Endurance Innovation

One of our favourite guests from the pre-hiatus days is back to talk about:

• The Power of Collaboration: Discover how Bjorn's connections with other experts, like Javier Sola, have shaped his understanding of training and performance.
• The Endless Pursuit of Knowledge: Explore Bjorn's philosophy of continuous learning and how it drives his coaching approach.
• The Science of Training: Dive into the latest research on muscle fiber types, the Hickson protocol (an oldie but goodie), and the impact of different training modalities on performance.
• Fueling the Engine: Discuss the importance of nutrition and hydration in endurance sports, including the role of carbohydrates and the optimal intake strategies.
• The Future of Training: Explore emerging trends in training technology and how they can be used to optimize performance.

Lindsey Hunt of Precision Fuel & Hydration joins Michael to talk about his research into sweat, his novel sweat rate calculator, and his recommendations for maximizing performance in hot conditions. Lindsey covers:

-sweat rate and replenishment strategies

-why dehydration is a more serious performance limiter in hot conditions

-passive and active heat training for acclimatization and performance

-in-race strategies for controlling core temperature

Listen also to our Episode 116 interview with PF&H founder Andy Blow to get a deeper understanding of the role of electrolytes and carbs in hydration.

This is Endurance Innovation's one year anniversary! 🍾

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• 3:15 the FLO story
• 7:30 the early challenges of the direct-to-consumer model
• 10:00 unintentional scarcity
• 11:15 the value of learning from the mistakes of others
• 12:45 the value of transparency in business
• 14:45 the FLO Gen 1 process
• 17:00 FLO studying the real world
• 21:00 the evolution of wheel design over the course of FLO’s presence in the market
• 26:00 the brand new FLO all sport and gravel lines of wheels
• 29:00 how rolling resistance became a cornerstone of design consideration for FLO
• 34:00 the evolution in thinking about the right tire pressure
  • High pressure leads to wheel bounce and power loss
• 36:00 testing rolling resistance with help from Aerolab
  • Turns out, a wider rim reduces rolling resistance
  • Optimizing for both rolling resistance and aero drag, saves up to 2W per wheel
• 38:00 rolling resistance impedance affected by weight, tire type, road surface AND rider speed
• 40:45 how to determine optimal tire pressure?
  • Start with the FLO tire pressure charts (scroll down to see the chart), use these values as you maximum pressure
  • Experiment and maybe drive those numbers down
  • Decrease in CRR with decreasing tire pressure is gradual, but the increase in CRR above the breakpoint is substantial! So err on the side of lower pressure.
  • Refer also to the Silca tire pressure calculator
• 44:45 don’t sweat the accuracy of your pump, since your pressure will change with several variables: temperature, altitude, air loss, etc.
• 46:45 the effects of altitude and air temperature on tire pressure
  • Only about 5psi difference over an elevation change of 10,000’ (3,000m)
  • Only about 5psi difference over a temperature change of 30F (17C)
• 48:30 what’s next for FLO and performance wheels?
• 53:45 how FLO gives back and respects environmental impact
  • Bike for a kid program in partnership with the Ironman foundation
  • Use 100% recycled materials in wheel boxes and use no plastic in packaging
  • One wheel, one tree program results in a negative carbon footprint

Check our the rest of the FLO Cycling page here. I certainly recommend their primer on rolling resistance as a good reference too.

Former pro triathlete and PhD candidate Antoine Jolicoeur-Desroches speaks with Andrew and Michael about training and racing in hot conditions and his two studies on popular devices: the Omius headband paper and the CORE Body Temperature sensor paper. We cover:

• advantages and limitations of the Omius headband and potential use cases
• combining pre-cooling and per-cooling strategies
• combining internal and external cooling strategies
• advantages and limitations of the CORE body temperature sensor and use cases
• influence of motivation on response to increased core temperature during exercise, especially in elite athletes.

Michael and Andrew reveal the Cool Bottle - their (plus Phil Hare's) project that will allow any cyclist with aero extensions to have on-bike per-cooling. Andrew takes us from the birth of the concept, through design iterations, manufacturing hurdles, to final product.

To learn more about the Cool Bottle and pre-order yours at a pre-launch price of $149 USD, visit our site and use code COOL2024 at checkout.