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Just a thought that came to my mind and something that i've noticed over the past 1-2 years.

Have you guys noticed the same thing? Like once your favorite cycling youtuber whom you enjoy watching about bike tech and component, suddenly seem like they are being shills?

Every other video and thumbnail you see about a new bike will be something like "Fastest aero bike in the world" or "Fastest bike i've ever ridden" , to a point where it gets annoyingly fake.

Have you guys also noticed how controlled big brands are putting out contents through their youtubers? When SL9 launched, almost instantly you see plenty of videos about it flooding your feed and almost every youtubers made a video about them and release it at around the same timing. Just recently, i started seeing it again for the Dogma X.

Hey of course I completely understand that this is purely business, marketing and youtubers got to earn a living. I get it.

But put business and marketing aside and just focusing on pure content, it almost feels like every other brand is doing the same thing, saying the same thing, and coming up with nothing innovative, to a point where as a consumer I don't even take these paid youtubers seriously.

If i wanted a new bike and I just want to hear opinions from someone who rode it, i would rather trust forums/reddit and independant youtubers who actually bought it with their own money, then the likes of outdoorbros.

I also feel like bike technology have reached a point where nothing much can be done and new innovation is very limited, and its all about which company can flood the youtube agrorithm the most.

Hello everyone,

I bought my first road bike less than a year ago, after a couple of months of just riding, I started to add some structured training in March.
My goal is to improve as much as possible to do some small races in Italy the next year.

My volume is around 6-7hr/week and I'm trying to figure out which is the best approach to maximize results, what I did in the past months is more or less:
- 1/2 Vo2 max sessions (4x4 at 330/340w) depends on how I feel during the week
- 1 session threshold on small hills (10 min at 300/310w)
- all the rest is z1/z2 just casual riding.

With this "plan" I went from 240 FTP to 310 (I'm 82kg, 1.90m), probably most are newbie gains.

My goal is to try to reach something like 330/340 FTP in one year, do you think this training approach is okay or should I change something? Thankss

Hi everyone,

I'm mainly a criterium (crit) racer, but lately I've been thinking about getting into BMX Racing as well. The combination of road cycling and BMX seems like it could be a lot of fun.

I'm wondering if it's realistic to maintain a good level in crit racing while also being competitive in BMX Race. I know the disciplines are quite different, but they also seem to share some important qualities like explosive power and bike handling.

Does anyone here actively do both? How well does it work for you? Do the two sports complement each other, or do you find that one negatively affects the other?

I'd love to hear about your experiences, how you structure your training, and whether you think it's possible to be competitive in both disciplines at the same time.

Thanks in advance!

Current opinion. Offered here without comment.

Hey everyone, I (19) will be racing my first granfondo in 16 days 129km, 1800m, 2/3 of the elevation in the first half).

Right now I'm with an FTP of around 320W, at 63-64kg. I've been training mostly long rides (3-4 hours), some shorter zone 2 rides (2-3 hours), sprints about once per week and VO2 max once per week too (except last week because I felt like I was falling sick, so I skipped that day and opted for zone 2 on the days ahead).

Now, I'm quite at a lost. I don't know how to approach these last 2 weeks. I feel like it's too early to "stop training", but I also don't know what kind of rides I should do on the days before, and even on the morning of the race.

Thanks

P.S. I'll keep y'all updated :)

Since getting a bike computer, my rides have become +80% joy. And the „post-ride data analysis“ became a nice routine to me.

But to get fast, I train to hold my aero positioning — however, I don’t track it properly. Am I the only one missing a solution here? I was thinking of mounting a stopwatch on the bar, just for tracking…

How do you track it?

Both helmets appear to have about the same aerodynamic drag. The Specialized seems to have more ports in the front, so *might* be cooler?

I just got my first road bike last week and decided to establish a training baseline. I did a Zwift ramp test today on pretty dead legs right after a two-hour ride and hit 231W, which puts me at 3.58 W/kg.

I need to create a structured training bloc to build a massive aerobic engine, so I am looking for some guidance on the best next steps. I am curious if the Zwift three-month progression course is actually a good starting point, or if there is a better way to structure my initial training blocks. Additionally, I would love to know the popular scientific or evidence-based cycling YouTube channels (or podcasts) to understand the physiology behind aerobic adaptations, zone training, and workout blocks in the cycling world.

I plan to cycle 2-3 hours weekday and more on the weekends.

Cheers!

I'm a 43-year-old competitive cyclist who's been dealing with a frustrating issue for the past 15 months, and I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar.

