Episodes
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Hello, space-monkeys! This is a PSA!
Going forward you will now be able to find new episodes of Cycling in Alignment with me and all of my illustrious guests on a new channel.
I would be eternally grateful for you to take an extra moment in your day to re-subscribe to the new Cycling in Alignment RSS feed by clicking on one of the links below or searching "Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce" on your podcast app of choice. Thank you!
Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3AYL8IuWfnLCVrtoGJU9I7
AmazonCycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce on Amazon
iHeartRadiohttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-cycling-in-alignment-with-81951689/
PlayerFMCycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce on PlayerFM -
Colby and Jeff reminisce about the glories of racing days in the past. With over 30 years in the sport himself, Jeff's knowledge and deep understanding of training and racing is layered in this comprehensive conversation. Knowing your numbers, and the numbers you want, speed, heart rate, power, etc is one thing that Jeff will help you find as an athlete, but more importantly, Jeff knows the greater significance of your perceived rate of exertion. How do you feel? It's not always just about graphs and numbers this week with Coach Winkler.
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Missing episodes?
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We are framing the discussion on endurance training recovery around Paul Chek's, Six Foundational principles: sleeping, breathing, eating, thinking, drinking, and moving. This a perfect framework to discuss the essence of recovery.
There are many things we can do to facilitate the recovery of our muscles. Some popular techniques include massage. cryotube therapy, Norma Tech compression, ice baths, inversion table hanging, electromagnetic pulses, etc., but none are more effective than the basics.
Matt Maruka and the Light Diet: https://chekinstitute.com/podcast-episode-notes/ep-99-matt-maruca/
Soma breath: https://home.somabreath.com/lessons/day-1-correct-your-breathing/
Follow with each subsequent day [7 days total] NOTE: To find the link for the subsequent day, you must page all the way down to the bottom [past the comments] and you will see days 2-7.
Paleo Diet for Athletes: https://thepaleodiet.com/lifestyle/for-athletes
Belissa Vranich: https://www.thebreathingclass.com/breathe-usa
Metabolic Typing Diet: http://www.metabolictyping.com -
Failure is uncomfortable and unwanted but it comes across our lives in often unexpected ways. Learning how to deal with it and most importantly, learn from it is an invaluable ability. Colby the stories of a few of his biggest failures and the lessons he learned from each.
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Back for a solo episode to demystify some common false beliefs about cycling. I will clarify some falsehoods related to cadence and some common misconceptions about suffering in the saddle. I expand on the idea that poor breathing is a systemic problem in our culture and outline the correct technique. Finally, I'll share some ideas around expanding your movement practice to other activities or functions outside of riding. More time in the saddle doesn't always lead to growing as a cyclist. Ride in flow.
Paul Chek - breathing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KZlCI2QmWE&t=2s
Ed Harrold - https://www.edharrold.com/breathwork-wellness-retreats
Soma Breath - https://www.somabreath.com -
Jason Williams, Retül fitter at the Specialized Experience Center in Boulder, is here to discuss the methodology of Retül fitting and how the technology is used to help fitters make decisions during their fit process. We delve into the strengths and potential pitfalls of using comparative data. We also discuss the current trend of road riders slamming the saddle forward. If you have comments or questions about this episode, please post them on the Fast Talk Labs forum, there is a page for this episode. Make sure to @colby so I get the post. Thanks to Jason for making time to talk shop with me today.
Specialized Experience: https://specializedboulder.com
Keith Bontrager K.O.P.S. https://sheldonbrown.com/kops.html -
Happy Freedman is a 40-year bike fitting veteran and expert. Prepare yourselves for another round of bike-fitting nerd-dom. Happy and I don't agree on every aspect of bike fitting, so I hope you find the explanations of our respective thought processes helpful. We share our separate opinions on the merits and pitfalls of selling bike saddles, seat-posts, cleats, etc. as a bike fitter.
Happy's Site: HappyFreedman.com
Medicine of Cycling Conference - https://www.medicineofcycling.com
Science in Cycling - https://science-cycling.org/conference/
Podcast: What is Bike Fitting? Live from the Philly Bike Expo https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-6-what-is-bike-fitting-live-from-philly-bike-expo/id1477543731?i=1000456088411 -
Jerry Gerlich, a Steve Hogg Certified bike fitter based in Austin, Texas and I go way back and share a lot of common knowledge about bike fitting due to our mutual teacher and mentor, Steve Hogg. We dork out big time and get honest about fitting mistakes and learning how to reframe those experiences as learning tools. We relate Jerry’s musical talents as a drummer to some of the same rhythms and attention skills that bike fitting requires.
