articole - 4

Fenomenul downshifting - sau "dincolo" de top management
de Aurora Liiceanu


Downshifting-ul s-a nascut din refuzul al societatii occidentale (care de fapt este o expresie postmaterialista) de a nu deveni sclavul valorilor materiale si de a-ti consuma toata existenta alergind dupa bani, dupa o pozitie ierarhica. Downshifting-ul inseamna refuzul de a intra intr-o anume inregimentare (prin dresaj), refuzul pozitiei, refuzul salariilor mari etc. Ideea de baza este ca de fapt calitatea vietii individului, care este data nu de felul in care se pozitioneaza el din punct de vedere material -nu iti trebuie atit de multi bani ca sa poti sa fi fericit, multumit in viata -, ci de faptul ca poti profita, sa zicem inteligent, de timpul pe care il ai de trait, astfel incit sa nu devii un sclav al muncii. Prin urmare, e vorba de o etica a muncii.



Downshifting-ul nu poate fi la noi, pentru ca noi sintem o societate care am demarat dupa '90 in plin materialism grosolan si exagerat, in care banul si acumularea de bunuri materiale este o dominanta a vietii.Toata lumea priveste cu admiratie si invidie desfasurarea cursei achizitiilor materiale, lucru care in strainatate a inceput sa fie pus sub semnul intrebarii. Din aceasta perspectiva un om din est (din tarile postcomuniste) o sa fie mai bine imbracat decit unul din vest, o sa isi doreasca o masina mai buna, o sa fie, cum se spune, victima societatii de consum intr-un mod cu totul necritic, o sa-si ia tot ce este mai scump si o sa o faca ostentativ si in mod excesiv.

Deci noi, in momentul de fata, sintem o societate cu valori materialist - excesive, spre deosebire de cealalta societate, in care oamenii profita de tot ce este modernitate pentru a spori confortul vietii, dar si calitatea ei.



Eu cred ca nivelul de la care pornesc ei este mult mai inalt decit al nostru. Adica ei nu au o populatie care supravietuieste ca la noi si aceasta conditie bazala, minima pentru a trai relativ decent este realizata cam la toate categoriile sociale. Faptul ca exista oameni care stau pe strada, sau care refuza sa intre in alt tip de inregimentare, in aceasta ordine a vietii, tine si de o patologie sociala care este legata de postmodernism, nu tine de saracie, pentru ca in strainatate abundenta de lucruri materiale fac sa existe o anumita satietate. Cu alte cuvinte, cu doua perechi de blugi si cu zece maiouri poti traversa o vara. Noi cred ca sintem intr-o perioada in care a inceput sa se vada aceasta adictie de shopping, care tine de centrarea de materialism, prin manipularea sau si prin manipularea data de publicitate, care indeamna necritic catre consumerism.



Asta nu inseamna ca la ei nu exista asa ceva, insa sint mult mai potoliti si ceea ce este interesant este aparitia acestui curent critic ca schimbare a stilului de viata. La noi nu exista deloc o atitudine critica, ba dimpotriva, cum am mai spus, este vorba de invidie si chiar o rautate de a scotoci, sa vezi cit si-a mai luat, cite vile si-a luat, cum e vila etc. Exista o dorinta evidenta a unora de a fi invidiati pentru bunastarea lor materiala excesiva pe care ei

o coreleaza cu reusita sociala sau cu reusita existentiala. Numarul, cantitatea conteazã, si pretul.



In general downshifting-ul pune accentul asupra unei idei importante: exista si alte laturi ale vietii care sint importante si pe care le poti realiza daca ai bani, dar nu neaparat foarte multi bani: relatiile, prietenii, placerea de a sta la ora 11 dimineata pe malul unui riu, sau trezitul de dimineata la ora 10, cu gazeta in pat etc.



Vedem o graba teribila a tinerei generatii de alerga dupã bani si de a uita sa traiasca. Pentru ca sa ilustrez acest lucru am gasit un text foarte critic, in care un specialist in marketing se refera la ce se intimpla la noi in Romania:"am vazut fete care, atunci cind s-au angajat in agentie, erau ca niste mere sanatoase din care iti venea sa musti cu pofta; astazi sint niste scovergi iradiate de computer. Oricum, ar gasi cu greu un barbat la ora la care pleaca de la birou si daca ar apela la solutia cea mai la indemana, un coleg de birou, tot nu ar plesni-o: e cunoscut faptul ca stresul cauzeaza sterilitate masculina.Probabil ca la ora la care scriu aceste rinduri ele se afla

tot la birou bibilind un mediaplan sau pregatind press release-ul unui client isteric si mitocan care nici macar nu stie sa spuna "multumesc". Pentru si! mplul motiv ca "doar te platesc, nu?" In nici un loc, sau meserie, densitatea de impostori pe metru patrat nu e mai mare ca in marketing si publicitate.



E interesant ca mai mult este afectata partea feminina, pentru ca, daca inainte exista acest stereotip - cind ai o fata este bine sa intre in invatamint (invatamintul a fost totdeauna feminizat, pentru iti permite sa mai cresti un copil, sa mai faci o mincare, sa mai stai pe acasa si sa ai timp pentru datoriile de femeie, care trebuie sa tina si o casa), astazi, este ciudat pentru ca nu se mai intimpla, fetele nu se mai fac deloc profesoare - intra in jurnalism, daca au noroc lucreaza la televiziuni -, iar cele care mai exista se duc mai degraba la gradinite particulare pentru bani mai multi. Deci, majoritatea intra in jurnalism si in marketing, profesii extrem de consumatoare de timp, extrem de mobile si de dinamice, la care salariile pot fi substantiale, dar daca stai sa te gindesti mai atent iti dai seama ca de fapt sint foarte prost platite pentru cit de rar dai pe acasa.



