Semi-Pro Cycling

Damian Ruse

Welcome to the Semi-Pro Cycling feed. Home of Ride Better, Faster, and The Cycling Performance Club podcasts. Expert insights and exploration of all things cycling racing and training. read less
SportsSports

Episodes

The surprising reason Pro MTB rider uses gum before a race
02-09-2023
The surprising reason Pro MTB rider uses gum before a race
The surprising reason and performance benefit Pro MTB rider Puck Pieterse uses gum before a race.We dive into the fascinating connection between gum and cycling performance. Plus World Championships Recap, the Evolution of Endurance Training, an Altitude Adjust App and the Social Media Rounds.You can watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/-wH8iATvL_QLinksWorld Champs:RunGum: https://rungum.com/products/bubblegum-12-pack10 Bike Tech Highlights - Cycling World Championships: https://road.cc/content/feature/10-bike-tech-highlights-cycling-world-championships-303173British Cycling could take legal: https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/motorcycles/british-cycling-could-take-legal-action-to-prevent-japanese-and-french-federations-from-using-new-track-bikes/ar-AA1f9yDRCanyon Speedmax CFR Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4JuxS8y_OoAbraham Gebru’s Strava: https://www.strava.com/pros/6817837#interval?interval=202331&interval_type=week&chart_type=miles&year_offset=0ArticlesThe rising price of entry-level road bikes: https://road.cc/content/feature/rising-price-entry-level-road-bikes-303057The Future of Endurance Training: https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/future-of-endurance-training-research/Products:Altitude Adjust - Garmin Datafield App: https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/4abe1b06-3099-4847-8415-815021353931Social MediaMarlen Reusser climbs off mid-race in World's Elite Women's Time Trial: https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/marlen-reusser-climbs-off-mid-race-in-worlds-elite-womens-time-trial/After the Tour de Suisse, I fell into a hole: Marlen Reusser explains decision to abandon Time Trial World Championships: https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling/after-the-tour-de-suisse-i-fell-into-a-hole-marlen-reusser-explains-decision-to-abandon-time-trial-world-championshipsTweet by Sadhbh OS: https://twitter.com/SadhbhOS/status/1689936699080519680
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Teun van Erp - How do World Tour cyclists actually train and perform in races? - Part 2 of 2
23-06-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Teun van Erp - How do World Tour cyclists actually train and perform in races? - Part 2 of 2
In this two part series we chat with Dr. Teun van Erp, current data scientist with INEOS Grenadiers, about how World Tour cyclists train and perform during competitions. In our opinion, given Tuen’s extensive research and experience working with World Tour cyclists, he is one of the best people in the field to discuss this topic with.In this episode we examine Dr. Teun’s research further and get into the details of how pro men and women cyclists actually train. But this episode is more than that. There are also some direct comparisons between the training and racing demands of pro men and women - including insight into the numbers of a World Tour power couple.This is a listener supported podcast, and we would be stoked if you supported us by becoming a member of The Cycling Performance Club. With your backing we can continue our mission to deliver the best in cycling performance knowledge and practical advice to you and the greater cycling community. Support The Club by clicking here!Guest panelist:Teun van Erp, Ph.D.INEOS Grenadiers Staff PageResearchgateLinkedInTwitter: @The_TeunEpisode References:Training Characteristics of Male and Female Professional Road Cyclists: A 4-Year Retrospective AnalysisIntensity and Load Characteristics of Professional Road Cycling: Differences Between Men’s and Women’s RacesCase Report: Load, Intensity, and Performance Characteristics in Multiple Grand ToursDemands of professional cycling races: Influence of race category and resultCo-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comProducer & co-host:Damian Rusesemiprocycling.com
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Teun van Erp - How do World Tour cyclists actually train and perform in races? - Part 1 of 2
28-05-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Teun van Erp - How do World Tour cyclists actually train and perform in races? - Part 1 of 2
In this two part series we chat with Dr. Teun van Erp, current data scientist with INEOS Grenadiers, about how World Tour cyclists train and perform during competitions. In our opinion, given Tuen’s extensive research and experience working with World Tour cyclists, he is one of the best people in the field to discuss this topic with.In this episode we take aim at measures of training load in training and racing. One of the measures discussed is TSS - aka, the training stress score from TrainingPeaks. Tuen is better placed than probably anyone in performance cycling to talk about TSS as he’s spent a lot of time investigating TSS to understand its limitations across different scenarios. So join us on this journey to see how training load measures available to all of us are used at the highest level of the sport!This is a listener supported podcast, and we would be stoked if you supported us by becoming a member of The Cycling Performance Club. With your backing we can continue our mission to deliver the best in cycling performance knowledge and practical advice to you and the greater cycling community. Support The Club by clicking here!Guest panelist:Teun van Erp, Ph.D.INEOS Grenadiers Staff PageResearchgateLinkedInTwitter: @The_TeunEpisode References:Relationship Between Various Training-Load Measures in Elite Cyclists During Training, Road Races, and Time TrialsThe Influence of Exercise Intensity on the Association Between Kilojoules Spent and Various Training Loads in Professional CyclingCo-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comProducer & co-host:Damian Rusesemiprocycling.com
