Velo Podcast

Bobby and Gus are back at it as they recap the first three stages of the 2019 Vuelta a Espana and chat with Alison Tetrick about Chloe Dygert's domination of the Colorado Classic. They also catch you up on the latest in pro cycling news since the Tour de France. And they will be back every Monday during La Vuelta with a recap of the week's racing and any other breaking news. Got questions for Bobby and Gus? Send them over to SuperFan@Velonews.com. And if they answer your question on the Podcast they will hook you up with a sweet pair of PYSO socks. Vuelta a Espana Stage 3 News: http://bit.ly/LaVueltaStage3 Chloe Dominates Colorado: http://bit.ly/ChloeColorado

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we sit down with Christopher Blevins, the Renaissance Man of U.S. pro cycling. Blevins is an all-around cycling talent, who has won major races in mountain biking, road cycling, and even BMX. These days, Blevins is the rising star of the U.S. mountain biking scene, and we talk to him about his ambitions to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Blevins has talents and interests beyond cycling as well. He writes poetry and records his on hip-hop music, and he teaches creative writing to at-risk kids in California. We speak with Blevins about how he balances his passions outside of cycling with the demanding life of a pro cyclist. This week's episode is sponsored by Giro and the new Imperial Road Shoe. At just 215 grams it is one of the lightest and stiffest cycling shoes, and it's designed specifically for performance-oriented racers. Check out the new shoes at www.giro.com/Imperial. This week's episode is also sponsored by Chamois Butt'r and the new Coconut Anti-Chafe. The Coconut Anti-Chafe line of cremes contains coconut oil, shea butter, and vitamins A and E, Aloe vera, and tea tree oil. The new cream protects any skin from friction, and soothes skin that is already irritated. www.chamoisbuttr.com

It’s been a long time coming, but Fast Talk is finally taking on cyclocross, from training to racing, honing technical skills to riding on nearly flat tires. Warning: there are few, if any, nerd bombs in this episode. Is there anything more fun than ripping around in the mud on an autumn day with all your friends? Jumping off your bike, jumping on your bike, diving into corners, bunny-hopping barriers, drifting through corners, powering through sand. The cyclists who have the most fun? Cyclocross racers. Today we'll dive into many facets of ‘cross, including: - First, why cyclocross is so unique to the cycling world, and why comparing it to crits or time trials doesn’t do it justice. - Second, what assets you need to be a good 'cross rider. Some of it is purely physiological like a good two to five-minute power, but there’s also more intangible things like resilience. - Few people race just ‘cross, so we’ll talk about how to balance multiple race seasons, and how to deal with what can end up being a long season as a result. - Fourth, we’ll explore the season a little deeper and talk about how both our experts like to periodize their training, and also how they address the short race season in cyclocross - We’ll explain the all-too-critical start position, and why that raises an important question when planning your season. Should you come into the 'cross season hot? - We’ll spend some time talking about the technical side of cyclocross. A good engine is important, but if you’re losing 10 seconds in the corners every lap, even the biggest engine isn’t enough. - Next, we’ll discuss the training side of cyclocross and why the unique nature of the sport also requires a unique approach to training. - Finally, we’ll talk about ‘cross races themselves— race strategy, the importance of course inspection, and selecting your gear. Our primary guests today are Grant Holicky, one of the top cyclocross coaches in the country, of Forever Endurance coaching, and one of his athletes Maxx Chance, a former collegiate cyclocross national champion. Along with Grant and Maxx, we spoke with Ellen Noble, a Red Bull sponsored athlete with Trek Factory Racing, and a multiple-time medalist at elite ‘cross nationals. Finally, I sat down with a true cyclocross legend, Katie Compton, the winner of 15 consecutive national titles, and a four-time silver medalist at ‘cross worlds.

This bonus episode of The VeloNews Podcast is sponsored by MetPro, a concierge nutrition, fitness and lifestyle coaching company. MetPro uses Metabolic Profiling to analyze your metabolism and provide an individualized approach to obtaining your goals. We speak with MetPro's founder, Angelo Poli, to talk about the challenges posed by of weight loss and performance, and how understanding one's metabolism can help with both. It's not as simple as calories in, calories out—losing weight while maintaining a high level of performance requires a measured strategy that MetPro's experts can provide. VeloNews listeners receive a complimentary Metabolic Profiling assessment and a 30-minute consultation with a MetPro expert. To claim this offer head to metpro.co/velo

