Reading a hundred online articles sometimes doesn’t provide the same benefit as reading one great book — at least that’s what I’ve found in my 10+ years of researching cycling topics including power-based training, nutrition, strength training and more. On my office bookshelf alone I have upwards of 250 books. This list of ten are…
Lately, we’ve been getting an influx in questions about whether smart trainers are bad for your training. Our straightforward answer is no — we’ve actually found the opposite to be true. For athletes who might have concerns about using a smart trainer, in today’s post we’re addressing five questions we’ve been asked recently. Question #1:…
Mitchell Quinn never misses a workout. Rather, he rarely — very rarely —misses a workout. Nearly 50 days into 2016 and the multi-disciplinary rider hasn’t gone a single day without getting on the trainer — that’s not even the most impressive part of his story. Since September of 2014, Mitchell has been riding consistently every…
Every interval of our training plans is intentionally placed and structured to make you faster. So what should you do if you can’t complete an interval? Here’s our simple guide to teach you how to know when it’s okay to bail out of an interval workout, plus tips for bailing out smartly. Interval workouts are meant…
We’re commonly asked, “Does bike geometry affect power output?” Or more specific questions like, “Does my saddle position affect my power output?” To get to the truth of the matter, we interviewed an expert. Overview Brian Gordon is a kinesiologist, certified Body Geometry Fit Specialist and Mountain Bike Product Developer for Specialized. Over the past…
Most bike races and triathlons are endurance events that require you to pace your effort. To make sure your next race is successful, create a pacing plan and follow it with precision. In every bike race your energy should be viewed as an hourglass. The harder you work, the faster the sand falls to the…
Cyclists who ignore metrics like Resting Heart Rate (RHR) to measure their recovery are leaving a lot on the table. This simple approach to quantifying recovery takes little time or effort, it can guide your decision making, and it might even give you that little bit more you need to win. Overview Power meters enable riders to precisely measure their…
We often preach how your cycling training plan should be based off the demands of your goal event. While this is true, how you decide on the training plan that’s right for you will differ if you have more than one goal event (aka A race) in a season. When you have a goal to…
Scott Bowe, the fastest amateur at Ironman Arizona in 2015, set some seriously hefty goals for himself going into his big race. They were: “Get a Hawaii spot.” “Break 9.” “Win my age group.” “Be the top amateur.” With an impressive overall time of 8:49:04 (he swam 51:58, biked 4:39:40 and ran 3:12:02), Scott was…
Setting goals is a big part of racing and cycling in general. How much thought and strategy you put into the goal-setting process can forecast how your race season will turn out. That might sound bold, but there’s some science behind that statement. In a study done by the Dominican University on goals research, they…