Newsletter Issue No. 904
March 5, 2020
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
Ride Like a Pro This Spring
By Coach John Hughes
March is our heaviest snow month in Boulder, Colorado, where I live, but spring is almost here and the days are getting up into the 60s! Many pros live here. The top pros are in Europe training or racing, while the domestic pros are getting ready for the domestic season ahead. When I’m riding with my buddy, we play a game “Spot the Pro.” We look for these signs: Read more.
Hahn Rossman’s Ingenious Tire Clearance Checker
By Jim Langley
A few columns back, I introduced my current project, updating a 1970’s Lejeune in order to ride it in the upcoming Eroica California ride. If you missed it, here’s a link. Sadly, it turns out that I probably won’t be able to attend Eroica this year. Still, I’m going ahead with refurbishing this vintage steel rig for future editions of the ride. And, because this classic French racer rides so nicely I’m going to use it more than just once every few years. Read more.
Sponsor: Susie’s Smart Breakfast Cookie
If you aren’t eating two servings of fish every week, you might not be getting enough Omega 3 in your diet. According to WebMD, “Not only does your body need these fatty acids to function, but also they deliver some big health benefits.” Each Susie’s Smart Breakfast Cookie provides 2 grams of Omega 3s from sources including walnuts, flaxseed and canola in the form of a delicious cookie that comes in flavors including Orange, Cranberry Nut, Gingered Apple, Banana Coconut and Cocoa. Use one to fuel up on a ride, or as a breakfast replacement. Learn more about the Breakfast Cookies here.
Read what RBR Premium Member Randy Birch had to say about them here. Or read Sheri’s review of the cookies on our site.
Use coupon code RBR2020 for 10% off entire order
Funkier Boreano F5 Elite Bibs and Arona Pro Shorts Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
It’s been about two years since I last reviewed Funkier apparel so I reached out to the company to see what they had new in their line. They sent me a pair of Boreano Elite Bibs, Arona Shorts and a host of summer jerseys. Since it’s still winter here in Chicago, I am holding of on testing and reviewing the jerseys, but I’ve put the bibs and shorts to the test both on the indoor trainer and outside under a pair of tights. While they are very different in price, chamois and design, they are both very comfortable. Read more.
How Can I Shift More Smoothly on Hills?
Question: It’s hilly on my home roads, and I struggle to ride efficiently. I usually shift to an easier gear at the bottom of a hill while I still have momentum. But if I need to shift again as the grade steepens and I’m mashing the pedals, the gear change is noisy and clunky. It makes my riding buddies cringe. How can I smooth things out? Read more.
Sweat Mineral Losses and Antioxidants
By Arnie Baker, MD
Minerals are lost in sweat. Prolonged exercise, especially in the heat, has the potential to create mineral deficiencies. Is during-exercise replacement necessary? To answer this question we need to know:
- Is the amount of mineral lost in sweat significant?
- Are daily intakes typically greater than possible sweat losses?
- Are there body reserves or mechanisms to cope with occasional acute deficiencies?
- Will deficiencies result in performance or other problems?
Snack on Nuts, Fruits and Vegetables
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Eating lots of nuts and fruits is associated with reduced risk for diabetes and heart attacks. Nuts are low in absorbable calories and provide many essential nutrients. People who snack regularly on nuts have fewer blood markers for diabetes and arteriosclerosis than the general population. Read more.
Intensity Training: Using Perceived Exertion, a Heart Rate Monitor or Power Meter to Maximize Training Effectiveness
If you want to maintain the fitness you’ve worked so hard to achieve, or to ride faster and have more power, you need a bigger engine, says Coach John Hughes.
How can you get a bigger human engine, a V-6 or even a V-8, instead of your fuel-efficient but relatively weak V-4? “Proper intensities are the key!” he says. The right intensity workout(s) depend on both your individual goals and the time of the year. Coach Hughes provides information so that health and fitness riders, club and endurance riders and performance riders can easily tailor the workouts to your training goals and season.
Question of the Week
Have you ever bought tires that didn’t fit in your bike frame because they are too big?
Other Cool Stuff to Read
VeloNews: Technical FAQ: Road Tubeless Tires
Salon: How I stole my bike back
Bicycling: What Every Cyclist Needs to Know About Iliac Artery Endofibrosis
Trek: International Women’s Day Group Bicycle Rides for March 8 and earn a patch doing it.
Silca: Silca’s pro tire pressure calculator is still free for now, and improved.
End Notes
