"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Racing with a computer

How many of you guys race with a computer on the bike. I was thinking about this the other day when I got my new computer. It is a Garmin 205. It has plenty of data logging to help my training, but I was wondering if it is really needed in a race. I mean in a race sure it is nice to know how fast you are going, but really all I need to know is who is in front, and in back, if they are closing, or if I am, and how hard I am working, and how much left I have in me. The computer tells me none of that. The nice thing is, the Garmin is easy on, easy off. I can easily take it off for races. Then I can save 88g without it. I am a weight weenie, yes I know. Besides that the bike would be slightly more aero. I strive for every advantage I can get so I am thinking the computer is dead weight, and aerodynamically inefficient. Anyone else ever ponder this, or anyone out there race computerless?

I always race with my HRM/computer, if only because I can download speed, elevation, and HR data to my PC after the race and analyse my performance and where I need to focus my training. Fore example, is there a certain type of terrain where my HR consistently blows up, or is there a pattern in my HR/speed prior to getting dropped, etc.

I wouldn't worry about the extra weight or aero penalty. The data will be more helpful than the drawbacks will be damaging with regards to your performance.

OCLV - have you raced before??

I race with my Powertap quite a bit.

On the track I race without a computer-- the computer isn't going to tell you anything useful compared to what you're going to see with your eyes. In a mass start race the only thing that matters is that you're across the line ahead of other people at the appropriate times.

When I race crits I have a computer, but again, it doesn't tell me anything useful about how to race. Even the speed doesn't really matter-- you have to go as fast as you have to go. When I've used a HRM in races it was just to record time in various HR zones-- again, you're either in the race or not, and the computer isn't going to help with that unless you're off the front by yourself with nobody else in sight and trying to hold things right on the edge of what you can do without dying.

If you race with a computer, the best you'll ever get is 3rd place. You lose aero advantage with a computer on the bike. You are wasting in the neighborhood of .0007 watts with that computer stuck in the wind.......... oh yeah, better pop that zit on yer chin too............. don't want that hanging out there slowin ya down.

most pros that race with computers, hrms, srms, and powertaps so if its good for them.. its good for us..

They also train 30 hours a week, run 6+ inches of drop, have coaches and doctors analyzing every file ....

What they do has no bearing on most.


It might be helpful if you already have your sh*t down but more likely just pay attention to what is happening in the race. If the finish line is coming up and there are still bikes in front of you, pass them.

OCLV - have you raced before??

Yes.

Also I should have specified. This question is geared towards mass start road racing. In crits, I could see the advantage of knowing your lap times, and knowing how much you can shave off when you need to go for it. In a TT I can see where if you knew your personal best, and striving to better that at every split, but for a mass start race I see no advantage to using a computer. Even in a TT I can see where besting your best wouldn't work depending on conditions, such as wet or windy. The only time I ever used it is to check my speed, but there really was no since to it, I don't feel knowing it was of any advantage. Also I have never TT, or done Crits, but I have Road Raced.

I do.

Good to know the amount of time in the red zone. With my Garmin, my main screen is taken up with 5 fields. Largest is HR, four smaller ones are lap time, distance, speed and ascent.

RR: red zone time
TT: ability to ride at exact threshold
Crit: lap time and red zone

How about how far it is to the feed zone? Or how far it is to the next climb? How about hearing on the radio that the break is 2:30 up the road and knowing you have 60km to bridge or reel them in.

How about looking at your HR and seeing you need a few more km to recover before your attack? How about realizing you haven't eaten in 40 minutes so now might be a good time?

How about knowing you can really squeeze a few more watts out as you work in a break? Or bridge? Or chase?

How about seeing what kind of speed the others in the break are pulling and doing the same work, but no more, so you can jump them at the end?

Downloading your race and looking at it afterwards is, by far, the best way to analyze and adjust your training.

Maybe those who say if the finish line is coming just pass a bunch of people wouldn't find any of this information useful. I do.

I only use an HRM but if I could afford a Powertap or the like, I'd use that too.

I do, but pay little attention to it whilst riding unless I'm all by myself and want pacing for the long haul. Otherwise, there's plenty to look at around you.

How about how far it is to the feed zone? Or how far it is to the next climb? How about hearing on the radio that the break is 2:30 up the road and knowing you have 60km to bridge or reel them in.

