Fast Talk

Latest Episodes:

117: Cornering and Descending with Emile Abraham Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

You might not think of cornering as science—after all, the title of this episode is the art of cornering—but today we'll try to hit the subjects of cornering and descending from many sides. Obviously, there's plenty of physics involved in making a bike arc through a sweeping bend. We'll tell you all about the forces at play as you drive your bike.

And then we'll tell you to set that all aside, and join us for a discussion of the nuances and, yes, art of cornering: body position, weight distribution, the eight—eight!—stages of cornering, where your eyes should be, where your hands should be, where your mind should be. All that and much more on today's episode.

We'll also talk a bit about some of the skills specific to descending, like the supertuck. Should you risk it? If so, when and how? I once did an experiment on the supertuck with Lennard Zinn, so I'll talk about that harrowing experience. I'm still alive!

Our main guest today is Emile Abraham, someone you may not have heard of, but who has racked up numerous wins because of his cornering and descending prowess, having grown up riding the twisty, steep roads of Trinidad and Tobago.

Emile is a 12-time national road race champion of his home country, as well as a Pan-Am Games silver medalist in 2007. Through his coaching business, emileabrahamcoaching.com, and his current team, the North Georgia Cycling Association, he provides a platform for the development of riders from around the world but especially those from the Caribbean. He's also the event director for the two-day Mobile Cycling Classic.

More than a few times today you'll hear Emile talk about dropping Trevor like a sack of anvils at the Tobago Classic, which they've raced together many times. And anyone who drops Trevor, either going up or down a hill, is a friend of mine.

Also in today's episode, we hear from our friend and podcast colleague Colby Pearce, Petr Vakoc of the Alpecin-Fenix pro team, professional mountain biker Payson McElveen, and Kristen Legan, a coach and former cycling tech editor.

Now, get ready to hit that apex. Let's make you fast!

116: Q&A on the art of listening to your body, ketogenic diets, and the GLUT4 transporter, with guest coach Kristen Legan Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

In today's episode, we've invited Rambleur Rising coach and elite gravel racer Kristen Legan to help answer your many insightful questions. To give you a broader range of coaching opinions, Kristen joins Trevor and me to talk about the art of listening to your body, ketogenic diets, glucose transport, and much more.

Kristen has a varied and lengthy elite career, first as a swimmer, then pro triathlete, and now a gravel and cyclocross specialist. She's also a coach to many ultra-endurance athletes.

Now, on to your questions.

Devin K. in Seattle asks about the clues he should look for when doing a workout, in order to know when to gut it out or bail due to fatigue.

Next, Cary B. in the UK wants to know if there is an intensity or duration at which GLUT4 transporters are activated. We discuss why GLUT4 is important for endurance athletes.

Coach Connor answers several questions from Daan K. in Amsterdam about the ketogenic diet and episode 46 with Professor Noakes.

We've received several questions about preparing for events at altitude. If you live at sea level, what is the best way to prepare yourself and train for events at altitude? We dive in.

Finally, our gravel guru, Kristen, gives Taylor M. some advice on how to improve her long-haul gravel race tactics and techniques.

Let's make you fast!

115: The MTB episode starring Payson McElveen, Geoff Kabush, Joe Lawwill, and Steve Neal Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

Today, it's all about performance off-road. Yes, we're talking mountain bikes. And we've recruited some of the most talented folks in the sport to help us decipher this niche of cycling, from race craft, to technique, to training, and everything in between.

What are the most critical elements of short track, cross-country, and marathon racing? Our guests take us inside the races.

What are the fundamentals to better bike handling on dirt? Our experts have the answers.

How can you tell if your fitness or your technique is what's holding you back from making progress? We let you in on a simple trick.

Is the training for mountain bike racing any different from road racing? Listen in to find out more about the nuances of off-road performance.

We answer those questions and so many more with the help of some of the most recognizable names in the sport.

We start our conversation with Payson McElveen, a two-time cross-country marathon national champion, who races for the Orange Seal Offroad Team. If you haven't found it yet, check out Payson's podcast, The Adventure Stache.

We're also joined by two legends of the sport. Geoff Kabush is a three-time Olympian, a nine-time World Cup podium finisher, including his win at the Bromont World Cup in 2009, and a nine-time Canadian cross-country national champion. Joe Lawwill started racing motocross as a kid, then transitioned to the bike, racing professionally for 10 years before slotting into his current role as Shimano's North American mountain bike marketing manager as well as an experienced mountain bike skills coach.

We also hear from Steve Neal, the former Canadian national mountain bike coach and co-owner of The Cycling Gym in Toronto, to learn more about specific training needs and methods for mountain biking.

Check out The Cycling Gym's new website at online.thecyclinggym.com/ where you can ask Steve and his fellow coaches your training questions.

Now, get your full-fingered gloves, it's time to hit the dirt. Let's make you fast!

114: Q&A on LSD Rides, Topical Bicarbonates, Group Rides, and Sugar Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

On today's Q&A episode, we cover a broad spectrum of topics including sugar consumption and its health effects, safe rates to increase volume, the pros and cons of group rides, the efficacy of topical bicarbonate products, and much more.

