You don’t have to understand the anatomy & physiology of flexibility to appreciate the value that Flexibility for Cyclists has to offer. You don’t have to sort through hundreds of stretches trying to figure out what to do!

You simply open this manual and follow the images and instruction from beginning to end and you will have a complete flexibility routine for all of your cycling needs. It couldn’t possibly get any easier than this.

This book is a two-part guide to healthy eating for every triathlete who wants to lead a healthier life.

Part one is an introduction to basic nutrition and shows you how to go from eating a poor diet to a healthy diet, while part two transitions the reader into what needs to be done to actually eat for training and competition.

Nutrition & Endurance: Triathlon makes for an informative read with some triathlon-specific information within and is a worthy addition to a cross-training, cross-discipline library.

Bicycle Road Racing: The Complete Program for Training and Competition is a great book.

Sure it’s out-dated, but, why mind? This book has a LOT of good advice for any racing cyclist. It covers a lot of aspects in cycling, and most of them in reasonable depth. There are valuable tips abound, including tips for sprinting, climbing, playing with the others’ mind, how to manage a cross-wind, a breakaway.

There is perhaps one flaw and that is the training season approach to a training program. That was where there was a fixed season and fixed number of hours for all types of riders. We now know that everyone is different and therefore need a different training approach. While this approach may not be as effective as others, chances are, the less elite of us riders probably won’t notice the difference.

If you are elite, then I would probably recommend hiring a coach to help you anyway.

Some other chapters are outdated, like bike positioning and equipment but his team time trial techniques are great if you are in a breakaway. You’ll learn many good techniques for dropping the peleton.

There’s a mention about teamwork and what needs to happen to get the job done.

Fresh off the back of a Grand Tour, preparing for you next competitive race or just someone wanting to know a little more about the discipline that goes into elite cycling, Bicycle Road Racing: The Complete Program for Training and Competition makes for a great read.

A weight-loss program for people who want to drop pounds of fat while learning a new sport, this book offers training plans that turbocharge metabolism along with complementary nutritional advice. Each chapter is seasoned with anecdotal tips, success stories, pitfalls, and other advice from real people who have ridden themselves lean.

Ride Your Way Lean advocates cycling as an exercise and lifestyle choice to lean up. It begins with very basic information: why cycling, how to buy a bike, equipment – and my fear was that it would be too simplistic for my needs. It gets a bit more helpful though, with good discussions of basic nutrition, eating plans, ride plans, indoor trainer exercises, off-bike exercises and other goodies.

I would recommend this book to somebody who’s considering or just getting into cycling. For more seasoned riders wanting more depth of content, see Base Building for Cyclists by Chapple, or The Time Crunched Cyclist by Carmichael.

The only part that I found not good was the training season. That was the old way of training, with a fixed season and fixed number of hours for all types of riders. Everyone is different and therefore need a different training method. I do not advice to follow 100% his training plan, specially if you’re a beginner. Hire a coach to help you or do it at your own risk. Eddie has a “iron hand” on his way of coaching and says: my way or no way. I don’t believe this, but hey!, he was grown in the eastern-old-world. This may stop you, take care.

Some other chapters are outdated, like bike positioning, equipment choices and the now almost defunct team-time-trial, but his TTT techniques are great if you are in a breakaway.

He has a very clear way of writing and thinking. Some might suggest this book is MUCH better than those of Greg Lemond, Bernard Hinault and their compatriots. You’ll learn many good techniquess for dropping your companions and competitors which always provides for a sense of achievement.

He tells a lot of how a team should work to get their job done. A great book for the aspiring racing cyclist.

The authors have presented much of the material in the book at seminars around the country. I attended one of those in 2005 in Sacramento, CA, so I was already familiar with much of the material in the book even before reading it. Also, much of the material has been presented and discussed in the Wattage discussion list on topica (lists.topica.com/lists/wattage/). The beauty of this book is that it collects all this valuable information, and much more, and presents it in a well organized manner in one place.

