Jay has been training with power since 2004 so is well qualified to give us the lowdown on how the Wattbike has slotted into his coaching services. Here is Jay's story...

As a Performance Coach you look at equipment with the sole purpose of asking questions such as:

“Will this make my clients faster, stronger, more efficient?” or “Will it help me as a coach monitor and analyse the individual in order that I can continually develop them to reach their full potential?”.

If the answer is yes then it is something I look at investing in and bringing into the melting pot.  When Wattbike became a sponsor for Hotchillee and Londres-Paris the opportunity came to implement the Wattbike into the M1 Performance Coaching programme.  As an individual and coach I had always trained with various power systems since 2004.

The Wattbike allows me to monitor individuals pedal efficiency and power output along with other metrics such as cadence and heart rate.  I use both the Power and Expert software that you can download for free from the Wattbike website, the Power as a motivational tool for my clients in front of them and Expert for myself to view their Polar Force (pedal efficiency).

I use Training Peaks (TP) to analyse the data the individual produces and breakdown specific intervals to review their IF (Intensity Factor).  By monitoring the IF within the interval blocks we ensure that the goals that were set were reached and ask the questions “if not, why not”.

Each workout produces a TSS score (Training Stress Score) which then links in with the individual’s PMC (Performance Management Chart).  The PMC allows me to monitor the individuals progression through structured periodization and gives a guidance on tapering for an individual’s “A” Race.

Training Peaks works in unison with Wattbike as you can upload the Wattbike session direct to TP and I can view the data from anywhere in the world.  Many of my clients have invested in a Wattbike and using TP with it allows them flexibility to work with me wherever they may be based.  Each week we discuss the findings over Skype or in person allowing that all important face time.

As part of the M1 Performance package, benchmark testing is key to ensuring an individual is improving whilst also being a motivational and confidence builder.  Personally, I use the 2x8min protocol for less conditioned individuals and the CP20min (critical power) test protocol for stronger athletes.

From this we find their Functional Threshold Power (FTP) in order to establish their power zones.  An example of this is shown below where the test was conducted on the Wattbike and uploaded to TP for analysis.  Power (w) is shown in black, HR in red, cadence in green.

Train hard, rest well.

Thanks to Jay for sharing his story on how he is using the Wattbike to help his clients.  You can find our more at M1PerformanceCoaching.com, @M1PerformanceCo and contact Jay direct via info@m1performance.co.uk.  Our Sport Scientist, Eddie Fletcher, recently posted a blog on the benefits of training using heart rate and power.

Well, Lee, Lawrence and 'Freddie' (and about 200 other riders!) completed their incredible ride this past week and we've been sent some fantastic images.  We hope to catch up with Lee in the next few weeks to get his thoughts on how it went but in the meantime you can still donate to his fundraising efforts.  You can find out more about the event on the Dallaglio Flintoff 2012 Cycle Slam website.

Our favourite photo has to be Lee and former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux on a tandem, wearing their rival clubs shirt!

Photos kindly supplied by Dallaglio Flintoff 2012 Cycle Slam.

We love anything that motivates us to train more and get on the bike so when we read about The People's Grand Tour II we thought, why not, let's get involved.

It's a fairly straight-forward idea, you just need to log the kilometres you ride between May 19th and June 10th and when you're done send your logged kilometres and a few bits of other info to lionel@lionelbirnie.com.

You might recognise the name Lionel Birnie from some of the cycling magazines, he writes for Cycling Weekly Cycle Sport and The Sunday Times amongst others and came up with this great idea last year.

Why get involved I hear you ask, well, for me and others in the Wattbike team it's a case of staying motivated and on track with our training.  It'll be nice to track our increase in kilometres as some of us head to The London-Paris and others to the Right to Play Ride.

Yes, Lionel has managed to sort a few prizes out but we just like the idea of being part of something and sharing the common joy of riding a bike.  Lionel's message of 'All that matters is you keep the pedals turning' probably sums it up best.

We were relieved to hear we could log our kilometres done on the Wattbike as it's still playing a very important role in our training, combined with some longer rides at the weekend.  We wouldn't want to waste that quality time now would we.

If you're a member of Strava (it's free for the basic version), there is a group for The People's Grand Tour, a really easy way to track your total distance.

Check out The People's Grand Tour website and follow @PeoplesGT on Twitter, above all else just get involved - leave us a note below if you do sign up.

Happy cycling!

There are many advocates of training by heart rate or by power as separate activities.  Both have merits (note I don’t say advantages and disadvantages).  Many opponents of either method point to disadvantages only.

Training by a number of variables has only advantages. Training on a Wattbike with both heart rate and power, coupled with pedalling technique and cadence are powerful combinations to get the best out of a training session.

With power meters on road bikes, excellent as they are, it is difficult to look at the data whilst keeping an eye on the road and therefore the full data profile is only available after the session when downloaded to analysis software, I liken this to driving a car by looking in the rear view mirror.  In fact, at times the rider is not training with heart rate or power as they can be in the dark during some of the session.

An even worse situation is riding without any monitoring of heart rate, power or cadence at all.

