By Ric Stern Last week I wrote about surviving two weeks in the Alps on vacation. Plenty of riding, no structure, lots of coffee and pastries. It was brilliant. But this week I want to talk about what comes next — because for a lot of riders, October means one thing: feet up, bike in…
After a long ride, the easiest thing is to sit in the car, stop for coffee or do a few errands before going home. But if you are still in damp cycling shorts, change that plan. Sweat, road spray and a wet chamois hold moisture against skin that has already spent hours under pressure and…
By Ric Stern You’ll hopefully have noticed that my column has been missing for a few weeks (if you haven’t noticed, well, then I’m hugely upset and I will subject you to a series of 20 efforts of 30 seconds each at maximal effort with 5 minutes in between, followed by 200 push-ups!). I’ve been…
A century is not only a test of fitness. It is also a test of organization. You can have strong legs and still have a long day if your food, clothing, pacing, or equipment plan fails. Use your long training rides as rehearsals. Eat the same foods you expect to use on event day. Learn…
Question: While training for a century, I was turning left onto a well-used road … and down in some loose gravel. Somehow, I broke my thumb, which required surgery, three pins, a cast and physical therapy. I’ve taken plenty of tumbles over more than sixty years of cycling, but this has really spooked me, and…
