photo by Arno Becker

Have you ever seen the handcyclists and their high tech machines at one of the huge marathon events like New York City Marathon? The athletes drive at almost the same speed as cyclists in road races.
Aerodynamics and weight are the important factors for success in handcycling races, where the athletes race only centimeters above the ground. But the most important thing is still - as in most other sports - training. Depending on the period of the season it's usually about 10 to 25 hours of training per week, general or more specific, which need serious planning. It's no surprise that a lot of handcyclists train and race with SRM Training Systems.

Depending on the handicap, the athletes are grouped in classes/divisions that allow them to compete against each other as equitably as possible. Handcyclists were grouped in 3 classes until July 2009, now there are 4 different classes (www.uci.ch).

Edward Maalouf from Lebanon participated at the Paralympics in Beijing and has worked with an SRM Training System since the end of 2007. Together with Dr. Ralf Lindschulten (www.lindschulten.de), he plans his training and defines his training zones according to specific exercise tests.

The SRM data from the handcycling time trial look very similar to those of a cycling time trial. Edward rode at a very smooth cadence, increased his power on the climbs, especially in the beginning, and recovered during the short downhills. His heart rate was very constant between 185 and 190 bpm with a max of 194 bpm. He rode the 12.1 kilometers in 22:07 minutes - 32.9 km/h. His average power was 213.3 watts with an average cadence of 77.3 rpm.

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The handcycling road race is also very similar to a cycling road race. Compared to the TT, the power is much more variable, as is the cadence. Tactics like riding in the slipstream to save energy are very important. The race is longer than one hour so energy and fluid supply are likely to play a role. Edward burned about 900 kcal, ridiing with an average power of 171 watts and an average speed of 32.4 km/h.

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The final kilometer of the race is a good example of the preparation of a sprint in a handcycling race. Cornering with a handbike is not as smooth as with a road bike. Edward nearly came to a stop 250 meters before the finish line and accelerated to 39.7 km/h again pushing 400 watts for 25 seconds.

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