Click here to read the first part with the first ten days

Day 11

When the shop calls, telle the respectful young man with the pleasant phone manners that you know your cables and housings need to be replaced but you’re going to do ti yourself later beacause you’re spending a whole month pampering you bike. Pretend the sound you hear is coughng, not laughing.

Day 12

Organize and clean your tool beanch or tool hest, if you don’t have either, go buy something, even if it’s just a generic tool box. Get two buckets while you’re at it, plus two sponges, a bagof rags and a car-washing brush. Store the sponges, rags and brush in the nested buckets.

Day 13

Buy a case od Dale’s Pale Ale -the world’s best canned beer- for your mechanic. Its artisanal blue-collar vibe will make him swoom.

Day 14

Pick up our bike today and drop off the case. Have one with the shop personnel – yes, they’ll ask, and it’s you duty. If you’re a guy, set yourself apart frol the pack by refrainning from flirtation with the foxy female mehanic while stille aknowledgig her. Women: Drop one double entendre about bottom-bracket stiffness and make a clean, classy exit.

Day 15

Detail-clean your derailleurs with degreaser.  Saw the rag back and forth through open areas in the deraileur’s structure, or use cotton swabs. Dry with a clean rag, the apply one drop of light oil to each speing or pivot.

Day 16

Clean the rims with a slightly abrasive pad, or just scrub hard with a ag soaked in dish soap – then rinse and dry.  Over time, raod spray and gunk from the brake pads coat the rim, which interferes wiht the stopping power.

Day 17

It’s Chain Day : First, check chain wear. Place the edge of a 12-inch ruler over the pin of one link. (It’s easiest on top of the chain, above the chainstay). The 12-inch ruler over mark soulf ti over another pin.  Itit doesn’t, the chain is worn, which reduces hifting efficiency and causes excess wear ont the rings and cassette; replace it. If the chain is fine, clean it: With you bike in  a workstand, grasp the chain with a cleanrag soaked in degraser as you backpedal. Then apply a drop of lube to each link as you slowlybackpedal. Wipe off excess lube so you don’t attract more dirt to your chain.

Day 18

De-grime th crankset/ Use a thooth-brush and degreaser to clean the rings, then wipe with with a drag rag. Clean between each tooth; if there’s dirt in there, it wears the chain.

Day 19

Clean the cassette. Remove the rear wheel and hold it vertically but slightly slanted so the cassette angles toward the ground; this will prevent degreaser from dripping into the freehub. Spray the cassette with degreaser and  use a shoe brush or and old toothbrush to scrub grit from between the teeth. It’s messy. Then use a screwdriver or awl to pick out weeds, string or anything else entwined around the cassette body. (Check the hollowed-out back of the body, too). Hold or set the wheel horizontally the cogs, the over the face of the cogs, fr a sparkly finish.

Day 20

Cable and housing replacement appears labrinthian, but can be groof-proof simplified if you’re willing to work slow and deliberate (thing of sloth). Loosen the pinch bolt on one brake, clip the cap off the table, then push it through the housing until the other end pops out of the lever. Pull the cable out.  Note the position f the housing (which will still be in place), then remove one piece at a time and, measuring against the new housings. Tun the end through the pinch bolt and hex it tight. For brakes, hold the arms so the pads are against the rims as you tighten the pich bolt. There’s usually enough residual slack along the cable to create clearance between the pads and rims when you let go.

Source: The big Book of cycling

Re-Opening : 6th of May 2012

You are planning to visit the Pyrenées ? Take advantage of our special offer for « OPENING » and book with the coupon code to get

20 % OFF on the room rate

Room @  46 € / night  instead  of  58 € / night

Offer available for a stay between May 6th and June 3rd 2012

Fill in this form and get immediatly the coupon code by e-mail.

Day 1

Start Off the month by giving your bike a light cleanup. This isn’t the full-on  Silkwood shower _ we’ll go to that. Fo now, use a damp cloth to remove the first layer or grime from the frame, rims, derailleurs cankarms, brakes, stem and handleblar. Wipe with a dry rag. Noàw you can touch your bike without getting filthy.

Day 2

Check the frame fro cracks. This is satisfying to do for two reasons : First, you probably won’t find any. Second: if you do so, you just saved your life, or at least one of your collarbones. Cracks usually occur nera welded areas, ot where the frame is butted. Probably the most common spot is the undersid of the down tube, just below the head tube. On carbon frames, it can be difficult to tell if you’re looking at a scratch in the clear coat or a crack in the frame. General rul : if your fingernail can catch on the blemish, it might be a crack. If you have your suspicions, go to the bike shop tomorrow for a learned opinion.

Day 3

Even if your frame checked out,  head over to the bike shop today and get everything you might need for the month :

• 2 tires
• 3 tubes,
• 2 sets of brake pads
• a set of cables
• housings for shifters and brakes
• handlebar tape
• degreaser
• Frame wax

You might no use all this, but at least you’ll have spares.

