Our Cycling Weekly survey attracted responses from 868 riders, with 858 responses deemed usable. Two thirds (580) were from men, and one third (273) from women. Ages ranged from 15 to 76, with the average 42 years of age. Responses came from 51 nationalities, 64 per cent of which were British. Average FTP was 237 watts.
Dr Nicky Keay and mathematician Gavin Francis analysed the results using an algorithm based on the symptoms of RED-S to separate riders into two camps: healthy, or displaying symptoms of RED-S, i.e. ‘suboptimal health’.
Key markers were weight, freshness, sleep, gut health, mental attitudes to weight and training, menstruation (or lack of) for women and the number of morning erections per week for men, reflecting testosterone levels.
While the good news is that the…