6 Signs You’ll Live A Long Life: Does Cycling Help? | GCN Show Ep. 578

The World Cycling Rush Championships in Tabor, welcome to the GCN Show. Welcome to the GCN Show. Coming up this week, the six physiological markers that indicate how long you will live and how cycling fits in. We've also got a race across five islands, more doom and gloom for the cycling industry, a UCI World Championships on the ski slopes, and a new event dubbed the Olympics on steroids. This week in the world of cycling, we learned that Matty Mohoric is still pushing the limits of tire traction. Terrifying. I know. Absolutely terrifying. We also learned that Matty van der Poel is now just one cyclocross world title away from equaling the record of Eric de Vlaminck. Troutervoorn, van der Poel, and Van Empel dominated their respective races in Tabor at the weekend, taking their sixth and second titles respectively. There wasn't a lot of suspense, really, in those two elite races, was there? It's pretty much a done deal after just half a lap of each. Finally, I learned through a bit of research last week that there are six key physiological indicators of life expectancy. Now, obviously, you could get run over by a bus tomorrow, but barring disaster, doctors reckon they can make a good estimate of how long you are likely to live. Well, go on then. What are they? Well, in no particular order, they are VO2 max, leg strength, balance, muscle mass, muscular power, and grip strength. Grip strength. Grip strength, yes. According to the article that I read on Forever Fit Science, and this is backed up by studies, Conor. Grip strength is strongly correlated with measures of whole body muscle strength, and those who lack grip strength later in life are less able to carry out daily menial tasks. You can probably put grip strength and muscular power together as one, then they're both correlated, aren't they? It sounds like it, yes. I guess grip strength is just maybe slightly easier marker to measure than most people. Linking this back to cycling then, I don't suppose that riding a bike helps improve your grip strength. It probably doesn't, does it? Unless you're a very fearful descender, I suppose, and hanging on for dear life on every downhill. Yes, that's a good point. Shall we talk about VO2 max then? Yes. Of all the factors you mentioned, that seems like the one that will be higher in cyclists than the general population. You'd have thought so, wouldn't you? I actually looked back this morning whilst writing the story about what my VO2 max test was back in 2010. And? 74.3, which I remember being quite disappointed about at the time, but in hindsight, that sounds like a decent number. How much it's dropped in the last 14 years, though, is a different matter altogether. Maybe I should get it tested. You should. At some point. I've never done one, so I've got no idea. You've never done one? Never done one. Well, maybe you should get yours tested as well. We can see who's going to live longer, the two of us. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, VO2 max is basically a measure of your aerobic fitness. So, scientifically speaking, it is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can absorb and use during exercise, and it's measured in milliliters per kilogram per minute. For context, top professional cyclists are typically in a range of 80 to 90 for men and 60 to 70 for women. Sensory people have a VO2 max around half that. Half of that. Wow. Interestingly also, VO2 max is said to decline by around four and a half per decade, so the higher it is when you're 30, the better your chance of keeping it in a good place when you get older. In the article on foreverfitscience.com, it says that if your goal is to maximize health and longevity, you should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise per week. Yes, that's what they recommend, but that basically follows government guidelines. However, Inigo San Milan, who you well know, posted to Twitter recently to say that it should be at least double that, so 300 minutes of aerobic activity per week, which equates to what? Five hours? Just under an hour a day, I guess. Which is where cycling fits in nicely, doesn't it? Most keen cyclists will do at least five hours per week, and it's another reason why people who commute to work by bike are shown to improve their life expectancy significantly. There's loads of studies on commuters by bike, isn't there? Anyway, let's move on to the other indications of a long life and whether or not they relate to our sport of cycling. First up, muscle mass. Going out on a limb here, but unless you're a sprinter, I'd say that most pro cyclists I thought the same. I understand your thought process and my thought process, but actually, cycling is proven to build muscle, particularly in the legs, obviously, but only to a certain point. You're never going to look like Arnie by doing five hours a week on a bike, I would say, but it is proven that you will build a certain amount of muscle mass, leg strength, and muscular power. Three of the aforementioned key indicators of life expectancy, which is good news. That said, there are many benefits to adding some weight training into your weekly schedule, but both for general health and also for on-the-bike improvements. It's just one of those things that I never get around to doing that. In