Gravel is on fire now, and Bobby Julich is jumping on the bandwagon. "Let me just set the record straight: I am a full-on newbie, Cat 5 gravel rider. No doubt about it," says the Olympic medalist. "I want to make it clear to the gravel community that I'm not trying to tell you guys anything new. You know those scratch marks on the back of the bandwagon tailgate? Those are mine for just jumping on and trying to grasp what's going on here." With that perspective in mind, Bobby and Gus interview a ...
Feb 20, 2020•32 min
Your probably didn't watch any of the Tour Colombia 2.1. The race was not broadcast in North America, and finding illegal feeds to stream the action presented a headache. Guess what? The Tour Colombia is one of the most important bicycle races in the entire world, and it is the biggest stage race in the entire Western Hemisphere. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we examine the Tour Colombia and its growing importance within the global realm of pro bike racing. Reporter Rebecca Reza...
Feb 19, 2020•57 min
This week's episode came from listener questions. So thank you for sending us your questions! We are here for you and your training. Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing that the hours of research, study, and production of the podcast is useful to you. In today’s Q&A episode, Coach Connor and I selected three questions to address. First, Peter Burghardt, thanks for asking us about intervals. We hope our dissection of the dreaded 4x8s is helpful! Enjoy Trevor’s analysis of his own rides. N...
Feb 18, 2020•39 min
Bobby and Gus dig into the way cycling has been covered over the years, how that coverage is evolving, and how it might be covered in the future. We are joined by special guest, the extraordinary photographer Jered Gruber, to get his view from behind the camera at races and beautiful cycling places around the world.
Feb 13, 2020•1 hr 10 min
On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we sit down with Dirty Kanza 200 winner Amity Rockwell to discuss gravel racing, women's racing, and other topics. Rockwell was not one of the favorites to win last year's Dirty Kanza, however she rode a consistent and near flawless race, and took the lead in the final push to the finish line. Rockwell retells her story of victory, and explains the impact that winning Dirty Kanza had on her cycling career. Rockwell also talks about her cycling exper...
Feb 11, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Are you stretching? Are you stretching too much? The core of Fast Talk episode 97 delves into the short and long term effects of stretching, differentiates between the athletes in various disciplines that should be stretching more, and who should be stretching less. You can lose power and performance capability if you are over or under the optimal length for any given muscle. We discuss yoga and the appropriate way to practice it. Our primary guest is Menachem Brodie, the owner of Human Vortex T...
Feb 11, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Being the technical editor at VeloNews has its perks. High on that list is the ability to find the best and the most durable products in the cycling sphere. When I encounter those, you can bet they stay in my stable. This episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast is dedicated to the Keeper — that bit of cycling gear that never dies and comes with me on just about every ride. Editorial director Ben Delaney and I decided to bring our favorites into the studio to compare notes on what products have stoo...
Feb 10, 2020•28 min
Bobby and Gus get philosophical on this episode, discussing the role pro cyclists and everyday riders should or shouldn't have when it comes to environmental activism and politics. Gus quotes Olympic founding father Pierre de Coubertin, arguing that sport exists to make the world a better place. Bobby counters that, for many, the purpose of sport is a diversion from reality. But before they jump into the big-picture discussion, Bobby and Gus catch you up on all the highlights of recent racing fr...
Feb 06, 2020•28 min
On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we discuss the leaked report by the CADF that allegedly tied Astana riders Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko to banned doctor Michele Ferrari. What information is in the report and what information is left out? How much weight should we give this document? Fred and Andy discuss the strong and weak parts of this news story. In more positive news, we catch up with Australian rider Cameron Wurf, who has decided to rejoin the WorldTour after racing for...
Feb 05, 2020•42 min
For this episode, Chris and Coach Connor go to the fit guru Colby Pearce with a simple request: Tell us what you know about the pedal stroke. We anticipated an intelligent, albeit relatively short answer. What Colby gave us was a monologue of gold. We also caught up with reigning U.S. national road race champion Ruth Winder of Trek-Segafredo for more advice on how to train the pedal stroke, on and off the bike. Thanks again for everyone who has sent us questions both via email (fasttalk@fastlabs...
Feb 04, 2020•22 min
It's a new year, and Angus Morton and Bobby Julich are back at it with Put Your Socks On, a deep dive into the sport of professional cycling by two men whose experience spans the globe. This year, Bobby and Gus are expanding the range of the show, looking at both the micro level of happenings in the sport (who won which race and why) as well as the macro level, such as what are the environmental impacts - positive and negative - of cycling. Oh, and Gus goes camping on a frozen lake... It's time ...
