#cycling

Articles tagged: cycling

29 articles

Garmin bought Moxy: what a muscle oxygen sensor really measures — up to ±20 points between legs and a threshold that repeats to within 7 watts

Without a press release, Garmin bought Moxy — the longest-standing maker of muscle oxygen saturation (SmO₂) sensors — and back in February filed an application for the Muscle Battery trademark. We explain what SmO₂ shows, why the absolute number is noisy by 14–18 points, and how the threshold from the trend reproduces from test to test within a few watts.

gear training cycling

Ekaterina Gromova•Oct 12, 2026

Maximum heart rate: “220 minus age” underestimates it on average in endurance athletes — data from 4375 people and how to find yours

Stephen Seiler's group compared the real maximum heart rate of 4375 runners, cyclists and triathletes with the formulas. On average the formulas err low by nearly 5–6 beats, and for some individuals by 15–20. We look at how to determine your maximum in the field and why a lab test can miss it too.

running cycling heart-rate

Olga Marchenko•Oct 5, 2026

Astaxanthin: 51 seconds over 40 km, and why that is less than it sounds

The carotenoid from Haematococcus algae is sold as the “most powerful antioxidant there is.” In a crossover trial, 12 mg a day for a week made a 40 km time trial 1.2% faster and raised fat oxidation at the finish. The sample was twelve people.

nutrition science cycling

Olga Marchenko•Aug 18, 2026

Heart rate zones in running and cycling: the average gap is 2 beats, the transfer error is 12

Across 5311 athletes, maximum heart rate on the bike came out just 2 beats lower than in running. But you still can't carry threshold zones from one sport into the other — and here's why the group average is useless.

training heart-rate science

Anna Severova•Aug 10, 2026

Lactate 2.0 today, 3.0 tomorrow: what a handheld lactate meter actually shows

A 2026 systematic review: handheld lactate meters correlate with the laboratory reference at r = 0.95–0.99. And yet the spread of a single measurement at 3 mmol/L is ±0.4 mmol/L. Here is why that is not a contradiction.

science training running

Andrey Leskov•Aug 7, 2026

Citrulline malate: 30 studies, 644 people and a very cautious conclusion

A fresh meta-analysis gathered the entire evidence base on citrulline malate — and rated its certainty as «low to very low». Here is what that means for anyone who already bought the tub.

nutrition science cycling

Maxim Belyaev•Aug 7, 2026

FATmax: there is no fat-burning pace that is the same for everyone

Across 1,121 athletes, maximal fat oxidation occurred on average at 49.3% of VO₂max — with a range from 22.6 to 88.8%. Known factors explain only 47% of the differences. Here is what to do about it in practice.

science nutrition training

Olga Marchenko•Aug 7, 2026

Menthol mouth rinse: fooling the brain with cold without cooling the body

Rinsing the mouth with a menthol solution every six minutes raised mean power by 1.67% in the heat. The body does not actually cool — only perception changes. Here is where that helps and where it gets dangerous.

nutrition science cycling

Olga Marchenko•Aug 7, 2026

Saddle height and knee pain: the 40 degrees past which the trouble starts

In cyclists with knee flexion greater than 40°, pain scored 4.4 on a ten-point scale; in the rest, 0.9. After the saddle was set to 25–30°, pain fell to 1.4 within two weeks. A look at the study and at what to do with the formulas.

science cycling injury-prevention

Anna Severova•Aug 7, 2026

Taurine in the heat: why «6 grams for men, 4 for women» is the same dose

In a study at +32 °C and 60% humidity, taurine extended time to exhaustion: 6 grams worked in men, 4 in women. Here is why that difference is almost certainly not about sex at all.

nutrition science cycling

Ekaterina Gromova•Aug 7, 2026

Gut Training: How the Stomach Becomes the Bottleneck on Long Distances

Your legs are ready for 120 grams of carbohydrate an hour, but your gut is not. We look at why absorption runs into transporters, how a glucose-fructose blend gets around them, and what in all those gut-training protocols has actually been tested.

nutrition science running

Maxim Belyaev•Jul 30, 2026

Type 1 Diabetes and Endurance: How to Train Without Fearing Hypoglycemia

Aerobic work drives glucose down, while intervals can push it up — and that changes the entire tactic. We break down target ranges, insulin adjustments and the 90-minute rule you should be discussing with your doctor.

health science running

Ekaterina Gromova•Jul 30, 2026

Carbohydrate mouth rinsing: the effect is real, but smaller than the hype suggests

A meta-analysis of 35 studies confirms that rinsing your mouth with a maltodextrin solution does help — but the effect is small (g = 0.18), the certainty of evidence is low, and the classic “only works when fasted” rule has barely been tested at all.

nutrition science running

Maxim Belyaev•Jul 29, 2026

Ketone esters: not race fuel, but an adaptation tool?

