Group Rides: Boost, Burden, or Both for Your Cycling Potential?

Summary: How much strength training do cyclists actually need, and could doing too much in the gym be interfering with your riding? For recreational and amateur cyclists balancing training with work, family and limited time, strength training can easily become overcomplicated. Long gym sessions with multiple exercises, sets and repetitions may create unnecessary fatigue, making it harder to complete the cycling sessions that actually matter. In this episode of the Road Cycling Academy Podcast, Cam Nicholls is joined by RCA head coach Ryan Thomas to discuss a simpler approach to strength training for cyclists and how a minimum effective dose can make gym work easier to maintain alongside riding. Drawing on recommendations from RCA strength coach Dr Aaron Turner and the research discussed in his previous RCA content, Cam explains an approach based around accumulating approximately 16 to 30 lower-body repetitions at a sufficiently heavy load. In practical terms, that could be as simple as two sets of five repetitions across two lower-body exercises, giving a cyclist 20 quality repetitions without turning the gym session into an hour-long workout. Cam also shares his own experience of doing considerably more gym work, including squats, single-leg press and alternating lunges, only to find that the additional volume was creating fatigue that interfered with his cycling training. As he moved from an off-season phase into preparation for Masters Nationals, he reduced his strength training to one maintenance session per week and simplified the workload. The result, he says, has been less soreness and fatigue while maintaining his strength. Cam and Ryan also discuss where gym sessions can sit within a cycling week, including the option of placing strength work later on the same day as a hard ride so that easy days can remain genuinely easy. The conversation isn't only about cycling performance. They also discuss resistance training and bone mineral density, and why cyclists may have reasons beyond power and durability to include some form of strength work in their routine. In this episode: Why cyclists often overcomplicate strength training How much lower-body strength work cyclists may actually need The 16 to 30 repetition range discussed by Cam Why the working weight still needs to be sufficiently heavy Two sets of five repetitions across two exercises Why more gym volume can create unnecessary cycling fatigue Delayed onset muscle soreness after strength training Building strength in the off-season versus maintaining it during the season Why Cam reduced his gym training to once per week Maintaining strength with a lower training volume How long a simple strength session can take Why technical exercises should come earlier in a gym session Rest periods between heavy strength sets Combining gym work and hard cycling on the same day Why Cam reduces the weight when lifting after a hard ride How simplifying gym sessions can improve consistency Balancing cycling, strength training, work and family Why cyclists don't necessarily need a gym membership to do resistance training Strength training and bone mineral density for cyclists Why doing something can be better than abandoning strength work because the ideal session isn't practical The practical takeaway is that strength training doesn't necessarily need to involve long, complicated gym sessions. For cyclists whose main priority is riding, Cam and Ryan's discussion points towards keeping the strength work focused, managing the fatigue it creates and finding an approach simple enough to perform consistently. Road Cycling Academy helps recreational and amateur cyclists train smarter, improve their performance and get more from the limited training time they have available. Weight Training for Cyclists RCA's Strength Training for Cyclists program provides structured off-bike strength training specifically for road cyclists. #CyclingTraining #StrengthTraini

Summary: Do you know your best five-second, one-minute or five-minute power, or are you basing almost all of your cycling training around FTP? For many recreational and amateur cyclists, FTP becomes the number used to set training zones and measure progress. But one number can't necessarily tell you where your strengths and weaknesses sit across everything from a short sprint to a sustained effort. In this episode of the Road Cycling Academy Podcast, Cam Nicholls is joined by RCA head coach Ryan Thomas to discuss the cycling peak power curve and why Ryan considers it one of the first things worth examining when assessing a cyclist. Using a power meter and platforms such as TrainingPeaks, cyclists can look at their best power across durations ranging from a few seconds through to longer sustained efforts. Ryan explains how those numbers help build a picture of the rider's physiology and why simply relying on an estimated FTP can sometimes lead to inappropriate training intensities. A major issue is whether the data actually contains maximal efforts. A cyclist who mostly completes structured workouts in ERG mode, for example, may never have produced a genuine all-out five-second sprint, one-minute effort or five-minute effort. In that situation, a model trying to estimate fitness from existing ride data may be working with an incomplete power curve. Cam and Ryan discuss how critical power testing can provide a more useful picture without requiring cyclists to test every individual duration. Ryan explains the RCA approach, including a 10-second sprint, a three-minute maximal effort and a longer 12-minute effort, and why shorter and longer efforts can be used to help model critical power. They also discuss why two cyclists with a similar threshold may need very different VO2 training prescriptions. One rider may have considerably more capacity above threshold than another, meaning a standard workout based purely on a percentage of FTP may be too easy for one cyclist and unsustainable for another. Ryan also introduces W prime as another useful, although not perfectly precise, way of thinking about a cyclist's capacity to repeatedly work above critical power. In this episode: What a cycling peak power curve actually shows Why Ryan looks at the power curve when assessing a cyclist Five-second, one-minute, five-minute and longer-duration power Why FTP doesn't describe every aspect of cycling performance Why you need a power meter to build a meaningful power curve How racing and bunch rides can produce different power data from structured workouts Why ERG mode may leave gaps in your peak power data How to tell whether your existing power curve is representative Why you don't need to test every point on the curve individually How critical power testing works RCA's 10-second sprint and three-minute maximal test Why Ryan uses a longer 12-minute effort When a five-minute maximal effort can provide additional information Why estimated or modelled FTP can sometimes be misleading How incorrect threshold settings affect your training zones Why VO2 power can differ substantially between riders with similar thresholds Why fixed percentages of FTP don't suit every cyclist What W prime can tell you about work above critical power How TrainingPeaks and Strava can help you examine your power data Why tracking more than FTP can provide additional ways to measure progress For recreational cyclists, the practical takeaway isn't that FTP has no value. It's that FTP is only part of the picture. Understanding how your power changes across different durations can help identify strengths and weaknesses, make training targets more appropriate and give you additional ways to recognise progress. Road Cycling Academy helps recreational and amateur cyclists train smarter, improve their performance and get more from the limited training time they have available. One-to-One Cycling Coaching For cyclists who want ongoing, personalis

