It's fairly appropriate that as I type this there's a solar eclipse going on and viewing parties all over the north east. I hope the disposable glasses truly do their job, and this certainly speaks to the power of the Sun. We'd perish pretty quickly without it, but like so many things, too much can be detrimental. Maybe extremely detrimental.
It's almost impossible to be a part of the cycling multi-verse and not have heard the term "marginal gains." This term was made popular in 2015 by the commentators of many big bike races, most notably Le Tour de France, as they discussed Team Sky's approach of making sure every detail was taken care of. According to CNBC, "Sir Dave Brailsford, former performance director of British Cycling, revolutionized the sport using the theory of marginal gains.... As this thinking became a culture and a philosophy shared by all members of Brailsford’s team, they kept searching for any and every area where they could make tiny improvements. Their goal was a marginal or 1% gain in every aspect of their training and environment. Individually, each incremental change may have seemed unnecessary or random, but collectively, they helped create a powerhouse with a level of success that became the envy of the cycling world." Well, this post is certainly about something relatively easy and "small" that we all can do, but its impact might not be so marginal.
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Caffeine...some people can't operate without their first cup of coffee in the morning, and others hit it all day long. Some folks can fall right asleep after a full cup of high test (side note: studies have shown that this may not be quality sleep) and others are wired out of their mind.
Caffeine has long been a supplement used by athletes of all disciplines, and certainly not excluded are the endurance athletes. I've been reading quite a few articles recently that shed some new light on how caffeine interacts with our bodies. This is a great article on Training Peaks by Carrie McCusker out of Portland, Maine. Check it out and weigh the ups and downs yourself! ***Make sure you always consult with a medical professional about your own sensitivity or intolerance to caffeine.*** Caffeine: How it Works For and Against Your Performance And a second article at Precision Hydration by Sports Scientist Abby Coleman: Why do athletes use caffeine? Now, it's time to go get that afternoon cup o' jo...or not? Cheers, Coach B.L. Over the past 7-8 years, more and more athletes that I work use a smart trainer for their indoor cycling, and some of the new athletes that sign on to work with me only have experience with a smart trainer and ERG mode on for indoor workouts. So is this a good thing or bad thing or is it neutral? Like most things, this is not a binary decision of “good” or “bad”, but a continuum. My initial thought was that there’s more bad than good, but I wanted to find out more. I wrote a post a couple of months ago (Free Speed!) about reconnecting with Dr. Matt Miller, a longtime friend and fellow mountain bike racer.
From his site, www.mtbphd.com : “Dr Matt Miller is a sports scientist and entrepreneur focused on MTB rider performance. He was the first to publish findings on using FTP to predict MTB race performance and pioneered braking analysis on the trails. Matt is the Inventor and Founder of BrakeAce, the world's first brake sensor and analysis app. BrakeAce was successfully funded on Kickstarter in August 2021. He has coached gravity and endurance MTB racers 1-on-1, including riders earning multiple USA National Championships and top-10 overall finishes in the Enduro World Series. He continues to consult for major brands in the industry and publish educational science content for mountain bikers.” |
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Coach B.L.Coach B.L. is the head coach at BJL Coaching and an avid racer and cycling enthusiast himself. Archives
April 2024
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