For me, the key variables to measure for every training session are:

• Mechanical intensity (power)
• Physiological intensity (heart rate)
• Cadence (leg speed)
• Muscle activation (pedalling technique) on an indoor session

Bringing these together can provide a powerful impetus to improving training and race performance.

And let me deal with the cry I often hear, ‘but heart rate is so variable’. Of course it is! It measures the physiological, psychological and environmental conditions influencing the body at any moment in time and is therefore critical to the success of the training session.  There is no point in riding at 200 W with HR at 65% of max on one day and on another riding at 200 W with HR at 85% of max – they are not the same training sessions.

Conversely, of course, just training with power ignores the variation in physiological response.

So, using heart rate and power and then adding into the mix the ability to make sure that every pedal revolution is balanced and cadence is maintained, at the correct rpm and power output required for the session, and you have the most powerful training system possible.

Training on a Wattbike provides a unique opportunity to train with live, real-time and accurate data, visually represented on the Wattbike Performance Computer or, in the live running software (either Expert or Power Cycling).

No unknowns, the key variables, fully measured with precision and control, driving the effectiveness of the training.  Live feedback every single pedal revolution.

Over time, power and leg speed will increase and pedalling technique will improve - all for the same physiological effort.

And, it will make you faster on the road, Wattbike users report significant gains in performance after training on a Wattbike.

Train smart, ride faster!

Use a Wattbike.

Simon Vincent runs a coaching consultancy and uses the Wattbike not only with his own clients but also for his fitness and cycling endeavours.  When you read of the results Simon has been acheiving personally on the Wattbike it makes for very interesting reading and validates our mantra of 'Train Less, Ride Faster.' Simon is a big advocate of the Wattbike so we'll let him give you the lowdown on how he's been using it...

Having put almost 35 clients (primarily cyclists) through pedalling analysis, correction of technique and the pain of max watts/true HRM tests on the Wattbike, my experience and ability to take someone with poor pedalling technique and get them improved by up to 25% before they leave is really starting to pay dividends.  My business, www.totalcyclingperformance.co.uk, is based in South Wales, just 4 miles from the Brecon Beacons National Park, surrounding by some of the best cycling roads anywhere in the UK.

My business has grown totally organically since November 2011 and now sees me privileged enough to get visited by many local clients as well as more and more from England, to go through a complete physiological spectrum of performance tests that involve so much more than just cycling power or FTP.  See www.race-pace.net for a recent appraisal of my services.

My whole business ethos is based around “great cycling being about so much more than just cycling” and to date common weaknesses that occur time and again with clients are the ones that a lot of “old school” types just don’t recognise; these include core instability, nutrition deficiencies, dehydration, coronal strength imbalances and shocking flexibility to name just a few. My biggest bug bear of all though has to be the mantel that weights make you bulky and slow – Lance Armstrong anyone?

With my business growing so quickly and other demands upon my time such as a young family, study and assisting a local diabetes charity with its nutrition guidance, the availability of training time for myself over the last 5 months has fallen to around 8 hours per  week maximum, many weeks less.

An invite to ride the Forest of Dean sportive on the 6th of May 2012 with a small local club would, having never ridden more than 50 miles in a single ride, demonstrate if my body could cope on such little volume of training.

92 miles completed and although my back was a little sore after 8 hours in the saddle, I felt great.  My Garmin gave me a ride time of 6hrs 38 mins which proved what I could have achieved if not waiting for the others at the top of each hill, and riding alongside them on the flat, which was not a problem as we had agreed to ride together and it was a great day. Best of all though, despite pushing up every hill to a level just below Lactate Threshold my average heart rate for the entire ride was just 124 bpm.

All this achieved in just 3 hours a week of structured controlled sessions on the Wattbike, 1 X 3 hour road ride (when dry weather permited) and 2 X 1 hour cycling specific strength and conditioning sessions.

Therefore anyone contemplating a long distance Sportive but worrying that their body just will not cope due to a lack of time in the saddle, should have faith that combining amazing equipment such as the Wattbike with the right level of full body conditioning, nutrition and structured recovery, will be able to do themselves credit through “training smarter and not longer”.

Many of my professional business clients simply do not have the time to dedicate to high volume hours in the saddle due to their huge work commitments, so this is where my extensive experience, combined with the Wattbike, proves to be a winning combination for them.

If you're looking to set up your own coaching business or want to add value to your existing coaching business with a Wattbike then please get in touch for a friendly chat.

Recently we welcomed seven members of the British Cycling marketing and coaching teams to the Wattbike Sport Science Lab to be put through their paces by Wattbike’s Eddie Fletcher.

Eddie gave a guided tour of the Wattbike, explaining the history of the bike and how it works before getting the guys set up properly to try it for themselves. Some were familiar with the Wattbike as there are 20 bikes permanently at the Manchester Velodrome where British Cycling are based.

After an explanation about the Wattbike Performance Computer, it was on to pedal technique analysis, or as we call it, the Polar View. This is where the competition really started to hot up! Normally, five men and two ladies shouting “look at my sausage” would seem weird, but blog readers will know that a sausage is what we are all aiming for.

