Durianrider’s Lean Body Bible. No bullshit. No drugs. No short cuts. No starving. No self loathing. No short term crash training bootcamp baloney. No star jumps or counting grapes. No steroid induced before and after photos. No thyroid medication induced thigh gaps. No false promises. Just real fucking advice for real fucking people to provide real fucking lasting results. Ive cycled over 350000km and learned what works and what does not. Ive personally been involved with literally thousands of weight loss and fitness transformations since 1999. I know what it takes and what works. Ive talked with people daily about weight loss since 1996. I was introduced to the weight loss industry and mindset by my mother in 1986 when I used to read her diet books out of sheer boredom. So what is the best exercise for lasting weight loss inducing metabolic effects? Lets look at the top 8 calorie burners. Running? Too much impact for 99% of people. Swimming? Too fucking boring and time consuming. MMA - Too much injury risk and too technical. Walking - Excellent but not very practical when you want to carry 20kg of shopping.
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Weight lifting - Does fuck all to get you trim. Good for bone density though. Dancing - Great but high impact and high injury rate. XC Skiing - Impractical for 99% of the population and not a year round sport for those who do live in the arctic circle. Uphill cycling and cycle commuting - Burns the most calories per hour of any sport and has the least impact of any sport besides swimming. Is the most practical exercise 99.9% of humans can do in 2015.
Introduction - Why Is Cycling the ULTIMATE fat and fluid retention burner? Lets not fuck around. Lets get fucking straight into it. Cycling is HANDS FUCKING DOWN THE FASTEST WAY TO STRIP EXCESS FAT AND FLUID RETENTION OFF THE HUMAN BODY. WHY? Simple! CYCLING IS THE LOWEST IMPACT CARDIO! Low impact means more calories burned as less pain is experienced. Also less injury risk!! Im assuming you physically can ride a bicycle. If you only can only use your arms then 99% of the guidelines in this guide will still apply to you. Ive met many hand cyclists over the years who whilst they physically had lost the ability to use their legs to pedal a bicycle, they turned their arms into pistons to power their fitness and body composition to the next level.
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Here is a before and after pic of Freelee. A famous Youtuber with over 100 MILLION views. Famous for her fit body and helpful tips. Freelee was my main test subject for the tips you will read over the coming pages. Everything she learned in 8 years of me nagging her you can learn in just a few hours. Freelee got her first adult bicycle at age 27. Didn't take long for the results to show and motivation to grow. She RARELY does any intensity and only maybe once a year does a ride over 100km. She has only done 1 single 200km ride in her entire life and it was totally flat. Yet she has the body composition of professional female cyclists who do interval after interval and ride around 20hours a week, year in, year out. Page 3 of 124
Freelee’s example is LIVING PROOF you don’t have to train the house down to get incredible results. Just be consistent and ride at least 5 hours a week at talking pace which is EASY to do if you commute to work and run some errands on your properly fitted bicycle. Week in. Week out. For life. Low impact cardio burns the most calories as almost anyone can do it with minimal risk of stress fractures or joint issues short or longterm. Some parts of this book may seem boring and slow BUT these are fundamentals that will seriously take your fitness and results to levels you never knew about or believed you could attain. So pay attention and re-read this guide over and over. Become the fittest person in your peer group. Become the best trainer you know and the best adviser on weight loss that anyone can come across. Cycling trumps any other sport for calories burned in a given day, week, month or year. Any exercise compared to cycling is a waste of time if your goal is weight loss and lessened fluid retention. I will challenge anyone to prove me wrong. What sport can you burn 10000cals in a day and still walk properly the next day? FUCKING NOTHING ELSE BUT CYCLING!
Cycling Tips to keep you and others as safe as possible. Warning: Cycling to burn fat is incredibly safe activity if one is paying attention and not taking risks. Before you read on, I want to you understand these VITAL points for your own safety and safety
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of others. SERIOUSLY!! 99% of accidents/injuries can be prevented by these 5 rules!!!! 1. Always were a properly fitted new condition helmet EXCEPT if you feel your head is stronger than the tarmac/trail. 2. Always pay attention the road/trail ahead. Never look down/ around for longer than 1 second. The worst accidents Ive seen are when riders talk to other people and look away from the road ahead or have their head down and run into parked cars or oncoming traffic/dogs/signs/trees etc. 3. NEVER try and keep up with more experienced riders downhill, in pace lines, thru traffic or around corners. Most nasty crashes happen when noobs try and progress too fast. Everyone is a noob to start with so just stay in your comfort zone and progress month by month. 4. Always keep good maintenance of your bike and pay attention to any rattles or loose parts that could actually cause total component failure which could result in severe injury or death. Pay attention to your tire pressure each ride. A slow leak can roll your tire off the rim around a corner and you will kiss the tarmac. Be aware of your tire pressure at all times. 5. Avoid sprinting out of the saddle with a lot of power. The chance of your chain slipping from improper gear shifting can be high as a noob. Best to sprint whilst staying seated, that way, if anything slips, you are not going to go over the bars! Page 5 of 124
Table of contents Chapter 1 What is the best bike for you? Chapter 2 Cycling shoes are only for pro riders? Chapter 3 Gears - Grind or spin? Chapter 4 Power meters? Scam or pure gold? Chapter 5 Tires,wheels & $10000 worth of money saving tips! Chapter 6 Eating for stamina and maximum weight loss Chapter 7 Climbing mentality Chapter 8 Sleeping habits Chapter 9 What can we learn from dopers Chapter 10 Durianrider’s training plan for beginners Chapter 11 Second wind explained. Chapter 12 Bicycle Security Chapter 13 Bunch Riding Skills Chapter 14 Touring Tips For Weight Loss Chapter 15 FAQ + Extra weight loss tips for you and your bicycle. Page 6 of 124
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing this book! This book is rough and real world. It is not polished or pretentious. Some cyclists waste training time in the bike store complaining that their frame stickers were not perfectly aligned during manufacturing whilst some cyclists just want their bike to work and don’t care about things that don’t contribute to fitness and weight loss. Ive kept photos to a minimum to make this guide as fast as possible for me to make edits as new products get released. I will literally update this guide with in hours of new information being discovered to ensure that whenever you bought my guide, you will be getting the most up to date product information. Diet, mental tips and training program will not change as fundamentals rarely change. Im not an English Professor but I am someone who if you take my advice and take action on it, you will be in the best fucking shape of your life! Forget grammar and focus on advice that your body cares about. Too many of us waste time over shit that doesn't really matter at the end of the day and as a result, our bodies get sloppy as we could have been training instead of complaining. What you have in front of you is ALL my cycling experience in just a few hours of reading. Ive trained with 90% of the most well Page 7 of 124
known cyclists in the last decade and learned a lot of tips from asking them, observing them or eating with them. Ive also come from having ZERO bike fitness to just a few days ago completing a 200km HARD training ride in the Adelaide Hills with IAM Pro Cycling Team. When I was 17 I would catch the bus just a mile to school I was so out of shape. Now at age 38 I can do epic training rides with the best of the best. Ive cycled well over 350 000km as an adult. I had a small stint of racing in Europe in 2003 but really suffered in races due to lack of willingness to crash. First rule of pro cycling is you have to be willing to go to war on a bike. Not violence against others but you have to be willing to crash and take life threatening risks to stay in contact or increase your chances for victory. What other Olympic sport has people dying in events? I can’t think of any. I still love cycling though but more the fitness and health sides of it than the dare devil descending and cornering skills it takes to be a professional cyclist. Ive never had a drivers license and as a result, had to use the bicycle as my primary mode of transport ever since I moved out of home at age 17. It has been a blessing in disguise as Ive learned so much and been able to help others reach their personal cycling, fitness and weight loss goals. Cycling truly is the most incredible transport on the planet. It brings community to any where and helps people burn fat instead of oil. In this growing world of obesity and pollution, cycling truly needs to increase to help save the planet. Use this book as a reference guide. Don’t question it and have 100% faith that it will take you where you need to go. How can I be so Page 8 of 124
confident? I have done all the experimentations, wasted many thousands of dollars, overtrained, got injured and made all the other noob mistakes for you. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES is what Im trying to stay. Cycling is a sport where the small things really do matter. An inch too low saddle can cause a lot of issues. A stem bolt done up too tight can permanently damage a carbon fork steerer. Not eating or drinking at the right times can potentially have you ending up with heat stroke or hypoglycemia attack and really not enjoying the ride or really impacting your energy levels for the rest of the week. Its also not about what we achieve on the bicycle as much as its more about who we become and how we can positively influence those around us. The bicycle is just a tool for that. Avoid making the mistake of making the win more important than the ride…
No legs? No worries! Get a hand bike instead!!
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Chapter 1 What is the best bike for you? Walk into any bike shop around the world and you will be presented with a potentially overwhelming array of bicycles to choose from. You can select from mountain bikes with 26inch, 650b or 29 inch wheels. Carbon, alloy, titanium or bamboo. Steel road bikes with fixed gearing or 6kg super light carbon offerings from world famous companies like Trek, Cannonade or Pinarello. You can spend $100 for a new bike or literally $20 000. So where do we start? Should we get a cyclo cross bike, electric bike or rugged down hill mountain bike? Chances are you are reading this book because you have some weight loss goals. You want to boost your fitness and reap the benefits that a high energy lifestyle brings. For these people, I recommend a road bicycle or 29er mountain bike. Why are road bikes or 29er mountain bikes so much more effective at building fitness and reducing body fat? Well they are just simply far more motivating to ride. A bike that feels like an extension of your body will more likely be used more than something that feels clunky and slow. The large wheels of 700c or 29er bicycles help roll over bumps on the road or trail and hold their momentum better than a 650b or 26 inch wheel. With speed comes enjoyment. Sure one can build incredible fitness riding a small wheeled bicycle BUT they will develop a higher level of fitness with a bike that allows more riding options. 700c refers to the standard road sized wheel found on road, hybrid or CX bikes. 29er refers to the size of the wheel found on 29er mountain bikes. If you currently own a bicycle, what size is the Page 10 of 124
height of the wheel? If its not 29inch or a 700c then I would recommend upgrading to something that has these large wheels so you get more efficiency for every pedal stroke up a hill or on the flat. Sell, trade in or give away your current small wheeled bicycle for something that will take you higher, faster and further! So now we know what wheel sizes to focus on (29er or 700c), what about style of bicycle? Flat bar hybrid road bike? CX bike with disc brakes, carbon road bike or alloy dual suspension 29er mountain bike? Let me ask you a few questions. What sort of riding do you want to do? What climate do you live in? Does it rain a lot? Do you like doing jumps on your bike? Do you want to ride down stairs and over parked cars? Do you do a mix of gravel roads and bumpy cycle paths? These are the most important questions to ask yourself as it will help you narrow down your bike search results. Im a true bike geek at heart and worked in the industry for a number of years. I keep up to date with the latest evolutions in cycling and all my recommendations in this book get updated automatically as better bikes or products hit the market. If you just bought this book today, then you will have the latest updates! Step 1. Work out what sort of riding you want to do.
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Step 2. Get a bike from the list I provide that will suit the riding you want to do. Step 3. Write them down and look up what color or model fits your eyes and budget. Find a local dealer who can fit you up and mark your measurements with a white out pen or light scratch so if anything slips, you have a reference point to default back to.
Should I get a mountain bike? Mountain bikes these days typically come stock with disc brakes and rear suspension. If you live in a climate that rains a lot then I do recommend disc brake bikes as you will have more consistent braking in all weather conditions. Having disc brakes in a dry climate is fine but not essential. They can give more braking power to people with smaller hands though and as a result are becoming more popular with female cyclists. If you like jumping on your bike then you MUST use a mountain bike that is designed for this sort of abuse. Sure there are youtube videos with people doing back flips on lightweight carbon road bikes but that is not safe and would void the manufacturing warranty instantly. Light weight bikes are not designed for the sort of impacts that jumping brings. Sure jumping off a 5inch gutter is fine but anything more than that then you need to go heavier duty product. I also don't recommend jumping on bikes or high speed descending, even though its fun, its just too easy to end up with a nasty injury Page 12 of 124
that can prevent training or become a lifelong injury. Again, people reading this book are more into fitness and weight loss than carving epic air off a 10ft ramp over a massive drop off and capturing it on a gopro. If you do like riding over rock gardens aka a trail littered with baby skull sized rocks and part of your commute is over washed and rutted out roads then a 29er mountain bike will be your ticket for sure. The wider and lower pressure tires are perfectly suited for riding over rocks and ruts. The large 29er wheel is still reasonably effective on the road as well. I have a 29er mountain bike but don’t ride it near as much as my road bikes. 26 inch bikes do not climb or generally ride as easily as 29er bikes. If you want to ride aggressive trails then get dual suspension that has a lock out option. This means you can shut the suspension off when you don’t need it and switch it on when you do. If you can see yourself smashing down single track and flying thru rock gardens or doing the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route then get a 29er dual suspension 29er mountain bike for sure. Otherwise stick with 700c skinnier wheeled bicycles as they are a better fit for all other types of fitness orientated cycling.
Should I get a hybrid bike? Hybrid bikes have 700c wheels and a flat handle bar. They were very popular until recently when bicycle companies started building ‘endurance geometry’ road bikes that also position the rider in a more relaxed riding set up. Once upon a time road bikes had very Page 13 of 124
short heat tubes which meant anyone with poor flexibility could not ride them or ride them comfortably. Hybrid bikes brought the speed of a 700c wheel with the upright comfort of a mountain bike. Now we have ‘endurance road bikes’ so hybrid bikes are really not much point anymore. They are good but an endurance road bike is a far more effective fitness tool today.
Should I get a Cycle Cross Bike? Cyclo Cross aka CX bikes have 700c road sized wheels but have enough clearance built into the frame to handle skinny knobby tires. They have road style handlebars that offer more hand positions than a flat bar bicycle. They are versatile rigs but most are built only to be ridden for less than 1 hour. They are designed with aggressive geometry that is not as comfortable to be ridden longer than an hour typically. I have better flexibility than most people but I personally don’t enjoy the aggressive geometry of CX bikes to be something I would want to ride regularly.
Should I get a BMX, Fixed Gear, Downhill bike or Jump Bike? No! I also think you are reading the wrong book. Haha. Seriously though, these bikes are fun but come with too much risk to be part of a persons fitness regime IMHO. Of course any wheels is better than no wheels but the risks of crashing are so rapidly increased when doing this sort of high speed and high skill riding. Fixed gear bikes are TERRIBLE for knees when used on public roads and hills.
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Should I get a light weight carbon road bike? Also coming with 700c wheels, they have road style handlebars that offer more hand positions than a flat bar bicycle. Most bike purchases for recreational cyclists involve a carbon road bike. These bikes are great but typically the geometry is designed for professional cyclists who stretch every day, have personal physio’s, osteopaths, massage etc as well. The geometry is aggressive and low and designed for high speed cornering where crashing is not as much of a concern as winning or helping your team mate win. These bikes are not designed to be ridden by the every day cyclist in my opinion. The gearing is too hard (unless you live in the pancake flat areas of Florida) and finding a comfortable position can be an issue regarding how low the bars typically sit. Lots of these bikes end up barely used and becoming expensive housing for spiders in sheds or the back rooms of houses despite often having a $10000 price tag. The reason? They are just too high geared and too race focused to be comfortable to ride daily. I do own a few of these lightweight racing bikes but I have swapped out the gearing for more climbing effective ratios and Ive raised the bars higher so I can breath better. I learned this from Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. Lance rode with a high handle bar set up and Contador road with 50/34 compact crank gear ratios. So for 99% of people I do not recommend a lightweight carbon road bike. Unless all you want to do is race or have incredible flexibility and years of riding experience.
