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Cyclingnews published this photo of Cadel Evans clearly showing his using the full powertap system this year in preperation for the Tour and Giro. He was racing in the 7th Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali - 2.1, Italy, March 27-31, 2007.
Still wondering where the motivation from David Millar to sign with Slipstream comes from? And if you did not know, Millar's influence on the team started this last year with the suggestion of one of the new foreigners, Ben Johnson to the team - Reported by Velonews. So Millar and Vaughters have a good relationship with the team so I see some more weight to the signing.
The other big singing should either confirm or go elsewhere in the next few days.
I spoke with Jesse from Powertap yesterday. He mentioned he was going to be in my neck of the woods this weekend - Ash-vegas. He is attending a CTS camp. So i did some research. Here is Chris -I sort of trained Lance Armstrong- website info:
Spin into top shape this winter and make 2007 your most powerful cycling year ever. Carmichael Training Systems brings PowerTap power training to Asheville. At our 8 week high voltage indoor training classes, you'll learn how to train with the PowerTap power meter, a proven training tool that can boost your cycling strength by12%. Keep yourself in top shape during the holidays or get a jump on next year's cycling season by signing up today.
Class Requirements: Bring your own bike to the first class and we'll install a brand-new CycleOps PowerTap rear wheel that's yours to keep for the duration of the two-month class session.
Classes held twice-a-week, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6:00 to 7:00pm at Carmichael Training Systems—Asheville,NC.
WHAT 12% are the talking about? If it were that easy to raise your level 12%, then I think most of us would know about it. 12% one day? Or new plateau?
IF you have gone to one of these camps please shoot me an email.
Saul's trying to make his comeback at the US Pro Cycling Championships. Here is a photo from a recent Computrainer race he did in New York City. Look at his freaking wattage numbers. They guy is a stud. Now granted he could do 440 for 30 minutes before the accident. But still 348 indoors on a trainer - imagine the boredom! Doing it all with a Powertap! His ride is this weekend. Go if you can.
"I just want to test myself. I feel like I never got the chance to fire on all cylinders. Credit Agricole planned to ride for me in the Giro (in 2006), and there was talk of me being the team leader in the ’07 Tour."
Good report from some of my old team mates on Saul Raisin and the special call he got during the Tour de France last year. Thor giving props 
to Saul. Enjoy the story it is a good one.
I have opened a store for the site for all of you powertap geeks. Wear the shirts on the podium when you smoke your buddies who still train with a heart rate monitor...
Saw this photo on Cyclingnews.com. Seems Doug Ollerenshaw is now a powertap geek. I had heard and read that he was into the wattage thing since he has a Master degree in engineering and very successful racaer. He saw it is a practical way to train.
Funny thing is how guys like this spread the power tap usage. My good friend raced with Doug O years ago, and he never trained with a PT. I got a call last week asking me to hook him up with one since he needs to train smater. The guy is a superstar, multi-state and national champion. But never wanted to train with power before.
Maybe old team mate Monniger was the one that turned Dougie O onto the powertap?
Thanks to all of you who responded to our first poll on which model. Overwhelmingly you are an SL audience. With a few old school and no wire riders. So you're either serious about training or rich...
New Poll - how do use your powertap?
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Great photo from the French AP service of Cadel using a Powertap during a race. I like the fact that it is right there for us to see. I have not seen too many Lotto-Pedictor team riders usig it in the Belgium Classics.
They were becoming Slipstream part II in the fact that they were sponsored but no product use in races.
Go to his site and he talks a little about using an SRM and his training and coach.
New bike arrived from Bianchi. 928 SL to replace the FG Lite cracker jack. See post below to find out why. Took 8 days to get a new frameset from them. So Thanks to Russy and Juan for making sure I had a new ride to keep training and racing.
I mounted the powertap different this time to hide the wires even more. And since you 
like videos I taped the mounting so I could show you some tips from of the trade. I will edit the videos and post by the weekend.
