What's Cool In Road Cycling

Author

Stephen Cheung

Dr. Stephen Cheung is a Professor & Senior Research Fellow at Brock University, and has published over 120 scientific articles and book chapters dealing with the effects of thermal and hypoxic stress on human physiology & performance. Stephen published the books "Cutting-Edge Cycling" in 2012 with coach Hunter Allen, and "Cycling Science" in 2017 with Dr. Mikel Zabala from the Movistar Pro Cycling Team. Stephen is also the Chief Sport Scientist for the Xert training system, and he can be reached for comments at [email protected]

Concussions in Cycling: Knowledge and Attitudes Among Riders

Stephen Cheung Apr 6, 2021

Sports concussions are no longer just laughed off as getting your bell rung. However, knowledge and attitudes about concussions can vary greatly across different sports. Let’s take a look at what cyclists know and think.

How Marcel Kittel Won 14 Tour Sprints with Tactics, Power, and Position

Stephen Cheung Mar 9, 2021

Sprinters will do all that they can to survive mountain stages for the chance for sprint stage glory. So what did it take for Marcel Kittel to win or lose sprints at Le Tour?

Sprinters Vs Grand Tours: How The Fast Men Grind Out Long Races

Stephen Cheung Mar 2, 2021

For sprinters in Grand Tours, it’s a polarized world to the extreme. Suffer and survive the mountains in the hopes of sprint stage glory. What does it take for a world-class sprinter to tackle the Tour de France?

How Steady Hard Vs Sudden Intense Efforts Affect Cycling Fatigue

Stephen Cheung Feb 9, 2021

It happens every Spring - the first few group rides of the year brutally reawaken the realities of the highly variable nature of racing. What are the neuromuscular differences affecting riding fatigue between hard constant efforts and group…

Aero Positioning: How Low is Too Low?

Stephen Cheung Feb 2, 2021

Time trialing has a massive focus on aerodynamics, both to the bike and the rider. But where does the balance lie between aerodynamics, power output, metabolic economy, and thermoregulation? How low should you go?

Can Grand Tours Suffocate You? A New Study Looks at Respiratory Function in Cycling’s Hardest…

Stephen Cheung Jan 19, 2021

Riding Grand Tours is about the hardest athletic gig that you can find. Over the years, scientists have tracked the power demands and its impact on different physiological systems. A new study explores how GTs affect respiratory function…

Motivational Self-Talk: Say You, Say Me?

Stephen Cheung Jan 5, 2021

Self-talk has been used very successfully by both scientists and athletes to improve their performance. However, does it matter HOW you talk to yourself? Is it better to keep your talk in the first person tense or distance yourself to the…

Fitness Improvement: How Much Does Blood Volume Matter?

Stephen Cheung Dec 29, 2020

Best of TOOLBOX: Yes, training does make you fitter, but how does it actually improve your fitness? How much comes down to increasing haemoglobin and blood volume to improve oxygen delivery? How might we test this?

CYCLING ADDICTION Prevalence and Risks

Stephen Cheung Dec 22, 2020

TOOLBOX: We know that exercise and an active lifestyle provides huge benefits to our overall health. But even something as positive as exercise can become addictive and take over our lives for the worse. What are the risk and risk factors…

Muscle Typing and Response to Training Overload

Stephen Cheung Dec 1, 2020

We’ve looked at muscle fibre typology of world-class cyclists in different disciplines, and also how typology may affect recovery from high-intensity workouts. Now let’s explore how typology may affect the risk for overreaching after a high…