Hermes

Each year Velodiva and I go to Deer Valley, UT for a ski week. Skiing every day for a week was always tough and each year we tried different regimes in the gym to get ready for the skiing - leg press isometrics. ad/ab machine work and etc. Last year, we were 6 weeks into our coached cycle training sessions and the skiing impact on our legs was maybe a little less than other years.

Last week we went to Deer Valley for our week and after 13 months of coached cycle training, our legs felt great the entire ski week with little impact. We skied harder with less rest then we have ever skied since we started in 1972. We would do a 1750 vertical foot black diamond run going full out the entire length and feel great at the bottom. Get on the high speed chair and do it again.

We were a little concerned about taking a week off from cycling and its impact on our fitness. Upon returning, we did a trainer workout and the legs felt pretty good. The next day we did a tough track workout and it seemed we were as strong or stronger than before.

Our coaches thought the ski week was okay to do and it would have no impact one way or the other on our cycling. They are always right. However, the cycle training has made a tremendous difference in our ability to ski every day and feel great.

Here are some pics from last weeks trip.

Here we are at the top of Hidden Treasure at Deer Valley. We are both leaning the same way. It must be the terrain.





Here are a couple of shots from the top of Empire Chair





Here is Velodiva on the initial descent down Stein’s Way.



It was a great week with perfect weather, no lift lines or crowded slopes. The temperature in the morning was in the teens rising to the low 30s. Every day was sunny. Ski conditions were groomed slopes with packed powder.

tntyz

Looks great!

John E

Skiing is expensive, definitely not complimentary.

Old School

Just consider it a week of "cross training". Seriously, aside from a broken leg there should be no impact on your cycling. Should definitely be a workout for your legs and lungs. Enjoy the slopes!

Paul Braithwait

Don't ski but my wife and I go to Switzerland for a week to celebrate our wedding aniversary (29th February!). We always go to Grindelwald at the foot of the Eiger and enjoy walking in the snow at altitude. When I get back on the bike I fly!

colorado dale

deer valley grooms the snot out of most runs so its tourist skiing not real skiing
next time plan a trip to colorado sans beaver creek and experience some real skiing

that said most bike training routines suggest a rest week every so often
so groomers or not taking a week off

will actually make you progress faster

MNBikeguy

Interesting how Coloradans define "real skiing."

The best MN has to offer is a little bump called Lutsen.
I'm thrilled to get out west once a year to Copper, Keystone and Breckenridge.

Anything working the legs has got to be helpful.

Randochap

Cross-country skiing would be better -- the perfect cross-training for cycling. Telemarking: now there's a complementary workout! Build big quads.

MNBikeguy

+1

I just started XC skiing this winter. I have horrible form and have managed to jam two fingers on some nasty falls, but what a blast, and what a workout!

Jet Travis

However, it has been reported that the bike and the skis did speak highly of each other.

MNBikeguy

But they did eventually break up as the bike wanted to climb new challenges while the ski just kept sliding downhill.......

skiph

Ex ski bum here (1968-1981)...

Went skiing again for the 1st time in about 4-5 years (CRS) about 2 weeks ago at Mt. Hood Meadows on Mt. Hood in Oregon.

Took me about 2 minutes to remember how to 'ski' (just like riding is bicycle.....).

Had a pretty good day, only fell once when stopping and kind of tipped over.

I made a comment to the guy I was skiing with (fellow cyclist) that cycling was harder than skiing.

I didn't feel over tired or have any soreness that day, but.....

The next morning, I 'discovered' a new muscle that has not been getting used cycling (see attached picture), either the rectus femoris or the satorius. It seemed to run diagonally across the top of my 'quads'. I could hardly walk up or down the spiral staircase to my basement/garage. Maybe somebody with more knowledge of muscle groups can comment. What exercise would help those muscles? Lots of stairs?

I went for the Saturday morning shop ride a couple of days later, and after the ride, the soreness was gone. I didn't seem to suffer much from going from sea level to 5000-7000 feet, so my respiratory system probably has benefited from cycling, as opposed to just sitting in front of the computer all the time.

I'm sure Velodive and Hermes might have noticed the elevation difference going from CA to Park City. I skied a couple of winters at Snowbird and used to see the tourists from 'back east' get off the tram at 11,000+ feet and have blue lips and ears, and almost fall over putting on their skis. Used to take a couple of weeks for me to acclimatize there, coming from sea level, even when I was much younger.

roadiespinner

FYI. Greg LeMond was a skier in high school, here in Reno. He took up downhill skiing to cross train. The rest is history.

cccorlew

Man, I love to downhill. Cycling sure made my skiing better. I wish i could go more often, but I just hate the drive....

Red Rider

Nice pics! I love those sweeping mountain vistas.

I don't down hill ski -- cross-country is my preferred method to play in snow. However, if you noticed a difference in your ability to ski then obviously the cycling has paid off.

Glad you had fun and didn't lose any cycling fitness on the way.

