Cycling, and sport in general, has come a long way from cigarettes and steaks as the go-to nutrition. But while the fancy packaging, bling marketing and immense dollar figures going into R&D, we still come back to the basics.

Sam Shepherd is Head of Sports Science at Precision Fuel & Hydration and a really good guy as well. Sam breaks down why sports nutrition has evolved so much and where the demands are coming from - athletes, stakeholders, and the general public. We also get some insight into where the next possible nutritional trends may be and why carbohydrate intake will never be possible to reach much farther than where we are at now.

Did you know baby food is actually a really good nutritional item to have for sports?! We also get to learn how much oral and gut health needs to play a role in consuming large amounts of sports nutrition.

I should also mention, this is not an advertisement, nor is it commissioned work. Nothing has traded hands except knowledge and a really fun conversation. Precision Fuel & Hydration are one of the leaders in sports nutrition and Sam is just a genuinely good person.

Follow Precision Fuel & Hydration on Instagram: @precisionfandh

Join their Strava Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/104959

Follow Clipless in Canada on Instagram: @cliplessincanada

Join the show's Strava Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/1404973

Lewis Askey is one of cycling's top young talents with a plethora of results to his name. For many athletes a podium can symbolize the work, effort and resources that went into that event and is something to be seriously happy with. A podium is not a win, especially when trying to be the best around. Lewis Askey thinks along those lines!

With a serious, yet carefree manner, Lewis brings a wealth of talent and personality to NSN Cycling Team and compliments a very strong Classics squad, while still being able to ride with the best in stage racing.

From racing the club scene in the UK to the FDJ ecosystem and now NSN, Lewis grew up in the peak Wiggins cycling era and is one of Great Britain's coolest riders. We chat about building his career and finding his footing as a rider and person. Lewis also shares his thoughts on the importance of balancing cycling with other interests in life, the necessity of keeping cycling fun and enjoying what it has to offer, as well as how much the Wiggins boom truly impacted UK cycling and if the region needs a new landing spot for young British talent, as was seen in the Team Sky days.

Follow Lewis on Instagram: @lewis_askey

Follow Lewis on Strava: https://www.strava.com/pros/11514904

Follow Clipless in Canada on Instagram: @cliplessincanada

Very few have been able to carve a length career such as the one Toms Skuijņš has had. As cycling gets younger, more intense and more dynamic, needs, demands and approaches to racing, training, nutrition and lifestyle are all needing to adapt.

Toms joins the show to chat about his career and how such a global sport has changed in his more than a decade long career. Toms gives insight into how living, racing and training in the USA helped shape him as a ride and person, how North American cycling has a long way to go to bring bike racing to the mainstream, and why the loss of a strong North American racing calendar affects the entire season.

We also talk about the Latvia cycling scene and its current state of affairs. Will global racing ever see a strong Latvia presence or is the climate, geography and demographic never going to be suited to cycling?

Toms also shares his take on why athletes and teams need to place greater focus on academics. Cycling is dangerous, and placing no Plan B in the cards, can be terribly costly for a productive, fulfilling life post-career. We also learn of Toms dislike for e-racing and how he's really just a typical Canadian hockey fan at heart!

Toms Instagram: @omashuuns

Toms Strava: https://www.strava.com/pros/2413208?hl=fr-FR