While endurance athletes can capture their heart rate and power output with ease, one missing metric is core body temperature, which has previously been difficult to obtain. Focusing on this area, the new CORE Body Temperature monitor will debut at the 2020 Tour de France. It aims to make live core body temperature monitoring more convenient and accessible for performance athletes.
The new CORE monitor is billed as ‘the missing piece of the puzzle’. The device fits onto a HRM strap and monitors core body temperature (within a claimed 0.21°C range). As a wearable / reusable device, it connects via ANT+ and BLE with smart watches, smart phones and cycle computers such as Garmin or Wahoo to record and display core body temperature metrics.
Importance of core body temperature
Most athletes recognise that when they get too hot, their energy levels and performance drops. In the 2016 UCI Road Cycling World Championships, for example, 25% of riders who were tested exceeded a core body temperature of 40°C (104°F).
Under the skin, up to 70% of cardiac output is used to divert blood to the skin for thermo-regulation instead of to the muscles.
So, when athletes are able to establish their thresholds and actively monitor core body temperature, in conjunction with their other metrics such as heart rate and power output, this can improve training and also helps them to make strategic decisions during competition – for example to ‘adjust power output or to actively cool.’
Monitoring
Up to now, coaches and athletes have relied on single-use e-pills which are swallowed to measure accurate core body temperature. This approach requires additional equipment. The cost, invasive nature of this method and technical hurdles have tended to limit access for many athletes.
Aiming to expand options for endurance athletes, the Swiss-based team at greenTEG have developed new patented sensor technology that is wearable and provides a comparable level of accuracy to e-pills.
The CORE Sports algorithm has been developed especially for athletes and provides a claimed accuracy of + / – 0.21°C. The CORE device clips onto a heart rate monitor strap and can deliver 24/7 core body temperature metrics. It is rechargeable; and data can be sent to various devices and used for training and analysis.
Pro duathlete and triathlete Ronnie Schildknecht is an ambassador for CORE. He said, “Being able to measure core body temperature and control the intensity on the go accordingly during training and racing is a very important piece of the puzzle to prevent overheating, which will ultimately affect performance to maintain constant power output.”
The team at greenTEG has been working with professional triathletes and a prominent (unnamed) UCI WorldTeam who have been ‘training extensively with CORE and will be using it during the 2020 Tour de France.’
The CORE device is available for pre-order and in late September 2020 will be released with the CORE Sports algorithm specifically for athletes with compatibility for key devices and applications.
The retail price is CHF 250 (around €232 / US$270).
greenTEG AG was founded in 2009 as a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). The company develops, manufactures and markets thermal energy sensors and laser power/position measurements, and provides consulting on the thermal integration of its products.
Using proprietary technology, the Core Body Temperature solution was developed by greenTEG. It is positioned as an affordable, portable and convenient device to accurately measure core body temperature in a non-invasive wearable device.