Feeling flat during a recovery week can be frustrating. Trevor goes into a bit of the science on recovery weeks and how you're likely to feel after a tough training build. Thanks to listener and mountain bike racer, Nancy T. from Albuquerque, New Mexico for sending this question.

We received a voice memo from collegiate racer Preston M. in California who has some extra flexibility in his schedule this summer. With no races on the horizon, he wants to know how long and how often his LSD (Long Slow Distance) rides should be to progress to the next level. Reminder, you can record a question for us on a voice memo app on your phone and then email it to us at fasttalk@fastlabs.com.

We also address the potential usefulness of increasingly popular topical bicarbonate products. Trevor looks at the science literature so you don't have to.

Sports drinks, race food, candy, cookies—we eat it when we race, but how much of these simple sugars should we be consuming, and what are the positive and negative effects on athletes versus sedentary individuals? We dive in.

If you've been on a group ride, you know they can get competitive. Giancarlo B. in Boulder asks how to incorporate these rides into a polarized training model.

Gina J., a long-time runner turned triathlete, is wondering why her heart rate during her cycling training sessions is lower than her running heart rate. Trevor explains.

It's time to Q&A. Let's make you fast!

113: The duration and intensity of rest periods is as critical as your intervals, with Sebastian Weber May 28, 2020

Show notes

When Trevor first mentioned he wanted to do an entire episode about rest periods between intervals, I teased him—I often tease him—for being so excited about a seemingly mundane topic.

Little did I know we would have such a compelling conversation with today's main guest, the lead physiologist at INSCYD, and a previous guest on Fast Talk, Dr. Sebastian Weber.

So, why is rest so important, and why are we having this conversation? I think it's safe to assume that when most cyclists design an interval workout, we focus most of our attention on the length and intensity of each rep. The recovery between reps? Well, that's often an afterthought. Sometimes it's flat-out ignored. Which is a mistake, because the length of that recovery period has a dramatic effect on what energy systems are used from one interval to the next.

For example, if two interval workouts are performed for the same length of time and at the same wattage, but one is done with 20 seconds of rest between reps and the other is done with 5 minutes between reps, they will be dramatically different, particularly in terms of how that wattage is produced for subsequent reps. We'll emphasize that fact again and again in this episode.

We'll start today's show with a simple question, one that few athletes ask themselves: why do we have rest periods at all? Then Trevor and I will discuss the metabolic milieu that is "perturbed" during intervals, and what happens next, when we rest.

For most of the episode we'll talk about the different interval types and the appropriate rest for each—everything from threshold intervals to VO2max intervals, from 2- and 3-minute intervals to Tabatas and sprints.

Again, our main guest is Sebastian Weber of INSCYD, and we'll also hear from national champion Ruth Winder, Dr. Stephen Cheung, and Jared Berg. Sebastian is creating a webinar that will complement this episode as well, so please visit the shownotes for this episode for a link to that presentation once it is available. Find it at fastlabs.com/fasttalk113

Who knew rest was so important? Well, Trevor did, and after this episode, you will too. Let's make you fast!

3: Allen Lim - Cultivating the Environment of Coaching May 27, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Allen Lim, the founder of Skratch Labs, is today's esteemed podcast philosopher on Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce. With his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Lim continues to pioneer new practices in sports physiology and applied training. He is one of the few who will sometimes say that the science is B.S., and that metrics, and the interpretation thereof, constitute only a portion of the overall support system a good coach provides to his or her athletes.

On a personal level, Lim coached Colby through the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, bringing a more scientific approach to the sport of track cycling.

In the second half of the show, food becomes the subject of conversation. Food is often viewed as fuel—and only fuel—by endurance athletes. Lim, author of three books about food and cooking, including The Feed Zone Cookbook: Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes, preaches about eating and the importance of having a good relationship with food.

In Lim's view, food provides energy not just to power your legs for five-hour rides. Food has chi; and athletes have intuition regarding what and how much food to eat to keep their bodies in balance. The sport-induced eating habits of many athletes can be isolating; Lim, however, understands how food can serve as social fuel, which goes well beyond its role as chemical fuel.

All this and much more in episode 3 of Cycling in Alignment.

Loneliness is a fundamental breach between who one is and who one pretends to be. - Moustakas

REFERENCES: LUX camp is June 15th to July 15th. Dr. Allen Lim https://www.doctorallenlim.com Skratch Labs https://www.skratchlabs.com/ Dr. Stacy Sims https://www.drstacysims.com/ Chek Institute https://chekinstitute.com/product/holistic-health-and-performance-for-women-e-learning/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

112: Q&A on HIT training, gut health, recovery, and CTL May 21, 2020

Show notes

Welcome to this Q&A episode of Fast Talk! Today, we'll address several questions that we received from listeners via email, voicemail, and Twitter. Keep those questions coming!

The first question Coach Connor addresses is about interval work and HIIT exercises, which we use as a springboard to talk about the difference between HIIT and HIT workouts. We then answer the question of whether pyramid intervals are as effective as Tabata intervals.

