Forty plus cyclists out on this outrageously gorgeous Tucson day for the annual Cactus Cycling Bunny Ride. The air was permeated with the scent of sweet acacia and desert flowers.

desert marigold

fairy duster

Somebody had to go out in this weather -a high of 75 degrees, calm and sunny. Doesn’t get much better for a ride to Picacho Peak State Park. Wild flowers glorious! I’ll let the photos speak for the day.

poppies in the desert

Picacho Peak State Park

A great day to be on the bike

Cycling creates wonderful friendships

Yes it is and it’s due to Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) which requires extra kilocalories for lactate removal, glycogen re-synthesis, creatine phosphate replenishment, and recovery of your HR, hormone levels, temperature, and ventilation following a bout of exercise. You can expect to burn an additional 65-150 kilocalories for 1-2 hours postexercise depending on your body weight. And workouts of greater intensity and longer duration show higher EPOC values and calorie burn. The time of day you exercise has no bearing on the postexercise calorie burn.

Just another reason to keep on exercising!

Flower power women Cindy and Gwen

A sea of poppies littered the hills and the roadways on the ride from the Cow Palace to Gadson Coffee Company down Arivaca way.

Always an eclectic group of patrons at the Gadson – motorcyclists, locals, ranchers, desert dwelling hippies, Green Valleyites, and of course cyclists. And they have some of the best brew around!

7am, 45 degrees, LeBuzz, on my bike and headed up the mountain. Riding up with the sun, watching the day awaken, before the cars, no other cyclists until Molino Basin. Peaceful, serene, bird songs, sounds of water somewhere in the canyon, a steady constant rythm of the pedals. Solitude in nature is a precious gift.

Princeton University researchers have demonstrated in two studies that rats fed high fructose corn syrup (HFC) gained significantly more weight than those fed table sugar. And it appears that the excess fructose ingested is being metabolized to produce fat while glucose is largely being processed for energy or stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles.

“The first study showed that male rats given water sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup in addition to a standard diet of rat chow gained much more weight than male rats that received water sweetened with table sugar, or sucrose, in conjunction with the standard diet. The concentration of sugar in the sucrose solution was the same as is found in some commercial soft drinks, while the high-fructose corn syrup solution was half as concentrated as most sodas.”

“The second experiment — the first long-term study of the effects of high-fructose corn syrup consumption on obesity in lab animals — monitored weight gain, body fat and triglyceride levels in rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup over a period of six months. Compared to animals eating only rat chow, rats on a diet rich in high-fructose corn syrup showed characteristic signs of metabolic syndrome, including abnormal weight gain, significant increases in circulating triglycerides and augmented fat deposition, especially visceral fat around the belly. Male rats in particular ballooned in size: Animals with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained 48 percent more weight than those eating a normal diet.”

High fructose corn syrup is found in many processed foods and beverages including fruit juice, soda, energy drinks, bread, crackers, ketchup, mayonnaise, yogurt, and soup. In fact two thirds of foods found in your local grocery store will contain HFC. HFC is implicated as a primary factor in the dramatic increase in obesity and diabetes.

So, how can we minimize the intake of HFC. First reduce the intake of soda and sugary beverages. Next, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and lean protein, minimizing the intake of processed foods. These two simple measures can have a dramatic impact on weight gain and your health.

For a comprehensive overview of the detrimental effects of HFC I encourage you to watch Dr. Lustig’s YouTube video, in which he argues that the current obesity epidemic is due to the marked increase in consumption of fructose over the last 30 years. He also points out that fructose is toxic in large quantities, because it is metabolized in the liver in the same way as alcohol, which drives fat storage and makes the brain think it is hungry.

Yes, yes I understand the safety issue in changing the women’s qualifying platinum time to that of men’s, and safety really is the first priority. I’ve been in the platinum start and know how scary it is to feel all that testosterone surging around you. However, I do take issue with Richard DeBernardis’s statement that “Speed, skill and experience do not know gender or age, so those are no longer factors in the new platinum times.” I’m not going to touch on age considerations but will address the physiological gender differences that exist between men and women and why the same qualifying times are somewhat gender bias.

