Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Nick Kleban on becoming a pro cyclist, going from gravel to road racing, the joy of competition, proper fueling, racing strategies, finding enjoyment in running, different types of gear and accessibility to the sport
118 Plays2 months ago
Today's guest has already been on the show to help us with a nutrition series we did earlier this year, however I thought it would be nice to have him back on to share his story.
On this episode of Just In Stride, I had a great conversation with Elite Cyclist, Nick Kleban.
He’s been cycling almost since he could walk, early on in the mountain trails and later on the open roads. It wasn’t always smooth sailing but ultimately he’s found himself back in the saddle and loves to compete with his team year after year.
Nick loves to geek out on gear, nutrition and race day strategy which always makes for a very interesting chat. He shares his knowledge, wisdom and enthusiasm for his sport with us, so sit back and enjoy the ride.
-------
Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.
Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we’ll be able to make the show even better and it’ll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Justin's Drive' Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Hello, and welcome to the Justin's Drive podcast. I'm your host, Justin Puyese. If you love endurance sports, you've definitely come to the right place. On this show, we'll talk to athletes, coaches, and professionals who can help us reach our true potential. Being a student of distance running for over 10 years and interviewing people in the sport for the last five, I've learned a ton, but there's always more to discover. Everyone has a story, and I know you'll resonate with each of our guests as we embark on this new journey together.
00:00:34
Speaker
Join us at home, on the road, or while you run. Together we'll have some fun.
Sponsorship and Promotions
00:00:39
Speaker
So follow along on Instagram at Just In Stride Pod and your favorite podcast platform and prepare to be inspired. Come along for the ride with Just In Stride.
00:00:51
Speaker
This episode is presented by our friends at Exact Nutrition, a tasty and healthy way for you to fuel your body before, during, and after a solid training session. I can't leave the house without a few fruit bars in my pocket and they never make it back home. Exact is offering you 50% off your order when you use the code justinstride. So head to exactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today. Today's guest has already been on the show to help us with the nutrition series we did earlier this year.
00:01:20
Speaker
However, I thought it'd be nice to have him back on to share his own personal story.
Meet Nick Klaben, Elite Cyclist
00:01:24
Speaker
On this episode of Justin's Drive, I had a great conversation with elite cyclist Nick Klaben. He's been cycling almost since he could walk. Early on in the mountain trails and later on the open roads. It wasn't always smooth sailing, but ultimately he's found himself back in the saddle and loves to compete with his team year after year.
00:01:44
Speaker
Nick loves to geek out on gear, nutrition, and race day strategy, which always makes for a very interesting chat. He shares his knowledge, wisdom, and enthusiasm for his sport with us. So sit back and enjoy the ride. Nick, welcome to the Justin Stryde podcast. Yeah, thanks for having me back, Justin.
00:02:04
Speaker
Yeah, you're welcome. I mean, you got some air time on the show cause we were doing like a special series on nutrition, but I wanted to highlight you a little bit cause we didn't talk about you all that much, but you know, you have an endurance cycling background and I thought we'd touch on that and share, share your story a bit. Yeah, absolutely. So how'd your season go this, uh, like this coming year? Like, and is, is it over?
00:02:32
Speaker
It's almost over, but I have like maybe my biggest race still coming up. So that that's exciting. Cause like that way you're like still very much like locked into like the training, uh, I guess like mindset all the way to the end. So there's a, that kind of like big crescendo with, uh, with my biggest event. Um, typically how long is the season? It's like, it's getting longer and longer by the year. So when I first started racing, our season was typically like April to September.
00:03:01
Speaker
And now we're racing like end of January, early February, all the way to like mid-October. So like my final race of the year is in about a month. It's ah October 19th. Okay. And so is that accessible because you're traveling and able to race in, in the appropriate climates and stuff like that?
The Journey of a Cyclist: Nick's Story
00:03:21
Speaker
or Yeah, yeah, absolutely absolutely. Like hearing that hearing Quebec, like the season kind of wraps up like, like about this weekend. And then like that race, I would be traveling to like Arkansas.
00:03:30
Speaker
Um, where you know, obviously it's a bit warmer and the season can go a bit longer and it's like opening up earlier as like to my last point. Cause like this, like you can go down to Arizona, California and their season is running more from like early January to like end of April. So if you're like kind of in the elite racing scene, you're kind of mixing and matching, like where you're racing and getting a ah longer season. Okay, cool. That's awesome. And how long have you been doing that for? Well, like I've been doing it like at like this level for like four or five years, uh, which is like kind of a, a semi pro level of cycling, but I've been, I've been like cycling most of my life. And so like, where did the intro to cycling happen for you? Like maybe we can run it back to the beginning and just tell your story of like, you know, how did you get into sport? Were you athletic as a kid? Where was the interest in psyche and cycling and, uh, or were you maybe drawn to something else at the time?
00:04:29
Speaker
Yeah, like going way, way back, like I grew up in, in Squamish BC and like that's a place where I feel like cycling is a kind of ingrained into the community and what everybody does in their like leisure time. So to my knowledge, I'm like one of the only people who I've talked to who had this, but when we were in elementary school, we had like a racing series against the other elementary schools in town. So like my very like intro to cycling was in grade two.
00:04:59
Speaker
and we were doing like a ah local race every week, like just against like the other schools and in Squamish. So I like started there um traveling to, I mean, not really traveling, like it would go from like one neighborhood to the other in town, but like, yeah, going to my mom after school and doing like a 15 minute race. So it started there and I just kinda, I guess I didn't really stop until, I guess I never stopped really, it just began there.
00:05:26
Speaker
And and there was it like, did you have like a specific bike or was it just like whatever bike you have that you would go race with? or Yeah, exactly. It's like a mountain bike series. So like I had at the time, I think it was like a ah specialized, like hot rock hardtail bike with like flames on it. So I was using that. Um, but you could very much do it on like most bikes, like.
00:05:45
Speaker
It was a mountain bike series, but it was mostly on like kind of pea gravel roads with like a little bit of, of trail. I mean, at the end of the day, it's for, for seven year olds. So it wasn't, it wasn't crazy. Yeah. And so that, that, that evolved like, so then, you know, you said you never stopped. So what was a progression like for you in cycling from there? Like, or like did you think you would do it competitively or were you just, did you always just do it for fun? Like most kids.
00:06:14
Speaker
I kind of like, i yeah, I did it for fun. Absolutely. Like I did it for fun. Like when I was like, like properly, like a child, like that, like those series, like it's not competitive. Obviously like you're, you're so young. Um, once I got to be like a teenager, though, I joined like ah a local team i called team Squamish. And like, that was like more competitive. Like we'd have practices we train, we do the provincial series races. So I like moved into that. I did that for a couple of years.
00:06:43
Speaker
And then I joined the like provincial racing team. We did some traveling to like other provinces. Oh, this is all for mountain bike, by the way. So like where I, where I started to race. yeah So we did that for a couple of years. And then, um, so I did that. So I would have done like team squalomish, I think from the ages of like 15, 16. And then when I was like 17, 18, I was like doing the, uh, cycling BC team. And then honestly, after like four years, I felt like a little, little burnt from the sport.
00:07:13
Speaker
And I was going, just heading off to university at the time. So like that kind of next year when I was 18, I kind of decided like mentally that I was done with like competing. Like I still like love to ride my bike, but I was like, okay, this is, this is kind of it. We're going to hit the books. We're going to, you know, do that. So 2018, I guess if there was any year that I stopped, it would have been that year. Um, but of course, like, I feel like it's the same sort of, so many people, like I kind of got the bug back the next season.
