Ray Maker "DC Rainmaker" takes on Ironman Aix-en-Provence 70.3 and gives us a great race report that includes how he used Best Bike Split to help plan the bike leg. "For the bike I had an average power target of about 80% of FTP, or roughly 250w. However, this course had a lot of steep descending, where the value would be zero. I toyed with Best Bike Split quite a bit, as well as data from INSYCD to come up with a good race plan."
Please visit the DC Rainmaker Site for this and other blog post, guides, tips and product reviews.
In this video, Travis chats with Ryan Cooper at Best Bike Split regarding race day strategy for Emporia. Take a deep dive with the guys to learn how you can analyze best case scenarios for the a strong finish and meet your expectations.
Dave and Ryan discuss some commonly held cycling myths, then go off on tangents about other related training practice misconceptions
Please visit the Kaizen Endurance Site for this and other podcast.
The Leadville 100 mountain bike race is an accomplishment that is on many a cyclists' bucket list. But at around 105 miles, taking place at over 9,000 feet above sea level with around 13k feet of gain... it is no easy task to beat the cutoff and get the buckle.
Brandon, a 60 year old former collegiate gymnast, came to me in January of 2021 with the goal of doing just that. Brandon had started road cycling about 6 years prior and had done some longer events but mostly social and charity type rides. At 5'5" and 140 lb, Brandon was a naturally smaller rider and as such, had a relatively low FTP, estimated at ~135w (2.12 w/kg) based on historical data.
Read the full case study on the Kaizen Endurance Site
How cool would it be to have an accurate prediction of the bike split in your next event? Even if it’s just to make sure that your other half knows when to be ready with the camera!
This is exactly what Best Bike Split does and by all accounts, they are pretty damn accurate. Most comments and reviews I've seen refer to something equating to a 1% accuracy, which would be a minute for a standard distance tri and 3-4 minutes in an Iron-distance event. In this week's High Performance Human podcast, I’ll be speaking with Rich Harpel and Ryan Cooper who are the brains behind this software. We'll be deep-diving into how you can get the most from this awesome bit of software.
Please visit Simon Ward's Site for this and other podcast.
Within the world of cycling, power-to-weight or W/kg has pretty much become a staple metric. Essentially how much power you produce in relation to your weight. It’s valued enough that many cyclists will actually aim to be as light as possible so that they can climb as fast as possible. In this video that is exactly what we will try to learn!
Ryan Cooper knows something about everything, especially in the realms of swimming, biking and running. In this episode, Ryan and Dirk discuss everything from how wind direction should dictate when you eat and recover during a bike race, how to feel out a connection between heart rate and your personal RPE, as well as technical skill-building.
Please visit Coach Cast by TrainingPeaks for this and other podcast.
Martinez uses Best Bike Split to model out an estimated time and performance she can expect given the weather forecast. He also uses it to determine how Richtrova should pace the race depending on the weather forecast and the terrain. In this way she will have guidelines when she may be able to push more or less power. Since their plan is more of a guide, Richtrova can make adjustments on race day if the weather forecast changes.
Please visit Slowtwitch for this article by Lars Finanger.
What is Best Bike Split? Undoubtedly, one of the best app for the planning and management of the effort in the race. Use different algorithms to - taking into account your power data, bike, circuit characteristics and race conditions - develop a personalized plan so that you can set the best pace, and the best possible partial and finish times.
Please visit Triatletas en Red for this article.
If you're looking for information on Best Bike Split or want to do an interview for your publication, please contact us and we would be happy to chat about Best Bike Split, The Pacing Project or just technology and sports in general.
Using Best Bike Split takes the guesswork out of pacing any course, even virtual courses! Here's a look at how you can use BBS to obtain your optimal pacing strategy for the new Zwift Giro 2019 Prologue course in Bologna.
Luke Durbridge has won three Australian time trial championships - and a world title as a junior (2009) and under-23 (2011). He loves his cycling and is willing to talk about the lessons he's learned in over a decade committed to the sport he's passionate about. (Luke speaks specifically about BBS at the 2:47 mark.)
