Newsletter Issue No. 964

May 6, 2021

Anti-Aging: How To Slow The Loss Of Fitness & Regain It During Recovery, Part 1

By Coach John Hughes

Unfortunately for many of us aging includes more time off the bike due to injury, illness, surgery, etc. Fortunately, the more years you’ve been riding the less fitness you’ll lose and the faster you’ll regain it. This is a two-part column. Part one is primarily about cycling and covers

How you lose different types of fitness.
What you can do now to slow these losses.
What you should do to regain fitness.

Part two will cover non-cycling exercise including how to reverse atrophy of muscles. Read more.

Schwalbe Aerothan Super Tubes Review

By Jim Langley

An affordable way to significantly improve the ride of most production road bicycles with stock equipment is to upgrade to a pair of lighter tubes. Tires help, too, but for this review, let’s focus on what’s inside most tires, which is the inner tubes. Read more.

New Flexible Carbon Fiber Technology Used For Cycling Shoe Uppers

By Sheri Rosenbaum

There’s a growing carbon fiber trend in performance footwear, and Carbitex has developed the first uniquely flexible carbon fiber technologies. Available in three platforms – CX6, AFX, and DFX – Carbitex has expanded its presence in the cycling market with its flexible carbon fiber materials currently incorporated in the Lake Cycling CX403 road shoe, with future expansion in road cycling in progress. Carbitex flexible carbon fiber composites are lightweight and responsive, so riders experience efficient power transfer, precise control, and increased connection to the pedals. Read more.

Wider Pedal Stance For Gravel Riding

By Rick Schultz

Background: As a bike fitter, I see a lot of cyclists that have knee pain and want relief. By the time they come in to see us, they are usually on the verge of giving up on cycling. Next, when going through their evaluation/assessment, I always ask “do you also have or experience hip pain?” Unsurprisingly, they hesitate and usually answer “Yes, how did you know?” Read more.

Solving Back Pain with the McGill Big 3 Exercises

By Martin Sigrist

If you have ever had back pain, you have probably already heard about Stuart McGill. If you never want to suffer back pain then you should hear about Stuart McGill. And if you just want to ride a bike for hours combining comfort and power Stuart McGill can help you too. Read more.

Specialized HyperViz Soft Air Reflective Tall Socks – Quick Review

By Sheri Rosenbaum

Distracted drivers are one of my biggest fear when road riding, and I always try to be as visible as possible, both with clothing and lights. Specialized’s HyprViz Soft Air Reflective Tall socks provide visibility in bright sun and low light conditions. The combination of hi-viz green and a reflective band up the back of the cuff gives an active, moving element that increases visibility. Millions of glass beads comprise the reflective band to receive and reflect light back to the source. Read more.

The Fight for Focus in a Noisy World

By Greg Conderacci

How do you get the focus you need to ride or race your best? Here’s one story.

As I dashed to the airport to catch my flight on my way to the Texas Time Trials years ago, I could feel the stress of logistics smother any semblance of focus. A frantic week of out-of-town consulting, late nights and early mornings was not the kind of mental preparation I needed. Besides, I still had to fly to Texas, rent a car, pick up the bike, drive several hours, check into a hotel, re-assemble the bike, shop for supplies and manage a few hours of sleep before the race start. Not exactly perfect preparation to ride 500 mile ultra event in less than 40 hours. Read more.

Recreational Exercise Better Than Physically Active Jobs

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

A new study from Denmark shows that while leisure-time physical activity is associated with reduced heart attack risk, occupational physical activity is associated with increased risk. The Copenhagen General Population Study followed 104,046 participants for 10 years and found that compared to low levels of leisure-time physical activity, moderate, high and very high volumes of leisure-time physical activity reduced risk for heart attacks and death significantly, but the opposite was true for physical activity on the job. Participants with leisure-time physical activity had a 15 percent reduced risk for heart attacks, while those with heavy physical activity at work had a 35 percent increased risk. Read more.

Cargo Pocket Cycling Shorts and Bibs Roundup

by Stan Purdum

Most of us road bike riders have worn Lycra-style bicycle shorts for years, and one thing they’ve never had was pockets. That’s because the shorts we bought were inspired by the attire of professional cyclists, where the emphasis is on performance and speed. None of them wanted anything protruding from the sleek lines of the shorts to create drag as they cut through the wind. Read more.

Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process

Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process by Coach John Hughes explains why intensity training is important and the pros and cons of gauging intensity using rate of perceived exertion, heart rate and power. It includes how to do intensity exercise and different intensity workouts. The book explains how to get the most benefit from your endurance rides. It has sample training plans to increase your annual riding miles and to build up to 25-, 50-, 100- and 200-mile rides. It integrates endurance and intensity training into an annual plan for optimal results. Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process incorporates the latest research and is your comprehensive guide to continuing to ride well into your 80s and even your 90s.

Learn more.

Question of the Week

Have you experienced back pain related to cycling?

Newsletter Issue No. 964