Summary: Why can you keep doing the same group ride every week and still get dropped in exactly the same place? For recreational and amateur cyclists, simply doing more group rides can improve fitness and experience, but it may not address the specific weakness that's causing you to lose the wheel when the pace suddenly increases. In this episode of the Road Cycling Academy Podcast, Cam Nicholls is joined by RCA head coach Ryan Thomas to discuss training specificity and what amateur cyclists can learn from research examining how professional riders train for the different demands they face during stages of the Vuelta. The research looked at power distribution across sprinters, all-rounders and climbers on flat, semi-mountainous and mountainous stages. While the findings may not sound revolutionary, Ryan explains why they reinforce an important training principle: professional cyclists prepare for the specific demands they'll face in competition rather than relying on racing alone to make them better. Cam and Ryan bring that principle back to a much more familiar goal for amateur cyclists: keeping up with the local bunch ride. If you're repeatedly getting dropped when the group accelerates, simply returning to the same ride every week may not provide enough targeted training to improve the energy systems that are limiting you. Instead, Ryan explains why identifying where you're getting dropped and training that specific weakness can be more effective. They use RCA member Belle as a real-world example. After previously being dropped repeatedly on the local Boreen Point bunch ride, Belle became more consistent with her training and incorporated dedicated Zone 2 riding alongside specific sprint, anaerobic and VO2 work. Ryan explains that her five-second and one-minute power improved substantially, while Cam describes seeing the difference firsthand when Belle returned to the same group ride and was able to stay with the bunch and contribute turns. They also break down one of the sprint sessions used in her training: six seconds all-out, two minutes recovery, another six seconds all-out, two minutes recovery, then a 12-second sprint, repeated for two to three sets. The purpose isn't simply to sprint harder once. It's to develop maximum power and the ability to repeat those short, hard efforts that often determine whether you stay with the group when the pace changes. In this episode: What professional cycling research from the Vuelta tells us about training specificity How sprinters, climbers and GC riders face different demands during a race Why professional cyclists train specifically for their role Why doing more group rides isn't always enough to stop getting dropped How to identify the point in a bunch ride where your fitness is limiting you Why short, hard accelerations often decide whether you stay with the group The importance of five-second and one-minute power for group riding How Belle changed her training after repeatedly getting dropped Why consistent Zone 2 training still matters How sprint, anaerobic and VO2 work can complement group riding A six-second and 12-second repeatability sprint session Why sprint sessions should still be treated as intensity training How different rider types respond differently to sprint work Why specific training doesn't mean you need to stop doing your favourite group ride The practical takeaway is to look beyond simply doing more of the activity you're trying to improve. If you're consistently getting dropped at the same point in a group ride, identify what happens at that moment and train the specific demands involved. For many riders, that could mean adding targeted sprint, anaerobic or VO2 work around their existing riding rather than simply adding another bunch ride. Road Cycling Academy helps recreational and amateur cyclists train smarter, improve their performance and get more from the limited training time they have available. Research: https://pmc.nc

