Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce

RPE is Fundamental - Ep173 Riders use P as a goal and think it is an objective. It is not an objective, it is a measure of output. It is an artificial construct, a mathematical calculation.  The objective of training is physiological load: SAID principle. It does not matter how many watts you do, what matters is, did you load the system appropriately given the context of your training?  The object...

The False Glorification of Suffering - Ep172 The culture in our sport often glorifies suffering as though it were a badge of honor or something to aspire towards. This is incorrect. In this walking podcast, I explain why. Thank you for listening. Smash and subscribe!

Shame - Ep171 In this walking podcast I talk about the insidious emotion of shame and how it can multiply.  I also talk about the lunar cycle and how it is related to our breathing a bit. More to come in future talks no doubt.  And I was visited by a frog which is a fortuitous event. Obviously.  Don’t worry, all of this gets tied into cycling and your relationship to sport. But I don’t mention FTP...

Nathan Hass: SBTGRVLRDX - Ep170 What the heck does NHSBTGRVLRDX stand for?  Why, it stands for Nathan Haas Steamboat Gravel Redux of course. I thought that would be obvious.  I am sure you will be captivated stupendified by our post race banter on the 2025 Steamboat Gravel race, where vowels are so 2018.  Fun was had and gravel cornering shall be discussed.  Enjoy. 

Nathan Haas: Cycling is like Fishing - Ep169 In this episode of Cycling in Alignment Nathan Haas and I drive to Steamboat for the SBT GRVL race. As a former World Tour professional and seasoned gravel veteran, Nathan has some great perspectives to offer on the newest addition to the cycling world. In cased you missed the memo, this is gravel [no, e-bikes don’t count].  We do speak a bit about the...

A Centered Experience - Ep168 In this walking podcast I tie together the concept of physical center with energetic center.  By understanding this relationship, it helps us keep the perspective that sport is training for life. I hope this collection of thoughts is helpful in your evolution as a person and athlete. 

The Great Illusion: Dr Scott Frey and Brent Bookwalter - Ep167 In this episode my discussion with Dr Frey and former World Tour rider Brent Bookwalter is about training the mind to better handle the demands of sport. Rather than simply leaving race day flow state or a high level of motivation to chance, Dr Frey has developed tools that athletes can use to condition their minds in a way that cultiv...

The Coin Part 2 - Ep166 In this walking podcast I unpack more about the concept of The Coin and the influence of our emotional state on our riding and racing.  In medical QiGong, we understand that the emotions reside in the organ system. If we are unaware of this, it can be problematic. The first rule of athletics is to Know Thyself and this means understanding your own emotional state. Witnessin...

The Coin - Part 1 - Ep165 In this walking podcast I discuss how the psyche influences riding posture and spiral patterns while cycling.  It’s not a topic you will find in your average post about climbing better or improve your FTP.  Enjoy. 

Thoughts on the Teeter Totter of Cadence and Torque - Ep 164 Most often, riders associate making power with pushing harder on the pedals. The sensation of the bottom of the shoe providing resistance against the plantar surface [bottom] of the foot is how the sensation of “going hard” is processed.  However, speed on a bicycle is dictated by the complex interaction of weather [including wind, tempe...

A Conversation with Brendan Housler: Bits and Pieces about Bicycle Practice - Ep163 This is a conversation with Brendan Housler of EVOQ.BIKE. It’s a friendly game of verbal ping pong in which we discuss many topics that seem to bounce around in cycling at the moment. These include what FTP is, the challenges with ERG mode when indoor training, how group rides impact your training program, and figu...

Austin Einhorn: Thinking Critically - Part 2 - Ep161 This is part 2 of this discussion. In this episode, Austin and I continue to slay some sacred cows in the fitness world such as “shoulders down and back” and “brace the core”. Austin explains why he doesn’t agree with these platitudes.  We also discuss at length the concept of standards of strength for all athletes. We agree that cycling is fund...

Austin Einhorn: Thinking Critically - Part 1 - Ep161 In this discussion with strength coach Austin Einhorn,  Along the way, we slay some sacred cows in the fitness world such as “shoulders down and back” and “brace the core”. Austin explains why he doesn’t agree with these platitudes.  We also discuss at length the concept of standards of strength for all athletes. We agree that cycling is fundame...

