#CityAlps

[cityalps]

OUR SUMMER COMEBACK SCHEDULE IS OUT| Book classes now!

01-06-2021

Hi City Alpers, Pour yourself a drink, this email is a little longer than usual but it's a MUST-READ for all the exciting things to come.

The sun is shining, several of our master members have had their first ‘prik’, travel options are starting to open up...it just feels so, so good to slowly be moving beyond the 1.5m world into Summer!

Our new schedule is all about tapping into and celebrating good weather, Summer vibes and coming back stronger than ever, together. It's the comeback schedule we all need.

See new fun additions below, as well as a short explanation on the ‘why’ behind the structure.

Intensity distribution - the importance of easy days and hard (indoor) days! In the early 2000s, Dr. Stephen Seiler, an American sports scientist based in Norway, led a study to determine how elite endurance athletes train and found a remarkably consistent pattern: world-class triathletes, cyclists, Nordic skiers, rowers, runners and other endurance athletes in all parts of the world did approximately 70 to 80 percent of their training at low intensity and the remaining 20 to 30 percent at moderate and high intensities.

AT CITY ALPS, we encourage all of our athletes to use the 80/20 or 70/30 rule as a general framework in planning and executing their training, where possible (there are some exceptions to this approach for time-crunched cyclists and runners). Try to make your easy days easy and your hard days hard. And indoor classes are great for those hard days - no need to worry about traffic lights, other cyclists, traffic or bad weather - you can simply focus on your technique, the cues from your coach and the music, with zero interruptions!

So:

Think lots of time in the saddle or on the feet this Summer in zone 1 and 2 on easy out rides and runs with mates or the City Alps RIDE OR RUN CLUB as well as City Alps ENDURANCE RIDE classes

Think at least 2 or 3 indoor RIDE classes per week at moderate (zone 3, POWER RIDE Classes) and high intensities (zone 4 or 5 PEAK RIDE classes) and RUN CLUB intervals. If the class type for the day doesn't fit with your training, you can of course come anyway and just adjust your FTP for that session.

Don't forget about durability and injury prevention. Vitamin D is not your only friend this Summer! Our strength and conditioning training at City Alps is always curated with cyclists and runners in mind to build functional strength, work on any potential imbalances and strengthen your core for more stability.

We really encourage you to get some strength and conditioning work in every single week, whether in indoor RIDE & STRENGTH, outdoor MOUNTAIN FIT, outdoor weighted STRENGTH classes or outdoor and zoom CORE and BAND CAMP classes.

It will make you a lot more durable and injury proof. Durability is a quality we really believe in and focus on at City Alps, and it's part of our mission to stay #adventureready for a life time, not just now.

CLUB RIDE & LONGER (TRAIL) RUNS City Alps Club Rides and Runs are back in a big way this Summer. We will be alternating every Sunday with SUNDAY FUNDAY community out rides and runs. Kicking off this Sunday with an out-ride (we would LOVE it if you could all try join us for this first edition). For the RIDES, there will be, subject to numbers, two groups and we will always leave from City Alps. The racing snakes at 32 km/h and the cruisers at 28 km/h. We will select a route of between 80-100 kms. For the RUNS, there will be two route options - 10km or 21km and we will often try to get to the trails in and outside of Amsterdam for these. It may mean taking a train/cars to the location but all this information will be communicated to you in advance. How it will work -

You should book online in the usual way

Every Wednesday, we will send our members an email with the details for meeting up that Sunday

All details will also be communicated via our CITY ALPS CLUB whatsapp group so if you are not yet on this, please let us know so that we can add you. The group is closed for chit chat (it will only be for us to post details of meet-ups) and then on Mondays we will open it up to all members to post their ROLL CALL pictures from the weekends' micro-adventures. Excited to bring this back

We will also keep an on-going list of all Sunday meet-ups on our website if you want to  check in with what will be coming up

SUNDAY RIDE: always leaving from City Alps at 09:00. Please bring along spare tubes, your travel card, tools, water and snacks. We might stop for a quick coffee during or after the ride, depending on the route

SUNDAY RUN: our meeting location for these runs will depend on where the run leaves from. We will still aim to start running at 09:00 where ever it is so that may mean taking early public transport or driving in a car pool. We love to get to the trails (for example at Kennermerduinen, the beach, Utrechtseheuvelrug, Amsterdamse Bos etc.)

SOCIAL THURSDAY EVENING'S OUTDOOR RIDE, RUN AND/OR SWIM On Thursday evenings, the studio will be closed for Summer. We would love Thursdays to be an evening where our community gets together for a wonderfully active social evening (within, of course, the current government COVID-19 guidelines). How it will work -

Meeting time is 18:30 at Steigereiland (at Café Restaurant Vrijburcht) which is a 15 min cycle from City Alps... super easy!

Feel free to choose your activity - there is a wonderful spot to swim just in front of the cafe, or you can run in and around the eiland or Diemerpark or cycle towards Muiden or just stick to loops around Diemerpark. You may also decide to combine two of these activities in a brick session. Go solo or team up with other City Alpers for 90 minutes of movement. We will all finish off at 8pm for a drink together at the cafe

Please book for these sessions online as usual

UPCOMING 6-WEEK COMEBACK CHALLENGE ... As some of you already heard, we were planning for a 6-week indoor CLIMB LIKE A PRO ride challenge in April, which of course never went ahead due to being closed. We were waiting to open our doors again to see if the timing would still work -  but since so many people have recently told us that they are planning Summer trips soon and might not be able to commit to the full training block, we have decided to postpone this amazing program to next year April (the perfect time to train for the hills before committing to a City Alps Cycling trip). And so instead ... We will soon be launching a 6-week COMEBACK STRONGER challenge, starting 21 June. We will give you the all-time City Alps favourite 'sticker calendars' to try commit to a weekly dose of 2 indoor rides, 1 strength session and, at least, 1 outdoor endurance ride or run session. Watch this space for more details and sign ups ... COMING SOON!

[cityalps]

VIEW OUR NEW SCHEDULE AND BOOK NOW!

