Watt output

[Wil6]

So I've been reading a couple of posts were guys say they average watt output while riding to be 250 - 300 watts if i am not mistaken.Damn that's high!Obviously it's power to weight ratio that also plays a big role in what you can deliver.

 

I'm no pro cyclist and only been cycling for 4months now,but as most of you try to achieve my personal best every race.Saw my average watt output was 168 during the Ofm classic and finished in time 2:46 and I weigh 68kg.

 

Here are some equations I got of Wikipedia:

 

Given this simplified equation, however, one can calculate some values of interest. For example, assuming no wind, one gets the following results for kilocalories required and power delivered to the pedals (watts):

 

* 175 W for a 90 kg bike + rider to go 9 m/s (20 mph or 32 km/h) on the flats (76% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag), or 2.6 m/s (5.8 mph or 9.4 km/h) on a 7% grade (21% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag).

 

* 300 W for a 90 kg bike + rider at 11 m/s (25 mph or 40 km/h) on the flats (83% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag) or 4.3 m/s (9.5 mph or 15 km/h) on a 7% grade (42% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag)

.

* 165 W for a 65 kg bike + rider to go 9 m/s (20 mph or 32 km/h) on the flats (82% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag), or 3.3 m/s (7.4 mph or 12 km/h) on a 7% grade (37% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag).

 

* 285 W for a 65 kg bike + rider at 11 m/s (25 mph or 40 km/h) on the flats (87% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag) or 5.3 m/s (12 mph or 19 km/h) on a 7% grade (61% of effort to overcome aerodynamic drag).

 

Would be interesting to find out what other guys / girls on the hub has to say

[Spinnekop]

Don't look at avg watt over the total race.....your aim in a race should be NOT to put out high watts.

 

Instead focus on your training and invtervals.

2Min intervals at 5w/kg for example.

 

A VERY good read is Hunter Alans' "Training and racing with Power"

 

Good luck.

[Gumpole]

these comparisons are only useful for a TT when you are working the whole way,

 

but i think most people assume that they have tons more power than a powermeter would suggest

 

didn't Landis average 380w when he put 9 minutes into the peleton a few years ago?

[Wil6]

these comparisons are only useful for a TT when you are working the whole way,

 

but i think most people assume that they have tons more power than a powermeter would suggest

 

didn't Landis average 380w when he put 9 minutes into the peleton a few years ago?

Don't know,but I guess that steak he ate wasn't the reason.....

[Willehond]

Don't look at your average power, rather show us your power curve! That makes for interesting reading

[Trubie]

Don't look at avg watt over the total race.....your aim in a race should be NOT to put out high watts.

 

Instead focus on your training and invtervals.

2Min intervals at 5w/kg for example.

 

A VERY good read is Hunter Alans' "Training and racing with Power"

 

Good luck.

 

 

Jip

Training = pedal as much as possible ,freewheel as little as possible

Racing = freewheel as much as possible, and pedal as little as possible

[Minion]

A VERY good read is Hunter Alans' "Training and racing with Power"

Definitely. It's about 2% of the cost of the cheapest PM system and will add exponentially to the benefit you gain from it:

http://www.kalahari.net/books/Training-and-Racing-with-a-Power-Meter/632/34547815.aspx

[Willehond]

Don't look at avg watt over the total race.....your aim in a race should be NOT to put out high watts.

 

Instead focus on your training and invtervals.

2Min intervals at 5w/kg for example.

 

A VERY good read is Hunter Alans' "Training and racing with Power"

 

Good luck.

 

 

Yes, the best for power training! ...and don't bother with Chris Carmichael's Time-Crunched Cyclist - could have been a one page article instead!

[Wil6]

Definitely. It's about 2% of the cost of the cheapest PM system and will add exponentially to the benefit you gain from it:

http://www.kalahari.net/books/Training-and-Racing-with-a-Power-Meter/632/34547815.aspx

Thanks,will put it on my Christmas wish list.By the way does some of you guys have graphs from the Ofm classic or Amashova you want to share?Would be interesting to compare.

[Minion]

Don't look at avg watt over the total race.....your aim in a race should be NOT to put out high watts.

Coggan or Allen said something along this lines of 'The cyclist who wins a race isn't necessarily the one who puts out the average highest power, rather the one who knows how to conserve their effort, but has the power available to use at critical moments'.

 

My personal experience is that my average power can be a lot higher on races where I get dropped, but it's fairly consistent. On races where I've stayed with the bunch, the average has been much lower, but there are points where I've had to push myself to my absolute limits for short durations to stay with them.

Edited November 11, 2010 by Edman

[Wil6]

So basically I have a power meter that I don't know how to use

Got it for free from my dad who said its too technical for him but will try and use it like it's meant to be used.

 

So That book you guys talk about,training with a power meter is a good thing to do?

[Willehond]

So basically I have a power meter that I don't know how to use

Got it for free from my dad who said its too technical for him but will try and use it like it's meant to be used.

 

So That book you guys talk about,training with a power meter is a good thing to do?

 

The best way to train! Also get Trainingpeaks software to analyse your data. It goes hand-in-hand with the book and then you can measure your TSS.

[Guest Bpayne]

The best way to train! Also get Trainingpeaks software to analyse your data. It goes hand-in-hand with the book and then you can measure your TSS.

 

 

Not really, for the average rider HR is still the best way to go, for a Pro rider or Elite level then Power is the way to go.

 

Anychance we can see your famous power curve, weight and w/kg? (not the doctored version either) Considering it is the way to go so Im sure you using it arent you?

[Guest Bpayne]

Don't know,but I guess that steak he ate wasn't the reason.....

 

No he drank a beer and whisky if you remember correct. Nothing about Steak.

[Guest Jarryd Haley]

Find a route that you can ride for 20 min without having to slow down or stop for traffic, etc. Do your usual warm up. Then do a 20 min TT on the route, going as hard as you can for the 20 min.Be carefull not to go too hard in the begining and end up fading at the end .

Take your average power reading for the 20 min.

 

You can now work out the different levels that you should be training at according to your power output.

 

Formulas are as follows:

 

Active recovery: your Average Power(AP)x0.55

Endurance: APx0.55- APx0.75

Tempo: APx0.76- APx0.9

Threshold: APx0.91- APx1.05

Aerobic Power: APx1.06- APx1.2

Anerobic Capacity: APx1.21 and above.

 

For e.g: if your average power is 200 watts for 20 min TT

200x0.75

=150 watts. Therefore your recovery rides should be done at <150watts.

 

To work out your watts/kg just divide your average watts for the 20 min TT by your body weight.

 

Hope this helps,

Cheers.

[Minion]

Not really, for the average rider HR is still the best way to go, for a Pro rider or Elite level then Power is the way to go.

I would say that the power meter is just as useful to a non-pro rider who has to make efficient use of their limited training time as it is to someone who rides full time. It's about getting the most possible improvement from a limited amount of time. Whether that's for a recreational cyclist training 8hrs/week to improve their 94.7 time or a pro training 30+hrs/week to improve their position at World Champs.

 

A power meter is not essential to improving your cycling, but it should provide greater improvements, for a given amount of time, than HR training alone would do for most cyclists. The issue then becomes one of whether the additional cost of a power meter and effort of learning how to use it properly is worth those extra improvements to the individual rider.

 

At the moment, for someone already using an ANT+ computer such as an Edge 500, it costs around R6000 to start using a power meter. I reckon this cost is going to come down in the future now that more and more companies are entering the PM market - Garmin and Look/Polar say they'll release products next year and there are other companies who've said they are developing PMs. I think PMs are going to become much more common amongst amateur cyclists in the future.