clear". If you want to imporve your game, you are going to have to learn to play the game with a fit that allows you to work on that game! There is "No Sliver Bullet". Learn to ride the type of horse you want to ride! But please understand that riding a bucking horse with the chest high is not riding a race horse around a track, chest flat at speed! More horse sense!

It's hard to break a routine built through decades of dealer friendships with reps i.e. brands. If you pay for a program from coach, you know they will have a impact on the minds of the players and their relationships with who ever? In their recruiting, it seems they want to lure people to their strategy or camp. It is more about a business relatioinship, after all that is how they make a living.

The bottom line is the player on the course. That's what will dictate who wins the game.

So why do many of the top pros and coaches believe in and use our system's (Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish?

As our fitter Don Williams said " We have over and over refitted people who have had their bikes fitted, then here in Scottsdale, AZ and they really like the difference in their game". Don has watched the watts go up on many!

We had upwards towards 25 National Championships last year alone in road, tt, mtb, 24-hour, etc... We have been fitting pros who have won worlds to local events since 2001.

Meredith is only one of few who has been using our systems for many years now. She started using our fitting solutioins back when she rode in the "HP Women's Challenge", held here in Idaho.

Some will say "what-ever" they are girls? We love to get behind the gals, as they use muscle just like the men. True, they don't the press or purse like the guys, but you should come here to Boise, ID and watch TEAm Liptons Kristin Armstrong place in the top 5 in mens Cat 1. They are not being nice to her, they are really racing.

Last year all US Championships where won by women from Idaho. Kristin Armstrong TEAm Lipton, Georgia Gould Luna Chix, Reba Rusch NORBA 24-hour.

There are many strong domestic womens teams and we want all the teams to race well. We also love it when TEAm Lipton using our system on their racers has the NRC leader Meredith Miller!

What's in your game?