Velonews Podcasts

The VeloNews Tech Podcast returns from a lengthy hiatus, and tech editor Dan Cavallari gets a cohost! Editorial director Ben Delaney joins us to chat about smart trainers and cycling indoors. With the explosive growth of indoor riding and racing, smart trainer technology and all the peripherals surrounding them have grown up in a hurry. Cavallari and Delaney discuss the evolution of smart trainers and the importance of Zwift to the growth of indoor cycling.

Gravel cycling and backcountry mountain bike racing are booming, with events like the Dirty Kanza, Epic Rides, and SBT GRVL races attracting throngs of participants each year. As it turns out, these events are also bringing female cyclists into our sport, and providing a new challenge for women who are longtime participants. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we sit down with VeloNews contributor Betsy Welch, who covered gravel and mountain bike racing this season. Betsy attended events like Leadville 100 MTB, Dirty Kanza, and Epic Rides, and also participated in them as well. In her reporting, she examined why these events and their respective communities are so welcoming to female riders. Cycling fans, the holidays are right around the corner, and we have the perfect gifts for those cyclists in your lives. Right now you can subscribe to VeloNews print magazine and receive a free Velopress book of your choice. That's right, popular titles like "Zinn and the Art of Mountain-Bike Maintenance

We all understand that to race or ride our best, we need to periodize our season. That’s obvious and essential for a pro who’s racing upwards of 80 races in a season. Simply put, they wouldn’t survive if they went hard all the time: They need a base, they need rest, and they need peaks. But what about those of us who only have three or four races in a season. Or to take it one step further, what about those of us who don’t race, or who may do a gran fondo at some point. How do we map out our seasons and prepare for those couple events? Do we still need to periodize? Can we be on form all year round? Today we'll dive into these questions and talk about: - What we can learn from the pros. Even though they do a lot more races, the same physiological principles apply when you’re talking about reaching your best form. And the pros have learned a lot about how do that right. - What you can’t take from pros. The simple fact that they do so many races means they can race themselves into shape. That’s a lot harder

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we speak with Rebecca Fahringer of the Kona-Maxxis-Shimano pro cyclocross team. Rebecca is currently leading USA Cycling's Pro CX standings, and has won five major North American races this year. Rebecca shares insights on how she progressed through the ranks from a collegiate newbie to a North American pro. She talks about the desire to race in North America, rather than base herself overseas. And Rebecca explains why cyclocross is a great entry point for women into cycling.

What types of bicycle racing stories appeal to a mainstream sports audience? It's a topic we've often thought about here at VeloNews. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we speak with Patrick Redford, who covered pro cycling for the sports website Deadspin.com. Patrick also takes us through the fateful past few months at Deadspin, which saw the entire editorial staff resign after the outlet's ownership tried to alter its focus and voice. Before we hear from Redford, Fred Dreier and Andrew Hood discuss the week's biggest story, which was that WorldTour veteran Peter Stetina will become a full-time gravel racer in 2020. Stetina is trading the Tour de France for Dirty Kanza, the Belgian Waffle Ride, and other big gravel events, and he's doing so in his relative prime, at age 33. What does this news, when matched with the cancellation of the Amgen Tour of California, tell us about the state of U.S. bicycle racing? The guys discuss the ongoing trends in professional and participatory cycling, and

Bobby and Gus bring you this special edition of PYSO from Pace Ranch in Tucson, AZ. And not only are the guys together in the same room, but they have a special guest too. Nicola Cranmer, the founder and GM of the TWENTY20 Women’s Pro Cycling Team joins the podcast. The trio talk cover a variety of topics including: * What riders do during their off-season (spoiler alert: not much according to Bobby) * The physical & mental importance of taking time off the bike * The cancellation of the Amgen Tour of California & what it means for American cycling * Weekly Zwift rides with Team Twenty20 - join them!! * Ad hoc Fall training camps (Bobby despises them), and formal Dec/Jan camps. * New kits, new bikes, and new teams. Got questions for Bobby and Gus? Send them over to SuperFan@Velonews.com. If they answer your question you'll get a pair of PYSO socks.

Typically, when we hear the words “strength training,” we think of going into the gym, slapping some plates on a bar, and seeing what we can lift. The more, the better. But there’s a lot more to strength training than that, especially for those of us focused on endurance sports. Strength and conditioning is also about maintaining proper function, training neural patterns, and preventing injury. Sports like cycling, by nature, cause imbalances. If all you do is ride your bike, an overuse injury is nearly guaranteed for your future. We also believe that weight training aids performance on the bike. Regardless of your position, as Coach Connor likes to point out, no matter what you believe, race performance will suffer if you’re sitting on the sidelines with a bad back or painful knee injury. So, in this episode of Fast Talk, we’re going to discuss four of the most common overuse and imbalance injuries in cyclists and how to address them with off-the-bike work and proper bike fit. Patellar tendinitis,