00:07:43
Speaker
And I started to compete with the university team. And we were like it was honestly, this was like one of my favorite seasons of racing. It was like just so grassroots and so fun. It was me and my friend driving down the coast of the US to compete against like other universities on our weekends in school. We were competing for like the like overall of of all the schools in the collegiate series. It's called the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference.
00:08:12
Speaker
So my whole like second semester of that second year of university, we were spending just blasting down ah the highway, like sometimes traveling 10 hours on a Friday after class to get to some races. And that just really like brought the, I guess, what I call the passione, the passion back for cycling. And it just was so fun. I really liked it. ah So it made me want to like kind of take it a little more seriously and train again. So I did just that.
00:08:43
Speaker
like After that um little spring of racing, I started to to train lots. I was putting in a lot of effort into the sport and like i guess ah hoping for ah you know a nice ah nice season in 2020. We all know what happened in 2020. We didn't really get a season because of the pandemic. yes so like yeah like i I had like done all that work. to like I feel I get into some great shape for the season and then it like didn't happen. so It kind of just prolonged the, uh, the experiments of like coming back to, to racing. So I like pushed it back to 2021. And then in 21, because of like, i I don't know, I was thinking more seriously. So I was applying to like a lot of like teams to race for. So I got a spot on like, kind of like this level of racing. I am now it's like a continental UCI i team. So it was kind of a big opportunity for me at the time to like go travel to to some bigger races and do that.
00:09:39
Speaker
So I got into like kind of that pipeline in 2021 and that's where I've been since. So it was, it's kind of funny where I always feel like I walked backwards into like doing so much cycling. Cause it was just like one summer where I was like really into it. And then I was like, okay, I want to apply myself. And just because it got pushed back from the pandemic, I kind of just kept doing it and eventually like got a spot and kind of have ridden that wave ever since.
00:10:05
Speaker
Hmm. No pun intended. You wrote, you wrote in. Yeah, exactly. Um, what lead, what led you to the, the burnout? Cause you clearly had like a passion for cycling and the, can you identify what that was about? And maybe, yeah, there was there from think it was multifaceted. Like, um, you know, first of all, just the sheer commitment to it is, is a lot like it every day after school, I was like, you know, training a couple of hours, two, three hours. And.
00:10:35
Speaker
putting in quite like quite a lot of effort to it. um So then like when you're like a ah teenager, you're kind of like, oh, am I missing out on like normal teenager activities of like just like hanging out with people, seeing friends, all that stuff. And so when I went to university, I kind of wanted to
Training and Challenges
00:10:49
Speaker
make sure that I was like getting that experience too. I think the other thing with the burnout was I was like, in in like this is like and a sheer hindsight thing. like I realized the training group I was with when I was that young was like So good. Like it was like such a privilege to to train with like those athletes. Cause like we had guys like go on to be like po podium places at like world championships, like signed professional contracts, like people who have won at the highest level of like XC racing, Enduro racing, people transitioning to gravel and being very, very good at that. So I was like, I never thought I was like that good because I was training with people who were like, like truly like world-class athletes.
00:11:33
Speaker
So you're like in the trainings, I was like always getting like kind of smacked around and you're just kind of like, okay, like, I don't know if this is for me, if but if you're kind of always getting that feedback. So that made me stop. And then honestly, I came to, um, Montreal for, for university and I got a little bit more perspective about cycling. Cause I realized like, actually, you know, in the grand scheme of things, I'm not like so bad at this. Like maybe I'm not like.
00:11:59
Speaker
world-class, but I'm still pretty good. And that's not like a reason to to just stop either. And maybe the, the eliteness of the people around you elevated you also, you know, as much as it makes you feel, can make you feel like you're not very good. The, like you said, the privilege of being around those type of athletes without knowing what they would go on to be.
00:12:29
Speaker
can also have like another effect, which is. Oh, it's, it's, it's greatly positive. Like now looking back on it, it's like so lucky that I got to do that and, and stuff, but like when you're 18 and you don't yeah have that like perspective and you just think like, wow, this is like my local club and I'm like getting, you know, I'm just like, I'm just not at the same level as these guys. You can start to be a bit negative. Um, and that's all like, I just didn't quite grasp like.
00:12:56
Speaker
like how good everybody else truly was. And why why the move to Montreal? Like you came across the the country basically to to go to university. Yeah, like I kind of it was like maybe tied into that too. Like I felt like, okay, I had done the whole thing out west. Like I kind of wanted to the start over in a new city and like experience something new. I had actually never been to Montreal in my life. I just kind of like seeing pictures and it looked awesome. So I was like, okay, this is great. And, uh, I was like fortunate enough to get offered a ah scholarship to come to McGill. So I was like, um, between like all those factors, it was like, it was like already something that I was drawn to, but then getting that email and like being very, very excited, like definitely brought me in. And then I never really thought twice. I just, uh, yeah, showed up at the airport with my two duffel bags and started my life ever since here.
00:13:51
Speaker
And so the scholarship was ah around cycling also? and No, academic. Actually in in Canada, they don't give athletic scholarships, and I don't think. Okay, that's interesting.
00:14:05
Speaker
um and So and then so what was the what were you studying then at the time? um Well, at that time, it was like I was like an undeclared science major, but like I later ah ah specialized in physiology.
00:14:21
Speaker
Okay. Nice. Nice. Okay. So, so then the, the teams that you were on now, like you went from, is it mountain biking all the way through or the wizard switch? when No, no. Oh, sorry. I guess I missed that key part. there is I dropped, I dropped mountain biking when I came to McGill i like because I guess like I was done with the sport first of all. And also there's like just not much of a scene for mountain biking, like in downtown Montreal. and But the road cycling scene is incredible. I think it's honestly one of the best that we have in the country. So I,
00:14:51
Speaker
I picked up road racing and then all these teams that I've subsequently race for are like all road racing teams. Okay. Gotcha. And now what, what about the accessibility of the sport at that time? You know, your young kid, you know, how do you get your equipment and how do you, you kind of just get what you can afford and then use that or. Yeah. Like when I was like in school, it was like,
00:15:17
Speaker
Like that 2019 season, it was like buying a used bike and like using, using that for the year. And then once you get onto the teams, like depending on their structure, either they have a bike sponsor or they can like get you a bike at ah a good rate, basically. So that's like the advantage of like getting onto these programs. You can use the sponsorship and kind of let you get to the start line of the races. And it's not like, it's not like if the, the level that I was racing either, it's not like you're getting like crazy handouts.
00:15:46
Speaker
or anything, it's just like a way that you have access to that equipment. it's And it's just so different team by team. like One amateur team that I was on in 2020 out of Ottawa, like the equipment support was incredible. They like let me borrow like a beautiful Cervelo bike, wheels, everything. And it was like awesome. like like This is the best thing ever when you're 19, 20 years old and someone's giving you like this amazing bike. it's ah Yeah, it was like pretty surreal actually because I was like my first like team team that I was on and that was my experience. And then there's like other teams where the bikes like not supplied me kind of have to like scrounge and find a way to like make enough to to go use that bike. If you had to make a comparison to cars, what would, what would the comparison be? I'm so not a car guy, but like, it's like,
00:16:38
Speaker
I mean, that bike, that bike's a really nice bike, but they, cause I was also new on the team. I think they gave me like a, a hand me down bike. Like it wasn't like a brand new bike. So I don't know. Maybe like somebody's like, use the, I don't know. What's like a nice car. What's like kind of of a fast car, but from 2007, maybe a BMW or something. Yeah. It'd be like a BMW, but like, obviously it was like nice. One of the best bikes I've ever ridden.
