Fast Talk

What numbers do you use to describe your rides? Some cyclists keep it simple with mileage and time. Others delve into TSS, FTP, or kJ to quantify a day of training. We talk to Dirk Friel of TrainingPeaks to explain how cyclists can use the data to make your workouts more effective and productive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your body is ready to race, but is your bike ready? We are joined by VeloNews’s tech team of Dan Cavallari and Kristen Legan to dig into the tech side of proper race preparation. What should you do to your bike to make it race-ready? Where can you find the biggest gains for the least cash? What do you need to have in your race bag? The panel tackles these questions and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The breakaway. It is perhaps the noblest form of victory, and the most difficult. Joining and then winning from breakaways is as much art as science, as much tactical awareness as strength. In this episode, we are joined by Cannondale-Drapac’s escape ace Toms Skuijns, winner of two breakaway stages of the Amgen Tour of California, as well as VeloNews managing editor Chris Case, to discuss the tips, tricks, and tactics needed to make a breakaway move stick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone has a warm-up routine, which is sometimes simple, and sometimes very complex. But what are we actually achieving with a pre-race routine? Is it helping us or actually hurting our potential to perform? We go in-depth on the science behind warm-ups and provide tips on how to get the most out of your next race by tailoring your routine to the event and your own needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should you eat gummy bears like Peter Sagan? Maybe. In this episode, we are joined by Dan Cavallari and Stacy Sims, founder of Osmo who now works with Nuun, to discuss the difference between food and fuel — what you should be eating on the bike, and off. We cover everything from the basics of sugars to osmotic gut pressure to the benefits (or lack thereof) of red algae. Some of the conclusions just might surprise you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Which is better, sweet spot training or polarized training? To find out, we invited in proponents of each type of training — FasCat’s Frank Overton on the sweet spot side, and Boulder Center for Sports Medicine’s Ryan Kohler to advocate for a polarized model — and let them have at it. Don’t know what Sweet Spot or polarized training are? Don’t worry, that’s covered first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is no training tool more powerful than a power meter, when it’s used properly. But which one you should buy? What part of your bike should it be on? Is a one-sided power meter good enough? We are joined by our tech crew, Dan Cavallari and Kristen Legan, to answer these questions and many more. Plus, pro power insight from Cannondale-Drapac’s master of the breakaway, Toms Skuijns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s say you’re on an amateur team. A bunch of Cat. 3s with varying strengths and weaknesses. How do you use each rider effectively? How should a sprinter approach each race? Or a climber? Or a big domestique? Those are the questions we focus on. We are joined by VN managing editor Chris Case, plus pro guests Ted King and Eric Young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is all about busting two commonly held and closely related training myths. First, should you always do precisely what’s written on your training plan, even if your body is tired? And second, should your intervals always be ridden to failure, as hard as you can go? We are joined by Brent Bookwalter, Lucas Euser, Inigo San Milan, and Grant Holicky to help you determine when you should and shouldn’t push through bad legs, and when you should and shouldn’t do intervals at full gas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the healthy way to get to race weight? We are joined by Dr. Philip Goglia, a nutritionist to the stars (and Phil Gaimon) to discuss safe and effective ways to drop weight, how to best fuel your training, and why paying close attention to your food matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are top pro teams training differently from the rest of us? Can you replace lab testing with a power meter and field testing? What should you look for in a coach? We are joined by Andy Pruitt, an internationally-known fit guru and sports physician, and Robert Pickels, a coach and researcher working at the leading edge of endurance training at the CU Center for Sports Medicine, for a wide-ranging discussion that answers these questions and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want some free watts? Your legs are fighting themselves, and we want them to stop. Episode 8 is all about neuromuscular training, decreasing what is called coactivation, which is when your muscles actually work against each other. Neuromuscular training can provide big gains without requiring any increase in fitness. We are joined by neuromuscular training expert Grant Holicky of Apex Coaching for insight into how this type of training works and how exactly to implement it in your own training. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do you need to cover your legs when it’s cold? It’s not about comfort, it’s about getting the most out of your training. We dig into the physiology behind pedaling in cold weather and offer up a few tips and tricks for dressing properly. Internationally renowned trainer Andy Pruitt and former pro Ted King add their own insights on the subject. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it enough to just ride your bike for training? In this episode of Fast Talk, we explain why serious cyclists should be spending time in the gym, incorporating weight lifting into their weekly programs. We speak to pro cyclist Svein Tuft, as well as Dr. Andy Pruitt to learn more about the benefits of strength training. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you buy speed? Yes, if you spend wisely. Fretz and Connor are joined by tech experts Dan Cavallari and Kristen Legan, and they try to answer a simple hypothetical: If you have $2,000 to spend and want to ride faster, where should those dollars go? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You thought you could ditch that heart rate strap since you bought a power meter? Think again. In episode 4, coach Trevor Connor and editor Caley Fretz are joined by one of the world’s leading cycling physiologists, Inigo San Milan, to bust the myth that power is all that matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 3 is all about execution of solid training program with limited time. The theme remains the same as episode 2, but the discussion moves from theory to practice. Precisely how should you structure a week, a month, or a year of training to fit in between all the time-snagging realities of life? Listen to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The VeloNews Fast Talk podcast is your source for the best advice and most interesting insight on what it takes to become a better cyclist. Listen in as VeloNews columnist Trevor Connor and editor Caley Fretz discuss a range of topics, including training, physiology, technology, and more. Have limited time to train? Trevor Connor and Caley Fretz discuss the best way to get the most out of your ride time, and whether it’s possible to substitute long, slow base miles with high intensity training. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The VeloNews Fast Talk podcast is your source for the best advice and most interesting insight on what it takes to become a better cyclist. Listen in as VeloNews columnist Trevor Connor and editor Caley Fretz discuss a range of topics, including training, physiology, technology, and more. In this first episode, Connor and Fretz tackle a question you’ve surely asked yourself: Why aren’t you a pro? What makes them different? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices