CycleryNorth81

From app to pro: Stationary bikes are creating elite athletes

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/f...144608926.html

jpescatore

Kind of a click-baity title - the Internet connectivity of new smart indoor trainers is allowing teams and race organizations to more easily identify potential elite athletes, vs. creating them!

livedarklions

News story or Zwift press release?

mcours2006

Fake news.

wolfchild

Indoor riding doesn't create elite level athletes, what creates an elite level athlete is their mindset and genetics...Obsession with getting their watts and numbers higher is driving non-pro cyclists to ride indoors more and more because it's a lot easier to get your watts and speed higher indoors than riding outdoors, and they can post their numbers on social media and look like a pro, how sad...Where is the simple enjoyment of riding outdoors ??...Are watts and speed really that important ??... I prefer riding outside. Nothing beats riding outside.

CAT7RDR

Counterpoint: How many of these in home athletes actually were awarded a professional contract and earned a sustainable living?

rosefarts

When I started rock climbing, 25ish years ago, climbing gyms were in their infancy. People learned outside, slept in the dirt, and got the miles in.

Now, without exception, elite young guns have a gym background. Elite old guns train bi weekly in the gym except for road trips. The average ability level, especially on safer stuff, has drastically moved up.

I'm sure there is some truth to this among cyclists. I remember starting in March and racing myself into shape. Once I had 10-12 races under my belt for the year, I started getting fast. Now there is some Zwift monster in mid season form in March. It allows people to skip less desirable events and theget the same training effect in their basement. It changes the whole dynamic of racing among the employed.

sdmc530

I saw this and thought it was a paid article the way its written. I love zwifting in the winter, its great IMO but I doubt I will be quitting my job and going pro. It would be a great way to get more riding for 2020 however.

La Tortue

Read carefully. The winner of Zwift Academy gets awarded a pro contract. To date I think seven contracts have been awarded over the last 4 years. Four women and three men. The first year was only offered to females. Most if not all, recipients have continued the contract for at least a second year. It is a novel approach to find talent. Joining in on Zwift Academy just for the couple weeks of training is also a lot of fun.

CAT7RDR

Interesting, in 2018, a rider was awarded a pro contract being one of 30,000 Zwift Academy participants. He was already competing at the UCI Continental level.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/c...recruit-400470

wolfchild

Video games and virtual riding are just an illusion.

DrIsotope

rebel1916

Not to you. Or me, frankly. I can't stand trainer sessions, although I do it for wintertime fitness. But apparently some people find it rewarding. Viva la difference.

Phil_gretz

It's an interesting concept for identifying potential candidates with power and endurance. Who knows if any of them can actually ride in a race, though.

Anyway, why not use the technology in this way? It is like having round-the-clock remote auditions.

La Tortue

Just curious, have you ever participated in a virtual race on a modern smart trainer?

La Tortue

Well, maybe riding outside faster does. Strava just published their end of year stats and I found this little tid-bit interesting: "Strava’s report also notes that riding Alpe d’Huez virtually beforehand saves time on the real climb. Two runs on Alpe du Zwift is apparently good for one minute off your real-world time on the Alpine icon; five practice runs should, on average, net you a two minute saving. Whether this is from familiarity, or the extra grunt-work in training, or some combo of the two, is not specified." So essentially ride the virtual climb and you go up the real thing faster. This should really be appealing to someone who lives in an area such as Florida or other flat areas as hill training can be a problem.

sdmc530

I have one time in my bike shop on a the new kickr climb/trainer set up. I am not in pro form in fact miles from it but I got my ars handed to me after the first 3 miles. We were all laughing so hard after it showed how bad the spread was from pro to armature. The start wasn't so bad but when the group got going and hit the first climb it was over. Just amazing how good some people are.

I have done a zwift "race" and done better but there is a bunch of doping there. Zwift is great and I really like it for winter months but anyone who takes in too seriously is just not winning at life IMO.

sdmc530

I understand they are pretty careful about who they sign. A lot of the big Zwift Academy riders are a bit higher on the cycling food chain. VERY few are armature riders. Still a cool concept thought.

La Tortue

You should join the next session. It is a lot more than winning the contract. In fact 99,5 percent of the entries are too old. Its fun and you'll be stronger when you finish. Check out this video of this years winner.

rosefarts

Isn't that the plot of "The Last Starfighter"?

sdmc530

It also looks time consuming lol

flan48

BIG +1 from me!
Best regards

burnthesheep

I’ve got a signed copy of a book by one of the most famous amateur cyclists of all time sitting on my shelf beside me. In it is a picture of a knackered Graeme Obree mid workout on a stationary trainer in a squalid looking room.

Champion of the people, on a trainer.

Fastest man on the planet.....twice in the hour and also individual pursuit.

canklecat

GCN did a short and entertaining video a few months ago on the Zwift Academy system for identifying cyclists with potential for pro training. Makes sense for both the teams and prospective athletes, particularly those who aren't in an area where they can race crits or develop fitness and skills through the traditional methods.

Even if a prospective athlete doesn't have the bike handling and pack riding skills needed to race crits, they may still have potential as time trial specialists. And some folks who are already inherently nimble may quickly develop bike handling skills. (Not me. My bike handling is hopeless.)

It's mostly youth oriented, sifting through thousands of applicants for the most promising engines. Egan Bernal showed the old apprenticeship system is gone. There's little valid reason to hold back a promising younger rider to meet some arbitrary level of dues paying. Even Peter Sagan recently commented on how much the game has changed since he began, and he's not quite 30 yet. That may also explain the number of crashes, but it's more complicated than just a bunch of young, aggressive, fast and under-skilled riders. From what I've seen many young riders have very good bike handling and peloton skills. But crits and flat stages are hellafast now and even the most skilled riders will eventually get tangled up, especially if the course isn't well designed or barriers double as bike-snaggers.

63rickert

Just watched A Sunday In Hell again. Probably had not viewed that for a decade. Wife hadn't seen it before, wouldn't have been interested before. First thing she said was "They ride so beautifully". They did. I will assume the majority here cannot even see the difference in how current pros and current lesser mortals ride. The way they ride now is ugly. Trained for wattage is ugly. If all you want is to see high numbers on the meter it's slam high gears and forget about form. What's form? And then crash a lot. The blood on the screen works real well with the ugly pedaling.

Lance Armstrong and dope and wattage meters destroyed the sport. It's gone. Of course this is one of the forums where the liar, cheater, bully Lance is still revered.