00:17:04
Speaker
And how much, and how much of a difference would you say that the equipment makes? Oh man, it's like, it's, it's like, I teetered so much in my cycling life about that. Like, cause I'm like such a, cause I mean, I did physiology. So I'm like a big believer of like, okay, it's the body. Like that's the most important thing. And it is the most important thing, but your equipment does matter. It like a hundred percent is a, is a factor in these races, just like, um,
00:17:30
Speaker
especially in the last five years, there's been such a switch into being like cognizant of like aerodynamics. So I feel like everything that trickles down with that is now important. So you need like an arrow kit, an arrow helmet, arrow shoe covers, arrow bike, arrow wheels. There was like five years ago when I was like starting to race, that was like kind of around, but it wasn't like everybody was doing it.
00:17:55
Speaker
And the thing with what happens is once everybody starts doing something and it's faster, it's like you have no choice but to kind of hop on that, if that makes sense. Or else you you're just not at the you' you're just starting at a ah small disadvantage, I'd say. Yeah, because everyone's got the gear, everyone's doing the training. So yeah, the everyone's doing the training and the the difference then becomes the gear yeah so in these races, right?
00:18:22
Speaker
Yeah. And how much of a difference can it make really? Uh, I mean, I mean, yeah, I mean, I think it could be a big difference depending on like what you, what you run. Um, I'd like to say like, Oh, three, 5% just like ballpark, depending if you have like top top gear versus like pretty good gear. Like, I mean, there's like ranges, right? Like I think like some brands and I think they even admitted like their top of the line products are like,
00:18:50
Speaker
a little nicer than like the second best product that they offer. Like maybe it's a bit lighter, but most of those products are like maybe similar. But if you're comparing like their lowest end to the top end, that's where I'm kind of coming from with like that, that big gap. he and And so being part of a team makes this a lot easier on the athletes, right? Cause they don't have to fork out. Yeah, know it's still an investment for sure. But it's like, you know, it's a bit less than like just a It basically is like opening the door to like give you that bit of a discount on equipment, or if you're fortunate enough to be on a team that supplies the equipment even better. Um, otherwise you're, you know, you're going and buying it yourself off the internet or at a bike shop. And that can be, I mean, at this day it's like, it's unaffordable. Like if it was like, if I wasn't on a team, I would not be competing right now, just cause of the cost of how much a new bike is. Yeah, that's the thing, right? I mean,
00:19:51
Speaker
So really it's really, it's kind of not an accessible sport. It's not at all. Like, yeah, that's what like is a, is a big downside to me with with cycling right now. It's so, yeah, it's just so unaccessible. Like there's aspects that I find like locally in Montreal that are accessible. I find that like our registration fees to do a race are just incredibly reasonable compared to ever else I've seen. I really love that, that like you can go do a ah local criteria for like $25. That's awesome.
00:20:22
Speaker
I think that's super fair, but like it's the problem of like actually getting the bike and getting the the kit and the shoes and all the ah the equipment that you need to race.
Cycling's Accessibility Issues
00:20:31
Speaker
Cause I think like you can enjoy cycling for like very reasonable prices. Like if you don't, if you're you're not into equipment, like you can just get a, you know, a very modest bike and you can wear street clothes and just enjoy cycling. But once you want to make that jump into like performance and at racing, that's where it it gets just out of hand right now.
00:20:52
Speaker
yeah But actually I saw this guy this year, I was doing a gravel race um out in like near the the DC Alberta border in the Rockies. And this guy was awesome. He's like a legend. He's like right wearing jean shorts and no shirt on flat pedals and like a steel old bike. And he was like, I forgot this guy's name, but he was like, apparently like an ex pro cyclist. And he's like, oh, you know, I've worked in the industry for years. And this is my big thing that like,
00:21:21
Speaker
You don't need all that tonight stuff to like enjoy it and do well. And he was like, he was up there still with like the most like bare bones set up like of everybody and no shirt. It was a, it was, it was pretty, pretty awesome to see actually. I really respected that. Cause it's, it is equipment, but you know, you can't just hop on a bike and perform. You need to, you know, you need the engine as well. Right. So yeah, yeah. You have to train too.
00:21:48
Speaker
that's That's the thing. You can have the Ferrari, but if if you have a Civic engine inside, I mean, this's it's going to drive like a Civic. you know so Yeah, exactly. So like yeah, there's just so much to go into. it like If you start to train, too, then you're like looking at, oh, should I get a heart rate monitor? Should I get a power meter? like All these like additional things that are like, yeah, you don't need it. But if you're going to train all the time, maybe you want that, too. So it just keeps adding up. See, unfortunately, like not the most successful sport it ah right now. That's why like more and more I'm getting, more teams are running. I just like love the simplicity of it. that like i know it's like Also, there's like equipment as well, but like it's just coming from cycling. It's like such a less barrier to like get some clothes and some shoes and maybe a watch if you want one, but like all that combined is like less than buying like
00:22:45
Speaker
a helmet for cycling, who which I really like. And just how simple it is to like, all right, I've finished up work. I'm going to strap on my shoes and go where the other thing with cycling that's like inaccessible is like, okay, I'm going to let go for a ride. Okay. Let me put on like.
00:22:58
Speaker
My five articles of clothing, my helmet, my shoes, pump my tire, check my bike, put my computer on, calibrate my power meter, fill up my water bottles, pack my food, get out the door, come back, wash my bike, have a shower. It's like, it's like you go for a two hour ride and it's like a whole operation like afterwards. So it's like two hours of riding, but like three hours worth because there's like an hour of faffing around with stuff on either end of the rock. You got to prep everything before you go kind of thing.
00:23:26
Speaker
Yeah. What do you, what are you liking about running? Like what, why were you drawn to that just cause it was easy or, you know, what was the. Well, I, there's like, I think many reasons, like one, like once you like start to do a sport for a long time, like not going to get stale, but like you kind of like, you're it's almost like autopilot when I go riding. Whereas when I go for a run, it's like, I don't know, it's such a different sensation. And I'm like, I really like how different it is. and i I guess like as I'm getting busier with like work and ah like actual life outside of like biking, it's just so efficient to go for a run. And ah I can just, like I said, pop on my shoes and go. um It's also like my girlfriend is like a really high-level runner, too. So I can like do it with her, which I mean, obviously, I really really enjoy that. like were As we've gone on bike rides, and it's not worked out so well. I just for, I don't know. like We've tried to go biking together, but it's just like it's just not working.
00:24:26
Speaker
So yeah, just why not? Oh man, actually. And it's like, I feel like I'm the problem, to be honest. Like like we, I don't know. What was like the, like once we went out for a ride and we were going to do like the little Lachine canal, like out and back here in Montreal. It's like lovely little spin. Yeah. But it was like, it was okay. First of all, this was like May 15th. And like, I, we were going for this ride and like, I think like,
00:24:56
Speaker
I, cause we're going like, she like, like we're both going easy, but like I was going like very, very easy and it started to snow and I wasn't wearing like much clothing. So like I was like going like hypothermic in my hands and stuff. And I was like, okay, we have to go back. But like Katie was having like a great time. She's like, no, I don't want to go back. Let's keep riding. And I was like, no, please. Like I'm dying. Like ah you don't understand. Like this is like, this is getting dire. Like I'm not going to make it.
00:25:21
Speaker
I can't break. I can't shift. Like let's go home. So then it turned into like a small bickering match about whether to like keep going to keep going. And like that, I think that kind of set the tone for future rides. And then now all of a sudden it's like default to bigger. what I don't know. It's just, it's just not working. And it's so funny cause we just like don't bicker at all at the house. It's just, you get on a bike, like and start riding. And then all of a sudden it's like, it comes out, it just comes out, but like running, we have a lovely time except like.
