A Pro’s
Perspective

Part 1

A Q&A with Tanner Ward on nutrition, training and more.

By Bryce Ward |  Photography by Kit Karzen

Artist Melissa Cowper-Smith uses plant fibers grown on-site to make paper and encaustic paintings, blending  agriculture and creativity.

Tanner Ward

Tanner is a professional cyclist riding for the Miami Blazers. He lives in Little Rock and specializes in road races, criteriums and gravel racing. He also has years of experience as a cycling coach and bike fitter. In the first of a two-part series, he gives his perspective on many of the common issues competitive cyclists confront.

What advice would you give to someone new to the sport of cycling, particularly if they aspire to rise in categories?
I’d say to keep in mind the big picture, and to understand that each race is a learning opportunity. You should learn something from every race so you can gain experience to improve for future races.

For example, if someone is a Cat. 5 and they want to become a Cat. 1, it’s important to understand why you want to be a Cat. 1 and then making sure you develop a process that aligns with the reason you want to be in that category.

It’s common for cyclists who are new to the sport to do too much too soon. What advice do you have for preventing the “burnout” that so many cyclists encounter?
For your motivation to be sustainable, you need to make sure you’re training for the right reason.

There’s also a lot of distractions with social media and seeing what other people are doing. You may see a big ride on Strava and think, “I should have done more.” You’ll see someone’s average power and wonder what their weight is and how on earth they’re doing that. So, it’s easy to get distracted and think you’re not doing enough. That’s where it’s important to have a plan in place, and to have someone you can rely on, either a coach or a mentor or even a training partner who can help keep you grounded.

Cycling is endurance based, so keep the big picture in mind and keep chipping away. It’s going to take time to get where you want to be.

What is the secret to becoming a faster cyclist?
To truly enjoy riding your bike. I feel like a lot of people think racers are mainly in it for the competition, but I think all the top cyclists truly love cycling in its most basic form. There’s the competition aspect, and some people are super competitively driven, but you have to at least find some sort of enjoyment in it — whether it’s getting outside in nature, or the community aspect of it — there’s got to be something there.

If you can enjoy riding by yourself at times, that’s a good sign. It goes back to it being a long game. You’re not always going to be able to train with someone. You can’t always rely on somebody to help hold you accountable. If you can find joy while riding a bike, you’ll have a lot of longevity in the sport, and that longevity will ultimately make you a faster cyclist.

GO FAST: Ward says the first key to getting faster is to truly enjoy riding.

There is a lot of advice out there for what cyclists should be doing when they’re not on the bike, but what are some general guidelines that can point people in the right direction?
I think the biggest thing is for people to get into a routine, something they can stick to. And also, don’t over-complicate it. You don’t have to reinvent stretching, or gym work, or core, or nutrition for that matter.

For stretching, you can keep it dynamic and focus more on activation before rides if that’s what someone wants to do. I would save static stretching — or the lengthening sort of stretching, where you’re actually doing some damage to the muscles in a very controlled manner — for after rides and before bed, and don’t do too much, too quick.

For core, I think recovery days are good times to focus on that, but don’t over complicate it. Five minutes can be plenty for core work. And for gym stuff, start out with single leg movements, dynamic coordination type stuff, and working in plyometrics, too. Cyclists get no impact through the ground, no eccentric movement, so anything that can ease into the body, absorbing some impact into the ground, is going to help with overall health.

Any general nutrition tips for cyclists who want to improve their overall health and/or on-bike performance?
I think one of the biggest things is fluctuating your carbohydrate intake based on the demands for the day or the day ahead. For most people the training volume isn’t so astronomical where you have to be shoveling in 5,000 calories a day.

There’s this big push right now for 100 to 120 grams of carbs per hour on the bike. While there is a place for that — for super high-intensity workouts — it’s not needed on every workout by any means.

And that goes for off-the-bike nutrition ,too. If you have a weekly plan, think ahead for your intensity days; if it’s a VO2 or threshold session, even a longer tempo day, you’ll want higher carbohydrate intake for dinner and even lunch for the day prior, maybe even breakfast. The dinner before a recovery day or a day off, you still want carbs, but you shouldn’t have to eat a massive plate of pasta. That’s a great time to get in some high-quality protein. Don’t neglect the carbs because you can bury yourself if you are training consistently.

For those recovery days you don’t want to shut off carbohydrate intake, you want to limit it. Try to save those Haribo gummy bears for high intensity days, and prioritize wholesome carbs — actual food — on easier days.

RECOVERY DAYS: Are good days for cyclists to hit the gym.

In recent years, cyclists have become infatuated with numbers — especially power numbers. How important are power metrics, really, and is perceived effort something people should be prioritizing more? In other words, how can cyclists find a balance between looking at data and listening to their bodies?
Most people’s FTP will start to plateau at a certain point. When you first get started, you see improvement, improvement, improvement, and then eventually you’ll start to plateau. You might try a 20-minute test and do worse for the first time than you ever have in a previous one, and that’s when a power meter might start to become a limiter. At that point it can also start to have an impact on you listening to your body, and understanding what threshold should feel like or what VO2 should feel like.

The power meter is basically a calibration device for your perceived effort. If you’re trying to ride at endurance pace, you should be able to stay in the zone without looking too much at your power or heart rate numbers. When you do glance down, it should check out with the zone you’re trying to ride in. It takes time and practice to be able to ride a steady power for a given interval based on your perceived effort, but the goal should be not to fully rely on a power meter for training and racing.

When someone asks what power I did after a race, I have zero idea. I’ll look at it after the fact, it’s a great way to track progress or to compare races over years or events, but in a race scenario, it matters absolutely zilch — all that matters is speed.

What is a mid-ride gas-station haul you’re particularly proud of?
Jumex Mango Nectar, chocolate milk, Haribo peaches and a package of family-sized Reese’s peanut butter cups. Chocolate milk is money.

What is your favorite route in Little Rock?
Garrison Loop.

White shoes and black socks, or black shoes and white socks?
If I’m picking between those, I’d have to say white shoes, black socks.

Who is your favorite professional cyclist right now? And why?
In the men’s peloton, Tadej Pogacăr for his aggressive racing style — and because he pulled off the “Babe Ruth” at this year’s Estrada Bianchi. In the women’s peloton, Demi Vollering for her souplesse on the bike.