By Coach Fred Matheny There are many advantages to being able to eat and drink on the move. It’s essential on long rides and a great timesaver compared to stopping. But it’s harder to do than it looks. Energy bars are tough to peel when pedaling along. Reaching for food makes the bike waver, and you find yourself needing to look down each time you want to grab a bottle. … [Read more...] about How to Eat and Drink on the Bike
1Training & Health
3 Tips to Ride Faster Up Hills
By Coach Rick Schultz The most common question I'm asked as a coach is "How can I get better at riding hills on a bicycle?" The answer isn't really a simple one, but I can distill it into three parts: … [Read more...] about 3 Tips to Ride Faster Up Hills
How Can I Maintain My Speed Up Hills?
QUESTION: I'm 70 and take a spinning class two days a week and train on the road two other days. Then I ride with a group of 40-somethings on Sundays. On climbs, I can stay with the group nearly to the top before I reach my max heart rate and have to back off. I've tried slowing my cadence and standing as well as increasing cadence and sitting, but I reach my max at about … [Read more...] about How Can I Maintain My Speed Up Hills?
Improving Performance on Steep Climbs
QUESTION: I'm a strong climber with good endurance on long, gradual hills, even at the end of long rides. But as the climb steepens to 6% or more, I fall apart, especially if I stand. How come, and how can I get better? -- Mel S. RBR REPLIES: You didn't mention your size, but climbing always depends on your power-to-weight (PTW) ratio. If a friend puts out more watts per … [Read more...] about Improving Performance on Steep Climbs
The Old Man and the C(EO)
Plus Sage Advice From a 1990s TV Show By Kevin Kolodziejski Feeling like the Hemingway character futilely fighting off the sharks devouring the mega marlin lashed to the side of the boat? Or maybe more like the Tour de France rider who just ripped the number from his jersey and plopped his butt in the broom wagon? This time of the year can do that to you. The holidays … [Read more...] about The Old Man and the C(EO)