TRAINING • SCOTTISH CYCLING • BALLYHOURA MOUNTAINS • NUTRITION • FRENCH CYCLING
VIRTUAL EUROPEAN ADVENTURE UK’S LEISURE CYCLING AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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CONTENTS BIKE-MAG.COM
INSIDE MARCH 2021
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Women Specific Training It is often shown that sports science has ignored women when it comes to sports science.
34 If she can do it, maybe I can too When I moved to Downtown Toronto from the suburbs, I realised very quickly that the best way to get around was by bike. So, I went on a hunt and found an old Raleigh cruiser for $15 from a thrift store. I
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
46 Lovely or otherwise, should women cycle? The outrageous history of Victorian female cyclists.
74 WHY ARE WOMEN FINDING
VIRTUAL CHALLENGES SO MUCH FUN?
Exploring Thailand on a Bicycle
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Thailand has always been the most talked after travel destination globally and in recent times it has seen surge in number of adventure travellers heading to explore the country with a different perspective.
MARCH 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE
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WELCOME BIKE-MAG.COM
WELCOME
to the March issue Legend has it that International Women’s Day began life in New York way back in 1907 to mark the 50th anniversary of a brutal protest that took place in the city many years before. However, after digging a little deeper, historians now recognise that, in fact, the first International Women’s Day protest was in 1909 and it wasn’t until 1975, after 66 years of women taking to the streets to fight for their everyday rights, that 8th March became the official, official International Women’s Day. Now, my human science isn’t great but I’m sure women have been around just as long as men and, considering the treatment of women through history, that seems like an awfully short amount of time that women have had a voice for. Social science aside, let’s get into why we are here. And that’s for cycling! Women have been part of the cycling scene since the late 1800s (as you will soon learn as you read through this issue) and yet, still today, they face issues with being patronised, struggling to find the right cycling clothes and finding they are the only female rider in their group (as you will also discover). This special International Women’s Day issue tells of women’s
experience in the world of cycling. I wish I could tell you they are unique experiences, but sadly, they aren’t. And, it seems that perhaps not much has changed since the first International Women’s Day began over 100 years ago. Of course, it isn’t all negative, and as we learn, there are some incredibly supportive sports people out there with some great women in cycling messages for us all.
Editor in Chief
Needless to say, we haven’t totally banished other genders from this issue and we still have advice and stories from regular contributors too. The point of this issue isn’t to shame or make people feel bad. It’s to make people aware of the everyday experience of women cyclists. And to make a positive wave of change in the world of biking, no matter what gender people are. Every woman can tell you a story of how, because of their sex, they have been treated differently in one way or another. Let’s make that stop in cycling and encourage women and girls of all ages to be as strong, confident and respected as they deserve to be!
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TRAINING • SCOTTISH CYCLING • BALLYHOURA MOUNTAINS • FRENCH CYCLING
VIRTUAL EUROPEAN ADVENTURE UK’S LEISURE CYCLING AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE
MARCH 2021
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Grace Barnott Palin
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BIKE MAGAZINE MARCH 2021
ASK THE COACH… BIKE-MAG.COM
ASK THE COACH…
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ASK THE COACH… BIKE-MAG.COM
WHEN IT COMES TO THE MORNING OF THE BIG RACE WHAT IS THE BEST FOOD TO EAT? Nutrition preparation before a race really starts a couple of days before. Not that you really need to “carb load” but ensuring that you have good carb’ based meals and that your glycogen stores are full is a good start. The other thing that people always forget is hydration. It’s really important that you up your hydration pre-event and ensure to start with this also to the max…. No need to drink endless litres of water but sipping away on a bottle for a couple of days before is going to really help you out…In the morning overnight soaked oats, no need to cook them just soak in milk, add honey and they are good to go. You could perhaps add some sliced banana or crushed nuts too. A small coffee, a small glass of veg/fruit smoothy and perhaps a one egg omelet as your protein to help prevent muscle damage too. A really important thing is to play around with what works for you and experiment pre-event so that you can get it just right. Don’t start changing on the morning of the event with things you have never done before. Use a few months out to not only tailor your pre-race/event meal plan but also what you eat and drink on the event itself.
AFTER NOT CYCLING AS MUCH AS I USED TO I’M FINDING I AM ACHING MUCH MORE AFTER CYCLING, ESPECIALLY MY LOWER BACK. ARE THERE ANY EXERCISES I CAN DO TO PREVENT THIS? When we ride our bikes, we tend to “sit” in the same position for hours on end and so of course with that we get aches and pains as we are in the same position for a while. The best thing to do is try to move around the “cockpit” as I like to call it. Sit up or back, move your hands on the bars, on the drops etc all these things will change your position and a few cm here and there will help you
Ian Jenner My cycling journey has brought me to be fortunate enough to live, work and train in Italy, at Italy’s largest lake, Garda. However my 40+ years of riding bikes started when I taught myself to ride at a young age. Having a bike gave me freedom and that freedom soon culminated in me wondering how I compared to others. TT’s and Road Races soon followed then of course Club Events and in later life Sportives and Granfondos, some of Italy’s toughest as well as a few MTB events too. http://www.rule5cyclingcoaching. com/#rule5 Send questions to grace.barnott@bike-mag.com
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TRAINING BIKE-MAG.COM
WOMEN SPECIFIC TRAINING
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TRAINING BIKE-MAG.COM
Philip Hatzis Founder and Head Coach of Tri Training Harder. https://tritrainingharder.com/coach/ philip-hatzis Social Media: Twitter: @Philip_Hatzis Instagram: @philiphatzis1
It is often shown that sports science has ignored women when it comes to sports science. A casing point is the inequality in prizemoney, the time it took before women were “permitted” to race a marathon, the ongoing debate on tennis sets, cross-country distances and a woman’s Tour de France. Many of the “classic” training
approaches for “athletes” haven’t been truly tested for women. As a result, it is fair to suggest that women have been given a disservice when it comes to training and coaching, with nearly all of the science being based on men. I believe we can and should do better. Thankfully, we are at a point when things are changing.
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THAILAND BIKE-MAG.COM
THE ORIENT EXPRESS: EXPLORING THAILAND ON A BICYCLE
Khao Sak National Park
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THAILAND BIKE-MAG.COM
Kanishka Poddar Bicycle Mayor of Ranchi, India Author, Bikepacker, Designer, Travel Blogger Kanishka runs a design studio for men’s ethnic wear in his hometown at Ranchi, India. He loves bicycle touring, playing with words, sketching and cooking. Traveling has always been the balancing factor in the juggle between work and life. Website: veloventure.in Instagram/twitter: @kp1200
Thailand has always been the most talked after travel destination globally and in recent times it has seen surge in number of adventure travellers heading to explore the country with a different perspective. In the past few years I have extensively explored South East Asia on a bicycle and in this article I am going to highlight things which will make your Bikepacking trip to Thailand a memorable experience.
It all started with my love for exploring places in slow motion, one place at a time, on a bicycle. Thailand is always among the most sort after destination for its diversity, rich culture, tropical weather, beaches, great food, amazing people, low cost of travel, land connectivity and relaxed visa norms for Indians which makes it easier for plan and head there.
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PYRENEES CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM
BE A ‘SPOKES’ WOMAN!
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PYRENEES CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM
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