FASTER Cycling

The importance of bike handling changes as the terrain changes. For triathletes and road cyclists, the bike handling skills are on the lower end whereas mountain biking is on the higher end. With the explosion of gravel cycling, we see many triathletes and road cyclists moving to gravel cycling and often bike handling skills can be a limiting factor for an athlete's success. Today, on Faster we talk with Lee McCormack for a masterclass on bike handling skills so you can learn to ride confidently and become a faster gravel cyclist.Watt Points: 90-100

IM Oceanside 70.3 for many, is the beginning of the triathlon season. This unique course has coastal winds and rough roads along the old Pacific Coast Highway. In this episode of Faster we discuss myths around wheel selection for coastal courses and help you pick your best wheels. We also discuss setting tire pressure on courses with sections of rough road and offer our advice on the ideal tire for this course. Listen to this episode to learn how to get set up for IM Oceanside or similar courses so you can become faster.Watt Points: 20Blog w/ Tire Pressure Calculation

We've become the official wheel partner of Alpha Win. Alpha Win runs a triathlon series across the USA and we are very excited to be partnering with them. You will be able to find FLO Wheels at upcoming events so you can get your hands on them. We will also have our new FLO Air Gage in transition so you can air up your wheels with accuracy. Make sure to reference our tire pressure charts to set your ideal pressure. 

I spent last weekend at Clash Miami running the FLO Wheel Pit for the pro races. While there I worked with a number of athletes setting pressures for a unique course like a Nascar track. The surface is rough and your pressure needs to drop. On this episode of FASTER I discuss the unique racing conditions seen on the Clash Endurance courses discussing tire pressure, tire size, and aerodynamics. Listen to this episode to learn pro tips for the Clash Endurance series so you can become faster. Watt Points: 10-20

Over inflating your tires may seem like a trivial issue but today we know that for every 1 psi you over inflate your tires you lose roughly 1 watt to rolling resistance. We also know that most standard floor pumps are only accurate to +/- 9 psi which means that a cyclist with a 200 watt FTP could be giving up close to 5% of their power to an inaccurate pump. It’s why we created a new product called the FLO Air Gage. This episode discusses, the FLO Air Gage and how it came to be. Learn more about the FLO Air Gage and setting accurate tire pressures so you can become faster. Watt Points: 9 WattsImpedance and Rolling Resistance Episode 

Life balance for most triathletes is a constant challenge. Throw in the last couple years over COVID and the return to our new lives and it’s been nearly impossible. Today, on FASTER we welcome back Max Jones to discuss his journey from owner at Elevate Sports Performance and a competitive triathlete, to leaving for many new careers, starting a family, losing a house in a fire, becoming a full time runner and back to a triathlete on the FLO Factory Team. Learn how he’s used his strength and conditioning background to make a comeback all while finding balance in a very busy, very wonderful life. Watt Points: 30

Ketones are naturally produced in the body when you enter ketosis. This happens when the body is burning fat as its primary fuel source. There’s been lots of discussion on ketosis for diet but what about performance athletes. Today on Faster we talk with Frank Llosa from KetoneAid who is making a Ketone Ester for performance athletes and Anthony Kunkel who uses KetoneAid and lives a life in Ketosis while being a two-time national champion ultra distance runner. Listen to this episode to challenge your belief on using carbs as a fuel source and to learn how to use Ketones to become faster.In exciting news FASTER Cycling has been listed in the 45 Best Cycling Podcasts by FeedSpot. Check out the list here.Watt Points: 10-30

FatMax is a popular topic amongst endurance athletes. While it’s a great number to improve, there’s a false belief forming that carbs are the enemy. The truth is, in order to perform at our highest level, we need to fuel our bodies with carbohydrates. The brilliant Scott Tindal from FuelIn joins us again for a fascinating discussion on training your body to use carbohydrates for your race. Along the way we cover lots of details on carbs vs. fat, carb loading, and the types of carbs to consume. Listen to this episode to learn how to use carbs to your advantage so you can become faster.Watt Points: Save yourself from going to 0 watts.

Training and aerodynamics are two the largest watt savings topics we hear about on FASTER. Today on FASTER we are talking with Sebastian Schluricke and Bjorn Kafka from Aerotune who are optimizing aerodynamics and performing metabolic testing in a web based software. On the aero side they allow you to upload ride data to determine your CdA. On the training side they’ve developed a user friendly metabolic testing protocol that gives the athlete tools to optimize both VO2 Max and VLamax. Later this year they will be releasing custom training plans based on your metabolic test results which will simplify a very complex field for the everyday athlete. Today’s show is broken into two halves. We talk about aero in the beginning and metabolic testing in the second half. Bjorn has a way of explaining metabolic testing like I’ve never heard before and my understanding is much clearer. If you’ve wanted to learn more about metabolic testing and why it’s important for you as an athlete, this is a must listen to episode. Listen to this episode to optimize your aerodynamic position and your metabolic efficiency so you can become faster.Watt Points: 70-80

What do you do with all of the data that you collect while riding your bike? Most cyclist upload it to Strava where they compare themselves to the leaderboard. In a lot of cases this can be demotivating. The Breakaway is using your data to help you compare yourself to yourself. They’re analyzing your power data and providing actionable next steps to help you improve. You’re given a ranking based on your age and sex so you can see where you stand with people that are relative to you. They also have an eight week rolling average on data analysis so you aren’t continually comparing yourself to what you could do in the past. The goal is to motivate you to be your best today. With integrations to most major platforms and workout recommendations, Breakaway is meant to be your cycling fitness dashboard when you’re not riding. Listen to this episode to learn how to use your data and results to motivate yourself so you can become faster.Watt Points: 30