Do your post-race plans include a bathtub filled with ice cubes and water? If not, maybe you aren't as committed to the sport as you thought! So much emphasis is put on race preparation, training, equipment and strategy that an equally important part of racing is often overlooked: Recovery. These techniques rejuvenate abused muscles, and are crucial for anyone involved in a structured program of training or frequent racing. There are cumulative effects of fatigue, and how you take care of your muscles on a daily basis can affect how your race performance.

You're in the middle of a long ride and you're ready for a break, but you don't want to go to coffee house, doughnut shop, convenience store or cafe. You have your carbohydrate bars and gels; your water bottles are mostly full, but warm. Maybe cold water would be nice and, of course, a restroom would be handy, but mostly you're looking for a place cool and restful but also someplace interesting: a roadside attraction where even kitschy would be okay and possibly even welcome, in order to help break up a long ride.

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