Training Babble: Off-Road Insights for Mountain Bike and Gravel Cycling
Unlock your endurance potential. The Training Babble Podcast takes a deep dive into the strategy and science behind training for off-road cycling and gravel racing. Host Dave Schell brings over 20 years of coaching and racing experience, including as former Director of Education at TrainingPeaks.
Each episode features interviews with experts and insiders to inform your training on topics like physiology, nutrition, mental toughness, equipment selection, and race tactics. Expect an informative yet lighthearted conversation filled with practical tips to up your performance. Special guests from across the cycling world join to share their hard-earned wisdom.
Whether you're an amateur looking to reach new heights or a coach wanting to refine your craft, The Training Babble Podcast offers a master-class in endurance training. Challenging conventional methods, busting myths, and digging into the latest research, this show equips you with the knowledge to train smarter and unlock your full athletic potential.
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Training Babble: Off-Road Insights for Mountain Bike and Gravel Cycling
Two Weeks Out: Everything You Need to Know Before Unbound with the Gravel God Matti Rowe
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Summary
In this episode Dave and Matti break down everything you need to know in the final two weeks before Unbound Gravel. Whether this is your first 200 or your fifth, the same mistakes show up every year. This episode is about not making them.
What we cover:
- Why Unbound is still an adventure race, not a controlled event, and why that distinction matters for your expectations
- The mindset shift that separates athletes who have a good day from athletes who have a disaster
- What to do and not do at the expo (hint: stop tasting things and get off your feet)
- Tire selection, lube, and why the best tire is the one that doesn't flat
- Last-minute bike prep: what to replace, what to check, what to carry
- How to handle the mud sections without destroying your drivetrain or yourself
- Pacing: why the first 100 miles will lie to you and how to ride smart anyway
- Nutrition for a 15-plus hour day: the cyborg phase versus the animal phase
- The dark moments that are coming and how to ride through them
- Heat acclimatization tips you can still implement this week
- Why you deserve to be there and how to carry that into race day
Links and references:
If you found this episode useful, share it with someone who is two weeks out and spiraling. It might save their race.
