Fast Talk

In episode 71, we discuss the training, experience, and challenge of one-day and multi-day gran fondos — everything you need to know to crush or simply complete your next event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The days when training software simply showed a power & heart rate curve are a distant memory. Whether you use TrainingPeaks, Golden Cheetah, or some other software, you’ll know that nowadays basic data is mined to reveal a wealth of information about your physiology, strengths, and training. All software packages have moved beyond FTP as the sole parameter used to define an athlete, which we get...

What is functional training? And why this buzz phrase is often misunderstood, and why cycling seems to be way behind the curve. We get into the two main benefits of functional work: improving your neuromuscular performance on the bike and preventing injury. Next, we discuss how to evaluate functional fitness and why you should consider having the help of an expert. Our primary guest today is Menac...

In this episode we're playing the humble role of science communicators, to make sure we get the message right. We’ve also sifted through hours of Fast Talk recordings with our many distinguished guests to bring context to what we hope is a simplified, unified message about the fundamental principles of these previous shows: there are just three types of rides. We’ll hear several times from experts...

Today we take a close look at physiological testing and we address ways it can have a significant impact on how you train, and how quickly you progress. First, we define FTP, and why it may not be the be-all-end-all of training. If you have an FTP of 350 watts, you should be proud. We talk also about VO2max testing and most importantly, how to apply all of these tests to improve your ride. Our pri...

Periodization is, in many ways, the pinnacle of advanced training. Taking the steps to periodize graduates you to a professional approach, one with purpose, long-term vision &organized planning Today we’ll discuss: - What exactly is periodization? - The history of periodization. - Reverse periodization. - Non-linear forms of periodization - Tips on how to pick a periodization strategy that’s right...

In episode 65, we discuss our concerns with supplements, then focus on some foods with proven benefits. Our primary guest is Ryan Kohler, manager of the University of Colorado Sports Medicine & Performance Center. We also talk with coach Joe Friel, author of "The Cyclists Training Bible." Finally, we hear from endurance mountain biker Rebecca Rusch and Apex Coaching owner Neal Henderson. They’ll e...

In episode 64, bronze medalist Mike Woods and his teammate Rob Britton share their successes at the Innsbruck world championships. We also got to catch up with Mike's coach Paulo Saldahna. Despite his remarkable coaching success, Paulo points out that coaching is only one of the many hats he wears. He is also the owner of the successful indoor training company PowerWatts and is an endurance sport...

It’s the holidays and if you’re like us, right about now, you’re scrambling for gift ideas. Today we’ll talk about: - The Whoop recovery strap. - The Normatec recovery system. - Power meters. - The Leomo Type-R. Our guests today are coach Colby Pearce along with FasCat owner and coach Frank Overton. In addition, we’ll talk with professional cyclist Rebecca Rusch and Apex Coaching owner Neal Hender...

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 die...

Do you need a coach? Today 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 & whether an athlete should stick with the same...

In episode 60 we’re discussing trainers… 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. Our guests today are Ciaran O’Grady, Tim Johnson. Trevor also caught...

In this day and age, most of the common overuse injuries in cycling can be addressed and prevented. It just requires the proper precautions — such as getting regular bike fits and doing off-the-bike strength work. Our primary guest today is Dr. Andy Pruitt. He is a bike fit guru who invented the Body Geometry fit system and continues to design ergonomic products for Specialized. He is the author o...

In episode 58, we talked with Colby Pearce about what it takes to make an attempt at the hour record on the track. Not long after, Pearce set the master’s 45-49 world record with a scorching 50.245 kilometer effort. For this special episode, we caught up with him to discuss his successful attempt, the training he did, the difficulties of selecting gears and training on a track that was different f...

Today legend of the cycling industry, Lennard Zinn, shares a variety of factors in frame design including: - The concepts of fork rake, head-tube angle & trail - How these factors act together to make the bike more or less stable - The effects of wheel flop and how it impacts your ability to corner - How understanding rake, trail, and flop can have a significant impact on your performance - The ev...

THE HOUR. Those two words represent many things to many people. Some believe it to be the ultimate test of man and machine: out there on the track, with nowhere to hide, an athlete must come to terms with what he or she is truly capable of. In this episode, we sat down with Colby Pearce to dive deep into the Hour. It’s something Case knows all too well, since he too made an attempt in 2015. It’s H...

Mindset in cycling is an important and frequently neglected side of our training and racing. In reality, mindset is often all that separates the best from second best and can be the difference between reaching the podium or finishing a race. Our primary guest today is a professor of sports psychology and is a senior teaching professor at Colorado State University, Dr. Brian Butki. We also spoke wi...

Our featured guest is, of course, Dr. Stephen Seiler, a professor of sports science in Norway, where he has lived for over 20 years. He sits on the executive board of the well-respected European University College for Sports Science. It was his groundbreaking research that helped define the polarized model. We also hear from Dr. John Hawley, another prominent name in the exercise science world fro...

LAST FALL TREVOR AND I CONDUCTED a not-so-controlled study on climbing, and we had the help of a young, talented Colorado rider. His name? Sepp Kuss. At the time of our little experiment, Kuss was about to head to Europe for a training camp with his new WorldTour team, Lotto-NL Jumbo. We’ll also hear from Joe Dombrowski, a leader of the EF Education First-Drapac WorldTour team. Dombrowski was one...

Today, we’re sitting down with two guests from our sponsor NormaTec to discuss recovery in depth. NormaTec is a medical devices company that also crafts inflatable compression wear for athletes. Are they Space legs? Moon boots? Our primary guests today are two members of the NormaTec team: John Aquadro, NormaTec’s VP of Technology and Operations and Matt Curbeau. Additionally, we’ll hear from Fran...

Our featured guest is Dr. Stephen Seiler, a professor of sports science in Norway, where he has lived for 22 years. But no, that’s not a Norwegian accent. He received his Ph. D. from the University of Texas. Dr. Seiler is now on the executive board of the well-respected European University College for Sports Science. We're also joined by Grant Holicky, Andrew Randall, Steve Neal, and Larry Warbass...

This spring Joe Friel released his 5th edition of the "Cyclist's Training Bible." Trevor and I had a chance to talk with Joe about the newest edition. We came to the interview with a list of questions that we felt only touched on the key parts of the book and by the hour mark we were barely a quarter of the way through our list. In addition to Joe Friel, our guests include: Frank Overton, the owne...

In this episode, we’ll first touch upon the history of Dirty Kanza. Editor in chief Fred Dreier and Chris had a conversation in a recent VeloNews podcast about the phenomenon that is DK — why it’s become so popular, how it has grown so rapidly, and so forth, so check out that episode if you want more. Here, we’ll scratch the surface to give you a taste of the atmosphere at this race. Chris will al...

IN EPISODE 48 WE DELVE into the second part of our series on strategy and training for particular races. This episode is all about hilly road races and winning the GC at a stage race. We caught up with two members of Rally Pro Cycling. Kiel Reijnen shares thoughts on how the region you come from helps determine what style of racing you may like and Toms Skujins discusses how grand tour GC riders a...

Our guest today knows all about peaking — both as a coach and as an athlete. He’s an hour record holder, an Olympian, a thinker, a tinkerer, and someone with massive amounts of experience as an athlete. Colby Pearce’s many many qualifications are too long to list here so we’ll let Colby detail them himself in a minute. Also sharing his thoughts we have Robert Pickels and the head physiologist at P...