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Should I get an endurance geometry equipped road bike? YES! These are my favorite bikes as they allow for more people to have the ease and grace of a nice road bike but with more comfort and efficiency. These bikes are called endurance as they have a taller head tube. What does that mean? It means you don’t have to bend so aggressively over the bars as the head tube of the bicycle puts the bars in an easier to reach place. If one looks at Lance Armstrong or Chris Horner they will see that these 2 professional riders actually rode endurance geometry vs pure race geometry. Lance and Chris both put plenty of spacers under their stems to raise their bars up higher to allow for better breathing on the climbs. Whilst not as aero, it allows for more oxygen to be breathed in and that means more fat can be burned as we know fat leaves the body actually by being breathed out via carbon dioxide. 1kg of fat requires around 3kg of oxygen. The better you can breath, the more fat you can burn as fuel and the longer you can go and leaner you get longterm. Endurance style road bikes are also designed to be more comfortable in that the frame designs absorb more road vibration due to different styles of seat posts or elastomer frame additions. Even the more relaxed geometry aids in reducing road buzz. They also allow frame and fork clearance for wider tires. A 25-30mm tire still is very fast but has a more comfort than the standard 23mm tire. Endurance style road bikes also are fitted typically with better climbing gear ratios. We will get more into that later though.
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Should I buy a gravel grinder adventure bike? These are also an excellent all round bike. A bit more heavy duty than a pure endurance road bike in that they can handle even wider tires, rack and also fender mountains. These are my second favorite bicycle choice behind a pure endurance road bike. They basically have the same upright relaxed all day geometry but allow easier installation of fenders or racks if you want to also use this bike for commuting or as a wet weather bike with fenders attached.
In a banana peel: Endurance road bike or a gravel grinder road bike is my pick as a ‘can do almost anything’ fitness machine. If you want to ride exceptionally rough roads and smash over rock gardens then a 29er mountain bike is next best choice. I often get emails from people that weigh more than 150kg and they want to know what bike I recommend for them and my choice is definitely a 29er mountain bike made of alloy frame, wheels, seat post bars and stem. Most companies have a 90kg weight limit on 100% carbon product. Tall wheeled bicycles aka 700c or 29er are more effective to ride and you get more speed for each pedal stroke than if you were riding a smaller wheeled bike. The only bikes I recommend buying have a 700c or 29 inch wheel height. Below are my recommended bike models that are fitness orientated. This list is updated every time I see a model that is released and looks like a winner. I also don't specify which exact model in the range to buy. Why? Well it depends on your budget. Page 17 of 124
Spend as much as you can afford but understand a $10000USD bike is not 10x better than a $1000USD bike.
29er Dual Suspension XC Bikes. Style of riding: Rough trails and the alloy models can handle riders over 120kg. Any Giant Anthem 29er. *Giant has put its focus on 27.5 inch wheels which is really a step backwards in general but plenty of their 29 inch Anthems are still on the market. *Women’s specific bikes below are written in bold text* * The bicycle company brand is written in italic text.
Specialized Epic or ERA* 29er Trek Superfly FS & Superfly Women’s* 29er Cannondale Scalpel 29er Merida Ninety Nine 29er
Hybrid Bike Style of riding: Can handle anything on the road or light gravel paths. A good bike for people who are yet to develop proper flexibility or who are learning to ride a bicycle for the very first time. These are often gateway bike choices to a nice road/gravel bike. Don’t get suspension fork or seat post as they just rob energy when climbing. Suspension is for hardcore trails only. Get disc brake if you live in wet climates. Giant Cross City, ToughRoad, Thrive, Thrive Comax & Alight* Page 18 of 124
Specialized Sirrus or Vita* Trek FX or 7 series FX women’s* Merida Speeder or Speeder Juliet* Cannondale, Quick, Quick Speed, CAAD8 Flat Bar, Quick/Quick Speed Women’s* Jamis Allegro or Coda Feme* GT Grade Flatbar or Traffic
Cross Bike aka CX Bike Style of riding: Can handle anything on the road or light gravel paths. A good bike for people with great flexibility. Get disc brake if you live in wet climates. Giant TCX or Brava SLR* Specialized Crux Trek Boone or Crockett Merida Cyclo Cross Cannondale CAADX or SuperX Lynskey Cooper CX
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Endurance Geometry Road bike Style of riding: Can handle anything on the road or light gravel paths. The ideal bike if you have to own ONLY 1 BIKE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. The best bike for climbing and also long rides. Get the disc brake options if you live in wet climates. Giant Defy, Avail or Avail Disc* Specialized Roubaix, Allez, Ruby, Alias or Dolce* Jamis Quest, Endura, Quest Femme or Endura Femme* Lynskey Sportive Disc or Viale Trek Domane H2, Emonda H2/Madone H2/ 2 series, 1 series or Trek Lexa/Silque/Emonda women’s series* Merida Ride or Ride Juliet* Cannondale Synapse or Synapse Womens*
Gravel Grinder Bike Style of riding: Can handle anything on the road or light gravel paths. Can be equipped with fatter tires for ever rougher roads. These bikes are a great choice your flexibility is not the best. I rate these bikes as the second best option behind the Endurance Geometry Road bike. The main difference is these bikes have an even more relaxed bar height so you are not as bent over and they can handle fatter tires for ever rougher roads and gravel paths. They usually have disc brakes which are a better choice if you plan to ride in wet conditions. Giant AnyRoad, Anyroad Comax, Revolt, Invite or Invite Comax* Page 20 of 124
Specialized Diverge, AWOL or Dolce EVO* Trek CrossRip Jamis Renegade Lynskey Urbanskey GT Grade
*Womens specific bicycle means the bars and saddle are more specifically designed to fit female anatomy. Saddle preference is personal so you might end up trying a few different saddles over time. The first week is probably the hardest as your body adapts to the new positions. Make sure to get out of the saddle every few minutes for at least a few seconds to ease friction and increase blood flow. Special bike shorts also help and if you are experiencing high levels of friction you can make your own ‘saddle cream’ by placing some lotion on your skin contact points directly.
What is the best brand of bicycle? The brands I have mentioned have the best warranties. There are around 3 large companies in Asia like Giant and Merida that actually make other bikes for companies like Trek, Colnago, Pinarello & Specialized etc. So all that changes is a sticker and a design lay up even though the ‘Italian’ brands are made by the same asian workers in the same factory. The best model is really the Page 21 of 124
one I mention in the bike list that comes from a local shop who can fit you up good and proper size wise. An example is you can get a XYZ brand very cheap cos your mate works at the store but nobody at the store can really fit you up proper so you are better paying extra to get the other XYZ brand down the street from a stranger but they can do better bike fit. I have given you the best models, your job is now to find a local shop that gives the best bike fit in the area and then decide what model in the list best suits our riding style and budget. Example: Ken lives in Adelaide and the Giant Defy Endurance Geometry best suits his riding style. He recently sold a kidney and now have $1500 in the bank. So the Giant Defy 1 would be in Ken’s price range and Ashley from the Giant Store in Adelaide is known to do a decent bike fit.
Carbon, titanium, bamboo or Alloy?? This question is enough to start brawls between cyclists at any cafe stop around the world. Bottom line: Alloy is the best material for bicycles. Its cheap, recyclable, has been used in the industry for over 20 years and provides for excellent material. Alloy is my fav material for noob cyclists as everyone is going to have a crash at some point and alloy is the cheapest material that will tolerate decent crashes without cracking like carbon can. Alloy is my fav pick for your first road bike unless you are loaded and can handle the expensive price tag of carbon. I currently own an alloy Cannonade Ive had since 2007. Page 22 of 124
Carbon is the best high performance material as it can be layered up in different ways and is incredibly light and strong today than even just 3-4 years ago. Carbon is very weak in crashes though so must be handled with care. Carbon is repairable though and Ive seen bikes snapped in half that have been repaired by a professional carbon repair shop and hold up just fine. I recommend buying a torque wrench so when you tighten your seat clamp or stem bolts, you don’t over tighten and crush the carbon underneath. I currently own several carbon bikes. One I purchased in 2006 and its still going strong. Bamboo is the strongest of all but very heavy. A great product if you want something to stand out from the rest. Every time you stop, people will stop to have a closer look! Very comfortable to ride. Ive owned 3 Bamboo bikes and my fav brand is WebbWorks. They can be very slow to arrive but the finished product is strong. Steel and titanium. Both are great materials but to be honest, outdated materials in my opinion. They are not bad materials by any means, just outdated performance compared to what the consumer can buy for similar or less money these days from alloy or carbon. Steel or titanium bikes can look cool though and do have a nice road feel. If you like the look of metal bikes, buy one for sure. Brands to avoid due to being overpriced or poor warranty service from my personal experience and what you read on internet forums etc. Page 23 of 124
Pinarello, Focus, Colnago, Cervelo, Daccordi, De Rosa, Avanti or anything else that sounds euro but is actually made in asia and some say a poorer reputation for quality or warranty service. Just read the cycling forums. If you already have one of these brands thats fine, just if you are in the market for a new bike, I recommend brands that have better warranties if you feel you will ride enough to need a warranty. Brands not well known but decent quality with decent warranty. Azzurri, Reid, Jamis, Lynskey and Baum. In a banana peel: Spend as much as you can afford. Carbon is not needed for your first bike if your budget doesn't allow it. Alloy is stronger than carbon in a crash. 95% of pro riders use alloy bars for this reason. Invest in an endurance geometry road bike, gravel bike, hybrid bike, CX bike or 29er dual suspension mountain bike depending on your riding goals and current flexibility. Find a bike shop that has a reputation for good bike fit and buy from there.
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Get a pair of Shimano A530 pedals if you are starting out for the first time with clip in pedals. I will talk about these pedals more in the next chapter. If you are going to use your bicycle for commuting then invest in a D lock. Cable locks are too easy to cut thru for the average bike thief. D locks offer the best security. If you are riding to campus then you can buy 2 D locks and just leave them at the bike rack so you don’t have to lug them around or you can carry 1 on your bike if you need to stop off on the way home. D locks come with a bracket so you can mount it easy to your frame. The shop can help you with this. Kryptonite and Abus make good strong locks and even have some combination D locks so you don’t have to carry a key around. Mark all your measurements with a white out pen or photograph. Whatever is easier for you to have as a reference point incase anything slips down or up. By marking your seat height etc before you leave the store, you will always have a default setting to go back to should anything slip over time. This tip alone is worth its tonnage in gold! Some shops may try and convince you that you don’t need ‘easy gearing’. Tell them you appreciate their advice but you remember that I can out climb and out distance those guys any day of the week and will be riding long after they have blown their knees and hip flexors out from grinding big gears.
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Chapter 2: Why Cycling shoes are only for pros? Sometimes you will hear ‘You are not a professional so you don’t need cycling shoes mate!’. It is a load of garbage and always said by people that have never ridden very hard or far on a bicycle. Cycling shoes are VITAL as they are like turbo charger for your bicycle. The cycling shoe is designed to be stiff enough that more power goes to the back wheel vs lost via pushing against a floppy running shoe or naked human foot. Cycling shoes are essential at some point. First lets ride for a month on your new bike and get used to how it handles and brakes. Then get your cycling shoes and clip in and out on each foot 100 times before you leave your house. Just hold on to a fence or pole and practice. Check the tension of your cleat bolts as they can come a bit loose on the first day and then its almost impossible to unclip. Go to any bicycle store and feel how stiff the cycling shoes are. There are 2 types of cycling shoes. One you can walk in and one that if you try and walk in, risk slipping over and cracking your skull! I use and promote investing in a pair of cycling shoes that are actually safe to walk in. Mountain bike shoes fit this bill. Mountain bike shoes have a sole that is suitable for light walking. I recommend avoiding shoes with laces as they risk getting caught in your chainrings when you are pedaling along. If you do ride with sneakers, tuck your laces in properly so they are not flying around. Page 26 of 124
99% of shops will try and sell you road shoes if you buy a road bike. Road shoes are designed for professional riders who literally need every millisecond of advantage. 250km bicycle races can literally be won by 1 cm! So having a road shoe ensures every gram is saved. Maybe 100 riders in the world need to perform at the level a road shoe can deliver. For the rest of us, road shoes are a pain in the ass to walk in, the road cleats wear out very quickly compared to shimano SPD cleats. But they can look cool cos there is fancy colors & designs. What models to buy? Mountain bike shoes by Specialized, Sidi, Shimano, Bont and Giant will fit the bill nicely. Look for ones that have straps vs laces. Try on a few models and don’t rush into it. Ideally try your shoes at the end of the day when our feet naturally are the biggest. I buy shoes that fit a little bit bigger than too small. Loose shoes can be tightened up more when needed but tight shoes…they are a night mare as they cannot be loosened because they are too small to begin with. Shimano A530 pedals are an excellent choice for the beginner cyclist or someone who wants to be able to ride in sneakers to the shops or put on cycling shoes and ride up the long hill on the way back from work. They come with metal cleats that bolt into the bottom of your shoes. Your local shop can help with installation of these cleats. Eventually they will wear out in about 20000km or depending how many miles you walk on them! But be rest assured shimano metal cleats are the most durable out there and will save you the most Page 27 of 124
money in the long run with minimal loss of performance compared to a road pedal set up. Some will say that mountain bike shoes are not good enough but ask them why Chris Froome would still kick their ass if he used mountain bike shoes. In a banana peel: Buy mountain bike shoes with straps. Laces can be dangerous and road shoes are a pain in the ass to walk around in. Try on different models and sizes. A bit bigger is better than a bit too small. Don’t let the shop pressure you into buying road shoes and pedals. They are only for when every single second matters. Pro’s have a team car following them so they never have to walk around far. 99% of my Strava records have been done using mountain bike shoes and pedals. Mark your cleats with a white out pen after your bike fit at the store and check the cleat bolts for tension in the first week as new cleat bolts can wiggle loose a bit. Practice 100 times each foot clipping in and out BEFORE you go out for a ride. This way your confidence and skill will match your goals of riding clipped in and you will reduce your chance of a noob crash. Don’t worry if you do crash, everyone does at some point but you can minimize this risk by clipping in and out 100 times each foot at home whilst you hold onto the wall etc.
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Cycling shoes help your leg produce more power and activate more muscles. This makes the legs more toned and the riding experience far more enjoyable. It is a myth cycling makes peoples legs big. When you pedal, pedal as if you are trying to scrap mud off the sole of your shoe on a gutter etc. Practice this and you will get more power thru the pedal stroke than your friends who are just stomping the pedals. This is the same for running as well.
