Fast Talk Podcast

USA Cycling’s head of coach development joins us to answer questions about training, coaching, why young riders are winning Grand Tours, and plenty more.

In this week’s show, we talk about whether gravel racing can save North American racing, if adding a Zwift race to your interval work is still good training, and techniques our hosts use to keep in balance.

Talking to us from the Big Island of Hawaii, we chat with Coach Ryan Bolton on all things Kona and get his expert analysis on some epic record-breaking racing.

In this second part of our three-part series, Dr. Stephen Seiler gives us the history of exercise physiology research as well as insights into the inner workings of the academic world.

Whether you’re a roadie, a mountain biker or a triathlete, the unique demands of cyclocross mean it can make you better at your preferred discipline. On this week’s show we chat with cyclocross experts Grant Holicky and Stephen Hyde about the many benefits of ‘cross.

Physiologist Rob Pickels nerds out with Trevor Connor on four recent studies that span a wide range of topics, from the benefits of percussive massagers for strength work to the impact of pregnancy on elite runners. Tune in to find out more.

Neuroscience isn’t an exciting term, but it can be one of the most important factors in how well our muscles perform. We talk about this fascinating connection between mind and body with Dr. Scott Frey.

We have a wide range of odd and interesting topics for you in this week’s show.

Dr. Stacy Sims shares ways coaches and female athletes can adapt training to harness female physiology throughout their athletic lives.

This is our first episode of a limited series recorded with Dr. Stephen Seiler. In this episode, Seiler explains his background as a researcher, and talks about something near and dear to all of us: the heart.

How do you reach the podium in not one sport, but three—and all in the same season? We chat with McBride and their coach, Mateo Mercur, to find out more.

In this week’s show, we talk about marginal gains in the Tour, how best to approach training races, and what to do if you encounter an emergency mid-ride.

We explore the best ways for endurance athletes to do VO2max workouts and threshold workouts with cycling coach Hunter Allen.

We explore the past, present, and future of coach education with Joe Friel and Jon Tarkington.

Not everything that happens to us at altitude is positive, nor do we all respond the same way. We discuss the ins and outs of altitude camps, and how to make sure you benefit from them.

Road racing has been on a decline, while virtual racing has been accelerating as a legitimate type of racing. We discuss what this means for both sports.

Our hosts continue their potluck discussion and talk about what’s the ideal mental state for performance, whether we should be consistent with our intervals or not, and why failure is so important for an athlete to experience.

We discuss the difference between nutrition and fueling, and why focusing on performance versus health can lead to very different dietary choices.