Cyclosportives, or sportives as they are usually known, are the cycling equivalent of marathons. They often last over seven hours and are ridden over distances in excess of 100 miles. If they are to compete successfully, serious sportive riders require a high level of physical fitness, mental strength and focus, good bike-handling skills and the ability to commit themselves to a stringent programme of training and preparation.Written by two accomplished and experienced sportive competitors the book covers: The origins and development of the sportive; The bike, clothing and equipment; Training and avoiding injury; Nutrition, planning and preparation; Bike-handling and group-riding techniques; The mental aspects of sportive riding; Competing in an event and 'the recovery'; Frequently asked questions. This comprehensive book is written for all those who want to achieve their maximum potential, or who simply want to improve their knowledge and performance by following the authors' straightforward and practical advice. A new and fast growing discipline that offers a big ride challenge to seasoned racers.Written for the rider who is prepared to do the training and compete in the knowledge that they have prepared fully so that they can perform to the best of their ability. Superbly illustrated with 157 colour photographs. Jerry Clark and Bill Joss are two accomplished and experienced sportive competitors.
Cyclosportives, or long-distance cycle rides, are growing in popularity all over the world. From the Etape du Tour - where cyclists get to ride a stage of the Tour de France - to the Tour of Flanders or the Etape Caledonia in Scotland, these events are pulling big numbers and attracting a range of cyclists. In this new book, bestselling author Chris Sidwells explains how to choose the right sportive, prepare for it both mentally and physically, and get yourself and your bike to the finish line. Topics include: - What kind of bike to buy - How to set up your optimal riding position - How to care for your bike - Clothing and equipment - Skills and techniques - Mental and physical demands of the event Whether you're embarking on your first sportive or trying to improve on your performance in the next one, this essential guide will help you reach your goal. Written by an experienced cyclist, trainer and writer and full of information, tips, illustrations and great stories, it's the perfect companion to an unforgettable challenge.
'Chris is someone I've always looked up to. A true role model.' - Geraint Thomas, 2018 Tour de France winner An invaluable manual for cyclists of all ages, experience and ability, which will help them achieve peak performance. Full of practical advice, this book includes information on: Strength conditioning to improve your performance Targeted training plans to focus on strengthening weaker areas Bike care & maintenance Riding different terrains & environments Road cycling skills & safety The book will also help you explore your five key abilities of cycling fitness, defined as the maximum effort you can maintain for the following periods of time: 6 seconds (max sprinting) 30-60 seconds (sub-max sprinting) 3-5 minutes (VO2 max) 1 hour (zone of transition) Several hours (long steady distance riding) This book is training toolbox to structure bespoke sessions to improve these five facets of performance. How to Ride a Bike also features diet and weight loss advice, the psychology of cycling, and stories and anecdotes from Sir Chris Hoy's Olympic track career. Full of helpful and inspiring advice for those getting on a bike for the first time in a while, along with plenty of tips and tricks for seasoned cyclists looking to take it up a notch, this is a book for beginners and pros alike.
The Cycling Bible by renowned cycling author and journalist Chris Sidwells is a comprehensive guide to help you get the most out of cycling, whether you go road cycling, gravel riding, mountain biking or enjoy any other kind of two-wheeled fun. Based on the author's extensive experience and research, this book collates the knowledge you will need to specifically train for the technical, physical and mental aspects of cycling training. It includes riding positions, strength and conditioning, endurance training, the psychological side of training, tailoring nutrition to your goals and bringing it all together to create your own training plan. It also deals with choosing the right bike for you, making essential safety checks and carrying out maintenance. Extensively illustrated, packed full of action photos, The Cycling Bible will help and motivate you to improve and develop as a cyclist and find even more joy in this fantastic sport.
French Cycling: a Social and Cultural History aims to provide a balanced and detailed analytical survey of the complex leisure activity, sport, and industry that is cycling in France. Identifying key events, practices, stakeholders and institutions in the history of French cycling, the volumepresents an interdisciplinary analysis of how cycling has been significant in French society and culture since the late Nineteenth century. Cycling as Leisure is considered through reference to the adoption of the bicycle as an instrument of tourism and emancipation by women in the 1880s, forexample, or by study of the development in the 1990s of long-distance tourist cycle routes. Cycling as Sport and its attendant dimensions of amateurism/professionalism, national identity, the body and doping, and other issues is investigated through study of the history of the Tour de France, the track-racing organised at the Velodrome d'hiver in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s and otheremblematic events. Cycling as Industry and economic activity is considered through an assessment of how cycling firms have contributed to technological innovation at various junctures in France's economic development. Cycling and the Media is investigated through analysis of how cyclesport hascontributed to developments in the French press (in early decades) but also to new trends in television and radio coverage of sports events. Based on a very wide range of primary and secondary sources, the volume aims to present in clear language an explanation of the varied significance of cyclingin France over the last hundred years.
If it's on the bike, it's in the book. The world of cycling is one of death-defying feats and obscure mechanical oddities, heroics and geekiness in equal measure. In Cyclopedia, renowned two-wheel aficionado and acclaimed sports writer William Fotheringham delves deep into this world to unearth rare nuggets of amazing facts and enthrallling anecdotes. This essential book is an A-Z compendium of everything you could ever want to know about the bicycle, from the history of the Tour de France to Chris Hoy's dominance of the Beijing velodrome, from the origins of the quick-release system to the diet that powered Graeme Obree to the world hour record, from Lance Armstrong's rise and fall to the slang words used for performance-enhancing substances, from the literature of cycling to the perils of vicious dogs. Cyclopedia has all the equipment, the races, the chases, the faces, the places, the drugs, the sex, and the scandals to convert any amateur cyclist into a fully fledged bike expert.