Pre-50, Post-50 Relationship to Cycling - Ep160 In this walking podcast, I unpack my thoughts on training and how it might differ for athletes younger than 50 vs older than 50. On a previous podcast, I spoke to Phil Cavell about his book The Mid Life Cyclist, which also covers this topic.  My thoughts are around Intensive training vs extensive training, but perhaps not in the typical sense they ar...

Thomas McDaniel: Knowledge is Horizontal (Part 2) - Ep159   This the second part of a conversation is with Thomas McDaniel, who has been in the cycling world for many years. He is currently completing his PhD at CU Boulder in Advanced Biomechanics. In the past, Thomas has been a PT, a bike mechanic, a bike fitter, and worked at Specialized, BMC and Trek.    Thomas and I are aligned in that we pref...

Thomas McDaniel: Knowledge is Horizontal - Ep158   This conversation is with Thomas McDaniel, who has been in the cycling world for many years. He is currently completing his PhD at CU Boulder in Advanced Biomechanics. In the past, Thomas has been a PT, a bike mechanic, a bike fitter, and worked at Specialized, BMC and Trek.    Thomas and I are aligned in that we prefer to educate rather than trea...

The Inner Self - Ep157 In this walking podcast I share some of my thoughts about how you can be your own medicine and claim authority over your life. In this day and age we have access to so much information, it can be simultaneously overpowering and also paralyzing.  What I offer is a perspective on the difference between knowledge and understanding, and how each of these serve us in our lives. ...

Tyler Benner: It Feels Easy When you do it Right - Ep156 This episode is a conversation with Tyler Benner from Strong Feet Athletics. Tyler was a member of the US National Archery team for about a decade, and a lifelong athlete.  He has spent the last 10 years making the world’s first barefoot style cycling shoe that is mass produced. They just started shipping the first model, The Leviathan, abou...

Lore: Creating Unicorns - Ep155 This podcast is a conversation with Lore CEO and founder Stephan Drake and lead engineer Rob Horacheck. If you haven’t seen or heard of Lore shoes, come out from under the rock you are living under and see the future of cycling footwear. Lore is a fully custom 3D printed carbon fiber shoe. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s a complete departure from any how any cyc...

Ben Serotta: Where Does Responsibility Begin and End? - Ep154 This conversation is with legendary bike builder Ben Serotta.  Ben has been building bikes since the year I was born [1972!]. He is also one of the pioneers of bike fitting, founding the Serotta International Cycling Institute in the late 90’s, and creating the Size Cycle, so fitters could start from scratch to build a custom bike for a...

Menachem-Brodie (Part 2) - Ep153 Greetings Well Dippers. This is the second part of my conversation with Strength and Conditioning coach Menachem Brodie. If you missed part 1, feel free to start here but you won’t have the full picture until you listen to the first part of our discourse.  Hopefully this conversation reminds you to move consciously. You may have heard Menachem on the Fast Talk Labs...

Menachem Brodie – Part 1 – Ep 151 Happy New Year Spartans and Archadians.  This conversation is with strength and conditioning coach Menachem Brodie. This podcast was recorded for his channel, The Strong Savvy Cyclist & Triathlete Podcast, and I thought my listeners might enjoy our conversation as well so it is republished here. We recorded two podcasts and this is the first round..  We wander...

Relationship to Cycling - Ep151 In this final walking podcast for this year, I ask you to consider what your relationship is to cycling, and does this relationship serve you? I unpack a few archetypes of riders I have worked with and raced with over the years.  Everyone has their own relationship to the sport. From my perspective, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to relate to cycling, this is a...

More Thoughts on Shoes and Feet - Ep150 This walking podcast is a bit of a rambling pile of thoughts on shoes and feet, in relation or response to some discussions I have had recently including feedback from my audience.  Specifically, I address the commonly held belief that in cycling, the best way to have good “power transfer” is to immobilize the foot in a rigid cocoon of carbon fiber and therm...

The Two Fulcrum Problem of Cycling - Ep149 In this walking pod, I talk about the Two Fulcrum Problem of Cycling, which is a term I made up during the walk to encapsulate the challenges many riders face in their relationship to this relentlessly symmetrical machine.  I also offer a few short rants on various topics related to modern life. Hopefully these don’t distract too much from the bigger poin...