Day 4

All seatposts can bond to the frame  – take 5 minutes and avoid this disaster. Mark the hight of your seatpost with tape or a pencil, then remove it, wipe it clean and; if it’s steel or aluminium, smear a light layer od grease over the section that inside the frame. For carbon, apply a layer of carbon-prep paste, which, like regular grease, prevents the post from bonding to the frame but is gritty enough to sop the common problem of slippage.

Day 5

Inspect each tire. Deflate the tube to about half its pressure, so the tire is still shaped but pliable. Rotating the whell in the frame, manipulate the tire with your hands to expose cuts in the sidewalls or tread. If you find any that go either entirely through the tire, or are deep enough to make you anxious, replace the tire. Rule of thumb for mountain bikes tires : if 5 or more threads are ripped away, the tire is ready to fail systemically and should be replaced if you want to avoid lost of flats.

Day 6

Look at the underside of your down tube: All those disgusting black warts are road tar that was thrown up onto your bike at some point and dried there. At first pass of the rag, removing them will seem impossible. Keep soaking them with diluted degreaser or a solution of equal parts dish soap and water, and scrub hard. That’s a noble 20 minutes you just spent doing something no none but you will ever appriciate.

Day 7

It’s obvious Day : Spin the whels ans see if they’re running crooked. Hold your bike off the ground and frop it ontop its tire, listening for rattles and clinks, the pinpoint them. Thnik back to all those clunks you’ve heard on your recent rides and catalog them. Think about how your bike has felt : Sticky steering ? Loose feeling from the rear on descents ? Write everything down, the callthe bike shop and make an appointment to bring your bike in midweek to checkon those things (weekends are rush tile)

Day 8

Remove each wheel from the frame. Hold the wheel between your hands and slowly turn the axle.  If the motion feels rough or the axle seems to catch, try slightly loosening the cones inside the hub to reduce pressure on the bearings. If the axle spins smoothly, check it for looseness : Using your index finger and thumb, wiggle the axxle round; if it moves enough to cause a knocking feeling, tighten the hub or add it to your shop list.

Day 9

Scuff up your shoes today. Glazed brake shoes cause weak braking and impolite squeal. Une sandpaper, a file or an emery board to buff off the glaze and roughen up the pads.  Also pick out dirt,  grit or pieces of metal that have become embedded in the pad. If the pad has hardened so much that you can’t scratch it with your fingernail or if it’s word pas the indicator line, replace it.

Day 10

Take your bike to the shop for its appointment. While you’re there, buy 2 new matching water bootles. Never buy just one.

Any guess on what wez are going to do during the next 20 days,  Please let us knw your guess by using the comment area below.

The next 20 days will be publihed in the next article ( coming soon  )

You’ll still need to build in saddle time to condition your body to sit on a bike for longer rides, but Stewart’s focused four-week plan will lay own a solid fitness foundation for the season ahead. To stave off early-season aches and pains, warm up and cool down before after each work out, and recover for five minutes between intervals.

Heart Rate Zones and Threshold Power.

Threshold Hear Rate (T HR): Average HR power or power for a 20-minute time trial or 1-hour hard group ride.

Threshold power (T power); Average power for a 20-minute time trial minus 5% of this number.

Threshold (T) pace : 95-105% of T HR / 91-105% of T power

Active Recovery pace : <68% of  HR /<55% of T power

Endurance pace : 69-83% of T HR / 56-75% pf T ower.

Tempo pace : 84-94% of T HR / 76-90% of T power

Week 1

Monday : Off

Tuesday : 1 hour w/5 sets of 5*15-second Fast pedaling intervals

Wednesday: 1 hr. in the Active Recovery zone

Thursday 1 hr. w/3*10-min . Big Gear Tempo intervals at 50-70 rpm

Friday : 1hr in the Active Recovery zone

Saturday : 2-3 hrs in the Endurance zone

Sunday: 1hr. in the Active Recovery zone

Week 2

Monday : Off

Tuesday : 1.5 hrs. w/4 sets of 5*30-second Fast pedaling intervals

Wednesday: 1 hr. in the Active Recovery zone

Thursday 1.5 hrs. w/3*15-min . Big Gear Tempo intervals at 60-80 rpm

Friday : 1hr in the Active Recovery zone

Saturday : 3.4 hrs. Hills

Sunday: 1.5-2 hrs.  in the Active Recovery zone

Week 3

Monday : Off

Tuesday : 2 hrs. w/3 sets of 5*1min Fast pedaling intervals

Wednesday: 1 hr. in the Active Recovery zone

Thursday 2 hrs. w/2*20-min .Tempo intervals

Friday : 1hr in the Active Recovery zone

Saturday : 4.5 hrs. Hills

Sunday: 1.5-2 hrs.  in the Active Recovery zone

Week 4

Monday : Off

Tuesday : 1 hr. of easy pedaling

Wednesday: 1.5 hrs. w/5*30-sec. Fast Pedalling intervals and 1*10 -min. Tempo interval

Thursday 1hr in the Active Recovery zone

Friday : Off

Saturday : Group ride, century or hammerfest

Sunday: 1 hr.  in the Active Recovery zone

Have fun, see you soon cycling in the Pyrenees !

