The last two weeks I have been training on a Wattbike, the benefits of using a Wattbike is the pedal efficiency data you can collect. When training on a Wattbike you can see the polar view which is a graph showing you one pedal revolution, the diagram shows you the stroke of each leg and the amount of power being generated in each side is shown as a percentage at the bottom of the screen.
The line shows you the angle of peak force and to improve technique you want the angle to be the same at both ends. During the cycle show before Ride London I had a Wattbike test and found out that my highest power output for my left leg was at 106 degrees and my right at 113.
The red line shown in the picture shows pedal strokes to improve performance and pedaling efficiency the idea is to make the oval as smooth as possible getting rid of the dips which show the dead space where very little or no power is being produced.
I have been working on my pedalling efficiency on the Wattbikes and have found it really useful as you can watch the diagram and feel how each stroke feels and adapt your technique as your going along. I then found when I’m on my bike I’m thinking more about stroking my foot round and how the movement feels. Training on a Wattbike has been very beneficial and I feel like my technique has improved although its not become a habit yet so I will continue to train as much as possible on a Wattbike.
I have been training at anaerobic threshold on the Wattbike and also interval sessions, I have found that the consistency at one speed in the anaerobic threshold training works better as trying to sprint and give it everything you have got and watch the diagram for pedalling efficiency is not easy!
I feel my technique has improved and I want to continue to work on this over the winter until it becomes second nature. I would highly recommend training on a Wattbike as I think it helps you to understand and use your legs more effectively.