This week on the VeloNews Podcast we have interviews with two riders from opposite ends of North American pro racing. First up is Erin Huck, one of the best cross-country mountain bike racers in North America. Huck is hoping to qualify for the 2020 Olympic in Tokyo, and to do so she faces a daunting comeback. Earlier this year Huck crashed at the World Cup opener in Germany and badly broke her ankle. We talk to Huck about the injury, her comeback, and how the ordeal helped refocus her on the Olympics. Then, we talk to Taylor "TJ" Eisenhart, the free spirit of the North American professional road scene. This year Eisenhart has been racing gravel events, like the Dirty Kanza 200 and Crusher in the Tushar, and we talk to him about his experiences in the new scene. Our interview with Eisenhart is sponsored by Monster Hydro, the new sports drink that is non-carbonated, caffeinated, and loaded with electrolytes. This week's episode is sponsored by Giro and the new Imperial Road Shoe. At just 215 grams it is one of the lightest and stiffest cycling shoes, and it's designed specifically for performance-oriented racers. Check out the new shoes at www.giro.com/Imperial. This week's episode is also sponsored by Chamois Butt'r and the new Coconut Anti-Chafe. The Coconut Anti-Chafe line of cremes contains coconut oil, shea butter, and vitamins A and E, Aloe vera, and tea tree oil. The new cream protects any skin from friction, and soothes skin that is already irritated. www.chamoisbuttr.com

Andrew Hood and Fred Dreier present their final analysis of the 2019 Tour de France. Did the race's truncated finish ruin the excitement? Will we remember Egan Bernal's victory for his stunning attack, or because of the shortened stages? Then, the guys discuss the future of Team Ineos, which now has three Tour de France champions, all of whom will want to win the race next year. How should the British squad navigate the strange leadership story that is bound to pop up? Then, we have a long and frank discussion with Team EF Education First manager Jonathan Vaughters, who has written a new book, "One-Way Ticket: Nine Lives on Two Wheels" about his experience in pro cycling. Vaughters has some great insight on cycling's so-called 'EPO era,' and the social pressures that he and his peers felt to dope. Vaughters sheds light on some of the anecdotes and opinions in his book, and talks about why he's confident in the current generation of pro cyclists. This week's episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was on your body, with additional information around your sleep and recovery to tell you how well your body rebounds from training. Right now, listeners can get 15 percent off a Whoop device by going to www.whoop.com and using the code 'velo' at checkout. www.whoop.com.

Complex training prescriptions are becoming increasingly popular. In this episode, we ask the question: Does it really need to be that complex? What do you gain from this complexity? With the help of seven different experts — coaches, scientists, and athletes — we’re going to try to make three key points: - Human physiology is very complex - Properly executing intervals is very difficult - But, the prescription should be simple. There was no guest with us in our studio for this recording, but since this is a summary episode, we pulled a lot of segments from past shows. Our guests this week include: - Legendary mountain bike world champion, and a guy who never gets old, Ned Overend. Ned almost sounded scared when he talked with us about the possibility of training with power or heart rate. Yet, despite having almost no metrics, and no structured routine, he’s developed a remarkably sophisticated system of training. - Next, we’ll hear from Houshang Amiri, head coach at the Pacific Cycling Centre and past Canadian national team coach. Houshang shared with Trevor his thoughts on complex interval routines. It wouldn’t be an episode on interval work without hearing from Dr. - Stephen Seiler, a top physiologist and researcher in Europe, who’s been credited with formalizing the polarized training model. We pulled a few clips from Dr. Seiler sharing his thoughts on interval prescription and execution. - But what about athletes who have grown up with power and pre-programmed workouts on their head units? We included an interview we haven’t used before with 2018 Tour of Utah winner Sepp Kuss. While he relies heavily on power, it’s not as simple as setting a target number before he gets on the bike and sticking to it. - Next we grabbed a clip with Dr. Andy Coggan and Hunter Allen, authors of “Training and Racing with a Power Meter” which was updated this year. They invented probably the most common training zone model in the world (though they don’t like the word zones.) They talked with us about the value of zone models or levels. - Trevor pulled out an old interview with Trek-Segafredo rider Toms Skujins. Like Sepp, Toms talks about just some of the many decisions that go into effectively executing his interval work. - Finally, we hear from 2017 U.S. national champion Larry Warbasse of Ag2r La Mondiale. Larry talked with us about the importance of seeing your training sessions in a broader context. Otherwise, you can execute perfectly and still get off track.

Nibali's snowball's-chance-in-hell or the tour for that matter pays off as he holds off the field for one more stage victory! Perhaps a resume builder for his switch over to TREK next season? New contracts, higher salaries, post-tour criteriums. Its a whole new world after today's stage 20 at the greatest sports event and greatest cycling podcast in the world

It’s all or nothing in the last few stages of the TDF and it just might be all for todays stage winner and new yellow jersey holder Egan Bernal. Will he be given Yellow, Polka Dot and White Jersey? We're going to ride 'til we can't no more!

You’re familiar with the all-important strength-to-weight ratio, expressed as watts per kilogram. But what about strength-to-wait? Bobby and Gus explain. Shadow Boxing. Strength to Wait. Huge time-gap swings. And Alaphilippe keeping calm, cool and collected vs the Colombians. Did Ineos have a clue today or are they setting up for the misdirect? Also, special guest Jens Voigt reveals his approach to shattering the field.