FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast

Improving doesn't have to be complicated! Coach Isaiah Newkirk and Ben Delaney walk you through five things that can increase your power output, raise your threshold, help you lose some weight, and perhaps even achieve better balance in your life. When we say simple, we mean simple in concept. And, frankly, they aren't too hard to do in practice, either; you just need to be mindful and commit to t...

Good news, FasCats! Belgian Waffle Ride announced today that we are the Official Coaching and Training Plan Technology Partner of their excellent series, which includes events from Arizona to Canada this year. We are honored to have Belgian Waffle Ride founder Michael Marckx as a guest on the podcast today. For 2023, we have 6 and 12 Week Training Plans created specifically for the BWR events in A...

As much as we'd all like to be Wout van Aert — who is seemingly able to be on flying form year-round — most of us can only peak a couple of times a year. Further, real life prevents us from attending every single event on the calendar that looks fun. So, we need to prioritize. But how? This podcast comes with an interactive homework assignment to walk you through how you can set up your event and...

The new year is right around the corner, and quality events abound in 2023. Chances are, you already have a few events on your calendar. But do you have your training plan or training plans dialed in? In this episode, we explain how you can set up your training now, going through various timing scenarios for target events that are in the spring, the summer, and the fall. We also explore how you ca...

Improving as an endurance athlete requires two things: training and recovery. The better you recover, the more effective training you can do, and the more improvements you can make. But how to recover better? Here are 9 ways. They're all pretty easy to understand; some are easy to do, and some take a bit of work. But all are very effective, and we know this because we are using HRV (heart rate var...

Indoor training has its time and place, particularly in the winter, but riding outside is what we love to do, right? On this episode, Coach Isaiah Newkirk and Ben Delaney talk through what you need to get outside and train comfortably and effectively when it's cold. We talk clothing tips (hats and jackets and booties and fabrics we love), we talk nutrition strategies (hello, hot drinks!), and we t...

On this podcast, FasCat founder and cohost Ben Delaney talk about the new Optimize training platform - what it is, what it does, and really what drove Frank and the team to create it - which was you, the endurance athlete & podcast listener! We also talk about how we are changing our business from selling single plans to selling subscriptions for unlimited training plans in the Optimize app, which...

Happy Thanksgiving, FasCats! We made a special edition this week: In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we dedicated this episode to the people and things for which we are grateful this year. Each of our coaches and even a few FasCat athletes check in on this episode. At FasCat we are all grateful for you, our cycling community. The Big Cat would like to take this time to remimd you to Work Hard, Ride Fa...

Winter is upon many of us, and Coach Jake Rytlewski and Ben Delaney are in indoor cycling mode. Perhaps you are, too. On this episode, Jake and Ben chat about what works well for them and what doesn't work so well, in terms of training, habits, hardware, and other indoor gear. Coach Jake is a Level 50 Zwifter, former professional racer and longtime professional coach. Ben is a level 48 Zwifter who...

FasCat coaches Ricky Arnopol and Zach Gregg will be racing at the UCI Continental level in 2023 as part of Project Echelon, for which FasCat coach Isaiah Newkirk is the performance director. On this pod, Ricky and Zach talk about how they are training, and how the FasCat athletes they coach are training this winter. A lot of the same principles apply... Zach Gregg also reveals that he is shooting...

The joy of training. At this point in the year, the words 'training' and 'joy' may not be sounding like chocolate and peanut butter to many of you out there. Which is exactly why we're talking about it now. We're at a funny point in time with endurance sports. We can measure and track the minute of so many things that is can be easily to be overwhelmed by it all.  So here's the solution: go have f...

Which wearable is better, the Whoop or the Oura? Frank and Ben have been wearing both for month and tracking the daily data. On this podcast, they share their insights on each. Plus, they dig into two academic studies that investigated wearables for their accuracy in measuring sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, and more. Don't have time to listen right now? Here's the summary: both Whoop a...

How many people do you know who check one of these three boxes: -has raced UCI World Cup cyclocross this year -has the tattoo from winning the Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships -uses their PhD to help people with cancer Not many, right? Well, FasCat athlete Sunny Gilbert checks all three boxes, and on this episode she chats with her longtime Coach Isaiah Newkirk and host Ben Delaney about...

