Five Things I Wish I Knew When I Was a Pro
Ben Delaney
FasCat Coach Christian Parrett raced as a professional for seven years, and has since coached professionally since retiring from racing. He trained hard and raced well, but after several years of coaching professionally, researching physiology, and learning through athletes he works with, he's learned even more. If he could go back in time, here is what he would tell his younger self.
1. Pay attention to marginal gains. Don't give away time by not educating yourself on gear choices, especially the relatively easy and cheap things you can do to make a difference.
2. Pay attend to nutrition, specifically during racing and hard training. In short, eat more! Shoot for 80-100 grams of carbohydrates per hour if riding hard.
3. Weight training can help and hinder. Learn the differences.
4. Find a good coach and/or training plan you believe in, and stick with it. Jumping around various plans and coaches (including self coaching) is not effective.
5. Listen to your body. Fatigue and sickness should be heeded. Now, of course, we also have great tools like wearables to get objective feedback on how our body is doing.
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Riding Faster After 50
Tapering in Cycling for Peak Performance
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I have worked with Sierra...
I have worked with Sierra...
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I have worked with Sierra...
I have worked with Sierra...
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Breck Epic Sweet Spot Training Plan
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16 Weeks Of Sweet Spot
- Builds a Big Aerobic Base
- Complete 4 month Training Plan with 3 Power Tests
- new Professional Level with 18 - 26 hours / week
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Six Weeks Till Cyclocross
- This plan begins before the season starts so you have time to get faster
- Rock this plan and move onto the Cyclocross Intervals plan before the season starts
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30 Week Weights + Sweet Spot Base
- Increase power and endurance
- Combines Weight Lifting then Sweet Spot Base Training
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Weight Loss Meal Plan
- Detailed delicious day-to-day meal plan
- 3 Main Meals each Day + Snacks
- Each meal can be made in 10 min or less
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CoachCat: Intelligent Improvement to Ride Faster
- instant workout analysis from CoachCat
- Training Plan Revisions
- Custom Training Plans, Workouts, & Meal Plans
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Climbing Intervals
- This plan will put you on the start line prepared to crush some massive climbs!
- Tempo, SS & Threshold intervals during the week + group rides and/or harder efforts on the weekend
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Weight Lifting For Cycling
- 10 Weeks: 4 Phases + on the bike workouts
- Lift weights specific to cycling & increasing power output
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Gravel Training Plan
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Road Racing Intervals
- Increase your functional and race-specific power output
- Includes Sweet Spot, VO2, Anaerobic, Threshold
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Sweet Spot Part 1: Build Your Base
- Begin to Build Your Base
- Increase FTP by 5 - 20% !
- Home of Sweet Spot training
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Winning in the Kitchen Meal Plan
- Three Meals a Day and Snacks that take 10 minutes or less
- Flex day for when 'life' happens
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Sweet Spot Part 3: Base to Race
- The transition from base to race
- Increase aerobic fitness and power output
- Perfect continuation from Sweet Spot part 2
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Sweet Spot Part 2: Boost Your Base
- Boost Your Base
- Increase aerobic fitness and power output
- Perfect continuation from Sweet Spot part 1
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Intervals for Cross Country MTB
- 6-week cross-country interval training plan
- Endurance mountain bike hammer rides, VO2's, threshold, diabolical tabatas, and race starts to prepare you to crush your goal race!
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Road Race In-Season
- Weekend racing and group rides with weekday training and recovery
- anaerobic efforts like criss cross, Over/Unders Sweet Spot, Threshold
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Road & Crit Intervals
- Get race ready for the road season with our Intervals
- Includes VO2's, anaerobic intervals, diabolical tabatas
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Foundation : 3 Weeks
- Perfect for all cyclists beginning off season training
- Raise your CTL and the all-important muscle tension intervals
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Sweet Spot + Resistance Training
- 16 Weeks of training perfect for building your aerobic base in the off season
- Four Phases of resistance training with neuromuscular sprint work
- Combines our 10 weeks of weight & Sweet Spot Part 2
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Sweet Spot Marathon MTB Plan
- This plan gets you ready to climb a ride a 50-100-mile event
- This Plan was featured in Outside Magazine, click view details to learn what they had to say!
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Indoor / Outdoor for Zwift & Smart Trainers
- Perfect for winter indoors
- Sweet Spot, Tempo intervals, Threshold Intervals
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Gravel In-Season
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Cyclocross Intervals
- Suitable for the cyclocross athlete that wants to get ready to race
- Includes a taper and leg openers to prepare you for your first race of the season
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Triple Bypass
- Features Sweet Spot, Tempo & Threshold Intervals to prepare you for the long sustained climbs!
