July 23, 2020
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Ask the Coach: How Should a Beginning Cyclist Train?
By Coach John Hughes
Training stress + rest = training success
When asked how to improve Eddy “the Cannibal” Merckx put it simply, “Ride more!” Merckx was the most successful professional racer of all time. Merckx achieved 525 victories over his eighteen-year career. He won the Tour de France five times, the Tour of Italy five times, the Tour of Spain, all the spring classics, the World Championship three times and set the hour record. Read more.
Tip for Removing One-Key-Release (Self-Extracting) Cranks
By Jim Langley
Recently I discovered that some roadies are struggling to remove cranksets. And that the cranksets that are giving them trouble are actually designed to be easily removed. I know because I work at a company that makes some of these cranks, Praxis. Another company making cranks like this is SRAM. Read more.
Sena R1-EVO Helmet Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
The Sena R1 EVO uses Mesh Intercom™ to enable hands-free communication between riders within a half-mile (900 meters). Multi-channel Open Mesh supports 9 channels, letting you switch between different groups on different frequencies. (Note: We only had the two helmets so we couldn’t test this particular feature.) Read more.
Interview with Amy Schultz, PT, DPT, CSCS
By Rick Schultz
This is a short interview with Amy Schultz, PT, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist for Red Bull’s Athlete Performance Center. Bike Fitness Coaching discussed the latest thoughts on her training as an undergraduate when she quickly rose from Cat 4 to Cat 2 in a season, versus what she would do different now. Read more.
Quick Tip: When Is It Time to Quit a Ride or Event?
When is it smart to quit a race, century or even a tough training ride? When is it okay to battle on? Here are some questions to ask yourself when Mr. DNF is calling your name. Read more.
Blown Away
By Scott Martin
Most cycling skills are simple to acquire.
Want to climb better? Ride up hills, fast. Don’t eat foods that contain fats, sugars or, well, calories. Make sure you were born with lungs the size of air bags. Read more.
Blender Bottle Halex Insulated 24 oz Bottle Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
Who knew when it came to sports bottles you could build a better mouse trap? Blender Bottle recently released their Halex sports bottle with OmniFlow™ 3-mode selector. With the turn of the nozzle you can switch between a traditional bottle where you tilt and squeeze to drink. Or drink from the bottle vertically through the built-in straw. The third position locks the bottle. Read more.
How to Become a Better Cyclist: the Six Success Factors
Coach John Hughes has been riding since 1976 and coaching professionally since 1995. He has ridden millions of virtual miles with clients that he has coached, learning that every rider improves most if we work on six success factors:
- Specific goals
- Effective training
- Sound nutrition
- Proper equipment
- Proficient skills
- Mental techniques
Cyclists achieve maximum improvement by working on all six of the Success Factors, not just on their favorites or the easiest.
Question of the Week
Have you kept going during a ride and ended up causing an injury?
Other Cool Stuff to Read
Bicycle Retailer: Greg Lemond raises $2 million, closer to new carbon bike brand launch
Bike Radar: Raleigh launches a modernized replica of a 40 year old design that won the Tour de France in 1980
VeloNews: How do we maintain this bike boom?
End Notes
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