Static Stretching

The reality: "Stretching cold muscles, tendons and ligaments can actually harm them since they are relatively stiff to begin with," Olson says. "Instead, warm up your muscles at the beginning of a workout by doing dynamic movements, such as walking briskly for five minutes, performing half-squats with just your body weight, and marching with high knees. These activities will increase circulation of oxygen-rich blood to your muscles and literally warm them -- increase their metabolism, which produces heat. Save static stretching for the cooldown part of your workout, when your muscles are very warm and extensible."

Source: HuffPost Living Canada/ Photo from workout-planet.com

Bradley Wiggins wins 2012 Tour de France

Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France as compatriot Mark Cavendish claimed a fourth consecutive final-stage victory.

Wiggins, 32, finished in the chasing peloton in Sunday's final stage around the streets of Paris with a winning margin of three minutes and 21 seconds.

Fellow Brit and Team Sky team-mate Chris Froome consolidated second place with Italy's Vincenzo Nibali third.

Source: BBC Sports

Coconut Water

Basically, coconut water is like natural Gatorade. Like Gatorade, it contains water, simple carbohydrates (or, sugar), and electrolytes (or, minerals). Compared to a sports drink made with refined sugars,  artificial flavoring,  and blue food coloring, I’d say coconut water represents a solid upgrade. However, the benefits of sports drinks—whether natural or artificial—tend to be somewhat oversold.


Most sports drinks are consumed by people who aren’t exercising hard enough to need electrolyte replacement or benefit from additional carbohydrates. They end up consuming more calories than they’re burning.  Here are my general guidelines for sports drinks: If you’re exercising very hard for more than 60 minutes, or in extremely hot conditions, a drink containing sugar and minerals can enhance your performance. Otherwise, plain water works just as well—and saves you some calories.

Source: Nutrition Diva

Good luck, Lance

Not that I condone the use of drugs in professional cycling but you have to give it to Lance. Every top cycling during his time- Pantani, Basso, Ullrich, Landis, Hamilton, Zabel, Cantador and others were doing it, and they still can't beat the guy. So whether he cheats or not, (I would say NO because it's fair and square), he still a fantastic cyclist. The fact that the race is so tough and they all need to have superhuman effort to just finish the race so much so to win it! So good luck Lance, I am still a fan.
Photo from Wikipedia.

Cycling

Source: Reddit.com

Dual Platform Pedal

Shimano PD-A530 pedal is my favourite pedal mainly because it is a Road Touring Pedal. It has dual platform which one is the SPD pedal and the other is flat platform. I love to ride wearing my Touring Shoes with SPD cleat because I love the secure grip on the pedal especially when spinning or pushing/pulling pedaling during climbing. I also feel safe when standing on the bike with the SPD pedal as it grips the cleat and prevent slipping. But sometimes for short rides to the shop, i prefer wearing sandals. So, the flat platform will be suitable for it.

Kick Stand

Bike Kick Stand is another accessories that is under-rated by most cyclist. For the roadies, they like to rest they bikes on the wall or using the pedal to rest it on the kerbs. For them, it will do just fine for their lightweight bikes. Furthermore, kickstand will only add more weight to their bikes, But for touring cyclist, additional weight and aerodynamics are not their main concern. They want everything to be practical. Since their bikes are too heavy with loads at the rear, So it is very important to ensure that the bicycle is stable when standing. And this can be done by having a kick stand fixed onto your frame. Greenfield Kickstand like in the picture is fixed onto both seat & chain stays.

Source: vwvagabonds.com