After lunch, Eddie put the team through a 20 minute session using the Power Cycling software which showed how the Wattbike can be used in an exercise class environment. The new software gives a totally different experience as all the riders can see what each other is doing.

After that, the competition was really on. Eddie turned on the race software and the guys went for it. Josh won a couple of the races and was sure to let his colleagues know who was in front!

All that was left was to test one willing volunteer. Sponsorship manager John was up for the challenge and after going through the 20 minute cadence-based warm up, he took on the 3 minute aerobic test.  John put up some excellent numbers and finished with a very creditable 320W as his Maximum Minute Power (MMP).  Taking his MMP and Maximum Heart rate we were able to establish his Heart Rate and Power Training Zones using the online calculator.

Having seen all that the Wattbike can do, there were lots of new ideas about how British Cycling Members can get more out of the Wattbike. The future is looking bright!

Don't forget that British Cycling Members benefit from a 10% discount on the purchase of a Wattbike - all you need to do is call us on 0115 9455450 and quote your British Cycling membership number.

The event fits nicely into a lunch break so if you're in and around the London area and can get over to Royal Exchange this coming Friday (18th May) get involved, so far there's 33 teams signed up!  Money raised will fund cutting-edge research into type 1 diabetes.

All the details you need including how to register are at www.spintocurediabetes.org.uk

Here's a selection of images from the Birmingham event last week...

We're human like everbody else, so when we get a sneak peek at an Olympic Champion's data from a Wattbike session, we tend to get  a little bit excited.  Our Sport Scientist, Eddie Fletcher, has seen training data from World and Olympic Champions, across all of the cycling disciplines and from every corner of the world.

It's this kind of 'black book of data' that confirms time and again that the 'sausage' shape we see via the Wattbike's Polar View pedal technique analysis is very much what all cyclists and triathletes should be aiming for in their quest to get that perfect pedalling technique.

Check out the video below for a more detailed explanation of what the Polar View illustrates from Eddie.  Oh, you wanted to know who that Polar View belongs to above?  I'd be shot if I told you that, suffice to say the rider competes on both the road and the track and will be gunning for Gold again in London this summer.

Simon Richardson has been kind enough to take some time to pen a new blog for us.  You'll remember that Simon is currently undergoing rehab after being hit by a vehicle in August of last year.  Simon is still finding it very tough and it really does put into perspective what hard work and determination it is taking to continue on his road to receovery.

Please do support Simon where you can, whether it's going along to one of his Trackathons, buying the SimonStrong kit or simply donating on his JustGiving page.  Simon is raining money for Wales Air Ambulance, they people who played a major role in saving Simon's life.

Here are Simon's words:- 

This blog has been the most difficult one I have written even though it's only short. In the last blog I was saying about getting back on the road and doing some good long rides, but I have been told not to go on the road yet as they are not sure if my back will take it as I'm collapsing to the left and forward.

My physio was so concerned the other day she has sent me back to see the specialist to see what he has to say as last time I saw him I was not to bad but also at that time I had not long come out of the body brace.

There is good news that the insurance claim is moving on and the insurance company is being helpful at the moment and for all that have forgotten, the man that hit me is in court on 17th May.

I am sill doing my little bit on the Wattbike and my physio every day, it's just hard to get motivated each day when you have lost your goals. It sounds wrong but I can get up on the track and do an hour without training, so some days I look at the Wattbike and say why do I need to get on this what am I training for but I do get on it.

I was doing the 120 mile Dragon ride on June 10th for Wales Air Ambulance but I now have a friend doing it for me. If you are doing it look out for him, he'll be wearin simonstrong Air Ambulance kit so give him a shout.

We are still doing the #simonstrong Trackathons at Newport, Manchester and Calshot.  The Newport Trackathon takes place on 15/16th June so come along and ride the track all night long.  See the poster below for details on how to get involved.

I want to say a big thanks to Wattbike for all their help.

Photo Credit: Wales Air Ambulance

Always interesting to see how various facilities are using the Wattbike and we've just received an update from The Altitude Centre in London who showcased their use of the Wattbike at the International Conference on Sports Rehabilitation and Traumatology at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FC.

This year the conference, backed by FIFA and The FA, was centred around Football Medicine Strategies for Knee Injuries, with over 1000 delegates from 60 countries in atttendance.

The Wattbike is no stranger to many involved in the fitness side of football, with Manchester United already using the Wattbike for rehab and The Altitude Centre having previously used the Wattbike to help the England national football team with their preparation for the 2008 World Cup.

The image above shows The Altitude Centre Performance Scientist, Harvey Galvin, at their stand showing off the Hypoxic equipment for rehabilitation and performance, which is used in conjunction with the Wattbike.

You can see the official trailer for the conference below:

The Altitude Centre exhibited at the International Conference on Sports Rehabilitation and Traumatology on the 21st-22nd April 2012. Over 1000 delegates from 60 different countries attended the conference held at Stamford Bridge Stadium, Chelsea FC. The picture attached shows our Performance Scientist, Harvey Galvin at the Altitude Centre stand showing off our Hypoxic equipment for rehabilitation and performance, which we enjoy using together with the Watt Bike.

