Thursday, May 31, 2007

Results in Bend OR., Phil Zajicek Navigators Insurance!

We have pushed the envelope for achieving the perfectly-fitting bike. The process requires a trained fitting technician, lasers, and software, along with a dedicated mind to learn!

Inpetus for developing the Wobble-naught CAD is the belief that the human-bike interface is the extension of the powertrain; it is unseen, but critical to the performance of the "engineered" angles of your body, which provide the direction of power. YOUR best pattern of pedaling through a circle can be performed. We see it all the time, using the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish.

Up front, you would be shocked by the emails we get from people and their ego/imaginations. They self proclaim that they are the experts on fitting! Tasteful? "Naught!" They claim this, that, and the other! We must press some very real buttons for them to take the time to contact us.

Perhaps, it's because they only have their eyes, along with ideas, or they like to just tag their names along with someone who is well known. We, on the other hand, use serious 'high-tech' equipment and the results are the end-all!

We have taken a "lead, follow, or get out of our way" approach to the fitting game! All the fitting systems say that they are the real-deal, because the bicycle industry is a very competitive! Anyone knows if you want to take a first, that you can't give in to guess work. It's taken almost a decade, to let our 'baby' stand the course. Intense races prove that what we do works. However, we still can't claim anything!

Each year, at the finish line we see: Results! Results! Results! Results! Results! These results are leading to what we see as a very good trend! The trend has come in all areas including road, track, tt, tri, and mtb. Even Tiger Woods doesn't win every event. Results are the only way that things can add up! Not through luck, but fighting through all the critics!

We can't silence the critics, so we just keep spreading the word! The thank you notes just keep coming and we appreciate them all.

Serious cyclists are searching for the competitive edge, based on fact rather than tradition or guesswork. In most cases, sport scientists and top coaches work closely together, collaborating to share their knowledge and/or gained experience. We, on the other hand, hold constraints to our software, and that presses buttons! This is our product!

Scientifically based, and yet highly practical information, on physiological, mechanical, biomechanical, psychological, and medical aspects of cycling is quite the topic. What a tall order!

It's a tall order, in that finding a balance between the topics such as 'the best training principles', 'nutritional concerns', 'power output', 'equipment selection', 'pedaling mechanics', 'speed improvement', and 'psychological preparation' is enough to drive people crazy!!! And it does!!!!

Many people focus on efficiency, as they hear that will ultimately lead to results, while others are focused on injury prevention and medical concerns. Mainly we see researchers and coaches working on research projects to improve their business! Their goal is this: "Working with cycling." They intend on building their own programs! They send us their concerns, as they want to interact with us to learn what we are doing. They feel that we should provide them with feedback on how to get the most from the innate capacities of each individual cyclist.

Looking at Wobblenaught we see years of researching, years working with top racers, making software, and using the best 'high-tech' equipment available (ie. CAD,sEMG,Force Plates,Dartfish,etc...), unlike the trial-and-error methods of traditional understanding, doing things certain ways just because someone said so.

We hear that flexibility is the major issue. Simply defined, flexibility is one's ability of a joint to move through its normal range of motion. Structures that can limit the ROM of motion are: (a) the bony architecture of the joint, (b) the ligaments around the joint, (c) the joint capsule, and (d) the tendons attached to the muscles that cross the joint.

Simply defined, the importance of having an unrestricted, ROM at each joint level in the body cannot be over-emphasized.
The human body works like a new bike chain; each joint must be able to go through a specific ROM as a whole to accomplish it's task.

Muscles work in groups. The hamstrings cause the knee to flex, and work against the quadriceps if off! The quadriceps cause the knee to straighten. If the fit is wrong, one group will have to exert more force to overcome the other group.
Sounds easy? "NAUGHT!"

Each joint has a certain ROM. The size and shape of the bones can even change things! If you have your set-up incorrect, one group of muscles will be placed in stress more than the others, leading to a lack of smoothness of motion and increased fatigue.

Anyone can ride in a passive manner! It's easy to call a fit 'good' when it's tested with this type of effort! The relative power to move the bike under varied passive conditions is small. The ability to apply forces at the velocities required in competition is quite another concern! Everything becomes critical for successful performance. You have to go hard!

When going hard, the rider's efficiency, technique, plus the power generating capabilities, must be considered. The quest: to capitalize on the rider's body structure and physiological capabilities, to attain optimal performance.

Because efficiency is the major topic discussed, many concerns and comments can make its definition for cycling.
Energy stores become important on the long haul. To propel the bike it's necessary to be both effective and efficient. Mechanical issues allow you to haul it (i.e. short sprints).

Today people want an answer for power and efficiency. These measures are not independent of each other. Coaches have concerns about what works best. On any given day, a change in one dimension will affect the other dimensions. Adjustments of certain dimensions can affect the operating leg muscles, leading to their force-production capabilities, simply by using varied pedaling speeds, work loads (hard vs. easy), length-tensions, and force-velocity properties of the skeletal muscle.

Your focus on the pedal stroke alone can cause stress related problems that can lead to poor performance. It's enough to drive you crazy, and it does for many.

So then, what is the task that you wish to accomplish? Is it for the road, track, tt, tri, mtb, or perhaps for passive riding? It may be for one or many of these; whatever you needs, we have a fit for them all!

That is why we use the CAD, the sEMG/Dartfish to help you make sense of this rather simple, but crazy sport!
As we have all seen, people will go to great efforts to improve their games, even using medical technology efforts to gain an edge!

The search for ways to improve performance has taken cyclists down many roads. The self preoccupation with winning, obtaining prestige, and peer approval frequently cause people to follow poor advice! Preoccupation and motivation to be approved have no lids.

The end-all are the results, which become better known as the best "TREND".

We take our fitting systems to the line and let the results do the talking!


Results

Pro men:

1. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Priority Health/Bissell 4.38.22
2. Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team (Wobble-naught fitted by Craig Upton)

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