In early February, Chris Froome posted a photo on social media. It reads, “Can’t tell if @paulopowerwatts is happy with my numbers.” @paulopowerwatts is Paulo Saldanha, the head of performance at Israel Start-Up Nation. He’s been working to get the four-time Tour de France winner back to the level he was at before his serious accident in June 2019. Saldanha has also been working closely with Michael Woods for roughly eight years. In this episode, Saldanha discusses training those two riders. He also gets into some big questions. What role does failure play in the development of a successful athlete? Will the algorithm, the robo-coach, ever replace the human coach? Is cycling a fallback sport for athletes who don’t succeed in other disciplines? He even looks ahead to possible training innovations that might be coming to more humble riders, like those of us who aren’t pros.The Spring Classics are starting. Do you have trouble pronouncing race names, such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Scheldeprijs and Brabantse Pijl. Host Matthew Pioro gets some coaching on the proper pronunciation of these races. Listen in so you, too, can talk Spring Classics like a pro.For more on Saldanha and Israel Start-Up Nation's co-owner Sylvan Adams, check out this Canadian Cycling Magazine story on the pair from Montreal who are making big changes within the WorldTour.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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