Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is another solo pod. I promise I have many guests coming on the show soon but for now you get me. As always I am grateful for your presence. 

In this discussion, I outline the idea that many people look for validation outside of themselves, rather than inside. That is; people seek knowledge from experts in various fields and become attached or invested in these expert’s opinions. I argue that when people do this, they place power outside of themselves. Culturally we are looking for exogenous forms of expertise.

This can be for two primary reasons:

- Overwhelm from sheer volume of information available on the internet

As humans we have an invaluable source of information and understanding in ourselves. This might be commonly referred to as intuition, a priori knowledge, or a gut feeling. We have to have some basic knowledge of a topic in order to develop understanding, without a doubt. However, the only way to have a full understanding of a topic or field of study with depth is through experience. This is the key. Knowledge + experience = understanding. 

Episode 70 of Cycling in Alignment could have been titled “Delayed by Covid” but no one wants to hear about that so we are talking about cadence. When I say we, I mean all the voices in my head … in this discussion I cover the two components of power, namely cadence and torque, and I speak about the relationship between them and why we are served by understanding this relationship. I also give practical examples of how these concepts apply in real world riding.

I have also written about this topic on my website, colby pearce dot com. My plan is to release more written content in conjunction with future podcasts, in order to get the information out in different forms. Additionally, written content allows for links to resources and articles, as well as visual aids including photos, graphs, and diagrams. 

I will also be making some artwork in conjunction with future podcasts and will post this on the gram as well as on my site with the written work. I was quite artistic when I was a young man but this has largely gone unpracticed as my life became consumed with competitive cycling. There is something missing in me when I don’t have an outlet for my creative energy. My vision is to bring this to my teaching in a way that helps me communicate my ideas and also serves my audience. 

Happy New Year Space Monkeys! The first episode of season 3 of Cycling in Alignment is a new format: I will call it Discussion Expansion. In this episode, I use an existing podcast from another source and add my own thoughts on their material. Hopefully this won’t get me sued or beaten up…The material I am discussing today comes from The Real Science of Sport podcast, a pod that is relatively new to me but I am enjoying thoroughly. When I heard this episode I had several thoughts that I figured would be worth sharing, and thus here we are. 

I synopsize some of the major points that Ross makes in his podcast, and then expand the discussion with my own thoughts and observations on the topic of hydration in sports. Ross made several very good points and I can’t say I disagree with any of them outright. That said, I did have things to add from my own mind movies. 

My intent is to offer additional views on the topic with complete and total respect to the original author[s]. Professor Tucker is a far more formally educated person than I am so hopefully I didn’t butcher any science along the way. Ross and Mike do an excellent job of presenting the material and I think this episode is worth listening to. I also did my best to accurately quote or paraphrase the material; if I misquoted or misrepresented the podcast or in any way, it was not intentional. 

Did you like this episode? Would you like more “Discussion Expansion” format episodes? If so, please let me know, and send me your suggested episodes. I can’t promise I will do an episode for every suggestion I receive but I will consider every suggestion. 

Or, do you think this is total crap? Honesty is the best policy. Just tell me.  

Links:

Ross' and Mike's Podcast on Apple: Here

Ross' and Mike's Podcast on Spotify: Here

Today’s episode of Cycling in Alignment is with coach and data analyst Tim Cusick. Tim is the lead product development at Training Peaks for WKO software. He is also someone who has spent a lot of time educating other coaches, and I have benefitted from many of Tim’s teachings and lessons. Today we unpack our respective coaching methodologies and as usual, I find a way to weave a philosophical point or two into the discussion. 

Do any Space Monkeys have any questions or comments for us? Hit me in the comments below. 

Does anyone know the origin of my space monkeys reference? You think you are so smart. Tell me. [You are smart!]

Links:

Trying Peaks Website: https://trainingpeaks.com

Base Camp Website: https://www.joinbasecamp.com

WKO Power Group on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WKO4powerusers

Tim's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.cusick_coach/

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is with Team EF Education First / NIPPO Performance Manager Nate Wilson. We discuss his background as an athlete, and journey into coaching, but mostly unpack specifics about coaching riders including some of the valuable lessons Nate has learned working at an elite level for so many seasons. Nate also reveals what he learned from me when I was coaching with him, and I managed to put him on the spot and pry out a shortcoming of my own coaching when we worked together. Sort of. He is really polite.  

Links:

Team EF Coaching: https://www.teamefcoaching.com

EF Pro Cycling: https://www.efprocycling.com

This episode is a discussion of some of the errors man and woman kind has made in our accession as apex predators, expansion into the industrial age, and members of the world wide ecosystem. I discuss the context of my perspective and how this relates to cycling. It’s typical of my philosophical diatribes and while I recognize that you probably won’t find much of this in other cycling podcasts, I make an effort to tie my orations to some of the practical elements of cycling in order to give it value to the listener.

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is an unscripted conversation with Trek Segafredo professional Toms Skujins. We sit down and discuss the 2021 season, touching on the Olympics, Roubaix, and the World Championships. Toms shares some of his experiences from the two Olympic games he has attended [Rio and Tokyo] and I chime in with some parallels from my trip to Athens. We also talk some specifics in training philosophy and Toms shares some detail on his work with Sebastian Weber and his thoughts on polarized training. We also discuss the fact that Latvian is one of the only languages that assigns gender to the surname. I am sure you will find our conversation interesting. 

Links:

Trek-Sagafredo Team: https://racing.trekbikes.com/trek-segafredo

INSCYD: https://inscyd.com

This is part two of the Fitting Roundtable discussion with Andy Pruitt, Todd Carver and myself. 

This episode is a “Cross Pod” with Fast Talk Labs. We recorded in the FTL studio in Boulder, with Chris and Trevor there to moderate. This episode expands our discussion and we get into the technology we use in our fits, as well as a discussion about normative or orthodox data.

Thank you @fasttalklabs for allowing me to publish this on my channel too. I am sure my audience will find it a worthwhile discussion on the topic of fitting.

Fasttalk Labs on the Web: https://www.fasttalklabs.com

Do you want to hear me discuss bike fitting philosophy with Andy Pruitt and Todd Carver? You have found the right place. This is exactly what happens on this episode of Cycling in Alignment. Buckle your BOA’s down for an engaging discussion from multiple angles on the subject of bike fitting. 

This episode is a “Cross Pod” with Fast Talk Labs. We recorded in the FTL studio in Boulder, with Chris and Trevor there to moderate. Trevor was mostly trying to keep us on track but we wandered into some interesting weeds and told some obtuse stories. 

Thank you Fasttalk Labs for allowing me to publish this on my channel too. I am sure my audience will find it a worthwhile discussion on the topic of fitting.

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Fast Talk Labs' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fasttalklabs/

Fast Talk Labs on the Web: https://www.fasttalklabs.com

This episode of Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce is a discussion about five minute intervals; how do do them, the relationship of power, HR and RPE, and why we care. When I say “discussion” I mean a conversation between the 2 Geminii living in my mind space… 

I also introduce the concept of Dynamic Threshold Power, a concept created by my Team EF Coaching colleague, Peter Schep. Don’t worry, this episode is not all technical bicycle dork stuff, I also manage to fit a bit of philosophy in there. 

Team EF Coaching on the Web: http://www.TeamEFCoaching.com