FEATURE ARTICLE
LIMITATIONS OF GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS ON THE TRAINING AND TESTING EFFECTS OF CYCLING
before the developments of heart rate monitors and power meters. Without the power and heart rate accessory devices, GPS devices provide very limited information. The addition of heart rate monitors and power meters to GPS units gives the cyclist a complete picture of performance and bio data. Heart rate during exercise was the staple of biometrics for many years. Measuring this data gave cyclists particular training zones that focused training on developing specific energy systems. The shortfall of heart rate data is two-fold. The main shortcoming is due to cardiac drift, and the second is fatigue (5). Combining these two phenomena by using heart rate as a metric of training, in real time, was unreliable. In trying to find a more dependable metric, researchers developed power meters. The addition of power meters to the world of cycling revolutionized how cyclists trained and tested. Power gives an absolute value based on what the cyclist outputs during their ride. This article is not going to go into detail on the types of power meters, and how they calculate power; several books are currently available such as, “Cutting Edge Cycling” and “The Time Crunched Cyclist” that explain how to use power. Combining GPS with power meters enhances the cyclist’s ability to see the complete picture of their training and/or testing. Most GPS units used today integrate power and heart rate with GPS data. This compilation of data allows the cyclist to “see” their performance during an entire race or during a certain section of a training ride. As mentioned earlier, the GPS provides position, elevation, and speed. Combining this with the individual’s power measurement during a certain position, the cyclist can analyze their performance. The development of this combination of data has allowed for new protocols in cyclist testing and training.
Over the past twenty years, technology and cycling have merged to make training and testing efficient from elite cyclists down to the “weekend warrior.” This is specifically true for elite cyclists since these types of cyclists rely on data collection and analysis more than a typical person who occasionally rides a bike or participates in the occasional race. Elite cyclists are those who focus their training and testing to prepare for a specific race or competition. This category includes the truly committed club cyclist all the way to the professional. Within this category of cyclists, the biggest emergence within the world of cycling is the combination of power meters and GPS. The two technologies have taken the guesswork out of how a cyclist trains and gives a clear, objective picture. The usage of GPS as a stand-alone technology limits the data a cyclist can use for training and testing; however, when combined with other data it increases the amount of information. GPS units give a position through triangulation between three or more satellites orbiting Earth. With these data points, GPS units can calculate position, speed and elevation, which is pertinent information for cyclists. GPS information allows the cyclist to receive real-time data that will affect training instantane ???? AL??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????9P?????? ???????9P????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????U?????????? AL???????????????????????????????????9P???????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????? AL??????????????????????????Q??????????????????? ?????????????????????? AL???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e? AL?????????????????????????????????????????? AL???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????9P?? AL???????????????????????????????????????????? ???????9?????????????????? AL????????????????????????????????????????????????????M????? AL?????????????e????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????M?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????q??????????t??????????????????????????????????????M????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????() AL?UM ?=H?QMQ%9 ) ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????U?????? AL???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????????????? AL??U?????????????????????????????? AL?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????M???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????????()9M
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