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Blog
January 16, 2018
Peaking for a Championship Road Race
Throughout my racing career I was known as someone who could peak for the big race. In this video I share some of the training I performed to peak for my local Florida State road race championships. I recently won the Florida Masters A 40-44 Championship road race for the second year in a row.
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January 2, 2018
Ironman Champion Dirk Bockel shares tips on pushing through the pain
In this video multiple Ironman champion Dirk Bockel tells what he did mentally to push through those key moments of intense pain and suffering on his way to winning multiple Ironman events at the highest level.
Not many people have the level of dedication, discipline, and mental toughness as someone like Dirk. Enjoy some incredible insights and tips that you can employ right away on your journey to becoming the best version of yourself in cycling or triathlon.
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December 13, 2017
Race Day Nutrition Tips with Ironman Champion Dirk Bockel
I sat down with former multiple Ironman champion Dirk Bockel to pick his brain on nutrition and discover what he did in the final days leading up to some of his best races. Dirk won Ironman Melbourne Australia, Half Ironman Disney, 4th in Hawaii and many more top performances.
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December 4, 2017
Tips on launching a winning attack
Here are some tips on launching an attack in a road race or competitive group ride. In this video I share my own experience with attacking to win races and a simple strategy to give you a good chance of establishing a successful breakaway.
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November 27, 2017
Tips on cycling in a breakaway
Here are some tips on how to manage your effort in a breakaway, applicable in situations where you are one of the strongest or just barely hanging on. These tips will help your chances of success and the chances of the breakaway staying clear.
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November 19, 2017
Looking at your power meter may be holding you back?
Are you looking at your power meter in a pack race or group ride to gauge your ability to attack or pull on the front? Looking at your power data may be holding you back and here’s why.
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November 14, 2017
The Secret to taking your Cycling to the Next Level
In this video I share what I have found to be the secret to taking your cycling to the next level of performance.
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November 8, 2017
Pushing your limits in cycling (advice from Frank Schleck)
When I was at the Tour de France this past July I overheard former top pro Frank Schleck give this advice to some junior cyclists on the subject of pushing your limits. Here is what he said.
October 20, 2017
Learning new tricks in the off season
With a break from racing and large volumes of training, the off season frees up some time to learn and grow in new areas that will support your cycling improvements and your wellbeing.
Here are a few ideas on areas you may want to focus on
if you carried a little extra weight during the year, now would be a good time to establish a better eating regiment and lean down a little so that when you increase your training load, you are already at an ideal weight.
If you struggled to stay focused on long time trials or solo intervals, the off season is a productive time to dedicate to some mindful training. A meditation app like Headspace will take you through a 30 day program of mindful focus training that will benefit you not only in your cycling but also in your life.
Some cyclists struggle with pack cycling, maybe there is fear or they don’t feel comfortable bumping other riders or taking turns at a higher speed. The off season is a great time to grow in this area by practicing bike handling skills. You can ride more off road on a MTB to develop skills. Ask the local “pro” rider to take you on a few training sessions with the goal of learning and practicing improved bicycle handling.
If you don’t have a strong sprint, this time of year can be used to dedicate to specific training geared to improving your sprinting ability with extra sprinting drills and off-the-bike strength training.
If your pedal stroke is choppy and you struggle with higher cadences, specific pedaling drills and exercises will help you make gains in this area. This is also a good time of year to invest in a bike fit and get set-up efficiently on your bike before you increase your training load.
The off season is traditionally a time of recuperation from a hard season with a short break from the bike, followed by slow miles that gradually increase. and off-the-bike strength training. To keep things interesting, why not focus on new areas of personal and cycling growth that will make you feel alive and support your goals for 2018!
October 12, 2017
Planning your Cycling Year Ahead
We all have areas that we would like to improve on for next year. Taking time out to contemplate what you would like to achieve in 2018, both in cycling and in life, and then writing it down, is very productive.
Your goals can be specific result focused goals or more process and internal goals. Writing down goals is very powerful and can sometimes lead to magical results. What’s just as powerful is to put your goals up where you can see them on a daily basis like on your mirror. We tend to forget our goals so having a visual reminder is powerful.
Seeking Continued Progress
Human beings are wired to seek continued progress which is a positive thing, but we should also take time to focus on the areas in which we did well in this past year. Let’s take some time to reflect on the things that we did really well and give ourselves a pat on the back! Whether it was training in a more disciplined way, having some breakthrough rides, or showing up for each ride ready and positive, give yourself some self love and a big “well done”.
Planning your Cycling Year
If your next year is likely to follow a similar flow to this past year, you can review the current year and use it for planning purposes. Look to see where you felt at your very best and put out some of your highest power, speeds, and best results and performances. What was your training regiment during that time? What was going on in your life? An online training diary like TrainingPeaks will provide you with a detailed history of your training that you can review and learn from. Duplicate the things that worked and observe and learn from the things that did not seem to work for you.
More is not always Better
We are inclined to think that we need to always build on last year, that we should add more training volume, more intensity, but that might not always be the best way forward to achieve additional improvements. If you often felt quite fatigued during the year and lacked motivation, you may be better off cutting back on the training volume and intensity or, alternatively, plan for more recovery blocks of 1-2 weeks a few times during the year. More is not always better and our body works in a cyclical manor where there is a down time to every up time. Working with and not against this natural flow of nature will support your progress longterm as well as your mental and physical well being.
Good Habits are the Foundation
Our human minds like to look to the future but what are you doing today to support your goals? Good habits are the foundation of your success.
Instilling good habits of training discipline, and learning to stay consistent with those habits, is the surest way to achieving your goals and new levels of cycling performance.