1972 CONI "Cycling" Book

[Brad Anders]

I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.

There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
stop reading now. It's organized into three sections. The first covers
hygine, physiology, nutrition and massage. The second section is on
equipment and fitting the bike to the rider. The last section is on
cycling technique, training, race strategy, and sports management.

Reading the nutrition section today is interesting, as to what has
changed and what hasn't. Basic diet recommendations are fairly
similar, but water bottles only contained water or tea. Food
recommended for racing was sandwiches and biscuits, no such thing as
gel packs! Very little is mentioned about food for post-training or
post-race recovery.

Equipment has changed radically, so there isn't much that applies
today. Tubular tires are covered in detail, note that their idea of a
criterium tire was a 180 - 200 gm tire, and track tires were as light
as 130 gm. Fitting the bike to the rider was done with an extensive
set of measurements and tables, and fitting was closely tied to frame
geometry.

The section on training and racing is the most interesting. Various
strength training exercises are described. Great attention is paid to
using the preliminary training phase on the bike to develop an optimal
position and pedaling agility. A "day in the life" of an athlete is
given, along with detail about how to use weight and resting heart
rate to determine if the training is being "assimilated" of if the
cyclist has not recovered. Weight, resting pulse, blood pressure, and
respiration rates are used to determine if an athlete is progressing.
The section on race tactics is classic - it's still applicable today.

There is much more detail I won't go into, but the book is a good read
for any cyclist. I have no idea of if CONI ever put out an updated
edition, but if you find the old book in a used book store (I got mine
from Powell's in Portland), it's worth considering to add to your
collection.

Brad Anders

[Fred on a stick]

Brad Anders wrote:
> I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
> used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
> precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.
>
> There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
> stop reading now.

What about pages 35-36?

[RicodJour]

On Feb 15, 1:17*pm, Brad Anders > wrote:
> I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
> used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
> precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.
>
> There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
> stop reading now. It's organized into three sections. The first covers
> hygine, physiology, nutrition and massage. The second section is on
> equipment and fitting the bike to the rider. The last section is on
> cycling technique, training, race strategy, and sports management.
>
> Reading the nutrition section today is interesting, as to what has
> changed and what hasn't. Basic diet recommendations are fairly
> similar, but water bottles only contained water or tea. Food
> recommended for racing was sandwiches and biscuits, no such thing as
> gel packs! Very little is mentioned about food for post-training or
> post-race recovery.
>
> Equipment has changed radically, so there isn't much that applies
> today. Tubular tires are covered in detail, note that their idea of a
> criterium tire was a 180 - 200 gm tire, and track tires were as light
> as 130 gm. Fitting the bike to the rider was done with an extensive
> set of measurements and tables, and fitting was closely tied to frame
> geometry.
>
> The section on training and racing is the most interesting. Various
> strength training exercises are described. Great attention is paid to
> using the preliminary training phase on the bike to develop an optimal
> position and pedaling agility. A "day in the life" of an athlete is
> given, along with detail about how to use weight and resting heart
> rate to determine if the training is being "assimilated" of if the
> cyclist has not recovered. Weight, resting pulse, blood pressure, and
> respiration rates are used to determine if an athlete is progressing.
> The section on race tactics is classic - it's still applicable today.
>
> There is much more detail I won't go into, but the book is a good read
> for any cyclist. I have no idea of if CONI ever put out an updated
> edition, but if you find the old book in a used book store (I got mine
> from Powell's in Portland), it's worth considering to add to your
> collection.

There's a guy selling a PDF of it on eBay. Here are some scans on
Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15952610@N03/sets/72157602677870203/with/1732956809/

R

[Anton Berlin]

On Feb 15, 12:17*pm, Brad Anders > wrote:
> I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
> used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
> precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.
>
> There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
> stop reading now. It's organized into three sections. The first covers
> hygine, physiology, nutrition and massage. The second section is on
> equipment and fitting the bike to the rider. The last section is on
> cycling technique, training, race strategy, and sports management.
>
> Reading the nutrition section today is interesting, as to what has
> changed and what hasn't. Basic diet recommendations are fairly
> similar, but water bottles only contained water or tea. Food
> recommended for racing was sandwiches and biscuits, no such thing as
> gel packs! Very little is mentioned about food for post-training or
> post-race recovery.
>
> Equipment has changed radically, so there isn't much that applies
> today. Tubular tires are covered in detail, note that their idea of a
> criterium tire was a 180 - 200 gm tire, and track tires were as light
> as 130 gm. Fitting the bike to the rider was done with an extensive
> set of measurements and tables, and fitting was closely tied to frame
> geometry.
>
> The section on training and racing is the most interesting. Various
> strength training exercises are described. Great attention is paid to
> using the preliminary training phase on the bike to develop an optimal
> position and pedaling agility. A "day in the life" of an athlete is
> given, along with detail about how to use weight and resting heart
> rate to determine if the training is being "assimilated" of if the
> cyclist has not recovered. Weight, resting pulse, blood pressure, and
> respiration rates are used to determine if an athlete is progressing.
> The section on race tactics is classic - it's still applicable today.
>
> There is much more detail I won't go into, but the book is a good read
> for any cyclist. I have no idea of if CONI ever put out an updated
> edition, but if you find the old book in a used book store (I got mine
> from Powell's in Portland), it's worth considering to add to your
> collection.
>
> Brad Anders