Summary: What is cycling durability, how do professional cycling teams measure it, and could it be more important than your FTP or VO2 max? In this episode of the Road Cycling Academy Podcast, Cam Nicholls is joined by RCA coach and exercise physiologist Ben Treble to unpack emerging research into one of cycling's hottest performance topics: durability and fatigue resistance. Fresh from the Science & Cycling Conference in Barcelona, Ben shares insights from unpublished data presented by Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, exploring how WorldTour teams are attempting to identify riders who can continue producing high power after thousands of kilojoules of work. Because having a big FTP or VO2 max is one thing. Being able to produce that power after several hard hours in the saddle is something very different. Ben explains how cycling durability can be measured by comparing fresh power with power produced after significant accumulated work, why elite riders can experience remarkably little power decay, and why some amateur cyclists may see substantially larger declines. We also explore an emerging metric involving four-minute torque, which Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe has investigated as a potential predictor of durability in younger elite riders. But does the same relationship exist in recreational and Masters cyclists? Ben has started analysing real-world data from Masters cyclists competing in UCI Gran Fondo events — and his preliminary findings don't necessarily match what is being seen in elite riders. In this episode: What does "durability" actually mean in cycling? Why FTP alone doesn't tell the whole performance story How professional cycling teams test fatigue resistance Fresh vs fatigued five-minute power Why accumulated kilojoules matter How much power cyclists lose after several hours of riding The difference between FTP, VO2 max and durability Why WorldTour teams are investing heavily in durability How durability is being used for talent identification What the "compound score" is Four-minute torque and its potential relationship with durability Unpublished insights from Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe Why elite cycling data may not translate directly to Masters cyclists Ben's preliminary analysis of Masters and UCI Gran Fondo riders What recreational cyclists can learn from the latest durability research If you've ever felt strong at the beginning of a ride but watched your power disappear after three or four hours, this episode explores the science behind why some cyclists maintain their performance better than others — and how researchers are trying to measure it. Ben is also looking for additional Masters/UCI Gran Fondo cyclists willing to contribute training and racing data to his ongoing analysis. 📧 Contact: [email protected] 🌐 Road Cycling Academy: https://roadcyclingacademy.com Transcript: Cam Nicholls (00:01.836) Welcome to the RCA podcast, designed for recreational and amateur road cyclists with a focus on performance. We dive into cycling training, nutrition, strength training for cyclists, and even bike fitting tips, all designed to help you train smarter, ride faster, and hopefully tear your mates' legs off. So without further ado, let's dive into today's episode. Welcome back to the RCA podcast, where today I'm joined by the RCA's science geek who's now based out of Switzerland, Ben Treble. And as per his nickname at the RCA, Ben has been at a cycling and science conference in Barcelona, and he's got some unpublished data from one of the world's biggest cycling teams, Tour de France teams, that he's going to share with us. So this is a bit of a an inside scoop. Are you allowed to share this info, Ben? Or like are we gonna get it in a bit of trouble here? They didn't say anything. Ben Treble (01:02.848) I didn't see the first like two minutes, so Okay. That was often my trick. I mean, if they gave us a and there's no NDA anyway. I'm not sharing photos of it, it's verbatim. Some of

How many carbohydrates per hour do cyclists actually need — 60g, 90g, 120g or even 150g? Professional cyclists are consuming more carbohydrates than ever, with reports of Tour de France riders pushing towards 120–150+ grams of carbs per hour. But does more carbohydrate actually mean better performance — and should recreational and amateur cyclists be trying to copy the pros? In this episode of the Road Cycling Academy Podcast, Cam Nicholls is joined by RCA coach and resident science geek Ben Treble, fresh from the Science & Cycling Conference in Barcelona, to discuss emerging research into high-carbohydrate fuelling for cycling performance. Ben breaks down where the traditional 60–90g of carbohydrate per hour recommendation came from, how glucose and fructose are absorbed by the body, and what the latest research suggests happens when cyclists increase their intake to 120g or even 150g per hour. They also discuss why simply eating more isn't necessarily better, how professional cyclists periodise carbohydrate intake depending on the demands of each stage, and why gut training may be one of the biggest untapped performance opportunities for amateur cyclists. In this episode: 60g vs 90g vs 120g vs 150g of carbs per hour How much carbohydrate cyclists actually need Why 90g/hour became the standard recommendation Glucose vs fructose absorption explained Does 120g/hour improve cycling performance? Why 150g/hour may offer little additional benefit What Tour de France riders are really consuming How the pros periodise carbohydrate intake Gut training for cyclists Why amateur cyclists often eat less than they think How to gradually increase your carbohydrate intake Fuelling hard sessions vs easy Zone 2 rides When lower-carbohydrate or fasted training may still have a place How better fuelling can improve performance and recovery For most recreational cyclists, the goal isn't to immediately chase 120 or 150 grams per hour. As Ben explains, consistently reaching around 90g/hour during demanding sessions and events — after progressively training the gut to tolerate it — can already represent a significant opportunity for improved performance and recovery. Road Cycling Academy helps recreational and amateur cyclists train smarter, improve their performance and get more from the limited training time they have available. One-to-One Cycling Coaching: https://roadcyclingacademy.com/ 12 Week Custom Plan: https://roadcyclingacademy.com/cycling-plan-custom/