RepWI

The OPer asked, "Cycling and Skiing – Complimentary or Not??? "

For me it certainly is....

gpelpel

I would assume these muscles are the ones that work hard when out of the saddle climbing or sprinting. If you spend your riding time mostly seated you won't work them much.

I would also assume Hermes and Velodiva quite intense training had specific workouts on these muscles thus the ease they experienced while skiing compared to previous years.

XC skiing and snowshoeing are great complementary winter exercises for us riders, I would qualify downhill skiing as a mental diversion but not much of a complement.

bikegeek57

we did this as kids. not recommended for the 50+ crowd however. way too hazardous. riding with skis attached has it's perils.

Hermes

It is not that aerobic but okay strength training. The problem is you are down the mountain too fast even with 1700 to 2500 vertical feet.

I have been to Davos for a meeting and Switzerland is great. It is on our to do ski list.

We may have received some initial benefit from the altitude for a couple of days back at sea level. However, the way to get the benefit of higher altitude is with hypoxic tents https://www.hypoxico.com/home_sleep.htm.

We have skied Vail several times and Telluride. They are okay resorts but not great and the Utah snow is better. Logistics to Colorado resorts via Denver and subsequent ground transportation are okay but inferior to Salt Lake City. The back bowls of Vail and the Elk Lodge are nice but the skiing flattens out at the end.

At Deer Valley, with the conversion of the Sultan chair to express, the skiing on that mountain is perfect for advanced and expert skiers. Deer Valley grooms many slopes as does Colorado resorts and many it does not. One can choose the terrain. Off the Empire chair, one can go off the cornice and ski among the rocks and down the avalanche shoot. Not my cup of tea but I have gone down and avalanche shoot at Snow Basin doing the Olympic men's downhill course. Deer Valley is rated the number one ski resort in North America and it is superb. I get more vertical feet of skiing at Deer Valley than I ever did at Vail waiting in lift lines and the food and service are superior. And Deer Valley does not allow snow boards which is a real plus. Within the area one can ski numerous other resorts but none as good as Deer Valley, IMHO.

Taking a week off from cycling lowers performance. Our program does not take "weeks" off and either does the other coaching program I monitor from the affiliated coach from our racing club. These programs monitor energy production and modulate weekly workouts based upon rider fitness, time of year and upcoming events. My coach said we would lose some aerobic fitness but we would get it back fast.

We cross country ski as well and we have wanted to try snow blades. We thought about going to the Olympic biathlon course nearby and trying to ski and shoot. Since the weather was so nice we decided to stick with downhill. BTW, in general, one does not want big quads in endurance events. We go out of our way to do exercises during the power building phase that build strength but not bulk. Bulk is too heavy to lug up hills. At the track, big quads are a characteristic of sprinters.

Hermes

Interesting... When we started the power phase last year in October, my coach said my legs needed some more size. I spent two months in circuit weight training followed by intervals on the bike. At the track, 50% of my workout is a sprinters workout that features 110% short duration efforts standing and sitting. For example, slow rolling around the track in a big gear and then accelerate as fast as possible using maximum force.

In practice, my legs are much bigger but only slightly in maximum circumference. Where I have a significant increase in size is right above the knee in the area of the vastus medialis and the M Sarterius which used to be close to non-existent. I am not sure which part of the routine builds up the lower inside of the legs muscles.

It was the top of the quad toward the inside closer to the knee that would hurt after skiing. Like you, I would have trouble going up and down stairs. This year I did not feel my legs at all other than they would get tired but no pain.

I did not notice the altitude walking, stair climbing or skiing but I am sure we were impacted. However, as usual, the altitude affects our sleep and hydration.

Hermes

You may be right on the out of the saddle climbing and sprinting. We do a lot of out of the saddle sprinting at the track and the big ring climbing drills require a lot of out of the saddle climbing. I totally agree about downhill as a mental diversion versus a compliment. It may provide some more leg strength.

Velo Fellow

Skiing has always been such a "total" experience that I would have no trouble missing a week and then, if need be, working my cycling back up. Unless of course, you ricochet off a mogul or get hit by a whoa-dude boarder and end up fodder for the ski patrol. Personally, cycling brought me back after tearing some ligaments skiing. It was a longish road back and, if I had to choose one, I'd keep cycling.....but skiing has a grace to it and a rush that is as clutching as the pleasure found in riding. Alas, the price of lift tickets and, in California, the undependability of snow lately...even our "Sierra cement" ... keeps it a rare luxury.

PaulH

Sometimes, they can be very similar. A few years ago, I was riding home early from work because we were about to leave for a ski trip. Snow was falling fairly hard, and one of the roads on the way home, a steep downhill, was closed. I asked the police officer at the roadblock whether I could proceed, and he said yes, it was only closed to cars. The snow was a nice light powder with an ice layer at the bottom that the studs could grab, so down I went, full speed. What a rush!

The next day, I realized that it had been exactly like skiing! No lift lines, though.

Paul