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
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
As a proponent of Chek’s methods and philosophy, Colby will walk through the practical applications of each of these for cyclists.
The six principles are:
- Eating
- Drinking
- Sleeping
- Movement
- Breathing
- Thinking
References
Water Calculator: https://www.thecalculator.co/health/Water-Calculator-56.html
Breathing:
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Jess Elliott is an experienced strength and conditioning coach working at EXOS, and as an affiliate faculty member at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Jess is here to help you understand why it is so important to make time for off-the-bike strength and conditioning work. The low-impact aspect of cycling is advantageous to your body in many ways, but it does have some downsides as well. Ensuring that your body can move in a multi-planar fashion with ease and strength can prevent you from getting injured and will lead you towards being a more well-balanced individual suited for an active lifestyle.
REFERENCES
TAG -https://www.tagperformanceco.com/our-leader
DARI – https://www.darimotion.com/about-us
Colby’s DARI Test – https://www.velonews.com/training/training-center-motion-capture-technology-helps-fix-imbalances/
FMS Gray Cook: http://graycook.com/?page_id=150
SFMA: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Selective_Functional_Movement_Assessment_(SFMA)
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
The fundamentals of cycling are simple; even small children do it. Yet it’s vital that we occasionally revisit the core principles of our favorite sport.
In this episode of Cycling in Alignment, Colby outlines many of the key components of cycling, including the physical characteristics that make for great cyclists.
He also ponders the question: if your body doesn’t match with this description, can you still be a great rider?
Colby also touches upon torque, the pedal stroke, fascial system, physiological testing, FTP, bike fit, and the symmetry of cycling in this broad overview of the sport of cycling.
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Travis Brown is an Olympian and a mountain bike Hall of Fame inductee. His road to the Olympic Games was twisty and narrow, and often fraught with obstacles—not unlike a section of Rocky Mountain singletrack.
In today’s episode, listen to his conversation with Colby to hear about how he began his return from a severe leg injury on the bike, even before that leg was weight-bearing.
Brown still works with his long-time sponsor, Trek, developing new bikes and equipment.
He also develops young talent in the sport, including those on Native American reservations, providing bikes to young riders there.
The pair touch upon all of these topics.
Finally, Travis reveals the scare he’s had from skin cancer. As an outdoor enthusiast who spends much time on his bike, he has strong recommendations for protecting yourself while you’re out on the trail.
REFERENCES
- Archived page of Travis’ SSWC Tattoo: https://web.archive.org/web/20051115120933/http://www.trekbikes.com/news/news_detail.jsp?articleId=4353&category=hot_news
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TBrowntrip
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travis.brown.18007
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
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
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
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/
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
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/
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
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/
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
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/
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
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/