fact, I did buy a few weights and kettlebells and adjustable dumbbells late last year, but they're not doing me much good gathering dust in the corner, really. I'm too big for the chin-up bar. Lastly then, balance. It makes sense to me that cycling would help your balance. You're not going to get far on two wheels without it. No, that is very true, top of the line, wouldn't you? I found a couple of studies on this, one of which concluded that cycling was not a statistically significant independent predictor of timed one-leg standing balance, but then in the other, participants significantly improved their performance on measures of one-leg standing balance. Sounds like the jury is out then. Inconclusive. It's certainly not detrimental. Sounds like we picked the right sport for longevity. There are two factors to longevity that weren't in that article and that we haven't covered so far on this show. They being socializing and diet. Diet obviously is something that differs significantly from person to person, even cyclist to cyclist. If you haven't already seen it, I would really recommend watching Ollie's how to actually lose weight video from last Friday. Even if you are not looking to lose weight personally, there are some fantastic insights on there on what you should and shouldn't be consuming in your diet. Socializing, that's got to be the best one and the best thing about cycling. You get to regularly meet up with like-minded mates and ride for a few hours too. You know what the best thing about it is? It's mobile phone free. That is true. Proper socializing without distractions. Can't get the phone out. Let's throw it out there though. We'd love to hear from you if cycling has had a positive impact on your general health. Maybe some of you have actually measured the physiological improvements since you started. Let us know. We're always interested to hear your thoughts down below. Now it's time for cycling shorts. Next up, cycling shorts. Now, we've all had our excuses for stopping for a moment on a ride to catch our breath, but this first story, well, it really takes the biscuit. Ultra racer Chris Hall was recently out in the Canary Islands in Spain for the Gran Gaucho Ordax, a 600-kilometer race across five islands. I've taken the route on myself, actually, and it is a stunner. Chris, however, got more than he bargained for mid-race when a paraglider crash-landed in a tree nearby to a man who was racing. He stopped to help and thankfully, everyone was okay with nearby workmen stepping in until the rescue crew arrived. I'm glad he didn't leave him hanging there. Dropping from the sky like shares in Peloton, which continue to go in the wrong direction after the latest financials were made public just last week. A drop of 23% coming off the back of a reported decline in revenue of 6% compared to last year and 34% to the year before that. Tough times for the online training platform. That's not good, is it? Moving on to our next piece of news this week, tough times too for Parisian SUV drivers. A recent referendum in the French capital passed a landmark vote that will triple parking charges for SUV vehicles. Yes, it is the latest effort by next year's Olympic host city to make Paris a friendly, greener place for pedestrians and for cyclists. You'll now pay 18 euros per hour to park a vehicle over 1.6 tons. Let us know in the comments what you think of that particular move. Conor Dalton- Personally, it's a good one. SUVs, they're great if you're in the wilds of Mongolia or they're equivalent, but in a city center, I think they should be outlawed. They're too big, they're too polluting, they're too dangerous. Good one, Paris. Simon Thompson- Conor's not exactly sitting on the fence with his opinion on that subject. Something I'm not sure we've ever said here on the GCN show now because we are heading to news from the ski slopes. The reason for that is because at the end of this week, 50 athletes are going to line up for the UCI's first ever Snow Bike World Championships. They take place over in the French Alps. Conor- We've seen downhill riders take on the snow in Mega Avalanche. Indeed, Hank entered one himself last year. The Snow Bike Championships, however, is all raced on snow, taking on alpine ski courses with two wheels. There'll be two events, the Super G and the Dual Slalom. I don't know about you, but I want to try it. This looks like a fun. Simon- Really? Conor- It looks insane. Simon- If you want to try it, Conor, I'm sure we can arrange it somehow. Have you ever been skiing? Conor- No. Never been skiing. Simon- You've never been skiing? Conor- No. Simon- You've never been snowboarding? Conor- Never been snowboarding. I've done cycling though. Simon- On snow? Conor- No. Not really. Simon- It can't be that hard. Conor- It's not boating very well. Simon- It can't be that hard. It's a soft landing as well. Conor- You can get it to go. You can get it to go. One thing that I definitely don't want to try is the Enhanced Games, which will see its first edition this December. It's been dubbed the Olympics on steroids. No testing for performance-enhancing drugs will take place. Peter Thiel, who's the billionaire backer of that event, argues that this will see truly fair competition and that sports can basically be safer if you don't have drug testing. They also claim that 44% of athletes use