Friday, April 29, 2011
Motor Biking: Race Two
Motor Biking: Race Two: "I’d finished in 11 th place so I had passed 15 riders over 12 laps, I was pleased with that and the top 3 were lapping quicker than my fast..."
Race Two
I’d finished in 11th place so I had passed 15 riders over 12 laps, I was pleased with that and the top 3 were lapping quicker than my fastest lap. So the chances are I would have gone backwards and that really would have pissed me off. The Titty Twister was packed and the talk was all about what could have been in the race if only........... .
The place was so busy there were no steaks left, Jnr was not happy but made do with calamari and two baskets of bread with a really nice red dip. Stephan laid out the basics and it seemed fairly straight forward. Both bikes used the same transponder, so it had to be changed over when we came in. That was the job for the boys, Stephan was going to start and do the first half hour. The start was a Lemans style start with the bikes on the other side of the track with their engines running and facing the pit wall and the riders with their backs against the pit wall. The grid was decided by the fastest rider in the team, our change over on the half hour would be indicated by Chris or Cameron holding the fuel funnel over the pit wall and that would be your last lap. It all seemed straight forward enough. The Titty Twister emptied quickly and no one really hung one on, Janette and Ouly did a good job on the Valentines and bought a bottle for Ron (lateron).
Peter never showed up so I assumed he was working late and changing tyres ready for tomorrow. By the time we arrived at the B & B Peter was there and more than willing to help Janette and Ouly with the Whiskey.
The following day was wet and I wasn’t keen on going out. To put it bluntly I’m pathetic in the wet and I constantly feel like I’m out of control. Luckily for me the sun came out and the track started to dry out, it was decided by the race organisers to delay the start by an hour. As the grid formed up the track was still damp, I was so glad Stephan was starting. The green flag fell and the track was full of men and women trying to run in leathers. It’s a very strange sight, most people can’t walk, let alone run and running fast was just out of the question.
Stephan made a really good start and was flying round, it was drying out fast and as it did so the lap times were coming down. I told Jnr to get ready with the funnel and Chris reminded me that he had another 10 minutes to go. All of a sudden half an hour was a long time and 24-26 laps was more than I thought. The funnel was out and Stephan acknowledged he had seen it, he came flying in and the boys changed the transponder over to me, it was very quick and I was away. I didn’t have time to think and the track was dry. I hadn’t done half a lap and I had been passed, he must have been nearing the end of his time and on hot tyres. I followed him round and sure enough he pulled into the pit lane, I was feeling better and my nerves had calmed down. I couldn’t remember what lap I was on but I wanted to see the funnel. I thought this lap, this lap. Had I missed it ? I was starting to flap.
How hard could it be to see an orange funnel, I couldn’t make out the boys, Janette, nothing. I didn’t want to come in, in case I was early, we would have been penalised for one rider doing more than the other and likewise if I stayed out longer than I should. I had to concentrate on what I was doing, I had 4 bikes in front of me and my goal was to pick them off one by one. I was starting to hurt. I came out of the last bend level with the 2nd bike, the funnel, I saw it with both my boys jumping up and down and waving their arms franticly, I battled with the same bike all the way round until I pulled into the pit lane. No sooner had I stopped and Stephan was away. The first question I asked was had I missed the funnel ? I was relieved to discover I hadn’t and we were doing well. 30 minutes flat out knowing every place counted was hard work and to sustain the same pace for each lap and if possible improve each time was even harder.
It was great to get off the bike and remove my helmet, my bandana was soaked with sweat as was my T-shirt. My pit crew were fantastic, the bike was up on her paddock stands and the tyre warmers were going on. A rag was thrown over the tank and fuel was going in, I was passed a bottle of water and a banana from Janette. Jnr cleaned my visor as I stretched my legs, Chris was taking the tyre warmers off. That’s never half an hour, my god.
I had just about got my gloves back on when Stephan pulled up alongside me with his back wheel lofted into the air. It came down with a right clatter, Chris slapped me on the back and I dropped the clutch. I think I pulled a wheelie the full length of the pit lane, I joined the track and right into a mêlée of about 8 bikes. I was just hoping that most of them were about to pull in, as we reached the entrance to the pit lane only 1 bike peeled off. It was going to be a battle to get past this lot, they were all quick and just as quick as me in my favourite parts of the track. I was just going to have to push that bit harder and pray I didn’t over cook it.
