Newsletter Issue No. 976
August 5, 2021
12 Tips to Avoid Overtraining
By Coach John Hughes
Ned Overend at age 35 won the first UCI World MTB Championship in 1990 in Durango, Colorado, and won again in 1991. In 2015 at the age of 60, he won the first US Fatbike championship. On training, he said, “I do exactly what I have always done; it just takes me longer.” A prior four-week training block now takes him six to eight weeks because he needs more recovery. (Friel, Fast after 50) Read more.
State Bicycle Company’s 4130 All-Road – A Surprisingly Affordable Gravel Bike
By Jim Langley
As I have mentioned a couple of times in this column recently, we were traveling around the USA in our Class C RV a little of June and almost all of July. In case you’re curious about the route, we left our home here in Santa Cruz, California and drove up to Anacortes, Washington. There we took the ferry to Orcas Island where we camped for a week. Read more.
Could Carbonation Be Keeping You Up at Night — and Dooming Your Diet?
By Kevin Kolodziejski
I will make no attempt to bend a metal spoon because of it. I won’t even start playing the Pennsylvania lottery. But I may possess some strange sort of eater’s ESP, based on research I stumbled upon about three weeks ago. Read more.
Intensity and Endurance: the Special Challenge of Road Cycling
By Martin Sigrist
Takeaway: The special challenge of road cycling is its combination of duration and intensity. No other endurance sport has events that last as long and require, in order to be the best, intense maximal efforts, with the hardest usually being at the end. This presents special challenges not just to the body but also to the mind. That is one reason why building mental strengths and skills are as important as improving physical fitness. Read more.
PackTowl Personal Towel Quick Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
Minimizing the weight and amount of gear you take on a ride can be a challenge. With PackTowl’s Personal towel, you get lightweight, packability, and versatility. They are available in four sizes and are perfect for bikepacking, camping, hiking, or even a single day of riding. Read more.
Some Quick Tactical Tips for Riding in the Heat
By Coach John Hughes
I live in Boulder, Colorado, and love climbing in the Rocky Mountains. One season a few years ago I pedaled up 17 climbs totaling 33,700 feet! The highest to this point is Loveland Pass at 11,990 feet. Summer temps can be in the 90s in Boulder. While I don’t climb anywhere near as fast as the pros – in fact, my climbing these days reminds me of the loaded touring I did a couple decades ago in terms of my speed – I still get just as hot as the pros. And so do you! Read more.
Eating & Drinking Like the Pros
Eating and Drinking Like the Pros, by Coach John Hughes, explains the recovery nutrition and hydration pros consume after a race. Their buses typically have kitchens and chefs to feed them as soon as they’re off the bike! Eating and drinking like the pros offers us the same nutritional benefits, which we can customize to our own needs – typically at a fraction of the cost of commercial sports food and drink, if we choose to make our own.
Question of the Week
Have you ever had to stop a ride because of the heat?
Other Cool Stuff to Read
Road Bike Action: Why Mechanical Shifting is Going Away for Good
Statista: Tour de France: Too Fast To Be Clean?
Road.cc: It’s not all about racing: why the bike industry needs to take a chill pill
NPR: Cyclist’s Olympic Dream Becomes $200,000 Medical Bill Nightmare
End Note
