July 20, 2023
6 Muscle Strengthening Exercises to Prevent Cramps
By Coach John Hughes
Yikes! All of a sudden a muscle locks up. We’ve all suffered cramps. Muscle fatigue is one cause of cramps. Strength training helps to prevent cramps. Why do specific muscles cramp? Depending on which of your muscles are prone to cramps, which exercises should you do to strengthen the muscles? Read more.
A Few Good Tips from Will
Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
In last week’s newsletter, Lars wrote an article questioning the effectiveness of sunscreen under a jersey and UV protective clothing too. You can read his column here if you missed it.
The article prompted regular contributor to our comments section and frequent tips provider Will Haltiwanger to send in a helpful hack he’s come up with to protect his scalp from the sun and that also stops insects. Read more.
SVED Optical RX Sunglass Inserts
By John Marsh
I’ve worn cycling sunglasses for all the years I’ve been riding the road. This is my 8th pair, having worn expensive name-brand frames with single-vision Rx inserts, as well as a couple of pairs of single-lens Rx cycling sunglasses with progressive lenses about as thick on the side as an iPhone. Read more.
The Ride Won’t Go Wrong If the Mind Is Right
By Kevin Kolodziejski
Have you ever had a pretty bad ride somehow turn into a pretty good one, seemingly without rhyme or reason?
If so and you’d like an explanation of how that happened, I just may have one for you. It’s based on personal experience, a bit involved, and you need to answer an additional — and seemingly odd — question first. Have you ever seen a set of Russian tea dolls? Read more.
Velocio LUXE Bib Short and CONCEPT Radiator Jersey Review
By Brandon Bilyeu
The LUXE Bib Short is Velocio’s best-selling bottom and this is no surprise given how comfortable they are. A rather extreme portion of my testing involved wearing the LUXE during a 24-hour relay road race. During my 7 intense hours on the bike and 17 off the bike I never took the shorts off and they were nothing but comfortable. They dried quickly so when recovering between relay laps I was not sitting around in a soggy diaper. Read more.
ORUCASE Mini-Frame Pack – Quick Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
Take some weight off by getting all that crap out of your jersey pockets and into the ORUCASE Mini-Frame Pack. You’ll feel lighter and look better. The universal fit of this mini-pack fits virtually any frame size. It stays in place and keeps its shape with five Velcro straps and a foam structural liner. Read more.
Do More Miles Produce More Strength?
QUESTION: It appears that the strongest cyclists on our club rides are those who do the most miles before the official start. Some guys show up after already riding 20 or 30 miles. Do I worry too much about resting so I get to the ride fresh? — Dino A.
ROAD BIKE RIDER REPLIES: That’s interesting. I don’t think the rider who does more miles that day (in total) wins the last sprint simply because of the miles. Read more.
Exercise Helps to Prevent Dementia
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
About 22 percent of North Americans ages 85-89 and 33 percent of those over 90 suffer some degree of dementia (JAMA Neurol, 2022;79(12):1242-1249). The risk for dementia can be reduced significantly by exercising and lowering high blood sugar levels, maintaining a healthful weight, and avoiding smoking (Lancet, Feb 1, 2022;7(2):e93-e94). Two recent studies show that exercise may be even more important in reducing Alzheimer’s disease risk. Read more.
Preventing Cycling Ailments Bundle: Butt, Hands, Feet; Cramps; Nutrition; Psychology
The Preventing Cycling Ailments Bundle, by Coach John Hughes, will teach you how to prevent problems that could make a ride less enjoyable and how to deal with them to avoid DNFing. Bundle includes:
- Butt, Hands, Feet: Teaches you what you can do to prevent pain in these areas. It reviews the general factors that contribute to discomfort on the bike including your choice of a bike, anatomical issues, bike fit and technique. It covers in detail the different causes of saddle sores, numb hands and hot foot, what to do to prevent these and how to treat each if necessary.
- Preventing and Treating Cramps
- Nutrition for 100K and Beyond: Teaches you everything you need to know to avoid hitting the wall with dead legs or bonking with a fuzzy depressed brain. It combines the best of current research with 40 years of riding experience to teach you proper sports nutrition for cycling. It covers how to estimate how many calories you are burning, the best types of fuel, what to eat and drink during a ride and what to eat and drink before and after rides.
- Gaining a Mental Edge: How to use sports psychology to solve problems. It teaches you the mental skills to deal with problems when they do occur.
Question of the Week
Does your road bike have mechanical or electronic shifting?
Cool Stuff to Read
Outside: Age Irrelevant When it Comes to Fitness
Bike Radar: Microshift takes aim at Shimano and SRAM with affordable Sword gravel bike groupset
Cycling Weekly: The lone American to have worn the yellow jersey, and four who were stripped of their achievements
Washing Machine Post: Stockpiling discontinued cycling parts
Most Clicked Last Week
How much exercise does an electric bike give you?
End Notes
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