TRAINING SECRETS BEHIND KEEGAN SWENSON’S WORLD CHAMPION FITNESS | Ask a Cycling Coach 555
Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad
4.9 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 16 October 2025
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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// TOPICS COVERED
(0:00:00) Intro – Keegan Swenson on Training and Race Preparation
(0:01:17) Little Sugar Race Strategy and the Importance of the Start
(0:03:06) Keegan’s Post-Worlds Training and Recovery
(0:04:25) Torque Training Explained – Building Strength with Low Cadence
(0:07:24) Physiological Benefits of Torque and VO2 Work
(0:10:15) Why Tempo and Sweet Spot Training Matter
(0:12:25) Fueling for Long Endurance and Tempo Rides
(0:15:05) Combining Intervals with Endurance Training
(0:18:37) The “Gray Zone” Debate – Why Pros Still Train There
(0:20:49) How Pros Structure Base Training with Sweet Spot Work
(0:23:11) Sprint Training and Managing Intensity
(0:24:43) How Hard Should You Train? Knowing When to Back Off
(0:28:02) Group Rides, Motivation, and Mental Training
(0:29:38) Final Takeaways from Keegan Swenson
World Champion Keegan Swenson shares his cycling training secrets — from VO₂ intervals and sweet spot training to endurance rides, recovery, and mindset. Learn how he builds world-class power, balances intensity and recovery, and applies proven cycling tips that help him win at the highest level. Whether you’re chasing new FTP gains or just want to train like a pro, this episode of Ask a Cycling Coach shows how to train smarter, not harder.
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | It's not often that you get to ask a UCI world champion how they structure their training, |
| 0:03.7 | their thoughts on different training zones, periodization, training intensity distributions, |
| 0:08.3 | time in zone, all of that. |
| 0:10.0 | And this is what you're going to get with this episode. |
| 0:11.7 | It's really special with Santa Cruz hit squads Keegan Swenson. |
| 0:14.6 | I know he's been on the podcast before, but he's usually answering your questions or helping |
| 0:18.1 | us answer them. |
| 0:18.7 | And in this case, we're just going direct to him and getting his thoughts on training. This is a really rare insight to get from a pro athlete of this level. And it's a really cool episode. I hope you enjoy it. A couple of things to know, though, first. Number one, this was outside in the backyard at his Airbnb and Bentonville, Arkansas, before Little Sugar. As such, there is a lot of background noise going on. So I apologize. |
| 0:37.9 | It's not like a normal podcast. And second, the camera failed after about, I don't know, a minute |
| 0:43.3 | of recording. So it's just going to be audio. We'll have some slideshow images going there for you. |
| 0:47.6 | But this is just a good listen to hear from a world champion, his thoughts on training, kind of front |
| 0:53.9 | to back. |
| 0:54.6 | Super cool. |
| 0:55.2 | Hope you enjoy it. |
| 0:56.1 | Keegan Swenson, we're here at Little Sugar in Bentville, Arkansas. |
| 0:59.2 | We're going to talk about training today because we recently recorded a podcast about |
| 1:03.9 | sweet spot and tempo training, and you're like, why didn't you have me on? |
| 1:08.0 | That's my wheelhouse, man. |
| 1:09.9 | That's right. |
| 1:11.2 | But first things first, I want to talk a little bit about Little Sugar. |
| 1:16.2 | Not tempo or sweet spot. |
| 1:18.0 | This is far from it, unfortunately. |
... |
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