Cycling in Alignment

Hello, space-monkeys! This is a PSA! Going forward you will now be able to find new episodes of Cycling in Alignment with me and all of my illustrious guests on a new channel. I would be eternally grateful for you to take an extra moment in your day to re-subscribe to the new Cycling in Alignment RSS feed by clicking on one of the links below or searching "Cycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce" on your podcast app of choice. Thank you!  Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3AYL8IuWfnLCVrtoGJU9I7 AmazonCycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce on Amazon iHeartRadiohttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-cycling-in-alignment-with-81951689/ PlayerFMCycling in Alignment with Colby Pearce on PlayerFM

Colby and Jeff reminisce about the glories of racing days in the past. With over 30 years in the sport himself, Jeff's knowledge and deep understanding of training and racing is layered in this comprehensive conversation. Knowing your numbers, and the numbers you want, speed, heart rate, power, etc is one thing that Jeff will help you find as an athlete, but more importantly, Jeff knows the greater significance of your perceived rate of exertion. How do you feel? It's not always just about graphs and numbers this week with Coach Winkler. 

We are framing the discussion on endurance training recovery around Paul Chek's, Six Foundational principles: sleeping, breathing, eating, thinking, drinking, and moving. This a perfect framework to discuss the essence of recovery.  There are many things we can do to facilitate the recovery of our muscles. Some popular techniques include massage. cryotube therapy, Norma Tech compression, ice baths, inversion table hanging, electromagnetic pulses, etc., but none are more effective than the basics.  Matt Maruka and the Light Diet: https://chekinstitute.com/podcast-episode-notes/ep-99-matt-maruca/ Soma breath: https://home.somabreath.com/lessons/day-1-correct-your-breathing/ Follow with each subsequent day [7 days total] NOTE: To find the link for the subsequent day, you must page all the way down to the bottom [past the comments] and you will see days 2-7. Paleo Diet for Athletes: https://thepaleodiet.com/lifestyle/for-athletes Belissa Vranich: https://www.thebreathingclass.com/breathe-usa Metabolic Typing Diet: http://www.metabolictyping.com

Failure is uncomfortable and unwanted but it comes across our lives in often unexpected ways. Learning how to deal with it and most importantly, learn from it is an invaluable ability. Colby the stories of a few of his biggest failures and the lessons he learned from each.

Back for a solo episode to demystify some common false beliefs about cycling. I will clarify some falsehoods related to cadence and some common misconceptions about suffering in the saddle. I expand on the idea that poor breathing is a systemic problem in our culture and outline the correct technique. Finally, I'll share some ideas around expanding your movement practice to other activities or functions outside of riding. More time in the saddle doesn't always lead to growing as a cyclist. Ride in flow.  Paul Chek - breathing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KZlCI2QmWE&t=2s Ed Harrold - https://www.edharrold.com/breathwork-wellness-retreats Soma Breath - https://www.somabreath.com 

Jason Williams, Retül fitter at the Specialized Experience Center in Boulder, is here to discuss the methodology of Retül fitting and how the technology is used to help fitters make decisions during their fit process. We delve into the strengths and potential pitfalls of using comparative data. We also discuss the current trend of road riders slamming the saddle forward. If you have comments or questions about this episode, please post them on the Fast Talk Labs forum, there is a page for this episode. Make sure to @colby so I get the post. Thanks to Jason for making time to talk shop with me today.  Specialized Experience: https://specializedboulder.com Keith Bontrager K.O.P.S. https://sheldonbrown.com/kops.html

Happy Freedman is a 40-year bike fitting veteran and expert. Prepare yourselves for another round of bike-fitting nerd-dom. Happy and I don't agree on every aspect of bike fitting, so I hope you find the explanations of our respective thought processes helpful. We share our separate opinions on the merits and pitfalls of selling bike saddles, seat-posts, cleats, etc. as a bike fitter.  Happy's Site: HappyFreedman.com  Medicine of Cycling Conference - https://www.medicineofcycling.com  Science in Cycling - https://science-cycling.org/conference/  Podcast: What is Bike Fitting? Live from the Philly Bike Expo https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-6-what-is-bike-fitting-live-from-philly-bike-expo/id1477543731?i=1000456088411 

Jerry Gerlich, a Steve Hogg Certified bike fitter based in Austin, Texas and I go way back and share a lot of common knowledge about bike fitting due to our mutual teacher and mentor, Steve Hogg. We dork out big time and get honest about fitting mistakes and learning how to reframe those experiences as learning tools. We relate Jerry’s musical talents as a drummer to some of the same rhythms and attention skills that bike fitting requires.  RESOURCES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-4-watch-listen-tools-bike-fitting-jerry-gerlich/id1477543731?i=1000452902450