- Group Rides & Simulation Rides on the Weekend
- Includes a Taper into the Race + Leg Openers
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XC MTB In-Season
- XC MTB In Season plan balances your training with your racing
- Anaerobic power output, Zone 6, Tabatas prepare you for race day
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Steamboat Gravel
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Cyclocross Summer Sweet Spot
- Perfect for the CX athlete that likes to plan ahead and build a solid base
- Includes structured Sweet Spot intervals + skill work so no watts are left on the table!
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24 Week Off-Season Cyclocross Training
- Off-season cyclocross plan is a combination of weight lifting and sweet spot base
- 24-week plan is perfect to begin in January-March to prepare for the Spring/Summer season
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Gran Fondo Plan
- For the rider that has loftier goals than just finishing
- Includes longer rides and cycling specific nutrition guidance
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100 Mile Mountain Bike Race
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Leadville 100 MTB
- Leadville 100 MTB Training Plan, starts Monday July 1st for the August 10, 2024 race
- Preps you for the grueling alpine climbs in Leadville
- Include simulation rides and nutrition guidance
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CX Race & Recover: In-Season
- Perfect for putting your speed & skills to the test
- Keeps your 'cross skills sharp so you are ready to race and balances recovery so you can continue to perform well
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Phil Gaimon's Strava PR Plan
- Perfect Plan for Those with Less Training Time, starts at 15 minutes per day
- VO2's, 1 minuters, Tabatas, threshold, suprathreshold, and even Sweet Spot
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Intervals for Time Trials
- 6-week Intervals for Time Trials training plan
- Use your training zones to ride just hard enough to get faster & stronger
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40k Time Trial
- 12 wks of TT specific threshold intervals
- Raise your threshold power output with VO2's
- Includes, Course Recons, a Taper into the Race + Leg Openers!
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Haute Route
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Crusher in the Tushar
- Prepares you to CRUSH the Tushar Crusher this upcoming July
- Includes Sweet Spot, Threshold, VO2 work, and Simulation Rides
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Zwift Racing Plan
- Specifically for the power demands of Zwift Racing
- Warm Up Protocol
- Race Start Practice Workouts
- Over-Unders and Criss Crosses
- Includes Sweet Spot OTS rides
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Indoor Cycling
- Indoor cycling training plan has advanced aerobic endurance
- Workouts are geared towards you riding indoors on the trainer
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Six Weeks to Peak for CX Nationals
- Raises your CTL to peak for Cyclocross Nationals
- Strategically timed training block around Thanksgiving
- Includes an age-based taper
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Tulsa Tough Criteriums
- Tabatas, VO2, & Anaerobic intervals during the week
- SS, Threshold & Tempo efforts to keep the aerobic engine revved up!
- Week 6 includes a Taper into the race + Leg Openers
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16 WEEK STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
- Includes pre-hab exercises for injury prevention
- Best for triathletes and cyclists who race off-road
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Firecracker 50 with Sweet Spot
- Loaded with Sweet Spot and Threshold Intervals to prepare you for long, sustained climbs!
- Includes cycling specific nutrition guidance, a Taper into the Race + Leg Openers!
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Iceman Cometh
- Start this six week plan Sept 25th
- XC MTB specific training for the IceMan
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Breck Epic Sweet Spot Training Plan
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16 Weeks Of Sweet Spot
- Builds a Big Aerobic Base
- Complete 4 month Training Plan with 3 Power Tests
- new Professional Level with 18 - 26 hours / week
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Six Weeks Till Cyclocross
- This plan begins before the season starts so you have time to get faster
- Rock this plan and move onto the Cyclocross Intervals plan before the season starts
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30 Week Weights + Sweet Spot Base
- Increase power and endurance
- Combines Weight Lifting then Sweet Spot Base Training
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Weight Loss Meal Plan
- Detailed delicious day-to-day meal plan
- 3 Main Meals each Day + Snacks
- Each meal can be made in 10 min or less
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CoachCat: Intelligent Improvement to Ride Faster
- instant workout analysis from CoachCat
- Training Plan Revisions
- Custom Training Plans, Workouts, & Meal Plans
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Climbing Intervals
- This plan will put you on the start line prepared to crush some massive climbs!
- Tempo, SS & Threshold intervals during the week + group rides and/or harder efforts on the weekend
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Weight Lifting For Cycling
- 10 Weeks: 4 Phases + on the bike workouts
- Lift weights specific to cycling & increasing power output
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Gravel Training Plan
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Road Racing Intervals
- Increase your functional and race-specific power output
- Includes Sweet Spot, VO2, Anaerobic, Threshold
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Sweet Spot Part 1: Build Your Base
- Begin to Build Your Base
- Increase FTP by 5 - 20% !
- Home of Sweet Spot training
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Winning in the Kitchen Meal Plan
- Three Meals a Day and Snacks that take 10 minutes or less
- Flex day for when 'life' happens
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Sweet Spot Part 3: Base to Race
- The transition from base to race
- Increase aerobic fitness and power output
- Perfect continuation from Sweet Spot part 2
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Sweet Spot Part 2: Boost Your Base
- Boost Your Base
- Increase aerobic fitness and power output
- Perfect continuation from Sweet Spot part 1
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Intervals for Cross Country MTB
- 6-week cross-country interval training plan
- Endurance mountain bike hammer rides, VO2's, threshold, diabolical tabatas, and race starts to prepare you to crush your goal race!