Whether you’re looking to hit the open road, scream down the side of a mountain, or simply take the kids out for a ride, Cycling For Dummies, UK Edition, covers all your needs. Topics include choosing the right bike and accessories, staying safe — around town and on the trails — training to improve speed and endurance, making adjustments and repairs, and much more (including answering the basic questions you may be too embarrassed to ask in your local shop). Cycling For Dummies, UK Edition is the perfect place to start when you want to take up this great sport.
I remember somewhere around 1998 I got a phone call, I can't remem- ber if I was at work or at home, from a certain José Ma Arguedas. Due to my job at the time, although more as a hobby, I was very involved in cycling. José Ma wanted a chat and to ask me some questions about health and training. Right from the start I could see he was a precise and organi- sed person, his medical history, test results were all in perfect order. Not long after this I met José Ma again on a radio programme about cycling, where he was in charge of a section on cycling tourism. From that point on he stopped being José Ma and became Chema. Years have gone by and although our paths haven't crossed much on weekend bike rides or cycling holidays, I've seen how much his cycling has improved. Chema has always been greatly interested in physiology when applied to exercise, training, nutrition, etc.; so much so that it didn't surpri- se me to hear recently that he was writing a book about cycling. To give you an idea of the focus the author wanted this book to have, imagine a situation any of us might find ourselves in; one afternoon you'- ve gone out training or for a ride and you bump into a friend (Chema for instance), you start to chat about experiences of training, things you've always wondered about physical performance, nutrition.....and this friend (Chema) tells you about his experiences, explains things (but without a blackboard because you're out riding) like what happens to muscular glu- cose when you train long and hard, what happens to your heart rate at the start of the training season or what rhythm you need to have to cycle up a demanding mountain pass. The explanations that Chema gives are clear and concise and perfect for any cyclist and anyone who is interested in learning more about training, the physiology of exercise, nutrition and physical preparation. In this book you'll find explanations of medicine when applied to exer- cise and training which will help you to understand many of those ideas we talk about at cycling meets or on rides without really understanding. The style of the book is chatty and open and easy to understand and above all a great read. The main and most detailed sections are: Season plan- ning and structuring, the principles of training, physical attributes and how to train them and improve fitness, the anaerobic threshold, maximum oxy- gen uptake, the recovery process, nutrition and a yearly training plan for cyclists. Professional cycling, which is all most people know about cycling, is not in a good place currently for different reasons. But the world of event cycling, from hobby cyclists to competitive events and races, is becoming more popular by the day. The author's experience in helping cyclists with training and physical preparation means that this book is perfect for toda- y's cyclist. I congratulate Chema Arguedas on writing such an excellent book on training for cycling and hope he will continue to regale us with new expe- riences in future books.
Many amputees want to know how it feels to be able to cycle, and some even want to be professional amputee cyclists. The disability market offers many options for amputee cycling. This book shows you how to get started and take those exciting first steps on your way to a higher level of mobility and independence. The contributions in this collection are written by some of the best-known amputee cyclists in the world, including Margaret Biggs, Rajesh Durbal, Mark Inglis, and Keira Roche. Their achievements are nothing short of remarkable—whether cycling around a velodrome at the Paralympics or around the world raising funds for charity. This guide offers great advice from experts and ordinary cyclists alike for arm, leg, combination, and all matters of amputee cycling. The book includes tips not only on the vast arrangement of two wheelers, but also tricycles, recumbents, handbikes, tandems, unicycles, electric bikes, and more specialized cycling forms designed for the disability market. The book offers practical tips and stories, imagery, photographs, and much more to help you or a loved one firmly connect with cycling as an activity that can be done despite a disability.
'As if Bill Bryson had taken to two wheels' - FT Somewhere in a German forest 200 years ago, during the darkest, wettest summer for centuries, the story of cycling began. The calls to ban it were more or less immediate. Re:Cyclists is the tale of the following two centuries. It tells how cycling became a kinky vaudeville act for Parisians, how it was the basis of an American business empire to rival Henry Ford's, and how it found a unique home in the British Isles. The Victorian love of cycling started with penny-farthing riders, who explored lonely roads that had been left abandoned by the coming of the railways. Then high-society took to it - in the 1980s the glittering parties of the London Season featured bicycles dancing in the ballroom, and every member of the House of Lords rode a bike. Twentieth-century cycling was very different, and even more popular. It became the sport and the pastime of millions of ordinary people who wanted to escape the city smog, or to experience the excitement of a weekend's racing. Cycling offered adventure and independence in the good times, and consolation during the war years and the Great Depression. Re:Cyclists tells the story of cycling's glories and also of its despairs, of how it only just avoided extinction in the motoring boom of the 1960s. And finally, at the dawn of the 21st century, it celebrates how cycling rose again - a little different, a lot more fashionable, but still about the same simple pleasures that it always has been: the wind in your face and the thrill of two-wheeled freedom.
