Semi-pro Cycling Podcasts

Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! In this episode we continue our trip down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity with Dr. Nick Jamnick (part 2 of 2). Previously, we critically examined graded exercise tests, VO2max testing, lactate thresholds, and the usefulness of lactate testing. Herein, we dive deep into Nick’s comprehensive review critiquing the common methods of determining and prescribing exercise intensity.This review evaluated different methods of prescribing intensity based on their ability to cause the distinct acute responses found in each of the physiologically defined exercise domains. The methods were categorised into three groups: maximal anchors (e.g. percentage of maximal heart rate or peak power), submaximal anchors (e.g. critical power, MLSS), and delta methods (e.g. heart rate reserve). Spoiler alert: Most of the methods examined did not fare well! So, continue with us down the exercise intensity rabbit hole to find out what methods survived the brutal scrutiny of Nick’s re

Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! When it comes to performing and prescribing training sessions, there are four main principles to consider: frequency, duration, volume, and intensity. The first three of these principles are relatively simple and agreed upon. However, when it comes to exercise intensity we can quickly find ourselves traveling down a crazy rabbit hole- as it’s definitely not as simple as exercising at a percentage of FTP.In the next two episodes we go deep down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity with Dr. Nick Jamnick, a postdoctoral fellow and researcher in exercise intensity. We came across Nick while digging into the scientific literature on this topic, and let’s just say his contribution to this field of research can be characterised as both “eye-opening” and “brutal”.  In this episode we focus on a study Nick performed during his PhD where he tested the validity of determining VO2max and lactate thresholds during a graded exercise test. His results were shocking to say th

On this show we really enjoy talking about the nuts and bolts of cycling performance. Whether it’s determining thresholds, approaches to training, or race tactics and skills, if you’ve listened to the show before you know we love that stuff. But in this episode we want to change gears a bit and ask you this simple and straightforward question: How is your head?Here we discuss mental wellness and its importance in human performance. To facilitate this conversation we invited Shannon Malseed to join our panel. Shannon Malseed is a former Australian National Road Champion, and ex-pro cyclist. Her personal journey highlights the importance of finding joy in the process and people surrounding you in sport. Shannon has taken her experience in dealing with success and failure and culminated it into becoming a self-love coach and helping people find their own path to well-being. This is a discussion and story that will truly motivate and guide you on your road to achieving your goals on and off the bike. Guest paneli

In this episode we continue our discussion with Dr. Dajo Sanders (part 2 of 2), an individual whose skill and expertise in the realm of cycling performance are well developed. Dajo is a prolific researcher in many aspects of endurance training and specializes in the very distinct research cohort that is well-trained high-performance cyclists. He is also a member of the performance group at Team DSM where he uses his experience and knowledge to help World Tour cyclists perform at their absolute best.In this episode we discuss with Dajo his research and practice in monitoring training load in cyclists and also what cycling performance research he is excited about.Guest panelist:Dajo Sanders, PhDTwitter: @DajoSandersResearchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dajo-Sanders-2LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dajo-sanders-ph-d-59112794/The podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cycling

There are many components within endurance training. Take for example field-testing, training intensity distribution, or training load. Each of these components have dozens of papers in the scientific literature that can help guide a cyclist’s training and a coach’s practice. However, contrary to what one might think, taking findings from research, evaluating them, and then effectively putting them into practice is a skill unto itself.  In this episode (which is a part 1 of 2) we talk with Dr. Dajo Sanders, an individual whose skill and expertise in this area are well developed. Dajo is a prolific researcher in many aspects of endurance training and specializes in the very distinct research cohort that is well-trained high-performance cyclists. He is also a member of the performance group at Team DSM where he uses his experience and knowledge to help World Tour cyclists perform at their absolute best.In this episode we discuss with Dajo his role with the Team DSM, and his research and practice in both field t

Hey there! After a bit of a break in recording at the end of 2021 we (the co-hosts) sat down for a catch-up and to talk some shop. This episode can be best described as a throwback to our roots when we used to host chats on the Clubhouse app. Just a pro cyclist, a professional coach, and a sport scientist asking each other questions, giving opinions, and having a laugh.In this episode we discuss Australian road nats, training assistant apps for cyclists, the coach’s role in an athlete’s success, and some afterthoughts about critical power.Additionally, if you hadn’t heard the unfortunate news, Cyrus’s dad passed away suddenly towards the end of last year from a heart attack while he was out riding. Our condolences go out to the Monk family for their loss.You can help prevent sudden cardiac death in athletes by supporting the Baker Institute at the link provided below. https://baker.edu.au/researchThe podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientis

Follow this link to take the listener Survey: Take the SurveyOr copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:https://forms.gle/dCkiBuWDSdetwquH8This week it’s a meander through some performance-related topics like coaching, marginal gains, performance teams, training load, and more with Simon Jones. Don’t know who that is - I’m sure if you’ve been a fan of cycling for any time, you know a rider or a team he’s worked with - with a performance career in cycling for over 25 years there isn’t much he hasn’t done.And I will jump in with a few of his roles in high-performance in a moment but one thing that was nice about talking to Simon was when you have someone that has been around for so long (sorry if that makes you sound old Simon). But when you’re around long enough, you’ve seen many things come and go - so it was nice to hear what he prioritizes in coaching and cycling performance. And it’s not what you might first think when you hear he was Head of Performance Support and Innovation at Team Sky.B

Follow this link to take the listener Survey: Take the SurveyOr copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:https://forms.gle/dCkiBuWDSdetwquH8In this part two on critical power (CP) we continue our conversation with Jason Bartram and cover W’ and W’ balance. Additionally, we consider what the CP metrics can realistically add to your cycling performance and coaching practice. And… it might actually surprise you what Jason’s (JB’s) takeaways are for these measures, after studying them for 7+ years and coaching cyclists at the elite level.Jason Bartram, PhDc is the former Australian National Women’s Track Team coach, former sports scientist for AusCycling and the Australian Institute of Sport, and current PhD candidate studying critical power, W’, and W’ balance in elite track athletes. Guest panelist:Jason Bartram, PhDchttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bartram/The podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingpe

Follow this link to take the listener Survey: Take the SurveyOr copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:https://forms.gle/dCkiBuWDSdetwquH8Is there a better measure of threshold for cyclists out there than FTP? Yes! We think there is. Welcome to the world of critical power (CP), W’, and W’ balance- truly science-based measures related to the “anaerobic” threshold.While the advantages of CP over FTP are many, its determination is a bit more complicated than 95% of your 20-minute power. Because of this, we have brought CP expert, Jason Bartram, onto the show to help facilitate this two-part conversation about the best practice for utilizing CP in your cycling training and coaching. In this episode, we focus mainly on CP and the power duration curve.Jason Bartram, PhDc is the former Australian National Women’s Track Team coach, former sports scientist for AusCycling and the Australian Institute of Sport, and current PhD candidate studying critical power, W’, and W’ balance in elite track athletes

Dr. Paolo Menaspà is the current Chief Science Officer at the Australian Institute of Sport and has had a long and interesting career in the world of high-performance. Previously, he worked as the Head of Performance Solutions at AusCycling, was a performance manager and coach for Team BikeExchange and the Australian National Team, and a sport scientist and coach at Sport Service Mapei. We discuss with Paolo what it means to be a generalist; how his role as a generalist and solutions provider has helped improve the performance of elite and world-class cyclists; the skill set needed to work in high-performance sport; and how his passion for cycling, and passions outside the sport, influenced his career path and practice.Podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodPodcast recommendation from Paolo:

The performance mind may be touted as the last frontier of human performance - but what we’re talking about today has nothing to do with the exploration of the various factors that affect endurance and how much -- or how little -- we know about each of them.Today it’s all about concrete insights by doing an inventory of your mental strengths and weaknesses and then using some recommended tools and skills to improve your mental performance in two ways - one, make your bad days less bad and two, make your good days more gooder or I should, better.Because if we’re talking about longevity which is how I see people get to their potential - no shortcuts - what you do on the bad days matters more than the good days. Meaning, what you do when you don’t feel like it - when everything seems hard - matters more to the ultimate outcome of performance than what you do when it’s easy.And your mental state plays a key role in that.Show Sponsor:For a limited time, Hammerhead has an incredible deal - buy a Karoo 2 at hammerhe

This is a bonus episode where Jason Answers a question from Harry Sweeny on thermoregulation and how it affects WorldTour riders. If you ever ride around in the cold you will find this interesting. This is Jason Boynton, Ph.D. from boyntoncoaching.com answering the question. The Cycling Performance Club is also brought to you by Damian Ruse of semiprocycling.com and Cyrus Monk of cyclistscientist.com.Find us here:Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpod

This week we talk to World Tour neo-pro Harry Sweeny about his journey to the top level of the sport. How he has developed as a rider through national programs and Continental racing, and how things are different at the top level.Show Sponsor:For a limited time, Hammerhead has an incredible deal - buy a Karoo 2 at hammerhead.io/trade and get up to $170 when you trade in your current cycling computer.That’s a rebate of up to $170 when you trade up to a Karoo 2 from Hammerhead, and trade-in your current cycling computer, only for a limited time.This episode’s panel:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comFind us here:Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpod

