Colin O’Brady Shares His Training Tips for Cycling Across America

From summiting Mt. Everest twice to the first solo crossing of Antarctica, Colin O’Brady has proven himself to be one of the world’s best endurance athletes. Along with his childhood friend Lucas Clarke, O’Brady recently set his 11th world record in June. The pair completed the Race Across America in 6 days, 6 hours and 43 minutes. The mark bested the previous record for the pairs category by five hours.

The effort was made possible by the pair’s SUB6 Project. Their goal was to shatter the record by completing the ride in under six days. For over a year, O’Brady, Clarke and a team of hand-selected individuals went through an extensive training and planning regimen. Much of it included wind tunnel testing as well as mental and physical training. The workouts helped prepare for the 3,064 miles needed to bike across the entire width of the United States.

Colin O’Brady was already marinating on what his next adventure would be while recovering from the effort. He spoke with Muscle & Fitness on the mental and physical preparation that led to breaking his latest world record. He also shared the most important training he uses when situations became toughest.

How Colin O’Brady Trained For ‘The World’s Toughest Bicycle Race’

 With any of the projects or adventures O’Brady embarks on, he makes sure to enlist experts and great coaching to make sure that he’s fully prepared for the stress and conditions that will be placed on both his body and mind. For cycling across the width of America, Gary Hand of Espresso Coaching was brought in to see the team through their goal of completing the voyage trek in under six days. O’Brady called Hand the “mastermind” of the entire project.

 “We sat with him and said hey, here’s our goal,” O’Brady said. “He believed in us from day one but he told me this isn’t going to be easy. We’re going to have to roll up our sleeves and work our asses off.”

Hand created and monitored every single session O’Brady would spend on a bike. Everything from the number heart rate, number of pedals, cadence to the surface of the roads were assessed. With each session, there were specific instructions to follow. These included the riding distance, the exact heart rate to reach to the time of day of day to ride. O’Brady also spent time at the Silverstone wind tunnel in the U.K. to make sure the details of their technical kit was up to par.

O’Brady and Clarke received the headlines for the record. However, O’Brady made sure to let it be known that it wouldn’t have been possible without the team of 15 assembled to support this project. These were mechanics, cooks, physical trainers, a navigator, and the best people who could fully commit just as he and Clarke had. Last October, they all met in Texas for a training camp to simulate riding in the extreme heat. They also went through mental training with speaker and executive coach Finnian Kelly.  He helped make sure their minds were aligned and that they had a mentality that would see them through when things got tough.

“Had we not done that preparation as a team ahead of time, I think this entire thing breaks down,” O’Brady said. “We don’t set the world record. So that’s the key part in this preparation outside of literally putting miles on the bike. It was the mindset components of really going deep as a team and creating these high functioning team dynamics to really soar.”

As for his nutrition, O’Brady insists he eats very clean. He’s used AG1 for years. He says he relied on the the supplement during training, practices as well as during and after the race. The goal of finishing in under six days might have been too ambitious.  But the pair no stone was left unturned in their pursuit.

Colin O’Brady: Go Farther and Faster with Friends

O’Brady and Clarke met in the first grade and have remained close for over three decades. Clarke is a three-time UCI master track cycling world champion, single speed Unbound Gravel winner and clearly the more experienced of the pair when it comes to being on a bike. Both have completed several other adventures together prior to RAAM. Their understanding and trust in one another was valuable. This was important when communication was nearly impossible while navigating certain challenges during the event.

“There were very few times when we could actually stop and talk,” O’Brady said. “He would be riding or I’d be riding. We really just crossed each other’s paths for a second or two as one of us switched off the bike and the other one started riding. But, just with a little eye contact, a word here and there — when you have 35 years of experience with somebody, you just know they’ve got your back.”

At the starting line in California, O’Brady and Clarke looked at one another and and shared a tearful hug. They had prepared themselves for over a year and were getting ready to make history together. When they crossed the finish line in Atlantic City, the world record was sort of an afterthought.

“To be standing there with the person who’s been by my side through thick and thin throughout so much of my life was just truly one of the most amazing experiences I can ever have,” said O’Brady.

Recovery after 3,064 Miles and Over 130,000 Feet of Climbing in Six Days

Colin O’Brady was back home in Jackson Hole, WY, when he spoke with M+F. He was beginning to get back to feeling like himself. O’Brady still had numbness in his feet from the constant pressure being placed on the pedals. This made chasing his 13-month-old son around all the more fun. He and Clarke competed the race with each doing 90-minute stints. O’Brady says they burned close to 15,000 calories a day. During this time, they were only able to squeeze in short naps. Their rest was usually in the back of one of the two vans full of teammates who followed closed behind.

They relied on gels and powders in drinks to make up what they were losing during their stints on the bike. Optimizing sleep was first and foremost in recovery for O’Brady. He also utilized a company called Function Health to see just how depleted he was. With getting his blood work done, he received over 100 biomarkers. The goal here was to learn which supplementation was needed use to get back to normal.

The Benefit of Working the Mind

 Setting 11 world records doesn’t come without pushing the body to some extreme levels. With a clean diet and a dedicated training regimen, O’Brady makes sure that he’s physically prepared to take on any challenge he takes on. What he feels separates himself from the rest of us who wouldn’t dare attempt any of the feats he’s made seem regular has more to do with his mind more so than his fitness.

 “I love to say the most important muscle any of us have is the six inches between our ears,” O’Brady says. “The physical prep is important but the mental prep is huge. I think every single person on this planet has the ability to flex and develop that most important muscle but you got to take that mind to the mental gym.”

When he was 25, Colin O’Brady was introduced to these 10-day silent retreats where Vipassana Mediation is taught. The practice is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditating and helps better connect users with mind and body. He’s also done darkness retreats where he’s spent time in a cave for a week with nothing but his thoughts. It is these experiences and continued meditative practices that has given O’Brady a discipline and mental strength to be able to make it through the other side when things get the toughest.

In his book titled “The 12 Hour Walk,” he created a methodology for everyone to better connect to their mind and body by detaching from their devices, social media, e-mails and get out and take a walk. O’Brady says there is a self discovery that comes from this and encourages everyone to try it.

“It’s an exercise that actually activates people,” he said. “We never take time to actually slow down in the stillness of our own mind. No matter where you are in the world, you can take one day and commit to the stillness and silence of your own mind and body. What I find when people come back to their front door 12 hours later, they’re in tears. More than anything, they’ve got to know themselves better.”

Follow Colin on Instagram @colinobrady