After starting with a disclaimer, that he is not a doctor, Colby outlines a few guidelines for supplements.  First, understand the concept of bio-individuality.  Next, know that eating good, healthy food should always the first choice when you want to increase your body's performance.  Absolutely use discernment when reading labels and marketing materials related to supplements.  Answer a few questions about why you're taking supplements in the first place.  - Is it to optimize health?  - Or is it to take a shortcut? Maybe to bio-hack?  - Maybe to optimize performance? There are many variables that affect studies about supplements that can affect their findings.  Colby's note to coaches: you can make recommendations or suggestions, but the athlete is making the choice and takes responsibility for any supplements they choose to take.  https://heartandsoil.co/ https://www.globaldro.com/Home https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/supplement-guide.pdf https://omegaquant.com https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/08/01/benefits-of-good-iron-levels.aspx https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/supplement-guide.pdf

Gluten is bad news for your body and today we've got an expert in the subject who will explain exactly what the long-term effects of consuming gluten are. Trevor Connor, who you know as the host of Fast Talk is also the CEO of The Paleo Diet. We talked about keto and carnivore and veganism; we talk a lot about gluten and specifically the challenges that it brings. We get geeky and scientific in this episode but don't worry if you're not a science person; you're not going to get lost. Trevor does a great job of bringing it back to some relatable and understandable context.  RESOURCES: Anit-Factory Farm Shopping Guide: http://www.trufkinathletics.com/books.html Trevor’s series on wheat: https://thepaleodiet.com/the-wheat-series-part-1-wheat-and-the-immune-system Paleo Diet page on nutrient density: https://thepaleodiet.com/eliminating-non-paleo-foods-improves-nutrient-density Metabolic Typing Diet: https://uprightmovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/The_Metabolic_Type_Self_Test.pdf The Paleo Diet for Athletes: https://thepaleodiet.com/product/the-paleo-diet-for-athletes 

The paradigm of climbing an endless mountain paints the picture of an athletic journey that at points will be fraught with endless comparisons to other athletes, and devastating setbacks with illness or injury. What if training and racing is more of an orbital journey? Your goal is one point of the orbit. At halfway, you can see your goal on the horizon.  For the full journey, listen or read the transcript in the show description on https://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/cycling-in-alignment/. 

Greg Choat is a cycling coach and bike fitter with decades of experience, whose bike fitting knowledge traces back to the expertise of Steve Hogg. Understanding the quintessential difficulty of a bike fitter's challenge is most aptly painted in this proverb quoted by Greg in the show, "Man is to bicycle as fish is to elephant." Helping a human body fit seamlessly onto a carbon or metal frame requires mechanical knowledge of the bike as well as biomechanical and physiological knowledge of the human body. Preventing and dealing with injury caused by either poor form or poor bike fit is one of the primary challenges that Greg and Colby face in their work and unpack for you here.  Website: www.sanussports.com Instagram: @sanussportsusa https://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/cycling-in-alignment/

Former guest on the podcast, triathlete and Feet Freex shoe creator, Jessi Stensland is here to unpack more of her evolution as an athlete. Starting as a D1 swimmer, making the Olympic trials, transitioning to triathlon, and finally competing in ultra Mountain Bike races are all a part Jessi's athletic journey. Her continued athletic evolution has a different focus than simply "winning" a race. Creating a long-term health and high-performance lifestyle is now the primary focus for Jessi. The idea of being "kinterractive" as Jessi defines in this podcast, is one of nature, activity, love, and connection. 

The essence of what training in alignment looks like began to crystallize in my mind through an email exchange with a listener of the podcast. "As you've identified in your show amateurs look at pros for things like training, not realizing that all pros do is ride, sleep and eat. For those of us who race, how much training is too much. Where is the drop off in terms of results? Personally, I'm not willing to train 20 hours a week even if I had the time. Anyway, I'd be curious to know where the curve stops where the curve starts to drop in terms of fitness and health. When does it move?"  I hope you find my answer to this question useful as you determine your own sport-life balance.