performance-enhancing drugs, so it's now time to safely celebrate science. Everyone who takes part will have to undergo a full system medical pre-competition screening protocol in order to safeguard their own health. Conor- Anyone that doesn't test positive will be banned from competition. No, just make that last part. I think it's mad though, Dan. I think it's mad. Why would you ever think this is a good idea? There is nothing healthy or safe, short or long-term, about pushing your body further than its natural limits by taking drugs. Sport should be a force for good that inspires, and this isn't it. This isn't it. Dan- It's not a new concept though, is it? I believe I'm right in saying that there already exists in bodybuilding a steroids one and a clean one. I think more people watch the one where people aren't, well, they're not cheating, are they? It's allowed. Conor- What's the point? It's all fake. Dan- I'm just playing devil's advocate. I think it sort of depends on the sport, doesn't it? Conor- It does. Dan- For proper athletic performance, running, you want to try, hopefully, believe that the athletes you're watching are clean. Obviously, history has told us that they're not always clean, far from it, in fact, on certain occasions, but it'll be interesting to see how it goes and what the viewing figures are like. Conor- It'll be interesting to see how it goes. Dan- That'll be the test of time, won't it? Conor- Bizarre concept. Last up, Colnago revealed their latest C68 gravel bike last week, spaced 42 mil tires and looks that could kill. Thing of beauty, if I must say, and Si took a closer look at it for us on the channel last week. This is a bike that will sit alongside Colnago's race-orientated bike, the G3X, which Colnago say is designed for riders who enjoy the process more than the goal. If you want to know more, check the first look video out, which is up on the channel now. Si- Just before we finish cycling shorts, actually, a reminder that we have got a giveaway going on at the moment, courtesy of our new partners, Precision Fuel and Hydration. We have got three $250 gift cards to give away, each of which comes with a personal consultation. Conor- To enter, follow the link in the description below and answer the question, which GCN presenter has the saltiest sweat? Si- Any idea on the answer to that, Conor? Conor- No idea. No idea. You have to watch the video to find out. Si- Hack, forward slash bodge of the week now. Don't forget, you need to go to upload.globalcyclingnetwork.com to submit your bodges or your hacks. Also, as this is now available on all of your favorite podcast platforms, we shall be as descriptive as possible for the photos. This first one comes in from Marek in Krakow, spotted this beauty of an in-house engineering in my company's bike parking, perfect for winter though. What we are basically looking at is a fairly standard-looking mountain bike complete with the biggest, yellowest mudguards I have ever seen in my life. There's just not a chance of you or anyone around you being splattered by anything with these things. Conor- It's essentially two massive bananas made from metal that have been put on both wheels. It's quite remarkable. I like it. I want to try it. I want to put these on my bike. Si- To be even more descriptive, they are effectively probably about 100 mil depth, aren't they? Conor- Huge. Si- If you think about aero rims, they are much deeper than that and they are substantial as well. I like this because the thing with mudguards is that some of them aren't great at protecting you, are they? Conor- No, that's true. Si- It's like they do half a job and I think, well, what's the point? I'm still a bit muddy. I might as well have got completely muddy, it would have made no difference. These feel like they would do an incredible job at keeping pretty much everything off you. Conor- You could ride through a monsoon in those and you'd be dry as a bone. It's total overkill but the only thing I'm going to add, I think this is going to add quite a lot of weight. Si- They look hefty, don't they? Conor- Pretty heavy. Hopefully, there's no hills nearby. Good job nonetheless. I'm going for a hack. Si- I'm going to hack with that as well. In fact, I would quite like to ride that on wet roads just to see what it's like. Conor- Me too, maybe. I think it's one for GCN Tech. I think we should try and make some of these. Next up, Matthew from Wellington, New Zealand. This is my indoor training setup. Usually, I'm road riding but with a few mountain bike races coming up, I've slammed the original drop bars and stem, put spare stem and mountain bike bars with my mountain bike measurements so I can train like I'm on that bike and then flipped up the drops so I can still reach and change gears on Zwift. It's two bikes in one, basically, so we've got the full-on mountain bike bars literally whacked on top on the steering. It looks like there must have been some spaces beneath the original stem which had been taken out, slammed as Matthew pointed out, which has allowed room for a secondary stem on top of that in which the mountain bike bars are clamped. I think this is another great idea because if you go from a road bike to a modern mountain bike with those insanely wide bars, it feels so alien, doesn't it, the position? Conor- Yes. If you recreate that at home on a trainer, get