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 […]
Thermal Threshold
by Arnie Baker The human body is about 25 percent efficient. Said differently, roughly three-quarters of the energy used to power muscles is lost as heat. To avoid overheating, the body must get rid of this excess heat. As the body heats, more blood flows to the skin to improve heat loss.
Quick Fix: Try Tums for Leg Cramps
PROBLEM: You’re well into a long ride in tough terrain, and suddenly you feel the telltale twinges of an oncoming cramp. SOLUTION: Take two or three Tums.
20 Tips for Your First Century
By Coach John Hughes For many cyclists riding a 100K or 100 miles is the classic achievement, something you focus on, train for and worry about for months. Although you’ve trained hard and think you’re ready, you may also feel like a pro racer about to start his first Tour de France—nervous and not entirely […]
Exercise May Change Gut Bacteria for More Endurance
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D. A recent study showed that after finishing the 26-mile Boston Marathon, runners had changes in the bacteria in their colons that may have helped them to run faster and longer (Nature Medicine, June 24, 2019). Fifteen marathon runners and 10 non-runners provided stool specimens daily for a week before and a […]
Do Cholesterol Drugs Affect my Cycling?
By Richard Ellin, MD, FACP Question: I am 40 years old. For the last 3 years I have participated at local races in my age group. I now train 6-10 hours weekly, and my diet is not perfect but not too bad. At my last checkup my blood test results were: cholesterol, 279, HDL, 54 […]