The Rise of Injuries podcast, Arms Race to beat Pogačar, Glute strength, World Rankings, and more…

👋 Good morning and happy Friday. As always, I’m Scott. Feel free to reach me here. But seriously, I like hearing from people.

This is the Front Pack Newsletter, your weekly source for all things endurance. We give you tasty morsels of everything happening in the world of cycling, triathlon, and running.

Join our app to stay motivated, meet athletes near you, coordinate workouts, and highlight your journey to greatness.

The world of endurance is a bit quiet right now and not to say that’s a bad thing. It just means yall are in your houses and garages on the trainer, daydreaming of this winter weather passing.

But in no time, everyone will launch into their seasons and we’ll see nonstop action from around the globe. And if you scroll down, you’ll see the best ultra runners have been crowned and the latest PTO rankings have been revealed. Add in that everyone is building up arms to beat Pogačar this summer and its exciting to think about the storylines ahead.

That’s the beauty of sports? Whether you’re a pro or an AG athlete, we always get to rewrite our own storyline each year. You don’t need to worry or think about what you did previously, just what is in front of you today. So keep at it and see you outside soon!

Stay moving…✌️

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🎙️ EP. 7 – Endurance Injuries on the Rise?

It’s early in the season but there is no time like today to get smart on injury prevention and ways to deal with injuries. In this episode we sit down with Wendy Winn, owner of Custom Performance PT, running coach, and marathoner herself, to discuss the rise of injuries she is seeing in athletes. What role does social media play, and what if any fad products are worth your $$$.

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The Headlines

A Legend Retires: At 45, what else can you say about Andy Potts. The guy is an Olympian, draft-legal racing champion, 8x IRONMAN winner, has 6 Escape from Alcatraz titles, and is the IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion. He’s done it all! And with that, Potts is calling it a career in racing. Really nothing else to prove but instead focus on his coaching business. Read more…

Ultrarunners of the Year: Ultra has never been more popular and the personalities are starting to show. For 2024, it was Katie Schide and Hayden Hawks taking the top spot. I’d argue that the #2 picks are my #1 but hell, I didn’t make the rankings. Read more…

Visa-Lease a Bike vs. Pogačar: It’s January but the focus on this summer is already here and Visa-Lease is trying their best to take The Tour now. By signing Simon Yates and Victor Campenaerts bring added firepower to proven team leaders Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, and last year’s breakout star Matteo Jorgenson. Read more…

Sepp to play second star and that’s cool: Speaking of the Tour; in a wide ranging interview, Sepp Kuss sat down and talked about how excited he is to again support Jonas Vingegaard in 2025, saying, “It’s a role I like, a role that’s a lot easier than being a leader in the race and a role I can do quite well.” All things are lining up for a wild summer of racing in France. Read more…

Latest Triathlon World Rankings Revealed: On the women’s side, no real surprises there, but for the men, there is a youth movement happening that sees Van Riel, Smith, and Geens taking 3 of the top 5 spots. Read more…

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Meanwhile

Other happenings in the world of endurance.

Fix Your Glutes, Fix Your Problems: I’ve heard so much about glutes in the last week, so when this article popped up, not only did I have read up on it I knew it was an omen to talk about out butts! It’s the NY Time though, so you may need to be a subscriber. WHOMP! Read more…

The Best Sports Watch for Everyday, Do-Everything Athletes: After six months of 24/7 use, Outside magazine editor Jakob Schiller has named the Suunto Race smartwatch the perfect balance of price and functionality. Read more…

Hoka Takes on Nike and Adidas: Hoka is no stranger to podiums. But for the most part, its highest accolades come by way of the trail via Vincent Bouillard, and Jim Walmsley. They debuted the Cielo X1 last year, and are back with the highly anticipated Cielo X1 2.0. Read more…

Wheel Upgrades: Looking to upgrade what most say are the best performance improving upgrade on the bike? Then check out Road’s 2024/2025 Wheels of the Year recommendations. They dive into the most impressive road and gravel wheelsets you can buy today. Including Enve, Roval, Scribe, and others. Read more…

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Training Tips

Because training is life.

The Biggest Lie About Weight Loss And Exercise: I can appreciate a video that doesn’t just say, “you’re wrong” but instead dives into some science based facts about weight loss and exercise.

Clean up your cycling apps in 2025: Ben Dalaney dives into that he actually uses and pays for. His Top 5 include – Strava, Epic Ride Weather, Zwift, and then Peacock for cycling coverage, and lastly, FasCat for his training plan.

The BEST Chinese Carbon Road Bike Wheels vs The BEST Western Road Bike Wheels: With anyone having the ability to purchase directly from China these days. Thanks internet! I found this video to be a must watch.

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Rewatchables

Content for long training days inside or just everyday life.

My final 700 miles in Mexico: Dan’s been on and 8 month journey that has taken him from Alaska to Argentina.This video is of his final 700 mile backpacking in Mexico. Off to Guatemala next.

“Let’s Shock The World” | David Roche’s Road To Western States: Mr. Roche has been on quite the streak and its an interesting watch to see him going from known to REALLY KNOWN. Now in 2025, he plans to absolutely killer each race.

I Need to be Alone… So I’m Leaving (Again): Eva isn’t so much endurance related but just a good channel I like watching during long training days inside. She’s like a river, always on the move and never at a standstill. Enjoy!