Bush’s power obsession

Survival of the fittest

George Bush takes his 90-minute mountain bike workouts so seriously, he recently obtained a power meter to measure how much wattage he can produce.Its only one step from here to a machine which turns that wattage into usable energy. Next — a human inverter – which transfers the kinetic energy from our bodies into our mobile or handheld appliances.

Meters allow you to see the actual work that your body is doing in watts, rather than watching how your body is responding to the demands of the training as is the case with heart rate, that will vary depending upon temperature, altitude, hydration and so forth.

Bush has a regular posse of eight to 10 cyclists who typically join him for his weekend rides. The US President is obsessed with the metrics of biking, closely measuring the miles traversed and the calories burned.

Is possible to rent a meter from £50 a month in the UK or buy it from £899 on Cycle Power Meters web site.

As Slate.com says:The great paradox of presidential power is that presidents never bother to measure it as long as they still have some, then search in vain for even the smallest trace once it’s gone.