A letter from our Executive DirectorToday, I am reaching out to urge you to contact your elected officials and join us in demanding immediate action to enhance the safety of our streets.I want to convey Bike Easys profound concern regarding the alarming surge in hit-and-run bicycle crashes within our community. In the past 4 weeks alone, we have witnessed at least 4 such incidents in the New Orleans metro area so far, one of which tragically resulted in a fatality. As an organization committed to promoting safe and accessible bicycling in Greater New Orleans, we are deeply troubled by the devastating impact these incidents have on individuals, families, and our entire community.Hit-and-run crashes involving bicycles not only can result in tragic loss of life but also inflict profound emotional and physical trauma on victims and their loved ones. Moreover, these incidents erode trust and confidence in our streets and transportation systems, hindering efforts to promote bicycling as a safe and sustainable mode of transportation.Bike Easy recognizes the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address hit-and-run bicycle fatal crashes, and to ensure justice for victims and their families.The alarming lack of accountability regarding local traffic violence has become the norm, and as advocates, we find ourselves running out of words to express how this affects and impacts our collective efforts to make New Orleans an easy, safe, and fun place for all of us to feel safe to ride to our destinations.5 years ago, we lost 2 members of our community in an attempted hit and run on Esplanade Avenue. At the time, we mobilized in massive numbers to voice community concern, resulting in the city committing to prioritizing safety of vulnerable road users.Simultaneously, Moving New Orleans an effort to improve safety, access, and connectivity for people riding bicycles held 8 community meetings for input which lead to our Bikeway Blueprint. Then, in 2020, theComplete Streets Policy & Programwas updated.Despite the initial momentum for progress and awareness of safer streets, the enthusiasm has diminished over the years. Tragically, people continue to loose their lives or sustain serious injuries on our streets. These incidents are preventable when we work together towards a safer environment for everyone using our road: especially for those most vulnerable people walking and biking.Investing and prioritizing safer streets, protected bike lanes, and infrastructure enhancements that prioritize peoples safety, coupled with raising awareness about the importance of sharing the road safely will significantly contribute to the positive change we seek.Today, I implore you to reach out to your elected officials and demand that they take immediate action by implementing theCitys Complete Streets Policy & Programthe way it was intended and make our streets safer.Reach out to elected officials via email/call/social media:Mayor LaToya Cantrell mayor@nola.gov 504.658.4900Helena N. Moreno Councilmember At-Large helena.moreno@nola.gov 504.658.1060JP Morrell Councilmember At-Large JP.Morrell@nola.gov 504.658.1070Joseph I Giarrusso III Councilmember District A Joseph.Giarrusso@nola.gov 504.658.1010Lesli Harris Councilmember District B Lesli.Harris@nola.gov 504.658.1020Freddie King III Councilmember District C Freddie.King@nola.gov 504.658.1030Eugene J. Green Councilmember District D eugene.green@nola.gov 504.658.1040Oliver Thomas Councilmember District E Oliver.Thomas@nola.gov 504.658.1050Thank you for your attention to this critical mater.Your advocacy can make a substantial difference in creating a safer and more livable community for everyone.Allene La SpinaExecutive DirectorHow else can you support our Mission?Donate todayto help our Mission of making bicycling easy, safe, and fun for everyone in Greater New OrleansBecome a Bike Easy Member and help us achieve our MissionAttend our events

