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What to Wear in Various Weather

What to Wear Cycling in Varying Weather, a Conversation with Coach Ertl This article began one December when I started trading emails with Coach David Ertl. Coach Ertl lives and rides in Iowa. I grew up in neighboring Missouri and can attest to the terrible weather (and the 100-degree-plus extremes — in normal years!) possible in […]

Dictionary of Cycling Lingo

A List of Common Terminology to Decipher the Sometimes Arcane Patois of Road Cycling Ever wonder what cyclists are talking about when they start throwing around weird slang? We’ve created a bicycling dictionary for you, with definitions of the most common phrases and words related to cycling. Did we miss a word? Leave a comment […]

An Effective and Low-Cost Homemade Sports Drink

By Coach John Hughes What’s the best sports drink for you? One you like and will drink! And also provides the calories you need. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends consuming 25 to 60 grams (1 to 2 ounces or 100 to 240 calories) of carbs per hour after the first hour of […]

What’s the average cycling distance for beginners?

QUESTION: What’s the average cycling distance for beginners? I’m 42 years old, out of shape and overweight. I have a hybrid bike in the garage and I want to start riding it for exercise. How far should I be going on rides? What’s a good distance to aim for? – Jacob B RBR REPLIES: First […]

Hungry Is Too Often Hangry and Not a Good Thing

By Kevin Kolodziejski For the sake of your cycling companions, I hope you’re not a squirrel. But even if you never swerve while in a paceline and always pull at a steady and suitable speed, your pedaling partners — and more importantly you — need to know you actually are a far less likable rodent. […]

Anti-Aging: Why “Drink Before You’re Thirsty” is Dangerous

By Coach John Hughes This column is about hydration during rides not throughout the day. My client Jack was on a fast cross-country tour: 2750 miles in just 20 days. Seven days into the tour he started riding poorly although he had plenty of training miles in his legs.  His buddies noticed he wasn’t urinating […]

All Exercise is Good, and Vigorous Exercise is Better

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. An analysis of more than 36,861 deaths in a study of 403,681 participants found that the greater the proportion of vigorous exercise to total exercise, the less likely a person was to die from a heart attack, die from cancer, or die from any cause during the 10 study years (JAMA […]

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