Science & Cycling<\/a> is an annual conference that brings together cycling\u2019s finest coaches, exercise physiologists and academics to reveal what\u2019s happening at the tip of the peloton, while flagging up what lies ahead down the road.<\/p>\n It\u2019s usually held for two days in the week prior to the Tour de France<\/a>\u2019s Grand Depart, but Covid forced a change this year to Leuven, Belgium, just prior to the World Championships<\/a>.<\/p>\n And, despite the labyrinth of passenger locator forms, PCR tests and general Covid confusion, we were there to find out how you can ride stronger and more comfortably in 2022\u2026<\/p>\n Kurt Bergin-Taylor is a former student at Loughborough University, has a PhD in exercise physiology and worked on Cycling Canada\u2019s Olympic track programme before taking up his current role as trainer at Team DSM.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a man who successfully marries academia and real-life application, and says all roadies can learn from his time in Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a relatively disappointing Worlds in Berlin [2020] and what we noticed \u2013 especially the women \u2013 was that we were really struggling over the first two laps,\u201d recalls Bergin-Taylor.<\/p>\n \u201cOur flying starts were comparable with the best, but our standing starts weren\u2019t. We didn\u2019t have the ability to generate force early on and it was costing us. I wanted to understand why.\u201d<\/p>\n Key to uncovering the problem was the uniqueness of a track bike<\/a> and its fixed gear. With no gears to rapidly shift through from stop to start, that makes torque \u2013 essentially a measure of force acting on the pedals to make the wheels rotate \u2013 incredibly important.<\/p>\n Bergin-Taylor played around with gym work, but it wasn\u2019t \u201cmuscle-specific\u201d enough.<\/p>\n \u201cWe needed on-the-bike work for a very short period of time, so we designed a protocol via the Tacx<\/a> Utility app. On there, you have an isokinetic mode, where no matter how much force is exerted, the speed is fixed, so it\u2019s useful to train at low revolutions per minute (rpm).<\/p>\n \u201cYou also have the isotonic mode, which helps you to apply constant force through the pedal stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n Twice weekly, the Canadian riders\u2019 strength training was replaced with three sets of four-second maximal effort work, comprising up to 12 repetitions each time, with two minutes of rest between sets.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a disgusting session, but it paid off, as 66 per cent of the participants racked up 3km individual-pursuit personal bests,\u201d says Bergin-Taylor.<\/p>\n Kelsey Mitchell, who rode in the velodrome for the first time in 2018, even went on to win sprint gold at the delayed Tokyo Olympics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bergin-Taylor concedes it\u2019s much harder to assess your torque generation through the pedal stroke on the road, but it is possible, \u201cthough requires much cleaning up of data\u201d.<\/p>\n What\u2019s clearer is that we can all benefit from increasing torque, whether that\u2019s to accelerate from your mates or laying down the hammer uphill. Adapting Bergin-Taylor\u2019s session, over-gear work and low-cadence intervals all help here.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should play around with cadence and gear selection, too,\u201d Bergin-Taylor insists.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know certain sprinters assume they reach maximal power at 120rpm, but if we dial down into the data, we see they\u2019re actually sprinting at 100rpm because they shove the gear down into 54\/11 every time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe then start to educate them and say it\u2019s fine to shift down to 54\/13, as you\u2019ll hit 120rpm and cycle faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Wattshop<\/a> was created by Dan Bigham, the new British Hour record-holder. Bigham broke Sir Bradley Wiggins\u2019 record in October 2021, riding 54.723km in Grenchen, Switzerland, a day after his partner Joss Lowden set a new women\u2019s hour record<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bigham\u2019s known as a disruptor and was spotted at the recent mixed relay time trial at the Worlds with something stuffed down his jersey.<\/p>\n Cycling commentator Michael Hutchinson referred to it as a \u201cgigantic monoboob\u201d.<\/p>\n It was revealed soon after to be a radio built into a massive padded pocket to improve aerodynamics. But that wasn\u2019t the sole aero advantage Bigham was seeking in Flanders.<\/p>\n \u201cWe supported Dan at the Worlds,\u201d explains Kelly Zwarych, co-founder of slipstreaming pioneers AeroLab Technology, \u201cspecifically on the course reconnaissance.