Self Righteous Cyclist

Let's get this clear, this topic has nothing to do with me going out to my man cave, gloving up and lovingly applying generous amounts of lubricant to my chain, followed by a vigorous rubbing of the chain with a rag to remove it and the built up road grime followed by a leaner coating of lube and another wipe.  That's called maintenance and should be done at least every 100 to 150kms to keep your drive train clean and to maximise the life of my chain. One of the great things I like about riding is .... the whole bike community which is instantly joinable when you find yourself at the lights admiring someone else's ride, complementing them on their steed or engaging in small talk of where they're riding from and to.  It's one of the few modes of transport where it's completely acceptable to start a conversation with a complete stranger and there's a strong chance they'll  reciprocate.  In my teens the presence of a road bike at our cam...

We've had a few hot days recently here in Victoria so no better time than now to reflect on how to successfully manage our bodies while exercising or competing in warmer conditions.  I recently dug up an article I wrote for a Tri club magazine about 10 years ago and thought it might provide some fodder for the blog.  The trial sought trained male athletes to be involved in a study of the affects of heat on muscle during exercise, which is relevant  now that we are coming into summer. First up was a VO2 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vo2_max ) test on an exercise bike.   During this trial the resistance on the bike increased every three minutes for the first nine minutes and then every minute for the remainder of the trial.   Basically you ride till you drop.   On the surrounding walls of the VUT lab at Footscray where the trial was held were photographs of the who’s who of Australian sport.   The " Oarsome Foursome”, Big Merv Hughes and the Aussie cr...