Performance Process cover art

Performance Process

Performance Process

By: Escape Collective
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Welcome to the Performance Process podcast, hosted by Ronan Mc Laughlin and Caley Fretz. This podcast is dedicated to unearthing and analysing the processes behind some of the most successful athletes in the world, and understanding how every rider can apply them to their own improvement. The Performance Process podcast is produced exclusively for Escape Collective members. While you'll see partial episodes on this feed please head to https://escapecollective.com/member/ to become a member and gain access to the full episodes!2022 Escape Collective Exercise & Fitness Fitness, Diet & Nutrition Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • The adaptable road position
    Feb 4 2026

    Could we benefit from different bike fits for different days? If we are riding mountains one day, flats the next, and in a breakaway the day after, does having one position for all road stages leave some performance on the table? In this episode I’m joined by Ken Ballhause, Head of Biomechanics at Pinarello-Q36.5, to unpack if there's any merit in my thinking that we could benefit to tailoring our positions to the specific demands of each day, stage, or terrain.

    We dig into what actually drives adaptable performance, why the real unlock is usually equipment and ergonomics rather than multiple fits, before touching on saddle design, pelvic support, crank length, and cockpit setup for the modern “aero road” posture as Ken talks us through his fit process for pros in 2026, before finally looping back to the idea there may be something in adaptable positions. We also challenge a few common bike-fit habits, including sit-bone width measuring, pressure mapping as a decision-maker, and how useful knee-over-pedal-spindle really is. The result is a systems-level look at how performance focused fitters are now thinking about position, comfort, aerodynamics, and sustainability over long races.

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    33 mins
  • Introducing Escape tyre testing: Get ready to rethink accepted wisdom
    Dec 10 2025

    In this episode of Performance Process, we finally dig into the tyre-testing project that quietly consumed most of my year.

    Nine months, six tyre widths, hundreds of test runs, three road surfaces, four identical wheelsets, and far too many cold late-night tests than any sane person should attempt. But it was worth it.

    Today, Ronan is joined by John Buckley the founder of Streamlines Aero, the company behind the hardware and technical support so crucial to this testing. Together, we break down how the test protocol worked, why it’s different, and why those differences matter. We also unpack the major findings: why pressure mattered more than width in this dataset, why some long-held assumptions didn’t hold up in the real world, and how tyre temperature turned out to be one of the biggest and least appreciated variables affecting performance.

    This is just the beginning. Later in the episode we explain where our tyre testing goes from here and what to expect in the new year.

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    24 mins
  • Inside Red Bull's laser-powered aero testing with Dan Bigham and the CyclingSpy
    Nov 11 2025

    For years, cyclists have said, “you can’t see aero.” Now Dan Bigham can.

    In this episode, we go inside Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s groundbreaking use of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), a laser-based imaging technique that effectively makes airflow around a rider visible in 3D. Dan joins Ronan and the CyclingSpy to explain how the team used helium bubbles, high-speed cameras, and class-IV lasers inside Catesby Tunnel, an old railway tunnel, to capture the first-ever full-field airflow data behind a cyclist.

    We unpack what PIV actually is, how it bridges CFD and real-world testing, and what it could mean for the future of aerodynamic development in cycling. From vorticity maps to quantum computing, this one’s a deep dive into the tools shaping the next generation of aero performance.

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    57 mins
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