CYCLING is a great way to get and stay fit. Here are 15 things you should know about cycling and why it is such a good form of exercise to make you fit and feel great.
1. Health professionals recommend that we do 30 minutes of exercise at least five times a week. Cycling is a really good way to do this. It is an easy way to get fit and stay fit. Just 30 minutes of cycling each day will reduce the risk of heart disease by half, the single most-common cause of death. Cycling exercises the heart without putting a strain on it and stimulates good blood circulation. It is estimated that if one third of all short car journeys were made on bike, heart disease rates would fall by between 5 and 10 per cent.
2. Cycling is not just for young people - anyone can get on a bike and cycle. It is for everyone, young or old, the handicapped, and those who are perfectly healthy. It can be relaxing, too - that is if you are not going uphill or pedaling into a very strong wind.
3. Cycling is also great for the environment. If you cycle for half-an-hour each day instead of driving you'll save approximately 150 to 200kg of carbon dioxide emissions over the year. Cycling is a fantastic and environmentally-friendly way to discover the countryside.
In towns and cities with traffic congestion, cycling can turn out to be twice as fast as driving. And you don't need to find an expensive parking place. Ten bikes can be parked in the space of one car. In fact, with cycling you burn calories and not carbon. Cycling is clearly the least polluting way of travelling distances. It is estimated that 2kg of carbon are saved for every short journey made on a bike instead of the car. Radical new bicycle designs may mean that more and more people will use them as their primary form of transportation.
4. Riding a bike is a low impact activity, meaning it is one of the safest ways to exercise without putting too much strain on your muscles and joints. For people new to exercise, riding a bike will let them get fit without undue physical strain. Cycling is a non-pharmacological method of lowering blood pressure.
5. Cycling can be a powerful calorie burner. Pedaling at a gentle 12 miles per hour on a flat road uses 450 kcal per hour on average. It is an aerobic activity, except when going uphill. This means if you keep at or below lactate level you will be burning fat and not just carbohydrate. Long, steady, just under lactose-level cycling will therefore burn away your excess fat. But don't overdo it; if you burn off too much fat you'll begin to lose muscle, which is not what you want to do as a cyclist.
6. Riding a bike is cheaper than going to the gymnasium in order to keep fit. It is participated by well over a hundred million people around the world.
7. As a sport, cycling is challenging, but that is best left for the fittest and keenest of cyclists. Road racing is a popular global sport that is much televised these days. The Italian Giro, the Tour de France, and the Spanish Vuelta are the three main challenging professional events held annually.
Indoor cycling events held in velodromes are becoming more and more popular with spectators, especially during the Olympics. Mountain biking, too, is becoming more and more popular. Some cyclists are convinced that the top mountain bikers are more fitter than the top road racers.
8. On average, cyclists live two years longer than people who don't ride a bike. In fact, it is believed by health professionals that regular cyclists in their 30's and over are as fit as people 10 years younger.
9. Cycling is great for those who only want to cycle for relatively short distances on flat terrain in good weather. This is why it is ideal for kids to keep fit by cycling to school instead of being driven there by car or bus. Compared with the cars used in the school-run, cycling is non-polluting and energy efficient. For kids, it is healthy and fun. It is a great antidote for childhood obesity.
10. For the majority of people, cycling is a stress-free way of keeping physically active. It can easily be incorporated into a daily routine. It is more enjoyable than stressful driving, even over longer distances. Any type of regular exercise is beneficial and cycling is perhaps the best as fewer injuries occur as a result of it - unless you fall off! Always wear a helmet.
11. Regular cycling encourages other healthy behaviour. It stops people from smoking and helps to cut down on bad drinking and eating habits. Cyclists that return from a long ride feel great satisfaction and talk to their friends about it.
12. Cycling not only tones your legs, it is great for your posterior, too. The only downside to cycling is that it can be detrimental to the bones of keen cyclists. They may have significantly lower bone density in their spines compared to those who do a greater variety of exercise. Cycling is a low-impact exercise, so it is good for those with vulnerable joints. But it does not have the weight-bearing impact of activities like aerobics, which helps to build strong bones. Remedy: perform some impact exercises if you cycle a lot and do no other form of exercise.
13. Cycling can be exhilarating, giving you the feeling of speed and freedom. If you go to the gym you could cycle there and back as a warm up and warm down exercise. These days half of all adults do no exercise. One third of adults are clinically obese. Cycling is therefore the perfect way for them to start to get on the long road to losing their excess weight and becoming fit.
Riding a bike improves muscular fitness and blood circulation and forms a valuable part of a weight loss programme. Cycling also keeps weight under control. Cycling for thirty minutes every day, five times a week, at lactose level increases life expectancy, controls weight, reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and gives you zest to your life. Studies show that cycling to work gives a 3 to 7 per cent increase in cardiovascular fitness and a 3 per cent fall in body weight over time. It also reduces cholesterol levels by 5 per cent.
