I did my first race in a new position that put me much lower in the front.

Comparatively, on the same course as last year I was almost 2 minutes slower (no fitness drop that I'm aware of and, although much colder, no wind that I recall either day). Unfortunately, due to the timing of the position shift and issues with ordering bike parts, this was my first ride in the new position. I also just started riding with a PM so I can't compare that year-over-year.

Given I'm the same rider who feels equally trained (I know, that's very subjective), I was expecting a faster, not slower bike split, and I certainly didn't expect to be 2 minutes slower. But, I can see how a different position means different muscle recruitment so maybe there's a learning curve in power for my new position?

The above leads me to this question: Is a visual bike fit pointless without measuring power during the fit?

I ask this question from an academic perspective, but also because I'm from the Philadelphia area and can't seem to get anyone here who lists "fitting" on their website to actually set up an appointment. Therefore, if I need to make adjustments, I'm stuck with driving 90+ minutes at least and I want to make that trip worth it.