14-05-2021

INDOOR RIDE Sadly no coach for these training sessions as yet. But otherwise it's everything you would expect from a City Alps RIDE class: fun performance-orientated PEAK, POWER & ENDURANCE sessions, with killer tunes and fellow City Alpers to get you through it. We put up the class structure onto the big screen for you to sign into and follow along with a specially selected playlist as usual. Easy Peasy. You can also bring along your headphones and do your own RIDE if you are following a training plan at the moment. INDOOR OPEN TRAINING Feel free to use the designated strength and conditioning space for your own strength/core/mobility training. Use any of the free weights and mats available (all 1.5m distanced). All runners and cyclists should be trying to get in at least 2x S&C sessions per week! If any of the coaches are upfront, feel free to ask about the why, how and what. They would love that! OUTDOOR S&C Meet outside City Alps! This strength + conditioning class will be weighted and takes place opposite the studio. Please bring a towel, water bottle and a mat if you need one. The focus is on building that foundational strength to make you more durable and injury proof. OUTDOOR MOUNTAIN-FIT BOOTCAMP Mountain fit classes are all about muscular endurance, with a combination of strength and cardio-based movements using body weight only. Meet at the studio! These sessions are a great way to build a little mental toughness. We are all about good form and will help you progress but come prepared to push yourself a bit! OUTDOOR RUN CLUB INTERVALS This class is for all levels (you will be running the intervals at your own pace/effort and can expect to do less if you are still building up your weekly  millage). We will always start together by jogging 2-3km easy pace together to the track (starting from City Alps), then will do a dynamic warmup + run drills, before getting into the workout for the day. Easy jog back + stretch. OUTDOOR RUN CLUB HILLS OR STAIRS We all jog slowly together as a warmup (3km) from the studio to the Nesciobrug or Nemo stairs. We then do hill or stair repeats (at your own pace and intensity and the number adjusted somewhat for your current training) and then run back to the studio again nice, slow and chatty. You can be any pace - all are welcome! OUTDOOR SOCIAL SUNDAY RIDE This is a fun social City Alps Ride Club ride - 28-30km per hour. About 60km and if we are honest its mostly about the coffee at the end :) LIVE ZOOM @HOME These are short and sweet 20-30min early morning zoom classes (body weight strength, band camp and core). Start your day in the best possible way with some morning movement! For those wanting to do more training at home, we have over 150 zoom class recordings to use. We have shared this with all our monthly members. If you are not a monthly member but would like to enquire about access to this, please email us and we can figure something out.

[cityalps]

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. LET'S KEEP MOVING, TOGETHER!

15-04-2021

AFTERNOON CITY ALPS COMMUNITY A few years ago in the early stages of setting up City Alps a friend sent us a postcard with the following note:

“When everything is uncertain, anything is possible”

We thought of that note this week. It's been such a period of uncertainty: uncertainty around terraces re-opening, uncertainty around when we can open our doors, uncertainty around travel.

But rather than focus on this uncertainty, we really want our City Alpers to put all of their energy into what may be possible!  

To focus on training plans, goals and getting into the best possible shape through this last tricky period, so that we are all #adventureready for those trips, races and adventures (big and small) that may just be possible when we turn the bend.

With that focus in mind, we wanted to send an update on what’s on the schdeule (new and old) this month and a little reminder that we are still dreaming of trips, events and adventurous weekends away with our City Alps community.

NEW! OUTDOOR RIDE INTERVALS Taking our indoor ride classes, outdoors. Improve your strength, cadence, power, technique and confidence on the bike during our ride interval sessions in Diemerpark, with Stach and Thomas

1.5 hours

18:15 on Monday and Thursday

Meet at the Diemerpark side of the Nesciobrug

For all levels since you will work at your own speed

Bring a watch/timer as all intervals are time based.

BACK ON THE SCHEDULE! OUTDOOR RUN INTERVALS Running intervals are back! As a runner, it is crucial to include weekly speed intervals into your training. Improve your speed, power, technique, cadence and posture ... you will gain so much from these sessions!

1.5 hours

Wednesday's at 19:00

Meeting at City Alps

We will run to the track in Oost

For all levels since you will work at your own speed

Bring water if you need it

ONGOING OUTDOOR RUN + STRENGTH Tuesday 07:15 - Frankendael Park (meet at the kids ‘Speeltuijn’) Thursday 18:30 - Nemo Stairs (meet at the bottom of the stairs) Saturday 09:00 - Flevopark (meet at the large black artwork “Angstig konijn” by Piet Parra)

Switching between intervals of running and body weight strength work. Our sessions are designed to get you leaner, stronger and naturally more athletic. All levels of runners or walkers are welcome.

NEW! 20 - 45 MIN (LIVE ONLY) ZOOM SESSIONS Following all the positive feedback from the Rise n’ Core program, we have added some new ZOOM sessions to the schedule and have decided to only do LIVE sessions, with no recordings sent. Most of these sessions will be shorter (20-30min), quality sessions with the City Alps crew. Join and tap into that collective energy to get the CORE and STRENGTH work into your weekly training plan.

ONGOING! ON-DEMAND ZOOM CLASS RECORDINGS For all monthly paying City Alps members, you have full access to our library of over 100 past zoom class recordings (hosted on VIMEO). The beauty of this is that you can do the classes anytime, anywhere. These classes are an essential addition to your usual running and cycling training. Choose between strength, mobility, core, band camp, injury prevention and so much more. All details for access have been sent out already!

For those of you who would like full access to these classes plus the LIVE sessions, you can always purchase a monthly unlimited zoom package.

CITY ALPS CYCLE TRIP TO ITALY, JUNE 16-21 We are super excited for this training camp. There are still some spots open, with a 100% refund policy and so there is no reason NOT to sign up if you are sitting on the fence. It's going to be a vibe!

[cityalps]

CLIMB LIKE A PRO TRAINING CAMP LUCCA, ITALY | BOOK NOW

01-04-2021

CLIMB LIKE A PRO TRAINING CAMP LUCCA, ITALY 16-21 JUNE 2021

From Wednesday, 16 June to Monday, 21 June will be hosting our first City Alps training camp in Lucca, Italy. It's a trip that will follow the 6-week ‘Climb like a Pro’ training program that we hope to run in the studio in May and June before leaving the lowlands and heading to some proper climbs, with solid hill training in the legs.

