The Cycling Brief

In this two part series we chat with Dr. Teun van Erp, current data scientist with INEOS Grenadiers, about how World Tour cyclists train and perform during competitions. In our opinion, given Tuen’s extensive research and experience working with World Tour cyclists, he is one of the best people in the field to discuss this topic with.

In this episode we examine Dr. Teun’s research further and get into the details of how pro men and women cyclists actually train. But this episode is more than that. There are also some direct comparisons between the training and racing demands of pro men and women - including insight into the numbers of a World Tour power couple.

This is a listener supported podcast, and we would be stoked if you supported us by becoming a member of The Cycling Performance Club. With your backing we can continue our mission to deliver the best in cycling performance knowledge and practical advice to you and the greater cycling community. Support The Club by clicking here!

Guest panelist:

Teun van Erp, Ph.D.

INEOS Grenadiers Staff Page

Researchgate

LinkedIn

Twitter: @The_Teun

Episode References:

Training Characteristics of Male and Female Professional Road Cyclists: A 4-Year Retrospective Analysis

Intensity and Load Characteristics of Professional Road Cycling: Differences Between Men’s and Women’s Races

Case Report: Load, Intensity, and Performance Characteristics in Multiple Grand Tours

Demands of professional cycling races: Influence of race category and result

Co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Producer & co-host:

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

In this two part series we chat with Dr. Teun van Erp, current data scientist with INEOS Grenadiers, about how World Tour cyclists train and perform during competitions. In our opinion, given Tuen’s extensive research and experience working with World Tour cyclists, he is one of the best people in the field to discuss this topic with.

In this episode we take aim at measures of training load in training and racing. One of the measures discussed is TSS - aka, the training stress score from TrainingPeaks. Tuen is better placed than probably anyone in performance cycling to talk about TSS as he’s spent a lot of time investigating TSS to understand its limitations across different scenarios. So join us on this journey to see how training load measures available to all of us are used at the highest level of the sport!

This is a listener supported podcast, and we would be stoked if you supported us by becoming a member of The Cycling Performance Club. With your backing we can continue our mission to deliver the best in cycling performance knowledge and practical advice to you and the greater cycling community. Support The Club by clicking here!

Guest panelist:

Teun van Erp, Ph.D.

INEOS Grenadiers Staff Page

Researchgate

LinkedIn

Twitter: @The_Teun

Episode References:

Relationship Between Various Training-Load Measures in Elite Cyclists During Training, Road Races, and Time Trials

The Influence of Exercise Intensity on the Association Between Kilojoules Spent and Various Training Loads in Professional Cycling

Co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Producer & co-host:

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! 

In this day and age of power meters, advanced physiologic metrics, and emphasis on aerodynamics it is very easy to overlook other key components of cycling performance- such as the emotional state of the athlete.

In this episode we discuss the importance of a cyclist’s emotions when pursuing peak performance in the sport. To best facilitate the exploration of this topic we talked with Sport Psychologist Dr. Elisabetta Borgia. Dr. Borgia works for Trek-Segafredo's men and women teams and is the official team psychologist for the Italian Cycling Federation. Full-time sport psychologists are one of the newest additions to the pro cycling team performance staff roster so we were very excited to hear about her role and experiences working with these athletes.

We also take a look at the details of how a specific type of therapy emerging in this space- dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) can apply to the performance of athletes of all levels.

Guest panelist:

Dr. Elisabetta Borgia

http://elisabettaborgia.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elisabetta-borgia-17174b19/

Twitter: @labettina2001

Instagram: @elisabettaborgia

Co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Producer & co-host:

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

References:

Skills Training Manual

Eurosport Interview

Code Yellow

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! 

In this episode we chat with Luke Plapp - Olympic bronze medalist on the track, current Australian Road Champion, and Ineos Grenadiers rider- about his transition from a successful track cyclist to racing on the road at the World Tour level.