Chapter 3 Gears - Grind or spin? If you look at even the best drugged up riders, you will see they are paying attention to cadence. Why risk taking so much drugs and getting busted if you are going to give away wattage to silly gear selection which forces you to grind? In this modern era or power meters and cadence, one has no excuse not to be spinning around 90rpm when they are going for it. The top sprinters spin around 125rpm and on the track its more like 150rpm. Many noobs or even ‘experienced’ riders still grind their knees away at 70rpm in a sprint or on a hard climb thinking that torque equals power. The equation is torque x cadence = power. Imagine driving your car in 5th gear up a really steep climb - its too much strain on the motor, clutch etc. This is what most people do and then they start to equate hills with pain. Reality is that hills are as easy as riding on the flat. 150w on the flat is the same as 150w in the hills but most don’t Page 29 of 124
have proper gearing for hills or a power meter to pace with so they ride at 300w at 50rpm for the first minute then explode and make a mental note of ‘hills suck!’ when if they could ride at 150w at 90rpm they wouldn't even really feel the hill at all. Same person, same situation but 2 TOTALLY different strategies. That is why when people ride with me, they can climb so well as I teach them how to pace from the get go. 99.9% of riders start hills too fast and then pay for it later with slower times and more lactate in the legs. How to choose the right gear? You want gearing that lets you have at least 80rpm when you are riding up your fav climbs. I prefer 90rpm or 100rpm when Im going ‘full gas’. I have 50/34 compact cranks on all my road bikes with different cassettes sizes on my road bikes from 32 to 42. Some people laugh at my gearing selection but they are NEVER the guys who can climb as fast or far as me. They are also often complaining about sore knees or a tight back. Bloody noobs! Every pro knows that 90+ cadence is ideal for climbing your fastest. When I worked in the bike industry, compact cranks (50/34) where very rare. Standard flat lander gearing (53/39) was the norm and we prided ourselves on running 21 tooth rear cassettes. It was a sign of ‘strength’ but looking back it was a sign of being ignorant of the ‘torque x cadence = power’ reality. Back then power meters were very rare and you needed a sports degree to understand the numbers but now all the technology is far cheaper and the basic concept of knowing ‘what wattage you are doing’ is so you can pace yourself Page 30 of 124
properly depending on your goals for the next few minutes or hours. Today in 2015 someone can buy a bike, put a power meter and Garmin on and go ride around the suburbs and learn how cadence and power go hand in hand. If you ride to work at 200w with a cadence of 60rpm for 30 mins then you produce a lot more muscle fatigue than if you rode the same 200w at 90rpm for 30mins. So the person who wants to get back on the bike tomorrow will improve quicker than their friend who grinds and is more prone to fatigue due to the excess muscle torque they have to produce for the same wattage as their friend who spins efficiently at around 90rpm. It’s the same in running, the least injured runners are the ones who have around 90rpm cadence. Most people get injured in running due to low cadence which increases foot impact. Most cyclists get tendonitis from riding under 90rpm consistently. I know I sure did. Chronic ITB issues forced me off the bike for many months. I was so strong I cracked 2 dura ace cranks and got warranty both times. I would snap chains, frames, free hub bodies and stems I would put so much torque on my bike from grinding my flat lander gearing around the hills. Now I don’t break anything as my pedaling is so much more smooth. My chains last longer and Ive not snapped a chain for years. My joints no longer ache and riding anywhere, any time for any distance is never an issue now as I can spin and pace to perfection via my power meter and proper climbing gear ratios. The pedaling technique wants to be supple. The French call it ‘supplesse’ and if you train with any big name pro riders you will see Page 31 of 124
what I mean. They pedal almost a perfect cycle and with high cadence. The motion to think of is ‘scrape the dog shit off your shoes’. Imagine you stepped in dog shit whilst walking around Paris and you find a gutter to scrap it off. Thats the motion you want to focus on when pedaling. It feels awkward at the start but it is the most effective pedaling method when you are in the saddle. Practice it at 90rpm and low wattage(1-3watts per kg) then over the months and years you will be able to produce more power just from good technique. Just like throwing a punch - you don’t get stronger but the technique gets better and physics takes over.
I will say it again - Cycling shoes are like putting a turbo on your bike. The specially designed soles are stiff and designed to transfer as much of your pedal stroke power into the back wheel for forward motion. Sure you can ride far and fast in running shoes but never as far or fast as with proper cycling shoes. Also it is not possible to have an efficient pedal stroke without cycling shoes as the hamstring and butt muscles are not as activated meaning less power and less results. To learn how to pedal properly one needs cycling shoes and to focus on ‘scraping off the dog shit’. A crude statement but one easily remembered.
In a banana peel. Get cycling shoes. Scrape off dog shit EVERY time to you ride. Doesn't have to be every pedal stroke but add more and more each ride. A better pedaling technique is free power. Page 32 of 124
Invest in a power meter so you can learn how cadence and power go hand in hand. More spin = more power or the same power for longer. Spinners are winners. Dance like Lance. Drugs or no drugs, nobody will get their fittest without proper cadence. Forget what the noobs in the bike shop say, if you plan to ride hills then slap on 50/34 compact cranks with at least a 28 tooth or bigger cassette. You may need to change to a long cage rear derailleur if you want bigger than a 28/32 cassette. No problem. If you are using Shimano or Sram then for a new chain, cassette and long cage rear derailleur it will be under $100 if you buy online and free if you can fit it yourself or 20-50$ for a bike shop to install it depending on where you live and who you know.
Chapter 4 - Power meters? Scam or pure gold? If you hang around me longer than 5 minutes then you will hear the term ‘power meter’ being said. I personally see the power meter as the greatest invention since the bicycle. Nothing else can show you what works and what doesn't so quickly. Low carb diet? Go try and hold your normal wattage up your local hill or your commute to work and in just 1 ride you can debunk all the low carb propaganda that has ever existed. Getting lots of late nights but don’t think it is doing any damage to your endocrine system? Go to bed at 8pm each night for a month and watch your power numbers creep up effortlessly. Page 33 of 124
Told to drink coconut oil on long rides instead of sugars? Just try and hold wattage and feel what happens to your legs. You can literally feel the red blood cells sticking together and your blood oxygen transfer dropping out like a shoddy wifi connection. Watts are watts and the power meter quickly shows you what diet, seat height, mentality, sleep habits, hydration skills etc really is effective and what is total fucking bullshit that only exists to make money off noobs who don’t know better or don’t want to know better. My favorite model power meters are the PowerTap or the Stages Cycling power meters. PowerTap is a hub based power meter so it means you have to change our your rear hub or wheel. They are good value and are legit. Stages Cycling power meters are a left hand crank system where you just swap out your left hand crank with the compatible model of Stages. They are good value and are legit. Used by Team Sky. Some water proof issues have been encountered but the work around is to put a sliver of Crystal Grease around the o ring seal and install the battery cap gently and properly. Like a surgeon. Ive got a few videos about this if you want more info. For the record ANY power meter is at the mercy of water and all models can have waterproofing issues. Buy a Stages or Powertap. Your local bike shop can decide what fits your bike easiest (usually a Stages) and then get a Garmin that is compatible with it. Easy! Some people state that left leg only power meters are not legit. Well these people 99% of the time have a vested financial interest as a motivation. Im not sponsored by ANY power meter company so you Page 34 of 124
can trust my opinion on power meters is 1000% unbiased and I can afford any but recommend the Stages Cycling or Powertap systems due to them being totally legit but also very light and affordable for anyone who can afford a $1000 bike or a $30 ebook. Think about it. The power meter is THE most important thing you can buy for your bicycle. I say it over and over, give me an entry level road bike, properly fitted to me and with a power meter VS a $15000 super bling with no power meter. Its taken me over 350000km and a few hundred thousand $ spent on bicycles in my lifetime to be able to saw that statement with 1000% certainty. Imagine if I was told that from the get go? You lucky fuckers!
How to use a power meter? Many people own power meters but don’t even know how to use them. I know it took me a few years to really understand it. Ive read most of the books out there and spoken with coaches who trained the hardcore doped riders who could hold 6.7watts per kg for over 30mins after 5 hours of racing in the sun. But none of it matters if I can’t understand it myself or explain it simply to you. So in ONE sentence here is the truth on how to use a power meter. Read it 100 times over so you don’t forget. ;) The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. Pacing to power is so crucial lets just make sure its clear that you understand what a power meter does for you. Lets dedicate this page to power meter understanding. Page 35 of 124
The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively.
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The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. Are we clear? Just one more time to be sure! XD The purpose of a power meter is to show you how to pace effectively. Page 37 of 124
Power meters display a number called watts. Watts = torque x cadence. Torque is the pressure you are putting on the pedals and cadence is how many times pedals strokes 1 leg does in a minute. The optimum cadence is around 90rpm. Pro road sprinters sprint around 120-130rpm. The fastest climbers around 100rpm. The Hour Record (how far a rider can ride around a velodrome in 1 hour) is about 105rpm. The worlds fastest marathoners are around 90-100rpm. So we see that the human body is built for high cadence as it boosts performance and reduces chance of injury as the peak muscle force is lower (torque) for the same given wattage. Lets simplify it more. Say you are riding at 200watts aka 200w. Your cadence is 60rpm then you shift into easier gears so your cadence goes up to 90-100rpm BUT you hold the same power. Now @200w @90rpm you will go a lot longer than if you were riding @60rpm as the muscles have to work LESS to do the same work load. What does this mean? It means you can go stronger for longer and really get your metabolism CRANKING. You will also recover faster so you can ride to work the next day and also reduce your chance of injury longterm from over torqued muscles Its also less pain in the legs and more blood is pumped around the body as well as lymphatic fluid so it will make the rider lose excess salt retention and fat faster as circulation is increased despite the workload being the same at 200w. Does that make sense? High cadence aka proper cadence is like keeping your computer cool so the processors can
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work faster. Spinners are winners when it comes to burning more fat and staying injury free. With no power meter it is IMPOSSIBLE to really accurately measure your effort. What about average speed you say? Well average speed is useless unless you are on an indoor velodrome that has no wind or hills etc. 99.9% of us are not pro track riders so average speed is meaningless as on the road we have wind, drafting, road type, air pressure, flappy shirts, pannier racks, hills, rain etc and all these affect average speed massively. Average speed is what noobs focus on but really it means SFA in the real world and something to totally ignore. Lets be smart noobs instead. Lets focus on power & cadence as these are what matter most. What about heart rate aka HR? Well again, too many variables affect HR. Caffeine, mood, dehydration, fatigue, fitness, glycogen levels etc all can change HR 10-30 beats at the same given wattage for the same rider. HR shows us how the body is responding. Power shows us what the body is actually doing. This is why the power meter is the most important thing any cyclist can invest in. I look forward to the day that every single human on the planet who can ride a bike can also have a power meter. Given that half the world lives on less than $2 a day right now thats unlikely to ever fucking happen sadly but at least we can dream. So get a power meter either a Stages Cycling or a PowerTap and do a 5 min power test to see where you are at. DOESNT MATTER IF YOU ARE SHIT OR A WORLD CHAMPION Page 39 of 124
because what matters is you are out on the road/trail daily learning more about how your body works and what you can do to nurture it. Life is a daring adventure or its nothing. Live to ride and ride to live! This is what I do for my power test. I warm up for around 20mins riding around at 1-3watts per kg. Then I find a climb or quiet flat road with little traffic and I go FULL GAS POWER TRIAL for 5mins. I hit the lap button on my Garmin and then stop it after 5mins. I keep my cadence between 90-100rpm by changing gears when needed. I don’t look at my power during this test. I look at my power after my vision has stopped spinning. I reset my garmin and then click thru till I find the average power for that 5 minute lap. I ALWAYS PAY FUCKING ATTENTION TO THE ROAD as well. You don’t want to crash because you are not PAYING ATTENTION! Thats how most cyclists die - from not paying attention. After you have your 5 min average power then in a few days you can do another test on the same bit of road and this time try and hover around that wattage that you averaged a few days ago. This time you can look at your power as you will be using power data to pace with during the 5 minute time trial. Here is an example. You did your 5 min test and your average watts was 300w. Now in the next 5 min test a few days later you will start your 5 min power trial at 300w and do your best to hover 10% around that. Set your Garmin display screen to 3 second average watts aka Pwr 3s. Page 40 of 124
Of course the numbers jump out and down a lot as that is the nature of kinetic force measurements BUT over time you will learn how to be more smooth with power transfer overall. Train with any pros and you will see they don’t spike the power much when they are going full gas. In a race its difference as the pace is always changing but for climbing or a flat road, you want the even power if you want the fastest time for the least effort. If you want more effort then just go ride a BMX with 2 flat tires and a thick hot itchy jacket with spray on jeans and a motor bike helmet. Ride up hills in the sand as well and don’t drink any water. No shoes either and have only one pedal on the BMX. Make sure the bearings in that pedal are dry and rusty and there is heaps of slop.. Have the brake pads rubbing and a loose head set. Angle the stem so the bars are not even straight and angle the brake levers so your wrists get RSI from trying to use them. Oh yeah, no seat either cos seats are for the weak! Now you have your 5 min average power you can compare yourself (measure your self worth) to this table below. Now you will have a new found appreciation for what the human body is capable of. And how important certain pharmacy products are if you want to be a world champion. (Im not talking glucose tablets.) To formulate watts per kg aka w/kg then divide the power you held for your 5min time trial (TT) by your bodyweight. Example: You did 200w for 5 mins and you weighed 70kg. That is 200w divided by 70kg = 2.85w/kg.
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The higher your watts per kg, the faster you will go up hills
compared to other riders. So how to use your 5 minute power trial data? Why not do the fancy FTP tests that most coaches prescribe? Well those 1hr tests are just too long and extreme for the average person and you don’t want to win the Tour De France as much as you just want to lean up Page 42 of 124
and enjoy the friends, places and experiences riding a bicycle provides. To be honest with you Ive only ever done 1hr in my entire life at max wattage. And my numbers would have been higher if I had the excitement of a group around me or if I used stimulants. So we can see using the FTP is incredibly flawed as there are so many variables. A 5 minute test however is far easier with less variables. Its like running a mile vs a half marathon. ANYONE can go hard for 5 min and anyone can find the time and motivation to do it. Just find a 5 minute song you can jam too and a quiet section of road. Hit the play button and give it some gas whilst PAYING ATTENTION TO ROAD AHEAD! So lets say you did 300w for 5 mins for your 5min TT (time trial). Now you know if you want to do a long ride that riding at 300w for longer than a few seconds is NOT going to be productive as you will burn thru too much glycogen and gas yourself early. But 99% of riders will gas themselves on long rides or climbs because they hit high wattages because they fail to pay attention to power data on their Garmin screens. These riders ‘go by feel’ and they are ALWAYS the ones who will pop earlier than they should or never reach the lean fitness they could as they simply go too hard and burn out eventually. Either on that ride or in a few years. So if you can do 300w for 5mins then if you want to ride 20km to work and then 20km back home again then sitting around 100-150watts is going to be a lot more sustainable isn't it? Ive literally had people hit 400w up a climb and then seconds later get off their bike Page 43 of 124
and start walking and say ‘Im just not fit enough!’’ haha! BULLSHIT! They were obviously fit enough based on the power I saw but they didn't not know how to pace properly. Same with the person who rides hard gears. They fail to understand how shifting cadence from 60rpm to 90rpm brings power or how higher cadences at the same power = stronger for longer. Basically your power for 5mins will be 0.5 watts per kg LESS than what you can hold for 20mins. To make it really simple The wattage you can hold for 1, 5, 10 or 20 mins will be different! So make sure you understand this and pace accordingly. If you can see the top of the hill and you want to beat your mates then you know you can drop the hammer and spike your wattage for that last sprint. If you want to ride 600km in a day then you know riding 1-3watts per kg all day at 90prm is going to let you do that. If you want to ride a 100km ride then you will want to ride a sustainable wattage for YOU. There is no point cooking yourself on the first climb trying to keep up if you have another 100km to go!
In a banana peel: Power meter records how much force you are producing. It is measured in watts and sent wirelessly to your Garmin computer on your handlebars. Wattage is the MOST effective unit of measurement. Its like measuring how much money you have in the bank. It Page 44 of 124
doesn't matter how many bank accounts you have or your average withdrawal, what matter is how much MONEY you have aka WATTAGE you are currently pushing. Adjust your wattage based on your goals for that day. Basic tip Ive learned from the pro's and Dr Ferrari is have 3second power on your top screen and then right under it have cadence. These are the 2 most important stats. Use gears that let you sit between 80-110 cadence. For sprints it will be 110-130rpm.
! Go slog it up your favorite climb and don't even look at your power. Then upload that ride to Strava and you will see your average power for that climb. Then next time you hit it that climb, start at that wattage and try and hold it for the duration of the climb. Do this for various climbs around town and you will quickly learn what wattage you Page 45 of 124
can hold and for how long and what cadence works best for not blowing your legs up. Example, Jane rides Mt Washington and records an average power of 150watts. Next time she does that climb, Jane is best to start at 150w with a cadence around 90rpm. It will feel easy at the start but by the end of her climb her wattage will be more sustainable and she can even pick it up 10-30w in the last quarter potentially. When Im going for gold up a climb, I monitor my power at the start and keep my cadence over 90. Its easy to just flood the legs from lactate cos you don't feel anything for the first 2 mins of a climb but if you are riding over your wattage, excess lactate is coming by the time you hit the 3rd minute and then you are going backwards compared to the wattage you could sustain if you paced better from the start. Most riders don't ride with a power meter so have no real idea what they are actually doing. Average speed means little as road surface, wind direction, tire pressure, jersey flap, bunch position etc can all affect that. HR is affected too much by stimulants, adrenaline and the change of pace in cycling means HR lag of a few minutes can lead to misleading data. Watts per kg is the most accurate way to gauge real effort with your 3second wattage being the most helpful thing to Page 46 of 124
watch on your Garmin screen whilst riding. Combine that with a cadence around 90rpm and you are good to go! Stages Cycling make the best power meter at the moment. Light, cheap and good enough for Team Sky who can afford anything. Power tap is also a good product. If you already have a legit power meter, that will suffice for sure. Get a 32 cassette or bigger if you really want to get your climbing legs out. Seek out climbs other riders fear. You need to see your wattage if you want to avoid blowing up. You need to see your wattage if you want to learn how to pace. You need to see your wattage if you want to go long. You need to see wattage if you want to finish strong. You need to see wattage if you want to beat your mates or lessen the gap they put on you. You need to measure wattage if you want to PR on Strava. 1-3w/kg for recovery/easy endurance building riding. 4-7w/kg if you want to put some sting in your mates legs or your own!
