The following is an excerpt from an upcoming book on technology, distraction, and why training simply is the most effective way to improve your cycling. To get updates and follow the progress of the book please sign up for our newsletter.
“The Scientific Revolution has not been a revolution of knowledge. It has been above all a revolution of ignorance. The great discovery that launched the Scientific Revolution was the discovery that humans do not know the answers to their most important questions.” – Yuval Noah Harari
Our best option to remain focused on the essentials of training while navigating distractions in the Information Age is to lean on the scientific method. Why prioritize the slow drip of science over crowd-sourced internet wisdom? Because the scientific method is our best instrument for drawing a clear line between training practices that are evidence-based and training practices that are imagination-based.
From silver-bullet intervals to magic training supplements, our imagination is often the most significant obstacle to making long-term progress on the bike. An information filter built on science ensures we stay focused on the fundamentals of training while deflecting distracting cycling hacks to the fringes of our training philosophy.
Prioritizing science in our approach to the bike doesn’t eliminate the value of personal observation or anecdote; it merely gives us the freedom to stay grounded in the essentials of training, even when our imagination runs wild.
Building a better information filter starts with taking a closer look at how research is conducted. If the thought of picking through a scientific journal has you fleeing back to YouTube, stay with me. In the proceeding chapter, we’ll cover a set of simple guidelines for navigating cycling research while laying the groundwork for more impactful training and improved performance.
Let’s take a closer look at how cycling science is made…
Training can be confusing. In our free eBook, we’ll show you four ways to use your data and insights from science to ride better than ever.
References
1. Harari, Y. N., Perkins, D., & OverDrive, Inc. (2017). Sapiens. Place of publication not identified: HarperCollins.