Episode 24: Training and Racing as an Elite Masters Athlete with Guest Laura Van Gilder

02/07/25 • 62 min

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with former professional, and current elite masters cyclist, Laura Van Gilder. Laura is a former elite criterium champion, the winningest female US cyclist in history and the current UCI gravel world champion (60-64)... in addition to other national and world titles. In this podcast, Laura discusses many things, including her beginnings in the sport, her rise to becoming a professional cyclist, and how she manages to keep things fun and still race to this day! Laura is a legend in the sport of cycling and whether you’re a fan of cycling or not, this is an intriguing conversation.

1. Could you tell us more about your sport background and some of your many accomplishments

2. How many years have you been competing?

3. You’re known as a sprinter, but you live in a pretty hilly area. Have you found that training in a hilly area has given you an advantage over other sprinters on rolling/hilly terrain?

4. As you’ve progressed through your cycling career, how has your training changed/evolved?

5. With respect to various aspects of fitness (i.e., endurance, strength, explosiveness, etc...), how have these changed, if at all?

6. What keeps you training and racing?

7. How has your nutrition changed over the years of your career, if at all?

8. What advice would you give to other master’s athletes?

9. Given the popularity of gravel racing/riding, do you find yourself doing more gravel riding than road riding these days?

10. Given all your experience, if there is one thing that you’ve learned that you wish you knew when you were in the infancy of your cycling career, what would it be?

What cycling goals do you have for the upcoming year?

1. Could you tell us more about your sport background and some of your many accomplishments

2. How many years have you been competing?

3. You’re known as a sprinter, but you live in a pretty hilly area. Have you found that training in a hilly area has given you an advantage over other sprinters on rolling/hilly terrain?

4. As you’ve progressed through your cycling career, how has your training changed/evolved?

5. With respect to various aspects of fitness (i.e., endurance, strength, explosiveness, etc...), how have these changed, if at all?

6. What keeps you training and racing?

7. How has your nutrition changed over the years of your career, if at all?

8. What advice would you give to other master’s athletes?

9. Given the popularity of gravel racing/riding, do you find yourself doing more gravel riding than road riding these days?

10. Given all your experience, if there is one thing that you’ve learned that you wish you knew when you were in the infancy of your cycling career, what would it be?

What cycling goals do you have for the upcoming year?

Previous Episode

Episode 23: Coaching Masters Athletes with Nicole Armbrust

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with coach and physical therapist, Nicole Armbrust – owner of Jump Start Running, based out of Boulder, Colorado. Nicole specialized in working with female masters athletes and as such, this podcast discusses her decision to focus on working with masters athletes, as well as various aspects that are pertinent to masters athletes.

1. Tell us about your background

2. Your current focus is working with female masters runners. Why?

3. As a PT, are there any common issues that you see amongst master runners versus younger runners?

4. As a generalization, with respect to endurance sports, aging is often associated with increased – or at least not diminishing endurance, while youth, is often associated with speed and quickness... and quick recovery. Do you find this generalization to be true?

5. What are some of the most important considerations when working with masters runners?

6. I think a lot of masters athletes are concerned about becoming slower. How do you tackle this subject with your athletes and moreover, are there any main things to focus on?

7. As a masters athlete myself, I often reflect back on how I was faster when I was younger and I find myself comparing myself to that person – which inevitably leads to frustration. How do you deal with athletes like myself in this regard?

Do you find that masters athletes are more susceptible to injuries?

Next Episode

Episode 25: Starting and Successfully Growing an Online Coaching Business with Guest Alli Felsenthal

In this episode of ‘All Things Endurance,’ host Rick Prince chat with Alli Felsenthal, owner of Runwithalli – a run coaching business. If you’re an aspiring coach, or an existing coach, you will be hard pressed not to come away from this podcast with valuable pieces of advice. Alli goes deep into how she started and scaled her running coach business, discussing a wide range of topics such as athlete retention, bringing on other coaches, the importance of goal setting and structure, among many other topics. So if you’re in the coaching business, this is one podcast you won’t want to miss!

1. Please tell us a little about yourself – when did you get into running and coaching?

2. How did you decide to take the leap to starting your own business? Did you do it as a side gig at first, or did you go full time immediately?

3. You have a pretty substantial background in business and sales. How did you leverage this knowledge when starting up your coaching business?

4. What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced when starting up your coaching business, and also when scaling it to a full-time business?

5. Getting paying athletes is always a challenge for new coaches. What advice or strategies do you have for new coaches, and for those looking to continue scaling their coaching practice?

6. What were some of your biggest mistakes when building your coaching practice?

7. Pricing is another issue that a lot of coaches get stuck on. How did you determine your pricing?

8. Where do you see Runwithalli in the next 5 years?