Gravel Racing with a Heart Condition: My Cycling Comeback, Athletica Training, and a Setback with Ventricular Tachycardia
I headed to the Hungry Bear gravel race in Cable, WI, hopeful. Training had been going well, my legs felt strong, and the early-season races had gone off without a hitch. But just 20 minutes into the race, the familiar signs of ventricular tachycardia returned. My heart rate spiked to 204 bpm, and just like […]
Mud, Miles, and Milestones: Gravel Racing Adventures at Rough Road 100 and Barry Roubaix
Rough Road 100: A Muddy Adventure in Morris On April 5, I traveled down to Morris, IL, for the Rough Road 100-a flat and increasingly popular gravel race. Over 800 riders braved a chilly morning start in historic Morris, a nice small town just an hour from Chicago. This would be race #3 in the […]
Dirty South Roubaix: First Race of the Heart and Gravel Comeback Tour—Lessons, Grit, and an Orange Tutu
The first race of the Heart and Gravel Comeback Tour is in the books. I finished the Dirty South Roubaix in Alto Pass, Illinois, a 100km gravel race that happened on March 1. I had no heart issues. I wore the orange tutu and orange antenna to celebrate the fundraising milestone. (We’ve raised $1,000 already […]
From Heart Surgery to Gravel Racing: My Comeback at the Dirty South Roubaix
Two years ago, I wondered if I’d ever race a bike again. This weekend, I’m back at the starting line for the Dirty South Roubaix in southern Illinois, my first gravel race since heart surgery-and the first of the Heart and Gravel Comeback Tour. I’ll do the 100k race, which I did three years ago […]
From Heart Scare to Comeback: The Journey Behind the Heart and Gravel Tour
The summer of 2023 started off well for training and racing my bike I was holding my own in the challenging group rides with guys half my age on Saturday mornings. When I started to have some irregular heartbeats, sometimes on rides, I thought they were just spasms and ignored them. Even when I was […]
Riding for Young Hearts: My Gravel Racing Journey to Support Children’s Hospital
On West 3, the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee, the glass of every child’s room gets decorated with what they love, motivational sayings, drawings of heart valves, milestone celebrations, and, especially, celebrations of Happy Heart Day, when kids waiting for new hearts get the good news. While the ICU unit […]
Base Training for Cyclists, Runners, and Triathletes: How to Build Endurance, Strength, and Recovery for a Successful 2025 Season
As we look toward the 2025 season, it’s time to lay the foundation for your best year yet. This begins with a structured base period, a crucial phase in any endurance athlete’s training plan. Base training builds the aerobic endurance, strength, and durability needed to handle more intense phases later on and helps you perform […]
Caffeine Supplementation: Debunking Myths and Uncovering the Truth for Endurance Athletes
Caffeine is one of the few supplements that work. For most people, caffeine supplementation seems to benefit aerobic endurance the most, which is great for runners, cyclists, and triathletes. For most people, 3 to 6mg per kg of body weight is the dosage recommendation with more than 9mg possibly causing adverse side effects, like the […]
Seven Mental Training Skills to Help You Through a Long Gravel Racing Event
All of us have been there: The moments when we question our life choices that brought us to this really long gravel bike race. Maybe the weather was unusually tough, or there were mechanical issues, we didn’t fuel properly, or maybe the tedium of riding that many hours just got to our head. “Why am […]
Gravel Race Success As A Cyclist Over 50: A Guide to Training, Nutrition, and Recovery Changes
Cyclists over 50 are putting in some of their best performances at long gravel races. While we may not be able to compete with the 20-year-olds at the pointy end, older men and women can complete and excel at gravel races of all lengths. Whether training for improved health, competition, or personal growth, gravel racing […]