RESOURCES:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-4-watch-listen-tools-bike-fitting-jerry-gerlich/id1477543731?i=1000452902450 -
After starting with a disclaimer, that he is not a doctor, Colby outlines a few guidelines for supplements.
First, understand the concept of bio-individuality.
Next, know that eating good, healthy food should always the first choice when you want to increase your body's performance.
Absolutely use discernment when reading labels and marketing materials related to supplements.
Answer a few questions about why you're taking supplements in the first place.
- Is it to optimize health?
- Or is it to take a shortcut? Maybe to bio-hack?
- Maybe to optimize performance?
There are many variables that affect studies about supplements that can affect their findings.
Colby's note to coaches: you can make recommendations or suggestions, but the athlete is making the choice and takes responsibility for any supplements they choose to take.
https://heartandsoil.co/
https://www.globaldro.com/Home
https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/supplement-guide.pdf
https://omegaquant.com
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/08/01/benefits-of-good-iron-levels.aspx
https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/supplement-guide.pdf -
Gluten is bad news for your body and today we've got an expert in the subject who will explain exactly what the long-term effects of consuming gluten are. Trevor Connor, who you know as the host of Fast Talk is also the CEO of The Paleo Diet. We talked about keto and carnivore and veganism; we talk a lot about gluten and specifically the challenges that it brings. We get geeky and scientific in this episode but don't worry if you're not a science person; you're not going to get lost. Trevor does a great job of bringing it back to some relatable and understandable context.
RESOURCES:
Anit-Factory Farm Shopping Guide: http://www.trufkinathletics.com/books.html
Trevor’s series on wheat: https://thepaleodiet.com/the-wheat-series-part-1-wheat-and-the-immune-system
Paleo Diet page on nutrient density: https://thepaleodiet.com/eliminating-non-paleo-foods-improves-nutrient-density
Metabolic Typing Diet: https://uprightmovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/The_Metabolic_Type_Self_Test.pdf
The Paleo Diet for Athletes: https://thepaleodiet.com/product/the-paleo-diet-for-athletes -
The paradigm of climbing an endless mountain paints the picture of an athletic journey that at points will be fraught with endless comparisons to other athletes, and devastating setbacks with illness or injury. What if training and racing is more of an orbital journey? Your goal is one point of the orbit. At halfway, you can see your goal on the horizon.
For the full journey, listen or read the transcript in the show description on https://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/cycling-in-alignment/. -
Greg Choat is a cycling coach and bike fitter with decades of experience, whose bike fitting knowledge traces back to the expertise of Steve Hogg. Understanding the quintessential difficulty of a bike fitter's challenge is most aptly painted in this proverb quoted by Greg in the show, "Man is to bicycle as fish is to elephant." Helping a human body fit seamlessly onto a carbon or metal frame requires mechanical knowledge of the bike as well as biomechanical and physiological knowledge of the human body. Preventing and dealing with injury caused by either poor form or poor bike fit is one of the primary challenges that Greg and Colby face in their work and unpack for you here.
Website: www.sanussports.com
Instagram: @sanussportsusa
https://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/cycling-in-alignment/ -
Former guest on the podcast, triathlete and Feet Freex shoe creator, Jessi Stensland is here to unpack more of her evolution as an athlete. Starting as a D1 swimmer, making the Olympic trials, transitioning to triathlon, and finally competing in ultra Mountain Bike races are all a part Jessi's athletic journey. Her continued athletic evolution has a different focus than simply "winning" a race. Creating a long-term health and high-performance lifestyle is now the primary focus for Jessi. The idea of being "kinterractive" as Jessi defines in this podcast, is one of nature, activity, love, and connection.
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The essence of what training in alignment looks like began to crystallize in my mind through an email exchange with a listener of the podcast.
"As you've identified in your show amateurs look at pros for things like training, not realizing that all pros do is ride, sleep and eat. For those of us who race, how much training is too much. Where is the drop off in terms of results? Personally, I'm not willing to train 20 hours a week even if I had the time. Anyway, I'd be curious to know where the curve stops where the curve starts to drop in terms of fitness and health. When does it move?"
I hope you find my answer to this question useful as you determine your own sport-life balance. -
Time Trial position is tricky at best. Contortionism is the most appropriate word to describe the skill you must be able to master if you seek to be the fastest and most aero in a time trial. Riding in a time trial position is an increased functional load when compared to road riding.
The wider the handlebars, the wider the base of support, the narrower the bars, the narrower the base of support. This leads us into one of our first points about time trial, positional challenges and narrow base of support. Listen to the full episode and review the podcast transcript (https://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/cycling-in-alignment/) to learn the nitty-gritty about the idea time trial position.
