Contents. 1. Perfect fuel. 2. Faster, stronger, longer. 3. How to survive a crash. 4. Finding time to ride. 5. Rules of the road

Transcription

1 b 10 reports

2 b Cotets 1. Perfect fuel 2. Faster, stroger, loger 3. How to survive a crash 4. Fidig time to ride 5. Rules of the road 6. Bike maiteace basics 7. Fidig the best bike shop 8. How to raise a cyclist 9. Ride your way to total health 10. The golde rules of cyclig BONUS: Traiig guide & mileage log

3 b the perfect fuel back to cotets Cofused about utritio? You are t aloe. With all the coflictig advice goig aroud, the oly people who are t cofused are the oes ot payig attetio. If you re tired of boucig from oe food fad to aother ad learig the hard way that radical eatig plas, magic igrediets, ad expesive supplemets do t work, take heart. You re about to lear all you eed to kow for good health ad improved cyclig performace. Perfect fuel

4 Carbs vs. Protei A diet low i carbs will make you leaer ad faster, but without the right amout at the right time, it will also make you oe uhappy rider. Oe-third of Americas are tryig to shed pouds by cuttig carbohydrates. Eve cyclists who used to proudly suck dow a eergy gel called Carb-BOOM are ow woderig whether a low-carb diet could make them leaer ad faster. For may of us, the aswer is yes. Protei icreases satiety, which meas you feel full faster. It also stimulates brai chemicals, or eurotrasmitters, to make you feel more eergetic. That s ot to say we should ditch eergy bars ad driks. What we should pare dow, though, are the mouds of pasta ad bagels that we eat. Sure, they re eergy foods, but oly whe we eed them. Whe we do t, the eergy teds to tur ito a spare tire. Athletes bega goig carb crazy i the 80s ad 90s, says Lisa Dorfma, RD, The Best Carb Sources Get the bulk of your carbs from starchy vegetables such as peas, beas, ad cor. Fruits such as pears ad berries are also high i fiber. Be picky with your pasta. Whole wheat pasta has more fiber tha white pasta, so it s more fillig ad takes loger to digest, ad it delivers a slower, more eve eergy bur. Go to bed happy. Dier is the perfect time to eat most of your carbs. Havig rice ad beas or pasta with vegetables at the ed of the day restocks your glycoge stores lost durig the day s workout ad helps you wid dow before bedtime. a board-certified specialist i sports dietetics, ad have bee o a carbohydrate jag for decades. Cyclists eed carbs, just ot the huge amouts we ve bee cosumig, she says. But cut out carbs completely, ad you re goig to be oe uhappy rider. The serotoi boost that carbs provide gives us oe of the greatest mellow highs i the world. Without serotoi, we feel stressed a feelig that makes us reach for simple carbs such as cady ad cookies. Dorfma recommeds that riders with a daily caloric itake that is 60 to 70% carbs lower that amout to 50 to 55% (about 300 to 500 g a day), with o more tha 10% from simple carbs such as cakes ad cadies. It ll keep you at your fightig weight, ad you ll have more eergy, says Dorfma. The trick is to fid a carb-to-protei balace that gives you the glycoge supply you eed to ride hard whe you eed to, but also leaves you happy the rest of the time. Cram at the last miute. After traiig for weeks o a moderate carbohydrate diet, reitroduce bagels ad pasta the day before a log ride or evet to stuff your muscle stores with maximal amouts of quick-burig glycoge. It s almost illegal how good you ll feel ad perform, Dorfma says. Iclude a little protei to slow digestio a bit ad keep yourself perked up, ad practice this oce or twice before a major evet. Fillig up o pasta after a log layoff ca make sesitive stomachs cry ucle. You may eed to experimet to fid the dose that works for you. Sesible Party Foods You could party o celery sticks ad sparklig water, but how much fu ad how realistic is that? This party traiig guide, compiled with dietitia Leslie Boci, RD, director of sports utritio at the Uiversity of Pittsburgh Medical Ceter, will feed your muscles, ot your fat cells, leavig you lighter ad faster. Bo appétit. Cocktail Corer Have a Bloody Mary. It cotais lycopee a free radical fightig atioxidat that helps clear your arteries so your heart ca get blood to your legs. Plus, the tomato juice delivers about half of your recommeded vitami C for the day. Or Portio Cotrol Guide choose craberry juice ad vodka also rich i atioxidats. This time athocyais (the chemicals that give berries their brilliat hues) protect your arteries ad heart from free-radical damage. Craberries cotai salicylic acid, the same ati-iflammatory foud i aspiri. Less iflammatio meas faster recovery. Seafood Spread Stay close. Typical buffet shellfish such as shrimp ad crab legs are low i calories ad deliver tos of omega-3 fatty acids, which studies show icrease your metabolic rate, make you a more efficiet fat-burer, ad help geerate testosteroe for muscle buildig. Shellfish are also rich i essetial You may ot kow it, but your servig sizes are out of proportio. The USDA reports that Americas are cosumig at least 150 more calories a day tha we did 20 years ago eough to pack o 15 pouds i a year. As we all kow, restaurats ad food maufacturers dish out way more grub tha we eed, but we re the oes opeig our traps ad lettig it all i. Moique Rya, RD, author of Sports Nutritio for Edurace Athletes, helps idetify 10 commo superservigs you ll fid whe you eat out (or i some cases whe you serve yourself) ad lists how to brig them back dow to size. The Food The SuperSize The Right Size Bagel 6 7 oz (cereal-bowl size) 2 3 oz (hockey-puck size) Cereal The bowl overfloweth 1 cup (teis ball) Cookie 4 oz (coffee-cup saucer) 1 3 oz (half a yo-yo) Fries 116 (2 heapig fistfuls) (oe closed hadful) Meat/Poultry 8 10 oz (half the plate) 3 5 oz (large bar of soap) Muffi oz (softball) 2 oz (tagerie) Pacakes 5-stack (dier plate) 3-stack (CD) Pasta cups (overflows a cyclig cap) cups (3 teis balls) Potato 4 5" (stuffed seatbag) 3" (large computer mouse) Soft drik 32 oz (early 3 water bottles) 8 12 oz ( water bottle) 2 BICYCLING Perfect Fuel 3

5 vitamis ad mierals such as B12, which helps fed off fatigue; zic, which boosts your immue system; ad iodie, which helps your body process protei ad carbs. Cruchables Stick with carrots ad spiach dip. Studies show that caroteoids (the heart-healthy atioxidats foud i bright orage ad dark gree veggies) eed a small amout of fat to make the trip through your itestial wall ad ito the rest of your body. What better vehicles tha melted Cheddar, mozzarella, or cream cheese? Just go easy. Meat Tray Try the baked ham. Because of farmig improvemets, the utritioal value of The Best Breakfast You Never Had If there s oe meal that ca easily get you stuck i a rut, it s breakfast: Ope box, ope bag, pour, eat, repeat. Morig after morig, we retur to the same Os ad flakes. Though cold cereal ad other traditioal breakfast fare, such as pacakes ad waffles, are okay, there are better choices for hugry cyclists. It s easy to miss out o protei ad fat with a typical carb-heavy breakfast, says Elle Colema, RD, MPH, author of Eatig for Edurace. That ca leave some cyclists hugry agai by midmorig. Plus, edurace athletes eed protei for muscle repair. Cereal s popular because it s easy, says David Joachim, moutai biker ad author of A Ma, a Ca, a Microwave. But other meals ca be just as fast ad much pork products has icreased over the years while the fat cotet has come dow. A 3-ouce slice of baked ham has oly 100 to 150 calories. It s also a good source of iro ad is rich i B vitamis such as iaci ad thiami, which help covert the food you eat to eergy. Hors D oeuvres Fid the stuffed mushroom caps. Sik your toothpick ito a couple of these, ad leave the rest behid. Made up mostly of air ad water, mushrooms are low i calories but big o taste. They also provide importat eergy-covertig B vitamis, icludig iaci ad riboflavi. Aother wier: stuffed grape leaves. They re brimmig with heart-healthy moousaturated fats. more iterestig. Here, he offers some tasty dishes that serve up a healthy mix of carbs, protei, ad good fats all while shakig you out of your blad morig routie. Beas o Toast Pour a ca of your favorite baked beas ito a bowl, ad microwave util hot. Spoo them over toast, ad sprikle with shredded Cheddar cheese. Top with a chopped tomato. Goes great with eggs. 7-Miute Chili Cook ¾ poud of extralea groud beef or turkey i a ostick skillet util o loger pik. Stir i a ca of chili beas ad 1 2 cup of salsa. Simmer for a few miutes. Serve with tortilla chips. Microwaved Baked Apple with Nuts Hollow out the core of a apple (Gala ad Rome Beauty are good choices), leavig a ich of apple at the bottom. Peel off a strip of ski ear the top to keep it from burstig. Stuff with 2 teaspoos each of raisis, brow sugar, ad chopped waluts. Drizzle with 1 tablespoo of maple syrup mixed with 1 teaspoo of water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, ad microwave about 3 miutes. Let it sit a few miutes so the apple fiishes cookig. Top with vailla yogurt. Fast Food Repairs A microwave ad 10 miutes of your time are all your body eeds to refuel ad repair after a hard ride. Immediately followig the ride, there is a 20- to 30-miute glycoge widow whe isuli sesitivity is highest ad exhausted muscles ope their doors to icomig utriets. You could restock your pedalig patry with yet aother eergy bar ad recovery drik. Or you could take 10 miutes ad treat your quads to some pipig-hot chicke Parmesa. That s right: real food, real tasty, real quick. Used wisely, that whirrig, digig cotraptio i the corer of your kitche ca do more tha bur popcor ad warm achos. It ca whip up hot, healthful dishes i mere miutes, leavig you with more time ad eergy to ride. The microwave gets little respect as a serious cookig tool, but it s really the most eergy-efficiet, coveiet, quickest cookig appliace i the kitche, says Joachim. You usually use oe bowl, so there s less preparatio ad cleaup. Ad if you choose the right igrediets, the food Quick Breakfast Crepes Buy crepes at the grocery store (usually i the produce sectio). Fill them with caed fruit cocktail, leftover fruit salad, or sliced fresh fruit such as baaas ad blueberries. Drizzle with vailla yogurt, roll up, ad microwave util warm (10 to 15 secods). For savory crepes (ad more protei), fill them with leftover cooked vegetables, chopped chicke, ad light Italia, rach, or blue cheese dressig, the microwave util warm. tastes just as good as aythig you d cook the log way. It s just as good for you, too. Here, Joachim shares four delicious dishes you ca serve up i 10 miutes or less. Each serves oe, except the Hot Mocha Duk. Sausage ad Pepper Sub 1 4 bell pepper (gree or red), cut ito short strips 1 4 oio, sliced ad separated ito rigs Dash each of olive oil, Italia seasoig, ad hot-pepper sauce 1 spicy Italia turkey-sausage lik 6 Tbsp Italia-style tomato sauce 1 steak roll, split legthwise I a microwave-safe dish, stir the pepper ad oio with the oil util coated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, ad uke for 1 miute, or util the veggies softe. Put the sausage o top of the veggies, pokig the lik with a kife a few times so it does t explode durig cookig. Scatter the seasoig over the top, ad pour o the tomato sauce. Sprikle the hot-pepper 4 BICYCLING Perfect Fuel 5

