Nino Schurter, Kate Courtney and many more of the world’s best cyclists and coaches are here to answer your cycling questions. From training tips to gear advice, explore answers from world-class cycling experts on AnyQuestion.

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Nino Schurter is a Swiss cross-country cyclist and member of the SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team. He holds 8 UCI World Cup overall titles and 10 world championship titles in cross-country mountain biking. Schurter has won Olympic medals: gold at Rio 2016, silver at London 2012, and bronze at Beijing 2008. He is also a 5-time Swiss National Champion (2012-2015). In 2014, he joined Orica–GreenEDGE for a number of road races. A native of Tersnaus, Lumnezia, Schurter began his professional cycling career in 2007 with SCOTT-Odlo MTB Racing. He now rides a Scott Spark RC World cup EVO.

Ask me about bikes, snacks and my trail dog Monte 😜✨

Trust yourself, Break some rules, Don't be afraid to fail, Ignore the naysayers, Work like hell, Give something back

Olympic Gold medalist London 2012 
3 x World Champion 
Ex professional Track & Road Cyclist 
Mum 
Cycling coach for ‘Rowe & King’ 

Ex Professional Cyclist 2x Olympian. Now analyst at NBC sports, guest Peloton Instructor 

Olympic Champion Tokyo • Mountain Bike • Switzerland • Trek Factory Racing • 1x World Champion xco + xcm • 3x World Cup Champion • 14 World Cup Wins •

Phil Liggett is "The Voice of Cycling" and an integral part of NBC Sports Group's coverage. He has covered 8 Summer and 4 Winter Olympics, and 44 years of Tour de France. He has been Emmy-nominated and is an int'l commentator for SBS. He has written for Cycling Magazine, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, and The Observer. Liggett was also the youngest International Cycling Commissaire at 30. In 2005, he was awarded the M.B.E. for his contribution to cycling.

🇩🇰 National Champion x4 , World Cup 🥇

Mel, I had one of the most underrated coaches in all of Australian swimming. I don't think he'll go down as one of the greats, but I truly believe he is. His name is Brian Sutton. Now, Brian was a physiologist by nature, but he was so good at the psychology of swimming, too. I mean, he challenged me more than any other coach that I had mentally. Every day, I was on edge, but physically as well. So he created a set that I've used multiple times-- still use to this day. And I was doing this back when I was trying to develop my 100 freestyle. But I used it with all the greats that I've ever coached, and I'll highly recommend it. 25 from the block. Then the varying levels of aerobic swimming between that will differ between certain types of sprinters. So, for me, it was a 25 aerobic. For other people it was a 75 or a 125, depending on how much aerobic they needed in between that and how much rest they needed after that 25 front end. But you determine that. But basically a 25 front end at 100 pace. You've got to be at that pace you want to be out on the first 25 of your 100. You do your aerobic swimming, and then you do a 50-push back end after you've done your aerobic. The rest of the aerobic, again, varies between athletes. It might be a little bit more for someone like me. It might be a little bit less for someone that swims at 200, maybe 10 seconds. But then you push that back end, and you've got to be at your back end speed. That's one round. Then you rest, take a couple minutes' rest and you do it all again, maybe six rounds of that-- everything at pace, everything at speed. The aerobic component is keeping the heart rate up so that by the time you get to that back end, you've still got that heart pumping a little bit. Go six rounds of that. I think it's one of the best sets ever created by Brian Sutton.

Brian Sutton was an underrated coach who created a set that is still used today. It consists of 25m at 100 pace, followed by varying levels of aerobic swimming and a 50m push back end. The rest for the aerobic component varies depending on the athlete's event, ranging from 10 seconds for 200 swimmers to more for sprinters like Mel. After completing one round, you take a couple minutes rest and do it all again, six rounds in total.

Can you explain your favorite set to complete?

The Underrated Coach's Game-Changing Swim Set

One of my favorite sets, created by my underrated coach Brian Sutton, focuses on both the physical and psychological aspects of swimming. It's a set that I still use to this day and have recommended to many others.