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Fred and Andy discuss the recent news that AEG has cancelled the 2020 Amgen Tour of California. Why is the race cancelled? The guys take a deep dive into the business of North American bike racing, and explain why the revenue model has always been challenging for big races like the Tour of California. The guys also discuss what the race meant for North American riders, and what its absence means for the WorldTour riders. Then, we hear from Tejay van Garderen, who won the 2013 edition of the race. Van Garderen discusses his own history at the Tour of California, and how it shaped him into the race he is today. All that and more on today's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Andy Hood and Fred Dreier analyze the routes for the 2020 Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. The Tour has adopted a modern route with shorter stages, punchy climbs, and a lack of flat time trials. On paper, this course appears to cater to French riders like Julian Alaphilippe or Thibaut Pinot. The Giro, meanwhile, has revealed another long and punishing route that is packed with stages over 200 kilometers in length. The Giro is again hoping for week 3 dramatics, with three punishing mountain stages and a final individual time trial to keep fans hoping for a last-minute win. Will such a scenario play out? Finally, we're joined by recently crowned UCI World Road Champion Annemiek van Vleuten, who takes us inside her big win in Yorkshire. Van Vleuten also believes her new rival, Chloé Dygert, has become the big favorite for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. This week's episode is sponsored by VeloSwap, the nation's largest used bike expo and swap. It's happening Sa

We've received so many intriguing questions from our listeners, it was time to devote an entire episode to answering them. We appreciate the feedback, and generate many future podcast topics from your questions, so please keep them coming. You can always email us at fasttalk@fastlabs.com. Please help us understand what you'd like more of on Fast Talk and give us overall feedback on the quality of the show by taking our survey, linked below. You can also answer questions that will help us design our Fast Labs Performance Experience camps that we are very excited about. Take our survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSda2fzZg0YZxeXk9Wg8aEV3yB5qa--foFZ3hLi6cLDZAVf3nw/viewform Today we’ll answer questions about inflammation, training for gran fondos, cardiac drift, elevated heart rates, and one of Trevor's favorite topics in all of physiology, plus much more. Thanks for listening.

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we have to very special guests. First up is author Daniel DeVisé, whose seminal book on Greg LeMond "The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France" has led to an important piece of news. The U.S. Congress is going to vote on whether to award LeMond the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest awards given to a civilian. As it turns out the lawmaker who proposed the medal, CA Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA 5th District, got the idea after reading DeVisé's book. We ask DeVisé about the award, why Thompson believes LeMond deserves it, and whether or not the U.S. government will actually approve the award. Next up is Lea Davison, the veteran of U.S. cross-country mountain bike racing. Davison's career has seen incredible highs, as well as a few crushing lows, and she discusses them all in great detail. Plus, she discusses how a professional women's cyclists overall value has shifted during her pro career. Davison

Bobby & Gus breakdown the 2020 Tour de France route including their disappointment with the race organizer, ASO, for only offering one day of racing for professional women. And the guys express their dislike for how the 2020 route looks on the map. La Course 2020 Women's race --> http://bit.ly/LaCourse2020 They weigh in whether long stages still have a place in the Tour, for both riders and fans, and Bobby offers up his feelings about the individual time trial on the penultimate stage. And they debate the merits of gravel, time bonuses, and mountain stages, while Gus wants to give non-climbers a chance to win the TDF. VeloNews analysis of 2020 route--> http://bit.ly/TDF2020_Route This episode of PYSO is supported by Saris. Learn more about Saris and their bike trainers here --> bit.ly/SarisPYSO Got questions for Bobby and Gus? Send them over to SuperFan@Velonews.com. If they answer your question you'll get a pair of PYSO socks.

Bauke Mollema grabbed a career-defining win at the Giro di Lombardia this past weekend. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Andy and Fred break down Mollema's win, and discuss the significance of the victory within his wider career. Who is Bauke Mollema, and why was he the perfect rider to foil the big stars at Il Lombardia? Fred and Andy share stories from Mollema's career. Il Lombardia caps off Italy's autumn classics, a grouping of six one-day races that produce plenty of drama and great racing. Why hasn't this bloc of racing grown to the same level of significance as the Belgian Classics? Will the UCI's new Classics series impact the events? The guys discuss. This week’s episode of The VeloNews Podcast is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was on your body, with additional information around your s

Here on Fast Talk, we’ve been known to periodically quote a study or two. While in the past, athletes mostly figured out their training by trial and error or what felt right, nowadays, in this era of marginal gains, no coach or serious athlete can get away without some understanding of physiology. Winning at the highest level requires digging through the science to find those little nuggets that translate to real gains. The problem is, while many of us read the science, a lot of us don’t know how to interpret it, or when it’s good research that draws useful conclusions or bad research that will lead you astray. That’s made particularly complicated by the fact that there are many well-conducted studies that, because of the nature of their methods, outcome goals, or the size of their study group, may lead you to draw conclusions you shouldn’t. So today we're going to dive into the physiology research itself and give you some tips on how to both read and interpret the science. We’ll discuss:   • First,

