Last Week in Cycling - October 13th
1. Pogačar Goes Monumental Again: Fifth Straight Il Lombardia Win Tadej Pogačar has officially redefined what “closing the season in style” means. At Il Lombardia 2025, he launched a solo attack with 36 km to go (on the Passo di Ganda) and held it to the finish, claiming his fifth consecutive Lombardywin and tying Fausto Coppi’s record. The race was no casual affair. From Como to Bergamo over ~238 km, the parcours punished the legs and thinned the field. But Pogačar’s blend of timing, streng
Nutrition for Cycling: Core Principles & Recent Insights
Why Nutrition Matters for Cycling Cycling performance is not solely determined by training or genetics — how you feed, fuel, and recover has a large cumulative effect. Key nutrition goals are: * Maintain energy supply (muscle & liver glycogen, blood glucose) to support sustained power output * Minimize metabolic fatigue (e.g. via substrate availability, acid–base balance) * Facilitate recovery & adaptation, including muscle repair, glycemic recovery, mitochondrial remodeling * Tailor to co
Eccentric Cycling Training: A Promising Frontier for Cycling Performance
What Is Eccentric Cycling? In standard (concentric) cycling, the muscles shorten (contract) to produce force as you push the pedals. In eccentric cycling, the muscles resist force as they lengthen — effectively applying a braking or negative work load while the crank is driven (or resisted) in reverse or via specialised ergometer mechanisms. Because eccentric contractions can produce higher forces at a lower metabolic cost than concentric ones, using eccentric stimuli in cycling offers a way t
Last week in Cycling - October 6th
1. Pogačar Doubles Down: Europe’s Crown After Worlds Solo Fresh off his dramatic solo win at the World Championships, Tadej Pogačar wasn’t satisfied. On October 5, he unleashed another long break — this time ~75 km from the finish — to win the 2025 European Road Championship in Guilherand‑Granges, France. Despite warnings (especially from Belgian coach Serge Pauwels) that such a move “would end badly,” Pogačar held firm, extending his legend beyond a single peak. Remco Evenepoel came in seco
Top 5 Cycling Stories - September 29th
1. Pogačar Pulls Off Monumental Solo to Win 2025 World Road Title In a performance that’ll be replayed in highlight reels for years, Tadej Pogačar launched a daring solo break over 105 kmfrom the finish and held on to take the 2025 Elite Men’s Road World Championship in Kigali. He’s now reportedly the first rider ever to pull off back-to-back Tour de France + Road Worlds doubles — a stat so absurd it sounds like fiction. Remco Evenepoel chased hard but finished 1:28 in arrears; Ben Healy gr
September 29, 1974: Merckx's Hour Record
Eddy Merckx set an hour record in Mexico City that would stand for 12 years, covering an astonishing 49.431 kilometers. The Cannibal later described it as "the hardest ride I ever did." Racing at altitude to minimize air resistance, Merckx pushed himself to absolute limits, collapsing after the effort and requiring oxygen. The record embodied everything about Merckx - his perfectionism, his willingness to suffer, and his desire to dominate every aspect of cycling. This mark would become cycling'
Top 5 Cycling Stories - September 22nd
1. Remco Evenepoel Takes Third Straight Men’s Time‑Trial World Title in Kigali In the opening time trial of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali (first ever in Africa), Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel proved again that he’s the master of the solo ride against the clock. He won his third consecutive elite men’s World Time Trial title over ~40 km, finishing absolutely dominant. Tadej Pogacar had a rougher day — off his best, he slipped to fourth behind Evenepoel, Jay Vine, and Ilan Van Wi
Advances & Key Findings in Cycling Nutrition
Recent studies have sharpened our understanding of how nutrition can optimize performance, recovery, and adaptation for cyclists. Some of the most relevant findings: 1. More precise carbohydrate supplementation * A 2025 review “A Review of Carbohydrate Supplementation Approaches” (Cao et al.) examines how factors like types of carbs, ratios (e.g. glucose/fructose), concentrations, GI (gastrointestinal) tolerance, environmental conditions, and individual differences (age, sex) affect perfor
Improving Cycling Performance via Muscle Synergies & Neuromuscular Coordination
What Are Muscle Synergies? “Muscle synergies” are patterns of activation across multiple muscles acting together to produce movement. The concept is that the nervous system doesn’t always control each muscle in isolation, but rather through groups (synergies) that simplify control. Efficiency, coordination, and power output in cycling are influenced by how well these synergies are tuned. Recent research has shed light on how synergies evolve with power demand, and how improving coordination can
On this day (September 17th 1967) - The Perfect Race
Beryl Burton rode through the Yorkshire countryside, her pedal strokes smooth and powerful. In the 1967 12-hour time trial, she wasn't just racing against women – she was fastest overall. Her distance of 277.25 miles set a new absolute record, beating both men's and women's competitions. It would take two years before any man could better her mark, cementing Burton's place as one of cycling's greatest pioneers.
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1. Jonas Vingegaard Claims Vuelta a España 2025; Final Stage Disrupted by Protests What happened: The Vuelta a España (23 August‑14 September) wrapped up with Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Visma‑Lease a Bike) taking overall victory, seizing back the red jersey with a solo win on the decisive Queen stage atop La Bola del Mundo. However, things got messy at the end: the final stage in Madrid was cancelled (or severely curtailed) due to large pro‑Palestinian protests. The podium ceremony couldn’
Latest Insights: Cycling Performance & Nutrition
Recent studies continue to refine and deepen our understanding of how nutrition drives performance in cyclists, especially around endurance, recovery, and training adaptation. Key areas are carbohydrate strategy, protein requirements, timing of intake, supplement effects, and special conditions (e.g. heat). Below are the important findings. What Research Tells Us 1. Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise * A 2025 study “Effect of Low‑to‑Moderate Exogenous Carbohydrate Supplementation During