Newsletter Issue No. 1016

May 12, 2022

Anti-Aging: Use It or Lose It, Part 2

By Coach John Hughes

We just returned from a three-week trip to Bengaluru, India to celebrate a close friend’s wedding. An Indian wedding is a colorful multi-day celebration! In this column I’ll describe what I did – and didn’t do – in India for exercise.

In Anti-Aging: Use It or Lose It, part 1 I explained the different ways and rates at which you lose fitness. I described how I prepared for time off the bike for surgery a couple of years ago. Read more.


A Cool Tool for Fixing Rubbing Disc Brakes

Jim’s Tech Talk

By Jim Langley

Once set up well, road bike disc brakes usually just work. But, as with rim brakes, some discs can occasionally develop a rub. The usual cause is that a brake pad, or more than one, inside the brake caliper rubs on the rotor (the metal discs attached to the wheels). If you’re lucky, the rub is so minor that you don’t even notice it. Read more.


How to Eat for a Long Bicycle Ride

By Coach Fred Matheny

The key to riding long distances is food and drink. Sure, training is important—but nutrition and hydration are even more vital. According to renowned former ultramarathon rider and Coach John Hughes of Boulder, Colorado, “Nutrition, not necessarily training, is the limiting factor in endurance cycling.” The reason? Even the best-trained riders pack only enough muscle fuel (glycogen) for a couple of hours of hard cycling. Fluid stores vanish even faster. Read more.


Showers Pass Century CC Jacket Review (men’s & women’s)

By Sheri Rosenbaum

Showers Pass released a new jacket to commemorate its 25th anniversary in late February. According to Jeremy Rider, PR Director at Showers Pass, “When you need a jacket that just works and is specifically designed for on-the-bike comfort and performance, the Century CC is the perfect choice.” Read more.


Saddle Sore Mitigation

By Rick Schultz

Reading Fred Matheny’s detailed article on dealing with saddle discomfort, I would like to add a few things.

As a bike fitter, most of my client’s state that their number one issue is knee pain. Hands going numb, shoulder, neck pain is number two. Saddle pain is usually a distant third. But it’s still in the top three. Read more.


Create Good Health, Eat Proactively

By Kevin Kolodziejski

I bet you’ve heard a version of this story before. How somebody’s grandpa smoked three packs of Pall Mall’s every day, drank a six-pack of Schlitz every night, never missed a day of work, yet lived to be 95. The last time I did, I was a teacher and the snot-nosed teen added, “So what do you think of that, Mr. Fitness Master?” (You’ll learn why he called me that later.) Read more.


Selle SMP E-Bike and Well Gel Saddles Review

By Rick Schultz

Getting older, I recently sold my Honda CBR-1000RR. Too much leaning forward, I will leave that to the younger generation. Once sold, I found an ebike that I always wanted. HPC (High Power Cycles) 96V battery, upgraded controller, with a 7000w hub motor and that came with a 128mm-wide saddle. I like everything about the ebike except that horribly narrow and uncomfortable stock saddle. Read more.


Cycling Past 50, 60 and Beyond Bundle

In this 3-article series, Cycling Past 50, 60 and Beyond, Coach John Hughes shares his personal insight and the current research into how different physiological systems worsen with age. In Fit for Life, he shows you that by exercising in different ways you can stay fitter than if you just ride your road bike. In Peak Fitness, he provides specific week-by-week workouts designed to make any rider a better, fitter cyclist. And in Training with Intensity, he explains the physiological benefits of riding with intensity; doing some hard riding slows the aging process and delivers an array of benefits at any age.

Learn more.


Question of the Week

Do you ever ride in the rain?

Cool Stuff to Read

VeloNews: Top tips for how to pace your race
PezCyclingNews: Can Heat Training Slow You Down?
Dave Moulton’s Blog: The Golden Age of Cycling
Levels Blog: Ultra-runner Mike McKnight just ran 118 miles completely fasted
Road.cc: Sagan’s safety standards: Roval revives tubeless for Rapide II and Alpinist II

End Notes

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