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Robert Forstemann toasts a slice of bread (Toaster Challenge YouTube still)Video: Thunder-thighed track cyclist Robert Förstemann takes on a toaster
It’s fair to say that German track cycling star Robert Förstemann has the most thunderous thighs in cycling, with a circumference of 74cm – but just how much power can his legs put out? Well, the answer, according to this video is … enough to toast a slice of bread.
We’ve come across harnessing pedal power to generate electricity before – mobile-phone battery charging and a Christmas tree powered by cyclists are two examples, and a sheriff in Arizona even got prisoners pedalling to generate power so they could watch TV.
And back in 2009, with the help of the company Electric Pedals, BBC One show Bang Goes The Theory recruited an entire peloton of cyclists to power a family home in Cheltenham.
Here’s Förstemann, winner of a bronze medal at London 2012 in the team sprint – improbably, he’d been included in the German team as a mountain biker thanks to a UCI rule that allows cyclists to switch disciplines if needed – taking on the Toaster Challenge.
We’re not sure who exactly is behind the initiative, but it is certainly grabbing attention including on Twitter with the #toasterchallenge hashtag, and the message seems to be one about how much energy even the most routine of daily tasks takes up.
Since the video of Förstemann was uploaded yesterday, two more clips have gone up on its YouTube channel, both featuring Swedish athletes – Olympic rower Lassi Karonen, and cross-country skier, Ida Ingemarsdotter.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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The CUK members' own stories about their travels in the mag make me wonder whether road.cc could built up a bank of readers' favourite routes? It...
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Boardman is brilliant at getting the point over. It's all about presentation and showing the benefits to all.
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Was a stocking-filler type thing but always handy - reflective spoke straws. (They're not reflecting as I turned the flash off.)
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Don't open at Edinburgh Fringe with that one.
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13 comments
Yeah ! But how many toasters have you seen riding bikes !
Now if there were a picture of Jesus on the toast we would have a worthy exercise. Plus he could then sell it on E-Bay for 10,000 dollars.
I just did a piece of toast and my Heart rate didn't go above 54. I also didn't break out in a sweat.
Know who could do it quicker? Movistar's Giovanni Hovisconti.
Can't prove it, but I just get the feeling that they set the ergometer to 700W and that the toaster was actually powered separately.
Unless they did a bit of engineering, a lab ergometer doesn't produce electrical power from the rider. And if they did do that, wouldn't they have mentioned it?
Indeed, the only reason to use a lab ergometer is to apply the method I described above. If they actually produced power from a bike, there's no need to start the build using ~£20k ergometers.
I don't think this video quite shows what it claims to, in short.
Seriously people. Why is there only ONE slice of bread in the toaster!?
Probably got another 50w above his normal performance from the additional motivation of the toast smell
They could have at least put a second piece of bread in, they just wasted 50% of the power.
Just wraps denim around and around
but where does that man buy his jeans?
Why would he need jeans? It's clear that the spends all his time at the track or in the gym and you don't need jeans for either!
Joking aside I had this problem myself recently and had to return a set of trousers that otherwise fit perfectly. I found a set that are an acceptable fit but I'm still taking up more room in them than I'd ideally like. Maybe road cc could provide a buyers guide to casual and smart dress for the fuller thighed bike lover?
Another Heath Robinson fan, that's two this morning!