watts at LT?

[grodo]

I often hear this referred to: watts at LT, power at LT? Many riders use that as sort of a description of their level... my question is, are they talking about wattage sustained for a certain time? Or is it simply what wattage was reached when LT was reached? Or does it mean the rider can continue to push a certain amount of wattage as long as they ride at LT?

ie. rider x says, my power at LT is 325 watts.

thanks for any insight.

[fuzzthebee]

Usually they are referring to something like 40 km time trial power or what they can sustain for 1 hour or 'functional threshold' (FT). Most people confuse the term LT with this type of effort, when true LT power levels can be sustained for around 3 hrs. ie: true LT power is lower.

That's not to say that you won't encounter riders with an actual LT of 325+ watts. ie: the point in blood testing when LT was reached, which is what they could sustain for around 3 hrs.

[grodo]

thanks. that clears it up for me, although it also depresses me... i can hold 325 watts for a while, but I'm talking minutes...

guess thats why i never progressed past mid-pack cat 3?

thanks again