WED: ARRIVAL

THURS: DAY IN THE SADDLE EXPLORING THE SURROUNDS (GUIDED)

FRI: CLIMB, CLIMB, CLIMB DAY (TACKLING THE FAMOUS CLIMB OF MONTE SERRA)

SAT: LONGER ADVENTURE DAY (GUIDED)

SUN: FREE FUN DAY

MON: DEPARTURE

YOUR NEXT STEPS Space is limited on tour and so you will have to reserve your spot asap. By April 10th, we will let you know if your booking was successful and will send you all the details for payment within 3 days. Good news is that it is a 100% cancellation fee.

[cityalps]

OUTDOOR WORKOUTS & RIDE CLUB ARE BACK!

14-03-2021

LET'S GET OUTDOORS !

3 sessions / week

Tuesday 07:30 - Frankendael Park (meet at the kids ‘Speeltuin’) Thursday 18:30 - Nemo Stairs (meet at the bottom of the stairs) Saturday 09:00 - Flevopark (meet at the large artwork “Angstig konijn” by Piet Parra) Spaced out in pods of 2, keeping the 1.5m distance. Limited numbers.

[cityalps]

JOIN| Spring into a 30-day core challenge | Cycling training camp | Sunday outrides | Wednesday bootcamp

21-02-2021

MOVING INTO MARCH!

Hello City Alpers,

It certainly feels like Spring is on its way and it's such a contrast to the icey paradise that was last Saturday and Sunday. Both weekends have been so good for the soul: to be able to get outside and spend time moving, whether it's ice-skating (or trying to ice-skate) or getting in a long easy weekend ride or run!

The current  8-week Run Stronger Program has been an absolute win, with many of our City Alps runners progressing well. Three more weeks to go till race day! Heads down and hearts open runners! We also continue with our usual ZOOM online classes and indoor City Alps @Home Ride classes.

With Spring and all the promise it holds in mind, we have a few exciting announcements and schedule updates that we wanted to share with you. All details below. A little warning for the information to follow - there are a few quick forms to fill out where you simply need to put your names down to indicate your interest in joining/signing up. In order to get things fired up again, we will need this information from you.

We are excited about the months ahead. We will turn a corner soon enough and, at some point, all those trips, races and projects that have been put on hold will become possible once again and City Alps, as an adventure-inspired community, is going to be mentally and physically ready to extract as much as possible from all that the new normal, or old normal, or normal normal, has to offer. We can not wait. #grouphug

RISE 'N CORE EARLY BIRDS! Georgia and Dayne are very excited to be sharing a 30-day Rise ‘n Core Program with you, beginning on Monday 1 March ... more details and a sign up form below!

What is Rise 'n Core ? Every weekday morning at 07:00, we will meet you on ZOOM for a live 20-minute core session. This is an opportunity to begin those healthy and rewarding morning habits, which can be so powerful in setting you up for the day ahead. If you are not a morning soul just jump right in with us and give it a go, try something new, shake things up. We (Dayne and Georgia) have started doing this ourselves every single morning and we love to end it off with an ice cold shower (cold shower is optional :)). It’s a game changer and we want to share it with you! We promise an encouraging space on ZOOM, with the birds chirping and beautiful wake-up music to slowly iron out those sleep wrinkles.

You will receive a printed calendar to track your progress and create new habits, with the usual City Alps community support and vibes. There will be no recording, so getting your daily bird sticker REALLY does mean waking up to the birds!

Who should join ? This program is supplemental to your usual training (including those on the Run Stronger Program) and is suitable for all levels.

The core impacts every human movement and activity. Standing up, sitting, bending over....and getting out of bed are all driven by your core. A stronger core means a lower risk of injury and better movement, so it's really one for all our City Alpers.

For our cyclists, you can also expect more stability in the saddle and not losing any wattage from bouncing / hopping. For our runners, it means better postural control and improved running economy.

It is important to remember that the core is made up of far more than just your abdominal muscles. It includes: the back, hip flexors, glutes and pelvis. This program  is certainly not about sculpting the perfect 6-pack.

SUMMER TRAINING CAMP IN ITALY There is an opportunity for a City Alps crew to potentially make use of one of Team Qhubeka ASSOS (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) training villas in Lucca, Italy. It's a beautiful area to train! We can race up the famous climb of Monte Serra, which Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis and Jan Ulrich used to compare their times (probably won't be too keen to compare times with that crowd - but who knows, we have some sterk City Alpers amongst us).

Team Qhubeka ASSOS is Africa’s only UCI-registered WorldTour cycling team and is the main pathway for riders from Africa hoping to ride in the pro peloton. The feeder team is based at the training villa and there may be some opportunities to train and ride with them. You can expect the usual combo of performance-focus in a fun community environment.

One of the team’s core values is the African principle of “Ubuntu” – that we cannot exist in isolation – I am because we are. And that’s pretty much spot on for who we are as a City Alps community, so we are really excited by the prospect of this little training tour and working more closely with them.

Of course, it's tricky to plan at the moment but we would love to gauge interest for a training camp like this. 

SUNDAY CLUB OUTRIDES ARE BACK, BABY! Sunday outrides are back! For those who are keen to join up with a City Alper for a Sunday outride, please do let us know. We will, of course, stick to the current COVID measures, so you will be paired with another rider looking for a buddy at a similar pace (more or less) and ride in a group of 2 as part of a bigger, spaced out 6 person team. The outrides will be between 2 to 3 hours. Once we know how many people are keen to get this going again, we will let  you know how it will work and when it will begin.

SMALL GROUP TRAINING IN FLEVOPARK We will pilot an outdoor small group, personal training body weight workout on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm in Flevopark. This is not the usual City Alps group training, but rather five 2-persons pods, led by a coach. All the stations will be spaced out (more than 2m) and the instructor will work around to provide you with your coaching cues. Each session is limited to 10 City Alpers. There will be a vibe and high-quality bootcamp-style workouts with the usual City Alps focus on runners and cyclists.

