This week we're diving into a Q and A with one of our athletes, Keegan Swirbul. Keegan is hot off a 7th on GC at the Tour of Utah. A result we're proud of and worked for, but also maybe the tip of the iceberg. Read on for more...
Q: You were just 7th on GC at Utah, highlighted by a 5th place on the final day. Can you walk us through that ride a bit? How did you feel?
Read MoreThe increased amount of data athletes can collect about their training has helped to push the boundaries of what we thought was possible. However, this has come at a price. Some athletes are too dependent on data when they race. While post-race data analysis is key for improving performance, real-time data analysis can actually hurt performance.
Read More“Injury”, it is a bit of an interesting term. An interesting term because it can span such a range of issues, and such a range of repercussions. A scrape from a slide out in a corner is a fair injury, but so is a concussion that might keep an athlete out of training for a couple months if not longer. The implications vary, but the term stays the same. That said the goal here is not to have a ramble on semantics, rather to have a rant on dealing with injury.
Read MoreFor a sprinter to prepare for the Tour de France, is like me baking a cake (but not one of those box cakes!) it takes time, a few key ingredients, definitely a lot of patience, and also the confidence that the process is going to pay off. That said, there are a lot of different cakes – some come out great, and some do not – it takes years to perfect. It may be simple to define some of the baseline demands of being a Tour de France sprinter, however the execution is anything but simple.
Read MoreTime trials are called “the race of truth” because it’s just rider and machine against the clock with the fittest person winning. I interpret things differently. My interpretation is that time trials are the race of truth because if you don’t know how to pace them, the truth is, you’re going to have a bad time.
Read MoreThis week we’ve got a guest blog post from Catalyst athlete Aaron Mahoney. He’s made the transition from triathlon to road bike racing. Here he describes some of the lessons he’s learned along the way. Enjoy!
When I went to college, I took up triathlon, racing a handful of times during the summer. This culminated with racing Ironman Wisconsin last summer where I placed 19th in my age group. During my time training for triathlon, I always looked forward to the bike days. So, after finishing up my Ironman, I decided to try my hand at racing bikes. What follows is a list of the things I felt made up the bulk of my learning curve when adjusting from one sport to the other.
Read MoreThis week we’ve got a guest post from Catalyst athlete Landry Bobo! As a relatively new cat 2, he discusses what he’s learned in making the jump from cat 3 to doing some races with the pros. Enjoy!
It’s the 2012 Morgul Bismarck—my first ever road race. I’m about to line up for a 30 mile course in the Junior Men 15-16 category. As I ride towards the start area, I pass the Pro-1-2 Men’s field that is already lined up for their race.
Read MoreWe’re constantly being told that stress is bad, but it’s not that simple. Stress has different forms. In the sports world, physical stress plays an important role for improving performance. Training puts stress on the body and you need this physical stress so that the body will adapt and get stronger.
Read MoreFive, four, three, two, one - GO! The 2018 Gila TT began, I pushed off, and a few out of the saddle pedals later I was down in the aero position holding myself back while adrenaline shot through my body.
When I crossed the line 37 minutes later the moto that had been following me came up to my side and said “Nice ride dude! I think you put at least 90 seconds into the guy closest to you.” It turns out I had put 5 minutes into him, finished in 3rd place, and beaten my best Gila TT time by 2 minutes.
Read MoreIt’s 30 min before the start of the race, Jake has his aero gloves on, he’s just lathered his legs with topical sodium bicarbonate, pockets are loaded with the finest packets of glucose, fructose and caffeine, power meter calibrated, wheel choice verified as the best for this course by Best Bike Split. Jake is dialed, no reason not to win.
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