For now notice the "shark-fin" inside the rear triangle. This protects it, doesn't tear zip-ties when you pull wheels out or expose the wires to the outside of the frame to be pinched, cut or crushed.
I used black electrical tape to hide the wires. I like to use the clear ties that Saris puts in the kits, on a color frame since it hides well against most colors. Since this bike is all carbon the tape doesn't show.
I see a lot of people mount their unit down the top chain stay and "wrap" it around the tube which is ugly and exposes the wire to possible damage. I hope you can see that even a "wired" Powertap system can be hidden and not distract from the beauty of a bike.
Send in your tips or pictures for readers to enjoy....
it is because I am trying to change the web address to www.powertapgeek.com for all the traffic instead of to my typepad site. I am still struggling with the DNS stuff from Godaddy so some of you might get a bad "parked free page from go daddy" when you type the URL in.
Hang tight one of these days I'll get the site fixed...
I am in the process of changing DNS swettings so you may have some issues with RSS feeds, XML subscriptions and other services when the changes go into affect. sorry for any issues.
Brad Huff has a great post about hitting 1500 watts. This is something I only have done once last year. I don't practice sprinting that much anymore. I probably should since it helps with everything.
I remember reading that LeMond use to practice sprinting on Tuesday of a training week.
Watch the chain!
I was hitting the tops of the top of hills hard tonight (after riding threshold up the hill) to simulate race conditions and the chain kept slipping. Almost ripped a knee and did a Trent Klasna face plant. So before attempting at home use a fairly (not brand new installed chain) before attempting. G
ood practice though for racing, ride tempo into a hill then right up to your threshold and then a 20s - 1 minute all out effort and then settle back into tempo. It is what happens in most hilly races. Plus you start to adapt to the pain of goign right through threshold into an attack.
FEATURED WEBSITE: Rogue Mechanic
Great place for all your tech tips, questions, sneak peaks and general knowledge of how to repair your bike.
Great photo of a worn out powertap cone bearing. These are notorious for wearing out and will contribute to a slipping feeling on the cassette body. I once did a race when this failed and the hub body never felt like it wasn't engaging! Scary.
Great photo of one way to route a powertap wiring loom.
Here are some other great photos like:
There is too much info to process in one sitting. Keep up the good work.
Highlight of this video: Tom Peterson letting you know that he did 410 for 10 minutes. This is a kid who weighs 140 lbs. That is some good numbers.
Lowlight: Allen Lim's babble.
Many people respect Joe Friel for his coaching, I think that he is one of the better communicators of complex training theories. On his blog he describes the WKO+ program and what the PMC chart means:
Above is a screen shot of an athlete's "Performance Manager Chart" from WKO+. The red line represents fatigue, the blue line fitness and the black line form (race readiness). To paraphrase a basic concept from Andy Coggan, form = fitness - fatigue. This simply means that if you want to be race ready (rising black line) you need to first build fitness (rising blue line) by being very consistent with your training and then reduce fatigue (red) by allowing for rest. You can see this happening in the above chart. Fitness ratchets upward for several weeks as the athlete trains fairly consistently. Several times throughout this four-month snapshot fatigue is shed. You can see this as a drop in the red line. The athlete is resting by reducing training stress through less intensity, less frequency, less duration or some combination of these. As fatigue is reduced, form rises. The athlete is becoming race ready. Very simple to see.
But there are some less obvious nuances. For example, notice in circle "A" that fatigue drops and form rises. The athlete is becoming race ready. But also notice that fitness is dropping at the same time. Whenever training stress is reduced to eliminate fatigue, fitness also begins a slow decline. Basically, the same thing is happening with circle B--fatigue is down, form is up and fitness is dropping slightly. Even though form appears to be about the same level in both circles, notice that fitness drops more in circle A. In fact, the athlete reported not feeling very sharp at the form high point in A, but reported feeling quite strong at circle B's high form point. Obviously, because not as much fitness was lost.
