A collection of stories, news and information that we thought you might find interesting and relevant.
- Long rides train your heart, sprints train your muscles. Different workout styles can get you equqlly fit, but they your body differently, which suggests that you should mix it up. Alex Hutchinson provides some insight on how to find the right balance @Outside
- Jan Heine explains why wider tires are not slower in his most recent feature.
- Clara Hughes—the six-time Olympic medallist, two in cycling, four in speedskating—has become one of Canada’s most well-known advocates for mental health through her work with the Bell “Let’s Talk” initiative. Hughes recently did a podcast with her former speed skating teammate Anastasia Bucsis, looking back at her long career. Hughes’s attitude about her mental health has certainly changed following those many years on both the bike and skates. Now, she can look back at the pressures of racing through a calmer, wiser perspective. She also believes that exercise, whether it is cycling, running or her latest passion, hiking, is key to mental health.
- When the Winter Olympics start this weekend in Beijing, there will be plenty of upsets and surprises. But there’s one thing you can count on: The country most likely to top the medal standings won’t be the United States, Russia or Canada, it will be Norway – again. Do you ever wonder how a country of 5.3 million people – roughly one-third the population of Ontario – produce such a wealth of talent? It starts with a radically different approach to sports that’s based on a concept known as the “Joy of Sport for All.” While Canadians and Americans stream kids who display potential into elite teams at an early age, Norway keeps the focus on participation. Children in Norway are encouraged to play as many sports as possible, and costs are kept low for parents. Clubs aren’t allowed to keep league standings or even record game scores for children under 13, and there are no individual rankings, travelling teams or national championships for that age group. It’s all covered in Norway’s “Children’s Rights in Sport,” a 12-page document that says “children should receive a positive experience every time they participate in sport.”
- The photograph above is Passo Pordoi, a classic Giro d’Italia mountain pass in the Dolomites region of Italy. Captured by Michael Blann, it is one of the many beautiful photos in his Mountains: Epic Cycling Climbs book.
