Blog: The Coaching Chronicles

Cornering in gravel at BWR

Cornering in gravel is hard. It’s a traction issue. On a road bike, your tires grab, sliding is bad, and you can really lean the bike over. On gravel there’s not really any major bike leaning. When the speed is high enough that you can lean the bike over, if you’re on gravel you’d just…

Utilizing winter sports for BWR training

I’m going to paint a picture and it may resemble your situation. Minnesota in February. You’re working during the day, watching the weather, and it does not look good for your weekend ride like it did in July. Looks like another evening on the trainer. You’ve found Zwift, you’ve tried TrainerRoad, your coach writes some…

Should you incorporate strength training into your BWR preparation?

To lift or not to strength train, that’s NOT the question. In your run into BWR, you will be gaining fatigue. If 100% of your CTL (chronic training load) is from riding, you’re leaving some potential power behind. We’ve seen the BWR course. Besides some major tweaks that Michael Marckx may throw at us the…

Running for Cyclocross

Howdy folks, Today we’re going to talk a little bit about running.  Cyclocross running, that is. A couple of years ago, I wrote this: With certain regional exceptions, the way folks are designing cross courses in the US these days you might not need to train your running at all to be really, really damn…

Don’t Compromise on your Gravel/ Everything Bike- You Don’t Need to.

“When it comes to gravel, play it as it lies” – Joseph Schmalz Gravel bikes are not limited by any national governing body in any way.  Therefore they are not restricted by any rules for equipment the likes of which are in the 49 page UCI equipment rules and regulations. By any logical discussion, cycling…

Gravel Bikes are Pruning the Bicycle Tree of Evolution

As life began to fill every corner of the globe, it has become adapted to each area. Every environmental niche has an organism that is perfectly suited to it.  That sort of evolution is exactly what we expect from life. It’s also what have come to expect as we become more adventurous in our ever-expanding…

I See Food in your Power File: Fueling Adequately for Training

A few weeks ago I hosted a webinar for USA Cycling on the Nutrition Care Process. I discussed how Registered Dietitians conduct nutrition assessments and how coaches can apply these concepts to identify nutrition-related issues in their athletes. The webinar inspired this article where I present a few cases where athletes were unable to complete…

Casey Cohenmeyer: 2019 Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride BWR Done

TLDR Version: Thank you Michael Marckx, Andy Brightman, Phil Tinstman and all the countless others and volunteers who bring this insane event to our community. Thank you cycling community for being awesome. Thank you to Nick, Steve and Ned for putting up and being involved in this nonsense. Most of all, thank you Adam Mills at…

Sylvia Maas Sets Record At Race Across The West

Sylvia Maas is no stranger to arduous challenges so it’s no shocker that she set a record recently at Race Across the West!! From Race Across the West’s post (see original): TEAM IN OUR PRIME FINISHES WITH JUST ONE RIDER R201 In Our Prime, USA, finished first in the 2-Person Female (50-59) category. Team In…

Power Analysis of Achilles Tendinitis Injury to Heroic Feats by Kristen Arnold MS, RDN, CSSD

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is a cheesy but appropriate quote to use for this article. Stories of triumph coming out of misfortune are not new in sports, but it is helpful to tell these stories and be reminded that all athletes go through injury and challenges out of their control. The brave…