Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce

78 Shara Simmons: What is Your Body Telling you?

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is with Shara Simmons. Shara has spent her entire life working with people to help them be pain free and more functional. She is a Muscle Activation Technique Specialist and a Chek practitioner. She has also studied ELDOA methods. 

Shara and I discuss the internal knowing and contrast it to the external surrender of power and understanding that is prevalent in western society in the present age. We discuss the technique of becoming the ”hollow bone”, to step out of the way and empty the mind in order to see the client as clearly as possible. Shara talks about Paul Chek’s Six Foundational Principles and how fundamental they are to her coaching process. Additionally, we discuss the I - We - All model and how it influences her practice.

Thank you for listening, I am sure you will find Shara’s wisdom, honesty and passion for her practice engaging and powerful. 

Links:

Shara's Website1: https//www.eukinetics.com

Shara's Email: shara@eukinetics.com

Shara in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eukinetics/

 

 

77 Mike Salemi: Play in your sport, but don’t live in it

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is a conversation with former WAKSC Long Cycle World Champion, Chek and ELDOA practitioner Mike Salemi. Mike has a very holistic perspective on training and he uses the concepts of the Six Foundational Principles as a key aspect of his teachings.

During our discussion we speak about the influence Paul has had on our respective coaching trajectories, how our preparation for teaching has changed as our personal practice has developed, and our mutual quest to escape from the sagittal plane. 

I am sure you enjoy this insightful dialogue with Mike.

Links:

Mike's Website: https://mikesalemi.io

Mike's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike.salemi/

Mike on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MikeSalemi

 

76 Fitting Q’s and A’s

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is a bike fitting Q + A discussion. I received an email from a young man in Adelaide and he asked some great questions about fitting, and I thought it would be helpful for me to answer them on the pod in order to drop knowledge to more people. 

“Drop knowledge” is a term I use with full awareness that while I have things to say, I don’t know everything. “Strong opinions, loosely held”. There is always more to learn. I humbly offer the best information I have at this moment, in the hopes that some might benefit from my thoughts, and I might learn in the same process.

From a slightly different angle: life is a process that is meant to be experienced, not stopped and understood.
 

Show Notes – Here are the links mentioned in the show:

https://cyclingtips.com/2017/09/crank-length-forget-leverage-power-fit/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11923708_Determinants_of_maximal_cycling_power_Crank_length_pedaling_rate_and_pedal_speed

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/2014/07/crank-length-whateverwithin-reason.html?m=1

75 Spectrum of Sugar: Fueling for Rides and Races

I am returning to the US after our first Team EF Education coaching camp in Beuda, Spain. The weather was not amazing for this camp, we timed it perfectly to coincide with some of the coldest and rainiest days the region had experienced in months. But, we still had a very productive and fun camp with many great moments for learning. I ended up with nearly 23 hours of riding in 5 days on some of the most beautiful roads in the world, so there is nothing to complain about.

We worked on many aspects of cycling, but one of the topics most frequently discussed was fueling and hydration for hard training rides. My Team EF Coaching colleague Zack Morris was on a mission to teach our riders how to fuel for this type of riding.

Many of you have heard me be harsh about the use of gels and mixes during training on my podcast, and I am not here to reverse my prior statements. However, this camp has helped me reflect on my position and refine my teachings, something I will continue to do until my time on earth comes to pass. 

In this episode of Cycling in Alignment, I unpack my thoughts on the spectrum of fueling for rides and races. I hope you find this information helpful. 

74 Fireside Chat with Travis Brown: How to Skate a 10K

In this episode of Cycling in Alignment I sit down with one of my best friends, Olympian Travis Brown, to discuss the training manifesto written by Nils van der Poel “How to Skate a 10K …and also a half 10k”. For both of us, there are a lot of interesting takeaways from this detailed disclosure of the final 2.5 years of training Nils did before his victories in the 10KM and 5KM Olympic speedskating events in Beijing. There are many crossovers to cycling, including the fact that for months, Nils rode his bike about 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. I hope you enjoy our analysis and Travis’ perspective on this insightful look into one man’s successful quest to win Olympic gold.  

Links:

How to Skate a 10K …and also a half 10k by Nils van der Poel on Velo News

Swedish Olympic Star Gives Away Gold Medal to Protest Beijing’s Abuses on The New York Times

 

73 Ron Kochevar: Follow the Pull - Part 2

PART TWO - This is the second in a two-part podcast. Part One can be found HERE.

Greetings Beloved Space Monkeys // Seekers of Knowledge and Understanding

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is with Doctor of Physical Therapy, a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, a Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Instructor, and a Shamanic Energy Practitioner Ron Kochevar. The depth and breadth of his study, as well as his experience in health care and clinical treatment gives him a unique perspective on healing human beings. 

Today we unpack some of the sports specific compensation patterns that are exhibited in cyclists. Ron has worked with many cyclists over the years and shares some of the more common challenges that cycling brings to the human body over time. Our conversation oscillates between practical application and examples to more philosophical and big picture explorations of why cyclists do what they do.

