What We're Loving This Week: Mental Training Books, Bike Lights, and Podcasts

Our staff doesn’t just spend a lot of time swimming, biking, and running, they also spend a lot of time thinking about swimming, biking, and running. This week, that means we’re reading books on mental training and listening to podcasts on training. We’re especially excited to share some of what we’re learning with you. Join us for a Q&A with Matt Fitzgerald on his new book about comebacks and what you can learn so you can make great comebacks too.

The Comeback Quotient

Matt Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors, and not just because he’s the writer behind some of the best-known VeloPress sports psychology (How Bad Do You Want It?) and nutrition books (Racing Weight) or because he started his sports journalism career at Triathlete. His latest book, The Comeback Quotient, is full of fascinating stories (and the science) behind some of the most astonishing comebacks in sport. The book shows how some athletes are able to overcome overwhelming odds and rebound stronger than ever, using the power of ultrarealism, a mental fitness mindset that allows them to fully accept, embrace, and address the reality of their own situations. Bonus: You can join us on Dec. 9 for a Q&A with Matt, where he’ll share some tools (and inspiration) for making your own comeback in 2021—in sport or in life.

—Sarah Gorecki, managing editor of VeloPress

Hit Play Not Pause podcast

In this job, we are very fortunate that we get to meet and interview some fun and interesting folks—and this week I had the opportunity to record the next episode of our Fitter & Faster podcast with Selene Yeager. Selene has been a writer, coach, and researcher in the endurance space for some 25+ years, and as part of my own research into her leading up to our podcast recording, I started listening to her new podcast, Hit Play Not Pause, which is all about helping athletic women through every stage of menopause. It blew my mind how much I learned on each show—and how important it is to fill the void that has always existed for athletic women on this topic. Her podcast is informative and insightful while also being refreshingly candid, honest and, at times, laugh out loud funny. It was a real pleasure and privilege to be able to interview her and definitely a highlight of my week. Keep your eyes peeled for our next Fitter & Faster podcast with Selene, which drops next Friday, Dec. 11. (Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.)

– Emma-Kate Lidbury, managing editor

Blackburn Dayblazer 1100 Front + Dayblazer 65 Rear Light Set

As the daylight hours continue to shrink, I find myself riding closer and closer to sunset. While I don’t make a habit of riding at night on the roads, in the last few weeks I’ve been caught out as it starts to get dark. In some ways, this dusk time is most dangerous because streetlights aren’t on yet, headlights might not be on cars yet, and in my area—and on my ride route—drivers are increasingly distracted by the sun setting over the ocean. (Morbid SoCal fact: Sunsets are way better when there are wildfires burning.) Because of this, I need something super bright and super attention-getting because I am in no way as pretty as a sunset.

This light combo pumps out a staggering 1100 lumens up front (for an hour, but enough time for me to get home) and a pretty intense 65 lumens when in strobe on the back. At this output, you could easily use the Dayblazer to see while riding off-road (or on-road, if you’re adventurous). USB rechargeability for both and beastly construction in the front pairs well with lightweight clip-ability in the rear. Stay safe, stay seen.

– Chris Foster, senior editor