How Matt Beers Became So Fast, Lifetime Grand Prix, and More - Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 471

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// TOPICS COVERED
(0:00) Welcome!
(0:44) How did Matt get into Mountain biking?
(02:00) Matt’s stats Height/Weight
(02:31) What made Matt decide on mountain biking?
(04:44) Matt’s mind-blowing first FTP test results
(09:32) Matt’s biggest learning about nutrition
(11:28) What is Matt’s FTP?
(13:04) How to manage nutrition when you burn so many calories
(19:11) Sweat Testing
(20:50) What is Matt’s nutrition strategy?
(24:36) Cape Epic
(25:19) The difference that took Matt from participant to winner
(30:11) The potential of racing in the pro peloton
(33:16) What benefits did Matt get from 20hr indoor training weeks?
(39:07) Matt’s tips for winning Epic
(41:59) Matt’s perspective on the Lifetime Grand Prix
(46:31) Matt’s Bike setup
(51:16) What made Matt pick XC over DH and Enduro?
// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Matt’s Instagram: / mattbeers55
- Lifetime Grand Prix Recap from Sea Otter: • Life Time Sea Otter Cl...
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[@dikekamundu]

As a big rider and a Southern African myself, I particularly enjoyed this episode more than others. I loved how Jonathan was bringing him back to the important things and I felt he did not miss anything. Thank You! Very proud of you Matt.

[@tannerminnis6112]

Wow, in a numbers obsessed sport, he just dropped some typically "top secret" numbers! (I'm looking at you tire pressure). Really fun to have all this insight into life, training, strategy, of a really top cyclists. Thanks again TR and Matt for sharing!

[@TrainerRoad]

Matt was a fantastic guest! Excited for his season this year.

[@livingwithfshd]

that’s cause even if you know his numbers chances are he is riding away from you especially in n stage races

[@bedetorrance5437]

​@TrainerRoad hey Jonathan, have you got a link to the kj/ftp/zones calculator?

[@nickspano4709]

@@bedetorrance5437 You can calculate kj for watts using 3.6 as a multiplier. For example if someone rode at 300w for 1 hour, calculation would be 300 * 3.6 = 1080kj burned in that 1 hour period.

[@CPTcyclist]

Such a chilled and transparent athlete. He’s also a friendly guy on our local roads. Cheers Matt 🇿🇦 . Thanks TR. This one is gold for the numbers gang.

[@TrainerRoad]

Lekker bru to be sure! ;)

[@CPTcyclist]

@@TrainerRoad , haha. Leka bru for sure! 🤙🏽

[@Richz2]

Blimey! Isn’t he a great person to listen to. He is so open with the information he shares, a fantastic guest & I hope it’s not too long before he’s back on TR…. Great interview Jonathan 👌

[@TrainerRoad]

Thanks, Richard! Matt is a fantastic guest.

[@lionelbrink]

This is one of the best interviews ever for TR! Matt Beers is an absolute legend sharing all the insights/info!

[@jvhbur]

proper guy this 🇿🇦🇿🇦

[@deanisaacs1256]

Great interview. Matt is my favourite cyclist. See him often on training rides around Cape Town, often climbing up Ou Kaap Se Weg, or up to the Mast in Tokai. Such a down to earth dude!

[@TrainerRoad]

That's awesome! He's easy to cheer for.

[@mamilcoza62]

ha ha ja --- also seen him - briefly because whoosh and gone

[@cynthialee6147]

Matt Beers- What a great interview! You are such a humble, polite, articulate, humorous and forthcoming champion. You and your coach have turned your strange love for ridiculous effort into phenomenal cycling. Glad you found your niche. Some boys are born to pedal:)

[@williamsamson2177]

Wouldn't be awesome to see him on a road bike in the world tour, in a Belgian classic, on the front, drilling it in a cross-wind. Maybe a guest appearance on one of the pro teams? Would be so cool!

[@SuperPaintball13]

Yes!

[@utube7930]

A real contender against WvA and MvdP

[@mamilcoza62]

Fantastic athlete - A great ambassador for South Africa - embodies the "just be lekker!!" spirit

[@jansucha4327]

What a cool guest. So nice of him to share so much. Motivating and appreciated.

[@TrainerRoad]

We agree!

[@henrynysschens3981]

Matt is a super legend and hope he wins the lifetime go this year!!🎉😊

[@jonathanrobinson2628]

A really fascinating and open interview! As an even bigger guy (203cm/6ft8" and 102kg/225lb) with a love of climbing, it really struck a chord. I'm only two years back on the bike and I'm nearly 40 now and it's funny when I tell other riders that my FTP is just past 400w now and rising. Sounds like a lot but power to weight is still mediocre! Nice to have more top level riders who are oversized. Inspiration for the rest of us. Thanks Matt!

[@robertpearse3745]

An absolute watt machine and even nicer guy!! Deserves all the success in the world after years of being an exceptionally talented athlete.

