Robby Ketchell - Engineering the fastest marathon in history and innovation in cycling with Team Sky and Garmin-Sharp

The Supersapiens Podcast

Robby Ketchell, is a data scientist in professional sports began with Garmin-Sharp Pro Cycling where he was the Director of Sports Science and was known as the team’s 'secret weapon' for the number of innovations he brought to the sport. Among his many technological achievements, Ketchell is the creator of the fastest speed suit in the world, the BAT Box (the world’s first on-board measuring device to replace a wind tunnel), and Platypus (cycling’s first big data analytics tool). Following Garmin, he joined Team Sky and the INEOS Grenadiers helping the teams win four Tour de France titles.

Most recently, Ketchell served as a critical member to the performance team for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge

Show notes:

1:43 – Community Shoutouts
3:36 – Xylon and David’s current training update
5:43 – Xylon starts strength training
6:05 – Strength training for health
8:18 – How to start strength training and not be sore
09:12 – Episode starts
10:33 – Is it better working with running or cycling
11:19 – How Robby got into cycling and his professional career
12:06 – How did Robby start working in professional cycling
16:47 – Robby’s studies and what they were in
17:40 – Robby’s transition from Pro cyclist, studying into working in pro cycling
18:34 – Robby’s pro cycling stats ranking
18:49 – Robby using his love for tech and innovation for marginal gains in his own cycling career
20:20 – When Ryder Hesjedal won the Giro d’Italia for Slipstream
22:01 – Preparing for the team time trial for Slipstream and not booking flights in case of jinxing the result
30:20 – Setting things up for the athlete to help them execute
31:21 – How Robby’s career unfolded
32:46 –Some of Robby’s failures that he took a lot away from; the Breaking 2 Project and gluing a helmet to rider’s head
36:50 – Transitioning from Slipsteam to Team Sky
38:25 – Robby’s role in Team Sky
44:53 – Robby’s favorite project he worked on. – Ineos 1:59 project
46:30 – Robby’s impetus to work on the Ineos 1:59 project
53:00 – Factors that really mattered for facilitating the Ineos 1:59 project
54:09 – What other venues were options for the Ineos 1:59 and why they chose Vienna
57:15 – Almost taking an Uber from Berlin to Vienna
60:00 – Why the Hauptallee was chosen for the Ineos 1:59 challenge
63:17 – The aerodynamic formation of the pacers
65:42 – The huge improvement of the aerodynamic formation change made
71:10 – How a marathon course is measured
77:53 – Engineering maximal elevation loss in the Ineos 1:59 project allowable
82:52 – Changing the road surface of the Hauptallee and banking the corners of the course
90:21 – How far did Eliud Kipchoge actually run in the Ineos 1:59 project?
95:40 – How are marathons actually timed?
96:25 – Why wasn’t the start time of the Ineos 1:59 optimal?
97:00 – Why may the formation have been an issue for Eliud?
98:00 – How long into the effort did Robby relax and realize that Eliud would run under 2 hours?
101:00 – How did Robby make the cover of Runner’s World?
109:55- Rush Round
114:45 – Outro