Kenzie Wade is no stranger to the ‘pain cave’. With years of competitive downhill racing under her belt, she’s logged hundreds of hours physically and mentally preparing herself to race against the fastest female riders in Canada. Kenzie might be familiar with long hours on the bike, pushing through barriers, but one thing she has never had at her disposal is a good indoor trainer. Our new segment “Kenzie’s Pain Cave’ follows Kenzie’s latest challenge- rehabbing past injuries while preparing for a 2018 race season with the help of her new Kinetic Rock N Roll Smart trainer.
Kenzie Currently lives in Golden, British Columbia, where she works as an RMT. Kenzie and her partner were long-time residents of Squamish until 2017, and the change was profound.
“Our first winter in Golden was eye-opening. We got snow in the Sea to Sky corridor, but nothing like this. You can’t just drive down the road an get away from the snow, you have to learn to live with it.”
-Kenzie Wade
Living in the mecca of downhill mountain biking, Kenzie quickly became more invested in the sport, and started racing in 2012. She raced successfully for several years before a neck injury took her off the race scene. The road to recovery was a difficult one, and Kenzie’s barriers were mental as much as physical.
“My injury spooked me off the bike. I just didn’t’ feel comfortable any more at the speeds involved in competitive downhill racing. Soon the bike felt alien and the problem worsened. There were times where I didn’t see myself getting back on my mountain bike at all.”
-Kenzie Wade
It’s hard to live in the Pacific Northwest and not be inspired by the huge number of female riders pushing the limits of our sport. After a brief hiatus of ultra-distance trailrunning, Kenzie was drawn back to her mountain biking roots. Tentative first pedal strokes reminded her just how much fun mountain biking was, and her competitive spirit drove her on.
“In late 2015 I went back to riding my bike. I was very timid and could barely muster the bravery to get down the easiest trails at first. In 2016 I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and race Hot on Your Heels, an all-women’s Enduro race in Squamish. My love of bikes came back immediately.”
-Kenzie Wade
Her confidence returned, Kenzie picked up where she left off before her injury. Her training consisted of long rides around the forested mountains of the Squamish Valley aboard her Norco Range, complimented by trail-running and road cycling. The long summers and mild winters of the coast allowed Kenzie to train outdoors year-round, but the move to Golden put a snowy stop to that. Since moving to Golden, Kenzie’s training efforts have focussed more on injury rehabilitation than endurance-building. The need for a long-term solution was clear.
Enter the Kinetic Rock and Roll Smart trainer. The Rock and Roll is the ideal tool for mountain bike athletes- it’s rocking mechanism allows the rider to work on sprinting and out-of-the-saddle efforts in a way that no other stationary trainer can.
“The Rock and Roll is awesome! Mountain bike racing, Enduro and downhill especially, are so dependant on core and shoulder muscles. The Rock and Roll can rock 15 degrees either direction, meaning that I can work on sprints and standing power as well as seated endurance.”
-Kenzie Wade
Being a trainer neophyte, Kenzie was concerned about the difficulty of setting up the Rock and Roll, pairing it with Zwift, and finding a good training regimen. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be sharing Kenzie’s progress, setup and training tips, and you can follow along as she prepares for her best race season yet!