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along with a free copy of
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______________________________________
RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter
Issue No. 454 - 09/09/10: Cyclocross for
Roadies
ISSN 1536-4143
Produced every other
Thursday by RBR Publishing Company. E-mailed without cost or obligation to
more than 63,000 roadies around the world.
1.
NOTES & NEWS
"Do
yourself
a big
favor
and stop
running,"
the
orthopedic
surgeon
told me
in 1983.
He'd
just
scoped
my left
knee.
Don't
run
again.
Imagine
hearing
that
with
half a
lifetime
yet to
live.
I'd been
on a
road
bike for
10 years
but I
also
loved to
run. I
lived in Vermont then. There were miles of dirt roads
and
forest
trails
out my
back
door. I
couldn't
bear the
loss of
running
through
that
splendid
countryside.
The doc,
being in
sportsmedicine,
knew why
I was
fighting
tears.
"Don't
give up
on those
trails,"
he said.
"What
about
getting
one of
those
new
bikes,
those
mountain
bikes?"
Legend
has it
that I'm
the guy
who
bought
the very
first
MTB in Vermont, an original Specialized Stumpjumper
(I still
have it)
from
West
Hill
Shop in
Putney.
That
solved
that.
At
around
the same
time, a
handful
of
endurance
freaks
in Hawaii were concocting a sufferfest they
called
triathlon.
As a
cyclist
who once
swam
competitively,
this new
sport
had a
real
attraction
--
except
for the
marathon
part.
Now fast
forward
to 2010,
and
guess
what --
I'm
running
on empty
again.
Today
it's
cyclocross
that's
making
me wish
for a
healthy
knee.
This old
and
esoteric
aspect
of
cycling
has
recently
become
the rage
in
North
America.
Cyclocross
combines
off-road
riding
with
running
(and
hopping
and
jumping),
making
it off
limits
for my
flimsy
hinge --
and
nowadays
my fake
hip, too
-- but
through
RBR I
can at
least
enjoy
the
satisfaction
of
introducing
you to
this
terrific
autumn &
winter
activity.
Today
we're
announcing
a new
eBook,
Cyclocross
for
Roadies
-
How and
Why to
Get
Started.
Written
by
Canadian
'cross
enthusiast
Darren
Cope,
it packs
46
illustrated
pages
with
essential
"how to"
advice
and
information.
Cope
does a
great
job of
explaining
why
'cross
is so
beneficial
to
roadies
and what
it takes
to get
involved
--
equipment,
clothing,
techniques,
training,
events
and a
list of
helpful
websites.
For
giving
'cross a
try, he
contends
that
your old
road
bike may
be just
fine.
Whether
you're
merely
curious
about
cyclocross
or have
already
decided
to jump
into the
upcoming
season,
this
well-written
eBook
provides
an
authoritative
introduction.
The
question
you
probably
have is,
"How
does
cyclocross
benefit
road
cyclists?"
You can
read
Cope's
7-part
answer
in one
of the 2
excerpts
from
Cyclocross
for
Roadies.
You'll
also see
4 color
photos
from the
eBook --
that's
the very
fit
author
himself,
in
action
-- and
the
detailed
table of
contents.
Sure,
all the
'cross
benefits
are
great,
but
never
overlook
No. 7 --
Fun!
-- as
you
consider
this
fitness-
and
skill-building
cycling
activity.
Order
today,
download
instantly,
and get
a big
head
start in
the
exciting
sport of
cyclocross.
Sure
wish I
could be
out
there
with
you!
Ed
Pavelka
Editor,
Publisher,
Making
the Most
of
What's
Left
Comment
____________________________________
Here's
Lookin'
at
You
The
RBR poll
about
rearview
mirrors
in
newsletter
No. 453
drew a
good
turnout
(2,445
votes)
and a
number
of
reader
comments.
The
breakdown:
36% said
they
don't
use a
mirror,
55% said
they do
and 8%
said
they're
considering
one. The
favorite
locations
are on
glasses
(21%),
on the
helmet
(15%)
and in
the
handlebar
end
(14%).
Several
mirror
advocates
used our
Cycling
Commentary
page to
wonder
why so
many
cyclists
choose
to be
the only
road
users
without
such an
easy and
instant
way to
check
behind.
(The
comments
are now
archived
at the
end of
No. 453.)
The
"dork"
factor
was
mentioned
several
times.
