In this video, Konstantin the CEO of Inferno and I sit down to talk about the Inferno Event Series. 3 events for 2025 all with a common theme. 

110 miles with 5500 meters of climbing on each stage. It's a great insight into how all the events from Inferno Swiss to France and The Dolomites are put together. 

We discuss the company's evolution with new and exciting locations for 2026. 

If you are interested in any of the events as a pair or solo rider you can find a link to the Inferno Race Series below. 

https://infernoseries.com/inferno-series-2025/

What's the point of training, Why don't we just ride our bikes to get fit?

From experience coaching master cyclists and myself using the methods I'm just about to talk about they are all stronger, faster better climbers than anyone who "Just rides their bikes"

If you want to improve your average speed over longer distances and climb hills faster stay tuned

My core focus in my own training and the cyclists I coach is to 

Grow strength
Increase Vo2 Max 
Increase lactate Threshold 
Increase Lactate Clearance
Develop an aerobic engine to go faster with less effort 

All this is possible as we age. You know that to be true because there are master cyclists out there still smashing in exceptional times in sportives, Time Trials and cracking out stunning PB's on KOMS

One thing is for sure older cyclists who stay fast and strong up hills are not JUST RIDING their bikes week in and week out they are being focused, specific and consistent 

In this episode, I talk about the training that got me fast and give examples of sessions that helped me stay fast up hills. I'm trying a new shorter format. I hope you like it. 

In the first of 4 podcasts about training effectively for master cyclists to get and stay fast on their bike, improve health, and increase longevity and quality of life I talk to Chris from Bar Bells and Bikes. 

Chris is a keen cyclist and strength and conditioning expert. We talk about why master cyclists should focus on lifting, how to progress from body weight to lifting heavy why you should and why yoga and pilates are not enough to make you strong.

In this podcast, I talk to Renee McGregor about carbohydrates, and sugar and why they DON'T make you instantly gain body fat. We get deep into the subject of Blood Glucose Monitors, why they are useful and why companies that produce them are misleading and potentially harming our understanding of health and nutrition. 

Key Takeaways From The Podcast:

Carbohydrates are an important energy source, especially for the brain. They don't instantly lead to weight gain.

Insulin helps absorb nutrients and facilitates recovery after exercise. Fear of insulin is misguided.

Blood sugar naturally fluctuates throughout the day. Trying to keep it in a very narrow range is unrealistic.

Continuous glucose monitoring is unnecessary for most people and can promote dysfunctional eating habits.

CGM companies are giving false and potentially harmful nutrition advice based on poor science.

The Importance of Carbohydrates:
Carbs provide glucose, which is the preferred fuel for the brain and central nervous system. Complex carbs break down slowly while simple carbs digest quickly.

Overeating simple carbs like sugar can lead to excess calories. But complex carbs like potatoes are important for energy and fiber.

Carbs don't instantly turn into fat. Overall balance matters over weeks/months, not day-to-day.

Insulin and Blood Sugar
Insulin helps absorb nutrients, not just glucose. It facilitates recovery after exercise by increasing uptake.

Blood sugar fluctuates naturally throughout the day based on many factors. 

Trying to overly control blood sugar can be counterproductive and disrupt hormones.

Problems with Continuous Glucose Monitoring CGM's:
CGM is unnecessary for most people and promotes dysfunctional eating habits.

CGM's apps and companies that promote them can provide false nutrition advice based on poor science. 

CGM's can lead to obsessive food restriction, especially for women affecting menstruation.

I speak to Pete and Sue the other coaches at Velo Performance in this episode. We clarify the misconception between insulin and carbohydrates and talk about what older cyclists should be focusing on with their bike training at this time of year and why they should be lifting heavy for strength, power and overall health.

In this podcast, Jens and I talk about the LIE of motivation and how discipline and the act of DOING are the motivation you are looking for, more importantly, we talk about ways everyone can change their habits and thoughts to get even more from themselves.

Jens is an innovator in leadership who has worked with global companies like Ikea to help managers become great leaders and connect with their staff on a deeper more meaningful level that builds a stronger team ethic and a happier more productive workforce.

https://www.jensheitland.com/

In this episode, I talk to Velo Performance coach Sue Allen our Menopause Specialist coach about how to effectively train through Menopause to stay fit, and maintain performance and energy levels. In this episode, we also talk about nutrition and what female cyclists should be focusing on to look and feel stronger and more energised. 

In this episode, I interview Louise Harris who took on the challenge of breaking the world record cycling from Lands End To John'Ogroats and back to Lands End. This is a fascinating chat about her adventure, how much money she raised for Galgos Del Sol and some of the challenges she faced along the way. Her account of hallucinating when riding deep into the night is candidly inspiring.

Lous Charity Page To Save The Spanish Dog Breed Galgos
https://www.justgiving.com/page/lejogle2023?fbclid=IwAR3zdLm8ZKJ0_2FBWT6FutdhlKDHDwdcgv1VJkrijVcPC39A6qn0AoCD8jk

In this episode, I go solo and talk about my ethos of coaching, the most important aspects of training all masters cyclists should focus on, discuss nutrition and why its important that masters cyclists need to eat differently than the mainstream media suggest and have a rant about some of the dumbest things I've seen on the internet recently

Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242477/
Under an hour training s not affected either way by fasted or a fed state. However, over an hour there are performance advantages of feeding pre-training.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29315892/

The current RDA for protein is 0.8g per kg per day. This is aimed at the general sedentary population and doesn’t take into consideration athletes or older populations exercising to the level we do.

My suggestion is that we should aim for total protein between 1.8g per kg of body weight and as much as 2g per kg of body weight for older athletes. And, as much as 2.2g per kg of body weight for cyclists over 55.

Practical recommendations. 

3 meals a day between 0.4 and 0.5g per kg of body weight with a recovery shake post training that’s 0.3g per kg of body weight.

Plus a protein meal/bolus before bed of 0.5 - 0.6g per kg.

Further Reading:

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4
https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-can-you-eat-in-one-sitting/

Strength Training

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21638070/
https://europepmc.org/article/med/1886483

Training and master athletes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2375571/

DNA Nutrition
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/personalized-nutrition-the-latest-on-dna-based-diets/

Blood Type Diet
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140115172246.htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23697707/

Training in a fasted state 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21051570/?i=6&from=/29315892/related
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29315892/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5407976/

Dietary protein
https://www.mysportscience.com/post/2017/10/18/dietary-protein-requirements-for-older-athletes

Weight and metabolism as you get older

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surprising-findings-about-metabolism-and-age-202110082613
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe5017

In this podcast, I chat with Richie Sheerin about his cancer diagnosis his battle through groundbreaking stem cell therapy getting back on the bike and setting his sights to compete and win at the transplant games in Australia 2023.


This is a jaw-dropping interview about one person's determination to not let cancer beat him and why the bike means so much to him.


I hope you enjoy it and I hope it inspires you to keep on keeping on. 


All my best, Simon