Ryan Cooper from Best Bike Split is a math wizard who uses his algorithms to help Pro-Tour cycling teams get faster. In this episode Ryan explains how you can make better decisions when it comes to bike fit, pacing, and gear selection. Following the advice in this episode can save you 60 watts.
Please visit FASTER Podcast by FLO for this and other podcast.
Ryan Cooper, founder of Best Bike Split, chief scientist at Training Peaks and a world-leading expert on the physics of cycling joins us to teach optimal bike pacing in your triathlon bike leg.
"As a coach, Best Bike Split premium is one of the lines on my expense sheet that I would never get rid of, as it allows me to give my coaching clients so much additional value from being coached by me."
Coach Mikael
Please visit Scientific Triathlon for this and other podcast.
If you're looking for information on Best Bike Split or want to do an interview for your publication, please contact us and we would be happy to chat about Best Bike Split, The Pacing Project or just technology and sports in general.
In the summer of 2013, Ryan Cooper took a few weeks off of work to answer a question: could you accurately predict a cyclist's performance using a fast, easy-to-use model? Over five years later, Ryan is the co-founder and chief scientist at Best Bike Split, a tool that helps cyclists of all levels develop optimal pacing and training strategies using proven technology.
Dave Schell sat down with Ryan to talk about how Best Bike Split came to be, how athletes and coaches can get the most out of the software, and other optimal strategies to use before and during a race.
Please visit Coach Cast by TrainingPeaks for this and other podcast.
Norwegian squad Pro Allan Hovda produced a stellar race this past weekend to take his 3rd victory at the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. Having won the race 2x before, Allan came to the squad looking for some guidance to help drive his preparations towards the 2018 season.
So what did it take to produce the fastest bike split of the day, and coming into T2 with last years winner Lars Christian Vold? Thanks to TrainingPeaks and Best Bike Split, we can reveal the data Allan utilized in training and on race day.
Please visit Torden Multisport to read the entire post.
Ryan Cooper is the founder of Best Bike Split, Chief Scientist at Training Peaks, and an expert on all things aerodynamics and pacing. We met up with Ryan in Kona to discuss how to achieve perfect pacing, aerodynamic advantages in time trialing, and triathlon tactics.
Topics covered in this episode include:
Please visit TrainerRoad on SoundCloud.com for this and other podcast.
The tape has long been broken, the champagne sprayed and champions crowned at the 2017 Ironman World Championship, but for the first time we have in-depth access to data that paints a new and dynamic picture of the day.
What we saw on the live broadcast on Oct. 14 didn't fully capture the strategies and pacing that played out on course on a day that resulted in a new course record and several new names making the podium for the first time in both the women's and men's professional races.
Visit the Triathlete Website to read the entire post.
If you're looking for information on Best Bike Split or want to do an interview for your publication, please contact us and we would be happy to chat about Best Bike Split, The Pacing Project or just technology and sports in general.
It's an common adage: practice makes perfect. But it's difficult to prepare for races when the actual route takes place halfway across the world. Or if your schedule doesn't give you appropriate time to hit the course.
Whatever the reason, indoor smart trainers (like the KICKR) have helped riders access unique training plans that can dynamically recreate courses and conditions in high detail. In conjunction with Best Bike Split, for example, riders can access a complex physics engine that takes into consideration power data, course info, and race day conditions to carve a perfect plan of attack.
Visit the Wahoo Fitness Blog to read the entire post.
The accuracy and wealth of information available on Best Bike Split really means you can get more out of your GPS device in real-time used in conjunction with the Connect iQ app. With weather analysis, predictions and real-time data available all in one place, it's a one-stop shop for number-obsessed cyclists.
Visit the Road.cc Website to read the entire post.
It seems that my last post has created a bit of a stir so I thought it best to quickly follow up and share with you how exactly I "cheated" my way to the club records. My "something else" is a piece of software called Best Bike Split. I believe that this software is that good that it is tantamount to cheating. But, before I lose any more friends, let me say straight up that it is NOT actually cheating. It is legal, UCI approved and used by a number of pro-teams. In this post I will explain (in an obscene amount of detail) what it is, how I use it and why it makes such a difference to TTs. I will also share with you how to make it work effectively on a Garmin.
