The Matchbox - A Cycling Podcast

Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest episode of The Matchbox Podcast powered by Ignition Coach Co. I’m your host, Adam Saban, and on this week’s episode we’re talking about how to balance chasing target body composition/weight goals while still focusing on fitness performance before diving into some of our personal advice for a listener embarking on his own coaching journey.

 

As always, if you like what you hear, share this with your friends and leave us a five star review and if you have any questions for the show drop us an email at matchboxpod@gmail.com or head over to ignitioncoachco.com and fill out The Matchbox Podcast listener question form. 

 

Alight let’s get into it!

 

For more social media content, follow along @ignitioncoachco @adamsaban6 @dizzle_dillman @dylanjawnson @kait.maddox  

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/DylanJohnsonCycling https://www.ignitioncoachco.com 

https://www.youtube.com/@DrewDillmanChannel

 

Intro/ Outro music by AlexGrohl - song "King Around Here" - https://pixabay.com/music/id-15045/

Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest episode of The Matchbox Podcast powered by Ignition Coach Co. I’m your host, Adam Saban, and on this week’s episode we’re talking about whether you should be following a training plan and how to find your LT1/2.

 

As always, if you like what you hear, share this with your friends and leave us a five star review and if you have any questions for the show drop us an email at matchboxpod@gmail.com or head over to ignitioncoachco.com and fill out The Matchbox Podcast listener question form. 

 

Alight let’s get into it!

 

For more social media content, follow along @ignitioncoachco @adamsaban6 @dizzle_dillman @dylanjawnson @kait.maddox  

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/DylanJohnsonCycling https://www.ignitioncoachco.com 

https://www.youtube.com/@DrewDillmanChannel

 

Intro/ Outro music by AlexGrohl - song "King Around Here" - https://pixabay.com/music/id-15045/

Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest episode of The Matchbox Podcast powered by Ignition Coach Co. I’m your host, Adam Saban, and on this week’s episode we’re talking the methods we’ve used for tracking nutrition off-the-bike, how to account for changes in FTP throughout the season, and whether we think the benefits of aero helmets outweigh their vented counterparts.

 

As always, if you like what you hear, share this with your friends and leave us a five star review and if you have any questions for the show drop us an email at matchboxpod@gmail.com or head over to ignitioncoachco.com and fill out The Matchbox Podcast listener question form. 

 

Alight let’s get into it!

 

For more social media content, follow along @ignitioncoachco @adamsaban6 @dizzle_dillman @dylanjawnson @kait.maddox  

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/DylanJohnsonCycling https://www.ignitioncoachco.com 

https://www.youtube.com/@DrewDillmanChannel

 

Intro/ Outro music by AlexGrohl - song "King Around Here" - https://pixabay.com/music/id-15045/ 

 

The following was generated using Riverside.fm AI technologies

 

Summary: 

In this episode of the Matchbox Podcast, the crew starts by comparing nutrition tracking apps for endurance athletes, especially tools that integrate with TrainingPeaks. They discuss Hexus, MyFitnessPal, Fuelin, and Chronometer, with a focus on usability, food database quality, barcode scanning, and how tracking can reveal better fueling habits over time.The conversation then shifts to helmet choice for hot races, where the group agrees that for a slow, long event in heat, a ventilated helmet is usually the smarter choice than an aero helmet. They emphasize that heat can hurt performance far more than a small aero gain, especially for athletes who are heat sensitive.Finally, they dive into training metrics like FTP, CTL, ATL, and TSB, discussing how often FTP should be updated and why athletes can get too fixated on these numbers. The crew argues that metrics are useful, but only as tools to guide training—not as the sole measure of fitness or performance.

 

Timestamps:

0:01 — Intro and first question on nutrition tracking apps

0:51 — Hexus, MyFitnessPal, and TrainingPeaks integration

1:13 — How Hexus works with workout-based meal planning

2:37 — Hexus food database limitations vs. MyFitnessPal

3:48 — Chronometer recommended as an alternative

5:13 — Why periodic food tracking is valuable for athletes

6:52 — Protein underconsumption in endurance athletes

7:19 — Tracking as a recalibration tool for fueling

8:05 — Lessons learned from detailed food logging

9:34 — Why excess carbs can become a problem

11:19 — Second question: aero helmet vs. heat management

12:12 — Helmets are highly rider-dependent

12:42 — Wind-tunnel testing example comparing helmets

14:50 — Heat sensitivity and why it should change helmet choice

15:12 — Heat can reduce performance by tens of watts

16:52 — Head cooling and perceived temperature matter a lot

17:36 — Cold drinks and cooling tricks improve performance

19:07 — Gloves and cooling strategies in racing

19:31 — Consensus: choose the ventilated helmet

20:20 — Third question: managing FTP changes across the season

21:14 — Exert FTP estimates and CTL accuracy

22:24 — Why updating FTP matters for TSS and CTL

24:05 — How Exert adjusts FTP from breakthrough efforts

25:43 — Vecta and WKO FTP estimation discussion

26:46 — Why raw KJs may be more useful than obsessing over CTL

28:56 — Why CTL “fitness” can be misleading

30:04 — Why training should not be programmed purely off TSS

31:03 — FTP as a tool for training zones, not the holy grail

32:22 — TSB as a more useful short-term freshness metric

34:44 — Why recipes from past seasons shouldn’t be copied blindly

37:16 — Coaching principles over prebuilt plans

38:21 — Wrap-up and sign-off

Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest episode of The Matchbox Podcast powered by Ignition Coach Co. I’m your host, Adam Saban, and on this week’s episode we’re talking about our perspectives on various forms of periodization, how to think about and deal with cramping, and whether or not the HR data you see while watching World Cup XCOs is accurate.

