Faster: The Obsession, Science and Luck Behind the World's Fastest Cyclists

During the doping era, cycling teams would spend money on drugs rather than training. This may have provided some quick fixes, but prevented long term gains. Separately, the British cycling team focussed on science to improve the team and win gold medals. The first step is find the athletes. There are some basic physiological capabilities needed. They must also have the desire and drive to succeed. On top of that, there is training. The training that is needed to separate the elite athletes is different than that needed for more casual athletes. There are minor little things such as diet, training details and bike improvements that can be the difference. While these may help the casual cyclist, some more simple things may produce a bigger bang. The work on the margins continues to evolve. Bike technology has also improved, but is often limited by the cycling governing body. Psychology is not very important to a sport like cycling that relies almost exclusively on cardiovascular strength. There will continue to be advancements and people with the drive to be faster.