I was hounding the bike in front of me and letting him know I was there when he missed a gear and I just about avoided running into him, one down six more to go. As we came down the start finish straight I stayed close to the pit wall in an attempt to get the apex for corner one and out brake the bike in front of me. I cut his nose off and entered the corner far too fast, I just about stayed on track and flicked her into corner two. As we came out of the corner the two bikes in front of me went wide, I wasn’t sure if they had touched or what but I was passed them. I could hear the pair of them all over my arse. Now I knew what pressure felt like, one mistake and I’d lose places or end up in the gravel trap.
The Blade passed me coming out of turn 7 and we battled round the track changing places at turn 1 and turn 7. My problem was he would pass me at 7 and beat me to the line. Once again I had no idea what lap I was on but this time I was racing to the flag. I came out of the last bend and the chequered flag was waving. The Blade had beaten me to the flag, it had been a hell of race, every corner, and every straight had to be perfect. I was down on power but I had managed to hold my own through late braking and getting the power on early.
Stephan was waiting for me as I entered the pit lane, as I got off the bike he gave me a manly huge and said we had come 12th. Not bad for a field of 32 teams and my first 2 hour race. It had been a really good experience and one I’d love to experience again. We packed up the paddock and loaded the bikes onto trailers and into vans. Some of the lads set of straight away and the rest of us went to the Titty Twister for a well earned beer and some food.
Our next race meet was going to be at Zolder, a great race track that we had been to before. I liked Zolder, it has one the fastest bends I’ve ever been round. 5th gear flat out with my boot and knee on the floor all the way round and onto the back straight were you can get into 6th before the chicane. It also had a great blind ridge that lofted the front wheel all the way down to the next chicane. But first the long journey home and the rebuild of my now warn out starter clutch.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Motor Biking: Race Day
Motor Biking: Race Day: "I’ve got no idea what time we left the Titty Twister or how much beer I consumed, one thing was for sure. My head hurt but not as much as ..."
Race Day
I’ve got no idea what time we left the Titty Twister or how much beer I consumed, one thing was for sure. My head hurt but not as much as Peters or Ouly’S. I went down to their room to wake them up for breakfast and then I woke the boys up. Janette was going to join us at the track later.
We had a couple of hours to blast round the track before the races started, I made the most of it as the lads sat in the paddock and complained about their heads. Ouly said Janette was banned from the Titty Twister and he wasn’t racing today. Peter was changing tyres for people who had left it to the last minute and he was getting very frustrated.
The track was very quiet and I got a few good laps in before the masses rolled out. I was still having problems between 5 & 6. I was just going to have to red line her into 6 and hope for the best, it was only for a matter of seconds but changing up screwed up 7 for me. I was doing something wrong and I just couldn’t work out what it was. I pulled in to the pit lane and stopped outside the paddock. I wanted a quick refill and off again. Cameron and Chris were there waiting with water for me and fuel for the beast. Cameron held the funnel and Chris poured with a little help from me. Jnr was well into the swing of things and wiped the tank down with a cloth and put the fuel cap back on. They worked like a well oiled pit crew. I pressed the starter button and nothing happened, I checked to see if the kill switch had been hit but it was fine.
Peter checked the bike over and told me the starter clutch had gone. There was no quick fix and impossible to jump start an Aprilia. I was done for or so I thought, I was just about to throw a wobbly because that always fix’s the problem. When this very well built German grabbed my arm and took me into his paddock. He pointed to the floor and said I could use his external starter. He was racing a Buell and what a beast it was. A full on race bike with no starter motor and straight through pipes. I thought my bike was loud but when he started his up people ducked and came to see what the noise was.
The boys pushed me back onto the starter, I put her in gear and pressed the foot pedal, the back wheel spun up and I dropped the clutch. She burst into life with a roar and I was away grinning from ear to ear.
I had enough time for a couple of laps before the first race. Janette arrived at the track with a load of sandwiches and pop for the lads. Peter came back with a list of the race starts and timings. I was horrified, my name wasn’t on the start grid for race two. I ran down to the timing both to sort it out. They’d missed my name off and it was too late to change it. I was now starting at the back of the grid. I walked back to the paddock a wee bit pissed but my bike was working and I was in the race, it could have been worse.
