HE FIRED HIS COACH FOR CHATGPT. IT BACKFIRED | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 592
Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad
4.9 • 4.6K Ratings
🗓️ 9 July 2026
⏱️ 92 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
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Summary
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// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Welcome!
(00:01:09) Alex Wild's Comeback From Epstein-Barr Virus
(00:03:08) The Psychology of Training With a Lower FTP
(00:20:41) What Recovery From Epstein-Barr Actually Looks Like
(00:25:48) Listener Question: Have Ultra-Wide Gravel Wheels Gone Too Far?
(00:43:05) Listener Question: Can You Train for an Ironman and Stay Punchy?
(00:58:00) Willow Fire Update: Silver Rush Canceled, Leadville in Question
(01:03:25) Alex's Leadville Goals: Podium and Sub-6
(01:12:09) Listener Question: What Happened When ChatGPT Replaced a Coach
(01:14:26) The Right Way to Train Durability
(01:26:29) What's Next: Death Ride and the Revived Tahoe 100
Pro mountain biker Alex Wild returns to share his comeback from Epstein-Barr virus, including how he handled training with a lower FTP, what recovery from chronic fatigue actually looks like for an endurance athlete, and why your last six weeks of power matter more than all-time PRs. Coach Jonathan Lee and Alex also answer listener questions on ultra-wide gravel wheels and aerodynamics, how to train for an Ironman without losing your punch, and what happened when one athlete replaced his coach with ChatGPT. Plus: the right way to train durability, the Willow Fire's impact on the Leadville 100, Alex's sub-6 hour Leadville goal and Jonathan’s sub-7 hour Leadville goal.
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- Donate to Jonathan’s Leadville Foundation Fundraiser: https://give.ltfoundation.org/leejonathan
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast presented by Trainer Road. Today we have Alex Wild with us. Alex, it's been a while today. We're going to cover a handful of topics. We're going to talk about an athlete that rode in that said that they went to AI instead of their coach and they report on what has happened with their training. That's going to be an interesting one and a good discussion. We're going to talk a bit about durability. We're going to talk about |
| 0:21.1 | tires and wheels and all the normal stuff that all of us talk about. But first, I want to talk to |
| 0:25.5 | you about your return to training. Last time we had you on, you are in the midst of figuring out |
| 0:31.1 | that you were diagnosed with Epstein-Barr. For those that don't know, Epstein-Barr virus, |
| 0:36.5 | basically it's adjacent or can be represented by a form of chronic fatigue syndrome. |
| 0:42.5 | And it ends up being a very nonlinear path to recovery. |
| 0:47.2 | For some people, it's quick. |
| 0:48.4 | For some people, it's long. |
| 0:49.6 | And sometimes it's up and down and up and down. |
| 0:52.0 | But it basically means that for an endurance athlete, you can't sustain normal training loads. |
| 0:57.4 | You get ill frequently. |
| 0:58.9 | You go through a whole lot of tough stuff. |
| 1:01.2 | What's it been like, Alex? |
| 1:02.4 | And I just saw that you raced recently, and you won at Truckee-Talco Gravel. |
| 1:06.1 | So are you back? |
| 1:07.9 | Ah, I think that's a hard question to answer, I guess, going back to your ups and downs. |
| 1:14.6 | I mean, we're hopeful. |
| 1:15.5 | And I guess my mentality through it is, yes, be cautious and slow, but also I don't have forever to be at this level. |
| 1:28.1 | So kind of the, I'd rather try and fail to be at the front than to like hold back and get top 10 kind of thing. |
| 1:39.3 | So I think it's just we've chosen the approach to assume we're back and train as such. |
| 1:47.4 | And hopefully that's the case. |
| 1:50.7 | So far it's been going smooth since sea otter. |
... |
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