FOR AND AGAINST The pros and cons of wearables

PROS

■ Increased awareness of your personal habits that influence recovery, including sleep, hydration, and eating habits

■ Education about recovery and fuelling via the smartphone apps

■ Daily prompts and reminders to move more, breathe, and practise good sleep habits

■ Daily data on key metrics for road cycling, providing trends over time which may support training load management

■ Connecting with friends and sharing achievements

CONS

■ Data may be unreliable, inconsistent or inaccurate

■ Recovery scores do not account for all aspects of training, including muscular fatigue, injury and individual sleeping habits

■ Daily data swings can be disconcerting, especially if they conflict with your sensations

■ Focusing too much on numbers and data may distract from performance

■ Over-reliance on data may prevent athletes from developing awareness or ‘feel’ and being able to ride based on sensations