This week, I had the chance to chat with Phil Burt—someone who’s been at the sharp end of cycling innovation for over a decade.

From his time with British Cycling and INEOS, Phil has seen (and shaped) some of the biggest shifts in performance and bike fit.

We covered a lot of ground in this conversation, it’s worth listening to in its entirety but one area which really sparked my attention was crank lengths.

I’ve always been a 175mm guy.

Now there is a growing use of 165mm cranks.

For years, Zone 1 training was dismissed as "junk miles"—just easy spinning for recovery.

However, Astana coach Vasilis Anastopoulos revealed in our recent podcast conversation, this low-intensity riding is now a cornerstone of professional cycling, playing a crucial role in endurance development, fatigue management, and overall race performance.

Vasilis, who coached Mark Cavendish to his historic Tour de France stage win record, emphasized that endurance cannot be built through shortcuts.

Most athletes think they need more volume.

More hours. More intensity. More suffering.

Olav Bu, the mastermind behind world-class triathletes like Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden, knows that’s not the full picture. You can listen to full interview here

In our recent conversation, he broke down why elite performance isn’t just about stacking more miles.

It’s about precision, consistency, and understanding the physiological demands of endurance sports at the highest level.

I wanted to share a lesson I learned from none other than Tour de France stage winner, Matej Mohorič, that has completely shifted the way I approach training. It’s all about deconstruction—and how breaking things down to their core components can unlock a new level of performance.

When you’re building your training plan or preparing for a big event this year, one of the first steps is deconstructing the demands of the event. Let’s take an example: if you’re targeting L'Étape du Tour this July, there are a few key challenges you’ll face. Among them, we have:

• Three big mountain passes, each over 20 minutes in duration.

As amateur athletes, we live in a world of constant compromise.

Between work deadlines & family obligations, we often find ourselves cramming training sessions into whatever slivers of time we can find.

And while we diligently follow our training plans, it’s worth asking: are we always making the best choice?

This topic came into sharp focus during my recent conversation with John Wakefield, Coach at Bora Redbull.

John highlighted a critical concept: not all stress is created equal.

On any given day, the fatigue you bring into a session isn’t just training stress—it’s the cumulative load of everything life throws at you.

When we look at professional athletes, it’s easy to imagine their success is built on secret knowledge or cutting-edge methods.

But as Dan Lorang, Head of Performance at Bora-Hansgrohe, shared with me recently, the pros succeed because they execute the basics exceptionally well.

And one of those basics is planning.

Here’s a common trap many of us fall into: you set up a perfect periodised training plan.

If you’re like me, the holidays were filled with indulgence - endless desserts, second helpings, and the occasional pint of Guinness.

Now, with the new year just around the corner, you might be feeling the urge to compensate with a drastic calorie cut or by ramping up exercise while eating as little as possible.

Here’s the truth: that’s not the solution.

I had the privilege of chatting with Uri Carlson, one of the world’s leading nutritionists for endurance athletes, and she made a point that completely changed my approach to post-holiday eating

I’ve been reviewing my favourite conversations from 2024 on the Roadman Cycling Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Professor Stephen Seiler, a pioneer in the field of endurance training. Our conversation spanned decades of research, practical applications, and some myth-busting truths about what really drives performance improvement. Here are the key takeaways for you:

Seiler emphasized that the best athletes aren’t those with secret hacks but those who nail consistency. He shared how elite performers achieve success through thousands of steady, intentional training sessions rather than fleeting moments of brilliance. "Your floor matters more than your ceiling," he said. Translation? Focus on how good your worst week is, not your best.