00:25:51
Speaker
In running, it's the opposite problem where like, I'm like just way too competitive. So, and she's like very proud of like her running too. And rightfully so, but like we'll go running and then it's just half stepping for like the entire run. You can't like just run easy. Like so zone two goes out the window, like just so quick. And I remember like, w like when we were living over in the plateau, we were finishing up a run up, uh, Clark Avenue and like.
00:26:19
Speaker
We were in full blown sprint in the last kilometer. Like this was like, we're verging on like, you know, getting down to like the low three minute pace here. Yeah, we're going. Uh, but like that is just like, I mean, I love that it's super fun. So yeah, like all those factors really like running and like, of course, like I'm, I work at exact nutrition. So like, uh, and obviously they're so plugged into the run scene at like, it's super close to me and yeah.
00:26:46
Speaker
like it's kind of logical to to do it a little bit. And I mean, even for work, it helps to kind of know the needs of of runners too. Yeah, totally. yeah Yeah. You get to know the community as well. And yeah, you get to move in a different way than than that. You don't get with the cycling. What have you always been competitive? Is that something that's kind of developed as you got more into the, into the the bike scene, let's say.
00:27:13
Speaker
yeah absolutely dude i was like and I'm actually working on being like less competitive about little things. like i When I was 12, 13, 14 that age, I was like couldn't do board games because I was like getting too locked in and it's supposed to be a fun thing, but like I would like research strategy for a monopoly and like like study the Scrabble dictionary before games because like I just like needed to make sure that I was like ready for this for this board game. And like I've let that go a lot. And even with cycling, I've let go a lot of like the competitiveness. And yeah, it's actually been for for the better to make it more of like a fun thing. But I don't know. I guess that i guess like whether it's like starting with those bike races when you're seven or just like how I was raised, but I felt like I was always like pretty naturally competitive.
00:28:01
Speaker
And, uh, how did you realize the potential that you had in the, in the sport? Was it somebody that kind of told you that you had potential or how does it, yeah yeah oncycl I guess like I, uh, myself, like I didn't have like a lot of like internal confidence, like for those reasons that we were saying before, like with my training group and all that. So I had like coaches who had told me like, actually, you know, you're.
00:28:25
Speaker
by your power data or, you know, just how I've seen you ride. Like you could actually be like half decent. And like, I just hearing that external validation kind of made me and you feel like, okay, if someone's going to say that nice thing about me, maybe it's, it's true. Yeah, it's great. I mean, you need some mentors in the sport too, to kind of, especially when you don't know, you know, there's people that know more about it than you do, you know, you know, coaches have that kind of experience and then they can,
00:28:52
Speaker
they can share that with you too. So, um, so what are your, what are your goals in the sport and what are you, what are you trying to achieve every season? Like how do you, how do you measure your success? Yeah, it's a good question. Like um but my goals kind of shift like year to year. So like when I was like first starting as a, like a semi pro cyclist, like the goal was like very much like, okay, like,
00:29:19
Speaker
do well at national championships. Maybe you can get on a team Canada trip and you can like go to the world championships. Like that was kind of the pipeline. Whereas like now that I'm a bit older and like old in terms of like cycling age at 25, like that's just like not the goal anymore. Like my goals are, it's like, my goals are like no longer like about progressing in the sport. It's just like picking the events that I really like and want to do and do well at those.
Nick's Personal Goals and Strategies
00:29:46
Speaker
So for me,
00:29:47
Speaker
more and more like those are like some little gravel events. Those are like my, my crits here and in, in, uh, Lachine. And there's like races out in the gas town of Vancouver. So that's like my my home race kind of like close to to where I'm from. So if now it's more just like pick and choose the events I really like and and try to perform with them with like, there's no like extra goal of like moving up in the sport or like progressing. It's just strictly like.
00:30:14
Speaker
okay, I really like the sport and I want to do well at these events. and And like, just stay in it, right? Because you like it? Yeah, yeah, exactly. I just at this point, like, and the way I look at it, it's like, okay, I could stop cycling and just, you know, have fun, but I really love to race. I geek out about world tour racing. I geek out about like, even the domestic scene, like I love to follow it. And so I very much love to be a part of it too. So and like, And it's all for me, it's like, also my socializing in a way is like going to the race and like, if you're traveling with a friend, that's like hanging out and, um, just chatting about it afterwards with teammates and stuff. Like it's all just for fun at this point. Like, you know, like there's no, uh, there's no money or anything on the line. It's just cause I really but like just like to compete. Yeah. I was going to ask, is there any like financial incentives, uh, for placing or having a good like little bits like.
00:31:09
Speaker
you know There's a bit of prize money, but it's it's not like you're going to make a living off that prize money. It's it's just a nice little bonus. ah In fact, I would say the prize money at some of these events is like so...
00:31:20
Speaker
so small that you're just like shocked at the risk that somebody will take in like a corner for like $50 and a high five. You're like, Oh my goodness. Yeah. Like some of these crits are insane, you know, and then these massive crashes and stuff like freaks me out. That's what I mean. Yeah. So it's like, but that's actually like another point too. Like the, because I was telling him about like the level and the aerodynamics and everything. So like we're going faster than ever in these crits. And I really believe that like these older, some of these older courses like cannot handle how fast that we take the corners now, where I've seen like a couple of times at these events, like we get into the last lap and the corner like.
00:31:59
Speaker
Physics will only allow you to take it at like a certain speed, but now that we're able to like rail it at like, you know, in the mid fifties, it just like will not work. who Yeah, totally. It's, yeah, it gets, you're right with technology comes more speed. You see that in other sports too, like, like hockey's one of them for sure. Uh, running, for example, with the super shoes or, you know, it gets lighter. Players get faster or or participants or whatever you call it. And.
00:32:29
Speaker
Well, that's it, like just sports, like, and the level of it just like increases over time. And the thing is just with cycling is like the arena that you do it is not changing. And there is a limit of how fast you you can ride that, that square box, you know? And what why do you think the technologies excelled so quickly just in like the last five year window? You know, like I went to a bike shop the other day and.
00:32:53
Speaker
I found out that my, um, my wheel brakes were like obsolete. Oh, you have a grip brake versus. yes Yeah. It's like my bike from 15 years ago. I still riding it. Right. But, uh, right, right. Yeah. It's a good question. Like, I don't know if I'm like.
00:33:11
Speaker
if it's just me because I've been in the sport the last five years really heavily and it seems like things have changed at a faster rate than before. I can't really answer that because maybe over 15 years it's changed even more and I just wasn't as tuned to what is actually going on. But if I had to give an answer over the last five years, I do really think that it's the access to a lot of resources and R&D that is allowing these changes to happen a bit quicker just with wind tunnel testing higher testing, ah efficiency testing in your in your frames. I don't really know how they do that, but to actually come up with the geometry, I think that more brands can have access to that these days. And because of it, like you're getting innovation, not just from like the couple big, big players, but like everybody is kind of coming up with like new things. And because of that, I think we're just seeing a little bit more. umm I'm not like a tech expert, but that's just what I've noticed. I've just noticed a couple brands like
00:34:11
Speaker
end up doing their own R and D and seeing different things from that. Is there a leader in the, in the sport in terms of gear? Yeah, but like, I think that's, to a lot of people, it's going to like change on like who that is, I think, but I think for like years, like I would say let like, uh, there's a couple like brands that, that would be like, that come to mind immediately. Now I won't say them just cause like I have partnerships with like other brands, but like, um,
00:34:39
Speaker
Like cyclists would, would kind of like recognize like a few like off the bat. Okay. Cool. I have a giant aluminum frame, carbon and forks. Yeah. I was just looking at, uh, getting something like an upgrade on the bike. Cause I just had it for so long, but, uh, I opted to just ride this one cause I don't ride that much.
