The Cycling Brief

Today, we go inside the steps I took to get this rider race-ready. It’s a look at my coaching process, like how to determine race demands and fitness targets, it’s also a look at the balance between the glycolytic and aerobic systems, and how I structure interval sessions.

Staying on top of the latest cycling science research just got easier. With a SEMIPRO+ membership, you’ll get the latest cycling science, filtered, reviewed, and analysed to learn and implement the findings quickly.

Learn more about SEMIPRO+ at https://www.semiprocycling.com/plus

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

In this episode, I sit down with fellow reviews of the cycling science digest to discuss a couple of papers that were released in Feb 2021, and in the chaser, we talk about the future of training platforms, well at least what might happen after we hit rock bottom.

Staying on top of the latest cycling science research just got easier. With a SEMIPRO+ membership, you’ll get the latest cycling science, filtered, reviewed, and analysed to learn and implement the findings quickly.

Learn more about SEMIPRO+ at https://www.semiprocycling.com/plus

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

Heat training - and pardon the pun, a hot topic in the world of sports performance - and frankly it’s been covered to death all over the internet. So today we’re going to do things a bit differently.

Yes, we’re going to talk about heat and performance with a guest in the trenches of this space. And yes, we’re going to get some surprising recommendations for performing in the heat but as this guest just completed their Ph.D., we’re also going to take a look behind the scenes. 

This is made interesting by the fact that our guest has the sports science trifecta, being an environmental physiologist, a cycling coach, and an athlete - he has a unique take on cycling performance science - we get a look at the process and thinking behind his research - and how it is designed to make a real impact on the world of sports performance.

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

This is part 2 on muscle oxygenation.

In part 1 we started to go down the rabbit hole that is muscle oxygenation - with a smidge of muscle activation thanks to a new product on the market that measures both - Graspor. We got the commercial manager of Graspor (Jesper) on the show to walk us through the product and technology used. 

If you skipped the last episode, go back and listen so you can get up to speed. That way you’ll have an idea of the technology behind muscle oxygenation as a measurement. 

In this episode, we’re going to look at what and how to use muscle oxygenation for cycling training.

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

This show is about a new product on the market called Graspor. A product that might be able to help you:

1. Find your optimum training intensity zones
2. Find which physiologic systems are limiting performance and which are compensating
3. Find how fast you recover after load
4. Find your recovery state from previous workouts
5. And more...

Big promise hey and while this is somewhat of a product review it turns out to really understand the benefits of the product, this episode is also a primer on muscle oxygenation and muscle activation and the technology behind it - in the near future we’ll discuss how to use this technology for training and performance.

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

We’re not far from a future of 24/7/365 monitoring of all of your body vitals.,but how close are we really? What technologies are available today - what’s next in line and for us cycling tech keen beans - how does all of this fit into the world of sports performance?

You can check out our membership program SEMIPRO+ where you save time and expand your coaching knowledge with the latest and best scientific research and analysis every month - head over to semiprocycling.com/plus to learn more.

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

The science of cycling performance is always changing. But you already know that - if you’ve been around cycling even for a few years you might have changed the way you do something based on a new study or new trend or even a new product.

Coaches are often in the front line when it comes to any new training or performance interventions - and expected to answer questions regarding new and unfamiliar topics. So as part of developing it becomes important to keep up with popular claims and scientific research. Hunting around for information is about continually gathering knowledge from external sources - and having a finely tuned BS meter because finding quality, scientific evidence on the information-oversaturated Internet is tremendously difficult and time-consuming. 

Knowing this all too well, and knowing coaches (and athletes) are extremely busy, today I have a  streamlined process to help you find, analyse, and interpret peer-reviewed research. Plus I’ve got a shortcut that can help you learn faster.

You can check out our membership program SEMIPRO+ where you get cutting-edge cycling science research and analysis every month - head over to semiprocycling.com/plus to learn more.

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

Where do you fall in the common road cyclist categories? Are you a climber, a sprinter, a time trialist, a rouleur, a sandbagger...

If you didn’t know, part of these categories is a loose translation of your predominant muscle fibre type. This used to be thought of as two distinct categories: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. The truth is muscle fibres exist on a continuum between explosive but easily fatigable and slower but more fatigue-resistant.

Why does this matter? Well, a new group of studies has found a new way to assess, classify and use your individual muscle fibre typology to help you to know which cycling discipline to focus on and also help you individualize your training sessions and loading.

Because what we’re seeing now is the confirmation that the exact same workout can have drastically different impacts on two riders because of their athlete types. And that’s an exciting step in the future of training personalisation. 

Find more cycling podcasts and information on our coaching and aero services at semiprocycling.com.

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

In this episode, not only are we going to try to work out how to perform in the middle of the night - but ask the question - how does the time of day impact performance and how can you optimise your training and racing according to your circadian phenotype?

Find more cycling podcasts and information on our coaching and aero services at semiprocycling.com.

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

In this episode, how I analyse rides in WKO5. Plus - an immersive indoor training app with an epic 790km ride across the Pyrenees.

Find more cycling podcasts and information on our coaching and aero services at semiprocycling.com.

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