De ce a aparut downshiftingul? Pentru ca este vorba de manipulare, de o anume conditionare in privinta statutului de consumator. Se zice ca femeile vin tarziu acasa, dar cu foarte multi bani, cu banii aceia cumpara foarte multe lucruri si il fac pe copil sa devina la rindul lui consumator si il conditioneaza. Copilul, la rindul lui, este plin de bani, dar fara parinti - copilul neglijat dar cu bani, poate ajunge violent, sau poate fugi de acasa. Consumul de droguri este si o forma de protest nu numai o adictie, un semnal de alarma pentru parinti, pentru ca imitatia nu este suficienta ca sa explice raspindirea acestui fenomen.



Ca fenomen, downshifting-ul nu merge la noi, mai ales pentru ca el are si o componenta intelectuala, care include preluarea critica a valorilor, posibilitatea de a fi reflexiv cu propria ta viata, plasarea intr-un cimp al invatarii de calitate si al cresterii personale, practic imposibila in conditiile in care stai zece ore la serviciu, te duci la workshopuri, teambuilding-uri (aflate la noi in plina moda).Toate duc la confiscarea individului pentru profit.



Tineti minte ca in '90 atractia fata de domeniul privat a fost marita si prin schimbarea limbajului de nomenclatura a muncii, orice contabil era director economic. Toate aceste etichete care citeodata nu mai aduc bani, dar care psihologic motiveazã individul si il fac ca sa accepte sa lucreze mai mult, uneori fara o crestere salariala, pentru prestigiu, flateaza nevoia de statut. Este vorba despre o nevoie psihologica folosita foarte mult in manipulare. Atita vreme s-a spus ca nu este bine sa existe relatii sot-sotie la slujba, acum se reia ceva care seamana foarte mult cu comunismul. Dimpotriva, trebuie sa fie casatoriti, sa stea cit mai mult acolo, sa aiba gradinita pentru copii si unde sa manince, individul nu mai are decit week-endul care uneori poate fi petrecut cu colegii de la slujba in continuare, deci practic este o "deprivatizare" a individului. Acesta se intimpla la noi si oamenii nu a! u nici un pic de spirit critic, au sarit cu atita graba in aceasta poveste care este realmente gindita foarte bine, tocmai pentru a confisca total un individ in favoarea profitului. Psihologii s-au gindit foarte bine, creste numarul de divorturi, femeile si barbatii nu mai pot sta impreuna nici macar in week-end deoarece toate aceste reuniuni (teambuilding-uri) se fac de obicei in afara, se cheltuie foarte multi bani, te incinta ca este un hotel scump, dar trebuie sa raspunzi la intrebarea ce se intimpla cu familia, pe care nu poti sa o neglijezi.



Ideea transmisa prin downshifting este aceea de a invata sa stii cind sa te opresti, pentru ca nu ai nevoie de mai mult ca sa poti sa ai satisfactii nebanuite in viata, sa nu devii un robot, un om "simplificat", un nevrotic sau un isteric. Acesta necesita o depasire a ideii de supravietuire, un om care supravietuieste fie nu mai face nimic si atunci il tiraste societatea ca stat, fie intra in aceasta cursa pentru ca nu mai vede nici o alta alegere. Cind ai foarte multi bani si continui sa muncesti ca un robot, sau cind ai mult mai mult decit iti trebuie, ideea de a reconsidera ce iti trebuie (cu cele doua componente: materiala si spirituala) e vitala. Partea spirituala nu se poate face in supravietuire. Deteriorarea relatiilor interpersonale este o consecinta a lipsei de timp. Vedem in filme politisti extraordinar de motivati, care lucreaza foarte mult si sint parasiti de sotii (aici poa! te ca nu este vorba de partea materiala ci de faptul ca nu esti in stare sa ai o proportie fericita, echilibrata intre investitiile pe care le faci profesional fata de cele pentru familie), care stau cu o sticla de whisky singuri in camere destul de modeste. Este vorba de a-ti regindi existenta si de a vedea ce prioritati trebuie sa ai in raport cu o existenta in care sa nu uiti ca exista si natura si timp liber, sa revalorizezi prietenii si lectura, sa te uiti in dreapta sau stinga, sa ai surse multiple de satisfactie personala. Acest lucru cred ca la noi inca nu este posibil, sintem inca morti dupa vitrine.

Cred ca downshifting-ul aduce o mai buna convietuire intre "a fi" si "a face", pentru ca se zice ca occidentul este centrat pe "a face" , fara simt critic, iar ceilalti sint pe "a fi", fara simt critic (se zice ca in India exista obezitate spirituala, iar in America exista obezitate materiala). Totusi in civilizatie exista nevoia de confort, de a nu te chinui, nu poti dormi pe strada, nu poti trai in halul in care se traieste in tarile cu obezitate spirituala. Nu sintem in stare sa luam ce e bun dintr-un loc si ce e bun din celalalt loc si sa facem o sinteza care sa fie superioara fiecareia din cele doua forme, sa nu traim in extreme.

Retina isi pierde sensibilitatea atita vreme cit nu mai exerseaza alt peisaj decit canile de cafea, aparatele de facut cafele si monitorul computerului. De altfel si lectura s-a pierdut tot din acest motiv si cred ca se petrec anumite lucruri foarte interesante din punct de vedere psihologic: se mareste nevoia aceasta isterica de alternanta, de schimbare pe care o propune modernitatea in detrimentul capacitatii de concentrare. Filmele de actiune induc un ritm alert al vietii, care se rasfringe asupra psihismelor noastre.

