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Originally Posted by masraum
I've been reading about the differences between fast and slow cadence and the benefits, although it seems like not all of the articles that I've read agree, there does seem to be some consensus. I'm hoping to integrate some of that into how I ride
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This is actually a problem with the spin classes. Spin classes, they have you speed up and slow down, etc. In riding, you really want to keep a constant cadence, change gears to adjust speed, as you go up and down hills.
Quote:
Originally Posted by masraum
We definitely won't have any issues with snow and ice. I live about 3 miles from downtown/work. Folks have asked me over the last few years, "so do you ride a bike to work?" My response is always "hell no, too hot, too humid, too much chance that it could rain at any second despite how the weather looks. Now that I have (well, soon) a bike, I'm thinking, "hey, maybe I could ride to work." My wife says she's going to laugh at me when I do (because I've been telling everyone "hell no")
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I had a lot of problems with the heat after moving back to Houston. Once I started riding, I accepted being hot and sweaty. As long as I keep the sweat out of my eyes, I'm fine. You will notice a difference.
BTW: Buy Chamois Butt'r, aka BUTT BUTTER. Slather this on your skin where you will chafe in the seat contact.
Clothing is supposed to be tight. Clothing that is too loose will move around and cause chaffing. One of the worst things to chafe is nipples, and it happens for both men and women.
Drink on a time/distance schedule. I drink on average a bottle every 15 miles. In hot weather, 1 bottle in 10 miles, and cold weather 1 bottle in 20. Stay away from "vitamin water". You need the calories of the high sugar Gatorade. And you need the electrolytes. I personally do not think that most have enough electrolytes these days.
Eat before you are hungry. You have 2 hours of energy in your muscles. After 2 hours of exercise (40 miles for me), you need to be eating or your muscles will start to pull glucose from your bloodstream. Glucose is your brain food, which is why you get tired/dizzy. In running, it is called hitting the wall. In cycling, it is called bonking. People talk about all sorts of things. Stay away from protein, stay with high calorie, easy to digest carbs.