Performance Process

Escape Collective
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Welcome to the Performance Process podcast, hosted by Ronan Mc Laughlin and Caley Fretz. This podcast is dedicated to unearthing and analysing the processes behind some of the most successful athletes in the world, and understanding how every rider can apply them to their own improvement. The Performance Process podcast is produced exclusively for Escape Collective members. While you'll see partial episodes on this feed please head to https://escapecollective.com/performanceprocess/ to become a member and gain access to the full episodes!

  1. 26 مارچ

    Is Airo's accessible CFD software a breakthrough or just another aero tool?

    We all know how critical rider position is when it comes to aerodynamics. We also know how difficult, time consuming, and costly it can be to properly test and optimise our positions using wind tunnels or field testing. In this episode, Ronan explores a different approach. Ingmar Jungnickel joins the Performance Process podcast to discuss Airo, a commercially available CFD-based platform designed to make aerodynamic testing more accessible, more iterative, and potentially more useful for a far broader range of riders. Instead of testing a handful of positions over an entire day, Airo promises the ability to explore multiple directions in minutes, using digital twins and cloud-based simulation. But cycling aerodynamics is not simple. Transitional Reynolds numbers, rider movement, fabric interaction, and the complexity of real-world flow all raise legitimate questions about how useful CFD can actually be in this space. That’s what this episode digs into. Ingmar brings 15 years of experience at the sharp end of performance – from WorldTour wind tunnel work to Olympic-level innovation in speed skating – and offers a detailed look at where Airo and CFD fits today, where it falls short, and where it could reshape how we approach optimisation in the future.

    22 منٹ

  2. 5 مارچ

    Lizzie Deignan and Abby Mickey on training, parenthood, and purpose

    In this special crossover episode between Performance Process and Wheel Talk, Ronan Mc Laughlin is joined by Escape Collective's Abby Mickey and former world champion Lizzie Deignan to unpack an unusual challenge. Abby has set herself the goal of returning to Mont Ventoux and riding it faster than she did during her professional career. There’s just one complication. She’s now a full-time journalist, a parent of two, and juggling the realities of normal life rather than the controlled environment of professional sport. To guide the process, Abby has asked Lizzie Deignan – recently retired world champion and now coach – to take her on as an athlete. The conversation begins with the first step of any coaching relationship: understanding the athlete. Together they discuss goals, constraints, postpartum physiology, training with limited time, the psychological side of coaching, and how performance can still improve long after a pro career ends. This episode explores a bigger question that applies to every amateur athlete: How do you pursue meaningful performance goals when life, work, and family come first? It’s the start of a project that will unfold over the coming months. And it begins with a simple but difficult question: Is it possible to beat your pro self?

    39 منٹ

  3. 4 فروری

    The adaptable road position

    Could we benefit from different bike fits for different days? If we are riding mountains one day, flats the next, and in a breakaway the day after, does having one position for all road stages leave some performance on the table? In this episode I’m joined by Ken Ballhause, Head of Biomechanics at Pinarello-Q36.5, to unpack if there's any merit in my thinking that we could benefit to tailoring our positions to the specific demands of each day, stage, or terrain. We dig into what actually drives adaptable performance, why the real unlock is usually equipment and ergonomics rather than multiple fits, before touching on saddle design, pelvic support, crank length, and cockpit setup for the modern “aero road” posture as Ken talks us through his fit process for pros in 2026, before finally looping back to the idea there may be something in adaptable positions. We also challenge a few common bike-fit habits, including sit-bone width measuring, pressure mapping as a decision-maker, and how useful knee-over-pedal-spindle really is. The result is a systems-level look at how performance focused fitters are now thinking about position, comfort, aerodynamics, and sustainability over long races.

    33 منٹ

  4. 10/12/2025

    Introducing Escape tyre testing: Get ready to rethink accepted wisdom

    In this episode of Performance Process, we finally dig into the tyre-testing project that quietly consumed most of my year. Nine months, six tyre widths, hundreds of test runs, three road surfaces, four identical wheelsets, and far too many cold late-night tests than any sane person should attempt. But it was worth it. Today, Ronan is joined by John Buckley the founder of Streamlines Aero, the company behind the hardware and technical support so crucial to this testing. Together, we break down how the test protocol worked, why it’s different, and why those differences matter. We also unpack the major findings: why pressure mattered more than width in this dataset, why some long-held assumptions didn’t hold up in the real world, and how tyre temperature turned out to be one of the biggest and least appreciated variables affecting performance. This is just the beginning. Later in the episode we explain where our tyre testing goes from here and what to expect in the new year.

    24 منٹ

  5. 11/11/2025

    Inside Red Bull's laser-powered aero testing with Dan Bigham and the CyclingSpy

    For years, cyclists have said, “you can’t see aero.” Now Dan Bigham can. In this episode, we go inside Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s groundbreaking use of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), a laser-based imaging technique that effectively makes airflow around a rider visible in 3D. Dan joins Ronan and the CyclingSpy to explain how the team used helium bubbles, high-speed cameras, and class-IV lasers inside Catesby Tunnel, an old railway tunnel, to capture the first-ever full-field airflow data behind a cyclist. We unpack what PIV actually is, how it bridges CFD and real-world testing, and what it could mean for the future of aerodynamic development in cycling. From vorticity maps to quantum computing, this one’s a deep dive into the tools shaping the next generation of aero performance.

    57 منٹ

  6. 29/10/2025

    How applying the Performance Process philosophy helped achieve a lifetime best performance

    In this episode, Ronan applies the Performance Process philosophy to help Marcus Christie, one of the most successful Irish time trialists ever, to reimagine how to train, test, and race. Ronan and Marcus dive into the complete optimisation process behind Marcus's Nationals campaign. From bike fits and wind tunnels to injury management, heat strategies, nutrition, and radio-guided pacing, this is the inside story of how process can transform performance.

    31 منٹ

  7. 08/10/2025

    Do nasal strips aid performance? Maybe.

    Nasal strips are back in vogue appearing on the noses of more and more WorldTour riders and Instagram ads alike. But do they actually help you perform better, or are they just another marketing-driven marginal gain? In this episode, Ronan Mc Laughlin is joined by coach and tech writer Andy Turner to dig into the science behind the performance claims. We look at why nasal strips don’t work as claimed, the actual benefits that are never mentioned by the brands selling these strips, and when breathing through your nose can be beneficial. From VO₂ max myths and placebo effects to sleep quality, illness prevention, and the surprising potential benefit to fuelling, this conversation separates evidence from hype.

    27 منٹ

  8. 01/10/2025

    Why annual training strategies are still key but now much more flexible

    It’s the time of year in the northern hemisphere when many riders look back on the season just gone and start planning for the one ahead. In this episode, Ronan Mc Laughlin speaks with Tim Cusick, world-class coach, founder of BaseCamp, a global, community-driven training platform and WKO5 product leader, about how to review your past year of training and use it to shape a smarter strategy for the next. They cover why rigid, box-ticking annual plans often fall short, how to know when it’s time to move on a training phase or hold steady, and how to use data to guide decisions without being ruled by numbers.

    25 منٹ
سبھی دیکھیں (42)

کے بارے میں

Welcome to the Performance Process podcast, hosted by Ronan Mc Laughlin and Caley Fretz. This podcast is dedicated to unearthing and analysing the processes behind some of the most successful athletes in the world, and understanding how every rider can apply them to their own improvement. The Performance Process podcast is produced exclusively for Escape Collective members. While you'll see partial episodes on this feed please head to https://escapecollective.com/performanceprocess/ to become a member and gain access to the full episodes!

معلومات

  • چینل
    Escape Collective
  • تخلیق کار
    Escape Collective
  • فعال سال
    2025 - 2026
  • ایپی سوڈ
    42
  • درجہ بندی
    صاف کریں
  • کاپی رائٹ
    © 2022 Escape Collective
  • ویب سائٹ دکھائیں
    Performance Process

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