FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast

FasCat Coach Christian Parrett raced on the road as a pro for many years and learned many things. Now, with seven years of professional coaching also in the rearview mirror, there are a few things he wishes he could go back and tell his younger self. He can't do that, but on this episode he shares five of those things with you!

Optimize, our next-generation training and data analytics platform, now works with Apple Watch to balance your recovery data in the form of nightly HRV and Sleep with your training data from your power meter. Optimize balances an athlete’s training and recovery — both now measurable through traditional power meters and modern wearables — to deliver actionable daily insights. "FasCat athletes have been asking for Apple Watch integration, and we are happy to now have this as one more wearable option athletes can use to track their recovery and balance it with their training within Optimize," said FasCat founder Frank Overton.  On this podcast Frank and Ben Delaney discuss Frank's experience beta testing Apple Watch with Optimize - and argue about whether you should put your smartphone on your handlebars...

So how exactly does one-on-one coaching work? On this episode, we take you inside the weekly call of Coach Jake Rytlewski and Zach Hoover, so you can experience the details that are discussed and the methodology used. While nearly all of our FasCat Coaches are completely booked now for one-on-one coaching, you can access and utilize their knowledge and understanding and love of the sport through an Optimize subscription. Inside the Optimize app, you can ask our coaches training questions, such as which training plan is right for you based on your target event. Our Coaches take turns working shifts inside Optimize to answer your questions, Monday through Friday.  Head over to the App Store or Google Play now to download Optimize and start your free 14-day trial!

What’s up FasCat listeners? Chances are, if you listen to our podcast you enjoy the coaching wisdom we share, and maybe you like the idea of working personally with a coach - but that might not be financially feasible. We have a solution for you! Today we are going to describe how an Optimized subscription is like working with a professional coach but at a fraction of the cost.  Our Optimized subscription is an affordable coaching solution at less 80% less than the cost of hiring a 1x1 Coach.  For $35 a month you get access to all our training plans AND personalized coaching advice for which plans to select to achieve your goals. Here’s how it works: Step 1. Download the Optimized App and subscribe. Step 2. Click the ⍰ icon inside Optimize to access our team of professional coaches. Tell us what you are training for, and we’ll respond with personalized coaching advice and tell you which training plans to follow. Step 3. Sync your ride data and wearable data* (FREE Whoop band w/ Optimized Subscription**) . Step 4. Keep asking coaching questions about which training phase to do next. Here’s an example of how it works: Athlete Jane has an event with lots of climbing that’s 12 weeks away. She lets us know her goal in Optimize, and we suggest that she follows our Sweet Spot Part 3 plan for six weeks and then our Climbing Intervals plan for the next six weeks. This will build her base, increase her threshold power, and set her up for success in 12 weeks. Here’s another example: Athlete Joe has started to race and wants to do group rides to balance out the hard days with the easy days. We will recommend that he follows in our In-Season Road Intervals Plan, or that he does our Sweet Spot Part 4 plan to increase FTP with mid-week VO2 intervals balanced with long, fun rides on Saturdays.  Wondering what to do? Which plans to choose? Just ask a FasCat Coach.  In the App hit the ⍰ in the upper right corner or email help@fascatcoaching.com Subscribe HERE and start training for your goals today! *Optimize will tell you to train more or less and help you track your recovery. Don’t have a wearable? No problem, you don’t need one to follow a plan. In fact - all you need to follow a plan and improve is a stopwatch timer!  Simple, effective, and fun.  **But if you want a wearable we’ll give you a Whoop for FREE once subscribed! Good luck with your training and we hope to help you from within Optimize soon. 

At FasCat Coaching, we are big fans of the group ride. They're fun, and they can be very effective training.  In this episode, we detail the six reasons why you should incorporate a group ride or two into your regular training. We talk about the three kinds of group rides. And we explain some 'how to' and some 'how not to' tips and tricks about group rides, including when it's too much (or too little!). For unlimited access to all our training plans and workouts, subscribe now to Optimize. We have a 14-day free trial from the App or Google Play Stores or use 25podcast for 25% off on fascatcoaching.com 

Ted King raced as a professional on the road for years, working his way up through the American domestic ranks to join the world's best in Europe, where he raced alongside Peter Sagan for a couple of years with the three-time world champion when Sagan was at the top of his game. Ted King worked with FasCat Coaching for a number of his years racing — including some time undercover! — and on this podcast FasCat Founder Frank Overton and Ted talk about their early forays into training with power, what it was like to be one of two Americans on an Italian-speaking European team, and Ted's upcoming XL'ent Adventures and plan to tackle the Tour Divide.

Cycling computers have hundreds of potential data field configurations, with scores of variations on power, tss, heart rate, speed, altitude, temperature, time, blood glucose, pace partners, and on and on. But how many data fields can you actually look at while riding? And further, which are actionable on the bike?  On this podcast, we dig into exactly that - the numbers that matter - both for when you are on the bike, and then for post-ride analysis after. We recorded this episode at The Cycling House in Tucson, Arizona, where we are holding FasCat Camp this week. https://thecyclinghouse.com/  

There are two basic mistakes you can make with your training in the winter. (And yes, it's still winter for many of us!) Mistake #1: doing too much Mistake #2: doing too little But how do you know how much is just right? Coach Ricky Arnopol digs into the details with Ben Delaney on the micro and macro levels.  Ricky and his Project Echelon teammates are just back from racing the Mallorca Challenge in Spain alongside the likes of WorldTour teams like Ineos Grenadiers and Soudal Quick-Step, so Ricky first shares some stories of his adventures there.    

Your questions poured in for Ask a FasCat #23. Listen in as we dive into bike handling, HRV improvement, strength training, and much, much more. One lucky winner gets a Whoop 4.0, and everyone who wrote in with a question will get a discount on a Whoop. Here are a few links to resources we mention in the podcast: How to properly taper for peak performance podcast: https://fascatcoaching.libsyn.com/how-to-properly-taper-for-peak-performance Five Fundamentals for Faster: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/five-fundamentals-for-faster What does HRV mean and 9 ways to improve it: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/what-does-my-hrv-mean

Three-time Olympian Joanne Kiesanowksi is team director for Human Powered Health, which just kicked off the WorldTour road racing season with a stage win and a white jersey at the Down Tour Under in Australia. In this episode, Joanne speaks with Ben Delaney about how the team trains for such a long and intense season that spans the globe, as well as how they monitor recovery, how their training numbers compare to racing numbers, and how Joanne herself squeezes in workouts when living out of a suitcase. Frank Overton also joins the pod and invites you to go buy our sweet new Castelli FasCat kit: http://teamorder.serviziocorse.com/index.aspx?pc=C90AFFB6-B152-41AA-8E9F-FC1EF62FFEF2 We have short- and longsleeve jerseys, Free Aero bib shorts, and vests on offer. Order before the store closes on February 8th!