02 Aug HUUB: Maximal Gains
Our team doesn’t just break records; we ensure every performance gain is identified and maximised, to achieve the ultimate in human performance. Technology and a “no compromise” attitude to science was the key to success on my last project, the Fastest Cycle Across Europe. This approach led to us breaking the world record by a massive 35%; taking nine days off the record where the previous attempt only took off 10 hours. For 2022, we’re bringing everything we learnt and building on it to deliver the same impact on the Greatest Distance Cycled in Seven Days.
As with our previous world record, this attempt is being developed in collaboration with the proven expertise of sport scientists and data analysts. We’re blending in new pieces of research from four universities, examining the effects of core body temperature, neuromuscular fatigue and muscle EMG on performance and recovery.
Of course, the last thing you want to do is train incredibly hard and have the wrong equipment. For this reason, we’ve partnered with Huub; the premium endurance sport apparel brand with an ethos of continuous improvement and deliverance of speed in all its products. They bring world-class expertise from developing the Huub-Wattbike track team and masterminding the record-breaking sub-7-hour Ironman triathlon, to now deliver performance in ultra-endurance cycling.
Huub are sponsoring the bespoke skinsuits for my attempt. As the unique shape and position of each cyclist interacts with air flow differently, their personalised tailoring service is an essential tool in pursuit of my personal best. Working with Huub’s in-house designers, we’ve applied my physical dimensions, predicted speeds and air temperature to their modelling software to calculate the most advantageous fabrics and cuts to use on each panel of my suit. This optimisation will produce significant performance advantages because, at 40kph, 80% of the force working against a cyclist is air resistance.
Working with Huub also brings knowledge from their Fellowship of Speed; a collaborative of CFD engineers, experts in sports engineering and physiology, aerodynamicists, kinesiologists, nutrition scientists, Olympians and World Champions. This team take product development and testing to another level, and their experience will drive increased performance not only within clothing design but across the whole project. We are already integrating the Fellowship’s environmental chamber into the project to assess my performance in simulated climate conditions and develop acclimation strategies, if necessary.
Huub have become an integral part of the team as we develop my clothing, bike and cycling position in unison to maximise comfort, thermodynamics and aerodynamics as a complete package. They are also fully supporting our Seven Days of Smiles charity campaign; designing and producing commemorative cycle jerseys and tech tee-shirts, with profits from every sale going to MQ, the UK’s leading mental health research charity. Buy yours now and join our Seven Days of Smiles Facebook group.
By combining our proven team of sports science experts with Huub’s technical knowledge and the experience of their Fellowship of Speed, we are working within Guinness World Records guidelines to push the limits of human performance.
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