So what does this mean? For years I have been tapering athletes in the Peak period by having them do a race effort workout every 72 hours with two active recovery days between. This has usually worked well. Circle B reflects that training method. Essentially, circle A had too many days of active recovery between the hard workouts. So because of the software now I can now see a representation of what I figured out many years ago and I can actually manage the day the athlete comes into high form. Pretty remarkable.
Stay tuned as I'm told there are even more remarkable features being designed for the software. It's becoming more fun all the time.
Here is agreat highlight video from the 2006 Greenville Classic that I raced in. I am in the blue and white kit #72. Near the end you see George Hincapie go to the front to close a gap and he basically kills the field. I was second wheel behind him and I have never pedaled that hard in my life. My muscles finally gave out!
Download GreenvilleCrit2006race.wko
By request here is the 2006 Greenville Classic file. I was at 1095 Watts when George was pulling away from me at 32 mph. Think you can go pro? He was soft pedaling the race... If you want an image file I need your help since I do not know how to do that in WKO+ (HELP HELP HELP)
Even Chris Horner needs some help figuring out a Powertap wireless. I cringe when he calls it a Toy. But I can imagine he uses it more often he can dial his form better.
This crazy video came my way from someone who says it is a UK ride/race. Nice grade! If anyone did this race, with a power meter send the data. I would love to see what pain you went through.
Dear USA Cycling Member,
On March 31, in Dalton, Ga., a very special bike ride is happening which we hope you will attend. The Raisin Hope Ride for Charity will benefit three different head and spine injury/rehabilitation charities and the USA Cycling Development Foundation. As you may be aware, former USA Cycling National Development Team rider and current pro with the French-based Credit Agricole Team, Saul Raisin has made what is truly a remarkable recovery from a life-threatening accident which occurred in a European race almost a year ago.
Now, Saul wants to give back to the organizations that have helped him in the past and celebrate life at the same time with a ride in the beautiful North Georgia Hills.
To read more and register, visit www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=1447. A t-shirt and lunch are provided with your registration.
Saul has also organized an online auction of some notable cycling collectables and other items as part of his fundraising efforts. To check out the auction, visit http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbrittanysbo.
Or, to simply make a donation, visit www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=1448.
Saul is very focused on making a comeback in competitive cycling and has dedicated himself to helping others through this ride. Please join him in Dalton on March 31 and show your support. We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
USA Cycling Development Foundation
Saul Raisin has posted his first diary entry on his road back to racing. He has a ride coming up in march for all of us to join him for a charity ride for awareness of brain injuries and research. If you can join him for a great weekend.
It may seem a bit early, but Team Slipstream seems to be adding some real power houses for the 2008 season. It is all part of the plan to elevate the program for the coming future and transition from USA to European racing. Each guy listed is a consistent power meter user...
I am without two wheels. The FG Lite has died. I did a race this past weekend and in the break the bike would not stay in the big ring. So I had to drop out. Now I know what the problem was. The frame is cracked in two places. Downtube right at the water bottle braze-on. The other at the seatpost/bottom bracket weld. I loved that bike. Luckily a new Felt is on its way but will not be here in enough time to allow me to race this weekend. RIP...
In the February e-Tips, Joe Friel wrote about the benefits of buying a power meter for cyclists and triathletes. I wanted to expand on one of the benefits Joe only briefly emphasized—racing with a power meter.
I find all too often that athletes leave the power meter at home on weekends when they are racing. It seems most power meters are only used within training, which is a real shame since one of the best ways to make the most of your power meter purchase is to race with it. If you aren't racing with a power meter here is what you are missing.
Let me first start by describing the experience I had in February at the Tour of California professional bike race. I had the pleasure of following the event and helping out three teams who are sold on the value of racing with power. The professional teams Predictor-Lotto (Belgium), T-Mobile (Germany) and the USA National Cycling Team all provided power meters to their athletes to race with during this event. The team coaches and doctors realized the enormous amount of data they could collect within this eight-day stretch of racing. This would provide an ideal opportunity to collect data that would quantify the exact demands of the race, and also paint a complete picture of the athlete's current fitness.