Not a lot of races around here where those questions are even going to come up. And radios are only allowed in P/1/2 races in the US. If he's in those races he already should know if a computer will be useful to him.



How about looking at your HR and seeing you need a few more km to recover before your attack? How about realizing you haven't eaten in 40 minutes so now might be a good time?


You should be able to answer the first without an HRM, and and the second is again not going to be useful in a 1 hr crit. Almost any race where feeding will be necessary will have other cues.



How about knowing you can really squeeze a few more watts out as you work in a break? Or bridge? Or chase?

How about seeing what kind of speed the others in the break are pulling and doing the same work, but no more, so you can jump them at the end?


determined by the race-- you don't need to know how fast the break is going to minimize your effort in it.



Downloading your race and looking at it afterwards is, by far, the best way to analyze and adjust your training.


yes, it is actually useful for that. But more power for longer, and with faster recovery is always going to be useful in a mass start, and you can figure that out as much during training as racing.



Maybe those who say if the finish line is coming just pass a bunch of people wouldn't find any of this information useful. I do.

I have friends who focus on their power and speed and can tell you how much power they were doing at all different points during the race, and how fast, and all the various telemetry almost as soon as the race is over. They don't race well in mass starts, because they get hung up on that, not on crossing the line first. The ones who do well either can't tell you that, or tell you later because they don't know until they downloaded it. For someone who doesn't know whether to race with a computer or not, they'll learn to be a better racer faster without one. Then it can become an occasionally useful tool later, but not something to get hung up on.

If nothing else, knowing the elapsed time and distance are useful in just about any race unless you know the course inside-out, and it's not a crit.

Take off my HR monitor during a race.

I would see the big numbers and psych myself out. Easier not knowing whta my heart rate is since it won't make it any easier and I don't worry about blowing up/recovering.

Leave on the regular computer but I don't bother looking at it, the speed is what it is.

If you have the time to look at your computer during a race, you aren't going hard enough. I don't even notice the PowerTap head until the race is over.

And I hate to say it, if you show up with a Garmin on your bars, you'll immediately be pegged as a noob and someone to stay away from...

I've been experimenting over the past couple of months, doing a series of local hillclimb races both with and without my PowerTap. The anecdotal evidence from this suggests that I do better...at least on hillclimbs...with it rather than without, even though it's quite a bit heavier than my non-PT wheel + computer.

Probably doesn't apply do just any ol' computer, but with the PowerTap I'm able to meter out my effort more sensibly. I know roughly how much I can put out over various time periods, and I know roughly how long each climb is going to take. So I usually shoot for close to my number, maybe slightly below for the beginning and slightly above for the end. Without it, I blow myself out too early and suffer mightily.

Take off my HR monitor during a race.

I would see the big numbers and psych myself out. Easier not knowing whta my heart rate is since it won't make it any easier and I don't worry about blowing up/recovering.

Leave on the regular computer but I don't bother looking at it, the speed is what it is.

Are you really that susceptible to an LCD display?

Why not just put tape over the first digit so when you're HR is 185 you think it's 85 and keep attacking? Psych yourself in instead.

If you have the time to look at your computer during a race, you aren't going hard enough. I don't even notice the PowerTap head until the race is over.

And I hate to say it, if you show up with a Garmin on your bars, you'll immediately be pegged as a noob and someone to stay away from...

I dunno, if you're going so hard you can't look at your computer, you may have upgraded too early.

I'd never notice another rider's Garmin to shun them.

If all you look at is speed then no, you don't need it for racing. Unless you are gathering some sort of telemetry off it it's useless except, as above, to count kms to the feed zone, sprint point or the BIG hill.

Everything else is irrelevant in the race.. it's how you place that counts.

Remember a MI State RR sometime in the middle 90's. Dude in the break not only wearing his HR monitor, but had the audible alarm on. Funny, everytime that thing went off on a hill 2 or 3 riders would attack :lol:

I've never quite understood this. To me race day isn't about fitness, it's a game. There are certain points in a race you need to react to, regardless of the speed your heart rate, power output ect. Sometimes you can rest, sometimes you gotta dig deep. My HR and wattage doesn't matter, when it's time to bridge or sprint I either make it or not.

Oh, in answer to the question. Never use a spedo or HR on the Track, leave the spedo on for Crits because im too lazy to take it off. Always use them training.

