The Triathlon Brick Session

Kona, crowded racecourses and a cyclist who apparently thought “unsupported” included hanging onto a bloody van. Plenty for Caroline and me to get stuck into in this episode of The Brick Session.We start with some observations from Kona, rather than a full results rundown. For me, the 20-metre draft zone has changed the dynamic of the race and made it a much fairer contest. But the conditions raise a harder question: whose responsibility is it to stop an athlete when they’re no longer in a fit state to continue? Watching professionals stumbling, collapsing and looking incoherent makes uncomfortable viewing.Where does celebrating resilience end and somebody’s responsibility to intervene begin? Do we really have to wait until somebody dies?We also discuss Lucy Charles-Barclay’s second consecutive Kona DNF and the difficulty of moving forward when you might not have a clear explanation for what went wrong. Sometimes there’s no neat answer, and that lack of closure must be brutal. There’s plenty of sympathy here for a former champion who has already shown how resilient she can be.Credit where it’s due, too: Kona’s commentary and production have improved considerably. Will McCloy brings enthusiasm, wit and proper preparation, and I think he’s raising the standard for everyone around him.From Hawaii to Portugal, where I was working in the media, we discuss the appeal—and the reality—of a race weekend with around 5,500 athletes. Beautiful location, huge atmosphere, but getting around, reaching the finish, finding food or even a toilet could become an endurance event of its own. How many athletes are too many? With races filling up, the appetite for Ironman clearly remains strong. But are we becoming too comfortable with congestion and drafting in a sport built around individual effort?We look at young riders walking away from professional cycling and discuss what might sit behind those decisions: pressure, team culture, personal values or simply deciding the life isn’t for them. Without detailed explanations from the riders themselves, it’s speculation—and we acknowledge that.There’s also a return to the Jonathan and Alistair Brownlee drama at Cozumel, and the criticism aimed at Henri Schoeman for carrying on to win. Should he have stopped? We discuss sportsmanship, competitive responsibility and whether the reaction was fair.Then there’s Max Agut’s disqualification from the Trans Pyrenees Race after organisers concluded he’d held onto a vehicle on two climbs. He’s now banned from all Lost Dot events. We discuss cheating, credibility and why, for me, that sort of conduct should carry consequences well beyond one organiser’s races. “Human powered” really shouldn’t need explaining.We squeeze in some swimming analysis before finishing with a thank-you to our listeners, patrons and everyone supporting Peak Education Nepal. We share updates on our projects, including replacing the roof of a small mountain school.A few laughs, a bit of swearing and plenty to discus.

This week on The Brick Session, Caroline and I sit down with Dr Sarah Ruggins, the ultra-endurance cyclist behind the extraordinary One Way North world record.In June 2026, Sarah rode from Tarifa at the southern tip of Spain to Nordkapp inside the Arctic Circle, covering 6,050 km in just 13 days and beating the previous record by more than three days.But the numbers only tell part of the story.Sarah talks us through what it actually takes to ride across an entire continent while surviving on as little as 90 minutes of sleep a night. We get into the changing sleep strategy, the effect just three hours of sleep had on her power, riding four-hour blocks with only ten-minute stops, and the brutal three days through Finland in freezing rain and headwinds.We also explore the team behind the record and why Sarah deliberately hands major decisions over to them once sleep deprivation starts affecting her judgement.As she puts it, in events like this, “you don't rise to your ambitions, you fall to your processes.”There’s also a much deeper story behind Sarah's ability to suffer. A former Olympic-pipeline runner, serious illness and chronic pain eventually ended her running career. Cycling became part of rebuilding her life, despite ongoing issues with balance, feeling in her hands and feet, and her nervous system.Perhaps most interestingly, Sarah doesn't define success by the world record. During One Way North she deliberately didn't know whether she was ahead of or behind record pace. The objective was to discover the limits of her own capabilities. The record was simply the consequence.We talk about discipline versus motivation, compartmentalising enormous distances, the psychology of suffering, why the right support crew matters, the role of her partner Ryan, her previous LEJOG/JOGLE experience and some useful insight for Caroline's planned LEJOG record attempt.Sarah also explains why she considers perseverance rather than cycling ability her real talent, the unusual role tattooing played in rebuilding her relationship with her body after illness, and why achievement should never become your identity.Did she think about quitting?Not once.As Sarah says:“My job is to finish it.”A fascinating conversation with an athlete whose greatest strength might not be how fast she can ride a bike, but how comfortable she has become with being profoundly uncomfortable.Enjoy 

