Abbott, a brand that has made a name for itself with its continuous glucose monitors for diabetics, recently announced a new product that is not targeted at cyclists at all, but is of particular interest.

Under the sub-brand "Lingo," Abbott is working on a new type of continuous monitor that tracks not only glucose, but also lactate, alcohol, and the latest cycling buzzword, ketones.

While not yet available for purchase, the company unveiled the Lingo brand at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, and aside from reports from a few technology-related sites, including its cousin at Tech Radar (opens in new tab), this unveiling has been underwater It is safe to say that this unveiling took place under the radar.

The product, which is expected to launch at some point in the summer of 2022, will be marketed as a consumer "bio-wearable" and will be marketed by KetoDiet and Healthline (open in new tab) as "a small change in diet and lifestyle to improve health and well-being a little bit more The focus will be on the health and wellness sector, where the recent marketing buzzword "biohacking," defined as "making small changes to your diet and lifestyle to improve your health and well-being," is growing in popularity.

At this stage, no details about the new Lingo brand have been revealed, but at face value, it seems likely that, at the very least, the technology contained within it could bring many opportunities for elite athletes to track, monitor, and improve their performance. [For example, the ability to track lactate would allow riders to understand exactly how many watts they are converting from aerobic to anaerobic, allowing them to train more efficiently. As noted in Michael Morkoff's recent Instagram post, professional cyclists commonly undergo "ear-testing" to test lactate when working with coaches and performance directors.

In addition, tracking glucose can tell how well a rider is fueled or approaching a fear bonk. Ketone levels help to understand if the rider is in a state of "ketosis," which in turn indicates whether they are burning fat or glucose. Hopefully no one drinks alcohol while cycling, but according to Abbott's website, "it could one day be used to track alcohol levels."

Unless you are a diabetic, you could be forgiven for not knowing about Abbott, but if you are a cyclist, you may have heard of continuous glucose monitoring.

Abbott's first breakthrough was the Freestyle Libre sensor. This was a continuous glucose monitor that eliminated the need for periodic finger prick tests by using a small adhesive plastic patch that was placed on the user's triceps muscle. The sensor uses Bluetooth technology to share information with a smartphone app, which continuously reads the wearer's blood glucose levels and sends an alert if they fall outside the required parameters. This was a breakthrough for diabetics.

It paved the way for cycling courtesy of Supersapiens, which takes a closer look at the product in its review, but in brief, it utilizes the Abbott Libre Sense Sport glucose sensor to help athletes work out and races, the brand helps athletes to better fuel themselves during races.

The brand's founder, Dr. Phil Sutherland, himself a diabetic, has used iterations of this technology to advance his competitive sports career. He is also one of the founders of Team Novo Nordisk, a UCI professional team composed entirely of diabetic professional cyclists.

The technology was quickly adopted by many WorldTour teams, including Ineos Grenadiers and Jumbo Visma. However, its rise was limited when the UCI updated its rules to prohibit its use in competition in 2021.

The wording of the rule is not limited to glucose monitors only, meaning that it would apply to the new generation of monitors, but would still allow cyclists to use them outside of competition.

No word yet on whether Super Sapiens will add Abbott's new technology to their platform, but we will let you know as soon as we learn anything. Also, when Lingo's sensors become available, we will certainly try them out and see if they are actually useful. We will also keep an eye on the World Tour to see if they incorporate this technology.