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Example: On Freelee’s garmin screen she will focus on 3second average power and cadence. She weighs around 50kg so 1-3w/kg for her is 50w-150w. If she wants to do a time trial or go fast up a climb then she will sit on 200-250w. It is EASIER to focus on 3second wattage when riding vs watts per kg. W/kg is more of a number to look at AFTER your ride. Focus just on 3second power and cadence during your ride as it is easier to focus on big triple digit numbers than small numbers that are hard to mentally compute whilst you are pushing hard. PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD AT ALL TIMES! Before you look down at wattage, look up the road. One triathlete actually died looking at her power meter whilst riding 50kph into the back of a parked car!! Ive seen riders crash into the back of other riders going up a hill because they had their head down and not paying attention. Be aware of your wattage, cadence BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the road ahead!!!!! Also, wattage is just numbers, some idiots get obsessed and base their self worth on what they weigh, what their waist measurements are or what wattage they can hold today. Thats REALLY FUCKED UP and totally not what we are about. Use numbers like wattage to EMPOWER and understand how your body and mind work vs to Page 48 of 124
DISEMPOWER ones self. Wattage is like a knife - in the hands of a lunatic it can be self destructive. In the hands of someone logical and rational, it’s a helpful tool for cutting fruit and fabric.
Chapter 5 Tires and Wheels & $10000 worth of money saving tips. Ive ridden so many different types of tires and wheels. Many riders think that wheels are really important and they are….but not as much as marketing tells us. Mavic published a study that showed heavier wheels hold momentum better than their lighter wheels. This didn't go down too well with many of us who spend thousands of dollars trimming grams off wheels. YOU DON’T NEED FLASHY WHEELS. This is coming from someone who owns the most expensive road wheels you can get and also the cheapest road wheels you can get. My $6000rrp wheels are not 100x better than my $60rrp wheels. So why pay that much then Durianrider??? Well so you can trust when Im saying Im talking from experience! If you are going for a world record where every second and every cm count then yes, the super expensive wheels will be a 0.5-1% boost perhaps. For the rest of us they are just bike jewelry really. Some offer a bit more comfort or better braking surface but thats
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about it. NOBODY is going to get dropped because their road bike wheels are only worth $100. NOBODY! Also nobody is going to be smashing riders whom they normally can’t smash, just because they bought the latest carbon bling blang. Buy them if you want but don’t be thinking they will make you a hitter! Pro’s use certain product 99% of the time because they are paid to use it. Can’t always trust what a pro rider says or does unless you have an inside loop and can get the honest truth like I have and do. Durability and braking surface is the main thing I tell people to focus on. You want a wheel that stays true and doesn't chew thru bearings or broken spokes prematurely. You also want something that has a good braking surface, so when you apply the brakes, you get good braking modulation aka feel. Alloy rims are best for this. I will mention a few shortly. Wider rims also offer more comfort and traction. An internal rim width of 17.5mm is considered wide today. They make the tire balloon out more and hold the road better. Some say it makes a more aero wheel. I say that doesn't really matter unless your pay check comes down to you beating someone by 1 inch in a sprint after 180km of racing. Having disc brakes means your rims will last longer as they are no longer being worn down from braking. Disc brakes are great for wet weather riding. The wheels that come with the bikes I recommend will be good enough.
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What about tires? 23mm is the standard width for road tires. 25mm is best for both speed and comfort on smooth roads. 28mm best for rougher roads and 32mm plus for gravel or dirt paths. Not all bikes will handle all tire widths so this is something you will learn by trial and error. Some shops will say a bike doesn't fit a 28mm tire but there is only one way to find out by trying yourself. Most shop staff don’t know much as they are noobs to the industry or stuck in old ways. Educate yourself and then educate them. Even if they don’t want to hear it I always enjoy correcting them about something. Share helpful knowledge. Still though, I know plenty of great staff who really enjoy their jobs and daily keep up to date with new products and are open to trying different things out. Bike Rumor is a great site as is the Velo News tech section. 25mm is the best around tire for most road bikes as it will generally allow fenders/mud guards. The best fenders for non disc bikes are the Crud Road Racer fenders. Now they don’t fit all road bikes but they do fit most. I highly recommend them if you live/travel in a place where rain or wet roads happen more than once a year. They have great youtube tutorials on how to fit as well. Bit fiddly the first time but I have taken mine on and off various bikes maybe 50 times and have it down to a fine art. If I can do it, ANYONE can do it! Just make sure you check the plastic fender bolts each week because they can rattle loose and fall off.
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My fav 25mm tires are the Continental GP4000s for speed, comfort and durability. They are not cheap though as they are made in Germany. Next favorite tire is the Maxxis ReFuse 25mm in the folding version. These are around 30USD and last a long long time. Incredibly puncture resistant. So if you are in the market for a tire when your current one wears out, get one of these 2. Vittoria Rubino folding in a 25mm is also another good strong yet fast tire. Specialized Armadillo also excellent but a bit too expensive for essentially the same as a Maxis ReFuse folding. Again, if you already have tires, wear them out first and then replace them with the tires I mention above. Folding tires are faster than wire beaded. I always have a good front tire up front as this is our steering control. If you get a blow out on the front its easier to lose control and crash. As the rear tire wears fastest, I switch my tires around. When I see signs of tire canvas on my rear tire, I get a new front tire for the front and put the old front tire on the rear. This keeps the front tire always fresh and saves rubber from landfill as your tires last longer. If you are racing, keep a set of new tires for race day but break them in with at least 100km so they are not slippery slick with factory sheen on them still. Rim tape is what covers the eyes of your rim where the spokes have entered. Most rims need rim tape. Its important to check your rim tape every time you get a flat tire to make sure it has not slipped and exposed an eyelet. The exposed eyelet will puncture a tube easily. I use cloth rim tape as I find it holds in place best. Plenty of vids on youtube how to install and check rim tape. Page 52 of 124
When you get a flat tire, find a safe place to repair it and sit down. Find the cause of the flat tire. Run your hands gently around the inside of the tire to feel for any wire, glass or thorns. Remove the offending object and place them in a deep concrete crack so nobody else stabs their foot, paw or tire. To fix a tube, put some air in the tube and feel for escaping air. Your cheek is a good body part to feel for air. Or a bucket of water that you can later tip on the garden. Check for how many puncture holes you may have. You might get 2 or 3 holes in 1 tube remember so be aware. When you have found the hole, let the air out and put a circle of glue around it. Just about 1mm high and the same diameter. as the patch you are about to put on. Glue the smooth side of the patch (foil side) with also 1mm of glue. Let both dry for at least 10 minutes. Apply the patch to the tube and hold with your fingers for at least 30 seconds. The punctured tube now is fixed. I use my spare tube vs riding straight away on the fixed tube. In an emergency you can use the repaired tube immediately but I find if the glue can ‘cure’ overnight, it is a bit stronger. I don’t use glue less patches as I find they fail a lot. I don’t use C02 gas canisters to pump my tires as I would rather get a work out and save resources. Page 53 of 124
In a banana peel Continental GP4000S in a 25mm is one of the best all round tires for speed and mid level puncture resistance. When every second counts on Strava - this is your tire. Maxxis Refuse Folding in a 25 or 28mm (if it fits with your frame or fenders) is one of the best all round tires for avoiding punctures. When you don’t want to get a flat tire on the way to work, this is your tire. DT Swiss make the best hubs. PERIOD! Ive used most brand hubs out there and the DT SWISS 240’s really are the most durable. Giant often specs DT Swiss hub internals in their top of the line bikes. They are not cheap hubs but something to save up for one day if you can. Use whatever wheels and tires you have now. No need to buy new stuff right away but when you wear something out then I would replace it with something from my recommended list of wheels and tires. Only when one rides lower quality parts can they appreciate better quality parts. This is another joy of cycling. I have $6000 wheels and $100 wheels. There is not 60x the difference. NOBODY didn't get up the mountain cos their wheels were too heavy. NOBODY gets dropped from riders of equal fitness cos their wheels were too heavy. When do I replace tires? I replace my rear tire when the canvas is showing thru a little bit. I replace my worn rear trie with my Page 54 of 124
current front tire then buy a NEW tire for the front. This keeps the front tire always in top condition. I monitor my tires on a regular basis when I clean my bike. I look for cuts or bits of glass and patch any cuts in the tire with a patch underneath to prevent the tube from bursting thru the tire wall. ALWAYS have a newish tire on the front as your FRONT TIRE IS YOUR CONTROL TIRE and control of your bicycle is obviously vital. These days tires are quite strong and can be ran down to the first canvas layer on the REAR only before they get dumped in landfill. Tires typically have at least 5 layers of strong fibers/canvas/ kevlar so wearing just the rubber down to the first layer is fine, in my experience. ONLY on rear tires though. REPLACE YOUR REAR TIRE WHEN YOU SEE THE FIRST LAYER. The photo of the red/white tire is an example of a tire that was used TOO FAR and the tube eventually was exposed and burst. This can cause a serious accident if you are not ready for it so when you see the first layer, replace your rear tire with your current front tire and purchase a new front tire. If you live in Adelaide South Australia then an excellent wheel builder is Kim from North Adelaide Cycles. His experience at fixing spokes and building wheels is hard to beat. Page 55 of 124
MEGA Money saving tips! 1.A 10000$ bike isn't worlds better than a $1500 bike. It might feel nicer, shift gears better and look cool but whatever you can do on a 10 grand road bike, you can do it just as good as a $1500 bike. 2.You don’t need flashy wheels. Get them for sure if you like the look of them but don’t be conned into thinking it is going to make any real world difference other than placebo. A durable, straight, good braking surface pair of wheels is all you need. A few hundred grams here or there means nothing in the real world. At the Tour De France where literally EVER second matters, then yes, but who lives in Tour De France reality?? 3.Get your old allen keys or worn multi tool, put on some safety glasses, find a bench grinder or someone who can, and then grind down the last few mm tip of your old tool so a new hex key is formed. This alone has saved me hundreds of $$ by being able to use the same tools over and over. Also saves resources. 4.Patch and repair tires. Learn how to do this properly so its also safe. I run my rear tire into the ground and get a lot of tires from hard rubbish. I give them a safety inspection first before usage.
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This tip has a learning curve but I had to learn so you sure can do it too. Saved me thousands of $$ for sure. 5.You don’t need special sports drinks or bars. Consume them if you want (I do) but they can’t really replace real food or beverages. What they do for me is add a bit of variety in my diet for when my hunger gets fussy but I kneed carb cals to keep going each day. Cliff bars & gels are vegan and travel well. 6.You DO need a power meter. With all the money you save from the other tips, invest in a power meter! Power meters have cadence meters built into them so you also save money there. 7.You don’t need to pay for a coach. Most plans they write up are generic anyway and don’t factor in your current lifestyle, stresses, responsibilities etc. Instead find an experienced bunch of riders and learn the basics from them over time. 8.Use a bike instead of a car. Ive never had a drivers license. Im 38. Do the math how much money I have saved. It is a house in most countries around the world. 9.More expensive doesn't mean better quality. Most tires, frames and parts are made on the same factory floor as other brands/models of a far cheaper price tag. Most of the time people pay more $$ due to marketing hype vs genuinely better product. 10.Similar to point number 9, the most expensive groupsets like Red, Dura Ace or Super Record are not really better than the Page 57 of 124
groupsets that cos half or a quarter of the cost. They are maybe a few grams lighter but it is not going to make a difference at the end of the day. If you are going to ride you are going to ride. If you are going to flog your mates you are going to flog them. It doesn't matter if you ride Sora or DuraAce. I speak from experience as I have ridden all the bling out there extensively since the mid 90’s and can talk from personal experience. The most important thing is properly tuned gears, power meter and gear ratios vs what model gear you ride. 11.Invest in a saddle bag. In this saddle bag you can carry spare tube, tire levers, money, glue and tire patches. My tip with gluing patches is to glue both the patch AND tube and wait at least 10minutes for them to dry more. This makes them more sticky and definitely helps with the adhesion factor. Place the recently fixed tube in your saddle bag and use your spare tube. This will allow the patch and glue to ‘cure’ even longer providing a more solid adhesion to patch and tube. I don’t use C02 cannisters. I just use a mini hand pump. When pumping the tire be sure to not snap your valve off ! This will happen once or twice but you will soon learn how to gently pump a tire with finesse.
Chapter 6 Eating for stamina and maximum weight loss.
