Racing with a power meter is very helpful in terms of pacing. I had a race about a month ago and I averaged a power lower than my target, but my RPE was much higher in terms of what I typically feel like with that power. I have a power2max power meter with elliptical chain rings
That being said, Does anybody have any idea what kind of variability one can see in terms of power with a large increase in temperature during a ride? It was about 73 when I started the ride at 85 when I finished (Olympic distance race, got really hot and imploded completely on the run). Does the temperature increasing force a lower or higher value on a strain gauge? I found a white paper that says strain would increase with temperature, so the power numbers would be HIGHER than normal.
Anyways, I was targeting 270 W and averaged 261 for a speed of 24.3 mph. My IF was 0.90 which is what I was ultimately targeting, but I felt like I was doing more based on how my legs felt on the run…
Thoughts? Experiences? Maybe I’m just a crappy triathlete?
Thanks