success is not just talent.
that is the lie people love because it makes outcomes look simple.
outliers by malcolm gladwell
shows the hidden architecture behind high achievement:
timing
culture
practice
family background
opportunity
access
environment
the person matters.
but the system around the person matters too.
who taught you early?
what doors opened?
what skills did your culture reward?
what era were you born into?
how many hours did you get to practice before anyone noticed?
genius is real.
but genius without the right conditions often dies invisible.
success is not one variable.
it is talent multiplied by environment, timing, and accumulated advantage.
most people predict the future badly.
because they chase trends.
ai
crypto
robots
space
biotech
but futurists don’t start with hype.
they ask better questions:
what is changing?
what is stable?
what is accelerating?
what is constrained?
what incentives are shaping behavior?
think like a futurist — cecily sommers
is about seeing the future as a system, not a headline.
technology changes fast.
human needs change slowly.
institutions resist change.
markets reward leverage.
biology stays brutally consistent.
the future is not guessed.
it is mapped through forces.
weak signals become patterns.
patterns become trajectories.
trajectories become strategy.
most people react to change.
futurists study the structure underneath it.
Remco Evenepoel reveals his secret: “My threshold power is 425 watts.”
When I watched his latest YouTube video and he and his current coach, Dan Lorang, were speaking about exact numbers, I had to replay it again to make sure I heard right. And I did and I love that.
But what is that “threshold power” (and why 425W for Remco is insane)?
In cycling, threshold power (often called FTP for Functional Threshold Power) is the highest power output a rider can sustain for roughly 60 minutes before fatigue builds up too fast. It’s basically the “red line” where your body can still clear lactate almost as quickly as it produces it… and it is the sweet spot between aerobic endurance and anaerobic burn.
And PCS lists Remco currently at 63 kg, so it is basically 6,75 W/KG. For context, most strong amateur racers top out at 4–5 W/kg, even many pro domestiques sit around 5.5–6 W/kg. 6.7+ W/kg sustainable for 60 minutes is the top elite level and Tour podium contender.
Important detail: this was recorded in March after UAE Tour… so “early-season numbers.” And threshold power (and especially W/kg) is almost always higher after specific build-up and further altitude work. So it might be even better.
The last thing I will say about it is that I really love those Remco YouTube videos, the best ones of the big stars.