Last week we had author Chris Cleave at our Sport Science Lab to give him the lowdown on the history of the Wattbike, from its roots as an elite training and testing tool developed in partnership with British Cycling through to its uses by pretty much every sport.

Chris is taking part in The London-Paris in June and is currently being coached by M1 Performance run by HotChillee Ride Captain Jay McStay, who uses the Wattbike as his primary testing tool.  With Chris being no stranger to the Wattbike, Eddie worked him through a 20 min cadence-based warm-up and it's clear that even though he's has only been taking his cycling seriously in the last 18 months, he is in very good condition.

Eddie also took Chris through some examples to show the physiological effects of producing the same power at various gears/cadence to illustrate the importance of choosing the correct gearing when cycling.

Chris' enthusiasm for cycling is obvious from the moment you meet him, he's currently writing a book about his experiences of cycling culture over the last 18 months, the people he's met, the places he's been and above all getting under the skin of why we all love cycling so much.  The book is due for publication in 2013 but in the meantime you can check out Chris' new book 'Gold' which is due for publication next month on his website.

A great day and we look forward to seeing Chris on The London-Paris along with all of the other participants.

Don't forget we might just add your favourite track if you tweet @Wattbike the artist and song title using the hashtag #TrainingTracks.

We're using the new Spotify Play Button which means that if you have Spotify running on your computer already the playlist will simply play in your browser from below.  Slick.

Enjoy!

A few weeks ago I dropped a Wattbike off for Jessica Ennis' coach Toni Minichiello at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield where Jessica does most of her training and preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games.

I asked Toni how Jessica would be using the Wattbike as part of her training, he told me: "Following the foot injury in 2008 that caused Jessica to miss the Beijing Olympics, finding ways of training that reduce the amount of force through that are but still develops the type of training effect we need has been part of my training plans for Jessica."

Great Britain 800m athlete Jenny Meadows is also using the Wattbike to reduce the amount of impact on the body in the run up to the Games and has recently increased her workload on the Wattbike due to an achilles injury.

It's not the first time Toni had tried using an indoor bike but the Wattbike offers him something genuinely different, telling me: "We have used static bikes mainly as warm-up but it was always difficult to measure real power output and have a systematic progression to workloads."  Regular readers of the blog will already know of the accuracy of the Wattbike and its ability to enable you to train in a progressive way using Heart Rate and Power.

Toni wanted to get a feel for who and how the Wattbike was being used in elite sport and received some high praise indeed! He told me: "I spoke with Dr. Steve Ingham, Head Physiologist (English Institute of Sport), who has been part of Team Jennis for 6 years and he suggested Wattbike might suit our needs.  I also spoke to Matt Parker (Head of Marginal Gains) at British Cycling and he also recommended Wattbike and explained the sort of things they used them for.  In the end it was a no-brainer."

It's a rare thing for elite athletes and coaches to let anyone know what kind of sessions they are doing on the Wattbike, but Tony did tell me: "Jessica uses the bike to replace one running session per week and for warm-ups, to be honest it makes her work harder than Jessica or I expected, so I love it…not quite sure that's how Jessica sees it!"

Toni is very much practising what he preaches and has been jumping on the Wattbike to do some sessions himself including 30 minutes of 11 x 30s efforts with 2 mins recovery.  Good work Toni!

Being able to measure the intensity of your workouts and see the progression is as important to elite coaches and athletes like Toni and Jessica as it is to those wanting to improve their times in a triathlon or sportive.  The Wattbike gives you the immediate feedback and data needed to train, anlayse and make those all-important performance gains.

Toni uses his Wattbike with Wattbike Expert Software to anaylse Jessica's sessions and it's available for you to use as a free download.  Combine the software with our Sportive, Triathlon or Weight Management Training Plans and you too can be heading to the top step of the podium.

If you remember her last blog for us, you'll have noticed that Non doesn't take life too seriously when it comes to talking about herself (or in this instance, talking about Clive).

Non ditched her turbo trainer this winter in favour of the Wattbike which gave her the ability to monitor her pedal technique via the Polar View and train using Heart Rate and Power Training Zones.

Whether you're an elite triathlete or taking your first steps into this great sport, there's simply no more effective way to train than using Heart Rate and Power; it has the added advantage of being very time-efficient for people with three disciplines to train for (nevermind family and work commitments).

Enough from us, let's hear what Non has to say...

So the time finally came to wave goodbye to my beloved Clive.

Lover you’re thinking. No, no. Something far more reliable than a man; My Wattbike of course!

I was quite sad as it was bundled into the back of a van and driven away into the distance as the rain
battered down on my window.

OK so it wasn’t quite as dramatic or heart wrenching as I like to make out but all the same I wasn’t
looking forward to the prospect of riding in the rain later that afternoon.

Ahem weather man, I hope you’re reading this...

