Newsletter Issue No. 845
January 17, 2019
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
Anti-Aging: You’re Only as Old as You Think
by Coach John Hughes
83-year old Joe Shami, of Lafayette, CA climbed Mount Diablo last year for the 500th consecutive week. Diablo (3,849) is at sea level about 40 miles east of San Francisco, CA. Most of the 11-mile climb is a 10-12 percent grade averaging 8 percent. “The wall” the final stretch to the top is 17-19 percent. Wow!
He rides from his home and depending on the route it’s a 38 to 46-mile round trip. Read more.
Should Andy’s New Road Bike Have Disc Brakes?
by Jim Langley
“Andy” is a cycling friend I’ve known for decades. I ran into him at the grocery store the other day.
After catching up a bit, he told me he had recently retired and is shopping for a new road bike. He told me that while he has a good idea of what he’s looking for in the way of frame, wheels and drivetrain components, he needs my help with one critical detail. The final decider for him is whether or not his new road bike should have disc brakes? Andy has always ridden road bikes with side pull rim brakes – the standard type on most road rigs since the dawn of road riding. I’m going to share with you what I told Andy, and then you can have your turn expressing your point of view in our comments. Read more.
Treat Knee Pain with Lifestyle Changes
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
A review of 47 studies on 22,037 patients with knee osteoarthritis treated for at least 12 months showed no clear difference in controlling long-term pain between medications and placebos. There was a slight time-limited pain control with a non-steroidal (celecoxib) and glucosamine. With the exception of immune suppressants that have lots of serious side effects, medications and health supplements do not prevent progressive damage to joints and are used only to help lessen pain. Read more.
Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process
by Coach John Hughes
Anti-Aging describes the physiological changes that take place as you age, how to assess your current fitness and the training principles that apply to older roadies.
The book explains how to get the most benefit from your endurance rides. It has sample training plans to increase your annual riding miles and to build up to rides of 25-, 50-, 100- and 200-mile rides. The book explains why intensity training is important, the pros and cons of gauging intensity using rate of perceived exertion, heart rate and power. It includes how to do intensity exercise and different intensity workouts. It integrates endurance and intensity training into an annual plan for optimal results.
Kuat Transfer Hitch Bicycle Rack Review
by Sheri Rosenbaum
I’m sure most of the RBR readers have more than one bike and probably different types of rides. In my garage I have several road bikes, a cross bike and a fat bike. Finding a hitch rack that could transport all types of bikes securely, easily and not brake the bank was my objective when I set out to write this review. I came across the Kuat (pronounced koo-at) Transfer and requested a sample of their 2-bike rack to test. Since I wanted to include fat tire bikes in the mix, they sent me the Phat Bike Kit which is sold separately for $10/bike. Read more.
Complete List of Energy Gel Brands for Cyclists
Looking for a new energy gel brand to try? If you’re a cyclist who spends more than two hours at a time riding, then you’ll probably want to consume some calories to avoid the dreaded bonk, whether it’s gels or regular food. Some products can cause GI distress, or taste bad, or have some other issue that prevents you from performing at your best. We’ve created this list of every energy gel brand we could find and listed them alphabetically so you can browse and see if there’s one that’s exactly the right gel for your specific needs and tastes. Looking forward to reader feedback about the brands you love or hate! (We previously covered sports drinks, in case you missed it.) Read more.
Why Does Speed Change Unpredictably on Group Rides?
Question: I’m new to road riding and enjoy going with our local Sunday group. But I don’t understand why the pace is so variable. We’re cruising along talking, then suddenly the pace increases drastically or several riders go sprinting up the road. What’s going on? — Harry I.
Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Welcome to pack dynamics! You may not be in a road race, but sometimes it’s hard to tell.
There are several reasons why the pace can heat up. Read more.
Question of the Week
Do you ride road disc brakes, or plan to?
No I don’t and hope that I never have to…..