REST

resting is so important to being a cyclist that it cannot be pushed enough, the end of the season taper is far more necessary than any miles during the long season.  after the season the rest period acts as a reset button, no matter how hard the season has been or how long the season has been the one or two months off at the end of the season is the best thing that a professional cyclist can do.  

During this rest period it is also good to remember to not take this time completely off the bike  i like to ride 10-12 hours a week which is pretty much no riding at all, but during this period it is very important to keep the legs used to the bike even if you are not putting in the long miles.  

Another great thing to do during this period is to find some type of cross training.  since these are the winter months if you live at high elevations, nordic skiing is the obvious choice for cross training.  most people will make the transfer to cyclocross, but this is not big enough of a change for me, i need a completely different sport.  another great cross over is ice skating, preferably speed skating, but unfortunately we don't all have speed-skating ovals in our back yards, hockey will also do.  another great thing to do in the off-season is to ski or surf these two activities have no similarities to cycling and therefore promote a well deserved break after the season.

whatever sport you do chose in the off season just make sure that you don't push the limits and hurt yourself.  also make sure that you don't come back to the bike to early this will prove as a much disservice 

WAVING

A timeless question that has bothered me over the past few weeks, if birds of a feather flock together then how come cyclist don't wave to other cyclist?  its a simple harmless hand wave from a person to another, simply implying that i would like to say hi to you today.  since when has a hand wave been elevated to the point where the passing cyclist doesn't rate high enough for a competitive cyclist to be able to exchange had gestures of the complementary type?  Just because someone does not compete in the cycling world and does not have the same status as you doesn't mean that they don't deserve a simple hand wave.  the superiority complex that many cyclist suffer from, i believe has to do with racing status, and the value that they give themselves over others.  the truth is that the competitive cyclist actually less deserving of a complementary hand gesture than the non-competitive cyclist.  why you may ask? i believe it is simply due to the fact that the competitive cyclist has some goal that he is training for,m the non-competitive cyclist does it for the love of the sport and overall fitness.  

as a competitive cyclist I believe that we owe the weekend warrior cyclist, more than most would believe.  the weekend warrior cyclist pays for our careers, between the jerseys that they buy and the coverage on tv they pay for, we owe them more gratitude than realized.  however I do not believe that the problem en-lies within the professional cyclist, professionals realize where their support base is.  the real problem en-lies with the weekend warrior that is no better than the other fitness nuts that they may pass and not wave to on the few rides that they do.  I have been out on rides and gotten dirty looks because I'am in my kit, simply because the weekend warrior doesn't believe that he is riding next to a professional, this gives him no right to not greet the passing cyclist no matter what class.

So please if you are a weekend warrior cyclist the next time you see someone out for a ride pro kit or not please give them a friendly gesture and make sure to promote the sport that we all love and share

Cheers