But as with most things in life, all good things must come to an end and I definitely appreciate the
time I did get to spend with Clive. The Wattbike was a saving grace this winter especially when the
snow came down hard and the roads were a write off, or when I was trying to acclimatise for a 30’
race and the thermostat read -5’C. Yes my dusty turbo lay forgotten in the corner and me and Clive
spent many an hour getting to know each other.

Luckily we both shared a common goal; the demise of the peanut and the rise of the sausage. No
innuendo intended; purely a dream of perfect pedalling efficiency. Additional common ground
included a love of the Vaccines and Kings of Leon; peach cordial and countless repeats of Desperate
Housewives; power outputs and heart rate zones.

A match made in training heaven one might say. And like any good friend he shouldered the burden of my bad sessions and didn’t once complain
when I sung ‘I’m Mr Brightside’ at the top of my voice for the hundredth time!

However, don’t be sad that our ways have now parted. Clive is off to a new home, and hopefully
more tuneful owner, and I’m off to warmer climates, where the sun shines and ‘wettest days of the
year’ don’t exist! Yes the end of this great friendship signifies the end of a long hard winters training
and the start of the fair weather triathlon season, where wind and rain are unthinkable at the glitz
and glamour of the elite triathlon circuit...

Non picked out this great video which showcases the drama of triathlon quite nicely...

Take a look at the video below from Telegraph.co.uk but also read the article which contains a nice image of the Wattbikes at the facility.

Great feedback on Facebook last week after we posted some links to info on how to improve your pedal technique on a Wattbike.

First to respond was Ryan Scott, he's been training on a Wattbike for 18 months and commented: "This is going to sound odd, but after training on a Wattbike for 18 months I believe I have a greater "feel" for what my legs are doing when riding on the road."

"Much has been written about mountain bikers having the ability to spin there legs better than roadies and also about the importance of cadence in efficient cycling but having actually seen what your pedal stroke looks like is worth so much more. I have often warmed up on the Wattbike before heading out on the road and having seen what my pedal stroke looks like and felt like prior to riding really helps. I'm a believer!"

Great feedback from Ryan and the most satisfying part of it is that he's getting the benefits of his training on a Wattbike out on the road.

We also got some feedback from Peeps Leino (pictured above) who told us: "Same here! I've used WB only for about 2 months (one or two 1-1.5 hour sessions in a week) and I can "feel" now when my legs are not doing all the work that they should, outside on a road bike. In that sense I'm looking forward to autumn again, to start using it more often."

Love these stories, if you want to leave us your experience of how training on a Wattbike has helped you improve your on-road performance then leave us a comment below or on the Facebook post.  And if you want to Buy or Hire a Wattbike then there's no better time to do it, take a look at our Wattbike Shop.

We'll have an insightful video interview with Jon very soon on the blog but in the meantime we thought we'd share some photos from our day...

Jimmy will top the Wattbike Rankings in the Men's Peak Power category.  We can see from the image of the Wattbike Performance Computer that Jimmy hit a maximum cadence of 222rpm during the initial kick-down phase of his effort and we're hoping to get hold of his file via the Expert Software to analyse the numbers a little more for you.

We got in touch with Jimmy to see what kind of resistance he was using for this record, his answer was a simple: "...just lowest setting revouts."  If you look up 'Understatement' in the dictionary it just says - Jimmy Watkins Peak Power PB acheived on a Wattbike on just lowest setting revouts.

It all adds credence to our view that choosing an appropriate gearing combined with high cadence is more likely to achieve a higher peak power score than high resistance and low cadence.

Anybody think they can beat it?  If so, tweet us a photo via @wattbike and don't forget to add your data to our Wattbike Ranking.

Another great update from Ian RIchards who has recently taken on his first elite tour and his first foray into France this season at the Tour du Piémont Vosgien.  A superb insight into taking on the likes of Omega Pharma-Quickstep.  Thanks again for the update Ian and congratulations on a great result:-

I was ecstatic for this race, my first elite tour and first race out of Holland or Belgium this season. After starting at the front of the bunch expecting the usual Dutch neutralised zone, I was surprised to find that sitting in a bunch in France was considerably easier than in the Netherlands.

The course for the first stage was 135km, 12 laps through some beautiful French countryside. The course went over two hills, one of which was a category 2 climb. This is not easy, especially when repeated 12 times! The descents had many fast and dangerous corners, one had a permanent ambulance stationed there. Just to help with my confidence…

The typical French racing pattern flowed throughout the race, there were a few breaks off the front. Arian Oosthoek and Bart Buyk were in some of the breaks but they were pulled back throughout the day over the tough, fast course.

With 40km to go the pace really lifted and many riders couldn’t sustain the pace over the 2 hills which lead to 11 riders not finishing within the time limit. The pace stayed at this level till 20km to go and then the peloton was strung out into a long line. Fortunately five out of the six de Mol riders held their positions up in the front bunch and with one lap to go I dragged myself up to the front of the 40 man group over the second last climb to prepare myself for the final uphill sprint.