00:35:03
Speaker
And I like like to do it like as cross training. I did use it in a half Ironman this, this past summer, but, um, I think it's fine for what it is, you know, like I'm not putting in the work necessarily to get, you know, better results, you know, but yeah, maybe it's an upgrade i only to make, uh, sooner rather than later. Cause yeah, it's like.
00:35:24
Speaker
For, for Trey, if you're going to use a bike strictly for training, though, I'm like such of the opinion to get something that is like very, very cheap. Like I, for years I was riding on an old, like Opus Othello and it became like the thing of like legends around here. Cause that bike is like five, $600. Like when I bought it and it was like a used rental bike and like but I just loved right. Like training on that. Cause it's like heavy, it's hard to ride. You're forced to go a bit harder to like keep up to the group. And then when things break.
00:35:53
Speaker
it's not like a nice part. I can go on Facebook marketplace and Google like or cassette and like somebody's like selling their old rusty cassette and I can like buy that like clean it and like put it on the bike. So like that like it just made it like so much easier to go train and like the disgustingness of like Montreal in the spring was like the slush a lot of stuff and you can kind of preserve the the nicer bike. So like obviously it's like a huge privilege if you can like get that nicer bike at like a good rate through your team or through a club or wherever, but I still like to train on like, uh, like my own bike. That's like kinda, kinda ratty, but in the best of ways. So you train with one bike and you race with another. Is that it? Yeah, like currently no. Cause like, I just, I got rid of the other bike and actually like broke apart like this year after like five years of good service. And like, so right now I'm kind of just training on the bike. I race as well.
00:36:48
Speaker
Uh, just cause like, I didn't want to put more into like getting another training bike, but I think if you can get like, kind of like that bike for like under a thousand bucks and, and just use that in the winter time, it's a, it's great to to preserve your nice stuff. When you look back at your, your journey in the sport, what were some maybe early lessons or mistakes that you made that.
00:37:13
Speaker
They like, you look back and you're like, how did I, how did I do that? And like, they, you know, they stopped doing clearly at this point, but were there are some early lessons? Um, I'd say like, well, it was a few that come to mind, but I'll go with like, when I was like first starting to race, I was like, just so fixated on other people and like trying to like, I'd like to, I'd go to a race and be like, okay, like,
00:37:40
Speaker
This guy is my guy and I'm going to follow him all day. And it's not like a terrible strategy, but I find you kind of seep into the the mindset of you're watching a race instead of racing a race because you're just doing what this other person is doing. And sometimes it's great because it can extend you and you were like, you know, ride to their level, but sometimes you self seed yourself and you could have actually done maybe a bit better than that person, but you're just watching them the entire time instead of racing your own race. So.
00:38:10
Speaker
When I got more into road racing, I try to like think that way a little bit more than just like picking riders and following. I try to like think, okay, like what am I good at and where can I play my cards? So it's like me actually doing the race. And I found that like that gave me just so much like satisfaction doing a race because now you're like such an active player and and you're really using your, your head. And that just made everything a little bit more enjoyable than just kind of like.
00:38:41
Speaker
riding the treadmill of being in the peloton. he And there's, there's clearly some like major strategy too, right? When you get into these, these events, like how do you, how do you manage that or think about that? Is it like you have to think about your competitors to a certain extent? Cause yeah, for sure. You have to like, you have strengths. So it's, um,
00:39:02
Speaker
like there's levels of thought in cycling, I find. I mean, this is like what I've realized is like any sport you start to get competitive at, the strategy becomes so interesting to me. It's not just biking, but in cycling, you it's a team sport, but also an individual sport. At the same time, it's like a semi-team sport. So you have to think about a couple of things. You have to think what's best for the team. What can I do the best to to help this team? And then you have to start thinking about other teams and other individuals. so you're kind of asking yourself the questions like, ah what am I going to do to maximize my team's win percentage? What does the other teams think I'm going to do to maximize the team's win percentage? And what do I think the other teams are going to do to maximize their wins? So you're thinking not only about yourself, you're thinking about your competition what the competition is going to do. And you're thinking, what does my competition think I'm going to do? So there's lots of like chess strategy going on.
00:40:02
Speaker
And is it like, uh, like, how does it work? Is it so it's my team? Like, uh, is there a point structure or is it like, kind of like at the at the high, at the highest level of the sport, there's like a, an overall where you accumulate like world tour points. And then like, technically the team with the most points at the end of the season is like the number one team of the world. Um, we have that for my level of racing too. It's just not as like prominent, I guess, like.
00:40:27
Speaker
I kind of feel like sometimes in the, uh, in the continental ranks, it's like a dog eat dog world. Cause every, like a lot of the people in that level are like trying to make it to the next level. So they're like, instead of like going for team points, I think they're going for like, I want to get a really good result today. And maybe I, I increase my like CVS, like how does it look? And maybe I'm trying to move up in the sport. So yeah, I think you have like a different, different motivations going on versus that top level, but like, yeah, it's still a team sport. So like,
00:40:57
Speaker
for us, like you're trying to get somebody on your team to win. I think it just, like when you have like a lot of like people supporting your team and sponsors, friends, family, like you you just want team success above and yourself. At least like that's where I'm at now with the cycling. Right. and what And in the sport, what are the levels in terms of like professional rank, you know, cause you have like, right would you say like Tour de France is like the the, the peak, like pinnacle yeah yeah toons is definitely the peak. Cause the, so so if there's in like the term, like pro racing, yeah it's a, there's like three levels. So you'd have like the tour de France pros and they're on the world tour. And then, cause they have their own calendar, which are like world tour races, right a level below that you have pro teams and they have their own season, like calendar with pro series races. And then below that you have.
00:41:50
Speaker
the Nick Clevens of the world who race on the continental level where they have their own continental calendars. So there's a UCI North America calendar, which is like what we compete in. There's an Africa calendar, Europe calendar, Australia, Oceania calendar, Asia, like, so everybody gets their own like regional calendar. And you compete against the other teams there. But the thing with cycling that to me is very interesting is like,
00:42:16
Speaker
For example, I give the analogy to like hockey. like So you have the NHL, you have the AHL, and you have the East Coast Hockey League, which feel like you have to really follow hockey to know about the East Coast Hockey League. And like the East Coast Hockey League is the equivalent to like what i what I do. So we're like a semi-pro.
00:42:33
Speaker
like hockey team equivalent, but you would never, ever have a scenario where an East coast hockey league team is straight up playing the Montreal Canadians. It doesn't happen. they yeah It doesn't happen. But for us, it actually happens because the, in cycling, the system has overlap. So, uh, for like our team can race up in a pro series race and a world tour team can race down in a pro series race.
00:42:59
Speaker
And a pro team can race down in a continental race or up in a world tour race. Like you can go up or down one level. so So for example, we had a race in Maryland the last two years, and that's a pro series race. So what happens is you have little teams like ours, also with world tour teams who are coming to that race, because maybe they want to get some points for that series I'm talking about. So you have a weird scenario where you have me racing guys who have won many stages of the Tour de France. So and I find that super unique. Yeah, totally. You can like. Yeah, be on the ice with Sydney Crosby, essentially. So it's so cool. Like, honestly, like that, those are some of my best memories from like the, those racing days is like going to the buffet and just like seeing people who like I watch at the tour and just like watching like serve up some eggs and some pancakes or whatever they're eating. You're just like, nice. Like we're eating from the same buffet right now. Yeah. yeah
00:43:57
Speaker
You get a bit like that in running, too, when you get these these world majors and stuff like that. You know that. Yeah, exactly. At the front of this this pack, there's some pretty serious, dude you know, serious fast dudes up at the front world record beaters and stuff like that. So I feel like, yeah, if you're doing like the major marathons, you would totally get that in running, which is also cool because that's like truly a master start event where like you wouldn't even need to be on a team in the first place. Right. Like you can anybody can raise those guys.