Superficial Back Line: https://www.flexibilityrx.com/reclaiming-the-sagittal-plane/
Crank Length https://cyclingtips.com/2017/09/crank-length-forget-leverage-power-fit/
Crank Length http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/2014/07/crank-length-whateverwithin-reason.html?m=1
Tony Martin sand paper story: https://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/tony-martins-sandpaper-bum-wound-a-most-unusual-injury/
Rohan Dennis https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/im-stay-rohan-dennis-says-change-mentality-delivered-world-championships-victory-438674
http://www.contortionhomepage.com/photolib.html
Paul Chek 90/90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6FtlqpAYg -
James Wilson is the owner and founder of MTB Strength Systems. He is a mountain bike, strength, and Jujitsu coach based in Grand Junction, CO. He is also the inventor of the Catalyst Pedal. He has pioneered many advanced perspectives on strength training for cyclists, producing content on this topic starting in 2005. Our conversation includes James' thoughts on how power is most effectively made on the bike, how riders should stand more during training, and a model of tension during riding that is broken into four quadrants. Enjoy this discussion which is not only focused on mountain bikes; the concepts discussed apply to all aspects and disciplines of cycling.
https://www.bikejames.com
https://www.pedalinginnovations.com
https://www.bikejames.com/strength/3-bjj-core-training-exercises-to-help-your-mtb-riding/
https://www.bikejames.com/strength/winning-or-learning-learning-or-winninglessons-from-my-bjj-tournament/
The shoes James uses: https://www.somfootwear.com -
Moninger the greatest American cyclist to never have ridden the Tour de France. Scott Moninger is a crafty all-around racer who has victories in road races, criteriums, time trials, and state races. He's a versatile rider and a passionate athlete with a deep love for the sport. His characteristically stoic expression on the bike and ruthless competitive nature has earned him the nickname of The Iceman. Hope you enjoy our regaling of old racing stories and that you find our conversation about coaching and training to be useful.
Velocious coaching site: https://www.velociouscyclingadventures.com
Instagram: @moningerscott https://www.instagram.com/moningerscott/?hl=en -
So many of my clients have questions and run into issues about saddle sores, and man, when you get a bad one, it can be really bad. I have actually had a couple of clients that suffered so severely, they had to have surgery.
When you sit on a saddle, that's a lot of weight on a very small surface area. There's the weight of the torso, the weight of the helmet, the weight of the upper body, the arms -- it's all focused into this relatively small point. Then we add friction generated by the movement of the legs. With so many moving parts there is so much that can go wrong which can lead to undercarriage issues for the rider. Today, I've also got a special guest that we'll get to in the second part of the podcast. Don Powell is the creator and owner of Panache Cyclewear. He's been designing and creating his own cycling gear there for 12 years. We'll hear a bit from Don about the construction of chamois and fabrics and technical details in the second part.
RESOURCES:
https://www.panachecyclewear.com:
20% discount code: Alignment
Kaerwell store link for Liposomal Glutathione: kaerwell.com/go/colbypearce
Code for 10% off: Pearce10
Detox Pathways: https://nutritionsimplified.co/blog-post/5-detox-pathways-that-purify-your-body
Chamois cream: https://www.madalchemy.com
Dr. Bronner's soap: https://www.drbronner.com
Weleda soap: https://www.weleda.com
Trainer platform: https://www.saris.com/product/mp1
Inside Ride Trainer platform for KICKR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnWv_0YE-fo&feature=youtu.be -
Group rides are dead. Unpopular opinion number one. Even in ostensibly safe scenarios, group rides are dangerous. Rides are too big; riders are too brash; vehicles are too numerous, and drivers are too distracted.
Other potentially unpopular opinions of Colby’s are related to indoor riding. He outlines some of the pros and cons of Zwifting, including the benefits of riding with extremely controlled and focused training, as well as increased blood volume versus the compounding effects of poor posture that the monotony of riding inside can foster.
LINKS:
https://lifeinthepeloton.com
http://www.insideride.com
https://www.saris.com/catalog/trainer-premium-accessories -
My friend and colleague, Julie Young, sent me an email asking some deep, thoughtful questions about fitting riders properly on their mountain bikes. The central theme was around steeper seat tube angles on many modern mountain bikes and how that it is challenging and sometimes impossible to get a rider's saddle offset far enough back behind the bottom bracket on a mountain bike to match their road position.
This question has a lot of nuance and detail. I asked Julie if she would come back onto the pod to do a sort of Q&A style episode, inspired by her thoughtful question. Then, after laboring over these questions even further, I realized that I needed to bring in mountain bike geek-extraordinaire, Travis Brown, also a previous podcast guest (episode 14.) It was time to unpack bike geometry and rider weight distribution in great detail. \ - Show more
