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Cycling Training Tips

Power Meter Project

Power Meter Project with 5 riders testing wattage based training program

Pacing Strategy is Essential in Ironman Competitions

Improving a three time ironman’s endurance sounds difficult, but that is exactly what my job is with Dave Simonson. He performed four critical power tests last week and you can see the results below:

Test results

Critical Power Tests 5sec 1min 5min 20min Body Weight
Week 1 (Watt) 850W 450W 290W 219W 90.6kg/199.8lbs
Week 1 (Watt/kg) 9.4W/kg 5.0W/kg 3.2W/kg 2.4W/kg

Comments from Jesper Therkildsen:
When I look at Dave’s power profile I can see that his performance at 20min critical power is too low compared to his 5min critical power (CP). When I look at his 5min CP I would expect him to do 20Watts better in the 20min CP. Thus, the primary goal for Dave is to improve his power in long intervals. This goal is achieved by learning to control the pacing strategy and by increasing his physical performance at these challenges.

Dave will train 6 to 7 hours per week and have to work with intervals three times a week. There are three kinds of intervals that he will use: Short 3min intervals to build VO2max, repeated 6min bouts of high aerobic intensity and finally long 15min pacing control intervals.

By doing the intervals very frequently he has a good chance to get familiar with pacing strategy and that is especially important at his competition pace. Triathlon differs from regular cycling in that way that the pace is almost 100% controlled by the athlete. It is not about tactics at all. It’s a question about self control and physical performance. Power meters are very useful for long endurance competitions like ironman triathlons since it is possible to plan a pacing strategy based on your previous rides. I hope that Dave will improve his performance at long distance through better and more efficient pacing.

I expect that these intervals will increase his performance at 5 and 20min critical power (and his 112miles ironman avg. power.)

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Building aerobic capacity before race preparation

Last week the riders in the Power Meter Project 2007 performed the first series of critical power tests. One of them is Gonzalo Vilaseca who proved that he is a strong and light rider. Have a look at the tests results:

Test results – Week 1 (Gonzalo Vilaseca)

Critical Power Tests 5sec 1min 5min 20min Body Weight
Week 1 (Watt) 1105W 557W 357W 321W 73kg/160.9lbs
Week 1 (Watt/kg) 15.1W/kg 7.6W/kg 4.9W/kg 4.4W/kg

Comments from Jesper Therkildsen:
I have dedicated the first 6 weeks for building a large aerobic engine since that is the single most important factor in most cycling competitions. In old days this time was e period with long slow distance training, but Gonzalo is going to test one of the newer training strategies with more intensive training. It’s a quite intensive training program with intervals every second day. These intervals are made to increase his VO2max and his endurance. There is also some work with power sprints, but these sprints don’t have high priority.

By doing the intervals very frequently he will have a good chance to get familiar with the pacing strategy in these intervals and get a lot of small interval doses with a high O2 uptake. Thus, I expect that these intervals will increase his performance at 5 and 20min critical power. Well, but he asked for more anaerobic endurance and sprinting power? Yes, but in cycling races of 2 hours it is essential to have a high VO2 max and endurance. If he has that, he has a chance to get home with the peloton or make a breakaway. But if is limited in these two factors, vo2max and endurance, he will be dropped before they get to the final sprint. Thus, the primary goals for the first period are improvements in 5min and 20min critical power. His training amount will be in the range from 9 to 15 hours per week for the first 6 weeks.

I will adjust the program after 6 weeks of training, and then focus a lot more on race preparation with anaerobic intervals and sprints. This training will be done to optimize his performance at short, intensive races.

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Power Meter Project – Week 1

Today is the first day in the Power Meter Project 2007. The next 12 weeks are dedicated for wattage controlled intervals for the 6 participants. This week the riders will perform four critical power tests that will be used in the calculation of intervals. These tests will be repeated in week 6 and 12, and used as an objective evaluation of their progress.