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Best advice I can give is: EAT BEFORE YOU ARE FUCKING HUNGRY! DRINK BEFORE YOU ARE FUCKING THIRSTY! Some noobs debate with me but if they just came out on one single ride with me then they would quickly learn. Some idiotic coaches even disagree and I will guarantee riders who follow my advice will out perform theres EVERY TIME relative to their individual potential, drug usage,experience and base fitness. My Kenyan runner friend once said ‘I eat before my face hits the tarmac!’. Many runners collapse from glucose exhaustion but just blame the distance vs their own noob mistakes. Many cyclists actually crash their bikes due to glucose exhaustion. This took me a few years to work out but was most evident in 24hr mountain bike racing where even simple sections became a lot trickier. Ive even seen skilled riders make silly mistakes and crash as a result of varying levels glucose exhaustion. So how much do we need? The top sports nutritionists recommend at least 10grams of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day. I also agree and have found when people do this, they achieve PROFOUND boosts in stamina not just on the bike but also off the bike. They will notice extra stamina and tolerance when dealing with people at work, family, friends, partners and children. Anyone who says ‘carbs are just for athletes’ is a fucking undercarbed IDIOT! Why? Well EVERY daily activity and responsibility we have NEEDS carbs to be Page 59 of 124
completed. Even when we are burning fat, we are needing carbs to keep that fat burning. FAT BURNS IN THE FLAME OF CARBOHYDRATE. So the more carbs we eat each day, the more fat we can burn BECAUSE THE MORE WORK LOAD WE CAN DO WHEN WE EAT MORE CARBS! The analogy is that fat is a wooden log in a fire. Carbs are the kindling. To get that fat log burning we need kindling to help start the fire. We need carbs to get us going and keep us going all day. When we cut carbs the body shuts down proper thyroid function and our metabolism SLOWS down so we don’t burn or can’t burn too many calories. Thats why so many sluggish people walk around daily with damaged thyroid levels from low carb or carb restrictive diets. Don’t just trust me though, spend a few hours reading medical text on the topic of how insufficient carbs can fuck up your thyroid levels and cause you to become ‘rampant holder of soft fat tissue and excess water retention’. Red blood cells are also dependent on sugar for fuel. The more red blood cells we have, the faster we can ride and the more oxygen we can transfer around our body. It takes around 3kg of oxygen to burn 1 kg of fat. Literally. We also breathe that fat out via our breath. By feeding ourselves sufficient carbs each day, we have enough sugars to build fitness which boosts red blood cell count AND we have enough fuel for those red blood cells to be constantly fueled and helping us burn more fat. More red blood cells also gives us a Page 60 of 124
feeling of well being. The main drugs that boost red blood cell count are EPO and testosterone. That is why swimmers, runners, soccer, tennis and boxers use these 2 powerful hormones as they can build even more red blood cells and take their fitness and lean gains to the next level. I don’t recommend using these hormones though as their can be serious consequences if you don’t know what you are doing. Also long term hormone issues if you do know what you are doing. Still though, they are considered far safer than the contraceptive pill based on their cancer risk being lower than women taking the pill for longer than a few months. Find what your favorite carbs staples are and FUCKING SMASH THEM IN! If you want to be obese/keg like, then chose carb staples HIGH IN FAT, SALT AND PROTEIN. Good (bad) examples are big macs, donuts, dairy ice cream, meat lovers pizza with cheesy crust, steak and chips. These also have the added bonus of promoting heart disease so when you get a bypass or stent you can tell your mates ‘sorry guys, Ive got a medical excuse why I get dropped, otherwise I would kick all your asses!’. If you want to be razor lean then focus on carb staples LOW IN FAT, SALT AND PROTEIN. Good choices are fruits, fruit juice, dried fruit, steamed rice of any type, steamed/boiled starches like potatoes, corn, barley, oats, teff, ugali, quinoa. Many breakfast cereals in the box are loaded with fat and salt. Read labels. Go with the lowest fat, salt and protein you can and focus on WHOLE foods as your staples so you get lots of nutrients with your cals. Adding Page 61 of 124
refined sugar is a good tip to get enough carb cals. I like to add it to my smoothies so I get extra simple sugar cals for glycogen retention but also the smoothy or fruit salad has lots of good fiber and other essential nutrients. Always rinse your mouth well after each meal. I floss every night and NEVER let my mouth get dry at night or during rides. A dry mouth is devoid of sufficient saliva and more prone to rapid dental issues. I see so many pro riders BATTLE with excess weight as they listen to their fat team doctors, nutritionists or team owners and cut their carbs down and then focus on eating more fat and protein. I laugh myself silly at this concept of desiring to be able to hold 7watts per kg for 10mins but then eating like a sumo wrester!! Anyone with half a brain can call up a sumo stable in Japan and ask “What foods are essential to be an obese Sumo?” and the answer will be “Chankonobe!” which is a traditional dish high in fat and protein. The kids who just live on rice and veg get kicked out of the sumo obesity school and sent down the road to join the karate dojo! I shit myself with giggles when tubby riders tell me that Im wrong about diet. I always like to remind them they look like humpty dumpty on a bike so perhaps they should listen to me cos Im not the one on a diet every 2nd month or yo yo’n with my weight or performances. Another trick many pro riders use is using corticosteroids and thyroid medication to lose weight. Also various peptide compounds will work. These are ALWAYS short term options and will guaranteed fuck up your metabolism so you can become one of the Page 62 of 124
many chubby ex pro’s who never looked like they have ridden a bike up a hill in their life. So many pro’s in their early 40’s are about as fit as the average office worker! Even today I could out climb Jan Ulrich who won the Tour De France but abused his metabolism so much he is a broken cyclist. Same with Bjarne Riis, Greg Lemond or Evengi Berzin. Id even be keen to race Lance Armstrong up Mt Washington after a 200k ride. My marathon time is even faster than his. Thats how powerful drugs are, they can turn a decent cyclist into a fucking monster. But drugs are like a credit card in that you will have to pay back with interest at some point later in life. Ok, lets get back on track, how much should you eat so you can ride AS FAR as you want any day of the week? 1gram of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour is a good start. Its almost impossible to run out of glycogen if you are taking in 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour and started the day with full glycogen tanks from eating around 10g of carbs per kg per day, going to bed by 8-9pm and drinking at least 2-3 liters of water per day. Also keep your fat intake low if better performance and permanent weight loss if your goal. Of course its impossible to eat NO fat as even bananas and lettuce contain healthy fats but there is no need to pour oil on your salad, deep fry things or eat a kg bag of cashews each week. Unless you are underweight and need to gain. Nor if you are looking to drop weight do you need to put fatty spreads on your bread unless you want to store more fat and then go ahead. I do eat more fat
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when Im getting too shredded as 2% body fat is not really very healthy to have longer than a month.
In a banana peel. Low carb diets are promoted by idiots for idiots. High carb intake is the FOUNDATION of all positive life performances. If you want to be heavy like a sumo or rugby player then base your diet high in fat and protein. If you want to be slimmer, leaner and with incredible stamina then base your diet on high carb vegan foods. Base your diet around fruit or starch staples like bananas, dates, rice, corn, millet, quinoa, ugali, teff, mangoes. I use organic sugar to make any meal sweeter if need be. I pour it on. I don’t use a spoon. I avoid oily food unless Im getting too lean and want to put on more body fat. I focus on making most of my meals higher water content. Smoothies and rice tipped into veggie soup digest really well. The higher the water content, the better the digestion. Before eating pizza I will drink at least a quart of water about 10-20mins before to offset the dry pizza base. Red blood cells run on sugars. The more fuel they have, the better they can work. More red blood cells means more oxygen to the muscles. More oxygen in the body means more fat burned. More Page 64 of 124
oxygen equals more power. More power means speed. Moral of the story: Fuel your body with lots and lots of carbs daily so you can work and play at your best daily. The ability to keep pushing on the bike or in daily life is dependent on your GLYCOGEN stores and hydration. NOBODY runs out of protein or fat. EVER! Yet many overlook the importance of carbs and sugars due believing the bullshit they learn on TV. Drink enough water so you have clear urine at least every 2-3 hours. If my urine is yellow or straw then I know I need to drink more. I will knock back 500-1000ml immediately. There is no need to drink more than 1 quart of water per hour as the body will find it hard to process it more than this.
Most riders have a big breakfast and that means blood will be diverted from the cardio system to digestion. You will feel a bit 'heavy' when you try to breathe because your full stomach is hindering belly breathing it a bit. No problem as if your meal was high water content like fruit smoothie, rice and soy milk then it will digest a lot faster than a bacon and eggs. (hence why ALL LEAN pro riders eat high carb breakfasts for faster digestion).
You will find the riders who are strong on long weekend rides are usually the same riders that may struggle early on. These riders Page 65 of 124
know how to eat large meals therefore will have larger glycogen reserves than the riders who eat little breakfasts but can punch hard for 1hr till the glycogen tank is running low. So you may start a bit sluggish but you will have more in the tank as the day goes on.
Another factor is when glycogen is running low, the body releases adrenaline so you get a mad kick of blood sugar to the cells and your watts can go up. Stage 14 in the Vuelta 2014 was evident of this when Ryder got dropped by Zaugg who had a shot of adrenaline but bonked just before the line and was caught by Ryder. Zaugg would have won literally if he had just a single gel or bottle of sugar water. So what is the work around to having good wattage for the early climbs yet be able to stay strong for another 300km in the saddle?
What I do is consume 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day, keep my fat and protein intake under 60g each approx and find this allows for peak glycogen retention. The low fat diet allows for better blood transfer (RBC's stick together in the presence of excess dietary fat) and the low protein allows the kidneys to better regulate natural EPO levels which boost hemoglobin production. RBC's are also fueled by sugars.
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All I do for any long and fast ride is the same for any work day behind the computer. Start the day with a quart of water, knock back a piece of fruit and get to it. With in an hour of waking I try and take in 500-1000cals of fruit in the form of smoothie or juice. I may be sitting on my bike or sitting on a chair behind my computer. *If Im doing my weekly TT then I will have a glass of water with a piece of fruit and be back home in the hour for more water and fruit calories. I prefer a lighter stomach if Im trying to go hard for 5-30minutes. A glass of water and piece of fruit is enough to power any morning workout lasting under an hour assuming we have been having carb rich meals the previous few days. Never train fasted, always have a cup of water and piece of sweet fruit prior to any exercise. Higher water content meals means in 20mins, you are going to be able to hammer harder (if you need to) on the bike/at work than if you have something slower digesting for breakfast. So I wake up, scull a quart of water or take it on the bike, have 500-1000cals of simple sugars in that first hour on the bike then about 400cals of sugar, dates or gels each hour after. 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour. So if you are 60kg then that is about 60g of carbs per hour. 60g of sugar is 60g of carbs. The average 100g bananas has about 20 grams of carbs. Page 67 of 124
Find your fav carb foods and do the math of how much you need to eat per hour on the bike and per day. It will take you a few minutes to do this yet it will last you a lifetime. For me it is about 3 gels OR 3 bananas OR 70g of organic sugar poured in my water bottle OR 100g of dried fruit per hour when Im going for a ride longer than 1hr. During the day it will be at least 35 bananas OR 1kg of dates OR 1kg bad of rice(uncooked weight). Don’t expect everyone to enjoy your new ethical and healthy dietary choices. Expect loads of social disapproval and situational inconvenience. Enjoy the looks of ridicule from the drones yet to become conscious. Trust me, the benefits are all worth it. Develop a sense of humor to handle all the idiotic comments and opinions you will receive as you start to break apart from worshipping the god of public opinion. Enjoy the ride!
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If you are stopping for lunch somewhere, knock back a litre of added sugar pineapple juice. When everyone is getting their legs fatted out from a grease meal, you will be smashing them up the last climb relative to what you would otherwise.
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Yes you will hit the toilet/bushes more but Ive spent a bit of time with racehorses and never seen a constipated or dehydrated race horse. Every pro team Ive ever trained with stopped every 1.5-2hours for a nature break. Dehydration kills performances as your blood volume drops (hypovolemia) and you run the risk of hyponatremia etc as your kidneys can no longer regulate sodium/ potassium levels effectively. To prevent this I take in 500ml per hour in colder weather and 1 liter per hour in hot weather. I always ensure clear urine (unless you are eating cereals fortified with B vitamins then it will be yellow for an hour or after drinking beet juice it will be purple). Ive made about $10000 over the last 15 years being a lab rat for various experiments. I even did a few with Cadel's main trainer back in 2001. 6 weeks at the AIS in the altitude house was an eye opener. He told me how rife doping is and how lab performances tests don't really matter as much as they are hyped up to matter. He said it doesnt matter if your VO2 is 80 if mentally you down talk yourself coming into the last climb. He said a power meter is the most important thing you can own as a cyclist. Back then though, the software was only for physiologists and a wired SRM was insanely expensive. There was no Strava and no Youtube channels giving tips. There were not even any books on power meters!
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Chapter 7. Climbing mentality. Climbing is like sex. You can fuck the climb or make love to the climb. Fucking the climb should leave you exhausted and spent. Making love to the climb is enjoying its beauty and taking your time. Loving the climb VS fucking the climb is more sustainable but like any healthy relationship, I recommend fucking a climb at least once a week to keep the love for mountains aggressive and passionate. As you get more experienced with cycling I recommend fucking a climb for at least 5-30mins once a week. Fuck it good and hard with a cadence of around 90rpm. When I start undressing a climb I like to go by the B.P.R principles. I bring my focus to B.P.R at all times when fucking or making love to a climb. B is for belly breathing. Use your diaphragm to suck in more air and slow down your breathing rate. This will also help the mind relax and the legs get more power as more oxygen will be taken in to the working muscles via the blood. P is for pacing and pedaling. Focus on your goal wattage and pedal in a manner where you are ‘scraping the mud off your shoes on a gutters edge’. Page 71 of 124
R is for relaxing the mind. Keep your focus on fun, breathing or pedal stroke. No negative thoughts allowed. The more positive you can think, the faster you will go for the same given effort.
When climbing focus on forward motion. Many noobs think if they are not going over 30km up a climb then they should stop and walk! The reality is even the top pro riders on NASA drugs are only going brisk walking pace up at times up steep climbs. Even they are not always climbing at 30-40kph. So as long as you are MOVING FORWARD on a climb, that is what matters really. IF YOU ARE MOVING FORWARD YOU ARE DOING JUST GREAT! How about the mind? Where should the focus be when climbing? The power of meditation when riding hard is real. If you can control your mind, you can control breathing and the more oxygen you can take in without panicking, the more power you can get to the rear wheel. Also the more oxygen you can take in the more fat you will burn as it literally takes 3kg of oxygen to burn 1kg of fat. Again fat is released via breathing. Google it. The more oxygen you take in, the MORE FUCKING FAT YOU BURN! If only those people sitting on the sofa eating celery sticks knew they could actually eat good food, live the adventure life and become high energy slim people vs low
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energy starved people addicted to drama and meaningless distractions! By meditating on the climb you will climb more relaxed at the same given wattage and therefore be able to hold that same wattage for longer which means YOU WILL BURN MORE FAT OFF YOUR BODY!! Meditation to me means the absence of thought. When I climb hard, Im thinking of nothing. Yet I'm flexible too in that if my mind wants to think then I allow ONLY positive thoughts or focus. If any negative try to sneak in I shut a mental door on its undercarbed face. This was an epiphany for me and others I coached. We all started shaving minutes off our times within a week or 2! It is literally stronger than EPO in terms of how it can affect performances. (Combined with EPO and years of training then you will have Lance Armstrong style performances.) Remember the first time you learned to swim or snorkel and you panicked and then could only last a few seconds under water before you learned how to RELAX and blow bubbles under water or thru your snorkel? Well climbing on a bicycle is similar. You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You have to become comfortably uncomfortable. In todays society where we complain if our $5 pizza is not warm enough or the free download is taking an extra minute, we really have been conditioned to become soft pretzels that want to avoid any discomfort during our daily life. Page 73 of 124
Watch Lance Armstrong or Chris Froome. Drugs aside, these riders personify relaxed breathing whilst being uncomfortable. Imagine what they are telling themselves? They are focusing on good form, relaxed but strong breathing, cadence and getting to the top of the mountain as fast as possible. The harder you push, the sooner you get there and the pain goes quicker. Pain is essential, suffering is optional. When one meditates, the leg pain lessens almost as much as pain killers. Ive done the experiment on myself and for sure, the mind can control pain levels on the bike as effectively as relatively strong pain killers. Pain killers are extremely popular in professional sports during hard training sessions or in racing. They literally take away most of the pain and let the person push even harder. This practice is totally legal and incredibly effective but I find it incredibly unhealthy. The extra load on the kidneys and liver is real. I strongly advice against painkillers unless you have an accident like you slip in the shower and break your hip and need pain killers for surgery etc. By learning to become comfortably uncomfortable and welcome that discomfort of riding a bicycle up steep long climbs, we change our entire metabolism and mindset. Do you think a mountain goat experiences pain when it climbs to the highest peak? Probably it does but I know for sure they don’t guzzle ibuprofen to get up the top! So lets embrace a mountain goat mentality where climbing steep and long hills is fun. Hey, its just fat calories man! In exchange for elevation and an incredible view you have to pay in fat grams! Page 74 of 124
The more elevation you want to gain in a ride the more fat grams you have to pay! Not a bad transaction in todays society where most of us are overweight or obese right? Here is a DM I got on instagram recently. “Hi Harley, it’s Natasha. Just wanted to let you know that I rode up the 11km mountain today and did what you said…I slowed down the pace, breathed from my stomach and I focused my mind on giving gratitude. Wow, amazing difference! First time ever that I didn't feel like I was going to die, no nausea and I didn't have to stop!! My heart rate was consistent, my breathing was relaxed and I had strength to give it more up the steep parts. I feel fantastic and I actually got a faster time. It was the first time I actually enjoyed it. So just wanted to say THANKYOU for the tips and support!”
In a banana peel. You have your properly fitted bicycle. Enjoy it. You have easy gearing for just about any paved road climb. Use them. You have 2 arms and legs. You have a desire to get slimmer and fitter. Why not go ride up a hill today? Prioritize it daily if not every second day. Just go easy. Get out there and clear your mind. The mindset for climbing is NO THOUGHTS. If thoughts want to come into your mind then ONLY positive ones like ‘yeah this is Page 75 of 124
incredible! I can’t believe Im going so high/fast/long/smooth! What a great experience! My cadence is really good and my pedaling is like an electric motor, I'm so efficient! Negative thoughts are ‘I can’t breathe!, this sucks!, what is the point!, I miss my sofa!, Ariande Grande doesn't have to do this does she?, I don’t really want to be fit and lean, my ass hurts! Im all sweaty! OMG! my mascara is running, Im getting a taxi! When you get a power meter, having numbers on the screen really can help keep the focus as well. Just chase the numbers and turn the pedals. Enjoy the view and expect incredible results in the post. If in doubt on a climb of what to do JUST FUCKING RELAX AND KEEP PUSHING! :) Our breathing wants to come from the belly. When breathing strong and relaxed your belly will go in an out like a big air pump. This is the best way to flood the body with fat burning oxygen. Breathing from the chest is panic breathing. Breathing from the belly is fat burning breathing. Science proves it over and over. To learn belly breathing, lay on your back in your bed and feel when our belly goes up and down with our breathing. Practice this every night and morning until it becomes second nature in daily life. You will become an incredibly calm person in all life situations now as our breathing also determines our mood. Often when Im frustrated on the computer learning a new program it is due to not belly Page 76 of 124
breathing. I fall back into chest breathing and become more tense and less understanding of my computers needs and desires.
