If you are a time trialist or triathlete, one of the benefits of using a power meter is optimizing your aerodynamics. A better position on the bike supplied with aerodynamic equipment can help you to save seconds or even minutes in a time trial. Now I will show how you can use a power meter […]
How To Optimize Your Aerodynamic Position Using a Power Meter Read More »
Ever wondered how much difference it would make if you made your bike lighter? I guess most serious riders once in a while have concerns about their bikes whether they are light enough. As previously described, bike weight impacts performance, especially during climbing. Thus, I thought it was interesting to determine how much difference it
How much time does extra weight cost on Alpe d’Huez? Read More »
Today is the first stage in Tour de France 2008 with big mountains. This is always an exciting stage to watch because it is the first really indication of who will be able to win the yellow jersey. Nevertheless, we will ver likely only find out who will NOT be able to win the yellow jersey today. But it should certainly be interesting to watch.
You will probably hear the commentators talk about the skill climbing and maybe also a bit more technical about how many watts each rider has performed in tests before the Tour de France this year.
Watts the problem?
It seems like there are two values when people discuss power outputs: Watts and watts per kilogram. The first one is an absolute value that predicts performance in flat races while the second one is often used to predict performance on hills. Watts per kilogram is often used as a more sophisticated way to present physical performance because it represents a power output that is relative to your body weight. Experienced riders already know that when you climb, body weight matters. Thus, additional fat stores are more expensive to carry on mountain stages than on flat stages.
Watts per kilogram the golden standard?
Watts per kilogram is often a better indicator of overall performance than absolute watts. But it is not as precise predictor of performance as it could be. With some simple adjustments it would give you a better picture of how you will perform. What I am talking about is making some values that give the body weight slightly less impact when you predict climbing performance and add some impact to your body weight when you predict time trial performance.
It all depends…
The reason for these modifications is because climbing results cannot be predicted by watts per kilogram only. The problem appears when small riders achieve greater values in watts per kilogram, but don’t win the mountain stages. This can be explained by the fact that the external weight of the bike is carried by the rider independently of body size and several other factors that influence on overall performance e.g. gradient, wind resistance and tactics. Thus, it is not possible to simplify the prediction of performance by using the metric watts per kilogram. Yes, that is definitively one of the best predictors we have, but it can be optimized with some modification and other factors should also be at least considered.
Watts per kilogram^X would possible be a better predictor of performance because there are no events that can be predicted accurately by watts or watts per kilogram only. Body weight will always play a role and normally play the biggest role in the mountains (X closer to 1). Also it is worth to remember that body weight influences on time trial performance even though it is not very important in flat time trials with a constant high race velocity (X closer to 0).
Maximum power output or watts per kilogram? Read More »
Cycling training should not be made more difficult than it already is. Consider how many cyclists who have won great races, championships and honour without knowing anything significant about cycling training principles, nutrition or training planning (not to mention heart rate monitors, power meters etc.) There are a lot athletes having success, because they have talent and do a lot of clever things without knowing it: They train hard, they rest and they eat proper amounts of food.
Thus, they make above 95% of their potential performance by doing these things right. Advanced training methods can only add a few watts to this, but in tough competitions these can be crucial. But for a beginning it can be valuable to read these articles to avoid the most common mistakes and understand the basic principles of high quality cycling training:
Basic Principles of Cycling Training
Optimize your cycling training with basic knowledge 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 »
Power meters like SRM, Ergomo and Powertap are very useful if you want to optimize your training and start getting better results. Before you throw away all your pocket money consider how serious you are with your training. If you find it very difficult to stick to a rigid training scheme, doing specific intervals in heart rate target zones, then a power meter might not be the best choice for you. If you think that analyzing your performances or registrating your training sessions is a waste of time, then you are probably not ready for cycling with a power meter yet. But if you get excited when you turn on your computer immediately after parking your bike, watching your heart rate file, then you will likely be even more excited about the data from a power meter. If you like to make training plans or have a cycling coach who works out plans for you, then a power meter will be a very powerful tool, which gives you opportunity to make better training plans.
Like the heart rate monitors started a new era back in the 80´s, and got mainstream in the mid 90´s, the power meters started a new one in the early 90´s and are now getting popular among amateur riders here in 2006. The SRM crank system was the one and only power meter system in the beginning, but now there are a couple of other systems on the market. Powertap and Ergomo uses different technologies than SRM´s crank system, but they give a precise measurement of watts. SRM is the most expensive system, while Powertap and Ergomo is less expensive. I will not make further comments on the differences between SRM, Powertap and Ergomo, but instead save my words for a review later. What you need to know is, that there are different technologies and different prices. Generally they all allow the workload to be measured correctly.
In the first couple of weeks I will recommend that you just continue to train as normal. It will be a very good education for you to spent this time studying how quickly the power meter react to your effort. People get surprised when they accelerate the bike for the first time and discover that they are pushing more than 500W (for a short while, naturally”¦)
After a few weeks you will be getting more familar with your new equipment. You are now ready to make your first observations with this powerful tool. Before you can start doing intervals or pacing with your power meter, you have to make a test of your physical performance. To make things easy and time saving, I recommend you do a 5 minutes allout test to measure your wattmax. You can use the software that followed your power meter or you can a software system like Cyclingpeaks which offers more opportunities. After your 5 minutes allout test you have to figure out what your average power output was. Also notice your body weight since this is an important factor when comparing test results. You are now able to make your first training program based on test results from your power output.
It is possible to convert your test result to shorter or longer intervals. There will be less accuracy depending on what kind of rider you are. Some people can keep a high percentage of their VO2 max for a very long period of time, and other people who are much better at shorter distances where they can perform impressing high average watts for short intervals. Therefore this table is only a guideline and the best way to define your target zones is to do a test at that specific distance. If you are a track rider and are training for 1km time trials (anaerobic endurance and strength) you will have to test your power output at that distance.
| Power output | Training examples | |
| Sprinting | 200-?? % | 5×150m (complete rest) |
| Anaerobic endurance | 100-130% | 5x(1+6min) |
| VO2 max | 90-105% | 3x(3+2min) |
| Threshold | 85- 90% | 3x(8+4min) |
| Endurance | 50-85% | 3 hours |
| Recovery | 40-50% | 1 hour |
Next time you go to a race, use your power meter to collect data from the race. You will see, that you spend time in all the target zones in the table. Have a look at the interesting parts of the race. This investigation is an important part of having a power meter, and it is here you can discover things you would never have found out. You can see the difference it makes in crosswinds to sit behind a bunch of riders compared to suffering in a long line. When you see that big difference, you will definitely try even harder to keep your good position in the bunch in the crosswinds next time.
Time trialists love to train with power meters because they can see exactly how good they perform and make it easier for them to see progress. With a little training it is possible to use the power meter as a pacer during the time trial. In this situation they can compare their physical performance from time trial to time trial. These data files are not affected by the wind, course or equipment, so they are very useful to see how the form changes.
If you have a velodrome in your neighborhood you can make tests to improve your position on your bike. Serious time trialists should consider this and at least give it a try. Testing in a wind tunnel is very expensive, so testing on a velodrome with your power meter might be a cheap alternative. When you do the tests you will need at least one assistant to take split times for each lap. With a little training in this setup, you can try different positions and equipment, and see which combination saves most watts. This part of using a power meter is the more challenging part, but I promise, that it is very satisfying when you save a couple of watts.
Introduction to Training with Power Meter Read More »