Putting on the Sunscreen

Let's face it, somehow bike racers have a skewed vision of vanity. When was the last time a cyclist showed you his "great" tan lines? If you know many bike racers, it probably hasn't been long at all. But we all know that too much sun isn't good for you.

To help keep all the time in the sun in perspective, there's a great sunscreen info graphic on InformationIsBeautiful.net that has a very good description of sunscreen—what is protects against, how much to use, how long its protection lasts—and the types and dangers of skin cancer. It's definitely worth taking a look so you know what type of sunscreen to buy, how much to use, when to put it on, and what you're trying to avoid by using it ... least of which are those tan lines you worked so hard to get.

Post-race Recovery

Riders have long sought out how to train better. With a lot of work going into workouts, the focus is also turning more and more to the recovery necessary. The demands of professionals riding the Tour de France are about high you could imagine and recovery during the event is a key determinant of success over the three weeks of the race.

Cyclingnews.com has an excellent article covering Mark Renshaw and his recovery routine for between stages. It's a good insight into professional racing, the importance of recovery, and multitude of details that are covered to help athletes perform at their peak over the course of the race. It's a balance of sleep, diet, massage, clothing, rest, media and fan obligations and much more.