The Working Athlete Podcast

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Mahesh Iyer. Mahesh is a masters rider from Pune Wolfpack who has been at it for a long time with cycling and racing. His consistent work ethic of more than a decade has now made him one of the strongest masters riders in the country. We sat down to chat when we met for the Goan Classic which he won. In this conversation he shares his process, his training, his mental tools as well. It was fascinating to listen to his journey from struggling to stay with groups to winning races. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.           0:00:00  Intro0:06:30  Body building days through college0:08:55  Getting a bike to lose weight and getting into running0:11:45  Lifecycle, Enduro races, Hill climbing challenge, meeting like minded people, Michael Lenig0:13:50  Forming a team, training under Michael, BBCh races, Genesis of Pune Wolfpack0:17:45  Memories from BBCh races back in the day, Criterium and Nandi Race0:26:35  Tour of Nilgiris 2015 memories, Kalahatty stories0:36:20  What kept him going, having a team0:40:36  Importance of staying with the process and having goals0:44:45  His breakthrough year, 2019, working with NJ, starting to believe in himself, mood follows action0:51:50  His training cycle, training volume, strength sessions0:54:40  Indoor vs outdoors training0:57:00  Nutrition on and off the bike, learnings 1:03:20  Shout out to Sudarshan, Pune Wolfpack, 1:06:30  Getting vocal in races, being respectful1:08:30  Learnings/tips for working athletes, don't stop, invest in yourself, get a coach1:13:10  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Prashant Tidke. Prashant is a charted accountant by profession and a masters cyclist by passion. In 2019, he had to undergo an angiogram to deal with a potentially deadly 100% blockage in his heart. He not only recovered from his heart condition but also got back to full athletic activity and worked himself to becoming the fittest he has been all his life. In this episode, he shares the rehab protocol he used to recover from such a critical condition and advises on how to identify potential warning signs and respond in time. His story serves as another example of how fitness and health are two different things and what we need to do in order to take care of our health as we age. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.           0:00:00  Intro0:04:25  Moving to Pune and running cross country races0:06:10  Focus on Charted Accountancy taking precedence over sports0:08:36  Getting back to physical activity to quit smoking 0:12:06  Getting into brevet riding in 2011 and going to PBP the same year 0:15:15  Tour of Nilgiris 2012 taught me what bicycling is0:16:36  Winning races in 2013-2015, masters getting stronger0:19:26  How his heart blockage was uncovered, the signs0:29:36  Health and fitness are two different things0:30:10  Genetics and lifestyle issues0:32:00  Rehab and medications; coming back from depression0:39:00  How zone 2 training during the pandemic helped his road to recovery0:40:20  Weight training in the gym0:43:00  Advice for working athletes, regular health checks, no smoking0:55:10  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Kiran Kumar Raju or KKR as we lovingly call him. KKR was the tour director of Tour of Nilgiris 2024. Both KKR and I have long relationship with Tour of Nilgiris. He started his journey in cycling as a volunteer at TFN 2010 and since then he has played many roles at the tour. From being a route marker to taking part in the tour as a rider after becoming a National champion in MTB, to now taking on the role as a tour director, he has seen the tour from various perspectives. In this episodes, he shares his perspective of how the tour and he himself have evolved over the years in various aspects. It was super fun talking about my favorite bike tour, Tour of Nilgiris with one of my favorite people, KKR. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:00  Various roles that KKR played at TFN0:06:15  Kiran's first time on Tour of Nilgiris in 2010 as a volunteer, a marker0:11:00  Marking team, most invisible and visible team on the tour0:14:30  Missing 2013 and riding TFN 2014 as a fulltime rider,  0:17:00  Nandi race 2011  0:19:00  His first tour as a rider TFN 20140:23:50  Support stations evolution at TFN0:29:00  Race segments at TFN 0:33:50  Is Tour of Nilgiris only for the pros0:37:00  2016 TFN coming as a rider0:40:30  Coming back in 2023 and 2024 as Tour director for Tour of Nilgiris0:43:20  Sweep vehicle is there to support you0:46:00  Hospitality support at TFN0:48:20  People behind TFN over the years 0:52:00  Origin of TFN in 20080:55:10  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to my team mate at Spectrum Racing Su Yin. Su Yin was an offshore geophysicist turned pastry chef who took up to cycling and triathlon by chance. She ended up winning in her age category in her very first triathlon at Goa Ironman 70.3 in 2019! In this episode she shares how that win followed by the pandemic almost put her out of love for the sport and how she slowly fell back into love with cycling while raising funds for GivingBack and riding Tour of Nilgiris. We also talk extensively about her experience at Tour of Thekkady where she finished second by fraction of a second after 145km of racing. Her journey is inspirational not just to women but all of us and makes us think what we need to prioritise for both our mental and physical well being. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.             0:00:00  Intro0:04:25  Her work, off-shore geophysicist to pastry chef0:10:55  Running and hiking through college0:14:55  Getting into cycling and triathlon, signing up for Goa 70.3 in 20190:18:10  Preparation for Ironman Goa 70.3 in 2019, learnings from her Olympic tri0:22:10  Ironman Goa 70.3 experience in 2019, winning in her AG in her very first Ironman event0:27:10  Training through COVID-19 pandemic, the pressure of training for world championships0:29:40  Infected with COVID 2 weeks before her A-race, Ironman Goa 70.3 2022, external/perceived pressures0:35:10  Falling out of love for the sport and doing other things0:39:10  Falling in love with riding again through Tour of Nilgiris 2024 through GivingBack0:43:40  Memories from TFN 20240:46:10  The reluctant athlete0:56:40  Tour of Thekkady 2025 experience1:19:10  Talking about Shayadhri Classic1:22:40  Recalibrating what she enjoys doing, climbing; triathlon taking a back seat 1:26:10  Tips for fellow working athletes, how badly do you want it1:27:20  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Saurabh Singh of Cycling Brain Racing(CBR) about The Goan Classic, a 3 day stage race conducted by Equipe Goa.             0:00:00  Intro0:04:00  Stage 1, ITT0:12:00  Emil missing the U-turn0:13:00  Point system explained0:14:40  Stage 2, 96km rolling terrain0:16:00  Neutral lap0:17:00  Strategies, breakaways  0:37:40  Fredsan Marshall, full-time footballer and part-time cyclist wins 0:41:00  Points at the end of stage 2 and the dynamics for stage 30:44:00  Queen stage strategies and execution 1:00:30  Chasing the break1:10:00  The final climb starts1:14:00  Mind power, Pretending to be strong to climb strong1:20:00  The crazy finish for Saurabh1:21:30  Phenomenal organizing of the race1:24:00  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to my friend, Richa Bigghe. Richa is a working mom and a runner. We both ran the Tata Mumbai Marathon Half earlier this year. I have known her as the life partner of my riding partner Milam Saxena and I have always been impressed by how they support each other's athletic pursuits while managing their own work and raising a 2 year old together. Richa has stayed active late into her pregnancy a couple of years ago and has picked her running back up and managed to run a half marathon just months after delivery. In this episode she shares her no nonsense approach to training, what can help women to stay active through pregnancy and how they can get back to activity soon after delivery. She also shares how she manages to prioritize her well being and her career along with her family. It was great to sit down and get to know more about this super mom. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:10  Basketball in school 0:07:40  Running her first Half Marathon in Delhi on a whim0:09:10  No concept of training for any events0:11:10  Covid period being more consistency with strength training and running 0:13:10  Working out with Youtube videos0:15:10  Tata Mumbai Marathon journey from 20190:17:10  Training through the pregnancy and post pregnancy, running a 10k just months post delivery0:19:40  Importance of pelvic floor exercises pre and post delivery0:21:20  How they manage to prioritize working out while raising a young baby0:26:35  Structured training for the first time for TMM 20240:31:30  Venky and Richa's TMM 2024 experience0:44:20  Her goals for the year ahead0:47:10  Keeping the easy runs easy, carbs for the long ones0:51:30  Cycling plans taking a back seat0:55:50  Tips for fellow working athletes0:57:20  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to my team mate at Spectrum Racing and a long time mentor for a lot of us, Rajesh Nair. Rajesh a.k.a BabaVelo has raced all around the world as an amateur over the last 25 years or so. He is very passionate about cycling and is in a privileged position of being able to travel and participate in some of the best cycling events around the world. That meant he took part in 100s of races all around the world over the years. That experience gives him a perspective that not many of us have. He is outspoken. He wears his heart on his sleeve and shares his opinion without any filters. I think, that makes it all the more valuable. To set the context for this episode, a couple of days before we sat down for this chat, he withdrew from a race we travelled to take part in because of safety concerns. He did not want to risk racing in the dark on roads with traffic. We shared constructive feedback to the organizers who were very receptive for the same. But, I thought that this is a topic all of us need to think more about. In that context, we sat down to discuss about road racing in India and safety aspects we need to take care of when it comes to racing here since we don't have closed roads. Please note that the intent is not to knock on any one race or any one organizer but to discuss openly what can be done to make racing in general safer for everyone. I hope it comes across as such and that it helps all of us think more seriously about this topic.            0:00:00  Intro0:10:15  Safety of an event0:12:35  Road closures, BBCh0:17:15  Tour of Thekkady0:19:30  CFI and closed roads0:21:40  What can be done to make events safer within the constraints of India0:25:00  Shayadhri Classic and Tour of Nilgiris formats0:22:00  Circuit Races, Gravel events 0:30:40  Mountain biking as a safer option for kids0:31:40  ITTs don't have to be 40k 0:32:50  Gravel is not bad roads0:33:50  Organizers and safety standards0:35:00  Tour of Thekkady, Safety concerns, racing in the dark, neutral zones0:43:15  Talking of categories 0:46:00  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Peter Roper. Peter is a working athlete from Colorado USA. I first met Peter during Tour of Nilgiris 2018. This year, he was back at TFN 2024 after 6 years. It was great to sit down with him during the rest day on TFN and speak about his early cycling, racing in the USA, his experience of running a bike shop before moving away from it and working. We talked about how he manages to keep his cycling going and what he brings him back to TFN among other things. Peter is a bundle of positive energy and a fun guy to ride with and talk to. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:04:30  How he got started in cycling 0:07:05  Collegiate racing in the USA0:09:35  Riding when he started working0:12:30  MTB racing as an amateur and how racing has changed over the years0:13:55  Late start into road cycling0:17:40  The Indian connection, Pune family0:19:55  Hearing about Tour of Nilgiris and signing up for it0:21:25  TFN 2018 experience 0:24:30  Coming back to TFN after 6 years, you 0:26:00  Experience of running a bike shop in the US0:29:00  Riding the Tour of Nilgiris on a gravel bike in 20180:30:35  Kalahatty climb experience0:32:20  TFN 2024 experience, riding his full aero bike0:35:25  Memories he takes away from India and Tour of Nilgiris0:37:20  How does he manage his riding nowadays with a young family and job0:40:05  Tips for fellow working athletes, don't forget to relax and enjoy the process0:43:00  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Delton D'Souza. Delton is a runner turned bike packer and ultra cycling racer. He was at Tour of Nilgiris 2024 and I sat down to chat with him about his cycling journey during the rest day. Before coming to TFN he finished a bike packing trip and an Ultra race in the Himalayas and Deccan Cliffhanger just a few weeks prior. It was interesting to talk to him about his bike packing trips  in India and all around the world along with his experience at TFN. I think he is just getting warmed up in the Ultra racing space and is going to do much more in the coming years. I had super fun chatting with him. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:15  Delton's relationship with sport growing up 0:06:35  Running injury gets him into cycling0:07:20  Bike packing to Goa0:08:35  Bike packing to Bhutan0:09:25  Trying to lose weight through running, Mumbai Marathon, Trail running0:11:05  Charm of trail running, Solang Ultra, why he prefers ultra cycling over ultra running0:15:15  Norway bike packing , ring road around Iceland0:19:05  Great riding and great food in Leh0:20:05  How does one pack for a bike packing trip?0:22:45  What food does one carry on a bike packing trip0:23:45  How he got into ultra racing in cycling, 400brm, Great Himalayan Ultra 0:29:40  Deccan Cliffhanger experience0:31:45  Tour of Nilgiris 2024 experience0:35:00  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to my good friend, Milam Saxena. Milam is one of my regular training partners who joins me for our Nandi hills rides every Saturday. I have known him for about 10 years. I have seen his growth as a cyclist and as an amazing human being. He is one of the most workaholic people I know. I have seen him struggle trying to manage his training with crazy travel and work schedules. I have also seen him find his grove and become one of the strongest cyclists I know, all while managing the same busy work schedule and raising a young family. He achieved a 22 min Nandi time with a very time crunched training approach. In this episode he shares what structure has worked for him and how he overcame the challenging times along the way. His journey is a great case study on how someone with a very limited time to train could also achieve great results with some meticulous planning and execution. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with this amazing human. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:15  Sports growing up0:08:35  Buying his first road bike0:12:15  Tour of Nilgiris 2014, quantity vs quality0:17:30  Moving to Bangalore and cycling in BLR0:19:30  Getting a trainer during Covid and riding through Covid0:22:45  Riding in the Alps with Don D'mello in 20180:25:40  Losing an year to an injury and getting out of it0:29:40  Riding 2020-210:32:50  Going from being very strong to being burnt out0:39:30  His typical training cycle, factoring rest, nutrition and polarized training0:49:00  Pacing during his Nandi hills personal best of 22:360:55:00  Managing personal life, systematic arrangements with life partner  0:58:00  Managing work, training and rest1:00:00  Cycling in Goa1:03:20  Tips for fellow working athletes1:05:00  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Ashutosh Barve. Ashutosh is a swim stroke analyst and a certified swim coach from American Swimming coaches Association. In this episode he shares what is swim stroke analysis and how it helps in correcting swimming technique. He also talks about various factors that can help improve one's swimming be it swimming in a pool, or open water. He shares various pointers to improve one's open water skills as well. For someone who doesn't know much about swimming, it was fascinating to learn about various technicalities involved. I hope you guys find it useful. If you do, please share it with your swimming or triathlon friends who could benefit from it.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:35  "I'm a pathetic swimmer" 0:08:35  How he got into swim stroke analysis 0:19:20  Various factors of swimming dynamics  0:26:20  Coefficient of drag, similarities with cycling time trialing0:29:50  Coach is a doctor, swim stroke analyst is path lab0:32:40  Components of a swim technique, body roll, hand alignment, the recovery, catch and pull 0:35:40  Importance of getting the basic technique right first0:39:20  What one needs to focus on for swim technique, form drag reduction, 0:43:40  getting the posture right what can one do, thoracic mobility, ankle mobility0:46:00  Differences between pool and open water swimming, sighting, drafting, deep water starts0:49:50  how a swimsuit can affect the form, constriction, recovery0:51:00  Ways of arm recovery for swimming, high elbow recovery, swinging and straight arm recovery0:52:50  Breathing while swimming, hierarchy of technique correction; breathing and relaxation, balance and posture, alignment and symmetry 1:00:00  Feel for the water, anchoring the arm to pull1:01:30  Swim stroke analysis and interpretation, use of pressure sensors1:04:20  Open water swimming tips for triathletes, swimming straight, bilateral breathing, sighting, drafting, practicing in 1:08:00  Some good channel swimmers1:10:10  What sets channel swimmers apart1:14:00  Tips for coaches and athletes, keep it simple, use the right words, pick one thing at a time to improve, working on posture1:07:00  Closing You can reach Ashutosh on Instagram @barveashutosh      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Shiven. Shiven is a multiple time National medalist and National champ at Indian MTB nationals. Shiven first appeared on the podcast 3 years ago in episode #62 where we talked about his journey in cycling so far. I would encourage you to listen to that episode as well after this if you haven't already. This year we met again during tour of Nilgiris and sat down during the rest day to talk about the current and future talent emerging in MTB in India. He also shared his experience of racing in some UCI races outside India and how one can go about gaining experience in races outside India and improving their skills. