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Imagine riding the entire Tour de France route as an amateur, with half the training and none of the support. Sounds brutal, right? That’s exactly what exercise physiologist Steve Faulkner did in 2021. Each year, the Tour pushes elite riders to their physical limits. But that summer, a group of amateurs, including Faulkner, a blood cancer survivor, tackled the same gruelling 3,500km course to raise over £1 million for Cure Leukaemia.
Despite juggling full-time jobs and limited preparation, they faced pro-level demands: punishing climbs, long days in the saddle and relentless, cumulative fatigue. A study based on their ride, published to coincide with this year’s Grand Départ in Lille on Saturday last week, found that Steve and his team experienced greater relative stress than the pros. Their story is a powerful reminder of what purpose can drive us to achieve, and why training, recovery and nutrition are essential in ultra-endurance sport.
Meanwhile, one year after Keir Starmer’s landslide victory on a promise of respect, new polling gives an insight into why trust in the prime minister has eroded sharply, with voters increasingly unsure whether his government still stands for people like them.
And want to stay sharp as you age (who doesn’t)? New research suggests that staying positive might help protect against memory loss later in life.
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Katie Edwards
Commissioning Editor, Health + Medicine
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Riders of the 2021 Tour 21 celebrating completing the Tour de France and having successfully raised more than £1,000,000 for Cure Leukemia.
Joolze Dymond/Cure Leukemia
Steve Faulkner, Nottingham Trent University
What happens when amateurs take on the Tour de France route? Fatigue, triumph and lessons in endurance.
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Simon Dawson/Number 10/Flickr
Marc Stears, UCL
63% of respondents said Keir Starmer does not respect people like them.
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PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock
Christian van Nieuwerburgh, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
How to boost your mood and help your memory stay sharp.
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World
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Jonathan Este, The Conversation
While negotiators discuss the ‘framework’ for talks, the killing continues in Gaza.
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Amalendu Misra, Lancaster University
Brics can only provide credible leadership in a changing global order when it addresses its many inner contradictions.
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Emma Connolly, UCL
Americans of both parties are worried about Trump having a third term, and have other shared concerns.
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Politics + Society
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Martin Farr, Newcastle University
No one else could have been called – in the words of Labour’s Michael Foot – a ‘semi-house-trained polecat’.
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Arts + Culture
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Laura O'Flanagan, Dublin City University
Environmental activism, corruption and technological invasion are all threaded through the story, representing fears about identity, society and the human condition.
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Jane Hamlett, Royal Holloway University of London
This exhibition shows off the glitz and glamour of the period while presenting a subtler message about the role of royalty in the age of imperialism.
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Business + Economy
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Cahal Moran, London School of Economics and Political Science
The global economic system is not set up for the good of all.
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Education
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Andy Phippen, Bournemouth University; Hayley Henderson, University of Northampton
The digital world can be a vital space of empowerment and connection for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
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Environment
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Fiona McAuliffe, Scotland's Rural College; Neil Reid, Queen's University Belfast
Rewilding isn’t just about reintroducing predators. Without prey and habitat restoration, even wild-looking landscapes can’t support them.
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Dante McGrath, University of Cambridge
Any legislation of climate actions needs to be based on scientific evidence and informed decisions.
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Health
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Lucy Poxon, University of East London
“Don’t rush the tears. Let go of the stages. Make the offer specific.” A psychologist and grief therapist shares what really helps someone who’s grieving.
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Fabian Lenhard, Karolinska Institutet
Mental healthcare moved online overnight during COVID — but would it hold up?
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Leah McLaughlin, Bangor University
For people with kidney failure, home dialysis can offer more freedom and better quality of life. So what’s stopping the NHS from supporting more people to choose it?
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Richard Oram, University of Exeter; Nicholas Thomas, University of Exeter
A new drug hits pause on type 1 diabetes before symptoms even begin.
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1 April - 22 August 2025
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