Here you can find all the back editions of the Tailwind Coaching Cycling Podcast. Feel free to peruse these archives or head over to iTunes to find and rate the show. Each rating helps to move the Tailwind Coaching Podcast up through the ratings, improving it's reach. The more people I can reach, the more people can get these free tips on riding stronger and faster, and having more fun doing it.
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Safe Cycling In The Rain (Podcast #16)
How many of have you looked out the window at raindrops falling from the sky and said “ugh, it's raining. I don't want to ride in this.” Be honest.
Good, now of those of you who answered “yes” to the last question, how many of you would ride in the rain if you felt more comfortable? How about if you could feel safer?
Riding in wet conditions, from damp roads to a driving rain, can not only be safe and comfortable, but it can even be fun. It's a great way to keep you on your toes, keep your skills sharp and break out of the ordinary riding rut. Roads that are wet change character completely: climbs become more demanding of finesse to prevent wheels from slipping, descents require perfect lines and braking and handling skills are sharpened by the constant barrage to your senses. But in order to safely partake in these fitness and skill challenges, you'll have to have the proper preparation and keep a few things in mind. In today's podcast we'll discuss a few of these such as:
- Proper dress for warmth (and maybe even dryness)
- Tips to ensure road safety, including braking distance and traction concerns
- Post ride concerns to make sure you recover well (and keep your bike happy)
As a side note, there's only a few days left to take advantage of my Giro d'Italia modular training special. Remember to use coupon code “giro2013” to take 15% off all modular training plans. And keep a look out for my new Century Module, which will be coming out in the next week or so.
Questions and comments are always welcome. Post below to get the discussion rolling (hopefully in the dry.)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:59 — 18.3MB)
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Motivation – Getting It Back (Podcast #15)
Motivation can be a tricky thing for a cyclist to find, especially after a big “A” race or event. But motivation is often what gets us off our ass, off the sofa and onto the bike and lacking it can be deadly for our fitness (and waist line.)
But how do you go about getting your motivation back after you've spent months training for a huge event? What do you do with that gigantic hole left in your life when you don't have a training plan to follow? Today's podcast will discuss a few tips for rebuilding your motivation, including:
- Revising your goals and setting new ones if necessary
- Taking some time away from structure (ride with friends or do a Strava Challenge)
- Going back to fundamentals (and being motivated by your quick progress)
I'm also running a Giro d'Italia special for my Modular Training Plans: enter the code “giro2013” to take 15% off any or all of my modular plans. Hurry though, this offer only lasts as long as the Giro does.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:47 — 18.2MB)
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Cycling Efficiency Tips (Podcast #14)
Mainstream advertising has led us to believe that we have to buy things to make us faster: wheels, bike frames, helmets and special clothing are all touted as the quick way to get faster. It's also a quick way to drain your wallet. But if you're looking to invest in some speed, most of you know that you can't go wrong with hiring a coach or following a structured training plan. What you may not know is that you can squeeze even more speed, power and endurance out of the fitness you already have or you can raise the bar on our structured training by increasing your efficiency.
Defined as “accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort”, raising your efficiency will allow you to ride faster, raise your functional threshold power (FTP) and feel fresher at the end of a long ride so you can contest that final sprint. But how do we accomplish this? Today's podcast will discuss how to become more efficient on the bike, including:
- Positive vs negative self talk
- Learning to relax
- Neuromuscular efficiency
- How to integrate these concepts into your training
Comments and questions are always welcome.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:13 — 18.9MB)
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Tour of the Battenkill 2013 Race Report (Podcast #12)
Tour of the Battenkill is one of my favorite races: it has all the hallmarks of the northern European classics: pave, short, steep climbs, big crowds and throngs of exuberant racers.
Having raced Battenkill in 2011 and finished 33rd with massive, horrible muscle cramps, I was determined to head back to Cambridge NY and have another go at the 64 miles of hell and dirt. Saturday was the 9th running of the Tour of the Battenkill, and featured about 3500 racers between the pro/am day and the Gran Fondo.
In today's podcast, I'll detail my Battenkill weekend, from Friday through race day, what went right and what went wrong.
ANNOUNCEMENT: You still have 5 days to download my “Berg Buster” HIT workout for free. Just use the code “classicsgift” and that $10 workout becomes free!
Remember to review the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:48 — 18.7MB)
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Race Day Preparation (Podcast #11)
“Do it right on race day” is a lesson that every racer should live by and one that should be drilled into their head. Race performance begins in the days before when you start to get everything ready to roll. In fact, poor race day prep can actually set you up for a poor performance even before the first pedal is turned in anger.
We'll discuss proper race day preparation as well as preparation in the days prior. Some topics we'll cover include:
- Loading your gear and prepping your bike
- Eating prior to your race
- Arrival time and warmup time
- Warming up on the trainer
- Proper dress
As always, comments and questions are welcome.
As a reminder, my “Berg Buster” is still available (until April 21st) for FREE with the code “classicsgift”.
For those of you racing Battenkill, I'll see you there. Good luck, stay safe!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:38 — 16.3MB)
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