Newsletter Issue No. 847
January 31, 2019
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
10 Ways to Cross Train for Cyclists
By Coach John Hughes
Eight inches of snow and it’s still coming down! Am I depressed because I can’t ride? No — I get to play! And I don’t mean building a snowman. In season I train, each week I ride a planed mix of endurance, tempo, intensity and recovery rides. My riding has structure and I pay attention to my heart rate. In the winter I ignore the structure and numbers and just do activities I enjoy. The goal is to maintain my aerobic endurance. As long as I can talk I’m not going too hard. I also enjoy outdoor activities with family members who don’t cycle. Read more.
A Huge Personal Goal Achieved
By Jim Langley
You may have noticed that at the bottom of every Tech Talk there’s a little note that reads, “Ride total: X,XXX,” where the Xs are replaced with a number. Today’s number is 9,164. If you divide today’s number by 365, you will see that 9,164 daily consecutive rides equals a little over 25 years. Read more.
Rapha Cycling Apparel for the Cold and Wet
By Brandon Bilyeu
This was my first experience with Rapha and I came away impressed. Rapha makes some real quality kit. This review covers the Pro Team Winter Tights With Pad II, the Pro Team Race Cape, Pro Team Lightweight Rain Vest and Pro Team Base Layer. Here’s what I thought about each item, and how they worked in the cold and wet. Read more.
Learn More About Keeping Fitness and Gaining a Mental Edge in the Off-Season
by Coach John Hughes
Productive Off-Season Training for Health and Recreational Riders describes how to build general fitness. Hughes says, “What you should do during the off-season depends on your cycling objectives, whether you ride primarily for your health or for recreation. This eArticle is both for people who ride primarily for health and also those who ride for recreation. It describes different off-season activities and then combines these. Read more.
Carbohydrate Loading Does Not Work
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
“Carbohydrate loading” the night before a big race can impair your performance and damage your health. More than 45 years ago, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, I reported the case of a marathon runner who had a heart attack after carbohydrate loading.
The “carbohydrate loading” regimen was supposed to increase the amount of sugar stored in your muscles before a race or endurance competition. First proposed in 1939, the process took several days: a four-day depletion phase and a three-day loading phase. Read more.
Stay Upright on a Bicycle When Your Wheels Touch Another Rider’s
Question of the Week
Do you cross train?
Extraordinary articles of great utility, easy to understand and apply. Here in Colombia we have many false beliefs especially regarding feeding day or days before a race. that of loading full carbohydrates is the most common. Apply the article read in my next challenge 38 kms of pure ascent to the Alto del Verjon near Bogota in Colombia. Best regards.