Power Meter Project

Gonzalo Vilaseca has competed in long cycling endurance races of 5 to 7hours, but now wants to switch to shorter, more intense races of 2 hours length.

What are your previous experiences with power meter training?
I have been training by power for the last three years. Two years with an ergomo, and one year with an SRM. The first year I was my own coach and I did pretty good. The two following years I had a coach, during the first year my results where the same as when I coached myself, the following year my results improved, but so did my training hours. I can’t compare wattages between seasons because of issues I had with my ergomo. I can’t train without a powermeter now, it’s my eyes.

Read the full interview with Gonzalo Vilaseca

Today I will introduce you to the third participant in the Power Meter Project 2007: Marc Moeller. There is a total number of 6 participants and their training programs start in the beginning of 2007.

What is your main goal with the Power Meter Project 2007?
My goals of the project are to find out if strict interval work over time will push my lactate threshold power up substantially. I also would like to have a more impressive sprint after a long lead out effort. I also would like to have those really tough 4-5min super hard efforts in me that determine the course of a race.

Read the full interview with Marc Moeller

Today I will present a tri athlete, Dave Simonsen, who has finished three iron man competitions. He is currently training 5-6hrs pr week on an indoor trainer which has a calibrated power tap rear fly wheel.

Name: Dave Simonsen
Power meter: Cycleops Pro

How would you describe yourself as a cyclist?
I am a three-time iron man triathlon finisher, and my strength is long, slow distance. My weakness is power over long distance. I typically do much worse during the 2nd half of the bike leg of a triathlon.

What are your previous experiences with power meter training?
I have recently purchased a power meter, so my experience is minimal. I have recently started using a Cycleops Pro 300PT.

What is your main goal with the Power Meter Project 2007?
I would like to increase my power to an average of 200 watts during a 112 mile distance. I also would like my power during the second half of a 112 triathlon bike leg to equal the first half.

The first rider I will introduce you to is Paul Skiba, who raced as a professional in the early 90’s. His current training amount pr week is 12-15hrs, less in recovery weeks.

Name: Paul Skiba
Age: 46
Power meter: SRM Dura Ace

How would you describe yourself as a cyclist?
I’ve been a cyclist and a fan of cycling for the last 23 years. I took up cycling in the mid-80’s when I found myself stationed in Naples, Italy where I worked for NATO. I rode primarily on the road during this time. In the late 80’s and early 90’s I took up mountain bike racing. I lived in Boulder, CO and raced for a team that was headquartered in Chico, CA. I rode as an expert on the Grundig World Cup for 2 seasons. After a near fatal accident I returned to the road as a recreational rider. During the last few years I have returned to the road race scene as a master racer.

My strength as a cyclist is my ability to hang with the fastest racers in the pack. My weakness is my inability to separate myself from the fastest racers. My endurance is good. My climbing is good. My sprint is good. None of the above are great.

Read the full interview with Paul Skiba