Gain 50 watts in a single day!? We went to the Specialized Win Tunnel to find out how to get faster. Episode 188 of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast is live!
More show notes and discussion in the TrainerRoad Forum.
Topics covered in this episode
- What’s so special about the Specialized Win-Tunnel?
- Are aerodynamics important?
- Pros vs Joes with equipment and performance
- How does going into the drops effect aerodynamics?
- Does bar length matter?
- How to shift your head to gain watts
- Why do some riders create a better drafts than others?
- Does sitting up with a tail wind help?
- Does optimizing aerodynamics make a difference on the draft?
- When do you not want to wear an aero road helmet?
- How to choose a bike based on your strengths
- Glasses and Beards – do they cause more drag?
- Head position on a road bike
- Does lateral movement decrease aerodynamics?
- Why are shaved legs faster?
- Why is the UCI beginning to crack down on sock length?
- Skin suit vs. skin tight race kit
- The evolution of wheel design
- Why aren’t mountain bikes aero?
- Does Nate’s “Franken Bike” make sense for gravel racing?
- Do downhill and enduro athletes benefit from aerodynamics?
- What effects do number plates have on aerodynamics?
- Aero bars vs. round bars
- Are hydration packs beneficial?
- Does Jonathan actually have a world class CdA?
- Do the UCI rules cause frustration for product engineers?
Links Mentioned in this episode
- Specialized Win Tunnel Youtube Channel: bit.ly/2PlWqy2
- Specialized Venge: bit.ly/2ruU4n3
- Specialized Tarmac: bit.ly/2jXFYXg
- Specialized Evade helmet: bit.ly/2EdPqlJ
- Specialized Prevail helmet: bit.ly/2E0khkK
- Win Tunnel: To Beard or Not to Beard: bit.ly/1n4eACy
- Specialized Evade skin suit: bit.ly/2ATl1VH
- Specialized 321 Disk wheel: bit.ly/2ARLzGJ
- Specialized Epic: bit.ly/2QcKcx1
- Specialized Ambush helmet: bit.ly/2QDIpjL
- Specialized Aerofly Carbon Handlebar: bit.ly/2UhR62h
- Specialized Shiv: bit.ly/2QfjFPD
For more cycling training knowledge, listen to the Ask a Cycling Coach — the only podcast dedicated to making you a faster cyclist. New episodes are released weekly.
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I would like to you know your thoughts on Polarized training.
Here is a quote from our CEO Nate Pearson repsonding in a Polarized Training thread:
“Woah, this is a long thread! I skimmed it but here are my thoughts.
1. You can get fit in many different ways. I think one podcast seemed to say you can’t get fast on sweet spot. That’s crazy sauce. I went from 275 to 345 on almost only sweet spot.
2. We’ve got a TON of data that shows that you can get faster with the periodized/Coggan approach…like a lot a lot.
3. Seiler is not prescribing a training system, he’s describing what he’s seen in pro athletes (as far as I can tell). In a 90/10 time in zone split at 20 hours per week with intensity at 120% of FTP (for the intense stuff) you’d be doing 40×3 mins at 120%. Put that over three workouts and you’ve got about 13×3 @ 120% three times a week. If that was ALL you were doing that would be crazy. You can see how you could only do easy stuff for the rest of the time.
4. Take this with a grain of salt because the analysis is not done: Our data shows that the main difference between 2-3 watt/kg riders and 4-5 watt/kg riders are that the 4-5 watt/kg riders do more 2-hour rides, and those rides are mostly between .80-.85 IF (aka sweet spot work). They don’t do longer rides on average compared to 2-3 watt/kg riders.
5. Anecdotally, I don’t know anyone who’s stuck with a polarized approach. Justin Rossi tried it for a season, got slower, and switched back to periodized. We know of a pro who just left polarized and is having a breakthrough season. He’s actually adding more tempo GASP work! Other pro’s we’ve seen don’t follow the periodized approach.
6. More anecdotal “evidence”; I’ve never ridden or seen Strava files of pros were they totally go easy for 90 percent of their stuff. They are always picking it up on the climbs (even if you take into account their superior fitness).
I can defend points 1 and 2.
I hope I’m understanding point 3 correctly.
I hope to defend point 4 in the future.
I can’t defend points 5 and 6 since they are anecdotal.
In summary, I’m sure polarized training works (as most approaches do as long as there is added volume), but maybe a little too much is being made out of the recent polarized craze because a couple podcasts are pushing it? ”
I hope this helps!