Has anyone used either previous race files (ie, a Garmin File) or a race plan (ie, a bestbikesplit generated file) and their smart trainer (in erg mode maybe?) to simulate a race?
What I would really like to do is be able to take a race plan and ride it in erg mode such that I spend the same amount of time in the various power zones for that race.
What smart trainer would be best?
What software/app would be best?
Is this of any training value or am I barking up the wrong tree?
Is this of any training value or am I barking up the wrong tree?
Yes, wrong tree. I’ve tried it on various occasions with .gpx files and course creation for the CompuTrainer and in my experience it never really lives up to the expectations for a variety of reasons:
Wonky GPS data points need smoothed over, but even then it always feels like some hill is too long/short or too steep/shallow.Climbing itself is poorly simulated. At least on the CT I find the feel gets really awkward much beyond 7% gradient.Dialing in the same speed indoors and outdoors is really hard. I’ve tried and my indoor rides for the same effort remain faster after adjusting up my frontal area and weight to compensate.It just isn’t nearly as motivating. The closest thing might be using things like Real Course Video though.
What actually works is looking at your perceived deficiencies in power and endurance and just training those. On short courses there is something to be said for reading the terrain and adjusting effort in a tactical manner. For this one of the best tools is probably the segments app that Wahoo made for the Kickr. Otherwise I tend to think the path of improvement is to think in terms of doing training routines that train your weakness and if the event is longer (as suits most slowtwitchers) then the variability index is low enough that tactical matters of the course tend to decrease in importance.
One thing I have found to be quite useful is to chase a past performance done on the trainer. I’m not sure if other systems do this, but the training software for the CompuTrainer lets you ride the virtual course with one or more past performances ghost riders. It can be quite motivating to “chase” yourself and to experiment with doing positive/negative splits or lifting power uphill. The downside can be that chasing after personal bests too much is unrealistic and counter productive but if you race against your past performance from ~60 days ago it is pretty clear where your relative fitness lies. In this scenario the course isn’t nearly as important as the motivation factor of the simulation.
I’ve used BBS with a simple (non-erg) trainer for course simulation and found it to be quite helpful. Granted the courses I’ve done that with so far have all been relatively flat, so the primary training purpose has been “just keep pedaling”. I tend to find that my power output outdoors is +10W over the trainer on the same effort. So generally if I can hit all of my power targets on the trainer over 4-5 hours then doing the same outdoors comes much easier.
Has anyone used either previous race files (ie, a Garmin File) or a race plan (ie, a bestbikesplit generated file) and their smart trainer (in erg mode maybe?) to simulate a race?
What I would really like to do is be able to take a race plan and ride it in erg mode such that I spend the same amount of time in the various power zones for that race.
What smart trainer would be best?
What software/app would be best?
Is this of any training value or am I barking up the wrong tree?
I think bestbikesplit really shines in being able to create the race plan and then you execute it. I was within 5 minutes of my estimated time at IM LOU for the bike and that was with stopping twice so with that in consideration, it was spot on. I used the erg file in both TrainerRoad and PerfPro with my wahoo kickr-- any supported program will be fine, same for smart trainers. I felt like this added to my confidence level but I wouldn’t say it should replace physically riding the course yourself. There were a few things on the course that I was unfamiliar with going into because I never previewed the course.
What do you think of perfpro? I have read that it does “powermatch” with a smart trainer and a power metre, just like Trainer Road…have you used that?
What do you think of perfpro? I have read that it does “powermatch” with a smart trainer and a power metre, just like Trainer Road…have you used that?
I’m a huge fan of PerfPro, mostly because I hate monthly fees but also because it has loads more features than other software. I haven’t kept up with TR since I stopped my subscription a year ago but at the time anyway PerfPro had a lot more features than TR.
As for the “powermatch” you’re talking about I’m not sure exactly which feature you mean. PerfPro has a simulated power for people who don’t have a power meter. This is comparable to trainerroads virtual power or zwift’s zpower. I haven’t used PerfPro’s version so can’t comment on that.
If you’re talking about having your smart trainer controlled by an external power meter then yes, I have used that and I love it. I have one of the earlier kickr production units which seemed to have avoided some of the questionable power numbers that some people saw in later production models. My kickr has always agreed with my Vector’s within a 1%, but for safe measure I enabled this feature when Drew pushed out the update. Some people have asked me in the past why I use the feature if I never saw any issues with the accuracy of the kickr and the reason is because I just wanted more consistency. I always ride with my vectors so I know whether I’m inside or outside I’m getting the same numbers. There’s no delay in the training software changing resistance of your smart trainer when using this feature compared to going without the feature