~

And finally, we just want to let all our City Alpers know that if you have class credits, we will make sure to extend your credit end date to reflect the time that we have been closed. Otherwise, please let us know if you want to convert them into zoom credits for now (you can also use them for the upcoming Rise ‘n Core program.

Sending love to you all, so so much of it!

Love Georgia and Dayne

[cityalps]

8-WEEK RUN STRONGER PROGRAM | starting 25 Jan

12-01-2021

Kick off your 2021 running goals. Join our Run Club for an 8-week program. Follow a structured weekly schedule. Get stronger, fitter and more injury-proof.

Start date: 25 January Virtual race date:  27 or 28 March

THE 8-WEEK PROGRAM INCLUDES -  21 km or 10 km 8-week structured and progressive training plan designed by City Alps run coaches (three tracks: beginner, intermediate and advanced)

1 x weekly LIVE online Strength & Conditioning and core workout, with a recording of the training session sent to those who can't join the live class

Access to quick and easy videos covering: injury-prevention, dynamic warm up routines, post-run stretching and running drills

Access to a Run Club WhatsApp group for coaches workout tips, explanations and more

Access to join the City Alps Run Club Strava group

2 x 5 km time trials (to set a bit of benchmark to see where you are at)

1 x weekly pre-recorded interval podcast run (coach in your ear, with good tunes when you need it most)

Access to City Alps running routes

Virtual 10 km or 21 km race at the end of March going onto our online leaderboard/wall of honour. For Amsterdam locals, we will provide you with the race routes

THE COURSE This is of course a virtual program for you to do in your own time in your own hood. Where and if we can, we will suggest meeting up for the time trial and perhaps for the race at the end (complying to government measures at the time).

You can expect to receive a weekly email with the schedule for the following week. This will include the interval podcast, short and quick injury prevention videos to follow as well as any other information needed for that week.

Since this program is only 8 weeks, it is not suitable for absolute beginners who are completly new to running.

€ 158 (for the full 8 weeks)

It's going to be a vibe!

Love Georgia and Dayne

[cityalps]

JOIN | The Ugly Sweater 5km Christmas Run

21-12-2020

UGLY SWEATER CHRISTMAS 5 KM FUN RUN On Thursday, 24 December at 16:30, you are all invited to join us for a virtual 5 km fun run. For those in Amsterdam, please try make your way to Oosterpark, so we can see each other on a loop or two and spread some Christmas cheer. The build-up, dynamic (read dance) warm-up and Christmas tunes will kick off at 16:30 on zoom. Once we ring the Christmas start bell, you can exit zoom on your phone and run your happy, festive Santa hearts out. Hope to see you there! For those who cant join, we would like to already wish our fun, amazing, supportive  adventure-inspired City Alps community a safe, healthy (with a little moving and grooving and deliciousness) and merry Christmas.  

DAILY ZOOM LIVE CLASSES A reminder that you can still join our SOLO MOVE FESTIVAL live (or recorded) zoom classes online. Join the festival with a full ticket or buy fast and loose zoom credits Let's keep moving and grooving!

Love Georgia and Dayne

[cityalps]

CITY ALPS TOUR DE FRIESLAND CYCLE TOUR

By Abel Brussaard (member of City Alps)

So, there we were riding in the dark on the coast 20kms north of Urk, when we had our fourth flat tire! ‘Can somebody time this’, Dayne jokingly said 20 minutes into the ride as he changed our first flat tire. 

About an hour later we had to leave Dayne and Sjoerd at Muiderburg as they would seek some more serious help (in the form of Sjoerd's partner, Ellen, with a toolkit) for the tire. A minor set-back time-wise and for the team spirit, but soon we would be making cheerful noises as Flevoland winds blew us smoothly to Lelystad. 

We left excited that morning chatting away about Georgia’s innovative sweet and savory rice rolls and cinnamon buns and cheese sandwiches. This weekend would be a huge step to getting Amstel Gold Race fit, riding to and back from Elsje’s house in Friesland. But just after high fives for reaching 100k we had a fourth flat tire. 

Our faces were red from hailstones and rain and (surely) arctic winds. The ominous invite text that we were going to ‘face whatever weather January offers us’ was echoing in my head right now. I was short of curse words but as everyone kept their cool so did I. We managed to fix the tire. The last forty minutes which seemed to take hours I felt colder than I ever remembered to be. All I could think of was the fireplace, red wine and a lot of food.

The good thing about cycling is that at a certain time you will reach your destination. And so did we (and Dayne and Kate). It didn’t take Olle very long to put the fireplace on and that evening we ate delightful Indian dishes and shared heroic stories about that day and other adventures. Of course, we slept like babies.

Sunday, we woke up to the smell of coffee surrounded by heather and forest. Weather forecasts were looking good! We stacked carbs on carbs and got ride ready. The biggest set- back was not finding kibbeling in Urk on Sunday. That is a great day. We rode steadily in formation through the sunny winters day. Adventures are good I thought, but friends to share them with is even better.

[cityalps]

THE SPINNER POWER CHRONO POWER BIKES

Taking power measurement and the indoor cycling (spinning) experience to the next level

One of the biggest decisions we had to make when starting City Alps was around identifying the best spinning / indoor cycling bike for our boutique studio.

Georgia (our head RIDE coach) has been a spinning instructor since her first year of university, so she was dispatched to different manufacturers all over the Netherlands to test various spinning / indoor cycle bike options. Her experience and ‘ride feel’ for different spinning bikes was invaluable in making the call. We also researched and debated it for a months. In the end, we selected the Spinner Chrono Power bike for the reasons below….

The sleek, sexy and durable design

Spinner bikes are built by Precor, one of the world’s premium fitness equipment producers. The bike’s frame and body panel is designed to channel sweat away from the bike, which reduces corrosion and wear (this has been really important over the Summer in some of our sweaty(er) RIDE classes!). The Spinner Chrono Power delivers an exceptional riding experience, with the promise from Precor that it will continue to do so for thousands of classes over the next few years. So our members can really build an enduring love-hate relationship with their favourite spinning bike. Its durable and we like that quality as City Alpers.  

Feel of a real road bike

The Chrono Power features a first-of-its-kind brake caliper system to ensure that the resistance is linear and consistent. This revolutionary caliper system is combined with an over-sized, perimeter-weighted flywheel that provides the same authentic ride feel of an outdoor bike. That means no dead spots and a smooth spin of the flywheel. Ultimately we train on an indoor spin bike to get stronger outside of the studio (a lot of our members are road and/or mountain cyclists). The indoor experience needs to match the outdoor feel as much as possible and the Spinner Chrono Power give us that.

Direct power measurement

The strain gauge on the Spinner Chrono Power offers the most accurate reading of watts (an accurate measure of a rider’s effort) and kilojoules (an accurate measure of the number of calories burned) on the market.  All pro cyclists track their watts and power output – it’s the simply the best measurement of performance on a bike! And that’s what we needed for our City Alpers, we want to deliver sports performance results for our members. If you train at City Alps, you are not simply spinning for the sake of it. You training for an objective. With the Spinner Chrono Power, you can track your training performance, which allows you to monitor whether you are improving and getting stronger.  

Just Get On and Ride

The SPINPower Computer Console was designed with simplicity in mind. All the information that City Alpers need (including watts, kilojoules, RPM and interval time) is clearly laid out all on one screen. The screen is also self-powered - there is need ever to supply or replace batteries in either the console or power sensor. You simply get on and start spinning!  

We are comfortable that we have chosen a spinning / indoor bike that gives our riders the best indoor cycle experience possible. Its performance orientated, durable and fun, which is sort of what City Alps is all about at the end of the day.

[cityalps]

3 REASONS WHY WE STARTED CITY ALPS

No. 1   Amsterdam  is  flat.  Really,  really  flat Georgia and I arrived in Amsterdam three years ago (from South Africa) and immediately fell in love with the city. The charm of the canals, long runs along the Amstel, the bike culture, the village feel, bitterballen, cosy brown bars...there is not much not to love about Amsterdam. The only thing that was missing for us was a little elevation and the more wild places you would typically find in South Africa. City Alps (still some disagreement who came up with the name - swear it was me) was born out of a desire to address this one drawback of an otherwise remarkable city. We really wanted to create The only Mountains in Amsterdam. No. 2   To  make  a  home  for  endurance  and  mountain  athletes Arriving in a new city without a network is always tricky. We often joke about our aggressive friend-making strategy in our first year in Amsterdam. We said “yes” to everything and anyone, and sometimes shit got a little weird. But ultimately we found our humans in Amsterdam and, as always, sport was a big part of it. We love nothing more than spending time with mates while getting a little training in together.  Community is the secret. It leads to consistency which leads to endurance and strength gains. We want City Alps to be a hub for endurance and mountain athletes to connect (even if some of their more sport-specific training is outside the studio). We will facilitate weekends away for races and events so that City Alpers can go on missions together. We help you train hard to always be  #AdventureReady. No. 3   To  make  athletic  training  fun  again The Amsterdam “boutique fitness” trend has really started to take off. There are some really incredible studios and cool concepts popping up everywhere. But we couldn’t find anything that matched our desire to train like athletes whilst still having fun in a relaxed setting. Everything seems to be too far one way or the other. You can party on a bike and do things that no real athlete has done ever or you can ride in complete silence staring at your wattage and taking life a little too seriously. We want to be something in the middle. Our classes will be fun with great music and good vibes, plus we guarantee that we’ll help you get you leaner, stronger and naturally more athletic.

Dayne at the Ultra Tour de Monte Rosa 2017 (170km, 4 day stage race) 

[cityalps]

BIKE SET-UP FOR AN INDOOR CITY ALPS RIDE CLASS

Knowing how to properly set up your Spinner®  chrono power bike is key for a fun, comfortable and effective ride. 

We will always check your bike set-up (particularly if you are new), but if at any point you start feeling any discomfort in your knees, ankles or back, please let us know! It's likely incorrect bike setup is the culprit.

Here are the three key adjustments you need to make:

 Step One: saddle height

Adjust the height of your  Spinner®  Chrono power saddle by moving it up or down until your saddle is parallel to your hip bone. Alternatively, stand to the side of the bike and next to the saddle and facing forward (towards the screen), lift your thigh until it is level with the floor at a 90°. Raise or lower the saddle until it is in line with the centre of your leg. Once seated, you can check yourself. At the proper height, there should be a 25-35 degree or a slight bend in your knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke. 

Step Two: seat fore/aft position 

Sit on the bike and hold your pedals in a position where they are level. Your forward kneecap should be directly over the ball of your foot and the pedal spindle. You don’t want your knee extending past your toes (just like with squats and lunges!).This adjustment ensures that all of your power and strength is put into the pedal.

Step Three: Handlebar Height

Position the handlebars at the height that feels comfortable. You’ll want your spine to remain neutral, neither arched or rounded, with a slight bend in your elbows (as pictured above) while your hands are resting on the handlebars. Each person’s body mechanics are different, so play around with the height and distance until you find what feels best for your body. Generally, more experienced riders usually like handlebars to be the same height as the saddle. Newer riders usually find it more comfortable to bring the handlebars up higher.

Hope this helps you on your journey to becoming a more efficient rider. :)

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10 TOP TIPS FOR THE AMSTEL GOLD CYCLE TOUR

12.08.19

This is a letter written to our City Alps cycle team, beginning their training journey for the Amstel Gold Cycle Tour in April 2020

Every City Alp’er is unique and will respond differently to training. Some of our members are able to handle higher volumes of training, while others may respond better to higher intensities. This is based on a combination of factors (like whether you have more fast-twitch or slow-twitch muscle fibres, actual or athletic age, work and other life stresses and your genes). What follows, below, is some very general advice on how to tackle the Amstel Gold Tour based on our experience and input from our RIDE instructors, with this individuality caveat in mind.  If you feel like you need or would like to arrange an individualised training program looking at your strengths and weaknesses and coming up with a long-term plan to take your training and performance to the next level, please do let us know. 

Now, in no particular order, our [10] top tips on how to prepare for the Amstel Gold (thanks for asking the question Abel!).

