Bicycling

Since 1962, Bicycling has been inspiring people to get more out of their cycling passion. Get Bicycling digital magazine subscription today for action-packed issues filled with proven secrets to go faster, stronger, longer. Increase your stamina; buy the best gear for your money; locate a great ride; improve your performance; perfect your technique; fuel your passion.

INSIDE KNOWLEDGE • WE BEGGED SOME OF THIS ISSUE’S COOLEST RIDERS FOR THEIR BEST ADVICE

INSIDE KNOWLEDGE • WE BEGGED SOME OF THIS ISSUE’S COOLEST RIDERS FOR THEIR BEST ADVICE

INSIDE KNOWLEDGE • WE BEGGED SOME OF THIS ISSUE’S COOLEST RIDERS FOR THEIR BEST ADVICE

MY BICYCLING LIFE • EXPERT HACKS, GEAR RECS & BIKE-TESTED WISDOM FROM OUR STAFF

Bicycling

MY BICYCLING LIFE • EXPERT HACKS, GEAR RECS & BIKE-TESTED WISDOM FROM OUR STAFF

MY BICYCLING LIFE • EXPERT HACKS, GEAR RECS & BIKE - TESTED WISDOM FROM OUR MEMBERS

ROADS BELONG TO OUR KIDS

CONTRIBUTORS

Find Gravel Roads Near You • TIPS AND TRICKS FORE VERY PART OF YOUR RIDE LIFE

DECIDE WHETHER TO BUTTER UP—OR NOT

KEEP YOUR TUBES IN GOOD SHAPE

CHALLENGE YOUR CORE LIKE KATE COURTNEY

REPLACE A WORN CASSETTE

FIND YOUR LACTATE THRESHOLD

DIAL IN YOUR IDEAL CADENCE

HOW MANY LIVES CAN A SINGLE BIKE CHANGE? • THE STORY OF A MOUNTAIN BIKE THAT WOULDN’T STOP GIVING

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THE FTP TEST • ELIMINATE WORKOUT ANXIETY, DIAL IN YOUR NUTRITION, AND MAKE EVERY HARD EFFORT FEEL EASIER

WHAT IS A 20 - MINUTE FTP TEST?

HOW TO PERFORM AN FTP TEST • For your first FTP test, gauge your effort by your rate of perceived exertion (RPE), a 1–10 scale with 1 being an effortless spin and 10 being an all-out sprint. Cool down post-test with 10 to 20 minutes of easy pedaling followed by five minutes of your favorite lower-body stretches.

Deal With Lackluster FTP Results • Give yourself leeway and look at it as an opportunity for you to improve on for your next FTP test. Nick, now an FTP testing veteran, recently shared this sound advice:

TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES FOR NEW AND EXPERIENCED RIDERS • Approach FTP tests like any physical test or race: rested and focused. Developing your protocol—everything you do before, during, and after the test—allows you to measure yourself as accurately as possible by minimizing the variables and reducing anxiety going into it. This makes your test results more accurate for comparison.

EATING FOR THE FTP TEST

OLYMPIC GOLD • With the Tokyo Olympics rescheduled to this summer, we’ve had an extra year to get fired up for one of the rare, magic times when bike racing is actually on TV. Sure, we can always catch the occasional road classic streaming at 3 a.m. on some buggy, unreliable app. But how often do we get to see multiple cycling disciplines—mountain biking, track, road, and BMX—broadcast on regular channels at non-ridiculous hours so that millions of Americans can watch? This year there’s a good chance the U.S. women’s team will top the Olympic podium in several events, giving diehard cycling fans and rookie viewers alike even more reasons to get stoked. Here’s who to watch if you want to see the U.S. bring home gold.

WHY ARE AMERICAN WOMEN SO GOOD AT THE OLYMPICS?

LOUIS MOORE HAS SPENT DECADES GETTING BLACK PEOPLE ON BIKES. HERE’S WHAT HE’S LEARNED. • MINNEAPOLIS IS A UTOPIA OF BIKE LANES, RAIL-TR AILS, AND BIKE SHARES-AND IT'S ALSO THE CITY WHERE GEORGE FLOYD WAS MURDERED, SPARKING PROTESTS AND A NATIONWIDE RECKONING WITH RACISM AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE.

I RODE 14,000 MILES FROM ALASKA TO BOLIVIA • IT WAS NOWHERE NEAR THE HARDEST THING I’VE EVER DONE

If There’s No Justice When DRIVERS KILL KIDS ON BIKES, What Hope Do Any of Us Have? • THIS IS A STORY ABOUT LIFE AND...