Power output during IM ride.

I did a computrainer time trial and this bike expo and the computrainer guys somehow calibrated the computrainer I was on by my weight.

That's probabaly all you need to do. Maybe contact them and they can tell you how to do it. But as soon as you do calibrate it, your speeds and watts should be identical to the road (not taking into consideration, of course, wind)

Thanks Steve, I had a feeling that I would get a reply from you. =)

Problem is that I'm NOT using a COmputrainer...(although I'm tinkering with the thought now =p)

I'm using a normal stationary trainer and I got one of those resistance plots that correlates,
1) Speed on the trainer
2) Wattage
at different resistance levels

So by knowing what output level I need to do at the IM to achieve my targeted speed ie(6hrs) , I can set my resistance level accordingly.

I've posted this on other forums and it seems like an average of 200 watts will see me through the 112 mile ride at possibly 5:20

Charles -

Try this site - it rocks:
http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

Wow, thanks for that link Mike...that is a cool calculator! I don't ride on the road with a power meter, but winter training on the CompuTrainer should give me some idea of what I'm looking at to try and ride the Lake Placid course at 19 mph.

Max

There are lots of factors involved - have you done IMUSA before? The hills are long but not too steep, there is just one little section getting back into town that is tough, but otherwise it's a very nice course.

The way I train athletes with watts is to do a CP30 to determine an estimate of watts at LT. From here you can create workouts to improve your power and strength.

Thanks Mike! I'll look into it.  I thought you only hung out at the Slowtwitch boards...ahhaha...Glad to have your invaluable expertise here  

Thanks Charles - I surf around to quite a few sites. ST has quite a crew. It can get overwhelming there.

Talk to you soon.

Mike, I have not done IM USA before, this will be my first Ironman distance. But I've been around the course in a car, and last year I was a spectator at that back section where the bike course comes up that big hill heading towards town. So I know about what it's like. That said, my bike is the strongest part of my race, having been a former USCF Cat III racer in the 70's and 80's. So the mileage and the hills will not pose a problem. I've been able to average 22 mph in an OLY distance and 20 mph in a 1/2 IM, so I'm shooting for 19 here at LP. I think I'm going to take a couple of reconaisance trips up there, (it's around a 4 hour drive from here) and pre-ride the course so I'll have a better feel for the hills and the effort involved in certain sections. I'm going to try and focus a lot of my training this Spring on hillier routes, usually in the NH mountains, to try and improve my climbing a bit more. My ability to time-trial on the aero bars is my strength, so by doing the hill work, I'm hoping to improve my overall time. I'll be 57 years old the week before the race, so maybe my fastest days are behind me, but I can still hang with some of the young guys!

I'm assuming that doing the CP30 will give me a base number to work from, and repeating it (monthly?) will give me an idea on how my power level is progressing. I've been following Chris Carmichaels cycling book and using a lot of the methods in there to work from, but basically I'm a self-coached triathlete.



Edited by max 2004-12-03 10:56 PM

Max

You'll do great up there with your background - definitely ride a few loops of the course. Maybe even make a brick out of it just to see how that course can take it out of your legs - but I bet you'll do great! If you are training in NH, even better! I grew up in RI (I'm a HUGE Sox fan) and raced in NH a few times. It's beautiful up there.

The CP30 is a great test and you might even want to take it out a bit further if you have the time and the focus. What I mean is CP60, CP 120, etc. Just to see and understand what type of power you can maintain over the course of hours and hours of training.

A good power site to look at is here: http://cyclingpeakssoftware.com/howto.html

I hope this helps.