And contrary to what one might initially think, his transition between these two roles was much more complicated than simply adding more “base” to his training schedule. Luke has moved across the world to a new climate, from one high performance environment to another, experienced the largest week’s training load of his life, and found new limits to surpass in his own performance abilities. Find out how he has tackled these challenges in stride, and come out swinging on the other side.

As a bonus, we also dive deep into Plappy’s favorite ergogenic aid: heat acclimation- for all of you coming into the Northern Hemisphere summer.

Guest panelist:

Luke Plapp

https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/luke-plapp

Twitter: @LucasPlapp

Instagram: @lukeplapp

Co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Producer & co-host:

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

References:

Men’s wheel race - 2021

https://youtu.be/elFgDgPwOqI?t=4972

SBS Cycling Podcast

https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/podcast/sbs-cycling-podcast

Jack Haig discussion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEkwSDFF168

AusCycling Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de2ViYwIfpM&t=2691s

Training Characteristics and Power Profile of Professional U23 Cyclists throughout a Competitive Season

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/8/12/167

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! 

In this episode we continue our trip down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity with Dr. Nick Jamnick (part 2 of 2). Previously, we critically examined graded exercise tests, VO2max testing, lactate thresholds, and the usefulness of lactate testing. Herein, we dive deep into Nick’s comprehensive review critiquing the common methods of determining and prescribing exercise intensity.

This review evaluated different methods of prescribing intensity based on their ability to cause the distinct acute responses found in each of the physiologically defined exercise domains. The methods were categorised into three groups: maximal anchors (e.g. percentage of maximal heart rate or peak power), submaximal anchors (e.g. critical power, MLSS), and delta methods (e.g. heart rate reserve). 

Spoiler alert: Most of the methods examined did not fare well! So, continue with us down the exercise intensity rabbit hole to find out what methods survived the brutal scrutiny of Nick’s review and why only a few methods out performed the rest. Did the method you use to determine intensity pass or fail? 

Guest panelist:

Nicholas Jamnick, PhD

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicholas-Jamnick

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-jamnick-8351a7a7/

Twitter: @SportResearchEx

Co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Producer & co-host:

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

References:

An Examination and Critique of Current Methods to Determine Exercise Intensity

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-020-01322-8

Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume training

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2014.00033/full

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! 

When it comes to performing and prescribing training sessions, there are four main principles to consider: frequency, duration, volume, and intensity. The first three of these principles are relatively simple and agreed upon. However, when it comes to exercise intensity we can quickly find ourselves traveling down a crazy rabbit hole- as it’s definitely not as simple as exercising at a percentage of FTP.

In the next two episodes we go deep down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity with Dr. Nick Jamnick, a postdoctoral fellow and researcher in exercise intensity. We came across Nick while digging into the scientific literature on this topic, and let’s just say his contribution to this field of research can be characterised as both “eye-opening” and “brutal”.  

In this episode we focus on a study Nick performed during his PhD where he tested the validity of determining VO2max and lactate thresholds during a graded exercise test. His results were shocking to say the least- and also relevant to the performance focused cyclist as graded exercise tests on smart trainers and inexpensive blood lactate analysers make some of this testing possible at home.

Guest panelist:

Nicholas Jamnick, PhD

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicholas-Jamnick

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-jamnick-8351a7a7/

Twitter: @SportResearchEx

Co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Producer & co-host:

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

References:

Manipulating graded exercise test variables affects the validity of the lactate threshold and VO2 peak

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199794

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

On this show we really enjoy talking about the nuts and bolts of cycling performance. Whether it’s determining thresholds, approaches to training, or race tactics and skills, if you’ve listened to the show before you know we love that stuff. But in this episode we want to change gears a bit and ask you this simple and straightforward question: How is your head?

Here we discuss mental wellness and its importance in human performance. To facilitate this conversation we invited Shannon Malseed to join our panel. Shannon Malseed is a former Australian National Road Champion, and ex-pro cyclist. Her personal journey highlights the importance of finding joy in the process and people surrounding you in sport. Shannon has taken her experience in dealing with success and failure and culminated it into becoming a self-love coach and helping people find their own path to well-being. This is a discussion and story that will truly motivate and guide you on your road to achieving your goals on and off the bike. 