During long hill intervals I perceive my effort to be much more than it is (in reference to HR) with out looking at the monitor. Knowing I'm able to increase HR another 10bpm before the "red zone" say, I increase the effort. PE is super deceptive.

So, for me at least, this is directly applicable to ITT's and road races where a long climb or chasing or maintaining a break is concerned. Works in a crit while chasing or maintaining a break as well.

Other than that while riding along in a pack, referencing HR is useless. The only other function I monitor is distance during a rr or tt.

The only races where I use my Powertap to help dictate my pace are hillclimbs and TT's. For these two events I use the meter to pace myself for the max power I can do for that duration. TT's I'll start a bit under FTP and then ramp according to feel and distance to the finish.

For crits and RR's either you can respond to the moves and stay in the race or not. The caveat to this is the breakaway. If you're in one or going to instigate one then having a powermeter along can be really nice. Just peg it for 60 seconds and then try settle into the max power you can for the proper duration to the finish.

Remember a MI State RR sometime in the middle 90's. Dude in the break not only wearing his HR monitor, but had the audible alarm on. Funny, everytime that thing went off on a hill 2 or 3 riders would attack :lol:

:roflmao:


That's classic.

This thread really has me wanting to race. That's only what, 4-5 months away? :mad:

We did that to a teammate of ours at a training race last spring. Hilarious.

I ride with a computer in all types of races. In crits I turn it sideways (stem mounted) because I don't want to scare myself into slowing down if/when I start or bridge to a break. In road races I actually monitor it so I know when/where the feet zones are. The former will change this year, as I'm racing in the 1/2s now, and doubt I will get many opportunities in crits. But, as I get to travel further abroad for RRs, I'll be doing long climbs and will have to see what kind of power I'm capable of producing multiple times.

The only time I ever have the current power displayed is during a climb, just because it's something to look at and take my mind off the pain. "Oh, I've never seen numbers in the 600's for a minute before. Hmmm." Otherwise I have it set to display max speed and max power.

I used my powertap mainly for data logging. I also used the time to gauge when to eat and how much longer I had to suffer.

I dunno, if you're going so hard you can't look at your computer, you may have upgraded too early.

I'd never notice another rider's Garmin to shun them.

Nope, my upgrade was just fine, thank you! I leave it on the course. After a 60-90 minute crit, if you can sit around and talk about what you could/would/should have done, you weren't going hard enough. If you have time to look at a Garmin or PT and scroll through the functions, you definitely aren't riding as hard as you could/should...

I dunno, if you're going so hard you can't look at your computer, you may have upgraded too early.


Nope. When I started winning a lot I found out it's a lot more painful than not winning.

Nope, my upgrade was just fine, thank you! I leave it on the course. After a 60-90 minute crit, if you can sit around and talk about what you could/would/should have done, you weren't going hard enough. If you have time to look at a Garmin or PT and scroll through the functions, you definitely aren't riding as hard as you could/should...

Yeah, my point is that there are always times in races where you back it off a bit. I leave it set on elapsed time for crits (so I can estimate when the counter goes to 5). I leave it set to distance for road races, especially if I don't know the course from experience, so I can remember where likely/potential selection points are coming up from the profile.

I was sarcastically suggesting the early upgrade, because everyone realistically has time to look at a display, other than in something like a match sprint. Choosing not to distract yourself is fine. There's not any required data on the computer, but if you want it, it's there.

Always. I've tested myself several times by turning my HR monitor display away from me and downloading the data after the ride. The fact is that my perceived exertion is higher than my actual exertion almost 100% of the time. I go harder with my HR monitor and now that I have a PT, I have even better data. I could not imagine time trialing without one or even road racing unless you just plan on riding with the pack all day.

Always. I've tested myself several times by turning my HR monitor display away from me and downloading the data after the ride. The fact is that my perceived exertion is higher than my actual exertion almost 100% of the time. I go harder with my HR monitor and now that I have a PT, I have even better data. I could not imagine time trialing without one or even road racing unless you just plan on riding with the pack all day.

+1. Enquiring minds want to know.

When racing the only things I've found a computer useful for are;

a/ Time - How long to go when racing a crit
b/ How far you have raced on a course you are unfamiliar with so you know how far it is to the finish or
c/ in a stage race where there are sprints out on the road and you want to know how far from the sprint you are.

It might be interesting to find out average speed at the end of the race but as biting duck says its all acedemic when the purpose is to cross the line first.

