Traditionally, the choices for cyclists looking to improve have been: a) get a coach, b) join a club, or c) go it alone. Now, there’s a fourth option to consider – using tech to set your riding, assess your progress and adapt your programme to suit your needs.
Sounds neat, right? Or, perhaps, a bit pseudo-science? Whatever your view, there’s no doubt that trying to utilise tech for performance is an emerging area that looks set to ramp up in the coming years. Here, we take a look at some of the big players already coming to market…
BIONIC FUELLING
SUPERSAPIENS
You can’t fail to have heard of Supersapiens. This is the world’s first ‘athletedriven’ continuous glucose monitoring device that sees Chris Froome as one of its investors, and is used by multiple-times Ironman world champion Jan Frodeno. “The technology behind the system’s been used for several years in the world of diabetes,” co-founder Phil Southerland tells me from across the Atlantic. “I feel this could become as common a metric as heart rate and power.”
The system works via an applicator akin to an oversized passport stamp pressing against the upper arm, depositing an ultra-thin filament that’s stuck into place by a strong adhesive sticker. This then measures glucose levels
