Almost Free Cycling Gains

What if you could become a stronger cyclist for less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day, would you do it? 365 days and $5 per cup comes out at $1825, which might buy you a nice set of wheels or some more aero gear, which makes you go faster, but power or watts per kilogram is the name of the game in cycling. Over the past year, I've introduced a range of different interventions into my training and diet, most of which are either free or cost less than a cup of coffee a day. During the next ten weeks I'm going to cover off what they are, explain why I did them and what the results were.

Have you event considered yourself a human experiment? I guess each of us in our strange way is an experiment of n=1. Over the past year, I've been listening, learning and applying different training interventions, curious to see what can make a difference to my cycling performance and overall health.

As my favourite science communicator Dr Karl from Triple J radio always says, the difference between an annecdote and data is writing it down. Fortunately in this age of wearables, power meters, heart rate monitors and bike computers, we don't have to write it down as we have the likes of Strava, Garmin and Training Peaks to store our data and plot our progress or lack thereof.

In this blog over the next ten weeks, I'm going to track my performance gains from July 2024 to June 2025. So let's take a look at what a n=1 experiment is and how I will frame each intervention.  A n=1 cycling experiment refers to a scientific study where a single individual (or subject) is used as the only participant to investigate a particular aspect of cycling. It's like a self-experiment designed to examine a hypothesis about various aspects of cycling and more broadly endurance sports.

Here's a breakdown of what it entails:

Purpose:
The goal is to test a specific question or hypothesis related to cycling, such as the effectiveness of a certain supplement, training method or dietary change. The point of the exercise for me is to get the best out of myself and not have to buy new equipment to get faster. Winning feels good, but I'm more interested in PRs than beating other people.

Individual Focus:
The experiment revolves around the unique characteristics, experience, and responses of a single rider.  About me 1st July 2024, Caucasian male, 

Age:                             56.7yrs old

Height:                        186cm

Weight                         76kg

FTP:                            291 Watts or 3.82w/kg

Training plan/Coach: TrainerRoad since 2020

Training Volume:        8-10hrs per week

Sporting background: Endurance sports background.  Gave up team sport (Aussie rules) at 25, took up umpiring during winter and traithlon during summer (12 years) , then moved to distance running (16 years) and cycled socially, before joining the Brunswick Cycling Club and racing in 2018, where I started in D grade.

Control and Measurement:

The researcher meticulously controls variables and measures the rider's performance or responses to quantify the effects of the experimental factor. In my case, my outdoor bike is a 58cm Trek Emonda SLR7 (2021) which I have ridden for the part two years. 

Power will be the key metric that I will use to track my progress. Power data will be measured using dual sided Favero Assioma pedals. For other data, I will rely on my Garmin watch, which measures sleep, Heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and a host of other more calculated scores common with wearables.

 
Data Analysis:
The collected data is then analyzed to determine if the hypothesis is supported or refuted. The data will be analysed via my TrainerRoad account which holds my power records since 2020.

Limitations:
N=1 experiments have limitations. They may not be generalizable to other riders, and the individual's unique characteristics and responses could influence the results. However, they can provide valuable insights into specific aspects of cycling for the individual.  That said, there are sufficient published journal articles, which suggest that the interventions I have suggested have shown improvement for cyclists over control groups.

The n=1 interventions

What are we talking about? Something that costs less than a cup of coffee a day.  Here's my list of eight interventions and one experiement of my own, which is currently in progress.

Part 1 Creatine and a daily smoothie with beetroot, apple, ginger and celery.

Part 2 Weekly Sprint Training added into Zone 2 rides

Part 3 Strength Training

Part 4 Sodium Bicarbonate

Part 5 Polarised Training and Masters Training Plan

Part 6 Lactate Threshold Testing and Zone 2 training (about the cost of 40 coffees)

Part 7 Increasing Carbohydrate intake in races

Part 8 90min Zone 2 rides with different inputs observing average heart rate

Part 9 Increasing protein

Part 10 Putting it all together and looking at my progress over the past 12 months

Inspiration for this blog came from the EF Cycling Performance Podcast