Welcome to the Tailwind Coaching podcast archives. You’ll find all the back editions of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast along with show notes and any downloads that accompany them. Feel free to peruse the archives and share the episodes with your friends. You can also subscribe to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes, and if you do, leave a review and tell me what you think.
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It's no secret that cycling requires strength: leg strength, arm and shoulder girdle strength and core strength (and stability) are often overlooked parts of cycling prowess. I've personally seen the benefits of combining moderate strength training with cycling, and I've seen clients, athletes and patients benefit greatly from increased strength.
“But cycling is and aerobic sport” I hear you cry. You're 100% right, cycling (aside from track sprinting) is predicated on aerobic conditioning and capacity. However, no sport can exist in a strength vacuum;, and cycling is no exception; lack of strength (especially functional strength) is a short road to injury and underperformance. Your body needs strength and stability to be able to efficiently utilize its aerobic capacity. The problem with strength and stability is that it's exactly like your aerobic capacity in the idea that if you don't use it you lose it. I've talked about strength training and building strength in weightlifting for cyclists part 1 and part 2, and detailed in my Raw Strength Modular training plan, but an important part of strength training is maintaining the gains made during those winter sessions. That can be tough for a couple reasons, which I'll explore in today's podcast.
Click through for the show notes and learn how to maintain those winter strength gains through the year and set yourself up for even bigger gains next year.
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What is a cycling performance management chart and what can it do for you? Is it just a way to graph your fitness? Does it tell you if you're ready to race? Will it keep you from overtraining?
The performance management chart (PMC) is one of the lifelines between an athlete and their structured training work load. Many of my listeners, customers and athletes have asked me what all those squiggly little lines and numbers mean? Sure, there's a basic concept of “keep on climbing” the fitness mountain, but it's a far more nuanced tool than just that, revealing information about your fitness, form and where you may potentially be overdoing it.
After the jump we'll discuss the basics of the PMC, how you manage your training and your fitness using a PMC, how to read all those little lines and how you can use the PMC as a tool to maximize your performance. I'll also talk about what the PMC CAN'T do, which is perhaps the most important thing to know.
Check the show notes after the jump for more:
This time of year, the focus of your questions has turned from how to get strong and fit for upcoming events to wringing the most out of your training time. If you are anything like the 99% of cyclists for whom riding a bike isn't a job, you have limited time to train and need to get the most out of each hour. I'll wager that these questions that I'm getting will apply to many of you out there. It's true that no question is a stupid one, and since there's a lot of valuable information in each of the topics I'll talk about, I've put them together into a podcast intended to help you boost your training outcomes.
In this episode of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast, I'll explain how you can boost your fitness and increase your training outcomes with some simple techniques. After the jump, you'll be able to peruse the show notes and read a synopsis of what's talked about in this episode.
Don't forget to hit the like and share buttons on the left to share this information with your friend, group ride buddies and teammates!
Now, learn how to boost your training outcomes with these simple tips:
Cornering is an important cycling skill to master if you're going to ride efficiently (and safely) and understanding apexes is a critical part of cornering properly. Since there's so many potential spots for error, cornering is a fine balancing act comprising a number of different forces, but everything falls into place more easily when you can learn how to cut an apex properly, and how to choose the proper apex for each corner you encounter.
Cutting an apex allows you to do a number of things more safely, including carry a higher amount of speed into each corner. Knowledge of how to properly execute different apexes will also help to keep you out of trouble with traffic, prevent panic braking and set you up for any terrain that's beyond the curve in the road (even if you can't see it.) Proper use of apexes will also foster and encourage proper cornering skills like correct weight distribution and looking through the turn to the exit point.
In this excerpt from my upcoming “corner like a pro” online course, I'll diagram different apexes and explain the nuances of each one. Click through for more information and the key points to take home:
So you're thinking about racing a bike, but you're concerned about the cost.
You're not the only one, apparently.
Recently, an article in the UK based Telegraph caused a little bit of a stir in the cycling world, claiming that the cost of racing was approximately £25,000. £25,000!! Adjusted to USD, that's around $39,000! That's a salary for a lot of people!
And that's completely insane.
There's no earthly reason racing a bike needs to cost that much. In fact, if you read other articles by the same author, you get a different impression: the author is racing at an elite level, attempting to recapture a lost opportunity of his youth. He's not starting off racing a Cat 5 criterium, or a weekend stage race where you're competing against other guys who are coming out to have a little fun and maybe sprint for a pair of tires. We're talking two different worlds here.
But the article did get me thinking about what IS the cost of racing a bike? And if you wanted to start racing a bike today, what would you need to lay out in terms of dollars and cents. That's what I'll explore in today's podcast, along with some helpful tips to get you ready to race for the first time.
Click through for a breakdown of what it takes to race on the elite level, and what you need to race on the local level:
