VeloNews Podcasts

The science on recovery has changed significantly in recent years. Once it was almost purely focused on reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS), now the science recognizes that inflammation and some discomfort are a necessary part of recovery, and the best recovery tools aid this process. The tools that seem to do this best are within the compression categories of recovery, including massage, cold water therapy, and compression gear. In episode 52 we’ll cover: 1. The current research on recovery: how it's changing and why getting out of the way of our bodies and letting them do their thing is often best. 2. We’ll also touch upon those areas where the body doesn't always do a great job and may need some help. This includes venous return, edema, and excess inflammation. 3. We'll zero in on compression therapies which have been showing benefits and explain these sophisticated tools called external pneumatic compression 4. Our guests will talk specifically about NormaTec: how the founder, a doctor, was looking to help her patients with vascular issues when she hatched the plan to create the company and the device; we’ll also discuss some promising recent studies. 5. And we'll warn you now, we'll go a little deep in the weeds about NormaTec's effects on inflammation, and whether they’re beneficial or inhibitory. 6. Finally, if you decide to give the recovery boots a try, we'll give some tips on when, where, and how to do so.

What is trail? No, not that dirt path you like to mountain bike on — we are talking about the often-misunderstood bike geometry measurement. In this episode of the VeloNews tech podcast, we speak to BMC Switzerland's head of engineering, Stefan Christ. He helps us better understand how trail affects a bike's handling. But more importantly, he explains why a variety of factors influence the way a bike feels — it isn't as simple as just one geometry measurement.

What is it like to finish the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysees? Fred Dreier is on the ground in Paris to hear from the riders. He speaks to (in the following order) Toms Skujins, Lawson Craddock, Rory Sutherland, Mathew Hayman, Andy Schleck, and Alexander Kristoff, who won stage 21. We also hear Geraint Thomas fans singing the Welsh national anthem to honor their first Tour champion. If you dig our podcast, please consider subscribing to VeloNews magazine. If you do so before midnight July 31, you get a free book! Subscribe here: https://www.velopress.com/books/subscribe-to-velonews-and-get-a-free-book/

There are few scientists who get Coach Connor more excited than our guest in this episode. Dr. Stephen Seiler has revolutionized our understanding of endurance training. (In fact, Coach Connor refers to him as the Jay-Z of physiology!) In this episode, we'll take a deep dive into the many theories he has brought to sport science and physiology. His three-zone model of training is built around two physiological breakpoints. He feels these breakpoints define three physiological zones. Zone 1 is below the aerobic threshold, and what we call easy base training. Zone 2 is between the breakpoints and has many names including no-man's land or sweet spot. The third zone is our high intensity training zone. Next we'll talk about how, by studying elite athletes, Seiler found a remarkable consistency: Most endurance athletes train about 80 percent of the time in Zone 1, around 15 to 20 percent in Zone 3, and very little in Zone 2. This has become known as polarized training. We'll also take a deep dive with Dr. Seiler into both Zone 1 and Zone 3 training and how to approach both. A theme will start to emerge, and you'll hear one of the top physiologists in the world repeat it again and again: Keep it simple. That might seem surprising, but the research is clear: Complex intervals and overly detailed training plans may hurt more than they help. Ultimately it may be as simple as accumulating time in the various zones in the right ratios. Finally, we'll discuss how these principles apply specifically to training. Seiler's research includes Nordic skiers, rowers, runners, and cyclists. So be warned, at times you'll hear some concepts that may be unfamiliar to you. For example, cycling is one of the few places where endurance athletes do five-hour workouts. In other endurance sports, they add volume by doing two-a-days.

We saw something very unusual in Tour de France stage 17: Chris Froome got dropped. Big time. Is this the beginning of the end of his era? We discuss. And, we hear from Dave Brailsford after the summit finish. So who will win the race now? We talk about how yellow jersey wearer (and Froome's Sky teammate) Geraint Thomas is a breath of fresh, rugby-watching, beer-drinking air in the world of dull pro cyclists. For more on that, check out Fred Dreier's recent story: https://www.velonews.com/2018/07/tour-de-france/who-is-geraint-thomas_472972 Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to VeloNews magazine: http://www.velonews.com/subscribe

You expected to see a Team Sky rider wearing yellow this week, didn't you. But did you expect it would be Geraint Thomas? We didn't. So, Fred and Andy dig into who Welshman is, and why he's gotten so good. Fred talks to Team Sky coach Rod Ellingworth to learn more. But before that, we have to talk about another, less likable member of Team Sky, Gianni Moscon. He was kicked out of the Tour on Sunday and we have plenty of takes about why the Italian is bad for cycling. Plus, we hear from American Chad Haga who is racing in his first Tour de France. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by CycleOps, makers of the Hammer indoor smart trainer. The VeloNews editorial staff may be hunched over computers all day during the Tour de France, but we can stay fit all July, day or night, by hopping on the Hammer and riding in our favorite virtual training app, like Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, or The SufferFest. Learn about the Hammer here: www.cycleops.com/product/hammer

