Power Plus+ Cycling

After a couple of days of experiencing the heat and further dehydrating wind on the prairie roads of Saskatchewan, I thought this would be a timely post. Sufficient hydration is for everyone - not just those who are working out and clearly losing fluids via sweating. As the article below points out; effective hydration is a key component in weight management as well. And there are more ways than just gulping down water to maintain hydration - water rich foods are a great component in your hydration strategy as well.

On the bike, in weather like I’m experiencing here, I use a combination of electrolyte powder (after much experimentation I now use the new Amped Hydrate as it agrees with my stomach, isn’t sweet at all, and by experience, provides the electrolyte balance my body needs to avoid cramping. When it’s super hot - 35°C and above - I’ll also carry salt tabs (I use NUUN) on longer rides as well.

Staying Hydrated and Healthy With summer just around the corner and many of us pursuing a healthy and active lifestyle, staying hydrated is key. Our bodies are approximately 60% water, so the fluids we ingest play an essential role in our energy production, our exercise performance, and even our feelings. Generally speaking, he...

Dropped Josh off at his camp in Wilcox and pulled the bike out for my first ever ride in Saskatchewan ( at 62 yrs young!!). Just me, my shadow, the WIND 💨, the sun☀️, some timely “signs” and your typical prairie real estate🌾💙🌾 💨 🚴‍♀️🥵

Are you cycling to lose some weight? Pounds not melting away as quick as you’d like? Hit a plateau? My ride this morning reminded me of a couple of things that might help you out

🔹one of the keys to losing weight while doing any endurance sport is to teach your body to burn fat for energy. This might sound obvious but if you have a high carb eating style (even if you don’t) your body will always go to the easiest energy source first - stored energy from carbs / recently ingested carbs.
🔹first way to teach your body to burn fat is to ride fasted which will mean you’re body will begin to burn fat once that carb store is empty. But no gels, no sugars / carbs of any kind while riding
🔹 second way - and illustrated in my screenshots of today’s workout - is to use a couple or three short “all-out / hard as you can” efforts in warmup to blow through that carb storage asap. Those two innocuous looking sprints were around 200% of threshold for 30 sec each (ie 🤮type effort) and for sure depleted my carb stores plus I rode the rest fasted, not eating until close to noon.

Try it out if you’re struggling (and don’t undermine your efforts by what you eat or drink after the ride 😬)

This morning’s workout on the indoor trainer. 94% of FTP for 90min to simulate the typical longest climbs in Haute Route or Tour Trans Alp. Happy with the result; best 90min wattage since 2016 training for HR Alps and 4th best since I started measuring😊. Goal for this time next year is i) have a w/kg of at least 4 so 280w (current FTP) @ 70kg or 295w @ 73kg (current weight) or somewhere in between, ii) have capacity to ave 90% FTP watts for 1 - 1.5 hr x 3 representing 3 climbs on the toughest stages..........