I had the eastern blok book that was translated into english and then
copied. Most riders at the OTC had a copy - Sunny probably still has
his - someone either stole mine or I loaned it out and lost track.

[Brad Anders]

On Feb 15, 11:35*am, "Fred on a stick"
> wrote:
> Brad Anders wrote:
> > I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
> > used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
> > precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.
>
> > There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
> > stop reading now.

Sonofabitch, you're right, I missed it when I was reviewing the book.
I guess in the revised edition all pages except 35-36 would be about
doping.

A quote from p. 35 was prescient:

"If in fact there existed substances capable of increasing the
muscular power of an athlete (which has not to date been
scientifically proved) their use would constitute a sports fraud,
since the morality of sport is to compete loyally in natural
conditions of parity."

[RicodJour]

On Feb 15, 3:29*pm, Brad Anders > wrote:
> On Feb 15, 11:35*am, "Fred on a stick"
>
> > wrote:
> > Brad Anders wrote:
> > > I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
> > > used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
> > > precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.
>
> > > There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
> > > stop reading now.
>
> Sonofabitch, you're right, I missed it when I was reviewing the book.
> I guess in the revised edition all pages except 35-36 would be about
> doping.
>
> A quote from p. 35 was prescient:
>
> "If in fact there existed substances capable of increasing the
> muscular power of an athlete (which has not to date been
> scientifically proved) their use would constitute a sports fraud,
> since the morality of sport is to compete loyally in natural
> conditions of parity."

That is downright Nostradamus-spooky. Fraud wasn't even born yet and
they name him by name.

R

[yirgster]

On Feb 15, 10:17*am, Brad Anders > wrote:
> I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
> used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
> precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.
>
> There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
> stop reading now. It's organized into three sections. The first covers
> hygine, physiology, nutrition and massage. The second section is on
> equipment and fitting the bike to the rider. The last section is on
> cycling technique, training, race strategy, and sports management.
>
> Reading the nutrition section today is interesting, as to what has
> changed and what hasn't. Basic diet recommendations are fairly
> similar, but water bottles only contained water or tea. Food
> recommended for racing was sandwiches and biscuits, no such thing as
> gel packs! Very little is mentioned about food for post-training or
> post-race recovery.
>
> Equipment has changed radically, so there isn't much that applies
> today. Tubular tires are covered in detail, note that their idea of a
> criterium tire was a 180 - 200 gm tire, and track tires were as light
> as 130 gm. Fitting the bike to the rider was done with an extensive
> set of measurements and tables, and fitting was closely tied to frame
> geometry.
>
> The section on training and racing is the most interesting. Various
> strength training exercises are described. Great attention is paid to
> using the preliminary training phase on the bike to develop an optimal
> position and pedaling agility. A "day in the life" of an athlete is?
> given, along with detail about how to use weight and resting heart
> rate to determine if the training is being "assimilated" of if the
> cyclist has not recovered. Weight, resting pulse, blood pressure, and
> respiration rates are used to determine if an athlete is progressing.
> The section on race tactics is classic - it's still applicable today.
>
> There is much more detail I won't go into, but the book is a good read
> for any cyclist. I have no idea of if CONI ever put out an updated
> edition, but if you find the old book in a used book store (I got mine
> from Powell's in Portland), it's worth considering to add to your
> collection.
>
> Brad Anders

Why is it worth having this book? For its historical value as you seem
to emphasize? Would it add anything to training today?

[Fred on a stick]

Brad Anders wrote:

> A quote from p. 35 was prescient:

For the rbr audience, isn't the reference to "night pollution" on p. 34 more
apt?

[Brad Anders]

On Feb 15, 2:57*pm, "Fred on a stick"
> wrote:
> Brad Anders wrote:
> > A quote from p. 35 was prescient:
>
> For the rbr audience, isn't the reference to "night pollution" on p. 34 more
> apt?

