The Real Science of Sport Podcast

The Absa Cape Epic is a 700km, eight-stage, two-man team mountain bike race renowned as one of the toughest and most prestigious in the world. But what does it take to win this event against some of the world's best mountain bikers? We spoke to Mike Posthumus, the Head of Performance for the Specialised Factory Racing Off-road team, about the preparation, recovery, race tactics, and behind-the-scenes work that helped his team of Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje win the overall title. From practical tips on recovery to the amazing stats behind the performance, this is a rare insight for anyone taking on a multi-stage endurance event.

THIS IS A REPUBLICATION OF THE SAME PODCAST AS THURSDAY 26 MARCH ON THE IOC FEMALE SPORT POLICYWith apologies for confusion, after we published our most recent podcast on the IOC's new policy for women's sport, we realized the original file had an issue with the syncing of the two audio streams. That was fixed on the day, but the glitch has continued to affect some listeners, and so we are just republishing it here, so that we can be sure that the issue is resolved for what we think is an important podcast, not one we want to be unlistenable because of that problem. Thanks for listening!Show notesThe International Olympic Committee, under its new President Kirsty Coventry, has announced new guidelines for eligibility in women's sport. The central decision is clear: the boundaries around women's sport will be protected, with no males — whether they identify as transgender or are athletes with specified differences of sex development (DSDs) — eligible to compete in the women's category. Women's sport is now female only.This is a strong, unified position. The policy mandates the eligibility requirement across all Member Federations, establishing a central global standard that should help bring an end to the fragmentation that has affected the sporting landscape in recent years. It also sets out a clear process for determining eligibility: screening for the presence of the SRY gene, followed by further testing where needed to confirm the specific diagnosis, and then a decision on inclusion or exclusion. specifies that eligibility for women's sport must be confirmed through a process involving screening for a gene (SRY), followed by testing to diagnose the specific question, and then inclusion or exclusion.This represents a significant moment for women's sport. It reverses generations of policies that allowed males into women's competition, often at the expense of fairness and safety. In this short podcast, we examine the finer details of the new policy, what remains unclear, how we arrived at this point, and what the changes may mean for sport and for female athletes going forward.LinksThe IOC policyThe IOC's statement accompanying the policy

The International Olympic Committee, under its new President Kirsty Coventry, has announced new guidelines for eligibility in women's sport. The central decision is clear: the boundaries around women's sport will be protected, with no males — whether they identify as transgender or are athletes with specified differences of sex development (DSDs) — eligible to compete in the women's category. Women's sport is now female only.This is a strong, unified position. The policy mandates the eligibility requirement across all Member Federations, establishing a central global standard that should help bring an end to the fragmentation that has affected the sporting landscape in recent years. It also sets out a clear process for determining eligibility: screening for the presence of the SRY gene, followed by further testing where needed to confirm the specific diagnosis, and then a decision on inclusion or exclusion. specifies that eligibility for women's sport must be confirmed through a process involving screening for a gene (SRY), followed by testing to diagnose the specific question, and then inclusion or exclusion.This represents a significant moment for women's sport. It reverses generations of policies that allowed males into women's competition, often at the expense of fairness and safety. In this short podcast, we examine the finer details of the new policy, what remains unclear, how we arrived at this point, and what the changes may mean for sport and for female athletes going forward.LinksThe IOC policyThe IOC's statement accompanying the policy

Become a member, keep us ad free! Plus, you get access to our world-class community chat, and live sport chat groups. Become a supporter for a small monthly pledge at Patreon.Show notesToday the Spotlight falls on Therapeutic Use Exemptions, or TUEs, that are given to athletes when they have a medical condition that requires the use of an otherwise banned substance. Last week, the International Testing Agency published the record of TUE applications for 56 sports, going back six years, and we cast our eye on some of the notable drugs, sports and cases. We explore why Growth Hormone TUEs are prevalent in gymnastics, why stimulants top the list of substances, and open up some philosophical conversations about whether TUEs should be allowed at all?Also in the show, a 'triathlon' of sports news, starting with cycling recaps of Milan San Remo where Pogacar produced an extraordinary display of dominance to win one of the two monuments missing from his resume, and from the Cape Epic, where women raced shorter distances than men this year, and we explore how the rationale for this is a little shaky. From the track, we look back at the World Indoor Championships from Poland, and in the pool, a World Record in the 50m warrants some musing on how records are fallen despite tech bans.And finally, Gareth notes with some pleasure that NFL superstars where humbled by flag football specialists, reminding us that getting to the top of any sport is not an automatic right!LinksThoughts on cycling and the need to question as read out by GarethCameron McEvoy's 50m freestyle world recordThe original ITA TUE DashboardPaper from the Olympics showing prevalence < 1% in the GamesThe study on methylphenidate's performance enhancing effectsDoes gymnastics training inhibit growth in young girls?Intensive training and growth in female gymnastsJon Pike's philosophy article on TUEs in sportWorld Boxing's statement on Lin Yu-Ting's eligibilityWatch some NFL starts get bamboozled in flag football