Chapter 8 Sleeping Habits A common mistake is staying up late reading cycling books or online buying stuff from cycling websites or laying in bed with your bicycle and shining a torch over its sexy frame, curvy handlebars and slim wheels. If you are reading this past 8-9pm then close it off and start again in the morning! Sleep is where gains are made though. Fitness gains. Lean body gains. How? Most of our beneficial hormones require at least 8-10 hours a night so they can function more effectively. If you want to feel your best then try and hit the sack by 8-9pm each night. I know many of you will laugh or scoff BUT if you want to fucking feel like KING KONG ON EPO & STEROIDS then do this for a month and see what happens! Doesn't matter if you can’t sleep right away as long as you are RESTING FLAT AND IN DARKNESS so your heart rate aka HR can lower and your body can get some physiological rest by being relaxed and in darkness. REST is more important than sleep many researchers have discovered. Laying down and relaxing like a dog or cat in darkness. So many people stress if they lay in bed and ‘can’t sleep’. Doing that is like hitting your bike with a hammer to change a flat tire -WHAT IS THE POINT OF THAT? LOL! They let their mind race and Page 77 of 124
turn themselves into nutters overnight! The solution?? JUST FUCKING RELAX IN DARKNESS AND CHILL BRAH! That is Durianrider’s ‘scientific instruction’ for you if you want to go next level fitness, health, mindset and energy wise. Your mind can be your greatest supporter or your worst hater - ONLY YOU DECIDE WHICH ONE IN ANY GIVEN MOMENT!
It’s not so much that if you sleep, you will lose weight, but if you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of sleep or good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly. Think about it: If you’re feeling sleepy at work, you may be tempted to reach for a cup of coffee (or several cups) and a doughnut (50% calories from fat) for a quick shot of energy. Later you may skip the gym and pick up takeout (50% calories from fat on average) on your way home to your family -- no time to prepare something better cos you are just so dam tired and hungry! When you finally find yourself back in your bed, you are too wound up to sleep as that greasy fatty meal is still digesting (fat and protein are the hardest to digest nutrients). Not enough carbs to sleep properly and now your growth hormones (read burn more fat) will be lowered. Not enough carbs means not enough serotonin produce means not enough deep sleep which means you don’t store glycogen as effectively which means you will be back on the caffeine cycle come Page 78 of 124
morning time and stuck in the rut of metabolic damage, stimulant dependence and never really have much participation in your daily reality as things just seem to ‘happen to me’ VS you making things happen! Also some peoples friends or partners might not understand the need for earlier nights. You will need to explain this to them and the positive benefits. If they don’t support your positive behavior then it is time to ‘trade then in’ for a better model who does. Trust me, there is a massive shortage of people into fitness. Your value in the dating market goes up 10 fold if you are really keen on fitness and living what you preach. In a banana peel. The earlier you go to bed the better your recovery. The point of going to bed is to RELAX so FUCKING RELAX regardless of what else is going on around you! The only time you should get negative whilst laying in bed is if someone has just tried to break into your house and has you in a throat choke hold. Ok THEN you can get angry and restless! Otherwise, bed is for relaxing! The more you can teach yourself to switch off at night, the more you can turn it on tomorrow and be so much more productive. Get up early each day so going to bed early is an easy routine. Soon ‘early nights and mornings’ will become your ‘normal’ default setting.
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Helpful hormones are mostly released when we are sleeping and resting in darkness with a low heart rate. Caffeine can NEVER replace sleep in terms of peak performance. Use an eye mask for even deeper rest due extra hormones being released during pure darkness. Keep a window open for increased oxygen in your room at night. Sleeping in clothes can be dehydrating. Its is better to have covers vs clothing on you as it is harder for the skin to breath. Try sleeping nude/light clothing one night and in jeans and a jacket the next. See how more dehydrated you feel when sleeping in heavy clothing. Remember it doesn't matter how you feel when you wake up. What matters is that you can work hard each day on your goals for that day. How I feel when I wake up really means fuck all in my experience. Some of the days when Ive woke up extra crisp have been not so productive days and some days when I just wanted to stay in bed cos I felt so crap have been some of my productive. So just get up early anyway and start the day. Have a nap later if you must but get to bed early that night to start/continue the body slimming optimum sleep cycle.
Chapter 9 What can we learn from dopers. I remember distinctly seeing Lance Armstrong in the flesh in 2001 Tour De France. I was road side on an alp watching the individual
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mountain time trial. Lance came past me so fast and was sweating and pushing so hard that a flick of sweat landed on my arm. LANCE WAS OFF HIS FUCKING FACE!! As someone who had done a lot of drugs recreationally in the past I could see it in his face and eyes that LANCE WAS ON SOME GOOD SHIT THAT DAY! (99% of people never believed me though until that Oprah interview Lance did.) The main thing we can learn from dopers is that drugs will NOT work unless the mind decides to push. You can have a hemoglobin level over 200 and be on the verge of heart attack BUT if you don’t mentally have the desire to push yourself then you will NOT go faster no matter what your hemoglobin levels are like. So what can we learn from dopers? We learn that drugs sure do work but only when the mind lets the body do its thing. The mind gives up before the body does. We can also learn that dopers use drugs to boost red blood cell count. We can do this via high carb diet to ensure we have enough sugars to the feed and nourish those red blood cells. Dopers take testosterone to store more glycogen, produce more red blood cells, to shred more fat and keep more muscle tone. We can do drug free this via our diet, early nights and consistent training. Lets have a closer look at what we can do and what dopers do and why.
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Testosterone: Increases glycogen storage. More glycogen means more power and vitality. More assertive mindset and posture. Non doping solution? Eat at least 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day and then go from there. You might find you need even more or may need less. The 10g guideline is a great starting place though. Your motivation for training will become incredible. Many find they have to force the first week like any new routine but once they light that first week flame routine, a raging fire will ensue! I have to hold myself back from training too much. If I trained as much as I wanted I would simply waste away as my body fat levels are already borderline too low. This is why I wish I was obese, so then I could ride as much as I wanted for a few years! EPO (a hormone we naturally produce that boosts red blood cell amounts): Increases red blood cell count which increases oxygen transfer and uptake to the working muscles. Means more stamina and more fat burned as 3kg of oxygen is needed to burn 1kg of fat. Non doping solution? A low fat vegan diet will reduce blood fat levels. High blood fat levels means red blood cells stick together and can’t deliver oxygen as effectively. This means your legs and mind feel ‘blocked’ no matter how hard you try. Oil and animal products are the worst at making blood ‘sticky’ and sluggish. Pour extra olive oil on your friends salad the night before any race if you want to get more of an edge on them or give them less of an advantage haha!
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Cortisone: Increases pain tolerance and makes people feel super human. Enables a more positive mindset. Non doping solution? Sleep, water and sugar sufficiencies each day will have you less inflamed and more motivated. The more my sleep water and sugar levels are topped up daily, the more I feel like Lance Armstrong super charged on cortisone flying up the mountain. (well almost). Animal products contain more metabolic waste products which will increase acid levels in the blood. This means we will hurt more for any given wattage than otherwise. Same if we are dehydrated and our legs are burning or cramping up. Cortisone pills or injections can mask this pain. Use of cortisone is something Im against as even though it is an incredible performance enhancer, it comes with a lot of negative side effects. Better to just eat, think and live proper. So we can learn from dopers what they use and why. We can seek natural ways that are extremely effective. Is sleep, water and sugar as effective as legal and illegal doping methods used by all top sports stars today? NO! But the methods above are all incredibly effective at boosting your performance in a HEALTHY way that will help you for life. Taking drugs to boost performance is like using a credit card as we ALWAYS pay later. Sad thing is that many athletes do not care as they just want a short life of big money and fame. Now let me contradict myself slightly. I myself have taken performance enhancing drugs and can honestly speak from experience that sleep, water and sugar are more Page 83 of 124
important than ANY drug anyone can take. The thing is though pro athletes at the top do take care of their sleep, water and sugar on the daily so the drugs they use just make everything work even better. Good proof of this is in the 2000 Tour De France when Lance Armstrong almost lost the race by failing to eat enough sugars during the ride. We all knew back then he was juiced to the gills but it didn't matter when something as simple as glucose exhaustion was kicking in and he couldn't produce the wattage to get up the mountain fast enough. That is proof that SUGAR, WATER and SLEEP are more important than any drugs and that SUGAR WATER and SLEEP are the foundations from which everything we do is built.
Just so there is no confusion. Lets talk about Bazza Barnes. Bazza is a porn star and is feeling self conscious about his pregnant looking stomach. He wants to drop some fat and in order to do so he needs to take in more oxygen by riding more. Bazza just worked out he needs to breathe in 3kg of oxygen to burn 1kg of fat and he is excited about this fact. Bazza has some problems that are preventing him for sustaining a leaner physique. He is doing a ketogenic diet because his mindless trainer who has no idea, said it would be a ‘good idea’. Bazza struggles to find motivation though. He has burnt his adrenals on pre workout powders, ritalin, coffee and is at the end of his rope motivation wise.
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Bazza only eats 100g of carbs a day and bought some EPO and testosterone from a guy at the gym his trainer recommended. It hasn’t done much for him despite the promises it was legit product. Bazza meets me on a ride and I tell him to smash in at least 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day. Bazza is 100kg and struggles to physically fit in 1000g of carbs to start with but does well and gets in at least 6-700g. The next week he finds his sex drive goes up and so does his motivation to get out doors. His mood goes up and he can’t believe it was so simple. He can finally go to the toilet properly and not shit rabbit pellets like he was on his bowel cancer inducing keto diet. He sleeps more soundly and feels more hydrated. On his first ride he rides the fastest time up his local climb in about a year. He is more productive at work and decides to stop taking testosterone and EPO as he has found that the biggest power is really in muscle glycogen. What did we learn from Bazza? We learned you can take all the drugs you want BUT if you are not getting the sugar, water and sleep your body needs, NONE of them will fucking work properly. 3 months later Bazza has dropped more body fat and his stomach has flattened of substainaly. Yet his weight has changed only a little bit as the fat he has lost was replaced with muscle glycogen, hydration, lymph, muscle and blood volume. More proof that scale weight doesn’t mean much if the numbers go up or down. Bazza feels more stable and enjoys his relationships with other people more. He can fuck harder on camera without needing lines Page 85 of 124
of cocaine to keep going. All Bazza did was increase his sleep, water and sugar intake and then he found it easier to sustain the lifestyle he wanted.
Lets take another person. Shazza. Shazza is a single mum who has 3 kids and works as a stripper. She finds it hard to keep slim for stripping and does a lot of calorie restriction. She used to do sport in high school but lost motivation for it after being so busy with kids. Shazza has a bicycle but never rides it. Shazza was fucking a guy who worked at a bike shop and he sorted her out with a nice bike. It is also properly fitted road bike with compact cranks etc. Shazza knows cycling will help her strip off the unwanted body fat and fluid retention but always waits for the ‘right day’ before she does anything. Shazza has read my book recently and increased her sleep, water and sugar. She feels better but still doesn’t find she has any motivation to ride. Shazzas situation is a common one and something the human body often has to be FORCED into overcoming. I call it the ‘stagnant energy syndrome’. We forget that MOOD FOLLOWS ACTION so if you want to get rid of stagnant water in a pond then you HAVE to MOVE that water with a stick or aerator etc. To get rid of stagnant behavior in our daily life we just have to FORCE MOVE ourselves. Not manically or frantically but we just have to FORCE OURSELVES TO GET UP AND GET OUT THE DOOR and go for an easy 5minute ride. The 5 minute ride often becomes a bit Page 86 of 124
longer. Then the next day we do the same and eventually a habit forms and we are rolling along just nicely day to day. Shazza reads this and gives it a shot. She wakes up an hour before her children wake up and decides to just ride 1 lap around her mile block. She really struggles to get out of bed but says ‘FUCK IT! LETS DO IT!’ and gets on her bike for the 1 mile lap. She turns on her bicycle lights as it is still dark and cold out. Before she pulls into the apartment block she decides to do 1 more lap as a cool down. Then another lap happens before she gets a flat tire and has to walk home cos Shazza never learned how to fix a flat yet. Shazza has the bug now. She watches a youtube video and gets her young daughter who is 10 to help her fix the flat tire after school. The next morning Shazza does it again and finds doing 5 laps a breeze. She feels more energy and self worth simply by giving the stagnant energy the flick. Shazza has tapped into the power of momentum. A rolling stone gathers no moss. A carbed up vegan cyclist will shed all excess body fat & fluid retention longterm effortlessly, without doping products and inspire others to do same. Shazza decides to attack her local climb for the first time ever. Bazza is on the climb that weekend as well and they bump into each other. They exchange numbers and Shazza feels good that she is meeting like minded fitness individuals that support her weight loss and health goals.
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One weekday when the kids are at school, they catch up for a ride. They finish back at Bazzas place. Because he is so carbed up he still has enough stamina to give Shazza some lov’n n hugg’n. Bazza ends up pounding the fuck out of Shazza so hard that she couldn’t ride her bike in the saddle for a few days. Shazza still does her morning cycling laps out of the saddle till she heals up. The end.
Chapter 10 Durianrider’s Training plan for beginners. Ask 20 coaches for a plan and you will most likely get 20 different plans. Most plans are based on periodization where you do long easy miles for a few months and then bring in strength work and speed work. These were designed around doping athletes but really do not work in real life as most people are not taking drugs and don’t have all day to recover from brutal workouts that only drugged up riders can actually sustain. What is the solution? Do what I do. Get the sustainable and longterm results I & others get. I ride almost every day of the year. Cycling is my primary form of land transport. I do more miles each year sitting on my bicycle than sitting in a car, bus, train etc. I don’t have a drivers license. I have an e-bike if I want to get somewhere super fast. It is a Specialized Page 88 of 124
Turbo and can sit on 45kph if I pedal hard enough. It is a great excuse killer for when you get home from a ride but need to get somewhere else and you are tired but still need to get shit done. (I think e-bikes are incredible options to cars and motor bikes. Not the ‘slow as fuck’ ones but the pedal assist ones that let you go up to 45kph safely and effectively. Electric bicycles should have a 750w motor to be worthwhile. Bafang make a great electric motor in 750w.) Commuting is a great way to build up fitness. Ive commuted almost daily since 1996. Commuting is what I recommend as training for 99% of people as it is practical and still builds incredible fitness and fat loss results. So I do whatever it takes to commute. I ride an E bike if Im too fatigued from riding in the hills all morning on my normal bike. I ride my normal bike almost every day as my morning routine or to get from A-B. Last night I was on the train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Freelee and I brought our bikes onto the train and then this morning, we got off, grabbed our bikes and rode the 7km to our hotel. Easy! Later we will need more carbs so we will go ride to get some and lock our bikes with a proper lock whilst we go shopping. Later we will go out for dinner. We will ride to dinner and then ride back home. The daily commute is the FASTEST AND EASIEST AND CHEAPEST way to build incredible fitness and SHRED KILOS Page 89 of 124
AND KILOS OF BODY FAT AND EXCESS FLUID RETENTION. So that is all I recommend as a training plan. BICYCLE COMMUTING! EASY! :) If you have commuted for a few years and want to go next level then I would recommend 5-30minute ALL out intervals ONE DAY A WEEK. This will help you break into the next level fitness if commuting has given you enough stamina you can easily do a 100mile ride no problems. Freelee rarely does these intervals any more because she is too lean but I do as I need to keep a high level of fitness so I can stay up higher on the Strava leaderboards and represent. How many miles can you commute each week? As many as your saddle skin and knees can handle! Start off with 1 day a week and add a day each week and go from there. If you have any pain or chaffing then take off as much time as you need. Find out what is the cause of the pain though. Has your seat moved, do you need some proper bicycle shorts with padding, do you need a different seat or do you just need to start out slower? Maybe you need to stretch your gluten and ITB in bed more each night.
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Here is your training program. Monday. Fucking ride your bike somewhere at talking pace. Tuesday. Fucking ride your bike somewhere at talking pace. Wednesday. Fucking ride your bike somewhere at talking pace. Thursday. Fucking ride your bike somewhere at talking pace. Friday. Fucking ride your bike somewhere at talking pace. Saturday. Fucking ride your bike somewhere at talking pace. Sunday. Fucking ride your bike somewhere at talking pace. How fucking easy is that!? Aim for at least 5 hours per week at talking pace. Sure I could write you out some bullshit program that only applies to pro level cyclists but you are not wanting to be a pro and if you are then you already have years of training experience so you know what YOU NEED. 99.9% of us just need to ride our bikes MORE than we did this time last year. I find it funny that people sit on their ass waiting for some fancy program but do FUCKING NOTHING until they get it. So many people will read the above and say ‘oh thats too simple! I know Im a lazy fuck and don’t ride anywhere ever but I want something fancy and sexy to follow for a few weeks until I can come up with some excuses why I can’t follow the sexy and fancy fad exercise program which was designed more to make cash off noobs than to actually work for noobs.’. I know some people still need a spoon fed routine and I can understand that. Let me give you something more to work with then. Most governments recommend at least 30 mins a day dedicated to physical activity. I think that is a good starting point. Page 91 of 124
Monday. Ride 30-60mins at talking pace Tuesday Ride 30-60mins at talking pace Wednesday. Ride 30-60mins at talking pace. Thursday Ride 30-60mins at talking pace. Friday Ride 30-60mins at talking pace. Saturday Ride 30-60mins at talking pace. Sunday Ride 30-60mins at talking pace. Preferably on hilly terrain if you have access to it. If you don’t then I do suggest moving to more hilly areas but ANY ride you do is better than no ride. Talking pace means you can still talk but you probably couldn't sing. This is a very sustainable pace to do daily if you are eating, sleeping and hydrating like we recommend. This sort of riding really gets your lymphatic system moving and grooving. You will be taking in lots of oxygen and we know that 3kg of oxygen burns 1kg of fat. The weekly Time Trial aka TT (Hill fuck) If you feel up for it and have been riding for sometime then I recommend doing a time trial of 5-30minutes once a week. Warm up at talking pace for 20mins then go find your fav Strava segment and try and hold 90rpm at your max wattage you can hold for 5-30mins. Relax your mind and focus on breathing from your belly Page 92 of 124
during this TT. After a few TT’s you will workout what power you can hold for 5-30mins. Example I can hold 420w for 5 mins on a good day and 330w for 30mins. So if I want to do a 5min TT then I start at around 420w and try and hold that for the next 5 mins. If I want to do a 30min TT then I hold 330w for the next 30 mins. This is the joy of being a noob with a power meter as you don’t yet know your limits. Part of learning about ourselves is pushing ourselves too far and only then can we know how far we can go. Use these weekly TT’s as a self meditation and self reflection therapy sessions. Just breath, pedal and relax the mind whilst you do your best to hold wattage or find out what wattage you can hold. Commuting is where most of your training will be done as it is uber practical for anyone living busy life. Remember to reduce your training load a bit or significantly every 4th week so your body can absorb all the training you have been doing the previous 3 weeks. It is one thing to do training but if we don’t have the proper rest, we won’t absorb it as well. Here are some tips for commuting.
#Remember I have seen the most INCREDIBLE weight loss transformations via cycle commuting and eating this way. I see people keeping the weight off LONGTERM as cycle commuting is not some fucking fad diet bikini bounce up and down till you get a stress fracture bootcamp gimmick you do for a few weeks but cycle commuting is something MILLIONS of people do daily and they do it
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till they drop dead of old age. Or get ran over by an undercarbed driver. (That is why I ride assertively, have bright clothing and run powerful lights at night;) ALSO FOR THE DOUBTERS!! - CYCLE COMMUTING IS ALL THAT FREELEE HAS RELIED ON FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS AND WHAT GAVE HER THE GREATEST BODY TONING RESULTS EVER! FREELEE QUIT RUNNING, QUIT YOGA AND QUIT WEIGHTS. SHE ONLY DOES THOSE 3 A HANDFUL OF TIMES PER YEAR NOW. Benefits of cycle commuting. There is the money you’ll save on petrol, train fares and car stuff. There is the endorphin buzz that will put you in the optimum state of mind to hit the day! There are the ecological benefits. There is the fitness and friendships you will gain. These are just a few of the endless benefits of bicycle commuting and exploring. And yet many cyclists see commuting as some extreme undertaking better left to hardcore greeny hippies or those that cannot afford a car. Avoid letting yourself fall victim to the common excuses: if you live within 20km or so of your workplace, there is little excuse not to commute by bicycle. I know a guy in Germany who hand cycles (he has no legs) to work 17km each way when it's not snowing. Still not convinced? Read on for commonsense solutions to popular commuting excuses.
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1. Excuse: People will think I’m weird if I ride a bike to work.
Solution: They might but WHO FUCKING CARES?! There’s a great chance that some of them will admire you because you are doing something that’s healthy, economical, fun and helps the environment. Chances are your good example will cause some of them to give bike commuting a try as well. LEAD BY EXAMPLE! Page 95 of 124
2. Excuse: I live too close to work to make riding worthwhile. Solution: Take a more scenic route either going in or returning home so that you can relax while you commute 3. Excuse: My commute is too far too ride. Solution: Consider cycling only part way or a few days a week. Drive with in a reasonable distance, park and ride the rest. Maybe you can take a bus or train to where your bike is stashed. Look for a well lit commuter or park and ride car park. You can leave your locks there to save lugging them around. Excuse: I don’t like riding in the cold/rain/snow. Solution: When it's pouring buckets or sleeting sideways, leave the bike at home. But you may start looking forward to your daily rides so much that you will invest in a gore tex jacket, tights, mittens, booties, balaclava, thermal sockets and the like. Studded mountain bike tires are available if you live in the arctic. Excuse: Due to my work schedule, I’d have to ride in the dark. Solution: Wear light color reflective clothing, attain quality lights and reflectors. Reflective safety vests are cheap and stash readily in a pocket. Be safe, be seen! One can get ‘magic shine’ lights off dx.com for very cheap now. They are about 800 lumen aka FUCKING BRIGHT! Excuse: I like to sleep and I’d have to get up earlier if I rode my bike.
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Solution: Just go to bed earlier. Don’t have time to sleep and train? FUCK OFF THE TV AND MAKE TIME! Excuse: Theres no place secure to park my bike. Solution: Find somewhere! A storage closet with security or stash it with an acquaintance that lives nearby or at another business nearby that accommodates cyclists. Put heaps of ‘go vegan’ & ‘burn fat not oil!’ stickers on your bike. A bike with stickers is less likely to be stolen by thieves that want to sell the bike in the next hour to a pawn shop. Use 2 heavy duty D locks and get insurance for your bicycle. EASY! Excuse: I don’t have a place to shower after arriving. Solution: Then don’t shower! Just kidding. Just get a small towel and wipe yourself down after training with a bit of water. This is what most pro riders do whilst waiting to get to their shower on the team bus. Alternatively just ride a bit easier so you sweat less.
Carry your work stuff in panniers instead of a back pack that can cause extra sweat production on your back. Ride in a sports bra or singlet the last few km and use the wind to dry off. Excuse: I have to dress nicely for work and can’t stuff my clothes into panniers. Solution: Abandon the bike 1 day a week and bring a weeks worth of clothes to work and take the dirty stuff home. Or get a job that is less formal! Page 97 of 124
Excuse: I can’t afford a special commuter bike. Solution: Use your present bike or buy a used ‘beater’. Weight is not as much as a factor as reliability. An old rigid 700c hybrid bike with sufficient clearance between the stays and fork blades for fenders and wider gyres is ideal for riding city streets. If you buy a second hand bicycle, get a new stem and handlebar, just in case they are cracked or damaged from a previous accident the prior owners may have had. Besides your bike will eventually pay itself off with all the money you save on personal trainers,gyms, solariums, spin class, psychologists, car payments, petrol, public transport etc.
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Excuse: It's not safe to ride in my city! Solution: It's always possible to get home to work on less congested backstreets or minor roads. You may have to ride a few extra minutes but they will bring you more exercise and enjoyment. Personally I'm used to riding in heavy traffic like LA, Paris, London, NYC, Bangkok, Sydney etc and it's great because I ALWAYS wear a vegan message on my
clothing or bicycle and that means I reach thousands of motorists each week. It's a win win! Here are some more cycling tips below. Follow me on strava here http://app.strava.com/ athletes/254600
What is a good lock to get? Depends where you live. Some places you don’t need a lock and most places you do. A heavy ass D lock from Abus or Kryptonite will do. You don’t have to carry it around Page 99 of 124
and can leave it at work. I use a Kryptonite Combo D Lock. I also have bicycle insurance when living in Australia. Im 38 and NEVER had a drivers license. The following commuting/travel/training tips are invaluable to cyclists desiring more weight loss. *Drink approx. l000ml of water before breakfast each morning. *Drink enough water during the day so our urine is clear and at least 10 times a day. If it's yellow or straw, we need to drink more. *Get a power meter. Climb at 1-3watts per kg if you want to be strong ALL day. I use the Stages Cycling Power meter as most of my bikes are Shimano or sram equipped. *Eat unlimited amounts of your fav carb sources. Be it rice, potato, corn, millet,pasta etc. When riding, snack every hour or 2 on something high carb, low fat like butter/marg free jam sandwiches, dried fruit, fresh fruit. Carb up to keep up. Many people undereat carbs and get heaps of fatty stuff and then wonder why motivation drops. It's all about keeping daily glycogen stocks high. Real high! I find that fruit is the ultimate fuel before, during and after exercise so that's my staple everyday of the year. *Eat 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight as a starting point. Even on recovery days. When exercising for over 1hr, eat 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour. This keeps us in fat burning mode and the metabolism high. Skipping meals teaches the body to STORE more fat.
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*Keep fatty greasy food away and keep high carb meals in bucket sized bowls to stay. High carb,low fat vegan/fruit based vegan diets best serve athletic function. *Set up camp before sundown so you can make sure your not camping on an ants nest and get a wake in fright response at 2am. I like to sleep in really natural settings away from drunks. I've talked with Heinz Stucke in Belgium 2003 and in 23 years of cycle touring he has never had one issue camping out. He says 'I camp where nobody goes..'. *Mark your seat post and handle bars to make sure they don’t slip over time and give you knee/back issues. Use a white out pen. If they are alloy you can do a GENTLE LIGHT scratch just on the pain't surface. Any scratch deeper can make the part weaker. *Get fitted up before you go by a good bike fitter. Use the white out pen again. Mark your cleats too if your using clip less pedals. Run 25mm or 28mm tires. They are more comfy and you get less flats. Maxxis Re-Fuse folding version are cheap and strong. *If your riding a mountain bike, get some 'ergon grips’. Google it. * Slap a mirror your bike. You can buy them on ebay and they are called ‘Italian Race Mirror’. I use saddle bags made by Relevate Designs and Bike Bag Dude.Really durable. * Get out the saddle every few minutes for a few seconds to let blood flow be proper. I learnt this riding from Adelaide to Perth. It's 2800km and virtually flat for 2100km of it.
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*You’re gonna have moments when you want to scream. 99% of the time this is cos we are undercarbed/dehydrated/under slept. So when we want to freak out, just carb/drink and rest up for 5mins to 1 hour. Cry if you have too, but don't let it get in the way of eating more carbs, drinking more water or having a nap. Use compact cranks so you can spin better up climbs. Use a 50/34 up front with a 28 to 36 rear cassette. Spinning = winning. *Remember that they call head winds head winds cos it's just in your head how you decide to feel about them. I see a stiff head wind as a fitness builder vs a day wrecker . It's just a choice in the moment. *Remember that the journey is the gift, not the destination. *Remember that happiness is ONLY experienced in the present moment. Not when you get some food, not when the rain stops, not when stopping for the day..happiness is just a choice in the moment and only experienced NOW! *Get heaps of rest. Eat lots of carbs before your hungry, drink water before your thirsty. Take lots of photos. Talk to lots of people. Make days to remember the rest of your life. Be in the moment. Be now here on the road to nowhere.
Chapter 11 - Second wind explained. Second wind is a term when people get a new sense of energy and it is not because of the caffeine, cortisone or ritalin they just ingested.
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It is primarily caused by a good warm up that increases certain enzymes in the body. This happens after about 10-20mins at slightly above talking pace. Your legs feel looser and more efficient in pedaling. This is why it is important to ride at least 10-20mins continuously before you decide if you are really too fatigued to ride that day. You often just need to warm into it. Enzymatically speaking. The other ‘second wind’ is when you have been riding for a few hours and then get this manic burst of energy. This is adrenaline kicking in to shuttle the last bit of muscle glycogen into the working muscles. Adrenaline helps boost sugar levels to the working muscles so be aware of this ‘manic burst’ that is very common on longer rides. It is a sign you are about to pop so knock back some carbs asap. I have seen this happen in many races. Someone does this INSANE attack which was fueled on adrenaline and then after a few minutes they totally bomb out and can’t even hold pace. It is an extremely euphoric feeling to be riding on adrenaline and feeling NO PAIN, NO FATIGUE AND NOTHING BUT PLEASURE but it is very short lived haha. So if you feel like super man or super women, make sure you are nibbling on some carbs asap to keep your glycogen levels topped up. Also mentally we can boost ourselves. One day you will be riding along feeling tired or bored and someone will zoom past you. All of a sudden you find energy you didn't know you had and the race is on! It is incredibly fun racing people of similar fitness on the same road you are going on. Just pay attention to traffic and road hazards. Avoid taking risks you would otherwise. Rely on fitness vs Page 103 of 124
recklessness to challenge your new competitor! Both of you will get bonus fitness gains for this sort of positive behavior. I call these street races ‘SWC’ aka Spontaneous World Championships!.
Chapter 12 Bicycle Security I recommend bicycle insurance unless you DON’T care if your bike gets stolen. I recommend HEAVY DUTY locks unless you DON’T care if your bike gets stolen. Insurance policies vary from country to country so that is something you will have to find out. Ring your local insurance branches to find out how much and then decide if that is worth it for you. Many insurance companies will cover accidents if you are out riding but they will not cover racing so make sure you know what you want covered and if they will cover it. Bicycle locks come in 2 types. The first are light, cheap and stop fuck all. The second are proper bicycle locks that require a decent amount of skill and force to open. Shitty locks are ones made of cable. They are no thicker than your thumb and you can cut thru them with a 50c hacksaw like cutting thru an overripe avocado. Proper locks are heavy duty chain or a D lock formation. Quality brands to get are Abus, Kyrptonite, Giant and On Guard. There are other companies but these make the best heavy duty locks at the moment. The more expensive and heavy, the better it is.
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I leave my heavy duty lock in the city locked to a bike rack so I don’t have to lug it around everywhere. When I was a bicycle messenger though I used a Kryptonite New York Chain and would wear it around my waist as a belt. The extra weight burns more calories. Not many people can break thru these locks as there are so many other bicycles locked near by with shitty cable locks that bicycle thieves target. Thieves are lazy, otherwise they would have real jobs. So make it a bit harder for them and they will go for something else to steal.
