Cycling Myths busted

pottssteve

Have you read the article on the homepage? I don't believe the one about dehydration - along with a lot of others, by the looks of the comments underneath.

Mind you, fair play to the guy in the photos - is that Charlene Spitteri he's leaving in bed for an early morning ride?

LittleB0b

I don't believe the sex one.

I know that having sex in the morning then heading out on the bike can lead to impaired performance (not that i'm not happy to make that sacrifice sometimes), but if it was a long ride i might suggest holding off until we got back.

Blonde

I find it's sex after cycling that's unlikely - too knackered after a ride, but before is a good warm up!

The so called "myths" aren't any that I have ever believed or ever thought that anyone else would.
I think the paragraph about dehydration is just badly reported. I think the article is trying to say that if you get dehydrated enough for there to be an increase in core temperature, then of course this will effect performance, but slight dehydration won't effect you in the short term - so, it's not a good idea to allow yourself to get dehydrated if you are planning to ride another 100 miles the next day (i.e. on a tour) but at a two hour track meet, once a week, you probably won't notice any ill effect. Poorly written perhaps, but my guess is that this is the intended message.

Beware of bad science reporting in general though. Always try to check the original source(s). I have read a BBC news report that actually concluded the EXACT OPPOSITE of the quoted piece of research!!!

pedylan

A quote attributed to a football manager I think.

Sex the night before a game is no problem. The problem is the lads being up all night looking for it. That's why sex is banned before a big match!

rolf_f

Blonde wrote:

Beware of bad science reporting in general though. Always try to check the original source(s). I have read a BBC news report that actually concluded the EXACT OPPOSITE of the quoted piece of research!!!

Amen to that! Basically, any media reporting of science should be treated with extreme scepticism until verified at source. Trouble is, scientists aren't always the best communicators and journalists don't tend to be the brightest of individuals so the combination of the two means that what the science says, and how it is reported, have pretty much a random relationship!

Same applies to statistics.

pottssteve

Rolf,

I read somewhere that 42.432% of all statistics are inaccurate! Amazing.

nicensleazy

Sex is always good after a ride!

Ollieda

When I was playing American Football at uni we had a coach who used to coach the USA Europe team (a mixed team that toured Europe) and he swore that "Hydration was a load of crap" He was quite happy for us to train for 3 hours in the sun with maybe a gulp or two of water if we were lucky. Crazy, of course being dehydrated gives you a drop in performance, failing that it gives you a killer headache!!!

Red Rock

I thought that part about dehydration was stupid and irresponsible. Both the journalist and the editor who authorised the article need to think before writing about issues that can seriously effect someone's health.

Red Rock

freehub

I don't think dehydration effects my performance much, it just gives me a headache. It's weird, I sometimes find drinking the same amount of water in winter I get dehydrated yet sometimes in summer I don't

chuckcork

I find dehydration makes me feel dizzy and slightly out of it, the worse it gets the worse I get. Having empty bottles in summer with a hour to go to home and no refill points on the way, short of stopping at a house and asking, was the worst I've ever had on a bike, very unpleasant.

Worst ever dehydration/heat combo had me going rigid with heat stroke or something, but that was Aikido in Feb in Brisbane's summer heat.

On hot enough days I'll now go out with 3 700-750 ml bottles on the bike, and like last sunday (110km ride) I'll empty those and maybe a refill as well.

I just won't take the risk, road cycling is (potentially) dangerous enough as it is.

rolf_f

pottssteve wrote:

Rolf,

I read somewhere that 42.432% of all statistics are inaccurate! Amazing.

That's quite correct. Similarly, 12.5% of statistics are made up on the spot!

will3

The tyre pressure bit is not well written either. Sure the difference in rolling resistance between 75 and 85 PSI might be small, but the difference between 45 and 85 psi is huge. The article doesn't state within what lmits they were varying the pressures, instead just quoting “The difference in rolling resistance caused by varying tyre pressure is too small to be detected physiologically,” MM yeah, I'll bin the pump then.

CHRISNOIR

Blonde wrote:

I find it's sex after cycling that's unlikely - too knackered after a ride, but before is a good warm up!

Hmmm, maybe I'm not expending enough energy during cycling as I tend to come home feeling like Fred Flintstone on Viagra. Usually around 15 minutes after getting back it er, all kicks in. Maybe it's a bloke thing...

:oops:

knedlicky

Having sex before a race runs the risk you’ll come late.

Under ‘warm-up’ it says ‘forget it for races that last longer than hour’. I’m not so sure - the speed some amateur races and mass start cyclosportives begin.

I’m on the side of the article about dehydration; too many cyclists go to the other extreme - two 750 ml bottles for a 2-hr training ride in moderate temperature!
I’d guess these riders don’t drink enough in their normal lives, so start off partially dehydrated, or that they confuse the symptoms of falling sugar levels in the body (because of lack of food beforehand or during) with dehydration.

will3

knedlicky wrote:

Having sex before a race runs the risk you’ll come late.

.

Never heard anyone complain about that before. OK I guess if she falls asleep, that might be a hint.

freehub

I dont know if it's me, but does cycling without anything covering your eyes makes yer eyes go red and hazy as if you are tired and makes your head feel like crap?

teagar

Red Rock wrote:

I thought that part about dehydration was stupid and irresponsible. Both the journalist and the editor who authorised the article need to think before writing about issues that can seriously effect someone's health.

Red Rock

Have you not heard the extremely old adage "dryest is fastest?"

pottssteve

freehub wrote:

I dont know if it's me, but does cycling without anything covering your eyes makes yer eyes go red and hazy as if you are tired and makes your head feel like crap?

Will,
Does your floppy hair count?

bompington

On the subject of dehydration - I noticed an awful lot of people stopping to pee at the side of the road on this year's Etape C (and last year's, come to think of it). Does that imply overhydration?
I suspect that, like a lot of things that people swear by on these forums, a large amount of placebo effect is going on here, coupled with a lot of confounding (i.e. what you think is the cause is not, e.g. the one mentioned above suggesting that people are assuming dehydration when it's actually hypoglycaemia).
Which is why "scientific" studies are hard to do, because in any complex situation you can think you've taken care of all the variables only to have a completely different one throw the whole thing out.
But whenever these get to the media, science & caution get thrown out the window, 'cos we're just looking for a nice simple, dramatic message, aren't we?

Stone Glider

These articles just confirm the prejudices you already have, or you ignore them. The information is presented in such a slender way that a contrary view is easy to take.

As RolfF says (not quite), if you want to know read the source material, not the article.

However, it was common for climbers to empty the last Bidon at the foot of the last climb of a stage. But that might have been a gesture of intent to impress rivals, team bosses, etc. :?: