Olympic Qualification, Low Power, Tech Skills and more with Clif Pro Team – Ask a Cycling Coach 304

Qualifying for the Olympics is an interesting and complicated process that sees pro racers adjust their training and race calendars in unique ways that us amateur cyclists can learn from. This week we talk to Clif Pro Team’s Sofía Gomez Villafañe and Russell Finsterwald about how they have worked through their roles in the olympic qualification process as well how they prepared for an early season race in the heat of Puerto Rico, why and how power data from off road races can be so low, and how to level up technical skill. Sofía's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofithevilla Russell's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finsty Russell's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM7R4JQRjE14X1uIBt9ExRw Clif Pro Team's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clifproteam ------------------------------------------------------------------ TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE 0:00​ Intro 2:20​ The complicated process of how to qualify for the Olympics 7:04​ How Russell adjusted his season to collect Olympic points for his country 15:56​ Russell’s heat adaptation protocol for Puerto Rico 22:45​ How Russell managed expectations and his race plan at Pan-American Games 25:19​ How Sofía adjusted her expectations after sub-par sensations mid-race How Sofía has been building toward the Olympics over 4 years Sofía’s journey from Cat 1 to Olympic hopeful 34:02​ Why is power so low from MTB and off-road races, and why it still feels so hard 42:14​ How to raise your power in an MTB race How to increase efficiency in cross-country racing 50:30​ How to build MTB skills quickly 56:36​ How to mentally approach technical terrain   ------------------------------------------------------------------ LEARN MORE ABOUT ADAPTIVE TRAINING Adaptive Training Video: https://youtu.be/gE2yPYZ15ew Adaptive Training: What it is, how to use it: https://bit.ly/3dIRClW How Adaptive Training Makes You Faster: https://bit.ly/2ZNfWLq Request priority access for here: https://bit.ly/3g7rkuZ ------------------------------------------------------------------ ABOUT TRAINERROAD — CYCLING’S MOST EFFECTIVE TRAINING SYSTEM TrainerRoad makes cyclists faster. Athletes get structured indoor workouts, science-backed training plans, and easy-to-use performance analysis tools to reach their goals. Build Your Custom Plan: https://bit.ly/3g8Affx Train Together with Group Workouts: https://bit.ly/3abSM71 Get Started: https://bit.ly/3wZbSXY ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUCCESSFUL ATHLETES PODCAST Listen to the Successful Athletes Podcast now!: https://www.TrainerRoad.com/SAP ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUCCESSFUL ATHLETES PODCAST Listen to the Science of Getting Faster Podcast now!: https://www.TrainerRoad.com/SOGF ------------------------------------------------------------------ STAY IN TOUCH Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainerRd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trainerroad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrainerRoad Strava Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/trainerroad