Original episode & show notes | Raw transcript
This document provides a detailed breakdown of the advanced coaching and training concepts discussed in the Empirical Cycling podcast, featuring host Kolie Moore and coach Erica Zaveta. It is designed for an educated audience seeking a deeper understanding of the science and art behind preparing for demanding cycling disciplines like criteriums (crits), cyclocross (CX), and mountain biking (MTB).
A foundational theme is the shift away from outdated, dogmatic training methods toward a more scientific and individualized approach.
Past Dogma: The early 2000s were dominated by a “low-carb, fasted rides” philosophy. The prevailing belief was that this would train the body to become more efficient at burning fat.
The Detrimental Reality: This approach often led to under-fueling, chronic fatigue, and athletes “cracking” or bonking. It limited the ability to perform high-quality, high-intensity work and hampered recovery.
Modern Paradigm: Fueling the Work: The contemporary understanding, supported by extensive research, is that carbohydrates are the primary fuel for high-intensity exercise.
High Carbohydrate Intake: Athletes are now encouraged to consume a significant amount of carbohydrates both on and off the bike. This allows for:
Higher Quality Workouts: Properly fueled muscles can produce more power for longer durations.
Enhanced Repeatability: Adequate fueling enables athletes to perform well not just in a single session, but on subsequent days.
Increased Training Volume: The ability to handle longer hours and more work is directly tied to sufficient energy intake.
Perhaps the most critical concept discussed is that there is no one-size-fits-all training plan. An athlete’s unique physiology, background, and goals must dictate their training structure. Erica Zaveta’s experience serves as a perfect case study.
The Common Assumption: For high-intensity, anaerobic events like criteriums, it is often assumed that training must be dominated by very high-intensity, short-duration intervals (e.g., VO2 max, anaerobic capacity work).
Erica’s Profile: Despite being a top-level crit and cyclocross racer, her physiology responded best to a different stimulus. Her training for peak performance consisted of:
High Volume: Consistent, long hours on the bike to build a deep aerobic base.
Threshold & Sweet Spot Focus: Sustained efforts at a moderately high intensity (e.g., long threshold intervals, 90-minute sweet spot sessions).
Minimal Top-End Work: She required very little specific anaerobic training to be race-ready. Her race fitness emerged from her deep aerobic engine and race-specific skills.
This highlights that for some athletes, a powerful aerobic system provides the foundation for high repeatability of efforts, even without specific top-end training. Others may require the opposite: a lower volume of endurance work supplemented with frequent, high-intensity sessions.
The Problem with Prescribed Power Targets: When a coach assigns an interval at a specific wattage (e.g., “5 minutes at 300 watts”), it can impose an artificial ceiling on the athlete. The athlete may be capable of more but will subconsciously hold back to meet the target.
The “Maximal Effort” Solution: By prescribing an effort based on feel and perceived exertion (e.g., “Do 5 x 5-minute maximal, sustainable efforts”), the coach removes this limiter. This approach has several benefits:
Discovering True Limits: It forces the athlete to learn their own capabilities and pacing, which is crucial for race-day decision-making.
Building Confidence: Successfully completing efforts that exceed previous power numbers builds immense self-belief.
Adapting to the Day: It allows the workout to be productive even on a day when the athlete feels exceptional or slightly fatigued, as the “maximal” effort is relative to how they feel.
While all are high-intensity, the specific demands differ, requiring a nuanced approach to practice and training.
Crit Practice: Often a weekly training race. Its primary value is not necessarily fitness, but skill development:
Riding comfortably and efficiently in a pack.
Cornering at high speed.
Learning positioning and energy conservation (drafting).
Cyclocross/MTB Practice (“Hot Laps”): These are more physically demanding due to the off-road nature. The key is to define the session’s goal:
Skills-Focused Laps: Performed at a low intensity (Zone 2/endurance pace) to focus purely on technique: dismounts/remounts, cornering on loose surfaces, barrier practice, line choice. This is low-fatigue work.
Fitness-Focused Laps: Performed at or near race pace on a course that demands sustained power. This is a high-intensity workout and must be treated as such in the overall training plan. It helps adapt the body to the unique power delivery of off-road cycling (high torque, low cadence bursts out of corners).
Key Takeaway: A high-intensity group “practice” is a workout. It creates fatigue and must be balanced with adequate rest and other structured training. It is not “junk miles.”
For athletes competing in long seasons or back-to-back disciplines (e.g., road into cyclocross), managing fatigue is paramount.
Racing a full road season (Jan-Aug) and a full cyclocross season (Sep-Jan) is a recipe for burnout without strategic rest. Top professionals who do this (e.g., Wout van Aert, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot) do not race a full calendar in both; they selectively target key events.
Take a Break Before You Need It: The most common mistake is waiting until you are completely exhausted. Proactive rest prevents deep chronic fatigue that can take weeks or months to resolve.
Markers of Fatigue:
Subjective: A decline in motivation, persistent grumpiness, or negative comments in a training log (“felt terrible,” “legs were dead”).
Objective: Inability to hit power numbers in key workouts, stagnating fitness metrics, elevated resting heart rate.
The “Fit but Fatigued” State: An athlete’s power numbers may still be improving, but they are accumulating deep fatigue. This is a dangerous state, as performance will inevitably crash.
Duration: A mid-season break can be 5-14 days. For many, one week is sufficient.
Activity: It can be complete rest or unstructured, fun activities. A week of hiking, casual riding, or bike packing can be mentally refreshing while maintaining a base level of activity.
Physiological Effect: A short-term drop in fitness (primarily due to a decrease in blood plasma volume) is normal and expected. However, after the break, the body supercompensates, and athletes often return stronger, both physically and mentally.
Important Note: Sickness or injury is not a rest break. The body is under stress to heal and is not recovering in the same way. A return to training from illness should be gradual.
Strength training is a valuable component of a cyclist’s program, but its application must change throughout the year.
Off-Season (Base Building): This is the ideal time for heavy, progressive strength training (e.g., squats, deadlifts). The goal is to build maximal strength and muscle mass.
In-Season (Race Season): The priority shifts from cycling performance. Fitting in strength training is challenging due to the need for recovery between races and key workouts.
Goal: The focus becomes maintenance, not progression.
Execution: Reduce the volume and intensity significantly. A single, full-body session per week with lighter weights may be enough to maintain muscle mass and neuromuscular patterns without inducing excessive fatigue.
Why It Matters: Maintaining strength is crucial for injury prevention, bone density (especially important for cyclists in a non-impact sport), and preserving power production. It is a key factor in long-term athletic health and longevity.