Video: BAE engineers help UK cycling team reach peak fitness

Advanced ergometer more accurately recreates conditions in a velodrome

Engineers at defence firm BAE Systems have shown for the first time some of the bespoke training technology they have developed for the British Cycling team this year.

The advanced cycling ergometer measures the power output of the cyclists while training and is able to more accurately replicate the centrifugal forces of a velodrome. The training device also collects data for gas and blood analysis and enables testing at high speeds to analyse the athlete’s technique.

The ergometer provides an adaptable system that can be customised for different riders and events. It houses a large variable fly wheel at its rear, with blades that can be adjusted to increase or decrease resistance on the pedals, mimic different gear ratios and generate forces for the cyclist based on their individual load and the track on which they are riding.

The device is also designed to be easily portable, so it can be used in a laboratory to ensure data capture is more accurate.

Paul Barratt, lead biomechanist for the Great Britain Cycling Team, said: “Highly-accurate testing tools such as the cycling ergometer help to ensure athletes are performing at their most competitive.  BAE Systems has created a portable and accurate system that we believe will be integral to the teams’ training regimes and will help us to achieve our medal winning target at the Rio Games”.

The ergometer was developed as part of an eight year technology partnership between BAE Systems and UK Sport.

Henry White, BAE Systems’ UK Sport Technology Partnership lead, said: “We apply the same problem-solving principles and ingenuity to challenges in sport as we do to tackling complex defence and security programmes. The cycling ergometer is a unique system which we hope will boost the success of the British Cycling team and is one of a number of projects on which we are working this year with UK Sport.”

As well as track events such as sprints and endurance rides, the cycling ergometer can also be used to test the performance of cyclists involved in road events and has been used by cyclists including Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Bradley Wiggins.