 Well,
as a
mirror-wearing
dork
since
1983 I'm
always
interested
in
better
ways to
get a
rear
view. I
might
have
just
found
one. If
being
seen
with a
mirror
is your
worst
nightmare,
this
version
decreases
the DF.
It's
called
the
Clearview
Micro.
It
attaches
to the
helmet
brim.
It's
only 9
mm in
diameter
(a dime
is 17
mm) but
it's
close
enough
to the
eye that
the rear
field of
vision
is about
as large
as with
a
conventional
helmet
mirror.
The
Clearview's
round
metal
base
sticks
tight,
then the
swiveling
mirror
locks on
magnetically.
The
whole
deal
weighs 5
grams.
I took
this
photo
showing
the $15
Clearview
installed
next to
the
dorky,
10-gram,
$13 Blackburn mirror I've used for years.
However,
like the
stealthiest
mirror
in
cycling
-- the
$15
Cycleaware
Viewpoint
-- it
appears
the
Clearview
isn't a
perfect
solution.
Just as
the
shape of
the
sunglass
lens
determines
whether
the
Viewpoint
will
work,
the
mounting
surface
a helmet
affords
will
determine
the
Clearview's
effectiveness.
For
example,
my
Specialized
S-Works
lid
doesn't
provide
an
attachment
point
where
the
Clearview
lets me
see
behind
without
considerably
more
head
swiveling
than is
required
by the Blackburn. Results with your helmet may be better.
So, I'll
have to
remain
an
obvious
dork
instead
of a
less-noticeable
dork, at
least
until I
change
helmets.
Come to
think of
it, I
remember
when
wearing
a helmet
made me
a dork,
too. --
Ed
Comment
____________________________________
This
'n'
That
-
 Laurent Fignon may be most remembered not for the 2 Tours de France he won (1983-84) but for the one he lost. The enigmatic Frenchman, who died from cancer on Aug. 31 at age 50, went into 1989's final stage, a short 24.5-km (15.2-mile) time trial, wearing the yellow jersey and holding a 50-second lead over Greg LeMond. With his trademark blond ponytail flapping and sitting crooked to ease a saddle sore, Fignon saw his advantage evaporate as LeMond, untraditionally aerodynamic with a cone-shaped helmet and "tri bars," did the impossible by winning the stage and taking overall victory by 8 seconds -- the narrowest Tour margin ever -- after 3,286 km (2,041 miles) of racing.
Fignon admitted in his autobiography that he had used drugs during his career. Then in June of 2009 he revealed that he was being treated for intestinal cancer and it was spreading. He battled the disease valiantly and worked as a Tour commentator this year even as a tumor affected his vocal chords. "I don't want to die at 50," he said earlier in the summer. "I'm still fighting." Career recap.
-
Fignon, writing in his autobiography, We Were Young and Carefree, told how he was once approached by a man who said, "You're the guy who lost the Tour by 8 seconds." Replied the rider, never one to back down, "No monsieur, I'm the guy who won it twice."
-
Floyd Landis continues to be the biggest threat to Lance Armstrong since cancer. Landis has filed a federal whistle-blower lawsuit against his former team, the U.S. Postal Service squad on which he raced with Armstrong. Landis claims the team defrauded the
U.S. government because its management was aware of doping by Armstrong and other riders. According to the New York Times, Landis filed his suit under the False Claims Act, which gives citizens a financial incentive to hire lawyers and bring lawsuits on the government's behalf.
If any money is recovered, Landis will be eligible to receive as much as 30%. Armstrong's people jumped all over that. "This news that Floyd Landis is in this for the money reconfirms everything we all knew about Landis," says Mark Fabiani, an Armstrong spokesman. Fabiani called Landis "a serial liar, an epic cheater and a swindler. What remains a complete mystery is why the government would devote a penny of the taxpayers' money to help Floyd Landis further his vile, cheating ambitions."
-
Another old Armstrong nemesis has resurfaced. It's reported that Betsy Andreu has met with FDA agent Jeff Novitzky in the federal probe of alleged doping by the cyclist. She is the wife of former Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu, who she said also spoke with Novitzky. For years the Andreus have maintained that they overheard Armstrong telling doctors he was a user of performance-enhancing drugs.
Lance's admission, they say, happened in a hospital room in 1996 during his battle with cancer. Armstrong denies that story and maintains he has never doped. Says Betsy Andreu: "Lance pays his PR firm hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote himself and to smear those who speak the truth about him. I have something that they don't have and that's the truth."
