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How to get stronger on the bike. Fast!

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Does the magic formula really exist? I didn’t think it did…until recently. I had desperately been trying to get faster and stronger on the bike for months. I tried various cycling training plans on Zwift but without much success. There were two reasons they didn’t work for me: 1. I love the freedom of cycling outside and the social aspect of it, and you can hardly do intervals when riding with friends 2. I work full time and (unfortunately) most training plans on Zwift are very time consuming, I mean they are a commitment of at least one hour a day and sometimes 2 or 3 hours on some days And so I wondered. How on earth am I going to improve and how am I going to improve fast before I lose the motivation and become frustrated again. This happened before, when I reached a plateau in my long distance running training and I just lost interest. The first thing I wanted to do is lose a few pounds and stop snacking so much in the evenings. I also wanted to eat more reasonably. What I me
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I don't hurt...

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I don’t hurt… by Inkalinka_on_the_bike In a ‘’cycling Utopia’’ the tarmac is always smooth, the temperature is always right, the wind is always a slight ‘’tail’’ and…you obviously never hurt. Dream on…but wait a minute. No pain, or more precisely no lactic acid build up pain is possible. I have found that you can minimise pain by taking these lactic acid buffer tabs by Xendurance regularly. Now, I am lucky to be working with Xendurance this year, but believe me, I BOUGHT these before I worked with them. They really do the trick for me. I take three tabs in the morning and three in the evening, and voila…no pain! Some say: ‘’no pain no gain’’. Let me tell you…I have no pain AND GAIN. These are the benefits of taking buffer tabs I have noticed: I recover faster recovery periods, my VO2 max has increased and I’ve not experienced any inflammation for a long time. They help me keep your training consistent, because I rarely experience that ‘’John Wayne’’ feeling the day after I have done
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Gravel Grind on My Mind

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I’m a road cyclist. I have been for about 7 years now, since I abandoned my long distance running due to frequent knee injuries. I love my road bikes, the solo rides and the cake runs with my friends…BUT…I have seen too many cyclists (myself included) involved in road accidents with cars. Let’s face it, no matter how good of a cyclist you are, the car always wins. So in January 2021 I started looking at gravel bikes. It wasn’t the best time to look, as the post pandemic cycling market is scarce, but I am very determined. I knew the exact bike I wanted. I am a Canyon girl, my ‘baby’ is my Aeroad and I knew the only bike for me was the mighty Grail. Looking at the Canyon website made me cry because the delivery dates were in 6 or more months’ time and I knew there was just one way to get what I wanted: the Canyon outlet! Daily and obsessively at circa 8:30 am I checked the outlet page on the Canyon website for the Grail in my size, which is a medium and eventually, it appeared! My G
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2022? Seems ages away…but…

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Have you had the best year so far? I know there are still two months left in 2021 and a good few months left before we can start hitting those PRs on the road again, but early planning definitely means a better chance of success in my world of cycling. So how will I tackle the short and dark winter months ahead to emerge reasonably fit and ready to roll on the other side? Here is my strategy. 1. WINTER BIKE I have my winter bike ready to go as soon as the weather turns. I am still trying to cling onto my summer bike for as long as I can but my winter bike with aluminium wheels is ready to go. This is so important. I don’t want to get caught one Saturday morning (club ride) not being able to ride due to not having it set like it should be. 2. KIT As you know, I own a few pieces of kit…can’t deny it. With limited wardrobe space, I have to rotate my summer and winter kit, so as the weather gets colder, I put away all my short sleeve jerseys and bib shorts and out come all the warmer ga
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And it was all Yellow…or rather VIOLET 💜

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I must admit I was intrigued by Yellow Cycling the moment I came across their page on Instagram. Polish, ecology conscious , very stylish. You can therefore imagine my excitement when I received an email from them asking me if I’d like to try their kit! Hell yeah! As I was travelling to Poland in the summer we decided to deliver the kit to my Polish address and so I had to wait to try it till I actually got there. Time dragged. I wanted to see it and of course wear it out riding. When I arrived in Kraków, I decided to try the kit on my second outing. I can tell you now, I was not disappointed. The jersey is light and I LOVE the long, race fit sleeves. The back pockets and beautifully stretchable and really convenient for taking things out mid ride. I also appreciate the zipped pocket at the back, I’m a worrier and always panic about the possibility of losing money or keys. Zipped is safe! Also the bibs are very comfortable and the perfect length. I like the headband
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How Difficult Can It Be?

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  My books and travel journal I love hiking. C onquering the land on foot gives me an immense sense of achievement and pleasure. When I walk across flatlands, mountain ridges, river banks or lake shores, forests or clearings, I get a true sense of being close to Mother Nature. I also feel excitement because, every so often I experience what the Romantics referred to as The Sublime, a sense of awe and amazement at just how stunning and incredible the natural world really is… St Bees Head, Cumbria Back in the summer of 2013 I took my passion for the great outdoors to the extreme and decided to walk the path that owes its existence to one man: Alfred Wainwright. It was in 1972 that he completed the trek across the width of England along the path he devised all by himself. Since then it has become the most popular long distance path in England and I decided to conquer it, too.   The Coast to Coast route in St Bees So, how difficult is the trek? Well, in the 200-odd miles St Bees to Rob
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Lusso Rivington Jacket Review

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  Rivington is Lusso’s range of performance range, inspired by cycling in the North West. Sheep House Lane, a famous climb in the Rivington area has featured in the Tour of Britain, was the crunch point in the Chorley GP and is part of the gruelling Ironman Bolton route. The Rivington jacket is designed to bring race performance to training rides. It’s slightly heavier than a long sleeve jersey and features highly breathable and waterproof fabric from eVent, plus two front zipped vents to aid breathability. It’s clever stuff, that eVent fabric. The critical difference between eVent technology and traditional waterproof/breathable fabrics is the billions of microscopic pores built in to the proprietary membrane that work instantly to vent water vapour (sweat) that builds up inside your jacket when you ride. They call this Direct Venting™ technology, and unlike other technologies, it doesn't need to get wet to work. It’s a 'dry system' that allows eVent fabrics to be full
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