If you undertake physical activity like cycling, you can enjoy a more varied diet without increasing your body weight. Cycling also raises the speed of your metabolism for hours afterward, so your body continues to burn fat and calories for hours after the exercise.
14. It is thought that cycling can help people suffering from depression. Endorphins released into the body from the brain while cycling are thought to be as beneficial as drug therapy for mild to moderate cases of the disease.
15. The unique thing about cycling is how it integrates exercise, travel, and a real sense of well-being.
Your ultimate fitness is within reach. Getting fit is not a pipe dream or for those with the perfect genetic make up. If you cycle your way to fitness you will see a new person staring back at you in the mirror.
Vic George has put together a complementary report on cycling and burning fat that will help you solve your weight problem permanently. To access it instantly please visit: http://www.perfect-health-guide.com/guide-to-losing-fat.html
Whatever....My team car is a 2007 Honda CRV...how ya like them apples Rock Racing 
Ok so we have done it again!! Entered the Magical Untamed ABSA Cape Epic for 2010 in South AFrica. Team Susan Deacon Properties have made our entry today and now looking forward to 2010. Some training and racing to get us in top shape and form for next year's race. My Team mate (Jason Eldridge) also now an Amabubezi member after finishing his 3rd one and I going for my 6th one next year will keep you posted on our preperation and training for next year. We really start more focussed training December, but going to do plenty of racing towards the end of the year. That is how my team mate likes it. Racing and going hard.
Our first race together as team after the 2009 Cape Epic will be the Transbaviaans 24 hour race from Willowmore to Jeffreys Bay in the Eatern Cape, South Africa. 230km in one day. The worlds longest 1 day mountain bike race.
http://www.ecobound.co.za/The%20Trans%20Baviaans%2024%20hour%20Mountain%20Bike%20Marathon.htm
I will do an update towards the Transbaviaans race in 2 weeks time again.
I am officially qualified for my Alaska race! Last week I participated in the Ann Arbor 1/2 marathon and had to average 12.5 on the bike. I knew I could do it but was still nervous before the start. I was the only wheeler as they called it so I was on my own, starting 2 min before the runners. I had my wn police escort which was awesome until the very end when we merged with the 5K run and I had to weave around the mass of people. I crossed the finish line in 48 min with an average of 16.0 mph. I shouldn't have been worried and it felt awesome. I was wishing it was a full marathon so I could really compare my time to what I've done previously. SO now that that's done I am officially headed to Alaska in just about 5 weeks now. I know the flat Ann Arbr doesn't cmpare to 6 days of hard racing with a total of 16,000 feet of climbing but any vote of confidence I can get is a good one. Last week I had to sign a waiver that In Alaska the race directors weren't liable for moose and bear. Let's just hope if they come after me it's on the downhill. If they see my on the uphill, I'm screwed.
My running has resumed and I LOVE it. I will post a picture of my sweet new running leg if youre interested. I had to take a few weeks off to work with my socket and such and I didn't realize how fast I could loose the endurance. That and my back muscles had gotten somewhat accustomed to my running ways but starting out again it was a bit painful. I sucessfully did another straight 1.5 miles around the track and was excited. I really really want to make it to 2. I have another 5K on June 18 and am going to do all I can to run the whole thing. Another amputee friend of mine from the Iraq war is also learning to run and I hope he'll do it too. As we all know, having the company makes you try that much harder...
I have had to do some of my longer rides insdide this past week. I was spolied with the weather when I got to go outside for a few weeks. Having to be back inside, on the trainer almost killed me. Well, not really. But on my suposed to be 4 hour ride I couldn't stand to be on the bike a minute longer than 2:45. As my coach said, I am getting soft... I have another 4 hour ride this Thurs and am praying for good weather. If it would only warm up already. I have another Soldier Ride this weekend here in Chicago so I'll have my long ride on THursday and then riding with th group on Sat and Sun.
I had my first swim meet since Beijing. DUe to time constraints and having to get down to FL for a triathlon with the Challenged Atheltes Foundation I was only able to do two races, the 50 free and 100 back. The 100 back is not my race so I wasn't too comcerend. But my 50 free time was within .5 seconds of my best time ever and I was plesantly surprised. Fr not swimming as much and focusin on biking I was expecting much worse. Maybe there's hope yet.
I did the FL 70.3 on a relay and I was again the swimmer. My swim was fantastic. I was going for under 30 but once again I was just over. But it felt great and I actually caught and passed one of the pros that was in the wave ahead of me. I was loving it.
That's all for now. Cross your fingers for good weather so I don't get too soft...