Jan 30, 2020•14 min
The 2020 WorldTour season has roared to life with the Tour Down Under finishing up on Sunday. Richie Porte took the overall after again dropping his foes on Old Willunga Hill. The formulaic finish of this year's race begs the question: Should the Tour Down Under change its format? Every year the race seems to boil down to a battle for time bonuses on the flat stages, and then a three-minute slugfest up Old Willunga. Andrew Hood and Fred Dreier debate why (or why not) the race should try and shak...
Jan 29, 2020•39 min
In episode 95 we talk in-depth about the humble tire. Often neglected, frequently misunderstood, the lowly tire is a much more complicated piece of equipment than many people know. With the help of two very talented technical gurus, Lennard Zinn and Nick Legan, we explain the complexities of the tire, tire pressure, and how those things lead to changes in comfort, grip, rolling resistance and much more. As always, we love your feedback. Email us at fasttalk@fastlabs.com or call 719-800-2112 and ...
Jan 28, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Evil Bikes created the Chamois Hagar to upend the gravel bike segment, and it may have done just that. Evil's COO Jason Moeschler joins VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari in Scottsdale, Arizona to chat about this unique beast of a bike, and what it means for the gravel category. Notably, the Chamois Hagar offers a completely unique gravel bike geometry that looks an awful lot like a mountain bike, and for good reason: Evil is, after all, a mountain bike company. But Moeschler makes the case that...
Jan 27, 2020•39 min
On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we sit down with Dirty Kanza winner Colin Strickland at his local coffee shop in Austin, Texas. Strickland takes us into a deep dive into his background in cycling, and explains why he declined a spot with EF Pro Cycling for the 2020 season. Strickland also discusses his hopes for the gravel racing scene, and why it should steer clear of the various models and attitudes that have shaped competitive road cycling. First, however, we catch up with Velo...
Jan 22, 2020•51 min
Take a guess, which one of our all-knowing hosts is an expert on Baby Yoda, and who hadn’t even heard of him until this recording? Or, more importantly, what is a palindrome? Welcome to our second bonus episode of Fast Talk where Chris and Coach Connor are once again tackling your important questions. First is a question about training while fasting, then some goal-setting analysis, and finally some more discussion on the polarized training approach. We’ve included both email and voicemail quest...
Jan 21, 2020•37 min
Hello and welcome to Fast Talk! I'm your host Chris Case. Today we have a great episode in store for you, with someone you’ve heard from many times before on Fast Talk. Today, we’re finally joined by Brent Bookwalter of the Mitchelton-Scott WorldTour team, a man of both wisdom and humility, for a full conversation on balancing life and sport. What do pros know about that balance, you ask? “They’re pampered!” you’re probably thinking. Well, not exactly true. The life of a pro cyclist is not as gl...
Jan 16, 2020•1 hr 11 min
The VeloNews Podcast welcomes the newest staff editor to join the publication, Betsy Welch. On this week's episode of the podcast we speak with Betsy about the various topics she will be covering, from women's cycling to gravel and mountain bike racing. We recently held a focus group for female cyclists in Boulder, Colorado, and Betsy discusses what we learned from the 40 women who attended. What are the storylines driving interest amongst female riders? Then, Andrew Hood calls in to discuss wha...
Jan 15, 2020•34 min
Helmets have come a long way since leather hairnets, or even more minimalist than that, the perfectly coiffed head of hair. While EPS foam has dominated helmet construction for decades now, a new crop of technologies have emerged in recent years to address the types of forces your brain is likely to encounter during a crash. Tech editor Dan Cavallari traveled to New York City in early 2019 to find out more about Bontrager's Wavecel technology. He sat down with Wavecel's inventor to find out what...
Jan 13, 2020•40 min
Hello and welcome to this bonus episode of Fast Talk. These new episodes, which we’ll publish every other week to supplement our flagship shows, will typically run a little shorter than our regular episodes, and they’ll also be more geared toward answering your questions, but all in all, they’ll contain the same great content you’ve come to expect from Fast Labs, and from Coach Connor and Chris Case. Our regular, full-length episodes with multiple guests addressing the current science in trainin...