6 sauce all over it. Cover ad uke for 2 miutes, turig the sausage oce, util it s cooked through. Spread some of the sauce o the roll. Toss o the lik, peppers, oios, ad remaiig sauce. Cyclig Bous Place the froze chicke patty i a 1½" deep microwave-safe dish. Pour the sauce over it. Top with mozzarella ad Parmesa. Cover with a microwave-safe top, ad uke for 1 miute, or util the cheese is melted ad everythig is heated through. Slap it o the bu ad ejoy. Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. Oios cotai allyl sulfides, which help lower cholesterol ad help keep your heart healthy. Cyclig Bous Lycopee, the chemical that The material here is desiged to help you make iformed makes tomatoes red, is a potet decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute Salmo Roll-Up atioxidat that feds off free for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your radicals cell-damagig, chroicdisease-causig doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, oz ca boeless, skiless pik salmo, draied ad flaked 4 Tbsp caed caellii beas by-products of metabolism. please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess 2 Tbsp caed, sliced black olives regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your Tbsp low-fat Italia viaigrette Hot Mocha Duk health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised 1 tsp chopped parsley (optioal) 1 small scallio, chopped 1 romaie lettuce leaf 1 10" flour tortilla I a medium-size microwave-safe bowl, mix everythig but the lettuce ad tortilla. Nuke, ucovered, for about a miute, or util heated through. Microwave the tortilla for 10 secods, or util warm. Put the lettuce leaf o the tortilla, ad spoo the fillig o top. Roll up, ad chow dow. Cyclig Bous The omega-3 fatty acids i salmo help reduce iflammatio i muscles ad joits ad fight heart disease oz ca chocolate syrup oz jar of hazelut-chocolate spread (e.g., Nutella) 1 2 c milk-chocolate chips 3 Tbsp strog brewed coffee or espresso Baaas, pretzels, graham crackers, apples, berries for dippig Dump the first four igrediets ito a medium-size microwave-safe bowl, ad uke, ucovered, for 1 to 3 miutes, stirrig every 30 secods util smooth. Dive i. (Whe the chocolate starts to solidify, reheat for 20 secods.) Serves 12. Cyclig Bous for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Studies show the cocoa i Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Chicke Parm Sadwich chocolate delivers early twice Project maager: Sheilla Maalili the healthful atioxidats of Copy editor: Jeifer Hoffer 1 froze, breaded chicke patty 1 4 c pizza sauce 1 small fistful fiely shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese 2 tsp grated Parmesa cheese 1 whole wheat hamburger bu, toasted red wie ad up to three times the amout foud i gree tea, so you re less susceptible to hardeig of the arteries. Ad your kids will love it, too. Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Matt Raiey/Rodale 12439/BKE/01ZM/ BICYCLING Perfect Fuel 7

7 b faster stroger loger Cyclig is a sport of speed the kid of speed you prize whe it belogs to you ad fear whe it belogs to your oppoet. This report will help you attai your speed potetial, icrease your eergy, ad improve your edurace. We give you metal tricks to help you gai a psychological edge ad offer traiig tips ad workouts that will chage you ito the rider who makes the competitio quake. back to cotets Faster, stroger, loger

8 Go Faster Every grasshopper o two wheels kows this: The best way to improve speed is to crak out plety of miles peppered with gut-bustig itervals. But what if you ve frittered away the summer ad still waa bur some rubber? Here are seve fast tricks for speed. Buy OJ by the Gallo Vitami C s atioxidats put the kibosh o muscle-damagig free radicals created by hard effort, reducig iflammatio so you ca go out sooer ad do it agai. Oe cup of OJ has more tha 100 mg of C, or 176% of the Daily Value. For better results, pop a 500 mg supplemet. Research subjects felt more eergetic whe takig that amout daily, says Carol Johsto, PhD. Siff Peppermit Brya Raudebush, MD, a physiological psychologist, foud that athletes ra faster durig treadmill tests after siffig peppermit tha whe they ra scet-free or siffed other scets. The stimulatig odor is a mood lifter that makes you feel as if you re ot workig as hard as you are. Loose Up Iflexibility i the legs ad lower back decreases the force of each pedal stroke, so stretch your legs daily. Jim ad Phil Wharto, authors of The Wharto s Back Book, recommed active isolated stretchig cotractig the muscles opposite those you wat to exted. To icrease hamstrig flexibility, try this: Lie o your back, kees bet, with a rolled towel tucked uder your eck. Loop a rope aroud your right foot at the arch. Hold the rope taut, ad lock your kee. Cotractig your quadriceps ad hips, ad keepig the rope taut, lift the right leg as high as you ca with your foot flexed. The, pull with the rope to exted rage of motio. Hold 2 secods, ad release. Repeat 10 times, ad switch legs. Hit the Showers A good warmup icreases circulatio ad delivers more fuel-rich blood to make your muscles ad coective tissues more elastic. Before a shotgu-start group ride, trick your muscles with a hot shower. It will raise their temperature, makig them more pliable so you start faster. Sauté Spiach To speed recovery (ad get faster), eat at least five daily servigs of atioxidat-rich foods such as dark gree ad bright orage vegetables ad colorful fruits. Sleep I Your body releases most of its growth hormoe essetial for muscle growth ad repair while you sooze, particularly durig deep sleep states that occur late at ight ad i the early morig hours. Get at least 7 to 8 hours of shut-eye a ight 9 whe you ca ad wake up with refreshed, ad fast, legs. Fid Your Happy Spot Take a deep breath ad relax before you head uphill, suggests USCF-certified cyclig coach Harla Matusow. Whe I look at heart-rate data from riders, I see that just lookig at a hill makes their heart rates soar. That tesio wastes eergy, he says. Lower your gear ad thik seree thoughts to relax your body. Grow Stroger Face it. No matter how fit you are as you cruise ito the homestretch of summer, there s still hill that you ca t quite reach the top of without feelig as if your legs are goig to explode. Like Achilles ad his heel, we all have a weakess that brigs us dow. Though few riders are stellar at everythig, you ca be better at aythig if you work o it. Here, cyclig coach James Herrera provides his best fixes for riders most commo troubles. Each drill should be doe oce or twice a week but ever o cosecutive days. The Patiet: Slow Starter Symptom: You ca hag with the big dogs oce you get up to speed. Problem is, everyoe s off the lie ad 3 miles dow the road before you fid your legs. Diagosis: The same guys who ca ride 5 to 6 hours at edurace pace ofte have a hell of a time with short acceleratory efforts ad crits, says Herrera. They ve got a great base but o top-ed power to get up ad go. Cure: Over-uder itervals trai your body to attack early. First, warm up (45 miutes to a hour for a 45-miute crit). The, start with 5 miutes at steady state (80 to 85% of max). Do 2 miutes at max effort, 5 miutes at steady state, 2 miutes at max effort, 5 miutes at steady state. The Patiet: Sprit Sputterer Symptom: You sprit like a kid o a sugar high startig like a rocket but losig steam as you reach the fiish. Diagosis: To fiish a sprit stroger tha you start, you eed the power to jump ad accelerate whe the pace is high, says Herrera. Cure: Stomp drills coditio your legs to jump from cruisig speed. Start from 15 mph i a heavy gear ( ). Stay seated, ad accelerate by stompig hard o the pedals for 15 secods. You should ever truly get the gear woud up ad spu out. If you do, go heavier ext time. Do 2 sets of 3 to 5 itervals, restig 3 to 5 miutes i betwee. Also, do 1- to 3-miute max itervals (aim for 5 sets with 5 miutes of recovery i betwee) so you always have 3 miutes of 100% effort i your tak. The Patiet: Climb Fizzler Symptom: You climb like a Harrier jet util the fial 25 yards, whe you abort the missio ad the pack passes you. Diagosis: You get that burig sesatio ad start gaspig way too early i the climb, the lack the jump to crest the hill strog, says Herrera. Cure: Hill acceleratio drills keep breathig rhythmic ad cotrolled ad build your lactate threshold. Climb a steady hill (2 to 4% grade) that takes 10 to 15 miutes to crest. About 500 yards from the top, shift oe gear harder, stad to accelerate, the sit ad give it more gas. Shift to a progressively harder gear about every 100 yards util you crest. Do the drill 2 to 4 times. The Patiet: Flats Flouderer Symptom: You re Kig of the Moutais, but o log, flat roads to owhere, you flouder like a fish. Diagosis: Hammerig o the flats is a fuctio of sheer power, says Herrera. If you re a good climber, you likely wo t 2 BICYCLING Faster, Stroger, Loger 3

9 crak max power o the flats like the big guys, but you ca get better. Cure: Big-gear flat-time-trial drills build muscular stregth ad power o the flats. Ride a 5-K course i a gear that s slightly harder tha you d use to time-trial (oe that allows you to spi 75 to 80 rpm), ad hammer it out. Recover for 10 miutes, spiig a superlight gear at 100 rpm. Repeat 2 or 3 times. The Patiet: Limbo Ligerer Symptom: You re faster tha the pack you re i but ca t quite catch the Trai to go Loger If your log rides ever get ay easier, you may eed to cut back your traiig. The biggest begier mistake is ridig too hard, says cyclig coach Joe Friel, author of The Cyclist s Traiig Bible. People wat to see how fast they ca go ad how log they ca do it. They either progress very slowly or bur out quickly. The trick is to ride more ofte, more slowly, while ot abadoig shorter hard rides. Here s how you ca take charge of your fitess. Get Started Cyclig fitess is a bled of edurace, stregth, ad speed. Your first rides should cocetrate o edurace, with log, easy outigs i Zoe 1. (See Stay i the Zoe, p. 5.) Oce a week, focus o stregth with Big Gear turig drills: Shift up oe or two gears, maitai your cadece for 2 miutes, the dowshift ad recover 4 BICYCLING Faster, Stroger, Loger hammerheads up the road, which leaves you to suffer i the loely limbo of wasted eergy ad decliig morale. Diagosis: Bridgig gaps requires the ability to go from a moderate aerobic state to max effort ad back to aerobic as soo as possible, says Herrera. Cure: Log over-uder drills trai your body to attack ad recover quickly. Start with 5 miutes at steady state (80 to 85% of max). Do 3 miutes at max effort, 5 miutes at steady state, 3 miutes at max effort, 5 miutes at steady state. for 2 miutes. Repeat the sequece 5 times, workig up to 10. I the begiig, the best way to improve speed is to boost pedalig cadece. New riders usually spi too slowly, aroud 50 rpm, accordig to Friel. It s more efficiet to pedal at 90, ad with experiece, it feels atural, he says. Try doig Lazy Leg drills oce or twice a week: Pedal with oly oe leg for 20 revolutios (leavig the other o the pedal but slack). Switch legs. Repeat the drill 6 to 8 times. The First 6 Moths Oce you ca ride for 60 miutes at 80 to 90 rpm, you re ready for Zoe traiig. I a week with four rides, do just oe at a moderately high itesity. Days 1 ad 2: Zoe 1 or 2 (mostly 1), with 6 to 8 Lazy Leg drills, or 5 to 10 Spi- Ups: I a very easy gear, slowly icrease your cadece over the course of a miute util, with 10 secods to go, you reach max cadece, or just short of the poit where you bouce i the saddle. Day 3: Zoes 3 ad 4, with 5 to 10 Big Gear turig drills. Day 4: Log ride i Zoe 1. If you re focusig o a evet, such as a cetury, charity ride, or race, work your ride time up to the duratio of your goal but o more tha 4 hours. 7 To 9 Moths Days 1 ad 2: Zoes 1 ad 2, with 6 to 8 Lazy Leg drills ad up to 10 Spi-Ups. Day 3: Zoe 4, with 3 or 4 Big Gear turig drills at a cadece of about 60 rpm, or 3 or 4 6-miute hill repeats with about 2 miutes of recovery betwee each oe. Stay i the Zoe Day 4: Boost your log ride time, but keep it squarely i Zoe 1 ad o loger tha 4 hours. 9 moths To 1 Year Stay with oe hard ride per week but icrease its itesity. Try a Power Turig workout, which is a Spi-Up i a harder gear rather tha a easier oe. Or do Aaerobic Itervals: 3 miutes i Zoe 5 followed by 3 miutes i Zoe 1 for recovery. Start with 3 of these, ad work up to 5 of them. Whe you re at the poit where you re thikig about racig or hagig with the local fast group, boost the umber of days i Zoes 3 to 5 to 2 per week. Stay i the Zoe Of the three mai elemets of traiig frequecy, duratio, ad itesity itesity is most importat, says cyclig coach Joe Friel, ad also the most frequetly abused: If you ride too hard whe you should be goig easy, you ll be too tired whe it s time to push your limits. To be sure you re ot overdoig it, judge your efforts by these zoes. Zoe Feels... Or, For Heart- Moitor Geeks 1 Easy. You ca talk ormally % of lactate threshold* 2 Comfortable, but you pat slightly as you make your poit % 3 Pretty hard. You ca speak but ot fiish a setece % 4 Hard. Talk? You re havig trouble thikig % 5 All out, as i I may puke after this. over 100% *To estimate lactate threshold, or the itesity at which searig lactic acid begis to accumulate i your legs, measure your average heart rate as you ride 30 miutes at a pace you ca barely sustai for the duratio. 5

