Burning Matches Cycling Podcast Ep-21 Dr. Sandra Fleming
Cycling Back from the Bottom
You can be even stronger and faster than you were before.
That’s what Dr. Sandra Fleming told me not long after I was wondering if I was ever going to ride at a competitive level again. And I will add that she has been the driver of making it happen.
I was already working through the challenges of my divorce from mid 2024 when some extreme new stresses hit me all at once from late 2024 and culminating in the Spring of 2026.
I thought I was finally through the biggest challenges of my life, but then my health crashed. Finally able to get out of survival mode, my body just shut down and I lost all energy.
I could barely get out of bed, much less ride. In June 2026 I started on a program to protect my health, get the rest I needed, start restoring my system, and began new protocols that included monitoring my biofeedback and following a strict program of rest and recovery.
After June, July and August in recovery mode, my body is finally starting to come back, especially the past couple weeks starting around mid-September.
I’m finally feeling like I’m actually RIDING and it feels so great. Making it even better is to have hope for my cycling future thanks to Dr. Sandra.
This episode continues telling that story, adding the perspective of Dr. Sandra. This is the second in that series and you can see the first episode here:
Cycling Thru Ups & Downs
https://youtu.be/gPAAaufsIAk?si=8VDjDf4TGzuD9wSU
Dr. Sandra and I will now be meeting regularly to give updates on my progress, both from my perspective and hers as the doctor guiding my program.
I hope this episode helps other cyclists navigate challenges and find hope when they are going through a rough patch either on or off the bike or both.
Oh, special note: I’m not doing 200-mile races, but I appreciate Dr. Sandra’s impression of my capabilities : )
Title and end credit song:
The North of California by The Guide to Fast Living
https://open.spotify.com/track/7Ml8DDrduQFbQpeMyympyr
00:17 Improvements for All Ages
01:15 How a Life Challenge Can Improve Your Cycling
02:01 Meet Dr. Sandra Fleming
03:22 Kurt’s Health Challenges
04:21 Dr. Sandra’s Perspective
04:30 Point 1: HRV + VO2 Mismatch
06:11 Point 2: The Sum of All Stresses
08:22 Point 3: Underfueling + Energy Availability
09:29 Point 4: Inflammation/Chronic Stress
10:37 Homocysteine
11:16 Point 5: Nervous System Overload
12:40 Turning Down the Volume
13:04 Recover Capacity is Trainable
13:35 The Junior Bike Racer Mentality
15:12 We Have a Plan
16:01 What Happened to My Body?
17:30 The Hardest Part is to Slow Down
18:00 Kurt’s Therapeutic Riding Program
18:54 The Gray Zone
19:41 The Hierarchy of Leverages (5)
19:50 1. Training Load Reduction
20:24 2. Fueling
21:29 3. Sleep: The Highest Yield
21:56 4. Targeted Micronutrients
22:28 5. Nervous System Regulation
24:02 You Can Be Stronger & Faster
25:24 Pace by Data
27:30 Paying Attention to Your Body
28:00 Saying No is Hard but Doable
28:53 Discipline + Balance
30:16 The Right Data
31:34 Every Piece of the Puzzle Matters
32:20 A Better Approach
Links
Dr. Sandra Fleming
http://drsandrafleming.com
Primal Trust
https://www.primaltrust.org/
Red Peloton Bike Racing Team in Northern California
https://redpeloton.com
Presented by Alien Feedings
https://alienfeedings.com/
","author_name":"Kurt Hoffmann"}