This is, indeed, the "winter training" issue of BMX Basics , but if you were expecting a smug diatribe on physical culture and its potential application to your racing career, you will be disappointed. The only weight lifting I've done in this decade is the Whopper With Cheese curl (four reps, two sets) so I'm hardly qualified to lead you down the primrose path to hypertrophy. We have something different in mind. I want you to get to know your bike.
Once upon a time, when Tommy Brackens was shooting for #1 and
"Paid in Full" was the hottest hip-hop track imaginable,
I went to work as a bicycle salesman. The owner of the shop wanted
to get into BMX, so he hired the nearest available long-haired,
Oakley-wearing punk to sell the bikes, and that was moi.
It was a truly enjoyable job because it paid me to be an ambassador
for BMX. When the customers came in, it was my job to put them
on a BMX or freestyle bike. To sell the BMX scoots, I hung up
a couple plates, stacked some Beginner trophies in the far corner,
and hung up a Billy Griggs poster. To sell the freestyle bikes,
I took the kids out into the parking lot and showed them, on the
bike that could be theirs, how to do basic tricks.
In an eight-hour work day, I probably spent four hours cruising
around the parking lot on different bikes. I got in the habit
of learning to switch bikes in a hurry and perform the same general
flatland tricks on all of them. When the scooters came in, I learned
most of those tricks on scooters, too. Pretty cool, huh?
There was only one difficulty. I couldn't figure out why my bike
seemed foreign to me on the ride home every day, or why I wasn't
able to do the more advanced tricks on my own freestyler. The
answer to that problem is no doubt crystal clear to you, dear
reader: I had become a Jim of all bikes, and a master of none.
When I watch riders today, I wonder if some of them aren't experiencing
the same problem on a smaller scale. If you ride a mountain bike
during the week, take your GSX-R750 down to the lake on Saturdays,
and split your Sunday practice laps between your 20" and
your 24", why are you surprised when your 20" acts up
on you during the race?
During the past summer, I fell into the same trap from a different
direction. I rode my old Ninja to work, then came home and put
twenty miles every other night or so on my road bike, leaving
my 20" to gather dust in the corner. Come Sunday, I'd be
overcome by guilt and decide to ride around a bit on the BMX'er,
only to find myself utterly unable to properly operate the beast.
No longer. The Ninja is sold. The Cannondale roadie is moth balled.
I have returned to my old tool for getting to know my bike---the
Big Ride.
You know the Big Ride. That's when you go out the front door with
only your race ride and your wallet, a far-off destination floating
through your thoughts. Most of us do most of our Big Rides between
the ages of thirteen and sixteen; the Big Ride then is replaced
by the Convenient Drive. But if you have a car and a license,
forget you have these things. The bike is what you will be working
with.
To do the Big Ride, it is not sufficient to say "I'm going
to ride for a couple hours today," because if you view your
ride in terms of time, it will seem very long indeed. Choose a
destination instead. For an example, we'll concentrate on the
Big Ride I undertook two weeks ago.
I had it in mind that I would put my foot down on the middle of
downtown Columbus, right at our Broad and High streets. That would
be about fourteen miles from my house as the Jaguar drives, but
I left the Vanden Plas to rust in the garage and chose instead
to ride the long way, through all the back roads and bike trails.
A trip of this nature would end up being about thirty-eight miles.
I figured I could make it in slightly over three hours.
A note about time is in order here. A roadie or mountain rider
can, and should, expect to average twenty- to twenty-four miles
per hour over the course of a Big Ride, but a BMX rider will be
lucky to average fourteen mph. Not only are you geared lower,
curbs, recycling boxes, and walls will tempt you there and back.
So give yourself plenty of time.
Ten minutes after leaving the house, I came face to face with
two important facts about my bike: A) The seat was set way too
low; and B) A Kashimax Aero with the left side snapped off was
not the proper seat to choose, no matter how high I put it. This
meant that my trip would be primarily a standing one. That was
okay.
As I rode along the route I'd chosen, I noticed how little you
can see from the window of a car, or even from the leaned-over
position of a road bike, compared to the vista you observe from
the 20". With more time to see things, I saw more. To pass
the time, I rapped a little bit - "Gin and Juice" with
my own lyrics added in:
Rollin' down the street
Doing framestands
Thinkin' 'bout BMX...
As I left suburbia and headed into the city bigger and
better curbs presented themselves. More moving obstacles slipped
in front of me, only to be slipped by as I became better and better
acquainted with this old bike of mine. Ninety minutes after closing
my front door, I busted a big no-foot endo on the newspaper box
on Broad and High streets, rolled back, picked up the front end,
and spun around to head home.
After covering thirty or so miles, heat and exhaustion began to
take their toll. The front end became harder and harder to pick
up. Each crank of the 47/16 "long distance" gearing
felt more and more like a spike driven into my quads. I stopped
to buy a bottle of water, cursing myself for the cowardice that
led me to seek refreshment. The noon sun rose, and I continued.
The difference between the Big Ride and a weight training program
is that you don't need somebody to motivate you on the Big Ride.
If you want to get home, you have to keep riding. And pride prevents
us from calling a buddy to pick us up, or even flopping over on
the side of the road until help arrives. You must continue.
You will also learn more about riding your bike when you are tired.
Many riders are perfectly prepared for their legs to be tired
in the main event of a National, but utterly flabbergasted to
discover that they can't pull up as hard as they could in the
first moto. If you ride when you are tired, you will not be surprised
by what you and your bike are capable of in the final extreme.
The final three-mile stretch loomed before me in a mirage of rising
heat and sweat-mottled glasses. I continued to rap:
Limpin' down the street
Losing balance
Thinkin' 'bout taking naps...
I didn't bother to pull my rear wheel up the curbs. I didn't
flashily manual up my driveway as the ride came to a close. I
dragged the bike inside and stuck my head in the refrigerator.
The ride was over. These are the small joys of BMX that grow as
years pass.
The next day saw me at the mountain bike shop, buying a Vetta
saddle with plenty of padding. Hey, I'm not stupid. Why not treat
yourself well? From now on, the Big Ride will be part of my week,
even as winter approaches.
Oh, yes---the Big Ride isn't only for the summer months and the
southern states. I'm already looking in my closet for the big
gloves, face shield, and Paramount winter road pants. When it
snows, I'll be out there again, just like I was ten years ago.
Enough about me for a minute. If you live in an area where you
can safely ride the streets, and you have your parents' permission,
the Big Ride will do you a world of good. It doesn't have to be
solo: Top Expert riders Mike Schaeffer and Mike Royal have been
Big Riding together for years-about seven or eight miles each
way to their local track, with a session of track practice baked
in the middle for a tasty BMX sandwich. A long ride to the track,
a tough jump session, and a long ride back will toughen you for
BMX in ways that the Lifecycle never could.
Would-be Big Riders should keep the following advice in mind:
Get Mom or Dad's permission. Take a water bottle if possible.
Choose a comfortable seat and reasonable seat height. If you are
one of those guys who drops your seat to the top tube, put it
back up before you take a long trip. Not only will your ride be
easier, your knees will suffer a lot less. Choose a destination
and stick to it. Don't be afraid to throw in a sprint or two on
the way. Hop every curb, every time. Wear good gloves. Dress warm
in the winter. Keep a quarter with you, just in case you bust
a tube.
Maybe I'll see you out there, taking the 20" into the roadies'
territory, becoming one with your ride, building memories---and,
of course, training. Didn't you know that's what you'll be doing?
Oh yeah. So ride already!