August 15, 2019
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
3 Tips to Make You a Better Cyclist
By Coach John Hughes
Training in the Sweet Spot is the best way to improve your sustained power. The Sweet Spot is above a brisk conversational pace. You can still talk but only in short phrases. Your legs are talking to you but you don’t feel the burn. If you use electronics it’s 93 – 97% of your Lactate Threshold (LT) and 88 – 94% of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP). Read more.
Staying Safe from Distracted Drivers and Those with Negative Attitudes
By Jim Langley
I’ve been a member of our local bike club, the Santa Cruz County Cycling Club since I moved here in 1982. Good members make a good club, so when I’m asked to contribute something I try to help. And this time, I think what I was asked to provide will interest you, too. Read more.
Improving Your Bike Sprint
By Fred Matheny
Whether you’re racing in a crit, trying to beat a few buddies to the city limits sign or getting chased by a dog, sometimes you’ll need to sprint on your bike. Here are some tips to reach high speed quickly. Read more.
Should I Ride When I Feel Under the Weather?
Question: Should I continue training, or cut out exercise, when I’m feeling under the weather? I have a bit of a sore throat and am slightly chesty but no temperature. Should I be exercising, and at what level? — Paul L. Read more.
5 Articles to Make You A Better Cyclist
Don’t miss The Best of Coach Hughes: Making You a Better Cyclist. This bundle of five eArticles totals 140 pages and includes:
1. How to Become a Better Cyclist: The Six Success Factors – Over 25 pages.
2. Your Best Season Ever, Part 1: A 32-page eArticle on how to plan and get the most out of your training published in 2015.
3. Intensity Training: A 41-page eArticle with the latest information on how to use perceived exertion, a heart rate Monitor and a power meter to maximize training effectiveness
4. Optimal Recovery for Improved Performance: A 16-page eArticle with 10 different recovery techniques illustrated with 14 photos. Published in 2011.
5. Eat & Drink Like the Pros: A 15-page eArticle of nutritional insights from pro cycling teams. It contains a dozen recipes for you to make your own food and sports drinks. Published in 2011.
Which GPS Bike Computer Should I Buy?
Question: There are so many GPS units out there; how do I decide what to buy? Can you do a comparison, or at least ask readers to weigh in on the
good and the bad? Thanks. — Ann S. Read more.
GORE Summer Cycling Jersey, Bibs and Socks Review
By Brandon Bilyeu
The GORE C7 jersey is a great summer weight piece. With a solid fabric front and fine mesh fabric everywhere else the jersey breathes and vents well, but is not see through like some hot weather jerseys out there. The thin fabric is held together with neat and small seams that create an uninterrupted soft feeling against the skin. Read more.
Bontrager Flatline MTB Shoes (Men’s & Women’s) Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
Bontrager’s Flatline MTB shoes have a stiff grippy Vibram sole with a uniform tread pattern, so no matter where your foot hits the pedal, it sticks. This translated to good power transfer and no slippage. I received my pair last fall and have enjoyed using them on my fat bike with flat pedals. Read more.
My Tour de France Envy Isn’t About the Riders of the Peloton
By John Yoder
As I watched the Tour de France on television the past three weeks (I’m retired), besides enjoying the insane sprint finishes, free-fall like descents and out-of-body time trials, I also enjoyed seeing the cycling landscape of France again — the smooth roads, the minimal number of stoplights in small towns, the countryside free of billboards and railroad tracks that go over the road as a bridge. I know it’s futile for me to envy (in the hope of equaling) the skill, speed or stamina of the riders, but I can’t help being jealous of the roads I see them riding on, roads that do not require exceptional skills to build. Read more.
Question of the Week
Are you a good sprinter?
More Cycling Stuff to Read
Just Riding Along: Fewer kids are riding bikes. Cyclists are worried for the future.
International Business Times: Tomaton, a wearable robot that feeds you tomatoes as you run. But can you ride with it?
VeloNews: Specialized introduces a $17,000 (!?!??!?) road e-bike.
Rootsofprogress.org: Why did it take so long to invent the bicycle?
VeloNews: 18 year old Quinn Simmons starts in the middle of the pack, has multiple flats due to course sabotage and still gets second place at Leadville, riding against the pros. Super cool.
End Notes
See you again 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. We appreciate the growing number of site visits and newsletter sign ups!
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