____________________________________
Overheard:
-
"He was one of the few riders who I really admired for his honesty and his frankness . . . and I was fortunate to really get to know him when my career stopped." -- Greg LeMond on Laurent Fignon
-
"In the future, sarcopenia will be known as much as osteoporosis is now." -- Dr. Bruno Vellas, president of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, in a New York Times article about solutions to age-related loss of strength and muscle mass.
-
"Give them access to their favorite soaps and cop shows and they'll pedal till the cows come home." -- Sheriff Joe Arpaio of
Maricopa County,
Arizona, on the "pedal-vision program" that requires women inmates to crank an exercise bike to make a TV work. Every woman signed up for the fat-fighting scheme, one of numerous ways stationary bikes are being used to generate electricity in the
U.S.
-
"It's what we've been asking for: a stamp that says a product is OK." -- Pat Cunnane, cycling industry executive, on the UCI's decision to form a technical commission that will pre-approve frames and aero equipment for use in competition, ending unexpected bans on the starting line.
-
"I've been assured it's not life-threatening." -- Kirk Gibson, Arizona Diamondbacks manager, who was stung by a scorpion in his cycling shorts as he dressed out for a ride.
-
"The whole composites industry has for a lot of years been struggling with how do we do this? How do we recycle?" -- Jim Colegrave of Trek's OCLV factory on the so-called carbon fiber conundrum, the fact that the stuff is virtually indestructible in a landfill.
____________________________________
-
Trek will equip a second elite pro team in 2011. The Wisconsin bike company and its Bontrager division are set to supply the new
Luxembourg squad captained by Frank and Andy Schleck, providing frames, wheels, helmets and technical assistance. The component group will be Shimano's electric Dura-Ace Di2. Trek will continue to equip U.S.-based Team RadioShack, which uses SRAM Red drivetrain and brakes. Meanwhile, Cervelo becomes the bike of Garmin-Transitions, replacing Felt. The demise of the pro squad called Cervelo Test Team has seen several of its best riders move with the bike company to U.S.-based Garmin, a development hailed as "good for cycling" in an ESPN analysis.
-
Garmin's new top-of-the-line Edge 800 GPS cyclecomputer, due at retail in October, has received an initial review by RBR tech contributor Fred Zahradnik. In his about.com column, Dr. Z describes the 800's features and his early on-road impressions. He'll write a more detailed review for RBR after he puts more hours on it. The 800 is lighter and smaller overall than previous Edge units but has a larger screen that displays in color. And it features touchscreen operation that does away with all but 3 buttons (the Edge 705 has 8). Depending on optional features, the 800 will retail from $449 to $649. The company says it will accept the same cadence pickup, heart rate transmitter and map card used by other Edge models.
-
European cycling companies hit by the decreased value of the euro and other cost challenges will raise 2011 retail prices 5-20% to help cushion their financial setback, reports Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.
-
Sounds of silence.
Toyota, Nissan and Chevrolet are equipping their quiet-running electric and hybrid cars with noisemakers.
Toyota's optional $148 pedestrian warning system will be available for Prius hybrids in
Japan and may come to the
U.S., according to reports. The system emits what is supposed to be an amplified reproduction of engine noise, but according to USA Today "it sounds more like a flying saucer about to attack Earth." The noise is activated at speeds below 15 mph (24 kph) and changes pitch with a Prius's speed to help pedestrians and cyclists know how fast the saucer, er, car is closing in. The electric Nissan Leaf has a similar automatic noisemaker, and the Chevy Volt features a chirping warning activated by the driver.
-
Here's an article about Phil Liggett, "the jewel of July," telling a lot more about the voice of pro road racing than you might know.
-
"Boise, Idaho, one of the most liberal cities when it comes to bicycling, issued new rules of the road this June that basically said to both drivers and bicyclists: Don't be jerks," writes newspaper columnist Steve Bunk. In fact, he states, for years
Idaho has had
America's friendliest statutes toward cyclists. He points to the stop-as-yield law that says it's legal for cyclists to go through a stop sign (cautiously) without fully halting, and to proceed through a red light after coming to a stop. (Arizona,
Oregon,
Montana and
California have looked at emulating
Idaho, he writes, but they have not enacted laws.) However, there's trouble in paradise due to what Bunk, a bike commuter, calls the "brainlessness" of some riders who "threaten to blow it for the rest of us" through careless disregard for other traffic laws.
