Newsletter Issue No. 872
July 25, 2019
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
Eat, Race, Win Lessons from the Tour de France
by Coach John Hughes
Simon Yates just won his second stage of the 2019 Tour de France, stage 15, on the Prat d’Albis (12 km at 6.9%). Three days earlier he had won stage 12. Yates races on the Mitchelton–Scott team, an Australian team previously the Orica-Scott team.
What do the pros eat to fuel racing like this? Read more.
Top Tips Before, During and After Rainy Rides
by Jim Langley
Here in the Northern California Road Bike Rider headquarters, winter is the rainy season. If it’s raining a lot where you are now, these technical tips on dealing with rain will come in handy. If not, save them for later during fall, winter or spring showers where you live. Disclaimer: these tips are mostly for rainy riding on pavement rather than dirt or gravel, where wear and tear is worse. Read more.
Why Interval Training Works
by Arnie Baker, M.D.
Intervals—periods of higher-intensity work interspersed with periods of lower-intensity work—are a common training technique and have been used by a variety of endurance athletes to improve performance for over 100 years. Read more.
Thermal Threshold
by Arnie Baker
The human body is about 25 percent efficient. Said differently, roughly three-quarters of the energy used to power muscles is lost as heat.
To avoid overheating, the body must get rid of this excess heat. As the body heats, more blood flows to the skin to improve heat loss. Read more.
REGGIE Classy Camo Jersey, Classy Pink Bibs and Full Gas Socks
by Sheri Rosenbaum
A few months ago, a rep for REGGIE contacted me looking for a woman to test/review their gear. Probably like many of you, I was not familiar with the company. I come to find out, a bother/sister duo founded REGGIE to inject fun back into riding. They selected the name/word REGGIE because it makes you smile just to say it. But it’s not just fun and games, the gear is both high quality and offers a great fit. The company uses Jakroo, a custom manufacturer, for their jerseys and bibs and DeFeet for their socks. Read more.
On Being Careful
by Stan Purdum
“Be careful!” is usually the last thing my wife says to me as I head out for a bike ride, and she says it emphatically.
She often precedes that injunction with others, such as “Have a good ride,” or “Enjoy yourself,” but in the “Be careful,” I hear what’s unsaid: “I love you,” “I don’t want you to be hurt,” or even “I don’t want to lose you.” So I appreciate and welcome the encouragement to exercise care. Read more.
Eating & Drinking Like the Pros
Eating and Drinking Like the Pros: How to Make Your Own Sports Food & Drink. You’ve probably wondered what the riders in the pro peloton eat and drink during a stage race. Coach John Hughes researched what Team Sky, Garmin-Cervélo and RadioShack riders consume before, during and after a stage and discussed the results with cycling nutrition experts. Coach John Hughes analyzes and describes pro nutrition in detail and then provides recipes so that you can make your own sports nutrition.
Quick Tip: Muc-Off Disc Brake Covers
By Sheri Rosenbaum
If you have a bike with disc brakes, here’s a product to help protect them during cleaning or shipping. Muc-Off’s new Disc Brake Rotor Covers. They come in a package of 2 for $29.99. They’re easy to use. Read more.
Hardly Working
by Scott Martin
Had my employee performance evaluation the other day. I hate to brag, but my rating fell somewhere between “meets expectations” and “keeps chair warm.” My supervisor and I did the usual dance about duties and contributions, global competencies and focus areas, blah-blah-blah and yadda-yadda-yadda. Bottom line: I get to stay out of the unemployment line. Read more.
Castelli Tabula Rasa Jersey and Bibshort Review
by Brandon Bilyeu
The Tabula Rasa Jersey and Bibshort combo stands out as the least conservative styling in Castelli’s lineup. This is not by accident as the pieces have been optimized for custom graphics. Reduced seams via a simplified cut make for an obstruction free canvas for the best graphics results in Castelli’s Servizio Corse custom clothing program. But if you don’t want to go custom you still get to pick from two eye-catching off-the-shelf designs. Read more.
Question of the Week
Do you do intervals?
Other Cycling Stuff to Read
Pinkbike: If you want to see what bike handling skill looks like, watch this guy rail corners on dirt with a women’s city bike.
Medium: There’s no such thing as a sugar rush.
Wired: How long would it take to ride a bike to the moon? (Thanks, John Hughes!)
Pinkbike: Delta eliminates bicycle bag and sporting equipment fees.
Verge: The future of fitness is riding together but alone.
Sticky Bottle: Marianne Vos faces empty press room after La Course win.
End Note
Thursdays come around pretty quickly, don’t they? So I’ll see you again soon. 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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