August 1, 2019
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12 Myths About Hydration and Cycling
by Coach John Hughes
Dehydration hurts performance, right?
Pro stage racers ride so hard that their guts can’t absorb enough fluid to replace all that they are losing in sweat. Race rules also restrict when a rider can get a bottle toward the end of a stage. Although somewhat dehydrated, the pros sprint quite well! Read more.
On Pedal Threading and Safety Checking Crashed Carbon
by Jim Langley
Today’s topics come from an unexpected page on the Road Bike Rider website (at least to me), so I’ll start with an explanation. Like road riding meccas – Bend, Oregon and the tri-state area of NH, VT and MA are two of my favorites – the RBR website has almost endless ways to take a wrong turn following one article after another until you end up far from where you started. Read more.
Strength Training for Cyclists 101
Whether your goals are improved day-to-day functionality, aesthetic fine-tuning, or athletic performance, strength training is a tool anyone can add to their toolbox, and especially cyclists. Read more.
Does Ultra-Endurance Exercise Harm the Heart?
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Research evidence shows that exercise strengthens the heart, prevents and treats heart attacks and strokes, and prolongs lives. The more frequently people exercise, the less likely they are to die of heart disease, but there is some evidence that a person can increase heart attack risk by exercising too much. Read more.
Summer Riding
Summer is when we ride the most and Coach John Hughes teaches you all you need to know in the Summer Riding Bundle to have your best summer ever. This 4-article bundle includes Coach John Hughes most informative articles on Summer Riding.
- Cycling in the Heat, Part 1: – Ride Management. 20 pages on how to acclimate, how to ride in the heat without overheating, how to stay (relatively) cool, what to wear, what to eat and drink, how to cool down if you overheat, and heat-related problems.
- Cycling in the Heat, Part 2: – Hydration Management. 21 pages on assessing your personal sweat rate and composition, how much you should drink, electrolyte replacement and the pros and cons of electrolyte replacement drinks, supplements and foods.
- Preventing and Treating Cramps. I haven’t cramped in decades. 10 pages on what causes cramps, how to prevent them and what to do to break a cramp so you can keep riding.
- Eating and Drinking Like the Pros: How to Make Your Own Sports Food and Drink — Nutritional Insight from Pro Teams. 15 pages covering what the pros eat and drink, what you can learn from this, how to make your own sports drinks, gels and solid food, and what to eat at a minimart.
Topeak D-TORQ Electronic Torque Wrench Review
by Rick Schultz
Last count, Topeak has 15 products in their Torq Tools category. They list a NANO TORQBAR series, NANO TORQBIT series, NANO TORQBOX series as well as two full-blown digital TORQ torque wrenches. In need of a new torque wrench, the D-TORQ digital wrench arrived at the shop for us to test. Read more.
KOO Orion Sunglasses Review
by Sheri Rosenbaum
Koo is a brand of high-performance sporting eyewear developed by KASK, the Italian helmet manufacturer. It’s been some time since I reviewed their first pair of sunglasses (KOO Open) which launched at Interbike 2016. In late October 2018, KOO released Orion, their latest model of cycling sunglasses. Read more.
Question of the Week
Have you ever broken anything on your bike by overtightening?
Other Cycling Stuff to Read
Wired: Now we have to share the bike lane with stupid delivery robots?
Wirecutter: Is it surprising that the treadmill was historically a punishment?
Vice: Rogue cyclists create a bike lane barrier out of toilet plungers.
Wall Street Journal: The Supertuck, including video demos by Andrew Talansky.
SB Nation: What happens after you crash out of the Tour de France? (It’s not coincidence that this link is right after the Supertuck.)
End Note
Ever have periods where you’re riding poorly and it sucks all the joy of cycling? I’m trying to get through one of those. Must. Keep. Riding. Can’t lose VO2 max and get even worse!
See you next Thursday. 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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