10 The Logest Ride A 100-mile ride is a milestoe early every cyclist strives to reach. The roadblock for most of us is fidig the time to prepare. With oly so may hours i the day, most of which we sped workig ad sleepig, ride time is limited. This 8-week pla will have ay determied cyclist ready to hit 100 with just three rides per week: oe log, oe steady, ad oe speedy. O rest days, remember to do somethig to keep your body movig. LONG RIDE: THE MEAT I your first week, you ll wat to ride 1.5 to 2 hours, or about 20 miles, ad build from there. (If you re already comfortable with a loger ride tha Week 1 prescribes, start with 2.5 to 3 hours ad follow the same guidelies for mileage buildig, toppig off at about 85 miles.) Do your log rides at a steady, but ot taxig, pace about 70 to 75% of your maximum heart rate. (Your MHR is roughly calculated as Calculatig Your MHR Your MHR (roughly calculated as 220 mius your age) is the upper limit of what your cardiovascular system ca hadle durig physical activity. This umber is a estimate that gives you a average value. You may have a higher or lower MHR, sometimes by as much as 15 to 20 beats per miute. If you re lookig for more tha a estimate, cosider discussig your target rage with a exercise physiologist or persoal traier. 6 BICYCLING Faster, Stroger, Loger 220 mius your age. See the box below for more iformatio.) Though most cyclists fid that Saturdays or Sudays work best for their log rides, it does t matter which day you choose as log as you get it doe. STEADY RIDE: THE BREAD AND BUTTER Durig these rides, aim for two to four loger efforts (15 to 30 miutes i legth; 15 miutes easy pedalig i betwee) that icrease your breathig ad elevate your heart rate to aroud 80 to 85% of your MHR. Ride at threshold, as if you re pedalig with someoe slightly faster tha you. These rides will simulate your goal for your cetury ad trai your body to ride more briskly while maitaiig comfort, so you ca fiish 100 miles faster ad fresher. SPEED RIDE: THE SECRET SAUCE Distace riders ofte skip speed work because they thik they eed volume, ot itesity, to go log. But ridig fast improves your edurace by raisig your lactate threshold, the poit at which your muscles scream Slow dow! Whe you raise this ceilig, you ca ride faster ad farther before your body hits the brakes. Aim to do four to six very hard or max efforts ragig from 30 secods to 2 miutes; i betwee, spi easy for twice the legth of the iterval. Do these o a challegig stretch of road, such as a hill, or ito a headwid. MAKE EVERY MILE COUNT Fiishig a cetury meas makig the best choices for all 100 of those miles. SPACE OUT Stuffig yourself full of calories prior to the ride will divert blood to your stomach, which weakes your legs ad slows you dow. Istead, eat a carbohydrate-rich breakfast of 400 to 500 calories 2 to 3 hours before the evet. The aim to eat ad drik 200 to 300 calories every hour thereafter. KEEP A STEADY FLOW Cosume at least oe bottle s worth of eergy drik per hour (more if it s hot) to provide electrolytes ad a few carbohydrates. Choose a flavor that will etice you to sip ofte. PEDAL YOUR PACE The biggest ewbie mistake is lettig yourself be seduced ito speedig alog with faster riders early i The 8-Week Pla the day, oly to crack 60 miles i. Fall i with riders who pedal at your pace ad avoid goig ito the red (feelig breathless) for the first 50 miles. You ll fiish fresh ad strog. MOVE AROUND Avoid aches ad pais i your eck ad back by chagig your had positio ofte ad stadig out of the saddle to stretch periodically. KEEP IT SHORT Take advatage of rest stops to use the bathroom, refill bottles, stretch, ad grab some food. But do t liger. A stop that lasts more tha 10 to 15 miutes will cause your legs to stiffe up ad make it harder to get goig agai. This schedule is oly a suggestio. Pla your week accordig to what works best for you ad schedule a easy day (rider s choice) a hour-log easy spi, a core workout, yoga, a hike, a swim, whatever gets you movig after each of the three workout rides. WEEK DAY MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT SUN Rider s Choice Speed Ride 1 hr 1 hr 1.25 hrs 1.25 hrs 1.25 hrs 1.5 hrs 1.25 hrs 1 hr Rider s Choice Steady Ride 1 hr 1.25 hrs 1.5 hrs 1.75 hrs 2 hrs 2.25 hrs 2 hrs 1.5 hrs Rider s Choice Log Ride hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs CENTURY mi mi mi mi mi mi mi 100 mi Rider s Choice back to cotets

11 Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Jesse Southerlad/Rodale 8 BICYCLING Faster, Stroger, Loger 12440/BKE/01ZN/6-16 9

12 b how to survive a crash You expect your body to complai after a tough ride. There are dues to be paid: that aoyig crick i your eck, the sore derriere, the pai of overexteded muscles. But the pai felt after a crash ca be both physical ad metal. You ca t avoid every crash. After all, you are t resposible for what a ocomig car will do or how other riders will hadle the wet pavemet. But if you ca lear to cotrol the fall, you re halfway to gettig back o the saddle without fear. back to cotets How to survive a crash

13 Prevetig a Fall Look Ahead If you focus o a rock or tree you d like to avoid, chaces are you ll hit it. Istead, look where you wat to go. If you re threadig the eedle betwee rocks, look directly where you wat your wheels to be. Prep the Pedals If you re ridig a challegig trail, set clipless pedals loose (if possible), mostly so you wo t stress about your escape. It s a atural reactio to swig your feet out whe you re fallig, so disegagemet wo t be a problem as log as you aticipate your crash ad commit to it rather tha tryig to hag o too log. Escapig Damage You ca t skirt every crash, but you ca miimize the damage i a fall with proper techique ad by uderstadig the basics behid most falls. There are five major priciples of proper fallig; the first is particularly importat for cyclists. Go with the Eergy Cyclig, as with most actio sports, results i forward or frot falls, ad our atural reactio is to throw out our arms for protectio. Though it seems like the best way to protect the head ad upper body, it s ot. Whe your arms go up, you risk breakig a wrist, fracturig a collarboe, or laceratig your chi, because these three poits will ultimately absorb the force of the fall ad i the process sap back at uatural agles. The safest way to hadle a fall is to tuck ad roll. By usig what s kow as a judo, or karate, roll, you ll tuck your chi to your chest, pull your arms i, ad let your body 2 BICYCLING How to Survive a Crash Stay Loose You do t wat to tese up ad lock your joits. Go with the flow as the bike hops ad jerks. You might just ride it out. If ot, you ll be relaxed ad ready to curl up fast before touchdow. Stay Stable For a slow-speed or uphill bail, stad to separate your body from the bike, ad click out a foot (o slated slopes, use your uphill foot), platig it wide so that your leg ad the bike s two wheels form a stable tripod. roll through the fall o your shoulder. This eutralizes the eergy ad prevets eck ad back ijuries that result whe your body comes to a sudde stop. Take Away the Eergy For a backward fall, take away the force of the impact by throwig your hads back toward the groud to prevet the most commo results of this fall: a head ijury ad whiplash. To properly execute, tuck your chi tight to your chest, ad as you lad o your back, exted your arms back ad slap the groud with your hads (it s a slap to stop mometum, ot a attempt to brace with your arms, which could break a wrist). This keeps the mometum from goig to your torso ad head. Lower Your Ceter of Gravity By movig your hips as close to the groud as possible, you ll reduce iertia ad force of impact. Take sowboarders, for istace: They might be i a proe positio at speed, but as soo as they start to fall, they buckle their kees ad get close to the groud. While cyclists may be limited to how low they ca go because of that pesky bike beeath them, it s still helpful to keep i mid. To lesse impact, get as low as possible whe you feel yourself goig dow. Hag O Ofte whe fallig, you ll wat to push the bike away from you with your hads ad feet, preferably i the opposite directio How to Patch Up after a Crash of where your body is goig. But for a sideways fall, hag o to the hadlebar, try to let the bar ed hit first to absorb some force, ad roud your body as you roll. Put It to Practice The oly way to make fallig secod ature is simply to practice rollig ad tumblig to get the idea ito your brai. Regular somersaults are good, but after you tuck your chi to your chest, let your body roll o your shoulder, ot your head. Judo ad karate will show you a lot of ways to fall properly. With a little practice ad proper techique, you ll be the best, ot the worst, crasher o the trail. The biggest mistake cyclists make is becomig heroic: Although your adrealie might tell you to jump back o your mout ad spi away, do t move. Start with your toes ad metally check for ijury all the way up your body. If somethig ai t right, wait for help to arrive. If you suffer oly road rash, flush the woud with water from your water bottle. Apply a sterile gauze pad if you have oe; or just go home, wash agai, apply a topical atibiotic such as Neospori, ad cover the wouds. 3

14 Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Jamie Kripke 12441/BKE/01ZP/ BICYCLING How to Survive a Crash 5

15 b fidig time to ride back to cotets It s hard to fit cyclig ito your life. But it s absolutely ecessary. The beefits are broad ad have bee solidly prove i a multitude of medical studies: less fat, more muscle, lower blood pressure, ad less risk of heart disease, cacer, diabetes, ad other illesses. Other studies show that regular aerobic exercise does just as good a job at stregtheig metal ad emotioal fitess. Fidig time to ride

