Colby Pearce has been a Steve Hogg Certified expert bike fitter for the past 10 years and has worked with elite athletes and WorldTour teams, including EF Education First. He is also an elite cycling coach and has been passing along his wisdom to the riders he coaches for decades. Pearce’s repertoire of knowledge spans 30 years, five continents, hundreds of races, and countless miles in the saddle. The minutiae of cycling and riding technique are just part of the story that Colby shares. Alignment with nature, foundational principles of health, and treating the sport as a practice are some of the philosophies he shares. Cycling in Alignment features a diverse guest list, including those who may or may not be familiar names in the cycling world. Prepare to have your belief systems shattered.
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Michael Holt: Always the Middle Path - Ep146
This discussion is with Micheal Holt, whom I regard as a friend, teacher, and colleague. I first met Michael at a course at the Chek Institute about five years ago, where I learned he had been teaching meditation for many years. I ended up studying with him online and in person, and I have learned a tremendous amount from his curriculum.
In our discussion today we speak about his new email course, which will be released shortly and details Five Indispensable Skills. I think this course will be invaluable for anyone in my audience.
We also speak about Michael’s free online meditation course, which can be found on YouTube.
Links:
Michael's Savage And Saint Website ►► https://savageandsaint.com/
Micheal's YouTube Course ►► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIeRtRkxvQ8&t=1357s
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Thoughts on Sounds - Ep145
In this episode I discuss the relationship between music, health, and athletic performance. Some of my ideas and experiences are pretty orbital so fasten your cosmic seatbelt, or whatever, and then enjoy some tunes.
I made a playlist on Spotify of my of my most recent played tracks. These probably all fall in the category of Conscious Hip Hop. I am not really sure what that means but I vibe with it.
Links:
My Spotify Playlist ►► https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6go2ZDpt8KlFh5n3EwILnO?si=53b250a1b2f14856
Follow-up on Steamboat GRVL ►► https://youtu.be/4Pbaxrlo7G8?si=o-yDwvmihoGUuA8t
Monday Sep 09, 2024
Monday Sep 09, 2024
** THIS IS PART 2 OF THIS EPISODE **
More with Dr. Courtney Conley. We Continue our discussion about all things feet including toe spacers, cycling shoes, and how to help me with my hallux limitus. Isn’t Latin great?
Dr Courtney is endlessly passionate about the human foot and I am grateful she took the time to come and nerd out with me on this topic. I am sure you will find our conversation interesting, in particular if you have ever been challenged by your own feet during riding or off the bike. Which is pretty much every human on earth.
Links:
Courtney's Website ►► https://gaithappens.com
Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
The Fractal of the Feet with Dr Courtney Conley - Part 1 - Ep143
This conversation with Dr Courtney takes place in my fit studio. We speak about all things feet including toe spacers, cycling shoes, and how to help me with my hallux limitus. Isn’t Latin great?
Dr Courtney is endlessly passionate about the human foot and I am grateful she took the time to come and nerd out with me on this topic. I am sure you will find our conversation interesting, in particular if you have ever been challenged by your own feet during riding or off the bike. Which is pretty much every human on earth.
Links:
Courtney's Website ►► https://gaithappens.com
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
SBT RDX - Ep142
In this walking pod I offer some lessons I learned during the 2024 SBT GRVL race. I competed on the Black course and suffered epic cramps with about 35KM to go in the race, something I have never experienced in over 35 years of bike racing.
I discuss some hypothetical explanations for this outcome and also share thoughts on the race load for someone such as myself who trains a reasonable amount by normal person standards, but arguably not enough to race a 200KM gravel race.
In the end, I conclude that I simply overcooked myself heading into this event. Being fresh is critical for any race that will eventually bring you to your knees. Somehow after all this time showing up for bike races, I managed to miss the mark on this one. Hopefully my experience illustrates how easy it is to do this, even for someone as experienced as I am at playing stretchy bike time.
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Michael O'Brien We Are Kintsugi - Part 2 - Ep141
This is Part 2.
This episode is a discussion with cyclist Michael Obrien, who had a transformational life experience in 2001 when he was hit by an SUV while riding his bike.
We speak about the Japanese form of pottery known as Kintsugi, in which a broken bowl or vessel is repaired, and the glue is layered in gold leaf. Rather than attempting to conceal old wounds, traumas or fractures, this method seeks to highlight the returning to wholeness that happens in the process of healing.
