Coach John Hughes

  By Coach John Hughes Question: I’m 78 and a life-long rider. Four years ago farm dogs ran me down and, as a result, a fix of the femur required a pin. My goal after the recovery was to gain fitness and motivation to take on club rides and do a few metric rides. That has not happened, and I have tried training plans, i.e. climbing, cross-training and have not … [Read more...] about How Endurance Riding Can Benefit Every Roadie

  By Coach John Hughes Question: I’m 78 and a life-long rider. Four years ago farm dogs ran me down and, as a result, a fix of the femur required a pin. My goal after the recovery was to gain fitness and motivation to take on club rides and do a few metric rides. That has not happened, and I have tried training plans, i.e. climbing, cross-training and have … [Read more...] about How to Get and Stay Motivated as a Cyclist

By Coach John Hughes I have previously introduced the concept of a “showstopper.” A showstopper is anything that causes you to interrupt your season, not do an event or to stop an important ride before you’re ready to stop the ride. Here’s a personal, very painful example. I went to the ER at Mercy Medical in Durango, Colorado, less than 1,000 miles into the 1994 Race … [Read more...] about Showstoppers: Physical Ailments, and How to Overcome Them

Question: I completed my first 400K last weekend. After the ride, I noticed that my big toe on each foot has a blue half moon under the nail on the lower, outer quarter of the nail, which I assume is blood. I have typical soreness in my feet, but no pain. I am preparing for my first 600K in two weeks. Are these discolorations an indication of an emerging problem, which should … [Read more...] about How to Evaluate a Potential or Actual Injury