What do Professional Cyclists do in the Off-Season? (with Simon Clarke)

In this podcast we talk with Sports Science Masters and PHD graduate from the University of Milan about some of the research he has done and his experience coaching in a professional cycling team to date. 

Effects of 16 weeks of pyramidal and polarized training intensity distributions in well-trained endurance runners is the first bit of research we talk and dive into the results looking at the practical implications of applying these training methods in conjunction with one another. There is a bigger picture to this concept that Luca shares with us. 

The Day-by-Day Periodization Strategies of a Giro d’Italia Podium Finisher is the second piece of research we talk about where Luca collaborated with his co-authers, to reveal how the worlds best athletes train from day to day. 

Mental fatigue impairs time trial performance in sub-elite under 23 cyclists is the final research we talk about and dive into how these results may affect the average day cyclist training with mental fatigue. 

In this episode we chat to Paralympic medallist and multiple world champion Alistair Donohoe. Alistair shares his memories from a dramatic finish in the Rio 2016 Road Race (watch video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjywg0MdI2w) and how in the form of his life at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Road Race also left him wanting more heading into Paris 2024. We discuss how after a dramatic change in training he broke personal bests by doing something every cyclist can do! We also talk about the specific strength and conditioning training that he does to make sure he is at his best going into race season. 

In this podcast Cam Nicholls is speaking with Andrew Koutnik (https://www.ihmc.us/groups/andrew-koutnik/), a scientific researcher who has invested years of research into the ketogenic diet and also the use of exogenous ketones for disease and sports performance. In this podcast we discuss why ketones are being used for sports performance, what they are exactly, and how exogenous works in comparison to endogenous ketones. We’ll also get a little YouTuby and see what Andrew thinks about people calling ketone supplements a “snake oil” and finally if he believes ketones interfere with glycolysis at high intensives.

In this episode we are talking with Byron Davies - an elite Australian Track sprinter with the Australian Institute of Sport - who transitioned from road to track four years ago. Bryon deep dives into his training and nutritional transformation and tells us how off bike strength training has had the biggest impact. 

In this Podcast we chat with Cyrus Monk, an individual who defied the odds, becoming a pro cyclist at the age of 26. Perhaps common ground 5-10 years ago, not so much now. In this chat Cyrus shares his journey to pro cycling ranks and then the big shifts he's noticed in training and the 'marginal gains' side of being pro. As a road cycling coach himself, the chat on training goes into some detail, some low cadence work, to recovery protocols. 

In this episdoe cyclign strength coach Aaron Turner discussed the benefits of off bike strength training for road cyclists, some of the biggest mistakes people make in the gym, and how to best combien weight lifting with cycling training. Aaron will also provide an overview of his current study, being a PHD in cycling load. 

In this podcast, we have Professional Cyclist and Road Captain from EF Education First, Simon Clarke. Simon – who has won stages within all 3 grand tours, and wore pink during the Giro in 2015- was recently up in my home town of Noosa, Sunshine Coast, to ride the Noosa Criterium, which is part of the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sports Festival in November. He was also here to promote a cycling tour business he’s created which you’ll hear about during this podcast. I really did enjoy this conversation with Simon, as we covered some interesting topics at a pro-level, which included:

What to pro cyclists do in the off-season 

Training with power

What’s it like to be a road captain, including the challenges that come with the role,

& why so many young pro riders don’t make it when they first get to Europe.

In this discussion, I am chatting with the founder and CEO / Product Director of CHAPTER2 https://au.chapter2bikes.com/, an emerging road brand out of New Zealand. Chris Young (CHAPTER2 Head of Marketing) also joins in on this discussion, where we focus on the development of the CHAPTER2 brand and their first-generation aerodynamic frame released mid-2018, called the Rere. Personally, I have been riding the Rere for roughly 4 months now. A lot of content has gone up on my YouTube account, so this discussion not only provides context into the brand and Rere frame development, I also get to ask a number of questions that have come directly from the YouTube audience.

In this Bike Chaser podcast (https://www.bikechaser.com.au/news/podcast/) I am speaking with Luke McIlroy from METS Performance Consulting. Luke has an education and background in sports sciences, notably working with endurance athletes, such as triathletes and cyclists. Luke explains for us the difference between a V02 Max and Lactate Blood test, why you would do a VO2 Max and Lactate Blood test combined, and then – using an example of a triathlete client who used to train 23 hours per week – Luke describes how to use the test numbers to reduce training load and improve performance.

In this podcast I am speaking with fasting expert Tim Altman. During this discussion we will outline the benefits of fasting, why I personally chose a juice fast over a water fast, and the effects the cleanse I've just had has already had on my body. While the goal of this 5-day juice fast wasn’t for weight loss, Tim will provide all analytics (including weight loss) – via my bioimpedance test results - on all physiological effects post fast, while I provide context into my personal experiences with the detoxification process and the side effects I felt within my body. Tim will conclude with the positive outcomes this juice fast has already delivered to me and I explain how I intend to utilise my new internal physiological platform.