The last hill was a 1km sprint up a tiny road. I positioned myself wrong which meant it was a lot tougher to get up for the final sprint. Arian played a near perfect race and scored 3rd place. I finished in 15th, david in 17th, Jasper in 20th, Bart in 27th and Jacob in 86th.

The next day we had a 7.4km time trial… up a hill! I was not expecting to do so well in this, but after calculating my sustainable power before the race, i was able to finish my best time trial ever in 27th place. 1 minute behind the winner, but this is a great result for me and I can really see my Wattbike training shining through. I Slipped back 2 places in the general classification into 17th place.

The final stage was a fast and hilly 5.5km lap. The Quickstep-omega-pharma team held the yellow jersey and from the onset of the race they controlled the front. This wasn’t the best plan. The typical first break went but was pulled back way too quickly, allowing for a second, stronger break to go. In the break once again was Arian… what an animal!

This break held a gap of just under 1 minute for the last 30km. By this time Quick-step was cooked and other teams were controlling the front of the race. Unfortunately for Quickstep they lost the yellow but they rode a very strong race… I finished in 29th place and because of the breakaway I slipped into 20th place overall.

I am very happy with my results in this race, as I am the youngest rider in the race. I am keen to return to some more hilly races where I hope I can prove that I can do more in the mountains…

Full results are at http://bit.ly/I8IiDD

We know them as the coaches and our friends at British Cycling have organised a fantastic coaching conference on May 10th in Birmingham - and we've managed to grab a free place to give away in a competition.  Before we get to the question, here is a little more info on what is a great line-up of speakers...

--------------------

In the year of a home Olympic Games, Coaching 2012 is a unique opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the significant progress made in UK coaching since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Taking place at the University of Birmingham on 19th May, Coaching 2012 is open to everyone, not just coaches, so if you’re interested in coaching across all sports or are a self-coached athlete, a great line-up of experts - including former pro cyclist Roger Hammond - has been compiled to provide an unparalleled insight into key aspects of coaching in the UK today.

To win a free place to the British Cycling: Coaching 2012 conference, follow the link below and email British Cycling with the answer to the following question by 12pm on Wednesday 25th April 2012.

Q. On the Coaching 2012 conference webpage who is the British Cycling athlete celebrating with his coaches?

Email your answer to coachingnews@britishcycling.org.uk with your full name and a telephone number.

Good Luck and if you don't win you'll find all of the conference details and how to book on the British Cycling: Coaching 2012 conference webpage.

--------------------------

Note:

You will be responsible for arranging your own travel to and from the venue.

It's always great to hear from the pro riders using a Wattbike and we've just had an update from Rapha-Condor-Sharp rider Dean Downing who was initially using his Wattbike to help him during his recovery from a broken collarbone but is now using it to help prepare for the upcoming Tour Series criterium races.

Dean's preparation for the Tour Series is focused around sprint efforts on his Wattbike and as he says, "You can fit so much into a 45 minute session".

Here are Dean's words...

The Wattbike took a bit of a hammering when I was recovering with my broken collarbone.  It was an excellent piece of kit to use in my rehab, as I wasn't allowed out on the road. To start with I was sitting so upright the power outputs that I was trying to ride at were quite hard. But towards the end of the 3 week block, I was back in my normal position that I use on my race bike.

The thing I noticed most with using the Wattbike, is that my power outputs went up whilst doing the same sessions 3 weeks on.

3 months has gone very quickly.  March came around and I didn't have much time for the Wattbike. With a bit of international racing in Taiwan and great weather in the UK, I was packing the km's in.  I've now started the next phase of my training block for the 6 week long Tour Series criteriums which start on 15 May.

The Wattbike is back in my life and I've been smashing my legs to bits doing lots of sprint efforts in my training sessions. I even managed a 3LC.TV sprinting DVD to really make the legs hurt.  The beauty of sprint training is that, it is short and sweet.  Be warned though, it hurts like. You get the picture.

You can fit so much into a 45 minute session, and at the same time, really hit the numbers and feel the benefit in your fitness. Or my case feel the burn in my legs.

Doing max sprint efforts on the road or on the Wattbike is never easy but sprinting with the Wattbike I can tell what power I am kicking out and concentrate on my seated efforts whilst watching my pedalling action too.

All I'm going to say is that my power and pedalling action have both improved since back in December and January when I was doing rehab.

Thanks so much to Dean for sending us the update and we hope to catch up with him during the Tour Series - if you missed it first time around here is our video interview from January...

Your training's going well and then a holiday you booked 4 months ago suddenly appears on the horizon and you wonder what will happen next?

This just happened to me, I was following the London-Paris training plan diligently, getting some good feelings in the legs and then, it was off to New York for two weeks.

That's two weeks of no Wattbike, no outdoor rides, in fact pretty much a fortnight of no 'exercise' at all so I was a little worried about not only losing what codition I'd built up but also putting on weight.

It was also two weeks of eating some great tasting food but also food which didn't perhaps contribute to my overall wellbeing.  It tasted good at the time though, right?  Pizza, cheesecake, muffins, ice cream and every kind of sandwich under the sun laden with cheese.  My god, it tasted good!

