But Becker, vice president of design at the fitness-tracking giant Fitbit, isnt on a mountain bike. Hes on the shockless, canary-yellow Canyon that he uses for cyclo-cross, a 30- to 60-minute race around a 1.5- to 2-mile loop filled with obstacles. You dismount your bike and carry it over logs and hurdles, a midrace challenge that the 47-year-old loves. I need a sport, he says. I think thats why I still love jumping rope and doing ladder drills. I like feeling that I can still move athletically.
Becker spends every morning reminding himself of thatand indulging what he calls his lifelong competitive streak. In addition to his daily bike commute from his home near San Franciscos Duboce Park to Fitbits Embarcadero offices, he will spin west to Golden Gate Park for intense interval work on the dirt track encircling the Polo Field. When those hot laps are done and his heart rate has returned from the red zone, he rides nearby trails to hone all those bike-handling skills.
Its a twoish-hour morning routine that takes Beckers edge off, settling him for an otherwise tame day. At home, he focuses on his wife and two daughters. On Fitbits campus, hes at his forward-thinking best, staring at stats and blueprints for new watches and device updates on a tablet screen. Its all unlike his life on his customized Canyon, which has notches on the piping so he can grip it more easily as he hurdles obstacles. This, he says, is just being in the moment.
Cyclo-cross is Beckers chance to test his athleticismand not get injured in the process. Hes dealt with injuries since his college days, when he majored in philosophy, minored in art history, and occasionally flashed an aggro side as a Cal Berkeley tennis player. After redshirting as a freshman, he eagerly awaited his sophomore season. But hed trained too hard that summer, and his shoulder basically fell apart, he says. I could no longer lift [my arm] over my head.
That ended his tennis career, but not his habit of practicing like an animal. Cyclo-cross, however, includes built-in restraints: Unlike other styles of biking,you dont need to train for hours and hours and hours, he says. You race hard, but everything before and after is pretty congenial.
So Becker rarely skips a practice session, and he did five races last year. Oh, and he had fun. Three laps into one recent five-lap event, Becker was in the lead when he accepted a shot of peppermint schnapps from a spectator. (Yes. Midway through a race.) The shot did not sit very well with his stomach, he recalls, and he slipped to third place. He didnt get upset. I still had a blast, he says proudly. When you pop endos and bunny hops on a bike every morning, its hard not to.
Break of Brawn
Can you handle Beckers hour-long speed session? Try it to improve your ability to accelerate up hills. Do this session outdoors or on a stationary bike indoors.
The 5-Minute Warmup
Spend 5 minutes warming up your lower body for the mayhem to come. Do 30 seconds of bodyweight squats, followed by 30 seconds of walking lunges and 30 seconds of planks. Repeat 3 times without stopping, then rest for 30 seconds.
The 15-Minute Bike Primer
Get on your bike and start pedaling at a relaxed pace; make sure its relaxed enough that you can have a conversation. Do this for 10 minutes. Then, for the final 5 minutes, alternate between 30-second intervals of hard pedaling (you shouldnt be able to talk) and relaxed-pace pedaling.
The 35-Minute Ladder
Alternate vigorous efforts with 2-minute recovery sequences. Battle through the program below.
- 2 Minutes Hard Effort, 2 Minutes Recovery
- 3 Minutes Hard Effort, 2 Minutes Recovery
- 4 Minutes Hard Effort, 2 Minutes Recovery
- 5 Minutes Hard Effort, 2 Minutes Recovery
- 4 Minutes Hard Effort, 2 Minutes Recovery
- 3 Minutes Hard Effort, 2 Minutes Recovery
- 2 Minutes Hard Effort, 2 Minutes Recovery
The Cooldown
Pedal lightly for 10 minutes.