Toefler spunea ca oamenii nu mai investesc in alti oameni, investesc in obiecte de aruncat, de unica folosinta. Un anumit tip de cultura a relatiei se pierde, avind in vedere ca sintem intersanjabili, oamenii nu se mai fixeaza in relatii de lunga durata, sintem ca intr-o miscare browniana, toti oamenii sint frumosi, frumusetea se vinde, aceasta cursa de a fi altul si un refuz de a fi tu pina la urma.

Aceasta necorelare intre nevoia de afirmare a Eu-lui (a devenit din ce in ce mai mica afirmarea de sine, trebuie sa semeni cu Cher, cu Britney Spears) si dependenta de altii, de grup, reprezinta o negare a unor principii psihologice adinci, care sigur modifica structura personalitatii. Nevoia excesiva de imitare - modelele celebritatii -, admiratia pentru persoanele cu vizibilitatea sociala, care apar la televiziune, publicitatea, aceste identificari care se propun si care sint preluate cu totul necritic este proprie prezentului. Televiziunea este o oportunitate foarte cautata pentru ca vizibilitatea sociala poate avea efecte pozitive: gasesti o slujba, iti faci relatii, te poti cupla, poti sa faci aranjamente, te poti "marketa" etc.

Downshiftingul este un si un refuz al formei fara continut. Astazi, industria schimbarii, a denaturarii, sau a renaturarii chirugia estetica, de pilda, e la moda pentru ca inegalitatea prin natura era singurul lucru care facea ca oamenii sa fie diferiti cel putin din punct de vedere fizic. Acum daca se pierde acest lucru - cum este si firesc - posibila explicatie ar fi ca nu putea sa se nasca decit intr-o epoca in care s-a lansat transplantul si clonarea. Cineva

spunea intr-un interviu ca "toti oamenii vor fi foarte diferiti, foarte frumosi, la fel". Nu este decit o schimbare a formei, continutul nu conteazã. Imaginea este totul.

Sintem in pline provocari ale identitatii: cine esti, ce alegi, de unde esti, din ce grupa faci parte. Avem foarte multa informatie, cimpul de alegeri este urias, dar ne lipseste discernamintul si ne lipsesc criteriile. De ce este bine asa si de ce nu este bine asa? Daca inainte opozitia între bine si rau avea o demarcatie clara, existau percepte religioase - asa e bine, asa nu e bine -, astazi nimeni nu iti spune ce e bine si ce e rau. Tu trebuie sa alegi si sa

suporti consecintele.

ED: Estimati ca vor exista niste apropieri intre marile companii si fenomenul downshifting, pentru a impiedica exodul de capital uman catre aceasta deschidere a vietii?

AL: Nu stiu, ma gindeam ca exact acest evazionism va fi preluat de cineva care va vedea un profit, l-ar prelua si apropia, l-ar transforma intr-un profit in sensul ca nimic din ce rasare ca germene de interes nu ramine ascuns. Aici cred ca exista un pericol pentru ca sint de acord ca s-a nascut transplantul. Apar, insa, si forme patologice ale unei intentiei bune de la inceput. De altfel, in cartea lui Beigbeder chiar acest lucru se spune: ca te refugiezi pe o insula si acolo se reia acest ciclu, in sensul ca incepi sa te plictisesti ca ai numai natura, ca maninci, ca stai degeaba, ca ai multi prieteni si intri intr-un alt tip de nevroza.

ED: Vorbim de o limita a downshiftingulul, daca mergi catre extrema aceasta te paste ruperea totala de lume.

AL:Haideti sa luam fenomenul "hippies", care sa zicem ca nu poti sa il vezi ca un downshifting, insa intr-un fel de avangarda poti sa il vezi daca fortam putin lucrurile. Refuz scoala, refuz caldura, refuz apartamentul, acest mit a lui Robinson Crusoe care ne bintuie din cind in cind si pe care se bazeaza si evaziunea catre tara, catre rustic. Dar ce s-a observat pina la urma? La primele boli mai dure, au fugit la spital. Prin urmare, e foarte greu sa iti asumi ceva cu totul nou. Pina la urma sintem convinsi si de beneficiile socialului.

Ideea este ca stilul de viata a devenit o problema, a alegerilor in societatea de astazi. La un moment dat se spunea despre femei: te mariti repede, faci repede un copil, il cresti pina la 26, 27, 28 de ani si la 28 ani cu un copil mare iti incepi viata. Poti face o facultate, esti inca tinara si poti sa iti reiei o alta viata. Se poate si invers, iti incepi cariera, lucrezi de innebunesti si la 34, 35 ani cind esti pe ultima suta de metri faci un copil. Acum la noi se poarta adoptia, anumite categorii, din varii motive s-au gindit sa impace si capra si varza si atunci isi fac o cariera, castiga bani si fiind si mai eliberate de maternitate, adopta copilul ca o forma de a compensa frustrarile. Pe de alta parte, copilul devine o forma de lux, pot sa imi permit un copil in conditiile astea, nu ca il fac sau il iau si il cresc, pentru ca eu fac banii, eu i-am facut si nu depind de nimeni. Este o actiune voluntar - monoparentala la aceasta categorie. Avem foarte multe forme. Una peste alta ideea este ca stilul de viata incepe sa preocupe foarte mult individul si cred ca daca o luam filozofic, motivul se naste din ideea aceasta a utilitatii vietii. Inainte viata se traia, acum trebuie sa ii gasesti o justificare.

ED: Adica intii traiesti particica aceea de viata si dupa aceea iti mai trebuie alti 15 ani sa o explici.



