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The Importance of Cycling Pedal Stroke Work

I've long been a proponent of tuning your pedal stroke and increasing efficiency to squeeze the most out of your training.  By increasing your efficiency, you increase the amount of power that goes to the pedals.  That increased power translates into more speed and less fatigue.

But how do you go about improving your pedal stroke?  What workouts will help you build an efficient pedal stroke?

Click through the jump to listen to this episode of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast.  I'll explain the importance of pedal stroke work and how efficiency makes your training more potent.  Don't forget to like and share with your friends, and don't forget to rate the podcast on iTunes!  If you want to support the show, consider doing some of your shopping through my affiliate program: remember, it costs you nothing and helps support the podcast.

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Is Zwift Killing Cycling?

There's no doubt that the online training platform Zwift has experienced exponential growth in the last few years.  In fact, Zwift users have managed to rack up more than 200 million kilometers in 2017.  That's a LOT of miles, and probably a lot of fun too.

There's also little doubt that Zwift is an amazing training tool.  In fact, I've relied on it for much of the past two winter seasons to both build fitness and maintain motivation.  What seems to have risen recently, however, is the concept of Zwift racing.  More than once, I've seen people comment about the validity of these competitions.  Are people using the online format to easily cheat?  Is it even racing if you're not in the same room with someone else?

There are even plenty of people on various Zwift Facebook groups that eschew outdoor riding completely in favor of a virtual riding platform.

A few years back, I wrote about how Strava had the potential to be a fitness wrecker.  Now, hearing that people are turning to Zwift instead of the outdoors, I'm wondering, “Is Zwift Killing Cycling?”

Click through to explore the pros and cons of this burgeoning platform:

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Motivation Monday: Monkey Knife Fight 9 Recap

If you read my previous “Motivation Monday” posts, you'll know I was somehow suckered into riding the Monkey Knife Fight on April 14th.  I'd suggest you read those posts to get an idea of what I've spent the winter and early spring training for.  I described it as “a spring classic, Pennsylvania style.  That means dirt roads, gravel, steep climbs, shitty weather and lots and lots of fun.  And beer.  There's a beer sponsor.  I think it's Funk Brewing, actually.”

Well, the beer sponsor was indeed Funk Brewing (who makes a wicked IPA I might add.)  I'll also add that I was completely correct about the description with one notable, important exception, which I'll get to.

To get an idea of how I proceeded to tackle a beast like this, check out my previous posts about the training theory behind a ride like this.  Yeah, it was lots of muscular endurance and plenty of VO2 max work.  No, it wasn't glamorous at all, but it (sort of) got the job done.

In this edition of “Motivation Monday” I'll recap Monkey Knife Fight 9, tell you what went wrong and what went right.

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Motivation Monday: Pacing For Preservation

If you read my previous “Motivation Monday” posts, you'll know I was somehow suckered into riding the Monkey Knife Fight on April 14th.  I'd suggest you read those posts to get an idea of what I've gotten myself into and where I've been so far in terms of training.  The short, short version of it is this: it's a spring classic, PA style.  That means dirt roads, gravel, steep climbs, shitty weather and lots and lots of fun.  And beer.  There's a beer sponsor.  I think it's Funk Brewing, actually.

In past columns, I've detailed some of my training theory behind a ride like this.  Yeah, it's lots of muscular endurance and plenty of VO2 max work.  No, it's not glamorous at all, but it gets the job done.  In all honesty, training never is glamorous, is it?

I've also gone on to explain how you can tell when your fitness has climbed enough for an “out of order” fitness test.  Since then, it's been pretty quiet.  Why?  Well, there are a couple factors I'll detail today.  But in reality, it's just been grinding out intervals and hoping to get fit enough to not die.

And what's my plan for not dying on this thing?  Click through the jump to find out!

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Motivation Monday: Testing Time

If you read my first “Motivation Monday” you'll know I was somehow suckered into riding the Monkey Knife Fight in April.  I'd suggest you read that post to get an idea of what I've gotten myself into.  The short, short version of it is this: it's a spring classic, PA style.  That means dirt roads, gravel, steep climbs, shitty weather and lots and lots of fun.  And beer.  There's a beer sponsor.

In past columns, I've detailed some of my training theory behind a ride like this.  Yeah, it's lots of muscular endurance and plenty of VO2 max work.  No, it's not glamorous at all, but it gets the job done.  In all honesty, training never is glamorous, is it?

Today, I'm going to chat about how you know it's time to test (even if it's outside your scheduled testing time) and modify your program a bit.

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