How to Race with the Edge 500

Paul Hough

All - after 6 months with a PowerBeam Pro, I got a Power Tap for outside use and want to know how folks are racing with it.  I set my data field to Power for Saturday's workout and it was up, down and all around.  Today, I used 3 second Power and Power Zones but even that was a little volatile.   Is anyone using 30 second Power for racing?   And what percentage of your FTP should I be targeting for a HIM and for an IM?   Thanks!

Peter Greagg

Paul — I use 10 second moving average, and it jumps around as well — but you get used to it. I normally have a low VI so it can be done.

The IF you target is a function of your expected bike split. For me, I aim for 0.82 for a flatish course. For my first IM, I am targeting an IF of 0.68 as I expect to have a bike split slower than 6:3x.

Have a look here http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/108/Default.aspx?topic=Ammended+(Temporarily)+Racing+IM+and+HIM+with+Powe

John Withrow

Paul- I have 7 cells on my Edge 500 and keep it the same for training and racing so it's second nature where I need to glance. I have time in the large box on the top (easiest to see for FTP sets, etc.). Below that I have 3s power and lap power. I have mine set to auto-lap every 2 miles. The 3s power keeps me honest on hills (up or down) and the lap power allows me to stay in a small box the whole race. 2 miles usually takes around 5.5 to 7 minutes during race conditions for me so it's a game for me to always be nailing my target power for that short segment. Then it resets and I start over again completely disregarding what happened in the previous lap, and simply taking on the new lap game again. I like this much better than average power for the whole ride, because once that drifts over a couple of hours, you could be working way to hard to try to get it back to where you thought it should be. Below the power numbers I have cadence and HR. And on the bottom I have speed and distance.

When it's laid out like this, the power is at the top (just below time). But also, the whole left side of the screen is my 'real-time' data: 3s power, stacked over cadence, stacked over speed. And the right side is the more 'slower moving' numbers of lap power, HR, and distance. I like the time at the top because during an IM race, EVERY time 15 minutes passes (15, 30, 45, 00), I take a sip of my infinit. I also have mine set with am alarm that goes off every 30 minutes. This reminds me that I am still alive and it reminds me that good chunks of time are behind me already. It also wakes me out of my trance and forces me to assess all of my body conditions and ask myself if I need a salt stick or advil or more water, etc...

I personally target somewhere just below 85% for HIM and right at 70% for IM. But this is personal preference. I think you can/should follow whatever the TSS charts spit out for you in the EN race execution manuals (or maybe it's the Power section of the wiki) for your first IM. And when in doubt, go a little lower to hit your 'should' bike split instead of your 'could' bike split. Remember if you go just a little too easy, you still have 26.2 miles to prove your fitness...

John Withrow

Btw, some people don't put speed on there. I like having speed on my computer because before the race, I give myself permission to get out of the aerobars if I'm below 10mph and I also give myself permission to coast if I'm above 32mph. If I'm between those 2 speeds and I sit up or coast, it makes me feel like I am breaking my own rules and guilts me back into aero and pedaling...

For the majority of my race, I'm simply staring at the 3s power and cadence. It's another game I play to constantly stay between 90-95 cadence and have my power nailed. You will miss a lot of the scenery around you, but you will execute your race better!

MattAaronson

3-sec power seems volatile, but over time you'll get more steady power and it won't seem as volatile!!