January 26, 2023
16 Tips for Increasing Your Annual Mileage
By Coach John Hughes
I just got an e-mail from Ed. Ed lives in California and has a goal of riding 4,000 miles this year by riding 11 miles a day. With the torrential rains he hasn’t been on the road in two weeks, is 154 road miles behind and bummed out.
Ed had written a several weeks ago he’d lost his mojo. I suggested he establish some reasonable goals and work toward those. Read more.
Tips for Fixing Tires That Won’t Accept Air
Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
As the designated mechanic for our couples group who bike together some weekends, I run into interesting issues. Like last week, when Marc disappeared off the back and I went looking for him. He was a half mile behind standing on the shoulder trying to pump up the tubeless rear tire on his Santa Cruz. Read more.
Quick Tip: Help a New Cyclist Get Started
You may know someone who is catching the cycling bug. That’s great, and you’d like to help by giving him or her some on-road pointers. But to do so means riding at a pace slower than you find enjoyable.
Here are some ways to defeat the tedium. You’ll have more fun and your friend will get the benefit of your companionship and knowledge. Read more.
2 Great Tools for Swapping Modern Cassettes
By Lars Hundley
In the past, I always used a cassette lockring tool with a big adjustable wrench and an old chain whip to change cassettes. But I didn’t like dealing with the potential of the adjustable wrench slipping. And as I moved to SRAM 12 speed, the whip no longer gripped the much narrower cogs on my SRAM 12 speed cassettes very well, as it was made a long time ago for the wider spacing of 9 and 10 speed cassettes. Combining these two issues made me worry about busting my knuckles on the sharp cassette cogs if either of the tools slipped. It also made it difficult for me to put enough torque on the tools to break the cassette loose. Read more.
Intense Exercisers Have More Plaques but Fewer Heart Attacks
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
The MARC-2 study followed 291 older men for 6.3 years with a test called Coronary Artery Calcification (CAC), and found that the amount of calcium in the arteries leading to the heart increased most in men who exercised at the highest intensity, even more than those who exercised the most (Circulation, January 4, 2023). Read more.
What is the Meaning of Cycling Kit?
QUESTION: What is the meaning of cycling kit? I see it mentioned, but it’s unclear what they’re talking about specifically. —Jason B.
Quick Tip: Fleece Headbands are Great for the Neck Too
This tip was sent in to us by Doug Williams, a Canadian roadie who knows a thing or two about riding in cool to cold weather.
He writes: My Quick Tip is the versatility of (polar) fleece headbands. I use them around my head to keep my ears warm, sure, but one or two of them around the neck seal out the cold air from coming into the vest or jacket. Read more.
Your Best Season Ever Bundle
Your Best Season Ever, by Coach John Hughes, will help you set and achieve your goals in 2023:
Your Best Season Ever, Part 1: How to plan and get the most out of your training explains how to set appropriate goals for you. Hughes then shows you how to assess your individual strengths and weakness and set appropriate personal objectives. You then use this information to build a plan including personal training volumes for different seasons and months.
Your Best Season Ever, Part 2: Peaking for and riding your event builds on part 1 and shows how you can develop, test and employ a personal strategy for your key event of the season. Hughes uses as examples of key events a hill climb, a time trial, fast club rides, a 100K and a 100-mile ride. Learn more.
Question of the Week
Cool Stuff to Read
Slate: The Cult of Bike Helmets
Science Focus: The strange reason walking downstairs is better for you than going up
PEZ Cycling: Strength Training – The Suitcase Hold For Strength Improvements
Reasons to be Cheerful: Where Do Abandoned Bicycles Go? In Some Cases, Madagascar
End Notes
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