The set starts with a 25 from the block at 100 pace, which sets the tone for the desired speed. The following aerobic swimming distance varies depending on the individual's needs, ranging from 25 to 125. This is followed by a 50-push back end, where the swimmer aims to maintain their back end speed. The amount of rest and additional aerobic swimming between rounds also varies based on the athlete.

The goal is to complete six rounds of this set, with each round performed at pace and speed. The aerobic component helps keep the heart rate up, ensuring that the swimmer maintains intensity throughout the set.

I believe this set, created by Brian Sutton, is one of the best sets ever designed and has been beneficial for both my own training and the athletes I have coached.

My recommendation for sitting is less how often you sit. More, while you're sitting, are you paying attention to your posture? Or your hips splaying out? Or are you keeping everything tight together? And how often are you practicing standing up out of the chair under the strength of your legs, not pushing yourself out of the chair with your arms? That stand up and sit down process is far more important than how you're sitting, in particular. So don't worry so much about, how long am I sitting? Worry, what am I doing to reciprocate the internal rotation and compressions of sitting? That's much more important answer.

Pay more attention to your posture and practice standing up under the strength of your legs, rather than worrying about how long you are sitting for.

How much daily sitting should a person limit themselves to?

Unlock the Power of Movement: Redefining Sitting Habits

When it comes to sitting, it's less about how much time you spend sitting and more about how you approach it. Instead of focusing on the duration of sitting, pay attention to your posture while sitting. Are you maintaining proper alignment, keeping your hips together, and avoiding slouching? Additionally, consider how often you practice standing up from the chair using the strength of your legs, rather than relying on your arms to push yourself up. This process of standing up and sitting down is more important than the specific duration of sitting. So, rather than worrying about how long you sit, focus on counteracting the effects of sitting through movements that counteract internal rotation and compression. That's the key to maintaining a healthy sitting routine.

A lot of people are asking about where we get to a maximum. I'm not really willing to share because there is a lot of different techniques to actually, to get this number. And there's a lot of wrong numbers. Or some people that actually get the number from some medical stations, where they're pretty sure not doing it right. So I'm actually not sharing this number. Because it's something that people always try to value different athletes in between. So it's something I'm not really into share.

I'm not sharing the maximum number because it's something that people try to use to value athletes and it's not an exact science.

The Truth Behind Vo2 Max Measurement: A Complex and Controversial Matter

I prefer not to share my VO2 max. There are various techniques to measure it, and there can be inaccuracies in obtaining the number. Additionally, VO2 max is often used to compare athletes, which is not something I am interested in. Therefore, I choose not to disclose this information.

Ummm, yes, I think it does take energy, but then there is the advantage of being able to stand up to settle and put the pressure down on the pedals, which sometimes you need to get up and to get that little bit of extra force. So it does take more energy. But then, again, it's harder, and it's uphill, so you do need to work harder anyway to go uphill. But I don't think it's a waste unless you're throwing your body all over the show. But if you're doing it just standing up, and you're really focusing on putting power into the pedals, I think it's OK.

Yes, it does take more energy to stand up when cycling, but the advantage of standing up is that it allows you to put extra pressure down on the pedals. It is not a waste unless you are throwing your body around, but if you are focusing on putting power into the pedals while standing up, it can be beneficial.

Does standing on the bike to ride up a hill waste energy?

Standing on bike uphill: more energy, more power

Yes, standing on the bike to ride up a hill does require additional energy. However, there is an advantage to being able to stand up and apply pressure to the pedals, which can provide that extra force needed to climb. While it does require more energy, it's important to note that going uphill already requires increased effort. So, it's not necessarily a waste of energy unless you're excessively moving your body around. If you're standing up and focusing on applying power to the pedals, it can be an effective technique.

