However, just as there is a difference between an old everyday bike and Bradley Wiggins’ shiny Pinarello Dogma F8, the quality of the indoor bike you use has a massive impact on progress. Olympians Joanna Rowsell Shand and Lizzie Deignan (née Armitstead) have made Wattbike an integral part of their fitness regimes because it replicates the feel of riding on the road and uses sophisticated technology to monitor performance.
Without accurate data, professional athletes don’t have the right information upon which to base their training. Wattbike is accurate to within two percent across the full range of watts and measures over 40 different parameters. The Wattbike’s Polar View technology creates a graphical representation of your pedal efficiency, from the balance between your right and left legs to where in the pedal stroke you are applying force. For these reasons, Wattbike was chosen by the UCI World Cycling Center as the training tool for their athletes ahead of the Track Cycling World Championships and Olympics in 2016.
Joanna Rowsell Shand training with Wattbike
But you don’t have to be earmarked for Tokyo 2020 to hop into the saddle—Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts have installed Wattbike into their fitness centers as part of an ongoing initiative to provide state-of-the-art health facilities to guests. Discerning travelers concerned not just with working out, but with the quality of their workout, now need not leave their professional-standard fitness routines at home.
Using live data makes you accountable for your training, which is a great motivator. I use Wattbike’s heart-rate and power measurements to guide my training. When using the Polar View feature, aim for a balance between your legs of around 48—52 percent.
Setting a benchmark will help you identify when you’re making progress. Wattbike has inbuilt tests so you can easily get started with calculating your training zones. A submaximal ramp test is perfect if you’re unsure of your fitness level [but it’s not suitable for beginners].
Use Wattbike to calculate your personal-training zones as it will help determine what kind of power and heart rate are right for you at different intensities, and you will achieve your goals more efficiently.
Cycling is a great way to improve fitness or lose weight, but it’s important to enjoy it. If you’re planning to just get on and ride, find a gear that you can sustain, keep things fresh and try mixing it up with some efforts in a harder gear.
After any exercise, make sure to cool-down properly. I try and cool-down by spinning my legs for at least five minutes and then complete a good stretching routine; it’s a really important way to aid muscle recovery.
Wattbike’s ‘Trainer’ model