An early chapter describes each of the four major presently available commercial power meters (SRM, PowerTap, Polar and ergomo). It covers their relative advantages and disadvantages. The same chapter covers the software that is included with each power meter plus other standalone software offerings including CyclingPeaks which was developed by the coauthors along with Kevin Williams. Many examples from the book include screen shots and examples from CyclingPeaks but the ideas they convey are explained in the text so no prior knowledge of CyclingPeaks is necessary. If you are contemplating buying a power meter, this chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

The starting point to train using a power meter is to determine your Functional Threshold Power (FTP). The book explains several alternative methods to do this. Once FTP is known, the authors present a system of seven defined training levels. The explanation of why seven levels are chosen, what the purpose of each is and power and heart rate ranges (where those are appropriate) for each level are given. The power ranges are expressed for each level as a percentage of FTP. For example, level 4 is the lactate threshold level with power range of 95-105% of FTP. The justification for selecting these seven levels (sometimes called “zones” in other books on cycling training) is the clearest I’ve ever read on the subject. The rationale for and benefits of training at each of the levels would be valuable information even to a cyclist who wasn’t training with a power meter.

Many novel concepts are introduced in the book. The concept of “power profile” is one example. This involves measuring the maximum power that you can sustain for four selected time intervals – 5 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes and FTP. These are then converted to watts per kilogram. A table in the book (separate for men and women) allows you to see where you stand on a scale ranging from untrained to world class level. By determining your own profile and monitoring it over the course of time, you can see better your strengths and weaknesses as a cyclist.

There is simply too much novel material in Training and Racing With a Power Meter to do it justice in a review of reasonable length. Just to mention, in the most cursory way, other novel concepts introduced and covered in detail the book are Normalized Power (NP), Intensity Factor (IF), Training Stress Score (TSS), “sweet spot” training and Quadrant Analysis. NP and IF are introduced to define TSS. TSS is proposed as a method to quantify and monitor the total training load that a cyclist carries.

Other chapters in the book tell how to develop a training plan based on power. Sample workouts and sample multi-week training blocks are given.

If you’ve gone to the trouble and expense of putting a power meter on your bike, you owe it to yourself to get this book and read it.

Thanks to James Turner (Menlo Park, CA USA) for this review.

Research shows that, on average, athletes who complete this series of classes experience a 12% increase in their maximum sustainable power (Klika, et al., 2007), and now we are making the whole series available to athletes everywhere.

The whole program begins with the CTS Field Test, an essential workout that allows athletes to accurately determine personal power and/or heart rate ranges you’ll use in each subsequent workout.

The 15 one-hour workouts that follow form a comprehensive indoor training program based on CTS’s proven coaching philosophy. Looking for your winter indoor training program? Here it is!

• Each disc contains 3 workouts.
• Each disc includes Field Test DVD for establishing power ranges before each stage.

I’ve created a little piece of software where you specify the distance and it generates a complete, easy-to-follow training program that you can use right away.

Whatever your motivation, be it a health kick, a century ride or just something to follow, this is perfect companion to any riding goal you set yourself.

You Set The Distance…We Create The Program!

Here’s How To Get Yourself a 12-Week Bike training program

Just head on over to http://www.bike-books.com/training and, after you’ve submitted your details, you’ll receive an email confirming we have all the necessary information and get instant access to create your 12-Week Bike training program.

The truth is that teaching cycling on a stationary bike has always been a challenge. When our bikes, education, philosophy and uniqueness are combined, the result in an experience that is engaging, authentic and fun.

Features & Advantages

Stabilisation, controlled movement and correct body position is emphasised during the training program. When new riders grasp the concepts in the material, an “aha” moment is realised. At this point, a new range of training options become apparent.

Incorporation of output measurements into your training is both fun and rewarding. Cadence, heart rate (HR), mph, distance and caloric expenditure provides valuable feedback.

The RealRyder team teaches authentic cycling, as it relates to bike setup, realistic bike movement, appropriate cadence and proper form. The coaching system is designed to “teach it real”.

The program uses realistic ride profiles and drills that accommodate all ability levels. Maximise personal fitness and performance goals, while experiencing the joy of riding a bike.

