Feeling the Burn

Getting up to Speed

Getting to over 100 mph on a bike with an

engine isn’t too difficult if your engine has

enough power but on a pushbike the only

engine is yours truly – so the question was,

did I have the power?

O FIND out we visited Loughborough

University, a world leader in sports

technology research and home to the

Sports Science Service where performance

data for athletes like Mo Farrar and Victoria

Pendleton was analysed. I was in good hands

there, with Dr Rhona Pearce and Sarah Moseley

putting me through my paces.

T

I rode a high performance ergonometer – a

fancy exercise bike that could measure my

power output and general performance. It was

here that I learned about aerobic and anaerobic

energy and how my bike’s engine – me – needed

the right kind of fuel to produce the power that

would take me to 120 mph.

Basically, the energy you need to generate in

order to make your muscles work is generated

by glycogen that is stored in the muscles. The

glycogen breaks down to form a sugar called

glucose that combines with oxygen in your

bloodstream, which comes from the air that

you breathe, to create carbon dioxide (which

you breathe out) and water, releasing energy

in the process. When your body is working at

about 65 per cent maximum performance, you

can suck in enough air to keep that chemical

reaction working efficiently. Glycogen levels

in the muscles will reduce but glucose will be

topped up as your heart pumps blood to the

muscles, the blood carrying both oxygen and

54  Britain’s Fastest Bike

+

Above: Sarah Moseley urges me on to reach

peak power output on the ergonometer at

Loughborough University.

glucose. The glucose comes from fat stores,

your converting fat more quickly to keep

up with the increased demand. That’s why

moderate exercise is so good for shedding a

few pounds.

Aerobic exercise is when you are working

within your comfort zone and the oxygen

Oxygen Glucose