Velo Podcast

Complex training prescriptions are becoming increasingly popular. In this episode, we ask the question: Does it really need to be that complex? What do you gain from this complexity?

With the help of seven different experts — coaches, scientists, and athletes — we’re going to try to make three key points:

- Human physiology is very complex

- Properly executing intervals is very difficult

- But, the prescription should be simple.

There was no guest with us in our studio for this recording, but since this is a summary episode, we pulled a lot of segments from past shows. Our guests this week include:

- Legendary mountain bike world champion, and a guy who never gets old, Ned Overend. Ned almost sounded scared when he talked with us about the possibility of training with power or heart rate. Yet, despite having almost no metrics, and no structured routine, he’s developed a remarkably sophisticated system of training.

- Next, we’ll hear from Houshang Amiri, head coach at the Pacific Cycling Centre and past Canadian national team coach. Houshang shared with Trevor his thoughts on complex interval routines.

It wouldn’t be an episode on interval work without hearing from Dr.

- Stephen Seiler, a top physiologist and researcher in Europe, who’s been credited with formalizing the polarized training model. We pulled a few clips from Dr. Seiler sharing his thoughts on interval prescription and execution.

- But what about athletes who have grown up with power and pre-programmed workouts on their head units? We included an interview we haven’t used before with 2018 Tour of Utah winner Sepp Kuss. While he relies heavily on power, it’s not as simple as setting a target number before he gets on the bike and sticking to it.

- Next we grabbed a clip with Dr. Andy Coggan and Hunter Allen, authors of “Training and Racing with a Power Meter” which was updated this year. They invented probably the most common training zone model in the world (though they don’t like the word zones.) They talked with us about the value of zone models or levels.

- Trevor pulled out an old interview with Trek-Segafredo rider Toms Skujins. Like Sepp, Toms talks about just some of the many decisions that go into effectively executing his interval work.

- Finally, we hear from 2017 U.S. national champion Larry Warbasse of Ag2r La Mondiale. Larry talked with us about the importance of seeing your training sessions in a broader context. Otherwise, you can execute perfectly and still get off track.

Nibali's snowball's-chance-in-hell or the tour for that matter pays off as he holds off the field for one more stage victory! Perhaps a resume builder for his switch over to TREK next season?

New contracts, higher salaries, post-tour criteriums. Its a whole new world after today's stage 20 at the greatest sports event and greatest cycling podcast in the world

It’s all or nothing in the last few stages of the TDF and it just might be all for todays stage winner and new yellow jersey holder Egan Bernal. Will he be given Yellow, Polka Dot and White Jersey? We're going to ride 'til we can't no more!

You’re familiar with the all-important strength-to-weight ratio, expressed as watts per kilogram. But what about strength-to-wait? Bobby and Gus explain.

Shadow Boxing. Strength to Wait. Huge time-gap swings. And Alaphilippe keeping calm, cool and collected vs the Colombians. Did Ineos have a clue today or are they setting up for the misdirect?

Also, special guest Jens Voigt reveals his approach to shattering the field.

The Tour de France isn't just a grind for the riders. What do the riders' wives have to say about three weeks in France, plus all the training that leads up to it? Elly Woods - Mike Woods' better half - weighs in with Bobby and Gus.

Also on this episode of PYSO: Missing the break. Pushing and shoving. Is rubbing still racing?

Finally, Gus throws shade on sunglass fashion in the Tour. Bring back the M Frame!

It's time to Put Your Socks On.

Adversity. Injuries. Solo moves and last chances. It's a tough one today on Put Your Socks On.

Adversity is part of the game, and we hear from Team Katusha-Alpecin's Ian Boswell, who suffered a severe head injury in Tirreno Adriatico earlier this year.

At the Tour de France it was a roasty toasty stage, with riders cramming ice into their helmets and down their jerseys whenever possible.

And in this episode Bobby and Gus talk solo moves, spring-boarding for the stage win off descents, the Tour KOM battle and the final chances for riders in this year's race.

It's the second rest day of the Tour de France, and Fred and Andy link up to discuss the wild action that the race saw in the Pyrenees. Team Ineos was not at the same level as Team Sky, Julian Alaphilippe finally started to crumble, and Thibaut Pinot really looks like the strongest rider in the race.

What did this action in the Pyrenees tell us about what's to come in the Alps? And which of the mountain stages in week 3 will decide the winner?

Then, the guys put on their Director Sportif hats and hypothesize how they would lead Thibaut Pinot and Geraint Thomas to victory in these final few days.

This week's episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was on your body, with additional information around your sleep and recovery to tell you how well your body rebounds from training. Right now, listeners can get 15 percent off a Whoop device by going to www.whoop.com and using the code 'velo' at checkout. www.whoop.com.

It's the 15th stage of the Tour de France. Everyone's tired. But today's racing was absolute full-on from kilometer zero to the final mountaintop meters.

Bobby and Gus dig into the details with a focus on Positive Mental Attitude, joined by special guest Mike Lepp, a sports physiologist with 35 years of experience working with athletes and teams, including NASCAR with Joe Gibbs Racing. 

As Gus says, "it's was a cracker of a stage, and it's a cracker of a show" today on Put Your Socks On. We're talking ants in the pants. Tacks on the road. And steam coming out of Thibaut Pinot's ears. Connect your ears to PYSO, episode 15.

Team PYSO is on a high coming off a scorching episode 13, and the Tour de France gets even higher as we head into the mountains. Cue the Floyd's of Leadville ad. Well whether it's MVPs , CBDs or DNFs, today we talk GC riders vs Helpers. Race tactics. Team captains. Domestiques and more. Gus breaks down QuickStep's short leash on the peloton and How's your short term memory? It's time to Put Your Socks On!

For the time trial, teams and riders use technology to gain every advantage possible. We talk rider position vs aerodynamics. Metabolic efficiency vs wind tunnel data. And what music riders use to get pumped up before the big stages. Can you guess what Coach Bobby rocked? Today's special guest is Jesse Frank, human performance engineer at Specialized Bicycles. With a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and a master’s in integrative physiology/sports biomechanics, Jesse knows a thing or two about making people go fast.