 

As always, if you like what you hear, share this with your friends and leave us a five star review and if you have any questions for the show drop us an email at matchboxpod@gmail.com or head over to ignitioncoachco.com and fill out The Matchbox Podcast listener question form. 

 

Alight let’s get into it!

 

For more social media content, follow along @ignitioncoachco @adamsaban6 @dizzle_dillman @dylanjawnson @kait.maddox  

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/DylanJohnsonCycling https://www.ignitioncoachco.com 

https://www.youtube.com/@DrewDillmanChannel

 

Intro/ Outro music by AlexGrohl - song "King Around Here" - https://pixabay.com/music/id-15045/ 

 

The following was generated using Riverside.fm AI technologies

 

Episode Summary

In this episode, the hosts answer listener questions about wave periodization, cramping, and heart rate data in elite mountain bike racing. They break down why traditional periodization still tends to outperform more randomized approaches, explain why cramping is often more neurological than nutritional, and discuss why pro athletes’ heart rates can look surprisingly low on broadcast overlays. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize that structure, specificity, and training consistency matter more than trying to overcomplicate the plan.

 

Timestamps

00:01 — Introduction and first listener question on wave periodization

01:16 — Comparison of normal, reverse, and randomized periodization in a study

03:12 — Why standard periodization appeared to work best

04:49 — Caitlyn’s perspective: keep it simple unless race specificity demands otherwise

05:46 — When wave-like training might make sense for endurance mountain biking

08:33 — Why randomized training can still work, but may be less optimal

10:08 — How mid-season training can accidentally resemble wave periodization

11:01 — Why base blocks don’t necessarily erase VO2 max gains

12:44 — Recovery and fatigue concerns with repeated threshold blocks

14:17 — New question: what to do about cramping

15:27 — Pickle juice, mustard, and why sharp flavors can help cramps

16:25 — Cramping as a fatigue and genetics issue, not just electrolytes

18:27 — Adam shares his experience as a chronic cramper

19:54 — Pushing through cramps versus stopping or stretching

22:42 — Caitlyn mentions a study on spinal cord signaling and fatigue

25:26 — Why cramping is likely a neurological “stop signal”

27:08 — Next question: why elite riders’ heart rates look so low on broadcasts

28:33 — Heart rate variability between athletes and why the numbers can be misleading

31:06 — Elite mountain bikers train for rapid recovery during race surges

32:31 — Broadcast lag and heart-rate lag can affect what viewers see

33:12 — Comparison to elite Ironman athletes and very low heart rates under load

34:27 — Tactical racing can make heart rates look lower than expected

35:01 — Short track racers are so evenly matched that effort can look more controlled

36:28 — Wrap-up and call for more listener questions

Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest episode of The Matchbox Podcast powered by Ignition Coach Co. I’m your host, Adam Saban, and on this week’s episode we’re talking about our own experience with preparing for and racing at altitude as Drew takes on his first Leadville 100 MTB next month. 

 

As always, if you like what you hear, share this with your friends and leave us a five star review and if you have any questions for the show drop us an email at matchboxpod@gmail.com or head over to ignitioncoachco.com and fill out The Matchbox Podcast listener question form. 

 

Alight let’s get into it!

 

For more social media content, follow along @ignitioncoachco @adamsaban6 @dizzle_dillman @dylanjawnson @kait.maddox  

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/DylanJohnsonCycling https://www.ignitioncoachco.com 

https://www.youtube.com/@DrewDillmanChannel

 

Intro/ Outro music by AlexGrohl - song "King Around Here" - https://pixabay.com/music/id-15045/ 

 

The following was generated using Riverside.fm AI technologies

 

Show Notes

Episode Summary

In this episode, the hosts break down how to prepare for high-altitude racing, using Drew’s Leadville build as the main example. They cover acclimatization strategy, heat training, fueling at altitude, iron considerations, pacing, recovery, and how to use ventilation data to better understand effort. The conversation also explores when to introduce intensity at altitude, how much training to do while acclimating, and why respecting altitude is as much psychological as it is physiological.

 

Timestamps

0:01 — Intro: special guest David joins, and the episode topic is introduced

0:38 — Drew’s Leadville qualification and the shift to altitude preparation

3:01 — Training changes heading into Leadville

3:51 — Heat training and sauna use as “poor man’s acclimation”

4:50 — Flagstaff plan for acclimatization before Leadville

6:30 — Weight cut and nutrition strategy discussion

10:02 — Carb needs and fueling changes at altitude

13:48 — Iron/ferritin considerations for altitude performance

15:21 — Race-specific training, tempo work, and threshold preparation

17:51 — Mountain bike specificity and position differences

20:50 — Ventilation metrics and how Drew is using TimeWare

23:52 — How ventilation data relates to altitude physiology

31:19 — Why altitude performance loss is exponential

36:31 — When to reintroduce intensity after arriving at altitude

39:20 — Recommended ramp-in strategy at 7,000 feet

40:30 — Adam’s personal altitude strategy and last-minute arrival approach

43:11 — Course familiarity, descents, and why pre-riding matters

44:43 — Pacing mistakes at altitude and recovery between efforts

47:51 — How many hard altitude sessions to do before race day

49:02 — Respect vs. fear: the psychological side of altitude racing

51:45 — Why riders underestimate recovery demands at altitude

55:20 — Heat training vs. altitude tents and other pre-acclimation tools

58:20 — Leadville logistics, weather extremes, and race-day nutrition

61:25 — Final takeaways and what Drew will change based on the discussion