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Team riders suggest GPS improvements

How many pro riders does it take to change a GPS?

Published: Nov. 20, 2008
The Garmin Edge 705 in Team Garmin-Chipotle colors
The Garmin Edge 705 in Team Garmin-Chipotle colors
Photo: Courtesy

One of the neatest features of Garmin Edge GPS bike computers is the "Virtual Partner," which lets you race against a previous trip over the same course, with your relative positions marked by little cartoon riders on the screen.

It's a geeky fun distraction, even if its name is a little creepy. But what if you are a professional racer, looking for tools, not amusement? How could you use that feature?

When Team Garmin-Chipotle staff and riders sat down in a hotel conference room with a rep from their team's title sponsor on Thursday, the Virtual Partner feature was a major point of discussion. It could pace racers in time trials, offering an on-bike version of time splits barked over helmet radios from follow cars.

"That would be a good (feature) to figure out," team director Jonathan Vaughters said.

The key is to gather data from a ride on the race course. The team had some ideas.

"You could have someone ride the course in the morning," someone suggested.

"Nah, you need someone fast," said national TT champ Dave Zabriskie. "Or you'd beat the thing by five minutes."

"Woo-hoo, I won!" said Christian Vande Velde, seated next to Zabriskie, throwing his arms in the air, index fingers pointed at the ceiling.

At the meeting, part of the team's weeklong fall camp in Boulder, Colorado, British champ David Millar showed more mastery of the Garmin's features than nearly any team member, except possibly Zabriskie. At this meeting, at least, Millar also rivaled Zabriskie for the position of team jester, and he suggested a novel idea for gathering Virtual Partner data.

"You could tape a Garmin to Cancellara's follow car," he offered.

Eventually Garmin media rep Jake Jacobson, who was running the meeting, promised to write up a tutorial explaining how to use data from early starting team riders to act as virtual partners for their later-starting teammates.

Other ideas

Jacobson met with the team to show all the features of the Garmin Edge 705, which the team received just before the Tour de France this year. During that frantic time, not everyone had time to learn the product's intricacies.

Jacobson also hoped to gather suggestions; though the team will use more or less the same hardware next season, software improvements are ongoing.

"The 705 was developed by recreational riders, who don't use it the same way you guys do," he said.

The team was happy to oblige: Millar wanted to add a phone and music. Someone else wanted the device to suggest routes for training rides. One of the team's Aussies asked whether Australian maps are available (they are). Another rider complained that the device often steers him onto unpaved roads; Jacobson showed how it could be set to avoid dirt.

Someone asked if the device can be used while swimming. "What, do you get lost?" Zabriskie asked.

Vande Velde asked whether the computer could show climbing rate, in meters per hour. Jacobson said that was an easy software improvement he will bring back to the engineers.

Race routes "incredible"

Aside from the Virtual Partner feature, the team is most excited about loading road race routes into the 705, to give riders a heads up on intricate spring classic routes and long climbs.

Last year, Garmin employees loaded Tour de France stages into the team's computers. It was a steep learning curve as the Garmin folks came up with a system to use race maps and other data to create usable files. By the second half of the Tour, Millar said, the maps were "incredible." Julian Dean added that having loaded routes for the Tour of Flanders would be an "enormous" advantage.

Garmin employees promised to use mapping software to load all the major races next season, although they said the most accurate way to do it would be to pre-ride (or pre-drive) the course with a Garmin in hand.

As for the other suggestions — the radio, the music player, the motorcycle and auto mounts, the built-in headlight, building the device inside a handlebar stem — Jacobson took note, but, perhaps because of the reporter in the room, made few promises.