The first ride back in the UK was interesting, I got dropped on a local climb but knew better than to try to push it and risk injury.  I've just spent a week gently easing myself back in - not just simply picking up the training plan where I left off.

I'm now feeling ready to get back on track with 'the plan' and am starting to combine my Wattbike sessions with some longer rides to prepare for the 3 x 100 mile days of The London-Paris.  I'll also be putting together some back-to-back longer rides during May to get a better handle on my recovery and nutrition.

So, the moral behind this story is that if you're taking an enforced break from your training, whether it be for work or holiday reasons (and who doesn't need a holiday every now and again!), make sure you listen to how your body is reacting to those first few training sessions on your return and adapt your plan accordingly.

Phil has been training on his Wattbike all winter and it was great to hear he was targeting The London-Paris this summer as his main event of the year.  Phil 'de-mystifies' much of the cycling geek talk on his blog which makes it a great read, so it would be wrong of me to not just let him tell his Wattbike story in his own words.

Like Phil, you can also hire a Wattbike, just follow the links to get the  details on how to hire or buy a Wattbike.

See you on the start line in June Phil!

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Turbo your Training with a Wattbike Rental
An indoor trainer is a necessary training aid for anyone serious about their cycling. Our weather systems are becoming ever more peculiar and as the met office can predict a sunny day, you draw back the curtains to see the wind blowing a gale with driving rain - you know what I mean!

I own a turbo trainer, but have to confess I haven’t used it much since owning it; it was an impulse purchase in a bike shop. Preferring to get out on the road at every opportunity, rather than spin away and go nowhere, the turbo trainer has been gathering dust. With the winters becoming harsher and the nights darker, indoor cycling is becoming the only option if you want to enter the Spring with miles in your legs.

Turbo Your Training
I spotted Manchester Velodrome did some spinning classes using Wattbikes, which caught my eye as an alternative to turbo training. I’d read about the Wattbike and how GB cycling used them for power training and coaching. The velodrome is on my way home from work, so I thought I’d give it a go as I love anything techie. I got hooked on the Wattbike after the first session, like a junkie.

Getting home that night, I saw on the web that you can hire a Wattbike for £60 per month, which considering what I’d been spending on kit, stuff, bits, gadgets, gizmos and anything remotely bike related, seemed a bargain. I got one ordered. After having a Wattbike for three months, here’s my assessment of what I’ve learned: -

1. My scrape through was bobbins, bordering on the “non existent”.

2. That my left leg was dominant to the right on the down stroke.

How has the Wattbike helped?
1. I spent the winter mostly focusing on my pedalling technique, above everything else. My pedal stroke is in much improved and hopefully now embedded into my muscle memory.
2. My pedal stroke has balanced out with balanced power through both legs (50/50).

On the Numbers
The big difference between the time on a turbo trainer and the time on the Wattbike has to be data. A bit like golf, there’s no point smashing a basket of balls if you’re not getting the feedback from a coach as to where you’re going wrong.

The wattbike screen has been my virtual coach, allowing me to spend sessions getting the “feel” right in my legs, so that I can spend quality sessions making the right adjustments using feedback from the LCD screen, rather than an hour just turning the pedals. You can also clip in with your cleats, which makes it feel more real.
Having a power output reading with heart rate monitor, allows you to spend sessions working on specific training zones, aligned to power as well as heart rate. This gives you an additional set of data to understand if you are improving. As an indication, my power output has increased by 10% since renting the Wattbike, mainly through a combination of pedal technique and HIIT sessions (High Intensity Interval Training).

Fitting in the Miles
I’m no Bradley Wiggins. I’m short on time, with a BMI a bit higher than I’d like and a diet which is often about what an airline or service station has on offer, plus the usual long list of business and family commitments – hey what’s new. I’m not the fastest rider you’ll ever meet, a long way from it, however, I do love riding my bike and I’d like to try and be the best I can be with the genetics I’ve been given. Having a Wattbike means I can slip in a quick hours training, either in the morning or the evening to keep the miles up, whilst not disappearing for hours, fitting the miles around my lifestyle.

Non-fat Latte or Non-fat You?
If you are one of those people that spend money on bike stuff, I’d thoroughly recommend that before you part with another £60 for a new bit of clothing that promises you an immediate upgrade to the Pro peloton, that you consider chucking it behind a Wattbike rental instead and having a proper look at where you can make some long term improvements. It’s less than the cost of a Starbucks Cappuccino per day when all said and done.

You’ll see far more tangible benefit, be able to do more specific training and have some fun evenings doing power tests with your cycling buddies before realising what it really takes to make it at the top of the sport, or the top of your road.

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Phil Jones is UK Country Head for Multi-National Technology business Brother UK (Twitter @philjones40). He also writes a blog about road cycling for those new to the sport at http://www.race-pace.net (Twitter @racepaceblog) and Tweets about cycling related topics via @roadphil.

As you can see from this cool video below, the velodrome hosts Wattbike sessions five days per week for people of 12 years and older. Sessions need to be booked in advance with reception by phoning 0161 223 2244 (option 3).