Ron has been on my podcast previously, in episode #24, titled: Rototilling Belief Systems. I find Ron to be an engaging critical thinker and a direct and honest communicator, I hope you enjoy our conversation.  

Links:

Ron's Website: https://www.ronkochevar.com

Episode 24 with Ron: https://cyclinglinalignmentwithcolbypearce.podbean.com/e/24-rototilling-belief-systems-with-physical-therapist-ron-kochevar

72 Ron Kochevar: Follow the Pull - Part One

Greetings Beloved Space Monkeys // Seekers of Knowledge and Understanding

PART ONE

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is with Doctor of Physical Therapy, a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, a Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Instructor, and a Shamanic Energy Practitioner Ron Kochevar. The depth and breadth of his study, as well as his experience in health care and clinical treatment gives him a unique perspective on healing human beings. 

Today we unpack some of the sports specific compensation patterns that are exhibited in cyclists. Ron has worked with many cyclists over the years and shares some of the more common challenges that cycling brings to the human body over time. Our conversation oscillates between practical application and examples to more philosophical and big picture explorations of why cyclists do what they do.

Ron has been on my podcast previously, in episode #24, titled: Rototilling Belief Systems. I find Ron to be an engaging critical thinker and a direct and honest communicator, I hope you enjoy our conversation.  

Links:

Ron's Website: https://www.ronkochevar.com

Episode 24 with Ron: Episode 24 on Podbean

71 Etiology of Understanding: You Are Smarter Than You Think You Are

This episode of Cycling in Alignment is another solo pod. I promise I have many guests coming on the show soon but for now you get me. As always I am grateful for your presence. 

In this discussion, I outline the idea that many people look for validation outside of themselves, rather than inside. That is; people seek knowledge from experts in various fields and become attached or invested in these expert’s opinions. I argue that when people do this, they place power outside of themselves. Culturally we are looking for exogenous forms of expertise.

This can be for two primary reasons:

- Overwhelm from sheer volume of information available on the internet
- A refusal to or bypass of taking accountability for the decision. When an expert told you to do it, you don’t have to worry about it

As humans we have an invaluable source of information and understanding in ourselves. This might be commonly referred to as intuition, a priori knowledge, or a gut feeling. We have to have some basic knowledge of a topic in order to develop understanding, without a doubt. However, the only way to have a full understanding of a topic or field of study with depth is through experience. This is the key. Knowledge + experience = understanding. 

70 Cadence: What is it? Why do we care?

Episode 70 of Cycling in Alignment could have been titled “Delayed by Covid” but no one wants to hear about that so we are talking about cadence. When I say we, I mean all the voices in my head … in this discussion I cover the two components of power, namely cadence and torque, and I speak about the relationship between them and why we are served by understanding this relationship. I also give practical examples of how these concepts apply in real world riding.

I have also written about this topic on my website, colby pearce dot com. My plan is to release more written content in conjunction with future podcasts, in order to get the information out in different forms. Additionally, written content allows for links to resources and articles, as well as visual aids including photos, graphs, and diagrams. 

I will also be making some artwork in conjunction with future podcasts and will post this on the gram as well as on my site with the written work. I was quite artistic when I was a young man but this has largely gone unpracticed as my life became consumed with competitive cycling. There is something missing in me when I don’t have an outlet for my creative energy. My vision is to bring this to my teaching in a way that helps me communicate my ideas and also serves my audience. 

69 Discussion Expansion: The Simple Truth About Exercise and Hydration with Prof Ross Tucker and Editor Mike Finch

Happy New Year Space Monkeys! The first episode of season 3 of Cycling in Alignment is a new format: I will call it Discussion Expansion. In this episode, I use an existing podcast from another source and add my own thoughts on their material. Hopefully this won’t get me sued or beaten up…The material I am discussing today comes from The Real Science of Sport podcast, a pod that is relatively new to me but I am enjoying thoroughly. When I heard this episode I had several thoughts that I figured would be worth sharing, and thus here we are. 

I synopsize some of the major points that Ross makes in his podcast, and then expand the discussion with my own thoughts and observations on the topic of hydration in sports. Ross made several very good points and I can’t say I disagree with any of them outright. That said, I did have things to add from my own mind movies. 

My intent is to offer additional views on the topic with complete and total respect to the original author[s]. Professor Tucker is a far more formally educated person than I am so hopefully I didn’t butcher any science along the way. Ross and Mike do an excellent job of presenting the material and I think this episode is worth listening to. I also did my best to accurately quote or paraphrase the material; if I misquoted or misrepresented the podcast or in any way, it was not intentional. 

Did you like this episode? Would you like more “Discussion Expansion” format episodes? If so, please let me know, and send me your suggested episodes. I can’t promise I will do an episode for every suggestion I receive but I will consider every suggestion. 

Or, do you think this is total crap? Honesty is the best policy. Just tell me.  

Links:

Ross' and Mike's Podcast on Apple: Here

Ross' and Mike's Podcast on Spotify: Here