Thursday, January 21, 2010
Mountain of Rubber.
The team would like to thank Kenda the #1 bike tire manufacturer in the U.S., Jim and Cindy for our shipment of tires for 2010. So many choices!
Monday, January 18, 2010
A visit to the Westover office!
With Monday being a holiday it was the perfect time to visit our sponsor Dynamic Physical Therapy to become a little more familiar with what makes them the premier physical therapy provider in the area. Of course to give it our own special touch Gunnar, Betsy and I rode to the meeting. Robbie Loehr met us at the office but unfortunately Chris was unable to make it in from D.C. Everyone was excited and I am sure a little nervous but no one would admit it.
We took a few steps inside and it only took Joanna a few seconds to come out and greet us. She had never met any of us, but I am sure the tights were a dead giveaway on who we were. Course maybe her speed had something to do with her not wanting us scaring any of the nice patients in the waiting room.
After a nice meet and greet with Joanna we proceeded into their treatment room. It was filled with stretching tables, workout equipment and lots of other pieces they use in treatment. It wasn't long before we were joined by Rob Acciavatti (also our coach, Performance Coaching Service) who is the Clinical Director at the Westover location. Rob and Joanna then talked to us in detail about what makes Dynamic PT different from the others. I was really impressed with their ideas on patient care. At Dynamic the focus is on one-to-one care, not on how many patients they can get in and out of the door. You could tell on Rob's and Joanna's faces that they were proud of that.
After spending some time in the treatment area we all went back into one of the offices to sit down and chat some more. We learned about Dynamic's history, locations and a bit more about their philosophy. There are three locations in Morgantown alone, talk about patient convenience. Not having to drive across Morgantown when there is a clinic right near by sure is a handy thing if you ask me.
After their presentation we continued our chat. It felt really good to hear their excitement about the team too. They even had a bunch of pens, squeezy-balls, and t-shirts for us. How cool!
On the way out we couldn't help but take the photo below. Watch for it in your Sunday inserts.
We took a few steps inside and it only took Joanna a few seconds to come out and greet us. She had never met any of us, but I am sure the tights were a dead giveaway on who we were. Course maybe her speed had something to do with her not wanting us scaring any of the nice patients in the waiting room.
After a nice meet and greet with Joanna we proceeded into their treatment room. It was filled with stretching tables, workout equipment and lots of other pieces they use in treatment. It wasn't long before we were joined by Rob Acciavatti (also our coach, Performance Coaching Service) who is the Clinical Director at the Westover location. Rob and Joanna then talked to us in detail about what makes Dynamic PT different from the others. I was really impressed with their ideas on patient care. At Dynamic the focus is on one-to-one care, not on how many patients they can get in and out of the door. You could tell on Rob's and Joanna's faces that they were proud of that.
After spending some time in the treatment area we all went back into one of the offices to sit down and chat some more. We learned about Dynamic's history, locations and a bit more about their philosophy. There are three locations in Morgantown alone, talk about patient convenience. Not having to drive across Morgantown when there is a clinic right near by sure is a handy thing if you ask me.
After their presentation we continued our chat. It felt really good to hear their excitement about the team too. They even had a bunch of pens, squeezy-balls, and t-shirts for us. How cool!
On the way out we couldn't help but take the photo below. Watch for it in your Sunday inserts.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Getting ready for the Winter Olympic Games
The members of the Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling Team are all excited about the upcoming Olympic Games. We even tried out for the US Curling Team. However after an unfortunate incident with a broom we were disqualified. Look out 2014!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Performance Coaching Services makes us fast!
People often ask us, how should I train or am I doing this correctly? Sometimes it is hard to answer questions like that because every athlete is different and that is why we always suggest getting a coach if you want to reach your full potential on the bike. We at the Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling Team count on Performance Coaching Services to help us make the right choices in our training regiment.
Performance Coaching Services is owned and operated by former Professional cyclist Rob Acciavatti. In 1995 at the age of 21, Rob turned professional and raced with the Scott-BiKyle-Flyers based out of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He spent the following two seasons in Europe racing with Kaiku, a semi-pro team from the Basque country in northern Spain. In 1998 he decided to leave competitive cycling and return to college to pursue a degree in physical therapy. Unable to stay away from racing, Rob returned for the 2000 season and began to coach and race with the West Virginia University Cycling Team. In WVU's first appearance at the National Championships Rob won two individual national titles in the criterium and omnium events.
Rob and Performance Coaching Services offers bicycle fit and positioning evaluation,cycling specific strength training program as well as 3 different levels of coaching to help you obtain your goals.
Feel free to contact him and make sure you tell him we sent ya!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Press for Betsy..
2009 A Season To Remember - Our own Betsy Shogren gets some nice post season press from MTB Race News. Click Here MTB Race News.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Ask an Expert. . .category racer
Well, reader, it is time for a new, hopefully recurring section here on the blog: Ask an Expert . . . category racer. Write us to ask about training, tuning, washing, wrenching, adjusting, maintaining, practicing, strategy, technique, nutrition, equipment, apparel or anything else cycling related or otherwise.
email your questions to dynamiptcyling@gmail.com
Our first ever question comes from Michael in Charleston, WV.