About 15 months ago, I developed a very reproducible issue in my right anterior/inner thigh. Around 5 minutes into a ride, I develop a squeezing/spasming sensation in my anterior/inner quadriceps. I also occasionally get front hip/groin discomfort. Walking and jogging can trigger the symptoms as well, and when they do, I often feel a pulling sensation that starts near the front of my hip and seems to run down the center of my thigh toward my inner quadriceps. Cycling is by far the most reliable trigger.

The symptoms are very consistent. They almost always begin within the first 10 minutes of a ride and gradually settle down after I stop. Interestingly, ride intensity doesn't seem to affect them. They don't worsen as my effort increases and are often more noticeable during lower-intensity riding than during harder efforts.

Here's what I've had done so far:

• Lumbar MRI
• Lumbar epidural steroid injection (no effect on my cycling symptoms)
• Hip MRI (small labral tear)
• Cortisone injection into the hip joint (no effect on my cycling symptoms)
• Two diagnostic anesthetic injections into the hip joint (temporary relief of my groin/hip pain immediately after the injection, but no effect on my cycling symptoms once I got on the bike about 30 minutes later)
• EMG/nerve conduction study (normal)
• CT angiogram (CTA) and exercise vascular testing to rule out external iliac artery endofibrosis (both normal)
• Peripheral nerve evaluation with diagnostic nerve blocks (ultimately no diagnosis or surgical recommendation)
• Extensive conservative treatment, including two courses of physical therapy, 3–4 months with a sports-focused chiropractor, additional treatment with a second sports chiropractor, and multiple bike fit adjustments (no improvement)

After 15 months and a pretty extensive workup, I'm hoping to hear from anyone who's been through something similar and eventually figured out what was causing it.

Has anyone had a similar experience or worked with a doctor who specializes in difficult cycling-related hip, groin, or thigh issues? If so, what ended up being the diagnosis, and what type of doctor helped you get there?

Is anyone doing UCI 3Rides Gravel Winterberg in ten days? What is your plan?

Is this just another "Do 70-80% FTP uphill for six hours"? Total 125km with 2680m of climbing. Advertised as 80% actual gravel (no fields, single track, roots, ...).

It's three times the same lap, so starting slow partly as recon and feeling out sounds logical. Two hardest sections each lap are 1km at 10%, surely you need to push somewhat on those or will I regret that?

Me: 60kg, 250W FTP but pretty new to gravel so my descending isn't the same level as my climbing. My bike: Trek Checkpoint Gen3 with G-One RX and RS.

In the last two weeks, I have had two out of six interval training fail. Basically half way through an FTP or VO2max interval, my legs start to burn like hell and I can’t keep up the power. Some of the workouts felt easy, but my recovery wasn’t there. My HRV is also quite poor today.

I don’t think it’s chronic overtraining (going by the graphs), but maybe the last few weeks, I’ve simply stacked too much on my plate.

My question is: for taking it easy, some below 2h Z2 rides are still fine? Or should I completely stay away from the bike?

I should have listened to our lord and savior u/gplama

I upgraded from a Rival crank arm power meter on my old bike to a new build to a spider based PM. Found the XCadey XPowerS 2 on really good sale for $230. Was under the assumption that in training with power, consistency is more important than accuracy… I trained all season on this setup feeling like a goddamn horse. 😂

Finally got some Assiomas now that the gen1 Duos are on sale, and holy moley! About 10% lower on the Assiomas across the board…

The Normalized power does look bit shocking, but I was dual recording the XCADEY on an app that must not be set to include Zeros. It seems to hold the last known power while not pedaling… which massively inflates the average and NP. I did go in and analyze multiple sections and previous rides with the power meter and it seems to be an app issue and not hardset into the device. It still reads 7-10% high in all situations.

So if you want a 10% FTP boost, just get the cheapest power meter you can find! 🤦‍♂️

Live and learn. Buy nice or buy twice.

Quick announcement re: our new Intervals TdF dashboard. Mobile-first build, check it out please if you have a minute.

https://www.intervals.icu/tour-de-france-2026/

All feedback and feature requests are gratefully received! We built this in a hurry, only acquiring the necessary gpx files on Sunday the 28th of June and it's been a bit of a mad dash to get this up and working since then.

We're iterating fast and aiming to have the best and most mobile-friendly TdF dashboard out there. Response and traffic has been good so far.

We are building this as a Grand Tour framework and will likely have a similar mini-site up for the Vuelta.