Peter and Ouly had qualified 5th & 8th and the rest of the lads were spread out across the grid. 31 starters on the grid and it was loud. To be honest I can’t remember much about the race, I was to busy thinking about my own. Peter finished 2nd and Ouly a respectable 6th. 12 laps seemed to go by very quickly, I could feel the nerves building. It was like I had never been on the track before, I needed a nervous pee but it was too late. The buzzer sounded and I set of from the pit lane on my warm up lap. I couldn’t believe I was last on the grid, I wanted to shout over to the pit wall that it was all a mistake and I should have been on the front row.
A lonely BMW pulled up alongside me, I wasn’t last after all, I didn’t feel so bad now. Then I looked at the BMW, I was last and I felt just as bad. The track official was out front with his red flags and riders were starting to rev their engines. Not to be left out I joined in and looking along the pit wall I could see Janette and the boys, Cameron was shaking his fist at me like an angry farmer. I just caught the back end of the red flags leaving the track. I looked right and the green flag was up, my revs were at about 8000 as the flag dropped.
My front wheel lifted about 4 foot as I lurched forward, I passed 4-5 bikes from the line before my wheel hit the floor and 2 more as I entered the first corner and another as I came out of the corner. I had no idea what position I was in and at that point it made no matter, all I could see was a line of bikes in front of me that I needed to get past. The next left was the best corner on the track and as long as everybody stayed hard into the corner I could get a couple more by passing them on the outside. A dodgy move but I had no choice. I was moving forward in the standings but it’s the hardest thing to do, I was struggling to get past the riders in front of me.
I seemed to be static for ages and then out of the blue the chequered flag was being waved. It was all over and I was just getting started. I couldn’t believe I had just done 12 laps. On the slow down lap I suddenly felt very fatigued and hurting all over. Where had I come ? I hadn’t been overtaken so I was pleased with that and I’d finished the race. As I pulled into the pit lane I could see loads of bikes in front of me. I pulled up outside our paddock and I sent Jnr down to get the results.
The rest of the day was going to be taken up with qualifying for the 2 hour race the following day. I was kneeling in front of my bike changing the front brake pads when I was tapped on the shoulder. It was Stephan, the rider of the Ducati who I had been battling with earlier. He asked me if I would be his partner in the 2 hour race. I was chuffed to bits, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Stephan was quick and was an old hand at racing at Rijeka. He said we would talk tactics that evening in the Titty Twister over a few beers. That sounded good to me.
End of Part 3
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Motor Biking: Red Flags
Motor Biking: Red Flags: "My tyres were going off fast, it was a fast technical track and very hard on your tyres. I’d already lost the back end coming off the star..."
Red Flags
My tyres were going off fast, it was a fast technical track and very hard on your tyres. I’d already lost the back end coming off the start finish line. I lost a place as I lost grip and went wide coming out of the corner, because I’d lost drive there was no way I was going to catch the Blade before the next corner. The next corner was a long fast left, a man’s corner, fast balls out speed, just my kind of corner. I couldn’t get my bike any lower. My left foot and knee were firmly on the track and the sparks were flying as I took the blade on the outside. I just couldn’t hold the line for the next left and the Blade was away again. We battle like that for the next 5 laps until I lost total confidence in my tyres. It was time to pull in for fuel, tyres and a well deserved rest.
As I pulled in my boys were ready with the paddock stands and the tyre warmers. Not this time as I needed new tyres. The boys got the tools ready and I went down to check on the lap times. My dice with the blade had held me up, Peter was well in front of me but I was still ahead of the rest in the pack. I had two hours of track time left to get some good times in for tomorrow’s race. Callipers off, wheels off and new tyres on. I had to take the next few laps steady to scrub them in and to get the temperature into them.
I joined the track and there was nothing behind me and as far as I could tell the track was clear to my front. By the start of lap 3 I was at full speed, I could see a bike in the distance, just the way I liked it. Something to chase but not get in my way, I was pushing hard but as I got faster with each each lap I was finding it difficult between corners 5 & 6. The short run between them was enough to red line my engine in 4th but not long enough to get into 5th gear. The last thing I wanted to do was blow my engine and I didn’t want to slow down.