16 About Makig Time Most of us have trouble fittig cyclig ito our lives. We have jobs ad families ad commitmets. Paradoxically, our culture seems to cruch our lives i terms of both work ad leisure pursuits. It s ot surprisig that i surveys Bicyclig has coducted amog people who quit the sport, ca t fid time to ride raks first or secod as the key discouragig factor. But gettig o the bike is t about fidig time but about makig time, ad that s worth doig because regularly usig some part of your day to ride makes you a better perso durig all the hours you re off the saddle. Doctors, psychologists, ad selfhelp mauals all tout the beefits of takig time for yourself, ad rightly so, says time-maagemet expert Julie Morgester, author of several best-sellig books o the subject, icludig Time Maagemet from the Iside Out. You eed at least 30 miutes a day devoted to doig some- How to Prioritize Oe of the mai reasos people do t accomplish what s importat to them such as ridig is because they do t prioritize. Most of us have so may demads o our time that we ca t separate the vital from the disposable. Here are Morgester s three steps to urturig what really matters i your life. Thik big picture. Get out of to-do list thikig the low-level details, she says. Step away from the chaos, take a bike ride, ad go somewhere beautiful i ature with a otepad ad put everythig i perspective. Make a list of major categories: 2 BICYCLING Fidig time to Ride thig you love for pure ejoymet, she says. Half a hour? Every day? That s hard. For starters, there s so much to do. The, there are iterruptios. Ad fially, there s the guilt should t I be doig somethig, you ask yourself? Relax. You are. By makig time to just ejoy yourself, you get more doe overall. It s a odd, couterituitive thig, says Morgester. If you take time for yourself, eve though it makes you busier, it s fulfillig. It gives you eergy, braipower, a sese of self-fulfillmet that helps you perform i every other area of your life. You get more doe i less time the rest of the week. People who do t take this time are i slow motio, says Morgester. You re ot rested ad focused. It s extremely tagible; everyoe I ve ever worked with has see this happe. work, frieds, family, self, fiace. Do t misidetify smaller categories (such as exercise) as larger tha they are. Simplify i o more tha six broad categories. Idetify goals. I each category, ask yourself what the big-picture goal is what s importat, what you are tryig to accomplish, says Morgester. For istace, at work your goal might be to make a certai amout per year, which is eough to be fiacially secure. Pla to reach that goal. Ask yourself what activities you eed to do to accomplish your goals, says Morgester. Limit those activities to three per goal per category. You ca oly maage two or three at ay time. For istace, if health is a category, the activities might be bikig at least three times a week, goig to the doctor aually, ad eatig well. Your list of priorities helps you filter How to Beat the Clock From the obvious to the surprisig, here are 25 tips that the Bicyclig staff, with 360 years of ridig experiece, have foud to really get people out o their bikes more ofte ad easily. Get a buddy. Simply committig to meet someoe at a certai time ca make a ride happe. Get a babysitter. What you ll pay a teeager $35 so you ca see a movie, but ot so you ad your spouse ca ride together? Get ready. The day before your ride, lay out your clothes ad gear i oe spot, dow to water bottles ad shoes, so you ca do the superhero move ad get suited up i less tha a miute. Clea up. After a ride, wipe dow your bike, lube the chai, ad check the tires for proper iflatio. You lop 10 miutes off the ext ride s prep time ad avoid a uexpected ride killer, such as a flat tire or chaisucky drivetrai. Pla your route. Map out loops ot by distace but time. Have them rage from 30 miutes to a hour plus. Make a appoitmet. That s right: Book at least oe ride a week i your Outlook or caledar app. But save your job mark the meetig private, or give it a code ame, such as Budget Review. Get up a hour earlier. Oe day a week, take a early morig ride. Buy lights. Ride after suset a few times a everyday demads. I daily life, whe you come to those to-dos ad iterruptios ad ideas, you ca ask yourself which big-picture goal the demad will help you accomplish. If somethig does t fit, the do t do it, says Morgester. moth. All your favorite routes will look fresh. Set goals. I the worst time cruches, set multiple ride goals. If you have just oe or two chaces to ride i the ext week, vow to work o pacelie skills durig the group ride or climbig techiques o your solo outig. The idea is to make every ride achieve somethig specific besides fitess. Do t overestimate. You re traiig for that big cetury i a couple of moths, so you eed to be kockig out the 85-milers by ow, right? Sure, i a ideal world. But most cyclists ca maage a oe-time ride of about three times their logest ormal traiig distace as log as they maitai a aerobic pace. So three 35-milers a week ca get you to the cetury baer. Climb. Ascets guaratee that you work hard, recover (o the dowhill), ad do t stray far from home. You bur more calories, too: A 175-poud male rider cosumes a extra 22 calories for every 100 feet of elevatio gai at ay speed, accordig to exercise physiologist David Swai, PhD. Ride a TV show out of your life. Pick oe show you watch regularly more out of habit tha true love, ad ride every time it broadcasts. Merge rides. If you do five rides a week for 100 miles, try coverig the same distace 3

17 i just three rides oe week. For some people, takig loger rides o fewer days improves schedulig woes. Drik breakfast or luch. Quaff dow a sports drik or power smoothie to trade eatig time for ridig time. Commute. You re already committed to drive time, so you re oly addig the extra pedalig miutes to your schedule. Subtract the time you would ve spet for a luch or after-work ride, ad you sometimes come out ahead. Ride to get-togethers. Pedal to your fried s party, or spi out to the family reuio. Just make sure you carry alog fresh clothes (or pack them i the car if your squeeze is drivig) ad you will have a place to shower. Ivest i a tadem. Two riders of widely uequal ability ca both get a quality workout ad stay withi chattig distace which does woders for makig your obsessio tolerable to aother. Do busiess. Schedule your ext meetig o wheels. Just do t hook the boss. Give yourself a grail. Set up a goal that s reachable but also a stretch: Ride 100 miles every week, ride at least three times every week, sped more time ridig tha watchig TV. The simple fact of havig a goal will get you o your bike more ofte tha seredipity. Pouce. Whe the widow for a ride uexpectedly opes, jump through it fast. The uscheduled spis are the oes that make all the differece. Choose a emesis. Select someoe from your regular group who s just slightly better tha you. Focus o becomig stroger tha that rider by the ed of the year. Try to do this without beig a jerk. Ride for food. If you eed to go out for coffee, groceries, a prescriptio, or some errad, ride istead of drivig. Have a spare set of wheels. You do t eed two bikes; you just eed two sets of hoops so oe proged spoke does t keep you out of the saddle while the bike shop does its magic. Cultivate multiple circles. Become a regular amog two to four ridig groups, ad you ll always have optios i days, time, itesity, ad size ad aother set of frieds to motivate you. Ride. The simplest way to ride more is also the most effective: Cyclig breeds more cyclig. Get out there today, ad you re more likely to get out there tomorrow. Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Paul Pearso 4 BICYCLING Fidig time to Ride 12442/BKE/01ZQ/6-16 5

18 b rules of the road back to cotets At some time i your life, you will have to ride i the compay of cars, ad sharig the road calls for a attitude of security ad cofidece. Oce you have that attitude, you ca safely ad ejoyably take o a commute to work or a log ride o ay kid of road. This report will show you how you ca become a cofidet, streetwise cyclist. Rules of the road

19 Street Smarts The age-old cyclig advice Ride like you re a car, ad obey all traffic laws wo t ecessarily keep you safe o a busy street, especially sice you ca t assume that motorists are as iformed as you are o the rules of the road. But these strategies will get you through the fourwheeled zoo legally ad safely. Aticipate Try to otice everythig up to half a block ahead: There s a itersectio; a car could speed through. Or that parked car s wheels are tured out; it could pull ito your path. There s a woma hailig a cab; oe could dart i frot of you ad stop. This works i ay eviromet: That dog is t wearig a ivisible-fece collar; he could chase you. Be Huma Whe you do t iteract with drivers, it s too easy for them to see you as just aother road hazard. Whe you sigal I m turig left, the subtext is Hi, I have arms just like you ad am usig this road, too. Likewise, makig eye cotact with drivers at itersectios is a good way to esure that you re see. Sigal Your Itetios Always sigal to let drivers kow you re turig: left arm straight out for a left tur; left arm bet up at a 90 agle for a right tur, left arm dow at a 90 agle to sigal a stop. Most drivers also accept a right arm straight out to sigal a right tur. Stay to the Right State laws require that cyclists ride as far to the right as practicable except whe makig left turs, avoidig obstacles (such 2 BICYCLING Rules of the Road as car doors see Do t Get Doored, below), ad travelig at the speed of traffic, whe they re allowed to take up a etire lae. Do t Get Doored To avoid gettig clotheslied by some chucklehead who throws ope a car door, do this: O a road that s lied with parallel-parked cars, take up more of the lae. Assume a perso sittig i the driver s seat will ope his or her door; look over your left shoulder to check that traffic s clear, ad give the car a wide berth. Also, look at wheels if they re tured toward traffic, be prepared for the car to pull out i frot of you. Read Lights Stay clear of traffic by stayig ahead of it. Watch the sigal lights o cross traffic. Whe they tur yellow, roll forward slowly, clip ito your pedals, ad jump ahead before the drivers travelig i your lae hit the gas. You ll probably beat them to the ext red light. STAY IN THE CENTER LANE TO Tur Left Use the ceter tur lae of a two-lae road. Fifty yards before the tur, from your spot o the right shoulder, look behid you to see where the cars are. Accelerate to traffic speed or as close to it as you ca. Twety-five yards before, idetify two cars you ll merge betwee, sigal, ad merge, draftig slightly off the lead car. Look left agai, sigal, ad move ito the tur lae, stayig to the ceter or right third of the lae. Check ocomig traffic, ad make the tur. Do t Always Do The Right Thig Ridig a few feet ito the right lae ca be a good idea if you re approachig a itersectio if a car passes you ad the cuts you off to tur right, you ca escape by ridig aroud o the left. Pick the Slowest Road Suburba thoroughfares ca be early as busy as city streets, with hidde itersectios, o shoulders, ad drivers speedig twice as fast as urba drivers. Look for a route with fewer Quick Maeuvers itersectios, o shoppig strips (cars leavig parkig lots), ad slower traffic. The most direct route may ot be the best cyclig route. Herd the Pedestrias Whe you happe upo ususpectig pedestrias, aim to pass behid them rather tha cut i frot of them as they cross the street. Like a deer i headlights, a walker s atural reactio to a speedig vehicle is to freeze, the hurry forward. Cuttig behid them gives you both a better chace for safe passage. Lookig back. To see behid you without swervig, split your body i two: Keep your lower half i its atural pedalig positio, ad twist oly your spie ad eck to look over your left shoulder. Still swervig? Keep your arms straight but relaxed ad your grip loose. For added stability, rest your left had o your left thigh, ad brace the iside of your right kee agaist the top tube. Stoppig fast. With your body weight over the rear of the saddle to prevet skiddig, squeeze both brake levers, usig strog force for the left (frot brake) lever ad moderate for the right (rear). If the rear wheel skids, let up slightly o both levers before squeezig agai. Pedalig slowly. As you approach a red light or slow-movig obstacle, getly squeeze both brake levers, ad pedal lightly. The pressure o the craks keeps your ceter of gravity low, makig balacig at slow speeds easier. To go ultraslow: Apply costat pressure o the brakes, stad with your weight over the bottom bracket, ad ratchet oe pedal (whichever feels more comfortable) betwee 2 ad 3 o clock. As you barely ich forward, swig the hadlebar left ad right for balace. Crossig potholes. O a crowded street, sometimes the safest path is over the asphalt divot, ot aroud it. Uweight the frot of your bike so it glides over the pothole istead of ose-divig ito it. With a loose ad light grip o the hadlebar, squat so that most of your weight is o your pedals, ad your butt is restig lightly o the back of your saddle. Crossig a draiage grate. If the slits are small eough that they wo t eat a tire, or your wheel agle is perpedicular to the opeigs, go ahead ad roll over it, lettig your mometum carry you over. If the grate is a wheel biter, slow dow, ad look back to be sure traffic is clear before swervig. 3

20 Cyclig to Work Retailers estimate that they sell aroud 18 millio bicycles a year. Betwee roller-coaster gasolie prices ad traffic troubles, there s o doubt that may of those ew bikes were purchased ot for coquerig the Suday-morig hammerfest but for trasportatio. By usig a bike istead of a car just oe day a week, the average America (who drives 29 miles daily) would save several hudred dollars i gasolie, maiteace, ad depreciatio costs per year; reduce auto emissios aroud 24 pouds per week; ad o each ride, bur a extra 1,315 calories, eve at a comfortable 12-mph pace. Plus, for commuters, sittig i the saddle istead of i traffic meas you ll arrive at your desk less stressed. So what are you waitig for? Here are six ways to make your ride to work better, whether you re a vetera cyclist or just startig out. The Bike The best commutig bike for you is the oe that s most comfortable; that may be the old beater i your garage. If you re covertig a road bike to a flat-bar commuter, make sure you get brake levers made for use with road-brake calipers moutai levers have a differet cable-pull ratio ad will ot work. The Tires No matter what kid of bike you have, put slick tires o it. Kobbies ot oly slow you dow but also reduce surface-area cotact with the road, makig your bike less stable i all kids of weather except sow. The Lights Lights are essetial for foul-weather ad eveig commutes. Buy a lamp for your bar ad blikig lights for your seatpost ad helmet. I additio, apply easy-toremove electrical tape to your frame; the stick reflective tape to the electrical tape. The Bag A messeger bag looks cool, but if your commute takes loger tha 10 miutes, it could ijure your back. Ad if it s a hot day, it ca make you sweat. Use a seatpost rack to carry your stuff. The Pace If there s o shower at work, poke alog at a easy pace. The miles still cout. To tur your commute ito a workout, do itervals at traffic lights: Whe the light turs gree, sprit like mad to the ext red light, where you ll rest. Cautio: Keep your head up i case a car pulls out of a side street i frot of you. The Route Map several differet routes to work. Some days you might eed the fastest, most direct route. But o other days, you might feel like meaderig home through a park. Chagig it up prevets boredom. Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Mitch Madel/Rodale 4 BICYCLING Rules of the Road 12443/BKE/01ZR/6-16 5

