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How to ride my first race with a Power Meter


Spirog

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So rich the data.

How deep down the rabbit-hole do you wanna go :w00t:

 

Your TSS can define how much you should recover (as part of your total training load

Your avg and NP can give you a sense of how what training goals you should have

The deeper analysis will also reveal e.g. how long you should sustain x power in order to go for the breakaway win next time.

Edited by ' Dale
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I must agree with the train by the numbers if you must but race on feel approach, perhaps at an ITT or triathlon where you would like to 'measure your effort' over the distance it would be useful?

 

I may also just be talking rubbish though .... I am not a qualified coach or athlete 

Maybe we should ask Swen Lauer...

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I did my first race past Sunday with a PM.

 

At slangkop climb the guys pushed very hard at the bottom+-450W and looking at my PM I realised I could not sustain that type of power and neither would they and just let them go, before the top I was back in the bunch feeling great as I didn't go very deep and obviously some of the "brave" was never seen again.

 

Did the same on Red Hill as I was dehydrated and to my surprise I started closing in on them towards the end ,only giving the top guys 15sec on me.

 

So if used smartly, I would say will definitely benefit you... :thumbup:

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I did my first race past Sunday with a PM.

 

At slangkop climb the guys pushed very hard at the bottom+-450W and looking at my PM I realised I could not sustain that type of power and neither would they and just let them go, before the top I was back in the bunch feeling great as I didn't go very deep and obviously some of the "brave" was never seen again.

 

Did the same on Red Hill as I was dehydrated and to my surprise I started closing in on them towards the end ,only giving the top guys 15sec on me.

 

So if used smartly, I would say will definitely benefit you... :thumbup:

What race was this?
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Depends on what your objectives are.

Riding by the numbers is likely to give you your best possible result/time, but you may not be featuring in the race.

If you're racing to win, you'll need to race on feel and respond to what is happening around you.

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What race was this?

 

Sounds like the first PPA event in the Cape.

 

Can't remeber what it was called ... "Scenic South" or "Pedal around the Peninsula".

Edited by Thomo
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Depends on what your objectives are.

Riding by the numbers is likely to give you your best possible result/time, but you may not be featuring in the race.

If you're racing to win, you'll need to race on feel and respond to what is happening around you.

I'm never going to win a race in my life. I just want to produce the best results that I possibly can. A bit of boasting with my mates would be a major victory!!

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I think you risk the same (for the first time) with a PM as you do with a heart rate monitor.  I don't race with a HRM, because often the effort exerted in a race "scares" you to the point where you think you need to hold back based on the numbers even when your mind tells you that you can still hang on.

 

Id keep it on during a race if i had one to see how I am doing, however don't let the numbers scare you and cause you to hold back.

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I think you risk the same (for the first time) with a PM as you do with a heart rate monitor. I don't race with a HRM, because often the effort exerted in a race "scares" you to the point where you think you need to hold back based on the numbers even when your mind tells you that you can still hang on.

 

Id keep it on during a race if i had one to see how I am doing, however don't let the numbers scare you and cause you to hold back.

That's true to a point. However, I've blown myself up far too many times pushing past the real numbers and riding on feel and end up having to solo tt to the finsh, all while cramping, bonking, and a general hatred for all things cycling related.

 

Riding to the numbers has maybe kept me out of a group or position, but I get home in a reasonable time and feeling exhausted but happy.

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  • 10 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Racing with a power meter is good and bad in both respects. To many people try focus their race effort on power. 

 

"if I sit at 250W I will be good and should finish in "X" time or placing" while this may be true there way to many variables to take into account. For example what if you not feeling to good on the day and the 250W is actually to great of an effort? You end up blowing possibly and finish worse off. The other end holds true where what if you feeling really good and you could in theory average 265W? This would exceed your overall time / result.

 

I am a strong believer that numbers are vital for training and progression but when it comes to a race it is based on how you feel on the day, not on numbers but where numbers will and can play a significant factor is for example during a marathon type event you don't want to typically sit the 1st hour at a IF of .9 or higher as you will without a doubt feel that hour effort in the latter stages. So to not get caught up in that hype at the start and be controlled and sit at .85 IF will do you significant justice in the latter stages of the race / stage where others who have gone to deep will not.

 

A useful tool I used to use when our road racing here was really strong in the Cape during our League (08-12) was on the longer climbs around the peninsula was that if I was sitting at say 330 -350W (61kg) and saw who was in the bunch I knew that a significant number wouldnt hold that pace for more than say 5min and drop off leaving as it typically was 5-7 of us at the top of a starting 15-20. Or if we were the select group of 5-7 on the final climb that I would do a very quick calculation on weight and numbers of riders and work out efforts from that in order to try get rid of as many as I could ( or myself for that matter)

 

 

So, it has and does not have benefits but for the person wanting to finish strong I still to this day believe racing on feel is a good measure. If you feel good go strong, if its to hard your body will "shut down" and ease off until you have recovered to go hard again.

 

Once the race is over, gather that data and make the corrective steps going forward.

Edited by J Wakefield
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