\u201d<\/p>\n Zwarych helped to create the water-resistant data logger that sits beneath aerobar extensions, and provides real-time measurements of all the metrics that time triallists are constantly looking to improve for faster times: aerodynamic drag, coefficient of drag area (CdA), coefficient of rolling resistance (Crr), wind speed, wind yaw angle, wind gusts, plus estimations of drivetrain loss.<\/p>\n In short, it provides a next-generation analysis of aero peformance, taking wind-tunnel feedback into the real world.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all designed to answer peak-performance questions: which equipment\u2019s best suited for a given race? What tyres and pressure<\/a> are best for any given set of wheels? Will a disc wheel really be faster? Why was I slower during the second half of my race but my power was higher?<\/p>\n \u201cLet me show you an example from Ironman [triathlon] racing to highlight the importance of aero,\u201d says Zwarych.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo of the best \u2013 Lionel Sanders and Jan Frodeno \u2013 roughly use the same equipment, weigh the same and generate a similar power output, so as Lionel\u2019s shorter, you\u2019d expect him to be faster.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Jan\u2019s often eight minutes faster over the 180km bike [leg of a triathlon]. Looking at Lionel\u2019s power output, we can estimate his CdA and, if he reduced that by around 0.019, he\u2019d be neck-and-neck with Frodeno and fresh for the run.<\/p>\n \u201cThis shortfall could be as simple as using the wrong tyres, helmet or hand position.\u201d<\/p>\n Currently, this assessment\u2019s focused on the peak of the performance pyramid, with a six-month lease of the product coming in at nearly $3,000.<\/p>\n There are plans for a more affordable Aero-Lite product to hit the market in spring 2022. This will be under $400 (with UK prices to be confirmed).<\/p>\n In the meantime, simple aerodynamic tweaks<\/a> every recreational rider can make include wearing close-fitting clothing, zipping up your jersey, spending more time on the drops and shaving your legs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The wonderfully named Ruby Otter is a lecturer in physiology at the University of Groningen, with a particular interest in the physiological repercussions of stress on endurance performance.<\/p>\n In one study, Otter and her team monitored 150 cyclists, triathletes and runners for two years, asking them to complete a questionnaire, as well as logging their training and using the rate of perceived exertion scale [in Otter\u2019s, 6 is very light; 20 is maximum exertion] to gauge effort.<\/p>\n \u201cWe chronicled four areas of stress and recovery: everyday stress, general recovery, sports-specific stress and sports-specific recovery,\u201d says Otter.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom this, we could calculate a recovery-stress score. We found that as general stress increased, performance suffered. On the other hand, if an athlete\u2019s happy with training and life, they see a performance increase.\u201d<\/p>\n Another study followed a group of runners who\u2019d endured a \u201cnegative life event, though I can\u2019t say what because of ethics\u201d.<\/p>\n What Otter did reveal was that the group\u2019s running performance dropped by an average 3.6 per cent, plus oxygen consumption cranked up despite running at similar speeds. \u201cSomehow, stress had altered their coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n Why isn\u2019t entirely clear, though a rise in cortisol levels is associated with impaired performance. What\u2019s clearer, says Otter, is that training too intensely when life becomes stressful is a path to overreaching, even overtraining. If your performance is plummeting, and you\u2019re irritable and recovering slowly, you could already be there.<\/p>\n But if you want empirical evidence, use the sub-maximal test utilised by Otter: the LSCT Test, created by one of the comperes of this year\u2019s conference, Rob Lambert.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a 17-minute sub-maximal effort on an indoor trainer that requires either a heart rate monitor<\/a> or power meter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cycle for six minutes at 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate (HRmax); six minutes at 80 per cent HRmax; and three minutes at 90 per cent HRmax.<\/p>\n Alternatively, this translates to 50 per cent, 72 per cent and 96 per cent of functional threshold power<\/a>, or FTP, if you train by watts.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a 30-second buffer between stages, leaving you to finish with 90 seconds where you stop cycling and sit up, so you can monitor your heart-rate recovery (HRR).