The bike in front of me was a Ducati, I had caught him but I couldn’t get past him. He was very good into the corners and braked very late. I just didn’t have the bottom end to get away from him out of the corner. It was going to come down to who could out brake who. We were neck and neck as we thundered down the finish straight, I could feel my back tyre lifting as I tipped into the corner. We were still fighting for space on the track, it was fantastic. The Ducati had the inside line for the next corner, I had no choice and I backed off very slightly but it gave me the drive I needed to come out of the corner. Once again we were fighting for the same piece of track but this time I had the racing line. I out braked him into the corner and my knee skimmed the track as I eased the power on.
It was my favourite two corners 5 & 6. I buggered it up big time as I attempted to change up then down again for the corner. He was away and the chase was on again. I was all over him at every bend and as we entered the last bend he indicated to move into the pit lane. Had I pressurised him into pulling in or was it just that time. I didn’t know and I didn’t care. 3 laps later and the red flags were out, I coasted round with a smile as wide as my helmet. I couldn’t wait to see what my standings were going to be. I pulled into the pit lane and into the paddock. My boys were waiting and on went the paddock stands and the tyre warmers.
One of the track officials walked in with the results, bike number 47 had qualified in 3rd place. My God that was me, the best I had ever done. I had another Aprilia and my mate the Ducati in front of me. I was the only one in our group on a twin so I wouldn’t be racing against them, this was going to be my first official race with a grid start.
That evening we all went down to a local bar and steak house. It looked like the Titty Twister out of the film Dusk Till Dawn. The food was fantastic and the bread was the best I have ever tasted. The beer was too nice and I didn’t want to kick the arse out of it. Peter, Janette and the lads were on the local Whiskey Valentines. There’s a good chance I could win this tomorrow, keep going Janette, you’re doing great.
End of Part Two
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Motor Biking: Rijeka
Motor Biking: Rijeka: "The day had finally arrived, the car was packed and the bike was on the trailer. The ferry ticket was in my hand with the passports and al..."
Rijeka
The day had finally arrived, the car was packed and the bike was on the trailer. The ferry ticket was in my hand with the passports and all we had to do was go. I was like a child in a sweet shop, excited, nervous and giddy with expectation.
I was booked on a 4 day track event in Croatia (Grobnik). The track was called Rijeka and it was about 2.6 miles long. It was going to take 2 days to drive there from Scotland so there was no time to waste. We arrived with plenty of time to spare at Hull and the trailer had done well. Good job because there were plenty of miles to go.
We had been driving for hours, everyone was tired and we needed something to eat. So we stopped for the night and made ready for the last push into Croatia. I woke up early and thought I would go and check on the bike. I stepped out of the door and I couldn’t believe my eyes, there must have been about a foot of snow on the ground.
The drive down into Croatia was uneventful apart from the 5 different weather fronts we drove through that really got me worried. Had I wasted my money and everyone’s time? I had a car full of gear, spare tyres, fuel and tools and not a wet tyre in sight. I hope I hadn’t blown it. The sun came out and it was glorious. We arrived at the track and the wind nearly blew my door off its hinges. We took shelter in the paddock and I took the opportunity to get all the paper work done. I was the last to arrive out of our group but it was good to meet up with the lads again. The last time we were all together was in the Netherlands at the Zandvoort track.
We drove down to the B&B and unpacked the rest of the car. It was a typical Croat house and the land lady was very nice. She made us all welcome and the beds were comfy. It was so much better than the tent we had at the last track. Janette stayed in bed and me and the boys set of for the track. The weather was great, no wind and the sun was out. I booked in and got my bike inspected and wheeled it round to the paddock. The bike had new tyres on and all I had to do was check the tyre pressures and put the tyre warmers on.
The brief was short but to the point, there was only one group, fast. It was an open track and the pit lane was to be kept free. I wasn’t totally sure what that meant but I was certain it would become clear as the day went on. As I put my leathers on the boys took the tyre warmers off and we walked to see the first couple of bikes come onto the start finish straight.