But initiation into a cycling group doesn’t always come easy. There are hand signals, code words and seemingly bizarre rules that were largely created for safety reasons. New riders usually pick up pack skills on the fly, through observing, trying, getting cussed at and eventually catching on.

The best way to become more confortable ridinf in group is ( not surprisingly) riding in a group. That said, there are nimber of skills and tricks you can practise to speed the process along – and ensure that you dont’ end up with a nickname like « Swerve »

Join the pack safely

Alex Stieda shares five key skills to master before jumping into a group.

Pedal smoothly. First, you need to learn to ride steady on your own. Many beginners use too low cadence, which make the bike surge forwrd with every pedal stroke – annoying and even danferous in a group. Keeping you cadence hight will also allow you to adjust to speed changes in small increments, rather than braking or all-out acceleration. To keep your pace, cahnge gears frequently to match the terrain and wind conditions. Remember: don’t look dow at your bike’s drivetrain as you shift. Practisse solo until you can do it by feel.

Get close and be predictable. Packs are most often formed of one or two lines od riderrs to maximize the wind-breaking benefits. To feel the draft, go with on or two other riders to a quiet, flat road and practise riding single file. Gently move laterally a foot or so to find the space where there is the least wind resistance. That’s the saeet spot. This position will vary depending on where you are relative to the wind, much like sailing.

Know when to pull off. In genera, the higher the wind resistance, the shorter you time leading the pack should be. In stiff head-winds you may see the front for only a second or two. On a gradual downhill, you may spend 2 minuts leadinf before you pull off. The length of a pull also depends on the ability of the rider; if you find yourself struggling to maintain the group’s speed, it’s time to drop to the back. If you’re feeling strong, you can stay up front longer – just save something for the trip home. When you’re ready to pull offre the front, le the rider behind know with a hand or a voice signal, check over your shoulder for cars, gradually pull out of line and the ease uo just enough to drift slowly to the back of the group.

Double up. Next, ride two by two, trying to get within an arm’s reach of the shoulder next to you. You should be riding near enough to carry on a conversation without those behind you hearing what you are saying – really, that close. Build to a group of 4 to 6 riders before you join a larger pack.

Look ahead. No matter where you are in the pack, ti is essential that you watch the road surface in front of the group. Those at the front should be pointing out dangerous objects coming up – holes, rocks, dogs and the like – but everyone is responsible for sharing this awareness. Gaining confidence in lifting you gaze from the wheel in front of you takes tile, but you can jump-start it by going to a grass field with a friend and riding single file to pratcise. You’ll find it’s not hard if you both ride steadily and predictabky.

1 Mind the terrain

Look for and avoid sand, rocks or cracks that could cause you to slip. After you know what the riding conditions are in a particular corner, you can slowly increase you speed each time.

2 . Apply pressure

Do all your braking before the trun. Weight distribution is critical ; To keep from sliding out, weight the front wheel by putting your hands in the drops of the handlebar with your elbows bent. Next, exert pressure with your outside hand and foot, creating angulation like you would in a ski turn. Don’t try to pedal in a corner.

3. Lean the marchine

Release thebrakes and start the turn by leaning the bike – not your body- into the turn. This can be accomplished by pushing lightly with you inside hand; some call this counter-steering. If the turn is tight of your speed increases, lean the bike farther in, and vice versa;

4. Aim for the inside

Carve a sooth arc through the apex of the turn : start at teh outside corner, near the center line. Aim toward the inside of the turn, then exit as far to the outide as possible. Do not cross the double yellow line.

5. Keep looking…

in the direction you want to go. This will help you maitain a smooth line.

6. Make your exit

As you come out of the turn, gradually straighten the bike until it’s upright, the start to pedal again.

7. Mind the rain

Painted linele covers and oily pavement become slippery in wet conditions. Wet roads exaggerate everything you do : braking while the bike is leaning will cause you to skid more easil, and sudden turning can make your wheels slip. So slow down.

To go faster

Dro your head lower and farther forward, and draw your knees and elbows in.

To increase stability

Shift your weight back, raise your chest, and pedal or, if coasting, bring your tighs in against the top tube.

Tuck and coast chen pedaling no longer benefits you

According to Bicycling’s calculations, that’s about 25mph on 5 % grade, or 40mph on a 10% grade, for a 155 pound

To slow down

Shift your weight rearward as you apply noth brakes, gradually squeezing the left lever harder to engage more front brake, which supplies most of our stopping power.

It’s fine to sit while descending, but if you hit a rought strecht of pavement or a patch of gravel

Lift your butt off the saddle. « If your’re sitting, you’re reacting to what happens – you’re on defense » says 2001 world mountain bike champion Alison Dunlap. « But you want to be on offense ».

To go dangerously fast

Pros used to drop their butts so far off the back that tehir chests lay atop the saddle. Now the technique is to move so fa forward taht your chest rests atop the handlebar, and your head acts as a wedge to part the air. Keeping your hands in the drops give you a slight chance of being able to brake, but to do the full tuck, put your hands atop the flats, under your chest. This is ridiculously unstable, ill-advised – and fast.