Athleticism requires you to be in perfect physical condition all the time. That is exactly why athletes are always looking out for any piece of technology that allows them to gain that little tiny advantage over the competition to win the cup and cyclists are no different really. You might have seen some of them wearing nose strips; they help them with breathing by keeping the airways open. Team Sky and Chrise Froome have taken a step further for the preparation of Tour de France and created a stent that has been designed specifically and is named as Turbine.
Rhinomed are the manufacturers behind this amazing gadget and claim that the technology can allow about 38% more air through nose of the wearer. The kit also gives the athlete to think about their breathing and doubles up as a bio-feedback stimulus. How is turbine different from the conventional nose strips? Well, because it is placed inside the nostrils and is, per claim, more comfortable when worn. The design has already been tested out on Chris Froome during the Vuelta a Espana. The athlete complained about that design putting pressure on his septum and that led the team back to the drawing board where the final design was conceived.
The gadget is more comfortable and secure thanks to the adjustments made to its ratchet system. Despite these adjustments, it allows the athletes to cater to the asymmetry in their noses. Athletes rely on nose for about 70% of the breathing, however, this figure drops to 27% when they are exercising. The turbine tackles this issue by making use of Venturi principle.
The benefits that are being promised by making use of Turbine are being explored at the Murdoch University in Western Australia.
This was already done by someone else, designed for those who were trying to get a better night’s sleep. The model used paper clips but this is nearly identical to what the person who made Breath Right’s early models, except using plastic. Yes it DOES increase airflow, but the thing looks uncomfortable as all get out. So what if it gives you increased air flow if it looks like crap and doesn’t feel that good? The whole reason the guy who made the breath right strips went with outside the nose is because of the whole comfort issue.