The first bike onto the straight was a Kawasaki, he was all out of shape and the bike was shaking its head in disapproval. He held it together and disappeared round the first right hander. I climbed on mine and I could feel the sweat running down my arms. My engine burst into life and I pulled into the pit lane. I could see the lads just in front of me, so I wormed my way to about 3rd in the pack. I had barely stopped when the pit lane light turned green. We were off, I entered the track at the first bend and I followed the pack. The first 3 laps were going to be steady or so I thought. The bends were fantastic, long and sweeping with two very fast straights. It was a clockwise track and at this rate I was going to be needing new knee sliders on my left knee every time I came in.
All the bikes were fitted with transponders, so each time I came in I ran down to the booth and got a copy of the standings. I couldn’t believe it, I was the fastest out of our group. I couldn’t wait to tell the lads. You can imagine the response, helmets were on and it was war. Peter was the first out on track, I had never been quicker than Peter before. I don’t think my record was going to stand for long but I needed to get out there.
End of Part 1
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Motor Biking: FIT FOR BIKING
Motor Biking: FIT FOR BIKING: "FIT FOR BIKING Introduction Riding a motor bike can be both physically and mentally dem..."
FIT FOR BIKING
FIT FOR BIKING
Introduction
Riding a motor bike can be both physically and mentally demanding. To meet these challenges and get the most from it, you need to be prepared. If you ride a sports bike, a tourer, a dirt bike or you’re a commuter you need to be fit. From the weekend warrior to the dispatch rider, Fit For Biking is a must.
If you find yourself getting off your machine with sore ankles, knees, back or wrists. Then you need to look at your physical fitness. It’s not your choice of bike that is causing the aches and pains and it’s not the fact that you have just past 40. Age is a factor, but it’s one we can control with the right action plan.
Fit for biking is just that plan, designed to get the most out of you, regardless of age. It will improve your Balance, Strength, Flexibility, Endurance, Posture and your overall health. There is no quick fix and with any plan you need to be committed. You must sit down and work out what your “WHY” is.
Your “WHY” has to be a big enough reason to keep you on track. It can range from wanting to complete your first track day, to your first visit to the IOM TT. It might be as simple as wanting to be able to ride your bike in comfort into the grand old age of 70. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it motivates you to train.
It’s important to set aside time, an hour a day for 3-6 day’s a week. Combined with training you need a good nutrition plan. Healthy eating is a major part of getting results from your training and your riding. I’ve seen riders pass out on the track. All because their diet is poor and 9 times out of 10 there intake of water has been far too low.
As soon as someone mentions the word diet, people moan and groan. I’m not talking about joining Weight Watchers or eating Rivita. I eat 3 very full square meals a day, in fact I am probably eating more than I have ever eaten. But I eat the right foods at the right time. I still enjoy the odd snack and a pint at the weekend. But eating properly promotes muscle growth and fat loss. By following the Fit For Biking plan you will look and feel better and the added bonus, you will get so much more out of your biking experience.
The stress’s placed on the body while you ride your bike are constant, from corner speed to wind speed. Evan moving your pride and joy out of the garage. All factors that play a part in the onset of fatigue. Manoeuvring your machine takes skill and strength, along with balance and a certain amount of endurance. As fatigue sets in you start to get lazy, you stop moving around on your machine, you don’t look ahead as far, or past the next corner. You’re concentrating more on the pain in your wrist than you are on the up and coming corner. It hurts to operate the front brake, you’re fatigued so you don’t move your body into the corner and you’re not looking ahead for your exit out of the corner. All of a sudden you’re on the wrong side of the road. You get away with it this time. But why did it happen? It’s a good clear road, you were under the recommended speed limit and you class yourself as a good rider. When this happens, and it does, far too frequently. You find yourself in the path of oncoming traffic, in the ditch or if you’re on the track, in the gravel trap or just as bad, you’re going backwards in the standings.
