The Rundown: Lance is back from a magical ten days of desert riding, and he brought home a win, a stack of GoPro footage, and a front row seat to one of the most legendary group rides in the country. The guys dig into the Tucson shootout, talk through a big batch of listener questions on crit racing and fueling, and go deep on how AI is creeping into the pro peloton.
What Happened on Dialed Podcast 355?
Tucson, the shootout, crit racing nerves, fueling strategy, and the AI arms race coming for the pro peloton.
Lance's Arizona Walkabout
Lance drove south chasing sunshine and stacked up a heck of a trip. He kicked it off with his first ever mountain bike race, the McDowell Meltdown outside Phoenix, and pulled into the lead inside the first mile to win the intermediate 50 to 59 field. From there it was Tortilla Flat gravel, a 21 mile push to the top of Mount Lemmon out of La Buzz, and group rides with the Dogs of Tucson and the Tucson Masters. He filmed nearly all of it for his YouTube channel, running a GoPro on his chest even while racing.
Inside the Tucson Shootout
The shootout is a fabled Saturday group ride that has run rain or shine for 40 years. In January the town is loaded with hitters, so the A group rolls out around 150 strong with names like Quinn Simmons, Keegan Swenson, and Kerry Werner in the mix, the B group (the Old Man Shootout) packs another hundred, and the C group fills out the rest. Roughly 300 riders, every week. Lance rode the B group, sat in deep to conserve, and timed the final sprint off Scott Simmons wheel to take the last stop ahead sign. The takeaway for the guys: that kind of turnout is built on decades of weather, open country roads, and consistency, and our own Savvy Shootout is its own good thing that just needs time to grow.
Listener Q and A: Getting Comfortable in Crits
First chain mail question: how do you get comfortable racing crits when they scare you? The honest answer is reps. Do race simulation group rides, study NorCal Cycling breakdowns, record your own races for feedback, stay near the front to dodge the accordion effect, and read the riders around you so you can steer clear of the sketchy ones. Conservation is everything when you are riding on the rivet for 40 minutes to an hour.
Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano
With Campagnolo back in the World Tour on Cofidis, will the Italian brand return to prominence? The guys do not see it happening in the next few years, mostly down to availability and support. The bigger conversation: SRAM has made the biggest leap in innovation lately with a full ecosystem from drivetrains to Hammerhead to suspension, while Shimano has given up market share with battery placement and discontinued parts headaches. The wild card is an affordable manufacturer undercutting everyone on price.
Fueling Strategy: Gels, Chews, Bars, and Mix
The crew swaps fueling philosophies. Everybody landed on Science in Sport, with Lance running the Beta Fuel gels and mix for the higher carb load and the isotonic texture that goes down without chasing water. Clif Blocks and Skratch chews get love for tasting like candy and being easy to digest, Skratch bars and drink mix carry the training rides, and Tailwind handles the long days with more calories per bottle. The recurring theme: aim for the higher carbs per hour the pros target, and figure out what your gut tolerates through trial and error.
One Last Thing: The AI Arms Race
The closing topic tackled a listener question about AI and team dominance. The guys broke down a Velo piece on supercomputers crunching power, HRV, CdA, and course data to shape live race strategy, debated whether that takes the organic feel out of racing, and landed somewhere bullish but cautious. Lance also plugged his AI based training through Coach Cat. Worth a listen if you want a snapshot of where the sport is heading.
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