Answer: It’s a process, and every rider will come to a different balance that suits them. Every step in the process can yield more power, greater aerodynamics, and/or higher levels of sustainability. Who Knew There Was So Much to Time Trialing!? Going fast in a time trial is a marriage, if a polygamous one, of…
Answer: A lot. Structured training will get you faster, but structured training with a concern for aerodynamic positioning will have the greatest impact on your speed. What is Aerodynamic Drag? Aerodynamic drag, otherwise known as aerodynamic resistance, plays a major role in determining how fast we can push ourselves on our bikes. How much so…
Faster time trials doesn’t mean you need the most aerodynamic equipment. Getting faster starts with doing the right things with what you already have. Not everyone is ready to invest in the TT bike, the aero helmet, the aero bars, the aero everything … We’re here to tell you that purchasing all the aero gear isn’t…
Answer: No. When climbing a hill, you may see differences in your body’s ability to express 100% of your FTP, but the experience is not enough to necessitate a different FTP. Why is My FTP More Impressive on Climbs Than Flats? This disparity in performance brought on by these different scenarios can be discouraging and cause…
“Why does that guy have a beard and long hair? That’s gotta make him less aero…” In episode 53 of the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast, we sat down with Clif Bar Team Rider Pete Morris and received the question above. For all you long-haired bearded riders out there, let’s get to the bottom of…
Knowing which training plan is best for you is the first step toward becoming a stronger road racer. To help road racers discover their best-matched training plan, we have a video featuring our Head Coach Chad. All Successful Road Cyclists Follow a Training Plan Coach Chad’s structured training plans are broken up into three sequential…
Power is the only objective metric you can use to train with. Other metrics — distance, heart rate, RPE — are subjective. This isn’t newfound knowledge. Most cyclists know this, but there are far fewer cyclists who have spent the time to really get it. So why is having more than a baseline understanding of…
Could your tires be holding you back from your next win? As research develops, so does our understanding of how smart tire choices can help reduce the amount of time left on the table on race day. If you’ve ever walked into a bike shop or browsed a tire catalog online, you’ll know that the…
For many cyclists, their warmup routines before a race look a lot like riding around at a moderate pace for 10-20 minutes, depending on how long their event is. This is changing. In place of loose, unspecific pre-race workouts are structured workouts that riders are opting to do on the trainer — you may have…
The goal of every cyclist is to optimize their power-to-weight ratio (w/kg). More power with less weight is going to make you faster —but how do you know if you are losing the right type of weight? Today’s post explores three methods cyclists can employ to measure their weight loss with precision. Overview Fat does…