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we have a long interview with Megan Jastrab, the recently crowned world champion in the junior women's road race. Jastrab takes us inside her victorious ride in Yorkshire, and explains in great detail the strategy she used to win. Plus, Jastrab tells us some anecdotes from earlier in the race that contributed to her victory. Plus, Jastrab discusses her racing plans in 2020. She will turn 18 next year, which opens the door for Women's WorldTour events, as well as the Olympics in Tokyo. Jastrab is hoping to qualify for the Summer games for Team USA. Finally, Jastrab describes her upbringing in California, and how her parents helped her develop a love for riding and racing. This week's episode is sponsored by VeloSwap, the country's largest used bike expo and swap. VeloSwap is coming on on November 2 at the National Western Complex in Denver, Colorado. Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-veloswap-tickets-72588240381

Bobby & Gus break down the highs & lows of the World Championship road races in Yorkshire. They give their thoughts on the junior and U23 women's and men's races, and debate whether the U23 classification at Worlds should even exist for the men. Bobby offers up his take on the unusual disqualification of the U23 men's winner. Following that the boys detail the women's elite road race, including Chloe Dygert-Owen's effort to win two rainbow jerseys. And they bring in a guest, Nicola Cranmer of the TWENTY20 Pro Cycling Team to talk through Chloe's performance and her goals for Tokyo in 2020. The guys close out the show with insightful analysis of the elite men's road race and the surprising bonk of Mathieu Van der Poel, and the even more surprising victor of Mads Pederson of Denmark. This episode of PYSO is supported by Saris & Garmin: ---> Saris Bike Trainers at: bit.ly/SarisPYSO ---> Garmin Edge Computers: http://bit.ly/GarminPYSO Got questions for Bobby and Gus? Send them over to SuperFan@Velonews.com.

The UCI world road championships in Yorkshire wrapped up this weekend with thrilling victories in the men's and women's elite road races. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Fred and Andy break down all of the action from the road races. First, the guys examine the men's elite road race, which saw Danish hardman Mads Pedersen take a thrilling win. Pre-race favorite Mathieu van der Poel was in contention to win, but then bonked with 13km to go. The guys examine the race, and try to understand what happened to van der Poel. Plus, what happened to Matteo Trentin, who was another favorite to win? Then, the guys discuss Annemiek van Vleuten's 104-kilometer breakaway to win the women's race, and the aggressive racing of American Chloé Dygert Owen. Fred and Andy debate the UCI's controversial decision to disqualify Nils Eekhoff, who initially won the Under-23 men's race only to be disqualified. Then, the guys talk about USA Cycling's success at this year's worlds. The Americans won seven medals, t

George Bennett of the Jumbo-Visma WorldTour team, who at one point was sitting fourth at this year’s Tour de France, has had a phenomenal season. In the course of our recent conversation with George about recovery and adaptation, we talked with the New Zealand-born rider about how he was managing his recovery from the Tour de France to get ready for the Vuelta a España. That lead to an entire conversation about how George trains, and his tips for hitting peak form. That's the basis for this episode. Today, we cover: - First, something that is fascinating but probably won’t help many of us: how to complete two consecutive grand tours. - Second, the training approach that George has found works for him. While many of his teammates need high intensity work, George does very little, and focuses primarily on long endurance rides. But he emphasizes that the method that works for you is highly individual. - We discuss if George’s approach is appropriate for amateur riders, or if we should focus more on intensi

Bobby & Gus recap the Time Trial events from Yorkshire Worlds and give their insight and predictions for the Road races. Episode Highlights * Chloe Dygert-Owen headlines great performances by Team USA * Rohan Dennis rides blacked out BMC during TT win. * Quinn Simmons takes rainbow stripes in Junior Road Race. * UCI announce E-sports Worlds in 2020 - officiated & hosted by ZWIFT. * Boels Dolmans Team losing both title sponsors at the end of 2019. * Riders association hit back at the UCI’s proposed Classics Series * UCI shorten under-23 men's road race at World Champs This episode of PYSO is supported by Saris & Garmin: ---> Saris Bike Trainers at: bit.ly/SarisPYSO ---> Garmin Edge Computers: http://bit.ly/GarminPYSO Got questions for Bobby and Gus? Send them over to SuperFan@Velonews.com. If they answer your question you'll get a pair of PYSO socks.

Chloé Dygert Owen just smashed the women's world time trial championships to win her first elite world title on the road. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Fred and Andy discuss the historical significance of Dygert Owen's win, and explain her backstory. The road course is similar to the stage used by the Tour de France in 2014. How do we see the race playing out on the hilly course? Will it be a breakaway or a sprint at the finish in Harrogate? Then, the worlds road race is shaping up to be a battle between Peter Sagan and Mathieu van der Poel. There's more riding on this race than just the world title. Is Sagan still pro cycling's biggest name, or has van der Poel stolen his thunder? Finally, we check in with Dutchwoman Marianne Vos, the most accomplished rider of her generation. Vos is the favorite to win the women's road race on Sunday, and we discuss Vos's amazing 2019 campaign and her quest to win a third elite road title. This week's episode is sponsored by VeloSwap, the world's lar