Riding with a Power Tap or SRM Crank mounted on your bike doesn’t have to be rocket science. Actually you can benefit from using a power meter without knowing much about exercise physiology. In this article I will show you how you can benefit from a power meter without knowing anything about exercise physiology. In […]
Power Meter Training Made Simple Read More »
Most races end up in a bunch sprint, which normally is exclusively for the sprinters. But it is only a small percentage of Training4cyclists.com’s readers who are pure sprinters and play a role on the last 200m. I will now make a short description of how you can win the next bunch sprint ”“ at least in the theory”¦
1. Pick your parents carefully
When it comes to true sprinters, genes play a big role. Sprinters are born to be sprinters. It is said that you can make a slow donkey to a faster donkey, but you can never make a donkey to a race horse. This animal is simply born to be slow and it is the same situation for many non-sprinters. Naturally born sprinters have a higher percentage of fast twitch fibres than normal people. Road cycling sprinters are not as pure sprinters as you see them in track and field. This is because the sprinters have to carry themselves a long distance before they can see the finish line.
Before you give up, it is important to notice that in many races, stronger riders use the terrain to challenge the sprinters before the final 200m. They attack on the hills and make jumps in the crosswinds. That is their chance to beat the sprinters. So if you already know that the sprinters are faster than you, then you have 3 options: Attack, attack, attack”¦ Got it?
2. Be patient
Save your energy for the final km. Until then, your job is to get through the race as easily as possible. There are many riders who could do a reasonable sprint, but they do not do it as they spend energy on desperate attacks because they do not believe in themselves. So make your decision before the race and stick to it. If you decide to go for the sprint, do it 100 percent. Otherwise forget about it.
3. Get in position
Sprint is all about position. If you are not in position you will never win a sprint even if you are the fastest sprinter. Keep the wheel of a sprinter you know is going to be among the first riders. If you are lucky or talented, you might have team mates that will help you get in position.
4. Be strong
Power is important, and for sprinters power is essential. If you want to make an incredibly fast sprint, you’ve got to train for it. That means specific sprint and anaerobic endurance training, and maybe strength training. You can read more about strength and sprint training here at this blog.
How to Win a Bunch Sprint Read More »
Here is an interview with Dirk Friel who is a co-founder of TrainingPeaks.com. One of his jobs is to help professional riders and coaches to analyze data from power meters. Since one of the biggest topics here on Training4cyclists.com is power meter training, it is a pleasure to get some additional info from one of the experts into analyzing of power meter files. This interview is quite long, but I hope you enjoy it, there are several good points waiting for you!
Expert Tips on How to Analyze Your Power Meter Files Read More »
APRIL FOOL: UCI has declared that power meters like SRM, PowerTap etc. will not be allowed in the Pro Tour next year. There also a couple of other implementations for next years’ Pro Tour that may surprise some of you. I will give you a short summary of the press release:
Why Power meters are no longer allowed:
Ӣ There are significant better results from riders using power meters which indicate that they have a huge advantage during the races than other riders. UCI wants to make everybody equal (at least their equipment status) to make a fair competition.
Ӣ UCI has chosen to avoid dictation of how riders should ride from e.g. power meters or radio communication. These steps should make riders using their instincts instead of just acting like a machine. UCI has already disallowed radio communication in the U23 Nations Cup this year and implements the same rule in the Pro Tour 2009.
The press release also indicates that 2009 may very likely be the last season with heart rate monitors, carbon wheels and disc wheels. Service cars leave the peloton from 2011 which should be time enough for riders to learn what to do when they have a flat tire. Seems like it is going to be old school cycling in the future…!
My comment:
I think this decision is a huge step backwards for pro cycling. Power meters have shown their relevancy in broad range of situations and made training even more sophisticated. UCI can’t disallow power meters in training situations which means that riders using power meters will still have a great advantage. UCI is obviously not aware that the biggest advantage of power meters are in training rides and post-race-analyses. During the races the bonus from having a power meter mounted is minimal (except time trials). But having data files from the races is a really helpful thing for analysis of performance.
I have started collection of names on people who dislike the mistake of UCI:
Support my campaign: Legalize SRM and PowerTap
If you want to support my campaign, please write your name here. I will send the full list of names to the President of UCI. 10408 riders have already shown their support in this way.
What do you think? Should power meters be disallowed next year?
SRM and PowerTap Are Not Allowed in the Pro Tour 2009 Read More »