Velo Podcast

It's the holidays and if you're like us, right about now, you're scrambling for gift ideas. So we're trying something new on Fast Talk and doing a gift episode. Of course, there's a ton of great gifts you can give that cyclist in your life, so we can't cover them all. Instead, we're going to focus on a few cool training gadgets. Some of which you're very familiar with and some you may never have even heard of.We'll talk about what they are, how they're used and whether we think they're worth putting under the tree or not. Of course, a few of these ideas may be a little too expensive for stocking stuffers, so it may be better to see this episode as our review of several cool, interesting and potentially valuable training tools. Today we'll talk about: 1. The Whoop Recovery strap - what is it, why it may be a valuable tool for tracking your recovery and our personal experience - good and bad - with the tool. 2. The Normatec Recovery System. Do they work and some thoughts on how to use them. If you listened to our recent episode on recovery, you already know our opinion, but we certainly couldn't leave them out of an episode on cool training gear. 3. Power Meters. Alright, that's nothing new or unique, but we'll give our hot takes on which are good and what to be careful about. 4. The Leomo Type-R. A truly unique device offering on-the-road biomechanical analysis that wasn't previously available. It's a fascinating tool, but as we'll discuss, it may be so new, we still haven't figured out how to use it. 5. And finally, we'll finish up with a foam rollers. They may not be as sexy as some of our other gift ideas, but they're cheap and they work. Our guests today are hour-record holder and coach extraordinaire Colby Pearce along with FastCat owner and likewise coach extraodrinaire Frank Overton. At this point do either of them really need an introduction on Fast Talk? We always love having them on the show and hearing their insights. In addition, we'll talk with professional cyclist Rebecca Rusch and Apex Coaching owner Neal Henderson. Both have been at the top of the cycling world for years, so we'd definitely love to hear what gifts they'd like to get. Their answers were a little less tangible than you might expect.

U.S. cyclocross national championships are coming up this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. Can Katie Compton and Stephen Hyde salvage their seasons? They have each struggled with setbacks so far this season. Compton first dealt with allergies and then a virus. Hyde had two major crashes resulting in injuries and weeks of rehab. We examine their chances of defending their national titles and rate their key rivals. Then, Dane catches up with Tejay van Garderen who is turning over a new leaf in 2019 with his new team, EF Education First. Hear about how he expects things to change, and what his ambitions look like. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Health IQ. To get a free quote and save money on life insurance, go to www.HealthIQ.com/velonews

We've been getting a ton of questions from listeners, and many of them have had similar themes. (We appreciate the feedback, look forward to your questions, and generate many future podcast topics from them, so please keep them coming.) While you're waiting for future episodes with deeper answers, we'd like to give you some short answers now to tide you over. Today we'll answer questions about diet, the value of short easy rides, sub-threshold work in a polarized training model, and inflammation.

Power meters are everywhere, but do we actually understand how they work or what they actually do for us as cyclists? For this episode of the tech podcast, we talk with Pat Warner of Stages Cycling. He helps us understand the basics of how power meters work, from the strain gauges to what bike component houses the power meters. He also delves into questions about watts per kilo, how to effectively train with a power meter, and the hot-hot question of whether power meters are ruining the Tour de France!

Our man in Europe Andrew Hood Skypes in to talk about what he learned at Movistar's team camp. Plus, he remembers the late Paul Sherwen, who died unexpectedly Sunday night. We discuss if Nairo Quintana can turn things around after a disappointing 2018 season, whether Mikel Landa is cut out to be an outright grand tour GC leader, and how Alejandro Valverde is handling the spotlight of being world champion. Later in the program, we hear from Katie Compton on her "worst season yet" and ask her if she'll be able to defend her national cyclocross championship title. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Health IQ. To get a free quote and save money on life insurance, go to www.HealthIQ.com/velonews

In today’s episode, we start by asking our expert guests that simple question: Do we need a coach? Next, we’ll talk about the relationship athletes have with their coaches — what makes a good relationship and what makes a bad one. After we’ve defined that relationship, we’ll ask our panel what to look for in a good coach. And, conversely, how to identify a bad coach. Finally, we’ll talk briefly about how much coaching is worth, and whether an athlete should stick with the same coach or change from time to time. Our panel today includes coach Neal Henderson, owner of Apex Coaching and current coach of time trial world champion Rohan Dennis, among other elite athletes. Neal has joined us before, on one of our most popular episodes, in fact, Episode 33: Is FTP Dead? Our other main guest today is the renowned endurance athlete Rebecca Rusch, formerly an adventure racer, now a decorated cyclist of mountain bike, gravel, and bike-packing events around the world. Rebecca currently works with CTS coach Dean Golich; for many years she went without a coach. She has a great depth of experience as an athlete and brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation. In addition to our panel, we have several experts weigh in throughout this episode: Ciaran O’Grady, a coach and sports scientist with Team Dimension Data, talks with us about the pros and cons of self-coaching versus the accountability that comes from working with a coach. LottoNL-Jumbo’s Sepp Kuss, winner of this year’s Tour of Utah, reached the WorldTour by being self-coached. We talk about why he did that, and what it’s like now working with the team’s trainers. We check in with Dean Golich, head performance physiologist at CTS. Dean has worked with an incredible number of top athletes and shares some of his thoughts on how he approaches coaching them. The legendary Ned Overend continues to crush Cat. 1 riders into his 60s. Despite all of his success, Ned has never had a coach. He explains why. Finally we talk with Armando Mastracci, who has developed a highly sophisticated training AI system that can help athletes plan their workouts. Armando discusses what parts of coaching a good AI system can replace and what it can’t.

