Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce

13 Thoughts on Diet and Clean Eating

As an athlete, specifically a cyclist, you know that your diet greatly affects your performance on the bike. Your ability to go hard and long depends to some extent on what you’ve been fueling yourself with. Colby isn’t and doesn’t claim to be a dietitian or nutritionist; that said, this podcast is a collection of his thoughts on wholesome, clean eating.

REFERENCES

• https://secure.metabolictypingonline.com/
• https://www.westonaprice.org
• https://secure.metabolictypingonline.com 
• Eugene Trufkin: https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Factory-Shopping-Guide-Evgeny-Trufkin/dp/1099029430

12 Jessi Stensland: Freedom of the Beautiful Robot

Jessi Stensland, the creator of FeetFreex, a website designed to help people connect with their healthy, strong feet, and re-establish a connection with nature.

Thanks for coming along with us to experience Jessi’s powerful journey and listen to the lessons she’s discovered along the way.

She has deeply developed her relationship with her body in the years since competing as a professional triathlete, swimming at the Olympic trials, and winning a bronze medal at XTERRA World Championships. Her ideas about shoes and sleep may be new and unusual to you, but pause and consider her enthusiasm, her agility, and her deep connection to her own body.

References

• Feet Freex: feetfreex.com
• Team Exos https://www.teamexos.com/capabilities/sports-performance/

11 Aaron Anderson: Orthotics and Footbeds

Your feet are a critical component to the cycling experience. Proper alignment between feet and body is one of the keys to both power and comfort on a bike. Because of the repetitive motion of pedaling, any issues you might have are compounded by the thousands of kilometers you endure, and you can quickly exacerbate poor foot pronation or supination. If not addressed, sub-par foot alignment can increase your risk of injury.

Today’s guest, an expert in this field, is Aaron Anderson, the founder of PTI Orthotics & Foot Resource Lab, and a board-certified pedorthist for over 20 years.

In this episode, we break down the different ways that prefabricated, semi-custom, and custom orthotics are constructed; analyze the pros and cons of the different methods used to cast feet and determine orthotic support needs; offer practical tips and advice on how to find the best podiatrist, and discuss how to determine the quality of the orthotics you’re considering.

REFERENCES

• Aaron Anderson, PTI Orthotics and Foot Resource Lab https://ptiorthotics.com/
• Dr. Kevin Kirby: kirbypodiatry.com
• Robert Donatelli Book: Biomechanics of the Foot and Ankle
• Prolotherapy: Mayo Clinic on Prolotherapy
• Ehlers Danlos: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/

10 Work-Life Balance in the Context of Cycling

Today on Cycling in Alignment we take a step back, off the bike, to focus on the alignment of your mental state. Every activity can be classified as “yin” or “yang” according to ancient Chinese philosophy. You’ve likely seen the interlaced black and white circle representative of this philosophy; the symbol illustrates how seemingly opposite forces can be complementary and interconnected. But have you ever had an in-depth lesson on yin and yang?

More importantly, have you learned how to apply this knowledge to your life? Lucky for you, Colby has some answers. All you Type-A, go-getter cyclists, it’s time to contemplate the importance of balancing your yang activities with the yin.

Ready for some intervals from Coach Colby? How about a six-by-six-minute breathing workout as you slowly walk around the block?

REFERENCES

• The Dragon: https://www.paulcheksblog.com/the-dragon-2/
• Tai Chi Poster: https://chekinstitute.com/gong/

9 Lydia Tanner: Mountain Bikes, Meditation, and Muesli

Mountain biker Lydia Tanner has won two collegiate national championships and raced internationally with Team USA. She is a long-time coach at Boulder Junior Cycling and content strategist at TrainingPeaks. You may have read some of her gear reviews in Bike magazine.

Colby once coached Lydia, and in this interview, she recalls her apathy toward training and riding during that period of her racing career. Lydia reveals why she was struggling so much at the time: Sadly, she was dealing with the all-too-common issue of an eating disorder. That, in combination with a myriad of serious injuries and concussions, eventually took its toll; she got to a point where she didn’t touch a bike for years.

Now, the bike is all about adventure for Lydia. She and Colby talk about some of their epic rides in the past, including Lydia’s 500-kilometer, 40-hour ride.

They emphasize the importance and struggle of finding and understanding one’s identity outside of sport and career. As coaches, they discuss the issues with training young girls to be aggressive with their teammates and training partners.

This and much more on today’s episode of Cycling in Alignment.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydlovesmud/

Lydia on Bike Magazine https://www.bikemag.com/author/lydia-tanner/

8 Anatomy of a Good Cycling Shoe

Which cycling shoes should I buy?

This may seem like a straightforward question. But the better thing to ask is: Which shoes are right for my feet? If you’ve been a professional cyclist with extensive experience as a bike fitter, like show host Colby Pearce, the answer to that more complex question becomes an hour-long podcast, filled with the nuances of human anatomy.

There are several questions about your physiology and biomechanics that need to be answered before you can select the ideal shoe for you, and for the purpose of your rides. Dial that Boa in—but not too tight.

There’s much to be learned in today’s episode of Cycling in Alignment.