An eight-week study found a marked gain in power and mitochondrial adaptations from a ketone ester taken after training. Yet most of the literature finds no effect — here is why both pictures may be true.

nutrition science cycling

Dmitry Volkov•Jul 29, 2026

Lactate gels: the biggest hype of the Tour de France — and what is actually known

Pogačar is racing on a gel with exogenous lactate and his rivals are testing their own. Yet there are no published trials of the gels themselves, and the existing work on lactate supplements contradicts itself. A look without the excitement.

nutrition science cycling

Anna Severova•Jul 29, 2026

Nicotine pouches in sport: why athletes use them and why it does not work

Snus and “tobacco-free” pouches have moved from team sports into endurance. In a controlled experiment they did not improve a one-hour cycling time trial at all, and the sense of focus in dependent users is simply withdrawal relief.

health science cycling

Dmitry Volkov•Jul 29, 2026

Polarized versus pyramidal: where the advantage exists and where it does not

A meta-analysis of 17 studies confirmed the superiority of the polarized model for VO₂peak — but only in blocks shorter than 12 weeks and only in well-trained athletes. In time trials there is no difference at all.

training running science

Olga Marchenko•Jul 29, 2026

Atrial fibrillation in endurance athletes: it's the volume, not the sport

Endurance-sport enthusiasts get atrial fibrillation 2–5× more often, but the relationship is U-shaped: moderate training protects the heart, while chronic mega-volumes may raise the risk. We break down the data and the signs that it's time to see a doctor.

health science running

Ekaterina Gromova•Jul 22, 2026

Beta-alanine: does the 'anti-acidosis' supplement work, and who actually needs it

Fresh 2026 meta-analyses show that beta-alanine's effect is narrow and not guaranteed. We break down where it can genuinely help, where it's useless, and how it differs from 'soda' (bicarbonate).

nutrition science running

Anna Severova•Jul 22, 2026

Zone 2: why “180 minus age” lies and how to find your easy pace

Zone 2 is work below your first threshold, not a number on your watch. We break down why heart-rate formulas get it wrong and how much easy running an amateur actually needs.

training science running

Andrey Leskov•Jul 17, 2026

Baking soda as a lactate buffer: where it really speeds you up, and where it does nothing

Sodium bicarbonate is an IOC-recognized supplement, but its effect depends on the race format. We break down where soda buys you seconds, where it does almost nothing, and how to avoid a “gut rebellion.”

nutrition science running

Maxim Belyaev•Jul 16, 2026

A Hot Bath Instead of Mountains: How Heat Raises VO₂max

Five weeks of post-run hot baths raised maximal oxygen uptake in trained runners by roughly 4,4%. We unpack how heat triggers the same blood and heart adaptations as altitude — and how to use it without the risk.

training science running

Anna Severova•Jul 15, 2026

Beetroot juice for endurance: who it really helps and who it doesn't

A meta-analysis of 33 studies and 519 athletes settles the question: beetroot nitrate delivers a small but real gain in sprinting, power, and VO₂max. We break down the dose, the timing, and why in elite athletes the effect often “gets eaten up.”

nutrition science running

Ekaterina Gromova•Jul 12, 2026

Can you swap part of your running for cycling without losing fitness? What a meta-analysis showed

A systematic review of 7 randomized trials compared running and cycling training. It found no difference in VO₂max gains or running performance — we break down what this means for triathletes and recovering runners.

running cycling triathlon

Maxim Belyaev•Jul 11, 2026

Caffeine before the start: how much you really need for a time trial

A large network meta-analysis of 48 studies shows the effective caffeine dose is more modest than commonly believed, and the performance gain is around 2%. Here is how to calculate your dose without overdoing it.

nutrition science running

Anna Severova•Jul 5, 2026

Will one sleepless night wreck your race? What an experiment with cyclists revealed

26 amateur cyclists stayed awake for 25 hours, then rode a 40-minute effort and a 20-minute time trial. We break down what suffered, what held up, and why a single normal night set everything right again.

cycling triathlon recovery

Olga Marchenko•Jul 4, 2026

Carbs for long endurance: what an amateur can borrow from elite fueling strategies

The elite load up to 120 grams of carbs per hour. We break down how much fuel you really need for long races, why glucose and fructose are worth mixing, and how to train your gut to handle it.

nutrition running cycling

Dmitry Volkov•Jun 29, 2026

How Many Carbs You Can Absorb on Course: The 60 and 90 Gram Rule

It's your gut, not your muscles, that caps fueling speed on long events. We break down the transporter limits and practical g/h schemes for running, cycling, and triathlon.

nutrition running cycling

Dmitry Volkov•Jun 17, 2026

Endurance Sports Digest: November 2025

Three world records in ultrarunning on a single day, historic NYC Marathon finish, doping scandal with world record holder, and ski season start in Russia. Top 20 news of the month.

news ultrarunning marathon

Andrey Leskov•Nov 30, 2025

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