The Importance of Arch Support for Cyclists
The basis of a good bike fit is the foot-pedal interface. There are 26 bones in the foot and during the power phase of a pedal stroke, 19 of them are actively transferring force to the pedal. To do so efficiently and painlessly, the foot needs effective arch support. The Special Case of Cycling The…
Read MoreHow to Choose a Sportive
With so much choice it can be hard to pick the right event. Maybe you are looking to complete your first sportive? Or have you done them before but want to push your limits and choose something harder? In this post I highlight the things to consider when choosing a Sportive or Gran Fondo. Goal…
Read MoreFive Reasons Why You Need a Bike Fit
Riding a bike should be fun, comfortable and challenging, but not painful. A well-fitted bike will be a pleasure to ride, efficient and pain-free. There is enough suffering in training without having the added discomfort caused by poor bike fit. Read on to learn my top five reasons why you need a bike fit. 1.…
Read MoreHow to Climb Like a Pro
We’ve all seen the pictures of professional cyclists sailing gracefully up Alp D’Huez like they’re on a gentle Sunday ride. Unfortunately, for the rest of us it’s far from effortless. It is hard, painful and anything but graceful. So why is it so hard? More importantly, how can you improve your climbing so you’re cresting…
Read MoreHow to achieve perfect form for a Gran Fondo
Hitting peak form for your goal event isn’t easy. Here’s how… You’ve spent all winter braving the bad weather and building your aerobic fitness and now its Spring. The good weather is just around the corner and before too long you’ll be on the start line of your goal event. So the question is: how…
Read MoreThe Cyclist’s Winter Training Survival Guide
Winter training used to consist of endless miles in the cold and rain. Even when riding indoors this meant staring at a garage wall for hours on end. With the advent of smart trainers, online platforms like Zwift and smarter training it needn’t be so arduous. The main thing is to have a plan and…
Read MoreHow and Why, You Should Conduct an End-of-Season Review
What is it? A Season Review is a document that records your thoughts and feelings about how successful this season’s training and competition was. It is a very simple concept, but a powerful one. By writing down the things that did and didn’t go well, we can start to build an objective view on what…
Read MoreThe Importance of Base Training and How to Get It Right
What is it Base Training? Base training is a commonly used term for a block of training designed to build Aerobic Endurance, the bedrock of any endurance training plan. It is typically the first stage in a Periodised Training Plan, followed by a Pre-competition (or Build) Phase and finally, a Competition (or Race) Phase. A…
Read MoreThe Menstrual Cycle: An Athlete’s Guide
Introduction Whilst women are biologically identical to men in many ways, there are some fundamental differences. As a male coach I decided early on that if I were to coach women effectively I needed to make myself aware of those differences. This blog is a summary of my research into the menstrual cycle along with…
Read MoreTop 10 Ways to improve your Time Trialling for FREE
Time trialling can be an expensive sport if you want all the latest, greatest equipment. So before you reach for your credit card here are a few tips which could make a huge difference to your race results without splashing the cash. 1. Clean Your Bike Significant losses occur from a dirty drivetrain. Therefore you…
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