used to it, why not? That's minimal effort really, just whacking your bars on. Dan- Exactly. There's nothing like having a bike that's permanently set up on an indoor trainer to encourage you to get on it in the first place. Conor- That is it. That's the barrier. Dan- One less hurdle to get on. Conor- That's the barrier to overcome. Yes, fair play, Matthew. I'm going to hack on that too. Dan- Yes. It's the second hack from me as well. Next up, Antony, location My Garage, says Antony, had enough of cleaning down my stem after a sweaty Zwift session so decided to create a sweat-proof guard to protect it. Made from a six-pint milk bottle, works like a dream, and it was free. Conor- Now, I've got to say, Antony, this, for me, is the best hack I've seen after this year's sweatshow. Dan- Well, let's describe it for our audio listeners. It's basically a milk carton that's been cut around the stem to prevent any sweat dripping onto the top stem bolt or the head cap, et cetera. It's reasonably neat. It's not 3D-printed. Conor- No. Dan- It's just hacked out of a milk bottle. Conor- You can improve it a bit, but it's a snug fit. It's a nice fit. It's basically used the bottom. They've cut the sides, kind of wrapped around the end of the stem. I'm trying to pick holes in it, but very difficult. It's a very neat solution. I hate putting my towel in it because it always falls off, always gets in the way. If I'm going to say one thing, that would worry me, it's that my knees might hit the sharp bit of plastic on my knees, but it depends on my position. Dan- I don't want to give away the answer to the question for our giveaway, but you're quite the sweater, Conor, aren't you? Conor- I am quite a sweater. Dan- Because this might be a solution for you. Conor- Yes, definitely. Because my salt is so corrosive, it could probably go straight through my top tubes. Dan- Well, you're saying hack. Conor- I'm going hack. Yes, hack of the century. Dan- I'm on the fence on this one. I feel like a bit more effort could- Well, I guess it does fit rather snugly. Conor- It's such an easy solution you've just got. Dan- I'll go on then. I will go hack. I'm going to go hack. We've not had a bodge yet. Conor- We haven't had a bodge yet. The next one could be a bodge. This is Gordon from Ireland, wait, I got sick of waiting for GCN Camelbak water bottles so I made my own. Dan- That's not a bad effort at the GCN logo, is it? Conor- Yes, I think you could have put a bit more effort into coloring the C there. Dan- It was also the wrong color, it should be red really. Conor- That's true. Dan- It's a stopgap, isn't it? We are still waiting on the GCN branded Camelbak water bottles to arrive. Until then, Gordon, job's a good'un. It's still a bodge for me. I just feel like there should be at least one bodge every week. Conor- Sorry, Gordon, you've got the bodge. Caption competition now where we give you guys a photo from the week of cycling and you have to give us a caption to it with the chance of winning Camelbak water bottle which we'll get over to in the post. Dan- As mentioned before, we are still waiting on the GCN branded ones. This was last week's photo though from the podium of the Cdelevan's Great Ocean Road Race with Laurence Pithy and our winner this week, actually there's an honorable mention before we get on to our winner. No prize unfortunately for Simon Richardson 7808, pretty sure it's a different. There are a lot of Simon Richardsons in the cycling world, aren't there? At least three quite well-known in this country. Anyway, Simon Richardson wrote, caption contest, Dan, he gave me a wave, Si, I see what you did there. S-E-A. It's a good one. Dan- It's not too bad. Honorable mention. The winner is Whitesurfer, but caption competition, just smile and wave boys, smile and wave. S- I like that. Dan- I think a worthy win. S- Yes, a worthy win. Dan- Get in touch with us on Facebook with your address as a message Whitesurfer and we'll get a bottle sent out to you. This week's photo comes from the Etoile de Besseges, I believe that was. I will get you started. Okay, guys, we just need to hide in the peloton, lie low, not let anybody see us until we attack. I mean, they're not exactly inconspicuous, are they? Dan- No. S- The bright pink kit and those helmets that Ollie Bridgewood wouldn't even have been seen out riding in. Dan- Yes, I don't know what to say about those helmets. They're just a step too far, aren't they? Let us know what you'd come up with, can you beat Dan, get involved in the comments down below. Comments of the week now, starting off with Shane Mundane, love the name, Shane Mundane. This was on the last week's show, eating a chocolate pudding while watching the newest GCN show, wasn't the best idea I had today. S- No, this was a story all about fecal transplants, wasn't it, so I can imagine it would have put you off your chocolate pudding. Meanwhile, Alessandro- Alessandro Mestiquita. Dan- I think you got it, 5-5-1-7. S- Everything makes sense now, Pugacar Van Der Poel. I mean, there's more puns to be had, I'm sure, from cyclist names. Meanwhile, and under can other sports improve your cycling fitness, Mellon Husk wrote, Ollie is an absolute champ with his two-minute daily workout. Dan- Oh, he's some boy. Right, under here's how to actually lose weight, Sam Campbell, 850, said, finally someone talking the truth, life is a balance of many things, exercise and enjoyment of life are the keys for me. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but I still enjoy a beer or two with friends as well. Cheers. This was under Ollie's video, giving some advice how to actually try and lose some weight properly. Dan- Yeah, he's done very well, hasn't he, in that video? Lots of people interested. Ollie, he's very well read on a lot of things, science, but particularly on diet. Pete Slater, 7791, put, orthorexic, I learned a new word. Ollie, thanks for this incredibly honest and judgment-free video, perhaps the best GCN video to date. It's fantastic advice. While Seattle Gurley put, one year ago, I listened to the science of fueling a bike trial. I started eating more and started losing weight. Seemed backward from everything I've read, but it makes sense. I had more energy to ride longer, built more muscle, recovered better, slept better because I wasn't hungry, and rode the next day. Yes, well worth watching that, as I mentioned before, if you haven't done so already. Dan- Yes, definitely some great advice in there. Under does cross-training work, Rich Crompton, Crompton, yes, in a study from Crompton and Earl, beagle walking is the best activity ever. Fact. Well done, Manon. Dan- Manon counted her cross-training exercises as walking a dog. Ollie- Well, I have as well. Dan- It does count, though. Anything counts. Ollie- I mentioned last week, it's a very brisk walk. I reckon it's zone two. Dan- You do walk fast. That was the first thing I noticed when I met you. Ollie- I've raised my walking level further since I last walked with you, Conor. Dan- Well, I'm a fast walker too. I like it. I just can't walk slowly. I find it's a lot better to walk slowly. Ollie- I don't know if I mentioned this before, but if I'm ever in an airport or a city where there's no room to maneuver around people, I can't believe how slow the average person walks. I'm literally there thinking, is this the normal speed to walk at? Dan- It's hard work to slow yourself down, I think, so try it out there. Ollie- Under the same video, Evan Rogers wrote, yep, time for GCN to take on GTN in a sprint try. Whilst, Paul the Cyclist Sturrock wrote, nice to see you once again, Simon can't find the iron at home. He had creased clothing on again, hasn't he? Dan- He has creased clothing again. Ollie- Always. Always. Dan- CornagoC68, the first look video, which we did, a few comments under that. This one from rbon3880. Sid, way to channel your inner child. Ollie- I think that's meant to be Si. Dan- That's one sweet ride. I think that's meant to be Si, but I find it quite funny that we call it Si-Sid. Might start using it. Ollie- Pbabel, under the same video, put, Mr. Richardson is at least as classy as this bike. Just a pleasure to watch and to listen to. It looks like Si, despite not being here this week, has managed to get into our script. I'm sure he put that one there. Coming up on the channel this week then, starting tomorrow, which is Wednesday, if you're watching or listening to this as this comes out, are you using your gears correctly? Now, anyone watching this who's been cycling for a long time, it's probably not for you. As you will know from when you first got into cycling, it can be fairly complicated, can't it, to work out which button does which thing. In fact, even when you're switching between campy, SRAM, and Shimano. My gears are different on my indoor trainer to out on the ride. I'm often going the wrong way. Thursday, five bike fit changes to stop back pain while cycling, which I'm sure will be relevant to a lot of you out there. On Friday, the title is, I Can't Cycle to Work. You'll have to wait for Friday to find out exactly what that video is all about. On Saturday, we have Average Joe versus the Ron van Vlaanderen, Killian Kelly, who's put his hat in the ring. He's taking on the Ron van Vlaanderen Sportive. The last 170 kilometers of it, I believe. Ollie- 180, I think. 180, the hardest part of all the climbs. He's pretty excited about it. It's going to be a challenge for him. I think he's going to do well. Anyway, this is his first video, setting out his stall, how his training has been getting on in the lead-up to the big day. In all seriousness, that's a tough goal. It's a tough goal. It's relentless, that course. It might not be mountainous like the Etapte Tour or anything that follows a mountainous stage of a Grand Tour, but it's just non-stop, isn't it? Even when you're not on the climbs, it's left, right, constant accelerations. 180Ks around Flanders, as I'm sure you remember. He's like 250 elsewhere. In the spring weather as well. Honestly, I think this is harder than the Etapte. I think it's harder. I hope he's not watching this. We've all told him it's going to be easier. Now he's entered, we can tell him the real stuff. But yes, good luck, Killian. On Sunday, we've got, is this the world's fastest bunch ride? This is back from when Ollie and Hank were out in Tucson. Yes, I think that was supposed to come out last week, but it was delayed slightly. You'll be able to watch that. This coming Sunday. That is the end of another GCN Show. Thank you all for watching. Please give this a like and share it with your mates if you'd enjoyed it. Don't forget to comment below with your experiences of how your health has changed through cycling.