This week on The Brick Session, Caroline and Mark get stuck into a lot.They start with the British Gravel Championships, looking at the event, the racing and, perhaps more importantly, the direction gravel racing in Britain is heading. With participation having grown to more than 1,000 riders in the 2025 edition, the move into the British Cycling structure raises plenty of questions about the future of the Championships. (britishgravelchampionships.com)Mark quickly chats about his latest mini adveture which was bike packing across Iceland.  If you're thinking about bike packing the Iceland Divide, this is a must listenThen they head across the Channel to the European Gravel Championships, where the women's elite race became a complete shit show. The elite women were sent out just five minutes behind the male age-group fields, meaning they quickly caught riders from the 65–74 category and other men's groups. What followed was traffic, overtaking, interference and, according to riders, an unacceptable racing environment. (Cyclingnews). A proper shit show. They also get into the two very different anti-doping cases involving Joe Skipper and Tomás Rodríguez Hernández.   Joe has received an 18-month ban following three whereabouts failures within 12 months, while Rodríguez's second case involves alleged tampering and participation while ineligible, completely different circumstances, but both raising questions about responsibility, professionalism and the anti-doping system. (International Testing Agency). Mark doesn't hold back on either athlete.Finally, we look at UTMB from the other side of the tape — what it's actually like to be part of the support crew, the logistics, the pressure, the waiting and the reality behind getting an athlete through one of the world's biggest ultra-running events.Gravel. Racing. Doping. Support crews. And a fair bit of opinion.🎧 Listen now — The Brick Session Podcast.

In this episode, Caroline and I kick things off by looking back at Challenge Roth, discussing the standout performances, the biggest talking points, and the incredible racing on one of triathlon's biggest stages.We then sit down with Matt to take a deep dive into what it really takes to set a world record, using our recent North Coast 500 record attempts as the backdrop. It's a conversation that goes far beyond fitness. We explore the planning, pacing, mental resilience and teamwork required to perform at the highest level.Matt shares how he approached his fastest-known-time ride through careful pacing, trusting his instincts, and eliminating unnecessary distractions. Caroline reflects on the mental battle of constantly processing information, making decisions under pressure, and learning how crucial clear communication with a support crew can be.Together, we discuss the importance of preparation, staying adaptable when things don't go to plan, managing support teams effectively, and the lessons that every endurance athlete can take into their own racing. Whether you're chasing a personal best or simply looking to become a smarter endurance athlete, this episode is packed with practical insights from two successful record attempts.

The North Coast 500 is one of the most iconic cycling routes in the world. A challenging 500-mile loop around the rugged Scottish Highlands, it demands resilience, planning, determination, and an ability to keep moving when everything in your body is telling you to stop.In this episode, we sit down with newly ratified North Coast 500 Women's World Record holder, Caroline Livesey, to hear the story behind her remarkable ride.From the early planning stages and months of preparation through to the highs, lows and defining moments out on the road, Caroline shares what it really takes to ride the NC500 at world-record pace.Joining the conversation is Mark Livesey, who was part of the support crew throughout the attempt. Mark offers a unique perspective from behind the scenes, discussing the realities of managing a moving operation around the clock, making critical decisions under pressure, and helping keep the rider focused on the task at hand.Together, they explore the importance of teamwork in ultra-endurance cycling. World records are rarely individual achievements, and Caroline's ride was no exception.The episode highlights the contribution of a dedicated support team whose collective efforts helped turn an ambitious goal into a historic achievement.We also discuss the key partnerships that played a crucial role in the success of the record attempt. Precision Fuel & Hydration were instrumental in developing and refining Caroline's nutrition and hydration strategy, ensuring that energy intake matched the demands of riding at record pace for over 32 hours. Meanwhile, EZ Gains worked extensively to optimise Caroline's aerodynamic position and equipment setup, helping extract every possible advantage over such a long and demanding route.The conversation covers strengths and weaknesses, lessons learned, moments that went exactly to plan, and those that required adaptation on the fly. It's an honest look at what happens when meticulous preparation meets the unpredictable reality of ultra-endurance cycling.Whether you're an endurance athlete, a cyclist dreaming of tackling the NC500, or simply fascinated by what people are capable of achieving when they commit fully to a goal, this episode provides a fascinating insight into the pursuit of a world record on one of Britain's most spectacular roads.Dontate to charity - https://peakeducationnepal.com/