Athletes
of all sports are always looking at ways to better their fitness. The trick is
to find the balance between intense training and avoiding injury. The most
motivated professional athletes will spend the majority of their day in the gym
or practicing their sport.
Over
the past few years Stradalli Cycle has had MMA fighters of all origins visit us
to pick up a bike to further their training. Every single one of them talks
about the benefits of training on a bike before and after the intense work they
do in the gym and in the ring. MMA is a dangerous sport. There is only one way
to excel in MMA and that is to get in the gym and train every day. The chance
of injury is always around for these athletes.
American
Top Team UFC fighter Cole Miller has been meeting with us for the past few
weeks to square way a purchase of a new time trial bike. Miller is a veteran.
He has been a professional MMA fighter for 13 years. Miller knows what it takes
to be successful in professional MMA and the first step is injury prevention.
Miller
worked closely with several Stradalli Cycle employees to find the exact bike
which was perfect for him because cycling has been his way of staying on top of
the sport and away from injury since 2007 when he first walked into Stradalli
Cycle.
“I
remember being on the show The Ultimate Fighter back in 2007. We were all
competing, but we were going back and forth with training ideas as well. Many
of them told me they did triathlons to keep their cardio up. The fun I had
getting out on the bike and the training benefits meant I wasn’t going to put
the bike down any time soon.” Miller said.
Miller
has built a relationship with Stradalli Cycle since 2007 and said it has helped
him immensely, but it is the lifestyle aspect that appeals to him the most.
“I
have been hooked on these bikes for what seems like forever now. American Top
Team has a great relationship with Stradalli and I went over there for the
first time because of them. Now I own 3 of them. The first carbon road bike I
bought from them years I still have and it takes a beating from me every day.
Even if I am just riding over to Starbucks, I hop on my Stradalli carbon fixie.
I just love being on the bike and my knees are so much more healthy because of
it.” Miller said.
Alex
Mclaughlin, manager at Stradalli Cycle, worked with Miller to get him set up on
his bike and said he was the easiest person he has ever worked with.
“Cole
knows exactly what he wants. He is competitive and he wants to be the best. He
is now riding one of the best bikes you can possibly buy. You would expect a
guy like Miller to be crazy being one of the most famous MMA fighters in the
world, but he is one of the coolest, down to earth guys I have ever met. He
just wants to ride a bike and be good at what he does. He knows he can come to
us and be taken care of.” Mclaughlin said.
Miller
said having the best training equipment is essential. There are many ways to
become injured and not many of them actually involve fighting. Miller chose the
TTR-8 with Dura Ace Di2 because he needs a bike he can rely on to keep him in
top shape for the big fights.
“A
big misunderstanding people have about MMA and UFC is they think you can only
get hurt during a fight. Fighters go through so much during training. Most of
the damage to their bodies that fighters deal with is during training. That is
why cycling is so popular with MMA fighters. It builds endurance and it
protects your body from the wear and tear you get from other things like running.”
Miller said.
