From Amateur to Professional Cycling: A Case Study on the Training Characteristics of a Zwift Academy Winner

This study aimed to describe the training leading to the Zwift Academy (ZA) Finals of a world-class road cyclist who earned a professional contract after winning the contest. Four years of daily power meter data were analyzed (male, 25 years old, 68 kg, VO2max: 85 mL·min−1·kg−1, and 20-minute power: 6.37 W·kg−1), focusing on load, volume, intensity, and strategies. Early training alternated between long, moderate-intensity sessions and shorter high-intensity sessions, with easy days in between. Gradually, the structure was progressively modified by increasing the duration of moderate-intensity (MIT) and high-intensity (HIT) and, subsequently, moving them to “high-volume days”, creating a sort of “all-in days” with low-intensity (LIT), MIT, and HIT. Moderate use of indoor training and a few double low-volume, low-intensity sessions were noted. These data provide a deep view of a 4-year preparation period of ZA, providing suggestions for talent identification and training, thereby highlighting the importance of gradual progression in MIT and HIT

Cardiorespiratory and metabolic consequences of detraining in endurance athletes

Background: A training program can stimulate physiological, anatomical, and performance adaptations, but these improvements can be partially or entirely reversed due to the cessation of habitual physical activity resulting from illness, injury, or other influencing factors.Purpose: To investigate the effects of detraining on cardiorespiratory, metabolic, hormonal, muscular adaptations, as well as short-term and long-term performance changes in endurance athletes.Methods: Eligible studies were sourced from databases and the library up until July 2023.Included studies considered endurance athletes as subjects and reported on detraining duration.Results: Total cessation of training leads to a decrease in VO2max due to reductions in both blood and plasma volume. Cardiac changes include decreases in left ventricular mass, size, and thickness, along with an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, ultimately resulting in reduced cardiac output and impaired performance. Metabolically, there are declines in lactate threshold and muscle glycogen, increased body weight, altered respiratory exchange ratio, and changes in power parameters. In the short term, there is a decrease in insulin sensitivity, while glucagon, growth hormone, and cortisol levels remain unchanged. Skeletal muscle experiences reductions in arterial-venous oxygen difference and glucose transporter-4. Implementing a partial reduction in training may help mitigate drastic losses in physiological and performance parameters, a consideration when transitioning between training seasons.There is a dearth of data investigating the detraining effects of training reduction/cessation among endurance athletes. Delving deeper into this topic may be useful for professionals and researchers to identify the optimal strategies to minimize these effects

The risk of telling : a dyadic perspective on romantic partners' responses to child sexual abuse disclosure and their associations with sexual and relationship satisfaction

Essai présenté à la Faculté des arts et des sciences en vue de l'obtention du grade de Doctorat en psychologie clinique (D. Psy.)Les survivants d’agression sexuelle à l’enfance (ASE) doivent souvent composer avec les conséquences à long terme de ce trauma. Toutefois, il existe une grande variabilité quant aux impacts individuels de l’ASE. Certains auteurs croient que la réponse obtenue lors du dévoilement de l’ASE aux proches du survivant, pourrait être l’un des déterminants de cette variabilité. Cependant, le dévoilement à l’âge adulte, notamment au partenaire amoureux, a été peu étudié. La présente étude examine les associations entre les réponses des partenaires amoureux au dévoilement, tels que perçues par les survivants, ainsi que la satisfaction sexuelle et conjugale des deux membres du couple, auprès d’un échantillon de 70 couples de la communauté ayant rapporté une ASE et l’ayant dévoilée à leur partenaire. Les participants ont complété des questionnaires auto-rapportés en ligne. Les résultats d’analyses de trajectoire au sein d’un modèle « Actor-Partner Interdependence Model » (APIM) indiquent que les réponses de « soutien émotionnel » de la part des partenaires durant le dévoilement, telles que perçues par les survivants, étaient positivement associées à leur propre satisfaction sexuelle ainsi qu’à celle de leur partenaire. Les réponses de « stigmatisation/se sentir traité différemment » de la part des partenaires, telles que perçues par les survivants, étaient associées à une moins bonne satisfaction conjugale, à la fois pour les survivants et leurs partenaires. Les résultats suggèrent que les réponses des partenaires au dévoilement d’une ASE, tels que perçues par les survivants, peuvent avoir un impact positif autant que négatif sur la satisfaction conjugale et sexuelle des deux partenaires.Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) often experience adverse trauma-related long term consequences, which vary widely among survivors. Some authors argued that this variability might be explained in part by the response of others to survivors’ disclosure of the CSA. However, disclosure during adulthood has received little empirical attention, in particular, disclosure to a romantic partner. Among 70 community couples who reported CSA and disclosure to their partner, this study examined associations between survivors’ perception of partner responses to their disclosure, and both partners’ sexual and relationship satisfaction. Participants completed self-report questionnaires online. Results of path analyses within an actor-partner interdependence model indicated that survivors’ perceived partner responses of emotional support to disclosure were associated with their own and their partners' higher sexual satisfaction. Survivors’ perceived responses of being stigmatized/treated differently by the partner were associated with their own and their partners’ poorer relationship satisfaction. Findings suggest that survivor-perceived partner responses to the disclosure of CSA can have both a positive and a negative impact on the sexual and relationship satisfaction of both partners

Expert elicitation to inform a cost effectiveness analysis of screening for renal cancer: methodological and practical considerations

Background: Population screening for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using ultrasound has the potential to improve survival outcomes; however a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) has yet to be performed. Due to the lack of existing evidence, we performed structured expert elicitation to derive unknown quantities to inform the CEA. Objectives: To elicit the cancer stage distribution (proportion of individuals with each stage of cancer) for different RCC screening scenarios and the annual transition probabilities for undiagnosed disease becoming diagnosed in the NHS. Methods: The study design and reporting adhered to the Reporting Guidelines for the Use of Expert Judgement in Model-Based Economic Evaluations. The elicitation was conducted face-to-face or via telephone between each individual expert and the facilitator, aided by online material. For multinomial data, Connor Mosimann and modified Connor Mosimann distributions were fitted for each expert and for all experts combined using mathematical linear pooling. Results: A total of 24 clinical experts were invited, and 71% participated (7 urologists, 6 oncologists, 4 radiologists). The modified Connor Mosimann distribution provided the best fit for the majority of elicited quantities. Greater uncertainty was noted for the elicited transition probabilities compared to the elicited stage distributions. Conclusion: We performed the first expert elicitation of RCC screening parameters, crucial information which will inform the CEA of screening. Additionally, the elicited quantities may enable future health economic evaluations assessing the value of diagnostic tools and pathways in RCC