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Elisabetta Borgia- A new emphasis and approach to sport psychology in cycling performance
16-05-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Elisabetta Borgia- A new emphasis and approach to sport psychology in cycling performance
Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! In this day and age of power meters, advanced physiologic metrics, and emphasis on aerodynamics it is very easy to overlook other key components of cycling performance- such as the emotional state of the athlete.In this episode we discuss the importance of a cyclist’s emotions when pursuing peak performance in the sport. To best facilitate the exploration of this topic we talked with Sport Psychologist Dr. Elisabetta Borgia. Dr. Borgia works for Trek-Segafredo's men and women teams and is the official team psychologist for the Italian Cycling Federation. Full-time sport psychologists are one of the newest additions to the pro cycling team performance staff roster so we were very excited to hear about her role and experiences working with these athletes.We also take a look at the details of how a specific type of therapy emerging in this space- dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) can apply to the performance of athletes of all levels.Guest panelist:Dr. Elisabetta Borgiahttp://elisabettaborgia.com/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elisabetta-borgia-17174b19/Twitter: @labettina2001Instagram: @elisabettaborgiaCo-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comProducer & co-host:Damian Rusesemiprocycling.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:Skills Training ManualEurosport InterviewCode Yellow
Cycling Performance Club: Luke Plapp - From world class track cyclist to World Tour road racer
06-05-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Luke Plapp - From world class track cyclist to World Tour road racer
Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! In this episode we chat with Luke Plapp - Olympic bronze medalist on the track, current Australian Road Champion, and Ineos Grenadiers rider- about his transition from a successful track cyclist to racing on the road at the World Tour level.And contrary to what one might initially think, his transition between these two roles was much more complicated than simply adding more “base” to his training schedule. Luke has moved across the world to a new climate, from one high performance environment to another, experienced the largest week’s training load of his life, and found new limits to surpass in his own performance abilities. Find out how he has tackled these challenges in stride, and come out swinging on the other side.As a bonus, we also dive deep into Plappy’s favorite ergogenic aid: heat acclimation- for all of you coming into the Northern Hemisphere summer.Guest panelist:Luke Plapphttps://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/luke-plappTwitter: @LucasPlappInstagram: @lukeplappCo-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comProducer & co-host:Damian Rusesemiprocycling.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:Men’s wheel race - 2021https://youtu.be/elFgDgPwOqI?t=4972SBS Cycling Podcasthttps://www.sbs.com.au/sport/podcast/sbs-cycling-podcastJack Haig discussionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEkwSDFF168AusCycling Showhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de2ViYwIfpM&t=2691sTraining Characteristics and Power Profile of Professional U23 Cyclists throughout a Competitive Seasonhttps://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/8/12/167
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Nicholas Jamnick- Down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity, Part 2 of 2
26-04-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Nicholas Jamnick- Down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity, Part 2 of 2
Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! In this episode we continue our trip down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity with Dr. Nick Jamnick (part 2 of 2). Previously, we critically examined graded exercise tests, VO2max testing, lactate thresholds, and the usefulness of lactate testing. Herein, we dive deep into Nick’s comprehensive review critiquing the common methods of determining and prescribing exercise intensity.This review evaluated different methods of prescribing intensity based on their ability to cause the distinct acute responses found in each of the physiologically defined exercise domains. The methods were categorised into three groups: maximal anchors (e.g. percentage of maximal heart rate or peak power), submaximal anchors (e.g. critical power, MLSS), and delta methods (e.g. heart rate reserve). Spoiler alert: Most of the methods examined did not fare well! So, continue with us down the exercise intensity rabbit hole to find out what methods survived the brutal scrutiny of Nick’s review and why only a few methods out performed the rest. Did the method you use to determine intensity pass or fail? Guest panelist:Nicholas Jamnick, PhDResearchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicholas-JamnickLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-jamnick-8351a7a7/Twitter: @SportResearchExCo-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comProducer & co-host:Damian Rusesemiprocycling.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:An Examination and Critique of Current Methods to Determine Exercise Intensityhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-020-01322-8Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume traininghttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2014.00033/full
