(Sorry folks, I published this post last night but with the wrong date. As we say in the EP lab: “rookie mistake.”) For many bike racers, the end of summer marks the beginning of cyclocross season. So it was tonight, an unusually perfect August evening, that the Louisville (KY) cycling community enjoyed its first cyclocross […]
Category: Cycling Wed
Wednesday musings on all things cycling-related
This was a huge week for basic health news. My colleagues over at theHeart.org covered a number of interesting studies. If you haven’t already, I’d take a look at their “prevention” tab. There is a provocative story challenging the use of drugs for mild high blood pressure; another that relates (ABO) blood type and the […]
As a cyclist, I’m often asked why authorities will not stop investigating Lance. It’s over and done with. It’s all in the past. What’s more, if they took his Tour titles away whom would they give them to? Most of his rivals have either admitted doping or been busted. Let’s be in the moment and […]
When you look around at other riders before the start of a bike race, and yes, everyone looks at everything before bike races, you will see an array of colored drinks in riders’ bottles. What are they hydrating with, you wonder? Likewise, when you roll into the store stop two hours into a four-hour training […]
I thought this was interesting: Six-placed Tour finisher Haimar Zubeldia, who rides for the US-based RadioShack/Nissan/Trek team, disclosed that he sat out for three months earlier this season for “persistent atrial fibrillation.” As reported by Cyclingnews.com, Mr Zubeldia said this in his statement: “I had four weeks of complete rest and treatment.†Fortunately, “everything went […]
To be fair, most of the health messages coming from the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association are spot on. Yet, nobody is perfect. The statement came from a “writing committee†of the AHA and ADA—two of the world’s leading health organizations. The writers hailed from places like Harvard, Stanford, Purdue and Northwestern. These […]
You make promises to yourself, right? I made a big one when starting this blog. It was a promise not to post Pollyanna-ish health advice. People can read about the importance of wearing sunscreen and getting basic vaccines anywhere–and everywhere. But tonight is different. I’m taking the risk. (Give me a chance; I’ll do my […]
I’ve got a good steer for you all this Wednesday. I discovered a nifty new cycling toy. It’s called Strava—a Swedish word that translates to ‘strive.’ (Ed Note: Thanks to commenter, Bill H for the link.) Strava isn’t food though. It’s an application (or app) that uses GPS information collected from a smartphone or Garmin […]
Commentary on the latest nutrition and exercise science will have to wait. I just whacked my head on low-hanging fruit for Cycling Wednesday. Today’s Washington Post report on Lance Armstrong’s newest (and most serious) doping allegations has set Twitter and Facebook abuzz. Though The United States Anti-Doping Agency (or USADA) cannot bring criminal charges, their […]
My inbox lit up this week with links to mainstream media reports that extreme exercise causes heart damage. Sure enough, a group of US researchers published an exhaustively complete review article on the Potential Adverse Cardiovascular Effects from Excessive Endurance Exercise. (Full text available.) Though published in the modestly circulated journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, this […]
There are a few things that endurance sports enthusiasts understand well: the importance of hard work, dedication and the need to push through discomfort. In fact, I would submit that these requirements act not as deterrents but as draws. Take triathlon as a case and point: if it was easy and safe, and perhaps less […]