Vicki Schouten

My last few blogs have talked about the importance of staying hydrated when you’re riding or racing your motorcycle during our short Canadian summers. I’ve talked about the importance of drinking plenty of water or perhaps even a sports drink to supply you with the carbohydrates needed to top up glycogen stores and replenish electrolytes....

Last time on my blog, I looked at the importance of hydration and consuming plenty of liquids, primarily water, one those hot riding days. This week, I’ll take a closer look at sport drinks and the role they can play in hydration.  While water is an important source of hydration during these hot summer months,...

Summer is upon and riding season is in full swing. With any luck, you’re spending your weekends at the racetrack for racing or track days, or maybe you’re just taking your street bike out for a nice long summer ride. With temperatures creeping into the 25C+ range, and a high humidity count, it’s important to...

A number of people have asked about what it takes to prepare their motorcycle for a track day. Getting your sportbike ready for your first track riding experience is actually a lot easier than you might think. While it’s still best to check with your track day organizer as to their technical requirements, the majority...

You might have noticed that my training blog, which is normally published on Tuesdays, has arrived a day late this week. I have to confess, it’s because I have fallen victim to the cold and flu season, just in time for Spring! Awesome. Falling ill is something that happens to all of us at one...

If you have been following my blog, you’ll notice that I’ve spent quite a bit of time talking about some specific drills, exercises and routines that help you become a faster motorcycle racer or trackday rider. I know what you’re thinking, “That’s great Vicki, but I’m still fairly new to this sport and I just...

I was recently asked to talk about the benefits of motocross riding as a form of cross training for road racing.  It’s a very good subject as a lot of road racers make use of a motocross bike to help improve their road racing skills.  Why is motocross such a good cross training tool, you...

Last week, we talked about setting goals for your motorcycle racing season and identifying certain milestones.This week, we’re going to take a closer look at the importance of teamwork and the people involved in achieving your racing goals. If you have ever attended a MotoGP , World Superbike, AMA or Canadian Superbike event, one thing...

Spring is finally getting closer and by now you’ve been training all winter to be a faster motorcycle rider or racer, right? You’re feeling really strong and healthy and you can’t wait to get back on the motorcycle and win races or beat your personal best laptime and your next track day.  Now it’s time...

No discussion of training for motorcycle racing would be complete without talking about the mental focus required to navigate a motorcycle around a racetrack quickly.  If you talk to someone like former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz, he’ll tell you that ninety percent of racing is “between your ears”. What he’s talking about is mental...

Wow- March is just around the corner. Where the heck did the time go? Pretty soon the snow will be melted and we’ll have our motorcycles out and on the racetrack in no time.  Good thing too, because I don’t know about you but I’m getting pretty sick of old man winter! If you remember...

It's nearing the end of February, you’ve been training most of the winter, you’ve got motorcycle riding or racing on the brain, but the February blahs have finally hit and you’re just done with this whole get fit for motorcycle season thing. The excuses have started piling in and you’d rather sit on your couch...