State of the Peloton 2025

[noob]

I had what they say Matthews has and I didn't get it for training for MSR. Old fshioned blood doping is more likely.

I'm confused. The way your post is written it almost sounds as if you yourself got pulmonary embolism from blood doping?

I assume that's not the correct understanding of your post so I'm sorry if I sound careless. I hope you're well now?

 

[Ripper]

And meanwhile, some good racing was on earlier today at the Duracell Dwars door het Hageland
(

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9XZedVZD3k&t=17s
)

 

[zlev11]

lol, duracell

 

[TrekCyclist]

Would mechanical doping with a torsional spring in the rear hub be possible?
There would be a loaded torsional spring, that could be released electrically and then provide extra power for 30s or 1min or so. Like in an old clock basically.
I did not go through the numbers yet, though, whether that would make sense and could provide meaningful energy for 1min on a final climb.

 

[Stablo]

And meanwhile, some good racing was on earlier today at the Duracell Dwars door het Hageland
(

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9XZedVZD3k&t=17s
)

That's a hilarious sponsor for a procycling event😂it doesn't even matter if you believe in e-doping or not, but the talk has been out there and is getting ever louder. They should sponsor the e-bike events tbh, but yeah "nobody" watches those.

 

[fenns]

Watching the Diamond League athletics one can reflect on the world records many of which have stood for many years e.g 1500m, 800m. Athletics has a standard set of distances so athletes can be compared to their counterparts of years ago. The only event which has seen consistent big improvements is the marathon due to shoe technology. Hicham El Guerrouj from 2004 is still better than today's 1500m runners.

Pro road cycling does not have a standard set to compare generations - but I keep reading that the "numbers" improve every year e.g Pogi Jonas 24 were measurably better than 23. that Roglic's "numbers" are much better than when he nearly won the Tour, that the "numbers" today are way better than Froome or Contador could produce.

So what's going on in cycling? No doubt legal technology is always improving - but enough to account for such improvements? Surely today's riders are motor/chemical doping off the charts - or is something else going on?

 

[E_F_]

legal technology is always improving

The calculations account for changes in kits, bikes, helmets, even road surfaces. So the only legal technologies impacting the calculated watts would be nutrition and training...

 

[Unchained]

Watching the Diamond League athletics one can reflect on the world records many of which have stood for many years e.g 1500m, 800m. Athletics has a standard set of distances so athletes can be compared to their counterparts of years ago. The only event which has seen consistent big improvements is the marathon due to shoe technology. Hicham El Guerrouj from 2004 is still better than today's 1500m runners.

Pro road cycling does not have a standard set to compare generations - but I keep reading that the "numbers" improve every year e.g Pogi Jonas 24 were measurably better than 23. that Roglic's "numbers" are much better than when he nearly won the Tour, that the "numbers" today are way better than Froome or Contador could produce.

So what's going on in cycling? No doubt legal technology is always improving - but enough to account for such improvements? Surely today's riders are motor/chemical doping off the charts - or is something else going on?

Everything in cycling has changed.. Rider height, weight, clothing, frame and wheel design. Training, nutrition, cross training, tactics, rider position. Tire pressure, size, materials, bearing surfaces, frame materials.. And many of those things cross over to many sports including running..yes something else is going on.. Science!! And many old school racers are saying it often and out loud, too much data, not enough heart, instinct and lack of race days..

 

[TrekCyclist]

There are also "strange" things in athletics. Like the 400m hurdels final in Tokyo '21. Or Mo Farah. For example.

 

[HashRouge]

The calculations account for changes in kits, bikes, helmets, even road surfaces. So the only legal technologies impacting the calculated watts would be nutrition and training...

I read this a fair bit, but I don't understand how. Like, how do the calculations account for these changes? It seems to me they pretty much just work out how fast someone went up a particular climb compared to someone else.

 

[fenns]

ppppp

There are also "strange" things in athletics. Like the 400m hurdels final in Tokyo '21. Or Mo Farah. For example.

Of course - there are strange things in many sports. But all of the Olympic men's events the world records are 5 years old or more.

I don't buy that cycling has discovered training and nutrition improvements not available to other athletes. It would also be strange if chemical doping improvements but were not similarly available. I think there can only be 2 reasons

1) Testing in cycling is particularly weak - certainly weaker than track and field - and may even be almost non-existent for practical purposes

2) Motor doping - which would not be easily implementable in athletics.

My money is on (2) - and that it's so new that there are rapid improvements in the technology that are producing these remarkable "numbers". But I would also like to see the TUEs of Pogi, Jonas, etc