by Fred Matheny A rider once told me about the greatest display of speed she ever produced. No, it wasn’t in a race. She was riding along minding her business when a huge Doberman, jaws dripping saliva and teeth glinting in the sun, rocketed out of a suburban yard and took dead aim on her calf. Speed isn’t just for racers. Our heroine jumped out of the saddle, accelerated for … [Read more...] about Developing Speed for Cyclists, a Guide to Getting Faster
1Training & Health
6 Kinds of Intensity Training: Why One Is Best for You?
By Coach John Hughes Intensity training doesn’t mean hammering. It means simply training at the right intensities to improve your performance, i.e., pedaling somewhat harder than normal. Intensity training is like prescription medicine. If you take the right medicine you’ll get better. If you take the wrong medicine you won’t get better and you might even get … [Read more...] about 6 Kinds of Intensity Training: Why One Is Best for You?
FDA Proposes New Sunscreen Rules
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D. At last, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing new rules on sunscreen safety. Finalizing these rules and actually making changes on the regulation or labeling of sunscreens will take time, so I advise you to follow their recommendations now by reading the labels and avoiding those products with ingredients that are unlikely to be safe … [Read more...] about FDA Proposes New Sunscreen Rules
Learn to Countersteer Your Bicycle for Faster, Safer Cornering
by Fred Matheny Want to corner on your bike better than ever? Start by forgetting nearly everything you already know. … [Read more...] about Learn to Countersteer Your Bicycle for Faster, Safer Cornering
Swift Endurance: How to Ride Long Distances Faster on Your Bicycle
By Fred Matheny Cycling is an endurance sport. The early Tour de France featured stages of 400 km (250 miles) or longer. The 1200-km (744-mile) ride from Paris westward to the Atlantic coast and back began as a race in 1891and now Paris-Brest-Paris is the most famous randonnee in the world. The epic Race Across America, arguably cycling's toughest event, covers some … [Read more...] about Swift Endurance: How to Ride Long Distances Faster on Your Bicycle
Breathing Technique for Climbing Long, Hard Hills
Breathe out hard, breathe in easy. by Fred Matheny Here's a technique I learned from 1984 Olympic road champion Alexi Grewal. Try it when climbing a long hill. … [Read more...] about Breathing Technique for Climbing Long, Hard Hills
Become a Better Cyclist by Learning About the Training Triangle
by Arnie Baker, M.D. Here's an important truth about training. When you work on one particular aspect of fitness, others will suffer. The Problem The following triangles represent what is happening: The corners of the triangle might represent speed, endurance, and power. The triangle area represents the total amount of fitness. … [Read more...] about Become a Better Cyclist by Learning About the Training Triangle
How to Warm Up Correctly for Your Next Bike Race or Ride
by Fred Matheny Get your body ready before you ask it to perform. Why have a consistent warm-up routine? Why isn’t it sufficient merely to spin easily for the first few minutes of a ride? A structured warm-up accomplishes several important things: … [Read more...] about How to Warm Up Correctly for Your Next Bike Race or Ride
How to Do Interval Training
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D. If you want to improve your level of fitness, you can try interval training, the technique used by athletes in sports requiring speed and endurance such as cycling, skiing, running or swimming. They exercise very intensely, rest, and then alternate intense bursts of exercise and rest until their muscles start to feel heavy or tired. The American … [Read more...] about How to Do Interval Training
4 Tips for Cyclists When You’re Sick
By Coach John Hughes Being sick totally sucks! I know — I’ve had the flu for a week and am totally bummed. I love to XC ski and enjoy doing events. We have great conditions in Colorado. I was looking forward to the Latigo 15K, a race I’ve never done, on Sunday. However, I collapsed in bed yesterday after shoveling snow for just 10 minutes yesterday. No … [Read more...] about 4 Tips for Cyclists When You’re Sick
How to Raise Your Lactate Threshold for Cyclists
by Fred Matheny If you read articles about training (or hear other cyclists talk about their training programs) you can’t avoid the term “lactate threshold” (LT). It’s so common it has become a buzzword, as in “What’s your LT?” or “I went over my LT on that hill and blew up.” Lactate Threshold (LT) Defined Lactate threshold is the exertion level beyond which your body can no … [Read more...] about How to Raise Your Lactate Threshold for Cyclists
Follow These Top Tips to Prepare for a Bicycle Century (100 mile Ride)
By Arnie Baker, M.D. Riding 100 miles -- also known as a century -- in one day is a terrific challenge and a landmark event in the career of any cyclist. Here are some tips to make your bike century event easier and more fun. Train Enough Train fitness with enough volume, intensity, and climbing. Generally, build up to ride at least 75 miles in a day three times before your … [Read more...] about Follow These Top Tips to Prepare for a Bicycle Century (100 mile Ride)
A Guide to Overtraining and Recovery for Cyclists
by Fred Matheny Hard training doesn’t always lead to better performances. Combine it with inadequate recovery and you’ll almost certainly get worse instead of better. How can you avoid this depressing phenomenon, known as overtraining? How can you recover better? Stress is Cumulative Pro cyclists rarely overtrain. They ride enormous mileage (on the order of 400 to 600 miles a … [Read more...] about A Guide to Overtraining and Recovery for Cyclists
Ask the Coach: Questions on Winter Training for Endurance
By Coach John Hughes I’ve had several excellent follow-up questions on my column on 8 Tips for Endurance Training This Winter. Running For Endurance Leigh wrote, “What would you consider an endurance run in place of a ride. We get a lot of ice in Toronto and simply can't get onto the roads because they're too busy with cars even if you have spiked tires. I don't mind riding in … [Read more...] about Ask the Coach: Questions on Winter Training for Endurance
Brain Benefits from Exercise
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Three new studies help us understand the many good things that exercise does for your brain. The first study, from the University of Maryland, shows that a regular exercise program alters blood flow to the brain to improve mental function in older people who suffer from mild cognitive impairment that often precedes dementia (Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, … [Read more...] about Brain Benefits from Exercise