This book has excellent, easy to follow fitness routines for anyone new to cycling or people who have been cycling for some time but have never seemed to get any fitter. The colour coded workouts are easy to follow and more importantly give a variety of routes of differing intensity so you never get bored with the same old route.

Inside you’ll find

• Tips for starting a cycling training program, from choosing a bicycle to determining your present fitness level;
• Six color-coded workout zones containing 56 workouts (45 on-the-road and 11 indoor) that allow you to train at the pace and distance you prefer; and
• Six sample cycling programs that show you how to organize the workouts into a safe and effective training plan that meets your needs.

Written by Chris Carmichael and Edmund Burke, two of the world’s foremost cycling authorities, Fitness Cycling is part of the Fitness Spectrum Series—a new collection of books from Human Kinetics that offer fitness enthusiasts and sport participants of all backgrounds a practical and flexible approach to training.

You’ll find this bike book easy to get more improvement with great recommended training ideas, from easy to extremely hard, from beginners to elite cyclist.

The Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science is an ongoing series of specialist reference volumes published under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), designed specifically for use by team coaches who have training in the basic sciences, medial doctors, physical therapists, competitors and related health professions.

The fourth volume in this acclaimed series, Road Cycling concentrates on the techniques of conditioning, road cycling biomechanics, nutrition and hydration, trauma, and the various medical problems encountered by the competitive road cyclist.

“Anyone interested in competitive road cycling will benefit from this text because it is concise and easy to read, providing “what is known” about optimum training and other nutrition needs.” Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy

The subtitle of this book is “Gearing Up A Level” and that’s just what following the recommendations in this book will do! This is an essential volume for any woman cycling enthusiast (including Spinning/indoor cycling nuts) who is ready to do a century ride, AIDS ride, race or something similar but who isn’t sure where to start — and can’t afford to hire a coach! The only disagreement I have with the author is some of the nutrition recommendations (being a vegetarian myself — she recommends more of a “Zone” approach).

This book has been needed ever since parity was achieved in Sports. Gale Bernhardt covers all the areas that the guys just don’t understand. Her writings on bike fit are outstanding and very gender specific. If you are a women cyclist who wants to become fit and very fast, this book is for you. If you are a guy who wants an excellent description of periodisation of training read this book. I have watched my wife apply Gale’s concepts to her own training and I now get dropped by my “better half”. Most of the women who ride with our group swear by the weight and nutrition programs in Gale’s book. Weights, training, nutrition, periodisation of training and bike fit are all there in “The Female Cyclist”.

If you’re ‘gearing up a level’ and planning on buying a new bike – buy this book first, read the bike fit chapter (or better yet, bring the book with you when you’re trying out bikes) and THEN buy your dream bike!

If you are a women who wants to become a better cyclist, the chapters of bike fit and nutrition alone are worth the purchase price of this book. This book is a must read for any serious women rider. This book fills a gap in the available serious literature for female athletes and is long overdue. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of this talented authors writing career.

Each workout contains an overview, a description and profile that provides a visual snapshot of the ride. Also included is a detailed table showing all the different heart zone training points, the amount of time spent in each zone and an estimate of the number of calories consumed in each.

This book works for the home rider to still get into a high intensity zone and it assists the fitness professional deliver a consistent, progressive workout to their classes. You don’t need to know any fitness jargon to get a great workout, just follow the instructions, which are not abbreviated like other ride profile books.

I personally like the idea of mixing my own training soundtrack to help keep me stimulated indoors during the winter months.

The book follows the same principles taught in the Heart Zones cycling classes and the charts for each profile ride are very easy to follow and there is not a set progression that “has” to be followed. I’m hoping they would come out with a second volume!

No matter what your goals, The Complete Book of Road Cycling and Racing gives you all the information you need to become a better, more performance-focused cyclist.