If you're based in the North-West then what better place to Wattbike than at the home of British Cycling.

It took a while to get the virtual tombola turning, but we did it eventually and we've picked out Hannah Pole and Tim Loveridge from our Facebook fans, Twitter followers and Newsletter subscribers as the winners of a bundle of the fantastic 3LC.TV training DVD bundles.  Our Matt tried one of the DVDs recently and survived...just.

Congratulations to them both - we didn't ask awkward questions or get them to do a flying 200m on a Wattbike to be in with a chance of winning, all they needed to do was be connected with us on Facebook, Twitter or our Newsletter - preferably all three as that got you three entries.

So make sure you've got us covered and be the first to know about our next great competition.

Picked up on a good article about Irish track cyclist Martyn Irvine on the excellent SBS Cycling Central website, which details the struggles of a guy who is far from the glitz and glamour of the big track cycling nations such as GB, Australia, France and Germany off the track, but is definitely up there when it comes to being on the track.

What really shines through is Martyn's determination to be the best possible athlete he can be.  We know of Martyn through our relationship with elite track cycling coach Andy Sparks at Performance United.  Martyn is part of a great group that Andy is coaching from his base in Mallorca which includes the likes of USA's Sarah Hammer, Turkish rider Recep Unalan and Mexican Sofia Arreola.  They are all using the Wattbike to help them prepare for the Olympics.

As the article on SBS Cycling Central suggests, Andy is one of those guys who has equal measures of knowledge, motivation and enthusiasm when it comes to cycling and there is no doubt that when his athletes step off the track at the end of London 2012 they will have left nothing in the tank - no regrets.

But back to Martyn, I can highly recommend reading back through the archives of his blog, 'Racing to nowhere but going places', it's a really great insight into both the struggles and rewards of being an athlete, albeit one competing for one of the smaller nations in the cycling world.  We wish Martyn the best of luck in the Olympic Velodrome.

Under-23 cyclist Ian Richards sent us an update last week following what sounds like a very tough Omloop van de Glazen Stad. Ian told us: "My 5th classic this year, the 173km Omloop van de Glazen stad; a city of glass greenhouses wrapped itself around the tight twisting course. The first 100km of the race didn’t drop below 47km/h. With constant crosswinds and strung out groups it meant that more that half of the 180 man peloton didn’t finish today’s echelon filled race."

We asked Ian how he copes with a race running at that speed, in those conditions: "Staying up the front in a classic such as this one is the most difficult yet important things to do. With every change of direction means that the wind is also affecting the peloton in a different way. Your position with 100km to go can mean the difference between 1st and not finishing."

"Echelons are the place to be, and if you’re not in an echelon, you’re cooked! I finished 28th, scoring de Mol’s first prize in a classic this year and my first top 30 for the year."

Ian is a big advocate of training on a Wattbike and gave us an insight into why he finds it essential for coping with the efforts required in a race like the Omloop van de Glazen Stad: "In the last 2 months I’ve been increasing my usage of my Wattbike for effort training. I can see this is definitely having a large effect on my power in the classics. With power dropping to zero then slamming upwards of 600 watts for a short while, the Wattbike is the only place I can practice this type of precision power training."

We're looking forward to Ian's next update which will be later this week as he takes on his first Elite tour race.  If you want find out how you can improve your power by training on a Wattbike check out our Training Guide and Shop.

As always with Simon, it's look forward - never back, and so he has started to arrange a number of fundraising activities to help raise money for Wales Air Ambulance - the organisation and people who saved Simon's life.

Simon is still not able to ride on the road just yet but we know it's not too far away.  He's already been on the track at Newport to complete a few laps and that's given a massive boost to his recovery,

The first event which Simon will be involved in is on 15th June 2012 at the velodrome in Newport and he is looking for riders to help him complete 10 hours riding on the track.  Doors opens at 10pm and close at 8am, so definitely one for the insomniacs.  There's certain to be a great atmosphere at the track so get in touch with Simon via his @simonstrongfund twitter account or donate on his fundraising page.

Simon is also hoping to arrange similar rides at the Manchester and Calshot velodromes.

The big event for 2013, where Simon is hoping to raise a significant sum of money, is the SimonStrong Ride Around Wales - which will take place in February 2013 and cover 780 miles, visiting each of the Wales Air Amublance bases.

We wish Simon the best of luck with his events.

Part Two of our video interview with Rebecca Romero features her thoughts on training on a Wattbike.  As a former rower, Rebecca was used to a life of work on ergometers and this continued through her time with British Cycling, who use Wattbikes for training and testing of their elite athletes.

Rebecca gives us the lowdown on the kind of Wattbike sessions she would endure as a track rider and how this has changed now that she is preparing for her very first Ironman.

We must thank Rebecca for her time in sitting down with us and sharing her knowledge and experience, she's a pretty unique athlete and I'm sure we can all learn a thing or two from her.

If you missed it, we would highly recommend watching Part One of this interview.

Good luck to Rebecca in Ironman UK in June - we'll be watching closely.