Bissell Training Camp - Day 5

Over the past few days Team Bissell has had Bill Peterson from Foot Fitness work with our bike positions. At first, I did not know what to expect since I already felt "comfortable" on the bike. Even when asked about problems, I initially responded with "none." In hindsight, I replied "none" because all of the knee and back pains that I did have I attributed to fatigue or a lack of core strength. But as it turns out, there is a morphological reason for both. So, I now know that my left foot pronates pretty far, and that as I put power into the pedal, my foot flattens out and twists my leg and does all sorts of not-so-good things to my back. Additionally, my left foot turns in 2 degrees while my right foot points straight forward. So Bill then fixed my Speedplay Zero cleats on my new DMT Radial shoes to exactly the position that my feet needed. Another thing that Bill is working on is a custom footbed that will eliminate my pronation. That should straighten out my back and put an end to the pain that I thought was caused by lack of core strength. I'll keep you posted on that once it arrives.

After the bike fitting, we ventured off to Cavedale to get a nice effort in for the day. It was a beautiful ride over Bennette Valley and over Cavedale. We also were graced with the presence of Santa Rosa's Italian Cycling connection, Giampaolo Peces from the Riviera Ristorante.

Here is a picture Mr. Paul Mach. He is enjoying an EFS Peanutbutter Chocolate Chip energy bar. Those who know me know that I am a peanut butter fanatic and can vouch for the tastiness of their bars.



After getting back from the ride it was time for some interviews with the local TV stations. Here is BJM talking about why Santa Rosa makes a great place to have training camp. I can sum it up in a few words though... short sleeves and shorts in January!!! Oh yeah, and the great roads, scenic trails, and cycling friendly city.


Afterwards we went for a ride to Occidental with our sponsors. It was really nice to get to meet the people that make the team possible. But what really stood out was that fact that their companies are involved with the sport because of the healthy lifestyles associated with cycling. Mark Bissell explained that Bissell is a huge believer in healthy living, which is what their vacuum cleaners and other cleaning appliances do for us. They help make our homes cleaner and thus healthier to live in. Advantage Benefits also believes in healthy living since they work with healthcare for corporations and have first hand knowlege of the financial benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Gita also believes in healthy lifestyles and promotes it by importing top of the line sporting goods such as our frames, components, saddles, stems, bars, shoes, and clothing. Wynalda Litho also, believes in promoting healthy lifestyles. You may have never heard of them before, but I gaurentee you have purchased their products hundreds of times in your lifetime. Their primary product is packaging for movies. So look at your DVD collection and most of that you see (besides the disk) is thiers. Kellogs is slo kicking in healthy foods such as cereals and Nutragrain bars. Once again, healthy lifestyles!

After the ride was some good food. First Endurance Ultragen recovery drink, fruit, sandwiches, and Kellogs Nutragrain bars.

Tomorrow will be another day of eating, riding, media-ing, and other fun stuff!