@Nate_Pearson After listening to this episode I started a new channel for full race replays:
My first upload was the 2019 Cal Aggie crit. Thanks for the idea and happy training!
18 Likes
The guest female mentioned cutting down on diet Coke to cut aspartame out of the diet as a benefit. There isn’t a single study that says aspartame has any negative effects…
1 Like
Wohoo! I’m going to watch these on the trainer today!
3 Likes
Your race videos are the best out there. Awesome to see you doing this as I pretty much only watch your content on tough interval days. Thank you 
2 Likes
Did @Nate_Pearson say he was racing Heffron in Sydney? Are you going to announce dates? Thats our local, we have a few TR guys who have gone from getting crushed in C to competing and placing in B
2 Likes
Yes! There’s an Australian thread around. Just search for Australia and you’ll find it.
2 Likes
Just listened to the recent podcast. Congrats on joining the team Amber I really like your input.
To commment on racing handicaps in Aust. They are the bread and butter of many regional races here.
I’ve done with with varying success over time.
For the guy on 6mins if he should go on solo or not. IT DEPENDS. how far back scratch is? how far in front the buch is and the players. As mentioned before waiting can be good but if u sit on early you will be quickly removed from the group. Handicaps have NO room for hangers on. You just need to evaluate your options at the start line every time and decide which way to go. If you are always on your own ask the Handicapper to make a change drop u back put you foward. Nothing worse than showing up every time to be dumped solo as the rabbit for scratchies only to gobble you up 3/4 the way through. Or have you bury yourself to get accross to blow up a bit later on.
If you have won there I’d argue why your still on the mark in the same way.
For the Americans Basically a handicap is a Team TT until the end. IF you are in the front with a few kms to go and you look like your not getting caught then u play gaes. until then its full GAS for everyone.
Its considered very uncool to just sit in and not work and then participate at the finish. IF you do this you will be quickly ejected from the working group ASAP every time.
Missing a few rotations here and there is ok but blantant sitting in and attacking off the group will get a big black mark on you.
EVery rider must committ to the chase and work as a cohesive unit. If the group is NOT then sit up or attack them. However if the groups in front and behind are working well then you will get caught.
Its a very different style of racing which involves every rider in the field from cat 5 to pro all in one race for one prize.
There is only one cavat for Handicaps and that is “you cannot beat the handicapper!” often the race is at the mercy of the handicaps set and the race will often play out a particular way based on those. If great handicapper will have it coe together with 500m to go or all in sight of each other at the finish. I
Its a very hard race as its full gas all the way with no where to hide. But an ecellent way to get some good fitness.
2 Likes
Agree! I did Overland for the first time this year and had an absolute blast. It’s officially a permanent tent-stake in the calendar now!
You make a good point. I mentioned the story in passing and should clarify that my husband wanted to make the change for personal health reasons, which, as they aren’t mine, I won’t detail here; however, the primary reason was not aspartame; I’m honestly not sure why that was the first thing that popped out of my mouth. Thanks for catching this, and I’ll be more careful in the future.
4 Likes
Does excessive body fat become a limiter on structured training volume?
Are there any overweight or slightly obese people out there accomplishing a mid vol or high vol plan?
I 
geometry geeks website. Been using it for several years. Great to hear it referenced in the podcast.
I want to give a shoutout to the unheralded Synapse. I get it — TR is geared towards racing and racers. And the “endurance” Synapse is decidedly not a race machine. But, I wish it had been included in the Cannondale discussion to give more context on geometry, fit, and purpose. Author included, there are a lot of 50+ year old TR users active online and on their bikes, and a ton of questions in the forum and to the podcast about gran fondos and century vs. climbing vs. rolling road plans for long events. To anyone who’s ears perk up when those topics surface, if you’re looking for a compliant ride that still feels good at mile 140 and 9,000 ft, the Synapse is absolutely worth a look, especially the hi-mod frameset.
Synapse love notwithstanding, I definitely have a crush on the 2020 Evo.
1 Like
Awesome! I already watched Cal Aggie this morning while doing Pettit… I think you all were working harder than me… 
@ambermalika, I encourage you to try more running, even if you never plan to do a triathlon. As frequently stated, our bones need a certain amount of “pavement pounding” to remain healthy, though as we all know, it is easy to overdo it. And similar to what someone on the Podcast said recently, “To become better at running, run more.” You should probably get a coach, too.
I disagree with Greg LeMonde’s famous quote, “It never gets easier, you just go faster.” My theory is that when you are starting out, it gets easier and you also go faster. The easiness takes a few weeks to appear and you may not notice it, but a lack of easiness will be apparent if you start training again after a layoff (especially after a hospital stay). Attaining easiness slows as you approach your limits, just as attaining more speed slows.
(Disclaimer: Okay, I confess that I don’t swim and that I’m waiting for my heel to stop hurting before I start running again. Still cycling, though.)
2 Likes
Curious about this one, as I’ve not heard this before. can you point to a source?
I’ve not run in 7 years due to an ankle injury, and don’t walk/hike long distances either - other than daily life stuff. I ride and lift weights. What will happen to me given I don’t run?
@ambermalika adding to this, get a PT that knows running and have them help you. There is a lot of low hanging fruit in running that can help you be more comfortable.
Well actually, the term is high-impact exercise, not pavement pounding. Here’s an article “In Defense of High-Impact Exercise” I found after a quick search. I seem to remember Coach Chad mentioning the benefits of high-impact exercise in the Podcast and he could probably cite some studies.
2 Likes
Great podcast! To the woman (or anyone else out there) considering Haleakala, do it! I did it in October. I had been away from any serious riding for years, and had virtually no base fitness.
I started out with some group rides over the summer, and bought a smart trainer and signed up for TR in August. That gave me just enough time to complete a Sweet Spot LV and a Sustained Power MV with some hard group rides in the mix. FTP went from 164 on my first ramp test ever to 204 after Hawaii. My weight went from about 150 to 143. (3.1w/kg).
West Maul Cycles blog posted above is a must read. We also rented our bikes from them and it was good experience, and the bike (Roubaix expert Di2) was excellent.
Nate mentioned paying to get into the park - don’t forget it’s credit card only these days! We also had to hitch hike back down. If the cloud sticks around it is a cold and wet descent.
As everyone says, the ride is tough, but doable. Meaning it never really gets that steep except for 2 sections, with one coming right at the end. But if you’re feeling any doubt by then, just pull into the lower parking lot, take a little break, then hit that last 10% 1/2 mile with everything you have left. That’s what I did, but in hindsight I probably didn’t need to. Could have jumped several Strava positions without the break
One thing I would do differently is get a couple more long rides in. I didn’t do anything much more than 3 hours in training and the ride took me about 4:20 (moving time). My limiting factor became leg soreness and general discomfort on the saddle. Good Luck!
1 Like
The study on hopping showed an increase in bone mineral density among women who hopped vs control who did not. It would be interesting to see a study comparing men who run vs bike/strength train, and see if there are differences. I’ll take a look and see if I can find anything.
Here’s an article that shows increases in women who ran and women who weight lift vs control.
So I think running isn’t the only way to improve/maintain bone density.
1 Like
I do both but I think running is virtually free and more accessible for many.
I can’t see the methods of the study You quoted but I imagine the weight lifting was more compound lifting than playing around with a few machines in the gym that most people do. It’s good to know there are benefits to both 