1. Progressive overload and consistency  

Progressive overload is a fundamental training principle. Simply put, it involves gradually ramping up the volume, intensity and frequency of your training over time. We suggest aiming for a conservative increase of no more than 10% more mileage or time at intensity per week, with one easy / recovery week after every three weeks of training.

You have to have consistency in your training in order to see returns. It’s the secret sauce. Rather do three 1-hour sessions every day than one 3-hour session on the weekend. 

2. Long weekend rides: the importance of easy, slow distance  

Your longer Rides over the weekend (or the double Sunday City Alps Ride classes) are key workouts. These need to be done at an easy, conversational pace below your anaerobic threshold. Dave’ Sullivan’s easy is going to be very different to Dave Black’s easy which will be very different to David Walter’s easy which will be very different to David Bell’s easy (shit sorry once we started on the Davids we couldn’t leave anyone out ...hopefully the point is made). You should be tired from the duration of these sessions, not the intensity.

As we get closer to the race, we will need to ramp up each week (3 hours, 3.5 hours, 4 hours, 4.5 hours, 5 hours, etc). These endurance rides needs to constitute around 80% of your weekly volume. Sadly there are no shortcuts to building that aerobic engine.

3. Include (some) Intensity 

Every week, try to include two or three City Alps RIDE classes during the week to maintain and build power, specific-leg strength and neurological control. This is the 20% that sharpens the base-building referred to above. In these classes, get comfortable with the fact that you need to do lots of climbing, (e.g. 1 to 3 minutes above 100% on 65 to 85rpm - since that simulates the climbs you will be experiencing in the Amstel Gold. Especially closer to raceday, you should be doing more race-specific training (ie power rides more towards race day, and endurance/peak more in the beginning).

4. Get saddle fit and comfortable with your bike

Something that's annoying on your weekly Ronde Hoep ride could become an absolute showstopper during the Amstel Gold. This was a great tip we picked up from a recent article about a double century (in miles), but it’s true for any long(er) race!  Get a professional bike fit if you have not had one done before and have your bike serviced (let the mechanic know that you are doing a long ride!). We are chatting to a bike mechanic and hope to arrange a group discount for all City Alpers for a winter service at the City Alps studio (for those who need it).   It's going to be a long day and comfort is crucial.

5. Get the gear

Make sure you have the right gear and that you test your clothing on long training rides. The weather is typically Dutch at that time of year and can range from 5 degrees to 25 degrees. Make sure you have a plan to keep your feel, hands and head warm. And a way to stay dry. Also, make sure you have a City Alps top. Firstly, because we want to look cool (come what may) and, secondly, because there is a shared energy in being part of a bigger group that will pull you along. Lions always try to separate the weak from the herd. Try to blend in. Or perhaps we are the lions then try join the pride. Either way, get involved! 

A little travel bum butter can go along way so (one dip) lather up before hand, and pop some more into your saddle bag for emergencies. Depending on the support you can get on the course (or not), carry your own tubes, tyre levers, pump, gas bomb.

6. Peak and Taper

In addition to our big training weekend, we plan doing our peak training ride three weekends before the Amstel Gold race. We will then taper with shorter rides over the last few weekends to ensure we are fully recovered. You can continue with one or two City Alps Rides classes each week to stay sharp and maintain leg speed. 

7. Figure Out Your Feed Plan

If you don’t eat, you will bonk (your brain feels fuzzy) and hit the wall (dead legs). On your training rides experiment to see what tastes good and sits well in your stomach so that you know exactly what to eat on race day. DO NOT CHANGE THINGS UP ON RACE DAY! You should eat primarily complex carbohydrates. Think: oat bars, sports drinks, fruit, and biscuits, broodjies are all good. Towards the end of the race, you can finish off with more fast releasing energy food like cliff blocks (if needed). You want to try to have a few different options on the taste wheel (something sweet, salty and sour). Rule is to never feel hungry or thirsty. You should be consistently taking in calories (we find that every 30min works for us - you can set a reminder for yourself here). As a general rule of thumb, 05-1g of carbs per kilo every hour and this can be through drinks, food, gels etc.

Try to find out beforehand what they will be stocking at the food stations so that you don’t have to carry all the food with you - this will make you feel more confident when you get there and have to stock up on chow. Depending on how seriously/casually you are taking this race ;) it is also important to not eat loads of carbs in the training months, you rather want to keep the carb intake low in your regular diet which will help you become leaner and will also mean that the body will start to be more economical with using carbs. From the wise words of Stach himself, “if you want to become a diesel, then stop pouring petrol in yourself”.

8. Don't forget to rest 

Work without recovery is only breaking you down. You need rest days and easy weeks!

9. Build functional stability and a strong core and flexibility

Don't forget to lift, bro. Continue to attend Lift classes. Work on building functional strength and core stability, particularly in the next few months. You can always drop the Lift classes as we get closer to race day. But strength training will make you more durable and injury proof as the training load increases and improve your performance and posture on the bike. We will also look at improving flexibility in the areas that will be working hard for a long day on the bike.

10. Find a Dutchie

On a long ride, it’s important to share the load and nothing is better than sitting on the wheel of a tall Dutchie. “I have already earmarked Marteen or Sjoerd. Find your own Dutchies, said Dayne Muller”. No but seriously, it makes a massive difference to be able to ride in a pack and conserve your energy. We will practice this a lot in our training rides together. It can make or break your ride. 

Love Dayne, Georgia, Gemma and Stach

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OUR 5 KEY WINTER TRAINING TIPS

We have felt a big change in the weather in the last few weeks. Waking up and doing our usual stroll to City Alps Alps (tea in hand) has become a little cooler, darker and often wetter. We know it’s not always easy to train in the winter and the temptation to roll over or stay on the couch seems ever stronger in Winter. 

So, to help get you through it, here are our top 5 tips to not only survive but thrive this winter season!