Jan 09, 2020•36 min
Welcome back from the holidays! The VeloNews Podcast returns with the first episode of 2020, and there is plenty to discuss. Andrew Hood and Fred Dreier jump into three major storylines from these early days of the decade. The dangerous wildfires in Australia have not yet threatened the Santos Tour Down Under, but major endurance events are often cancelled in the wake of tragedy and natural disasters. Fred and Andy discuss the upcoming race, and whether or not the fires will force organizers to ...
Jan 08, 2020•1 hr
Happy New Year’s, Fast Talk friends! We are excited to be speeding into 2020 with our new company, Fast Labs, and continuing our partnership with VeloNews. For starters, and due to popular demand, Fast Talk will now be a weekly show. These new bi-monthly bonus episodes will be a bit shorter than the traditional Fast Talk episode, but in them you’ll find similar, detailed scientific physiology explanations, special interviews with your favorite pros, coaches, and experts, and we’ll also regularly...
Jan 03, 2020•1 hr 14 min
It's the final episode of The VeloNews Podcast of 2019, and we here at VeloNews want to wish all of you a Happy Holidays! For our final show we have an interview with USPro road champion (and friend of the show) Alex Howes. Alex takes us inside his big win, and discusses the joy and pain of racing the Dirty Kanza 200, as well as his big racing plans for 2020. We hope you have a great break and will see you all in 2020.
Dec 24, 2019•22 min
The decade is coming to a close, so VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari and editorial director Ben Delaney count down the most significant bicycle gear and tech developments to occur since 2010. Some of these advancements changed the way we ride (Indoors? On dirt? It all happened!) and some never gained a foothold. What do you think of our list of the top 20 most important tech stories of the decade? Have questions or feedback? Think we missed a few? Be sure to tweet @browntiedan to let us know!...
Dec 23, 2019•47 min
Base training has traditionally been all about long, slow rides. But that's tough if you live in the northern hemisphere and you hate the cold, or lack the necessary equipment to ride safely outdoors when road conditions might be perilous and light is limited. Today, we’re discussing how best to deal with those challenges that plague the northern hemisphere this time of year. (Apologies to all of our friends in the southern hemisphere!) Does it kill your motivation to ride? Do you feel the fitne...
Dec 20, 2019•1 hr 10 min
Gage Hecht rode away with the 2019 U.S. Cyclocross National Championships this past weekend in Lakewood, Washington. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we go inside Hecht's dominating win at 'cross nats, including Hecht's thoughts on the crash that knocked rival Kerry Werner out of second place. Also, Hecht has balanced his commitments on the road with his cyclocross ambitions. Which does he prefer the most? We find out, and discover why Hecht may have to choose cyclocross or road i...
Dec 19, 2019•26 min
Katie Compton heads to Tacoma, Washington this week for the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships, where she is the 15-time defending national champion. This week on The VeloNews Podcast we catch up with Compton to talk about her legendary streak at U.S. nationals. Who are the women to challenge her at U.S. nationals? What role does confidence play in her many victories? Compton then discusses some of the wider dynamics at play in international cyclocross, from the rise of young female r...
Dec 11, 2019•33 min
Riding on the gold-standard Velotron in a laboratory, and breathing into an uncomfortable face mask while a physiologist like our guest Jared Berg pokes your ear for blood might not sound like a good time at all. Which is probably why Coach Connor can't get enough. But this week’s show is about exactly that—physiological testing. The end result of a good test is a robust set of data specific to you, which can help you understand things like your true physiological training zones, how much carboh...
Dec 07, 2019•1 hr 30 min
What were the races, riders, and moments from the 2019 pro cycling season that were simply the best? On today's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Andrew Hood and Fred Dreier discuss the annual VeloNews Awards issue, and dig into the moments that defined the 2019 season. The VeloNews Awards gives praise to the Best Male and Female riders, plus the top moments of the year. This year, the issue also dug into the top storylines from the decade. Fred and Andy discuss two of these storylines, and exami...
Dec 04, 2019•53 min
The VeloNews Tech Podcast returns from a lengthy hiatus, and tech editor Dan Cavallari gets a cohost! Editorial director Ben Delaney joins us to chat about smart trainers and cycling indoors. With the explosive growth of indoor riding and racing, smart trainer technology and all the peripherals surrounding them have grown up in a hurry. Cavallari and Delaney discuss the evolution of smart trainers and the importance of Zwift to the growth of indoor cycling.
Dec 03, 2019•53 min
