DIVERSITY = SPEED
THIS MIGHT SOUND OBVIOUS, and might be something for you to consider... it's something I'm intentional about. My riding and exercise is highly varied... and I was reflecting on that while looking for a book I'd previously read, here's a sample books I've read this year...
... Major Taylor's biography - America's richest and most successful athlete and cyclist circa 1900, Rise of the Dungeon Master - Biography of Gary Gygax and the creation of Dungeons and Dragons, Blue Moon - a Jack Reacher novel, Subscribed - Tien Tzuo, Creativity - John Cleese...
... and that's just the first 5 books of probably 30 I've read this year...
... i vary my reading to be a better writer,
I vary my riding to be a better racer.
Yeah, I know yesterday's post Specificity = Speed might seem like a contradiction, but bear with me.
By doing a lot of different riding and racing I gather skills that can be applied elsewhere.
For example, mountain bikers very rarely will be in a road paceline and get into trouble.
Why?
Because mountain bikers also form pacelines offroad and inherently know to never trust the rider in front to pick the best line, let alone point things out.
Road riders, particularly the racers, develop tremendous 1, 3, and 5 minute power.
Why?
Because they know if they can just hang on to those violent accelerations things will calm down and be manageable again... while those without the power have been jettisoned.
Yes, I do a lot of different types of riding: road, gravel and mountain. And, I also do a fair amount of walking and surfing and paddling. Walking is just good. The surfing and paddling are great for upper body strength and core... and balance. Cycling, especially road, is all about straight forward... offroad uses some side to side balance, but nothing like standing on a surfboard on the ocean.
All that said... if you can swing another bike, get it. It doesn't need to be "pro", it just needs to function properly. If you can swing another sport, do it.
And, it's not just the additional skills you'll bring back to cycling but also the freshness you'll bring to the new riding and from the new riding to the one you really want to excel at.
Of course, if you're doing a lot of riding it can be nice to have a good chamois cream. I've been testing out Dave Zabriskie's product DZ Nutz...
... I'm guessing the name can be a bit repellant, but don't let it fool ya. This product lasts a long time, and I find I'm using less of it than Chamois Butt'r - a product I think is great.
By that I mean, a smaller amount of cream is needed. One, the cream itself seems to hold up longer; and two, because I need less per application the bottle lasts a good long time.
THIS MIGHT SOUND OBVIOUS, and might be something for you to consider... it's something I'm intentional about. My riding and exercise is highly varied... and I was reflecting on that while looking for a book I'd previously read, here's a sample books I've read this year...
... Major Taylor's biography - America's richest and most successful athlete and cyclist circa 1900, Rise of the Dungeon Master - Biography of Gary Gygax and the creation of Dungeons and Dragons, Blue Moon - a Jack Reacher novel, Subscribed - Tien Tzuo, Creativity - John Cleese...
... and that's just the first 5 books of probably 30 I've read this year...
... i vary my reading to be a better writer,
I vary my riding to be a better racer.
Yeah, I know yesterday's post Specificity = Speed might seem like a contradiction, but bear with me.
By doing a lot of different riding and racing I gather skills that can be applied elsewhere.
For example, mountain bikers very rarely will be in a road paceline and get into trouble.
Why?
Because mountain bikers also form pacelines offroad and inherently know to never trust the rider in front to pick the best line, let alone point things out.
Road riders, particularly the racers, develop tremendous 1, 3, and 5 minute power.
Why?
Because they know if they can just hang on to those violent accelerations things will calm down and be manageable again... while those without the power have been jettisoned.
Yes, I do a lot of different types of riding: road, gravel and mountain. And, I also do a fair amount of walking and surfing and paddling. Walking is just good. The surfing and paddling are great for upper body strength and core... and balance. Cycling, especially road, is all about straight forward... offroad uses some side to side balance, but nothing like standing on a surfboard on the ocean.
All that said... if you can swing another bike, get it. It doesn't need to be "pro", it just needs to function properly. If you can swing another sport, do it.
And, it's not just the additional skills you'll bring back to cycling but also the freshness you'll bring to the new riding and from the new riding to the one you really want to excel at.
Of course, if you're doing a lot of riding it can be nice to have a good chamois cream. I've been testing out Dave Zabriskie's product DZ Nutz...
... I'm guessing the name can be a bit repellant, but don't let it fool ya. This product lasts a long time, and I find I'm using less of it than Chamois Butt'r - a product I think is great.
By that I mean, a smaller amount of cream is needed. One, the cream itself seems to hold up longer; and two, because I need less per application the bottle lasts a good long time.
If you're looking for something new to protect your special purpose, check this out.
Use promo code: VARIETY
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164.6
Stretch and HyperVolt
7.5 hrs sleep
https://www.strava.com/activities/4409777483