The quest to combine hard mathematical facts with cycling athletic performance is here and we, as time trialists, have more tools than ever to help hone everything from aerodynamic position to the perfect pacing strategy. Please visit the Cycling Time Trial Podcast for this and other podcast.
If you're looking for information on Best Bike Split or want to do an interview for your publication, please contact us and we would be happy to chat about Best Bike Split, The Pacing Project or just technology and sports in general.
The Best Bike Split team was in Kona for the 2015 Ironman World Championship and after the race we were invited to review and help break down the overall champion, Jan Frodeno's power file along with Quarq and TrainingPeaks. Check out a video of the power analysis from Quarq and gain some insights into how Jan managed the race and pulled away heading into T2.
This year at the Ironman World Championship Ryan Cooper and Andrew Johnson sat down with Ironman to discussed Best Bike Split and TrainingPeaks. They talked about the features of both Best Bike Split and TrainingPeaks that are helping athletes at all levels perform up to their capabilities on race day.
For tomorrow's Ironman World Championship, Ryan Cooper took a look at a few of the top cyclists and made his predictions—with a bit of weather and tactical context.
Ryan, the co-founder and chief scientist of Best Bike Split, uses an intensive set of data points to predict how fast an athlete will bike on a certain race course. Taking things into account such as power, course topography, weather conditions and aerodynamics, Best Bike Split has had some impressive results predicting bike times—and also for giving athletes a power plan for their respective races.
Visit the Triathlete Website to read the entire post.
High-Tech Version: Create a detailed bike leg estimate using Best Bike Split, which will take your power data, course info and race-day conditions to give you a power plan to target your best bike split.
The High-Tech Advantage: Pro TJ Tollakson used Best Bike Split to predict his time for Ironman Mont Tremblant. He had estimated that a 4:30 might require a 300 watt average but his Best Bike Split power plan showed he could average 279 watts and ride a 4:28. He ended up riding 4:26:55, averaging 278 watts, for a record setting performance.
Read the full article on Triathlete Website or in the June 2015 issue of Triathlete Magazine.
If you're looking for information on Best Bike Split or want to do an interview for your publication, please contact us and we would be happy to chat about Best Bike Split, The Pacing Project or just technology and sports in general.
As Best Bike Split is quickly becoming a leader in race optimization, we were asked to help with a recent article for Velo Magazine about data-driven racing.
Ryan Cooper, founder of Best Bike Split is quoted in the article as saying, "I think some of the teams are still a bit old hat. But what Sky does, and Trek does, and what some other teams are doing, they're starting to come around to the fact that there's more science that you can put behind this, especially in time trials, or team time trials."
Read the full article in the March 2015 issue of Velo Magazine on page 55.
TrainingPeaks acquires Best Bike Split to help athletes and coaches predict, train and plan for race day. Best Bike Split uses advanced math modeling to predict your goal time and wattage, plan power targets for optimal training, and create a detailed race day plan.
Read the complete announcement by TrainingPeaks co-founder and CEO Gear Fisher on the TrainingPeaks website.
NBC's Universal Sports Network used Best Bike Split to analyze and predict Bradley Wiggins win over Tony Martin during their live broad cast of the 2014 UCI Road Cycling World Championships. The Men's Elite Individual Time Trial was held in Ponferrada, Spain on Wednesday, September 24th with commentary by Steve Schlanger, Dotsie Bausch and Todd Gogulski. Earlier in the week Ryan Cooper of Best Bike Split spoke with Dotsie about the top riders and gave some predictions based on models that Best Bike Split had run. According to Ryan, Wiggins would be about 17 seconds ahead of Martin in the time trial. The actual difference was about 26 seconds!
Trek Factory Racing is happy to announce a partnership with Best Bike Split. The Austin, Texas based company will provide the team with software to plan time trial pacing strategies, select the ideal equipment for race day conditions and determine other course specific tactical choices, in particular for time trials.
Jordan Roessingh, TFR's Technical Manager says, "Best Bike Split's software is very powerful and the team is going to benefit a great deal from it.".
If you're looking for information on Best Bike Split or want to do an interview for your publication, please contact us and we would be happy to chat about Best Bike Split, The Pacing Project or just technology and sports in general.