It is Sky vs. Sky after 12 stages of racing in the Tour de France. Geraint Thomas is in yellow, but will he work for team leader Chris Froome? We discuss after three exciting stages in the Alps. Then we hear from Tom Dumoulin and his Sunweb team director Luke Roberts about how they plan to beat the two-headed monster that is Thomas and Froome. Plus, Ian Boswell checks in atop Alpe d'Huez to talk about the ambiance in his Tour de France debut. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by ROKA. ROKA makes unbelievably lightweight cycling eyewear that seems to have accounted for every little detail necessary for performance on the biggest stages. (Trust us — we’ve logged hundreds of miles in them and are still surprised by how light they are and how secure the fit is.) Check out ROKA.com for more: https://www.roka.com/

The Tour de France peloton is chock full of brand-new aero bikes — what's behind these designs, and what do the riders like? In this episode of the VeloNews Tech podcast, tech editor Dan Cavallari talks to industry experts to get the skinny on what makes a good aero bike, and what’s next for the category. Are aero bikes and all-around bikes melding into a single category? If not, what’s stopping them? And what the heck is a truncated airfoil anyway? Cavallari also gets insights from the pros — Trek-Segafredo’s Toms Skujins and Bora-Hansgrohe’s Peter Sagan both offer their thoughts on the intersection of aero performance and comfort in a race bike.

Can you believe that crazy stage 9? We discuss the Tour's trip across the Roubaix cobblestones with insight on Richie Porte's crash, analysis of Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana's performances, and more details on what happened to Rigoberto Uran. We hear from BMC director Fabio Baldato as well as EF Education First-Drapac's Tom Scully on the ground in Roubaix.

Cycling can be a fickle sport. Coaches come and go; new, exciting, revolutionary ways of training take the sport by storm then grown stale; riders at the local training race who were once unbeatable age and fade from the front. Few things have permanence in this sport. But there’s been one thing that has stood the test of time, that seems to have been there since most of us attempted our first interval workout: Joe Friel’s “Cyclist's Training Bible.” For many of us, reading that book was our first step towards more dedicated training. This spring Joe released his fifth, and hopefully not the last, edition of the book. Trevor and I had a chance to talk with Joe about the newest edition. We came to the interview with a list of questions that we felt only touched on the key parts of the book and by the hour mark we were barely a quarter of the way through our list. But what we did talk about was really compelling stuff. We touched on everything from periodization to energy systems, to Joe’s method of research … believe it or not, it has a lot to do with hundreds of 3”x5” note cards.

This Sunday we'll see one of the weirdest spectacles in pro cycling: GC guys and skinny climbers trying to survive the Paris-Roubaix cobblestones. Does stage 9 make sense to include in a race like the Tour de France? We discuss. Plus, we hear from Dan Martin on his stage 6 win, talk to a few sport directors about the cobblestone chaos that is sure to ensue this weekend, and more. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by CycleOps, makers of the Hammer indoor smart trainer. The VeloNews editorial staff may be hunched over computers all day during the Tour de France, but we can stay fit all July, day or night, by hopping on the Hammer and riding in our favorite virtual training app, like Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, or The SufferFest. Learn about the Hammer here: www.cycleops.com/product/hammer

Team time trials are boring, right? Wrong! The Tour de France's stage 3 TTT was an important part of the battle for the yellow jersey. We evaluate the Tour's GC standings after this pivotal day. Plus, we hear from Chris Froome about how he clawed back time in the overall to overcome his stage 1 losses. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Trek Bikes. Trek recently announced its Project One ICON program. Want your new Madone to be a rolling work of art? Trek has six amazing paint schemes ranging from classy to flashy. Have a look at all the drool-worthy colors: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/project-one-icon/

Coming to you from the Tour de France, Andrew Hood and Dane Cash have the rundown on the crazy lead-up to the season's big race, as well as its chaotic first stage. The guys talk to UCI president David Lappartient, Chris Froome's key Sky teammate Geraint Thomas, and American Tejay van Garderen. This episode is sponsored by Trek, which just unveiled the ultimate race bike. The new Madone combines the comfort of Trek's IsoSpeed technology with super-sleek aerodynamics and WorldTour-level handling and stiffness. In fact, you'll see Trek-Segafredo's riders aboard these superbikes throughout the Tour. Learn more at https://www.trekbikes.com

In episode 49, we’re talking all about the science of suffering--the science of training, fueling, and racing Dirty Kanza 200. Co-host Chris Case decided to take a second crack at the grueling 200-plus mile gravel race across the Flint Hills of Kansas. With the assistance of Coach Connor, Chris set out to transform himself, someone who loves the repeated anaerobic efforts of cyclocross, into someone who could completely empty every cell in his body and still finish strong. In essence, the pair had the goal of turning Chris into an endurance machine. We’ll discuss the challenge of turning Chris into a Dirty Kanza rider, and how we went about working his energy systems to prepare: everything from the nature of the training, to the non-physiological side – strategy, pacing, hydration, and fueling. Chris will touch upon what it all felt like to do so many miles at or just below his aerobic threshold. Finally, we’ll discuss the race itself. What did Chris do right, what did Chris do wrong. And how with even the best laid plans…things can go wildly sideways.

The main event of the pro cycling season is fast approaching. With just three days left to the start of the 2018 Tour de France, it's a perfect time to take a closer look at the race. Can anyone dethrone four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome? Which of the sprinters will reign supreme? Will green jersey hopeful Peter Sagan find the route to his liking? We "recon" the route — and it's a good one — and the many stars set to make the start in the French grand tour.