All this can be reduced and in some cases stopped. A training program designed to increase your core strength. This is essential as everything stems from a good core. A biker will use their whole body when riding, the stomach, forearms, inner thighs and knee muscles are of primary importance. While working on your arms and legs, it’s important not to forget to develop core and full body strength. Your core, also known as the trunk is your centre of gravity and is the fulcrum for all movements and is therefore the centre of strength in your extremities. Core muscles include the abdomen, lumber region, backside chest and shoulders. As your core strength increases, you’ll find that you rely less on your arms to support your body while riding, freeing up your arms to control the bike with less effort and will increase your riding ability. The strength to physically move your bike or hold her down in corners and to pick her up quickly out of corners. Flexibility to allow you to physically move around on your machine. With added strength comes endurance, allowing you to ride longer and harder. Strength, flexibility and stamina all work together to allow you to ride, pain free. Letting you concentrate on the important things. Throttle control and better braking, with added strength comes the ability sit on your machine properly which makes for better road positioning or holding the correct line on the track.
Fit For Biking is also designed to be enjoyable and for all walks of life and budget. 99% of us love our machines and what we do. It’s a passion that makes you look out of the window first thing in the morning. From the latest Fast Bikes you purchase the best rear sets. Your machine has a PC 5 fitted and tyres, so sticky you could climb the garage wall. There’s just one thing lacking, your ability to put all those parts to just a fraction of what they are capable of. One hour a day for 3-6 days a week and you will very quickly feel the benefits, your friends will see the difference and above all you will enjoy you’re riding so much more.
Fit For Biking is a brand new concept and I think you will agree with me when I say “it is long overdue”. The site is brand new and as the site grows, you and I and the team at Ultimateperformancecentre will grow with you. Together we can promote a better standard of rider. Stronger, safer and more capable to deal with all the aspects that riding a bike of any kind throws at us.
Change the way you ride and improve your strength and health. Walk down the street with a straight back and strong legs. Put the pain in your joints behind you and start Fit For Biking.
The team at Ultimateperformancecentre and myself look forward to seeing you over the next few months and years.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Motor Biking: FITTER BIKERS Fitter athletes ar...
Motor Biking: FITTER BIKERS Fitter athletes ar...: "FITTER BIKERS Fitter athletes are more relaxed. Being more relaxed improves reaction times. Club racers, track-day ride..."
FITTER BIKERS
Fitter athletes are more relaxed. Being more relaxed improves reaction times. Club racers, track-day riders, even weekend warriors benefit from being relaxed and in shape.
Being fit will make you faster and safer. It means you'll be more relaxed on your machine, which will make riding it even easier.
As a rider you move your body weight whenever you shift from side to side, it compounds fatigue, which lessens control. When your quads are spent, you can't move around on your machine as needed, if your hands and arms are cramped, you can't be as accurate with your steering or the controls, and an imprecise rider is an unsafe rider.
Even if you're not overweight, being in better shape will make you a better rider. Top racers know from experience that a good level of fitness gives them a competitive advantage. Ask any club racer, track-day rider or weekend warrior, they know that after 30 miles of knee-down hard riding, they'll pull in breathless and sweaty.
Mick Doohan, once said "The idea is to be as fast at the end of the race as you are at the beginning. Some guys are really quick for two or three laps, but then go backward. You know their bikes are still good, so the problem's got to be them."
Being physically fit improves your ability to concentrate for long periods. Get in shape and you'll not only ride longer, you'll make fewer mistakes and find you're more able to see and process visual information.
What are the essential elements of riding fitness? It's best if neither you nor your bike is handicapped by excess weight. And it's key that your heart and lungs can meet your body's oxygen needs. A no-nonsense fitness program will help you on both counts.
Bikers don't get much respect as far as athletes go, what's so difficult about riding a new Suzuki GSXR on your local twisty roads or at the track? As anyone who's come out of a turn with his arms aching from the power, flicking a 350-pound sports bike around at speed takes skill, you need to be fit to ride well. It only stands to reason that the more fit you are, the more performance you'll be able to wring out of your machines.
Go for an hour or so, ride through twisty roads and you will see physically fit riders separate themselves from the unfit weekend warriors. They may not be better technical riders necessarily, but their increased fitness allows them to stave off the effects of fatigue longer, fatigue limits performance and can be dangerous when you're riding at the limit of your abilities. Fatigue has a number of negative effects. First, you won't have the power to control your bike as well as you could. Second, and most importantly, two major symptoms of fatigue is a loss of judgment and decreasing reaction times. Simply put, you will start to fall asleep on your machine. A good level of fitness won't protect you from bad decisions or poor form, but it can help you sustain better technique longer and you’ll have more fun on your machine.
