Train like a Monk

Data is now being used everywhere in the sporting world, but nowhere more than in pro cycling.With so much data available, how can coaches and athletes decide which is worth focusing on, and how can the data be used to make better decisions on training?Paul-Antoine Girard has developed a platform designed to help with this.Hear about the platform and the broader topic of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cycling.Keen to give Vekta a try? Use code MONK20 for 20% off.I'm also making the most of saving time on my own data analysis using Vekta and taking on three new athletes as a result. Get in touch via trainlikeamonk.com if you're looking to take your own training to the next level.

There's a lot of supplements being marketed as beneficial to cycling performance, but a much shorter list actually holds up to scientific scrutiny. Even fewer are actually practical to use for cyclists.This episode we talk about supps, Slane's race win up a volcano, and Cyrus' hypothermic/hypoxic experiences racing at altitude in China.

What is Critical Power? What is W'? How does a mathematical model help solve a physiological problem? We answer these questions, ask some more and consider whether it all actually matters in helping you ride your bike faster. Also some chat about how hunting Strava KOMs can fit into a program and whether comparing yourself to others on cycling's social media platform is a good or bad thing. Find out where you rank in the strava stats world: https://www.marcellobrivio.com/projects/strava-toolbox/

'Fresh' off the Giro d'Italia Jensen interrupts his week off the bike with a cruise up Col d'Eze to the local boulangerie.We chat about what goes on inside the chaotic final sprints, and what goes on inside Jensen's head. You can decide for yourself which is more scary.Drop a comment if you're a fan of this format and I'll double check the mics stay connected for next time.

This week we break down the key sessions we're using with Slane and our other athletes. What are the intervals, which systems are they targeting, and where do they fit into the bigger picture?We also delve into a little sports psychology and mindset discussion on how to attack strength work, hard intervals and training in general.

Slane is now two weeks into his training program. The focus has been 'mostly' on strength and endurance however he's already seeing rapid improvements in power values well above the bulk of his training. We go into the physiology and adaptations behind getting these watts back after time off, and how quickly the reverse happens.

Slane gave me a call a few weeks back with a pretty simple assignment: “I want to get fit again, can you write me a program.” After a month off the bike (not sitting on the couch but hiking in Patagonia…) Slane’s numbers are a long way off their best, so in this series we’ll discuss what training we’re using to get back to full fitness and hopefully beyond. In week 1 we discuss strength training, lactate testing and whether everything needs to be easy in a base build starting from square one.

Australia’s Golden Girl Grace joins the pod to talk about how she trained for Olympic and World Championship Gold in her final year as a pro cyclist.Plenty of golden nuggets of wisdom in this one, Grace is a legend. Thumbnail image: GettyMusic: WalterEditing: Terance Hor(s)e

The Aussie couch peloton are still recovering from a whirlwind Tour de France with the revelation of this year's TdF Femmes, Sarah Gigante. Sarah is an avid listener and former guest on the pod (go and listen to that episode if you haven't already!) and she has put in more requests than most for guests. We thought we'd start with request number one and get the man behind the scenes of her results this season, Dylan Lindsey, on the pod. Hear the training behind the success of Sarah and many of his other athletes, and most importantly, this man's relationship status.Thumbnail image: Cor Vos Editing: Terance Hore

One of the most consistent performers in the World Tour. Harps provides great insight into how he has continually improved each year since turning pro, and more recently, how he prepared to win his first Grand Tour stage. Fourth Frontier Heartrate Monitors: fourthfrontier.com ***Big apologies for my audio on this episode. The recording grabbed the audio from the headphones instead of the mic so it's rougher than Roubaix for this episode*** Music: Cyrus MonkEditing: Terance HoreThumbnail Image: LaPresse

Mudgey has been a bit of a journeyman of the sport. Riding for Aussie, Irish, Kiwi and now Chinese teams across a 10-year career to date. Last year he had his biggest prize money earnings to date by winning the China Pro League. What is the China Pro League? What's the racing like in China? How's the food? Listen to find out

We put so much time, money, blood, sweet and tears into our training to improve our physiology, but how much do we work on our mindset? And how much does this impact our performance on race day? Shannon knows her way around this topic better than most, after pursuing her own career at the top of the sport and now helping many athletes better manage theirs. If you haven’t had some filthy head noise going on mid effort or while you’re dangling at the back of a race then you haven’t been riding bikes very long. Shannon provides some great insight on how to manage these thoughts and turn them around to get the most out of yourself even when things aren’t going your way.

