By Darren Cope By now you've most certainly heard of it. You have maybe even seen it, and some of you probably have friends who do it. What is it? Cyclocross of course! It's also the fastest growing segment of the sport of cycling, and a whole lot of fun! If you've come this far, hopefully you're prepared to learn a bit more about what cyclocross is, how it can benefit you … [Read more...] about What is Cyclocross? The Ultimate 101 Guide to CX Riding
1Training & Health
5 Ways to Improve Your Riding This Winter
By Coach John Hughes The top contenders in the pro peloton are all very fit and winning races requires more than fitness. Team Sky uses a strategy called “the aggregation of marginal gains.” The coaches identify different ways riders can improve slightly, which when taken together produce better performance and more wins. Here are five simple things you can do this winter … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Improve Your Riding This Winter
Can Breathing Through Your Nose Make You a Faster Cyclist? An Interview with Tom Piszkin
by Lars Hundley Recently, I read a book called The Oxygen Advantage: Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques to Help You Become Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter. (https://amzn.to/2rvYpGe) The gist of the book is that nasal breathing is substantially more efficient. You can train yourself to breathe through your nose even during most levels of exercise, which … [Read more...] about Can Breathing Through Your Nose Make You a Faster Cyclist? An Interview with Tom Piszkin
What’s the Optimal Cycling Cadence?
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Cycling is a power sport. The stronger you are, the faster you can go on a bike. Power = [force that your feet apply to the pedals] x [cadence, or how fast you spin your pedals]. Cadence is the number of pedal revolutions per minute (RPMs). Bicycle computers that show your cadence are available in bike shops and online bicycle catalogs. Fatigue for … [Read more...] about What’s the Optimal Cycling Cadence?
Avoiding Weight Gain During the Holidays
By Coach John Hughes The holidays are filled with temptations! A friend of mine with a Ph.D. in nutrition once told me, “I never met a calorie I didn’t like.” Put differently anything in moderation is okay. Enjoy that piece of pie, fruitcake or a couple of holiday cookies. Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Each decade past the age … [Read more...] about Avoiding Weight Gain During the Holidays
Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 4
By Rick Schultz, MBA, DBA Here are the final three terrific stretches for cyclists that are useful before and after your ride to keep you comfortable and injury free. These two stretches will help your lower back and the latissimus dorsi muscles in your mid back. To see some of our previous stretches in this series, be sure to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Don't forget … [Read more...] about Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 4
Maintaining Fitness During the Holidays
By Coach John Hughes I hope all of you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! Carol and I got in our first two days of XC skiing. We were very pleased that I’ve totally rehabbed my broken ankle from last January and it didn’t give me any problems. Years when we ski by Thanksgiving are usually good ski years, so we’re excited. It’s four weeks to Christmas and you’re busier than … [Read more...] about Maintaining Fitness During the Holidays
Lactic Acid is Good for You: Why Everyone with a Healthy Heart Should Do Interval Exercise
by Gabe Mirkin, MD Athletes use interval training to make themselves faster and stronger, and everyone with a healthy heart can benefit from this technique. A typical interval workout for non-competitive exercisers would be a session of jogging, walking or cycling in which they: • Warm up by moving slowly for about 10 minutes, • Pick up the pace until they feel a slight … [Read more...] about Lactic Acid is Good for You: Why Everyone with a Healthy Heart Should Do Interval Exercise
Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 3
By Rick Schultz, MBA, DBA Here are two more terrific stretches for cyclists that are useful before and after your ride to keep you comfortable and injury free. These two stretches will help your lower back and the latissimus dorsi muscles in your mid back. To see some of our previous stretches, be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2. Don't forget that when your muscles are cold, … [Read more...] about Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 3
Why is Cycling So Hard?
If you're new to riding a bike or coming back after a long break from cycling, you might wonder, why is cycling so hard? Cycling is an endurance sport, which means one that primarily uses the aerobic system for long periods at relatively high intensities. Success at endurance sports requires high cardiovascular fitness, so it's no surprise that an untrained or out of shape … [Read more...] about Why is Cycling So Hard?
Anti-Aging: In Your 60s How Fast Do You Lose Fitness?
By Coach John Hughes My friend and RBR reader Janet wrote, “One way I monitor my level of cycling fitness is by how hard (or easy) a routine ride is. I was off my bike for only 26 days and I could not believe how hard one of my routine routes was, the climbing in particular. I am so glad I did that ride yesterday. It's basically looking in the mirror. I will now work on … [Read more...] about Anti-Aging: In Your 60s How Fast Do You Lose Fitness?
Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 2
By Rick Schultz, MBA, DBA As I discussed in Part 1 of this guide, I get asked all the time about the best stretches/exercises to do before and after a bike ride. After discussing it with my daughter, who is an accomplished cyclist with a doctorate in physical therapy, we came up with a set of stretches that will help warm up the psoas (hip flexors), hamstrings, glutes, … [Read more...] about Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 2
Cycling in Your 60s: Activities in the Fall
By Coach John Hughes Note that I titled this “Activities” not “Working Out” or “Training.” The latter two sound more purposeful and may imply something you must do. For 60-year-olds fall is the time to kick back and enjoy other activities in addition to training for cycling. Here in Colorado changing from daylight savings to standard time means it’s time to put the snow … [Read more...] about Cycling in Your 60s: Activities in the Fall
Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 1
By Rick Schultz, MBA, DBA I get asked all the time about the best stretches/exercises to do before and after a bike ride. I discussed this with my daughter, who is an accomplished cyclist with a doctorate in physical therapy. Together, we came up with a set of stretches that will help warm up the psoas (hip flexors), hamstrings, glutes, lower back, calves and quads. … [Read more...] about Ask The Bike Fit Coach: Best Stretches Prior and Post Ride, Part 1
You Can’t Be Too Fit
by Gabe Mirkin, MD Dramatic results in a new study from the Cleveland Clinic show that: • You can't be too fit: Elite athletes who do tremendous amounts of exercise have a much lower risk of dying than non-exercisers. • Exercise is healthful: Not exercising is worse for your health than smoking, diabetes or heart disease. The vigorous exercisers had nearly a 500 … [Read more...] about You Can’t Be Too Fit