Yeah, that's a hell of a page.

[Brad Anders]

On Feb 15, 2:42*pm, yirgster > wrote:
> Why is it worth having this book? For its historical value as you seem
> to emphasize? Would it add anything to training today?- Hide quoted text -

Definitely more for historical value than relevance, but the sections
on training preparation and race tactics are useful. If there's a pdf
out there it'd be worth looking at for the Cat 3/4/5 racer, but not
for the 1/2's.

[Fred on a stick]

Brad Anders wrote:
>> For the rbr audience, isn't the reference to "night pollution" on p.
>> 34 more apt?
>
> Yeah, that's a hell of a page.

http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/rbr/coni-p34.pdf

[RicodJour]

On Feb 15, 4:42*pm, yirgster > wrote:
>
> Why is it worth having this book? For its historical value as you seem
> to emphasize? Would it add anything to training today?

Depends on whether you are a night polluter or not.

R

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

I would kill to know where my copy of that book is. I bought it when it
came out; it was then the equivalent of J Friel's much-later books. Your
read through it line by line, hoping to find something that would give
you the edge, something the euros knew that we didn't, something your
competitor didn't know because he hadn't read the book. If you were not
only serious about the zen of racing but also loved bicycles, you had it
near your copy of Ron Kitchen's Handbook (sorry if I botched the
spelling). What an amazing collection of data on bicycle product of the
day! Those were two of the most-influential cycling books I owned. The
third was "Anybody's Bike Book" by Tom Cuthbertson.

Thanks for bringing this up. Seriously.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Brad Anders" > wrote in message
...
>I was wondering how many others on r.b.r. have a copy of this book. We
> used to call it the "Blue Bible" when we were kids, it was the
> precursor of books like Eddy B's and Lemond's.
>
> There isn't a word on doping or drugs in the book, so 90% of you can
> stop reading now. It's organized into three sections. The first covers
> hygine, physiology, nutrition and massage. The second section is on
> equipment and fitting the bike to the rider. The last section is on
> cycling technique, training, race strategy, and sports management.
>
> Reading the nutrition section today is interesting, as to what has
> changed and what hasn't. Basic diet recommendations are fairly
> similar, but water bottles only contained water or tea. Food
> recommended for racing was sandwiches and biscuits, no such thing as
> gel packs! Very little is mentioned about food for post-training or
> post-race recovery.
>
> Equipment has changed radically, so there isn't much that applies
> today. Tubular tires are covered in detail, note that their idea of a
> criterium tire was a 180 - 200 gm tire, and track tires were as light
> as 130 gm. Fitting the bike to the rider was done with an extensive
> set of measurements and tables, and fitting was closely tied to frame
> geometry.
>
> The section on training and racing is the most interesting. Various
> strength training exercises are described. Great attention is paid to
> using the preliminary training phase on the bike to develop an optimal
> position and pedaling agility. A "day in the life" of an athlete is
> given, along with detail about how to use weight and resting heart
> rate to determine if the training is being "assimilated" of if the
> cyclist has not recovered. Weight, resting pulse, blood pressure, and
> respiration rates are used to determine if an athlete is progressing.
> The section on race tactics is classic - it's still applicable today.
>
> There is much more detail I won't go into, but the book is a good read
> for any cyclist. I have no idea of if CONI ever put out an updated
> edition, but if you find the old book in a used book store (I got mine
> from Powell's in Portland), it's worth considering to add to your
> collection.
>
> Brad Anders

[Simply Fred]

Fred on a stick wrote:
> For the rbr audience, isn't the reference to "night pollution" on p. 34 more
> apt?

Somebody should tell the EPA.

[Simply Fred]

yirgster wrote:
>> Why is it worth having this book? For its historical value as you seem
>> to emphasize? Would it add anything to training today?

RicodJour wrote:
> Depends on whether you are a night polluter or not.

Dumbass,
This is rbr.

[Fredmaster of Brainerd]

On Feb 15, 10:46*pm, "Fred on a stick"
> wrote:
> Brad Anders wrote:
> >> For the rbr audience, isn't the reference to "night pollution" on p.
> >> 34 more apt?
>
> > Yeah, that's a hell of a page.
>
> http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/rbr/coni-p34.pdf

If only someone had told Eddy Planckaert!

Fredmaster Ben

p.s. What's "morbosity"?

p.p.s. I was always curious about the CONI manual,
never saw one, now realize I must have been looking
in the wrong section of the bookstore.

[Simply Fred]

Fredmaster of Brainerd wrote:
> p.s. What's "morbosity"?

A morbidly obese individual ?