-
Sign of the apocalypse? Lance Armstrong's private jet was too big to land at the airport upon his arrival for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation ride in Jasper,
Alberta.
-
Retail giant Performance Bicycle is partnering with People for Bikes in a
U.S. campaign to encourage public funding for bicycling infrastructure and making communities friendlier places to ride. People for Bikes was created by the cycling industry's Bikes Belong foundation. It's striving to collect one million signatures to raise awareness and support for cycling initiatives. Performance will promote the campaign on its website and in more than 90 stores nationwide. Or you can sign the pledge at http://www.peopleforbikes.org/pledge.
-
Do you believe in fate? Or maybe just miracles? Watch the story of a 70-year-old cyclist called Boston Bill, who became the beloved mentor to a boy that suffered a horrific lawn mower accident. How and when they met is so remarkable that the tale is now told by ESPN.
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
o^o o^o o^o o^o
RBR
Poll
Does the inability to recycle carbon fiber affect your cycling equipment purchases?
We
give you 6 ways
to answer on our
poll page, where
you can also find an
archive of previous
poll results. Please
click, vote and come
back to finish
reading.
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
o^o o^o o^o o^o
2.
COACH FRED
How Can I Be Stronger for the Finish?
Q:
I'm 44 and a masters racer with a consistent
problem. In road races, I'm able to hang on during
hard surges or climbs until close to the end. Then
one more surge does me in. I come off just enough to
lose the group. After a minute I can chase hard but
then it's too late to catch. How can I plug this
hole in my ability? -- Steve O.
Coach Fred Matheny Replies:
Your situation isn't uncommon, Steve. A mass-start
road race (or any spirited group ride) is far from a
steady-state aerobic event.
As
Garmin-Transitions pro team director Jonathan
Vaughters notes, bike racing is more akin to
soccer or basketball in its demand for abrupt pace
changes.
Here's the usual pattern: The pack goes fast at the
start, settles down, then suddenly you're flat-out
on short hills. It slows again before another
crunch. And another. You don't get dropped when the
pace is steady, you get dropped during the power
surges.
But surges don't last too long. If you can just hang
on, you can recover when the pace eases. After a
dozen hard efforts, though, you're cooked just
enough to slip off the back.
Here's training that should help:
-
Make a number of 10- to 60-second hard efforts
without full recovery between to accustom
yourself to pace changes.
-
Ride with an aggressive training group where the
pace varies as it does in races.
-
Do longer, steady-state efforts at time-trial
intensity.
That third one sounds like a contradiction, right?
If group rides and racing have abrupt pace changes,
why train with 20- to 30-minute steady efforts?
The reason is that they raise the speed at which you
can ride at a given heart rate. Then, moderate
surges won't make you anaerobic. When the pack
hammers up a short hill and everyone is 5 beats over
their lactate threshold, you'll be 5 beats under
yours.
All riders, even top pros, have a finite number of
"matches" they can burn by going extremely hard
during surges. So if you're aerobically fit enough
to stay out of the "red zone," you'll have more
matches left for later. You'll be able to hang on to
the end and maybe even go for the win.
Bottom line:
You need to build your lactate-threshold power with
longer intervals at time-trial intensity, your
short-burst resistance with shorter intervals, and
put both skills together by training with fast
groups.
Do
it and I bet you'll see marked improvement in your
ability to hang with fast packs and be there at the
finish.
Comment
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
o^o o^o o^o o^o
Raise Your
Pace on Long
Rides
Not a road
racer? Then
endurance,
not power
surges, may
your chief
objective.
But remember
-- although
it's fairly
easy to
develop the
ability to
ride
farther,
that's a
one-dimensional
goal. By
going long
you'll build
stamina and
a certain
amount of
fitness, but
at the risk
of becoming
a sluggish
plodder.
Fortunately,
there's a
proven way
to
increase
your
cruising
speed at
the same
time
you're
building
endurance.
It's a
training
method that
will pay off
in century
PR's and
better
performances
in other
long rides
and events.
The method
is detailed
by Coach
Fred Matheny
in his
11-page
eArticle,
"Swift
Endurance:
How to Go
the Distance
Faster."
You'll find
it for $3.99
-- the same
affordable
price as for
each of our
33 helpful
road cycling
eArticles --
in the
RBR
eBookstore.
Order today,
download
instantly
from your
RBR account,
and make
your next
long
training
ride pay
double
dividends!
