a day in the life of


I


wanted a career without a typical day where I would know what the next 16 hours would hold. Knowing little about the world, the only options seemed to be


posing in a sequinned leotard as a target for a myopic fairground knife-thrower or journalism. Having a rare blood type and ugly legs, I opted to be a hack. So The Journalist’s invitation to describe a typical day is probably the toughest commission I’ve received. It arrived a just after I’d completed ‘Barry Knows Best’, a mountain bike singletrack that sweeps and swoops over mud, rocks and roots, descending steeply and quickly through woodland.


On reflection, the off-road cycle ride was typical only in that, while I skidded down the greensand, I was asking myself what the hell I was doing. It’s usual for that question to pop up during every job I accept and, by the time I dismounted in one knackered piece at Peaslake Village Stores to buy coffee and cake, the answer had surfaced: it’s satisfying to complete something I should never have attempted in the first place. I have ended up with a specialism that is, to


say the least, niche. Through twists and turns and unexpected puddles, I’ve become one of a few journalists who focus on the science of cycling. Several write about training to ride faster and a few others cover bicycle technology. For me, though, it’s writing about anything and everything where scientific methods have been applied to any aspect of bicycling. When business is slow, I’ll even contemplate tandems. Aerodynamics, kinematics, self-stable


dynamics, nutrition, ergonomics and demographics pique my interest. Then there’s crash analysis, infrastructure design, health, safety and saddle sores. Be honest, you’re fascinated now, aren’t you? However, please don’t


10 | theJournalist


There are unexpected twists and turns on the cycling science route, says Max Glaskin


get too interested because, to be frank, the market for cycling science journalism is already rammed. Currently, half a dozen devastatingly beautiful and astoundingly intelligent editors commission me. Similar flattery is available to any others who would like to buy my accessible stories with added human interest. My task is to identify the latest research and make it relevant to cyclists. There are more cyclists today than at any time in the past 50 years. Millions ride for leisure, health and transport, and science is being harnessed to improve every aspect. Cycling is the most valuable global market for sports equipment. Up to 50 relevant research papers are published in English per week and scouring them is the best bit of the job. It involves trawling peer-reviewed academic journals. This is an almost meditative experience, scanning study titles, recognising names of researchers and reading abstracts. The thrill is in spotting something weird and wonderful among reams of dry, convoluted text. Subjects trending this year include safety, particularly injuries, helmets and collisions with vehicles. Sadly, there’s less research into making roads safer in the first place. ‘Big data’ analysts are crunching numbers to draw surprising conclusions from city bikeshare schemes and fitness apps. Physiologists are excited by the boost to bodies from beetroot juice, brain electrodes and caffeine (not at the same time).


Half of the papers don’t warrant a second glance. Of the remaining two dozen each week, four or five seem worth following so I embrace them, wrap them in Lycra and coach them until they have developed into full-grown stories, fit enough to freewheel into public life. The rest I tweet to my 4,000-odd followers, some of whom are human (the others are probably bots). Journal plundering is a good way to find


stories because scientists are notoriously rubbish at disseminating their findings. Yet they’re usually very keen to talk. Some have said that if their work is mentioned in a newspaper, magazine or website, it adds to their official reputation score. Occasionally a scientist will email me


unsolicited about a discovery. Nine times out of 10, they are familiar with my work so know what to expect. One time out of 10, they are outraged to learn they can’t


a cycling correspondent


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