00:44:25
Speaker
Have you had any like interactions with some of these these people that you look up to? Well, like yes. But like not yeah like some in the races, like they don't really talk to you that much, because I think they're just focused on the race. But I met Binyam Girmai, who won the Green Jersey at the Tour de France this year, like two years ago in in Italy. And it was so cool. like ah It was the day that he won his first Giro d'Italia stage, and he was the first ah black African to ever win a stage of a grand tour. So it was like a historic day. And he was staying at the same hotel that we were staying at. Nice. And are they, would you say like, how's the culture? Like, are they nice people, friendly? It's hard. yeah know and Everyone seemed pretty friendly. I think they are very much keeping to themselves in their own teams, though.
00:45:15
Speaker
Like, and I think that's important. Like it didn't seem like there was too much like mingling between other teams, like at that race in, in Baltimore and Maryland, like everyone's just at their own table. They're kind of doing their own thing. And you kind of respect that, I guess. And who do who do you look, look up to you most in the sport? Is there anybody that inspires you? Anybody that inspires me? I mean, like there's, yeah, definitely people who inspire me, but like my favorite cyclist right now with is today. Cause I just think like,
00:45:45
Speaker
he does everything, which is like so interesting as a fan to watch where he is really breaking the norm of like having specialties in cycling where he's just like, no matter the race, I'm going to give him my best shot and and do it. And what I always respect about his racing too, is he's like throwing through an entertainer where like at the highest level of the sport, that is a big component of it beyond just winning. And he's not afraid to like have risky tactics. I think sometimes for the benefit of like people's viewing pleasure, which is pretty cool to see.
Admiration and Inspiration in Cycling
00:46:16
Speaker
Like he's a showman. He's a showman through and through, like through the way he attacks, like the places he decides to like make his move, like, uh, the celebrations, everything. And just like his, his charisma and character off the bike, I find is like very humble and, and really cool to see. um Well, i'm I'm looking forward, like they have the, the world championship here in Zurich coming up and I'm looking forward to seeing some.
00:46:42
Speaker
some elite cyclists out here and both on the men's and the women's sides should be ah pretty exciting. Yeah. It's, and that's and actually, when we're talking about accessibility and cycling, like it's, we were saying like, oh, it's so, it's pretty inaccessible for a rider, but for fans, it's one of the best professional sports because I just, I had that thought when I was like watching the Grand Prix Montreal two weeks ago, like similar to what you'll see in Zurich, it's like,
00:47:08
Speaker
We are having like a hundred thousand fans come out and watch this race and everyone can do it for free. You can watch the best person in the world ride their bike, maybe the best person ever with with today. Watch, watch him win a race and you can do that for free on a Sunday. Whereas like I once was looking at like the tickets to go see a Lionel Messi come play here in Montreal. And I was curious just cause like the tickets normally to those soccer games are like $40, $45. And I was like, okay, let's see.
00:47:37
Speaker
how much it is when, uh, went into Miami comes and it's like $1,200. So like, obviously I didn't go see the game, but like, it's just so different, right? Like if you want to go see Lionel play or Teddy play once free and one's going to, you know, be the huge cost. Yeah, that's pretty cool. It's free. You can just like line the streets and and watch. Yeah. Go and watch. No problem. It's, um, and it will be, you know, kind of right outside our, our back, our back door here. So.
00:48:07
Speaker
That's so cool. Yeah. So it's going to be a great race for you too. Yeah, exactly. So what are some other things you have to think about when you're, when you're competing in cycling, like you're like, is it, how would you say it's different from running? Let's say, cause we do have a lot of running runners on this podcast, but like, are you feeling different or like clearly we spoke about the gear gears is more expensive and accessibility that way is maybe more challenging, but, um, yeah, how do you prep for your season? Let's say.
00:48:38
Speaker
Well, I think train like, I mean, we're going to compare running and cycling here. I think running, um, you just, you like cycling, like the hours that you train are typically a lot more and it's not because like you have, it's not like one is harder than the other is what I'm trying to say. It's like, cause the, the races in cycling are way longer. So if you're going to train for like a six hour event, you, you better be doing some six hour training rides leading up to that event. Whereas like.
00:49:04
Speaker
the running races when I've like talked to elite runners, you know, they're 10 Ks, uh, around 30 minutes. So it's a, it's a very different like energy system that you're training there. So I find that the training demands are a little bit different. And because of that, your nutritional demands are, are, I think really, really, uh, different as well, because like in cycling year in a 30 minute running race, you're you're not going to tap through your like glycogen stores, but in like a a six hour cycling race, like if you're not like,
00:49:34
Speaker
pounding down carbohydrates, like you're going to tap through that relatively quickly. So I find like how much you're eating on the bike is just like when I've talked to runners, uh, they're a bit shocked with like how much we're doing on the bike. Cause in a lot of our races, we're doing over a hundred and a hundred grams of carbs ingested per hour. Whereas like I was just like working at the the Montreal marathon, uh, the other day, uh, with exact, and we're just talking to, to, to the athletes who are going to compete in the running race.
00:50:03
Speaker
And like their strategy is to do like one of the exact bars every 30 minutes. And that's, you know, that works out to be 50 grams of carbs. So you're in cycling, you're almost having double, if not more than the running races. Um, and I think that's like, like, it's not just liberation too. It's also like, from my experience, just way harder to eat when you're running than cycling cycling, you know, your whole abdomen is not jumping up and down so you can kind of sit and digest a little bit better. Whereas running, I wouldn't like.
00:50:32
Speaker
tell somebody to eat as much as me cycling, just because i I don't think you could digest it straight up. Yeah. I was going to say, it's like, cause you're bouncing up and down, like when you're running that maybe it becomes more like it can become more agitated.
00:50:47
Speaker
Yeah. When you're doing that. And I think it's, um I think it's important as like, you know, people listening who are doing triathlon that, you know, I think it's kind of rare. People are just doing cycling races. Like I think I know you and my brother in law that does that. Um, and Charles, we met, I know you know, Charles. yeah yeah Um, and, but he actually, Charles is now a, a due athlete ever since becoming a father. He's running way more.
00:51:16
Speaker
Oh, that's interesting. Yeah. That's interesting. So it's ways to keep the cycling in, but, uh, compete in a different. Yes. He hasn't done his race yet. Yeah. Like he was set to do the duathlon, but we were actually at that gravel, like it was talking about earlier with the guy on his shirt. I was the same race that Charles nara and he had a fall. So he hurt himself. So he's not doing the duathlon, but he's, uh, he's definitely training for it. He's got like a very interesting stroller skateboard set up with his daughter.
00:51:46
Speaker
which I think is is pretty cool. Uh, if you ever have him on the show, ask about that. yeah i already I already had him on him prior, kind of prior to this, but I definitely like love his, his content and the stuff he puts out around cycling or traveling and training or, you know, I saw, I saw the injury and then I saw you in his video and I was like, Oh, good guy, Nick, you know, helping him out. Yeah. Best service I've ever seen in a hospital, like really tangential, but we were at the Banff hospital and he was in and out of their x-rays diagnosis 90 minutes. No way. It was awesome. Never seen service like that.