Time Trial position is tricky at best. Contortionism is the most appropriate word to describe the skill you must be able to master if you seek to be the fastest and most aero in a time trial. Riding in a time trial position is an increased functional load when compared to road riding. The wider the handlebars, the wider the base of support, the narrower the bars, the narrower the base of support. This leads us into one of our first points about time trial, positional challenges and narrow base of support. Listen to the full episode and review the podcast transcript (https://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/cycling-in-alignment/) to learn the nitty-gritty about the idea time trial position.  Superficial Back Line: https://www.flexibilityrx.com/reclaiming-the-sagittal-plane/ Crank Length https://cyclingtips.com/2017/09/crank-length-forget-leverage-power-fit/ Crank Length http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/2014/07/crank-length-whateverwithin-reason.html?m=1 Tony Martin sand paper story: https://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/tony-martins-sandpaper-bum-wound-a-most-unusual-injury/ Rohan Dennis https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/im-stay-rohan-dennis-says-change-mentality-delivered-world-championships-victory-438674 http://www.contortionhomepage.com/photolib.html Paul Chek 90/90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6FtlqpAYg

James Wilson is the owner and founder of MTB Strength Systems. He is a mountain bike, strength, and Jujitsu coach based in Grand Junction, CO. He is also the inventor of the Catalyst Pedal. He has pioneered many advanced perspectives on strength training for cyclists, producing content on this topic starting in 2005. Our conversation includes James' thoughts on how power is most effectively made on the bike, how riders should stand more during training, and a model of tension during riding that is broken into four quadrants. Enjoy this discussion which is not only focused on mountain bikes; the concepts discussed apply to all aspects and disciplines of cycling. https://www.bikejames.com https://www.pedalinginnovations.com https://www.bikejames.com/strength/3-bjj-core-training-exercises-to-help-your-mtb-riding/ https://www.bikejames.com/strength/winning-or-learning-learning-or-winninglessons-from-my-bjj-tournament/ The shoes James uses: https://www.somfootwear.com

Moninger the greatest American cyclist to never have ridden the Tour de France. Scott Moninger is a crafty all-around racer who has victories in road races, criteriums, time trials, and state races. He's a versatile rider and a passionate athlete with a deep love for the sport. His characteristically stoic expression on the bike and ruthless competitive nature has earned him the nickname of The Iceman. Hope you enjoy our regaling of old racing stories and that you find our conversation about coaching and training to be useful.   Velocious coaching site:  https://www.velociouscyclingadventures.com  Instagram: @moningerscott https://www.instagram.com/moningerscott/?hl=en

So many of my clients have questions and run into issues about saddle sores, and man, when you get a bad one, it can be really bad. I have actually had a couple of clients that suffered so severely, they had to have surgery.  When you sit on a saddle, that's a lot of weight on a very small surface area. There's the weight of the torso, the weight of the helmet, the weight of the upper body, the arms -- it's all focused into this relatively small point. Then we add friction generated by the movement of the legs. With so many moving parts there is so much that can go wrong which can lead to undercarriage issues for the rider. Today, I've also got a special guest that we'll get to in the second part of the podcast. Don Powell is the creator and owner of Panache Cyclewear. He's been designing and creating his own cycling gear there for 12 years. We'll hear a bit from Don about the construction of chamois and fabrics and technical details in the second part. RESOURCES:  https://www.panachecyclewear.com:  20% discount code: Alignment  Kaerwell store link for Liposomal Glutathione: kaerwell.com/go/colbypearce  Code for 10% off: Pearce10 Detox Pathways: https://nutritionsimplified.co/blog-post/5-detox-pathways-that-purify-your-body Chamois cream: https://www.madalchemy.com Dr. Bronner's soap: https://www.drbronner.com Weleda soap: https://www.weleda.com  Trainer platform: https://www.saris.com/product/mp1 Inside Ride Trainer platform for KICKR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnWv_0YE-fo&feature=youtu.be

Group rides are dead. Unpopular opinion number one. Even in ostensibly safe scenarios, group rides are dangerous. Rides are too big; riders are too brash; vehicles are too numerous, and drivers are too distracted.  Other potentially unpopular opinions of Colby’s are related to indoor riding. He outlines some of the pros and cons of Zwifting, including the benefits of riding with extremely controlled and focused training, as well as increased blood volume versus the compounding effects of poor posture that the monotony of riding inside can foster.  LINKS:  https://lifeinthepeloton.com http://www.insideride.com https://www.saris.com/catalog/trainer-premium-accessories

My friend and colleague, Julie Young, sent me an email asking some deep, thoughtful questions about fitting riders properly on their mountain bikes. The central theme was around steeper seat tube angles on many modern mountain bikes and how that it is challenging and sometimes impossible to get a rider's saddle offset far enough back behind the bottom bracket on a mountain bike to match their road position. This question has a lot of nuance and detail. I asked Julie if she would come back onto the pod to do a sort of Q&A style episode, inspired by her thoughtful question. Then, after laboring over these questions even further, I realized that I needed to bring in mountain bike geek-extraordinaire, Travis Brown, also a previous podcast guest (episode 14.) It was time to unpack bike geometry and rider weight distribution in great detail.

