Cycle Training Videos for Winter

There are lots of great training video sites on the Internet, some of them you can often subscribe and download content for offline use.   I use GCN - Global Cycling Network a lot.
It is an easy way to ride a static bike indoors and get a real sense of being out exercising. Check out this link to GCN...

https://www.youtube.com/user/globalcyclingnetwork

The Importance of Eating Properly on a Long Ride

 Long distance cycling is really an endurance event. We worry about the psychology of it but it really is about how you pace yourself on the ride more than anything else. External factors such as wind, sun, rain all cause changing conditions which alter normal habits on the bike. Being careful about  how you eat and drink is SO Important as if you don’t get this right you likely won’t finish.  “Bonking” or hitting the wall is what cyclists call hypoglycemia when you wind up with abnormally low levels of blood glucose. Glycogen  serves as a form of energy storage in humans and animals. In humans glycogen is made and stored primarily in the cells of the liver ad muscles hydrated with three or four parts of water.

  It doesn’t matter how good a cyclist you are, you can still make this mistake. It is even easier to do on the MS 150 when you have a ton of cyclists in your way and the temptation to not stop and refuel is constantly occurring.

The problem is you need to eat before you really feel hungry and drink before you feel thirsty – It is a bit like steering a ship – There is a lag between how long you feed yourself and when the fuel becomes available.  Not eating properly also affects how you think/what you think so ultimately it impacts your psychology and your emotions on the ride as well.

Attached is a link to a terrific article on the subject of hitting the wall. Credit to the author as this was one of the first articles I ever read about the subject when I started riding long distance and it has helped me a lot.

http://tunedintocycling.com/2008/05/10/cycling-nutrition-the-bonk/

Watch that Glycogen ! I will cover the Glycogen window the next time, a 4 hour window after vigorous exercise when ingested carbohydrates are converted into glycogen 3 times faster than normal – to support depleted reserves.