How to Make a Cycling Comeback Pt.II...

Let's take a look at some gadgets that every 21st. century rider needs to look like a complete poseur-I mean, dedicated cyclist.

First off, a cell phone is crucial to get the various cycling gadgets up and running and coordinated with one another. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Refine is inexpensive and does exactly what I need it to do. 

The Wahoo Elemnt cycling computer and GPS is arguably a better product than anything Garmin has put out, and it communicates well with the Favero Assioma power meter pedals. Then you have the Wahoo Tickrx heart rate monitor that will send the info it collects right to the Wahoo Elemnt so you can monitor yourself as you blow the fuck up and are left for dead by the rest of the riders in your respective group. 

The Wahoo Elemnt quarter turn mount adapter makes the computer/GPS compatible with the Garmin Edge stem mount that goes with the 3T Integra stem. It is necessary to mount the Wahoo on this particular stem, which is what the stem was made for.

Ray Long has published the most comprehensive set of yoga books currently on the market. The drawings are anatomically correct and meticulously done. It is also a step-by-step manual into the ways particular sets of muscles are stretched depending on pose. You're not going to find anything better than this series of books for yoga.

Here are various gadgets to aid in your yoga/stretch/recovery sessions. The black box contains an ice pack from a company that makes excellent products-

This is where we get even more creative. In the photo below we have the Garmin Vivoactive 3 watch, which tells you everything you need to know, and it's great for tracking heart rate and total steps taken during the course of a particular activity or for the whole day. 

Next we have the Perfect Ab Carver Pro which comes with detachable handles, and a portable back massager (the contraption with the blue balls) when your muscles get tight from riding in an aerodynamic position. The rest are various rollers for different parts of the body.

For more intense recovery, you could get the TimTam percussion massager ($199),the Hyperice Hypervolt (($349.99), the RXGun ($399.99) or the Theragun ($600),which is nothing but a Workx  20v jigsaw with 5 attachments. The other three are nothing but bootleg copies of the Workx, which retails for $69.99. You can get the attachments that are pictured on Ebay without having to retrofit any of the parts. Then you have the Ryobi car buffer, which can be used for deep tissue massage. The youtube videos will explain in detail why you should purchase these power tools to aid in recovery-

This video shows the Ryobi car buffer in action. Also shown is a Ryobi jigsaw retrofitted for use as a deep tissue massager.

A better idea is to get the Workx jigsaw and get the attachemnts from Ebay that require absolutely no retrofitting. Just pop the attachment in question in and you're good to go. 

If all this is not enough, the next two contraptions are for the seriously dedicated/hardcore athlete-

1) Compex Wireless 2.0 Muscle Stimulator Kit w/TENS. This is both a muscle simulator and a  muscle recovery tool. The eight individual pods are wireless, and believe me that makes a huge difference in terms of convenience. It has other features that makes this the best in it's class. Catch it when Compex has them on sale and you will not regret it. 

2) The Air Relax compression system. If you're a cyclist you've seen these before. Or maybe you haven't. There are more expensive brands out there, but this one is the most inexpensive in relation to what you get. For less than a grand, you have the air compression unit, a pair of white foot massagers, right and left leg sleeves that have four chambers from feet to the upper thighs, and shorts that deliver dynamic compression covering the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, lower back and abductors. The arm sleeve is self-explanatory. It's for the arms. You only get one because it's not a good idea to do both at the same time, though there will always be some fucking idiot out there who will purposely not follow the instructions and then sue the company if something goes wrong. 

If you're in the market for an air compression system, this one is impossible to beat in terms of both price and quality. Don't think that if you spend more money you'll get a much better product. That is simply not true. You could always pay $3545 for the Normatec Pulse Pro 2.0 if you got it like that, but if you don't the Air Relax system is the move you need to make. 

(I forgot to mention two invaluable peaces of equipment-a good, solid massage table and the Teeter FitSpine Inversion table. Spine decompression relieves back pain, especially for cyclists who spend the majority of their riding time hunched over the handlebars. Photos to follow.)

Part III will feature the type of clothing you'll need to avoid looking like a right wanker. If you are the one constantly getting dropped like an anchor as soon as the road tilts that slightest bit upwards, might as well get dropped in style.