Newsletter Issue No. 842
December 27, 2018
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
9 Top Tips for Winter Cycling Training
By Coach John Hughes
I live in Colorado and I Nordic skied on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then my buddy and I enjoyed our weekly ride on Thursday. As I write this, a fire in my wood stove is keeping me warm.
This is the time of year when I outline my clients’ training plans for the year ahead. For the next 3 – 5 months I plan base training, whether the client lives in Boston, Colorado, Maine or California (in other words, regardless of the climate). Read more.
A Cautionary Tale: How Cycling Saved My Life
If you have read my eBook Pedal Off The Pounds (POTP), you know that it is filled with tips on healthy eating. While the eBook if focused on eating for weight loss, most of the suggestions are designed for healthy living as well, including heart health. I walk the talk. It has helped me stay lean as I have gotten older. And I was hoping it would keep me free of the diseases of civilization: cancer, diabetes and heart disease. So I was shocked to learn that I had a blocked coronary artery! Mine is a cautionary tale that I’m sharing with you in hopes that you can avoid the same outcome, or at least discover it early enough to treat it without it taking a larger toll. Here’s my story and a few life lessons. Read more.
Even a 100-Year-Old Can Improve With Training
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
A new research report shows that you can improve athletic performance with proper training, even if you are over 100 years old. Traditional feeling among scientists is that aging is progressive and inevitable, and that your genetic programming causes you to age no matter what you do. This paper shows that physical training can reverse established markers of aging. Read more.
How Can I Improve Average Speed on Long Bicycle Rides?
Question: I just finished a 600K (373-mile) brevet with 15,000 feet (4,500m) of climbing. Next, I’m signed up for several double centuries. How can I improve my average speed in these long rides? I hate structured training plans, and don’t lecture me about nutrition! — Dan L.
Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Hang on, Dan. Here comes the lecture. Read more.
Looking Back While Cycling, Safely
Question: I ride between 210-235 miles a week, so I’m out on the road a lot. Issue: For any given number of reasons, changing lanes, checking to see if the lane is clear, etc., you glance over your left shoulder. What I witness among the riders I see is the following (and there was no scientific study involved here!).
What’s happened to the Question of the Week?????
I guess that is the Question of the Week! 🙂