Endurance Unlimited

The National Triathlon Team of Norway has a fascinating story. Head Coach Arild Tveiten started with just a small handful of athletes interested in the sport. With the right investment of time (8 years!), dedication and a heavy focus on sport science (forget 80/20 training, they are using 90/10!), athlete Kristian Blummenfelt was able to bring home his first gold in triathlon from Tokyo. 

Discover what it takes for a small country to build a successful team from the ground up, despite limited funding and manpower.

In this episode of the CoachCast, Dirk dives in with Will O'Connor to explore everything related to running power. Listen as they compare the value of running versus riding with power, discuss the best use-case scenarios for run power, as well as examine what it can teach us that GPS data and heart rate can’t. 

They even touch on the (literal) power contained in a new pair of Nikes and exactly what running power novices need to get started.

If you identify with the mountain bike crew and or with the data nerd clan, this episode is for you. Matt Miller, mountain bike scientist and founder of BrakeAce sat down with Dirk to explore all ways of improving speed and fitness.

They start out by discussing how, despite Matt's determination to challenge the idea that FTP rules all, his testing has only certified that it remains steadfast as the primary predictor of performance. They also discuss the absolute necessity of preserving high-effort "matches" by way of strategic braking and finally wrap up with debating how much time mountain bikers need to spend on the road.

It's not every day that Dirk gets to interview his father and TrainingPeaks' Co-Founder, Joe Friel. Listen as Dirk and Joe discuss what it takes to stay competetive as Masters athletes (spoiler alert: incorporating high-intensity training, increasing protein intake and maximizing sleep are all super helpful!)

Coaching both a track racing cyclist and a mountain biking cyclist requires an entirely dual approach. On the mountain biking side, Kristin is working with Hayley Batten’s innate lack of fear to ride the most technical of sections as well as encouraging her through her racing despite inconsistent results.

On the track side, she is focused on transitioning Emma White from cyclocross racing to pushing massive power for standing starts and dialing in minute aspects of her aerodynamic setup.

Listen as Coach Kristin Armstrong discusses leveraging her knowledge about the science and the art of coaching, as well as heat training to bring these two promising young athletes to Tokyo.

The 2020 Olympics are quickly approaching and thousands of swim/bike/run training hours are about to be put to the test for five triathletes on Team USA; Kevin McDowell, Katie Zaferes, Summer Rappaport, Taylor Knibb, and Morgan Pearson. Listen as High-Performance Advisor for USAT Triathlon Ryan Bolton discusses topics such as preparing for the heat of Tokyo, racing/drafting tactics and the unique skillset required by the new mixed relay event.

Ryan Cooper knows something about everything, especially in the realms of swimming, biking and running. In this episode, Ryan and Dirk discuss everything from how wind direction should dictate when you eat and recover during a bike race, how to feel out a connection between heart rate and your personal RPE, as well as technical skill-building. 

Unbound Gravel sits comfortably at the top of the gravel racing food chain. In this special Sprint Episode, Dirk chats with Ian Boswell about the training volume, strategy and nutrition planning that enabled him to take the win. 

Racing bikes as a person with diabetes may seem like a great challenge for some, but Phil Southerland has always seen it as an opportunity. Diagnosed at seven months old, Phil's love of bikes has enabled him to think about glucose management and training in ways that few others ever have. He believes that the bike is a great way to create heroes for young, aspiring, diabetic athletes. He is the founder of the first all diabetic cycling team and is the founder of Super Sapiens, a startup focused on helping all athletes manage their glucose values for high performance.

On the 50th episode of the CoachCast Dirk chatted with Dr. David Martin about his 35 years of experience training professional and Olympic level athletes. Listen as they delve into the fascinating career of Cadel Evans as well as the evolution of nutrition and training technologies such as glucose monitoring, HRV, heat adaptation and supplement categorization.