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
o^o o^o o^o o^o
3.
CLASSIFIEDS
Also see the
Classified Ads
page on the RBR website and please support these
advertisers that help make this newsletter free for you.
______________________________________
NEW
WEAR WOOL!
Be ready - a great autumn riding season
awaits. Head to toe, you'll be comfy in
all temperatures
wearing our gear. Made in the USA.
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______________________________________
COMPUTRAINER - World's Leading
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______________________________________
"3 Feet Please"
Jerseys, Vests and Now Backpacks!
Enjoy rides with more space, more often
from more motorists.
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4.
JIM'S TECH TALK
Rear Shift Cable Replacement
Flat tires are the most common
breakdown on rides, but there's
something worse that happens
fairly often -- a broken rear
shift cable. It's worse because
if you don't have a spare cable
or the tools to install it,
you'll need to devise a
workaround or slog home in a
high gear.
Here are my tips for (a)
inspecting the cable, (b)
replacing a cable, and (c)
emergency fixes to help you ride
home if you don't have a spare.
Inspection
Most of us shift the rear
derailleur a lot to ensure we're
pedaling efficiently. And the
thin cable is routed along a
circuitous path. These things
give the cable quite the
workout, so check it at least
monthly to make sure it's still
in top shape.
First, look for fraying. Check
under the bottom bracket where
the cable goes through the
guide. Look at each place where
it enters or exits housing and
frame stops. If you see even one
broken strand, the cable should
be replaced.
Another problem spot is where
the cable head fits into the
lever. If the head breaks off it
can be very tough to get out.
Although fraying is hard to see
in the lever, there are clear
signs that it's happening:
shifting becomes imprecise, you
find yourself making lots of
fine-tuning with the cable
adjuster on the down tube or
derailleur, or there's a
crunching or snapping sound at
the lever during shifts.
Replacement
Replacing the cable is as simple
as removing the old and
installing the new. Shift the
derailleur to the smallest cog.
Loosen its anchor bolt and pull
out the old cable though the
lever. Then thread the new cable
into the lever and along the
same path to the anchor bolt.
Use light grease to lube where
it passes inside housing and
beneath the bottom bracket
(unless the cable has a slippery
factory coating).
Tip:
Before removing the cable, pay
attention to how it's routed and
especially the way it's clamped
beneath the derailleur's anchor
bolt and washer. If you get it
wrong, the derailleur won't
shift right. Take a photo or
make a sketch.
It can be tricky to route the
cable through the lever. To
help, click on your brand to see
installation photos.
Emergency Repairs
When the rear shift cable
breaks, the derailleur
automatically puts the chain on
the smallest cassette cog. This
means a high gear and a hard
ride home if there are any
hills.
Try one of these 3 quick fixes.
Tip:
Once the cable is secured,
you can shift to larger cogs
by reaching down and pulling
it. You'll have to hold it
to keep the derailleur in
the lower gear, but this
will help you ride up hills.
-
Off the bike, turn the
derailleur's high-gear limit
screw clockwise and pedal by
hand until the rear
derailleur shifts and stays
on an easier-to-pedal
(larger) cog.
-
Push the derailleur toward
larger cogs while your pedal
by hand. When the chain is
where you want it, wedge the
derailleur with a stick or
stone to hold it under that
cog.
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
o^o o^o o^o o^o
5.
NO PROBLEM!
Returning to the Pavement
What's
the matter?
You're riding a road that has an abrupt drop-off
between the pavement's edge and an unpaved shoulder. The
lip is 3 or 4 inches high. In a moment of inattention,
you drift off the pavement and now you're bucking along
in the gravel. Your first instinct is to steer back onto
the road surface, but you realize the lip is likely to
catch your front wheel and take you down. What can you
do except stop?
Here's
Help
Coach
Fred Matheny
remembers seeing a Colorado racer named Bob Ware
get elbowed off the road. Bob was suddenly riding in the
gravel and losing ground fast. If he stopped to set his
bike back on the pavement, he'd be dropped with little
chance of catching up. Turning back on was iffy due to
the pronounced lip. If he tried, he might crash and take
down others as the pack streamed past.
Here's
the technique Ware displayed that day.
-
Ride parallel to the road's edge. You need to
be within 6 inches for this maneuver to work.
-
Coast with crankarms horizontal and your butt
slightly off the saddle. Balance your weight between
your hands and feet. Feel like a cat ready to
spring.
