When heading out for a long track session (plus 2 hours) or perhaps a long ride on the road, carrying some liquid energy to top up energy stores for the plus hour mark is a no-brainer, and for many, that top-up energy source comes in the form of sports drinks (aka: Powerade, Gatorade, Staminade etc.). 

Whilst sports drinks have a long standing history and are backed by evidence that...

In this blog we want to chat briefly about angles and speed and what happens to your centre of gravity respectively. Plus we want to offer a few tips on what you can do to enhance your technical riding skills.

When we ride our bikes at low speeds on a Velodrome our centre of gravity drifts closer towards the track surface...

When we ride at high speeds our centre of gravity drifts away from the...

One of the body’s reactions to fear and anxiety is muscle tension. This can result in feeling “tense”, or can lead to muscle aches and pains, as well as feelings of panic, self-doubt and an array of other emotions which are non-conducive to cycling performance. 

Think about how you respond to anxiety, stress or nerves…

Do you “tense up” when...

‘Great week of training! Let’s do the same next week!’ 

When we plan an athlete’s training there are times when we like routine, to suggest the same sessions, at the same intensity, with the same recoveries in, ideally, the same conditions.

We try to reduce all the variables.

We like it even more if the prior few days have been the same as the week before so that...

By Michael Jordan
Lead Coach / Physiological Performance Analyst 

There is a man in Toronto who gets paid to go to the gym. My friend Tim pays to go to that gym and described the man to me. The man who gets paid to go to the gym picks up and puts down a lot of weights. He also mops, vacuums, dusts and makes the place look nice, ready for the next day. So there he is lifting a 25kg plate...

Performance Analysis is a hobby for me. It is also a job and an area of academic study and will keep me awake as I wonder if a pattern of results has emerged or progress is being made. How can I use this data to help improve performance?

At a course at the University I attend Professor Keith Lyons was described as the Godfather of Performance Analysis. Keith founded the Australian Institute of...

If you are wondering why a mountainous road ride review has appeared here at the Track Cycling Academy it is because I talk about some physiological changes which the body makes in the course of aerobic training...

These are all physiological parameters which are vital for success in pursuiting and bunch racing and even performance and recovery in sprint. I’m not convinced a sprinter...

Which is more important of these two attributes in a kilo or a 500m Time Trial? For those new to our sport these are individual timed events. They are great fun and don’t hurt at all. Actually that isn’t true. If you are good enough to go quickly they are utterly brutal.

Back to my question. Which is more important in a kilo or 500m out of maximal power or sustained power?...

Somewhere in the world there may be an interview question where the candidate is asked how many things this image could be... An ECG trace? Climate graph pairing rainfall and humidity? Underwater depth and biological life charted against each other? Macchu Picchu?

It is none of the above. There is a green line and a yellow line…

• One is the cadence of the cyclist and
• One is their speed....

If you’re a sprinter and accustomed to following a motorbike as you complete flying efforts around a velodrome, than you’ll attest to just how fun this type of activity is. 

But are motorbikes imperative to cycling performance? 

We think not… 

Whilst they’re a great training tool for overspeed efforts, utilising the motorbike isn’t imperative to...