Two interesting storylines are developing in the world of cyclocross. In the U.S., the door is opening for a newcomer to win men's nationals. Abroad, the elite women's field is more competitive than ever. We lead off with a conversation about the domestic scene and the litany of injuries taking top riders out of the picture. We call up Kerry Werner to hear about how this changes the races and his chances to win a Stars and Stripes jersey. Then, we shift our focus to Europe. Don't worry about Mathieu van der Poel winning the men's races by a country mile, the women's field offers the most exciting racing a fan could ask for. All that and more on this episode of the VeloNews podcast!

Are you shocked at how common e-bikes have become? We decided to learn more about the basics of how electric-assist bikes work. To help us understand e-bikes, we called up Jonathan Weinert, sales and marketing manager at Bosch. He explains how the motors give you that tailwind sensation, the technology behind the batteries, and how e-bikes have evolved. All that and much more on this episode of the VeloNews tech podcast.

After four years at the helm, Derek Bouchard-Hall is stepping down from his role as USA Cycling's CEO. Fred gave him a call to evaluate the state of America's governing body. What is USA Cycling doing well? Where is it falling short? And what does the future hold? Also, Bouchard-Hall evaluates his own work as leader of USAC. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Health IQ. To get a free quote and save money on life insurance, go to www.HealthIQ.com/velonews

In episode 60 we're discussing trainers. For those who hate them, we get it, but stay tuned, as we’ll tell you why you shouldn’t completely ignore them. For those who love them, we’re going to tell you why riding outside every once in a while is a really good thing. For those in between, today’s episode will offer a wealth of knowledge on how to get the very most out of trainer time. Now, one thing is certain: The days of staring at the basement wall while riding your clunky, loud trainer are behind us. Today’s smart trainers and online tools allow us to "game-ify" the experience and are making many re-consider how they feel about riding indoors, and importantly, the extent of the training benefits. In this episode, we'll talk about the science and experience of the trainer, including: (1) How riding on a trainer differs from riding on the road, including the experience, our interaction with the bike, the different inertia generated by the trainer, and its impact on our biomechanics. (2) What impact these differences have on our power and heart rate, and why we shouldn't use the same numbers inside and outside. (3) We’ll discuss situations where it’s good to use a trainer—and when it may be even better than riding on the road, such as when we’re doing neuromuscular work. (4) Likewise, we’ll talk about situations where you might want to avoid the trainer. You might know already… a five-hour, mind-numbing ride on the trainer is a sign of incredible dedication. Don't do it again. (5) The game-ification of trainers by tools like Zwift, Trainer Road, and Sufferfest, and how this is changing our perspective on trainers. It can be both good and bad. When to use rollers rather than a trainer. (6) And, finally, we'll talk about how much time to spend on the trainer, and alternatives even when there's snow outside. You're going to get a lot of different opinions in this podcast. None of us will go so far as to call the trainer Satan — though at times we'll come close — but you will hear a few guests give convincing evidence that the trainer has benefits you can't get on the road. Ultimately, it's going to be up to you to decide. Our primary guest today is Ciaran O'Grady who is a new coach and sports scientist at Team Dimension Data. Ciaran just finished his Ph.D. at Kent University with Dr. James Hopker, who conducted some of the definitive research on the biomechanical differences between riding on a trainer and the road. In addition, we'll talk with: Retired multi-time national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson. Having lived in the northeast for most of his life, Tim is very familiar with riding indoors and has a lot of good points to offer from two decades of experience. Trevor also caught up with Jacob Fraser from Zwift and Kevin Poulton who coaches Matt Hayman and Caleb Ewan, and works with Team Katusha. Kevin used Zwift to coach Matt to his 2016 Paris-Roubaix win and since then has integrated significant trainer time into his athletes' race preparation. And with that, get your fan ready, dial in your Zwift avatar — make sure you enter your weight correctly in Zwift now, no cheating. Let's make you fast!