Daniek started the year with a solo win at the very first race on the World Tour. Instead of chasing her down during her stint in the Ocre Jersey, I got to sit down with her at the end of a training ride near her home in Nice and find out how she started the season so well and what her training at the moment is looking like.

Georgie packed a lot into a short stint at the top of the cycling world, but she's not done yet. Hear how Georgie transitioned into cycling from a rowing background and how the training differs (or doesn't) between the two sports. We also go into Georgie's battle with REDS. The steps she's taken to get healthy again and how she's looking to continue in the sport even after what it's thrown her way. This episode is brought to you by SUL Nutrition. Use the code MONKFUEL10 at checkout for 10% off your next bucketload of rocket fuel. Energetics of a World-Tour Female Road Cyclist During a Multistage Race (Tour de France Femmes) https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/34/5/article-p253.xml

From Runner to World Tour Cyclist in less than 4 years. Now from Pro Cyclist to Pro Triathlete in a matter of months. Hear how Jimmy is taking the skills learned and experience gained from top level road cycling and applying it in the world of triathlon. Can he make it to the end of the pool yet without stopping?

Julian has rapidly gone from being a regular listener of the Train Like a Monk podcast to starring on it! Taking home the U23 National RR win in Perth at just 18 years of age, Julian has bucked the trend of having to sacrifice his schooling to fit in training time on the bike. We discuss how he has managed to go from making up the numbers at many junior races to riding for Australia’s best domestic team and heading over to Europe in his first year U23. A must listen for all junior cyclists wondering what to do in their final years of school.

Keeper of The Fern, Kim Cadzow, has started the season on fire. She played a major role in EF-Education Oatly teammate Noemi Ruegg's TDU win and achieved her own personal goal of defending the National TT title and netting her first National Road Championships victory. We chatted in the middle of her build toward Kiwi road nationals so it was great to get an insight into her preparation for these events amongst a busy race schedule. Really enjoyed chatting with Kim, she skips the cliches and tells it like it is! In other big news for Train Like a Monk, we welcome Dan Jones to the team as editor. You've probably seen Jonesy's handiwork back in the golden days of the Greenedge 'Backstage Pass' Videos, or more recently as a host of 'The Social Distance Podcast'. He's very handy on the tools and we're happy to have him on board. That being said, any issues with the editing or finishing touches can now be directed his way! Music: Cyrus Monk Editing: Dan Jones Thumbnail photo: EF-Education Oatly

Join Pat, Kerry and I in the team car for Duda Cycling at the Melbourne to Warrnambool. "The Warrnie" is the second oldest bike race in the world. The parcours is by no means challenging but the conditions and length of the race mean anyone that completes this historic event has stories to tell for years to come. This year's edition was decorated by crosswinds, cramps and a healthy dose of carnage in the convoy. Sit back and enjoy a look behind the scenes of what many describe as the best race on the Australian Cycling Calendar and the pinnacle event of the new ProVelo SuperLeague.

He's defending his title later this week but it's fair to say, no matter the result, this title will still hold true. Gatey has a ridiculous palmares on both the road and track, the latest achievement becoming the oldest rider ever to join a World Tour Team for the first time (34 is ancient) and just recently reaching a World Tour Podium at Cadel's Road Race. I caught up with Gatey in The Hilton just before the start of TDU to discuss how his training has differed since changing coaches for the first time in 15 years and how he prepared to be in flying form for Summer Down Under. Music: Cyrus Monk Editing: Terance Hore Thumbnail image: cyclingweekly.com

Maeve has represented Australia at two Olympic Games, won Commonwealth Games gold and countless National Championships. Alongside her exploits on the bike she has become a well renowned advocate for cycling in Australia and even more so in her home town of Adelaide. I sat down with her at her local beach to discuss how she has balanced training for top level track competitions and World Tour road racing and the learnings she has taken from these pursuits. Music: Cyrus Monk Editing: Terance Hore