Join our Science of Sport Supporters Club, and get all the perks mentioned on the show, including access to our listener community and their great questions and insights, and also our Live Sport chat, which resume this weekend with the Milan San Remo races. Make a monthly pledge to become a member!In this Spotlight, we run our eye and offer our insights on the world of sport, covering a range of sporting events. We start with the Six Nations, which went beyond the wire in a spectacular tournament that shows the health of "the product". We discuss the ongoing Cape Epic, where the pairs format throws up some pacing and tactical challenges for unbalanced teams. And we preview the year's first Monument, where Tadej Pogacar will have to test and challenge Mathieu van der Poel's durability and 5-min power to win the elusive title. We discuss the requirement for Pogacar and UAE to extend the efforts above FTP and even VO2max to climbs even before the Cipressa, in order to make van der Poel vulnerable to a five minute effort on the decisive Poggio climb.Switching to running, we briefly discuss the remarkable 2:10 performance by Fotyen Tesfay in Barcelona, and why it's the de factor WR, but may be as questioned as the incumbent WR by Ruth Chep'ngetich. Another dramatic finish in Los Angeles, a marathon decided by 0.01s where the 'loser' went the wrong way, and didn't, apparently, take in a single gram of carbohydrates in the race.While on the subject of dramatic finishes, recent research shows that the odds of a cardiac arrest are significantly higher in the final kilometer of running races (20km and half marathon). We compare that to triathlons, where the odds of cardiac arrests are way higher in the first part of the race, in the swim. We discuss the physiology and emotional reasons for these risk increases.We then move into the resistance training space, to talk briefly about the American College of Sports Medicine's position stand on resistance training. It says what many people know, but challenges what a lot of people think, and the reaction has been enlightening!And finally, a few short results and discussion points from around the world of sport, including an unprecedented reversal of an entire tournament result, and a rare "defeat" (on a technicality) for Johannes Klaebo in cross-country skiingLinksRelevant to the discussion on recovery after high intensity efforts, here's an article on how our 'battery' is recharged, or reconstitutedArticle on Fotyen's 2:10:51 marathonGood insights on Fotyen from Letsrun.comThe research out of Paris showing the higher risk of cardiac events in the final kilometer of racesA similar study on cardiac arrests in triathlonThe LA Marathon finish and race are discussed in this articleThe ACSM Position Stand on Resistance TrainingStuart Phillips' posts on the ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training

The conversation continues for our Supporters! These Spotlights offer the first word, and then it's your turn. Become a Supporter of the Real Science of Sport by making a small monthly pledge, and get access to our world-famous, and very stimulating, Discourse community!Show notesThis week's show kicks off in London, where Ross recently attended World Rugby's Annual Shape of the Game meeting. he shares some insider insights on topics including law change in the sport, what fans want, and the tensions rugby bosses are facing to grow the game. Staying on rugby, we discuss head injury management, after a few stories popped up in the world of rugby. In the first, a player was allowed to continue playing by the team doctor, but the referee stepped in to have the player removed with a concussion. In the second, a player admitted to 'cheating' the Head Injury Assessment screen back in 2017 to keep playing with a concussion. We discuss whether Rugby's policies to manage head injuries are working?Shifting gears, we return to the snow of Milan Cortina, as Gareth noticed some interesting discussion about cross-country skiing, and whether 50km was too long because of the challenges it creates for athletes who run out of fuel. We talk about "hitting the wall", and the truth about how our bodies use carbohydrates versus fat during endurance exercise.Then we talk doping. First, the UCI have asked its Testing Agency to catch a big name doper, with a feeling that the absence of positive tests isn't necessarily indicative of a clean sport, and their desire to catch a higher level rider apparently reflecting that realization. Staying on doping, Tara Moore is suing the WTA for $20 million after a series of bans, appeals and eventual bans for doping that she believes was inadvertently caused by meat contamination.Our final doping conversation comes from Athletics, where a Member asks whether the records should be reset when they are suspected of being the result of doping. This would particularly affect the Women's record books. We discuss that, offering some insights into how they might justify the removal of some, but not all records, and whether it can feasibly be done.And finally, there was drama in the USA last weekend, where race leaders followed the lead car off course, and eventually lost podium spots and prize money. Calls to award those athletes the prize money and places at the World Champs have been growing in volume, and we discuss why the logical solution is not all that tricky, despite the letter of the law standing in the way.LinksAnthony Watson admits to cheating the Concussion protocols to continue playingI mentioned the World Rugby Player Welfare Symposium, it's next week (9 to 11 Mach), it's online and it's free to everyone. Here are the details and programmeSexias power analysis - these guys generally get it pretty closeCycling is looking to catch a big name doper, according to the NYTTara Moore's case against the WTAKeely Hodgkinson's interview with The TimesVideo of athletes going the wrong way in Atlanta