Hi,
I’ve calculated my goal normalized power (NP) for an upcoming 140.6 based on the TSS of 280 recommended by Joe Friel here.
My issue is, that my headunit only displays “current power”, “average power” and “lap average power”. This combined with a very hilly and very, very windy course is an issue, since it will be hard to keep VI low and therefore average power will be quite a bit lower than normalized power.
So do I just shoot for an average power (which I can see in-race) of , say 10-20W below target normalized power (which I can’t see during the race)? Ideas?
what is current power? I find 3 second and 30 second power quite usefull but 1 sec/current not so much as it flucturates too much.
also my headunit can also display NP so you might want to check that
just set power targets for the flats and uphills. on the downhills just go by feel and go into a tuck if it makes sense. rather faster than better power numbers right?!
wind shouldn’t play a role in the pacing.
Hi,
I’ve calculated my goal normalized power (NP) for an upcoming 140.6 based on the TSS of 280 recommended by Joe Friel here.
My issue is, that my headunit only displays “current power”, “average power” and “lap average power”. This combined with a very hilly and very, very windy course is an issue, since it will be hard to keep VI low and therefore average power will be quite a bit lower than normalized power. Lanzarote?
You could frequently reset your lap counter as you come to each distinct feature on the route. If you’re going up a 6% hill, you’d hit lap reset at the bottom and make sure at the top that you hit your precomputed target for 6% hills.
Or you could break it into bigger sections: calculate the avg power you’d need for each 10-mile segment, tape the list to your top tube, and make sure you hit each target, resetting the lap after each 10-mile segment.
Hi,
I’ve calculated my goal normalized power (NP) for an upcoming 140.6 based on the TSS of 280 recommended by Joe Friel here.
My issue is, that my headunit only displays “current power”, “average power” and “lap average power”. This combined with a very hilly and very, very windy course is an issue, since it will be hard to keep VI low and therefore average power will be quite a bit lower than normalized power.
So do I just shoot for an average power (which I can see in-race) of , say 10-20W below target normalized power (which I can’t see during the race)? Ideas?
From that article…
By setting my head unit to show both instantaneous power and IF I can monitor and gauge my intensity throughout the bike leg of the race. And, of course, I will do workouts in which I practice doing the same, exact numbers. So on race day there will be nothing new. I just do what I’ve rehearsed dozens of times in training. And have a great race!
Obviously that doesn’t give you NP but the IF should help gauge intensity for tough uphills. You could do %FTP as well.
If you were able to keep your instantaneous power the same as your average power then your average power would equal your normalised power. This is not very realistic on a hilly / windy course where the best you can do is set power ranges for climbing and descending and then aim to hit those. Similar to what is mentioned above you can use your lap function on each climb / descent to ensure you hit your ranges.
The biggest mistake most people make is pushing way above average on climbs and not pushing hard enough on descents. When this happens your NP will be very different to your average power.
For power, I plan to have targets for flat and hilly, adjusting for wind as head wind on a flat section is as hard as some hills. We will also have some section with so much tail wind that you may not hit your watts target.
