TRAINING TIPS

5 REASONS TO RIDE WITH POWER #2

Aug 2021

Reason #2: instant ride pacing skills

“I’m not good enough or serious enough to justify a power meter”.

The number of times I hear this and, if I had hair, it’d always have me pulling it out in frustration!

Less experienced riders have just as much to gain from using a power meter as a seasoned cyclist, and once you learn how to use it it’ll instantly give you the ride pacing skills that otherwise take years of riding to develop.

No more blowing up

As long as you stick to your zones, a power meter will instantly give you pro level pacing skills. It’s all to easy to push too hard at the beginning of rides when you’re feeling fresh and enthusiastic and then pay for it further down the road – a power meter will prevent this.

Even and accurate pacing will allow you to ride further, more efficiently and enjoy your riding more without that slow death at the back end of a ride.

Will it turn me into a stem staring robot?

No. It’ll take a few rides to get a feel for your power zones but you’ll soon learn what they’re like in your legs and lungs. A power meter really speeds up this pacing learning curve and, although you’ll glance at your head unit to check every now and then, you’ll be surprised how accurate your feel for watts will become.

Climbing class

A classic novice mistake on longer climbs is going too hard at the bottom and then, rather than riding the rest of the climb, you’re surviving it and scrabbling for lower gears you don’t have.

A power meter will prevent this from happening and allow you to top out riding strong.

Faultless fuelling

Pacing and fuelling are intrinsically linked. If you’re too riding hard, your body can’t digest and utilise fuel. By pacing better using power meter, you’ll fuel better too. A power meter will also indicate when might be the best times to take on fuel. Flat or descending Zone 1/2 is a fuelling green light, Zone 3 is an amber – probably best sticking to gels and Zone 4 and above is a red.

If you’re interested in how many calories you’re burning on a ride, a power meter is really the only easy way to get an accurate number. Algorithms that calculate calorie burn based on heart rate are typically out by 10-20%.