21 b BIKE MAINTENANCE back to cotets Every bike eeds routie mechaical attetio to keep it workig efficietly, quietly, ad safely. You ca take your bike to a shop, or you ca do much of the work yourself, savig time, moey, ad grief. Here are the basics o hadlig those repairs ad maiteace jobs ad eve upgrades you re likely to face. BASICS Bike maiteace basics

22 The Cyclist s Toolbox If you have to ru to the shop every time your bike rattles or squeals, you wo t have much time to actually ride it. With the right tools, you ca fix just about aythig, savig you precious time ad moey. Spoke Wrech No commo household tool ca replace a spoke wrech, used to true wheels ad replace broke spokes. Spoke ipples come i a variety of sizes, so make sure to get the correct-size wrech, or you ll roud off the ipple. Steer clear of multisize spoke wreches, which ted to have a sloppy fit. Chaiwhip/ Cassette Lockrig Removig ad istallig a rear cog is a 2-miute job with these tools, ad early impossible without them. The chaiwhip holds the cassette i place while the lockrig is looseed. Shimao lockrigs are the same for road ad moutai bikes, so its tool works o both (ad o Shimao s Ceterlock disc rotors, too). Campagolo uses a differet-size lockrig ad tool. Chai Breaker This allows for the removal ad istallatio of a chai. It precisely drives out the chai s pi ad the drives i a replacemet coectig pi. It s a tool you wo t use ofte, but if you damage a chai or wear oe out ad wat to replace it yourself, you ll be glad you have it. Lube ad Grease Chai lube is essetial to keep your drivetrai ruig smoothly. Some lubes, such as Tri-Flow (triflowlubricats.com), also work well o cables. Use quality grease, such as 2 BICYCLING Bike Maiteace Basics Fiish Lie with Teflo (fiishlieusa.com), o bearigs ad bolt threads to prevet water cotamiatio ad corrosio. Tire Levers Do t eve thik of goig ear your wheel with a screwdriver; you ll get the tire o or off, but you re likely to damage the tire, tube, ad rim i the process. Plastic tire levers getly lift the tire s bead ito place without marrig the rim. They usually come i sets of three ad cost less tha $5, so throw a secod set ito your seatbag while you re at it. Hex Tools Oce you ow a Y hex wrech, you ll ever wat to be without oe. It s made up of 4-, 5-, ad 6-mm hex wreches (the sizes eeded for most bike repairs), ad the coveiet shape provides ample leverage o most bicycle fasteers. I additio, be sure you have a basic set of hex tools, from 2 mm to 8 mm, to cover what the Y tool does t. Istallig bottle cages ad adjustig frot derailleurs usually require a idividual hex wrech due to space costraits. Make life easier by gettig a set with ball eds, which allow for agled usage i tight spots. A How-To Maual Of course, all these tools wo t do you much good if you do t kow how to use them. The Bicyclig Guide to Complete Bicycle Maiteace & Repair for Road & Moutai Bikes is 416 pages of step-by-step, do-it-yourself tricks ad techiques ragig from the simple (fixig a flat) to the difficult (hydraulic disc brake istallatio ad setup). You get more tha 1,000 tips ad more tha 500 photos for $ (rodalestore.com) The Visual Exam Our bikes ever hesitate to tell us whe they eed attetio the seatpost squeaks, the bottom bracket cluks, the brakes buzz agaist the tires but it s up to us to look for the problems we ca t hear. Take a few miutes to visually ispect your bike. You could save yourself from somethig mior (a sore butt from a wor saddle) or somethig more serious (failed brakes o a screamig descet). Here are seve parts of your bike that should ever be out of sight or out of mid. 1) Smooth Brake Pads What you see: It s what you do t see the small grooves i your pads whe they were ew are goe or almost goe. What you do: Compare ew pads with your old oes. If the grooves i the old oes are wor at least 50% more tha those i the ew oes, replace your pads. Oe wet ride ca quickly wear out a set of half-wor pads, leavig you i the dagerous positio of losig a brake midride. Wor pads ca also damage your rims. 2) Wor Chairigs What you see: Your chairig teeth startig to resemble a great white s dorsal fi. What you do: Most teeth o a chairig should be eve, although it s ormal for some to be shorter or shaped differetly tha others, especially o the middle rig, to help with shiftig. But whe the teeth start to become hooked, like a shark s fi, it s a sig of a severely wor drivetrai, ad ridig o oe ca result i a throw chai, erratic shiftig, or a broke chai. Whe you replace the chairigs, you ll likely have to replace your cassette ad chai, too. 3) Cracked Leather Saddle What you see: Your saddle agig like the iterior of your father s 64 Chevy Impala. What you do: If your saddle is cracked or has a hole that ca cause pressure poits ad saddle sores, it s time for a ew oe. Most saddle maufacturers do t recommed leather coditioers because may cotai a type of petroleum that weakes the glue that secures the cover. To get the most from a ew saddle, clea it with mild liquid soap, such as had soap, ad a soft brush; the air-dry it out of the su. Cleaig itervals will vary with ridig frequecy ad coditios. 4) Ratty Bar Tape ad Wor Grips What you see: Tattered, dirty, ad tor bar tape, or smooth, gripless grips. What you do: Look for feathered edges or cuts i the bar tape, ad smooth wear areas o grips. You ca use electrical tape as a Bad-Aid to get through a ride, but it s really time for ew tape, which absorbs vibratio ad sweat better tha old tape. Replace wor grips with ew oes, which reduce had fatigue by givig your hads a better purchase o the bar. 5) Overused Tires What you see: The profile of your tire is more flat tha it is roud. What you do: Whe your tire loses its rouded profile ad starts to get a flat spot, or whe the base fabric cords begi to show through, it s time to replace the tire. Off-road tires will lose the kobby edges that provide tractio ad cotrol. Also, look for cuts i the tread ad sidewalls that could lead to future problems. Cotiue 3

23 to cruise o wor rubber, ad you re ot oly more proe to flats ad reduced tractio but also settig yourself up for scary, upredictable hadlig. 6) Bet Derailleur Hager What you see: A crooked derailleur hager What you do: Look at the drivetrai from behid your bike. If your rear derailleur cage (the part the chai goes through) is t parallel to the chairigs, as it s supposed to be, your hager (the part the derailleur bolts to ad that is attached to the right dropout) is likely bet. This will throw off your derailleur aligmet ad affect KEEP YOUR BIKE clea While there are some overzealous oddballs out there who meticulously polish their headset spacers with Q-tips, most of us treat bike cleaig as a quick chore if we do it at all. But i your rush to get the job doe, you ca make mistakes that could hurt everythig from your ego to the life spa of your compoets. The editors at Bicyclig have this advice for you: Wash your bike regularly. Very few of us ca say our bike is as clea as it should be, ad most of us do t wash our bikes ofte, because it ivolves gettig dirty ourselves. What to do: Really, wash your bike. Use a low-pressure water source ot a power washer or coi-operated car wash ad a mild dishwashig soap, such as Daw or Dove. Use a stroger cleaer if your bike is extra cruddy. Spray dow the etire bike, startig with the drivetrai. Scrub the cogs, chai, ad chairigs with a brush. Wash the rest of the bike with a secod set of clea brushes. Rise; the let the bike dry. 4 BICYCLING Bike Maiteace Basics shiftig. Either replace the hager or take it to a shop ad have it straighteed. 7) Corroded Cables ad Frayed Housig What you see: Your cables are rustig ad your housig eds are frayig. What you do: Replace corroded or rusty cables ad ay shift housig that has little wires stickig out ear the cable stops. If you do t, the housig will evetually split, leavig you with poor ad ureliable shiftig performace. Also, look for kiked housig, which ca cause frictio ad result i the same problems as split housig. Here are some more bike-wash tips. TOO-QUICK START Do t skip the iitial rise. Otherwise, you ll ed up swirlig aroud every bit of gritty debris ad scratchig your frame s glossy fiish. Usig the light-shower settig o your garde hose, spray off your etire bike from top to bottom before you go ear it with a soapy spoge. HIGH-PRESSURE HAZARD Go full-throttle with a hose ad you could force water (soapy, potetially degreaser-lade water) ito bearigs. The degraded grease will the give out before its time. SLIP FROM SHINOLA Polishig products like Armor All are t for your bike. Shie up your saddle, ad you ll have a hard time stayig seated. Go glossy o your tires, ad rim residue will reduce brakig power. Skip it. What you ca do is, every third or fourth wash, give your frame ad fork a layer of car wax. It restores the pait s luster ad keeps road tar ad bugs from stickig. KEEP IT SIMPLE Clea the drivetrai first. If you use degreaser, remove the rear wheel ad agle it cassette-side dow so the degreaser rus off. Cut off the top of a plastic water bottle. Fill it with a water-based degreaser, like Simple Gree, ad place it i your seat-tube bottle cage (for easy access). Use a paitbrush to apply the degreaser to the chai. Fiish by holdig a soapy spoge aroud the chai ad turig the craks. Hose off the excess ad let it dry. clea up Clea a grimy cassette or freewheel: Remove the wheel, ad lay it flat with The Little Problems Because small problems with your bike are easier to igore tha major malfuctios, they ca be your worst eemy. Like that clickig oise i your car that magically disappears whe you crak the radio, these are the kids of thigs you ca let slide for moths because, let s face it, as log as you re still able to ride your bike, you ll put up with aythig, icludig embarrassig yourself ad aoyig your frieds. Lucky for you ad them most little problems have simple solutios. Here are six thigs that will slow you dow ad tips o how to fix them. Slippig Grips Problem: Your grips are twistig, ad you re ot Evel Kievel. Oh yeah, you ve cogs up. Dampe the edge of a rag with solvet ad pull it back ad forth betwee each cog. No eed to rotate the wheel; the freewheel keeps the cogs movig. WIPE THE RIMS Brakig causes alumium rims to oxidize, leavig a layer of grit that ca cotamiate brake pads. Every 100 miles, more ofte if you ride i wet coditios, wipe your rims with a dry cloth. GOLDILOCKS FINISH The last step i ay bike wash is to relube the chai. Stop short of this step ad your uprotected chai will quickly rust. But go too heavy o the lube ad the chai will attract grime like a maget. Give the chai a just-right light coatig, the wipe off the excess with a clea rag. already tried the hairspray trick to get em to stick, ad it did t work. Solutio: Apply a geerous amout of superglue iside the grip ad o the bar; the quickly slide the grip ito place ad hold for a few secods. Act fast the glue sets up quickly but ot so fast that it eds up where it should t. This is a permaet solutio, so be ready to cut the grips off with a utility kife whe it s time to replace them. Sticky Frame Problem: You ve slopped eergy drik o your frame by takig your bottle i ad out of the cage. Solutio: The easiest remedy is to carry oly water ad use gels as your eergy 5

