Faster - Podcast By Flo

While there was a debate for many years about what a gravel bike was, the standard gravel bike does not have shocks. For those struggling with bike handling on gravel or getting beat up on rough roads, managing your tire size and pressure is the best option for create a "shock" for bikes without shocks. Many people look to the frame or other options to reduce vibration but the best bang for the buck is in the tires. Listen to this episode of FASTER to learn about using bikes tires as shocks so you can become faster.Watt Points: 15

You've likely heard that it's best to lower your tire pressure for wider tires and rims. The truth is it's required. When tires and rims get wider high tire pressures can become dangerous. In this episode of FASTER we talk through the why so you understand the science behind lower tire pressure for wider rims and tires. Watt Points: 20

Have you ever wondered how the spokes of the wheel work to keep it rolling? In this episode of FASTER we explore the highly debated question, “Does a Cycling Wheel Stand on the Bottom Spokes or Hang from the Top Spokes?”

Vibration plays a key role in athletic performance. From the ability to handle a bike to fatigue in the human body, minimizing vibration is key. Today on FASTER, we discuss why carbon fiber rims are the ideal choice for reducing vibration on the road when compared to their aluminum counterparts. Listen to this episode to learn how to better manage your vibration so you can become FASTER.Watt Points: 3

The Belgian Waffle Ride in San Marcos, CA is known for every changing course which blends road and very technical unroad terrain. In order to have your best day in the Belgian Waffle Ride gear selection is vitally important. In this episode of FASTER, we explore the course and talk about wheel & tire selection, tire pressure, aerodynamics, bike handling skills and more. Listen to this episode to help set you up to be the fastest on race day at the Belgian Waffle Ride.Watt Points: 20

The importance of bike handling changes as the terrain changes. For triathletes and road cyclists, the bike handling skills are on the lower end whereas mountain biking is on the higher end. With the explosion of gravel cycling, we see many triathletes and road cyclists moving to gravel cycling and often bike handling skills can be a limiting factor for an athlete's success. Today, on Faster we talk with Lee McCormack for a masterclass on bike handling skills so you can learn to ride confidently and become a faster gravel cyclist.Watt Points: 90-100

IM Oceanside 70.3 for many, is the beginning of the triathlon season. This unique course has coastal winds and rough roads along the old Pacific Coast Highway. In this episode of Faster we discuss myths around wheel selection for coastal courses and help you pick your best wheels. We also discuss setting tire pressure on courses with sections of rough road and offer our advice on the ideal tire for this course. Listen to this episode to learn how to get set up for IM Oceanside or similar courses so you can become faster.Watt Points: 20Blog w/ Tire Pressure Calculation

We've become the official wheel partner of Alpha Win. Alpha Win runs a triathlon series across the USA and we are very excited to be partnering with them. You will be able to find FLO Wheels at upcoming events so you can get your hands on them. We will also have our new FLO Air Gage in transition so you can air up your wheels with accuracy. Make sure to reference our tire pressure charts to set your ideal pressure. 

I spent last weekend at Clash Miami running the FLO Wheel Pit for the pro races. While there I worked with a number of athletes setting pressures for a unique course like a Nascar track. The surface is rough and your pressure needs to drop. On this episode of FASTER I discuss the unique racing conditions seen on the Clash Endurance courses discussing tire pressure, tire size, and aerodynamics. Listen to this episode to learn pro tips for the Clash Endurance series so you can become faster. Watt Points: 10-20

Over inflating your tires may seem like a trivial issue but today we know that for every 1 psi you over inflate your tires you lose roughly 1 watt to rolling resistance. We also know that most standard floor pumps are only accurate to +/- 9 psi which means that a cyclist with a 200 watt FTP could be giving up close to 5% of their power to an inaccurate pump. It’s why we created a new product called the FLO Air Gage. This episode discusses, the FLO Air Gage and how it came to be. Learn more about the FLO Air Gage and setting accurate tire pressures so you can become faster. Watt Points: 9 WattsImpedance and Rolling Resistance Episode 

Life balance for most triathletes is a constant challenge. Throw in the last couple years over COVID and the return to our new lives and it’s been nearly impossible. Today, on FASTER we welcome back Max Jones to discuss his journey from owner at Elevate Sports Performance and a competitive triathlete, to leaving for many new careers, starting a family, losing a house in a fire, becoming a full time runner and back to a triathlete on the FLO Factory Team. Learn how he’s used his strength and conditioning background to make a comeback all while finding balance in a very busy, very wonderful life. Watt Points: 30

Ketones are naturally produced in the body when you enter ketosis. This happens when the body is burning fat as its primary fuel source. There’s been lots of discussion on ketosis for diet but what about performance athletes. Today on Faster we talk with Frank Llosa from KetoneAid who is making a Ketone Ester for performance athletes and Anthony Kunkel who uses KetoneAid and lives a life in Ketosis while being a two-time national champion ultra distance runner. Listen to this episode to challenge your belief on using carbs as a fuel source and to learn how to use Ketones to become faster.In exciting news FASTER Cycling has been listed in the 45 Best Cycling Podcasts by FeedSpot. Check out the list here.Watt Points: 10-30