You should plan on training at least three days a week. But if you can five to six days would be even more effective. If you're in good basic shape, your training sessions should reflect the length of your training periods. About 60 minutes is good. Every workout should begin and end with a gradual, 5-10 minute warm-up and cool-down period.
If you're overweight, I would train for at least 30-45 minutes at a lower intensity. If you're not breathing hard and working up a sweat, you're not working hard enough. But if you can't carry on a simple conversation, you're probably working too hard. Temper it to your abilities.
Be patient. The idea is to build a habit for life, not to quickly whip yourself into shape and then go back to your old ways. Or cause an injury that puts you off training.
Barry Sheen once said “Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out and meet the bloody thing.” Put simply, the only way to get fit is to work at it. It needs to be as important to you as the machine you ride. If you want to be quick on the track or just better on the road, then you need to work hard at your fitness and make it a way of life.
Before starting any level of fitness training, see your doctor. Ask if you can safely start a fitness program.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Motor Biking: The Born Again Biker.
Motor Biking: The Born Again Biker.: "The Born Again Biker. It’s always nice to return to an old flame, I think most of my ere (1964), we cut our teeth on the Yamaha RD 250,350 ..."
The Born Again Biker.
The Born Again Biker.
It’s always nice to return to an old flame, I think most of my ere (1964), we cut our teeth on the Yamaha RD 250,350 and the YPVS. For some it became a way of life rather than a mode of transport and we have never left the two wheel love affair. However for a lot of people work, family and money commitments meant they had say good bye to their first love. But now, now is a different story, the family have grown up, the business is doing well and there’s a desire to wind back the clock.
First things first.
Yes our bikes were fast and loud and the brakes weren’t the best, we used to drift across the lanes on the motorway and zip round the local B roads like there was no tomorrow. Hoisting the front wheel was easy on an RD as was throwing yourself around tight and twisty side roads. I can’t ever remember suffering from a sore body when I got of my bike at Scarborough after a mad dash from Richmond. But then that was 30 years ago and I was as fit as a Butchers Dog.
So what’s changed ?
Firstly, today’s bikes have changed, they may look the same. Two wheels holding up a frame wrapped around an engine with a clutch lever and the brakes are in the same place. To be honest, everything has changed. The power to weight ratio for one has been totally re-written. If your last bike was the CB900 or the Z1000, what’s the problem ? Well today’s 600 will seriously kick there arse. There’s no more waiting to get to the top end, your there at the twist of the wrist in each gear. Stopping is no longer a guessing game, it’s very possible to stop with so much force the back wheel is no longer on the floor and the back break is used purely to keep the back end on a straight keel. Surely all these improvements are for the better, of course they are. But there’s a price to pay and I don’t mean in your pocket.
Your 30 years older and unless you work in the fitness industry or have been exercising on a regular basis, the price is you. 30 years of sat behind a desk or the wheel of a company car for 8 hours a day with a great wife feeding you the moment you come through front door, they all add pounds where you don’t want them. The body becomes weaker and slower as we get older, you can lose up to 10% of muscle strength a year. The pounds weather you like it or not creep on and the body slowly becomes weaker and slower.
So what’s the solution ?
The advancements made in motor bike technology, can only be for the better and will add to your biking experience. You will probably never ride your machine to its full capabilities but there’s nothing like trying. In order to get the most from your machine you need to be at the top of your game. A healthy life style isn’t just a good idea for getting the most out of your biking experience, it will see you through into your later years. Training on a regular basis will develop the necessary muscles you require for better biking and a more active older age. Combined with this is a good diet, your diet will dictate your levels of energy during your training periods and the time you spend in the saddle. Positive self talking and mental imagery is also a massive help in overcoming confidence issues and promoting muscle memory.
Training should be no longer than 45-60 minutes per session and if you’re just starting out 3-4 times a week. The beginners guide to fitness in the members area covers all aspects of getting started, from clothing to goal setting and maintaining your new fitness regime. You will also be directed as to the best approach to changing and using your mental abilities.
It’s never to late to start training, something is better than nothing and you will soon see the benefits from a more active life style. An active body is an active brain.
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