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new powertap - what to do, when to test

dsmallwoodendsmallwooden
in General Training Discussions

howdy friends

after much frustration, i think i now have a functioning powermeter on my bike.   i plan to use it on the trainer tomorrow.  

i am in week 7 of the Jan OS.  i've been using RPE for the first few weeks and was supposed to test today. now how long will i need to have this thing on my bike before i can make it useful or execute any sort of test?  

Comments

  • Joe MatchetteJoe Matchette
    John - short answer is it will be useful starting now. Have you purchased and watched the seminar? What about WKO+? (or you can use Golden Cheetah -- free --). If no to either, get on it. The seminar is WELL worth the nominal fee and will kick-start your learning how to use and train with Power.

    If you tested today, and recorded your data, you can analyze your 40' ride and get a good FTP to start working with. I guess I should ask, do you have a Joule / LYC / Garmin that recorded the output? If so, go ahead and upload and analyze.

    Welcome to the world of Power.
  • Dino SartiDino Sarti
    Test right away. You know your bike and you know the work, the meter will just give you the metrics. Even if you take some time to learn WKO+ or training peaks, at least collect the data and get a feel for the meter readings. Only way to learn, is to do it. I did my first test in January and after a little trail and error on the software side, I nailed it.

    What are you using to learn the analysis side? I used the EN Power Webinar and found it really beneficial. You might also consider getting a copy of THE BOOK - "Training and Racing with Power" by Hunter and Coggins - as a reference. Whatever you use, make sure you have a basic understand of the analysis (invest a few hours studying), or you will not get the really big benefits...
  • Doug JohnsonDoug Johnson
    I would check out the power information in the wiki and the power seminar that John Stark and Tom Glynn just did. I can tell you what I did (not an expert or wicked smart member here)...When I first got my power meter (during the FTP block of OS) I still trained for a couple weeks based on my RPE and HR. I looked at the PM over the course of those workouts and got an idea of what my FTP was. I started using the estimated FTP as the basis for my zones until it became time to test.

    I messed up my first test. I had an idea of what my FTP was and I tried to be a hero and crush that number during the test. Needless to say I didn't make it through the 2nd 20 minute interval. After that I read some of the testing protocols and comments from other members and have since nailed 2 out of my past 3 tests. (I bonked on 1 test due to not properly resting leading up to the test.)

    Now that I have the hang of it, the PM is an awesome tool. Get ready to bring your pain to a new level, ha ha!
  • Doug JohnsonDoug Johnson
    BTW, I believe the Stark/Glynn power seminar is available for free somewhere around here...
  • dsmallwoodendsmallwooden

    thanks everyone, i will check it out.   especially Stark's webinar.  

    follow up question ... how come everyone says WKO or Golden Cheetah?   doesn't anyone use the Power Agent software?   the cd came with the device.   i installed a little while ago.  

    no good?

  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    Personally, I wouldn't test with it right away as you have to get used to comparing your RPE/HR to the actual watts. Just watch the PM numbers, esp the bouncing around, for a few weeks, before you do formal testing.
  • trigirl1203trigirl1203
    I agree with Scott-one of my first rides with power was a test, and I had no idea what type of numbers I should be trying to stay at for the test since I did not do any workouts on it beforehand. I would do a week's worth of workouts to get an idea what you can hold for the FTP work of the rides before testing.
  • Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak

    John,

    Scott and Lauren make a good point about knowing where you are on the PM before testing.  I did the dive right in 3 years ago.  My first ride was a test in week 2 of the OS.  I did not do the test based on watts but on HR and RPE only and it worked out for me.  The watts came out to be what they were at that time.   If you are chasing a watts number that you have no idea about it will not be a repesentative test most likely.   The problem with chasing a number is that if you go out too hot you will never finish the 42' test strong.

    I then continued on with the rest of the OS and has a FTP but with a watt number to push from week 2 through 8.  

    As for the software I went with WKO right away so I can't comment on the stuff that comes with the PT.  WKO and golden c are the two that are use around here by many. If you have a Mac you will have isseus with WKO so I have read. 

    Enjoy the new power meter

    Gordon

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    @ John - PowerAgent is great for analyzing individual bike rides, but (naturally) worthless as a means to track triathlon training, which includes running. The ability to view performance changes over time and include running in the mix is essential. Also, there are some esoteric things one can do with WKO (quadrant analysis, for one) which are not possible with PA. Golden Cheetah seems to have most of the capability of WKO.

    Personally, I load my bike rides initially into PA, then export them to WKO+, a process which takeds an extra 30 seconds.

  • dsmallwoodendsmallwooden

    update

    hey all

    i've done a couple of trainer rides with my now functional PT.   its really fun.   

    i have sooooo much to learn.   i haven't even downloaded a ride yet; as its been so entertaining to simply watch the numbers jump up and down.   i've learned that i'm not as weak as i expected and that i'm cycling slower than expected (cadence ~80-85 compared to my expected 90-100).  

    very happy to join your party.  

    thanks

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