Jack Huddleston broke his neck in 2019. With resolve, patience, and the support of his Coach, Scott Saifer, Jack was back in competition by 2020. Before we get into the story, let us tell you more about Jack’s background and …
The Long Road to Coming Back From a Fractured Vertebrae Read More »
Living and riding in the Pacific Northwest wet winter weather, my family sets up trainers in the sun room to start indoor spin season. I catch up on watching race coverage while turning the cranks. While watching professional road races, I …
For some racers, the upgrade from Category 4 to Cat 3 on the road, for instance, may happen as quickly as a few months. For others the challenge to break out of the same category may take years. It may seem …
Learning to Win – Waiting to Upgrade Your Road Racing Category May Pay Off Later Read More »
The end of the road-racing season has arrived. Even the most serious roadies are relaxing, having the annual beer, and taking a few easy weeks before resuming training. In the coming months, they will connect with teams and coaches as …
For convenience, riders and coaches accept certain truths regarding bike fit, tactics, training and health. Some popular beliefs include: Athletes need plenty of sleep; they must use the right equipment for the job; set the saddle straight and level; bike …
More and more scientific evidence piles up in favor of training programs that are heavy on high-volume, sub-threshold endurance work and light on harder efforts. Studies of elite and world-champion runners, cyclists and cross-country skiers show that they typically spend …
In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.- Johann Wolfgang von Goeth Several years ago, the training blogosphere was atwitter with posts from …
The Big Picture: Today’s Performance Reflects Years of Diet and Training Read More »
This article by Scott Saifer, M.S. first appeared in ROAD Magazine in April of 2014. “Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give …
Life is Not Fair, and Other Good News About Being an Athlete Read More »
Riders and teams enter bike races because they want to see how they stack up against the competition. For that to make sense, riders must believe that the playing field is level. The competition must be fair to be meaningful. …
Good Sportsmanship and the Meaning of Competition: Why Following the Rules Matters Read More »
This article has been updated from an article previously published in ROAD Magazine. Coaches often say that racing success requires genetic talent, hard work and luck. You get the talent from your parents and there’s not much you can do …
Hey Kid! Wanna Get Lucky? – Defending Against Misfortune in Bike Racing Read More »
Riders take certain things for granted. We believe the bike will go where we steer it, that we’ll pedal harder when we want to go faster and if we pedal hard enough, we’ll be able to catch the group or …
What does it mean to be a professional cyclist? From the outside it may seem simple: you ride your bike well and get paid to do it. But being truly professional is much more than just pedaling. A professional bike …
What It Really Means to Be a Professional Cyclist Read More »
A knowledgeable coach can be a great asset for any athlete, but in order for you to get the true value of the coaching relationship, your coach needs to be a good communicator and respect the client/coach business service relationship. …
Most professional cyclists retire in their mid-30s, but all around the country there are guys in the later 30s and into their 40s and 50s who still compete with the 1/2/pro fields. Some of them occasionally show at the front …
Could an Older Rider Win a Pro Race? The Effects of Aging on Cycling Performance Read More »
Professional bike racing is a big business where money considerations often trump athletic ones, but we fans maintain the fiction of the purity of sport. We get to believe that bike racing identifies riders who are somehow superior. A race …
The Unwritten Rule – Why cheating must be punished Read More »