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Road Race In-Season
- Weekend racing and group rides with weekday training and recovery
- anaerobic efforts like criss cross, Over/Unders Sweet Spot, Threshold
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Road & Crit Intervals
- Get race ready for the road season with our Intervals
- Includes VO2's, anaerobic intervals, diabolical tabatas
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Foundation : 3 Weeks
- Perfect for all cyclists beginning off season training
- Raise your CTL and the all-important muscle tension intervals
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Sweet Spot + Resistance Training
- 16 Weeks of training perfect for building your aerobic base in the off season
- Four Phases of resistance training with neuromuscular sprint work
- Combines our 10 weeks of weight & Sweet Spot Part 2
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Sweet Spot Marathon MTB Plan
- This plan gets you ready to climb a ride a 50-100-mile event
- This Plan was featured in Outside Magazine, click view details to learn what they had to say!
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Indoor / Outdoor for Zwift & Smart Trainers
- Perfect for winter indoors
- Sweet Spot, Tempo intervals, Threshold Intervals
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Gravel In-Season
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Cyclocross Intervals
- Suitable for the cyclocross athlete that wants to get ready to race
- Includes a taper and leg openers to prepare you for your first race of the season
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Triple Bypass
- Features Sweet Spot, Tempo & Threshold Intervals to prepare you for the long sustained climbs!
- Group Rides & Simulation Rides on the Weekend
- Includes a Taper into the Race + Leg Openers
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XC MTB In-Season
- XC MTB In Season plan balances your training with your racing
- Anaerobic power output, Zone 6, Tabatas prepare you for race day
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Steamboat Gravel
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Cyclocross Summer Sweet Spot
- Perfect for the CX athlete that likes to plan ahead and build a solid base
- Includes structured Sweet Spot intervals + skill work so no watts are left on the table!
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24 Week Off-Season Cyclocross Training
- Off-season cyclocross plan is a combination of weight lifting and sweet spot base
- 24-week plan is perfect to begin in January-March to prepare for the Spring/Summer season
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Gran Fondo Plan
- For the rider that has loftier goals than just finishing
- Includes longer rides and cycling specific nutrition guidance
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100 Mile Mountain Bike Race
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Leadville 100 MTB
- Leadville 100 MTB Training Plan, starts Monday July 1st for the August 10, 2024 race
- Preps you for the grueling alpine climbs in Leadville
- Include simulation rides and nutrition guidance
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CX Race & Recover: In-Season
- Perfect for putting your speed & skills to the test
- Keeps your 'cross skills sharp so you are ready to race and balances recovery so you can continue to perform well
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Phil Gaimon's Strava PR Plan
- Perfect Plan for Those with Less Training Time, starts at 15 minutes per day
- VO2's, 1 minuters, Tabatas, threshold, suprathreshold, and even Sweet Spot
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Intervals for Time Trials
- 6-week Intervals for Time Trials training plan
- Use your training zones to ride just hard enough to get faster & stronger
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40k Time Trial
- 12 wks of TT specific threshold intervals
- Raise your threshold power output with VO2's
- Includes, Course Recons, a Taper into the Race + Leg Openers!
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Haute Route
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Crusher in the Tushar
- Prepares you to CRUSH the Tushar Crusher this upcoming July
- Includes Sweet Spot, Threshold, VO2 work, and Simulation Rides
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Zwift Racing Plan
- Specifically for the power demands of Zwift Racing
- Warm Up Protocol
- Race Start Practice Workouts
- Over-Unders and Criss Crosses
- Includes Sweet Spot OTS rides
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Indoor Cycling
- Indoor cycling training plan has advanced aerobic endurance
- Workouts are geared towards you riding indoors on the trainer
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Six Weeks to Peak for CX Nationals
- Raises your CTL to peak for Cyclocross Nationals
- Strategically timed training block around Thanksgiving
- Includes an age-based taper
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Tulsa Tough Criteriums
- Tabatas, VO2, & Anaerobic intervals during the week
- SS, Threshold & Tempo efforts to keep the aerobic engine revved up!
- Week 6 includes a Taper into the race + Leg Openers
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16 WEEK STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
- Includes pre-hab exercises for injury prevention
- Best for triathletes and cyclists who race off-road
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Firecracker 50 with Sweet Spot
- Loaded with Sweet Spot and Threshold Intervals to prepare you for long, sustained climbs!
- Includes cycling specific nutrition guidance, a Taper into the Race + Leg Openers!
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Iceman Cometh
- Start this six week plan Sept 25th
- XC MTB specific training for the IceMan
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