Kate Hector

Power Education Specialist Benjamin Sharp talks about using Micro Intervals to simulate the demands of racing. These 10-15 minutes pieces consist of alternating Zone 3 and Zone 5 work.

By Stages Master Educator Javier Santin

From a few elite pro cyclists in the late ‘80s to indoor cycling studios all over the world, cycling with a power meter has become a standard both indoors and out. Here are the top reasons why teaching indoor cycling with a power meter can bring your classes and your members’ experiences to the next level!

1. A power meter is a source of relevant and objective information. A power meter basically measures how much work the rider is putting into the bike (resistance) and the rate at which that work is being done (cadence). In addition to measuring power in Watts, we also get data about cadence, time, distance, speed and/or calories to use for class planning or member motivation.

2. A power meter is the perfect goal setting tool. Using metrics such as Average Watts, Distance or Cadence gives instructors the ability to set specific goals in class. This keeps riders engaged and committed, giving them a reason to work rather than just a command. Riders can then use those goals as benchmarks to assess their level of improvement week after week.

3. A power meter gives the rider metrics to own the ride. Using metrics in class creates a sense of ownership in our attendees. Power is instantaneous, convenient and easy to understand: the harder you work, the higher your watts. It does not require students to invest in or wear specific equipment. Knowing how hard our riders are working allows them not only to set relevant goals but also to make the right decisions, like when to push a little harder and when to back off.

4. A power meter promotes healthy competition. Beating your Average Watts in four minutes by the third attempt or trying to cover the biggest distance in five minutes are just a few examples of how we can promote a sense of healthy competition in our classes, and not necessarily among the group, but within each individual. Being the best you can be is a much less daunting task when you can objectively assess how good you are!

5. A power meter is the key to class variety. If you keep doing what you always do, you will keep getting the same results you always get. By knowing our riders’ FTP (Functional Threshold Power) values, we get the magic number that allows us to provide classes with different intensities for different goals: Aerobic Capacity, Threshold, HIIT, etc. Providing a variety of training stimuli keeps classes fresh and exciting and the periodization of intensity increases results for everyone.

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Javier Santin is a highly experienced international fitness professional with over 20 years of experience in personal training, sales, communication, fitness management and marketing. He has served as a Master Instructor and Educator for renowned international programs including Les Mills and Spinning® throughout Europe and the US. Javier holds a number of certifications in health and fitness such as ACE, AFAA and NASM.
Javier joined Stages Indoor Cycling in 2016 as Key Accounts Manager and International Master Educator. He is excited to be part of bringing the extensive success of the Stages Cycling brand to the indoor market.

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By Coach Kyle Wolfe

When athletes ask me why they should get a power meter for their bikes, my answer is simple and not very original: a power meter makes sure you go hard enough on hard days, and easy enough on easy days. This is important in elite level international cyclocross because the extremes are very hard and any rider who wants to have a good day must be properly prepared.

Last weekend, Amy D Foundation cyclocross rider Rebecca Fahringer competed at the last round of the Telenet World Cup series in Hoogerheide, NED. Her Scott brand bicycle is equipped with a crank arm mounted Stages power meter which is a critical tool to help with her training prior to a race and then analyzing the data to help provide feedback afterwards.



Rebecca was up against the best of the world in Hoogerheide and found herself in the third row of call-ups, a true indication of her otherwise awesome 27th world ranking. This particular race course is very fast with almost a quarter of the loop on pavement meaning large non-technical groups and difficult passing opportunities.

From the Gun
From the start of the race you can see how quickly Rebecca’s power increases to get going; you can almost imagine how those shallow first few seconds are when she had to let traffic in front of her open up before the hard pedaling started.



The First Lap
After that start hill section, Rebecca was still caught in traffic for the first lap and you can see from the power file of her next lap that it took almost 9 more minutes of racing until she was able to reach her race long average heart rate of 181 bpm. During that lap, Rebecca hit speeds over 31 mph (a lot on a cx bike) and a maximum power of just 751 watts averaging a relatively easy 187. This is a good indication of the stochastic nature of cyclocross, either you are going wicked hard or you are coasting! You can see from the graph below how the pedaling was all or nothing!



This was a little frustrating for Rebecca as the traffic of the fast and packed group of riders made it almost like a road race with a strict yellow line rule! No passing allowed!

The Next 30 Minutes
The next four laps of the race really gave Rebecca the chances she needed to get going and start to chase herself back into a decent position behind the fastest women in the world. Here the numbers from her Stages power meter really told a much faster story: Rebecca averages 25 watts more than that first lap and reaches a peak maximum 100 watts more as well! Wow, things are getting fast now!



Headed toward the Finish
For Rebecca’s final lap at Hoogerheide, she was able to keep the speed and power up all the way down to the finish line where she was able to catch one more rider and finish 24th for the day. You can see from the graph below how there was very little coasting (other than the stairs) during this final lap and as the groups got thinner how Rebecca was finally able to stay on the gas and move up.



 

This result was far from her best to date, but the overall effort showed that her fitness and strength are on track going into this weekend’s World Championships in Bieles, Luxumbourg.

Training For A Discipline of Extremes
When we train riders like Rebecca for elite cyclocross racing, we see how their Stages power meter shows the extremes of power needed for such an event. There is no “sitting in” during a cyclocross race as this chart below shows:



 

Although it is very important to work fitness and muscular endurance when training for cyclocross, it is absolutely critical to concentrate on those super high end power zones. This is why it is important to use a power meter to make sure that racers are going “hard enough” to match those zones needed on race day. Like those old coaches always say: we race like we train.

Thank you for reading.



About the Coach
Kyle Wolfe owns and runs Finish Fast Cycling. He is considered an expert coach by USA Cycling and holds his Level 1 Coaching license. Kyle is a Power Based Training Certified Coach, a title earned through months of education, training, practice and testing that has perfected his ability to maximize an athlete’s abilities using the modern power measuring equipment. He is also recognized by Training Peaks as a Certified Cycling Coach at their national level. Kyle spent two years of managing and directing a national level u-25 cycling team has also helped him refine his skills and abilities. Often considered the best two years of his life, that program has since produced a world champion, a national champion, a professional cyclocross racer, a ProTour rider and numerous elite cyclists still racing today.

Spencer Paxson is a cyclist living in northwestern Washington State, the theme for training this winter has been about opportunism and get out when ya can!