Time and again, we experience emotions that are difficult to control. Isn't it a surprise if I tell you that external events affect our happiness levels only by ten percent. Most of our happiness is determined by genetics and internal factors.
Our behavior to external events plays a vital role in determining our happiness. I started with Cycling to bring down my weight, resulting in elevated mood levels. I could create small goals and then progress towards more challenging ones.
As soon as I started cycling, I became more aware of myself and my surroundings. I broke out of a dreaded loop. There was a sense of connection and synchronicity with the world around me and the universe.
It felt like I was awakened — observing emotions come and go, understanding signs that could help make my choices. I learned to be more mindful and practice self-compassion, which most of us neglect.
I spend time outside, meditate, write, create illustrations, and cycle these days. Cycling indeed is the path to enlightenment.
Term Of The Week: Cadence
Cadence or tempo is the number of revolutions of the crank per minute and is measure in RPM. As a cyclist, one has to find their own cycling cadence. It is crucial to find your baseline cadence because it helps ride longer distances. Finding the optimum cadence leads to finding the sweet spot, which I have explained in the section below.
If you want, you can learn to pedal with cleats. However, you will require a bit of cleating and uncleating practice on a clear road or ground unless you want to fall and injure yourself. Riding with cleats has positive cadence results and helps transfer better power on the pedals.
Some cyclists even say that there is no cycling without cleats, and they say that because they have higher safety and performance expectations from their bodies.
We need not be scared of cleats and look for the right cleats with the cycling shoes for better alignment with our feet and knee position.
If it sounds too technical, you can set up cleats with the help of a professional bike fitter.
Always warm-up and cool down with higher cadence on the lowest gears ratio in your workouts, and it helps in stretching muscles and building the right amount of muscle memory.
Ramp up the tempo steadily and spin fast for 10 minutes without bouncing or moving around on the saddle.
These days, most cycling computers help in measuring cadence. However, you can do it manually too. Count the number of revolutions for fifteen seconds and multiply it by four.
Having a cadence of 80 RPM is good, and when you reach any number within the range of 90-120 RPM, you can participate in races.
How To Find The Sweet Spot in Cycling?
After almost 3 weeks and cranking more miles on my bike, I wondered whether I could go beyond a hundred kilometres in a day. I researched it and was looking for information on how people could travel up to 1200 km.
Then, I found out about the sweet spot training. At the sweet spot, we ride below our threshold, with enough power to go at a faster speed but with lesser physical and mental strain. One can cover more considerable distances.
There is no right combination of gears or optimum cadence because every cyclist has to find their own. It requires a bit of self-exploration while cycling. One has to discover it by varying the cadence, gear combinations, and posture that makes up the cyclist and the bike system.
A Warning - Before you try that and enjoy bicycle riding, keep an alarm to prompt you to return, unless you are using a piece of indoor equipment for Cycling. I sometimes forget about other activities while riding.
My First Ride Of 170 km
This last week, I stepped up and found the new sweet spot. I could complete 170 km in ten hours and forty-five minutes.
I am preparing to complete 200 km in less than 13 hours, which is the standard for cyclists to participate in brevets.
I struggled with cadence, breathing, weather, and the route on my last weekend's ride of 170 km. However, I learned about my weaknesses and decided to overcome those in my next self-supported ride of 200 km.
Book Review of "Escape Velocity"
Escape velocity is a book on Cycling for beginners. I has been written by Gokul Krishna and Raman Garimella. It is a complete package containing details on types of bikes, bike components, workout, cycling suggestions and anecdotes of the author. The book has been divided into three main parts.
Before Buying Your Bike
This section opens the door to finding the purpose of buying a bike and re-learn it progressively to achieve benefits regarding a safe bicycle riding experience.
Cycling is better than many other ways to remain fit because of Cycling is a low-impact workout and very manageable. It can be pursued for longer durations and is sustainable in the long run.
Moreover, endurance cycling improves the immune system, breathing, and lung capacity. It is the primary workout for the legs and works on the core, back, and arms.
If you have been juggling between price, budget, bike components, and categories of bikes, then this section can be referred to for making the best decision to buy a bike that aligns with your purpose.
An excellent way to judge a brand is to check the quality of saddle, tires, cables, and routing. A rule of thumb - A manufacturer that focuses on these usually neglected parts will not make a bad bike.
Before Your First Ride
Authors' knowledge on various aspects such as setup and preparation, safety, training and accessories, and standard components can use be used for fulfilling riding experiences.
I liked the author's suggestion on creating a plan that suits the rider. He stresses listening to the body and progress gradually. Avoid over-training. Some of the signs of over-training are elevated HR throughout the day, shortness of breath, excess sweating, dehydration, constant body and muscle sores, frequent headaches, and lack of motivation.
Become A Seasoned Rider
Readers who are pretty interested and want to achieve more with Cycling can go through this section. It is full of details that can be incorporated into a training plan to get better while enjoying the experience of riding.
Details on riding style with the right pedaling and posture are shared for improving speed and strength. While most of us might not know about bike maintenance, the shared knowledge of its parts and handling makes it easier to learn.
An approach to designing a training plan is explained with tracking apps, races & types, community events, and more involved participation. As a bonus, there is a sample 50 km training plan.
Stay tuned! for more on bicycling and riding experiences next week.