Training with Power

[Bill Gates]

Listen to someone else

You can't say you didn't ask for it with that comment old chap

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It allows you to improve your power over a distance or time through structured training. You can also target how long or how far you can sustain a level of power. You measure your sustainable power through a FTP test every few weeks. You increase your power, you increase your speed.

You measure that which you wish to improve, in this case power. If you race there are other skills you need to hone, though others may have better natural race instincts.

 

[HLaB]

He didn't use it to pace himself. That's the point

Not going over his FTP limit at hairpins is what I would call pacing

 

[Bill Gates]

Not going over his FTP limit at hairpins is what I would call pacing

The climb is not a helter skelter. There are other parts of the climb that are straight you know.

 

[Stompier]

Anyone hoping to learn anything from this thread is going to be really disappointed.

 

[HLaB]

The climb is not a helter skelter. There are other parts of the climb that are straight you know.

I know, I've done the climb a few times in the real world but he still paced himself on the corners

 

[Dogtrousers]

Anyone hoping to learn anything from this thread is going to be really disappointed.

I dunno. As a course on "How to forment an argument on cyclechat" it has much to recommend it

 

[ColinJ]

So what does knowing your power over a measured time or distance actually do for you?

I'll try to let you know next year!

My cousin gave me his old powercranks so I will see what the numbers do for me. I have a long-standing target of doing the 8 km Cragg Vale climb in 20 minutes but have so far never got close to it.

There is often an unfavourable cross-headwind for the exposed second half of the climb so it is hard to get a clear indication of progress by comparing times - most favourable to least favourable wind conditions have made > 15 minutes difference in the past!

I think that if I knew I could average (say) 200 Watts, I could probably push myself to do 205 W. If I did that often enough, then maybe I would raise my target to 210 W, and so on until it was obvious that I had got close to what is left of any original genetic potential.

It will be interesting to see how I get on.

 

[Bill Gates]

I know, I've done the climb a few times in the real world but he still paced himself on the corners

Exchanged texts with my son and have get a better grip on what he did now. I stand corrected and humbled. The program gives out a live average power output on the hairpins during the ride. He had kept a mental note of his previous FTP and knew that if his average FTP on the hairpins was up to what is his current FTP then he would be ahead. Plus he knew the times at various points on the climbs and kept ahead. His aim was to keep within his FTP figure so as not to burn out.
That's the sort of information I was seeking. The thing is a straight TT up Alpe D'Huez isn't replicated in every day cycling real world either in training or racing but as a training tool certainly a bit of fun.

 

[Bill Gates]

Bloody Hell. He has just taken delivery of his new bike. £3800 Bianchi plus Zipp wheels £1400.

 

[Stompier]

Any money left for a power meter?

 

[Bill Gates]

Any money left for a power meter?

He won't use a power meter for racing. His choice not mine

 

[Bill Gates]

Came across this.
https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/tra...rning-off-the-power-meter-can-make-you-faster

"KNOW THYSELF: WHY RPE IMPROVES YOUR TRAINING
The best athletes in the world aren’t the ones with the most accurate power meters, they’re the ones that are most in tune with their bodies. They’re able to assess how they are feeling for a given power output, compare that to how they know they usually feel for that output, and then adjust their effort accordingly to get the most out of the training session. If they’re feeling great, they can dial up the intensity and squeeze every last bit of benefit out of the interval instead of letting a number on a screen limit them. More importantly, they know when to dial things back if they’re having an off day, allowing them to recover more effectively so they can smash the next workout."

A bit like statins this one. The lone voice in the wilderness for years and years and finally support appears for your point of view.

https://tailwind-coaching.com/2017/11/09/importance-of-rpe-cycling-training/

https://datadrivenathlete.com/2018/02/25/using-rpe-to-get-stronger-on-the-bike/

 

[Stompier]

The introduction of any sort of ‘structure’ into a training regime will provably improve it. RPE is a perfectly valid training metric, I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. But other metrics like HR and power are also perfectly valid and they all have their uses. As ever, a lot will depend on your training objectives or preferences.

 

[Bill Gates]

Anyone hoping to learn anything from this thread is going to be really disappointed.

maybe you should change "disappointed" to "pleased"