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.        0:00:00  Intro0:05:40  The current level in MTB scene in India0:09:30  Gap with Asian level competition, what can help bridge it0:12:45  Promising results at junior level at Asian champs0:14:30  Talent pool at junior level0:17:05  National MTB academy and how can one get into it 0:19:30  Shiven's racing experiences outside India and learnings0:21:40  How does one find and take part in Asian level MTB races?0:22:20  Dhananjay's 3rd at junior Asian level race 0:26:40  Equipment disparity no longer an issue0:28:30  Tour of Nilgiris his experiences0:31:00  Develop engine or skills, his tips for athletes to do well at MTB races0:33:00  Importance of community racing0:37:00  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Cornina Van Dam, a.k.a Cocky Van Dam. Corina is a triathlete who has won Goa Ironman 70.3 in her age category. She is an Ultra runner who has done 24 hour runs and multiple 100k and 100 mile runs. Corina has been trained as a sports coach in the Netherlands, where she was born. She worked for 20 years in mental health using sport as a tool for personal change and the treatment of people with psychiatric and personality disorders. From 2005 onwards, she has worked in Kenya and India on sports for social change programmes. Since 2016, she lives in India working in Mumbai for an NGO called Maitrayana. Corina believes in the power of sport both professionally but also in her private life. She supports girls and women to overcome barriers that keep them from participating in sport. I happened to meet her at the Tata Mumbai Marathon expo when I went there to take part in my first TMM Half Marathon. It was a pleasure sitting down to talk to her about all the great work she is doing using sport as a tool to empower girls and women. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:00  Early start with soccer. 0:07:00  Working mental health trough sports 0:15:00  Working in Kenya and India  0:18:30  Empowerment of girls through sports0:21:25  What makes a good coach0:26:25  Changes in methods of coaching0:31:05  How running got into her life through Pinkathon0:34:30  Going from Dream Run at TMM to 24 hour run 0:36:10  Learnings from 24 hour run0:39:10  Learnings from her Ultra runs, walking, keep moving, potatoes, sweet potatoes0:45:50  Her triathlon journey, winning Goa 70.3 age group   0:49:30  Her favorite sport among all that she participates in 0:52:40  Her advice for working athletes0:59:00  Venky's journey briefly1:03:30  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Abhishek Kumar Singh. Abhishek is an ultra cyclist from Bangalore who has recently completed circumnavigating Karnataka. In the process, he rode self supported and completed 2300km in 137 hours. He is one of the fastest ultra riders in the country who wants to show that Indian ultra riders can be talked about in the same lines as the world's best. He has completed Paris Brest Paris, London Edinburgh London and many other ultra cycling events around the world as well as the most challenging rides in the country like Gates of Heaven. In this episode, he shares not only his experience from his epic rides but also his intense training and recovery routines in great detail. He also shares in detail how he manages to train for 25-30 hours per week while tending to a young family and managing work. It was amazing to listen to his experiences and daily routines. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:06:30  Early years of body building and running in Chennai0:13:30  Moving to Bangalore and starting cycling on a old beater bike 0:20:00  Gates of Heaven (GOH) experience0:25:30  London Edinburg London LEL experience0:30:20  Hydration and nutrition during LEL, support  0:32:25  Bangalore Goa Bangalore 1000k, 0:36:30  Paris Brest Paris PBP, trying to be fastest Indian finisher0:42:30  His insane training routine, all indoor training0:47:20  How he manages work and training, his typical day0:49:30  His recovery and nutrition protocols0:56:30  His future plans, target events for next 4 years0:59:00  Ultra races in India, why he prefers self supported formats  1:04:30  Western Endurance Race WER DNF experience before Race Across Karnataka1:10:50  Race Across Karnataka, fast start and bad roads1:17:30  Generosity of strangers along the way1:22:30  Managing sleep and covering distance1:38:50  Looking ahead and tips to working athletes1:44:10  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Renu Singhi. Renu Singhi is an amazing woman who accomplished some crazy feats of endurance in Ultra cycling. A housewife, a mother and a grandmother who started cycling very late has completed 1200km Paris Brest Paris, 1600km London Edenborough London and recently completed the 4200km North Cape challenge. We met during the Tour of Nilgiris and recorded this during the rest day. In this episode she shares her inspiring journey in cycling and her experience of PBP, LEL and North Cape. She was only comfortable talking in Hindi. So, we did the interview in Hindi and I tried to speak whatever broken Hindi I could but asked most of the questions in English. If you are not a Hindi speaker but watching this on Youtube, the subtitles should help. I hope her story inspires you as much as it inspired me. If it does, please share it with your friends to show that nothing is impossible and age is just a number.         0:00:00  Intro0:05:30  How she bought her first cycle0:09:45  First ride and first race where she came second0:11:00  First BRM 200km after 2 months and progression  0:17:30  PBP/ Paris Brest Paris Experience0:22:00  Delhi to Bombay and 5 days Super Randonneur experience 0:25:35  Experience at LEL ( London Edinburgh London)0:29:50  Unstoppable despite multiple crashes0:37:05  North Cape 4000 experience0:44:00  The troubles after completing North Cape0:53:00  Importance of strong mind for Ultra riding0:55:30  Tour of Nilgiris0:57:50  Tips for working athletes0:58:45  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here:YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor |RSS |Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Google podcasts |Pocket Casts |Radio Public |Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Major Sushant Singh. Major Sushant is a Veteran of the Indian Army's Elite Special Forces. He is an adventurer and an explorer on bike. Back in 2017, he set out on an Expedition to Cycle Every Continent, Climb Highest Peak of Every Continent, and to Reach the Lowest Latitudes of Landmass. So far has toured on his bicycle across New Zealand, Australia and Africa along with conquering the highest peaks there. In this episode he shares the amazing experiences from his bike tours. From getting lost in an African jungle for days to traversing through the Australian wilderness in 50+ degree heat, it was fascinating to listen to his experiences. He is about to leave for an expedition from Kanyakumari to Katmandu and aims to scale Mount Everest at the end of it. You can follow along his journey using the links in the show notes. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.            0:00:00  Intro 0:05:00  Sushant's intro 0:18:45  Seeds of an adventurer in 2004 0:25:00  Making grand plans to no avail, Visa troubles 0:30:20  Start of a grand journey with New Zealand 0:35:00  His first cycle donated by a stranger   0:38:25  Landing in New Zealand and getting saved by a stranger 0:44:50  Cycling across Australia 0:53:00  The food he ate on his journeys   0:59:20  No Covid in Africa, His African journey 1:14:10  Getting a touring bike from Chennai Probikers 1:18:00  Talking of safety while cycling in Sudan, Africa 1:23:40  Getting lost in an African jungle 1:31:00  Do you need special training to survive on a tour like this 1:41:00  Generosity of strangers, leaving a chance for providence 1:45:00  Kanyakumari to Katmandu and climbing Everest 1:47:00  Being comfortable with oneself, book recommendations 1:54:00  Staying curious and keep exploring, how he travels around 2:02:05  Closing   Sushant's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sushant_gypsysoldier               About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com In this episode I talk to Chris Chua Cheng Hai. Chris Chua is a long time rider from Singapore. He was part of Tour of Nilgiris 2013, 2015 and now back in 2024. I sat down with him on the rest day of Tour of Nilgiris to talk about his cycling journey and his experiences at TFN. Chris comes across as a calm but fun guy at the same time. It was great sitting down for this chat. