Welcome to the Science of Sport where we bring you the second, third, and fourth level of analysis you will not find anywhere else.
Be it doping in sport, hot topics like Caster Semenya or Oscar Pistorius, or the dehydration myth, we try to translate the science behind sports and sports performance. Consider a donation if you like what you see here!
July, 2014 // Posts published in July, 2014
Commonwealth calibration
What is the global standing of the Commonwealth Games? How do nations and sports compare, within an Olympic-focused strategy? A look at how Commonwealth Games success, and our response to it, might be calibrated against the bigger, global picture
The physiology at the front of the Tour
The physiological implications of performance are explained in this article. They show plausibility, within historical contexts, but also compel the same questions to be asked of the sport.
The 2014 Tour: Performance implications & a reflection on the origins
Very brief thoughts on the 2014 Tour, and a particular nostalgic moment to 2009, when David Walsh actually introduced me to performance analysis as a means to flag possible doping. How times (and nationalities) have changed.
Powell & Simpson’s bans cut to 6 months: Broad implications
Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson have had their 18-month bans reduced to only six months on appeal. I look at the broader issues faced by anti-doping in the context of this decision
The Tour’s first mountain finish: Quick take
Four brief thoughts on the first mountain top finish of the 2014 Tour de France, where Vincenzo Nibali asserted his dominance on the race
The profile of a sprint: What does it take to win a sprint stage?
What does it take to win sprint stages and the green jersey of the Tour de France? I explore the power output, aerodynamics and tactics of a pro sprint, with a little help from a guest contributor expert
2014 Tour de France: Performance analysis ready
The 2014 Tour de France rolls out of Leeds today. Over the next three weeks, the usual performance analysis is bound to ask questions. Here is the history and the context for that discussion