Science-Backed Aero Position Hacks for Cyclists – Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 454

Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast
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// TOPICS COVERED
(0:00) Welcome!
(00:21) Most wanted Bike Christmas wish list?
(33:12) How to Overcome ‘Wobbly Hips’ While Cycling Out of the Saddle?
(42:12) Why Don’t pro CX riders use laced shoes?
(43:00) Why Are Cyclists Ditching the Drops?
(46:08) Are Pre-Race Gels Effective for Short Races?
(47:56) Does TR sponsor Pro athletes?
(50:16) Maximizing Aero Gains: trainable aero positions indoors to make you faster outdoors!
(01:04:18) Hydration vs. Bathroom Breaks: Tips for Balancing Fluid Intake During Long Rides?
(01:13:52) "Advice for heavier athletes: Balancing Strength and Strategy for the best result!
(01:24:35) Rock Climbing to Cycling: Strategies for Excelling in Climbs as a New Cyclist

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For Hydration…

Sweat Test OR HDrop. Find out what you’re sweating out and need to replace.
I’m still on the fence with the HDrop device.

Managed to get mine dialed via @Dr_Alex_Harrison 's Saturday Morning app. I didn’t need to pee at at any of my ultra gravel or XCM races after starting to use the app. Potassium is a nice to have, but not a must have in your mix. I’ve gone through almost 680g of Sodium Citrate and find it a LOT easier on the gut than salt.

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Am I blind, or is there no link to the YT vid above?

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Looking forward to red light green light!!!

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What did they say? I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, obviously :joy:

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Link to RLGL section:

Nate: I just got a message on this, I’m gunna see it after this [podcast]… if that goes right, I’m going to have certain people on the forum start using it, like tomorrow. Wait, it’s already gonna be live… to more people, and then if that works we’re going to go Early Access for people. And then…

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Haha. On the climbing → cyclist. There’s one truth I’ve learned…you can’t tell how fast a cyclist is by looking at them (beyond the obvious limits). It just doesn’t track. :smiley:

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I do enjoy visiting a Trader Joe’s when I go to a city that has one, but thankfully our local Walmart, Kroger, and Publix have all the groceries we need! :man_shrugging:t2: (not just frozen potatoes)

On the food topic, at what point (if any) are the nutrients all/mostly cooked out of food? And do we lose the fiber when blending food? I could, and have, researched this in the past, but I am just curious to bring it up here after this episode’s conversation. What are y’all’s (yes, two apostrophes) thoughts and experiences? Related but not critical, I feel like I remember Woody Harrelson taking a big stance against over-cooking food some years ago…?

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Finally got a chance to watch this week’s podcast.

One thing I couldn’t help but wonder… do bike races not comp elite entires? I would have to think that race directors would love to have an athlete such as @IvyAudrain (pro rider, podcaster, TR employee, etc.) at the race to promote… and at bare minimum offer free entry.

It might be worth shooting an email to ask. And if this is not a thing in the bike world it absolutely should be!

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Hmmm. If only there were some way to make these kinds of aero measurements by yourself, on your bike, in your position.

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For those that might not get the hint…

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Me too, though I suspect my entire calender will be a mix of red and yellows.

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Did anyone else facepalm that the guy asking about aero positioning on the bike was apparently a Retul fitter?

:man_shrugging:

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Per the section about TR not sponsoring athletes, Ted King just shared on IG that he’s doubling down on training this offseason (he doesn’t hide the fact he’s a TR user). Could we get him on an upcoming episode? Some inspiration for us ‘masters’ types?

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That was a cool read, thanks.

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Not trying to be a jerk, but @Jonathan was way off in his sodium nutrition recommendation/comparison.

If you visit Precision Hydration, they say to mix one 20g serving with 16oz of water, but that is NOT 500/1000/1500mg of sodium. Their website is very clear about this. Those numbers relate to the amount of sodium in 32 ounces when mixed at that 20g:16oz level. Also, it’s just 17g of carbs per 16oz serving.

Skratch on the other hand suggests one scoop of their mix in 12 to 16oz of water, but they suggest up to 1.5 scoops in the same amount of water for heavy sweaters. There’s 20g of carbs in their serving.

So, for 16oz (well short of a normal big bike bottle which is 21oz):

PH500 — 250mg sodium, 125 potassium, and 17g carbs

PH1000 — 500mg sodium, 125 potassium, and 17g carbs

Skratch standard concentration — 380mg sodium, 40mg potassium, 20g carbs

Skratch heavy 1.5x concentration — 570mg sodium, 60mg potassium, 30g carbs

So, only PH1500 is a stronger concentration of salt than Skratch, but at that point it’s well short in carbs and it’s going to be really hard to hit any realistic race grams-per-hour goals with just 17g in 16oz. Two scoops of Skratch would get you 760mg sodium and 40g carbs in 16oz.

To be clear, I don’t even use Skratch and think it’s a total ripoff. But I raised my eyebrow at how much salt Jonathan was saying was in PH and then crunched the numbers.

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For all of the thought that Jonathan seems to put into his fuel and hydration, the Saturday app just makes it simple, and tells you exactly how many servings of whatever product you choose (or just salt or sodium citrate if you prefer). I’d guess he doesn’t want to push another app, but I think it would be better to push something that’s neutral rather than a product line like PH. :woman_shrugging:

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So PH’s 500 product requires you to use two servings in two bottles to achieve 500mg? I.e. each serving is 250? No wonder everyone is easily confused. However well written on a website, a serving should match the headline number, in my opinion.

Sodium chloride until I die (or develop severe GI distress in my next big day, at which point I’m switching to Sodium citrate).

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Yes, exactly. The PH product name/numbers all refer to the sodium content in a 32oz serving. They’re going out of their way to mislead people about what is meant to be their products’ defining feature. Except even at the highest sodium concentration it’s no different than two scoops of Skratch and it’s way short on carbs.