If you're a passionate cyclist or racing enthusiast, you've no doubt tasted the adrenaline rush of sprinting past the competition or the sheer joy of surpassing a personal record. Yet, the journey towards cycling success is about more than just those exhilarating moments. It requires a comprehensive and honest examination of your performance a process known as self-reflection. At Saddle Up Cycling, we've recognized the invaluable role that self-reflection plays in shaping a cyclist's progress.Harnessing Reflection for a Profound Performance EnhancementSelf-reflection is more than a cursory glance at your past races. It's a deep, introspective process that uncovers your strengths, pinpoints areas needing improvement, and helps you devise a refined approach for future races. It's about going beyond your finishing position or the readings on your bike computer to truly understand the factors that shaped your performance. This level of scrutiny can transform your racing approach, providing clarity and infusing your cycling journey with a sense of purpose.Self-reflection isn't only beneficial for identifying performance trends; it also cultivates resilience, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness. It encourages you to confront your weaknesses head-on, fostering a growth mindset that sees challenges as opportunities for improvement rather than obstacles. By honing your self-awareness, you're more equipped to manage your emotions during high-stress moments in races, enhancing your decision-making and overall performance.The Unseen Competitor: Psychological Factors in Cycling PerformanceCycling is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. Psychological factors such as mental preparedness, focus, resilience, and confidence play significant roles in shaping race outcomes. By evaluating these psychological benchmarks, you're delving into the heart of how your mental state impacts your cycling performance.This kind of evaluation helps you identify areas for improvement, such as managing race-related stress, decision-making under pressure, and maintaining focus when fatigue sets in. Understanding these factors not only enhances your racing strategy but also promotes mental health, enabling you to handle pressure situations more effectively in all aspects of life.Balancing the Scales: Evaluating Lifestyle and External StressLife doesn't stop when you hop on a bike, and external factors like work commitments, family obligations, and general life stresses can often influence your performance. Therefore, a well-rounded reflection process must consider the impacts of your lifestyle and external stresses on your race results.By understanding how your life outside the racing circuit affects your performance, you can devise strategies to better balance these elements, ensuring they contribute positively to your overall well-being and racing performance. This comprehensive evaluation promotes a healthier, more balanced approach to cycling and life in general.Creating a Personalized Path: Your Input MattersAt Saddle Up Cycling, we believe that your feedback is essential in crafting a coaching experience tailored to your unique needs. Your insights into your experiences, challenges, and observations help us shape a coaching approach designed just for you. This kind of collaboration cultivates a beneficial coaching relationship that maximizes your potential and aids in realizing your cycling ambitions.Introducing the Saddle Up Race Assessment ToolkitTo facilitate this process of self-reflection, we've developed the Saddle Up Race Reflection and Assessment Toolkit for the riders we coach. This comprehensive guide aids in the self-reflection process, assists in evaluating psychological benchmarks, assesses the impact of lifestyle choices, and encourages open, constructive feedback.By using this toolkit before and after each race, you actively invest in your continuous growth and development. You'll gain a holistic understanding of your performance, driving personal growth, refining racing strategies, and creating a mutually beneficial coaching relationship.We understand the value of having the toolkit available whenever you need it. Therefore, we offer a downloadable PDF version of the Race Reflection and Assessment Toolkit. It's handy to print off a few copies and keep them, along with a pen, in your kit bag. This ensures that you have the means for immediate post-race reflection and can quickly jot down any thoughts or feelings while they're still fresh.In summary, self-reflection empowers you to delve deeper into your cycling experiences, scrutinize your psychological and external influences, and provide meaningful feedback. This transformative process not only helps to elevate your performance but also steers you towards your cycling aspirations with Saddle Up Cycling's Race Assessment Toolkit at your side.

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Slovenian outsprinted Giulio Ciccone in the final kilometre to take over the yellow jersey from Remco Evenepoel

The aero, bizarre and eye-watering lot of expensive tech from the world's most famous gravel race

Stage 6 of the Criterium du Dauphin gave way to a very exciting summit finish. As Remco Evenepoel struggled, Primoz Roglic stormed into a brilliant victory at Le Collet d'Allevard, to take over the yellow jersey as well.The first day in the mountains was always going to be an important one, but sp...

Happy Friday! Deep Gras is in full swing and I am seeing more bikes out which always makes my heart swell.The unicorn bike is back out this season: I had the opportunity to ride with it at Oshun last week, and also used it to lead a social ride to promote the Purple Way: your safe and festive way to walk, bike & roll. I will also bring it out later today to our tabling event to promotePurple Wayat Philip St and St Charles from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Come by and say hello! We will have plenty of information about this campaign, as well as promoting ourbiking during Mardi Gras survey*which launches today!Your feedback is invaluable to our mission of making biking easy, safe, and fun for everyone in Greater New Orleans! It also gives us the tools to help advocate for improved bike safety and awareness.Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey and also share with friends, family and colleagues.Click here to fill out Survey*Please fill out by Friday, March 15

