Sports Physiologists Support Wales ‘Fire Ride’

‌‌The sports physiologists at IBERS are advising Wales’ Fire and Rescue Service personnel on the best way to prepare in relation to energy and fluid replacement strategies for a charity bike ride to raise £15,000 for the Fire Fighters Charity and Wales Air Ambulance.

The very first ‘Fire Ride’ is a bike ride that links up all of Wales’ 152 Fire Stations, and will take place over 14 days between 22nd May – and the 4thJune 2015. A core team of riders will complete the full 1350-mile ride, and hundreds more are expected to support and join in the challenge by completing individual stages of the event.

Members of the core Fire Ride team, who will complete the full challenge, attended the sport and exercise laboratories in the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) Aberystwyth University on Tuesday 5th of May. They were put through their paces in various phsiological tests and given advice on the best way to prepare in relation to energy and fluid replacement strategies for the event.

Riders had their body composition assessed via dual x-ray absorptiometry and their aerobic capacity measured which enabled advice on pacing and recovery strategies to be given.

Iwan Cray, County Commander for Ceredigion & Carmarthenshire said: “The support we have received from Dr Rhys Thatcher and his team at IBERS has been exceptional. It has been great to see the sector leading, knowledge and understanding of sports science being applied to the core riders of the Fire Ride Team. This assistance and direction from Aberystwyth University will undoubtedly put the riders in good stead for the challenge that lies ahead.”

Click here to read more and find out how to support the team.

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