UP THE ANTE LIKE A PRO
AS PROJECT RESTART GETS GOING, MICHAEL SAWH FINDS OUT HOW THE PROFESSIONALS HAVE BEEN TRAINING UNDER LOCKDOWN
CYCLING
Wattbike is a smart indoor bike that’s been designed to give you that feel of riding out on the road. Its home-friendly Atom Bike uses magnetic resistance to keep your sessions nice and quiet, features a climb mode to replicate the gradient on famous hills and has the connectivity to pair with popular training and fitness apps like Strava and Training Peaks.
It takes that realism all the way to its pedals, which British road and track cyclist Dan Bigham has been making more use of until he can spend more time on his bike outdoors.
Bigham says he’s been working more on power modulation – an important aspect of road racing – using Wattbike’s Pedalling Effectiveness Score technology. The feature, developed in partnership with applied sports scientist Dr Barney Wainwright, measures and rates your pedalling as you ride and helps you improve it in real time.
RUNNING
Zwift is an online multiplayer space for cyclists and runners who can log miles in virtual environments without leaving the house. American distance runner Gwen Jorgensen (right) has turned to training alone and indoors on Zwift’s running mode, which requires a treadmill and a sensor worn on one of your feet to track real-time running metrics. She believes the platform has helped her and says: ‘My time on the treadmill has been imperative to maintaining good form and to be able to run on a consistent surface.’
Zwift continues to add workouts that mirror sessions many runners will be familiar with. It also lets you virtually run with your club mates.