Michael Asks:
Thanks, I appreciate your time and maybe I will see you on a trail next year.
Answer from Robbie:
Michael,
Thanks for the question. You're right that a hardtail will be lower maintenance than a full suspension, but I think I would stop there with simplifications. Companies have been pouring research and development dollars into suspension technology and as a result, suspension forks--even less expensive ones--have gotten to be very durable. Suspension helps keep your wheels on the ground, and as you might guess it is hard to steer or slow down when your front wheel is bouncing all around. I used to ride rigid quite a bit and trust me, your wrists will thank you. However, the rear suspension does tend to add a lot of weight and complexity (and cost) to a bicycle.
I've done a fair bit of riding at Kanawa State Forest and for that terrain I'd recommend running a triple. Sure, you usually just leave it in the middle ring, but having that granny gear for some of the steeps in KSF, or when your buddies take you out for an hour ride that ends up being 4 hour epic will be worth the extra weight and complexity. Usually shifting problems are much more prevalent in the rear than in the front since there is more of a chance for the derailleur to get knocked out of adjustment or for the cable and housing to become contaminated (or for a stick to rip the derailleur off). Just keeping your drivetrain clean and adjusted will do more to fend off breakages than eliminating the front derailleur and shifter. Plus, almost every bike made now comes with a suspension fork and a triple chainring, which means simplifying might be more expensive anyway.
If you're looking for a new bike to start out with and are on a budget, I'd recommend something like the Cannondale F7, which is around $600. It comes with a very durable parts spec for a bike in its price range and has a lot of good parts that will really make a difference. It has a suspension fork with a lockout, and Avid brand mechanical disc brakes, which are the best when it comes to inexpensive disc brakes.
If you're looking to take a step up in terms of price and performance, something like the Cannondale Trail SL 29er, coming in just under $1,000 (the website publishes a slightly inflated price). I've been riding a 29er for the last three years and have just fallen in love with the way they roll over obstacles. They do a lot to smooth out the trail compared to a traditional 26" wheeled hardtail. They are a little heavier, but the increased stability and traction more than make up for it. This bike has a lot of bang for your buck and is nice enough to last you years of hard riding.
Thanks for the question. You're right that a hardtail will be lower maintenance than a full suspension, but I think I would stop there with simplifications. Companies have been pouring research and development dollars into suspension technology and as a result, suspension forks--even less expensive ones--have gotten to be very durable. Suspension helps keep your wheels on the ground, and as you might guess it is hard to steer or slow down when your front wheel is bouncing all around. I used to ride rigid quite a bit and trust me, your wrists will thank you. However, the rear suspension does tend to add a lot of weight and complexity (and cost) to a bicycle.
I've done a fair bit of riding at Kanawa State Forest and for that terrain I'd recommend running a triple. Sure, you usually just leave it in the middle ring, but having that granny gear for some of the steeps in KSF, or when your buddies take you out for an hour ride that ends up being 4 hour epic will be worth the extra weight and complexity. Usually shifting problems are much more prevalent in the rear than in the front since there is more of a chance for the derailleur to get knocked out of adjustment or for the cable and housing to become contaminated (or for a stick to rip the derailleur off). Just keeping your drivetrain clean and adjusted will do more to fend off breakages than eliminating the front derailleur and shifter. Plus, almost every bike made now comes with a suspension fork and a triple chainring, which means simplifying might be more expensive anyway.
If you're looking for a new bike to start out with and are on a budget, I'd recommend something like the Cannondale F7, which is around $600. It comes with a very durable parts spec for a bike in its price range and has a lot of good parts that will really make a difference. It has a suspension fork with a lockout, and Avid brand mechanical disc brakes, which are the best when it comes to inexpensive disc brakes.
If you're looking to take a step up in terms of price and performance, something like the Cannondale Trail SL 29er, coming in just under $1,000 (the website publishes a slightly inflated price). I've been riding a 29er for the last three years and have just fallen in love with the way they roll over obstacles. They do a lot to smooth out the trail compared to a traditional 26" wheeled hardtail. They are a little heavier, but the increased stability and traction more than make up for it. This bike has a lot of bang for your buck and is nice enough to last you years of hard riding.
Past that, the more you pay, the more you get, up until around the $3,500 price point. For that price you get almost all the performance of the most expensive models. Above 3,500 you're mostly paying to save weight.
Of course, one of the best ways to get into something like this (or at least make sure you'll like it) is to find a good used bike on the cheap. Ideally you're looking for a bike with disc brakes and front suspension with a lockout. Disc brakes have done more for the overall performance of the mountainbike than any other technological improvement in the last decade.
Have fun in your search and especially on the trail. Mountainbiking is really a pleasure that will also help your road riding. Hope to see you on the trail this year.
~Robbie
http://www3.cannondale.com/bikes/10/cusa/model-0FS7.html
http://www3.cannondale.com/bikes/10/cusa/model-0FS294.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)