24 source. But if goop is t your thig, fill oe bottle with eergy drik ad aother with water. Put the eergy drik i the seat-tube-mouted cage so it s vertical ad less likely to leak. Ad do t fill bottles to the top. Whe the fluid gets warm, it expads ad creates pressure, ad your bottles leak. Tigly Toes Problem: Your too-tight cyclig shoes are makig your feet feel tigly ad umb ad possibly makig pedalig paiful. Solutio: Before all else, make sure your shoes fit correctly. They should be sug, but your toes should t touch the frot of the shoe. Yakig straps too tight will cut off circulatio ad lead to tiglig toes; try looseig the straps, especially the frot oes. If the problem persists, try a ew pair of isoles. If that does t do it, ew shoes may be your oly aswer. Foggy Suglasses Problem: You ve slowed dow o a log climb, but your sweaty body is heatig up, steamig the leses of your glasses. Solutio: Before startig a climb where perspiratio outpaces evaporatio, wedge your shades ito your helmet s frot vets, as the pros do, or a jersey pocket if it s ot too sweaty. Greased Calf Problem: While your buddy s sporti piup-girl ik o his bicep, the oly tattoo you have is o your calf i the shape of a chairig. Solutio: There s the obvious: Do t touch the chairig. But because that s boud to happe, try a wax-type dry lube. Dry chai lubes go o wet but evetually dry, leavig behid a waxy coatig that lubricates but does t attract dirt as wet lubes do. Used correctly, they do t leave much of a mark whe your leg accidetally cotacts the chairig. Squeaky Cleats Problem: Your cleats are squeakig like a rat i a sake cage ad aoyig everyoe o the ride. Solutio: Make sure your cleat bolts are tight, the lube the pedal-cleat iterface of the pedal. Silicoe spray works well because it does t attract as much dirt as petroleum-based lubes. However, almost aythig will work, icludig chai lube or cookig spray. But be careful. Stroll across your livig room carpet after a ride, leavig black cleat marks, ad your spouse will squawk louder tha ay pedal ca. Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Mitch Madel/Rodale 6 BICYCLING Bike Maiteace Basics 12444/BKE/01ZS/6-16 7

25 b fidig the best bike Today, bicycles come i a rage of models that are bewilderigly eclectic, ad as a result so are the stores that carry them. For ew riders, it ca be challegig to fid a reliable expert to guide them to the right bike. back to cotets shop Fidig the best bike shop

26 a field guide to bike shops Sometime i the 1800s, ito the first-ever bike shop walked the first-ever bike buyer let s call him Customer X. He could t dither edlessly over a buch of bikes because there was oly a pey-farthig, or highwheeler. He could t eve try it out because he had o clue how to ride it. Worst of all, after takig up the ower s time by askig a buch of questios ( How do you stop this thig? ), X could t just buy some cheap accessories to save face, because the proprietor would have see right through that scheme: What s he goig to do with a water bottle if he does t have a bike put it o his wheelbarrow? So X bought the pey-farthig, mouted it, ad face-plated ito a pile of horse maure. Here are a few types of establishmets you may ecouter ad reasos to avoid them. he chuck s bike-o-rama TThis is the shop i Pee-wee s Big Adveture. (If you have t see that movie, put this magazie dow, get out of the bathroom, ad Netflix it immediately.) Every tow has a O-Rama. It s where parets buy their childre s first bikes ad buy themselves hybrids that will sped a eterity i the garage, ad the tires have wire beads istead of Kevlar oes. While roadies may lift their oses ad pedal o by, this does t mea Chuck s is t a pro shop i its ow right. The staff must be particularly astute, for just as every eighborhood has a Chuck s, so does it have a Pee-wee a strage, solitary character o a bicycle festooed with accessories ad you igore his demads for a wider hadlebar to fit that 26th bell at your peril. Plus, fittig helmets to toddlers is just as difficult as fittig bikes to roadies, ad both customers are equally likely to throw tatrums. The gattaca I the 1997 film Gattaca, Etha Hawke gais access to a high-tech aerospace compay ad trais to fly to oe of Satur s moos. (Have t see it? Keep readig it s always o cable.) Istead of preparig people for space travel, the Gattaca shop preps them for Suday rides ad amateur races. You re i oe of these whe you see a fittig room filled with machies, computer moitors, ad lasers ad whe you ca buy a bar-mouted accessory that s more advaced tha the equipmet NASA used to sed Apollo 11 to the moo. That s oe small step for Fred, oe giat leap for Fredkid. The Friedly Shop Where They Never Have What You Need A cassette? Hmm, ope. But we do have a I do t have that tire i a 23mm i black, but here s oe i purple. You could order olie, but clickig that buy butto would be like stabbig your frieds i the heart. So you grit your teeth, muscle up the climb i the 23, ad try ot to look at your purple tires. The Craky Shop Where They Always Have What You Need They re goig to have exactly the right legth stem to replace the oe you just stripped, but they re also goig to put you through hell before they give it to you: the sighig, the 45-miute disappearace ito the basemet, the profoud irritatio whe you do t have exact chage, ad, above all, the disbelief that you do t kow by heart the year-by-year productio history of the lie of stems. The Bicycle Boutique A result of the fixed-gear fad, this is basically a clothig store with two track bikes i good shop, bad shop Here are five ways to tell whether your local bike shop is worthy of your busiess. 1) Your commuter wheels have microcracks at the spoke holes. BAD SHOP Poits you toward some $2,900 Zipp 808s. GOOD SHOP Suggests a similar, maybe slightly icer, set of wheels tha what you have. 2) The mechaic BAD SHOP Does t shave yet ad proouces Campagolo with a hard G. GOOD SHOP Has a well-orgaized tool bech. Bous if she s a woma. 3) You eed a bike fit. BAD SHOP A salesma asks you to stad over the frame, the says, That looks pretty good. GOOD SHOP Offers a rage of services provided by certified fitters i a dedicated fit studio. it. While there may or may ot be a repair stad o which someoe with really clea hads ad lots of tattoos may or may ot be able to fix your flat, they have a positively fatastic tailor. Iroically, eve though the Bicycle Boutique is the ewest kid of shop, it s the oe i which Customer X would most likely feel at home there are very few bikes to choose from, ad they do t coast. 4) Your chaistay has sapped ad you believe it should be covered uder warraty. BAD SHOP Salesma shouts to the mechaic, Larry! Aother JRA! (That s shop shorthad for just ridig alog, as i: I was just ridig alog whe my wheel exploded. ) GOOD SHOP Processes the claim, keeps you up to date o its progress, ad fids a way to keep you ridig i the iterim. 5) You flat while ridig ear the shop. You stop i to buy a tube ad fix it. BAD SHOP A employee guards the floor pump while iformig you that your flat will cost $15 to fix. GOOD SHOP Escorts you to the air compressor ad offers you a tire lever. 2 BICYCLING Fidig the Best Bike Shop 3

27 Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Michael Darter 12445/BKE/01ZT/ BICYCLING Fidig the Best Bike Shop 5

28 b How to Raise a Like most cyclists, you probably remember the exhilaratio ad freedom of hoppig o a two-wheeler ad speedig dow the block as oe of the most powerful ad edurig memories of your childhood. Pass that glorious feelig o to your childre with these age-appropriate tips ad techiques. back to cotets Cyclist How to raise a cyclist

29 Iclude Your Kids As daylight fades ito the horizo, your ridig hours dwidle from fewer to zip. Whe you re home with the kids, it s too ofte the latter. But do t abado your bike just yet. With creative plaig, you ca ride ad still keep the kids etertaied ad maybe make them fit. do the Tour de Teeter-Totter Kids do t have the metal or physical edurace for log, uiterrupted rides. But your 9- or 10-year-old ca tag alog for a 15-miler if you pla a route that icludes playgroud breaks for fu time ad sacks. If your child is too youg to pedal alog solo, set him up i a backmouted bicycle seat, such as those from Kettler (kettlerusa.com), or a trailer, such as the Burley Hoey Bee (burley.com). Brig alog your 4- to 8-year-olds i a hitch bike, such as the Burley Piccolo. startig at ay age Kids are bor watig to ride o wheels. Here s how to guide them alog so that their love of the sport is urtured alog with their skill. 2 to 4 Years Old Betwee the ages of 2 ad 3, kids typically start to explore ridig o a tricycle. By the time they hit the halfway poit of their third year, may youg oes will be eager to hop o a small two-wheeler outfitted with traiig wheels. What you should teach: Most childre this age have a ituitive uderstadig of how to pedal, but they still eed to develop 2 BICYCLING How to Raise a Cyclist Put Them i Charge Give your kids a stopwatch ad a whistle, ad let them time your itervals aroud the block. They ll feel helpful as they cheer you o. Whe you re doe, let them ride aroud the block while you time. Set Up a Circuit Ca t get everyoe o wheels? Create a backyard boot camp where you ad your kids ca do calistheics such as shuttle rus, jump rope, pushups, luges, ad situps for 2 miutes each. Do the Cartoo Crit If all else fails, pop i Fidig Nemo, hop o your traier (makig sure the spiig wheels are out of reach of tiy figers), ad sprit every time Dory calls the clow fish the wrog ame. their balace ad body positio ad the ability to steer ad stop the bike. Driveway games make great skill sessios: Challege your child to steer aroud small rocks or to stop before hittig a chalk lie. It s a Teachig Tip Toddlers ted to lear best from others their size, so ivite eighborhood kids ad parets to the playgroud for a morig of ridig. great idea to get together with eighborhood parets ad kids for a morig of fu ridig at a local playgroud. Kids ted to lear best whe simply followig the example of others their size. 4 to 6 Years Old By this age, most kids have a good sese of balace ad a smooth pedalig motio ad ca steer with some precisio. The most difficult challeges from ages 4 to 6 are masterig had brakes ad trasitioig from traiers to two wheels. What you should teach: Make sure your child kows how to use both coaster ad had brakes. For had-brakig, show him how to squeeze the lever while keepig his eyes o the road. At first, it will take all his stregth to get the brake pads to move toward the rim. As he graduates to a bike with two had brakes, explai that the frot brake provides about 75% of the bike s total stoppig power ad should be used with greater fiesse tha the rear. To wea your kid from traiig wheels, use this method, developed by Bicyclig. I our experiece, it helps childre lear to ride o their ow i less time ad with fewer spills tha the ru-beside-the-bike method most of us leared with. Ubolt the traiig wheels from your child s bike, ad lower the saddle so that It s Not Eough to Just Buy Oe it is easy for her to sit o the saddle with both feet flat o the groud. Head to a smooth, grassy field that has a getle dowslope 30 to 50 yards i legth. Be sure that it s ot too steep, is wide eough to allow for uplaed weavig, ad has grass short eough to allow the bike to roll freely. Before settig your youg oe off, walk the hill to look for holes, debris, or other uexpected hazards. Stad halfway up the hill, ad have your child straddle the bike with her feet o the groud while you place oe had o the hadlebar ad oe o the back of the saddle. After a fial pep talk to remid her what the brakes are for, where she should try to steer, ad how to fall, have her lift her feet a few iches off the groud but keep them off the bike s pedals. Oce she s ready, give her a slight push, ad let the bike coast dow the hill. Because she s o grass, the bike is t likely to pick up too much speed or feel out of cotrol. If you ca t resist ruig alog, stay behid, ot beside, the bike so she ca accomplish this feat o her ow without distractio. Have your child roll dow the hill util she does t waver or fall; the have her roll dow the hill with her feet o the pedals, makig sure to keep them parallel to the groud. Whe she ca coast with her feet o the pedals, have her begi to pedal A study at a pediatricia s office i Falmouth, Massachusetts, foud that oly 4% of childre wore their helmets properly. The most commo problems: wearig the lid too high o the forehead, improper chistrap positio, ad excessive frot to back movemet. 3