In the first installment of this two-part series on How to Pedal a Bike, you learned the basics of my philosophy of how to pedal a bike. Humans are meant to push down so we need to understand how to optimize that motion for cycling. We're going to break down how to pedal in different conditions. We will look at the demands of the event that will help us decipher what disciplines have what requirements for the type of pedaling you must do. Then, I will break cyclists down into pedaling phenotypes. When we talk about cycling phenotypes (sprinter, time trialist, etc.) in terms of pedaling, understand that it is a spectrum. I hope these thoughts lead to insight in your own training and spur you to think more critically about how you ride.  Brad Wiggins hour record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ge_qoSGXrU Vittoria Bussi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNctC8NnCI&t=50s Alex Dowsett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkfkMTEqQak

Daniel Holloway is a professional cyclist who races for Texas Roadhouse and is a 20 x US National Champion, a Pan Am Games gold medalist, and a member of the US National Long team for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. I met Daniel when he was a junior racing on the track, sometime around 2004. Years later, when I had the opportunity to race some of the European six days, I needed a partner, and Daniel ended up being the man for the job. He was one of the youngest riders in the field at our first Six Day in Dortmund, and I was one of the older riders in the peloton. I think it is quite accurate to say we really had no idea what the hell we were doing. Together we stumbled our way through 4 seasons of racing Sixes, World Cups, and World Championships together. We had wins, crashes, DNF’s, lots of laughs, and one moment that was pretty close to a fistfight. I thought having Daniel on the show would be the perfect excuse to tell some entertaining stories, and also to help my audience understand the archaic and iconic world of European Six Day racing.  Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team | Elite Bicycle Racing Team https://texasroadhousecycling.com PEZ Talk: Six Day Man Colby Pearce – PezCycling News https://pezcyclingnews.com/amp/interviews/pez-talk-six-day-man-colby-pearce/ The Time Capsule: Colby Pearce - An American Team in the Six Days https://www.veloveritas.co.uk/2011/02/11/colby-pearce-time-capsule/ Six Day Cycling - Hong Kong 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aoN8XDHM4c

Many riders come into the fit studio struggling with their bicycle saddles. In this aspect of bike fitting, the end goal is to have a saddle disappear, where you don't think about it for one hour, you don't think about it for three hours, you don't think about it for five hours, you don't even think about it when you get home. There's no chafing, there's no scarring, there are no saddle sores, there are no little pebble-sized cysts growing in your nether regions, which is unfortunately quite common.  We're going to talk about the anatomy of the human undercarriage, and then we're going to talk about the shapes of saddles and how those two things go together. How do they fit together? What are the design concepts of different types of saddles? How do they support the weight of the torso? All this and much more this week on Cycling in Alignment 

In a continuation in our two-part series about wellness, Dr. Scott Storrie continues to dissect a myriad of elements that go into making a well-rounded athlete. Scott is a medical practitioner with over three decades of experience specializing in naturopathic endocrinology, utilizing diet, supplementation, balancing neurotransmitters, with the synergism of manual medicines, energetic & emotional healing arts. Knudson Recharge fruit juice sports drink https://www.rwknudsenfamily.com/products/recharge Dental Herb Company mouth wash https://www.dentalherb.com/ Skratch Labs Cook Book https://www.skratchlabs.com/pages/cookbooks EMF Harmony EMF reduction devices https://www.emf-harmony.com/collections/emf-harmony?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=EMF%20Harmony%20Brand&utm_term=emf%20harmony&utm_content=EMF%20Harmony Rogue Fitness Supernova for pelvic floor work https://www.roguefitness.com/mobilitywod-super-nova-2-0 

Today's episode is a special one; we've got Trevor Connor, Host of Fast Talk, and Rocco Orlando, Army Veteran, and athlete, here to discuss their respective journeys into the dark world called: overtraining. Each of these men has a poignant story to tell. The idea behind sharing these stories is that you, the listener, will get a feel for what happens if you decide to overtrain your body. As you'll discover there are extraneous factors that play into each of these athlete's downward spirals. There are powerful insights here into what makes the mind of the athlete tick. This is a clear demonstration of what happens if you do decide to 'just keep training.' If you adopt the 'more is always better' mindset and ignore the signals of the body this is what can happen. Sticking to the training plan relentlessly or over-doing miles, intensity, and general time on the bike. This will eventually lead to some dark outcomes. Both of these guys have taken that downward spiral to the extreme. It's very useful for us to hear their stories. Understand the elements that were at play for them to adopt this mindset and to keep going in spite of the warning signals from their bodies. This is where the power in the lesson lies. Rocco's Story: https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/bikes-of-the-bunch-saved-by-the-bike-a-former-soldiers-custom-venge/ Where we first heard Trevor’s story: https://www.fasttalklabs.com/fasttalk127/