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Dr. Shekar Rao and Dr Kavitha Rao. Dr Shekar and Dr Kavitha are an inspiring doctor duo who cycle together. Dr. Shekar is a heart surgeon and Dr Kavitha is an eye specialist. Both of them were part of the Tour of Nilgiris this year and I sat down with them on the rest day to not only talk about their cycling journey but also about their specialities of heart health and eye health. I interviewed them one after the other as I had only two microphones. I'm sharing both the interviews together in this episode to keep them together even here. I hope you enjoy the conversations as much as I did.            0:00:00  Intro 0:04:40  How Dr Shekhar got into cycling 0:09:08  How he got to know about Tour of Nilgiris 0:11:15  Memories & changes in Tour of Nilgiris he noticed in the last 10 years   0:17:20  Heart health, what is optimal amount of exercise 0:23:00  How does one take care of heart health, moderation, regularity and graded progress 0:25:00  Screenings/tests for ensuring heart health, general screening, treadmill test, CT angiogram 0:33:10  Biggest rides he has done, SR, west to east, Manali to Leh 0:36:50  Dr Shekar's tips for working athletes, happiness of pursuit 0:41:00  Dr Kavita's intro, how she started cycling 0:44:40  Experience of completing an super randonneur(SR) in 2023 0:46:00  Experience of her first Tour of Nilgiris in 2022, what makes TFN special 0:49:30  Some of her memorable rides 0:50:30  Taking care of our eyes, myopia 0:53:10  Food for eye health, eye care for athletes 0:55:10  What keeps them going, calm 0:56:45  Tips for women on taking care during premenopausal and menopausal times 0:58:00  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Fariyal Jamadar. Fariyal is a UCI cycling level 2 coach and a coach with National Institute of Sports. She was a national level rider representing Karnataka for many years and was part of erstwhile Specialized KYNKYNY team. Along with her husband, Lokesh Narasimhachar, she runs a bike store in Mysore, Cyclopedia and is actively building the next generation of riders from the Mysore district. It was a pleasure sitting down to chat with her about her journey in the sport and the work she is putting in for nurturing the future generation of cyclists. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro 0:04:35  Fariyal's childhood in sports 0:06:40  Accidental entry into cycling 0:10:00  Experience of first National cycling camp 0:12:00  Decision to take up cycling seriously and bronze medal at Nats 0:16:00  Pursuing Masters in Computer Applications and racing at BBCh, Ooty bootcamp   0:19:45  Joining Specialized KYNKYNY Racing Team 0:21:20  Moving to Mysore after MCA, helping with Cyclopedia, getting married in 2016 0:23:20  Going fulltime with Cyclopedia, signing up for UCI coaching training 0:31:00  Opportunities for women in sport, building talent in Mysore 0:33:00  Changing landscape of racing in India, BBCH and similar platforms 0:35:30  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Lokesh Narasimhachar. Loki, as he is affectionately referred to as, is a multiple time Karnataka State champion and multiple medal winner at Indian Cycling Nationals. He was one of the key members of erstwhile Specialized KYNKYNY team. He is the winner of the prestigious Ekalavya award from the Karnataka State government in recognition of his contribution to the sport. Loki now runs a bike store in Mysore, Cyclopedia and is actively building the next generation of riders from the Mysore district. It was a pleasure sitting down to chat with him about his journey in the sport and the work he is putting in for nurturing the future generation of cyclists. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro 0:04:40  His start of cycling 0:08:10  Bijapur cycling hostel experience 0:09:00  Moving away from family business and taking cycling seriously 0:10:30  Getting selected for south zone cycling competitions on BSA Mac1 single speed 0:12:25  First Nationals in 2003, Bronze in U-18;    0:14:25  Asian Championships in Ludhiana, 0:15:50  His National medals as a senior after 2010, focusing on sprinting 0:18:20  Coming to Bangalore, working at Wheelsports, KYNKYNY Wheelsports, KYNKYNY Specialized team 0:21:20  KYNKYNY team, Loki and NJ at Tour of Nilgiris 0:23:00  How KYNKYNY Specialized team impacted cycling in the country 0:24:30  His Last Nationals in 2016 and start of Cyclopedia 0:25:30  Genesis of Cyclopedia 0:28:45  Building the cycling culture in Mysore, District association, MTB racing 0:31:45  Learnings from the years of Cyclopedia    0:33:30  Reason behind his hand sling/fractured wrist, 0:35:00  Upcoming talent in Mysore 0:36:20  Closing               About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to an excellent sports nutritionist, Geetha Ghaliyavar. Geetha is a sports nutritionist and a high performance dietitian who is certified in Sports nutrition from International Olympic Committee. She is also a certified diabetes educator, IBS expert and a lecturer for SWAYAM, IIT - Madras, Sports Authority of India and conducts nutrition certification programs as a guest faculty and lecturer for colleges and universities. She has the distinction of working with athletes from Olympic level, Paralympians, elite professional to recreational athletes helping them with their sports performance through nutrition. In this episode we cover various topics related to sports nutrition including what supplements work, what don't, various misconceptions and myths related to nutrition, what causes cramps, how to avoid them, does fasted training help, how to get heat acclimatized and a whole lot of other topics. It was a really insightful conversation with an expert with years of experience on the subject of sports nutrition. I got a lot of take aways from this conversation that I'm taking into the new year. I hope you do too.         0:00:00  Intro 0:05:30  Geetha's intro and qualifications 0:08:45  Cyclists and bone health, importance of Vitamin D, strength training 0:17:00  Difference between nutritionist and a dietician   0:20:30  HBA1C, Diabetes and how sports supplements 0:29:45  Fats, Omega 6 vs Omega 3, MUFA, Cold Pressed oils   0:31:25  Dental health, Cavities, Water chasing 0:34:50  MCTs, Multiple Carbohydrate transporters, how to take on more carbs 0:39:20  Training the gut for more carbs, 0:44:40  carb loading the correct way 0:49:30  Heat acclimatization, training dehydrated, tender coconut water good? 0:55:30  Effective sports supplements, Creatine, sodium bicarbonate, nitrates,    1:11:45  Muscle preservation, avoiding sarcopenia, Protein consumption   1:22:20  Differences between male and female athletes and supplements, fasted workouts 1:30:20  Dealing with cramps 1:36:00  Importance of sleep, omega3 to omega6 ratio, sleep hygiene 1:42:45  Nutritional gaps and bridging them, everything in balance 1:50:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to my friend and teammate at Spectrum racing, Ravi Ranjan Kumar. Ravi is also the founder of Ride a Cycle Foundation and one of the founders of our beloved multiday cycling tour, Tour of Nilgiris. He was one of the earliest riders in the Bangalore cycling community and it was great to go down the memory lane to talk about early days of Bangalore cycling, the genesis and initial years of Bangalore bicycling championships, our team Spectrum racing and Tour of Nilgiris among other things. Ravi has moved to Europe on work in 2016 and he also shares how his cycling and running changed ever since and what he enjoys doing now a days. This episode was my way of catching up with an old friend while capturing some of the early years of cycling and running in Bangalore. I had great fun. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:05:55  Growing up with very little sports 0:07:40  Starting running and cycling 0:11:30  Initial years of riding in Bangalore, trail riding 0:16:05  Start of racing in Bangalore, Bangalore Bicycle Championships, BBCH 0:21:30  Genesis of Tour of Nilgiris, TFN 2008, early memories 0:34:25  Venky's first TFN on the fixed gear bike back in 2011 0:38:10  Ravi's solo bike tours, touring stories   0:45:30  Start of Spectrum Racing and initial years 0:48:30  BabaVelo vs Rajesh Nair 0:50:30  Ravi's move to Europe in 2016, riding and running there 0:56:30  Importance of weight training to avoid injuries and overall fitness 1:02:25  Tips for working athletes 1:03:40  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to my friend and a friend to many who come in contact with him, Anand Kapoor. Anand is an high flying exec in IT. He is also a cyclist, a runner and a triathlete. By his own admission, not a very fast one. But, what he lacks in speed is more than made up by the amount of fun he has in doing any of those activities and the amount of joy he spreads among those who he adopts as his friends. In this episode we talk about his and my favorite tour, Tour of Nilgiris, what makes him tick, what keeps him happy and how he manages to do all that he does. It is always a joy to be around him and this conversation was no different. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:06:30  Work for him and his relationship sport growing up 0:09:10  Missing NDA, starting work, starting running and cycling 0:14:35  Chancing upon Tour of Nilgiris, riding Manali to Leh 0:18:40  His first Tour of Nilgiris - TFN Entre 2012 experience 0:21:00  Tour of Nilgiris 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 0:37:10  Getting into triathlon,   0:43:00  memorable experiences at Goa Tri, Barcelona 70.3 0:52:00  What makes him tick, making core memories, having fun 1:02:20  Tips for working athletes 1:03:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Ashwini Ganapathi Bhat. Ashwini is an ultra trail runner who represented India at South Asian trail championships earlier this year. She was also part of the Indian squad for the 24 hour ultra running championships. Ashwini was on this podcast a couple of years ago where she shared how she got into running and ultra running. That was in episode #90. If you have not listened to it, I would recommend listening to it as well after this. In this episode, Ashwini talks about her journey of dealing with grief, taking a break from running to heal, falling in love with running all over again and working towards regaining strength and fitness both physically and mentally. She is always candid and open about her struggles in the process of whatever she's achieving in the nascent landscape of Indian trail running. It was great to have her back and sharing her insights with us. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:06:40  Dealing with loss, myth of staying strong 0:13:00  Getting into trail running, DNFs and finding happiness 0:16:00  The process of getting back to running 0:25:00  Dealing with DNFs, enjoying the process of getting to the start line 0:30:00  Trail running as a sport in India 0:36:45  Training for trail running with little or no trails 0:54:00  Running uphill, getting better at trail running 0:59:00  What can help more women into trail running 1:06:00  Asia Pacific Trail championships experience 1:26:45  Small step for you and giant leap for trail running women 1:29:40  Closing               About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Sunil Menon. Sunil is a runner, triathlete and a coach with Menon Fitness Systems. I have known Sunil for more than 16 years now. He was one of the earlier cyclists I rode with in Hyderabad when I started cycling back in 2008. He had since got into running and triathlon and became a respected coach. He is someone who is never afraid to question the norm and always tried to find alternative paths. He continues in that vein to this day and in this episode we talk about nasal breathing, low heart rate training and even redefining training zones to make them intuitive to understand and follow. I was skeptical of some of his views but we had a respectful discussion on all the topics. I appreciate his patience in addressing all of my questions. His passion for the sport and his tendency to go deep on any topic of interest is evident during the conversation. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:05:25  Hockey in school and treks and enduro 0:09:00  Early riding days in Hyderabad with Venky 0:14:05  Srilanka 70.3 with Amit Samarth 0:19:20  DNF at Zurich and successful finish at Ironman SouthAfrica 0:24:00  Genesis of Menon Fitness Systems 0:30:25  Health vs Fitness, Nutrition for performance 0:36:20  Supplementation for sports   0:44:20  Periodization of supplements 0:57:30  Nasal breathing, Rhythmic breathing, low heartrate training 1:14:00  Pacing and technique for triathlon 1:19:00  Redefining training zones   1:34:40  Nutrition for triathlon 1:44:00  Hydrating electrolytes in water 1:55:00  Mobility, flexibility and strength 2:03:50  Tips for working athletes 2:05:20  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Vinod Krishna. Vinod is a photographer, Founder and CEO of Story telling at Work and a barefoot ultra runner. I first met him in 2020 during Tour of Karnataka where he was a photographer and I was riding and writing about the tour. It was fascinating to follow his journey in running since then. In this episode Vinod shares not just about his running journey but also about how he works on mental side to become better at Ultra running. The tips he shared about how we can reframe our thoughts to work towards enhancing our performance both in sport and in life were invaluable in my opinion. I had a great time and had many take aways from the time we spent talking. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:06:40  Work for him and his relationship sport growing up 0:14:30  Getting into running because of hiking 0:19:35  Initial years in running progression 0:25:40  Training for events initially and how it changed now 0:32:00  Differentiating between metal excuses and body signals 0:35:25  Slowing down and prioritizing balance 0:39:00  Signing up for first Ultra(50k) in 2019   0:42:00  Stories of possibility and limitation, building mental strength 0:51:00  Longest run/Stadium run; How Khardungla challenge came about 0:59:00  Running Khardungla Challenge(72km) and Ladakh Marathon in 3 days. 1:19:30  Barefoot running transition, being patient and having a beginner mentality 1:26:45  Tips for working athletes 1:31:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Mihir Deo. Mihir is one of the fastest triathletes we have in the country with a timing of around 4:30 for 70.3 distance. In this episode Mihir shares the learnings from his journey in the sport so far. We talk in depth about his lows with injuries and how he is able to bounce back from them. He also shares his race pacing and nutrition strategies for 70.3 races. I had a great time talking to him about his journey. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:03:20  Early days in sports 0:08:00  Becoming a super randonneur at 18 years old, early racing 0:10:45  Getting into triathlon 0:13:34  First Triathlon, Oman Ironman 70.3, racing with a fractured toe 0:17:00  His best 70.3, Dubai Ironman 70.3 in 4:40 0:22:30  Breaking his femur and recovering from it 0:33:00  Dealing with mental side of recovering from injuries   0:36:20  Preparing for and pacing for Ironman 70.3 0:43:20  Fueling for Ironman 70.3 race 0:48:30  Tips for working athletes 0:50:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Kurush Wadia. Kurush is an excellent cyclist and triathlete from Mumbai. I have known Kurush from 2015 when he was part of the Tour of Nilgiris that year. Kurush has since focused more on triathlon and has become an exceptional working triathlete. I got a chance to sit down with him before his race in Goa Ironman70.3 and talk about his athletic journey so far and his learnings from it. Two days after recording this episode, he had a tough race in Goa that ended up in a DNF during the run as he had to be hospitalized for dizziness. He was a bit heartbroken at the time because he was at his fittest with months of consistent work. It just goes on to show what we also talked about during the episode as well that what happens on the race day doesn't take away from the work one puts in with months and years of consistent work backed by unbridled passion for the sport and all the benefits we get out of the whole process. I had a great time talking to him about his journey. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:04:40  Talking of TFN and Ridley Cheetah connection 0:07:20  Relationship with sport growing up, life in Sweden, first triathlon in 2015 0:18:15  Losing weight from 95 kilos, getting into cycling for commute in Sweden 0:28:10  First Olympic triathlon in Pune in 2015 0:30:00  Tour of Nilgiris 2015 experience 0:37:10  BRM riding phase, his 400 Brevet experience 0:43:20  Colombo Ironman 70.3 and Turkey 70.3 in 2018   0:47:10  Talking of running and importance of staying injury free 0:58:30  Goa Ironman 70.3 2022, 2023 1:07:10  His nutrition strategy for a 70.3 race 1:11:50  Tips for working athletes 1:17:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Adil Nargolwala. Adil is an exceptional human being and athlete who has done some crazy feats of endurance over the last 14 years. From doing every triathlon distance from sprint to Ironman to Ultraman in a single year to doing 7 marathons in 7 continents and finishing the 6 world major marathons, he just about done everything. I met Adil recently in Goa and sat down with him to talk about his journey just a day before his Goa Ironman 70.3 event. It was inspiring to listen to his journey of resilience and strength. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:05:10  How he got into running, couch to HM directly 0:09:30  First triathlon event with Chennai Trekking Club 0:12:45  Doing all the triathlon distances in the same year 2019 0:14:20  Virtual triathlons during the Pandemic in 2020 0:16:00  Ultraman experience (10k swim, 450km cycle, 84km run) 0:25:25  Mental game, being with people better than oneself 0:30:20  Longest run so far, talking of Ultra running   0:31:10  Most memorable and most difficult event for him 0:36:10  Running in Antarctica with a broken wrist, running a marathon in all 7 continents 0:39:15  Talking of diet, lifestyle and sleep 0:41:50  Tips for working athletes 0:45:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to one of my colleagues and a super fast runner, Suneel Kumar Koyi. His active lifestyle started like most of us with a regular health checkup revealing alarmingly high triglycerides over a decade ago. He took up to running to improve his health and start running mostly on the weekends. From finishing his first half marathon in 2:24 mins and from not finishing his first full marathon and ending up getting back to start in an ambulance, Suneel has come a long way in the last 10 years of his running journey. He is now a 1:21 Half Marathoner and a 2:51 minute Full marathoner. In this episode he shares what has helped him in his running progression and what are the mistakes new runners need to avoid. He shares his training methods, race pacing and nutrition strategies that worked for him. It was a really insightful interaction with a humble and hardworking working athlete. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:05:10  How Triglycerides got him into running 0:09:20  His first Half Marathon 2:24 0:11:45  His progression in HM 0:15:20  Ending up in an ambulance and DNFing his first Marathon 0:18:30  Bangalore Ultra, first 50k experience 0:23:35  His first successful Marathon at TMM 0:26:50  Breakthrough year for him, Covid   0:31:30  Strength training for running and how it helped 0:36:20  Running a 2:51 Marathon at Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024 0:38:45  Pacing for Half Marathon vs Full Marathon 0:40:50  Fueling for Half Marathon vs Full Marathon 0:42:20  Qualifying for and racing at Boston Marathon(2:57) 0:50:50  Key workouts and training in a marathon cycle 0:55:25  Tips for working athletes 0:57:20  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode I talk to John Lal Gwite who is one of the strongest ultra distance riders in the country at the moment. John got into cycling during the pandemic in 2020 and has already completed quite a few prestigious ultra cycling events within the country like the 1200km Gates of Heaven, 1000km Jogfalls 1000 etc along with prestigious events outside India like 1200km Paris Brest Paris and 1600km London Edinburgh London. Completing these super challenging rides might be becoming more common in the Indian ultra endurance community these days but what sets John apart is the pace at which he completes them. In most of the ultra distance brevets he takes part, he is usually the first finisher by far. It was interesting to talk to this humble and shy rider and learn how simple he keeps most things despite his many riding accolades. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:04:20  Growing up with sports 0:06:45  His workout routine, start of cycling 0:09:45  His first brevet ride 0:12:00  What he loves about cycling 0:13:40  His work and work hours 0:14:45  Completing Super Randonnéur in the same month, learnings from the experience 0:17:20  How he manages sleep and nutrition for long rides   0:21:50  Longest and most challenging ride so far for him, LEL(London Edinburgh London)  experience 0:26:40  Leh 400km brevet 0:28:50  Kodagu 650, Gates of Heaven, Jogfalls 1000km 0:33:20  What keeps him going, how he balances between gym and cycling 0:36:20  Future events he's looking forward to 0:37:15  Tips for working athletes 0:38:00  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode I talk to one of my cycling friends, M Jothi Venkatesh better known as MJV. MJV once weighed a whopping 110kgs. He lost nearly 40kgs over the years and now weighs 71kgs. In this episode he shares his learnings through this weight loss and fitness journey. He shares what helped and what didn't help. He talks about the importance of patience and understanding that nothing happens overnight. He talks about the lifestyle changes that helped him including prioritizing sleep and recovery. He emphasizes the importance of not getting sucked into other peoples pursuits and having our priorities right. It was inspiring to listen to his journey and his learnings along with way. I had so much fun with this conversation. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:04:20  SAP Roadies club and getting started in running 0:11:45  Going from 110kgs to 90kgs at first 0:15:10  His first running events 0:19:00  Getting into cycling 0:24:00  Running injury putting a stop to running 0:26:45  Losing the last 15 kgs, no shortcuts 0:30:20  Tour of Tamilnadu, Tour of Nilgiris   0:41:10  Wakeup call during pandemic, Vitamin N 0:49:40  Focusing on sleep, recovery, reading, climbing 0:57:40  Sub 30 Nandi climb, racing at BBCH, masters racing 1:06:00  Playing the long game, focusing on strength, not stressing 1:11:20  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to an outstanding runner, an amazing coach, a cyclist, a passionate geek of all things sport and performance and a good friend, Anubhav Karmakar. He was one of the first guests on the podcast. I interviewed him for the podcast in episode #5. That was back in 2020 during those lock downs and was on zoom. This time we met up in person and talked about many things he has been up to during these four years and what he has been working on. He talks about the importance of mobility and strength for sport and how one can go about becoming more resilient and healthy human beings. He shares his learnings about training and nutrition for marathon running and ultra distances. We talk about adaptive training plans and their importance in taking specificity to it's logical conclusion and addressing changes to life circumstances of working athletes. He talks about how we can leverage technology not only to take care of some of the more repetitive stuff but also to build communities and knowledge resources for the community. It is always inspiring to see his passion and vision for a better future. I had so much fun with this conversation with him. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:06:50  Getting injury without training, focus on mobility and strength 0:17:45  Learnings from focus mobility and strength, joint strength 0:21:10  Functional movement screening protocol, building resilience 0:34:20  Programming for strength and mobility   0:42:00  What excites him now a days in terms of training etc 0:45:30  Learnings from trying Ultra distance, 100k run 0:53:40  Nutrition and race weight 1:00:10  Clean diet, what his daily eating looks like 1:02:00  Leveraging technology to building community and adaptive training 1:13:45  Is AI going to replace a coach? 1:22:30  Closing               About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com As cyclists and triathletes all of us ride bikes. But not all of us realize the importance of having a bike that fits us well. A good bike fit can mean you are able to ride your bike farther or faster than you ever thought possible without any aches and pains. In this episode, we talk to a bike fitter from Pune, Ronit Debnath. He shares his experience of fitting more than 120 people in a relatively short span of time. He talks not only of his success stories but his mistakes and what he learnt from them. Towards the end of the episode, he also shares what are the things you could do to get a good fit on your bike if you do not have access to a bike fit professional. The initial part of the conversation could feel a bit technical as this mathematics major geeks out about various measurements of bike geometry but give it time for it to sink in and I'm sure you'd find it very informative and useful. Enjoy the podcast. 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:40 How he got into bike fitting 0:09:30 Discussing Bike Geometry; Front of the bottom bracket 0:27:20 Measurements behind the bottom bracket 0:39:40 Learnings from the mistakes he made 0:52:10 Outstanding results he had with bike fitting 1:05:00 Fitting for TT and faster riders 1:10:30 Crank length, are shorter crank lengths always better 1:18:00 Future of bike fitting in India and for himself 1:21:20 What can you do a bike fit on your own 1:31:40 Closing

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com Nutrition timing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10848936/ 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:20 The Motivation Myth 0:03:30 Why Discipline is important: Consistency, Resilience, habit formation, self esteem 0:04:40 How to build discipline 0:09:20 Closing About the podcast: The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing and hitting the bell icon so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, please hit the like button and share with friends who could be interested. The audio version of the podcast can be found here: https://anchor.fm/bikeyvenky RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/395ff0e4/podcast/rss Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-working-athlete-podcast/id1534754174 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1G3dJvBPqHhY35kD2rtXQ4 Google podcasts: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8zOTVmZjBlNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/gp1tf758 Radio Public: https://radiopublic.com/the-working-athlete-podcast-WoK4pm Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/the-working-athlete-podcast A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community. All through my life I struggled with weight and health issues. After multiple failed attempts through the life to get fit and healthy, in 2008, I managed to lose 16kgs. My motivation was to be able to take care of my unborn son with the thought that "if I'm not able to take care of myself, how am I going to take care of my family?". When my son was 6 months old, having lost 16kgs, I picked up a bike to keep that weight off and stay fit. That became a passion and lost more weight and became better at it. I continue to train myself not just to stay fit but also race competitively in races in and outside the country. I also have been coaching a few riders to get stronger and faster at cycling since 2016. With 'The Working Athlete Podcast', I have a bit of a selfish motive. That is, it will provide me an opportunity for me to meet and talk to many people from all walks of life across different sports to learn how they manage an active lifestyle while doing well at work. I hope to share those learnings with all of you. That way, it will help both you and me to keep learning and keep growing.

