Mathieu Van der Poel He was the great man of the day in the Cycling World Cup. The Dutchman shone with his own light on the track that was born in Edinburgh and died in Glasgow.
In the middle of the race there was a stoppage because of some protesters. The runners were standing on the asphalt for almost an hour and that was when, according to what MARCA has been able to know Through protagonists who saw the scene, the runner asked the owners of a farm near where they were standing for permission to go to the bathroom and meet their needs.
He was not the only one who took advantage of the break
An episode reminiscent, under different circumstances, of Dumoulin’s in the 2017 Giro. Other riders also took advantage of the break to satisfy various kinds of needs.
Later, the runner would deliver an unbeatable ax blow with 22 kilometers to go from the finish line. Despite his every subsequent, van der poel he managed to raise his arms and put on his first rainbow jersey.
There are scientific studies on the subject
It is not known how key that ‘technical’ stop was. But, according to a study by ‘Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition’the defecation improved the effort time until exhaustion from 27 minutes to almost 32. Its popularizer, Sal Sánchez, explains it in a curious thread.
DEFECATION BEFORE COMPETITION IMPROVES PERFORMANCE BY UP TO 17%
In this way, the blood supply to the prefrontal brain is improved, favoring the practice of intense exercise.
Inside thread.
? Sal Sanchez (@SaulNutri) July 29, 2023
Defecating before the competition increases, always according to this study, a 17% the performance of athletes according to the results of this study carried out with fifteen triathletes.
Van der Poel, more than happy with his triumph
“This win means everything to me. It was one of the biggest goals I had left, and winning it today is incredible. In my opinion, this win completes my career, it’s the biggest road win ever. I still can’t imagine using the rainbow for a year,” he pointed out van der poel before going up to the podium. In the subsequent press conference, he himself confirmed that he went to the bathroom at that moment on a Sunday that he will never forget.