00:52:25
Speaker
Yeah, that's crazy. Um, so yeah, back to the nutrition side of stuff. Um, and so like, how would I, what was I going to say? Like you can have like 120 grams on a bike because you're sitting in a sitting state may like, is it a super high intensity or you know, what does that look like, you know, in terms of, you know, what you're able to ingest and that what speed is this i see is this more for like longer, longer distance. Yeah. Yeah. No, like 120 grams of carbs. This is like, that is like for a race when you're doing like a race over four hours and it's intense. Like that's when you're going to be having that much when you're just in training, you seldom have that much just because you're, you're using other energy systems too.
00:53:19
Speaker
So the carbohydrate demand would go way down and same if the intensity is quite high, but the session short, you wouldn't really need 120 grams of carbs. If you're doing an hour and a half trainer session after work, you just, you just wouldn't need that. So the longer you go, the harder you go, the more you eat. And like that 120 is like the most exaggerated version of that long hard race.
00:53:42
Speaker
Yeah. And actually I tested this, uh, this out a little bit in my triathlon this past summer to eat as much as I could on the bike, because it's just easier to do it on the bike. You know, you grab, you can eat and you can eat whole food too. Um, you can have a banana, you can have a bar. It's just much easier. And then once you get to the run portion, then I just switched over to gels because the body just absorbs it all that much better, I think. Um,
00:54:13
Speaker
Is there any plans to race in in running for you or what's the? Yeah, I'm i'm plotting it for sure. Are you? yeah like Yeah, definitely. Like I want to I want to do some for fun just because like like I said, I'm like traveling to those races anyways. So it's like nice if I'm like working the event to also like hop in and have some fun and you know, just try something new. um So yeah, I have a few that i'm I'm thinking about. And what distances are you looking at?
00:54:42
Speaker
Oh, good question. like the I think like in my the back of my mind, the big goal is to do the marathon once. like I want to say that I've like done it before. I just need to work up the the mileage a little bit for that, I think. So I think I'm going to start with 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathon, marathon, and just kind of like build up doing those races. Because ah like the cyclist in me is kind of like, oh, marathon, you know it's only three to four hours of running and I bike six hours. Like it's half the duration. I can do this, but it's running. It's not cycling. So I need to like get that out of my head that it's like, yeah, it's no problem. And just like actually do a race. Cause I know in running to the pain that you feel when you race is just so much more than cycling. You can push yourself so much deeper. And I've like, yeah I've just experienced that in my like running training sessions, but I'm sure in a race it's even more.
00:55:41
Speaker
So I need to get my feet wet in something that's maybe under 20 minutes, like a 5K and then kind of work it up a little bit. Would you say that the cycling is a good, has given you your body the right training, let's say for running. Is it like a good way to enter running? Yeah, I think it's like, there's more good than bad. Like you're at, I mean, at the end of the day, you're doing,
00:56:06
Speaker
Like hours and hours of aerobic exercise, like your body's very much adapted to that stress. It's the peripheral system, like all your muscles that are just not ready for all that impact and the actual motion of it. Where, uh, that's where I can go wrong. Like I, I, I'm, I'm convinced that my cardio is going to be fine for running. I just got to make sure that my legs aren't going to like fall off the bone. If I like push it too hard. Yeah. And, and there's a body responding well. Like, is it?
00:56:35
Speaker
Is it, are you feeling good also? Yeah. Like, I mean, honestly, right now I've hit a bit of a pause on the running, just cause like I've been doing a lot of racing and cycling. So I find that like, again, this habit of like, I have so many cycling races, so I don't want to run because I'll get sore after running. I don't want to be sore for my bike race. So I like kind of stop. But then if you take these like micro stops with running, your body just doesn't adapt. So then you go back to running once the races kind of subsides and then you're sore again. So you can't pick it up.
00:57:05
Speaker
yeah So basically what I've determined is like, once I'm done this final race of the season, it's that weekly or twice weekly run is like, it's ingrained in the calendar now. It's going to be part of it no matter what. And even like during the race season, if I run just one 30 minute a week, I'm just going to make sure that like, that's like still, I'm still okay to run. Um, and I really want to do that too. Cause like, if you're like not aware, like in cycling, there's such a problem with like bone health and osteoporosis and all this from like not doing a weight-bearing sport.
Running as Cross-Training
00:57:37
Speaker
And like, I just like, nobody wants those problems later in life either. So I just kind of want to start to incorporate a little bit of like weight-bearing activity just, just because good for you. And do you do any and kind of strength work or anything like that to support your sports? Oh yeah, definitely. Definitely. But it's the same thing with running like in the, in the winter time, Montreal, I'm like religious. I'm going like three times a week to the gym and I actually really enjoy gym training too. Um,
00:58:03
Speaker
So I do it all the time, but then, you know, you start to get into the bulk of race season and you're like, okay, yeah, like I got my race on Sunday. Maybe I don't want to do this set of ah deadlifts on Saturday or, you know, because you just, you get super tired from the gym. So like I kind of like fall off a little bit. So like in my own training, that's something that I just really want to get better at is like keeping that run and keeping that gym session going throughout the season. And so like, how do you manage all these things?
00:58:32
Speaker
Is there, is it a fixed schedule work best for you? Like do you have any tips and tricks with how to incorporate activity and busy school schedule work week? So I've done a few strategies over the years, like, um, when I was like getting like coached before for, for cycling, like it would be like, I have like the training peaks and like, there's a schedule in there. And like, I would just like, like when I was in university, I would just treat the bike workout of the day, just like a class I'd say like, okay.
00:59:01
Speaker
It's in the calendar now. like This is like my time to to to do that. um And it would just like be like right into the the calendar. like As I've gotten older and and started to work, though, you know you're not quite as flexible as ah as when you're in school. Because in school, you can kind of just like, if you're like, oh, actually, I want to go for a ride, you can drop everything at noon and go for a ride. But now it's like more like,
00:59:27
Speaker
I kind of just gauge it day to day, like I wrap up the work day and then I'm kind of like, okay, like how do I feel right now? What do I want to do? And I'm a lot easier on myself than like having a ah really rigid schedule. Cause I just remember times when you like, and you, you've probably been there too. Like you finish up like a long day of work or actually smoked and you're like, okay, now I'm going to go do five by five all out. And you're like, yeah okay.
00:59:50
Speaker
Like I just don't do that anymore. I just like, if I feel good, that would be the day that I go for my intensity workout. And if I feel smoked, like that's the day that I'm going to do like a low intensity thing. So I kind of like now that like I've like trained for so long, I kind of know the little bits and pieces of what I want in my training. And it's like, I just looked it at the end of my week, look back and be like, okay, did I get the intensity I want? Did I get the volume I want? Did I get, you know, hopefully that's strength and running. So it's very like.
01:00:20
Speaker
reflective rather than planning it out day by day. Just because it works better for me. So whenever I'm doing a training session, it kind of feels like this is something I actually want to do because it's like to my point as well. like I'm doing all this cycling because I just really love to compete and I think it's fun. So I got of i think the trickle down is the training also has to be fun and enjoyable. I don't want to like push myself to like do something that like I actually kind of dread at like the end of a long day.
01:00:48
Speaker
Yeah, it makes total sense. You know, you got to listen to your body and and then make sure you get in the the workouts when you feel good, you know? So like I always tell people that I coach, you know, you got to like, you got to make your easy day days easy. So you're able to perform on the training days, like the hard days. Cause like, that's really what, what it's all about. If you go hard on your easy days, then it's going to be really hard on the training days, you know?
01:01:17
Speaker
Exactly. What's, what's your, I thought about this question. I never asked it before, but what's like your sales pitch for movement for cycling, for running, you know, if you could like, what's your elevator pitch to kind of encourage somebody to start running or, you know, or start cycling. Yeah. Well, yeah. Like I think, like what I really love about cycling is the places that you can see on a bike.