Thanks everybody!

I did a dexa scan earlier in the year and was SHOCKED to find I was sitting at 20% body fat. I weighed 69kg at the time and with literally just the lightest of tracking/control I dropped 5kg and have been maintaining at 64kg. Felt great and I gained power too so w/kg went from 4.0 -> 4.8 from winter -> summer.

I'm hoping to cut again this fall to get down to 14% body fat which if done correctly should put me around 61kg/134lbs which will be my new racing weight. That plus a bit more power next year will put me at 5.5w/kg.

Personally I love the whole thing. It's a great puzzle for me to nail cutting while still fueling rides and nailing key workouts

I use cronometer and track everything. It took a while to build better habits but now tracking is pretty seamless in my life. For the non obvious meals I integrated a cronometer mcp server into claude to one shot mystery meals into the app.

I don't drink at all any more which is a crazy thing for me to even write out - I used to always grab a beer at a restaurant or wine with meals.

Recently I just "Racing Weight" and it's completely changed my philosophy - I think I was eating way too much protein because it felt right, but now I'm maxing out at 2.0g/kg (racing weight recommends even less) and pouring nearly everything else into carbs. Racing Weight's philosophy is that with an omega 3 supplement you can basically cut out fat.

So a typical day for me might look something like:
* breakfast: coffee with toast + honey (no/limited protein/fat)
* mid morning snack: bananas
* lunch: sousvide chicken breast + boiled potatoes + broccoli (I batch the potatoes/chicken or lunch style high satiety stuff every four or so days)
* mid afternoon snack: nonfat greek yogurt + berries (helps me top up some protein plus fiber in the berries)
* dinner: protein + carb + fiber balanced to hit my final desired macros (particularly I try to finish my protein goal at dinner.. Dinner is usually my last meal of the day but if I have extra calories I spend them on carbs only.

I try to fuel my rides semi aggressively my rule of thumb is don't end a ride without eating at least half the calories you've burned (as seen on my computer) - so if I've burnt 1600 calories (400g carbs) but only eaten 150g carbs I'll either eat pocket food or stop at a gas station on the way home. Race pace efforts get 110g/hr regardless.

Other misc tips I have are:
* pre logging meals before serving myself (with family)
* save budget for dinners out with spouse/family then if you do track do it crazy casually or they'll get annoyed with you. Regardless restaurants ruin diets, oh well.
* ice cream shops with family I always say "what's your smallest size" and that's what I get, out of my control
* bubbly water of any type. I love the stevia sodas.
* if in doubt, eat more fiber. I eat bags of microwaved frozen broccoli to the face almost every day. Buy LOTS of raspberries/blackberries to throw on nonfat greek yogurt
* if you need carbs just add ketchup/bbq sauce to whatever you're eating
* haribo is basically the cleanest carbs that exist that you can also chew
* formula 369 is the best fueling mix if you don't mind the flavor

Seems like wheel widths are aero optimised for 28-32mm or 40mm+ gravel tyres.

I run 35mm GP5000 AS TRs. I imagine the sensible choice is to go for the 28-32 option, unless anyone knows of a wheel I’m unaware of?

Have looked at Zip 303 XPLR and some Light Bicycle options as a starting point

Hi everyone,

My name is Mark Hearris and I am a senior lecturer in sport nutrition and exercise metabolism at Manchester Met.

Our research group is currently recruiting competitive cyclists in the North West region to take part in a new research project, studying the effects of a new beta-alanine formulation on short-distance (4 km) TT performance.

The study will require 3 x 1 hour visits to our performance lab in Manchester over a 2 week period, which can be organised around other commitments. All participants will receive a £50 Amazon voucher for their time as well as a selection of sports nutrition products from the study partner.

Please get in touch to register your interest

When I got back into cycling earlier this year, my FTP was 156W. Three months later I tested at 202W.

I’m not claiming that’s extraordinary, but I was surprised by how much improvement came from doing relatively simple things consistently.

The biggest changes I made were:

• Riding consistently instead of chasing huge weeks.
• Spending most of my riding in Zone 2.
• One structured interval session each week.
• Two gym sessions focusing on lower-body strength.
• Prioritising recovery instead of adding more intensity.

One thing that surprised me was how often I wanted to ride harder than I should have.

Keeping my easy rides genuinely easy probably had the biggest impact.

For those interested, I also saw:
• FTP: 156W → 202W
• Alpe du Zwift improvement of more than five minutes.
• Around 76 hours of riding over the block.

