You have just finished RAGBRAI and hopefully you had a wonderful time. The weather wasn't too bad, typical of Iowa in July. One thing is for certain. If you rode all of RAGBRAI, or even half of it, you are probably in the best shape you'll be in all year, maybe even your whole life!
It’s 91 degrees and humid here in Des Moines today. The corn is tasseling. So we know RAGBRAI can’t be far off. Here are some last minute tips for preparing your bike and your body for the ride.
In Iowa we've had more than our share of rain again this year. Rivers are flooding and it seems like it rains every other day, if not every day. It sure has made getting out and riding difficult. It can create some possible hazards while riding in the rain so I'll address these.
As you have likely heard already, this year's version of RAGBRAI is one of the least hilly in history, but that doesn't mean it's absolutely flat. It also means that the few hills on the course are getting more attention. There is one in particular...
The most common comment I hear from people who do RAGBRAI is not that their legs hurt but that their seat/bottom/derriere/buttocks hurts. One of the most important reasons for training prior to riding RAGBRAI is to make sure your seat is prepared for hours in your bike saddle.
People, especially coaches like myself, get into learning about all the best ways to train for cycling. There are intervals, hill repeats, jumps, steady state threshold workouts, leg strength workouts, and on and on. But if you are preparing for RAGBRAI, the very best way to train is to simply ride your bike.
Well, spring is finally here in all parts of northern hemisphere, so no more excuses. It is time to get out and ride. Hopefully many of you have already been on your bikes getting your body ready for RAGBRAI. This blog is focused on your cadence, or how fast your legs go around while pedaling.
I often get asked the question: “How many miles should I train before the start of RAGBRAI?”. My answer is that you should have ridden at least 1,000 miles on your bike before you start RAGBRAI (this year, not in your whole life!).
Now that spring is reluctantly approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, the snow is melting and its now Daylight Savings Time, hopefully you are thinking about getting back out on your bike again, if you haven't already.
Seems like a large portion of the U.S. is covered in snow right now. If you are a RAGBRAI rider from one of the northern or eastern states and you are frustrated about not being able to do any riding, it may be helpful to know that you can get out and ride even when it's cold.
Monday, August 9, 2010
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