Guest panelist:

Shannon Malseed
shannonmalseed.com

Instagram: @shannonmalseed

Co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Producer & co-host:

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

References:

Chasing Gold by Cycling Tips

2018 UCI Women's WorldTour – Ronde van Drenthe – Highlights 

https://shannonmalseed.com/commonwealth-games/ 

https://shannonmalseed.com/thats-all-folks/ 

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

In this episode we continue our discussion with Dr. Dajo Sanders (part 2 of 2), an individual whose skill and expertise in the realm of cycling performance are well developed. Dajo is a prolific researcher in many aspects of endurance training and specializes in the very distinct research cohort that is well-trained high-performance cyclists. He is also a member of the performance group at Team DSM where he uses his experience and knowledge to help World Tour cyclists perform at their absolute best.

In this episode we discuss with Dajo his research and practice in monitoring training load in cyclists and also what cycling performance research he is excited about.

Guest panelist:

Dajo Sanders, PhD

Twitter: @DajoSanders

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dajo-Sanders-2

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dajo-sanders-ph-d-59112794/

The podcast co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

References:

Methods of Monitoring Training Load and Their Relationships to Changes in Fitness and Performance in Competitive Road Cyclists

https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/12/5/article-p668.xml

Maintaining Power Output with Accumulating Levels of Work Done Is a Key Determinant for Success in Professional Cycling

https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/2021/09000/Maintaining_Power_Output_with_Accumulating_Levels.12.aspx

Heat acclimation improves exercise performance

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00495.2010?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org

Heat training increases exercise capacity in hot but not in temperate conditions: a mechanistic counter-balanced cross-over study

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpheart.00138.2015?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

There are many components within endurance training. Take for example field-testing, training intensity distribution, or training load. Each of these components have dozens of papers in the scientific literature that can help guide a cyclist’s training and a coach’s practice. However, contrary to what one might think, taking findings from research, evaluating them, and then effectively putting them into practice is a skill unto itself.  

In this episode (which is a part 1 of 2) we talk with Dr. Dajo Sanders, an individual whose skill and expertise in this area are well developed. Dajo is a prolific researcher in many aspects of endurance training and specializes in the very distinct research cohort that is well-trained high-performance cyclists. He is also a member of the performance group at Team DSM where he uses his experience and knowledge to help World Tour cyclists perform at their absolute best.

In this episode we discuss with Dajo his role with the Team DSM, and his research and practice in both field testing cyclists and training intensity distributions. 

Guest panelist:

Dajo Sanders, PhD

Twitter: @DajoSanders

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dajo-Sanders-2

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dajo-sanders-ph-d-59112794/

The podcast co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

References:

A Field-Based Cycling Test to Assess Predictors of Endurance Performance and Establishing Training Zones

https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2020/12000/A_Field_Based_Cycling_Test_to_Assess_Predictors_of.24.aspx

Training-Intensity Distribution in Road Cyclists: Objective Versus Subjective Measures

https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/12/9/article-p1232.xml

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING. 

Hey there! After a bit of a break in recording at the end of 2021 we (the co-hosts) sat down for a catch-up and to talk some shop. This episode can be best described as a throwback to our roots when we used to host chats on the Clubhouse app. Just a pro cyclist, a professional coach, and a sport scientist asking each other questions, giving opinions, and having a laugh.

In this episode we discuss Australian road nats, training assistant apps for cyclists, the coach’s role in an athlete’s success, and some afterthoughts about critical power.

Additionally, if you hadn’t heard the unfortunate news, Cyrus’s dad passed away suddenly towards the end of last year from a heart attack while he was out riding. Our condolences go out to the Monk family for their loss.

You can help prevent sudden cardiac death in athletes by supporting the Baker Institute at the link provided below. 

https://baker.edu.au/research

The podcast co-hosts:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

LinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club Podcast

The Cycling Brief — Daily cycling intelligence, produced by SEMIPRO CYCLING.