The Wattbike has quickly become one of the talking points of the World Track Cycling Championships at the Velodrome. Hundreds of spectators have taken advantage of the opportunity for a trial spin on the ground-breaking indoor bike, which promises to reinforce cycling’s status as a sport for all. They have ranged from schoolboys to senior citizens, who have tested themselves over the nominal distance of 250 metres, the length of a single lap of the track. The most effective recreational riders have generated peak power of more than 1400 watts. This compares to the optimal force generated by elite cyclists, which can range between 2300 and 2500 watts. The Wattbike’s capacity to augment elite training programmes has been seized on by the world’s leading sports scientists. It has been studied at the championships by both Dr Kevin Thompson, of the English Institute of Sport, and Dr David Martin, of the Australian Institute of Sport. They are globally-respected physiologists, whose expertise includes fatigue management, competition analysis, talent identification and development.
