Profile:
Redlands, CA&
Power User
Endurance cyclists that competes in 50 plus masters division.
Click the link below to view details and maps Don’s training at MotionBase’s TrailNetwork.
dondavidson.motionbased.com

I was introduced to GPS tracking when my son gave me a Garmin unit for my birthday in 2004. Being a bicycle road racer, I thought, 'this is really cool,' and mounted it on my handlebars and took it on training rides and races. Aside from an interesting (but very small) diagram of my route on the screen, a record of altitude, and a bunch of latitude and longitude numbers, it didn't offer much more than a $20 cycling computer; except that it was wireless and I didn't have to put a magnetic sensor on my wheel.
 
It wasn't until a friend of mine who works at ESRI, developer of geographic information system technology, told me about MotionBased that I realized the potential of GPS for my training. I signed up and started uploading my ride data and couldn't believe the comprehensive look into my cycling activities that it provided. The charts and graphs are better than any training diary I've ever kept and the Map Player and Dot Racing provide an interactive view of my progress. The interface is easy to understand and navigate and the variety of map views is outstanding. I ride in the mountains a lot and the satellite images of the routes are awesome.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to be invited to be a beta tester of the new Garmin 301 GPS unit, which integrates a wireless heart monitor into its many features. I have used heart monitors in the past, but the integration of ride data and heart rate data in MotionBased makes for the most complete training record I could imagine. Another great feature is calories - the unit knows my age, height, weight, the weight of my bike and accessories and, along with my heart rate and the details of my ride, tells me how many calories I burned. Talk about an incentive to log some miles! This makes it a great after-ride-beer-allowance-meter, too.

I won't go on a ride now without my Garmin unit on my handlebars. (Much to my fellow riders' chagrin, I've been known to postpone rides because I needed to charge it.) When I was training near Mammoth Lakes, Calif., for last year's Mount Everest Challenge State Climbing Championships, I stayed in a remote cabin with my son for two weeks. We were without TV, radio or video games and he had a hard time adjusting to that. But I had my laptop and Garmin GPS, of course. Whenever we went 'over the mountain' to town, I went to a local tea room with wireless Internet access and sent my ride data to MotionBased and poured over my training log. My son and I had a really great time on the trip and an added benefit of MotionBased is having a record of the many hikes we took, too.

It's also fun to be part of the MotionBased community. The discussion forums are a great way to interact with people from all around the world in sharing experiences and activities. It's always fun to post a ride, then see it appear in the TrailNetwork and compare it with those of others. I find it to be a great motivator in terms of pushing myself to ride faster, farther and longer.

The customer support staff are always on top of questions and issues that arise and really listen to what the customers need, then work to implement it. During the beta testing of the new 301 unit, MotionBased spent a lot of time looking at how to use the new data to meet our needs. I think the newest version of their software is a reflection of their desire to make the product serve the customer."