[@SuperPaintball13]

Kind of new to the channel. This is the most relatable vid I've found. Easy listen though packed with info

[@Teeve01]

Please have him on again!! Really enjoyed the conversation.

[@barendbiceps]

Great having Matt on the show he’s an awesome guys. 💥💪🏼 Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie 🇿🇦

[@TrainerRoad]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@LittleJulio.]

And just like that I’m a Matt Beers fan. Great numbers chat!

[@robtruscott2433]

Team Specialized Off Road is my new favorite - awesome interview! You are both good for our sport✌

[@Aldorains]

What I learned from my time with a World Tour team that changed my trajectory - 1. Ride more. 2. Eat more when riding.

[@davidcarroll4150]

What a legend. Loved the chat and learned a few things. Nice.

[@dewaldotto6789]

Matt is awsome! All his workouts are on Strava for everyone to see and as a pro cyclist that is very rare. I just watch and follow in awe.

[@trudievisser3845]

Brilliant interview! Matt's my hero. Have SO much respect for him and what he bring to MTB in SA. Hope to see many more years of him racing!

[@scottblount9220]

Such an awesome listen!

[@warrenfrost5071]

Awesome interview. Matt is such a top dude, so humble. We raced the Cape Epic this year and he was so approachable, and fast as f***! 🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@Wade9996]

Extremely informative information that helps those that are 6 ft or taller like myself.

[@TrainerRoad]

Happy to hear it!

[@daveronz]

Amazing talent. Really shows that you just need to be born superhuman to compete at that level.

[@tristanm8250]

Yeah, the fact that he was already testing at over 400watts with basically no training really says a lot about the importance of talent.

[@TheTacticalathlete]

Great interview! As a 6’4 fellow tall mtb rider I learned a lot from Matt particularly around fueling! Thank you

[@tonysanford7540]

Great interview, good luck bru! 🇿🇦

[@JonReid]

Loved this episode!

[@williamfry4982]

MATT, The actual biggest diamond 💎 to come out of South Africa.

[@johnbowman83]

Awesome interview and insight! Matt is a good guy and a beast on the bike, look forward to watching the rest of the Lifetime Grand Prix this year

[@KetzalSterling]

Great episode. Cheers.

[@TyTy22_]

I was hoping to meet him at Unbound this year and ask a lot of the same questions you did, seeing as I’m about the same height as Matt. Thanks for having him as a guest

[@Juanpierreprinsloo]

Awesome to watch. Proper numbers.

[@richardsteele-gray7473]

Great interview, very interesting 👌🏼

[@rolandcolavizza5368]

awesome , thanks for putting us on the map Matt!

[@cammayfield1800]

One of the best TR podcasts I’ve heard. Great job!

[@TrainerRoad]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@burnsideisback]

To wrap your heads round this a little, he's doing 430w+ sweet spot intervals. Unreal.

[@JibbaJabber]

MVP 454 - hold my Beers!

[@pinkie7803]

FOUR EIGHT ZERO FTP I've got to lie down.

[@TrainerRoad]

Us too 😵‍💫

[@ericvollmer8820]

There was an interview with Alex Howe where he’s talking about when Matt told him his FTP and he says he might have pooped himself a little…😂

[@ericvollmer8820]

There was an interview with Alex Howe where he’s talking about when Matt told him his FTP and he says he might have pooped himself a little…😂

[@tristanm8250]

He's almost as good as Bjarne Riis and Miguel Induraine in their prime

[@YellowMafia]

Would have loved to see Matt ride with Jaroslav Kulhavy in his prime smashing it on the flats! Two epic legends!

[@TrainerRoad]

Would have been a legendary duo!

[@oliveoil2x]

Great interview- thanks.

[@TrainerRoad]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@garthTurningCranks]

Nice to know that even the seemingly super human riders have struggled with fueling, BUT have managed to over come it and not just doing so on the bike.

[@ultimatist]

How is one born with 400+ FTP??? Good chat!

[@go_jeff_go]

Gotta choose your genetics wisely before you're born!

[@allantimm2003]

Great interview and so great questions Jono ...would be great to be you back here for another Cape Epic maybe in 2025 ?

[@TrainerRoad]

Would love to! But not sure that's in the cards until our kiddos grow up a bit. - Jonathan

[@jespero94]

Really great interview and fun to listen to! Crazy that he had 420 ftp at 81kg when he started haha. Just crazy. Also the fueling is crazy! For example, its usually said that the body can take up 90g/h of carbs? I do hear tho that matt says 120-130g/h. Which would be approx 90x4=360cals/h. For me when i do long easy rides of about 5h i produce 3000-4000kjoules and then my body would burn 750-1000g of carbs right? (if i take 3-4000/4) Its impossible to fuel that much i guess because the max my body can suck up would be 90g/h or total 450g carbs on a 5h ride (i guess this is when burning fat is coming in handy) My question is then: would you recommend to always try to maximize the carb intake on all my long rides to ensure that i get as much carbs as possible? I dont see why you would not want to do this. When i started cycling 10 years ago i did alot of long rides on just water and nothin to eat because thats what most people i knew did, but i dont really know why they did that. Thanks!