30 slowly as she rolls dow the hill, so she feels the sesatio of balacig while pedalig. You ll also be able to raise her saddle to a height at which her leg is exteded to roughly 80% of its overall legth. Last step: Have a cold drik ad maybe a celebratory ice cream coe it s bee a big day for both of you. 6 to 8 Years Old At this age, most childre have developed stregth, balace, ad fie motor skills to the poit where they are capable of usig had brakes ad shiftig gears. They have the tools ad are hugry for adveture, so ow s the time to emphasize safety ad basic hadlig. What you should teach: Safety first. Tell your child that safety starts with a helmet, appropriate clothig (icludig shoes), ad a well-tued bike. Oce he s rollig, safety meas costatly assessig the situatio, lookig out for dager, ad kowig the path away from it. Tell him that beig safe o a bike is a process that ever eds. For a smooth start, have your child sit with oe foot plated o the groud ad the other o a pedal that is poited toward the hadlebar, roughly at 2 o clock. The, he should step hard o the pedal, pull up slightly with the opposite had, ad brig his other foot up. Tell him that the key to a solid start is to keep his upper body relaxed. It keeps him from swervig as he builds speed. Oce your youg rider is crakig dow the block, the best thig for him to do is, agai, relax his upper body, ad let the bike s gyroscopic effect help to keep it movig i a direct lie. The techique for corerig is the same you use: Brake first, the tur. Tell your child to slow dow before the curve to the 4 BICYCLING How to Raise a Cyclist poit that oce he s turig the bike, he ca take pressure off the brakes completely. 8 to 12 Years Old Thik back to whe you were 8 years old. As a third grader, you were cocered with playgroud time, ot with hoig lifelog skills i a sport. Ad you tured out okay, right? Keep that i mid whe it comes to cyclig ad your pretee child he s focused o fu, ideally ridig aroud with his frieds. But that does t mea you ca t help him have fu safely. What you should teach: While you likely have taught your child the rules of the road by ow, you should at this age hammer them home to esure he forms safe street habits as he begis to veture o rides without you. The best advice to give: Act like a car, but remember that cars ca t see you. This will remid him to ride predictably, stay o the right side of the right-had lae, give the right-of-way to pedestrias, always sigal, ad obey sigs ad traffic lights. As your child s sese of idepedece grows, you ca also teach her to care for her bike by checkig these areas before every ride; if somethig seems wrog, she should ask you for help. Brakes. Give the brakes a squeeze. Tell her that the levers should move freely ad pop back whe she lets go. She should t be able to pull them all the way to the hadlebar, either. Saddle. Check that the seat is straight ad set at the right height. Make sure the seatpost is held tightly i the frame. Quick-releases. Check that the quickreleases are closed ad sug. Tires. Give tires a squeeze with your thumb ad forefiger they should feel solid. If oe is soft, it eeds air. The, give the wheel a slow spi. Check the tire for cuts or missig tread, ad be sure that the brakes do t rub ay part of the rim. Teachig Tip The best advice to give o ridig i the street: Act like a car, but remember that cars ca t see you. Tee Years Teeagers ad bikes were meat for each other. Teeagers have a abudace of eergy, which bikes help them bur off healthfully. Ad bikes ca give a teeager a sese of idepedece, especially before the appearace of a driver s licese. Bikes mea freedom, ad that ca be hard for parets. It ca be tough to accept that your tee will be doig serious rides without you. Practice Makes Perfect What you should teach: I additio to reiforcig rules of the road, helmet safety, ad other lessos you ve taught, ecourage your tee to go o a local shop ride or to joi a club. Orgaized rides are a great way for your teeager to feel some idepedece yet still be iflueced by other resposible cyclists. It might take a few tries before you fid the right ride, but do t let your child give up. Whe a group clicks, it s magic. Plus, local shops ad clubs are the best ways to fid out about charity rides, races, moutai bike festivals, or cyclig camps i your area. It s also the ideal time to educate your high school or college studet, for whom discretioary icome may very well cosist of just eough cash to buy a few boxes of macaroi ad cheese, that a bike ca be a effective form of trasportatio ad a moey-savig tool. It s importat for your youg adult to have a iexpesive city bike complete with feders, lights, ad a some kid of rack. Have your pretee practice these fu skill-buildig techiques. Balace Beam. Lay a 10-foot 2x6 or 2x8 flat o a grassy surface. Have your child practice pullig up o the hadlebar ad givig the pedals a quick stab as he leas back slightly ad lofts the frot tire oto the board. (The piece of wood is t thick eough to cause a fall if your child misjudges the lift.) The, have him slowly ride the legth of the board the goal is to stay o top of the board for its etire legth ad the ride off the other ed. As this gets easier, swap to a arrower piece of wood, or add aother board at the ed to double the distace. Coe Corerig. Tight corerig requires that you lea the bike over a bit. To help your child practice, have her weave through a lie of four or five safety coes or similar objects, each spaced about 8 feet apart. As her skill improves, ecourage her to go faster, or move the coes out of a straight lie so that they are staggered ad she has to tur more to get aroud each coe. 5

31 Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Matt Raiey/Rodale 6 BICYCLING How to Raise a Cyclist 12446/BKE/01ZU/6-16 7

32 b ride your way to total back to cotets Amyth busted: It s ulikely that stretchig before a ride helps prevet ijuries, accordig to researchers at the Ceters for Disease Cotrol ad Prevetio. Istead, to prep for a hard effort, ride easy util you break a sweat. The followig tips may be just as or more surprisig, but all will make you a better cyclist ad a healthier oe. health Ride your way to total health

33 Be a better rider Cooler Heads do t ecessarily Prevail Because smooth aerodyamic helmets typically have o vetig, cyclists have log debated whether their wid-cheatig beefits are worth the risk of overheatig. Turs out a hot head does ot ecessarily make for a lukewarm performace. I a Uiversity of Texas study, cyclists wore a traditioal helmet for oe time trial ad a aero lid with less vetig for aother. Though their head temperatures were higher after the latter, their heart rates, power outputs, ad performaces were ot affected. Iro-Clad Fitess Good ews for wome: Takig a iro supplemet may make you a stroger cyclist, accordig to researchers i Australia. Turs out, low iro levels are commo i premeopausal wome, especially those who are physically active (exercise depletes the mieral) or who do t eat eough irorich foods such as red meat, egg yolks, ad beas. Sigs you might be deficiet iclude fatigue ad shortess of breath, but it s worth gettig your levels checked regardless. You may be low i iro ad ot eve kow it, says study author Sat- Ray Pasricha, MPH, PhD. The recommeded Daily Value (for wome betwee 19 ad 50) is 18 mg. Music to Your Gears Rocki out while warmig up ca boost performace, accordig to research doe at the Natioal Ceter of Medicie ad Sciece i Sports i Tuisia. I the study, athletes performed a series of 30-secod sprits after warmig up for 10 miutes 2 BICYCLING Ride your Way to Total Health either i silece or while listeig to hightempo music. Whe they tued i, they ot oly tued out uwated distractios, they also produced more power durig the sprit tha whe they warmed up i peace ad quiet without feelig like they were workig ay harder. Chill Out You ca improve your performace by 10% if you sip cold fluids durig hard rides i hot weather. Cyclists who guzzled chilled driks fiished a time trial i 90 heat 2 miutes faster tha those whose driks were air temperature. Hot Legs A study published i Medicie & Sciece i Sports & Exercise cocluded that cyclists who wore heated pats for 30 miutes after warmig up improved their power durig a 30-secod sprit test. To keep your legs toasty before go time, pull o leg warmers ad track pats or wear zip-off warmup tights, which you ca ditch 30 secods from the start. If it s very cold, stay i your car with the heat o util the last possible miute. Fid Your Veg Edge Vegetarias take ote: A study i the Joural of the Iteratioal Society of Sports Nutritio cocludes that cyclists who wet meatless had to work harder (based o VO2 measuremets) to achieve the same results durig a cyclig test tha their carivorous peers who got more protei. Roud out a meat-free diet with platbased protei sources. Aim for a servig or two of beas (about a cup) every day, as well as daily servigs of soy, uts, ad whole grais, says Leslie Boci, MPH, RD, director of sports utritio at Uiversity of Pittsburgh Medical Ceter. Use Positive Reiforcemet Just whe your brai is about to let you kow it s quittig time, a little self-ecouragemet ca push you to go farther. I a study published i Medicie & Sciece i Sports & Exercise, researchers had 24 traied cyclists ride to exhaustio. The half of the group was taught to use positive self-talk whe the goig got tough. Popular choices icluded Drive forward, Feelig good, I ca do this, ad Go for it, says lead researcher Samuele Marcora of the School of Sport ad Exercise Scieces, Uiversity of Ket. After 2 weeks, the riders were tested agai. Though both groups maitaied roughly the same heart rate, those who received istructio pedaled 18% loger, ad their perceived exertio icreased more gradually. Usig egative phrases such as, Ma, this is hard, ca actually be couterproductive, says Marcora. Breathe Easier Here s some good ews if you have asthma or exercise-iduced brochospasm coughig, wheezig, ad shortess of breath that occur durig or after exercise. A study idicates that a preride warmup may help, especially i witer, whe cold, dry air is more likely to trigger a attack. Before your ext chilly ride, try this: Spi for 10 miutes, the do five or six 30-secod bursts at maximum effort with a miute of easy pedalig i betwee. You may feel symptoms right afterward, says study author Michael Sticklad, PhD, of the Uiversity of Alberta, but they should disappear after a few miutes. Still, if you rely o a ihaler, always have it hady. Magic Beets A study published i Medicie & Sciece i Sports & Exercise reported that cyclists who drak 2 cups of beetroot juice 2 hours before a time trial improved their 10-mile time by 45 secods. The reaso: Beets cotai itrates, which ope up blood vessels, reducig blood pressure ad improvig blood flow, ad decrease the amout of oxyge your muscles eed durig exercise. Iterestigly, aother study foud that cyclists who took a sodium itrate supplemet (without beet juice) still used less oxyge but did t improve performace. Bottom lie: Real food wis agai. Pretreat Your Muscles You already kow that postride protei helps repair battered muscle tissue. Now researchers i Australia report that cosumig the muscle-medig macroutriet durig hard efforts may prevet those fibers from takig such a beatig i the first place. I the study, cyclists were give either a plai carbohydrate drik or oe with added protei durig a streuous traiig ride. Four hours later, the cyclists performed a timed ride. The oes who drak the shot of protei pedaled early 2% faster ad had lower heart rates ad perceived exertio ad less muscle damage. Look for ride fuel that cotais a 4-to-1 ratio of carbohydrate ad protei. Relative Humidity The thicker the air, the thier your performace, reports a study i the British Joural of Sports Medicie. A group of eight cyclists performed a series of four tests i which they pedaled to exhaustio i a 86 lab, the cotiued ridig i oe of four relative-humidity coditios ragig from 24% to 80%. The riders were able to go aother 68 miutes whe humidity was 24%, but oly 46 more miutes durig 3

