power for base training?

RRacerX said:

i am pretty new to training with power and was wondering what the avg power is for peoples endurance rides??

i try to keep the pace between 2.98 watts/kg- 3.35 watts/kg

Really has no meaning unless it's scaled to your ability, like as % of ft. Keep it in Coggan z2-3 would be the common sentiment I imagine.

Welcome! Have you had a chance to do any testing with your power meter yet? 2 of the popular tests are the 40k TT test and the Max Aerobic Power (MAP) test described here:
cyclingnews.comfitnessOpen ↗

Also, here's an article which describes a method for comparing your power output at various durations to other riders: cyclingpeakssoftware.comprofile.htmlOpen ↗

FWIW, after observing the riders on my club rides at durations ~2 hrs, even the infrequent riders can ride at ~150w and, at the other end of the spectrum, very few can ride >250w.

i find average power over a ride doesnt mean a lot...often the harder hillier courses will show a lower average due to so much coasting downhill.

better to look at normalised power - you need cycling peaks software for that i beleive. i'd also expect most people to be in the range 150-250 watts for a 1hour+ ride

robkit said:

i find average power over a ride doesnt mean a lot...often the harder hillier courses will show a lower average due to so much coasting downhill.

better to look at normalised power - you need cycling peaks software for that i beleive. i'd also expect most people to be in the range 150-250 watts for a 1hour+ ride

Interesting results from a recent study in European Journal of Applied Physiology found that flat races had a higher average power output (192watts) than hilly races (169watts).

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

fergie said:

Interesting results from a recent study in European Journal of Applied Physiology found that flat races had a higher average power output (192watts) than hilly races (169watts).

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

Actually, I'm not surprised by that result. But, I would speculate that NP was higher for the hilly races than the flat races.

fergie said:

Interesting results from a recent study in European Journal of Applied Physiology found that flat races had a higher average power output (192watts) than hilly races (169watts).

Unless I'm missing something, that's exactly what was stated in the post you responded to. 😕

frenchyge said:

Unless I'm missing something, that's exactly what was stated in the post you responded to. 😕

It didn't mention anything about actual race data from Elite womens racing.

What u talking about Willis!?!

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

fergie said:

It didn't mention anything about actual race data from Elite womens racing.

What u talking about Willis!?!

🙂 Okay, the study data concluded just what Robkit expected to be the case. Namely, that:

robkit said:

...harder hillier courses will show a lower average due to so much coasting downhill.

Guess I got confused thinking that your supporting study was somehow intended to be a counterpoint to what had been said. Sorry.

Here's data for short to long races, professional cyclists, gives you a good
idea of what it takes at that level: study by Padilla, Mujika, Orbananos and
Angulo, 2000: Characteristics of Male Professional Road Cycling Competition

Prologue TT Short TT Long TT Uphill TT Team TT FLAT HIMO
n(# of subjects) 12 18 19 8 7 125 86
Distance 7.3 km 28 49.2 40.6 67 210 190
Time 10 min 39 min 66 min 75 min 75 312 355
Speed 46.3 kph 43.1 44.7 32.5 53.4 40.7 32.7
Watts 414 w 395 w 378 w 373 w 385 w 209 w 268 w

TT= time trial, FLAT= mass-start flat stage, HIMO= high-mountain mass-
start stage.

note: avg values, some cyclists had 15% higher watts in all the categories
above (and higher speeds).

-Bikeguy

deleted..answered my own question

I wanted to follow up my initial question by being a little more specific. As a cat 2, trying to get the most out of base, I was wondering how best to train with a power meter during base?

Should I not worry about power and just ride traditional volume? or do I maintain my zone 2 power through out my rides?

What kind of avg power do elite riders do on endurance rides? 3-5hrs, power/weight

thanx

RRacerX said:

I wanted to follow up my initial question by being a little more specific. As a cat 2, trying to get the most out of base, I was wondering how best to train with a power meter during base?

Should I not worry about power and just ride traditional volume? or do I maintain my zone 2 power through out my rides?

What kind of avg power do elite riders do on endurance rides? 3-5hrs, power/weight

thanx

Keep power in zone 2 at the minimum. A decent mix of zones 3 and 4 is probably also a good idea.

RRacerX said:

Should I not worry about power and just ride traditional volume? or do I maintain my zone 2 power through out my rides?

It's not really necessary to worry about power for endurance rides. Typically, power level for a ride of that duration will naturally fall within level 2 unless you are intentionally pushing the pace. Also, it's not really necessary (of even desired) to *stay within* level 2 for the entire ride. Pushing the pace uphill will typically balance with softpedalling or coasting downhill to give a level 2 average for the entire ride.

RRacerX said:

I wanted to follow up my initial question by being a little more specific. As a cat 2, trying to get the most out of base, I was wondering how best to train with a power meter during base?

Should I not worry about power and just ride traditional volume? or do I maintain my zone 2 power through out my rides?

What kind of avg power do elite riders do on endurance rides? 3-5hrs, power/weight

thanx

If you're not sure what to do or how to train, or simply want someone else to do the planning for you, then have you considered coaching? We find that people improve significantly with coaching, and have a very high success rate of people meeting or exceeding their goals.

Please feel free to contact me on [email hidden]

Ric