Four riders have completed the first 6 weeks of wattage controlled cycling training. In week 1 they performed four critical power tests to evaluate their sprint power, anaerobic endurance, VO2 max and threshold power. After the initial testing week they have performed four weeks of wattage controlled training based on their test results and personal goals. In week 6 they performed another test week with four new critical power tests performed under the same conditions as in the first. The four riders have achieved some great results as you can see on the graphs below. I will make my comments on their critical power tests and talk about their future training programs based on these test results later in this week.

If you are interested in having a closer look on their results in the critical power tests, you can find their numbers here:

Marc Moeller
Paul Skiba
Dave Simonson
Gonzalo Vilaseca

Ps. Thomas Davis has had some troubles with his knee, so he has only just begun on the training program.

The Power Meter Project 2007 has now entered the 6th week of the project, which means that the riders will perform four critical power tests to see if they have made progress with their individual training programs.

The critical power tests will be done in the exactly same order and same conditions as in the first week of the project. This procedure is done to minimize errors. For the same reason I led the riders test the testing procedure two weeks before the project started. This was done to make sure they knew what they were supposed to do and how they should pace themselves properly. As I have said previously this is not a scientific study, but I think it is good way to see who can benefit from wattage based cycling training.

I’m really excited to get the reports from the riders in the end of the week. I have already had some emails from the riders, indicating that there are some improvements to look out for. I know that they have done a great job, so I predict improvements for all of them.

After this week, the riders will receive a new program that will prepare them for the race season. The final tests in this project will be performed in week 12.

Paul Skiba performed some really impressing results in Week 1 of the Power Meter Project 2007. He has used his SRM crank system for a couple of years before entering this project. Here are the results of the critical power tests:

Critical Power Tests ”“ Week 1 (Paul Skiba)

So what is the plan?
Paul is an ex-professional and very strong for his age. I want to increase Paul’s fitness across the whole power range. When he gets closer to the end of the project, he will start to work more intensive on anaerobic intervals. A good interval type for training to improve his ability to separate him from the pack is the 40/20sec intervals. These intervals are supposed to be done at his 5min critical power, but it is very likely that he will be able to push a little harder here. These intervals are primarily made for VO2max but they will also add some power to his anaerobic endurance (1min critical power). Sprint training is also a part of the training program, but that is not because of his weak sprint test. The test was performed indoor and I will not get surprised if he performs significantly better outdoor.

Marc Moeller is a strong cyclist that has a limited time for training because he has a nice family and two small children to take care off. Nevertheless, he was able to do some very impressive test results last week:

Critical Power Test – Week 1 (Marc Moeller)

Comments from Jesper Therkildsen:
Marc is a strong cyclist across the range but maybe a little low in sprinting power. 1110W might sound unreachable for many riders, but I guess that Marc will be able to perform even better with some training.

Training with limited time available
The biggest challenge for me with Marc’s training program is that he has a limited amount of time available. He can train a maximum of 8 hours which of course will limit his possibilities for improvements, but not more than I am ready to challenge him with a program that focus on getting the most out of the time he has. Please remember when looking at Marc’s stats that most riders at his level spend significantly more time on their bikes.

Intensive training required
If you have limited time for training, intensive training is required to maximize the outcome. Thus, Marc will be training five days a week with a great amount of intervals on three of them. Marc’s program has more intervals than the other riders in this project, because I know he is able to perform higher training amounts if he had the time for it. Thus, increasing the number of intervals is a way to compensate for fewer hours on the bike.

Anaerobic endurance and sprints

Marc wants to improve his anaerobic endurance and his ability to recover from anaerobic bursts. When I look at his power profile from first test series I think that sounds reasonable (at least for the sprinting power). Thus, I have implemented some anaerobic sprints with a length of 40-45 seconds that will raise his anaerobic power. From the very beginning of the training program there will also be power sprints (Standing starts in big gears 53×12-15 for about 10 seconds). I hope that this training program will raise his power at 5sec and 1min, and at least maintain the current level 5min and 20min. Hopefully his aerobic engine will also have some benefit of this very intensive program.

Last week the riders in the Power Meter Project 2007 performed the first series of critical power tests. One of them is Gonzalo Vilaseca who proved that he is a strong and light rider. Have a look at the tests results:

Test results – Week 1 (Gonzalo Vilaseca)

Comments from Jesper Therkildsen:
I have dedicated the first 6 weeks for building a large aerobic engine since that is the single most important factor in most cycling competitions. In old days this time was e period with long slow distance training, but Gonzalo is going to test one of the newer training strategies with more intensive training. It’s a quite intensive training program with intervals every second day. These intervals are made to increase his VO2max and his endurance. There is also some work with power sprints, but these sprints don’t have high priority.

By doing the intervals very frequently he will have a good chance to get familiar with the pacing strategy in these intervals and get a lot of small interval doses with a high O2 uptake. Thus, I expect that these intervals will increase his performance at 5 and 20min critical power. Well, but he asked for more anaerobic endurance and sprinting power? Yes, but in cycling races of 2 hours it is essential to have a high VO2 max and endurance. If he has that, he has a chance to get home with the peloton or make a breakaway. But if is limited in these two factors, vo2max and endurance, he will be dropped before they get to the final sprint. Thus, the primary goals for the first period are improvements in 5min and 20min critical power. His training amount will be in the range from 9 to 15 hours per week for the first 6 weeks.

I will adjust the program after 6 weeks of training, and then focus a lot more on race preparation with anaerobic intervals and sprints. This training will be done to optimize his performance at short, intensive races.

Today is the first day in the Power Meter Project 2007. The next 12 weeks are dedicated for wattage controlled intervals for the 6 participants. This week the riders will perform four critical power tests that will be used in the calculation of intervals. These tests will be repeated in week 6 and 12, and used as an objective evaluation of their progress.

Critical power tests in week 1
The riders will do critical power tests at 5 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes and 20 minutes. These tests are done to get a picture of their respective sprinting power, anaerobic endurance power, VO2 max and threshold power. These parameters can be trained selectively with a power meter if you know how to do it. I will make the training programs based on their personal goals in combination with the test results.

Predictions for the Power Meter Project

I hope that this project will help the riders to a better understanding of their potentials as riders. Wattage controlled training programs are in my opinion the best way to control training intensity. Also it is a perfect way to train for specific physiological qualities, e.g. anaerobic endurance.

I predict that all the riders will make progress compared to the four tests performed in week 1. I have three reasons for this. These reasons should be considered when you evaluate the project:

1. Motivation – I guess that a part of the predicted progress can be explained by motivation. A motivated rider trains harder and makes better results than a non-motivated rider.
2. Structure ”“ I don’t know how the participants’ training structure were before this project, but it is not uncommon that getting a little structure on the training program (or just having a training program) improves performance.
3. Wattage ”“ Power meter training helps the riders to train at the right intensity. Training at the right intensity does a difference and will significantly improve performance.