Semi-pro Cycling Podcasts

It’s cycling and climbing today with the concept of VAM helps us understand and quantify cycling performance and can be a useful tool to help improve your own cycling performance.

Today we are learning about training the respiratory system - that’s right the breathing muscles - not the lungs. Breathing muscles fatigue just like any other muscles. So why not train them? Performance gains of 2.7% or more...

Learn how to survive days when you are doing 2 training sessions. This episode gives a basic framework, guidelines and benefits of having two training sessions in one day.

We take a look at his approach to building the Performance Systems at Drapac Pro Cycling in it’s first year as a PRO Continental Squad. On an individual level habits are your implicit systems that drive your life.

The challenge of a longer stage race is that it requires more fitness, more endurance and the ability to recover day-after-day. This episode answers the question - Am I training hard enough for a demanding stage race? To help answer this question I asked Scott Bradburn onto the show...Scott rides for the Australian NRS team - Cellarbrations Racing supported by VW and Bikebug - as he prepares for the Tour of Tasmania.

Discover a faster and less painful why to measure progress and set training zones. RAMP tests can test VO2Max, Lactate and MAP. You may be familiar with V02Max and lactate but not MAP. MAP is just as useful as FTP for measuring progress and setting training zones...But what is MAP and how is it calculated?

It may be a little early for you to start reviewing your season. But it’s never too early to start preparing for it when it eventually comes around. Discover how to review your season by maximising the data you have collected over the year.

When it comes to building your Chronic Training Load the composition of that load is very important, and because we are endurance athletes. Finding the right balance between endurance and fitness is central to our performance.

My predictions for the next 5 years of cycling technology. Some will become reality and some are on the dream list, but all are fascinating. From ABS to advanced telemetry and HUD to onboard video displays - we are in an exciting time for cycling innovation.

Is altitude training worth your time and money? Altitude camps, altitude sleeping, and altitude training, what works best or even at all.

We take it back to basics in this episode with Dr. Max Testa. Dr. Max Testa has been around PRO cycling for over 20 years - listen in to hear some of his training "rules" and the science behind them. Also find out V02Max benchmarks for PRO and Cat 3 cyclists.

Mobility has its roots in functional movement, which is linked biomechanics. This can lead us to bike fit methodology, but today I’m going to focus on the basics of functional movement for strength training and body balance including a self-assessment tool, where to start with your results, and then get into two common mobility issues that cyclists face.

Here’s the problem - you have arrived at your new location, whether it be permanent or temporary - and your coach (or you) have prescribed a specific workout that requires a specific type of road, or climb etc. and you have no idea where to ride. Here's how to find and set the best training routes in new places.

Goals are the starting point for any cycling success. They are fundamental to measuring your progress, maintaining laser focus, and sustaining motivation. Learn the why you should break down your goals into 3 types, and why some are more important than others.

Find out how a rider goes from C grade, then B, then winning his club champs in A grade and State ITT Champs in one year. And now leaves his homeland to race in the US and Canadian domestic scene. For a guy that only started dabbling in cycling in 2009 at the age of 22 whilst doing rehab for some broken bones in his feet, and only infrequently once he got back to playing rugby, he has come along way. His real cycling career began when he started riding more after he finished playing rugby at the end of the 2010 season, and has lead him to a contract to ride the US and canadian national road circuit.

Do the dangers of a cyclist running outweigh the risk of any potential fitness gains? Running can damage your your body if you aren't a seasoned runner. Listen in to learn the physiological adoptions of each training modal, why running can build fitness, and how can you reduce the risk of injury - if you try to run.

Understanding yourself as an athlete, in the context of performance, training and everyday life, will help you decide how to plan your training, and the type of races you do. Colby Pearce dives into his process for finding the best training and racing match for a riders abilities, skill and personality.

A look at Cadel’s journey. Considering where Cadel is in his career, I think it’s fitting to take a look at Australia’s most accomplished cyclist. What made him a champion, and more specifically what role did sport science play in developing his talent, and helping him win the Tour de France.

Once you start getting into the nitty gritty of designing a training plan, you start to get overwhelmed by all the elements that should be included. It’s complicated. Here are the 6 crucial components you need to get the most out of yourself.

How do you know what you know about cycling? Think about every single element of cycling...from the shoes you wear to the gels you eat, from the training your do to anything else you’ve done or bought in the name of increased performance. How do you know they will increase your performance? This episode helps you sort through all the cycling information and marketing to find the truth - or at least make the best guess.