What to Wear Cycling in Varying Weather, a Conversation with Coach Ertl This column began in early 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 […]
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What to Wear in Various Weather
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 […]
How Cyclists Should Approach Intensity Training for Maximum Benefit
By Coach John Hughes Training by intensity doesn’t mean hammering and painful intervals. Training by intensity simply means riding harder than you are used to riding in order to improve in a specific way, which range from increasing your endurance and cruising speed to having more power to achieving high performance.
Quick Tip: Use Your “Air Brakes” to Slow Down
Use your “air brakes.” We all know that wind makes bicycle riding tough. If you’re going 18 mph on a calm day and suddenly a 10-mph headwind cranks up, it takes almost twice the effort to keep your speed. But sometimes wind resistance is useful. It can help you brake without touching the brake levers.
Quick Fix: Insufficient Training for a Century Ride
PROBLEM: You’ve been able to ride just 15 to 20 miles about three times a week, but now you’re all fired up to ride a century that’s only a month away. SOLUTION: Here’s the rule of thumb for long, one-day bicycle rides: You can do your average weekly mileage in one ride if you just […]
Developing Speed for Cyclists, a Guide to Getting Faster
by Fred Matheny A rider once told me about the greatest display of speed she ever produced. No, it wasn’t in a race. She was riding along minding her business when a huge Doberman, jaws dripping saliva and teeth glinting in the sun, rocketed out of a suburban yard and took dead aim on her […]
6 Kinds of Intensity Training: Why One Is Best for You?
By Coach John Hughes Intensity training doesn’t mean hammering. It means simply training at the right intensities to improve your performance, i.e., pedaling somewhat harder than normal. Intensity training is like prescription medicine. If you take the right medicine you’ll get better. If you take the wrong medicine you won’t get better and you might […]