Wattbike Rivals Hoy As Main Attraction At Salford Nocturne
Posted by Chris Rowe on Sep 03, 2008
The Watt Bike made an appearance as part of the Everyday Cycling Tent at the Salford Nocturne on Saturday 30th August.
In the picturesque setting of Salford Quays on a mild, late Summer evening, throngs of people gathered to get a glimpse of Great Britain’s victorious cycling heroes, including triple gold medallist Chris Hoy.
The event generated a great atmosphere which encouraged people to let their hair down and have some fun. It also created an element of competition of people where the Watt Bike was concerned.
The gauntlet was thrown down: “Chris Hoy managed 2200 Watts on this thing – can you beat a triple gold medallist?”
Over 100 people took up the challenge during the 4 hour event and nobody was able to only have one go. Every single person who had a go was determined to beat their first score.
At a couple of points throughout the evening, there appeared to be more interest in the Watt Bike than in the Nocturne as huge crowds gathered around supporting and encouraging each other to achieve the best score.
In the end, the winning score was 1,328 watts, achieved by a former track sprint cyclist. This drew huge admiration from the crowd.
Some of the younger participants also achieved incredible scores, with three Under 16 males achieving over 1000 watts. In the female Under 16 category, one cyclist managed to achieve a score in the high 800’s. This can only bode well for Great Britain as we head towards 2012.
It is very unlikely that a piece of training equipment could ever upstage the elite athlete who trains on it – but the Watt Bike very nearly achieved it this weekend.
