Online Bike Coach

If you’re not watching the Women’s Tour de France, YOU SHOULD BE!!!

In 2024, Kristen Faulkner won the Olympic road race — a historic U.S. victory — and the marketing push that followed was… silence.

No parade.
No media circuit.
No national spotlight.

So while the hype machine slept, she went to work.

Faulkner is on the Tour de France Femmes TT course today, doing what champions do: preparing to win again.

If the system won’t amplify her, the results will.

It’s RACEDAY with Reno Wheelmen! Come join us every other Tuesday through August!!

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A ROLLING RESISTANCE THAT IS TOO LOW….

My time up Alpe d'Huez in 2004, carrying about 20lbs of clothes and sandals in a backpack, and the ashes of a client who had died just weeks earlier. I think I cried the whole way up.

Is your training software actually giving you an accurate picture of your fatigue?

Traditional metrics often treat a watt as a watt. But as dehydration sets in during a long endurance session, the internal metabolic cost of maintaining that wattage changes dramatically.

This is called Dehydration Decoupling (or cardiac drift). It represents the exact moment your workout transitions from a controlled aerobic stimulus into a heavy, systemic survival effort.

If you want to build lasting durability for epic endurance events, you have to learn how to monitor and manage this real-time drift. In my latest article, I unpack the science of blood volume loss, cardiac output, and how to use advanced biometric data to stay ahead of the curve.

Read the article here: https://bit.ly/4yqjtOW

Looking to optimize your internal training load? Send me a DM to learn more about our virtual coaching studio openings

The Dehydration Decoupling: Managing Real-Time Metabolic Cost Master your Garmin data. See how a dehydration decoupling drives real-time metabolic drift and spikes your internal engine cost.

Physiology First Tabata VO2 Max: Cracking the Code

Are your athletes—or you—actually stimulating VO2 max during Tabata intervals, or simply accumulating localized muscle fatigue?

Traditional high-intensity interval training relies heavily on external metrics like power. However, during acute micro-intervals (20s ON, 10s OFF), wattage can obscure the actual metabolic demand. To optimize adaptation, coaches and athletes must prioritize internal load over external output.

Our latest deep dive examines the physiological mechanics of the Tabata protocol, focusing on:

SmO2 Compression: Why localized muscle oxygen desaturation is a more reliable indicator of metabolic crisis than a power spike.

Respiration Rate Dynamics: Utilizing breathing frequency as a real-time proxy for VO2 max stimulation, bypassing heart rate lag.

The Power Paradox: Why diminishing wattage in later intervals often yields a superior aerobic training stimulus.

Stop managing training stress in the dark. Shift your framework to a physiology-first approach.

👉 Read the full technical breakdown on the blog:

Physiology First Tabata VO2 Max: Cracking the Code Master the Physiology First Tabata VO2 Max protocol. Analyze SmO2, VO2 max, and HRV data to validate performance for the Peavine Halo Loop.

📊 STOP COACHING BY WATTAGE ALONE: The Dissociation of Internal and External Relays

As cycling coaches and sports scientists, we often fall into the "wattage-first" trap. We prescribe an interval at a static target power, verify the file matches, and declare success.But external power output is merely the consequence of muscular work.

To truly optimize adaptation and performance, we must prioritize an internal framework: Physiology First cycling.

In my latest case study, I pull back the curtain on a recent severe-intensity session: 3 sets of 13 Rønnestad 30-15 intervals.

By tracking a multi-sensor telemetry stack—including muscle oxygenation (SMO2) via Moxy, ventilation metrics, and autonomic stress (DFAA-1)— I expose a profound dissociation between external work and internal strain:

The Metabolic Reality vs. Power: While the mechanical xPower gently declined across the blocks due to fatigue 298w, 274w, 263w), the thermodynamic math reveals a true systemic oxygen demand locked as high as 50ml/kg/min (14.2 METs) to sustain the throughput.

🔹 Extreme Mitochondrial Extraction: Local quadriceps oxygenation cratered into the single digits, averaging 7.1% in the first block. Decades of structural aerobic adaptations allow the muscle engine to act like a vacuum, completely outstripping systemic oxygen delivery within seconds.

🔹 Autonomic Drifts: Heart rate variability tracking (DFAA-1) dropped steadily down to 0.55, confirming the exact threshold point where sympathetic emergency drive completely overpowers parasympathetic recovery.

The Coaching Takeaway: When you transition your athletes to a Physiology First framework, you stop guessing based on heart rate or power targets alone.

I use precise, short-duration metabolic loading to hold an athlete at their absolute ceiling of systemic oxygen consumption (Vo2max) while preserving local muscular mechanics.

Want to see the complete data analysis, multi-panel analytics graphs, and the exact fueling strategies required to survive elite metabolic loading?

Read the full technical deep dive on the blog:👉

https://onlinebikecoach.com/physiology-first-cycling-ronnestad-intervals/

Are you ready to elevate your training metrics from external guessing to internal precision? Click "Book Now" on my page to explore custom physiological consulting and virtual studio availability.

Physiology First Cycling: Master Rønnestad 30-15 Intervals Ditch the wattage-first trap. Discover how a Physiology First cycling approach uses multi-sensor telemetry to master Rønnestad intervals.

Ok - if YOUR COACH Decides to “Unretire” and Compete Against You… I have an ethical issue with that.