In the marathon the current world record is still approximately 10% less than that of the men’s world record, and this gender time difference exists across most endurance sports. It’s not that women don’t train as long, often or hard as men it’s because there are some important physiological differences.

1.   On average men are much bigger than women and heart size scales in proportion to lean body size

2.   Women tend to experience less heart enlargement in response to endurance training

3.   The lower hemoglobin content in women results in less oxygen carrying capacity

These factors all contribute to a reduced maximal oxygen consumption (the ability of the body to take in and use oxygen) in women athletes as compared to male athletes.

Factor in body composition, where untrained women average about 25% body fat as compared to 15% in men (these estimates are for those of normal body fat, not the overweight or obese). Female athletes can average 18-20% and male athletes 8-12% (the percent body fat of elite athletes is often lower). You can’t expect a female athlete to reduce her percent body fat to that of a man’s and maintain healthy training and performance. The differences in body composition also effect the total body weight to lean mass and power ratios. The primary reason men generate more power is that they are larger and have more muscle mass.

However, women do match men in many of the physiological training parameters including lactate threshold and peripheral adaptations. Female skeletal muscle is just not distinguishable from male muscle – it responds in the same way to training. And there is really little difference in fat metabolism (sorry women, you do not metabolize fat faster or more efficiently then your male counterparts) We also dissipate heat equally, although women have slightly lower sweat rates, but also less body weight and surface area. And women tend to be as efficient in their skill techniques in endurance sports as men.

So what is the bottom line – due to the physiological differences in maximal oxygen consumption women are going to train and perform at about 10-15% the capacity of men. Important to make this clarification – for the record.

Hey –so what’s the real reason to ride El Tour anyway – because “the journey is the reward.”

WOW, indoor bike technology has taken an evolutionary leap. The REALRYDER indoor cycle adds a whole new range of motions that keeps you more engaged and the body more active. The bike has a unique, articulating frame that allows the rider to steer, lean, and feel like they are on an actual road bike. The side-to-side motion requires constant shifts of balance and simulates a rider’s movement on the road while encountering wind shifts, obstacles, and curved roads.

The REALRYDER classes were packed and it was fun giving the bike a spin.

Plus the lead instructor, Favio, is from Venice, Italy, a third place finisher in RAMM, and an ultra cycling wold champion. Now that’s enough to keep you pedaling!

Favio and Gwen discussing cycling it Italy

Viva Italiano!!

This workout arena was definitely drawing big crowds at the IRHSA trade show. X-Pole, the leaders in pole technology offers a variety of poles to select from for a fun, flirty, and effective alternative to fitness. Doesn’t matter your age, weight, height, or gender…there is something for everyone. Classes involve yoga, Pilates, flexibility, strength, and exotic dance moves to make you leaner, stronger, and of course sexier…..

How about this move...

However it does help if you have experience in gymnastics, circus performing, and acrobatics. Hey, just grab onto that pole and give it a whirl. Fitness doesn’t have to be mundane or boring!

I feel a bit over dressed.

One of the hottest new group equipment activities on the trade show floor was the upper body spinning machine Krankcycle. Invented by Johnny G, the father of indoor spinning, the Krankcycle resembles a conventional upper body erogometer in which you sit and essentially pedal with your hands. While this equipment has been a staple in rehabilitation it hit the fitness arena in January 2010 and over 1,300 Krankcycles have been sold.

Shelley and Gwen kranking

In a recent study by the American Council on Exercise participants in a 30-min. Krankcycle class burned between 269 and 393 calories. The Krankcycle used both standing and seated exercises, single and double arm kranking, and reverse kranking. It was determined that exercising with the devise met the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for cardiovascular fitness and a person who lacks upper body strength and endurance would likely experience significant gains.

So watch for it when it hits your club and get Kranking.