Am I imagining that looking at my HR or speed, etc. while racing actually hampers my performance? Does anyone else feel that getting feedback is not a good thing?
I keep trying to set up my bike with the latest in feedback technology, minus wattage because there is not a reliable device that meets my needs at this time (SRM, PowerTap, Ergomo wont work for me as I use Rotor Cranks and a disc, and I hear the Polar is troublesome).
What I now have is a HRM on my stem and a Garmin Forerunner 201 on my bars. I am going to do some more testing with the Garmin this week, however I have it set to “training partner” and plug in my race distance and goal time. It then uses GPS to track where I am and where I should be. This works out pretty well for flat courses and gives me instant splits as to where I am in terms of my goal. Kind of like a team car following me letting me know where I am.
I joke with my good friend and cycling buddy (who just purchase a Timex Bodylink System) that when we race, I always beat him because during the race I always pass him when he is standing at the side of the course pushing buttons and looking at different screens trying to figure out if he is riding as fast as he is capable.
If you can restrict your desire to do this, the electronic devices may help pace you, but how is this different from knowing where you are on the course and what time it is versus the time you were planning to be there at? Just the simple time distance shit.
When I time trial I use two cyclometers and a heart rate monitor. One computer is set to distance and the other is set for speed/cadence. I know the speed I hope to achieve and the time I need to match to stay on target. The heart rate monitor is the stop watch and helps to limit “blowing up” from staying in the red zone for too long. Otherwise, its go as fast as I can and make sure I have nothing left at the end…
Absolutely. I have quit using most everything electronic because I lost count of how many times I had felt great, everything really flowing, then looked at my HRM or speed and realized I should be blowing up and struggling with those numbers, thus causing it to come true. It’s also more fun without those endlessly nagging devices.