Next, we tackle a listener question about how to use this time during stay-at-home orders to give your body a break from the constant high carb intake common with training and racing. We reached out to pro rider Petr Vakoc of the Alpecin-Fenix pro team to help us answer the question. Petr has been stuck inside at his training base in Andorra addressing this very issue.

We also take on the question of what constitutes a manageable weekly ramp rate—one that doesn't generate too much fatigue. After our last Q&A episode which focused on TSS, we received several follow-up questions, which we address: we discuss recovery and, specifically, which tools are most helpful.

We are proud and excited to announce the latest addition to the Fast Labs family of podcasts. "Cycling in Alignment, with Colby Pearce" is now live! Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app. Follow the inner workings of Colby's mind on social media @cyclinginalignment.

And, finally, please take a moment to take our survey. As we consider the potential for new subscription offerings, we want to hear from our devoted listeners. Your thoughts are extremely important to us at Fast Labs. Visit https://fastlabs.com/subscriptionsurvey! And thank you for your feedback.

Now, it's time to Q&A. Let's make you fast!

CA 01: Introduction to Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce May 19, 2020

Show notes

Welcome to Cycling in Alignment. I'm your host, Colby Pearce. My passion, dream, and goal is to help people express their highest potential by illuminating a path that enables alignment with truth and coherence in their lives. Ultimately, through this podcast, I aspire to provide a platform for useful insight and discussion around cycling and holistic health.

There will be some episodes without guests—it'll be just me—in which I divulge the intricacies of riding a bike, including the upcoming podcast about the fundamentals of cycling, and another entire episode dedicated to the dynamics of proper pedaling technique.

On other episodes, I will invite guests, some of whom come from the sport of cycling. Other guests may not come from cycling, but they'll always have a connection to attaining balance and living a holistic life.

The long format of this podcast allows it to engender conversations about a subject until it has been properly discussed. We will not limit the discussion for the sake of a convenient time bin or a perception that I will lose listeners. My preference is to make a product that is the best possible product—period.

We are all shaped by our experiences and choices. Thus, cycling allows us to connect with nature, the world, culture and people; travel far distances powered by means of the human engine; and express competitive potential. During the hardest moments of cycling, the raw personality is always exposed.

With love, respect, and gratitude. - Colby

Resources:

https://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/3950

111: Busting myths about riding in the heat and cold, with Dr. Stephen Cheung May 14, 2020

Show notes

Ah, here at Fast Talk we love a good myth. More than that, we like busting them. From the age-old myth about sleeping in a room with plants, to the myth of lactic acid, Coach Connor and I enjoy applying science to firmly-held beliefs and turning worlds upside down—or at least correcting misinformation.

Today our focus is the large number of myths about riding and racing in the heat and cold. First, a reminder that we previously covered training in such conditions in episodes 21 and 35. While we'll cover some of the physiology in this episode, check out those shows for a deeper dive into the mechanisms at play. Today, it's all myths.

We start with some general myths about temperature: are there hot and cold riders? Good question. Then we move to myths about heat: Can you adapt? Does pouring water over your head help? And should your drink mix match your sweat? Finally, we tackle myths about the cold: Can you adapt to the cold? Should you over- or under-dress? Can you damage your lungs? That and much more.

Today, we're joined by Dr. Stephen Cheung, a professor in the kinesiology department of Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. He is one of the world's preeminent environmental physiologists, and studies how humans perform in extreme conditions. He's a well-respected author, the chief sport scientist at Baron Biosystems, makers of Xert, and he essentially tortures people as a job, which sounds pretty sadistic, and fun.

One other note before we get into it: in this time of online symposiums, Dr. Cheung is organizing a "Virtual Environmental Ergonomics" series. For more info, visit www.icee2021.com.

Today we'll also hear from Nick Legan, Shimano's road brand manager and a gravel racing expert, who has spent many an hour riding in extreme conditions, and Whitney Garcia, a former pro triathlete who raced in the heat of Kona and other hot climes throughout her career.

So, get your slushies, your bar mitts... your embro? No skip the embro. Let's make you fast!

Introducing Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce May 12, 2020

Show notes

Hey Fast Talk listeners. We're proud to introduce the latest podcast addition to the Fast Labs family, a new show dedicated to a holistic approach to cycling. The Cycling in Alignment podcast is the brainchild of Colby Pearce, a U.S. Olympic track cyclist and Hour Record holder. Colby has been a Steve Hogg Certified expert bike fitter for the past 10 years, and has worked with elite athletes and WorldTour teams, including EF Education First. He is also an elite coach and has been passing along his wisdom to the riders he coaches for decades. Now he's bringing that insight to you! When he says he's the world's biggest cycling dork, he means it, and he has the resume to back that claim: Pearces' repertoire of knowledge spans 30 years, five continents, hundreds of races, and countless miles in the saddle. The minutiae of cycling and riding technique are just part of the story that Colby shares. Alignment with nature, foundational principles of health, and treating the sport as a practice are some of the philosophies that will be discussed. The show will feature a diverse guest list, including those who may or may not be familiar names in the cycling world. Prepare to have your belief systems shattered. Welcome to "Cycling in Alignment."

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