You might remember we recently heard the story of Ryan Scott who knocked 40 minutes off his sportive time after training on a Wattbike, well we also noticed a few tweets from one of our followers, DocRoddy, who was tweeting about his impressive performance in the Etape Caledonie. What makes Roddy's story interesting is that his occupation means he doesn't have endless hours of personal time to train, so he needed to find a smarter training solution.
We got in touch with Roddy as we wanted to hear more about his Wattbike experience. If you're wondering whether a Wattbike can make a difference to your training then read on...
Q. Tell us a bit about yourself and your sporting background.
Hi, I'm Roddy Pattison and I'm 45 years of age. At school, I was utterly rubbish at sports but, in retrospect, I was okay at cycling. In summer holidays, I used to take myself off on cycle tours of the West Coast of Scotland. After medical school, I took a bit of a break from cycling...until 2008.
Q. What kind of events have you taken part in and what have you got coming up in the future?
I realised I was getting seriously unfit and after reading about the Etape Caledonia in a local paper in January 2008, I decided to train for the event in May of that year. I completed the 81 mile course in 4hr 21min on my old Peugeot and bought a Trek Madone in the autumn. In 2009, I did the Etape du Tour up Ventoux but made the schoolboy error of not eating enough and blew fairly early on the climb. I managed to finish in 7hr 52min though and felt really pleased. I've just done the Etape Caledonia again in seconds under 4 hours.
Q. Where and when did you first hear about the Wattbike?
After Etape du Tour, I had a mailshot from Wattbike and thought,"Hmm, that looks really good." After breaking my hip in October 2009, I should have bought one then but elected to climb on the turbo in the garage at minus 5C! That didn't last long!
Q. Do you own a Wattbike at home or are you using one in a local gym?
I purchased a Wattbike in February 2011. It's in the spare room.
Q. What was it that made you make that final decision to buy a Wattbike?
I remember reading that James Cracknell did a lot of his training on the Wattbike for the aborted tandem LEJOG with Rebecca Romero due to his busy life. I liked the idea of smart training as I am a busy GP and time is a factor. I am planning to do the Raid Pyrenean September 2011 so need all the good training I can get!
Q. Are you following a specific training plan on the Wattbike?
No. I am a maverick and sort of make it up as I go along! I follow Will Carling on Twitter he's posted some useful tips. James Cracknell does a column in the Telegraph too.
Q. And how often do you compliment these sessions with outdoor work?
In summer, I cycle outdoors at least twice per week. But I need to do some Wattbike work!!
Q. What has the Wattbike allowed you to do that otherwise you wouldn't have been able to achieve?
Having the Wattbike means you can jump on with little preparation. Even 30 minutes is beneficial.
Q. What kind of improvements have you noticed since using the Wattbike?
There is absolutely no doubt my pedal action has improved beyond measure. The instant feedback from the machine allows you to correct deadspots. I don't even hook it up to the computer - it's a stand-alone piece of kit. During the Etape Caledonia, although I felt tired towards the end, I still had strength and didn't feel at all fatigued.
Q. In a single sentence what would you say to somebody who is deliberating over buying a Wattbike?
If you're serious about cycling and getting fit, the Wattbike is a tremendous piece of kit. The added bonus is that your whole family can use it (but not at the same time as you!).
Thanks so much Roddy for sharing your Wattbike story with us, we'll be keeping in touch to see how your Raid Pyrenean trip goes later in 2011