In this episode we take a look at the current performance model of cycling at all levels and ask the question - can we do better?

Show Sponsor:

• For a limited time, Semi-Pro Cycling podcast listeners can get a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code SEMIPRO at checkout to get yours today.
• That’s a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2 when you go to Hammerhead.io and use promo code SEMIPRO, only for a limited time.

Don’t forget to use our special promo code, because it supports our show! That’s Hammerhead.io, promo code SEMIPRO, and get your Karoo 2 and a free heart rate monitor today.

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Do you agree or disagree with our views on performance? We would love to hear your opinion. Find us on social media and let us know ;)

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

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

I’ll be upfront here - it’s a bit of a clickbaity title so to be clear I coach one rider at pro-level - the level under the World Tour. This rider, Jay Vine, won the Zwift Academy and as his longtime coach, we continued to work together where he rode both pro and world tour races including a grand tour, La Vuelta ESpaña. 

It’s been a hard but rewarding year and I’ve learned a lot about myself and the pro cycling world. So in this episode, we’re going to take a look at the lessons I’ve learned from a year at the top level of the sport. Also, on the radar is a collection of amazingly useful technology and products you never knew existed.

• For a limited time, Semi-Pro Cycling podcast listeners can get a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor for with the purchase of a Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code SEMIPRO at checkout to get yours today.
• That’s a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2 when you go to Hammerhead.io and use promo code SEMIPRO, only for a limited time.

Don’t forget to use our special promo code, because it supports our show! That’s Hammerhead.io, promo code SEMIPRO, and get your Karoo 2 and a free heart rate monitor today.

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

There’s plenty of information around how to conduct blood lactate tests, but information on why we test blood lactate is often entangled with conflicts of interest. In Part 2 of our blood lactate testing episode, we continue our discussion on whether blood lactate testing is necessary or valuable for training cyclists in 2021 and beyond.

This episode includes alternatives to blood lactate testing, a critical thinking exercise around the claims of blood lactate testing, and our conclusions.

1:00 Reasons for blood lactate testing

8:30 How much does this measure relate to performance?

13:00 Error involved in blood lactate testing

18:40 Do we ever stop using certain tests?

20:45 What are the alternatives?

30:00 Critical thinking exercise

37:50 Is training in more accurate training zones more beneficial?

43:30 Conclusions

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

References:

Lactate in contemporary biology: a phoenix risen

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP280955

The maximal metabolic steady state: redefining the ‘gold standard’
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.14814/phy2.14098

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

Lactate and its association with exercise has been known for more than 200 years after Jöns Jakob first observed it in the muscles of hunted stags. Consequently, knowledge of its relationship with exercise is deeply rooted in both popular culture and among endurance athletes. However, more recent research has demonstrated lactate’s presence during exercise has largely been misunderstood for much of this time.

During this two part series, we do a deep dive into all things lactate to assess whether or not we should still be blood lactate testing cyclists, and whether there are better alternatives. So, before you decide to participate in a blood lactate test or recommend one for an athlete, you should definitely give these episodes a listen to make sure you are considering all the pros and cons. Or, listen for the myth-busting and rabbit holes this conversation necessarily gets into.

3:30 The hosts’ experience with blood lactate testing

9:25 Who is blood lactate testing?

12:10 Blood lactate quiz

22:45 Why did we start looking at lactate during exercise?

28:40 Some biochemistry of lactate metabolism

35:35 Why do we blood lactate test cyclists?

43:00 Types of lactate thresholds?

46:55 Blood lactate testing methods

53:45 Practical considerations

For a limited time, Semi-Pro Cycling podcast listeners can get a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code SEMIPRO at checkout to get yours today.

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

References:

Lactate in contemporary biology: a phoenix risen

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP280955

The maximal metabolic steady state: redefining the ‘gold standard’
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.14814/phy2.14098

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

Listen in as we guide you through everything you need to complete a successful Everesting.

The idea is fairly simple but climbing 8,848m on a bicycle in one ride is not easy. It can be done with the right knowledge, though. So 7 years after Cyrus did his Everesting - we sit down and go through everything you need to complete a successful Everesting.

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

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

We take a dive into the nasal passage and look at whether there are performance gains to be obtained through nose breathing. This leads to a discussion around how we evaluate interventions and make decisions on whether they’re worth implementing for ourselves and our athletes.

2:30 How do we normally breathe during exercise?

8:25 What are the claimed benefits of nose breathing over mouth breathing?

9:15 Are we getting too much oxygen?

