Family vacations, work trips, even the oh-so dreaded holiday weekend at the in-laws … believe it or not, you can still hold onto your cycling fitness and even be getting faster. Training During Travel As much as we hope that it doesn’t, a training hiatus due to travel longer than a few days can derail…
5 Strength Training Exercises for Cyclists to Integrate Into Your Training Plan
Importance of Strength Training for Cyclists The demands of being on the bike for extended durations, coupled with constantly turning over the pedals, brings to light the importance of functional strength for cyclists. Functional strength sounds like a bit of a buzzword, but it has real application in the world of endurance sports. Strength training…
How to Recover, Maintain and Build Fitness After Completing a Full Training Cycle
Too many dedicated athletes are hard-pressed to take some time off. Most of us even have a skewed view of vacation seeing it less as a break from reality and more as a training disruption. And while the human body is tremendously adaptive and capable of withstanding countless forms of abuse, properly administered rest is…
Grinduro, Triathlon, and Mauna Kea with Matt Lieto
Professional triathlete and IRONMAN commentator, Matt Lieto, and your podcast hosts recorded a special episode to chop up Grinduro, one of the most interesting races on the calendar that you need to know about, and their preparation for one of the toughest climbs on earth, Mauna Kea. Topics covered in this episode Triathlon and gravel…
Time Trial Training and Preparation: 11 Things to Do Before Your Event
So you signed up for a time trial? Follow this 8-week timeline to learn how to train and what to do to prepare for your event. 8 Weeks Out 1. Enter your Specialty phase of training Two months is the ideal amount of time to start honing in your training and fitness to match the…
Time Trial Training: Practice Workouts Designed to Make Cyclists Faster
The 40k TT Specialty training plans include dedicated weekly Time Trial workouts to provide riders with opportunities to ride at their time trial pace, in their time trial position, at roughly time trial durations. These TT-focused workouts are specifically designed to help you achieve your fastest outcome on race day. Examples of Time Trial Workouts in…
How Do I Know If My FTP is Appropriate for My Training?
Answer: If your workouts are challenging but doable, that’s one of the biggest indications you properly estimated your FTP. When your workouts don’t feel like this, it’s time to make some changes. When you first start your structured training with TrainerRoad, your first workout is a Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test. The results of your…
How Do I Achieve the Proper Balance of Power, Aerodynamics, and Sustainability?
Answer: It’s a process, and every rider will come to a different balance that suits them. Every step in the process can yield more power, greater aerodynamics, and/or higher levels of sustainability. Who Knew There Was So Much to Time Trialing!? Going fast in a time trial is a marriage, if a polygamous one, of…
How Much Does Aerodynamic Drag Affect My Speed?
Answer: A lot. Structured training will get you faster, but structured training with a concern for aerodynamic positioning will have the greatest impact on your speed. What is Aerodynamic Drag? Aerodynamic drag, otherwise known as aerodynamic resistance, plays a major role in determining how fast we can push ourselves on our bikes. How much so…
How Do I Train After I Finish My Specialty Plan and Have No Upcoming Events?
Answer: Typically two weeks of recovery is recommended, but that timeframe could vary depending on your level of fatigue and motivation. Based on the amount of downtime you take, you can restart a Base or Build plan. Decide How Much Downtime You Need If you’ve just completed a Specialty plan and are focused now on…