Words by Jenni King The Peaks Challenge at Falls Creek covers 235km and includes 4,000m of climbing – all of which has to be covered within a 13-hour deadline. While it’s a tough day out, it is definitely an achievable goal, so long as you get stuck into the right sort of training. It’s important to … Read more
Photograph by Blend Images/John Lund/Marc Romanelli The cornerstone of cycling improvement is raising your lactate threshold so you can produce more power at a comfortable heart rate. Probably the most effective way to increase your power at threshold is to perform long, steady intervals where you hover right at or just below threshold. These intervals are especially … Read more
Getty Images If you’re like most people, you spend a great deal of the day sitting. All that time planted on our behinds puts our glutes on extended inactive duty to the point where they eventually stop doing their job when we want them in action, like keeping us stable in the saddle and helping … Read more
Photograph by javi_indy Named after exercise scientist Izumi Tabata, these all-out efforts train your body to recruit maximum muscle fibres and to fire them faster as well as raise your lactate threshold, which makes even your hardest rides feel easier. They also help you hang onto your precious fitness when time is tight and you … Read more
There are as many ways to train as there are coaches, plans, online articles, and books. Even seasoned riders can get lost in the sea of intensity zones, HIIT workouts, mobility moves, plyometrics, strength work, and core training. That’s because coaching and training advice trickles down from the professional tiers, where you need meticulously monitored … Read more
Not even close. Sure you can buy some pretty snazzy kicks, but please… between bikes, helmets, glasses, socks, shoes kits, caps, stem caps, saddlebags, arm warmers, gloves, jackets, vests, and an endless assortment of components, cycling is a sport that allows the fullest expression of personal style. Whee! Factor Cycling lets you feel like you’re flying … Read more
Page 2 of 3 | Single page The ability to ride for multiple hours means you can cover a lot of ground and see some amazing sites in a relatively short period of time. You don’t see many running tours of California wine country or through the Italian Dolomites. But there are literally hundreds of amazing bike … Read more
There’s a lot to love about running. It’s cheap to get started, great for torching calories, and works well with nearly any cross-training regimen you may have. But in the ongoing bar bet of which sport is best, we believe cycling is still the overall winner. (And, we think we can prove it.) Here’s why. … Read more
We’ve all been there: You look up at a road that appears as a wall in front of your bike and have to “paper boy” from side to side to reduce the gradient. Your legs feel more like you’re squatting weights than pushing pedals. Then, as you reach the top of the pedal stroke, you … Read more
Page 3 of 3 | Single page The number of watts you can crank out per kilogram of body weight is the key to climbing success. The Alberto Contadors in the crowd are known to produce an amazing 6 to 7 watts per kg. “If you can hit 5, that’s awesome,” says Applegate. Through high-intensity … Read more