Featured Bike Fitter

- 1988 Tour de France Feminin finisher
- Two-time stage winner at Ore-Ida (aka Hewlett-Packard Stage Race, Idaho)
- 1989-1991 National Collegiate Champion-Road, Criterium & Team Time Trial
- Coach of the University of Colorado cycling team for several national championships during the 1990s
- Riding my 1988 Weight Watchers team bike -all the way through the 1990s- 7 speeds & down tube shifters
- Fall of 2003, I got back into riding my road bike, after shattering my lower leg in a bike accident earlier that spring.

I spend most of my time working as a clinician, treating and educating members of the cycling community. I do this in two ways: First, as a PT (I think you are now a DPT?!? Congrats by the way on your recent doctorate!) at the University of Colorado, I work with many talented club sport athletes on the CU cycling and triathlon teams. In Colorado, physical therapists are able to evaluate and treat patients in a "direct-access" model. At CU Boulder, we have a musculoskeletal injury clinic, which is free to every student, where individuals can come to a physical therapist for an examination, and are then evaluated and directed to the care they need: whether it's a home program of specific exercises, or referral to an orthopedist, or to physical therapy for further treatment. Part of the physical therapy treatment that we do at our Sports Medicine clinic includes exercise, manual therapy, and of course, the right bike fit.

In my private practice, Integrated Cycle Fit, I see cyclists and multi-sport athletes in the context of a bike fit. Many of my clients have bike-fit related musculoskeletal complaints, like neck, back, arm, or leg pain, numbness, often in the feet, but also in the hands. During an Integrated Cycle Fit, I take a thorough history, screening for medical red flags, and then perform a biomechanical examination, assessing flexibility and strength, lower limb/pelvic asymmetry, and foot mechanics. As a former elite cyclist and former coach, I also consider the client's training and experience - this information is essential.

"Evidence-based practice" is big in medicine and physical therapy. It applies to making clinical decisions. Defined by D.L. Sackett, evidence-based practice has three components: is the judicious use of the current, best scientific evidence, combined with patient's values and the clinician's experience. As a PT, I strive to integrate all three components into my clinical practice, Integrated Cycle Fit.

I started with the Fit Kit, in 1983, when I worked at The Bicycle Exchange in Arlington, VA.

I've always been interested in biomechanics: as an injured high-school cross-country runner, I learned how the foot can affect the knee. When I was at the Olympic Training Center cycling camps during '86 and '87, I was really amazed at how the coaches could look at the riders and recommend changes in position. I got injured in 1988, from doing too many biomechanical changes in a short period - switching to longer cranks, raising my seat, getting two different bikes from our team sponsor, and riding big miles. I've learned to live lessons about training and balance...

Yes, I see this frequently. Cycling is so much more forgiving on the joints (assuming proper technique and bike fit!)

I remember them being called "Big Meat" wedges. I started trying them out because I was doing orthotics in my PT practice, and have always been interested in the body's regional interdependence - especially when it comes to the foot and the knee. Once I found out about the wedges, and realized that there is a simple, efficient way to post the forefoot, and also to correct for leg length discrepancies, I was really excited, and began to use them.

Sure. Regional interdependence is used to describe the concept that body parts work together, and a change in one seemingly unrelated body part can contribute to, or be associated with, the function in another. A direct example, one that follows a biomechanical chain, is how a foot that moves excessively into pronation can contribute to having the thigh rotate inward during part of the pedal stroke. This change, in turn, can create stress on the knee. For further reading, there's a current editorial on regional interdependence in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Orthopedics and Sports Physical Therapy, by four leaders in evidence-based physical therapy practice.

I really like the goniometer that you market - especially the color-coded zones. It makes the concepts easy for some clients to understand. The manual has been helpful for me, too. I've turned many of my professional colleagues in physical therapy on to your Bicycle Fitting System, because it provides a good framework to get started.

My clients range from beginners to professionals. The mix of women/men is about 50/50, which is very exciting. Over the years, I've worked closely with the Boulder Triathlon Club and the Title 9 Women's Cycling Club, as well as members of the CU cycling and Triathlon Clubs, and recently the TIAA-CREF/5280 team, coached by Ben Turner. You really give back, very cool.