In a banana peel. No lock is 100% and that is where insurance is a back up plan. Ways to minimize bike theft are: Park in a lit area. Lock your frame to a proper bike rack,fence or post that CAN’T be easily pulled out of the ground. NEVER lock your bike to itself. Someone can just pick it up, throw it in a van and drive off. Same with locking just the front wheel to something. They will just undo the front wheel and run off with the rest of the bike. Use 2 or 3 locks in high theft areas. Wrap sticky tape around your seat collar to prevent seat post theft. Take your front wheel into work with you or lock it as well with an extra lock. Page 105 of 124
Put ‘go vegan!’ ‘burn fat not oil!’ stickers on your bike etc. Bike thieves ideally want to steal CLEAN looking bikes that have no stickers or plastic flowers attached. The more stock your bike looks, the more chance thieves will target it. All the bikes I had stolen were clean stock looking bikes and locked with shitty cable locks. Build up a ‘city bike’ that is not as valuable as your higher end bike. Customize the fuck out of it so it is so ugly it is funny. Not many will want to steel a funny ugly bike aka a Fugly Bike. I would do this if I lived in high theft areas like Vancouver, NYC, Paris, Amsterdam, Sydney, London, Rome etc. These are great bikes to ride to the shops etc. My electric bike is $7500 but I have smothered it in so many stickers it looks like a cheap piece of shit. It would take literally hours to clean all the stickers off it. If your bike is stolen, contact the police right away and check pawn shops and craigslist. If you find your bike, ask to meet up and have a MMA friend come with you. Ask for a test ride of the bike and just ride off ! Make sure you film it and put it up on youtube!
Chapter 13 Riding with others in a bunch. Bunch riding is incredibly fun but also incredibly dangerous. Cycling is the one sport where noobs can ride with more experienced riders on flat ground and keep up if the pace is tranquillo. This presents crash dangers as a noobs reaction time is often less or can be over done by slamming on the brakes too hard or trying to ride no hands Page 106 of 124
and then crashing in front of others and breaking wrists and collarbones. How to avoid this? I would recommend if you are a noob to STAY AT THE BACK and off the back of any bunch until you can predict what the bunch is doing and how the bunch works. I learned how to bunch ride by riding 2-3 meters off the back of bunches and always keeping my fingers over the brakes so I could slowly adjust my speed if needed. Some people ride in bunches with their hands away from their brakes and then when they have to stop urgently, they have a delayed reaction and have to grab a handful of brake which means they can flip themselves onto the tarmac or skid out of control. The people behind will also likely crash and a domino effect occurs. So all you have to do is PAY ATTENTION and have your hands near your brakes at all time. AVOID swinging out wide if there is an obstacle in front of you otherwise you are going to skittle the riders either side of you. This is why I DON’T recommend noobs ride in bunches for the first 2-5000km they ride. One needs to be able to handle their bike alone before they join a group. Going up hill is a different story and uphill riding is a great way to learn bunch riding dynamics. When riding up hill remember not to be too close to the rider in front. Why? Well if they get out of the saddle then their back wheel can kick back a foot or 2 and take out your front wheel. This can also happen in flat land sprints so always leave a good meter gap between you and the rider in front. Unless you are a pro and in a big race and that means literally cm between your front wheel and their Page 107 of 124
back wheel and you are going to crash at some point as all pros do regularly if they are riding hard enough. So my tip if you live in a area where cyclists ride hills is wait down the bottom and then tack onto the back of any group and sit 1-3 meters off the back and pay attention to the group dynamics. Then ride back down the hill and join another group. Im assuming you live in a cycling heaven like Adelaide Australia where every day there are bunches of riders that climb Norton Summit from 5-8am every morning. If you live in an area where there are not many riders then you will have to just do your best. Even though I have been racing bicycles since 1997 I rarely do fast bunch rides on the flat as the chance of crashing is high and I really don’t want to have a broken collarbone for the sake of $50 prize money at a local race or to be up there in the bunch sprint of a morning training ride. I typically only do fast hill climbing bunch rides if Im going to be in a group. This is the safest and most fun bunch ride for me. Crashes still happen going up hills but 99.9% of the time it is just a bit of skin, embarrassment and the group often just keeps going if there is a bit of a race going on.
In a banana peel Avoid bunch rides if you are a noob. You will crash pretty quickly going around corners trying to keep up with more experienced riders.
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You will crash going downhill trying to keep up with more experienced riders. Focus on sticking with them on the uphills and go your own limits on the way down. Watch my videos on what is the best line to take around corners. Pay attention to what is in front of you. When talking NEVER take your eyes off the riders in front of you. Ive seen so many nasty crashes happen because of this. How? Someone in front brakes and the person talking doesn't see it and it causes a mass domino effect. NEVER ride no hands or one handed with other riders behind you. If you want to have something to eat or drink then slowly move to the back and let riders know you are moving out of your line. Do it all slowly. Yes pro riders ride no hands or one handed all the time but even they crash. Just yesterday in the Vuelta 2015 a very nasty crash happened as a Kris Boeckmans was riding one handed drinking a bottle and he hit a bump in the road that he didn't see and he slammed his face into the tarmac and took down a lot of other riders. He was very unlucky and many bones and bicycles were broken. So even the best of the best crash. I personally wait till Im last rider before I go to eat or drink something and have to ride one handed. Or I wait till the climb and the pace has dropped right off before I eat and drink with one hand.
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Always wear a helmet and gloves. I think riding with a good condition safety approved helmet is an obvious thing to do. I know a girl who crashed her bicycle with no helmet and go severe spinal injury. The surgeons feel that had she been wearing a helmet the impact would have been far less and she would be able to walk today. Any helmet that fits you comfortably, is safety approved and HAS NO CRACKS OR DENTS is a good helmet. Light and bright colors are a good idea. They also look cool I reckon. The Giro Revel helmet in bright yellow is a great starting point.
Chapter 14: Touring tips for weight loss. Lets not fuck around! People have lost dramatic weight by going on cross country bike tours whilst eating this way. Whilst it is not going to keep weight off long term (long longterm diet and lifestyle can do that) it is an incredible way to kick start your progress and have an incredible adventure along the way. I cycle toured unsupported to watch the TDF twice. The longest was 5 months and I saw a lot of ground. Around 20000km in total for the 2 trips. Only one bit of road rage from this guy in Luxemburg but he was not violent, just vocal. After I mentioned the benefits of a vegan diet to his waistline, he got frustrated enough just to give me the finger, jump back in his car and speed off.
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I just used a standard racing road bike both trips. First trip I had a school bag sized back pack and carried it on my back. Next trip - the longer one, I carried a smaller school bag on a pannier rack I fitted to a bike that did not have any pannier mounts. I ended up getting a bob trailer for the last month. It cost me about $800 in Paris.
Biggest week I did was 1543km. Saw a LOT in that week. Incredible times. Never have drunk a cup of coffee in Europe either. My daily enjoyment is in direct proportion to how well carbed up and hydrated I am. As soon as we run low of water or muscle sugar aka glycogen, things are not as enjoyable.
Things I would change to make the trip even more effective and enjoyable. I use a cardboard box to ship my bike on flights vs an expensive bike bag. Cardboard boxes are what your bike was shipped to the store in anyway and if you add some foam frame wrappers you have even more protection against any hard hits that may occur in transit. Laptop like an 11inch MacAir Sun protection in the form of visor, lightweight arm, face and leg covers for when the sun has high UV index. This is usually between 10am and 4pm..
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Smart phone for camera and staying in touch via social media.
34X32 minimum gearing.
Mountain bike shoes so you can walk around easier.
Garmin that has mapping. You can download free maps online easily. Google “DC Rainmaker free garmin maps”
Dynamo front hub to charge stuff with.
A topeak journey trailer - lighter than the bob for the same functionality.
Camping out is a breeze in Europe, Australia and Asia. So many back roads and fields. I never paid for a campsite but did pay for a shower now and then. Funniest was shaving my legs in an empty potato field somewhere near Frankfurt and had my earphones in. A farmer walked up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. Scared the crap out of me. Asked if I was ok. Then he said 'no Page 112 of 124
problem, stay as long as you want, we have finished harvest' and walked off.
People in Europe understand cyclists a lot more than down under. Even if you are shaving touring tan lined legs in the potato field nobody blinks an eyelid or gives too much of a fuck.
Chapter 15 FAQ Extra weight loss tips for you and your bike. Assuming you are over 22BMI then you can make you and your bike lighter. You can also waste good money and time doing so. I knew a trainer in Sydney who would dodge up the fitness tests of his new clients so he could sell them more product. He would record false numbers and play games with the skin fold calipers. It worked Page 113 of 124
though, people wanted to spend money and then they wanted that money spent justified so they could tell their friends over coffee. He was like 'If they are dumb enough not to use the mirror as a guide to their progress, then for sure Im going to take their money cos I sure can use it better!'. Same in bicycle shops. People want titanium pedal spindles to distract themselves from the fact they still have 20kg of chub to drop. 99.9% of the super light bikes (sub 7.5kg) that are sold today are bought by people who are probably too overweight and heavy to safely ride them in my opinion. Here are my weight loss tips for you and your bicycle. If you don’t need to carry a lock up the mountain then lock at the the bottom and pick it up on your way back. Front suspension on bikes is only for hard trails. If you ride gravel or road, save weight by not having suspension anywhere on your bicycle. It is just dead weight. A fully rigid frame of the same price point will be lighter and faster on paved roads and light gravel. The cheapest lightweight update on your bicycle is lighter tubes. Be aware though they will puncture easily than tubes weighing 20-40g more. Bike weight doesn't really matter as much as marketing tells us. Yes if you are in the Tour De France or up top of the Strava leaderboards where literally every second can count then a lighter bike can help you be 5-10 seconds faster on a 10minute steep climb Page 114 of 124
for sure. But for most of us, we can just lose some chub or do a bit more riding to get fitter to go faster. Dropping body fat and excess fluid is best done by modulating hormones such as insulin, ghrelin and leptin. This is best done by a healthy high carb low fat vegan diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables. Also doing daily or every second day commuting is going to really boost our metabolic hormones associated with longterm weight loss. It is both a combination of diet choices AND exercise. I know plenty of obese ex pro cyclists that have cycled 500000km during their lifetime but hardly ever ride now and look like they have never thrown a leg over a bicycle. I also know plenty of tubby out of shape healthy eaters who fail to do any cycling and as a result their insulin levels remain too high and they stay more anabolic than they would like. The more weight someone has to lose, the more cycling they can do and should do. They don’t have to push hard during the ride but they just have to be consistent over the months and years and they will get magic results longterm and every time. Mostly just by hormonal changes that happen when we combine cycling with a high carb vegan lifestyle. Doing more and eating less is NOT what we do or recommend. This leads to stimulant dependence and an Evengi Berzin (famous cyclist famous for his mega weight gain) body type. Sure you can get leaner faster by starving and over training but ALWAYS the body will want to rebound at some point so do you want to stay fit and
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trim for life or just for this summer and then be battling metabolic damage for a few years later? If your BMI is over 22 then I would recommend more hill riding and cut out overt fats like oils, nuts and seeds as much as possible. Cutting out animal products is what everyone should do due to the hormones and metabolic waste products found in animal products that are bad for human health and weight. Obviously hormones from our mothers breast milk are great when we are babies. Those hormones help us grow BUT once we ween our selves off our Mummy’s nipple then it is best to stay away from animal hormones so we can manage our weight far easier. Eating animal products is also terrible for the environment. Watch the documentary Cowspiracy. Going to bed between 8-9pm is incredible for boosting fat blasting hormones. Calories are NOT calories. Some calories contain weight gain inducing hormones like the calories found in animal products and some calories create a catabolic effect like those found in fruits and vegetables. If you find yourself getting too slim then just cut back on the bicycle, and increase your fat, protein and salt content. Maybe do a juice fast for a week. You will lose more weight but the fast will help slow your metabolism down so it is easier for you to gain weight. Pay attention to salt intake. If you have having some time off the bike then less salt is better than more as you will no longer be able to Page 116 of 124
sweat out the extra salt pounds that accumulate via excess salt water retention. NEVER train on a fasted state. ALWAYS have a cup of water and a piece of fruit before you head out. This is less stressful on the body and you train your body to burn calories vs store them as you are always putting some food in so it never has to go into starvation mode where you lose weight but then pile it back on due to adaptive thermogenesis aka metabolic damage aka rebound weight gain. If you don’t believe me then just look at all the pro riders who do crazy diets or sports models. They are ALWAYS battling the bulge despite crazy amount of training they are doing. Yo yo dieting is the fastest way to pack on the pounds but if you are anorexic then this is a GOOD thing as your health needs to recover. Eat a solid breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat early so you can get to bed early. At least 1000cals per meal. We focus on carbs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We increase our fat, protein and salt intake if we are getting too slim. We use peanut butter, salty vegan potato crips and blocks of tofu to keep the weight on. B12 injections are used by many to aid in fat metabolism. They can also boost hemoglobin levels. I would recommend doing some homework about them. We use them. Ive given hundreds of shots to my meat eating and vegan friends since 2009. It is the only supplement we use or recommend.
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When can you eat before you go for a ride? Easy question and a very important one. You can eat a 500-2000cal meal and jump on your bike right away BUT if you are going to fuck a climb hard then I would leave at least 2-3hours between eating a 500-2000cal and fucking a climb hard. If you try and fuck hard with a full stomach then blood will not go to the working muscles as much as it could if your digestive system was more empty. This is why it is best to leave 2-3hours between meal time and your weekly TT aka Hard Fuck. Just wake up, have a cup of water and a piece of fruit, do your 20min warm up and then your 5-30min TT and you are back home with in the hour for more water and your next meal. #sorted My trainer says carbs are bad and I should eat more fat and protein to lose weight? Your trainer is a fucking noob. Send them to me and we can do a pissing competition of who gets more sustainable longterm results and whose advice leads to better mood, lifestyle and health. I bet your trainers world would crash around them if they had to give up stimulants like caffeine and ritalin. Just because Im older than the average trainer doesn't automatically make me wiser. What has made me wiser is my open eyed experiences and OCD desire to make this world a better place for humanity, the environment and the animals. My information is not born from material desires but rather desires of virtue. More carbed up cyclists losing weight, helping the environment and caring for instead of killing animals means a win win for all of us. Will cycling make my legs too big though? Another lie. I wish it was true. I wish cycling gave me bulging leg muscles but the reality is cycling will only tone muscles vs make them Page 118 of 124
excessively noticeable. Look up on google images the legs of men and women who ride the most mountains and then tell me if their legs are ‘huge from cycling’. Chris Froome, Schlek brothers, Carly Taylor, Rachel Neylan, Bradley Wiggins, Alberto Contador, Fabian Aru, Ritchie Porte. These are the people that clock up the most elevation gains each year. Look at my legs and look at Freelee’s. Sticks. We all have catabolic looking legs. Legs are also very genetic. If you have muscular calves like Andre Greipel then that has nothing to do with cycling. It is pure genetics. If anything they will get smaller with cycling as extra fat and fluid gets stripped off. Conclusion. Please use this bible as a resource to go back and re read. I have cycled well over 350000km, spent thousands of $$ and made so many painful, time wasting and expensive mistakes that you can AVOID by just following the advice I give here. There is NO book like this in the world at this present time. This is THE BEST CYCLING TIPS BOOK EVER WRITTEN! I know because Ive read just about every book on cycling out there over the last 20 years and none of the current publications have any of this compiled information in an easy to read format with no bullshit. Thanks for your support in purchase of this book. I look forward to hearing your transformation story in person when we meet on the road or trail somewhere! Always feel free to say Gday when you see me out and about! Get enough daily sleep, water and sugar. Enjoy the present moment
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Get on your bicycle daily. Lets make this world a better, cleaner and leaner place together. Yours in cadence and carbs Durianrider October 2015 Chiang Mai Thailand
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EXTRAS Chris Froomes legs - no, cycling won’t make your legs ‘too big’.
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Before and after picture courtesy of Evengi Berzin. He is a famous rider who today looks like he has never even lifted a leg over a bicycle. EB is PROOF that you can work your ass off but if you keep eating shit, it is going to catch up with you one day and you are going to look like humpty dumpty. If Evengi followed this bible he could be back similar to his Giro winning body composition easily in just a few years and KEEP it that way for the rest of his life. From what I hear though, Evengi loves his bacon and eggs too much.
Ok, enough reading. LETS GO FOR A FUCKING RIDE! :)
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This guys legs are solid from AAS, heavy squats, sprints and genetics. If he followed my program and got off high dosage AAS then his quads would halve in size.
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