01:01:43
Speaker
I think it's the best way to explore a city or a new place because you can travel a pretty great distance on a bike, but you're also close enough to all the things that you can actually see them. and Even here in Montreal, like I know so many people who I went to university with and they would have like never been to like certain neighborhoods in Montreal where I'm like, I go there all the time on my bike. like How do you not know about this place?
01:02:06
Speaker
um So for cycling, for me, the the big pitch I love to tell people is like, this is like an exploration thing you can like discover so much. And maybe people like aren't interested in that at first, but I find that once you like kind of try it and you start to like see things, it's almost a little bit addicting to like go, uh, go find those destinations. Like for me, like on Strava, like I have a whole series where I like to do like history facts about the places that I see. So I like before my rides, I pick my roots because like I read about.
01:02:37
Speaker
you know, some historic site and I'm like, okay, I want to go see that. So I'll go for a ride out there. I take a picture of it. I give a little fact on the Strava and say, have a nice day. And that's like, my thing that's, that's motivating is to, to go do those things. So I kind of like get my workout in, but it's also like a little tour to go to learn something new. Um, I mean, I don't know how many people are doing that, but I still think that whole idea of exploring and is really, really awesome.
Exploration Through Cycling
01:03:04
Speaker
And you can get in an endurance sport.
01:03:06
Speaker
Um, and it's something you can do even, you know, when you're just, just to enjoy movement, right? Like you don't have to, yeah, That's why I think it's, it's, it's also unique for cycling. Cause there's also things like community and, you know, catching up with people that are great, but I mean, you can get that if you go play YMCA basketball too, but what you don't get when you play YMCA basketball is you're playing on the same court and, you know,
01:03:31
Speaker
That's fine, but you won't really get to see what's around you. What's the most impressive thing you've seen on your bike? Oh, okay. Um, coolest, like the most wow moment of my like exploration was like, we were in Italy, uh, for six weeks, two years ago for some racing and we were, uh, staying on the Adriatic coast. So we were riding inland and I got to look up and see, uh, it's a small country of San Marino for the first time.
01:04:01
Speaker
And it's just like the most impressive thing I've ever seen. like It's a whole like medieval city, basically, on like ah a precipice like this. like There's a sheer drop. And at the top, there's crazy castles. And it's like it just doesn't even look real when you see it for the first time. It's just one of those things that's like such a shock um to see. So that was definitely the most wow moment. But like the ones that are like my most favorite are like the ones that are really local to me, where like I'm doing all this research on like, oh, like historical sites that I want to see. And I realized that like, perhaps the oldest known still standing building in Canada is five kilometers from my house. And I'm just like, wow, that's so cool. That's like, this is in my neighborhood. Like, so that one was like, cause that was like the one that kind of sparked this entire series on Strava too. So that one's like kind of like the most special, very but it's not like a big, it's not like a big wow moment. Like San Marino, it's like, it's an old,
01:05:00
Speaker
old stone building. Yeah. But you know, it's, it's, it comes back to the same thing. Like people think they got to travel to discover and see new stuff and impressive things, but we have so many impressive things right around us in our own backyard. 100%. That's like my biggest thing is like, I've traveled for racing. I've been so happy I've done that, but like learning more about the place that I live and actually doing the things there is like, that's what I'm really about. And it's also fun when you get people from out of town, you know, go for a little bixie ride around the city and just see a bunch of stuff. You know, I've done that before too. And yeah, it's, it's awesome. Like we did a, we did a little bike packing trip this year out to Halifax from Montreal with like me and my two friends are so fun. That was one of the best weeks I've ever had on a bike. You just see so much. and
01:05:47
Speaker
Like I had never been to Atlantic Canada. So like viewing all that was incredible. And when we got there, I had a ah friend who like, I used to compete against in cycling and, uh, we messaged him for a tour of Halifax and he's like, well, you know, I'm actually a tour guide. um No way. So he gave us this incredible tour of like all these like historic sites in Halifax. And it was like amazing. So it was so cool. Very, very cool.
01:06:11
Speaker
Um, so you think when all this is done, when you're done with cycling and stuff, you'll, you'll yeah pursue your singing career with the pizza boys.
A Lighthearted Farewell
01:06:20
Speaker
Oh, no. Where'd she get that from? That's crazy. I checked the Instagram feed, you know, and I saw your first post and there was some, uh, pretty amazing, uh, that's such a deep poll. That's crazy. Um, uh,
01:06:36
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. I mean, i'm no people who travel with me to road trips know I can sing a bit. So yeah, I mean, that's it's definitely a passion project, but it doesn't mean I won't pursue it. She's living out your teenage dream. A hundred percent. worst that weekend that That weekend was actually so hyped up because like you saw that little like studio thing that we were in. I don't know if it was in the end of the video. We were talking about it all week. All week, me and my like three friends were like, all right, what are we going to do? What are we going to sing?
01:07:05
Speaker
and then like We got there and then like one of my friends was like got cold feet He's like i'm not going to be in the video i'll just film so then it went from like being a band four to a band of three it last second and Kind of threw off the vibes a bit. So maybe if I was a bit pitchy, that would be the reason you're nervous Yeah a bit nervous. It was not it was not what I was like, you know ah visualizing the whole week. Yeah It's kind of like a sudden drop on you. So yeah, we'll 100 like i I couldn't handle that pressure You still, you still did pretty good. I have to say he still did pretty good. Katie, yeahie would do that but Katie would be happy. I think i think so. Uh, that's so funny that you pulled it up because like I had like never been on Instagram. Like I would like never post it. yeah So I was like, but I had an account. So I was like, okay. And people are like, they're always asking like, Oh, like not always, but like, you know, my friends, like, are you going to like, you know, start to post stuff on Instagram? And I was like, maybe, maybe, maybe. And then I was like, just watching so many like cycling edits with like,
01:08:05
Speaker
kind of played out music and I'm like, no, like I'm going to do like my original cover to my like Instagram come back. Like this is like my thing. Yeah, it was amazing. It was glorious. You should repost it like on TikTok or something. See what happens. Oh dear. Actually this whole combo is like a stark reminder that like your internet history like doesn't believe you. Well, your, your, your Instagram doesn't run that deep. So it was kind of quite easy. There's like not much on there. Yeah, exactly.
01:08:34
Speaker
So where can people find out more about you? They won't find that video after this conversation. You'll probably go delete it. and oh It'll be there. It'll be there. If I see like ah like an influx of likes, then I'll know where it came from at least. Yeah. So where but he can fall if you like history facts, I'm on Strava. If you like Katy Perry covers, I'm on Instagram. Amazing. Well, Nick, good luck in your pursuit of your cycling career and your new running, your new running one.
01:09:01
Speaker
Um, thanks so much for coming on. It's, it's always great chatting with you and love, uh, love sharing your conversation with you. It's, uh, there's like a few good laughs and, and, uh, I wish you all the best. ah Thanks, Justin. Uh, it's nice to kind of catch up again after a little bit for sure. Take care. Yeah, you too. Bye bye. Thanks for tuning into the just in stride podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did.
01:09:31
Speaker
Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback, we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram at Justin Stride Pod for all the latest episodes and updates.
01:09:47
Speaker
Of course, this show wouldn't be possible without a solid team behind me. With logo and design by Vanessa Pugliese, as well as audio, music, and editing by Forest McKay, a huge thank you goes out to both of them. Guest outreach, social media, writing, and advertising are handled by me, your host, Justin Pugliese. Finally, we'd like to thank you, our listeners, for coming along for the ride with Justin Stradd.