[@livingwithfshd]

Matt hand me a beer while I watch you! What a machine 🚂

[@stanislaogerman3743]

Hello TR: where can I find the kilojoule calculator that Jonathan apparently uses when talking about Matt's FTP and Calories burned by zone; thanks.

[@TrainerRoad]

It's a spreadsheet amongst the mess of spreadsheets Jonathan is always using, but it operates on the simple equation of ((Average Power * Time in Seconds)/1000). We need to get a kj calculator up on our site!

[@stanislaogerman3743]

@@TrainerRoad Thank You

[@Cokecanninja]

Im also a bigger fella, 190.5cm and 99kg. I can confirm the calorie burn is super high even at lower intensity. On long rides I almost never fuel enough as a result

[@TrainerRoad]

It's gotta be so tough!

[@123oner2]

Are the FTP numbers for an hour or 20mins?

[@matthewobregon4803]

Big engine

[@dehansmith7747]

He should try the hour record with that ftp

[@davido8086]

Great interview!

[@utube7930]

Surely the energy in:out ratio is directly proportional to the rider size

[@camerondaly7874]

🇿🇦

[@lava_za]

Mullet Beers, very nice guy.

[@koreystephens]

Love BEERS. 🍺

[@mark-on-zwift]

Is that Matt Beers or Ashton Kutcher? 🤣🤣

[@HowlingFantods]

He is the same height and weight as me!

[@HowlingFantods]

I can maintain an average of 425 watts for 30 minutes (on my Peloton)

[@donbarnard82]

Same here. (height/weight -not watts. heh)

[@tristanm8250]

With a 480 watt FTP I bet he could break the hour record, after all Filippo Ganna "only" did 460 watts when did it in 2022.

[@user-yn5sk5ru5g]

480 Watt FTP 😱

[@richardmiddleton7770]

More muscle mass, more glycogen storage and more intra muscular lipids. In other words, he may burn more but he has more storage so his fuelling is similar to a smaller person.

[@speedsociety9177]

no, it might take him the same time until tanks are empty because even though he burns more he has bigger storage, but when storage is empty and his power output is that high he also needs to put more fuel in than a smaller person.

[@AaronCorcoran1]

There was a concept in biology related to how surface area and volume gets bigger for bigger people. Because these scale at different rates, it’s harder for larger people to transport molecules around their body so, for example, nutrient absorption in the gut doesn’t raise as quickly as the persons weight. So yes, it’s harder for bigger people to fuel their efforts.

[@devincook3278]

Larger people certainly sweat more. In a college wrestling practice I would lose about 4-5 lbs with 5% body fat, 150 lbs. Our heavyweights would lose 10 plus lbs.

[@juicebox11959]

Geez what a strong guy. But Dang is seems so hard on o feed that engine. Being a small guy I can fuel up very well 60-80 carbs and hr is fine for me but I’m small. This guy needs tons of gas.

[@cyclingfan1981]

480/5.9

[@user-vh2qr7dc5x]

Being larger means you are pushing more surface area Less ereo dynamic

[@JonReid]

With those numbers, surely he could compete at the world tour level? If he learnt to time trial, he could push Ganna.

[@Cokecanninja]

His FTP is huge but he's also heavy at 81kg so his W/Kg isn't as good as a 60kg guy pushing 100 watts less

[@JonReid]

@@Cokecanninjanot on big climbs, but he could be a great classics rider. Rubaix could he ideal with has handling skills. In saying that, 6watts/kg puts him in the top tier of climbers, not Pog or Vingegard, but not far below.

[@imraanmajiet1058]

​@JonReid he had a season as a stagiare for UAE. From what I heard is that he didn't feel that road cycling, the dynamics etc suited him and he much rather preferred Mano a Mano style MTB/Gravel. I stand to be corrected though. I have no doubt he could be a decent world tour rider if he wanted to.

[@bugsnbikes]

bigger guys can lost pounds more water by the end of the race. Their hourglass on the weight front will have lost more pounds overall weight near the end of the race than small guys.

[@lterra72]

good lord people you have him competing in a world tour or classics? maybe roubaix. he’s 6’4” 180+ lbs. it’s always power to wt, not all ftp

[@bubbastard]

Taller thinner athletes have more surface area available for cooling therefore need to sweat less to remain cool, and have less electrolyte requirements. Actual science, not bro science.

[@donbarnard82]

On the other hand, if you need to put out more watts to get to the same w/kg on a hill, you're going to be running hotter also no?

[@cryptocretin]

That's true. Also I assume bigger people will have a bigger heart and lungs which will make a difference to FTP. From everything I've read It seems that's one of the biggest factors in why men on average have much higher FTP than women.

[@tristanm8250]

Wait wait wait... Doesn't your surface area to volume ratio DECREASE as you get bigger???

[@bubbastard]

@@tristanm8250 tall SKINNY

[@playmoreguitar5393]

480W FTP.... 🫠