Newsletter Issue No. 958
March 25, 2021
Cycling Aerodynamics: Going Aero Without Going Broke
By Kevin Kolodziejski
Whether you race or not, whether you ride 10,000 miles a year or four-tenths of that in two, one thing’s for sure. It’s part of your cycling DNA. It’s the continual craving (except on recovery rides) to go just that little bit faster.
With cycling aerodynamics, there’s a big range of how much money you can spend and how much time it will save you. Let’s take a look at where you can get the biggest aerodynamic savings for the least amount of money. Read more.
Ride Like a Pro This Spring
By Coach John Hughes
March is our heaviest snow month in Boulder, Colorado, where I live, but spring is finally here and the days are getting up into the 60s! Many pros live here. The top pros are in Europe training or racing, while the domestic pros are getting ready for the domestic season ahead. When I’m riding with my buddy, we play a game “Spot the Pro.” We look for these signs. Read more.
Hiplok’s Jaw+ Parking Rack Review
By Jim Langley
It’s been my experience that if you wait long enough, someone will usually come along with that better mousetrap you’ve been dreaming about inventing. That’s what happened to me with Hiplok’s new Jaw+.
The problem-solver I’ve been contemplating for way too long is a fix for my ride routine. Here’s what happens – more often than I care to admit: I’m out the door with my bike and ready to hit the road when I realize I forgot something. That means going back inside the house. Read more.
Sponsor: Cadence Cycling App
Cadence is a thoughtfully designed and fully featured iPhone and Android bike ride tracker. Your best cycling computer is already in your pocket, and it’s free!
“The Best App for Cycling”, “Better than Strava”, “Uncompromising? Pretty much”, and “Best Cycling stats app I have ever used” are a small sample of real user reviews for Cadence.
Connect all your bluetooth sensors, follow routes, train indoors and outdoors, sync with Strava and Apple Health, use your Apple Watch, train with heart rate and power zones, customize the computer screen with the stats you want, and so much more.
Wondering how to mount your phone on your bike? Find recommendations at https://getcadence.app/faq#mounts.
Just go to GetCadence.app to download on your iPhone or Android for free. No account or purchase required, just open Cadence and start recording your activity!
Are You Riding with Energy Vampires?
By Greg Conderacci
You know EXACTLY who I’m talking about.
They can be strong, but they refuse to go to the front to take on the wind and to offer shelter, even briefly, to the other riders. They exude a negative, “elbows out” competitiveness. Sometimes, they’ll disrupt the flow, dashing ahead of the pack for no apparent reason. The group often will accelerate to catch them, squandering energy. Caught, they will slide back into the peloton, where they will coast and weave, making it difficult for the other riders to draft them. Read more.
KT Recovery+ Products – Quick Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
As the days get warmer our rides get more frequent and longer. Often with those longer days in the saddle, means some sore muscles. I recently discovered two KT Recovery+® products from the makers of KT Tape. A KT Recovery+ Ice/Heat Massage Ball and KT Recovery+ Pain Relief Gel. Read more.
The Pilgrimage: A Visit to Northwest Arkansas and Allied Cycle Works
By Dow Stough, M.D.
The bicycle boom over the last year had nothing to do with my personal pilgrimage to the cycling mecca of Northwest Arkansas. Yes, I had been cooped up for close to one year, just as batshit crazy as the rest of the planet. In addition to the obvious events of the year, 2020 gifted me with my 3rd knee operation, followed by a completely torn hamstring requiring reconstruction, and finally a two disc -level neck surgery where I stayed as a guest at the hospital. Working as a physician, I was no longer able to perform surgeries due to constant neck spasms. Just when things seem they could not get any worse, my beloved Trek Madone road bike was stolen. Read more.
Spring Training: 10 Weeks to Summer Fitness
Spring Training (by Coach John Hughes) explains all about how to train smart this spring and includes four different focused 10-week programs for riders with different goals: health and fitness riders, recreational riders, fast club riders and endurance riders. Each 10-week program is in two 5-week blocks so that you can tailor a program to your available time. Spring Training: 10 weeks to summer fitness is 26 pages packed with information.
Question of the Week
Have you bought a new road or gravel bike over the past year?
Other Cool Stuff to Read
Cycling Weekly: Garmin’s new Rally family brings power to riders using Shimano and SPD pedals
Outside: What’s the Minimum Dose of Training to Stay Fit?
VeloNews: 10 best recovery strategies for cycling
End Note
Check out this bike from 1989 called the BEHEMOTH. (Big Electronic Human-Energized Machine… Only Too Heavy)