Sprinting in cycling isn't merely a surge of speed; it's a complex interplay of technique, power, and aerodynamics. Whether you're a seasoned racer or an ambitious recreational cyclist, refining your sprint can provide an exciting and rewarding challenge. In this post, we'll explore how you can enhance your power, embrace aerodynamics, and master the optimal grip positioning for a truly powerful sprint.Building Power for a Potent SprintCycling, at its heart, is about translating power into speed. Here, we'll consider how you can amplify your maximal power.HIIT: The Power BoostHigh-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a well-documented approach for improving your VO2 max and lactate threshold. These physiological improvements will enable you to generate and sustain higher power levels. An example of HIIT could be performing ten sets of 30-second full-power sprints interspersed with 30 seconds of rest. Incorporating HIIT into your training plan can lift your power output significantly.Sprinting Drills: Power in PracticePractice may not always guarantee perfection, but it undeniably leads to improvement. Regularly integrating sprint drills into your training schedule is critical to enhancing your sprinting abilities. A practical training method could involve identifying a flat stretch of road and conducting repeated 200-meter sprints. With each effort, focus on honing your technique and power output. Take note of your body position, pedal stroke efficiency, and breathing patterns. Strive to learn something from each sprint and then apply that learning to the next one. It's this iterative process that helps foster continuous improvement.Incorporating 'town sign sprints' into your training can add fun and realism to your regimen. These sprints involve choosing a predetermined landmark, such as a town sign or a particular tree, and racing towards it at full sprint power from a set distance. This provides a more real-world training scenario, replicating the competitive environment of a race where you're battling the clock and other riders.Moreover, don't be shy to add a dash of celebration to these training sprints. If you're the first to reach the town sign or your chosen landmark, why not triumphantly raise your hands? Practising this celebration can help build a positive association with winning. It allows you to pedal and experience the thrill of victory, which can boost your confidence and motivation in actual races.Remember, visualisation is a powerful tool professional athletes use across all sports. By visualising the act of winning - the sprint, the final push, the thrill of crossing the line first, and the subsequent celebration - you're conditioning your mind and body to aim for that outcome. It's a mental rehearsal that could potentially have a positive impact on your race performance.Lower Body and Stability ExercisesMany cyclists focus their training exclusively on the bike, unaware of the substantial benefits that off-bike strength training can offer. Strength training is integral to improving sprinting performance, and strength training helps develop a firm foundation that supports sustained cycling efforts and explosive sprint power. Below, we dive into some critical exercises and explain why they propel you forward more efficiently.Squats and lunges directly target the prime movers in cycling - the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. Regularly incorporating these exercises into your training can help increase your overall strength and muscular endurance, both vital for enhancing your sprinting capabilities.Squats: Squats are a compound movement that requires significant power from the legs, closely mimicking the force exerted during a cycling sprint. They help build strength in the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, translating into more powerful and efficient pedal strokes.Lunges: Lunges target similar muscle groups as squats but with an additional focus on balance and stability. They engage each leg individually, addressing any muscular imbalances that could compromise cycling performance.A strong core is the linchpin of efficient power transfer on the bike. It offers stability, ensuring that your legs' power is efficiently directed into turning the pedals rather than being wasted through excessive upper body movement.Deadlifts: Despite being commonly categorised as a lower body exercise, deadlifts also engage your core muscles. This exercise helps develop the posterior chain (the muscles along the back of your body), improving your posture and stability on the bike, which is crucial during high-intensity efforts such as sprinting.Planks: Planks are one of the most effective exercises for building core strength. A solid core helps you maintain an optimal cycling position, reducing the energy cost of each ride. In the context of a sprint, a strong core allows for maximum power transfer from your body to the pedals.Balancing Strength Training and CyclingRemember, strength training aims to complement your cycling, not detract from it. Aim for two to three strength workouts per week, ideally on the same day as your more challenging bike workouts, to allow for proper recovery. Also, focus on functional movements that directly translate to better cycling performance.In conclusion, strength training is undeniably crucial in developing the power needed for effective sprinting. By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you're enhancing your sprint performance and fortifying your body against potential injuries. Off-bike training, while often overlooked, is genuinely an unseen hero in the quest