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Biohacking: Summer Sun Protection

Summer.

It's synonymous with group rides, races, fondos, picnics, beers and burgers with your riding buddies and….sun.  Lots and lots of sun.

Of course, with sun comes the ever present worries of sunburn, skin damage, melanoma, and general misery that goes along with the “lobster burn.”  The typical course of action involves slathering yourself with a shot glass or more of sunscreen, wearing “sun sleeves” or finding some other way to keep those UV rays from touching your skin.

Sadly, we as human beings need some of those UV rays.  Truly, around three quarters of the US population is deficient in Vitamin D3, which can cause anything from increased risk of cancer to insufficient secretion of insulin in Type 2 diabetes. This can partially be blamed on the fact that we generally work inside, and that the UVB radiation we need to produce D3 naturally doesn't pass through glass.  We also don't get much exposure if we slather ourselves or our families with sunscreen all summer long, either.

So what can you do?  We don't want to be burned up, we don't want to peel, we don't want to get skin cancer.  Well, a couple of easy biohacks can reduce your risk of sunburn, skin cancer and reduce the use of those greasy sunscreens, while leaving you nicely golden brown after your ride.

Read on to find out this easy recipe after the jump:

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Coaching Q&A #2: Components, Power and Nutrition (Podcast #39)

Riding on dirt roadsIt's that time again:

It goes without saying that as the summer wears on, the itch to get out and ride more really starts to bite.  As we go out to ride more and more we also get more and more urge to dig into our performances and try to figure out how we can perform even better.  To this end, the internet becomes flooded with questions, whether they be an innocuous  “which upgrade will make me better” or a flame war instigating “which diet will make me perform better.”

This week, I'm picking a few of your most asked questions and I'm going in depth into them, including some of the following topics:

  • Is a rear derailleur a cost effective upgrade? (@9:28)
  • What is the best hand position on the bars?  Tops, drops or hoods? (@17:23)
  • What is the best power meter for a new racer?  Beginner to training with power?  Someone on a budget? (@25:18)
  • How many carbs do I need while I ride (And a discussion on nutrition and high carb vs high fat diets.) (@50:17)

Some of the information I referenced in the nutrition discussion of this podcast can be found right here: Biohacking Energy Systems: The Citric Acid Cycle

As always, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars.  Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page, and don't forget to support our sponsors and help to keep this podcast free.

With the summer here, it's time to get serious about your summer fitness!  Check out my modular training plans in my online store and get started on the path towards killer criterium fitness today.  And don't forget to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.

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Being A Better Criterium Racer (Podcast #38)

Racing season is well and truly upon us, and here in the US we have a glut of the fast, closed circuit racing known as criterium racing.  Run on race courses that are generally less than 3K in length (that's about 1.8 miles or so), most crits are full of fast corners, accelerations, twitchy riders and (unfortunately) crashes.

Many people cut their teeth on criterium racing in Category 5, which can be prone to certain “issues.”  Because anyone with a bike and helmet can sign up to race cat 5, simple things like learning where to put your hands, braking safely, how to corner or how to hold a line are always suspect.  Taking the next step of knowing when to attack and simply how to train your energy systems to handle the rigors of crit racing are a few of the more advanced things you can do to be a stronger and safer crit racer.  Trust me, all those around you will thank you for it.

In today's podcast, I'll cover the following:

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Biohacking Your Energy Systems

Simplified metabolism

[dc]W[/dc]ho doesn't want to have more energy and perform better, whether it's in the office (via improved brain power and a clear mind) or out on the bike (by slaying daemons at the Tuesday Night Worlds.)  We can accomplish this with a little bit of simple biohacking.  Biohacking is a simple process of taking the “how does this make me feel” concept to the next level.  With some careful thought, we can make a biochemistry experiment out of our nutrition: instead of simply looking at some marketing copy and taking our chances with some powder or gel, we can do much better than a blind trial and error approach.

We simply think of this trial as a scientific experiment.  With a little knowledge about the biochemical pathways involved in producing energy in the cell, we can make good choices about our nutrition by looking at the compounds involved in energy production pathways in order to augment them through some creative supplementation.

That's how we “hack” the mitochondria, which is the cell's powerhouse, for improved performance.

I'll cover the basics of cellular energy after the jump (fair warning, this is a lot of science.  I'll try to make it as simple as possible.):

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New Sponsor – The Sufferfest

[dc]A[/dc] few months ago, I introduced a couple of sponsors to The Daily Grind and the Tailwind Coaching Podcast.  You'll remember that I provide ALL the information on this website and in my podcast free of charge: the only cost to you comes if you decide to purchase a training plan or my coaching services.  I give away this information because I love cycling and I love to see people get stronger and enjoy cycling more through their newfound strength.  The introduction of these carefully selected sponsors helps to offset hosting and bandwidth costs, allowing me to provide you free information consistently.

The Sufferfest: Downloadable cycling workout videos. Today, I'm proud to welcome The Sufferfest as a sponsor.  While it may seem a little counterintuitive, the Sufferfest fits perfectly within the Tailwind Coaching paradigm.  When we're lacking motivation, when we're bored with our training, or when we just want to deviate from our training plans for a day, we have The Sufferfest to fill in.  The excellent ASO licensed video, the indie/unsigned artist music tracks, and the amusing in-ride anecdotes help to pass the time on the trainer easily.  The high intensity nature of these workouts ensures that you'll spend your time wisely and get valuable training stress out of your trainer day.

Click the links above or click on the link in the pane on the right to check out their offerings and order.

And a recap of my other two sponsors:

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