09:03 PM
Professional cycling has changed a lot in recent years. At this time, it is important for a cyclist not only to be in good physical condition, but also to control his heart rate during training.Be a good climber, climber, time trialer or sprinter.
Now, it's also important to know what numbers you're doing on a daily basis: how many watts you're generating when you pedal, what's your average running speed, How long it takes to do a certain job and what is the energy cost during a trip.
This information is collected through various technological devices in recent years, cycling teams have started using it to boost the performance of their athletes. The most common is the Garmin, a small computer of sorts that riders attach to the handlebars of their bicycle, turning it on when they start riding and turning it off when they're done.
In case of training, The device accurately measures the time they spent, the distance they traveled, the height they climbed, the power, the watts they achieved during a certain time unit (seconds, minutes).What was the total climb they did, the speed they walked in real time, the average speed they had on the track, the speed or pace they pedaled and the calories they burned.
After training, cyclists must upload the information to sites that generate databases such as TrainingPeaks, which has software that analyzes big data called WKO5. This allows coaches to know what is going on in their runners' bodies and plan how to help them improve in the short term.
“These platforms help us to do everything faster and get data in real time. When a cyclist downloads the training to you, you know whether he did it, whether he stopped or not, then after feedback ask him what caused the stop. It also helps in making decisions based on indicators because ultimately the coach is the same and not the machines. However, decisions are made based on the information provided by the sites,” commented Alex Cano, coach of the Orcullo Pisa team.
But this type of technology, Added to nutritionists with big teams in the international team like Wisma, Ineos, Movistar, EF easypost.Eating better helps riders compete at the elite level of cycling.
“Now you don't eat to satisfy yourself like you did before, but you do it according to your energy expenditure for the day and what you need for the next day. That was difficult for me,” Antioquia cyclist Ricoberto Uran told this newspaper, among the riders who had to adapt to the changes in cycling. One person.
Another is cycling
In recent times, a branch of physics has become another obsession for elite cycling: aerodynamics, that part of the subject that studies the reactions of wind on moving bodies in athletes.
For this reason, the cyclists of the teams competing in the World Tour (the highest level of cycling) now perform tests in places like wind tunnels, in which the athletes sit on their bikes and receive strong winds. From a turbine located behind them.
They are scanned in real-time by computers that help them optimize their position on the bike and calculate how they should be positioned for optimal performance. Although this type of technology is generally most useful for sprinters and time trialists, it also includes climbers such as Nairo Quintana from Boyacá and his teammates from Team Movistar.
This is Juan Manuel's experience in the subway
Orgullo Paisa team rider Juan Manuel Barbosa, who at 23 is regarded as one of the country's best time trialists, will travel to Belgium at the end of 2023 to undergo a wind tunnel test for the second year in a row. He had to go to Europe because this technology was not available anywhere in Latin America for cyclists. You can only take the test in the continental US. “The goal is to make the bike more aerodynamic. That is, do less time and go faster in less time. This time I went with a better bike, better handlebars, better time trial bike than I had the first time, I had a better balance. The cyclist from Cordoba realized he could get more watts with a different helmet and shoes, which helped him improve his drag coefficient, allowing him to break through the air more efficiently while competing. An hour on the subway costs 500 euros.