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Nick Jamnick - Down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity, Part 1 of 2
18-04-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Nick Jamnick - Down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity, Part 1 of 2
Welcome to The Cycling Performance Club Podcast! When it comes to performing and prescribing training sessions, there are four main principles to consider: frequency, duration, volume, and intensity. The first three of these principles are relatively simple and agreed upon. However, when it comes to exercise intensity we can quickly find ourselves traveling down a crazy rabbit hole- as it’s definitely not as simple as exercising at a percentage of FTP.In the next two episodes we go deep down the rabbit hole of exercise intensity with Dr. Nick Jamnick, a postdoctoral fellow and researcher in exercise intensity. We came across Nick while digging into the scientific literature on this topic, and let’s just say his contribution to this field of research can be characterised as both “eye-opening” and “brutal”.  In this episode we focus on a study Nick performed during his PhD where he tested the validity of determining VO2max and lactate thresholds during a graded exercise test. His results were shocking to say the least- and also relevant to the performance focused cyclist as graded exercise tests on smart trainers and inexpensive blood lactate analysers make some of this testing possible at home.Guest panelist:Nicholas Jamnick, PhDResearchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicholas-JamnickLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-jamnick-8351a7a7/Twitter: @SportResearchExCo-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comProducer & co-host:Damian Rusesemiprocycling.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:Manipulating graded exercise test variables affects the validity of the lactate threshold and VO2 peakhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199794
Cycling Performance Club: Shannon Malseed - Life lessons in mental wellness and high performance
05-04-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Shannon Malseed - Life lessons in mental wellness and high performance
On this show we really enjoy talking about the nuts and bolts of cycling performance. Whether it’s determining thresholds, approaches to training, or race tactics and skills, if you’ve listened to the show before you know we love that stuff. But in this episode we want to change gears a bit and ask you this simple and straightforward question: How is your head?Here we discuss mental wellness and its importance in human performance. To facilitate this conversation we invited Shannon Malseed to join our panel. Shannon Malseed is a former Australian National Road Champion, and ex-pro cyclist. Her personal journey highlights the importance of finding joy in the process and people surrounding you in sport. Shannon has taken her experience in dealing with success and failure and culminated it into becoming a self-love coach and helping people find their own path to well-being. This is a discussion and story that will truly motivate and guide you on your road to achieving your goals on and off the bike. Guest panelist:Shannon Malseedshannonmalseed.comInstagram: @shannonmalseedCo-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comProducer & co-host:Damian Rusesemiprocycling.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:Chasing Gold by Cycling Tips2018 UCI Women's WorldTour – Ronde van Drenthe – Highlights https://shannonmalseed.com/commonwealth-games/ https://shannonmalseed.com/thats-all-folks/
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Dajo Sanders- Research evolved into practice at the highest level of cycling performance, Part 2 of 2
22-03-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Dajo Sanders- Research evolved into practice at the highest level of cycling performance, Part 2 of 2
In this episode we continue our discussion with Dr. Dajo Sanders (part 2 of 2), an individual whose skill and expertise in the realm of cycling performance are well developed. Dajo is a prolific researcher in many aspects of endurance training and specializes in the very distinct research cohort that is well-trained high-performance cyclists. He is also a member of the performance group at Team DSM where he uses his experience and knowledge to help World Tour cyclists perform at their absolute best.In this episode we discuss with Dajo his research and practice in monitoring training load in cyclists and also what cycling performance research he is excited about.Guest panelist:Dajo Sanders, PhDTwitter: @DajoSandersResearchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dajo-Sanders-2LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dajo-sanders-ph-d-59112794/The podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:Methods of Monitoring Training Load and Their Relationships to Changes in Fitness and Performance in Competitive Road Cyclistshttps://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/12/5/article-p668.xmlMaintaining Power Output with Accumulating Levels of Work Done Is a Key Determinant for Success in Professional Cyclinghttps://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/2021/09000/Maintaining_Power_Output_with_Accumulating_Levels.12.aspxHeat acclimation improves exercise performancehttps://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00495.2010?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.orgHeat training increases exercise capacity in hot but not in temperate conditions: a mechanistic counter-balanced cross-over studyhttps://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpheart.00138.2015?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Dajo Sanders- Research evolved into practice at the highest level of cycling performance, Part 1 of 2
10-03-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Dr. Dajo Sanders- Research evolved into practice at the highest level of cycling performance, Part 1 of 2