I wanted my girls, 16 and 5, to experience the thrill of bicycle racing with a spectators point of view. As exciting as it sounds to know that their dad is going to race next month you never know how the little ones will react to the speed, the sounds and the inevitable crash or 2 or 3, and it can be especially stressful if dad is in the pack. So this Memorial Day weekend we took a quick 20 minute trip west on the 101 to Woodland Hills, CA to watch a bicycle race in person.
There was nothing to flashy about it, race in a pack around a 0.7 mile flat and fast 4 turn course. Known as a "Criterium" it is the most popular of races due to its frenetic pace and speedy laps. Often the sponsors will offer prizes throughout the race for individual laps and this sends the pack into a frenzied sprint around the course with everyone trying to win a $25 cash prize or maybe a certificate for a free haircut. No seriously they gave away a free cut at a salon.
I knew I might be in trouble with the 5 year old right off the bat. We weren't more than 5 minutes in, standing on the corner of turn 1. The pack of 50 or so riders streaking around the sharp turn, barley missing the bales of hay protecting them from certain face plants into light poles and on-coming traffic and my 5 year old looking very serious walks over to me and says "Dad, I don't think you should do this". WHAT! Uh oh, I never had to deal with this before! Last time I raced I was 19, wifeless...kidless. This sport can be unnerving, especially for the little ones. They need to be acclimated to the idea that people and loved ones can go that fast and still remain in control. Well it wasn't long before she was enjoying the race and even talking about the day she is gonna race. Her introduction to competitive bicycle racing was going as planned......until
.
Any experienced racer knows of and understands the inherent dangers of the sport. In any criterium the chances of a crash happening will be greatest in the beginning laps and in the last few laps as racers jockey for position for that last 150 meter sprint. The best option is to remain as close to the front during the entire race as the majority of those riders are more experienced and less prone to make silly mistakes. As the last 2 laps were upon us I moved the girls towards the finish line so they could watch the final sprint. The announcer called out the action on the backside of the course which we could not see but he had video and 2-way radios keeping him informed. Just as he calls our attention to the final turn with a loud "Here they come folks, LETS HEAR IT!" it happened, if you blinked you missed it. The first guy, sparks flying from his wheel as the carbon scraped along the cement (never a good sign) goes down on the inside sliding across the concrete. That move takes out 3 other riders and causes a crash that turned the stomach. Riders flipping, sliding. Thrown off there bikes and over the hay into the street on the other side. My first thought was to cover my daughters eyes and the next was to see if I could help. I left the little one with her sister and headed toward the plume of dust and hay and as I crept closer it was apparent that everyone was going to be fine. One guy was still on the ground being tended to but he soon got to his feet an limped away.
I made a point of looking at the faces of the friends or family members that ran to the scene. The girlfriends or wives down on hands and knees hovering over their battered partners making sure they are ok. I thought about my wife, my daughters. How will they react when they witness this during a race that I am actually in? They wont know if I am still upright or at the bottom of that mangled mess. That must be such a horrible position to be in. When I got home I told my wife all about the crash and I even showed her video of the aftermath. I know she looks and wonders if that will be me one day, I know she worries and doesn't want anything bad to happen to me. But I also know that she understands how important it is to me, how much I love racing and she will never speak a negative word about it. I love her for that and I can't imagine how hard that thought of "what if he is part of that crash" can be. She is a rock and I will be proud to have her and our daughters on the sidelines cheering me on.
I remember in detail when I first knew that I wanted to race bicycles. I was watching the one day Paris to Roubaix race A.K.A. "The hell of the north". It still stands today as probably the single most grueling and dangerous one day races of the year. There is rain, mud, cobblestone streets and crashes and as crazy as it sounds I was hooked. That same year I was introduced to the Tour De France and American rider, Greg LeMond. I watched in amazement as Greg battled the likes of Benard Hinault and Laurent Fignon and when he finally won in 1986 he was the first American to do so and I was so proud. I rode that day, rode hard and long with dreams of being in that position one day.
I never reached the pinnacle of the sport but I did have some success here in southern California as a Junior rider. Criteriums and road races filled my summer weekends. In the winter it was mountain biking so that I could maintain base fitness levels. My father, god rest his soul, loved when I had a race. He would look at the race calendar and find races that were 2 even 3 day stage races just so we could embark on road trips and stay in hotels. He was my one man support vehicle. I know if Dad were here today he would be right behind me in the car yelling words of support out the window as I strain to climb a hill or push myself to the limit on a straight away. Sadly he is not here and sadly my time in the saddle was cut short in 1990 when I was involved in a serious crash. During one of my favorite races at a criterium course called "the Ziggurat" some unattached barney crossed my front wheel and down I went at 35 MPH and away he went without ever realizing he had just ended my cycling career. Or so I thought.
