By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. At some time, one out of three cyclists suffers serious knee pain (Am J Sports Med, 2010 Dec;38(12):2494-501). It often occurs with a new bike, upon returning to cycling after a long hiatus, or when you are trying to increase either your intensity or your mileage. If your knee starts to hurt while you are on your bike, stop riding and try to find out the … [Read more...] about Don’t Straighten Your Knees When You Ride a Bicycle
1Training & Health
Ask the Coach: What Should a Beginning Cyclist Eat and Drink, pt. 2?
By Coach John Hughes Last week I wrote about What a Beginning Cyclist Should Eat, which applies to all roadies. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends, depending on how big you are, consuming 25 to 60 grams of carbs (100 to 240 calories) per hour after the first hour of exercise. Note that the recommendation is only for calories of carbs. … [Read more...] about Ask the Coach: What Should a Beginning Cyclist Eat and Drink, pt. 2?
Quick Tip: Turn Your Back into a Sail
A strong wind is lots of fun when it's coming directly from behind. Most roadies have learned to make the most of it by sitting high with hands on the bar tops, exposing their back to the gale. Here's a way to get max benefit from wind that's coming from a rear quarter, more of a crosswind than a tailwind. Let's say it's blowing from the left. The trick is to angle your … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Turn Your Back into a Sail
More on Avoiding Boredom on Long Solo Rides
By Coach John Hughes Last week Taylor Q. asked How to Avoid Boredom on Long Rides? The column had three excellent suggestions: Opt for scenic routes, if possible.Vary your courses. I ride flats, hills and rolling stuff on my road bike, do some mountain biking on singletrack and also ride a cyclocross bike on routes that mix pavement, dirt roads and canal bank … [Read more...] about More on Avoiding Boredom on Long Solo Rides
10 Essential Bike Handling Skills for Roadies
By Coach John Hughes I turned 71 in April and rather than rueing my age, I’d set a challenging goal of cross-country skiing at least 71 days. I skied 75! My second goal was to continue to improve skiing the classic diagonal stride. I’m fortunate that last summer we moved to the mountains of Colorado. As I write this on May 4 it’s spitting snow, I’ve built a fire … [Read more...] about 10 Essential Bike Handling Skills for Roadies