There are many components within endurance training. Take for example field-testing, training intensity distribution, or training load. Each of these components have dozens of papers in the scientific literature that can help guide a cyclist’s training and a coach’s practice. However, contrary to what one might think, taking findings from research, evaluating them, and then effectively putting them into practice is a skill unto itself.  In this episode (which is a part 1 of 2) we talk with Dr. Dajo Sanders, an individual whose skill and expertise in this area are well developed. Dajo is a prolific researcher in many aspects of endurance training and specializes in the very distinct research cohort that is well-trained high-performance cyclists. He is also a member of the performance group at Team DSM where he uses his experience and knowledge to help World Tour cyclists perform at their absolute best.In this episode we discuss with Dajo his role with the Team DSM, and his research and practice in both field testing cyclists and training intensity distributions. Guest panelist:Dajo Sanders, PhDTwitter: @DajoSandersResearchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dajo-Sanders-2LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dajo-sanders-ph-d-59112794/The podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:A Field-Based Cycling Test to Assess Predictors of Endurance Performance and Establishing Training Zoneshttps://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2020/12000/A_Field_Based_Cycling_Test_to_Assess_Predictors_of.24.aspxTraining-Intensity Distribution in Road Cyclists: Objective Versus Subjective Measureshttps://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/12/9/article-p1232.xml
Cycling Performance Club: Simon Jones- Coaching, science, and a post-marginal gains world
01-02-2022
Cycling Performance Club: Simon Jones- Coaching, science, and a post-marginal gains world
Follow this link to take the listener Survey: Take the SurveyOr copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:https://forms.gle/dCkiBuWDSdetwquH8This week it’s a meander through some performance-related topics like coaching, marginal gains, performance teams, training load, and more with Simon Jones. Don’t know who that is - I’m sure if you’ve been a fan of cycling for any time, you know a rider or a team he’s worked with - with a performance career in cycling for over 25 years there isn’t much he hasn’t done.And I will jump in with a few of his roles in high-performance in a moment but one thing that was nice about talking to Simon was when you have someone that has been around for so long (sorry if that makes you sound old Simon). But when you’re around long enough, you’ve seen many things come and go - so it was nice to hear what he prioritizes in coaching and cycling performance. And it’s not what you might first think when you hear he was Head of Performance Support and Innovation at Team Sky.But just so we’re clear on Simon’s experience, he started out as a sports science graduate from Cardiff University and became a Sports Scientist with British Cycling just months later. He would go on to coach the Great Briton team pursuit riders through several Olympic cycles before taking up a job managing the Western Australia Institute of Sport, then moving to Team Sky, before his last role as AusCycling Performance Director for the last Olympic cycle.Guest panelist:Simon Joneshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/simonjones5/The podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:Is WorldTour Racing Actually Getting Harder?https://beyondthepeloton.substack.com/p/is-top-level-racing-actually-getting?fbclid=IwAR2f13_oQKAcEFztN0lLpkEDVSxZ2EQJ9qfqI7-nFel7YFdNGUXEKCYOEEw
Cycling Performance Club: What is best practice for implementing critical power into your training? w/ Jason Bartram, PhDc, Part 2
24-01-2022
Cycling Performance Club: What is best practice for implementing critical power into your training? w/ Jason Bartram, PhDc, Part 2
Follow this link to take the listener Survey: Take the SurveyOr copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:https://forms.gle/dCkiBuWDSdetwquH8In this part two on critical power (CP) we continue our conversation with Jason Bartram and cover W’ and W’ balance. Additionally, we consider what the CP metrics can realistically add to your cycling performance and coaching practice. And… it might actually surprise you what Jason’s (JB’s) takeaways are for these measures, after studying them for 7+ years and coaching cyclists at the elite level.Jason Bartram, PhDc is the former Australian National Women’s Track Team coach, former sports scientist for AusCycling and the Australian Institute of Sport, and current PhD candidate studying critical power, W’, and W’ balance in elite track athletes. Guest panelist:Jason Bartram, PhDchttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bartram/The podcast co-hosts:Jason Boynton, Ph.D.boyntoncoaching.comDamian Rusesemiprocycling.comCyrus Monkcyclistscientist.comInstagram: @cyclingperformanceclubFacebook: @cyclingperformanceclubTwitter: @cyclingclubpodLinkedIn: The Cycling Performance Club PodcastReferences:Accuracy of W′ Recovery Kinetics in High Performance Cyclists—Modeling Intermittent Work Capacityhttps://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/13/6/article-p724.xmlValidating an Adjustment to the Intermittent Critical Power Model for Elite Cyclists—Modeling W′ Balance During World Cup Team Pursuit Performanceshttps://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/aop/article-10.1123-ijspp.2020-0444/article-10.1123-ijspp.2020-0444.xmlA comparative analysis of critical power models in elite road cyclistshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665944121000171The W′ Balance Model: Mathematical and Methodological Considerationshttps://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/16/11/article-p1561.xml