Racing is the ultimate real-world test. Knowing the demands of the sport is the first step toward designing an effective training program. After all, isn't the point of training to adapt to the demands of the event? How many watts does it take to finish the race or to make the front group over the climb? If you are a road racer this is a crucial number to know that heart rate can't tell you. Heart rate in fact becomes even more valuable (another one of Joe's points from last month's article) once you know the workload it took to signal the heart to pump at a certain level.
Are you a triathlete? If so, how hard did you go in the first half of your bike leg versus the last half of the bike? This can't be analyzed with heart rate and speed. More often than not triathletes start their bike segments much too hard and suffer dearly the second half of the bike, and hence later on the run as well. Having a power meter can help you analyze your pacing and create a winning strategy. Racing with a power meter in a time trial is almost cheating.
Why give your competition an advantage before you have even started? Remember the famous 1989 Tour de France when Laurent Fignon forewent using triathlon style aero bars and subsequently lost the race to Greg LeMond by eight seconds? Believe me, using a power meter in a long triathlon such as an Ironman-distance event can save you a lot more than just eight seconds—try eight or more minutes!
If you still aren't convinced of the value of racing with a power meter look no further than T-Mobile, Predictor-Lotto, the USA Cycling National Team and Floyd Landis. Landis no doubt won the Tour de France in controversy, but he also did it having raced with a power meter the entire three weeks.
During the Tour of California I worked with two professional riders, Mario Aerts and Josep Jufre-Pou (you can see all of their power files at https://www.trainingpeaks.com/sites/predictor%2Dlotto/racetrainingdata.asp ) who even decided to not use their disc wheels within the 14-mile time trial in order to race with power and gain the data. In Josep's case gaining the power data meant losing a top-15 final classification, but the data can now be used to help him objectively train for his major goal of the year, the Tour of Italy.
Josep, who weighs 147 pounds, averaged 388 watts for 32 minutes. His maximum 20-minute value was 400 watts. He can now use this data to design specific intervals that will prepare him for the two individual time trials at this year's Tour of Italy. The reality of the situation is that the Tour of California was more or less a training event for Josep. He not only gained the fitness that came from finishing the race, but he can now take that fitness to another level, which would be impossible without having the actual race files.
How much faster are you trying to become? No doubt it is probably more than eight seconds. If you are trying to improve your times by minutes then a power meter is well worth the money. Think of it as having purchased a year's worth of fitness (or more) all in a box.
Dirk Friel has raced as a professional cyclist on the roads of Europe, Asia and the Americas since 1992. He is also an Ultrafit Associates coach specializing in road training with power. Dirk is also co-founder of TrainingPeaks.com. He may be reached by e-mail at dfriel@ultrafit.com.
Dirk Friel has a great write up for Velonews. In it he summarizes the Tour of California. He explains a lot of particular details as it relates to the difference of a professional and amateur rider. Here is one highlight showing the deficiency of Kj versus TSS score as a measure of intensity.
One interesting thing is that Dirk relates higher wattage output as efficiency rather then strength. This is a mental shift for me since I tend to think that a guy who is 400 watts is stronger then a guy with 300 watts (at threshold). It comes down to the things we all learn racing and riding bikes, the better and smoother your cadence the more efficient your riding.
Highlights from the artilce:
Jufre's 3 hour breakaway in stage 6: 284 watts for more than three hours
For
example, think about how efficient it is for a professional like
Michael Barry to push 200 watts as compared to a recreational rider of
the same body weight. Michael is simply much more efficient and
therefore his TSS score for an hour at 200 watts would be very low
compared to a recreational rider. Michael's one-hour ride at 200w may
only produce 30 TSS points, whereas the recreational rider may be at a
max effort for one hour at 200 watts and therefore produce a score of
100 TSS points. But if we tracked kilojoules they would have both
produced the same value. This is not a very good measure especially as
threshold power changes over time.
Photo: Graham Watson, article Velonews by Dirk Friel. Commentary: Powertapgeek...
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