Written by racing coach, cyclist, and exercise physiologist Will Peveler, Ph.D., this book shows you how to:

• Fit the bike to your body for maximum efficiency and comfort
• Ride safely in a group
• Cope with any weather or altitude
• Maintain your bike
• Prepare for races of all types
• Master racing strategies and tactics
• Train efficiently and stay in peak condition year-round
• And much more

This is a great book for anyone just starting to cycle or for someone who wishes they had a little more knowledge about the basics.

Dr. Peveler begins with the bike its components and fitting. Next he illustrates the various types and designs and what it means for the rider. I have never seen a cycling book help the rider with this very important aspect of cycling.

Moreover, there is helpful information on the body and different kinds of trainings – leg speed, strength/hills, endurance. Very readable with sound advice. A large part of the book is devoted to riding skills and communication. So for those who have ever wondered what they should be doing in a group ride look no further, this book will help answer those questions.

And what is more Dr. Peveler demonstrates various exercises that will strengthen the rider and increase endurance. I’ve been telling my training partners about this book, maybe I shouldn’t, so I can surprise them with my new skills!

Now in Bicycling for Women, author Gale Bernhardt presents every detail a woman needs to know to successfully navigate the sport – in and out of the saddle.

Whether looking forward to a charity ride, group rides with friends or the thrill of competition, women can embrace the cycling lifestyle with comfort and confidence.

As well as detailed training and fitness information, Bernhardt gives careful attention to the issues that separate men from women and her practical advice resolves the endless questions surrounding selecting your perfect bike, bike fit, gear and even more. She also offer a foolproof nutritional guidance for optimal performance and a fully illustrated strength and flexibility program for women who want to ride faster, climb better and avoid common injuries.

Bicycling for Women is an indispensable resource for women who love to ride.

Once you’ve hit your quick start weight-loss goals, you will continue dropping unwanted pounds using the proven strategies of the Racing Weight program. Zero in on your racing weight through improved diet quality, balanced macro-nutrient levels, proper timing of meals and snacks, appetite management and training for lean body composition.

The Racing Weight Quick Start Guide will accelerate your season goals so you’ll be racing leaner and faster than ever before.

If you’re looking for a sensible, no-bull approach to eating and nutrition for your cycling, this is one book that needs to be part of your library.

“The Cyclist’s Food Guide” presents sound nutrition advice, even for the recreational cyclist.

In particular, I really appreciated the section on Eating for Cycling where my husband and I followed the guidance given about preparing for the Event Week. By maximising our muscle glycogen with appropriate nutrition and tapering our training program, we were able to thoroughly enjoy a 250km ride in the Around the Bay in a Day (Australia).

The advice is completely practical, the themes are uniform and consistent, and the results speak for themselves.

There isn’t any miracle here, just excellent synthesis and communication of good information. No gimmicks. No tricks.

And the fact that the themes are unified helps, because I found myself reading this sporadically, so the underlying unity helped a lot.

I’ve done three centuries since getting this book. For two of them, I was able to stick with their advice. For the third, fate conspired against me, my nutritional plan evaporated, and I bonked.

I’m convinced that I would have had a much better day if I’d been able to execute my nutritional plan on the bike. In addition, recovery has been faster, and I’ve trimmed a couple of pounds.

Highly recommended if you’re looking for fundamentally sound advice about how to make cycling work even better for you.

Biking is, in my opinion, the best way for someone who is overweight and in poor cardiovascular health to get into shape.

Author, Arnie Baker, is a physician, a competitive cyclist and cycling coach. He has a conservative view of medicine, which I like and does not hype techniques and products; giving a balanced view of advantages and disadvantages of the subjects. (After reading the effects of too much vitamins, you will probably not want to take supplements again.) He honestly discusses the limitations of medicine and medical testing.

The book is divided into five parts, and further divided into 81 mini-chapters. Each chapter tackles one subject in a succinct manner – short, easy, but adequate. Most chapters starts with “What We’re Talking About” that introduces and defines the subject before delving more deeply into it. Some of the subjects are nutrition, energy use vs. effort, vitamins, performance aids, heart rate training, muscle physiology, optimum cycle fit, injury treatments, medical problems and general health. The range of topics covered is simply astounding. Baker even discusses how to urinate while riding, which side of your body is best to sleep on, and how to shave your legs. He discusses gender-specific topics honestly and maturely, as you would expect from a physician.

