PROFESSOR LOUIS PASSFIELD

A SC P’ S FORMER RESIDENT PHYSIOLOGY CONSULTANT, WE ASKED OUR EXPERT, AGAIN ... Professor Louis Passfield is Head of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Kent. He was one of the experts we called upon in issue one of Cycling Plus, so we asked him for his thoughts on the changes in training advice in the last quarter of a century. When did the appetite from non-professional cyclists for science-based training and nutrition advice increase? I think it occurred progressively through the 1990s and really took hold after 2000. Equipment availability was a big factor. In the 1980s, heart rate monitors had wires connecting the belt from the chest to the display unit. There are now a plethora of devices for riders to choose from. The cycling press and the internet have had a huge impact. In the early years most cyclists learned from their teammates and clubs, only occasionally would you get insights into training from the cycling magazines. What are the biggest technological advances to have helped ordinary riders? Smartphone apps that monitor your riding and allow you to analyse what you’ve done, or compare with friends and club mates, have been a real boon. They provide data on your ride, and bring in a fun, social dimension. Is there any advice you might once have given that you wouldn't nowadays? Obviously my advice has been flawless! I’m glad to see some smart work being done by the best strength and conditioning coaches to help reduce injury, correct potential imbalances and raise performance. The old fashioned view that as a cyclist you should go to the gym for a few weeks in the winter and smash your legs doing squats would be one of my leading nominations for trends I’m glad to see the back of. Can you foresee any more breakthroughs that might improve how we train and ride even more? Yes, I’m working on it! Today your phone app, wearable device, and power output or heart rate monitor serve to record what you did so you can analyse it later. In the future once you’ve downloaded the data, it can be analysed and then become a tool to guide you in what to do next. Heads-up displays in sunglasses or on your helmet will link with your phone, heart rate or power meter and instead of informing you of what you’re doing, they will make suggestions on how you should be training. Go harder up here, ease off more on the descent, lower your saddle, and raise your cadence. It’s possible we might not even have to wait another 25 years for this…

Heads-up displays in glasses or your helmet will link with your phone, heart rate or power meter, and will make suggestions on how you should train