Question: I am 59 years old and I been cycling for 12 years. Each winter of the last 10 years I have been looking for a training plan to improve. My FTP hovers around 225 watts after winter training and reaches around 240 watts by the end of the outdoor cycling season in Southern Ontario. I am curious if there is a physical test one can do to determine one's potential … [Read more...] about Can I Determine My Potential Functional Threshold Power?
1Training & Health
Cooling Down After Intense Exercise
By Gabe Mirkin, MD "Cooling down" means that after you exercise intensely, you slow down and exercise at low intensity for a while before you stop exercising for that session. The scientific literature is controversial on whether cooling down helps to reduce next-day muscle soreness to help muscles to recover faster. I believe that cooling down may help you to heal faster … [Read more...] about Cooling Down After Intense Exercise
How Can I Avoid Exhaustion on a Hard, Hot Ride?
Question: I've ridden Colorado's Triple Bypass several times and churned up and down the Pyrenees and Alps. But last August in the Raid Pyrenees (28 passes in 10 days) I had to stop due to severe exhaustion – a combination of 112F-degree (44C) heat, dehydration, overtraining and apparently a mild bug picked up on the airplane. What a surprise and disappointment. I want to … [Read more...] about How Can I Avoid Exhaustion on a Hard, Hot Ride?
How to Hydrate for Better Cycling Performance
By Coach Fred Matheny If it's the summer cycling season, it's probably hot where you live. Cyclists and other outdoor athletes are the first to notice rising temperatures. And the hotter it is, the faster you lose fluids when you ride. Fluids are crucial to your performance and sense of well-being. we're really just big bags of fluid—our blood contains about 50 percent … [Read more...] about How to Hydrate for Better Cycling Performance
What is the protocol for spitting on group rides?
QUESTION: I’m new to cycling and I just attended my first group ride. But during the ride, the guy ahead of me spit a couple of times, and both times, some of the airborne splatter hit me. As a newcomer, I didn’t want to make waves, but aren’t there some guidelines about spitting when riding with others? —Alice E. RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: I don’t know of any written … [Read more...] about What is the protocol for spitting on group rides?