21:15 What do the studies show?

29:25 What level of evidence do you require to apply an intervention?

38:30 If it’s free and easy, should you try it anyway?

46:55 How much does air intake affect endurance performance?

55:10 But the nose is a filter and humidifier, does that help?

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

References:

Oxygen - Haemoglobin Dissociation Curve Explainer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYGPkRFvzOc&ab_channel=ArmandoHasudungan

Oronasal Distribution of Ventilation at Different Ages

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00039899709602874

The switching point from nasal to oronasal breathing

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0034568780901048

Effects of Nasal or Oral Breathing on Anaerobic Power Output and Metabolic Responses

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466403/ 

Effect of Nasal Versus Oral Breathing on Vo2max and Physiological Economy in Recreational Runners Following an Extended Period Spent Using Nasally Restricted Breathing

https://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/IJKSS/article/view/4400 

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

Last week we discussed the theory surrounding testing cyclists. This week we build on that discussion and look at ways the underlying theory can be applied to testing cyclists in a practical sense.

We investigate how appropriate testing should be selected and administered and also provide information on how to evaluate the data that these tests provide.

1:20 Test selection.

5:40 Metabolic energy system specificity.

7:50 Biomechanical movement pattern specificity.

12:10 Characteristics of the athlete being tested.

16:45 Environmental factors.

21:45 Test Administration - Health and safety.

24:20 Selection and training of the tester.

34:35 Data collection.

38:05 Testing format (batteries, trials, sequence of tests).

50:05 Preparing an athlete for testing.

65:00 Psychological impact of a bad test result on the athlete.

75:00 Evaluation of Test Data

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

References:

NSCA’s Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning 4th Edition

https://us.humankinetics.com/products/essentials-of-strength-training-and-conditioning-4th-edition-with-hkpropel-access 

Physiological Testing for the Athlete: Hype or Help?

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1260/174795406777641203

An Introduction to Cyclist Testing

https://www.boyntoncoaching.com/2012/09/12/introduction-to-cyclist-testing/

Performance Testing Cyclists

https://www.boyntoncoaching.com/2012/09/26/cyclist-testing-an-introduction-to-performance-testing/

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

Testing cyclists is a key component of a science-based approach to improving cycling performance. And there is a surprising amount of important theory to consider and apply when it comes to the practice of testing this cohort of athletes. 

Indeed, the breadth and importance of testing cyclists is so great that our discussion on the topic ended up spanning two full episodes!

So buckle up there, cycling performance enthusiast! It’s time to get deep into athlete testing theory and practical considerations! 

4:10 The hosts’ experience with testing.

8:05 Why do we test athletes?

13:20 Evaluation of test quality

14:10 Test validity.

29:40 Test reliability.

37:10 Testing Error (air??)

47:15 Best practises for real world coaches and athletes.

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

References:

NSCA’s Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning 4th Edition

https://us.humankinetics.com/products/essentials-of-strength-training-and-conditioning-4th-edition-with-hkpropel-access 

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

Take a look inside the planning and execution of a 3-week altitude training camp in preparation for a Grand Tour and learn how you can run your own.

When you coach an athlete that gets the call up to ride a Grand Tour, you can bet that I’ll do everything I can to make sure they are in the form of their life. So when there was space on the calendar for a training camp - we both went all-in on an altitude training camp. It was a great learning experience and I’m here to share the steps I took in planning and preparation but also the takeaways and what I’ll change next time.

Click here to get your copy of the Athlete Altitude Training Camp Manual with a free trial of the Cycling Science Digest (cancel anytime).

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

This week the co-hosts challenge each other with hypothetical athlete cases. Each cyclist differs in physiology, cycling background, and lifestyle, but they are all seeking to improve performance and reach specific competition goals. What follows for each case is an impromptu discussion on the techniques, and initial steps, we would implement, as coaches, to help these athletes achieve their cycling goals.

1:50 Tying up loose ends from the previous interval pacing episode.

6:30: Sarah - 34 yo, triathlete for 12 years, month off due to stress fracture while training for an ironman. Goals: race first road race, 120km gran fondo.

30:30: Bob - 58 yo, 80 kg, 179 cm. Professor, married with two kids. 3 years cycling experience with one year of racing. Successful cross country runner in high school and college. Goals: Win his first cat 4 race, podium at Master’s national champs.

55:05 Ben - 21 yo, good all around power profile, cyclist for 6 years, top 20 in U19 national champs, part time work and university. Goals: Gain results at national level, step up to continental or professional ranks.

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

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