What is the Power Meter Project 2008?

It is a non-scientific project to see how a 31 days wattage controlled training programs work for motivated cyclists with a training amount in the range 10 to 14 hours per week. The only requirement to be included in the project is to have a calibrated Power Tap, SRM or Polar power meter mounted on the bike and follow the the training plan for 31 days strictly.

How many times are the riders tested during the project?
Testing maximum power is an essential part of the project. These tests are self-performed tests to evaluate physical performance. I’ve chosen a 20min maximum power test for the power meter project 2008. These tests shall be performed on Day 1 and 31 in the training plan.

How did the Power Meter Projects start?
The idea about the Power Meter Project started back in November 2006. I was curious to see how much progress it is possible to make for motivated riders with wattage controlled training principles. I already know how much power meter training have done to my own riders, but I think it is interesting to see if it is possible to help other riders to make progress. Also, I thought this was a good chance for me as a coach to review some of my ideas on power meter training. Thus, there might be some experiments in the training programs, but they are primarily based on evidence based exercise physiology. I expect all the riders to make progress but it is certainly difficult to make a forecast on the final results. The Power Meter Project back in 2007 ended as a great success with great improvements for the riders that lasted the scheduled 12 weeks.

Disclaimer
Please note: The Power Meter Project 2008 has no sponsor and the riders are participating for free. This project should not be considered as scientific evidence, but might very likely show some of the benefits you can get from wattage based training programs.