The book is sparesly illustrated, and does not require many additional figures, but if you need lots of glossy photos of racers cutting through corners to keep your attention, you won’t find them here. Most of the figures in the books are of a cartoon character demonstrating a very complete array of stretching exercises.

My complaints are very few, and are to be considered more of suggestions for later editions. A couple of additional figures could be helpful in the bike fitting sections. I was a little confused by “…angle from the horizontal formed by the knee at the bottom on the pedal stroke.” (p.119) I think I get it, but I’m still not quite sure. “Handlebar angle” on p.149 could have been illustrated. On p. 97, energy and power were also confusing.

Being able to ask the experts at my local bike shop is really helpful. They were able to provide immediate answers that led to virtually immediate results.

I recommend this book to everyone who is beginning cycling and wants to cycle for fitness, or has any desire to measure and improve his performance. It is a fantastic starting point.

After reading this book, you will have enough understanding to ask other questions or to seek out more in-depth resources on the subjects that interest you most. Someone with years of cycling involving some sort of training may find the book somewhat basic, though, but it may still be a useful, very general, reference.

Written for cyclists of all types-road riders, mountain bikers, track racers-this book provides an in-depth look at the full range of considerations for cycling successfully into and through middle age.

Inside you’ll find:

• key training principles;
• advanced workouts for undurance, climbing and sprinting;
• training advice for 100-mile events and multi-day tours;
• strategies for getting into racing form;
• tips and exercises for preventing injuries;
• advice on proper body fueling; and
• ideas on how to get mentally psyched to ride.

In addition to explaining the physical adjustments seasoned cyclists can make to keep their biking effective and satisfying, Friel discusses the mental aspects of cycling successfully into middle age. He explains the importance of developing a positive attitude, maintaining a high level of motivation, and taking pride in their accomplishments. He also reminds cyclists that, above all, biking should be a fun activity that should be shared with fellow riders, family, and friends.

As a not-especially-athletic 50-something who rides to get in shape and lose a few pounds, you might find the book a bit of a shock. Aimed at “ageing jocks”, its main focus seems to be training for racing, centuries, and even LONGER rides! But once the shock wears off, you may well find a lot to help you ride often (3-4 times a week), vary the training regimen, and most of all — learn how to use your heart rate monitor.

The book provides practical recipes for figuring out your “lactate threshold” (LT) heart rate (about 10% less than what my HRM calls my “maximum” heart rate) — and then how to base your training program on time spent in various “zones” defined by percent of LT heart rate. It’s helping!

This book is part of the Ageless Athlete Series published by Human Kinetics, designed to help readers stay active and feel younger every day.

First, I must applaud the authors for their inclusion in the introduction. They admit that anyone can finish an Ironman triathlon if they have one thing: will. The down-to-earth tone permiates throughout the entire book.

There are excellent lists for pacing on the bike, mental condition, getting the most from nutrition and the common sense notion that endurance on the bike leg is the most important portion of a successful ironman seems so simple that one does need to constantly remind oneself about it.

Too often triathletes train, train, train, and then train some more. I get sick of hearing about macho-style workouts, and triathlon is just one portion of my life. If you work, have a family, practice other hobbies, actually give yourself to others, and don’t spend every dime you make on triathlon, the philosophies in this book will suit your lifestyle. The authors make a very convincing argument for having three major endurance workouts a week –75 to 100 minutes for the swim, 5 to 6 hours on the bike, and 90 to 150 minutes for the run. Instead of the megablock weekend torture fests that most triathletes brag about, they suggest doing runs in the middle of the week, and the bike on the weekends. All other workouts are secondary to these three. They also suggest that if you cannot find a purpose to a workout, simply leave it out and get more sleep.

If you are preparing to embark on your first ironman or if you are a repeat customer, buy the book. 20 dollars now, might save you hours of wasted training time and minutes (if not hours), and personal suffering in your big race.