AL: Exact. In orice caz omenirea este extrem de pestrita si exista foarte multe formule pe care ti se propun ca fezabile. Cind am zis de subdiviziuni m-am referit de exemplu la casatorie. Vrei relatii seriale fidele sau vrei hopuri, urcusuri si coborisuri, incet incet, ai facut o investitie in cineva, sau mergi in aceasta idee de relatii seriale. Ai de ales. Era mult mai comod cind ti se spunea cum trebuie sa faci. Era clar ca era inspre binele tau sa pre-iei un model. Acum esti pus in fata multor modele, submodele sau contramodele si trebuie sa alegi ce vrei. Ideea este ca viata nu are sens, ca trebuie sa ii dai tu un sens. Inainte avea un sens in sine, acum trebuie sa ii gasesti tu sensul, ceea ce reprezinta o intreprindere destul de dificila. Uneori am vazut ca acest lucru poate fi si una dintre explicatiile sinuciderii la tinerii care nu gasesc acest sens. Cel care sa-ti spuna ca merita sau ca este o datorie! sa traiesti. Generatiile mai vechi nici nu si-au pus problema, traiau pur si simplu.

ED: In privinta mediului romanesc spuneati ca downshifting-ul nu e de interes, de actualitate. Puteti face o estimare, in privinta a ceea ce ar mai trebui sa treaca peste noi, ce ar trebui sa mai invatam pentru a ajunge in ipostaza de a marsa catre acest fenomen?

AL: Cred ca ar trebui sa fie mai multa bunastare materiala, pentru ca reflexia fata de propria viata in termeni mai evoluati nu se face decit in momentul in care ai asigurate conditii de viata decente. Nu neg ca oamenii care sint foarte saraci nu isi pun probleme de ce sint in halul asta de saraci si de ce viata este atit de amara, dar o fac in alti termeni decit cei care au tot ce le trebuie, sau in orice caz sint multumiti si isi pun problema ce fac cu viata lor. Primii trebuie sa lupte ca sa traiasca, iar ceilalti trebuie sa dea un sens vietii. Este o mare diferenta.

Cind am citit despre downshifting pot sa va spun ca mi-a venit in cap un banc destul de banal, de altfel, care prinde extraordinar de mult acest fenomen: un om sta pe malul marii si cineva vine si ii spune sa ii prinda niste peste, iar el ii spune ca nu, pentru ca sta pur si simplu si contempla marea. Acesta ii spune: iti dau bani si nu o sa mai ai barca asta prapadita, o sa iti iei una mai buna. Tot nu vroia. Acesta incepe sa ii arate care sint avantajele: aca prinzi peste mai mult cu barca cea buna o sa poti sa iti iei un vapor si daca iti iei un vapor o sa iti poti face o fabrica de conserve de peste si o sa lucreze altii pentru tine si tu nu o sa faci nimic, la care omul raspunde: si acum ce fac?



Probabil ca acel om avea o casa deasupra capului, vremea era destul de ospitaliera cu el, peste putea sa isi prinda daca ii era foame si nu isi dorea sa intre in aceasta cursa.

ED: Considerati ca oamenii care au beneficiat de provocarile downshifting-ului intr-o anumita portiune a vietii lor vor fi capabili sa genereze alte valori pentru societate decit cele la care au apelat initial, adica vor putea sa genereze valori postmoderne? Daca da, in ce sens?

AL: Cred ca da, in sensul ca poate sa arate faptul ca avea de mic mai multe motivatii, hobby-uri, de a fi plasat mai realist intre principiul placerii si principiul realitatii, te face ca oricind sa te poti opri si sa ai ce face, sa nu ramii gol. Hobby-ul, cum se zice in sociologie, raspunde unui eu neutilizat. Vorbeam de principiul placerii si principiul realitatii: exista principiul realitatii, trebuie sa faci un pact cu lumea, cu nevoile, dar trebuie sa iti ramina ceva care, sa raspunda unor nevoi personale, sa-ti dea satisfactii. Este de dorit sa iti ramina permanent niste lucruri pe care vrei sa le faci. Trebuie sa stii ce sa faci dupa aceea. Sint foarte multi oameni care se plictisesc, care nu isi dau seama ca ar putea fi folositi, iar societatea nu ii foloseste, ei devin resurse umane care se irosesc.



Dar la noi exista acest curent, daca nu-ti da bani sa nu faci. Aici remarc o deosebire fata de lucrurile bune pe care le-am descoperit in strainatate, ca mai poti fi util, ca mai poti sa te duci undeva, socializarea in orice caz este un fapt pozitiv, nu poti sa te retragi din lume.



Este nevoie in aceasta viata de relatii, ori pentru aceasta trebuie sa intelegi ca uneori ti se face un bine, ca lucrurile nu sint alba - neagra, ca sa poti sa spui ca te duci sa te ocupi de niste copii parasiti sau de natura, dar daca nu imi dai nici un ban mai bine stau acasa. E foarte gresit pentru ca foarte multi oameni intra in depresie tocmai pentru ca nu sint relationati sau nu-si gasesc o utilizare. Acesta este un lucru negativ in societatea romaneasca. Sigur ca exista oameni saraci care trebuie sa alerge dupa bani si nu pot face astfel de lucruri, dar sint oameni care care ar putea face ceva, dar care prefera sa stea pasivi.

Downshiftingul presupune o schimbare de stil de viata pina la urma, stilul vietii se schimba total, dar pe de alta parte el nu putea sa apara la noi in societate, la noi este prematur sa admitem o asemenea evolutie. Nu neg insa ca sint oameni care ar putea sa faca downshifting si nu fac, ceea ce inseamna ca fie sint definitiv pierduti, fie ca nu au alte resurse, fie nu au nici o motivatie intrinseca, adica in sistemul lor de valori prietenia, natura, lectura, informatia, etc, nu exista.