We were approached during the summer by Triathlete Magazine about doing a small write up on Best Bike Split and being avid readers of the magazine we were truly honored. This is very exciting for us, especially with knowing what the impact of being in such a great publication could mean for our little company.
Here's a little quote from the article. "All these ingredients yield a program that has the potential to enhance a race strategy and help you think about your power data proactively rather than reactively".
Read the full article online at Triathlete Website or in September 2014 issue of Triathlete Magazine on page 62.
DATA 2014 is a national celebration of creative technologies in Pittsburgh, PA.
Founded at the intersection of Design, Art and Technology, this two-day event is an opportunity to engage with folks around the country on the newest trends in creativity and innovation. DATA is an event like no other - a mash-up of networking, interactivity and new ideas - showcasing the year's most innovative art and technology projects, experiments and achievements.
Best Bike Split is a new web application that uses specific details about an athlete's power abilities and equipment to create a time prediction as well as a power pacing strategy for any upcoming race. The two creators of this site Ryan Cooper and Rich Harpel have spent hundreds of hours developing, testing, and refining their algorithms with the goal of making Best Bike Split the standard for predictive race modeling and analysis for triathletes and time-trialists racing with power meters. With multiple top professional triathletes and a World Pro Tour cycling team turning to them for help it seems like they are on their way. Best Bike Split has recently transitioned from it's beta phase to a member based web application. Standard members will have access to the core functionality of the site, but to unlock all of the features and benefits members will want to upgrade to a premium subscription. We were able to get early access to newest premium version of Best Bike Split to provide a review of it's features. [complete article]
Over the past 10-15 years the cycling industry has come a very long way. The study of the science behind cycling aerodynamics and the body's response to cycling has grown exponentially over this time. It can be argued that the rise of triathlon has been a primary reason for this explosive growth. [complete article]
If you're looking for information on Best Bike Split or want to do an interview for your publication, please contact us and we would be happy to chat about Best Bike Split, The Pacing Project or just technology and sports in general.
We wrote a blog article at the end of January titled "The Great Debate - Aero vs. Weight". To write the article, we partnered with Ryan Cooper - the brains behind Best Bike Split - to simulate the effects of wheel aerodynamics vs. weight on some very popular bike courses. The goal was to determine what saved you more time, aerodynamics or weight. With the exception of climbing the Alpe d'Huez, a "heavy" aerodynamic wheel set was faster than an extremely lightweight but "non-aero" wheel set on every course. I'll add by a considerable amount. [read more]
What will save you more time? Improving the aerodynamics, or decreasing the weight of your wheel set? Jon and I have probably been asked this question hundreds if not thousands of times since starting FLO. When designing FLO wheels we focussed primarily on aerodynamics. We did that because in almost every situation possible, aerodynamics have a far greater impact on time saved than weight. However, I don't just want to claim that. In true FLO Cycling fashion, I want to do my best to prove that fact. To do that, I asked a VERY smart friend to help me out. [read more]
During the 70.3 World Championships last year, athlete Josh Amberger was staying with me. He received a tweet from @BestBikeSplit stating he was going to ride 2:15 on the Vegas course. Josh thought this was rather slow and a twitter discussion began. A few days later, Josh blasted off the front of the of the bike course and to his disbelief, he road a 2:15 and @BestBikeSplit was right on the money. Naturally I thought, how did he predict that time with that amount of accuracy? [read more]
Des jeunes enthousiastes de notre sport ont récemment créer BestBikeSplit. C'est quoi? Un module web gratuit qui permet d'estimer votre temps sur une course mais aussi de vous recommander la stratégie à suivre en fonction de la pente. Il est difficile de savoir si les algorithmes sont très précis, mais leurs simulations sembles très proches de ce qui a été observé en course. [read more]
Best Bike Split es una herramienta en-línea para la optimización del parcial de ciclismo que utiliza las características del atleta, su bicicleta y el circuito para estimar la distribución del esfuerzo que produciría el mejor parcial de ciclismo con una intensidad relativa predeterminada. El uso básico es gratuito, muy sencillo y los primeros resultados parecen muy prometedores. [read more]
