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Endurance cyclists, by their very nature, are marginal-gainers, seeking the latest strategies and gear to eke out an extra watt, raise efficiency and ride smarter. Testing your physiological status and potential, however, is much more; it’s a maximal-gainer, potentially earning you much greater savings than deep-rim aerodynamic wheels and closefitting polyester. And it’s why many of you head to the labs or a stationary bike, don a gasanalysing face mask and have your results processed and analysed. It’s the gold-standard, but it’s rather cumbersome.

That’s where the VO2 Master comes in. It’s projected as the world’s first portable VO2 monitor, the unit comprising a main enclosure containing relevant sensors and electronics, sanitary filters that are replaced after each test, a filter lock and spit guard, mask and what’s called a Hans Rudolph face mask to strap it all in. And that’s it. No backpacks, nada.

It’s designed to be used to measure your resting metabolic state, submaximal state or for all-out VO2 max testing. That’s why you’re given numerous physiological parameters that are next-level analysis. These include your respiratory frequency, tidal volume, ventilation rate, ventilation as a percentage of VO2 and fraction of expired oxygen.

Unless you’re a sports scientist or exercise physiologist, these will be new to you. But don’t worry, the VO2 Master’s really aimed at practitioners to use with their disciples (cyclists) to crunch the numbers and then prescribe suitable sessions.

The one metric that’s broadly known on the usable app is your VO2 max. As a reminder, VO2 max is the maximal rate at which your body can take on and process oxygen to generate energy. It’s usually measured as ml of oxygen per kg of bodyweight per minute. Pro riders often nestle in the 70-80ml/kg/min category, while good amateurs will stretch between 50 and 60ml/kg/min.

The product is independently validated, too, so you can trust the results. Again, though, you need a professional to help you dissect the results as the more detailed data points and then help you hone in on the training areas that should produce the biggest performance gains. And costing nearly $5,000, it’s clearly aimed more at coaches to allow them to offer another service to their riders. vo2master.com