Research meets cycling
During this year's UCI Road and Para Cycling World Championships from 21 to 29 September 2024, ETH will also be right in the middle of the action with hands-on science. Visit us in the Bürkliplatz Velo Expo fan zone!
The countdown is on: The World Cycling Championships begin next Saturday, 21 September 2024. ETH is also taking part. Experience scientific research up close and learn how it can contribute to a better quality of life. The Community & Outreach team, together with researchers from the Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST), Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (D-ITET), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (D-EAPS) and Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG), will provide insights into three main topics: Training, Inclusion and Longevity.
Experience research at the ETH stand
Visit us at the ETH stand! Researchers and students are looking forward to a lively exchange.
Time: Saturday, 21 September: 12.00–18.00, Sunday, 22 September to Sunday, 29 September, 10.00–18.00
Location: fan zone Bürkliplatz Velo Expo, external page zurich2024 Fan Zones
Training: optimise methods, increase performance
If you understand your body, you can improve your athletic performance. ETH researchers are investigating how athletes can use precise measurements and analyses to optimise their training methods or prevent injuries.
At the ETH stand, visitors can measure their breathing via headphones and receive the analysis via an app on a smartphone. This training control system comes from the ETH spin-off BreezeLabs. Visitors can also monitor the oxygen saturation in their muscles by hanging from a crossbar for as long as possible.
Performance can also be measured by having visitors cycle as fast as possible on an ergometer for 30 seconds – the force is then measured at the highest point and at the end, and the researchers can draw conclusions about the person's performance. The test can also be carried out on a wheelchair ergometer so that both performances can be compared.
Exchange ideas with students and researchers from the Exercise Physiology Lab – or experience further measurement options relating to cycling from the Integrated Systems Laboratory, the Biomedical and Mobile Health Technology Lab or the Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics.
Longevity: More quality of life through sport
Regular physical activity such as cycling not only improves physical fitness, but also reduces the risk of chronic diseases and increases general well-being. The Laboratory of Exercise and Health and the Exercise Physiology Lab are conducting research in this area.
Visitors to the ETH stand can find out more about the E-Bike City research project, which is developing alternative transport and mobility solutions for large cities. The aim is to create more space on the streets for people, safer cycle paths, more green spaces and much more. E-bike City aims to demonstrate a forward-looking alternative for urban mobility.
Inclusion: People with disabilities in sport and everyday life
Technical innovations support people with disabilities in everyday life and in sport. Projects such as the CYBATHLON and the work of the laboratory for sensorimotor systems in the field of rehabilitation technology demonstrate this impressively.
In the laboratory for movement biomechanics, researchers investigate the movements and loads on joints. Visitors to the ETH stand can measure how much force they have to exert to move the wheels in a wheelchair with force measuring wheels. This makes it clear why wheelchair users train their arms to make better progress. And the measurements make it possible to estimate the strain on the shoulders in particular in order to understand ageing processes and avoid overloading.
Where geology and cycling meet
Geology influences the race conditions and the cycling experience. That is why the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences has compiled a "external page Road Book" that provides valuable background information on the underground conditions. Because while the cyclists ride along the beautiful Lake Zurich and the rolling green hills around the city, it takes a look south to understand how this landscape was formed in the first place. Visitors can find out more at the ETH stand.
Partnership with Zurich 2024
The partnership with the UCI Road and Para Cycling World Championships (Zurich 2024) enables ETH Zurich to demonstrate and allow the public to experience the benefits of its research activities and scientific practice. There are more connections between scientific research and cycling than you might think. One example is the handlebars developed by ETH student Luca Hasler especially for para-athlete Flurina Rigling, with which she recently won bronze at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Special World Cup timetable for tram and bus
You should allow more time than usual for journeys in and around Zurich during the World Cycling Championships. A special timetable applies, as tram and bus services in various parts of the city and in the canton of Zurich are limited. The best connections are available in real time via the ZVV timetable or the ZVV app. Further information can be found at external page www.zvv.ch/rad-wm and external page sbb.ch/zurich2024.
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