Coaching the CU cycling team to the several national championships was so incredibly rewarding! Riding for the US team in the 1988 Tour de France Féminin is up there. Winning the team time trial in the Ore-Ida Women's Challenge is one of my cycling career highlights. It was Karen Bliss, Liz Larsen, Jeannie Golay and me - we were the underdogs, going up against the powerhouse of the 7-11 team, and that year they had Rebecca Twigg and Inga Thomson...we rode our hearts out, and took the win!

Actually, a few stand out... In high school, my track coach was Mr. Tom McNichol. He talked about never giving in to mediocrity. Colin Hearth from Ontario was my first cycling coach - he taught me how to do intervals, and I still use this framework in my cycling. When I rode for Weight Watchers, Mark White was our team manager, soigneur, (SPPPP), coach and friend. He was tireless in his commitment to the team, and always took care of us... Several folks from the Olympic Training Center made a difference in my cycling. It was a really special time in cycling during the late 80's - many of us young cyclists had the privilege to live and breathe cycling while at the OTC. Hey, weren't we there at the same time? I think so! Yes, we were. Thanks for mentioning that :-) Anyways, at the OTC, we had training camps for three months during winters, with riders from all over the country. Some of the camps were selection camps for international races. We went though this amazing experience at the OTC - I got to work with Lisa Gundersen, who is now a physician assistant, who always went the extra mile for the girls. I had the chance to observe the great Eddie B in action at the OTC - he was working with the men's camps, but we all had meetings together. I remember Walter Gobiewski, another coach from Eddie's homeland of Poland, saying, one snowy, February day, as the route on CO Highway 115 South was detailed, "This is not a race... but the first three riders go to Tour of Texas."

Hmmmmmmmmm...I've had the privilege of working with over a thousand cyclists - it's hard to just pick one out. I get a lot out of working with people, which is why I don't overbook my practice. I've thought to myself, "Hey, I could do five or more fits a day for most days of the year - that would be really profitable." But there's a trade-off: my energy would get diluted. There's something about the personal connection with people that money just can't buy. Lucky for your clients!

Some of my favorite clients are "newbies" who come to the sport with such enthusiasm and excitement - they have so much to learn and have included me in their journey. I also like to work with older riders who can see the big picture, with a bike fit as part of a larger process. It's neat to work with people and have them understand the interdependence of their bike, their unique biomechanics, fitness level and riding experience.

How 'bout Twigg and Carpenter, Thompson, Canins, Longo, Zack (Endestad), Bankitis-Davis...? OK, I'm dating myself! Greg and Lance have both done so much for our sport in this country - I have so much respect for them both. I should have thought about this question after some of your comments above. I guess I deserve this one but you are right, and again I am glad we are getting a woman's perspective.

Remember, we've all been beginners at one point. Don't be afraid to make mistakes - lessons lived are lessons learned. Get a good foundation of base training at the beginning of each season. Well said.

Less is more - when it comes to making changes, the body takes time to adapt.

"Nothing of greatness is ever achieved without great passion" - Hegel, and "Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Ghandi

A way to avoid saddle sores would be really great.

Professionally, I'll probably start studying for the Orthopedic Clinical Specialist exam some time next year... As an age-group recreational multi-sport athlete, I am committed to bettering my swim and run times. I'm moving up an age group category, but it's still going to be a huge challenge to crack into the top ten in the Boulder Peak Triathlon this year.

Besides working and training, and spending time with family and friends, music plays a big part in my life. There was a while a few years ago that I was addicted to playing the mandolin. Now I spend my time equally between mandolin, fiddle, and guitar. This winter, I'll be booking and marketing the High Street Concert Series here in Lyons, CO. We bring in nationally-recognized acoustic musicians, and the venue is a great listening space. The Denver Post recently called Lyons "The Bluegrass Mecca of Colorado", and they're right. This is a great community for the cyclist, the hiker, and the acoustic musician, and so I'll also be playing lots of Irish and Bluegrass music - a few gigs, and lots of just good old jamming!

Thanks, Paul, for having me as your Featured Fitter. I hope to see you at the SICI* this winter.