Steve Hogg, veteran bike fitter known for his expertise and attention to detail throughout the cycling world. Steve stopped counting bike fit customers after he reached 10,000 over a decade ago but is always fine-tuning and improving his methods for helping riders have the healthiest physiological relationship with their bikes to reduce injury and increase performance. This holistic approach and attention to detail has informed Steve’s evolution and helped him tackle some of the most intimidating and difficult bike fits imaginable, some of which you’ll hear about in this episode. Colby’s own fit technique and approach stem from his study under Steve in Australia. Please check out the IBFI website link in the resources to find a quality bike fitter near you.  Steve’s website: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com Spinacci Bars: https://www.ebay.com/itm/324057816576  Bike Fit Resource: https://ibfi-certification.com/

Physical therapist, Ron Kochevar, joins Colby to deconstruct belief systems around your individual capabilities. This relates to pain and being able to bring yourself into the right mental space to help your body with the healing process. Ron emphasizes the importance of stopping in the moment in order to work on retraining your brain to have a new or different response to certain stimuli, like pain. Ron delves into some of the most common asymmetries and challenges he sees in the athletes he works with and addresses some of the contributors to these common maladies.  https://www.ronkochevar.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ronkochevar/

Dr. Scott Storrie is a wellness practitioner who is a Board Certified Naturopathic Endocrinologist, a licensed Acupuncturist, and a licensed Chiropractor. Some of the therapies that he and Colby review in this podcast include Lymph Drainage Therapy, Japanese Acupuncture, Visceral Manipulation, Laserology, They review the spectrum of a well-balanced, healthy diet, and why certain foods should only be eaten at certain times of year.

Lentine Alexis is a former pro triathlete and a classically trained Chef who has made quality food and well-being the focus of her life and work. In this episode she and Colby trace her journey back to the beginning of her athletic career in high school and her almost simultaneous intrigue into the world of quality food ingredients, paired with the understanding of her body’s relationship to them. https://lentinealexis.com/about/ https://providencela.com https://www.skratchlabs.com https://www.colbypearce.com

"I think that it can be useful for us to think about moving meditation like a gateway drug, a way to step into a meditative practice. Maybe it will grow and develop into different ways. If you do it for a while, then you might be inspired to explore other paths of meditation. In my experience, working with different clients and different personality types, some athletes will start meditation and immediately dive very deeply into it; they just embrace it. It's something their soul has been craving or hungers for. #1) First of all, we'd prefer ideally free to pick flat or mostly flat terrain, terrain that is not obfuscated with a lot of things like stoplights and potholes and people not a busy bike path. Not a lot of turns, not a lot of rolling hills. #2.) And the second point that directly stems from that is, no matter where you are in this meditative process, you need to understand that you are responsible for and obligated to always keep a direct awareness of your environment. Just because you're zoned out and thinking about your pedal stroke doesn't give you license to ignore cars that turn in front of you, dogs, cats, ice, sand, potholes, small children, flying objects, whatever else you might encounter on the bike. So we're here to be aware, you've got to accept the fact that during cycling, we need to have our reticular activating system on which is a low level alert for threat." - Colby Pearce Waking Up App - https://app.wakingup.com/  Soma Breath - https://www.somabreath.com/  FasCat - https://fascatcoaching.com/tips/meditation-for-cyclists/ Ziva Meditation - https://zivameditation.com/  Michael Holt Meditation Teacher - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZJo2ZDCNTv1QtKfKaSn64A

This is the Meditation portion of Podcast Episode 21: Meditation on the Bike; uploaded here separately from the full episode for you to utilize with more ease. #1) First of all, we'd prefer ideally free to pick flat or mostly flat terrain, terrain that is not obfuscated with a lot of things like stoplights and potholes and people not a busy bike path. Not a lot of turns, not a lot of rolling hills. #2.) And the second point that directly stems from that is, no matter where you are in this meditative process, you need to understand that you are responsible for and obligated to always keep a direct awareness of your environment. Just because you're zoned out and thinking about your pedal stroke doesn't give you license to ignore cars that turn in front of you, dogs, cats, ice, sand, potholes, small children, flying objects, whatever else you might encounter on the bike. So we're here to be aware, you've got to accept the fact that during cycling, we need to have our reticular activating system on which is a low level alert for threat." - Colby Pearce Waking Up App - https://app.wakingup.com/  Soma Breath - https://www.somabreath.com/  FasCat - https://fascatcoaching.com/tips/meditation-for-cyclists/ Ziva Meditation - https://zivameditation.com/  Michael Holt Meditation Teacher - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZJo2ZDCNTv1QtKfKaSn64A

Here to unpack the duality of data and intuition in endurance athletics is cycling coach and former World Tour cyclist, Julie Young. She and Colby unpack some of the struggles they each faced in their earlier racing careers around doping in the sport. The main focus of this conversation is to understand the helpful and healthy place for data and analysis in your training. Learning to craft your own intuition is something that, when paired with the right amount of data, can lead you to becoming your best athletic self. 

