The full body high-tech suits were banned in 2009 following the World Aquatics Championships, which saw 43 more records broken, so these new designs cover less of the body, but do incorporate a cap, goggles and suit. Speedo suggests that swimmers using the suit can gain an extra 11 percent in oxygen economy, reduce skin friction drag by 2.7 percent and full body drag force by 5.7 percent from this new system, resulting in stronger performances.

With the governing body on board for these new suits, it certainly sounds like more records could be broken with the aptly named Fastskin 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aMski_tJhw

For a professional cyclist having a chain fall off while shifting can be a complete disaster. In recent cycling history, Andy Schleck threw his chain during stage 15 of the 2010 Tour de France losing 39 seconds to Alberto Contador on the stage. After three weeks and 3,642 kilometres (2,263 miles) of racing was over, Contador beat Schleck by a mere 39 seconds to snatch the Tour de France victory.

American professional cyclist Kristin Armstrong had a similar mishap four years earlier while riding the World Time Trial Championships in Salzburg, Austria. In a similar incident that most likely lost the 2010 Tour de France for Schleck, she threw the chain off during a shift, but she managed to recover quickly and went on to win her first World Championship title in 2006.

Seeking to eliminate this problem for Kristin, Joe Savola set out to design and build a solution. With only three weeks until Kristin Armstrong was set to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Time Trail (TT), the pressure was on. The course’s hilly profile meant several critical shifts would be required during the event. Joe approached Eric Jensen, part owner of the manufacturing company, AceCo Precision Manufacturing, about building a chain catcher that Joe had designed. They succeeded in completing a prototype prior to the Olympics, and Kristin Armstrong used this one-off chain catcher on her time trail bicycle, winning a gold medal in the event.

World Time Trial Champion Kristin Armstrong benefited from the K-Edge Chain Catcher

After the Olympics, recreational cyclists started to notice the chain catcher in photos of Kristin’s Olympic TT bike. Then it caught the eye of a mechanic for the professional cycling team, Garmin-Slipstream. With the upcoming 2009 Paris-Roubaix spring classic, Garmin-Slipstream contacted the creators of Kristin’s chain catcher to order a number of their own to help their racers avoid throwing a chain while tackling the gnarly cobblestones of the Hell of the North.

With a proven product, public interest, and professional team use, the K-Edge Cycling Solutions brand was created by the AceCo Sport Group to produce the Chain Catcher for a mass market. The AceCo Sport Group, which also includes the Finite Ski Tool brand, is the recreation arm of AceCo Precision Manufacturing company. The AceCo Sport Group’s main focus is on the sports and outdoor industry. With the immense manufacturing capabilities of AceCo Precision Manufacturing, their 120 employees, and over 50 years of experience backing them, the AceCo Sports Group has shown that they can quickly design and bring a product to market, almost entirely in-house.

The K-Edge Chain Catcher is completely designed and manufactured in Boise. Since starting with this single product, AceCo Sports Group has expanded the K-Edge Chain Catcher line to include road, cross, and mountain bikes. Along with the Chain Catcher, AceCo has branched into other cycling related products. With the introduction of the Shimano Di2 electric shifting, they have designed and are producing an electronic shifting kit for mountain bikes utilizing Dura-Ace components and their own modifications under the K-Edge name. Starting this month they are releasing a new series of mounts for the GoPro HD Hero line of cameras specifically designed for bicycles. We should have our hands on one soon to review.

With the success of the K-Edge Chain Catcher and the electronic shifting solution for mountain bikes, the future looks bright for this innovative American brand and parent company. But the question will always remain, would Andy Schleck have won the Tour de France in 2010 with a K-Edge Chain Catcher mounted on his bike?

K-Edge Official Website

The Hopkins Architects-designed arena can seat about 6000, and is the last of four permanent venues in the London Olympic Park to be completed. It is however the first to be completed on time and on budget. The sinuous velodrome was also reportedly inspired by the lightweight and streamlined bikes that do the loops inside. It features a track with western red cedar timber as the main cladding, while the roof collects rain water, which can be resued and recycled. The curved cable net structure is also designed to reflect sun, and thus reduce the need for air conditioning.

