How to Beat van der Poel in San Remo / A 2:10 Women's Marathon (again) / Sprinting to Cardiac Arrest

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Mar 18, 2026

They debate Milano–San Remo tactics and how Pogacar might blunt van der Poel with sustained high-power climbs. Rugby’s Six Nations finishes and concussion/headgear dilemmas get a heated look. Marathon drama includes a controversial 2:10 run and a photo-finish wrong turn. New research on cardiac arrest risk in final race kilometers and swim-related risks in triathlon sparks a physiological deep-dive.

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ANECDOTE

Cape Epic Teammate Publicly Blames Partner Midrace

Cape Epic team dynamic example: an elite rider publicly described her teammate as 'not in shape' and planned to ride her own rhythm on climbs, exposing poor pair strategy.
Ross Tucker and Mike Finch critique that approach, saying the stronger rider should protect the weaker on climbs, not force gaps that compound fatigue.

INSIGHT

Pogacar Needs To Make San Remo A War Of Attrition

Milan–San Remo hinges on durability and a sequence of hard climbs rather than a single punch; Pogacar must force multiple sustained efforts (Capa Berta, Cipressa, Poggio) to accumulate fatigue in Van der Poel.
Ross Tucker points out Cipressa's shallow gradient and drafting mean a 5–10% sustained watt advantage is needed to drop Van der Poel, so UAE must make the race long, hard, and windy.

ADVICE

Keep Long Rides Low Intensity When Building Base

For long aerobic base rides avoid repeated VO2max efforts if the goal is endurance; keep intensity low to build mitochondrial and capillary adaptations.
Ross Tucker advises saving high-intensity intervals for specific sessions, and keep long rides as zone‑2 to prevent unintended tempo overload.

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In this Spotlight, we run our eye and offer our insights on the world of sport, covering a range of sporting events. We start with the Six Nations, which went beyond the wire in a spectacular tournament that shows the health of "the product". We discuss the ongoing Cape Epic, where the pairs format throws up some pacing and tactical challenges for unbalanced teams. And we preview the year's first Monument, where Tadej Pogacar will have to test and challenge Mathieu van der Poel's durability and 5-min power to win the elusive title. We discuss the requirement for Pogacar and UAE to extend the efforts above FTP and even VO2max to climbs even before the Cipressa, in order to make van der Poel vulnerable to a five minute effort on the decisive Poggio climb.

Switching to running, we briefly discuss the remarkable 2:10 performance by Fotyen Tesfay in Barcelona, and why it's the de factor WR, but may be as questioned as the incumbent WR by Ruth Chep'ngetich. Another dramatic finish in Los Angeles, a marathon decided by 0.01s where the 'loser' went the wrong way, and didn't, apparently, take in a single gram of carbohydrates in the race.

While on the subject of dramatic finishes, recent research shows that the odds of a cardiac arrest are significantly higher in the final kilometer of running races (20km and half marathon). We compare that to triathlons, where the odds of cardiac arrests are way higher in the first part of the race, in the swim. We discuss the physiology and emotional reasons for these risk increases.

We then move into the resistance training space, to talk briefly about the American College of Sports Medicine's position stand on resistance training. It says what many people know, but challenges what a lot of people think, and the reaction has been enlightening!

And finally, a few short results and discussion points from around the world of sport, including an unprecedented reversal of an entire tournament result, and a rare "defeat" (on a technicality) for Johannes Klaebo in cross-country skiing

Links

Relevant to the discussion on recovery after high intensity efforts, here's an article on how our 'battery' is recharged, or reconstituted
Article on Fotyen's 2:10:51 marathon
Good insights on Fotyen from Letsrun.com
The research out of Paris showing the higher risk of cardiac events in the final kilometer of races
A similar study on cardiac arrests in triathlon
The LA Marathon finish and race are discussed in this article
The ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training
Stuart Phillips' posts on the ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training

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