Tips from a professional biker

Lisa Costantini
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
The fastest speed a person has ever gone on a bike is 167.043 miles per hour.
CLOTHING IS KEY
We’ve all heard the jokes about spandex and cycling, but according to Bigos, the look is all function, and no fashion. “There is a reason behind the tight outfit: chaffing. Trust me, if you were to spend up to seven hours a day on a bike, you wouldn’t want your clothes to move. A good pair of shorts makes all the difference in the world. In order to make sitting for long periods of time more comfortable, the shorts have a pad or ‘chamois’ sewn in them.”

YOU CAN CALL US LAZY
Cyclists are like the greyhounds of the sporting world. “We train really hard, but then do nothing for the rest of the day. My director once told me, ‘You have to rest as hard as you train’. That advice is something I take very seriously, because without proper recovery, all the intense training we do would be for not.”

SHAVING 101
Just like spandex, shaving also serves a purpose. “As much as we like to show off our muscular calves, it is much easier to scrub gravel off your injuries if you don’t have body hair to worry about. Not to mention it is easier to apply healing ointment. And since we get frequent massages, the therapist is happier to work your legs when they are clean-shaven.”

WHERE CYCLING GOT ITS START
Cycling was one of the nine original sports in the modern Olympic Games, having been on the program since the start (Athens 1896). However the first recorded race was 28 years earlier and took place just outside Paris, France. (The other eight disciplines were: athletics, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling.)

TALK ABOUT BAGGAGE
You know how hard it can be to keep your travel suitcase under the airlines bag allotment, but try traveling with a bicycle. “You learn to become what many of us call an ‘airport ninja’ because flying with bikes, wheels, and other equipment can be stressful. It doesn’t take long to learn the proper way to speak to a gate agent so you can avoid paying $800 in excess baggage fees. Though sometimes it’s an impossible task.”
WE EAT
“People always want to know if we have an eating disorder because we are so small, but you have to understand in this sport, riders are considered big if they are over 150 pounds. But we eat; trust me. It’s not uncommon to have days where I eat 5,000-6,000 calories and still go to bed hungry because I’ve either run out of food, or simply can’t eat anymore.”
OUR TIRES AREN’T SPECIAL
Flat tires. They happen. “Not all the time, and sometimes not for weeks or months, but sometimes you can get several in one day. Any good cyclist is expected to be able to change a flat tire on their own, and if you’re with a group, you had better know how to do it quickly.” — Teamusa.org.