Tuesday Worlds power map / Golden Cheetah question

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My schedule was freed up enough for me to ride the Tuesday Worlds ride tonight leaving from Bob’s Bikes. Great people, great ride, great training. Definitely makes for a very colorful power map thanks to Golden Cheetah (excellent software).

I’ll write up more about Golden Cheetah when I have time, but I am wondering if anyone else has used it and observed trends in their Pedal Force / Pedal Velocity graphs. I seem to get very different data when racing vs training … see graphs below

Blue/green circles are during the 8/16/11 Tuesday Worlds race ride. Note the vertical orientation.

Red circles are during my climbing and riding before the Tuesday worlds ride. Note the diagonal orientation that matches the expected curve.

Georgia Cycling Gran Prix Time Trial – Saturday, 7/23/11 – mostly vertical orientation, slightly sloping in expected direction

Georgia Cycling Gran Prix Covington Criterium – Saturday, 7/23/11 – vertical orientation

Crossroads Classic – Salisbury Circuit Race – 8/7/11 – note the reverse trend sloping in exactly opposite than expected direction

Comments

4 responses to “Tuesday Worlds power map / Golden Cheetah question”

  1. Travis L Avatar
    Travis L

    Really interesting. Maybe it’s due to drafting/attacks. In a pack, cadence can stay the same as the speed is fairly constant, but attacks mean more and less power at same RPM. In training, effort more closely matches RPM since you’re in the wind. As you noted, the TT data seems to match the expected slope better since no drafting, more constant power.

  2. kartoone Avatar
    kartoone

    Yeah, I think drafting plays a big role – sometimes you are at the front with no draft and sometimes you are drafting and that would lead to different force being applied for same wattage. Makes sense! Also, I wonder if attacking explains some of the wildly different cadences. If I am attacking, then I’ll usually do it at a lower cadence, but if I’m following somebody else’s attack then I will spin whatever gear I am currently in up to a really high cadence and then downshift to something more comfortable once we are off the front.

  3. bamaearl Avatar
    bamaearl

    I was glad to see you at the Tuesday Werld’s. You did good to get them on pump house!
    I cant wait to see how you and Pat and Stuart do at River Gorge. I am expecting for the best… 1,2,3.

    1. kartoone Avatar
      kartoone

      Thanks James – it’s going to be a packed field at River Gorge. Pat and I are both on really good form, though, so I’m thinking we are both going to do really well.

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