Newsletter Issue No. 840
December 13, 2018
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
5 Ways to Improve Your Riding This Winter
By Coach John Hughes
The top contenders in the pro peloton are all very fit and winning races requires more than fitness. Team Sky uses a strategy called “the aggregation of marginal gains.” The coaches identify different ways riders can improve slightly, which when taken together produce better performance and more wins.
Here are five simple things you can do this winter to improve your performance. Read more.
Are You Making These Two Common Mistakes Adjusting Shimano Front Derailleurs?
By Jim Langley
When you work as a quality control engineer for a company that specializes in making cranksets, as I do – you get a lot of front derailleur adjustment practice. It comes from testing new product and also from maintaining bikes built elsewhere and already on the road.
I’ve been seeing two issues with modern Shimano “braze-on” front derailleurs. Read more.
Can Breathing Through Your Nose Make You a Faster Cyclist? An Interview with Tom Piszkin
By Lars Hundley
Recently, I read a book called The Oxygen Advantage: Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques to Help You Become Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter. The gist of the book is that nasal breathing is substantially more efficient. You can train yourself to breathe through your nose even during most levels of exercise, which leads to increased athletic performance.
One of the chapters of the book featured Tom Piszkin, a cyclist, bicycle designer and certified USA Olympic Triathlon Coach, who agreed to an interview. Read more.
Learn to Stay Fit and Healthy During the Off Season With This Guide
The Off-Season Bundle includes Productive Off-Season Training and two other articles, which teach you how to make the best use of your available time this winter. The Off-Season Bundle totaling 60 pages is just $13.50 and only $11.48 for our Premium Members with your members only 15% coupon code discount. Whether your goal is long-lasting physical health, the joy of physical activity or continuing athletic performance, this bundle will teach you what to do in the off-season.
What’s the Optimal Cycling Cadence?
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Cycling is a power sport. The stronger you are, the faster you can go on a bike.
Power = [force that your feet apply to the pedals] x [cadence, or how fast you spin your pedals].
Cadence is the number of pedal revolutions per minute (RPMs). Bicycle computers that show your cadence are available in bike shops and online. Read more.
Can You Lose Weight by Cycling? These Cyclists Sure Did!
Ever wondered if you can lose weight cycling? As a suggestion to those of you who belong to a cycling club, Coach David Ertl thought it would be fun to share with you information about how his own hometown club in Des Moines, Iowa, has used his eBook as the foundation for a seasonal weight loss contest. The results speak for themselves, with the winner losing more than 53 pounds during the 22-week program. And there’s nothing stopping individual riders from reaping the same benefits on their own! Read more.
Hit Your Weight Loss Goals Through Cycling With Pedal Off The Pounds
In Pedal Off the Pounds, USA Cycling Level 1 Coach David Ertl eschews diet book gimmickry for the hard truth, detailed nutritional and dietary knowledge, and a proven approach to weight loss for cyclists – whether weight loss alone is your goal, or whether losing weight and simultaneously training to improve cycling performance is your goal. Losing weight through exercise alone, without changing your diet, is difficult and time-consuming. Losing weight by changing your diet, without increasing your exercise, is equally difficult. But when you combine a reduced-calorie diet with increased energy expenditure, weight loss becomes manageable and noticeable.
Will the Halo Sport Neurostimulation Device Help You?
By Coach John Hughes
Last week’s newsletter included an interview with Mark Mastalir: Can This Set of Headphones Make You a Faster Cyclist? Interview with Halo Neuroscience. Halo sells headphones that are purported to increase athletic performance and improve endurance.
I’m generally skeptical of products that are alleged to improve performance, but in this case I was intrigued. Your quadriceps muscle is composed of many motor units, each of which is controlled by a different nerve. Each motor unit is burning a tiny bit of energy. When your brain tells these motor units to contract they don’t all naturally contract simultaneously. If you can get the motor units to fire simultaneously you get more power without expending more energy. This is like dialing in the timing of your car. If the Halo device improves the firing pattern of these motor units then it could improve cycling. Read more.
Question of the Week
Do you ride any kind of stationary bike during the winter months?