I am sure you will enjoy our discussion which centers more on philosophy, meditation and tribal relations than cycling performance, directly. However, as you know, health is the foundation of optimal athletic performance.
Links:
Michael's Website ►► https://www.michaelobrienshift.com/
Michael's Podcast ►► https://www.michaelobrienshift.com/kintsugi-podcast/
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Michael O'brien We Are Kintsugi - Part 1 - Ep140
This episode is a discussion with cyclist Michael Obrien, who had a transformational life experience in 2001 when he was hit by an SUV while riding his bike.
We speak about the Japanese form of pottery known as Kintsugi, in which a broken bowl or vessel is repaired, and the glue is layered in gold leaf. Rather than attempting to conceal old wounds, traumas or fractures, this method seeks to highlight the returning to wholeness that happens in the process of healing.
I am sure you will enjoy our discussion which centers more on philosophy, meditation and tribal relations than cycling performance, directly. However, as you know, health is the foundation of optimal athletic performance.
Links:
Michael's Website ►► https://www.michaelobrienshift.com/
Michael's Podcast ►► https://www.michaelobrienshift.com/kintsugi-podcast/
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Movement is a River - Ep 139
During this walking podcast I discuss the idea that all movement is like a river. I offer that we must direct and cultivate the qualities of the river of our movement with a specific intent, or this river will be wild, untamed, and end up in the wrong place.
I offer this analogy to help people understand that their daily movement patterns impact their movement in sports, and their movement in all of life.
I also offer some practical takeaways to help direct the river of movement into a more optimal fashion.
Movement is a daily practice that requires attention, embodiment and awareness.
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Saddle Forward! - Episode 138
This walking podcast is a commentary on two different perspectives about forward saddle positions that have been floating around in the intersphere. They got me thinking so I figured I would drop some thoughts on this topic.
The first discussion is around an article Dan Empfield posted on his website slow twitch dot com. I agree with some of what Dan says, and some of it I don’t. I am glad he wrote the article as it helped clarify some ideas in my mind.
The second is a video on you tube on a channel called Peak Torque. This guy has some wid theories about why Pogacar has his saddle so forward and I think he is pretty off base. He also explains why he likes to put his saddle nose down and has been telling other people to put their saddle nose down. There are multiple logical fallacies in his reasoning. I call it like I see it.
I hope you find this discussion useful.
Thoughts? Hit me below. Let’s have a discourse.
Links:
Dan Empfield’s Article ►► https://www.slowtwitch.com/Bike_Fit/Road_Bike_Fit/Have_You_Noticed_Hips_Moving_Forward_in_the_Peloton__8986.html
Peak Torque Video ►► https://youtu.be/9n6nTNiacm8
Tuesday Jun 25, 2024
Tuesday Jun 25, 2024
Three Attributes of Cyclists - Ep 137
In this night time walking adventure I speak about the three characteristics a cyclist must have in order to express their highest potential as an athlete.
The episode is inspired by conversations with Jonathan Vaughters about what it takes to be good. His list included 1) Marathoner 2) F1 Driver. He has a video about this in our Team EF Coaching education portal.
JV says you have to have a big engine, and be able to drive a bike. I agree, and I would offer a 3rd item to this list: 3D chess.
Meaning: a cyclist can’t just corner like a maniac and drop watt bombs. They have to selectively, intelligently choose when to utilize their strength. This is what differentiates cycling from Marathon running or swimming events: cycling is a sport that is heavily influenced by the size of the athlete’s engine, but it is also influenced heavily by physics and terrain [read: mostly draft effect and hills] which change the weight of the variables that influence performance.
My gripe with many modern coaches and athletes is that they over train the engine and neglect the other aspects. Even worse, they really only focus on one particular aspect of the engine. This makes you one dimensional and opens numerous possibilities for race day failure.
These concepts don’t only apply to competitive elite or World Tour riders; they apply to all riders at every level.
A bit of artwork is included to help you conceptualize these ideas as I am teaching them.
Do you agree? Think I am wrong? Did I miss a major attribute? Comment and let the world know.
LINKS:
Team EF Coaching ►► https://www.teamefcoaching.com
Peter Defty Episode on YouTube ►► https://youtu.be/PrPdlT3apT8