Team Sky to use Wahoo Kickr power trainers

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.com.

Wahoo Fitness, best known for its iPhone-related cycling and running products, is now the official turbo trainer sponsor of Team Sky. Team Sky riders will use the direct-drive trainers with built-in power meters at races and at home.

"Wahoo Fitness is a young and innovative company who has produced a fantastic product in the Kickr, which will meet our requirements both in racing and training," Team Sky's head of performance support Tim Kerrison said in a press release. "We love the wheel-off design and the big fly-wheel which gives an excellent, smooth feel. The ability to precisely control the resistance, whilst retaining the smoothness, gives us the opportunity to do great quality and high intensity training efforts on the Kickr."

The Kickr works on both Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ technology, allowing users to control wattage with their smart phones and laptops. The open technology allows the use of third-party software to control the resistance, too.

"It is awesome that Team Sky chose us to work with, as it further validates our rapid growth and shows the world that Wahoo Fitness has created the best trainer ever," Wahoo Fitness CEO Chip Hawkins said in a press release. "This collaboration gives us the opportunity to develop future products while enhancing existing products in cooperation with an organization who understands the kind of training necessary to win."

This is the second relatively new technology company Team Sky signed with for 2014; Stages Cycling recently announced its power-meter partnership with the team.