Recently I was invited to take part in some research with the University of Greenwich.
In nutshell they have lent me a PowerTap power meter and a Garmin Edge 500 and, over the next 4 weeks, they will carry out a few fitness tests then get me to perform certain efforts on the road and record the power.
This is particularly exciting for me for a number of reasons:
– I am about to buy a PowerTap and a Garmin so I get to try them out before I buy (I’ll be giving you my feedback on them too, to help you if you’re also in the market for such toys).
– I get to spend 4 weeks testing and training with power, soaking up information under the supervision of experts in sports science and lab testing.
– If the research goes the way they hope it goes, I may have been involved in the development of new training techniques. As a racing cyclist and a Coach this is clearly great news!
– I get a free VO2 and Critical Power Test.
– I get to lay down some numbers whilst I’m race fit and not testing in, say, January and then by April simply getting as fit as I was in September. This way I can ensure I come out of the winter in better shape than I went in.
– It is on my bike and not a lab bike which means it’s fitted exactly to my size already. Being the fussy b*gger I am this is a real deal clincher!
– All the training must be done on the road which is how I like to train anyway (although I did volunteer when it was a heatwave hmmmmm).
Today’s all about trying out the kit and the Garmin really is easy to use, with more data capture options than any man could wish for (or lady of course). The PowerTap seems to get on well with the Garmin so, for now, we’re all friends.
Tomorrow I’m off to the lab for a VO2 max test. The text book describes VO2 max as “the maximum amount of oxygen you can take in per minute (in millilitres – spell that when you’re p*ssed)” i.e. When you are on your limit that’s it, your body can’t take on any more oxygen, whereas Wiggo’s probably can. Therefore this is a limit that is specific to you. It can also be expressed “per kg of bodyweight”. In reality your VO2 max actually peaks and then drops a bit and you can still carry on before your body needs to stop. Can it be improved? Yes but more importantly the amount of power that you can produce at your VO2 max is what you want to improve.
So which torture technique are they planning on using on me?
A step test:
– I ride my turbo at 150watts and then every minute they increase the resistance (and therefore the required wattage) by 20 watts and I keep pedalling until I can’t any more/pass out/die.
– A mask is attached to my mouth throughout to record how much oxygen I am taking in each minute.
– The power level I reach is recorded but the b*stards aren’t going to tell me my number until the research is complete!
Early night for me tonight, I’ve a feeling this is gonna hurt! Oh, and no alcohol 🙁
Can’t wait 4 weeks and want to know more about the kit I’m using?
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