January 20, 2022
8 Tips for Effective Winter Training
By Coach John Hughes
As I write this column it’s -1F. I live in the Rocky Mountains in Tabernash, CO. I wait for it to get above 10F and then I cross-country ski. I skied all seven days last week. I mixed up the days: a couple of long skis, a couple of days working on technique, one fast day and a couple of recovery days when I stopped frequently to take pictures of the mountains. I’m coaching clients where winter is also real: Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wyoming. Here’s how I work with them. Read more.
Learning to Ride Clipless Pedals Without Falling/Crashing
By Jim Langley
If you’re thinking of buying your first clipless pedals and want to jump to my best tips on how to avoid falls and crashes, you’ll find them all in my video here. By way of introduction and to express my respect for and connection with clipless pedals, here’s some personal history first. Read more.
Gaining An Inch
By Martin Sigrist
Takeaway: There’s a good news flip side to the adage “use it or lose it.” If you never used it, you can still gain it, even in your sixties (and maybe later on too). It’s true for VO2max, it’s true for freedom of movement and it’s true for muscle too. You may not win an Olympic gold by adopting this mindset. But it could result in something far more precious, a longer, healthier, more fulfilled and pain free life. Read more.
Better for Your Cycling and Psyche: Don’t Resolve Yearly, Self-Diagnose Daily
By Kevin Kolodziejski
Of Einstein, Insanity, and New Year’s Day Resolutions
An article that alludes to New Year’s Day resolutions and appears on the 20th of January may seem 20 days late. Actually, it’s 12 days early. That’s because it’s not about making them but breaking them. Read more.
Garmin Rally RS200 and XC200 Power Pedals Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
In my first look article, I finished testing the Rally RS200 on my road bike with SPD-SL 3-bolt cleats and was about to transfer them over to my gravel bike. I use SPD 2-bolt cleats when riding gravel, so I used the XC conversion kit to convert the pedals to XC200. The 200 designates power measurement on both pedals, while the XC100 reads power on only one pedal. Read more.
Pearl Izumi Rove Cycling Jean Quick Review – Men’s and Women’s
By Sheri Rosenbaum
When cycling to the store or to meet friends for coffee, sometimes you don’t want to wear Lycra. But denim jeans aren’t always super comfortable with their bulky seams. Pearl Izumi recently introduced their Rove cycling jean in both men’s and women’s versions. Read more.
What’s the advantage of a gravel bike?
QUESTION: What is the advantage of a gravel bike? I don’t get it. Don’t most people live in town? Seems overly specialized to me. – Jarad F
ANSWER: The way you are phrasing your question makes me think that maybe you’re convinced that a gravel bike is ONLY good for riding on gravel roads. But that’s not really the case. Read more.
Blood Pressure During and After Exercise
High blood pressure puts you at increased risk for suffering a heart attack or stroke and damaging every organ in your body. Lowering high blood pressure helps to protect you from these complications. Blood pressure is usually at its lowest at bedtime. Read more.
33 Cycling Training Tips to Improve Your Riding
By Arnie Baker
The only way to get finished is to get started.
Keep in mind these tips during the course of your cycling, whether you are a beginning or seasoned cyclist, or you are training indoors or out. Come back to this list for a quick reference occasionally as a way of initiating a review of your overall program. The tips will help keep you on the right track. Read more.
Off-Season Bundle: Productive Off-Season, Year Round Cycling, Gaining a Mental Edge
The three-article Off-Season Bundle: Productive Off-Season Traing, Year-Round Cycling, Gaining a Mental Edge, by Coach John Hughes, includes 12-week plans based on riders’ goals, how to extend your riding season outdoors by learning how to properly dress, eat, ride safely and stay motivated throughout the off-season; and how to use sports psychology to improve your cycling (even long after you’ve plateaued physically) by focusing on the often-overlooked mental side of the sport.
Question of the Week
Disc brakes or rim brakes?
Cool Stuff to Read
Cycling News: Sam Bennett: Cycling is now so scientific I feel I’m not riding a bike anymore
VeloNews: Technical FAQ: Tire rolling-resistance testing methodology and verification
Bicycle Retailer: Five things that might happen in 2022. Or not.
End Note
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