I'd noticed quite a few tweets from @bodybullet on Twitter metioning some of the great results they'd been having with their clients training on a Wattbike, so being a little inquisistive I dropped them a message to find out a little bit more about them.
Simon Vincent, the owner of Body Bullet Dynamics is a great advocate of the Wattbike, using it with both his clients and for his own training - a fine example of 'practice what you preach'. His location in Wales looks beautiful but judging by some of the emails we've exchanged it looks like some of the hilliest terrain in the UK. He's now using the Wattbike to train for the 2012 Dragon Ride cyclosportive event - Simon has chosen the 200km version and looking at the course, it's not for the faint of heart!
We'll let Simon tell the story of how he came to set up his coaching business:-
Riding a bike of some sort has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. After having my first mountain bike at 15 and realising how easy it was to ride up very steep off-road hills (essential in Wales), that was it. Bike upgrades followed year on year, and so began a stint at cross country racing which was unfortunately cut very short by the death of my father from cancer.
Riding bikes however remained my main hobby for the next 20 years, along with a keen interest in sports science, in between work, study, marriage and children along the way. Redundancy beckoned early 2010, and for the first time in my life I saw this as an opportunity to turn my passion for cycling and fitness into a new business venture. Extensive study followed along with research into the type of business that would combine my sports science training and life-long experience/passion for cycling.
Body Bullet Dynamics became live in July 2011 with the aim of bringing the same benefits of cycling performance analysis enjoyed by professional riders to the amateur cycling enthusiasts, or those looking to break into the top 10 and having no luck. My strength, conditioning and nutrition qualifications combined with my own cycling experience, would be able me to demonstrate to my clients that great cycling is about so much more than just cycling.
Amongst the extensive equipment purchased to set up my business was a Wattbike. This has enabled me to help my clients improve their pedalling efficiency (most common problem) amongst other things to date. Also my own progress since undertaking regular Wattbike training has been so rapid, that it has inspired me to enter the 2012 Dragon Cyclosportive 200km road event.
I sincerely feel this new found inspiration thanks to Wattbike will enable me to deliver the very best service to my clients, whilst personally allowing me to enjoy a return to the level of on bike fitness I enjoyed all those years ago. What sets my services apart from other facilities is the fact that I analyse performance across the full physiological spectrum, as opposed to just considering max watts or functional power output in isolation. This combined with the stunning location of my business set within the foothills of the Brecon Beacons National Park allows for a winning formula when it comes to helping my clients to get the very best out of their limited time available to ride their bikes.
Many thanks to Simon for sharing his story, we look forward to hearing how his business progresses and how his training on the Wattbike goes for that mammoth sportive in 2012. For more info on the services Simon offers just go to www.totalcyclingperformance.co.uk.