Propel Bike Coaching and Fitting p/b Matt Larson

Hey everybody - just wanted to remind you that I'll be back in the Bay Area and working from Feb 20 - 24. I've already got many appointments filled, but still have availability for: Saturday (Feb 22) afternoon, anytime Sunday (Feb 23) or Monday (Feb 24) before 6 p.m. Please contact me by e-mail to schedule your bike fit, LT test, or coaching session!

Schedule your end-of-season Bike Fit and Performance Testing now

Appointments are available:
Dec 1 – 4
Dec 28 – Jan 2
Call or email to schedule yours

After moving my home base to Bellingham, Washington, I continue to serve Bay Area athletes in person semi-monthly at the Oak Grove Bicycle Performance Center. Coaching services continue to be offered ongoing via phone and email.

I look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure the best fit on your bike, keep your performance numbers current, and coach you to a new season of success in 2020!

It is truly the end of an era. I watched and listened to Paul Sherwen comment on the Tour de France starting in 1993 and have enjoyed his commentary on this and many other races ever since. Sad day indeed:

Paul Sherwen, NBC Sports cycling analyst, dies at 62 NBC Sports cyclist analyst Paul Sherwen, one of the most well-known voices in the sport after being involved with 40 Tours de France, died on Sunday at 62.

Just to underscore my previous post, here’s a pic from my home. Aside from the blood red sun, what’s missing here is a view of my neighbors homes, which are normally quite visible.....but today are completely obscured by smoke.

Looks like this morning’s smoke is the worst since the fire started one week ago. (I check several weather websites, and their metrics match how it looks and smells outside). I know this is a frustrating time for all of us cyclists, but I strongly encourage you to avoid riding (or running) outside until this smoke decreases due to the significant respiratory risks of exerting oneself in smoke.

Good options are all indoors: riding your trainer, yoga class, doing a really good stretching and rolling session.

As always, think about the long-term impacts of anything you do, and weigh your actions accordingly.

FYI: smoke is predicted to start decreasing significantly on Saturday. To see current smoke ratings, go to: www.weatherbug.com and type in your location.

Coach

Current Weather Forecasts, Live Radar Maps & News | WeatherBug Want to know what the weather is now? Check out our current live radar and weather forecasts to help plan your day

Here's a true blast from the past....the other day at work, I saw this bike sitting in front of the shop, an old Schwinn Continental in baby blue. I was flooded with nostalgia, as this was my first 10-speed bike......probably around 1970 or 71.

Out of curiosity, I weighed the bike.....37 pounds of American steel. While I loved the freedom this bike offered me as a kid, I do remember it being on the heavy side. Of course, it rolled amazingly well, particularly on downhills. 😉

What was your first bike? Any pictures??

Rode the Diablo Challenge yesterday with my friend's 13 year old, Sam. Sam was aiming for a new PR (sub 1:30). He's ridden to the summit about 10 times in his life (first time at age 11!!), and did the Challenge last year for the first time. He got a new road bike this year (on which I fit him) and has been riding regularly. I agreed to "coach" him up to the summit riding along with him, and shielding him from the wind.

We had an almost perfect warm up, easy registration, and arrived at the start line one minute before the bell. We were in Wave 8, and immediately started passing people (which is always encouraging). We made it to the Junction in slightly less than 46 minutes, and I wasn't sure that we were going to break his goal time.

Amazingly, he had a significant negative split to the Summit (about 41:40) for a completion time of 1:27:30.....a new PR. Not only that, Sam won his category (boys 11-13 years old)!! The wind played a role.....with some significant gusts (mostly cross or headwinds), but then, miraculously, provided a bit of tailwind on the Juniper and Devils Elbow sections.

It was extremely fun and gratifying to help the next generation of performance cyclists to meet their goals. Given Sam's age and his already significant abilities, I just hope I'm able to keep up with HIM next year 🤣

P.S. The guy with the basketball and jersey rode his UNICYCLE to the summit.......while dribbling a basketball!! Turns out he's the national champion of Basketball Unicycling. Clearly, there's a sport for EVERYONE!!