1. Have a goal and plan

We are busy finalising our race goals and training plan for 2020. This is partly because we are in a post-wedding world with less admin and partly by design. We have just found that setting your goals before winter and having a race goal or event post-winter is the best way to stay motivated though the winter season. So, our first (and most important tip) is to find a race or goal! It can big or small. But it needs to be something that pulls at your heart strings a little bit and captures your imagination. The City Alps cycle, run and ‘other’ 2020 events are now available. Have a look. See if there is anything in there for you.Once you have a goal, you need to come up with a structured training plan to help you achieve that goal. In Winter, you don’t necessarily want to be on the bike for 3 hours before work. You need to focus on quality training sessions. Quality, focused training whilst having fun and being distracted is what City Alps is all about.

2. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes

Get the right gear. For your outside training and longer runs / rides, but also to make the journey from your front door to City Alps as pleasant as possible. Think head, hands, feet and torso (noting that most of your body heat escapes through your head…so time to dig out the old beanie!). We promise to have coffee waiting for you. Try get here warm and dry.

3. Community and consistency

Find a community to train with. We love ours. Tap into it if you can. Join the City Alps Ride and/or Run Club WhatsApp groups. Having someone to run and cycle with is a real game changer. You are far less likely to not skip a training session if someone is waiting for you. There is a reason the Kenyans do most of their runs as a group – there is strength in the pack! Find yours and watch community lead to consistency, which ultimately leads to training gains. We cannot stress this enough: community and consistency is key!

4. Sunday fun day

If you are finding it difficult to train during the week (life or work sometimes get in the way, we totally get it!), you need to try train over the weekend. You can get going a little later, so no need to sacrifice any sleep. But you need to get some quality training in on Saturday or Sunday. We have opened two additional Ride classes on Sunday and pushed the Saturday class out by 30 minutes, with this in mind. Build in a brunch date with your City Alps friends post-class. We have showers so that you can freshen up for this :)

5. Marry the instructor

Opportunities for this one are somewhat limited at City Alps. But I have found that waking up next to an instructor is the a great way to get you out the front door. If you can get your partner to support you / join you, turn the lights on and kick you out of bed, it’s a real win! Partners that train together, stay together (we hope). 

Our recent wedding day in South Africa, October 2019

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Written By: Dayne Muller

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WHY WE USE FTP IN OUR CITY ALPS RIDE CLASSES

WTF is FTP and why is it important for cyclists?

We have been open for just over two weeks and during that time you would have heard Georgia or Stach (our epic RIDE instructors) use the term ‘FTP’ or functional threshold power. Perhaps (like a lot of our City Alpers) you have a strong cycling or triathlon background and FTP is old news for you. But for our newer riders,  the term may be a little confusing and all you know is that it’s mere mention is usually followed by a pretty intense 3-minute sufferfest. This post is aimed at breaking it down for you as well as to explain why it’s the most important metric used in our virtual ride system (called Spivi) and City Alps RIDE classes.

Simply put, FTP or functional threshold power is the average number of watts that a rider can sustain for an hour. You can increase your wattage by speeding up or adding more resistance (gears). FTP is an individual measure of an individual’s power output in watts, and a number we can track and test regularly to measure performance gains (assuming, of course, you are attending our RIDE classes regularly).

Our Spinner Chrono Power Bikes

Plus, it allows our coaches to prescribe training zones with power representing a percentage of your FTP and targeting different training adaptions. For example in our ‘Endurance Training (ET)’ RIDE classes, we work on longer endurance intervals (think the blue and green screen on our Spivi system) at about 56-75% of our FTP. While tempo and lactate threshold intervals (think the green and yellow screen on our Spivi system) fall in the 76-90% and 90-105% FTP range and are mostly geared towards sustainable power, riding efficiency and endurance gains. You will be doing these mainly in our ‘Power Training (PT)’ RIDE classes. VO2 max intervals (think the red screens on our Spivi system…and the four letter word) fall in the 106-120% FTP range and look at improving your Vo2 max - we train for this in our ‘Peak Training (PKT)’ RIDE classes. 

It’s simply the single and most important metric to have as a personal measure of your cycling fitness and to gauge your effort during class. It’s also the key number in most of the displays used in our Spivi system. 

On the Spivi System, we sometime switch to the Virtual Ride screen where you can create your own avatar and ride through areas such as the Dolomites. 

HOW DO WE TEST IT?

Most of you would have done a 3-minute FTP test in one of our RIDE classes, and the results should be around 80% of your true FTP. The more accurate measure however is the 20-minute FTP test (we will not do the hour test for now, unless specifically requested to do so). Spivi will take your average power (watts) of the 20-minute effort and will use this to calculate your FTP. 

We will set some of those up in the coming weeks to ensure that every has a solid ‘before City Alps’ or ‘day-1’ assessment of their cycling fitness – keep an eye on our schedule for details.  

The FTP test will always be pre-ceded by a gentle warm-up and our instructors will, of course, take you through the approach to the FTP test in more detail in the class. Do expect to ‘burn the ships’ taking a 20-minute FTP test though. Unfortunately there is no shortcut.  Don’t worry we will include a recovery ride after the test to flush out the lactic acid and make sure our usual Eko Pura recovery shakes are available at the end of the class.

At City Alps, you will always RIDE with a community 

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY FTP IS GOOD OR BAD?

You can convert your FTP to a power-to-weight ratio. In other words, your FTP divided by your weight in kilograms. An average newer rider with some fitness will be in the 2.0 to 3.0 range, while world-class professional cyclists will be in the 5.0 to 6.0 range. That number won’t affect your training in any way, but it’s a good way for the more competitive riders to see how they measure up. And do not stress if you have a low FTP. It’s totally trainable and we guarantee that it will improve over time if you keep attending the RIDE classes.

To sum it all up, training with and measuring FTP is all geared towards performance gains. We use our market leading Spinner Chrono Power bikes and Spivi virtual ride system to track your FTP and program your classes. It’s really is taking ‘spinning’ to the next level. But once you’ve experienced a RIDE class at City Alps, you will soon realise that we are not only all about your stats and data. We always throw in cool beats and fun vibes in a relaxed and encouraging community environment because we think it’s good for your soul (if not your FTP).

