Velo Podcast

Today on PYSO Gus and Bobby examine the science around preparation and recovery. Skratch Labs founder Dr. Allen Lim joins the fun to address everything you want to know about cycling, from nutrition to new technology. Does Lim talk about Cryotanks? Yes. What about ice vests? You bet. It's all here. We even bring back Spinaci bar extensions, because we think they are cool. Be prepared: this is PYSO.

What exactly does it take to race the Tour — physiologically, mentally, spiritually. Each day these phenomenal athletes race an event that would shatter most of us in just one day. But then they also have to contend with answering reporters questions, pleasing sponsors, transferring between hotels, trying to eat enough food to cover the day’s expenditures, and, finally and perhaps most importantly, trying to get quality sleep.

It’s a feat that’s hard to comprehend, so today we'll try to give a sense of what it takes to race the Tour. We’ll cover:

First, an overview of the Tour from a numbers perspective, and why the numbers really don’t tell the tale.

Our guest, Ciaran O’Grady will explain his role as a Tour team physiologist and coach.

The many challenges of the Tour outside of racing, including not only what I mentioned above, but also not missing the bus, handling the food, and what happens when you get sick.

Why getting dropped by the peloton doesn’t make for as easy a day as you might think.

What happens to the riders physiologically over the three weeks and why, in essence, it’s just a controlled burnout.How riders try to recover day-to-day, especially when they’re dealing with injuries.

How riders train for the Tour and why having incredible endurance comes first. Then we’ll take a deeper dive into how the different types of riders prepare, from GC contenders to stage hunters and domestiques.

Finally, we’ll try to pull all this together and talk about what mere mortals should and shouldn’t take from Tour riders, whether we’re preparing for a weekend race or a three-day stage race.

Our primary guest today is Ciaran O’Grady, one of the team physiologists for the Dimension Data WorldTour team.

Along with Ciaran, we catch up with one of our favorite guests, Brent Bookwalter of Mitchelton-Scott. Brent has now completed nine grand tours, so he had a lot to say about what it’s like getting through 23 grueling days.

We also talked with Houshang Amiri, a former Canadian National and Olympic coach who runs the Pacific Cycling Centre. He’s coached Tour athletes and had a few thoughts to share on getting athletes ready for a grand tour.

So, get your bidons and your musettes and your baguettes and your crepes, let's make you fast!

The Tour de France completed its first mountain stage of 2019 on Thursday, and delivered a huge dose of excitement. The timing was perfect, because Thursday was Gus's birthday. Happy Birthday, Gus! Your present is an awesome and exciting Tour stage! On Today's podcast, Gus and Bobby debate climbing. What makes a climber? Is it power-to-weight ratio, tactics, and or something else? What are the odds Giulio Ciccone takes the yellow all the way to Paris?

Tao Geoghegan Hart, a veteran racer at age 25, shares his favorite #recoveryprotocol and sensations during a year of firsts. Also: “Do you like t-shirts?”

Toms! Toms! Toms! Bobby goes down memory lane but doesn't like it much. Superfan suggests that Sagan’s interview “form” is also back! Phillipe Gilbert shares some very interesting insights into today’s theme: Tactics. Are cartoons really better than Rosetta Stone, does 75% of tactical riding come down to nature or nurture, why did Gus’s coach tell him to climb into a ditch and take his shoes off, and which annual event in Belgium is guaranteed to get you a Pro Contract? Find out all this and more!

Stage 4 was sleepy in spots but PYSO is not! On today’s show, Bobby Julich and Gus Morton discuss failed nature-break ploys, getting jiggy with it, France vs. Italy on the subject of “legal usage” of champagne, high-speed praying mantes and more. Plus, EF Education First assistant sports director Tom Southam calls in to share some thoughts about being a director and the importance of analog technology. `

Find out what happened and why! Do you want a World Tour contract to show up in your mailbox? Here’s how. Listen to legend Juan Antonio Flecha talk about one of the greatest upsets of his racing career. Then learn about the cracks, clips, cats and chalkboards that REALLY matter. #managainstpeloton #supertuckshaves20percent

Early aggression, TV attacks—you know you’re in the TDF. Mike Teunissen calls the audible of all audibles. Micro breaks, #bubbleboys, Bobby pushes back on the expression “meat sack”, the boys deep-dive into the intricacies and nuances of Team Selection, and it’s only Day 1 but some of our predictions are already out the window. It’s time to Put Your Socks On.

In today’s show Bobby and Gus dive into Stage 2 and all things Aero.

Is the yellow jersey a powerful motivator? What’s Rule Number One for a TT specialist? Did Jan Ulrich need team to win a TTT? Is your dad’s skinsuit the same as today’s skinsuit. What does Bobby mean when he says—“Don't overthink it.” And is tomorrow’s finish packed with enough snacks? Find out all this and more! Put Your Socks On.

What kind of workload does a rider need to achieve in the weeks and months leading up to the Tour de France? What kind of power numbers do they need to hit? And what new techniques can help the preparation?

Allen Lim, PhD, has been coaching elite cyclists for two decades. In the run-up to the 2019 Tour de France, Lim has been working with Tejay van Garderen of EF Education First.

In this episode, Lim and cohost Brian Co of Veloworthy recount all the training that has been done to get Tejay ready for the start of the Tour on July 6.

From his academic work on power meters beginning in 1997 until today, Allen Lim, PhD, has been obsessed with improving a cyclist’s performance, on and off the bike. The founder of Skratch Labs has coached some of the world’s best cyclists, including most all the American grand tour contenders of the past 15 years. In Beyond Limits, Lim brings you inside the sport at the highest levels, showing its secrets, its humanity and its significance for everyday riders as we seek to improve.

Here in Episode 1, Lim and co-host Brian Co of VeloWorthy bring you Lim's genesis story, from racing the likes of Jonathan Vaughters and George Hincapie as a junior to coaching Floyd Landis and George W. Bush to being shunned from the sport and ultimately coming back on his own terms. Come along for the ride.

#velonews #cycling #beyondlimits