In today's episode, Colby Pearce, a Steve Hogg Certified bike fitter, sits down with Chris Case, host of Fast Talk, to dissect the minutiae of how to pedal a bike. Saddle position, ankling, dead legged drills, plantar and dorsal flexion of the foot, all of this and much more is unpacked in today's episode. Resources: https://www.anatomytrains.com/blog/2016/05/31/review-jan-wilkes-evidence-based-myofascial-chains-holly-clemens/ http://back-in-business-physiotherapy.com/images/stories/cyclingkinematics/pedalangle.jpg https://www.bikejames.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/The-Flat-Pedal-Revolution-Manifesto-2017.pdf https://ibfi-certification.com https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/04/power-to-the-pedal-cleat-position/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPiLLplofYw https://www.roadbikerider.com/perfect-pedal-strokes-d1/ Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@www.fastlabs.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

Greetings and salutations, listeners. I am so excited for today’s show, the guest is none other than Paul Chek. I have been a student of Paul’s for a few years now, and I am so grateful and honored he has taken time to speak to my audience.  Paul Chek has been an exercise coach for over three and a half decades, but he is much more than someone who can tell you how to do a Swiss Ball crunch. Paul has hundreds of hours of YouTube videos that detail everything from proper relationship to coffee, to numerous strength exercises, to thoughts on mediation and stone stacking, to the history of pornography, and many other topics.. Paul is the founder of the Chek Institute in Encinitas, California where he and his instructors teach classes on Holistic Lifestyle Coaching, Four Quadrant Coaching Mastery, Integrated Movement Science, in addition to numerous other programs. I am currently studying in Paul’s Academy which is a multi-year program that takes the student through every class he teaches and I have found it to add to, expand and challenge my own coaching programs in numerous ways. Paul’s programs are about far more than teaching an athlete to move well; through years of therapy Paul has learned to apply a psycho-spiritual model to coaching in order to more completely serve and heal the client.  Paul has had experience as a member of the US Army boxing team, as a massage therapist, he has repaired weapons systems on Cobra helicopters, introduced the Swiss Ball into the gym, is a former professional triathlete, is a licensed Native American Medicine Practitioner who has led over four hundred shamanic journeys.

In his continued efforts to help you find balance between life and sport, in this episode Colby focuses on the six foundational principles of a well-balanced life, as prescribed by Paul Chek of the Chek Institute. As a proponent of Chek’s methods and philosophy, Colby will walk through the practical applications of each of these for cyclists. The six principles are:  Eating Drinking  Sleeping Movement Breathing  Thinking 

Jess Elliott is an experienced strength and conditioning coach working at EXOS, and as an affiliate faculty member at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Jess is here to help you understand why it is so important to make time for off-the-bike strength and conditioning work. The low-impact aspect of cycling is advantageous to your body in many ways, but it does have some downsides as well. Ensuring that your body can move in a multi-planar fashion with ease and strength can prevent you from getting injured and will lead you towards being a more well-balanced individual suited for an active lifestyle.  TAG - https://www.tagperformanceco.com/our-leader DARI - https://www.darimotion.com/about-us Find CC’s VN article about CPs test - https://www.velonews.com/training/training-center-motion-capture-technology-helps-fix-imbalances/ FMS Gray Cook: http://graycook.com/?page_id=150 SFMA: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Selective_Functional_Movement_Assessment_(SFMA) Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

The fundamentals of cycling are simple; even small children do it. Yet it’s vital that we occasionally revisit the core principles of our favorite sport. In this episode of Cycling in Alignment, Colby outlines many of the key components of cycling, including the physical characteristics that make for great cyclists. He also ponders the question: if your body doesn’t match with this description, can you still be a great rider? Colby also touches upon torque, the pedal stroke, fascial system, physiological testing, FTP, bike fit, and the symmetry of cycling in this broad overview of the sport of cycling.  Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

Travis Brown is an Olympian and a mountain bike Hall of Fame inductee. His road to the Olympic Games was twisty and narrow, and often fraught with obstacles—not unlike a section of Rocky Mountain singletrack. In today’s episode, listen to his conversation with Colby to hear about how he began his return from a severe leg injury on the bike, even before that leg was weight-bearing.  Brown still works with his long-time sponsor, Trek, developing new bikes and equipment. He also develops young talent in the sport, including those on Native American reservations, providing bikes to young riders there. The pair touch upon all of these topics. Finally, Travis reveals the scare he’s had from skin cancer. As an outdoor enthusiast who spends much time on his bike, he has strong recommendations for protecting yourself while you’re out on the trail.  Archived page of Travis’ SSWC Tattoo: https://web.archive.org/web/20051115120933/http://www.trekbikes.com/news/news_detail.jsp?articleId=4353&category=hot_news Twitter: https://twitter.com/TBrowntrip Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travis.brown.18007 Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

As an athlete, specifically a cyclist, you know that your diet greatly affects your performance on the bike. Your ability to go hard and long depends to some extent on what you've been fueling yourself with. Colby isn't and doesn't claim to be a dietitian or nutritionist; that said, this podcast is a collection of his thoughts on wholesome, clean eating. References: https://secure.metabolictypingonline.com/ https://www.westonaprice.org https://secure.metabolictypingonline.com  Eugene Trufkin: https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Factory-Shopping-Guide-Evgeny-Trufkin/dp/1099029430

Jessi Stensland, the creator of FeetFreex, a website designed to help people connect with their healthy, strong feet, and re-establish a connection with nature. Thanks for coming along with us to experience Jessi’s powerful journey and listen to the lessons she’s discovered along the way. She has deeply developed her relationship with her body in the years since competing as a professional triathlete, swimming at the Olympic trials, and winning a bronze medal at XTERRA World Championships. Her ideas about shoes and sleep may be new and unusual to you, but pause and consider her enthusiasm, her agility, and her deep connection to her own body.  Feet Freex: https://www.feetfreex.com/ Team Exos https://www.teamexos.com/capabilities/sports-performance/ Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

Your feet are a critical component to the cycling experience. Proper alignment between feet and body is one of the keys to both power and comfort on a bike. Because of the repetitive motion of pedaling, any issues you might have are compounded by the thousands of kilometers you endure, and you can quickly exacerbate poor foot pronation or supination. If not addressed, sub-par foot alignment can increase your risk of injury.  Today’s guest, an expert in this field, is Aaron Anderson, the founder of PTI Orthotics & Foot Resource Lab, and a board-certified pedorthist for over 20 years. In this episode, we break down the different ways that prefabricated, semi-custom, and custom orthotics are constructed; analyze the pros and cons of the different methods used to cast feet and determine orthotic support needs; offer practical tips and advice on how to find the best podiatrist, and discuss how to determine the quality of the orthotics you’re considering.  Aaron Anderson, PTI Orthotics and Foot Resource Lab : https://ptiorthotics.com/ Dr .Kevin Kirby : http://www.kirbypodiatry.com/ Robert Donatelli Book: https://www.amazon.com/Biomechanics-Foot-Ankle-Robert-Donatelli/dp/0803626967 Prolotherapy: https://www.mayoclinic.org/prolotherapy/expert-answers/faq-20058347 Ehlers Danlos: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/ Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

Today on Cycling in Alignment we take a step back, off the bike, to focus on the alignment of your mental state.  Every activity can be classified as “yin” or “yang” according to ancient Chinese philosophy. You’ve likely seen the interlaced black and white circle representative of this philosophy; the symbol illustrates how seemingly opposite forces can be complementary and interconnected. But have you ever had an in-depth lesson on yin and yang? More importantly, have you learned how to apply this knowledge to your life? Lucky for you, Colby has some answers. All you Type-A, go-getter cyclists, it’s time to contemplate the importance of balancing your yang activities with the yin. Ready for some intervals from Coach Colby? How about a six-by-six-minute breathing workout as you slowly walk around the block? The Dragon: https://www.paulcheksblog.com/the-dragon-2/ Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

Mountain biker Lydia Tanner has won two collegiate national championships and raced internationally with Team USA. She is a long time coach at Boulder Junior Cycling and content strategist at TrainingPeaks. You may have read some of her gear reviews in Bike Magazine. Colby once coached Lydia, and in this interview, she recalls her apathy toward training and riding during that period of her racing career. Lydia reveals why she was struggling so much at the time: Sadly, she was dealing with the all-too-common issue of an eating disorder. That, in combination with a myriad of serious injuries and concussions, eventually took its toll; she got to a point where she didn’t touch a bike for years.  Now, the bike is all about adventure for Lydia. She and Colby talk about some of their epic rides in the past, including Lydia’s 500-kilometer, 40-hour ride.  They emphasize the importance and struggle of finding and understanding one’s identity outside of sport and career. As coaches, they discuss the issues with training young girls to be aggressive with their teammates and training partners.  This and much more on today’s episode of “Cycling in Alignment.”  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydlovesmud/ Lydia on Bike Magazine https://www.bikemag.com/author/lydia-tanner/ Colby’s Site: http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email: cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

Which cycling shoes should I buy? This may seem like a straightforward question. But the better thing to ask is: Which shoes are right for my feet? If you’ve been a professional cyclist with extensive experience as a bike fitter, like show host Colby Pearce, the answer to that more complex question becomes an hour-long podcast, filled with the nuances of human anatomy. There are several questions about your physiology and biomechanics that need to be answered before you can select the ideal shoe for you, and for the purpose of your rides. Dial that Boa in—but not too tight. There’s much to be learned in today’s episode of Cycling in Alignment.  Lake 403s – https://lakecycling.com/products/cx-403?variant=30307106029662 Device that expands toe-box – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4SKS82?tag=duckduckgo-osx-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1 Cycling Tips Podcast about Bont shoes: https://cyclingtips.com/2015/05/bont-vaypor-s-shoe-review/ Bont Helix – https://www.bontcycling.com/products/road/helix/index.html Bontrager – https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bike-clothing/cycling-shoes/road-bike-shoes/bontrager-xxx-road-cycling-shoe/p/25000/ Lintamen – https://www.lintaman.com/ Hanseeno – https://hanseeno.com/collections/performance/products/u100g-shoes www.feetfreex.com/ Treadlabs orthotics – https://treadlabs.com/ Superfeet orthotics – https://www.superfeet.com/en-us Icebug orthotics – https://icebug.com/insoles G8 orthotics – https://www.g8performance.com/ Colby’s Site – http://www.colbypearce.com/ Email – cyclinginalignment@fastlabs.com Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351743

Long-time friends, training partners & competitors, Jonathan Vaughters and Colby Pearce have a deep racing history and relationship. Colby & JV first discuss their early training techniques, taught to them by their first cycling coach, Adrie Van Diemen, a Dutch exercise physiologist now with UAE Team Emirates. Vaughters, who has coached many pro cyclists over the years, then gives examples of experiments gone right—and wrong—and how certain training regimens should be applied to certain types of athlete

This short bonus episode is meant to clarify that formulas are a useful starting point in cycling and training. Formulas can help you race a faster time trial, to gauge how many bottles per hour you need to consume during a long ride in the mountains, and how long a break should be taken in between. A formula is a proxy for experience. As always, the goal of this show is to help guide you towards the alignment of scientific athletic pursuit with the right relationship of mind and body.

Nikki Costello, lifestyle coach with the CHEK Institute, operator of MyWholeBody, and an experienced ELDOA teacher—in English, it stands for Longitudinal Osteo-Articular Decoaptation Stretching—a practice that she and Colby discuss at length. http://mywholebody.net/about-us/nikki-costello/ Anatomy Trains https://www.anatomytrains.com/ Weston A. Price https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/why-we-need-carbs/ Black Onyx https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/black-onyx-cocoa-powder

Charlie Merrill, physical therapist and Tabi shoe enthusiast, takes a deep dive on pain in this week’s episode of Cycling in Alignment. https://www.mperformance.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MPerformanceBoulder Kit Laughlin: https://stretchtherapy.net/ Peter O’Sullivan: http://www.pain-ed.com/team/ Stu McGill: https://www.backfitpro.com/about-us/ Steve Bauer “chopper” Paris-Roubaix bike circa 93: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/top-five-worst-cycling-inventions

Dr. Allen Lim, founder of Skratch Labs, is today’s esteemed philosopher. REFERENCES LUX camp June 15 - July 15 Dr. Allen Lim https://www.doctorallenlim.com Skratch Labs https://www.skratchlabs.com/ Dr. Stacy Sims https://www.drstacysims.com/ Chek https://chekinstitute.com/product/holistic-health-and-performance-for-women-e-learning/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cyclinginalignment/ Twitter https://twitter.com/CyclinginAlign_ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cyclinginalignment-110271017351

My goal is to help people express their highest potential by illuminating a path that enables alignment with truth and coherence. There will be some episodes without guests in which I divulge the intricacies of riding a bike. Other times I will invite guests, some of whom come from the sport of cycling. Other guests may not come from cycling, but they’ll always have a connection to living a holistic life. Resources: www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/3950

When strict stay-at-home orders first struck Spain months ago, Nathan Haas, who rides for the Cofidis WorldTour team, was at his adopted home in Girona. Colby Pearce, who has known Nathan for many years, shared a deep conversation about their longing for nature, made ever more vivid and poignant due to the Australian’s confinement in the medieval Spanish city. Ultimately, the conversation is a tool to teach us about ourselves, from two friends who love nature and who are passionate about bikes.