FatMax is a popular topic amongst endurance athletes. While it’s a great number to improve, there’s a false belief forming that carbs are the enemy. The truth is, in order to perform at our highest level, we need to fuel our bodies with carbohydrates. The brilliant Scott Tindal from FuelIn joins us again for a fascinating discussion on training your body to use carbohydrates for your race. Along the way we cover lots of details on carbs vs. fat, carb loading, and the types of carbs to consume. Listen to this episode to learn how to use carbs to your advantage so you can become faster.Watt Points: Save yourself from going to 0 watts.

Training and aerodynamics are two the largest watt savings topics we hear about on FASTER. Today on FASTER we are talking with Sebastian Schluricke and Bjorn Kafka from Aerotune who are optimizing aerodynamics and performing metabolic testing in a web based software. On the aero side they allow you to upload ride data to determine your CdA. On the training side they’ve developed a user friendly metabolic testing protocol that gives the athlete tools to optimize both VO2 Max and VLamax. Later this year they will be releasing custom training plans based on your metabolic test results which will simplify a very complex field for the everyday athlete. Today’s show is broken into two halves. We talk about aero in the beginning and metabolic testing in the second half. Bjorn has a way of explaining metabolic testing like I’ve never heard before and my understanding is much clearer. If you’ve wanted to learn more about metabolic testing and why it’s important for you as an athlete, this is a must listen to episode.

What do you do with all of the data that you collect while riding your bike? Most cyclist upload it to Strava where they compare themselves to the leaderboard. In a lot of cases this can be demotivating. The Breakaway is using your data to help you compare yourself to yourself. They’re analyzing your power data and providing actionable next steps to help you improve. You’re given a ranking based on your age and sex so you can see where you stand with people that are relative to you. They also have an eight week rolling average on data analysis so you aren’t continually comparing yourself to what you could do in the past. The goal is to motivate you to be your best today. With integrations to most major platforms and workout recommendations, Breakaway is meant to be your cycling fitness dashboard when you’re not riding. Listen to this episode to learn how to use your data and results to motivate yourself so you can become faster.Watt Points: 30

If you’ve listened to our previous episodes on polarized training, Inscyd and Energy systems and have wondered how you could create your own training plan to implement this work, then this episode is for you. Today on Faster Ryan Kohler from Fast Talk Labs joins us to discuss building your own polarized training plan based on results from an Inscyd test. We walk through workouts for athletes with different profiles to help you understand what fits your lifestyle and how to structure training throughout the year. Listen to this episode to learn how to build your own polarized training plan so you can become faster.Watt Points: 30-40

Meditation has been making its way into sport more and more over the years. Historically a lot of people have thought of meditation as a spiritual or religious practice, but that is starting to change. Today on Faster we welcome back Nick Salazar to talk about meditation and his new company Stillside after making a transition from his company TriRig. We talk about the basics of mediation, meditation in sport and how it’s helping athletes, along with his new company and their flagship product the OM Chair. Listen to this episode so you can quiet your mind and become faster. Watt Points: All of Them

Breathing is something we all must do to survive. It’s also a major part of performance. Today, on Faster we talk with Dr. Dena Garner about a product called Airwaav. Their patented mouthpiece is helping athletes lower their respiration rate, cortisol levels, and lactate levels to improve performance. I was initially skeptical about the product and I found out that Dena was also skeptical. It’s why she set out to prove it wrong before realizing she couldn’t. Listen to this episode to learn about Airwaav and the science behind lower your respiration rate so you can become faster.Watt Points: 5-10 Watts

Groundedness, it’s a term that’s been used more in recent year than ever. Today, on Faster we talk with Brad Stulberg about his book “The Practice of Groudnedness” and how groundedness helps endurance athletes. If you’ve ever found yourself focusing on the goal without enjoying the journey, getting out of balance, or becoming obsessive out your workouts, this is a must listen to podcast. Learn about how presence, patient, vulnerability and community add up to make you a happier, more balanced, and faster athlete.Watt Points: Happier Watts

Have you ever been to a race and wished that you could have previewed the course beforehand? Wouldn’t it be great to get a feel for a course when you’re not close? When an athlete has this advantage, they enter race day with more piece of mind. Ben Nobury at myWindsock has been obsessing about this idea for some time. myWindsock provides a descriptive look at a course based on weather data, and rider data to help you understand that the hill your about to climb normally has a head wind. This data allows you the athlete to mentally prepare ahead of time for the course so you’re not adjusting on the fly. myWindsock also uses advanced algorithms to help you predict times on a course and tells you the right places to apply power for your race to optimize your time. Listen to this episode to learn how to cheat the wind and be prepare for your next event so you can become faster.Watt Points: 15-30