Lake 403s – https://lakecycling.com/products/cx-403?variant=30307106029662

Device that expands toe-box – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4SKS82?tag=duckduckgo-osx-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

Cycling Tips Podcast about Bont shoes: https://cyclingtips.com/2015/05/bont-vaypor-s-shoe-review/

Bont Helix – https://www.bontcycling.com/products/road/helix/index.html

Bontrager XXX – https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bike-clothing/cycling-shoes/road-bike-shoes/bontrager-xxx-road-cycling-shoe/p/25000/

Lintamen – https://www.lintaman.com/

Hanseeno – https://hanseeno.com/collections/performance/products/u100g-shoes

www.feetfreex.com/

Treadlabs orthotics – https://treadlabs.com/

Superfeet orthotics – https://www.superfeet.com/en-us

Icebug orthotics – https://icebug.com/insoles

G8 orthotics – https://www.g8performance.com/

7 Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of EF Education First Pro Cycling Team

Long-time friends, training partners, and competitors, Jonathan Vaughters and Colby Pearce have a deep racing history and relationship. With decades of experience in pro cycling, they have gained many insights about training, coaching, and the trajectory of the sport.

Colby and JV first discuss their early training techniques, taught to them by their first cycling coach, Adrie Van Diemen, a Dutch exercise physiologist now with UAE Team Emirates. Many of the techniques are now considered to be standard practice. The pair reminisce about how they were ahead of their time, in many ways, even though they didn’t realize it.

Vaughters, who has coached many pro cyclists over the years, then gives examples of experiments gone right—and wrong—and how certain training regimens should be applied to certain types of athletes. He also openly discusses the conflict of interest in coaching athletes while also serving as their team manager.

The discussion then turns to the finer details of cycling technique, including a detailed explanation of how crank length affects a rider’s ability to climb, sprint, and win. JV even describes the time he swapped cranks behind the back of his former team manager, Johan Bruyneel.

Next, the conversation turns to Rigoberto Urán, who finished second in the 2017 Tour de France. The Colombian’s diet at that year’s race included bananas and… bananas. Vaughters uses that example to illustrate how the natural and simple solution oftentimes bests all of the “advanced” nutrition expertise in the world—and how athletes often discover what works best for them and “solve their own equation.”

That, and much more, in today’s episode of “Cycling in Alignment.”

REFERENCES

• Book: “One-Way Ticket: Nine Lives on Two Wheels” https://www.amazon.com/One-Way-Ticket-Nine-Lives-Wheels/dp/0143134140
• Coach Adrie Van Diemen http://www.webtrainer.com/nl/

6 Expansion on Metrics and Formulas

The topic of formulas and their inherent value has been mentioned previously on Cycling in Alignment. This short bonus episode is meant to clarify that formulas are a useful starting point in cycling and training. Formulas can help you race a faster time trial, to gauge how many bottles per hour you need to consume during a long ride in the mountains, how many intervals to run at what pace for a given result, and how long a break should be taken in between.

However, formulas can have flaws or limitations. The critical piece is to make allowances for alterations and compensations. We, as coaches, are trying to help the athlete refine their instinct. Formulas are a tool in a tool chest, which athletes and coaches can use as a starting point. However, formulas don’t account for varying road surfaces, grades, weather, even the unpredictable nature of each individual’s biome.

There are so many opportunities for an athlete to be led astray by strictly adhering, religiously, to a formula. A formula is a proxy for experience. As always, the goal of this show is to help guide you towards the alignment of scientific athletic pursuit with the right relationship of mind and body.

5 Nikki Costello on ELDOA and the Importance of Fascia

Nikki Costello is a lifestyle coach with the CHEK Institute and operator of MyWholeBody. She has worked with Dr. Mark Barnes at SOMA Physical Therapy on the rehabilitation of whole-body health. Nikki specializes in resilience, recovery and longevity. She is also an experienced ELDOA teacher—in English, it stands for Longitudinal Osteo-Articular Decoaptation Stretching—a practice that she and Colby discuss at length during the episode. Much of this practice is focused on the body’s fascial system and repairing or instituting its integrity.

REFERENCES

• Merrill Performance Web: https://www.mperformance.com/ 
• NC Website: http://mywholebody.net/about-us/nikki-costello/
• Anatomy Trains: https://www.anatomytrains.com/
• Weston A. Price: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/why-we-need-carbs/
• Black Onyx (cocoa) https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/black-onyx-cocoa-powder

4 Charlie Merrill: The Psycho-Social Considerations of Pain

Charlie Merrill, a physical therapist, and Tabi shoe enthusiast, takes a deep dive on pain in this week’s episode of Cycling in Alignment.

Injury can have a devastating impact on many athletes. The conversation covers how and why so many individuals have dealt with some aspect of pain in their time of athletic pursuit. Colby and Charlie also cover the degree to which pain can set us back in terms of physical fitness and emotional well-being.

All that and much more, this week on Cycling in Alignment.

REFERENCES

• Merrill Performance Web: https://www.mperformance.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MPerformanceBoulder
• Instagram: @charliemerrill https://www.instagram.com/charliemerrill/
• Kit Laughlin: https://stretchtherapy.net/
• Peter O’Sullivan: http://www.pain-ed.com/team/
• Stu McGill: https://www.backfitpro.com/about-us/
• Guy Winch Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_why_we_all_need_to_practice_emotional_first_aid
• Keith Bontrager and the Myth of KOPS [Knee Over Pedal Spindle]: https://sheldonbrown.com/kops.html
• Steve Bauer “chopper” Paris-Roubaix bike circa 93: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/top-five-worst-cycling-inventions-196732
• Charlie’s video on Jika-Tabi Shoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLkMni4Qv1Q&t=2s 
• Also see: https://www.lin.health