Cutting-Edge Cycling

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The preparation for any new tour requires Sometimes you gotta point A 4 star cycling hotel with the cycling op The ErgVideo team not only builds great so The all new PezCycling Kit for by Cas The all new 'Tallboys' are here - DeFeet's The all new Pez Kit for design by Cas Pez hit cyberspace ten years ago, and one of the first regular features was Toolbox, the weekly series offering objective, scientifically driven training and fitness advice.

At the helm of Toolbox since its inception has been Dr. Stephen Cheung, who is just about to publish Cutting-Edge Cycling , his book on the science of cycling. We talk with Stephen and co-author Hunter Allen for a preview of what to expect.

Stephen Cheung, then a Professor at Dalhousie University. Back during his first sabbatical in , Stephen first got the inkling to put Toolbox into book form. Now, with Cutting-Edge Cycling from Human Kinetics, Stephen has partnered with top coach Hunter Allen to put together a book all about the science of cycling. The book features both the latest scientific findings along with practical knowledge geared for your own training or your next workout, and will be landing at your local bookshelves in late April or available for pre-order as a signed copy.

Is this book a culmination of that work?

Stephen Both no and yes. No in that Cutting-Edge Cycling is not simply copying and pasting all my Toolbox articles and binding it up into a book. I wish it was that simple! I have used some articles and ideas as starting points or parts for different chapters. The book integrates the current consensus knowledge on overtraining with concrete examples of what it looks like. Stephen is such an incredible writer and it was a lot of fun working on this with him. We struggled at points throughout the process in how to best present the information, and through those struggles came up with some amazing ideas and how to present them clearly, concisely and in way that makes them easy to understand.

Hunter showing the riders behind how to put the scientific rubber onto the road! Can you tell me what that means? How light, stiff, or aerodynamic is this frame or wheel? They want hard data or evidence with their equipment. In contrast, many of these same cyclists will simply accept anecdotal evidence or follow what everybody else is doing concerning training or fitness without looking at the evidence from scientific studies.

Yes, there are definitely limits to what a typical scientific study can or cannot do, because no one study or even a group of studies can definitively answer a question. Indeed, the strengths and limitations of science is actually the primary focus of our first chapter.

Reward Yourself

Stephen walking the walk by putting some science into action. Pez What chapter are you most excited about? Hunter brings up the great concept that, in a way, all of training and periodization is pacing on a very macro scale — how you pace your effort over the course of a whole year or even career. I really look forward to hearing some of those terms within the common jargon of cyclists in the near future.

Stephen and Hunter in a writing meeting, debating the finer points of the book. I think the target audience is anybody who wants to increase their enjoyment and performance on the bike. So the principles of this book can be applied and adapted by everybody, from the hard core racers to riders who want to learn more about how to pace themselves over a century or Gran Fondo ride.

Account Options

Stephen That there are real and concrete improvement that you can gain by using science to guide your training. Do elliptical rings really work? What is the best way to pace a TT? Most importantly, it's not just one person's opinion. It's a collection of the results of studies and interpretation of how to apply the findings.

Cutting-Edge Cycling

The book is not for everyone. Not everyone is into keeping up with the latest studies. To be of maximum value, the book will need to be updated every 18 months or so. Must read for cycling coaches or serious cycling athletes. Hunter gives you the information you need to take your training or those you train to a higher level. It gives you clues to figure out what works for different athletes.

Great information summarized from tons of research. My Son is reading it at the moment and is continually giving me snippets of very interesting information. He feels he has learnt of practical stuff just by reading it.

Cutting Edge Cycling Advanced Training For Advanced Cyclists

I was expecting a lot of practical guidance after reading previews and promotional materials for this book. While I found quite a bit of useful information, the book comes up short on detailed recommendations. The first four chapters provide a very good primer on how to interpret research, the physiology of cycling and how the physiological requirements of the sport translate into training.

While I agree with the previous comment stating that most of this information can be found on the web, it is well presented and follows a logical sequence. Chapter 5 on training load and overtraining is, in my opinion, the most important chapter in the book. Finding the optimal training load is very difficult and knowing when to rest is critical. It is almost impossible to provide a single recipe for finding optimal training load, but this chapter provides a good set of tools for helping people analyze their training.

While the Performance Management Chart has some real limitations, I have found it quite useful in managing my training. Adding the other considerations listed in chapter 5 allows for further fine tuning. As more of a mass start racer than a time trialist, I found chapter 6 to be uninteresting, but it should have value to time trialists and triathletes.

Chapter 7 was the most disappointing in the book. It is nothing more than an infomercial for the various fit systems and offers no practical advice beyond the need to find a good bike fitter. Chapter 8 is also light on practical recommendations. Chapters 9 and 10, cover fueling, hydration and environmental considerations.

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