TELEMETRY TECHNOLOGY HELPING CYCLISTS

by James Skitt - 26.06.09

As the Formula 1 drivers’ raced around Silverstone last weekend at the British Grand Prix, back in the pits you can be sure engineers were studying data of the car and drivers performance to ensure their race strategies were being followed as effectively as possible.

Telemetry, a method of data collection which allows performance to be analysed remotely in real time, is nothing new to Formula 1, with some teams having up to 500 channels of data available to be analysed during a race.

However now other sports, such as cycling, are realising the benefits, as English Institute of Sport (EIS) Biomechanist Paul Barratt, who works with the sport, explains.

“A lot of data logging in cycling is collected and then stored on a device which can be viewed after the training session or race” he says. “This is fine for helping with your next session/race, but doesn’t help the athlete or coach make decisions in real time.”

“Telemetry enables us to look and analyse performance as it is happening so the coach is able to get a message across and make an immediate impact” he explains.

Whilst in F1 the engineers might be looking at tyre wear, fuel consumption and speed over various parts of the circuit amongst other things, Cycling are more interested in the force being generated on the pedals and power being generated around the track or circuit, although speed and physiological variables such as heart rate can also be measured.

”With cycling the primary focus is on measuring power output” says Barratt, “and the majority of our data logging is still taken by other methods which can be viewed later.”

“But telemetry is developing and is particularly useful for specific applications such as BMX testing or road cycling where you have a support car following the rider” he adds.

The telemetry equipment varies in size from a standard sized saddle bag to a small lightweight clip, with further enhancements sure to follow in the near future.

“For obvious reasons the coaches and riders want to use the lightest equipment possible, if any, during a race, whereas they are more relaxed about using the larger devices in training, which allow us to collect more data” Barratt explains.

“It’s still a bit of a new toy at the moment, but I think the technology has some really useful applications and hopefully in the next year or so we’ll move to a stage where the majority of the data we collect is through telemetry as I’m sure the next generation of data analysing equipment will increasingly move in that direction” he adds.

Photography © Getty Images