Power is the only objective metric you can use to train with. Other metrics — distance, heart rate, RPE — are subjective. This isn’t newfound knowledge. Most cyclists know this, but there are far fewer cyclists who have spent the time to really get it. So why is having more than a baseline understanding of…
Category: Training
How Aging Athletes Can Get Faster (Yes It’s Possible)
Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re not seeing improvements within your season as an aging athlete, adjustments must be made. This is keeping in mind that training, and thereby training adaptation, is cyclical in nature. So the magnitude of improvements will be largely dependent on what level of athlete you already are. Nonetheless, there…
Triathletes: How to Choose and Adjust Your Training Plan
Knowing which training plan is best for you is the first step toward becoming a stronger triathlete. To help triathletes discover their best-matched triathlon training plan, we have a video featuring our Head Coach Chad. All Successful Triathletes Follow a Training Plan Coach Chad designed our Sprint-, Olympic-, Half- and Full-Distance triathlon training plans with…
The Science of Supercompensation and How It Makes You Fast
We want results and we want them fast. So how do we get them? In sports science theory, empirical research now backed with scientific evidence identifies a way our bodies achieve the desired metabolic and muscular response of increased aerobic capabilities and strength. The methodology and actual training adaptation that gets you there is supercompensation.…
Altitude Training: How Long Before You See Improvements?
The human body naturally adjusts to different elevations. Although you may not notice, on the cellular level it’s constantly adjusting to support your external environment. Cyclists have learned to use this knowledge to their advantage through what’s known as altitude training. Altitude training helps to adjust the amount of oxygen your body is exposed to…
Core Training Principles That Make You a Faster Cyclist
5:30 a.m. isn’t a good time to wake up — it’s a great time to be at work. That’s how our Head Coach Chad Timmerman sees it. By the time most people come into the office for their first cup of coffee, Coach Chad is several pages deep into a science-dense training book (a routine…
10 Small Changes That Can Make You Faster
Big wins don’t just happen. They’re the culmination of tens, often hundreds of smaller everyday wins that mold you into a stronger, faster cyclist. These small wins, better known as marginal gains, can help you overcome that all-too-often frustratingly small gap between winning and losing on race day. To help you bridge that gap, I’ve…
How to Train for a Gran Fondo or Sportive — Advice from Ex-Pro Neil Shirley
There are some races you can go into with confidence without a lot of prior training — a 100-200 mile bike race is not one of them. These one-day epics take a lot of preparation. And we’re not just talking about getting your body in good physical shape either. There’s equipment, your bike set up…
4X IRONMAN Champion Embraces Parenthood and Wins Big
Despite her talent, Liz Lyles never wanted to be a professional triathlete in her twenties. She wanted a family. After the self-described homebody proudly had her two gorgeous kiddos with her husband Chip, she finally decided it was her time to do what so many athletes dream about: turn her passion into her career. That…
What Your Cycling Racing Category Says About You
If you’re brand new to racing, it’s pretty straightforward to know which racing category you should start out in. But what if you’re coming back to racing? What category should you race and, more interestingly, what does it say about you as a racer? These are just a couple questions I’m about to dig into. Cycling…