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When descending after long climbs my hands feel numb and I struggle to brake. I have good gloves and bar tape, any tips? Victoria.
Hi Victoria, that’s something I have suffered with too so I’m obviously in good company! I’ve found the cause to be the vibrations from the road, you may notice an improvement by running your tyres slightly softer. Try 10psi less than normal and see how you feel. A carbon handlebar may also eliminate more of the road buzz (although it’s an expensive upgrade) so I’d start with the tyre pressure. Fingers crossed! (sorry that was a bad pun I know)
Hi Guys! Hope you are doing well and thanks in advance for your kind attention! It's appreciated I'm currently preparing the Etape du Tour this summer and some other famous climbs as Tourmalet, Galibier and Alpe d'Huez. Unfortunately I'm feeling something like a tendonitis pain on my right thigh. I'm confused because I'm shared between (1) a full training stop which is mainly recommended by most of my friends (but with associated loose of condition) or (2) continue training and perhaps use an infiltration treatment which was not recommended by my friends. What do you think about it? What should I do? Many thanks in advance.
Really sorry to hear about your injury. It’s such a power struggle when your body is saying one thing and your mind the other. The reality is, if you train with an injury then there is a good chance you will do more damage and therefore a short break now could end up being a large break later. If you can I would seek professional advice so that you can get a good understanding of what is going on. One thing that I’ve found absolutely invaluable is a regular stretching routine. You may find that it’s something as simple as your IT band being tight. Taper back on the training and rest if you need to. With big mountains and events coming up a little time now to get it right will have you smiling much more come the summer. I put my daily stretching routine online here, hope it helps!
Hello Mike, I have planned a trip in the Alps. We will ride from Thonons-les-Bains to Nice. What would you suggest for recuperation? We will have only two days off in a 14 days trip. I know that a good night sleep and lifting legs, do you have others tricks? I love your video, I've seen them all. Keep up the good work, Robert.
Hi Robert,
You are in for a treat, that’s such an amazing route…absolutely love it!
Pacing, pacing, pacing is the key. On such a long journey and with little time to recover it’s important to really work at your level (and enjoy the moment as much as you can). I actually put a short article together highlighting some of the key tips for good recovery that may be useful here.
Overall you really need to focus on recovery as a complete, around the clock, process. Even when you’re on the bike think about saving your legs by using a smaller gear. Keeping the fuel coming in with good fuel and hydration, stay off your feet as much as possible pre and post ride. All the little things help to add up to aid your recovery.
Roll on the Alps!!
Good luck!
Mike
