I think on most courses it would be more important to know your w/cda

FWIW though, 2.6w/kg seems pretty low.

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The number I saw was 4w/kg. No idea if it's true, I'm not a kona contender.

It depends on if you are talking watts output during the race, or FTP. Also it depends on what gender and age group you are talking about. Also if it is a flat (possibly even windy) course your CdA might make much more of a difference than W/kg might like it would on a more hilly course.

I think 4 w/kg may be closer to what a pro would ride at...

Yes, true. I think the number I was seeing was the avg watts DURING the race...not their threshold power.

2.6 is still pretty low if you are talking about mid-range male age groups. Closer to 3.0 is probably more like it.

Maybe it was 2.9? I remember it being below 3, but that was 'then.'

For sure, I should have clarified the 4w/kg was FTP, not power during the ride. Good catch.

I don't think my post was all that clear anyway ;) But I would agree, 4.0 would need to be the threshold power...or higher.

Last year my bike split was about 15 minutes slower than people who KQ'd and I was riding at 3.2w/kg.

This year I was going to attempt to ride at 3.5w/kg. A couple months beforehand I rode the course at that effort. I didn't make it to the startline (got injured) but my 'models' suggest that would have been enough to KQ (if I could have run well off the back of it).

(Would have put my threshold at about 4-4.1w/kg)

Mine is 4.5 w/kg. I am a fast swimmer and an ok runner (relative to other qualifiers). If there are 5 slots in an AG - I would probably take the 3rd.

4 w/kg sounds about right for a minimum value. (You would probably also need a particularly fast run, swim or really little CDA).

I could be wrong but I remember reading Lance Armstrong was at the high end at 2.6 pounds per inch of height as far as weight goes, and then the urban legend of 6.8 watts per kg of power output.

Friel talked about high-performance (men) triathletes generally being 2.1 to 2.3 pounds per inch, which is why I have an eating disorder.

Joking. Sort of.

A bigger guy with a good run might kq on 2.75/3.8 ride/ftp but it would be unusual.

A power to weight ratio of 4w/kg is a competitive Category 2 racer isn't it?

I don't think so...

FYI, I raced Kona this year.....NP 199w weight on check in 72kg (160 at numbering pre race)

For me - 3.2 watts/kg. My FTP is 4.3 watts/kg.

My N=1 IMLT w/kg were 3.02 Haven't tested FTP in a while, but I expect peak season form is right on 4.0. I rode a tad too hard, but then again, Tahoe has Brockaway x2.

229 watts @ 75.75kgs @ IMLT

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Thoughts on being an Urban Triathlete

Here's a few links/charts: Hope it helps. Freil suggest a 2.9-3.3 w/kg from males under 35. Then it changes as you get older and if you're a woman.


http://www.endurancecorner.com/...0Your%20Ironman%20II


http://www.trainingbible.com/...g/labels/Hawaii.html
"The average watts per kilogram for the other amateurs should probably be in the range of 2.9 to 3.3 w/kg (1.3-1.5 w/lb). And that’s only for the young males. For every year beyond the age of 35 subtract a half percentage point. Women can lower that by yet another 10 percent. So for a man who weighs 72 kg and is 55 years of age, the estimated Ironman power range would be approximately 188 to 214 watts (72kg x 2.9-3.3 = 209-238w, subtract 10% for 20 years of age = 188-214w). A woman of the same age who weighs 60 kg (132 lbs) may subtract another 10 percent for a ballpark range of 141 to 160 watts."

There is too much math in triathlon for me to be any good.

Just another data point but in M30-34 I qualified on 3.17 watts/kg with an FTP of 4.4. Obviously, it doesn't mean anything if you can't string together the right kind of run after it, which requires a number of things, including some luck.

Bingo! That's the one! Thank you.

I was 3.24 w/Kg at the Muskoka IM and was the fastest bike split that day...of people who ran.

Ken

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"the trick is to keep losing weight until your friends and family ask you if you've been sick. then you know you're within 10 pounds. if they start whispering to each other, wondering if you've got cancer or aids, you're within 5. when they actually do an intervention, you're at race weight." - Slowman

Don't feel bad, took me a hot min to figure out as well, I wanted to calculate for a 41 year old woman (I'm not one, but I coach one).

I'm sure someone who'd good at excel could create a spreadsheet that'd auto populate the numbers for you... I could figure it out but it'd take a few hours haha.