If you read my profile it states "I am 38 years old and recently re-entered the world of competitive cycling. It is a sport that I had some success in as a young man however after a serious crash in 1990 I hung up the bike even though the passion for the sport was still there.
In the last couple of years that love was too strong to ignore and I decided that I was mentally prepared to start training again. My loving wife, 2 daughters, 16 and 5 support my decision and understand both the training involved and inherent dangers of the sport. I love and adore them.
The passion or dare I say addiction for racing is back and I am loving it. This is gonna be a fun ride".
So I hope you enjoy this blog, as I attempt to reclaim the form I once had and the position I once fought for, top of the podium. Its gonna be a fun ride.
- Brian
First race of the season was a cat 4 crit Sunday March 29th in East TN. This was the first intensity or over threshold I've seen this season since my A races don't come around till May/June. Weather was in the 40s cloudy and very windy w/ 20+ gusts. Dodged a crash and lost the lead group - finished 15th out of 23. Came into the race at the end of a training block so finishing results were to be expected. I used this crit to get my pack and handeling skills back while getting a boost of intensity. I have an omnium April 4th and 5th in the Georgia Cup Series that I will also use for training and getting the mind and body prepared for racing since it is so much more dynamic than training solo.
Josh Carson here, fellow CTS “brother on two wheels”. For the most part, most of us using CTS would be considered serious riders and probably most race as well. If we don’t race, then we look for those “Epic” rides that last well beyond the final mile.
Well here's an event that could supercharge your CTS results, and probably fit into almost any training plan you’re currently working on, as long as you have a creative coach like Scot.
The Giretto d'Italia (Little Giro) is as close to a Pro Racing event that you can get, without actually being a pro. This is a fund raising event for Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation which has the riders setting out on the exact same course that the pros will ride, on the exact same days, just hours ahead of the actual start of the race - the Giro d'Italia. I’ve been asked to be the lead rider for this group of advanced cyclists headed to Italy this May, and we still need at least 5 more riders, and many more donors to sponsor us for as little as 10 cents per mile.
The Giretto covers the first 5 stages of the Giro in their entirety. Riding in this event will have you in front of essentially the same crowds that the pros will see, covering every kilometer they will cover, suffering (probably a lot more than they do) over the same terrain as they do, and all for a good cause.
A “charity ride” combined with a Grand Tour pro event has never been done before, and if we want to see it happen again, we need to have a good initial showing. This is a call to all my racing brothers – and those who may be semi-pro hoping to qualify for the grand tour some day – come an get a taste! You can read about all the ride details at: http://www.cyclingfusion.com/becomearider.html
The cut off date for new riders is April 7th, so check it out soon, because you will be surely increasing your training time if you decide to come along. If you can’t ride, would you consider helping me raise my $1,000 minimum: http://www.cyclingfusion.com/josh.html
Our weekly Tuesday evening Race Simulation Group Ride starts every season on the first Tues after time change here in middle TN. We have anywhere from 15 to 30 riders show up and usually two or three race teams are represented with several strong unattached guys and gals. We had a great glimpse of Spring this past Tuesday with an 80 degree day(. Only down side was 20-25 mph March gusts, but who can complain when it's 80. We had around 20 show up for the fast group. If you haven't been getting ready for early spring racing these rides can be a shock to the system. My race season doesn't really get started till May so these rides really usher in the pain. This past Tuesday was the first with a 21.8 mph avg over our short route which is a rolling 24 miles till the days get longer and we get up around 32 miles. The overall was not as fast as it gets later on as everybody still seemed to be transitioning out of their winter training mode, and chatting with some people we haven't seen since last summer. My avg wattage for the ride was 180watts where my highest for this ride has been a little over 200 in the hot time of year. Got 2nd by a tire in the first County Line Sprint and won the buch sprint at the end, but 2nd overall since we had a solo break to stick till the end that went about 3/4 of the way through. The ride was about an 8 RPE for me, and I was very pleased with what I saw and felt with the Foundation training with Coach Geoff. These are huge fun and great RS for when the real stuff starts!
The Solvang time trial stage of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California ran right by the location of the CTS Buellton Cycling Camp, so I took the opportunity to visit Lance and the rest of the Astana team as they prepared for the race. Since I couldn't follow the entire Tour of California, I sent CTS Premier Coach and sports scientist Dean Golich to travel with the team and gather Lance's data. It was good to catch up with Dean while Lance warmed up for his time trial, and the power files from the Tour of California - including the time trial - indicate Lance is right where he needs to be at this point in the season.
CTS Premier Coach and sports scientist Dean Golich is going to be doing a lot of traveling with Lance Armstrong and the Astana Pro Cycling Team this year, and in February he was in the team car during the Amgen Tour of California. If you're looking for a different view of a bike race, you ought to see it from the inside of team cars.