In incheiere as spune ca oamenii cauta frumusetea vietii in marile reusite si asa mai departe, fara a acorda importanta gesturilor mici, cotidiene. De fapt acestea fac cursul vietii. Viata are si ceva care trebuie trait, adica munca e foarte buna, insa ideile despre munca si activitate trebuie reconsiderate. Lucrurile mici sint importante. Este ca atunci cind esti concentrat pe ceva si nu mai vezi nimic in jur.

De la 1 ianuarie 2007, va fi introdusa o taxa de inmatriculare pentru autoturisme si autovehicule de import de pana la 3,5 tone, inclusiv.
In cazul masinilor second-hand, taxa variaza in functie de normele de poluare Euro si de varsta autoturismului.


DUPA CILINDRE SI VECHIME
In cazul masinilor cu motor Euro 3, cu o capacitate cilindrica mai mica de 1.600 cmc si cu o vechime de cel mult sase luni, taxa este de 612 euro. Pe de alta parte, pentru cele cu o capacitate cilindrica de peste 3.000 centimetri cubi (cmc), mai vechi de sase ani, suma care trebuie achitata este de 5.070 euro. Pentru restul masinilor cu motor Euro 3 de peste 1.600 cmc si pana la 3.000 cmc, prima inmatriculare costa intre 700 si 5.000 euro. Pentru o masina Euro 2, cu capacitatea cilindrica de 1.600 cmc, taxa va fi de 2.704 euro, iar pentru cele cu o capacitate de peste 3.000 cmc, aceasta va ajunge la 6.240 de euro.


POLUAREA COSTA SCUMP
Posesorii de autovehicule din clasa Euro 1, cu o capacitate cilindrica de pana la 1.600 de cmc vor achita 3.744 euro, iar la autoturismele cu o capacitate de peste 3.000 cmc taxa este de 7.020 de euro. In cazul masinilor noneuro, taxa de inmatriculare este de 4.000 euro pentru motorizari de pana in 1.600 cmc si de 7.500 euro pentru masinile cu o capacitate
de peste 3.000 cmc.

Aweight weenie is a rider obsessed with reducing the rolling weight of his bike and body. Weight weenies are creative, ingenious and extremely annoying people. They suffer from a sickness that requires them to constantly examine and reexamine every component in terms of grams, ounces and pounds. Their tools (other than the coveted Ohaus scale) include rattail files, pipe cutters, airdryers, X-acto knifes, sandpaper, scissors and cable cutters. Hey, we told you they were sick.
This is why we are warning you up front. Reading the following weight-weenie tips and actually using them might prove the disease to be contagious. Yes, you might become a weight weenie yourself. Proceed at your own risk.

KEEPING SCORE
You need a scale to get into the weight weenie business. Ohaus scales can be found used for between $40 and $70. A digital postal scale from a store like Office Depot is a cheaper alternative. These modern little scales will measure in both grams and ounces, but may not be able to weigh heavy items like downhill tires, shocks and forks. We use the Digital Alpine Scale from Ultimate Support, (800) 525-5628. While the Digital Alpine Scale can weigh small components, we
favor it because it weighs the entire bike.

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA
A lot of weight weenies measure their conquests one component at a time. There is a more effective and accurate way to keep score. Weigh your bike, apply the weight-saving tips
and weigh the bike again. Sometimes by shaving weight in one area, you add weight in another, so the net weight loss is negligible. The whole bike weight doesn’t lie.

WHERE TO SAVE
Start with components that rotate. You can break this down further by concentrating on the parts farthest from the center of the rotating mass. Wheels are an important component for shaving weight (they rotate) and tires are more important than hubs for saving weight (tires are further away from the center than the hubs). The next area to concentrate on is unsprung weight. These are components that move during their operation (like suspension links, shocks, fork sliders and swingarms).

INTOLERABLE TOLERANCES
There can be as much as a five percent weight difference between two of the same tires. This is due to manufacturing tolerances. You can save weight by weighing every tire you buy. Same goes for tubes. Weenies have been known to weigh 20 tubes (same brand, same model) before making a purchase. Aside from angering a bike shop employee, this practice can save you a few tenths of an ounce. Is the hassle worth it? To a true weight weenie it is. And weight reduction of the tire
and tube is a great place to reduce weight on your bike.

STRIP THE STRIPS
Scrap the rubber rim strips and replace them with rim tape from Velox or Maxxis. Cut the tape so there is no extra material. This may be the smallest weight savings in the wheel department, but
it is worth it because of the location where the weight is saved.

UNSTICK THE STICKERS
Frames, forks, stems, seatposts, rims, hubs, bars and even saddles come plastered with stickers. The stickers may be the brand name of the product or actual graphics (like racing stripes). They gotta go. Warm them with a hairdryer and peel them off. The racing stripes and logos peeled off a set of wheels can reduce the rotating weight by over half an ounce! Some bike companies apply a clear coat over the stickers on their frames. That’s a bummer because you won’t be able to
peel the stickers off and the clear coat adds vanity weight to your frame. That drives weight weenies crazy.

PAINT REMOVAL
That thick coat of paint on your frame is vanity weight. A true weight weenie will break a bike down to its frame, strip the paint off and then polish it. One 18-inch Cannondale 800 frame lost four ounces with the paint removal and polishing treatment. The frame weighed just over three pounds before the treatment. That’s a lot of work for four ounces—to everyone except a weight weenie.

FOAM AT THE HAND
Trash-can rubber grips in favor of foam grips. The weight savings can be as high as six ounces. Don’t like the feel of foam? A true weight weenie is willing to sacrifice comfort for lighter weight.

GO TO BED
Weigh the foot beds in your shoes and replace them with lighter beds, trim them, or, if the shoe is well-made, pull them out and ride without them.

TRIM THE WEIGHT
Cables and cable housing are sometimes too long. You can save ounces by trimming them to an adequate length. Your chain is another weight reduction target. Why pedal extra weight if you can remove a few links and still have a drivetrain that performs properly? One friend even removes the cable end caps and applies a few drops of Super Glue to keep the cables from unraveling.

