Mental Preparation for Intense Training and Rides

by Arleigh Jenkins of Bike Shop Girl

The difference between a great athlete and a good athlete is mental attitude.

Cycling for me is an addiction, a healthy addiction, but still an addiction. Once I put myself in a consistent training regimen and have races or key events plotted on the calendar, I become hyper-focused and dedicated. Dedicated to well-rounded workouts, and even the dedication to take a day off the bike when my body needs it. The most important part of this dedication and consistency to training is 100% my personal thoughts and focus.

Your Mind is a Surprising Muscle

Your thoughts can fail you, or they can give you that extra kick over a long hill. It can shut down long before your legs, and make you question your training or quit right before you start seeing success.

Wholesome Options for Fueling and Hydrating During Endurance Rides

By Caitlin Boyle of HealthyTippingPoint.com

During my last metric century, I ate an incredible amount of food: a few granola bars, juice, a handful of M&Ms, and as many donuts as I could cram in my mouth. I’d never seen an aid station offer glazed donuts before and snapped them up. All those simple carbohydrates provided me with the energy that I needed to cross the finish line, but by the end of the race, I felt rather depleted and yucky.

On one hand, fueling for endurance events is all about quantity – you need enough calories to sustain your activity. But to do your very best, you need quality, too. Donuts are delicious, but they’re not the most wholesome choice! And you’ll need to complement your food with a steady supply of fluids. If you’re exercising in hot weather or for longer than an hour, you may want to consider a drink with electrolytes (such as potassium, sodium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium), which will aid in hydration and muscle recovery.

Since that donut-laden ride, I’ve been seeking more natural fueling and hydration options. Whole, unprocessed foods are ideal, but the snacks also must be easy to carry and eat while on a bike.

Here are some of my favorite on-the-go selections for healthy, wholesome fuel and hydration:

Q&A with RAAM Team Riders Dani & Kacie

Moxie Cycling is proud to announce the sponsorship of Kacie Darden and Dani Grabol as they prepare to take part in the 2013 Race Across America.

These two awesomely ambitious women will be racing 3,000-miles beginning June 15^th in Oceanside, CA and finishing in Annapolis, MA. Kacie and Dani are in full-on training mode and have hopes to break the female 2-person team record! As they ramp up training and prepare for this athletic feat, we will be posting updates on our Facebook page and holding Twitterviews, live interviews via our Twitter feed, in the coming weeks.

We invite you to join our conversations by following @MoxieCycling on Twitter during these dates at 4PM CDT:

• Thursday, April 11 // Discussing their training regiment 
• Thursday, April 25 // Discussing the race course, which goes through 12 states
• Thursday, May 9 // Discussing the importance of nutrition
• Thursday, May 23 // Discussing the mental strength factor in endurance events
• Thursday, June 6 // Discussing the final preparation for the race

Read about how Dani and Kacie got their start in cycling, who serves as their inspiration and more

Behind the Scenes

Team Moxie Cycling goes to China // Brooke and Deb visit China to visit  & see production firsthand

Post Holidays, Moxie Cycling was excited and felt it was appropriate to welcome in the new year with an exciting trip to China to visit our factory and review first product off of the line for the 2013 collection. What a wonderful and enriching trip it was! Here are some especially memorable aspects of the adventure.

Roundup: Stocking Stuffers for Cycling Bookworms

What we love this week // Stuff the Stocking of the Bicycling Bookworm in your Life

Hooray for snow! We have finally gotten over a foot of snow on the ground here in Minnesota and although it limits the cycling industry to the very few and admirable, I’m happy we will have a semi-White Christmas. This is the Midwest after all! And after a full summer season, I finally have a reason to stay indoors and catch up on the books that have been making my ‘To Read’ list embarrassingly long. I have managed to cross a few off in the last few months and if you or a reader on your Christmas list is in need of a read, these would make excellent stocking stuffers.

Roundup: Gift ideas for your “cycling-crazed” friends

What we love this week // Just what your cycling-crazed friends are pining for this year

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving & have fully recovered from the turkey coma! The beautiful day we were given in the Midwest on Thanksgiving made the day extra enjoyable, I even got in a bike ride! It was great to get the pedals pumping again, but the bitter cold set in for good it seems and I’ve turned my attention to tree decorating and decking the halls.

Stealthy & Healthy

Food & fitness for your consideration // Spice up your post-Holiday leftovers and keep the shopping anxiety at bay with Cranchiladas and Pom-ritas

Happy Thanksgiving to all! We here at Moxie Cycling wish you safe travels and hope you are able to spend the Holiday relaxing with your family.

We are sure nothing beats the family recipes that are successes year after year, so we won’t suggest a new dish to bring (too risky) but when you find yourself short on sleep and time Black Friday, we have a great way to use that leftover turkey!

From the blog of Pink Parsley we give you Turkey Cranchiladas!

Moxie Trends

What we love this week // The season of giving is upon us! & Moxie wants to share with you our special Black Friday – Cyber Monday Deal

Don’t miss out on this great deal! Visit our online store http://www.moxiecycling.com/ right from your home and gift away.

Stay Sassy…

Team Moxie

Moxie Women – Diane Stoller

November Moxie Mogul:

Diane Stoller 

Full-time breast cancer surgeon, mother of 3 children, and a 53-year-old Iron Man triathlon finisher

Moxie Cycling was first introduced to Diane when a mutual friend photographed Diane crossing the Iron Man finish line in her France Ave Moxie jersey and knew that we would be honored to hear she chose our jersey. We of course are honored and were excited to hear more of her story on the path to the 2012 Madison, WI Ironman in our Moxie Mogul interview:

Moxie Cycling – How did you first find yourself becoming involved in triathlons?

Diane Stoller I started running at 42 when my then 48-year-old husband had a heart attack. I thought to myself, we need to be healthier.  I weighed 60 pounds more when I started with no weight loss goals, just sweat 4 hours a week and eat 5 fruits and vegetables per day.  I let myself eat only ONE bad thing (a cookie, M&M’s, etc) per day.  I began following what the cardiologists told my husband to do.  Truth be told, he never did any of it but after 4 years I was down 50 pounds and running my first marathon.

Moxie Cycling – What other events led you to participate in Iron Man?

Moxie at Interbike 2012!

Interbike 2012 in Vegas // Mystery shoppers, Cyclecross madness & Human Bio-electric Emulation technology

We’re going to go against the age-old adage of “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” and telling you all about our Interbike experience! (Well, except for that one night) If you aren’t familiar, Interbike is the premier cycling trade event in North America with more than 750 companies representing more than 1,200 brands. It is the place to be seen if you are looking to advance your brand and network within the biking community.