As it is one of the permanent venues it will likely become one of the U.K.’s premier locations for indoor track cycling for years to come, long after the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games. Like we said, let the games begin!

The BrainAthlete system is designed to help consumers track their athletic level of concentration, and find the “zone.” It is built into a standard golf visor, and contains three non-invasive contact points in the headband. These monitor the EEG electrical activity from the wearer’s brain and determine the mental state, allowing users as well as trainers to track concentration levels during a workout activity. This can be later analyzed and to help training.

“When it comes to expert level players or athletes, the difference between win or lose, gold or silver is often the athlete’s mind,” says Dr. Lee, NeuroSky’s CTO.

NeuroSky has been already working with the technology with the USA Olympic Archery team for more than four years, and now the partnership is looking to take a swing at the golf market. Time to concentrate on the game, and see if your mind was really there when it counted.

NeuroSky Official Website

B-Bridge International Official Website

While there remains strict rules and regulations with the actual equipment used in the Olympics and professional cycling, the real arms race is in technology used for training. British cycling pro athlete Sir Chris Hoy (above, photo: Getty)  is employing new sensors and gear during the pre-season and for his training rides to get him ready for the 2012 Olympics. An article in The Telegraph this week hints at some of these technological advancements and the people behind these innovative training techniques.

The new technologies include monitoring devices in the velodrome in Manchester and on other U.K. based tracks, but among the most interesting is a microdot sensor that sticks behind the ear of cyclists to send feedback to the coach. There are also biofeedback sensors as thin as a hair that plugs into the skin to send readings via Wi-Fi to computers or smartphones that give the trainers real-time readings. Coaches and competitive cyclists alike can use the data to correct form, shave time and prepare for race-day.

We did say this was akin to an arms race, as the paper notes the British aren’t just exactly pulling out actual big guns, but they are using military-derived hardware including a laser-timing technology “friend-or-foe identification system known as THUMPER,” which can track up to 30 cyclists simultaneously, as well as something known as “Project DRAKE.” The latter employs a “highly classified predictive mathematical modelling software adapted from British naval warship programs, which interrogates data and outputs precise local weather information.”

All this makes us think the plot of the next James Bond movie (if one ever happens given the turmoil at MGM/UA) would be something about 007 saving the British cycling technology from former national rivals such as France, Russia, Germany and even the good ole’ USA.

[via The Telegraph: Athletes use top technology in race to the Olympics]

Lasers in use in the Youth Olympic Games

Sorry sci-fi fans there won’t be lasers at the 2012 London Olympics after all. This past August it had been announced that laser pistols – seriously laser pistols – would be used in the modern pentathlon. The event, which is actually a cross discipline sport, includes pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping  and a 3km cross-country race. The event was first held at the 1912 Olympic Games, but it was conceived of by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

The idea behind the modern pentathlon was to simulate the experience of a 19^th century cavalry soldier (and officer at that); someone who could ride a horse, fight with a pistol and sword and be able to swim and run. For the 2012 games the organizers had looked to add a bit of the future into the mix by using laser pistols for the shooting events.

However, these shouldn’t be confused with the Star Wars style blaster weapons, but rather have are much more likely laser pointers – so sorry also to anyone who hoped light sabers would eventually be used in the fencing. The lasers will still be used for the junior competitions, which are more reported to be more “environmentally friendly” that traditional pistols. The lasers were used this past August at the Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore.

So clearly it is just a matter of time unlike the Olympics gets lasers, but we’re glad they won’t be used in London. It would be like if James Bond used a laser – which he did in the film Moonraker and look how that turned out.

[Via Inside the Games: Modern pentathlon drops laser gun plan for London 2012]

It has also been announced that Olympic Gold Metalist snowboarding champion Seth Wescott will be making the keynote speech at the CES: Fitness Tech Summit, which will be presented Friday, January 7, 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

Sessions will include:

Growing Fitness Market: Results of the CES Market Survey

Keynote: On the Bleeding Edge: Athletes Who Think High Tech

Medical Myths and Miracles: Doctors Weigh In on What Works and Why

Let’s Get Physical: A Showcase of How Tech can help you Achieve Your Personal Best at Any Age

Gadgets and Gear for Your Outdoor and Sports Passions

Closing Keynote: Join the Movement – Kids and Fitness

And finally a “Healthy lunch” at the end of the summit.