QUICK TIPS
• Shorten the straps on your hydration pack.
• Use an old hydration pack bladder. They are lighter than the new ones.
• Remove water bottle cages.
• Remove bottle cage screws. Plug hole with a small amount of glue.
• Cut off any threads that protrude through a nut.
• Take the caps off the presta valves of your tubes.
• Cut off excess seatpost.

PLANNING FOR 20-40’s
You can do these on the flats, but I think they are most effective when done on a climb. A climb of 30 or more minutes is ideal as you can do two or sometimes three sets of 20-40s. Toward the end of my career, I was doing these on the road bike occasionally, but back in the day, it was pure mountain biking. Here’s the skinny (or the fat!). Be sure you are wearing a watch, or better yet, that you have a stopwatch with an easy-to-read screen mounted to your handlebar. You need to know the road or trail where you are going to do your 20-40s. You’ll need a safe place without downhills or sharp turns, because when you sprint on a flat trail as hard as you can for twenty seconds, you get going fast! Same goes for doing 20-40s on a climb. You want to find a really consistent climb without any downhill sections. Why? Inevitably, one of your sprints will match up perfectly with that short little break in the climb and you won’t get the training
benefit since you’ll be on your brakes. Ideally, I like a steady, middle-chainring climb. Find out how long it takes you to climb the entire hill at a good, steady pace. If it’s about four minutes, you’ll need to start your first sprint at the bottom. On climbs between four and twenty
minutes in length, have the 20-40 fall right in the middle. If you have a climb of 30 or more minutes, you’re in 20-40 heaven! Multiple sets on the same climb!

GEAR AND TERRAIN SELECTION
Twenty-40s on the flats are great, but the real beauty of doing them on a climb is that you are forcing your body to recover from a wicked hard effort while you’re still climbing! And then, you only get 40 seconds to try to get a tiny grip before the watch is at zero again and you’re back on the gas! You’ll want to stay in whichever chainring is appropriate for your chosen climb (usually middle, but sometimes granny or big). Front chainring shifts during 20-40s can get tricky and detract from purely putting the power down. I like them to be
a middle-ring workout myself.

IT’S SPRINT TIME
Don’t start your ride with a 20-40. Do at least a 15 to 20 - minute warm-up to get your muscles warm and your lungs opened up. During this warm-up, use your stopwatch and include two or three hard efforts of ten to 15 seconds. Put a minute of easy spinning between each of these efforts. Now you’re ready for the real effort. Start your stopwatch at zero and sprint as hard as you can for 20 seconds. Rest for 40 seconds, and when your watch reaches one minute, do another 20-second, all-out effort. I typically do four repetitions
and call it a set. So if you do four sprints, your last sprint will end at 03:20 on your watch. Pretty short workout! Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Don’t believe it. The third sprint will be excruciating and only the toughest riders will finish their forth sprint on top of their gear.
I try to recover for at least ten minutes between sets if I’m going to do more than one. Ninety five percent of the time, I do two sets of four sprints. Back in the day, every once in a while I’d do three sets of four sprints or two sets of five sprints, but never more. This workout is all about quality, not quantity.

REAL-WORLD WORKOUT
I’ll take you along with me now as I do 20-40s up the Crested Butte ski area road. You’ll get the idea and be able to make adjustments for your local trails. After the warm up, I begin the climb. It’s a solid medium effort in my middle ring, big cog. I climb steadily for about five
minutes, then start my stopwatch and sprint my guts out for 20 seconds. Here is where you’ll appreciate that big readout on your watch! Twenty seconds isn’t so long. During the effort, I began in my biggest cog, but I went through the gears and got four or five cogs down by the time 20 clicked over on my watch. Bam! Right back into the big cog. Okay, that wasn’t so bad. Uh oh. 55, 56, 57…here we go again!
Number two, number three, finally number four, and your watch is at three minutes and 20 seconds. We’re done. That’s one set. Keep climbing steadily in your middle ring, then call it a workout. Cool down and go home. I would do these once a week, usually on Tuesday or
Wednesday, and the entire workout lasted between 60 and 90 minutes. Just do one set for two or three weeks and then bump
up to two sets. If you’re doing them good and hard, you’ll rarely need to do more than two sets of four sprints. The beauty of 20-40s is that 20 plus 40 equals 60, and there are 60 seconds in a minute. This makes it easier to keep track of your start and stop points, even when suffering from oxygen debt.

FEEL THE IMPROVEMENT
How often should you use 20-40s? That depends how much you ride. Weekend warriors will feel improvements if they do 20-40s on one ride a week. Riders who log rides four to six times a week should try to start with 20-40s on two days (don’t do them on back-to back days) and increase it to three days a week as they become conditioned to the efforts. Twenty-40s will be tough when you first try them, but feeling the improvement to your riding ability is enough motivation for most people to continue with 20-40s and maybe even look forward to doing them.