Critical power tests in week 1
The riders will do critical power tests at 5 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes and 20 minutes. These tests are done to get a picture of their respective sprinting power, anaerobic endurance power, VO2 max and threshold power. These parameters can be trained selectively with a power meter if you know how to do it. I will make the training programs based on their personal goals in combination with the test results.

Predictions for the Power Meter Project

I hope that this project will help the riders to a better understanding of their potentials as riders. Wattage controlled training programs are in my opinion the best way to control training intensity. Also it is a perfect way to train for specific physiological qualities, e.g. anaerobic endurance.

I predict that all the riders will make progress compared to the four tests performed in week 1. I have three reasons for this. These reasons should be considered when you evaluate the project:

  1. Motivation – I guess that a part of the predicted progress can be explained by motivation. A motivated rider trains harder and makes better results than a non-motivated rider.
  2. Structure ”“ I don’t know how the participants’ training structure were before this project, but it is not uncommon that getting a little structure on the training program (or just having a training program) improves performance.
  3. Wattage ”“ Power meter training helps the riders to train at the right intensity. Training at the right intensity does a difference and will significantly improve performance.

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Power Meter Project 2007 – Thomas Davis

The last rider in this project is Thomas Davis who trains 12 to 20 hours per week when he is very motivated. Thomas will start on the training program a little later than the rest of this project because he is on vacation.

Name: Thomas Davis
Power meter: Power Tap Pro

How would you describe yourself as a cyclist?
I’m a 3 year veteran who’s raced at Category 5 during those 3 years. I do not want to get promoted until I know I can stay in the top 10 in most races I do so that’s why I stayed there for that long. I know I have incredible acceleration which is how I usually make my name on the track where I’ve had the most success because when I make my jumps, I can put in gaps very quickly. I’m also a decent climber by default because of my weight. However, I’ve always had trouble with consistency in steady state type training for TTs and climbs which are why I bought the Powertap as a way to gauge my efforts and improve my training specificity for those types of efforts. I’m also a rather hyperaggressive attacker and I would prefer to try to get my wins on wild but smart attacks and breakaways rather than waiting for the sprints which I know I do have some natural capacity for.

What are your previous experiences with power meter training?
Frankly, the only time I’ve ever had a chance to use a power meter of any sort was when my club’s informal coach offered everyone a chance to test out their abilities on a Computrainer.

What is your main goal with the Power Meter Project 2007?
To acquire a better understanding of how to use and train with a power meter effectively. I want to get the maximum out of the power meter. I also aim to use it as an opportunity to try to improve my skills on the bike enough to move up to Cat. 4 and be competitive at Cat. 4. Ultimately, I want to maximize my potential as a climber and sprinter with the project.

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Power Meter Project 2007 – Spencer Kenner

Spencer Kenner is a very experienced rider, but a true beginner into power meter training. He wants to improve his time trialing and climbing with a wattage controlled training program.

Name: Spencer Kenner
Power meter: Power Tap SL

How would you describe yourself as a cyclist?
I’ve ridden for over 20 years, 10 of which I’ve raced. Recently a Cat 3 and struggle to be competitive with the Master 1-3’s when it gets hilly and real fast. I’m not great at any one discipline but would like to climb and TT better. I’m 6’2″ and fluctuate between 170-175 pounds. I do some cycle cross and mountain bike for training. Right now I’m in the gym 2-3 times per week trying to build power and strength.

What are your previous experiences with power meter training?
None, except for the occasional test where I’ve tested at around 275 watts at threshold, and 375 max.

What is your main goal with the Power Meter Project 2007?
My goal is to train more efficiently and understand my weaknesses and how to make them strengths, i.e. climbing and TT. I’ve used a heart rate monitor for years but I’m not able to develop a consistent plan based on it alone. And it’s always a struggle to know when I’m just tired or overtrained with the HR monitor. I think the power meter should help with that. Also, I’m just getting a Power Tap this next week or so and want a good baseline to begin with. Of course any real and effective training tips to meet my goals would be greatly appreciated as well.

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