Written by: Georgia Fane Hervey

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CITY ALPS ADVENTURES 2019 / 2020

The City Alps program has been designed to ensure that all City Alpers have a level of general physical preparedness to get out there and explore when life allows. We want City Alpers to be adventure ready. That's really at the heart of what we are trying to achieve for our community. 

We have picked a few races for 2019 / 2020, with the hope that they will serve as a source of inspiration to kick start the year with an adventure or two in mind. It is by no means a closed or final list. If you have anything epic booked or an idea that’s been brewing for years, please feel free to post it on the inspiration wall in the studio or on our online City Alps community portal.

We can guarantee that tackling one of these races will be a transformative experience and will trump the more popular ‘change your body in 28 days’ stuff you often see this time of the year. That’s not to say that your body won’t change… it will, knee grazes and black toenails included.

The races will, of course, require a more individualised training program, with City Alps classes built in where appropriate. We have teamed up with knowledgeable and experienced endurance coaches to take the lead on these more tailored programs. If you are interested, please shoot us an email and we will assess where you're at, what's realistic for you and whether you meet the race requirements in certain circumstances. We will take into account your training availability and schedule, but all our programs will be a minimum of 3 months. 

The packages for our selected races, will be released after our standard membership packages in a few weeks. Once you have signed up, we will introduce you to the coach for your discipline (trail running, cycling and/or triathlon) and get the ball rolling on your training. 

Throughout the year, we will also arrange a few active weekends away and shorter missions to beautiful places… open to all City Alpers. These events are a litter ‘softer’ and you only need to train with us to be ready to join us. We will make sure you are adventure ready. 

We are super excited about the following races and events for 2019 / 2020: TRAIL RUNNING DOLOMITI EXTREME TRAIL (DTX) Three difference distances: 103K, 53K and 23K Date: 8 / 9 June 2019 http://www.dolomitiextremetrail.com/index.html We did a ski trip to the Dolomites with a few mates last year and promised that we would return in the Summer. The peaks are simply spectacular! The Dolomiti Extreme Trail (DXT) is held within a UNESCO world heritage in the Northern Italian Alps. It is a low key three-distance trail race (103K, 53K and 23K). The race begins from Val di Zoldo, within the province of Belluno, an approximately 90-minute drive north of airports in Venice and Treviso. DTX packages (limited to 10 athletes) Price: 149 Euros per month (3-month training program) until race day, includes an individualized training program and coaching from a top trail running coach (we will introduce all our instructors and coaches in the coming weeks), at least 3 City Alps classes per week (subject to your coach’s input: 1 Ride, 1 Ride&Lift and 1 Lift), a City Alps buff and race prep advice on gear, pacing and nutrition. All travel and other associated race costs are for your own account.

Mates ski trip, Dolomites 2018

LA CHOUFFE TRAIL RUN

Four difference distances: 10km, 17km, 28km, 36 km Date: 7 July 2019 We really loved this race through the Ardennes last year with our City Alps crew. It’s a trail run race with a great vibe and there is a beautiful little camping spot close to the start.

La Chouffe packages (limited to 25 athletes) Price: 149 Euros per month until race day, includes an individualized training program and coaching from a top running coach, at least 3 City Alps classes per week (subject to your coach’s input: 1 Ride, 1 Ride&Lift and 1 Lift) a City Alps buff and race prep advice on gear, pacing and nutrition. All travel and other associated race costs are for your own account.

La Chouffe Trail Run, 2019

ROAD CYCLING

TOUR DE MAASTRICHT (limited to 20 City Alpers) Date: 13, 14 April Leaving early on Saturday morning, we will catch the train to Maastricht and follow the Amstel Gold 150 km route the week before the official tour kicks off. This is a day mission. We will stop for lunch halfway and finish up with a beer or two before heading to our shared accommodation. On Sunday, we will start the day with some yoga, a healthy breakfast and a Wim Hoff ice bath workshop for those who are interested. Accommodation, The Wim Hoff workshop and food are not included in the above price. 

Tour de Maastricht, 2018

TRIATHLON: NISRAMA TRIATHLON (limited to 10 athletes) Date: 21 July 2019 A beautiful (and race organizers assure us it's the greenest) triathlon in Belgium. There are two race distances: 1000M SWIM / 42K BIKE / 18K MTB / 10K TRAIL RUN (Long Distance) 500M SWIM / 20K BIKE / 18K MTB / 5K TRAIL RUN (Short Distance) Price: 149 Euros per month until race day, includes an individualized training program and coaching from a top triathlon coach, at least 3 City Alps classes per week (subject to your coach’s input: 1 Ride, 1 Ride&Lift and 1 Lift), a City Alps buff and race prep advice on gear, pacing and nutrition. If you’re interested in joining for this one, please let us know. 

TRI-AMSTERDAM 

Date: 30 June 2019 http://www.tri.amsterdam/en/ The Amsterdam Triathlon! Take on the challenge as an individual or as a City Alps relay team for the Olympic (1.5km swim, 45 km bike and 5km run) or Middle Distance (1.9 km swim, 90 km bike and 21km run). Price: 149 Euros per month until race day, includes an individualized training program and coaching from a top triathlon coach, at least 3 City Alps classes per week (subject to your coach’s input: 1 Ride, 1 Ride&Lift and 1 Lift) ), a City Alps buff and race prep advice on gear, pacing and nutrition. If you’re interested in joining for this one, please let us know. 

Half Iron-man, Croatia, 2017

MOUNTAIN BIKING RACE TO RHODES, SOUTH AFRICA 2020 https://freedomchallenge.org.za/index.php/2015-01-17-17-56-04/rtr-race-to-rhodes The Race to Rhodes takes place in South African in early winter each year. It is a 475 km, non-stop, self-navigated mountain bike race starting in Pietermaritzburg, KZN and ending in Rhodes, Eastern Cape. Riders are allowed a maximum of 7 days to complete the ride. It follows the first 6 stages of the Freedom Trail, which was established in 2003 with the aim of opening up a fully serviced mountain bike trail running across the interior of South Africa. This is obviously a massive commitment and that's why we want to put out there early. If you’re interested, please shoot us an email and we can discuss logistics, costs and an individual program for you. For now, we would expect City Alpers who sign up for this to at least be attending two classes a week.