We bring our very first guest onto the show, pro cyclist for EF Education Nippo, Jimmy Whelan. We discuss his transition from running to cycling and quick rise through the cycling ranks. Show Sponsor:For a limited time, Semi-Pro Cycling podcast listeners can get a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code SEMIPRO at checkout to get yours today.That’s a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2 when you go to Hammerhead.io and use promo code SEMIPRO, only for a limited time.Don’t forget to use our special promo code, because it supports our show! That’s Hammerhead.io, promo code SEMIPRO, and get your Karoo 2 and a free heart rate monitor today.This episode’s panel:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comDo you agree or disagree with our views on performance? We would love to hear your opinion. Find us on social media and let us know ;)Instagram: @cyclingper

In this episode we take a look at the current performance model of cycling at all levels and ask the question - can we do better?Show Sponsor:For a limited time, Semi-Pro Cycling podcast listeners can get a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code SEMIPRO at checkout to get yours today.That’s a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2 when you go to Hammerhead.io and use promo code SEMIPRO, only for a limited time.Don’t forget to use our special promo code, because it supports our show! That’s Hammerhead.io, promo code SEMIPRO, and get your Karoo 2 and a free heart rate monitor today.This episode’s panel:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comDo you agree or disagree with our views on performance? We would love to hear your opinion. Find us on social media and let us know ;)Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyc

I’ll be upfront here - it’s a bit of a clickbaity title so to be clear I coach one rider at pro-level - the level under the World Tour. This rider, Jay Vine, won the Zwift Academy and as his longtime coach, we continued to work together where he rode both pro and world tour races including a grand tour, La Vuelta ESpaña. It’s been a hard but rewarding year and I’ve learned a lot about myself and the pro cycling world. So in this episode, we’re going to take a look at the lessons I’ve learned from a year at the top level of the sport. Also, on the radar is a collection of amazingly useful technology and products you never knew existed.For a limited time, Semi-Pro Cycling podcast listeners can get a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor for with the purchase of a Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code SEMIPRO at checkout to get yours today.That’s a free Hammerhead Heart Rate Monitor with the purchase of a Karoo 2 when you go to Hammerhead.io and use promo code SEMIPRO, only for a limited time.Do

There’s plenty of information around how to conduct blood lactate tests, but information on why we test blood lactate is often entangled with conflicts of interest. In Part 2 of our blood lactate testing episode, we continue our discussion on whether blood lactate testing is necessary or valuable for training cyclists in 2021 and beyond.This episode includes alternatives to blood lactate testing, a critical thinking exercise around the claims of blood lactate testing, and our conclusions.1:00 Reasons for blood lactate testing8:30 How much does this measure relate to performance?13:00 Error involved in blood lactate testing18:40 Do we ever stop using certain tests?20:45 What are the alternatives?30:00 Critical thinking exercise37:50 Is training in more accurate training zones more beneficial?43:30 ConclusionsThis episode’s panel:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingcl

Lactate and its association with exercise has been known for more than 200 years after Jöns Jakob first observed it in the muscles of hunted stags. Consequently, knowledge of its relationship with exercise is deeply rooted in both popular culture and among endurance athletes. However, more recent research has demonstrated lactate’s presence during exercise has largely been misunderstood for much of this time.During this two part series, we do a deep dive into all things lactate to assess whether or not we should still be blood lactate testing cyclists, and whether there are better alternatives. So, before you decide to participate in a blood lactate test or recommend one for an athlete, you should definitely give these episodes a listen to make sure you are considering all the pros and cons. Or, listen for the myth-busting and rabbit holes this conversation necessarily gets into.3:30 The hosts’ experience with blood lactate testing9:25 Who is blood lactate testing?12:10 Blood lactate quiz22:45 Why did we star

Listen in as we guide you through everything you need to complete a successful Everesting.The idea is fairly simple but climbing 8,848m on a bicycle in one ride is not easy. It can be done with the right knowledge, though. So 7 years after Cyrus did his Everesting - we sit down and go through everything you need to complete a successful Everesting.This episode’s panel:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpod

We take a dive into the nasal passage and look at whether there are performance gains to be obtained through nose breathing. This leads to a discussion around how we evaluate interventions and make decisions on whether they’re worth implementing for ourselves and our athletes.2:30 How do we normally breathe during exercise?8:25 What are the claimed benefits of nose breathing over mouth breathing?9:15 Are we getting too much oxygen?21:15 What do the studies show?29:25 What level of evidence do you require to apply an intervention?38:30 If it’s free and easy, should you try it anyway?46:55 How much does air intake affect endurance performance?55:10 But the nose is a filter and humidifier, does that help?This episode’s panel:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodReferences:Oxygen - Haemoglobin Dissociation Curve Explainerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYGPkRFvzOc