Be a friend of BS
The Cyclist's Training Bible
May 15, 2009
The Cyclist's Training Bible has become, over the past 14 years, a cyclist best chance at achieving their goals. Joe Friel, after initially recording his own training methods and philosophies, has produced the ultimate manual for growth as a cyclist. In this fourth edition, Joe covers every aspect of planning, physical training, nutrition, endurance, rest periods, everything that fits in between, and gives you colour diagrams and even personal training charts.
This book is for me, an avid cyclist but one who is fairly green when it comes to training, a bit overwhelming. It is by no means a quick read, but rather one that will be a reference and guide for a long time to come. It is designed for those that are serious about training, or at least those that want to get to that point. The nice thing about it is that Joe is there to guide you along the way. This book is for those who are self coached, but it is like having a mentor there with you. So be prepared to succeed, because it is all on your shoulders now. But as Joe Friel says "there comes a point at which each of us has to check our 'want to' against out 'have to'. Basically everyone has different levels of commitment.
Finding this level of commitment may be the hard part. Are you prepared to have a half hour nap every day at lunch, and get in a morning and an afternoon workout? It doesn't work for me, but as is outlined in this book, if it does work for you, your chances of success are greater.
Joes takes you through, step by step, how to become a better cyclist. There are great illustrations on pedal stoke, stretching, strength training and even techniques for cornering. The nutritional information is outstanding, as he covers when to eat, and what can work both for your energy and after ride recovery. Thought more riding made you a better rider? Well you will learn a lot with this book. Get off the bike for a bit, and plan things out. From what is covered in this book, it appears that some simple planning and a slow, but commited change to routine will change you as a cyclist for the better.
I have more than impressed with this book. I will be the first to admit that I am not one who is commited to training 365 days a year, I am far from it. But The Cyclist's Training Bible makes it seem a lot easier to do, maybe that one bit of knowledge that provides the motivation to get it done. It is easy to see why this is a best seller.
Price: $24.95 USD
Details: The training manual for cyclists
Pros: Everthing you need to know to become a better cyclist
Cons: You better be prepared to be a serious cyclist
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Velo Press
Reviewed by: Ryan