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com Nutrition timing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10848936/ 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:20 Pre Exercise Nutrition 0:04:45 During exercise nutrition 0:06:20 Post exercise nutrition 0:08:20 Hydration for performance 0:12:10 How duration and intensity can dictate quantity 0:14:00 Nutrition for brevets 0:15:40 For Ultra races 0:17:00 For club races 0:18:00 Closing

Source: Athletes' nutritional demands: a narrative review of nutritional requirements - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10848936/Ergogenic Aids for Athletes | Overview, Examples and Use Cases – Transparent Labs: https://www.transparentlabs.com/blogs/all/what-are-ergogenic-aids 00:00 Intro 03:00 Ergogenic Aids 07:40 Creatine 12:40 Caffeine 17:10 Sodium Bicarbonate 18:40 Nitrate supplements 20:20 Beta Alanine 23:40 Whey Protein 26:30 Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) 29:25 L-Arginine 31:20 Summary

Source being discussed: Athletes' nutritional demands: a narrative review of nutritional requirements Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10848936/ 0:00 Intro 4:45 Understanding Carbohydrates, Quantity and timing 16:16 Proteins, how much and when 22:50 Understanding fats 26:10 Hydration for athletes 33:45 Closing

0:00:00 Intro 0:02:30 Origins of The Bike Affair 0:08:30 Rich in relationships built over 15 years 0:11:20 Providing Value through various ventures of TBA 0:14:20 Side effects of COVID on the cycling industry 0:19:00 Mae Hong Son tour and Barn Owl Adventures 0:21:10 Venky thanking TBA for support 0:24:40 Krish and his passion for food and travel and giving an amazing experience through cycling touring 0:31:00 Closing

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       Hey everyone, and welcome to the 200th episode of The Working Athlete Podcast! Can you believe it? We've been at this for four years straight, without missing a single week. It's a milestone I'm incredibly proud of. I could not have done this without the amazing support you guys have been giving me through this journey. Thank you. Thanks to each and every one of you listening to this on Youtube, Spotify or wherever you listen to the podcast.   0:00:00  200 Weeks 200 Episodes Without A Break 0:03:40  Thank to You and The Bike Affair 0:04:38  The Magical Power of Consistency  0:06:00  Progress Over Perfection  0:06:40  The Pitfalls of All or Nothing Mindset   0:07:18  Consistency Beats Intensity 0:08:30  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Chaitanya or Coach Chai of PowerPeaks. Chai is a triathlon coach with PowerPeaks based out of Pune working with athletes all around the country. In this episode he shares his journey as an athlete and a coach. We talk about ultra cycling, triathlon and talk in detail about pacing and nutrition strategies for them. His passion for the sport comes through in this conversation.  hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:05:30  Early start in sport with swimming and cross country running 0:08:30  Studies in Australia 0:12:40  Deccan Cliffhanger, Desert 500 and Ultra cycling 0:17:20  Nutrition/Fueling for Ultra cycling   0:22:40  Triathlon journey and first Ironman 0:28:30  Start of the journey as a coach 0:33:30  Advice for beginner Ironman aspirants 0:41:30  Training for triathlon, overeating and under fueling 0:46:00  Race day nutrition and pacing for Ironman triathlon 0:52:45  Tips for working athletes 0:54:00  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Kishan. Kishan is an ultra cyclist from Gujarat who has completed 4000km Transcontinental race and 1200km Paris Brest Paris in the same month in 2023. He has done many challenging ultra rides over the years but had to DNF at the Via_Race in spain last month due to ill health. In this episode he shares his journey in ultra cycling and the lessons he learnt along the way. It was fascinating hearing his stories from events like Transcontinental race and PBP and many of them just show how resilient one has to be to complete such challenges. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:06:30  Getting interested in mountaineering 0:12:00  Drawn into brevets 0:17:40  His first 1000km ride 0:21:20  Training towards 2019 PBP   0:24:00  Struggling but finishing Paris Brest Paris 0:29:40  A bit of break, indoor Everesting etc 0:38:30  Transcontinental Race 2023 experience 1:06:30  Paris Brest Paris right after TCR 1:13:45  Via Race, Spain - a DNF 1:25:50  Indian Brevet and Ultra cycling community 1:31:30  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Dr Amit Samarth. Amit is an ultra cyclist par excellence with an excellent track record with races like Trans Siberian Extreme, Race Across America, Race Across India etc. Most of the races he has done so far were crew supported ultra challenges. Earlier this month, he attempted something very new for him which was taking part in self supported category of Race Around Poland, a 3600km race with about 30,000m of total elevation gain. In this episode he shares about the challenges he faced during the incredibly hard Race Around Poland and how he overcame them to finish the race. We also talk about the differences between supported and self supported ultra races and what one needs to keep in mind to prepare for each of those formats. As usual, it was amazing talking to Amit as he shares all the learnings openly and honestly. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.        0:00:00  Intro 0:05:30  7 years in the making, RAAM Journey 0:12:00  Preparation for RAAM 2024 0:13:00  What did his training look like 0:19:10  Feeling at the start line of RAAM 0:21:20  Preparation of crew for RAAM 0:26:20  His nutrition plan for RAAM 0:32:10  His sleep and pacing strategy for RAAM 2024 0:41:40  Most challenging moments in RAAM 2024 0:48:15  His learnings from failing and succeeding at RAAM 0:54:00  His future plans, learning about oneself during races like RAAM 0:58:00  Closing               About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Bharat Pannu. Bharat is an army officer and an ultra cyclist who successfully finished Race Across America RAAM 2024. Bharat attempted to get to the start line in 2019 and had to give up on his RAAM dreams because of a freak crash resulting in a broken collarbone just 20 days from the start of RAAM. In 2022, he started RAAM and had to give up on the 10th day due to health issues. After 5 years and countless other successful races, he successfully finished RAAM this year. In this episode, he share insights into his own preparation as well as the preparation of the crew. He shared what his pacing and fueling strategies were that helped him cross the finish line. It was a conversation filled with valuable insights for anyone looking to get into ultra cycling or just want to understand what makes one a successful ultra athlete. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.       0:00:00  Intro 0:05:30  7 years in the making, RAAM Journey 0:12:00  Preparation for RAAM 2024 0:13:00  What did his training look like 0:19:10  Feeling at the start line of RAAM 0:21:20  Preparation of crew for RAAM 0:26:20  His nutrition plan for RAAM 0:32:10  His sleep and pacing strategy for RAAM 2024 0:41:40  Most challenging moments in RAAM 2024 0:48:15  His learnings from failing and succeeding at RAAM 0:54:00  His future plans, learning about oneself during races like RAAM 0:58:00  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Surya Thathu. Surya was a national level skater before he turned to cycling after a major injury. With in a short span of time he started winning in cycling as well. He has gold medals at the Nationals in U-23 in road race and in Elite on track in Scratch race. To add to his gold medals, he has raked up many silver and bronze medals at the Nationals in various road races and criteriums. In this episode he shares many lessons he learnt so far in his journey and the many stories behind his racing successes. He has such an honest and refreshing take on things and it was inspiring listening to his journey. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.       0:00:00  Intro 0:05:10  Athletics and Skating as a kid 0:08:40  Getting into cycling after skating and almost winning the first race 0:13:30  Focusing on cycling from 2018 0:21:10  Bronze medal at All India University games after a broken collarbone 0:27:10  Winning Gold in U-23 Nats and Gold in Elite Track Scratch race 0:34:30  2021 Nationals serving as a wake up call 0:41:30  Starting structured training in 2023 0:48:50  National games and Nationals in 2023 0:58:15  Racing experience in Dubai 1:06:00  Third in Asian Championships trials TT 1:14:10  Asian Championships experience and learnings 1:24:00  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode, I talk to Ganesh Kumar. Ganesh is an ultra cyclist and ultra trail runner par excellence. I first met Ganesh in Tour of Nilgiris and have been fascinated by his passion and penchant for endurance ever since. One year, he rode his bicycle from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, then Tour of Nilgiris and Tour of Tamilnadu back to back without any break in between. He has done many month long self supported tours up to 5000kms. He got into running by accident and turned to ultra trail running and started winning many trail Ultra marathons in India. When I was in Ooty/Coonoor recently for a cycling trip with friends, he joined us for a couple of days of riding and I used this opportunity to sit down with him and learn more about his endurance journey. It was inspiring to listen to his journey and all the stories from his many tours. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.       0:00:00  Intro 0:05:15  His relationship with sport growing up 0:08:00  A friend's cycling touring book that sparked a thought 0:10:20  His cycling tour experiences 0:18:30  Health scare and starting his fitness journey 0:24:50  2014 Tour of Nilgiris 0:29:00  Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Tour of Nilgiris and Tour of Tamilnadu back to back 0:36:00  Touring across America, 5000km 0:44:00  A case against Xenophobia 0:49:25  India to Singapore tour 0:53:00  Dislike of running and becoming a runner 1:02:00  Discovering trails around Coimbatore 1:09:10  Taking part in UTMB 2021 1:20:00  Solang Sky Ultra, Hell Race; other ultra trail races in India 1:27:20  Enjoying the time racing than focusing on results 1:34:10  Tips for working athletes, we all have time 1:39:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode, I talk to Chinmay Kewalramani. Chinmay is a cyclist with a two bronze medals, one at the Nationals in U-23 and one in Elite at National Games. One of those medals came just 12 weeks after he crashed an shattered his collarbone in training. Coming back from a surgery like that and ending up on podium at the Nationals is a testament to his resilience. While pursuing his own goals at Nationals and beyond, Chinmay also works with few athletes and guides them in their athletic journey as a coach. For someone who is so young, it is amazing to see the clarity of thought and the curiosity to keep learning and growing. In this episode he shares his cycling journey with a few insights into his training, his hydration and nutrition for training and racing. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.       0:00:00  Intro 0:06:00  Sports he played growing up, Football 0:07:00  Getting into cycling at a very young age 0:10:20  First BBCH race, a scary experience 0:14:30  Importance of group rides before racing 0:17:50  His education, working as a personal trainer, cycling coaching 0:26:00  Hands off approach to coaching, aptitude for coaching 0:29:30  Not attaching oneself to an identity, having clarity 0:31:00  The impact Naveen John had on Indian Cycling 0:33:25  Only thing real is the work 0:38:00  His typical training week 0:42:00  Nutrition for training and racing 0:47:40  His most memorable race, 2022 Nationals coming back from a crash to medal 0:59:10  Change of perspective, no perfect lead up, focusing on the moment 1:06:00  Elite National Games Bronze in Goa 1:10:10  Time trial pacing 1:15:50  Tips for working athletes, Structure makes you faster 1:18:00  Closing           About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Joel Sundaram about his Asian Championships experience. Joel just came back from taking part in the Asian championships where he finished 14th overall. He shares how the races went for him and the team and what he thinks are the gaps that he needs to bridge to do well at that level. As always it was an insightful and entertaining chat with him. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.        0:00:00  Intro 0:05:30  The road to Asian Champs 0:17:00  Exciting Team Time Trial at the Asian champs 0:36:05  His Individual Time Trial 0:40:00  Asian Champs Road race 0:56:00  What can be done to bridge the gaps 1:10:30  Closing           About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Michael Lehnig. Michael is a German national who has come to India searching for answers to many questions he had and found peace and a life partner in India and settled here. He is one of the founding members of Pune Wolfpack, an amateur cycling team based out of Pune. He is a cyclist, a triathlete, a yoga instructor and a triathlon coach. I have raced with him in 2015-2016 when he came down to take part in a few BBCh races. He has since shifted his focus more to triathlons and triathlon coaching. In this episode we talk about triathlon and more specifically how training and nutrition for short, middle and long distance triathlons work. We also talked about his journey as an athlete and a coach and what are his many learnings from the journey. I had such a great time talking to this amazing soul and listening to his refreshing perspectives on various topics of sport and life. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.       0:00:00  Intro 0:06:00  Sports he played growing up, Football 0:07:30  Cycling as a bike messenger and getting into racing 0:14:55  Getting into triathlon 0:17:30  Preparing for his first Ironman 0:19:40  Memories from his first Ironman 0:26:20  From 11:45 to 9:32 in Iron distance 0:27:30  Differences in training for short, middle and long distance triathlon 0:35:25  Nutrition for triathlon 0:45:45  Journey to settling in India, the yoga connection 0:51:00  Start of cycling in Pune, India by sprinting with dogs 0:53:10  Love for India 0:54:30  Genesis of Pune Wolfpack 0:59:30  Racing at BBCh as team Wolfpack 1:04:30  Coaching for triathlons 1:10:00  Tips for working athletes, changing the perspective working athletes are pioneers and leaders of the society they want to see 1:14:00  Closing           About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Sudarshan Muralidhar Devardekar. Sudarshan codes for a living, likes technology, photography, rock climbing, and is a DIY geek who calls himself a nerd. He is also one of the strongest riders in the country who has been a Maharashtra state cycling champion for multiple years. He wins or podiums most races he enters and finished in top 10 at National level many times. He aspires to one day medal at National level and do well at the Asian Championships. In this episode this multitalented but laconic guy shares a few insights into his cycling journey and what makes him the rider he is today including sharing his training methods and race craft. It was  fun talking to a fellow introvert to draw out some really interesting insights. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.      0:00:00  Intro 0:06:00  Mardani Khel, Rock Climbing, Cricket etc before starting cycling 0:08:00  Getting notice on Strava and starting racing 0:10:00  Rock climbing 0:12:30  Early racing 0:14:20  His training the and now 0:17:35  His hydration and nutrition for training and racing 0:19:50  Talking of time trials 0:21:25  Work and balancing work with sport, sleep 0:26:05  Memorable races, racing in Belgium, BBCh races 0:34:50  How to make a breakaway and make it work 0:37:05  His Nationals experience 0:42:10  His goals and aspirations 0:43:30  Closing           About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode, I talk to Dr. Md Rehan who is a cardio thorasic surgeon, an international level rower and a performance coach who started a nutrition brand with the goal of providing clean and healthy performance enhancing suppliments for athletes. Getting to sit down with such a versatile person, I did all I could to get as much value out of the conversation as possible. I've broken down our conversation into two parts. In the previous episode I have shared his insights into the nutrition side of things we talked about the importance of nutrition for general wellbeing and performance. If you haven't already listened to it, I highly recoomend you do that. In this episode we talked about the alarming trend of cardiac related fatalities in the athletic community and what precautions we can take to screen, detect and take necessary corrective actions for cardiac issues. He shares what tests tell us what, what is cardiac arrest, what is a heart attack, what is artireal calcification, what we need to do if we detect that in us etc. It was a really insightful conversation from an expert with vast experience in the field.     0:00:00  Intro 0:05:40  Why so many sudden deaths being observed? Covid effect? 0:08:30  Tests to detect cardiac issues, CT angiogram, calcium score 0:15:40  Listener questions. 0:21:30  Difference between heart attack and cardiac arrest 0:23:00  Closing         About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker