kenji666

Okay, my new Powertap wheelset should arrive tomorrow. I need to mount tires and move my cassette over tomorrow night, so I plan to ride on the new wheels on Wednesday. What's the first thing I should do? A baseline FTP test?

This has probably been asked in several dozen forms before, but what are some good training books that integrate power measurements? My goal is to get stronger and faster over the summer and ride a couple of centuries in late September and early October.

Are all power output numbers created equal? Or should they be divided by the rider's weight in kg to normalize them? I would think that a larger rider produces more power to climb a hill than a smaller rider on the same hill at the same speed? Thanks for any constructive feedback. Can't wait to start training for REAL.

canam73

The first thing to do is just ride with it for a week or so. Log your rides on Golden Cheetah or similar software. Then do your 20 minute test (because you will be just itching to know your ftp). Knowing your ftp is useful, but you also need to build up some information on all your riding habits.

You are correct that comparing power should ultimately be done in power to weight form, although people typically don't bother. I guess it's more fun to consider your wattage not being that far off Contador's when you don't account for the fact that he weighs less than a sparrow.

This is what most people use to get acquainted with power based training:

https://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1934030554

This is supposed to be a bit simpler:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Mete.../dp/1934030953

and probably a good companion for The Cyclists Training Bible as they are by the same author.

And this link is to a sticky in the road racing forum with a bunch of power based workouts:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ut-recipe-book

DataJunkie

I took it in small steps.
Ride for a week or so while reading Racing and Training With A Powermeter.
Fail at a couple FTP tests. Track. Track. Track. Focus on a new metric for a while. Add in more metrics. Build up a base of data. Start playing with more metrics like CTL, ATL, and TSB.
Reread the book.
Watch brain explode.
Put brain back in skull.
Focus on other items while lamenting the fact that your FTP is too low.
Build a power profile. Realize your sprint power levels are pathetic and refocus a bit.

Rinse and repeat.

There are so many metrics with power training and ways of utilizing the data. Take your time and research while gathering data.

ks1g

What they said. Plus sign on to one of the websites that lets you log & analyze your data (Strava, Training Peaks,...); and/or use Golden Cheetah. It is a learning experience & will take time. Strava is particularly good to track variations and hopefully improvements in time/speed/power on particular segments, and humbling to realize how badly I suck (or how awesome are some of the local racers and TT gods).

And sometimes you just need to ignore the numbers - I get into a Scotty-esque "the warp engines canna take much more of this" head game when I see numbers I know are pushing my boundaries.

Maintenance - find a local bike shop that has the special tool to open the hub for battery replacement. Purchase some replacement batteries (my hub takes 3, Radio Shack stocks them). After several months (depends on usage, could be 3, 6, 12 depending), and BEFORE the big ride that you want lots of data, have batteries replaced. [Nothing like looking forward to some new bests on a really hilly century and then the powertap signal dies 10 minutes into the 1st climb of the day.]

valygrl

^^^ er, get the tool with the wheel, read the very easy instructions on the powertap site, and replace batteries yourself.

read the coggan/allen book. ride for a while just collecting data. Decide what software you will be using - trainingpeaks, wko+, golden cheetah, power agent - install it, learn to download your data, review some rides. Do some hard efforts, and get a ballpark of what your medium / hard / extreme effort wattages look like. If you've already been training with HR, you can do some HR based intervals and look at what your wattages are for those.

After you finish the chapter about testing, do the LT test. Expect to fail the first time (the first time i did it, i went too hard on the 5 minute blowout and coughed up a lung, and couldn't do the rest of the test). Terrain and preparation for the testing are important, so pay attention. A few failed attempts will help you get a sense of what your target might be, and that will help with pacing.

Once you have your initial LT number, build yourself a training plan, train, test in a month or two, etc.

there's a thread in the racing forum, too - https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-comments-here!

DataJunkie

Also, find a power geek and pester him or her from time to time.

canam73

Isn't that what OP is doing now?

DataJunkie

Picky picky.

DataJunkie

It's a bit different when you can talk with a teammate on a ride or a knowledgeable friend online.
On forums you never know what you are going to get.