Newsletter Issue No. 871
July 18, 2019
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
20 Tips for Your First Century
By Coach John Hughes
For many cyclists riding a 100K or 100 miles is the classic achievement, something you focus on, train for and worry about for months. Although you’ve trained hard and think you’re ready, you may also feel like a pro racer about to start his first Tour de France—nervous and not entirely sure you can finish. Here are eight tips on your final preparations and a dozen on how to ride your ride. Following these tips will prepare you for and help you through a successful, fun 100K or 100 miles. Read more.
Preventing a Slipping Seat Post
By Jim Langley
As I ride around and spot other cyclists, I look at them, too. And I’ve noticed, like my friends did, that there are a lot of too-low seats out there. I see too-high ones once in awhile. But the low ones are easier to spot and more common, I think. Too low a seat is a problem because it can cause knee pain, or even injury, fairly quickly, especially if you climb hills or push the pace. Read more.
Exercise May Change Gut Bacteria for More Endurance
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
A recent study showed that after finishing the 26-mile Boston Marathon, runners had changes in the bacteria in their colons that may have helped them to run faster and longer (Nature Medicine, June 24, 2019). Fifteen marathon runners and 10 non-runners provided stool specimens daily for a week before and a week after the marathon. Read more.
100% S3 Sport Performance Sunglasses Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
You may not ride like Peter Sagan, but you can own the sunglasses he helped design and wears. The S3 model launched by 100% at the end of April combines both fashion and performance. They are stylish, and the French-made Ultra HD lens provides clarity even as I rode through dappled sunlight, allowing me to easily see debris or pot-holes. Read more.
Endurance Training and Riding
Coach Hughes has written three articles about Endurance Training and Riding — Beyond the Century, Nutrition for 100K and Beyond, and Mastering the Long Ride — which we are pleased to offer as a bundle.
- Training for Endurance Rides — Originally titled “Beyond the Century” the training principles and plans apply equally to roadies doing 100K and 100- mile events. The eArticle starts with how to train for a century and 200 km brevet and then how to prepare for longer brevets including 1200 km rides. 16 pages.
- Nutrition — What to eat and drink before, during and after rides of 100 km and longer.
- Riding the Long Ride — What are the key final preparations for a ride of 100 km or longer, how to complete them and then how to manage every aspect of the ride.
Training Tips for Cyclists
By Arnie Baker
The only way to get finished is to get started. As an introduction to training, the following is a list of general hints to keep in mind during the course of your training regimen, whether you are a beginning or seasoned cyclist, or are training indoors or out. Keep this list for a quick reference occasionally as a way of initiating a review of your overall program. The tips will help keep you on the right track. Read more.
Elite Training Mat and Front Wheel Block Review
by Rick Schultz
About a week ago, a large box showed up at the front door. It came from Elite and contained a trainer mat and a front wheel block. Sweet! It couldn’t have come at a better time, because the next morning I was invited to setup a tent at the Orange County Wheelmen / Bicycle Club of Irvine Bike Rally. These are great bicycle clubs that I highly recommend you check out if you are in the Orange County area of California. Read more.
I Rode a Regular Bike and Then an E-bike Over the Same Category 1 Climb. Here’s What Happened.
by Lars Hundley
On a recent trip to the Bavarian Alps, the hotel that I was staying in offered some very nice loaner bicycles from a nearby German bike manufacturer, Rotwild. Guests could reserve and borrow bikes for free. Most of the bikes were e-bikes, because your average hotel guest doesn’t want to pedal up a mountain. Over a period of a few days, I was able to borrow a regular mountain bike and also one of their e-bike models. I rode both bikes on the road over a Category 1 climb on separate days, so I could compare the difference between them on a difficult course. Read more.
Braking and Cornering on Wet Roads
by Fred Matheny
I live in arid western Colorado, so riding in the rain isn’t a common experience. I rarely face the challenge of riding on slick roads. (Sometimes the roads are slippery from a passing cattle drive, but that’s a different story!) Read more.
Quick Fix: Try Tums for Leg Cramps
PROBLEM: You’re well into a long ride in tough terrain, and suddenly you feel the telltale twinges of an oncoming cramp.
SOLUTION: Take two or three Tums. Read more.
Magic Bullet
by Scott Martin
Years ago when I worked for a cycling magazine, my editor assigned me a story about bananas (which inexplicably did not win a Pulitzer for Best Article on Tropical Fruit). What I remember about this unmemorable story was that it contained one of my favorite quotes. Speaking of the banana’s many benefits, a nutritionist told me, “There is no magic bullet, but if there were, it would be curved and yellow.” Read more.
Question of the Week
Would you ever consider an ebike?
Other Cycling Stuff to Read
NPR: Could different gut bacteria make you a faster cyclist or runner?
Phil Maffetone blog: Is sunscreen causing widespread vitamin D deficiency?
NY Times: The World’s Fastest (Old) Man
Pinkbike: Another year, another dangerous and irresponsible jump over the peloton during the Tour. (Hat tip to former publisher John Marsh for finding this one.)
If you see any cool cycling or fitness related stories that other newsletter readers might like, just hit reply to any newsletter and let me know about them.
End Note
Thanks for reading again this week. If you enjoy reading the newsletter each week, consider forwarding it to a fellow roadie with a note and suggest that they sign up too.
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