Newsletter Issue No. 818
July 12, 2018
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
Learning from the Pros: Cycling Nutrition
By Coach John Hughes
What do the pros eat to fuel racing like this? Here are the results of the first stages of the Tour de France: Stage 1: 201 km won by Fernando Gaviria Quick-Step Floors in 4:23:32, 45.86 km/h (28.50 mph) Stage 2: 182.5 km won by Peter Sagan BORA – Hansgrohe in 4:06:37, 44.51 km/h (27.66 mph). A racer burns 3,500 to 4,000 calories on an average day in the Tour de France like these and 5,000 to 5,500 on a big day in the mountains. Read more.
A Simple But Effective Exercise to Help with Knee Pain
By Jim Langley
I’m opening this week with a funny story because I’m in a much better mood recently (tell you why in a minute).
It’s a tale about something that happened while my wife Deb and I were biking across country in the winter of 1979. Read more.
Topeak FastFuel Dry Bag Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
I like to ride with a bento bag on my top tube for triathlons, group rides and on the trainer. The bag I had been using was rectangular and had a mesh flap that closed with Velcro. While it was very convenient to access items, it didn’t easily fit my iPhone and would sometimes shift during a ride interfering with my pedal stroke. Also with the mesh flap sweat and rain would get on my phone and nutrition. Read more.
Don’t miss this Training Series discounted bundle from Coach John Hughes!
How to Become a Better Cyclist: The Six Success Factors – A new eArticle totaling 36 pages.
Your Best Season Ever, Part 1: A 32-page eArticle on how to plan and get the most out of your training.
Intensity Training 2016: A 41-page eArticle with the latest information on how to use perceived exertion, a heart rate monitor and a power meter to maximize training effectiveness.
Optimal Recovery for Improved Performance: A 16-page eArticle with 10 different recovery techniques illustrated with 14 photos.
Eat & Drink Like the Pros: A 15-page eArticle of nutritional insights from pro cycling teams. It contains a dozen recipes for you to make your own food and sports drinks.
What’s the Danger Pace on a 300k Bike Ride?
By Fred Matheny
Question: In three weeks I will ride my first 300K (186-mile) brevet. A friend told me that the rule for pacing long rides is: Never go anaerobic.
Sounds like smart advice, but how can I tell when I’m in danger of doing it? – Bud S. Read more.
Lack of Vitamin D May Harm Athletes
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
A new study in mice shows that having low levels of vitamin D may harm athletes and exercisers by limiting how long they can exercise (Aging, June 2018). Six-month old mice were put on a low vitamin D diet for one year. After two weeks, the mice on the low vitamin D diet developed blood levels of vitamin D under 15 ng/ml, (equivalent to low levels in humans), where they remained for the entire study. They did not lose strength, but they lost a lot of their endurance (their ability to sustain exercise). The authors believe that this implies a decrease in their ability to take in and use oxygen. The mice also lost some muscle size. This study may be important for humans because vitamin D deficiency disease is defined as less than 12 ng/ml and vitamin D insufficiency borderline disease is less than 20 ng/ml. More than 35 percent of North Americans have these low levels, particularly in the winter. Read more.
Question of the Week
Are you watching the Tour de France this year?
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