John Hughes

By Coach John Hughes Last week’s column was How Much Should You Train to Get Faster? After I posted it to Facebook, readers made a number of good responses. … [Read more...] about How Much Should You Train to Improve Cycling Performance, part 2

By Coach John Hughes Coach Hughes: I’ve been friends with Elizabeth Wicks for several decades and have coached her for many ultracycling 12- and 24-hour races. She turned 75 in 2019 and gave herself a birthday present of riding PAC Tour’s 1900-mile Ridge of the Rockies trip in July, which was challenge enough.  But she then added another challenge for the year and we … [Read more...] about Elizabeth Wicks Turns 75 and Rides 7,500 miles in 2019!

By Coach John Hughes My long-time friend Bruce Perry asked me a good question.  I met Bruce and his wife Becky when we rode the PAC Tour Transcontinental in 1988.  Bruce and Becky rode tandem. We averaged 152 miles / day for 17 straight days. I remember a couple of days that were almost double centuries. Bruce reminisced “As I remember the trip now it was not … [Read more...] about Ask the Coach: Strength Training for Older Roadies

By Coach John Hughes We’re each an experiment of one. Here’s what I’ve learned from almost 50 years of research and experimentation. … [Read more...] about What’s the Best Food for Cycling?

By Coach John Hughes In last week’s newsletter Dr. Mirkin wrote an informative column Tips for Keeping Your Maximum Heart Rate Up As You Age.  He’s correct that the formula of (220 – your age) is a wildly inaccurate way to determine your maximum heart rate. However, your max heart rate – even if determined with a heart rate monitor by riding all out – is … [Read more...] about Older Riders: Why Max Heart Rate Is Irrelevant

By Coach John Hughes My longtime friend John Lee Ellis, age 67, completed his sixth Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) this summer.  PBP is a 750-mile (1200 km) continuous ride from the outskirts of Paris to Brest and back, which must be completed in 90 hours or less.  The 90 hours includes all stops for rest stops, meals, sleep, mechanicals, etc. Ellis finished in 83 hours 9 … [Read more...] about Setting Goals as You Grow Older

By Coach John Hughes Question: “I understand that interval training of one type or another is the best method to improve performance. However, I am coming off an extended six month period of minimal riding. Is there some level of base miles I should do before I start doing intervals?” RBR Reader Richard Z. … [Read more...] about How Many Base Miles Before Intensity Training?

By Coach John Hughes In my recent column I’m 70! Yikes!!! Lessons from my Journey Through Life one of the key lessons I’ve learned is to ride less and recover more.  The results are that the riding I do 1) is more enjoyable because I’m not tired at the start of the ride and 2) produces more improvement because I can do a more challenging ride that’s longer and / or … [Read more...] about Importance of Recovery in your 50s, 60s and Beyond: 9 Tips on Cycling Recovery

By Coach John Hughes My client David finished the arduous Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) covering 1219km (758 miles) in 89 hours 20 minutes. (90 hours was the cut-off for an official finish.) This is the total time including all the time off the bike including short sleep breaks! Riders had to check in at controls (check points that also had food and places to sleep on the floor) … [Read more...] about 10 Tips to Improve Your Mental Toughness

By Coach John Hughes On August 1, 2019, Patricia Anne Baker set the Masters Women’s 80-84 Hour World Record of 27.447km (17.96 mi). Wow! Although this column describes how an older rider can improve, the principles apply to all roadies. … [Read more...] about How to Improve as a Cyclist