Cycling Resources and Websites
A collection of cycling resources and websites with advice, articles and info about training, racing and climbing tips, and self-coaching.
Cyclingnews ★★★★★
Cyclingnews is one of the few sites that I visit every day. Back when I wasn't training, it was the only sports site that I visited, mostly so I could live vicariously thru the lives of the pros.
Live race coverage, team news and interviews, and some great photos (even some of mine!).
Pedalling Efficiency: You Vs. Olano ★★★★★
If you ever need more inspiration to get busy with those pedalling drills on the bike to increase your pedalling efficiency, here you go:
The really interesting thing that this study found was that [...] there was a very strong inverse relationship between VO2max and cycling efficiency [...] One of the subjects was the just-retired Abraham Olano [...] he actually had a ludicrously low VO2max compared to the other subjects and even many amateurs, but he compensated for it by having the second highest efficiency rating.
Crank Up Your Power ★★★★
A three part series about Powercranks written by pro triathlete Corey Ogden, he looks at what they are and how they work, adaptation to using the cranks, and then finally aerobic development with Powercranks.
PezCycling News ★★★★
Pezcyclingnews - Hmm... While you may describe Cyclingnews as the news section of the Sunday paper, Pezcyclingnews is like all of those cool extra sections that you want to read. Lots of great bits from pros, almost-pros and of course some news to boot. Don't miss the interviews and Toolbox Training!
I have to hand it to them, they are a real complement to that other cyclingnews website and I do like to read them both, myself.
Descending 101, 102, 201 ★★★★
Triathletes are generally harassed for their poor bike handling skills, and descending is one of them. That being said, descending on a tri bike can be a bit trickier then on a road bike. At IMC 2001, I was lucky to be behind a guy who seemed to know what he was doing, and I took that loong descent down from Yellow lake by following his line.
Anyways, if you feel that you don't have a clue about how to descend, have a look at this article by Dan Empfield over st Slowtwitch - diagrams and all!
That’s the difference between a technical descent and a high-speed descent. The former takes skill. The latter takes a street-luge mentality. Which perhaps I used to have, but that was a long, long time ago.
Power Cranks at PezCyclingnews ★★★★
Powercranks are something I've wanted to get my hands on for a while now, and I think once I get myself back into shape I may give power cranks training a try.
Over at PezCyclingnews, Josh Horowitz has been keeping a diary on his use of PowerCranks in training, and the diary is now entering it's third year! Check it out:
- PowerCranks Training Diary #1
- PowerCranks Training Diary #2
- PowerCranks Training Diary #3
- PezCranking: Two Months Down Under
- PowerCranks: Five Months Report
- PowerCranks Training Diary: One Year Later
- PowerCranks: Into Season Three
More cranks on Pez
Powercranks Review ★★★
A succinct article that sums up one persons success with using Powercranks, including a graph of power vs. heart rate which hilites a decrease in heart rate across the board after having used Power Cranks.
Climbing for Flatlanders ★★★
Some climbing tips provided by Chris Carmichael of 'I'm Lance Armstrong's coach' fame. Some good advice here for folks who maybe don't ride too much and that think they are poor climbers:
The next time you encounter a climb, relax! Climbing fast will put you at or near your lactate threshold. Staying seated and calm with your upper body relaxed helps keep your HR a few beats lower…
Training for Speed in Triathlon by Roch Frey ★★★
Roch Frey shares some tips for training for speed in each of the three sports we tri-freaks like to do. The goal of the drills he presents is to increase speed by training muscle fibers to fire as quickly as possible and efficiently.
Optimal Cadence Revisited ★★★
I started serious cycling during Lance Armstrong's glory years at the Tour. As a result, cadence was a popular topic of discussion when out riding and chatting during the winter base miles.
I was encouraged by more experienced peers to ride between 90-100 rpm, which I still do to this day. Over at Pezcyclingnews, they have been staying on top of the science behind pedalling cadence:
In the end, it appears that you can be fairly similar in efficiency and performance between the range of 80 – 100 rpm, so a higher cadence may not be as big a deal as it seems.
That quote is a result after examining several recent studies on cadence. A week later they posted a follow up article which showed that even the previous articles finding could be doubtful.
So in the end there is an answer, and there isn't. Personally I'm not going to split these hairs; so long as I can spin a decent gear and not fatigue my legs too much (or hurt my knees) I'm happy.
Be Your Own Coach ★★★
Josh Horowitz, a USCF Certified coach and an active Category 1 racer and the man behind Liquid Fitness, is writing a series on pezcyclingnews about being a self-coached athlete.
Self coaching isn't easy, though I'm sure many of us age groupers are self coached. At the time of writing, only the first part has been written, and a lot of what he writes can be found in greater detail in the triathletes training bible. It's always good to read this stuff again, and I'm looking forward to what else Josh has to say as the series rolls along.
