101 of the best Cycling Tips:
This article form Bicycling magazine has 100 tips, tricks, and just plain excellent advice for riders of almost any skill level, and one blatant ad for a pretty decent book.How to handle curves:
This is a video of Fabian Cancelarra on a fast descent in the Tour de France. Fabian is one of the best descenders in the pro peleton, because his technique for handling curves is second to none. This is also a nice video because he's out there pretty much by himself so you can see the technique in detail. Things to look for:- The "line" he takes through the corner, from as far "outside" as possible to as far "inside" as possible at the apex of the curve, than back to the outside. As cyclists on roads that are not closed, we need to stay on our own side of the yellow line, but we aren't doing 50 miles an hour either.
- Outside pedal down, inside pedal up. This keeps you from jabbing the inside pedal into the ground, it also helps set up the proper weight transfer.
- Weight transfer. He is putting most of his weight on the outside pedal and outside handlebar, and shifting his shoulders slightly towards the outside of the curve (leaning the bike more than his body). This lowers the effective center of gravity, increases the downforce on the tire, and reduces the side forces, all of which helps with traction.
- Sometimes, you will see him swing his inside knee away from the bike, towards the inside of the curve. This is a very refined bit of balancing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA
You might not think that these are important tips for those of us on a long tour, but every time you hit your brakes for a curve, that's energy that you expended getting up to speed, that you just threw away. Certainly better than overcooking the corner and crashing, but still, it adds up. Save the energy for the next hill.
Cadence:
Most people on bicycles pedal about 50 - 60 RPM (about 100 - 120 pedal strokes a minute.) This is way too slow, is hard on your knees and quadriceps, and generally will wear you out quickly. Better to pedal between 80 - 90 RPM (160 - 180 pedal strokes a minute) against slight resistance. You will take the load off your leg muscles, and take better advantage of your cardiovascular system.You can accelerate without stress this way, too. Just pick your RPMs up a little, then when it feels like you can't spin any faster, shift up 1 gear. Repeat. If you can get a stretch without traffic lights or stop signs for a mile or so, you'll be doing 17 - 18 MPH without noticing it.
NOTE: If you've never tried it before, you may not be able to handle pedaling at that cadence, it takes practice to do it smoothly. In terms of learning to do it, I find that music helps, and this website is a dream for learning a cadence:
http://cycle.jog.fm/
Just put in the RPM you want to hit, and it will pull up a songlist that matches that tempo. You can pick a genre, or just scroll down the truly eclectic collection. DO NOT USE EARBUDS WHEN RIDING ON THE STREET, but you can listen to a song ahead of time to make it a helpful "earworm" or use a compact battery-power speaker. To get you started, the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" is a perfect 80 RPM.
Training:
Not all of us can do the kind of every-day, 2-3 hours at a crack, riding that Marcy and I can schedule. James Hererra outlines a 3-day a week training plan that will make you faster and give you more endurance.http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/ride-faster-three-days-week
I generally find James Hererra and Selene Yeager (a.k.a. "FitChick") to be good sources of advice on training and nutrition.
Post-Ride Nutrition:
A number of recent studies have demonstrated that the best "bang-for-the-buck" post exercise recovery drink, and one of the best in general, is not only effective, but a nice treat after a tough ride: Low Fat Chocolate Milk. It has the ideal ratio of fats, protein and carbs to give hard-working muscles what they need to recover. Best within 30 minutes of the end of a ride.Stretching:
I tend to get tight in the hips on a long ride. These stretches help me a lot, and avoid pain and injury:http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/best-stretches-cycling
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/sore-no-more
Ohio MS Rides:
Here are links to MapMyRide course profiles for the 3 MS Bike rides this summer:- Bike to the Bay (Official Route)
- Day 1 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/423063804
- Day 2 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/423064374
- Central Ohio Challenge (NOT official, based on my GPS track last year)
- 95 Mile http://www.mapmyride.com/us/new-albany-oh/97-14-mi-road-cycling-on-07-20-2013-route-250025435
- Pedal to the Point (NOT official, based on my GPS track from 2012)