for better sprinting power.Mastering the Hold: The Bar Position During SprintHandlebar positioning can significantly impact both your control and the energy you can deploy during a sprint. The drops, the lower part of the handlebars, are the go-to spot during the sprint. Here's why:Aerodynamics: Slicing the WindWhen you descend into the drops, your body assumes a more compact profile, reducing the area the wind can push against. This drop in wind resistance is crucial during a sprint, where every bit of energy saved can be converted into speed.Control and Stability: Maintaining Your LineWith your hands on the drops, you'll find that your bike is more stable and controllable during high-speed efforts. This is because the lower hand position lowers your centre of gravity and provides a broader grip for control. This added stability means that more of your energy is translated into forward motion instead of being lost to correcting wobbles or steering deviations.Power Transfer: Optimising Each Pedal StrokeWhen sprinting, having your hands on the drops gives you something to pull against, adding to the downward force you can apply on each pedal stroke. This enables a more forceful and effective power transfer, ensuring that every bit of your effort is channelled into propelling you forward.Gear SelectionGear selection and cadence are critical aspects of an effective sprint in cycling. They play a pivotal role in managing your energy output and maintaining optimal power throughout your sprint.Before we delve into the specifics, it's essential to understand that cadence refers to the speed at which a cyclist pedals, usually measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). On the other hand, gear selection refers to the cyclist's choice of gear ratios, which can either make pedalling harder (higher gear) or easier (lower gear), thus impacting the bike's cadence and speed.In a sprint, the goal is to find the sweet spot between gear selection and cadence that allows you to generate the most power without exhausting yourself too quickly. This often means starting the sprint with slightly higher gear than what you'd use for regular riding and at a higher cadence. The reason is a higher gear will provide more resistance, allowing for greater power output. And the high cadence ensures that you're turning the pedals quickly, thus generating the speed needed for the sprint.Now, the question arises - is it a good idea to change gears during a sprint?Ideally, you want to avoid changing gears in the middle of a sprint. This is because changing gears can cause a momentary disruption in power output, which can affect your speed. Plus, shifting under high load can be hard on your equipment and may even lead to mechanical issues.However, situations might arise where a mid-sprint gear change is necessary. For instance, if you find that your cadence is too high and you're spinning out, or if the sprint is uphill and you're struggling to maintain your power output, a gear change may be required. If you must change gears, try doing so smoothly and quickly to minimize disruption.Remember, mastering the interaction between gear selection and cadence during a sprint takes practice. Over time, you'll develop a feel for what gear and cadence combination works best for your sprinting style and the specific race conditions. Paying attention to these factors and experimenting during your training can help you unlock new levels of speed and efficiency in your sprints.ConclusionPerfecting your cycling sprint is akin to conducting a symphony, where each component is critical in creating a harmonious performance. It's not merely about raw strength but involves a nuanced combination of power, technique, body positioning, aerodynamics, and equipment choices.One should remember that enhancing your sprint is a gradual process that won't happen overnight. It requires consistent training and patient dedication to the cause. As you consistently engage in sprint drills, invest time in strength training, and refine your technique, you'll gradually see improvements in your sprinting capabilities.In the cycling world, every second counts, and so does every slight improvement. Celebrate these incremental victories. They may range from an extra second shaved off your sprint time, better control of your bike at high speeds, or even something as simple as a more comfortable grip on the drops during a sprint.While competing against others and pushing yourself to the limit in a sprint can be exhilarating, remember to also compete against yourself. Becoming a better cyclist than you were yesterday can foster a healthy competitive spirit. With this mindset, you will see improvements in your sprint and enjoy the broader journey of personal growth that cycling promotes.Beyond the thrill of sprinting, let's not forget the holistic joy cycling brings. The sense of freedom as you glide through the countryside, the connection with nature that a quiet ride provides, and the importance of camaraderie among cyclists are all part of the sport's unique charm. At Saddle Up Cycling, we encourage you to pursue your sprinting ambitions while Optimising the simple pleasure of riding a bike.Remember, the journey to sprinting success is paved with patience, determination, and a profound love for cycling. So, gear up, keep Optimising, and never stop challenging yourself. Be it a local race or a personal endurance test, remember that every pedal stroke brings you one step closer to your goal. We wish you happy sprinting, many victorious finishes, and a delightful ride!

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