In this second part of my exclusive interview with Magnus Backsted, we talk about How Magnus' training evolved throughout his pro cycling career, how he re-discovered his love for racing and training and how the 'more is better approach' to training has been superceded with a more effective training philosophy.

My guest on the podcast today is former professional cyclist Magnus Backstedt. In a career which lasted over 12 years Magnus won may races including stage 19 of the 1998 Tour de France and the opening Team Time Trial stage of the 2008 Giro d'Italia, but his biggest victory came in the 2004 edition of the Paris Roubaix. Infamously known as the Hell of the North, Paris Roubaix is the Queen of the Classics, and is arguably the toughest one day race in the world. Covering nearly 260km, the race includes around 30 cobbled sectors or pave which brutally test rider and machine to breaking point.

Paris Roubaix is perhaps the most prestigious of one day races. Whilst many riders will plan their whole season around attempting to win Paris Roubaix, it is seen as a huge achievement to even finish the race.

On a personal note, Paris Roubaix is my favourite race of the whole season and it was incredible to hear Magnus describe the feelings he had on the day that he took the top step of the podium as a champion of Paris Roubaix.

It would be overstating the point to suggest that British cyclists weren't always successful. But, until the arrival of lottery funding, the number British riders who were winning at world class level were far fewer than we see today. For cycling though, the tipping point wasn't actually lottery funding. It was the approach to training. Under the guidance of a sport scientist called Peter Keen, Chris Boardman won Gold in the men's individual pursuit in the Barcelona Olympic Games. It wasn't the victory itself that paved the way for future success of British cyclists, it was the scientific approach to training pioneered by Peter Keen that set a precedent. And pivotal to that training strategy was the use of a power meter.

Power meters enable a rider to quantify their effort, and since the breakthrough achievement by Boardman and Keen in the Barcelona Olympics, powermeters have been integral to the way the British Cycling went on to dominate the world of track cycling. On the road, powermeters are now commonplace on the bike of every single professional rider. Every single rider who has won the Tour de France since Bjarne Riis in 1996 was using a power meter for training and racing. It's no exaggeration to say that, in terms of performance, powermeters have revolutionised cycling.

But here's the rub. Power meters have been prohibitively expensive. A combination of development in technology and market forces has caused their price to drop, but for many riders who feel they cannot justify the hole in the bank account, a powermeters is off limits.

My guest on the podcast today is a power meter revolutionary. Mike Devaney is a co-founder of Avio, a tech company who have set out to help cyclists to ride faster by making good reliable power meters easily accessible.

To find out more about how RoadStarz can help you to achieve your cycling goals go to RoadStarz

For more information on the Power Sense power meter go to Avio Power Sense

Until recently, the words 'indoor cycling' evoked images of solitude, stoicism or even bad weather.

Following the explosion of indoor cycling fitness classes -or studio cycling- in the late 1990s the cycling world has since been revolutionised by smart turbo trainers, interactive indoor cycling training apps and even e-cycling races. Indoor cycling, especially studio cycling, has never been so popular.

But the problem has been tradition. Cycling, more so than almost any other sport, is steeped in decades of tradition, folklore and sub-culture - men with shaved legs, time trial events starting at 5 o clock in the morning, and a flagship event – the Tour de France – which still has no equivalent event for female riders.

At the same time, across the globe, there are studio cycling classes taking place at every minute of any 24 hour period. With packed out classes of mostly female participants, studio cycling boasts a female demographic in participation that is yet been achieved in the more traditional sense of cycling. So, the obvious question to ask, is how do you connect the followers of studio cycling with road cycling?

In this episode of the podcast, I spoke to Michelle Ross, a life long fitness devotee, RPM studio cycling instructor, and now RoadStarz rider. Becoming a road cyclist has had a life changing effect on Michelle but I started by asking how she became hooked on fitness in the first place.

So, eventually, Michelle's RPM class was attracting interest from another category of participant. Until this point, road cyclists eschewed the comfort of studio cycling. But in a break with tradition, it became commonplace to see competitive road cyclists checking in to Michelle's sessions…

After the break, Michelle discovers how her new level of fitness has given her a passion for climbing hills. And do you remember the group of road cyclists that Michelle first trained with? Well, what was supposed to be a farewell to long loved holiday destination near to her parent's villa in Spain, turned into a life changing moment with one of those riders….

When we left off, Michelle was discovering a new level of fitness and a new level of cycling performance. I asked if any of her regular training partners had noticed her newly developed strength and confidence on the bike.

One of the elements of cycling that appeals to many people is the spirit of adventure and freedom. The French even have a term for this type of personality characteristic, a flaneur, someone who freely wonders into adventure, observing society, free to make discoveries. And in Michelle's case her passion for fitness and then cycling was just the beginning of a new chapter in her life…

Just 14 months in and Michelle has transformed from being a very fit studio cycling instructor to a super fit road cyclist. So far, she has taken part in individual and team time trials, ridden ridiculously long distances at a pace that was previously unimaginable, and along with her fiancé and a group of equally committed road riders, Michelle is about to embark her very first cycling training camp. All of which is in addition planning a wedding….

The RoadStarz podcast is hosted, written and produced by me, Nic Tilling with music by Daniel Kadawatha. If you're a rider looking to achieve that next level of fitness and cycling performance then head over to roadstarzcycling.com, subscribe to the free download 'How to prep for every training ride like a pro cyclist' and let me know exactly how I can help you to achieve your cycling performance goals and fitness ambitions.   If you like the podcast, leave me a review and tell your friends about it. It helps.

Tim Foster MBE is an Olympic Gold medalist, winning Gold in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in the Men's Coxless Four, alongside Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and Sir Steve Redgrave.

In this fascinating and compelling interview Tim describes what it took to become an Olympic Champion and how that experience shaped his future and his perspective on training, coaching and performing. Crucially, Tim explains what people who are seeking to achieve greatness in cycling can learn from rowing and other sports. This episode will inspire you to take your training to the next level.

The 'Gold Fever' documentary referred to in this interview can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j945HEVLV7M

My first guest on RoadStarz is my good friend James Stewart.

James is a former professional cyclist with Team UK Youth and Team Raleigh. After finishing his career as a pro cyclist James was looking for the next challenge. Motivated to raise awareness of a rare neurological condition called Rett Syndrome, James embarked on a massive challenge that would push his mind and body to the limit.

To learn more about the Reverse Rett charity go to https://www.reverserett.org.uk/