34 the most humid coditios. Bottom lie: Humidity slows your body s built-i coolig system. About 30 miutes before go time, drik a sports-drik slushie or apply cold towels to your torso ad legs. Best Muscle Builder If you wat low-itesity edurace stregth without the bulk, lighte the load. Whe cyclists push o the pedals, the force they exert is a small percetage of their maximal stregth (1 to 3% o flat terrai at 100 rpm), says Stuart Phillips, PhD, kiesiology professor at McMaster Uiversity. Eve climbig uses well below the maximum. You ll gai the same amout of lea muscle liftig three sets, each to fatigue, of lighter weights (10 to 15 pouds) as you would liftig heavier weights (25 to 30 pouds). get a healthier body To Drik or Not to Drik Dehydratio is ot the demo it has bee made out to be. Research has show that cyclists who had exercise-iduced dehydratio after a time trial performed as well as those who were hydrated. Ad the riders who drak accordig to thirst outper Soothe Muscles Naturally Hard rides ca trigger iflammatio ad hider recovery so you feel sore ad sluggish ext time you re i the saddle. Before you pop a pill, try a cup of tea. Atioxidats foud i gree, oolog, ad white teas suppress muscle stress ad iflammatio ad speed recovery. Aim for three to five cups a day, Boci says. 4 BICYCLING Ride your Way to Total Health formed those who did t. What you do t wat to do is start your ride dehydrated, says Eric Goulet, PhD, of the Uiversity of Sherbrooke i Quebec. Drik a bottle of fluid 2 hours before you ride, the, after that, drik accordig to thirst. What you drik depeds o your activity level. For a easy 1-hour spi, you likely do t eed aythig ot eve water uless it s hot. If it s harder ad loger, both water ad carbs are importat, says Goulet. But the source of the carbs is a matter of preferece. Some experts say you re better off with food, while others favor sports driks. Activate Your Muscles Liftig weights ca trai your ridig muscles to last loger ad work harder. Whe you do sport-specific exercises such as squats ad leg presses for 8 to 12 weeks i the off-seaso, the muscle fibers you use for short, hard efforts become more resistat to fatigue, accordig to a report published i the Scadiavia Joural of Medicie & Sciece i Sports. Your brai also becomes more adept at recruitig the muscles you eed to keep ridig. Pass o Ibuprofe If you ofte pop Advil or other osteroidal ati- iflammatories before rides to maage aggig aches, you may do more harm tha help. Researchers foud that the combo of exercise ad ibuprofe icreases stomach irritatio. Try gree tea or tart cherry juice before exercise, says Boci. Or add fresh grated giger to a smoothie. These igrediets have ati-iflammatory properties but are easier o your gut. Calm Your Mid Accordig to researchers i Bosto, 20 miutes of relaxatio exercises, icludig deep breathig, recitig calmig phrases, ad clearig your mid, ca reduce the activity of harmful gees liked to stress ad iflammatio. Fuel: Get Your Vitamis Naturally Too much vitami C ad E ca iterfere with your body s atural oxidat productio, which is ecessary for muscle growth. A study published i The Joural of Physiology reported that people who took 1,000 mg of C ad 235 mg of E were uable to make the same muscular edurace improvemets followig 11 weeks of traiig as those who took dummy pills. Whe you re traiig hard 2-plus hours a day you eed about 200 miligrams of C, which is more tha the recommeded 75 to 90 miligrams, says Michiga-based sports dietitia Doa Marlor, BSN, RD, CSSD. If you supplemet, do t go over that amout. The recommeded vitami E itake is 15 mg. But if you eat a balaced diet that icludes whole grais ad five to ie servigs of fruits ad vegetables every day, you re already gettig plety of each. Too Much Heart Exercise builds a strog, healthy heart, ad the harder you work out, the better, right? Actually, you ca overdo it. Just as extreme exercise ca cause muscle ad joit damage, it ca also result i wear ad tear o your ticker. A study reports that too much edurace exercise ca eve place you at higher risk for heart problems dow the road. This does t mea you should stop ridig, says lead researcher James H. O Keefe, MD, of Sait Luke s Mid America Heart Istitute i Kasas City, Missouri. Regular, moderate exercise is oe of the best thigs you ca do to improve log-term cardiovascular health ad logevity, he says. But whe you push to extremes more tha 60 miutes every day of exhaustive exercise you might start to lose the protective value. Balace hard efforts with plety of recovery ad cross-traiig that icludes weights ad stretchig. The State of Your Stati Nearly 34% of adults with high cholesterol cotrol it usig drugs called statis. But research reports that the drugs may cause side effects. If you re o a stati ad have muscle weakess or pai durig hard exercise, try these tips from cyclig cardiologist Ferado Roth, MD. Talk to your doctor about chagig your stati. Some are more potet or ca have differet effects o your liver. Try coezyme Q10. Statis deplete this aturally occurig ezyme, which ca cause dysfuctio i the muscle cells. Oe study showed a 40% reductio i pai i people who took it as a supplemet. Take a break. It may be okay to stop takig your stati a week prior to a edurace evet. Be sure to check with your doctor before doig so. Muscle Meat If you fid it more difficult with each birthday to maitai lea muscle mass, help yourself to a bigger cut of steak. A study published i Applied Physiology, Nutritio, ad Metabolism cocludes that of 35 male test subjects whose average age was 59, those who ate 6 ouces of beef before a resistace-traiig workout gaied more muscle tha those who ate 5

35 less. For best results, treat yourself after your workout. That s whe muscles are most receptive to the amio acids i protei, says seior study author Stuart Phillips, PhD. But, he says, more has o added beefit: Other studies have foud that 12 ouces is t better tha 6. D Is for Domiate Wat a better shot at wiig the ext tow-lie sprit? Get more vitami D. Research published i Medicie & Sciece i Sports & Exercise reported that the utriet helps build ad maitai stroger muscles, especially the kid you eed for sprits ad quick ascets. The Istitute of Medicie recommeds 600 IU per day. Oe cup of fortified milk delivers about a fifth of that. Fish such as caed tua, sardies, ad salmo are also good sources. Do t Pass o the salt Surprisig research says that too little sodium could derail your health ad your rides. If you re ot gettig eough salt, your body does t retai as much fluid, which ca put you at risk for dehydratio ad low blood pressure. You ca figure out how much fluid you lose through sweat by weighig yourself before ad after a ride, but there s o simple way to calculate exactly how much salt you shed. If you otice a white film or crystals o your ski or clothes after a ride, you re likely a salty sweater ad may eed more sodium durig exercise tha someoe who sweats out less salt. Cortisol Cotrol Whe researchers i Germay measured levels of the stress hormoe cortisol i amateur edurace athletes ad regular folks, they foud that the edurace jukies had sigificatly higher amouts tha their less-active peers. Too much cortisol ca ihibit immuity ad be a symptom of overtraiig, says exercise scietist Stephe J. McGregor, PhD, of Easter Michiga Uiversity. But it also helps the body bur fat ad maitai blood glucose durig prologed exercise. The key is to keep it i check. Whe glycoge stores ru dry, cortisol kicks i to help you make eergy, so make sure your blood sugar levels are topped off. Ad high cortisol levels have bee liked to frequet illess, so if you feel ru dow, dial back your itesity. Chew o This Accordig to a study i the Iteratioal Joural of Sports Medicie, sugary driks, gels, ad bars may icrease plaque-formig bacteria i the mouth. I additio, traiig ad racig reduce saliva flow, leavig teeth vulerable to acids foud i some eergy driks, which bod with calcium ad ca speed eamel erosio. Driks like Red Bull are especially acidic, accordig to prosthodotics specialist Derek Hopkis, DMD. But do t throw away all your eergy fuels just yet. Just swish occasioally with water durig your rides, ad hit up your toothbrush for a good scrubbig as soo as you get home. That should be eough to protect your choppers from decay. Get Lighter Mix It up to Slim Dow I a College of New Jersey study, subjects completed two cyclig trials: oe pedalig at a costat itesity ad aother where the rate of itesity varied. The cyclists average heart rates, VO2 levels (a idicator of metabolic rate), ad perceived rates of exertio were similar durig both trials, but subjects postexercise VO2 levels were as much as 25% higher durig recovery from the variable itesity trial. To maximize calorie bur, vary your speed or terrai. Watch the Weeked Splurges Accordig to the Cotiuig Survey of Food Itakes by Idividuals, published i Obesity Research, Americas betwee the ages of 19 ad 50 eat a average of 115 more calories o each weeked day tha they do o weekdays eough to equal a 5 poud weight gai over the course of a year. You could eve thigs out by drikig oe less beer at happy hour, but it s more fu to ride loger a 150 poud cyclist ridig at 12 mph burs 136 calories i just 15 miutes. Tur Off the Tube You wolf dow 30% less food if you midfully take smaller bites istead of sackig i frot of the TV, accordig to a Dutch study. Get Skiy While You Sleep A study by New York s Columbia Uiversity foud that people who slept 6 hours per ight were 23% more likely to be obese tha those who slept 7 to 9 hours each ight. The research suggests that we may be wired to store fat durig summer moths, whe food is pletiful ad ights are short. Aim for 8 hours of sleep a ight ad maybe shrik your waistlie. Drivig Miss Piggy A study of more tha 10,500 Atlata residets foud that their odds of obesity icreased by 3% for every 30 miutes spet drivig each day. People livig withi a half mile of stores were 7% less likely to be obese tha those livig i primarily residetial areas. Bur Fat Fast Short, itese sweat sessios ot oly rev up your fitess, but also help shed dagerous belly fat the kid that accumulates aroud orgas ad ca lead to heart disease i a fractio of the time it would take o aerobic rides aloe. I a Australia study, me performed 8-secod sprits followed by 12 secods of recovery for 20 miutes three times a week. Over a period of 12 weeks, they lost a average of 4½ pouds, icreased muscle mass, ad reduced belly fat by 17%. Previous studies have foud that it takes five times as log to lose that much at lower itesities. Palm Oil s Fatty Secret You may ot realize it, but you could be eatig too much palm oil. Widely used as a substitute for artificial tras fats i baked goods, cereals, ad sacks, this vegetable oil has recetly bee raisig eyebrows. I a study published i Diabetes, me ad wome ate 750 extra calories a day for 7 weeks i the form of muffis made with either palm or suflower oil. The palm-oil eaters put o more fat, especially i the belly ad liver, while the suflower-oil 6 BICYCLING Ride your Way to Total Health 7

36 eaters gaied more muscle. Palm oil is high i saturated fatty acids, which promote iflammatio ad make the body predisposed to abdomial ad liver fat, says Staford-based utritio scietist Stacy Sims, PhD. Suflower oil is high i moousaturated omega-9 fatty acids, lift your mood Keep Ridig, Keep Smilig Stoppig your regular exercise program could lead to symptoms of depressio, say researchers at the Uiformed Services Uiversity of the Health Scieces, i Bethesda, Marylad. The USUHS studied 40 recreatioal exercisers, half of whom were forced to stop exercisig for 2 weeks. By the ed of the study, oexercisers had sigificatly higher egative mood scores ad levels of fatigue tha did subjects who had cotiued workig out, ad these effects were most oticeable i subjects who were the most fit. which decrease iflammatio ad ecourage the body to use the fat as fuel rather tha store it. The ufortuate truth is that palm oil is easily disguised o food labels, sometimes listed oly as vegetable oil. If it s ot clearly marked o the label, cotact the food s maufacturer to be sure. Ride to Stay Sharp Researchers studied 1,740 people ages 65 ad older who were members of Group Health Cooperative i Seattle to determie whether regular exercise results i a decreased chace of developig demetia. They foud that those people who exercised three or more times a week had a 32% reductio i their risk of developig the coditio. The bottom lie is this: If you ride three or more times a week, do t stop. But if you do t ride regularly, it s time to start. Revised 2016 by Rodale Ic. This material is for the persoal use of Rodale customers oly. For ay other purpose, o part may be reproduced or trasmitted i ay form or by ay meas, electroic or mechaical, icludig photocopyig, recordig, or ay other iformatio storage ad retrieval system, without the writte permissio of the publisher. The material here is desiged to help you make iformed decisios about your health. It is ot iteded as a substitute for ay treatmet that may have bee prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please seek competet medical care. Before you udertake a ew health program or fitess regime, we ecourage you to discuss your plas with your health care professioal, especially if you have ot exercised for several years, are over 35, or are overweight. Iteret addresses ad telephoe umbers were accurate at the time this was produced. [Pr/ /00XP/2014] Dress for Success Uless you live i the desert, soggy rides are a part of a cyclist s life. The solutio is to embrace the rai ad just dress appropriately. A rai jacket may be optioal i the summer, but it s essetial i the sprig or fall whe temperatures are cooler, especially whe the wid kicks up. I really cold moths, layer your clothig. Easily removable layers make it a sap to regulate your temperature. Booties, vests, ad skullcaps, as well as arm, kee, ad leg warmers, ca all be stashed i pockets as the day warms up. Project editor: Rachelle Laliberte Project maager: Sheilla Maalili Copy editor: Daiel Smith Cover desiger: Molly Fox Layout desiger: Cidy Webster Photo Editor: Jaime Livigood Cover photo: Jesse Southerlad/Rodale 8 BICYCLING Ride your Way to Total Health 12447/BKE/01ZV/6-16 9

37 b the golde rules of Over the last half-cetury, we ve tried thousads of methods to become stroger, faster, ad smarter o a bike may of which have bee discarded through the years. These 27 rules have edured. back to cotets cyclig The golde rules of cyclig