We can already hear the sound of keyboards smashing as angry followers scream: “I need to do more – much more – to lose weight!” Well, if you are genuinely sedentary, you’re probably right. If you’re a couch-potato who barely moves, rarely trains, and spends most of the day sitting, then yes – doing more exercise will almost certainly help with weight loss. But we’re fairly sure most of our readers are quite the opposite. Most cyclists struggling with weight loss look like th

Everyone needs time off at the end of the season.Only when you fully reset can you build properly toward your full potential the following year. But when it’s time to start training again, don’t simply jump back in where you left off. Too many riders begin their winter endurance phase using training zones from an FTP test done at peak fitness. For busy cyclists returning from an off-season break, this is a fast-track to unnecessary fatigue. Your body is not the same as it was

Many masters cyclists—especially those aged 50 and above—are still using fuelling practices that originated in the 1980s and 1990s. To be clear, riders of that era were following the best available guidance at the time. Sports science simply had not evolved to where it is today. Modern research now gives us a far more accurate understanding of how the body fuels endurance exercise, recovers, and regulates appetite. Updating fuelling strategies is one of the highest-impact, l

At our DUCHY team meeting last week, we discussed the most common mistake we see when reviewing prospective clients’ training history. All of our coaches agreed—by a landslide—that the number-one error is this: Not adapting training to accommodate life stress. Many cyclists try to compartmentalise life stress and training stress, assuming one won’t affect the other. After a decade of coaching ambitious cyclists and high-performing individuals around the world, we can categori

Some days, you head out for a ride and everything should feel amazing: the weather is perfect, the route is stunning, you have time in abundance. Theoretically, there’s nothing to worry about. And yet, your thoughts spiral into negativity. You feel irritable and unable to be present. You’re worrying about work, replaying an awkward conversation, or thinking about your endless to-do list. In front of you is a beautiful mountain range or coastline, but you’re busy ruminating a

This phrase may seem simplistic, but it’s undeniably true when it comes to physiology and long-term cycling performance . We regularly talk with prospective DUCHY athletes who’ve been doing the same workouts and group rides week in, week out—and they wonder why they’re not seeing meaningful progress. The answer is simple: if you want different output, you need different input. A new cyclist will see initial gains from repetitive training, but that progress eventually stalls u

When cyclists stop making progress, many assume they’ve hit a physiological ceiling and can’t go any further. Some will tap away for years at this perceived ceiling, never realising their true potential. But…We’ve seen one simple training adjustment help hundreds of riders break through plateaus and start hitting numbers they never thought were possible: Eliminating time in the “unspecific middle” ground. So often, cyclists who have stopped seeing progress are accumulating ho

We’ve worked with countless athletes who came to cycling from running.   At first, they loved it — the feeling of being fit, fast, and injury-free. But within months, many found themselves in a constant state of low-level fatigue. Some had already burned out by the time they reached us.   That got us thinking:Why does cycling seem to carry a higher risk of overtraining and burnout than running?   One key factor is the low-impact nature of the sport. In running, soreness or in

Lamentably, as we age, our VO₂max — the key marker of aerobic fitness — naturally starts to decline. For sedentary individuals after the age of approximately 40, this decline can reach up to 10% per decade .For highly trained athletes who maintain specific VO₂max training , that rate can be slowed to around 5% per decade (Lakatta, 2005). At DUCHY, we work with competitive cyclists and busy professionals over 40 who want to maintain or even improve this crucial measure of end

We’ve covered this topic before, but with another season of gran fondos and sportives on the horizon, it’s a good time to revisit the key principles of preparation—this time with some extra insights from real-world coaching experience. Whether you’re tackling the Maratona , the Marmotte , L’Étape du Tour , or your local sportive, these strategies will help you perform at your best and actually enjoy the experience. Endurance: The Foundation of a Strong Finish Good endurance

There are many cyclists who try to optimise to the nth degree. They throw money at super lightweight bikes, deep-section carbon wheels,...

The Issue As we age, skeletal muscle mass declines at approximately 1% per year, accelerating after age 60 (Keller & Engelhardt, 2013)....

At DUCHY Cycling Coaching , you’ll often hear us say: “nothing changes if nothing changes.” This couldn’t be more true for masters cyclists who are chasing progress in their 40s, 50s, and beyond. One of the biggest mistakes we see in experienced riders over ~40 is doing the same type of training for too long. The same group rides , the same intervals , the same training structure — week after week, year after year. And then, the frustration sets in: “Why am I no longer impr

The number one coaching misconception for cyclists in their 40s and older is: You have to go easy on them… We’ve had numerous clients come onboard who had worked with previous coaches; and when looking through their data, what became apparent was a “softly, gently” approach being implemented because of their age. This is totally the wrong approach for age groupers! In fact, the direct opposite is the key to maximising their physiology. This is something the best cycling coach

Welcome to the latest instalment in our series on Optimised Training for Cyclists Over 40. Today, we move from the bike to the kitchen,...

For some reason, carbs are always the focus when it comes to weight loss and performance. In endurance parlance, it’s fair to say they’ve gained an unfavourable reputation over the years. The reasons for this are unclear, but perhaps somewhere along the line the messaging became confused — with “good carbs” (like rice, oats, potatoes) and “bad” carbs (refined sugary foods) being conflated. However… The facts are relatively straightforward: carbs are essential for performance.

At DUCHY Coaching, our online cycling coaching approach focuses on the details that make the biggest difference. Whether you’re working with a professional cycling coach, looking for the best cycling coach to take you to the next level, or simply want more structure through personal cycling coaching, understanding the right metrics is essential. Here are three powerful metrics every serious cyclist should track:

It still amazes us how many experienced cyclists approach training with a “scattergun” mentality  — a bit of this, and a bit of that each...

When Ulrich Schoberer, a German engineer and founder of SRM, made his final tweaks to the first-ever cycling power meter in the...

Whether racing as a pro or an amateur, time off the bike at the end of a busy season is incredibly important in order to freshen up...