To lift, or not to lift? That is the question. Or, more specifically, how and when should bike riders and endurance athletes lift weights? What should roadies do? What should triathletes do? What about mountain bike and gravel? Here to guide us through the why and the how is Coach Suzie Snyder, just back from the Xterra world championships. Suzie is an NSCA certified strength and conditioning spec...

The term Sweet Spot is now used all the time when riders are talking about training. Countless cyclists have improved because of it. But sometimes the term gets used incorrectly — and sometimes the HOW and WHEN To Sweet Spot also gets muddled. So today we are going to clear all that up, by tackling 8 Sweet Spot Myths, and hopefully leaving you with a better understanding of what Sweet Spot is - an...

It's time to start dreamin' and schemin' about your 2023 season, and on this episode we've got 23 suggestions of gravel races you could do. While road and mountain-bike events might be somewhat limited in certain parts of the U.S., gravel events are popping off every weekend in seemingly every state in the country. So, we brought in gravel reporter and gravel racer Betsy Welch to break down 23 of...

Apple just launched three new watches with measurements for sleep cycles, HRV, blood oxygen levels, and many other things, and Des Yap of the DesFit YouTube Channel was in California for Apple's presentation. After testing and posting reviews on all three, Des came and joined Frank and Ben for a chat about what's new and interesting with wearables. Des specializes in wearable technology like smart...

Our 'Ask a FasCat' episodes are always fun because we take your questions, give them some thought, and FasCat founder Frank Overton delivers advice on a wide range of topics. On this episode, we dig into HRV, weight training, weight loss, overcoming plateaus, dealing with post-event blues, which workouts to prioritize when traveling, and much more. Ready to move forward with your training? Head ov...

Top athletes are always looking ahead and planning long term. One of the best ways of doing this is by taking time to look back at how your training went this year: what went right, what went wrong, and what edits might help you improve next year. Using power data to review your season is an invaluable tool. With TrainingPeaks, you can use these charts to lay out some quick metrics to track your s...

Off-season training doesn't mean off the bike! In fact, the time away from competition is the best time to improve and build your body up for racing.  In this podcast, we dig into the five pillars of off-season training: creating the Annual Training Plan, the fall foundation, lifting weights, Sweet Spot base, and adding intervals. Before you get going on your off-season training, take a break! In...

We all know that we need good sleep for optimal recovery and performance on the bike, but many of us still skimp on getting enough quality rest. We break down some simple tips and tricks for improving your nightly rest so you can fully recover and prime yourself for quality training and racing. We also drop some science from recent studies on sleep and athletic performance, as well as some suggest...

Fresh off pro racing in Europe on the road this summer, Coach Ricky Arnopol joined five of his Project Echelon teammates at SBT GRVL, the big gravel race in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. On this episode, Ricky and show cohost Ben Delaney talk about the similarities and differences between the two styles of racing in terms of tactics, power numbers, stress, and fun. There are four distances at SBT G...

Many racers dream of winning a national title and wearing the jersey, but few achieve it. On this podcast, we talk with not one but three FasCat athletes about how they achieved their goals of winning at the U.S. national championships. FasCat coach Zach Gregg won the amateur U.S. time trial title (after placing fourth in the pro TT), and two athletes he coaches also scored jerseys as Patrick Welc...

What sort of watts per kilo does it take to compete in the biggest race in the world? Today we are talking about power-to-weight ratios, the cumulative effects of fatigue, and how training compares to racing. And what better context for these topics than the biggest race in the world, the Tour de France Femmes. Today we are delighted to be talking with Nina Buijsman of Human Powered Health. Nina r...

Dig out that cowbell and get your skinsuit ready — cyclocross is coming! Whether you're a beginner or a veteran, FasCat is here to help you fine tune your skills so you can get the most out of this season. Coach Andrew Giniat is an UCI Elite 'cross racer who has honed his chops racing World Cups in Europe, and on this podcast he breaks down the four key skills you need to have. Andrew and host Ben...