29. Jonathan Vaughters- Art vs Science

What if the biggest thing limiting your performance isn’t your physiology, but what you believe you’re capable of?In this episode of The Cycling Performance Podcast, Nathan Haas and Colby Pearce sit down with elite gravel and ultra-endurance racer Maddy Nutt to talk about performance, identity, risk, data, and what it really means to find your limits.Maddy’s path into cycling hasn’t been a conventional one. She only started riding seriously at 20, with cycling initially built around coffee rides, adventures, and having fun on the bike. Eventually, she left a career in finance to see how far she could take racing. Five years later, she’s become one of the world’s top ultra-gravel riders, with a second place at Unbound XL among a growing list of results.But recent physiological testing with Team EF Coaching challenged something Maddy had long believed about herself as an athlete.She’d always thought of herself as a classic endurance “diesel”: someone who could ride hard for a very long time, but without much ability to produce short, explosive efforts.The testing showed something different. Alongside her exceptional endurance capacity, Maddy also had a surprisingly powerful glycolytic system.And that raised a bigger question: how much of what we think we’re capable of is shaped by physiology, and how much is shaped by the story we’ve been telling ourselves?That discovery becomes the starting point for a much wider conversation about data, self-belief, risk, and whether finding your limits sometimes starts with questioning what you thought they were.

For many coaches, the menstrual cycle feels like one of the hardest conversations to start. But avoiding it doesn’t help athletes perform at their best. In this episode, Nathan Haas and Colby Pearce are joined by Professor Kerry McGawley, a leading researcher in female athlete health and performance, to unpack what coaches and athletes actually need to know about the menstrual cycle. They explore why communication matters more than expertise, how coaches can create an environment where athletes feel comfortable discussing their health, and why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to female performance. Along the way, they discuss common menstrual symptoms, the latest evidence on performance throughout the menstrual cycle, REDs, hormonal contraception, and practical strategies for supporting female athletes without overcomplicating training. Whether you’re a coach, an athlete, or simply interested in the science of women’s health in sport, this conversation offers practical, evidence-based insights grounded in both research and real-world coaching. Professor Kerry McGawley is Professor of Sports Science at Mid Sweden University, where she researches elite endurance performance and female athlete health. She also consults with athletes and teams worldwide and is an accomplished age-group triathlete, including winning the IRONMAN 70.3 Age Group World Championship.

Is heat training the biggest performance breakthrough in endurance sport, or just the latest trend?In this episode, Nathan Haas is joined by Team EF Coaching coach and professional cyclist Francesca Hall and EF Pro Cycling Performance Director Nate Wilson to unpack the science behind one of the hottest topics in endurance performance.The trio explores why heat training has exploded in popularity, how it differs from traditional heat acclimation, and whether it can genuinely deliver altitude-like physiological adaptations. From plasma volume expansion and hemoglobin mass to nervous system fatigue and practical training protocols, this episode separates evidence from hype.Whether you're preparing for a hot race, curious about environmental training, or wondering if a heat suit belongs in your training plan, this conversation offers practical, science-backed guidance on how, and when, to use heat training effectively.Follow Team EF Coaching for more coaching insights, education, and performance resources.

What happens inside your brain when you’re pushing your limits?In this episode, we sit down with Professor David Spindler to explore the science behind better performance. From making decisions under fatigue to managing emotions during hard efforts, we discuss how your brain influences the way you train, race, and recover.David explains why breathing is one of the simplest and most effective tools for regulating your nervous system, how your brain responds when you’re under physical stress, and what athletes can do to make better decisions when the pressure is on. We also dive into pacing strategies, mental resilience, and how a better understanding of the brain can help you perform more consistently, both in sport and everyday life.Whether you’re preparing for your next race or simply looking to train smarter, this conversation is full of practical insights that will change the way you think about performance.Key Topics• How the nervous system influences performance• Making better decisions under fatigue• Breathing and self-regulation during training and racing• The role of brain chemistry in endurance performance• Pacing strategies for long-duration efforts• Building mental resilience through neuroscience