"Everyone can go fast; here are the secrets to winning"

1. Don’t let your body go to waste during the off-season. Even if you spend some time off the bike, stay active and cross-train.
2. The off-season doesn’t mean you have to stay off the bike. What you need is a break from the structured training you do during the race season.
3. Before you start training for the new year, assess your abilities: are you a great bike handler? Weak climber? Need better technique, etc.? Be honest.
4. The weaknesses are the things that are holding you back. Most of your training should focus on turning those faults into strengths.
5. Now develop a training plan: decide the duration of the base period, build cycle, and the races or the block of the year that you would like to peak for.
6. Plan to spend a good two months building a solid base. This is done through long duration, low-intensity riding. Relax and enjoy the scenery.
7. If you carried a decent level of fitness through the off-season and cycled enough to maintain muscle memory, the base period can be cut in half.
8. During the base period you will increase training volume by adding training duration and frequency; not through high-heart-rate intensity.
9. The base period gradually steps the body up in toughness so it can handle the pain and cellular wear and tear of the intensity to come later.
10. After base, you begin replacing endurance riding with threshold work. Start riding shorter and shorter durations at or above 80 percent max heart rate.
11. This block of training is called the build period, which also lasts for up to two months. Continue to gradually replace riding duration with harder riding.
12. When you are comfortable with a level of fitness, take a rest week of low-intensity riding. Then step it up to the next level of endurance or intensity.
13. The idea of a training block is to improve fitness, rest, improve fitness again, rest, push fitness up again, rest, and so on.
14. The more efficiently you cycle, the greater the reserve you will have to ride full out and to respond to attacks. Cycling efficiency is a mental game.
15. Whenever you are on the bike, think of making the most of your energy: pedal smoother, limit upper body movement and match breathing to the cycling tempo.
16. Tempo is the point at which you can comfortably hold maximum cycling speed for hours on end. Riders with a better threshold can hold a higher tempo.
17. Threshold is the level of cycling intensity that is right below the point where lactic acid builds up faster than the body can handle.
18. Your threshold is approximately 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. At around 90 percent maximum, you will begin to feel the burn of lactic acid.
19. This lactic acid burn is what limits you from riding faster. Everyone has the same limiter, and anyone has an even chance of overcoming it.
20. You improve your lactic threshold (LT) by training to elevate the heart rate before you begin to feel the burn. It is done through anaerobic cycling.
21. If you’ve done a test to determine lactic threshold heart rate (LT), check it against how hard you’re breathing and how your legs feel when riding hard.
22. Monitor your breathing and how heavy your legs feel when holding a fast tempo. Short spurts don’t count; it has to be consistent riding.
23. When your breathing becomes labored and you begin to feel a burning tightness in the legs, this is the point when lactic acid is beginning to pool.
24. The goal of the build period is to elevate LT leading up to the summer. Because you built a solid base, your body will easily handle this stress.
25. During build, improve cycling speed by riding above your threshold. Endurance rides will slowly be replaced with shorter intensity rides.
26. When you taper to a peak, replace the R&R break with a reduced weekly workload. Cycling frequency, duration and intensity combine to form workload.
27. During a peak, ride frequently, but for shorter durations and at higher intensity. You can only do this for a few weeks before losing endurance.
28. If the races you’re peaking for are two hours or longer, you will be able to carry a high level of endurance through the low-duration training period.
29. It’s best to nail down training cycles by joining up with a group that does organized training rides. Study and learn from other like-minded people.
30. When overcoming limiters, use training that most closely replicates the situation you are weakest in during a race. Eliminate those shortcomings.
31. It takes several days to fully benefit from a given workout. Training hard seven days prior to an event will produce no additional fitness.
32. After time off, don’t hastily train to “catch back up.” Use a base schedule routine and steady, systematic cycling to build up to the old you.
33. Speed and anaerobic fitness start declining in three days of non-activity. Endurance can be maintained with an endurance ride every one to two weeks.
34. It takes over a week of missed workouts for a trained cyclist to lose measurable fitness. If you feel tired, it’s okay to skip an endurance ride.
35. Don’t forgo maintaining good pedaling technique and bike handling skills. Allocate one ride a week to becoming a more efficient, energy-saving cyclist.
36. Master riders need to incorporate frequent bike handling sessions in their weekly regimen. Reflexes dull faster the older you get.
37. Bike handling is the most fun to practice. Practice wheelies, bunnyhopping, jumping, and trick riding. Wear knee and elbow pads and go have a good time.
38. Practice starts to find the best gear, crank angle and pedal tilt that allows the quickest lock-in. Rehearse a few starts during reflex training.
39. After base, seasoned master riders benefit more by training for shorter durations at or above LT. Old guys reap the most bang for the buck this way.
40. This is key for master performance: ride harder when you ride; rest harder when you rest. Rest can be done on or off the bike.
41. Some riders need to recover from intense cycling with an off-bike day. Still be active—work on the yard or take a walk with your wife.
42. Don’t do more than three high-intensity rides per week. The other days are devoted to recovery, aerobic fitness maintenance
and skill development.
43. When doing short, high-intensity intervals, it’s more beneficial to do fewer of them at an all-out effort than more at a less than anaerobic effort.
44. Don’t stick to a scheduled, super intense workout if you feel down and your body is reacting poorly to stress. Take the day off or do an easy ride.
45. During the season, you should be doing the least amount of the most effective training possible. If you’re riding around with no purpose, stop!
46. Make sure you have a specific reason for each ride. It should either be a recovery, endurance, tempo, interval, breakthrough or skill ride.
47. This time of the year, focus harder on recovery. If you’re not ready to work harder on scheduled hard days, you will soon hit a fitness plateau.
48. Include your job in the yearly plan. If work takes extreme physical labor, you are stressing your heart. Schedule riding around the work load.
49. Your heart doesn’t know the difference between running, skiing, swimming, working, and so on. Anything that loads the cardiovascular system is good.
50. The body loses a feel for pedaling and bike handling. If your job is tough on the body, focus on more, but shorter periods of intense cycling.
