Using Wattbike to Test an Elite University Athlete: Hannah Clough

How fit are the best student athletes in the UK?

We invited the University of Nottingham's Hannah Clough to Wattbike HQ to find out. 

Hannah is a elite cyclist and medical student. She is the reigning BUCS Hill Climb Champion, the fastest U23 finisher at the 2025 National Hill Climb Championships and a stage winner at the prestigious Ronde van Wymeswold stage race.

She has achieved all of this while completing a demanding Medicine degree often fitting training around medical placement work on the hospital ward.

📸@galerie_cycling

The University of Nottingham has built an environment where talented athletes can develop alongside their studies. Find out more about this facility here.

At the heart of this is the High Performance Zone within David Ross Sports Village. Here, Wattbike is used to support structured training and testing across multiple sports. It was here that Hannah first used Wattbike as part of the University's cycling program. 

We took her through testing to determine two key metrics- maximal power output andVO₂ max. These are two of the most important metrics in determining overall health.

Peak Power: 909 Watts

First up was the Wattbike 6-Second Test: a fast, repeatable assessment of peak power.

Wattbike accurately captures every watt throughout the sprint, providing a benchmark on explosive power without complex testing equipment or technically demanding weightlifting. It is a staple test used throughout elite sport.

Despite weighing just 48kg- and not being a sprint specialist- Hannah produced:

• 909W peak power
• 18.9W/kg

Based on Wattbike testing data collected across elite sport and health and fitness facilities, that places her firmly within the top 1% of the general population.

It is also comparable with the relative power associated with elite athletes in explosive sports such as football and rugby.

Peak power matters beyond elite sport. It supports everyday movements such as climbing stairs, getting out of a chair and reacting quickly to prevent a fall- making it a valuable metric to track whatever your fitness goal.

Aerobic Fitness: 61.2 VO₂ Max

Next came the Wattbike Maximal Ramp Test, which provides a VO₂ Max estimate accurate to within 2% of a laboratory test.

VO₂ max is a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness and shows how much oxygen a person can use whilst exercising. It is an excellent fitness benchmark which demonstrates training progress over time.

Available through the free Wattbike Hub app, the test progressively increases the power target every minute. On the Wattbike Atom, the resistance changes automatically- allowing the athlete to focus entirely on their effort.

It turns a traditionally complex assessment into a controlled, accessible and repeatable test.

Hannah recorded an estimated VO₂ max of 61.2ml/kg/min.

That places her within the top 1% of the general population (male and female) and inside the range reported among elite female endurance athletes. All while balancing elite-level training with life as a medical student.

It helps explain her strength during intense two-to-three-minute efforts. Hannah can continue supplying oxygen to her working muscles at an exceptional rate- exactly what is required during a hill climb or decisive attack late in a road race.

Her coach, Joe Wakelin of Switchback Performance, echoes this sentiment.

"Hannah is is an exceptional athlete who thrives on punchy terrain, whether that be in road races or hill climbs - her VO₂ Max of 61 in the testing led by Wattbike is testament to this."

"To exploit this strength I often prescribe her classic short-duration intervals such as 30/15s to accumulate as much time as possible at a VO₂ Max effort."

Interested in this type of training? Take a look at these workouts on the Wattbike Hub app.

MTB Burner- Hub app > Workouts > HIIT

30/30 Up and Under 10s- Hub app > Workouts > Speed

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Putting Data to Work

With two simple tests, Wattbike captured Hannah’s explosive power and aerobic fitness on one platform.

The results provide clear performance benchmarks which can be monitored as fitness increases.

Wattbike offers a repeatable way to track these key metrics, regardless of your ability, without the need for multiple pieces of specialist equipment.

For Hannah, these results confirmed what her racing results already suggested: she is an exceptional athlete with the physiology to go even further.

Title Photo- 📸@galerie_cycling