Bicycling Magazine

I’ve been receiving Bicycling Magazine for roughly a year now. When I first picked up a copy at a news stand I thought it would just be a few training tips. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was much more. A typical issue covers some training topics like heart rate training, diet, or building up to a century. One of my personal favorites is Chris Carmichael's (Lance Armstrong's coach) section each month. They also have a good deal of commentary on the new gear entering the market or major pro event. Of course they have a couple of issues with large sections dedicated to the Tour de France each year. The writers also include a great deal of “human interest” articles. For example last year they reported the top 10 cities for bicycling in the US.

As for news reporting I’d say Bicycling Magazine makes a concerted effort to be apolitical and evenly balanced. For example one of the writers went on a mountain bike ride with President G.W. Bush in Crawford TX. The article was about the bike ride and what it was like to ride around with the President and some secret service agents. The writer seemed to deliberately avoid political topics. After all it’s a magazine about biking, not politics. Another prime example of Bicycling Magazine’s balance was after the Floyd Landis doping accusation. There was one article describing the details of what happened, including an interview with Landis to give his personal perspective. Then there was an article from someone who clearly believed Landis was guilty, with a cogent argument for his guilt. The next article was written by someone equally as certain of Landis’ innocence. This just isn’t the kind of balanced reporting you encounter in most forums.

In general I really find Bicycling Magazine to be a great way to stay motivated to ride and to learn more about improving my riding.