Each month, yoga coach Gwen Lawrence shows us the best poses for athletes. As always, consult a doctor before you begin any new exercise program.Although cycling is a great workout, the awkward posture thats held for long rides can wreak havoc on your spine, organ health and breathing. Here are five poses that can help you stay healthy, symmetrical and strong -- and keep you riding for years to come.Cat-cow movePerhaps the king of warm-up poses for a cycling workout, this move will open the spine, the ribs, the lungs and the neck and truly warm you up from the inside out. The posture you hold on the bike might overstretch your back and weaken your abdominals; this move will even you out.* Sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair.* Brace your hands on your knees or shins so you can use your arms for leverage and push deeper into the stretches.* As you inhale, lift your spine and lengthen into a gentle backbend.* As you exhale, move backward and drop your chin toward your chest.* Exaggerate each move for depth of stretch and maximum breath output and input.* Do this each day before (and even after) a ride for 2-4 minutes.Wrist openersCyclists often think about form -- but that usually involves alignment of the back and chest, and the wrists can go unnoticed and ignored. Stretching your wrists can avoid carpal tunnel pain during your rides.Keys to the pose* Start on your hands and knees in a table pose.* Stretch one wrist at a time, pointing your fingers back toward your body, so you can tune in and focus more precisely.* Eventually try to get your wrist directly under your shoulder, creating a 90-degree angle.* Hold each stretch for one minute, and do it two times on each side.* Do not sink in to your shoulders; keep your back long and your neck stretched out of the shoulders.Happy cow armsAlthough this pose is very challenging, you will see quick improvements when you do it consistently. I love this pose because you will get several angles of stretch in the shoulder, and it will also tone your back and neck muscles.Keys to the pose* In a sitting position with knees tucked under, extend one arm up toward the ceiling with your palm facing forward. Bend it and bring it down to your spine. Bend your other arm up, palm facing behind you, until your fingers meet.* If you cant connect your hands, use a yoga strap rope or old necktie, and clasp it between your hands.* Sit up very tall, keep your back straight and your chin parallel to the floor while holding.* The elbow of the arm that is up should be pointing straight up to the sky in time, with the upper arm snuggled beside your head.* Breathe and hold the pose for two to three minutes. Come out of it nice and slowly. Switch sides.Supported half happy babyThere is contraction in the deep hip flexors when you ride, which can cause issues in your low back and hamstrings. Holding this pose for minutes on each side helps release pressure on the low back, allowing for better rotation and overall range of motion in the spine.* Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, push hips up and place one yoga block under the back of your hips. Relax all your weight on the block.* Slide your left leg straight out and bring your right leg into a half happy baby pose.* If you are too tight to hold the outer edge of the right foot, use a yoga strap.* Be sure to keep the right foot squared off perfectly to the ceiling and knee tight in toward your armpit to keep the knee joint safe.* Your knee should be as close to a 90-degree angle as possible.* Hold this pose for 1-3 minutes on each side.Warrior I push-offsWithout a doubt, the health, strength and flexibility of your ankles and feet will dictate how long you can ride. This pose will do all that for you. It can also help you tune in to each side of your body and become better aware of any imbalances before they become injuries.Keys to the pose* Start in a lunge position.* Place your arms on your front thigh, or for more of a challenge, reach them upward.* With your weight all the way back in the heel of your back leg, push off the back foot and move forward, moving your knee further over your front leg, as close to a 90-degree angle as possible.* Keep your back leg straight and strong.* Slide back and forth (not up and down) for 1-3 minutes on each side to build serious leg strength and power, while stretching the feet, toes calves and Achilles tendons. Cheap Jerseys From China . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. 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The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Throughout the Tour de France, Australian professional cyclist Richie Porte will be checking in. Here is his latest entry, as told to ESPN contributor Rupert Guinness:Stage 12: Montpellier to Mont Ventoux, 178 kilometres (110.6 miles)There are limits to what is fair in sport, or what is not. And on Thursday, what we saw during Stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday -- when Chris Froome, Bauke Mollema and I crashed near the finish at Mont Ventoux as we were taking time on our rivals -- was clearly not fair at all.I know many have watched the video replay of the crash over and over again. It was caused by a television motorbike grinding to a halt with about 1.2 kilometres to go due to fans blocking the roadway. I went straight into the motorbike with Froome and Mollema following.At the end of the day, the right decision was made to give myself and Froome the same time for the stage as Mollema, which meant Froome kept the leaders yellow jersey. As for me, I gained some places on the overall classification, moving up from 14th to 11th overall, still 2:22 behind Froome.The race jurys decision was one it had to take. The Tour has become out of control with the crowd numbers, and their behaviour has become increasingly dangerous.Look, I really love the fans, and 99 percent of them are brilliant. I agree that you comme to the race to have a good time, but you dont need to be running beside the riders, you dont need to be pushing riders, hitting riders.dddddddddddd Things have got to change. With what happened Thursday, I cant believe there werent more barriers there. (Editors note: Because the distance of Stage 12 was shortened due to gale-force winds, organizers had not brought more barriers down from the initial finish at the summit of Mont Ventoux.)So what can be done to avert a repeat of Thursdays fiasco? Who knows ... the police were there. Why werent they being utilised more? But right now, I want to resume racing the Tour, hoping simultaneously that troubles like Thursdays are behind me.I was lucky that I was not more seriously injured in the stack. I have trained so hard for this. 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