For the most part, when I train, I ride solo. But, occasionally I like to get out and ride in/with a group. After all, cycling isn't all training/racing..it's social too. At least I think it is. Unlike most cyclists however, I don't ride in a group to measure my performance. And, don't kid yourself if you say you NEVER do that. I think we ALL do that from time-to-time. The reason I said, "unlike most cyclists" is because I train/race with a Power Meter. If I want to measure my performance on a training ride..I just download my file and analyze it.
What I wanted to share with you in this blog is a lesson learned on my group ride this morning. About 1/2 hour into the ride, we began to ascend a mile long hill climb that averages approximately 8% grade. Two guys in my group hit the hill hard and blew by me. My normal reaction was to chase, but I also knew the hill was approximately 1 mile long. So, I let them go. You can see that my power at the start of the climb was over 400w. That is definitely L5/L6 watts for me..so I backed it down to 320w which I knew is my L4/L5 watts range. My Heart Rate was averaging L4/L5 bpm too..so I know it's right where I wanted to be. Sure enough, the guys that blew by me at the start were slowly being reeled in. In a little over 1/2 the climb the catch was made and I actually blew by the same two guys that blew by me at the start. What these guys got was a lesson in "Pacing a Hill Climb" with a Power Meter.
So, there you go, the benefits of Training with a Power Meter. Power ON! Coach Rob
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