British Cycling talent team identification session

[quote="Toks"][quote="Andrew G"]from what i gather it's not a sprint test it's an ultimate power test. Much different from sprint ability.

[quote="Andrew G"]
How many times do you sprint from a standing start?

[huw williams]

Very much so - this test is merely one which gives us the chance to look at a large number of potential athletes and is possible to carry out quite cost effectively and quickly. Although it does only measure a certain type of athletic ability, the feeling is that its not a bad place to start. If you discover a female rider capable of putting out 700 - 800w at that age, it means she not only has the physical ability to do so but is also capable of reaching the correct state of arousal to do so in front of her class, coaches, and in a completely new environment. Remember that as cyclists who compete, when we test or train at a high level we do it repeatedly and know what's coming in terms of the mental and physical demands - so we're prepared for it.

Ashley (the girl who put out very close to 800w) had no concept of what was coming yet immediately put out the highest power figure we've seen in ages (imagine what she might be capable of from this point with good training).But equally important to us was the fact that she was able to turn it on at the flick of a switch in laboratory conditions. This suggests she's got the 'right stuff' to use a cliche. Not just the power but the desire to use it. So at that point we're interested in her as an athlete, not just a sprinter. In her case her physical build will to a large extent determine what kind of event she goes into (unless she manages to significantly change body shape that is). Contrast that with Jamie (the football team captain) who didn't display the highest power but her arousal state was hugely impressive (probably because she's already used to playing competitive sport) and her tactical awareness in the Keirin was very evident. Combined with her power to weight capabilities, we can imagine her becoming some kind of endurance cyclist.

So we can see that despite the fact that the watt bike tests only deliver a very specific set of results - the sessions looked at as a whole offer up many more pointers to potential performance capability. Make no mistake that the majority of riders we test who impress like this will NOT end up in the further stages of the talent team or get anywhere near national standard race podiums. For all sorts of reasons girls will drop out and the selection criteria as you move closer to Olympic Podium Potential status is ruthless - dozens of girls and boys are dropped at this stage each year but that's the way it is. Quite literally the survival of the fittest.

We just hope that by testing up to 10,000 girls each year (boys are easier - we talent spot them at track and road races as well as watt bike testing) we are giving ourselves a chance of finding at least one or two potential Olympic level athletes of the future each year, and as a side issue introduce the sport to a number of girls unfamiliar with it, who take things further by joining clubs and racing at local level. So however many shortcomings the tests have - that's got to be worthwhile

[carl f]

Fantastic work your doing there huw
Keep up the good work
Carl

[Will]

thanks for taking the time to write that up Huw - a truly inspiring read