Power bike race how to use the data

dakota3810

 Did a 22 mile bike race today.  I raced with my powermeter.  My question is I had a test due this week this was my first "test" outdoors.  even with an hour at race effort my power was significantly higher than my last test indoors.   Also, do I use the normalized data number, it was quite a bit different from the average power as it was a race with various surges.  New to power meter and EN so not sure how to use this data. 

tuckerm

Many folks see a bump in power going outdoors so that is normal. I'd use the NP of the race and start with that. It probably isn't exact but it is in a race which is a true all out effort. You will want to do a regular outdoor test at some point though. Bike racing is much different than the steady state efforts we do in triathlon.

[Deleted User]

 I highly recommend Allen and Coggan's book on power. Really through and informative. More oriented towards cyclists and probably more information that you'll need to know as a triathlete, but it has a lot of good stuff. 

dakota3810

 Thanks....yes my power was all over the place with the surges etc.  But, it was fun to see  my NP was as high as it was for the hour.  The OS seemed to pay off with my ability to turn it on so well with my first real bike only race

Thanks again !!

dakota3810

 Thanks Anson, yes I will get the book!   I am still learning really how to train with power and use it to my advantage.

Chris

Al Truscott

I think it may bit risky to use an NP generated in a road race with surges for your  training and racing purposes on a TT bike. For triathlon training, you're more interested in the power you can sustain for an hour, not in what you can do with respites between harder efforts. The latter mode will inevitiably generate a higher normalized power than going at a steady power level, and will not meet the definition of "Functionasl Threshold" (FTP), do to the nature of the equation which generates the NP number. (Don't ask me to explain that equation, but the book referenced above does a good job of explaining how the number is calculated, and why it will be higher in the surging road race situation.)

chris malone

The road race numbers are almost always higher than you would do on your own and the VI is greater so a bigger delta between NP and average power. Al is right. You're looking for what you can grind out for 60 minutes steady to work from and not the "punchy" numbers a road race will give you. Still very good work. I wouldn;t work from the NP of a race. I'll bet the average power it shows is more in line with your training numbers.

HayesSanborn

Coggan would say YES, you can use your NP from an hour bike race.

http://lists.topica.com/lists/wattage/read/message.html?mid=910289158&sort=d&start=23250

tuckerm

Posted By Hayes Sanborn on 17 Apr 2012 03:55 PM

Coggan would say YES, you can use your NP from an hour bike race.



http://lists.topica.com/lists/wattage/read/message.html?mid=910289158&sort=d&start=23250

What the hell does he know? 

Coach Rich

What Al said, but I'll say that your NP for the race is good enough to SWAG an FTP for training, even on your tri bike. You'll know the first time you do interval work on your tri bike how accurate that number is and can then just adjust from there, likely downward....but as long as you're not using this FTP to calc race pacing I'd say it's fine, in the short term.

Al Truscott

Tucker may be right, as well as acidly funny - when Coggan was writing his second edition, he turned to Coaches RnP for advice on how to use power for training and racing in long distance triathlon. 

Coach Rich

Posted By Al Truscott on 17 Apr 2012 05:30 PM

Tucker may be right, as well as acidly funny - when Coggan was writing his second edition, he turned to Coaches RnP for advice on how to use power for training and racing in long distance triathlon. 

 

Actually Hunter called me...and didn't quite get us right in the book

tuckerm

Posted By Al Truscott on 17 Apr 2012 05:30 PM

Tucker may be right, as well as acidly funny - when Coggan was writing his second edition, he turned to Coaches RnP for advice on how to use power for training and racing in long distance triathlon. 

Thanks Al!  I try to entertain.  It also makes me feel good that Rich basically said exactly what I did in my first post. 

jhbinsc

I'd still be wary using the NP from a bike race w/ wildly elevated VI as my FTP. Could be a "NP buster" and you'd overtrain trying to hit those wattage goals. But as was pointed out, you'll figure it out quickly and if you have time before your race, proceed at your own risk!

[Deleted User]

Posted By Al Truscott on 17 Apr 2012 05:30 PM

Tucker may be right, as well as acidly funny - when Coggan was writing his second edition, he turned to Coaches RnP for advice on how to use power for training and racing in long distance triathlon. 

I'll admit, I got irrationally excited when I saw RnP mentioned in the ackowledgements. 

Tom Glynn

Posted By Rich Strauss on 17 Apr 2012 05:38 PM

Posted By Al Truscott on 17 Apr 2012 05:30 PM

Tucker may be right, as well as acidly funny - when Coggan was writing his second edition, he turned to Coaches RnP for advice on how to use power for training and racing in long distance triathlon. 

 

Actually Hunter called me...and didn't quite get us right in the book

 

Funny, just reading the new Coggan cyling book and you are not mentioned.  Listened to the webinar on the book and he did state that you should bike an IM with an IF of .71 to .76.  Maybe you should call them back

chris malone

Swag maybe, but lots of road races are nothing like a tt and the effort can be all over the board. If a guy/gal race can punch out watts, recover then do it again then I guess that provides a threshold but AC ought to move it lower on his list. Rich, sort him out will ya?