Jason Mayhew
“During the 90s I competed in triathlons around the world, most of the training I see still follows the same style to this day. For me going for a bike ride was simply that!
I never knew information apart from MPH or heart rate from the monitors that I would use. If I wanted to check my cadence, I would count over 15 secs.
Then we had turbo trainers, again offering not much more, apart from inaccurate wattage and apparently a close feel to 'real road' cycling.
I have not raced for 12 years , yet still train and move the same social circles and as yet, I still have not seen a great deal of change.
I was introduced to the Wattbike about a month ago by Eddie Fletcher my new coach and to me the Wattbike is the biggest step forward in cycling.
Whether you're a triathlete or cyclist, elite or age grouper, this has to be a must. It looks like a bike and feels like riding a bike and I can use its unique air brake gear lever system to replicate the gears on my road bike.
For the first time ever, you can see your left and right leg balance and monitor the efficiency of each pedal revolution to make sure you're lifting the gear as well as pushing down. Watts are displayed accurately (comparable with an SRM Eddie says but don’t take his word for it see thevideo here) and you can also monitor your cadence, speed, pace and HR using the Wattbike Performance Computer.
Coupled with good HRV monitors (I use Suunto) you can have a measured improvement, even when you are looking to squeeze out those marginal gains.
Eddie links me up to the Wattbike Expert software so that I can see my efficiency 'shape' and the other parameters I'm working on – usually trying to apply constant power, cadence and HR.
I'm not producing a great 'shape' yet but have moved from a poor peanut close to a sausage and I know more to come – and all these years I thought I was an efficient cyclist!
Eddie’s worked on getting my gearing and cadence right so that I'm getting the best power output for the lowest 'physiological cost', as Eddie puts it!
In 3 weeks I have improved my efficiency by 7%, this means I have found more power for the same effort and in my last session found more power for a lower 'physiological cost' – in short it felt much easier and my HR was lower.
Imagine that over a time trial, or the benefits when you’re about to embark on your run in a triathlon!!!!
Not only is the Wattbike the future, the future of cycling is here!!“
Jason Mayhew, Triathlete