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Show notes

In this episode of the Real Science of Sport Spotlight, we start with a Discourse Digest that looks back at a men's Tour de France that fizzled out, with tactical inertia exposing the gulf in performance and power to a dominant, ultimately barely challenged winner. We unpack race highlights, where it dwindled, and why the drama never truly arrived. Meanwhile, the Women’s Tour is heating up, despite Demi Vollering’s crash grabbing headlines The GC battle remains alive as tensions rise between rival teams over safety and entitlement.

Concussion is in focus again (22:37), from both cycling and rugby, with Gary Ringrose’s self-withdrawal from Lions selection earning praise. We explore what this means for the culture of player welfare, how common this behaviour actually is, and how instrumented mouthguards could shape the future of concussion management.

In Center Stage (35:46), we revisit our recent episode on fitness and training load, fuelled by great listener questions from our Discourse community. From the impact of life stress to the limitations of single-metric monitoring, we explore the complexity of training management, and why triangulation, not for the first time, is key.

That theme continues in Listener Lens (55:07) with a dive into a fascinating listener question from John: why does heart rate drop when we’re fatigued? The answer lies in the the balance between two parts of our nervous system, and a brain that might not let us activate muscle. This opens up paradoxes around efficiency and fatigue, and how we react to early signs of overtraining.

And Finally (1:05:13), we discuss the hype and hazards of young athletic prodigies, inspired by a 12 year who nearly won a medal at the Swimming World Champs. But cautionary tales about. We end by asking whether 10,000 steps a day is really necessary—or if Gareth’s dad can get by with 7,000? You'll find that...it depends!

Links to stuff we spoke about!

• The war of words between FDJ and Visma after the Vollering crash
• Ellen van Dijk's retirement announcement
• Discourse members only: Discussion about Ringrose concussion, and Ross' discussion about the IMG use for such cases in future
• Here is Discourse Member Gerald's outstanding post on fitness scores and training stress. Originally on Discourse, I've put this in the public, just for everyone's benefit, and as a teaser to see how fab and smart our listeners are! For more of the same, you know what to do!
• 12 year old nearly reaches World Champs podium

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TSS, Relative Effort, Fitness Score... Confused by all the numbers and what they mean? Mike and Prof. Tucker delve into the details of what defines fitness, how it is measured, the factors that influence fitness and how apps like Strava utilise metrics to provide a fitness score. But what do all the numbers mean, and how can we use them to understand our training better, get fit and peak just at the right time for an event?

Discourse

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Join Discourse: you know what to do - small monthly pledge, and the community is yours!

This week's Spotlight kicks off on the roads of France with a fast-paced Discourse Digest. Remco Evenepoel’s withdrawal sparks a discussion about whether he's fully healthy, or if affected preparation and fuelling challenges might account for his underperformance. Jonas Vingegaard seems to have narrowed one gap to Tadej Pogačar, only to find another expanding on the high-altitude climbs. Ross explains how their previously complementary strengths and weaknesses have evolved into a straight race with, so far, one winner. We also tackle Quinn Simmons’ controversial claims about motorbikes aiding Tim Wellens' stage win—ungracious perhaps, but correct and backed by aerodynamic science.

In Center Stage (29:20), we dive into doping, the media, and trust in sport. Ruth Chepngetich’s diuretic case prompts a wider debate: what are media entitled to ask, and what responsibility do they bear in keeping sport honest? Is asking about doping unfair, or essential? A lively debate on Discourse spills over into the Spotlight!

In Ross Replies (55:56) we take on Discourse member Larkim’s question: should sports equipment be modified for women? From volleyball to athletics, we explore where it already happens, and why more sports might benefit from doing the same. But what do women think, and how should sport consider the sometimes conflicting opinions on this issue?

And Finally (1:07:20) a study of over 5,000 runners reveals that injury risk spikes after a single big jump in distance—not a gradual increase—reshaping how we think about training load.

Links

• Quinn Simmons on motorbikes and Tim Wellens' response
• The Aerodynamic paper on motorbikes and cycling performance
• Article translating the aerodynamic paper for a lay audience
• Discourse members only - discussion about Chepngetich, as featured in Center Stage
• The paper on single session running distance as an injury risk factor

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