Breaking down sports science studies to help you become a Faster Cyclist and Endurance Athlete
How much should you vary your efforts in a cycling time trial? Triathletes and time trial cyclists have often heard the pacing strategy, “Push more into a hill or a headwind.” Other wisdom includes, “Make sure you negative split.” But what do the data models say? Does surging into a higher aerobic zone or even … Read more
While many of us compete in sports that are straight-up repeated sprints, the varied, or stochastic, nature of a triathlon, bike race, or even a 5K where you must cover moves makes these studies more relevant to racing. STUDIES SUMMARY Research shows that New Zealand blackcurrant (NZBC) extract can improve performance in high-intensity interval and … Read more
The well-known ramp test or ramp workout is frequently used by endurance athletes either to measure progress (test) or elicit progress (training session) or both. The athlete increase power (cycling, rowing erg) etc. or pace (running) every certain amount of time (1 min blocks, 3 minute blocks, 5 minute blocks etc.) But what about a … Read more
The purpose of this study was to compare two different resistance training methods—traditional resistance training (TRT) and optimum power load training (OPT)—to determine which method produces better results when added to the usual cycling training schedule of professional cyclists. OPT provides an individualized training load and number of repetitions for each athlete to maximize their power output, while TRT uses the same load and repetitions for … Read more
This study examined the relationship between pedaling technique during intense cycling and the ability to maintain a supramaximal cadence, defined as an ultra-high pedaling rate of 160-220 revolutions per minute (rpm), for 30 seconds. Fifteen competitive cyclists and 13 recreational cyclists participated. During one test, cyclists rode at 80% of their maximum oxygen uptake and 90 rpm to simulate … Read more
We often train our physiological systems for racing, but what about training for mental toughness? Can that be trained? If you’ve competed for any amount of time, you know in almost every race something unexpected happens. The ability to mentally cope with the unknown and unexpected is vital to race success. A Deeper Look at … Read more