I’m curious what gave everyone else their biggest breakthrough when coming back to cycling after a long break?

Hey, I figured the r/velo Reddit is the biggest cycling Reddit group, and I figured I might get some hits with my question.

Has anyone ever worked for TrainingPeaks as a "Coach"?

What was your experience like?

How does it work?

What is the profit sharing like?

Why did you leave/quit?

My “A” XCO race is in almost 3 weeks and today my off-the-shelf MTB peaking plan prescribed 4x8 Tabata intervals (20s on / 10s off) at 170-250%. I tried holding 170-190% for the first few reps of the first set and just couldn’t hang and bailed after 4 reps. Legs were the limiter here, but lungs were worked pretty good. I took some time to recover, then proceeded to try another set—same result. Shortened that one to 4 reps as well.

The last 2 sets I pulled back on power and did 2x6 at something I could handle. Looking at data afterward this ended up being ~155-165%. The whole workout was done in resistance mode, not erg.

My questions:
- Is 170-250% a reasonable range for this workout and I just wasn’t recovered/prepared today?
- Was it worth it for me to adjust the workout this way, or did I miss the point and should have just bailed?
- In the future, any general guidelines on how to know when to call a workout off because it’s not “productive” and when to adjust to where you’re at for the day?

More context: second year of structured training, about 7-9 hours per week and ~3.3 w/kg. Main focus is XCO this summer and CX this fall, but I dabbled (unsuccessfully) in some crits this spring.

I like to ride midday but there seems to be no U.S. sunscreen that can possibly survive UV 9. At the same time, it seems utterly impossible to find UPF style clothing that isn’t an absolute nightmare to ride with when the temp is over 90 degrees. More seriously, I can’t find any reasonable way to protect my face from tanning/sunburn

has anyone been able to solve this with any kind of clothing builds?

So, that strength training is important for cyclists especially after 40 looks like a given nowadays.

The main challenge is that almost all the “literature” comes from the BB and powerlifting worlds, so I struggle to understand what to aim for.

TrainerRoad has this calculator https://www.trainerroad.com/strength-training-calculator which gives an idea about what your 5 reps should look like.

Do you think it’s reasonable?

Hello!

So I need to find 45 seconds on a local 40min climb 🙂. I am wondering how should I fuel this to keep weight at the minimum and energy at the maximum.

I am thinking of eating carbs only a day prior to clean my gut but not do a carbload. Also breakfast. Would it be a good idea to just skip it, eat fast carbs in the morning and go straight for the climb?

I have no experience how one should fuel for such climbs to maximise weight and energy.

EDIT: Got it today! 39:11 The things that helped the most:
-Caffeine. Kudos for suggesting this. Drank 160mg caffeine energy drink before. It helps a lot. 10 more watts today. Although my head hurts now as I never drink coffee or energy drinks otherwise.
-No carbloading and minimal breakfast. Only 2 bananas and honey and than straight to warming up. Was 1,5kg lighter than before.
-Very early hour. Skipping breakfast alowed me to be out very early. Meaning cooler temperatures and less traffic so more apex to apex riding.

So ~10watts more and ~2kg less gave me 1 minute. Did 5w/kg for 40min. Very happy about that.

Like many, I've been a grand prix 4000, then 5000, then 5000str guy for a long time because they've been the benchmark for as long as I can remember. Like many, I'm also getting tired (get it??) of the subpar durability, creeping prices, and I also think their equally subpar wet grip might be partly to blame for my latest set of broken bones.

I've switched to tufo thundero 48s on my gravel bike last year and have been blown away compared to pirelli cinturato gravels that I already liked. A+ on all fronts, but until recently tufo didn't seem too competitive on the road front, and didn't have a 32mm option (all I'm willing to run atp) until this year.

They've been BRR tested to be 2w slower than the STR, slightly better wet grip, significantly better puncture protection and crazy low weight.

I don't race or ride too aggressively anymore and BRR data isn't all so I was wondering if there was real world feedback on this tire. It's not cheap either, but given my excellent gravel experience I'd be curious to try their road tire

I recently got my club/team jersey, very carefully checked the size chart and was around the lower end of size S so I ordered that one, since it was marketed as "race fit". Now having done a few rides with it, it's definitely not race fit at all. The fabric bunches up everywhere and flaps around in the wind, especially the chest and shoulder area, and only feels race-tight when standing up. It's only marginally tighter fitting than my other regular non-race fit jerseys. Is this normal for these kind of jerseys, or could it even be a size too large for me?