The Rundown: The last episode of the year brings the full crew together for a holiday recap, a deep dive on indoor versus outdoor training numbers, and a thoughtful conversation about setting goals that actually mean something. There is cyclocross, there is the great Zwift physics debate, and there is a genuinely honest talk about what cycling means to each of the guys.
What Happened on Dialed Podcast 352?
Festive 500 math, structured training platforms, SMART goals, and an honest year end reflection on why cycling matters.
Backpedal: Festive 500 and Family Time
Lance was deep into the Rapha Festive 500, sitting at 488 kilometers and planning one more outside ride to close it out, splitting the work between cold solo road miles and flat Zwift pacer bot sessions. Everyone had a great Christmas with kids and partners home, the rain never stopped, and Jake got heated vests from the kids for sideline duty at his children's games.
The Zwift Physics Debate
The recurring argument resurfaced: indoor speed and outdoor speed are not the same thing. Lance averaged 24.5 mph across his Zwift rides versus 18.3 mph solo outside, which sparked a friendly back and forth about FTP being set lower on the trainer, how that skews TSS outdoors, and whether Zwift should adjust its physics. The consensus landed on appreciating what indoor training has added even if the numbers do not translate cleanly.
Champ Bailey: Van der Poel's Cursed Period
Mathieu van der Poel kept winning everything in the Belgian cyclocross block, including a Zonhoven ride where he went from the third row to the front in 72 seconds. The segment covered Wout van Aert returning from illness only to slip and get dive bombed by Thibau Nys on the last lap, plus the now legendary moment of van der Poel grabbing his loose Whoop strap mid race and carrying it to the pits in his mouth.
Listener Q and A: Structured Training and Zone 2 Groups
An Idaho listener with a new Wahoo Kickr asked Lance about structured training. Lance walked through moving from TrainerRoad to Coach Cat (Frank Overton's AI based platform), how it rearranges his calendar around events, and why he likes being able to ignore the AI without guilt. Ian made the case for a real human coach's adaptability and motivation. A second question on holding zone 2 in mixed ability group rides got the honest answer: you cannot perfectly, so you sit on the front, gauge the effort, and gravitate toward riders of similar ability. Workouts push straight to a head unit like the Wahoo Elemnt or Garmin Edge for outdoor execution.
The Main Topic: 2025 Goals and SMART Framework
The year end conversation centered on what each guy learned in 2024 and how it shapes 2025. Ian laid out the SMART framework (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bound) and the reality of tempering goals with age. Lance reflected on discovering mountain biking is his strongest discipline and getting catted up. Jake gave an honest account of how much consistent cycling matters to his mental clarity, productivity, and wellbeing after a long stretch off the bike, landing on a simple goal: get back to riding consistently, then layer structure back in.
One Last Thing
Matt previewed his 2025 GPS watch trends video and talked MicroLED displays on the horizon. Ian counted down to Tenerife. Lance announced the Dialed 100 Challenge running January 1 to April 10, ride at least an hour a day, upload to Strava, hashtag Dialed 100. Jake asked listeners for reviews and noted the show has been heard in 23 countries in just a few weeks on the new platform.
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