For more information:

CES: Sports and Fitness Tech Summit

Banned: The full-length swimsuit worn in swimming competitions including the controversial Beijing Olympics. On the first of the year the Federation Internationale De Natation (FINA), the governing body of competitive swimming; water polo; diving; synchronized swimming and open water swimming, ruled that competitive swimmers must discontinue the use of the rubberized suits. Now the aftermath and controversy of so many new world’s records takes place.

Last year 108 world records were broken, and nearly 30 so far this year, cites an article on Canadian radio site CBC. A second article mentions other sports associations enforce an 18-month waiting period when revolutionary technology is introduced to equipment. These suits were embraced after just three months of testing. And not all competitors had access to the suits during training and competitions. While many records were broken, and the new record holders may be happy with their standings, many swimmers will be happy the suits are no longer in use. The rubber material was difficult to put on, and often ripped even before the start of a race. Male swimmers are restricted to wear suits that go only from the waist to the knee. Women competing can wear suits from their shoulders to their knees.

New materials for swimsuits are on the way, and will hopefully be adopted without such controversy. We mentioned previously a Swiss company Eschler that’s using plasma to create new textiles suitable for swimming (no pun intended).

[via: CBC.ca Swimsuit Ban Creates Obstacles and FINA Bans High-Tech Swimsuits]

U.S. Olympic skater Apolo Anton Ohno welcomes new sponsor BMW.

Years ago it was BMW Films. Short pideos of theater-quality storylines that highlighted the auto brand and were fun to watch. Now BMW is putting money behind the United States Olympic Committee.The six-year deal makes BMW the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee and of four National Governing Bodies: USA Bobsled & Skeleton, U.S. Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field. This is multi-million dollar agreement isn’t just a monetary commitment. The sponsor will provide the USOC with fundraising opportunities and the four NGB groups will gain access to BMW Group technical expertise. BMW group will use its experts, deep technology base and facilities to help the Olympic and Paralympic Teams improve their training and performance. Teams will get to use the auto manufacturer’s facilities including the wind tunnel to test aerodynamics.

via: MediaPost

Tyr Sports Next Pro Nano

And whether you’re hitting the pool, or getting wet and wild in a triathlon, the TYR Sports Nest Pro Nano will let you see clearly.

These performance goggles are inspired by the unique bird nest architectural design of Beijing’s main stadium that was used in the 2008 Olympics, and this nest design provides intertwined support to give a more open field of vision. That can be good in a pool or in open water. The Nano also features a nice and compact frame, along with smaller gaskets so it is ideal for smaller faces and children. And at $24 these goggles are affordable enough as well, allowing you to see your way to victory.

• TYR Sports Online Store: Nest Pro Nano

Women's rugby player Christy Ringgenberg passes the ball.

Women are flocking to join rugby teams now that it is an Olympic sport. The United States will play this August in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England. A recent New York Times article talks about college and youth teams, and how women are migrating from sports such as basketball, volleyball, and softball to the contact sport of Rugby. 

Coaches have to get their teams in competitive form to play in these competitions. One men’s team in the U.K., Mike Ford, uses his laptop to view video clips and select the highlights to go over with the team rather than have players sit through playback of full games or even full plays from numerous videos. This maximizes training time giving players a chance to see the moves that work, and the ones that don’t. It also gives them more time on the field to get into condition.

Rudy Project was the eyewear of choice of Olympic athlete Anastazia Kuzmina of Slovakia who won gold in the women's biathlon.

As the Olympics close, the Rudy Project reports it had a hand in 18 medals, internationally. Before the torch was lit, Rudy Project said it would supply eyewear to a number of Olympic athletes. The round-up of athletes that placed on the podium included gold for women’s biathlon competitor Anastazia Kuzmina from Slovakia, who also won a silver medal. German cross country skier Claudia Nystad won gold in the team sprint. Johan Olsson from Sweden took gold in the cross country 4 x 10 relay.

Kinetic Shift congratulates all the athletes who competed in the Olympics. And kudos to Rudy Project for supporting so many winning athletes.

Rudy Project eyewear

Clearly even a sport using nothing more than a “rock,” brooms and ice can go high tech in the new millennium.