<\/p>\n It\u2019s this final minute that\u2019s perhaps the most telling indication of whether you\u2019re fit to cycle as, if your heart rate struggles to return to normal levels, it\u2019s a sign you\u2019re potentially on the verge of overtraining<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over time, you\u2019ll notice what your average heart rates are over the first three active stages, becoming your own affordable cycling coach.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a great way to measure stress and impact training workload accordingly.<\/p>\n \u201cYour little Bert comes to you and wants to take up cycling. But which discipline? A mountain biker? Or hit the track? Or a roadie? Little Bert asks his parents. He asks his friends. They give him different answers.<\/p>\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be nice for little Bert if he could know exactly which discipline his muscle type was more suited to? Well, now he can\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Those were the words of Eline Lievens, a post-doctoral researcher in exercise physiology and sports nutrition at Ghent University.<\/p>\n Lievens has spent the past few years delving deep into athletes\u2019 anatomy but, thankfully for said athletes, not via the traditional technique of muscle biopsy.<\/p>\n Though it\u2019s the gold standard, it requires extracting a muscle fibre from the leg via a long needle and can ascertain an athlete\u2019s muscle typology; in other words, whether they\u2019re a slow-twitcher or fast-twitcher.<\/p>\n \u201cMy professor [Pro Wim Derave] has invented a non-invasive technique to measure muscle typology by placing an athlete into a scanner and measuring their carnosine levels,\u201d says Lievens.<\/p>\n \u201cCarnosine, which is a protein building block, is found to be more readily available in fast-twitch fibres.\u201d Vis-\u00e0-vis, high carnosine equals a prevalence of powerful fast-twitch fibres; low carnosine equals a prevalence of less powerful but more stamina-packed slow-twitch fibres.<\/p>\n Why is knowing this split important? As little Bert now understands, talent ID is one reason, albeit there are definite ethical arguments around enforcing your child to choose a sport that matches their genetics rather than what their friends are doing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can help at an older age, too, as you might not be riding the discipline that you\u2019re genetically best at,\u201d adds Lievens. \u201cWe scanned 80 cyclists from road, track, mountain biking and cyclocross, and showed a correlation between disciplines.<\/p>\n \u201cAthletes deemed intermediate or fast typology performed well in BMX and track sprinting. Those with an intermediate and slower typology did well on the road and cyclocross.\u201d This partly explains the success of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.<\/p>\n Discovering your muscle typology can also help with pacing strategy, says Lievens, as a slow typology might be best suited to even pacing, while a fast typology should start slow and finish fast.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because athletes with a fast typology fatigue quicker, meaning their training volume and frequency should be lower than the slow group, too.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir recovery duration between intense sessions should also be longer,\u201d says Lievens.<\/p>\n \u201cAs should their recovery duration between intense exercises within training sessions. And their taper longer.\u201d<\/p>\n This is all well and good, but this machine\u2019s currently stationed in Belgium. Back in Britain, you can find a university that offers muscle-biopsy analysis. Or you can go for the more parochial, albeit non-invasive and pretty accurate methods of physical tests.<\/p>\n These include a 60-second jump test, where you jump continuously for 60 seconds and see how your vertical distance tails off. A dramatic height and then drop-off suggests you\u2019re a fast-twitcher; slow-twitchers are more of a plateau.<\/p>\n Victor Scholler holds a PhD in sport science and currently works with the French WorldTour team Groupama-FDJ. He also knows how to make a cyclist comfortable on the bike.<\/p>\n1: Learning from the track<\/h2>\n
![\""Four\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/11\/Canadian-womens-track-cycling-team-77138db.jpg?quality=90&resize=613%2C413"\" "\\"\"Canadian-womens-track-cycling-team\"\\"\/")
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>2: Your aero future<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>03: It\u2019s not all about the bike<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>04: Ride to your strengths<\/h2>\n
![\""Mathieu\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/11\/Symposium-Of-Speed-05-1232709194-69ffe69.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Symposium\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>05: Platform for success<\/h2>\n
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