QUESTION: How much caffeine do I need cycling? – Christopher N Stan Purdum replies: In answering your question, I assume by “need,” you mean “How much caffeine is beneficial to my cycling performance?” It’s a good question because virtually all the studies on how caffeine affects riding conclude that in general, a limited dose —…
By Coach John Hughes You’ve probably been on a ride and all of a sudden your leg cramps. You try to keep pedaling but it gets worse. Or out of a sound sleep you’re rudely awakened by cramps. The affected muscle spasms and squeezes all the nerve endings inside the muscle. This creates the pain.
By Stan Purdum Nearly 20 years ago, I pulled out on the fourth day of what I’d planned to be a longer bicycle tour because heavy rain had set in and was forecast to continue for a couple days more. It was the right decision, but it left me disappointed — partly because the leg…
QUESTION: Is gravel riding harder than the road? I haven’t ridden any gravel events yet, and I’m wondering how hard they might be. – David J Stan Purdum replies: It is harder, but there are some upsides to that. For one, you’ll get more of a workout in the time you spend gravel riding than…
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. High blood pressure markedly increases risk for heart attacks and strokes. A study of 10,676 adults, average age 56, found that 47.2 percent had high blood pressure, and one in five of the subjects who had high blood pressure (>130/80) took medicines that can raise blood pressure (The American College of…
