Lachlan Bikes Australia, WHOOP finally gets its steps in, we talk to the Beer Mile World Champ, and more…
๐ Good morning and happy Friday! Welcome to the Front Pack newsletter, your source for all things endurance. Click here for the web edition.
Yesterday was World Mental Health Day. Did you take a step back to think about your own mental well-being or check in on a friend/family member? Some members took to the platform to highlight what it is that theyโre doing to create a healthier life for themselves. In no particular order:
Working out or some type of physical activity everyday. If I go days without that, Iโm noticeably more irritable ๐คย ย
I turned email notifications off on my watch. It was just too much. โ
Reaching out to friends more. Just to check-in and connect on life. ๐ฑ
Every few months I purge the people I follow on Instagram. If they donโt bring me joy, I unfollow.
Less bedtime scrolling on my phone. It can get me stressed out when all I want is a good night sleep.๐ด
Doing some kind of activity (walk my dogs, cardio, Peloton) early in the morning to get my brain firing.๐ง
Have a full breakfast with a variety of protein, carbs, and fruit. You should look forward to what you’re putting on the plate.๐
Journaling a few times a week. Just write down some thoughts, ideas, etc. This isn’t for everyone but i’ve found it gives me peace โ๏ธ
Our world is noisy, and complex AF so donโt just sit in silence. If youโre struggling at all, reach out to someone, anybody you consider close.
Hell. Send me a damn email.
We all have our moments and days but it is nothing compared to if we didnโt have you at all.
Hope it was a great week, catch some Zzzzโs, recharge and enjoy the weekend.
Stay movingโฆโ๐ผ – Scott
Join Front Pack
Ep. 5 – Chugging Beers, Winning Races
This week we sat down with Liz Laseter, reigning and back-to-back beer mile champ – going 6:06 which includes chugging 4 beers! She also just PRโd The Berlin Marathon with a 2:46, BEAST!
We talked about everything from how the hell she got to this position, to what beer she performs best with, to the temperature of her chugging beers.
If you want to catch the full episode, click here.
Headlines
Top news, races and results you may or may not have been paying attention toโฆ
13 Straight: That is the numbers of wins in a row Courtney Daulwater has secured since her last loss, a 2021 DNF at the notoriously difficult Barkley Marathons. This past weekend it was Nice Cรดte dโAzur by UTMB where she won the women’s race and finished only 13 minutes behind the men’s winner. Read moreโฆ
“Iโm pretty smoked, mate”: Understandably, Lachlan Morton was feeling gassed after cycling around Australia over the last 30 days. The fastest to ever do it, Morton broke the previous record by a week, going 14,200km …or 8,823.4 miles in US terms. Read moreโฆ
Crazy Tech: Self-inflating Tires win it: Thatโs right. Marianne Vos rode a self-inflating tire system to the UCI Gravel World Championship. The $4,000 wheelset with a kinetic compressor allows the rider to inflate and deflate tire pressure in an instant from the handlebars, all depending on the surface theyโre riding on. Read moreโฆ
van der Poel Dominates: Itโs been a while since we talked about Mathieu. He started on fire in 2024 and cooled enough that we didnโt mention him much at all during the Tour de France. That said, the Dutchman went out and captured the UCI Gravel World Championship in a way that was far superior to his earlier season wins at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Hard to fathom but he was on another level. Read moreโฆ
IRONMAN World Championship PRO Start Line Set: Weโre two weeks away from the IM WC in Kona and the start list has been announced. I know, I know. Iโm not included and that is disappointing but Iโll gladly give up my spot to watch the greats battle it out.
Meanwhile
Other happenings in the world of endurance.
WHOOP gets its Steps In: I do not own a WHOOP but am really into the business and Will Ahmed as a leader. So when they were always resistant to having steps, it felt kind of weird. If there is one data point consumers understand it isโฆ STEPS! But this week, Will announced that he is listening to his members and added the feature. Read moreโฆ
Strava Launches New Feature People May Use (Sparringl) but It Wonโt Actually Tell you Much that Youโll actually Act On: Strava subscribers can now benefit fromย improved personalized insight features on the ride-sharing app. Called Athlete Intelligence,ย the platform’s “Artificial Intelligence-powered featureโ analyses and interprets workout data providing “smarter insights across pace, heart rate, elevation, power andย Relative Effort”, as well as aggregating data trends from workouts logged over the past 30 days. Read moreโฆ
TriBike Transport sues IRONMAN: Maybe youโve followed this drama, maybe you havenโt. To get you up to speed, last year, hundreds of athletes bikes were held captive by a shipping company because bills were not being played. It was pretty ugly and a bad look for TriBike Transport. Fast forward to now when TriBike Transport sued IRONMAN for breach of contract, claiming the company violated its 19-year partnership, saying IRONMAN didnโt meet certain marketing obligations, which was a primary factor in TBT goin out of business. Read moreโฆ
Kickstarter Promises Cycling Bibs that Reduce Lactic Acid by 35%: WaveWear, a Seoul-based brand is stating its bib shorts and baselayers will utilize kinesiology tape created from medical-grade silicone (you know, that tape you sometimes see strapped down footballers’ hamstrings) to improve support and give us “less to recover from after cycling”. The campaign has yet to launch but if youโre gains regardless if theyโre proven or not, check it out! Read moreโฆ
Training Tips
Because training is life
Kilian Jornet’s Advice to Race Faster, For Non-Elites: Kilian Jornet is the greatest mountain and ultra runner of all time. We discuss how runners of all levels can improve in training and racing. This applies to trail, ultra, mountain and road running.ย
How Much Slower Is A Gravel Bike?: Is the gravel bike truly the one bike that can do it all? Theyโre amazing, no doubt! But even still, the big question everyone wants answered is: how much slower is a gravel bike compared to a road bike? And importantly, will you be able to keep up with your mates on road bikes?
The Most Effective Type of Cardiovascular Training: Wild to think the heart NEVER stops. Great video on what is the best form of cardio to add to your health regimine.
Rewatchables
Content for long training days inside or just everyday life.
The Last 12 Hours: In mid-September, trail runner Tara Dower completed the fastest known time ever of the Appalachian Trail, starting her run in Maine on August 12th, 2024. To complete all 2,197.4 miles of the trail, it took Tara 40 days 18 hours 5 minutes, breaking the existing record by around a day. Filmmaker, Emily Cameron captured the last half-day of the record on camera, creating a film documenting the last 12 hours. It captures the energy of the group, a group clearly exhausted yet triumphant, as Tara reaches towards the finish line. If youโve got 7 minutes, itโs an incredible watch.
Right-Hand Man: A powerful look into Lachlan Mortonโs friend, mechanic, and informal program director, Tom Hopper. Without Tom, would Lachlan have been able to tick off an impressive list of off-road finishes and records, round Australia, Unbound Gravel, Tour Divide, and the Colorado Trail among many others.
The Terrifying Last Minutes of 21 Ultramarathon Runners: Never heard of this race from 2021 but found it fascinating. Shame on the organizers!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.