Optimizing Triathlon Training for Peak Performance

Luca Zenti is a coach and data analyst for the UCI Women's WorldTour team UAE Team ADQ, and a triathlon coach working with Kate Waugh, Gregory Barnaby, Seth Rider and Max Stapley. In this interview, we discuss the training and the (ever-increasing) race demands in women's cycling, as well as bike training for triathletes, with examples from Kate Waugh's and Gregory Barnaby's preparation for T100 London. 

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 

• Luca's coaching style and training principles
• A look back at the Tour de France Femmes, including highs and lows
• What does it take to win a mountain stage, a bunch sprint, or win from a breakaway in women's cycling in 2025? (Luca shares the exact numbers)
• Comparing the performance level and the training of WorldTour cyclists with top professional triathletes
• Kate Waugh's and Gregory Barnaby's key training weeks and key sessions in the leadup to T100 London
• Advice for age-group triathletes on how to improve triathlon bike performance

NEW BASE TRAINING PLANS - 60% LAUNCH DISCOUNT

We have just launched a set of brand new base training plans. There is a low-volume (7 hours per week average), mid-volume (10 h/wk) and high-volume (14 h/wk) version available. For a limited time only, until the 31st of August 2025, these plans are available on a massive discount of 60%, meaning you can purchase a plan for 30$ instead of the regular price of 75$. Use the code "BASE1" at checkout to apply this discount code. 

The plans are only available on TrainingPeaks. You can learn more about each of the plans (and purchase them, if you so desire) through the links below. 

• Low-volume Base Training Plan
• Mid-volume Base Training Plan
• High-volume Base Training Plan

DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 

• We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode. Naturally, as great as they are, they do not cover absolutely everything in as great detail as we can do in a 45-90 minute podcast episode.
• The shownotes for today's episode can be found at www.scientifictriathlon.com/tts469/

LINKS AND RESOURCES: 

• Luca's Instagram
• Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance - book by Alex Hutchinson (recommended by Luca)
• Endurance Training - Science and Practice (2nd edition) - book by Iñigo Mujika (recommended by Luca)

WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?

If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes: 

• Anna Kiesenhofer – Olympic Champion | EP#454 - Anna is the road race Olympic Champion from Tokyo 2021
• Dajo Sanders, PhD | EP#384 - Dajo is a coach at Ineos Grenadiers and a sports scientist with Maastricht University
• John Wakefield of Red Bull BORA hansgrohe – cycling coach and bike fitter | EP#465 - John provides lots of insights from one of the biggest World Tour teams in cycling

You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.

You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: 

• The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
• Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
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• Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals.

HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? 

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SPONSORS: 

• Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

NEW BASE TRAINING PLANS - 60% LAUNCH DISCOUNT

We have just launched a set of brand new base training plans. There is a low-volume (7 hours per week average), mid-volume (10 h/wk) and high-volume (14 h/wk) version available. 

For a limited time only, until the 31st of August 2025, these plans are available on a massive discount of 60%, meaning you can purchase a plan for 30$ instead of the regular price of 75$. Use the code "BASE1" at checkout to apply this discount code. 

The plans are only available on TrainingPeaks. You can learn more about each of the plans (and purchase them, if you so desire) through the links below. 

• Low-volume Base Training Plan
• Mid-volume Base Training Plan
• High-volume Base Training Plan