Semi-pro Cycling Podcasts

Short term thinking can harm your potential as a cyclist. Big statement I know - but if you want to improve as much as possible - then allow yourself to think big and plan for each phase in your development. If you don’t then you risk not having the year-on-year gains that are part of upgrading your fitness, and also thinking more holistically about your skill development and forming habits.

It's a complicated and expensive investment but buying a power meter doesn't have to be too difficult. In this episode I guide you through the top considerations to make the process a lot simpler.

Performing under pressure is crucial to training and racing success. The key to controlling pain and other emotions is awareness that starts with your body, then your mind, and finally your situation. This episode will give you tools directly from the military that will help you to deal with each of these areas. Helping you expand the time you can spend in the pain cave.

Learn how to PROs deal with pain, and how you can start to understand your own relationship to pain. This episode explores the issue of pain and how cyclists deal with it differently than other athletes, and non-athletes. We also look into the pain cave, and how you can extend your time in there, and increase your pain threshold.

Hard race data like power is important but can only take you so far in understanding why you did, or did not perform to your expectations in a race. Using a race reports as a tool to gather and record vital subjective information will help shape your training, race preparation, and ultimately your performance.

Learn the 5 steps you should take the moment you buy a power meter; including, why not to test straight away, what to test and why, and why you shouldn't Froome-dog it!

Andy Blair from the Swell-Specialized Mountain Bike Team talks how to upgrade your bike based on dollars per gram. I also touch on if it is even worth upgrading for roadies by looking at how weight reduces climbing times, what to look for in new wheels, debunking the rotational weight myth, and we tackle to aero versus weight debate.

Phil Gaimon from the Garmin-Sharp Pro Cycling Team is here with us this week to talk about how to turn pro even if you have a late start and don’t make your way through the traditional development route. Phil really gets into what it takes to be a Pro, and what you can do to better your cycling, whether you want to be a pro or not.

Plyometrics are supposed to help with explosive anaerobic power, but what does the science say? Learn the ins and outs of plyo - and even if you should even bother adding to your training at all.

Sportives and epics create the perfect environment to challenge your physical and mental limits. Finding ways to survive any epic ride your about to do will not only increase your chances of enjoy it more, but finishing the ride in the first place. This show focuses on the Scody 3 Peaks Challenge in Australia, but the lessons apply to any epic adventure you set out to conquer.

Sprinting is a rare thing in cycling - a skill we can actually practice. Ignoring tactics, positioning and panache - actually learning how to sprint is vital for every racing cyclist, and even non-racers. This episode breaks down the skill of cycling, including how to read your power meter to analyse your sprint.

The race season is coming so it's time to get everything in place to start with a bang. This episode covers 5 ways you can prepare your body and your mind, plus some skills for good measure.

How you handle stress on and off the bike are a major determining factor in progressing your natural cycling talents. Ideally you want a year over year increase in the amount of training stress you can handle. All while minimising life stressors, and understanding how the two go together. This episode looks at managing your stress as a whole by making adjustments in high stress times, and assessing how you currently manage your stress.

Another great performance framework to delve into. This time we learn lessons from Dave Brailsford of Team Great Briton and Team Sky. Everything from ensuring clarity to building ethics by sticking to your principles. Plenty of lessons here for the Semi-Pro.

If solo indoor training isn't your thing - or you're looking for some variety in your winter program then indoor group cycling (in the right place) might give you a motivational and performance boost. This episode discusses how a studio builds their cyclists, and the added benefits of training in a group environment.

Learn skills to help your performance, not race related but skills you can practice and perfect to improve your performance every time you ride. Things like standing while climbing, sprinting, and breathing.

When we're in the grind with training, having an accountability system is a great way to stay focussed on what matters. This episode goes through 4 levels of accountability, and how each one can help.

Confidence is the gateway to peak performance. Learning how the mind works is a big part of the puzzle, controlling is another story. It a skill that can be learned though. This episode will arm you through solid ideas and exercises to build to confidence to the next level.

This week it’s all about the numbers, and their context in a linear periodisation training plan. Depending on how involved you get with your training and analysis, it may all be new to you. But I believe it’s super important to have an understanding of the metrics (even if you’re being coached).

Joe Friel is easily one of the most influential coaches and authors in endurance sports. Introducing periodisation to the broader endurance community, as well as other training ideas and metrics. This episode focuses on topics that are relevant to the Semi-Pro to get a bit more of an understanding behind the ideas, and the man that brought them to us.