Hi iv got a question for Andrew but it is also extended to those of you who sprint on the track and use a power meter
Basically during a rolling ‘jump’ ie an out of the saddle acceleration from a rolling start i can put out a certain number of watts, however when doing standing start efforts i cannot get close to this figure (not even within 200 watts).
I was wondering what the norm is, ie if my standing start technique was good should i be able to hit my maximum during the first moments of the effort?
I know my start technique could do with work but im just wondering what i should be aiming for
I can’t give you any numbers but do allow for the fact that power =work done/time. In other words, no matter how much force you apply to the cranks (torque) if they are not turning power will be zero. When they start turning slowly power will still be down as although torque is high the speed is still so low power will be down.
Try over at the Google Wattage forum. I haven’t seen Andy post there in the last few weeks but others may be a good resource and he has been known to post there from time to time. It’s a good resource to have access to.
Thanks guys, i had a feeling this was the case with torque, these start sessions alway put me in a bad mood because of this lol, il try and get hold of andy on one of these other forums to see if he has any additional info.
Do any of you know if you can get raw torque data from a powertap? It seems this would be a better measure of improvement in start sessions
Maybe it’s a little bit like the power curves for cars. The power depends on the rpm. Some cars have the power at low rpm, others at high rpm. A good standing start would surely require high power @ low rpm.
I’m just guessing but maybe you lack of watts is put into overcoming the inertia of your legs. When your legs are already moving you moght not have to work so hard to get them moving faster. Just a guess.
Heres a gd explanation of whats happening from a reply i just got on fixedgearfever:
Peter, Typically absolute peak power will occur somewhere between 100 and 120 rpms (which occurs 7-9 seconds into a standing effort)for most individuals. A lot of gas is required to get a race size gear from zero rpm up into the “optimal power producing” range.
The rolling start, however, allows you to get into this optimal range more quickly without spending a ton of energy getting there. Hence your higher power numbers on the rolling start.
FYI, Andrew has been banned from the the forum for quite some time now, so you’ll have to rely on subtrefuge or some other source.
Not true. He decided to not participate any longer in response to some moderating to which he did not agree. I’m fairly certain he still “lurks” though
