The dark side of marginal gains - when optimisation goes too far and hurts performance

Marginal gains have shaped modern performance cycling, but have we gone too far and are they now inadvertently and unwittingly costing us performance?

In this episode, Caley Fretz flips the script to interview Ronan Mc Laughlin about his deep-dive investigation into how the once-transformative philosophy of stacking small advantages has evolved into a marketing arms race.

Together, they explore the unintended consequences of chasing ever-smaller improvements: compromised fit, overlooked fundamentals, misleading marketing, and the fear of missing out that drives unnecessary upgrades. From integrated cockpits to the psychology of performance, this candid conversation asks whether we’re still gaining, or just hoping not to fall behind.

What is Performance Process?

Welcome to the Performance Process podcast, hosted by Ronan Mc Laughlin and Caley Fretz.

This podcast is dedicated to unearthing and analysing the processes behind some of the most successful athletes in the world, and understanding how every rider can apply them to their own improvement.

The Performance Process podcast is produced exclusively for Escape Collective members. While you'll see partial episodes on this feed please head to https://escapecollective.com/member/ to become a member and gain access to the full episodes!