Actually, that's a good question, especially for tomorrow's Cape Epic stage, first stage prologue. It's always if you can ride the highest pace over the entire distance, you'll always be faster than if you go on some points just a bit faster and then slower, faster. So you need to try to find the highest possible pace over the entire distance. That's now what we are trying also for tomorrow's prologue stage. So we know the route. We know the distance. We know about how long it's going to be. How long we are on those three climbs that we are going to see tomorrow. And from our interval trainings and all our training, we know exactly how long we can stay at a certain Power Zone. So we use a power meter in our bag. So that's how we pace ourselves, actually, off the power if you know how long you're going to try to be fast, and you have a good power meter, you can actually pace you quite well. It is sometimes challenging on the mountain bike, when there is a lot of turns, and it's bumpy, and you never can really go as hard as if you go on the tarmac. So you need to keep that in mind. But if you know what your threshold is, if you want to be at your best over an hour, just try to ride on your threshold, and you will be the fastest. If you go too fast at the beginning, you will slow down towards the end and it will for sure be slower. And if you can hold it all the way to the end, your threshold will be higher than you were thinking. So that's the challenge. You need to find out how fit you are and then have a good power meter. And then you will find out quite soon what's your best pacing strategy. Have a good one, maybe you are going to watch the Cape Epic tomorrow and see if we had a good pacing or not.

To be the fastest in a mountain bike race, you need to find a pace that is at your threshold and maintain it for the entire duration of the race. This can be done by using a power meter to measure how long you can stay at certain Power Zones.

Could you talk a bit about  pacing strategies and how to execute them the right way?

Mastering Pacing Strategies: The Key to Cycling Success

Pacing strategies are crucial, especially for tomorrow's Cape Epic stage, the first stage prologue. The key is to maintain the highest possible pace consistently throughout the entire distance. Going faster in some sections and slower in others will not yield optimal results. To execute pacing strategies effectively, it's important to know the route, distance, and duration of each climb. Interval training helps determine how long you can sustain a certain Power Zone.

Using a power meter, we can pace ourselves based on the known duration and desired effort level. However, mountain biking presents challenges with turns and rough terrain, making it difficult to maintain maximum effort like on smooth tarmac. It's essential to keep this in mind.

To achieve the best results, ride at your threshold, the maximum effort you can sustain for an hour. Starting too fast will result in slowing down towards the end, while maintaining a consistent pace will yield better overall performance. By pushing yourself to the limit and holding it until the end, you may discover that your threshold is higher than expected.

Finding the right pacing strategy requires understanding your fitness level and utilizing a reliable power meter. Watching the Cape Epic tomorrow will reveal whether we executed a successful pacing strategy.

Hey, Eduardo. I would say the lowest point was the summer of 2014, in terms of the swimming. We had a very talented group in Baltimore of pro swimmers and young swimmers. And for the most part, all of them swam poorly at the end of that summer. So what I had to do was take a hard look at what we were doing and how we got there. And it started with me, right? So I wanted to look at how I could be better, how I could think better, how we could set things up so that they could be successful down the road. And we were able to do that. But it's very difficult to go through that when you've put a lot of work in and you don't get any of the rewards. Hope that helps. The main thing is keep going. And don't be afraid to change a few things, to look at what you're doing, and try some new things to try to move your program forward.

The lowest point in Eduardo's swimming career was the summer of 2014 when his swimmers performed poorly. In order to move forward, he had to take a hard look at what he was doing and make changes. He encourages others to keep going and not be afraid to try new things.

What point do you feel was the lowest in your career and how did you bounce back?

Olympic swimming coach's career low turns into a remarkable comeback

The lowest point in my career was during the summer of 2014, specifically in terms of swimming. Both the pro swimmers and young swimmers in our talented group in Baltimore performed poorly at the end of that summer. To bounce back, I had to critically evaluate our approach and how we reached that point. I started by reflecting on myself and how I could improve, both in terms of thinking and setting up strategies for future success. We made the necessary adjustments and were able to move forward. It was a challenging experience to put in so much effort and not see the desired results, but the key is to keep going, be open to change, and try new approaches to progress in your field.