In this episode, Nathan Haas and Colby Pierce sit down with Coryn Labecki, one of the most decorated American cyclists in history and a coach at Team EF Coaching.With 74 national titles, a victory at the Tour of Flanders, and stage wins at the Giro Donne and the Vuelta, Coryn's palmares speak for themselves. Together, they explore what it actually takes to win at the highest level, and how a career at the top shapes the coach you become.The conversation dives into the balance between data and instinct in sprint racing, why power numbers only tell part of the story, and how repetition and race experience build the gut feel that wins finishes. Coryn also reflects on what it means to be a pioneer for diversity in the sport, the growth of women's cycling, and why she believes showing up and doing the work matters more than making a statement.As a new mother and a full-time coach, Coryn brings a grounded perspective on motivation, balance, and what sport ultimately teaches us about life far beyond the finish line.

In this episode, Nathan Haas and Colby Pierce sit down with one of cycling's most distinctive and influential figures, Lachlan Morton.From his early days as a promising WorldTour talent to becoming the pioneer of alternative racing and adventure cycling, Lachlan reflects on a journey that challenged many of the sport's conventional expectations. Together, they explore how his relationship with cycling has evolved from a singular focus on winning to a deeper pursuit of curiosity, self-expression, and meaningful experiences on the bike.The conversation dives into burnout, motivation, identity, and the pressures that athletes face when external expectations begin to outweigh personal fulfilment. Lachlan shares insights on creating a sustainable relationship with performance, why enjoyment and exploration remain central to his riding, and how athletes at every level can reconnect with what first drew them to the bike.Whether you're chasing podiums, personal bests, or simply the joy of riding, this episode offers a thoughtful perspective on finding your own path in cycling.Topics covered:- Lachlan's evolution from WorldTour racer to adventure cyclist- Burnout, identity, and rediscovering purpose- The difference between external expectations and internal motivation- Why enjoyment and performance don't have to be opposites- Sustainable approaches to training and racing- The role of curiosity, exploration, and self-expression in cycling- Building a lifelong relationship with the bikeFollow Team EF Coaching for more conversations at the intersection of performance, science, and human potential.

In the return episode of The Cycling Performance Podcast, presented by Team EF Coaching, Nathan Haas and Colby Pearce sit down with EF Pro Cycling founder Jonathan Vaughters for a deep conversation on the evolving relationship between sports science, intuition, and human performance in cycling.JV reflects on decades in professional cycling. From being one of the earliest adopters of SRM power meters in the 1990s to building one of the longest-running professional cycling teams in the world. Together, the group explores why coaching remains as much an art as a science, even in today’s hyper-data-driven era.The conversation covers tapering mistakes, Grand Tour rest days, training intuition, racing as preparation, and why data alone can’t explain elite cycling performance. Featuring insights from decades inside the World-Tour, this episode dives deep into what really makes athletes faster, beyond the numbers.

A special podcast episode for you, slightly different than our usual format...' Coach Call' our coaches have a regular call with the EF Pro Cycling sports science team to get insight on developments in within the peloton so that they can use that to advise our coaching clients on the latest tech, nutrition and other performance trends. In this episode our Technical Operations Manager, Andreas Klier talks with our coaching team about the latest developments in tech for 2025. Joining him on the call - coaches Zack Morris, Colby Pearce, Alex Howes, Coryn Labecki, Lauren Stephens, Nicki Sorensen, Ken Vanmarcke, Chad Haga, Daniel Holloway, Spencer Miller and Christian Parret. Please note we've redacted some of the information shared as it is not publicly available (though our coaches will be using the information to help their clients). /// Head to www.teamefcoaching.com and get coaching informed by the highest level of the sport.

As we launch our new Skills Academy courses, Team EF Coaching's Zack Morris & Colby Pearce have in-depth discussion about movement patterns on and off the bike - how they affect each other and how you can make sure you don't develop bad habits. Skills Academy - coming very soon to Team EF Coaching. ///

Join us for a special episode all about Power Meters. Zack Morris, Colby Pearce and Nicki Sørensen share their thoughts and experience of training and racing with power meters, including a little history since Colby and JV were the among the first to own SRM power meters in the US and Nicki was an early adopter too.For more information on coaching, training plans and camps visit our website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.teamefcoaching.com⁠