51. Give your regimen time to work. Stick to the original training plan so you develop concrete results and can tell if the routine works or not.
52. Relax. The more intently you ride, the more natural it is to hold onto the bars harder and to tense your shoulders. It wears you out and slows you down.
53. When you clamp down on the bar, it throws off bike handling. Loosen up and let the bike move around beneath you. All you are is the motor and auto pilot.
54. Stay loose, rlax and let the bike float over ruts and rocks. When you tense up, the rigidness transfers straight into the suspension.
55. When you climb, relax your upper body and focus your full effort into smooth leg movement. Bouncing around and jerking on the bar wastes energy.
56. Concentrate on breathing out. The more air you exhale, the more air you will inhale to sufficiently fuel the metabolic process.
57. Don’t hold your breath when you climb. As riders tense up, they also hold their breath. Breathe consistently when climbing.
58. The best way to fill your lungs is to match your breathing rhythm to your pedaling cadence and the slight bobbing motion of your head.
59. Create a metronome in your mind. Think a consistent “bam,” “bam,” “bam,” tempo in your mind and match pedaling and breathing to it.
60. It’s also common to lose pedaling efficiency when the pace goes up. Instead of clicking up, shift down and go faster through tempo instead of pounding.
61. For 15 seconds, count the number of times your right knee hits top. Multiply by four. That is your pedaling cadence.Learn the feel of 60, 80 and 100 rpm.
62. Always work on pedaling efficiency. Keep track of your spin and get a natural feel for what an 80 rpm cadence feels like. Always try to spin at 80.
63. Use your gears. There is nothing wrong with going right into the granny when you hit steep hills. Don’t worry about others; you’re saving energy.
64. Bettering leg speed and refining cadence should be a year-long commitment. The next time you ride, click down a gear and spin more. Make it a habit.
65. Look down the trail. When you know what’s coming up, it’s possible to pick smoother lines over faster, harder dirt. Keep those eyes moving up the trail.
66. Follow the same warmup for anaerobic training as for a race. When the body learns the routine, it knows that it’s supposed to follow with all-out riding.
67. Have a start plan. Consider how important the race is, how the training week went, and how you felt during warmup. Will you start fast or hang back?
68. Size up the competition. Assess who you’re up against. Key in on the rider or the group that you want to be with early in the race or training ride.
69. Don’t go out too hard. It’s almost always best to sit behind the leaders and wait for the early race aggression to die down before making your move.
70. There are those times when you feel so good and are way better than the competition. If you attack off the start, give it a full effort so it sticks.
71. If an attack doesn’t succeed, you just burned a lot of energy that you will never get back. You will be riding in arrears, struggling to keep up.
72. Your energy is like a box of matches. Every time you make a hard effort, you strike a match or two. When you are out of matches, you are out of energy.
73. If you’re an average climber, move to the front heading up to a climb. Force the climbers to use a poor line and to burn matches as they pass.
74. Likewise, if you’re an average descender, move to the front before a downhill. It’s your turn to force the descenders off onto a poor line.
75. Before passing, look ahead and be certain that there’s ample room and a better-than-good chance it will stick. Otherwise, you’ll waste lots of matches.
76. Check for signs of weakness. If a rider is rocking all over the bike and breathing hard enough for you to hear, it’s your signal to attack.
77. Unless you can do it discreetly, avoid looking back. If you are getting caught and look behind, it tells him that you are weak and worried.
78. In amateur races with combined starts, quickly link up with riders from a faster group. It immediately distances you from the riders you have to beat.
79. If a rider is catching you, just step it up. The rider could be in another class, so use him to drive you further away from the people in your group.
80. When you pass, use an all-out effort that puts distance between you and the other rider. It psyches you up and psyches the competitor down.
81. Never relax as you crest a hill. Shift up immediately to ease the transition from a heavy to light pedal load while making time on other riders.
82. Use harder gears with more leg force at altitude. Since there’s less air, it’s harder for the body to process enough oxygen for high aerobic efforts.
83. Sit down more on an full-suspension rig. When other riders tense and back off over bumps, you should stay seated, pedal through and gain time.
84. After a training ride or race, think back and study where the race was won or lost, and where you were weak. Tweak training to erase those weaknesses.
85. Use the lines that carry the most speed through downhill corners. It costs too much time to recover from a blown turn. Consistent descending is fastest.
86. If you have great bike handling skills, don’t ride at the limit while descending during a training ride. Save the all-out gamble for the races.
87. Occasionally ride with a different group; do a long, slow distance (LSD) ride all by yourself; or cruise the bike path. It helps keep you fresh.
88. Old-school riders who still glance back at the cogset could save time by simply looking at the shifter indicator. It works just fine.
89. Use a lightweight CamelBak race pack. You won’t have to worry about fumbling with a bottle while trying to make power or to catch your breath.
90. The best way to use a CamelBak is to pop the hose in your mouth on descents. Stay hydrated on descents so you can focus a full effort up climbs.
91. After a race, measure the amount of liquid left in the CamelBak bladder. A pint of water weighs one pound, and it’s foolish to carry more than you need.
92. Before the start, find out how many and where the water stations are. Weigh that information to decide how much water you need to take with you.
93. Don’t over-hydrate ten minutes before a race. Maintain a fluid equilibrium during the week and show up on the line as light as possible.
94. Is eyewear getting banged off your face? Put on a helmet and check for interference between the glass ear stems and the helmet straps/skull lock.
95. If you need to push the glasses back on your face or adjust the helmet while riding, you are wasting precious seconds. Get gear that fits!
96. Run a Lizard Skins chainstay pad. When the bike is quieter, the suspension “works better” on descents and it keeps you more psyched about going fast.
97. Jot down a race plan. List drive time, parking and registration duration, warmup length and the time you need to head to the start.
98. If you flat or mechanical during a training ride, make the repair at race speed and get right back to hard riding. Train to better handle a race mishap.
99. Race repair tools and materials should be carried in the jersey pocket. All you need is one tube, a Kwik Fill, and a very basic mini tool.
100. Never go far without issues of MBA or a training book. When waiting in a jury duty or bank line, read to boost your cycling and training knowledge.