Spill The Watts

On the surface, Kate Richardson is one of the UK's top cyclists.

A Commonwealth Games athlete, national champion and one of the most exciting talents in British racing.

But this conversation goes far beyond results.

We talk about her rapid rise from triathlon to the GB programme, the reality of life as an elite cyclist, dealing with injuries, teams folding, a hit-and-run incident, and the setbacks that shaped her career.

More importantly, Kate opens up about a childhood marked by adversity, how those experiences fuelled her drive, and why she's now happier, healthier and performing better than ever.

This is an honest conversation about resilience, identity, perspective and the person behind the race numbers.

I genuinely think you'll take something away from this one.

What does it really take to stay at the top of British cycling for over a decade?

In this episode of Spill The Watts, I sit down with Tom Armstrong for an honest conversation that goes far beyond race results. We explore his upbringing in a cycling family, his early success in cyclocross, chasing the dream abroad, and the realities of life as a professional rider outside of the WorldTour.

We also discuss balancing work with elite-level racing, raising guide dogs, how British racing has changed over the years, and the mindset that's kept him motivated through setbacks, near misses and countless victories.

Whether you're a racer, a coach, or simply someone who loves hearing the stories behind the numbers, there's plenty to take away from this one.

Topics include:

• Growing up in a cycling family

• The transition from cyclocross to road

• Racing and living in Europe

• The reality of being a lower-level pro

• Balancing work, life and performance

• Overcoming iliac fibrosis

• Training philosophy and race-winning tactics

• How British cycling has evolved

• Lessons learned from a lifetime in the sport

As always, if you enjoy the episode, please leave a rating, share it with a friend, and let us know who you'd like to hear on Spill The Watts next.

What does it actually take to win The Traka 560?

In this episode of Spill the Watts, I sit down with Maddy Nutt fresh off one of the biggest results of her career to unpack the full story behind her victory at The Traka 560.

We go deep into:

• how the race actually unfolded from start to finish

• the training block behind the performance

• durability, strength work, and consistency

• fueling, refills, and pacing over ultra-distance racing

• the difficult moments during the race

• planning without overcomplicating things

• and what this result changes going forward

This is a proper insight into what goes into executing at a high level over 560km of racing.

Whether you’re into gravel, ultra racing, endurance performance, or just fascinated by how big results come together — there’s a lot in this one 👊

I am back for another "walk and talk" podcast.

On the 12th April, I raced the Milano Marathon.

This gives the full breakdown, the prep, the logistics, the race itself. The good the bad and the ugly.

I FINALLY got the sub-3 that I was after, but I am still left feeling there is so much more to get out of me.

I thought I was ready for Milan… and in a lot of ways, I was.

But the marathon isn’t about what you’re capable of at your best.It’s about what you can hold onto when things start to fade.

This is a proper, honest debrief:

• ​the build
• ​the execution
• ​the moment it changed
• ​and what I’d do differently

If you’re training for a marathon, this is the stuff that actually matters.

We’ve only gone and bagged ourselves another National Champ!

This was such a great conversation, Xan is such a wonderful unique character and it was really nice to hear her insights into all things cross racing.

https://www.instagram.com/xancrees/

If you'd like to buy me a coffee:

https://buymeacoffee.com/spillthewatts?l=en

*Warning graphic stories*

Nick Cooper was a very good cyclist, racing at the top level on the road in the UK and across the continent.
This all changed when he was struck by a car (whom the driver was high) sending him flying up in the air and landing on the road with many potentially life changing injuries. (see CCTV footage in link below).

In this podcast, we will talk at length about the incident itself, the recovery process involved, to what extent this played its part on his mental health and the friends and family involved, and where he is at with things currently.

This podcast did get very deep, emotional, and graphic at times, so please be warned.

CCTV footage / story:

https://road.cc/content/news/drug-driver-avoids-jail-horrific-cyclist-crash-310681

Nick's Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/_nickcooper_/

Buy me a coffee:

https://buymeacoffee.com/spillthewatts?l=en

Tim is the team manager / DS of Shibden Apex RT which is the top ranked women’s junior team in the WORLD.

This team has been developing future stars for many years now, with the likes of Cat Ferguson and Imogen Wolff (Previous guests of the pod) both honing in their skills and talents to go on to further pro teams.

The work that goes into being a team manager is hugely underrated, and in this podcast we hope to spread some light onto what is involved.

We also talk about:

How important sponsors are for teams

What each of the girls does on a race weekend?

How the parents are such key roles for the riders.

And what pro teams are actually looking for?

Vicky Walshaw is a nutrition consultant supporting ambitious and active individuals. She has a First Class Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences, a Diploma in Personalised Nutrition Practice, and she is a Former Clinical Nurse.

I am confident the information in this pod will be applicable to many people, at all levels of cycling performance.

https://www.instagram.com/vickywalshawnutrition/

If you like this podcast, please buy me a coffee at:

https://buymeacoffee.com/spillthewatts?l=en

Today’s guest is Dr Tom Mwambingu, who is a consultant cardiologist with expertise in sports cardiology, general cardiology, exercise prescription and cardiac imaging.
Covid-19 has been around us for many years now.

We’ve seen many strains of the virus, and it’s affected many people in lots of different ways.

Outside of normal population, we have seen countless athletic population also suffering with short and long term effects from contracting the disease too. These include many pro and amateur cyclists who have had issues post Covid, meaning they have to have months, sometimes years off exercise.

From experience, since the virus is now less “in the media” athletes are taking far too relaxed approach to it, and are often training even when they have a firm knowledge they are ill with it, and not considering the long-lasting affects.

The reason for this podcast is that I want to voice the risks associated with this and make it more common knowledge of why we still need to take this disease seriously.

Training and racing with Covid-19 can not only have short term return to exercise limitations, but it can have long lasting effects to your heart and overall health.

In this episode, expect to learn:

- What COVID-19 is and how it affects us as athletes?
- What is pericarditis and myocarditis?
- What are the symptoms of these?
- Why we should be concerned as athletes?
- What is an appropriate return to exercise protocol?

Share far and wide!

Peter is a Strength & Conditioning coach, qualified with a Bachelors degree in Sport & Exercise Science and Masters in Strength & Conditioning.

Take notes, and enjoy!

You can get in touch with Peter here:

Email:

⁠[email protected]⁠

Website:

⁠https://www.procyclingstrength.com/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/pjhgascoigne_coach/⁠