-
Relax! Rigid arms and shoulders make this
maneuver much more difficult. If you're loose when
the front wheel gets knocked slightly off-line,
you're much more likely to save it.
-
Crouch slightly.
-
Spring upward and toward the road, pulling up
with hands and feet. The idea is to hop the bike not
just up but over, avoiding the pavement's dangerous
lip.
-
Land with relaxed knees and elbows for a
smooth touchdown. As soon as you do, continue
pedaling normally -- and start breathing again!
Don't
wait to try this technique the first time in emergency
conditions. Go to a grassy field to work on the sideways
aspect. Once you have it down, practice on pavement by
going to a parking lot and hopping across painted lines
like they are the road edge.
Get
comfortable going right to left and left to right. Hey,
you never know!
Comment
6. SCOTT'S
SPIN
Goal
Keeper
As the
road cycling season winds down here in the northern
hemisphere, it's time to review the goals you set at the
beginning of the year. This enables you to assess your
game plan, prepare for 2011 and wonder what you were
smoking when you came up with such ridiculous
objectives.
As you
know, to be effective goals must be quantifiable. "Ridin'
a lot" -- not so good. A better-expressed goal would be:
"I will not read one single article about goal-setting
this year." Oops.
Anyhoo,
many coaches recommend you set not only goals but also
stretch goals, and compare both to what you
actually achieved.
Need
help? Take a peek at the objectives I had for 2010:
Goal:
Raise FTP, a key fitness metric, by 2%
Stretch goal:
Raise FTP by 5%
Actually achieved:
Learned what FTP stands for (Functional Threshold
Power; also, Forget Trying, Pal)
Goal:
Ride to work 3 days a week
Stretch goal:
Ride to work 5 days a week
Actually achieved:
Rode to work on Bike to Work Day (free donuts!)
Goal:
Lose 5 lbs.
Stretch goal:
Lose 10 lbs.
Actually achieved:
[information redacted]
Goal:
Clean bike once a week
Stretch Goal:
Clean bike after every ride
Actually achieved:
Found scrub bucket in garage
Goal:
Watch coverage of every stage of Tour de France
Stretch goal:
Watch coverage of every stage of Tour de France without
paying for expanded cable package
Actually achieved:
Made it through the Alps, then all friends with Versus
announced they were "going out of town"
Goal:
Get new lightweight wheels
Stretch goal:
Get new lightweight bike
Actually achieved:
Got new handlebar tape (and stern lecture about state
of offspring's footwear)
Comment
(If you enjoy reading
Scott Martin,
the eBook
Spin Again contains 181 of
his witty, sometimes wacky, and
occasionally heart-felt observations on
road cycling.
Click here to enjoy 3 classic
Spins again and place your order for
instant delivery by download.)
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
o^o o^o o^o o^o
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7.
TRY THIS AFTER
YOUR NEXT RIDE
A
Corny Treatment for Injuries
Cycling can cause its share of tendinitis and other
soreness. Athletic trainers use ice to reduce
inflammation. You've probably seen pro athletes with
their knees, elbows or shoulders swaddled in a big bag
of crushed ice. Cold therapy eases swelling and pain.
But
maybe you don't have a crushed ice dispenser. And ice
cubes are too bulky to mold around the contours of a
sore joint.
There
are numerous other ways to chill an injury. Here's one
that's fast, cheap and has worked well for cyclists for
ages.
Go to
the supermarket and buy a bargain brand of frozen
veggies. Corn is a favorite because the kernels are
tough enough to withstand numerous thaw/freeze cycles.
Kernels don't break down and get mushy like peas or
carrots.
Put
the unopened bag of corn inside a freezer-weight
zip-lock bag. This will prevent problems if the original
bag springs a leak. The double-bagged corn will also
remind people not to eat your cold therapy.
To
protect your skin, place a thin layer of cloth between
the cold bag and the injured area. Corn yourself for
15-20 minutes up to 4 times a day. After each session,
stick the bag back in the freezer and it'll be ready for
the next session.
Alternative: For
an even colder and more compliant method, freeze one
part rubbing alcohol with 2 parts water in a
freezer-weight zip-lock bag. You'll get a slightly
slushy liquid that's ideal for wrapping around joints.
It's very cold, so put a towel between the bag and your
skin. This mix can be reused many times to spare the
world's corn supply.
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
o^o o^o o^o o^o
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