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Holiday Cycling and Eating Your Cookies Too! The holiday season brings family and friends together over meals and as cyclists we love to indulge in copious amounts of food, and treat ourselves to some (or lots) of festive drinks.  However with all the rum and eggnog, and mashed potatoes and gravy it is all to easy to pack on some unwanted weight in a short amount of time.  It is important to maintain some holiday cycling so you can treat yourself to your family’s traditions, but there are some ways to help make sure you aren’t overzealous and end up with a muffin top heading into the new year! Holiday Cycling Plan It can be easy to let your fitness and exercise regime go by the wayside when company arrives and you have to organize dinners and events.  However there are some tips to help you maintain some of you cycling fitness over the holidays. Try to get in 30-60 minutes of activity each day.  This will keep your body used to the exercise stimulus. ...

Eating Disorders and Cycling Introduction to Eating Disorders in Cycling “If you lose ten pounds, you could be as fast as me” said a seasoned vet to a new cyclist at a local hill climb. The impressionable cyclist rode home thinking about how much faster they would be if they could only shed a few kilos. Eating disorders are prevalent in our sport. We don’t perceive them because the sport is incredibly lean to begin with, but in a culture shrink-wrapped in lycra, it’s only natural to obsess about the excess fat we carry around. Eating disorders in cycling are prevalent for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there is no denying that being lighter makes going uphill easier; weight has a substantial performance impact on the bike. Secondly, the idolized image of a featherweight in their skin-tight kit, floating up the local hill is another contributing factor that puts cyclists at risk. Who Is At Risk? Adults Good news for adults. Studies show that the general pop...

Kids Bike Sizing – How To Get The Right One A well-fitting bike for a kid is critical for them to enjoy the ride. The right bike will let them pedal easy, start and stop effectively, control the bike, and be confident putting their feet down. Just like a bike for adults, the bike should be an extension of the kid where riding becomes second nature. But kids bike sizing can be tricky – there are so many sizes. Here is a breakdown. Kids Bike Sizing If you have not started your kid on a balance bike,  read this . It covers balance bikes and how you should set them up. Once your kid is ready for a bike with pedals, this is what is available in kids bike sizing: Bike Size Age Height 12 inch 2-4 26-34 inches 16 inch 3-6 34-44 inches 20 inch 4-8 44-56 inches 24 inch 7+ 56-62 inches The measurement refers to the diameter of the wheel as opposed to the size of the frame with adult bikes. Generally, frames are similarly sized within a wheel size, but there is no stand...

Men’s Numbness August 21, 2015adminComfort, Cycling, Male Numbing in the crotch is one of the biggest complaints of bike riding when it comes to saddle comfort, and is caused when there is too much pressure in the perineum. The perineum is the area in between the rectum and the testicles in males (often called the taint). The perineal area contains blood vessels and nerves central to the external reproductive systems of both male and females alike which can be constricted as a result of certain bike saddles and/or bike fit. Compression and increased pressure in the perineum leads to the constriction of blood vessels that provide blood flow to the penis and testicles in men, causing numbness. <You guys can find a picture of the perineum area for the males 😉 > This perineum pressure can be caused by a number of things. For example, cycling on the wrong saddle for your body can cause the compression of the sensitive nerves and blood vessels in the perineum, which...