By John Yoder As a cyclist, I frequently learn something from my rides, and some events teach me several lessons. That was the case when I was riding my mountain bike on the shoulder of a busy two-lane highway in my hometown, Goshen, Indiana. As I scanned the road ahead, I noticed that a cyclist had fallen about 100 feet in front of me. As I got closer, I could see that … [Read more...] about Be Prepared to Help Your Fellow Cyclists
1Training & Health
Calculate Your Fitness Age
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. VO2max can be used to predict a person’s risk of premature death from a heart attack. Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have developed a simple way to estimate a person’s VO2max, his maximal ability to take in and use oxygen (Med Sci Sports Exerc, November 2011;43(11):2024-30). … [Read more...] about Calculate Your Fitness Age
Showstoppers: Physical Ailments, and How to Overcome Them
By Coach John Hughes I have previously introduced the concept of a “showstopper.” A showstopper is anything that causes you to interrupt your season, not do an event or to stop an important ride before you’re ready to stop the ride. Here’s a personal, very painful example. I went to the ER at Mercy Medical in Durango, Colorado, less than 1,000 miles into the 1994 Race … [Read more...] about Showstoppers: Physical Ailments, and How to Overcome Them
Should You Take a Daily Aspirin?
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Recent research shows that three years of taking aspirin daily is associated with a small reduction in heart attacks only in people who have had previous heart attacks, but not in those who had not had a previous heart attack (Clin Cardiol, May 2017). Previous studies have shown similar results (Am J Med, Feb 2015;128(2):137-43). People aged 50 to 70 … [Read more...] about Should You Take a Daily Aspirin?
How to Evaluate a Potential or Actual Injury
Question: I completed my first 400K last weekend. After the ride, I noticed that my big toe on each foot has a blue half moon under the nail on the lower, outer quarter of the nail, which I assume is blood. I have typical soreness in my feet, but no pain. I am preparing for my first 600K in two weeks. Are these discolorations an indication of an emerging problem, which should … [Read more...] about How to Evaluate a Potential or Actual Injury