In a recent article on the Escape Collective, claims were made that Tour de France cyclists are using carbon monoxide to enhance their performance. But is it really that big a deal or is there more to this story? Mike and Ross break down how carbon monoxide is used and potentially abused as cyclists looked for any means to get an advantage. The team also break down some the incredible numbers being pushed out by Tadej Pogacar at Le Tour and ask the question on everyone's lips: Can we believe it?

SHOW NOTES:

Carbon monoxide use:

The original Carbon monoxide article

A paper on how Hb Mass is related closely to VO2max

One of the first published studies that describes how breathing CO might unlock performance enhancement. In this study, college student football players also breathed in 1ml per kilogram body weight before all sessions. It drove an increase in EPO, haemoglobin levels and VO2max.

Another study, by Schmidt, where moderately trained subjects inhaled CO five times a day. Haemoglobin mass increased, they made more reticulocytes, and VO2max increased (though not significantly)

Some sources for power output estimates at the Tour de France:

Ammatti on Twitter

The detailed analysis of the Plateau du Beille stage, and comparison against historical performances

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The spotlight falls on the most influential sports science research ever published. A recent paper produced a list of the 100 most influential sports science papers of the last 100 years. Gareth and Ross choose a handful of them, discussing what they found, what their authors didn't know at the time (and got wrong), and what it means today. We discover that the arc of sports science knowledge runs through all these studies, connecting people from AV Hill to Noakes, and themes including oxygen debt, lactate, altitude, pacing strategies, fatigue, and even the 2-hour marathon !

Show notes

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• Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The paper that inspired the episode, a collection of 100 influential sports science articles
• The AV Hill Paper on muscular exertion, oxygen and 'lactic acid'. The OG of sports science
• George Brooks proposes the Lactate Shuttle
• Noakes, St Clair Gibson and Lambert explain the concept of complex regulation. This is the summary and conclusion paper. The more detailed papers are:
• Why the "catastrophic model for fatigue" fails to explain real-world performance physiology
• Evidence for complex systems integration and regulation of muscle activity
• How fatigue and performance help control homeostasis during exercise
• de Koning and Foster explain how pacing is regulated during exercise, using the RPE and duration remaining
• Michael Joyner applies his physiological determinants of the marathon to the sub-2 hour question
• Lundby's review questioning the performance benefits of altitude training
• A more recent review on altitude training that covers how periodization, managing training, repeat visits and smarter nutrition may help create and increase the effect
• A more detailed paper on the role of nutrition when at altitude

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Mark Coogan has been there, done that and got the t-shirt. As a former track athlete, sub-4 minute miler, Olympic marathoner and author of the book 'Personal Best Running', Coogan is passing on his wealth of talent to some of America's top track and field stars with much success. In this discussion, Coogan talks candidly about the process of developing Olympic-level elite athletes, how to spot elite-level talent, what makes a champion athlete, how to train athletes for events as important as the controversial American Trials and the Olympic Games and whether the sport is in a good place globally. Coogan works in the engine room of top-class athletics and his insights will inspire all levels of sports people.

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