I use the computer to collect data to check after the race, same with hrm. I Use data during the race if its a TT. I am lousy at subjetive judgement about effort so it helps me ride TT control.

sh*t!!! do you live to hammer every post i write.. jackass

I can't help it if you are usually wrong, yeesh...

Take it to a room, love birds

How is knowing HR, watts going to make a difference when you are off the front or off the back? Are you going to back off because you look down and your HR is too high when you are off the back? Of course not, you are going to push until you get back on. Your body will tell you when you have reached your max HR.

The only parameter that could be of any real use in a race is cadence. Especially in a crit, you want to be at your optimum cadence, so glancing down to see that you are not bogged down when the pack slows up or overspinning when the pace picks up is useful. Its like in a motorcycle or car race, theres no speedo, only rev counter.

How is knowing HR, watts going to make a difference when you are off the front or off the back? Are you going to back off because you look down and your HR is too high when you are off the back? Of course not, you are going to push until you get back on. Your body will tell you when you have reached your max HR.

The only parameter that could be of any real use in a race is cadence. Especially in a crit, you want to be at your optimum cadence, so glancing down to see that you are not bogged down when the pack slows up or overspinning when the pace picks up is useful. Its like in a motorcycle or car race, theres no speedo, only rev counter.

Yeah I agree with that. Which is why I race with the computer on, but have it turned sideways on my stem so I can't see the screen.

I did use the computer's cadence function with the other two parameters covered with electrical tape once this year, but only that one time. Might do it more often this upcoming season.

How is knowing HR, watts going to make a difference when you are off the front or off the back? Are you going to back off because you look down and your HR is too high when you are off the back? Of course not, you are going to push until you get back on. Your body will tell you when you have reached your max HR.

The only parameter that could be of any real use in a race is cadence. Especially in a crit, you want to be at your optimum cadence, so glancing down to see that you are not bogged down when the pack slows up or overspinning when the pace picks up is useful. Its like in a motorcycle or car race, theres no speedo, only rev counter.

so if you don't have a computer u dont know approximately what your cadence is? ive found i can get in the ballpark of +/- 3 based on feel alone, and i have not been riding a bike too long compared to many on these forums.

also there are many studies that show self selected cadence is usually the best. these 2 points combined, i dont see why you'd ever need to check on your cadence during a race.

How is knowing HR, watts going to make a difference when you are off the front or off the back? Are you going to back off because you look down and your HR is too high when you are off the back? Of course not, you are going to push until you get back on. Your body will tell you when you have reached your max HR.

OK. Lets think about this. I've flatted. I'm lucky enough to get a quick wheel change. Now I need to chase on. Do I just go as hard as I can and hope I don't blow up before I catch back on? Or, do I guestimate the time gap and sustain an average wattage that will get me back on within a certain amount of time using a wattage I know I can sustain for that time? Measured effort all the way for me. If you blow up here your race is certainly over. If you work too much, you may have little left for later.

The same applies to being off the front. I see guys attack in a race only to watch them stall, dangle and die. No need to chase. They'll be back in a few. I don't even need to know who they are. I just need to watch them and I can see which category they fit into: Fred or Threat.

After your initial attack, you need to settle and sustain. HR can help with the timing and wattage can help you meter the effort so you can stay away (unless you're a Fred then nothing short of divine intervention will help you).


The only parameter that could be of any real use in a race is cadence. Especially in a crit, you want to be at your optimum cadence, so glancing down to see that you are not bogged down when the pack slows up or overspinning when the pace picks up is useful. Its like in a motorcycle or car race, theres no speedo, only rev counter.

Cadence? Cars have rev counters for shifting and so you don't blow the engine. Hardly the same thing.

I can't remember ever using cadence in a race. I use cadence for certain interval workouts and, in conjunction with HR, SPD and Wattage to make calculations about shifting and efficiency in terms of generating power (this is an involved process so I won't go into it). If you can't tell that you are spinning too fast or too slow, you really need to put in some more time on the bike until you do. This is a fundamental skill. Fun-da-men-tal.

And what is OPTIMUM CADENCE really? Why is it OPTIMAL? Perhaps because that is where you can sustain a certain wattage/speed within a specific HR zone? So how did you calculate this OPTIMUM CADENCE? I bet you used a computer. Is this OPTIMUM CADENCE the same for climbing, sprinting, bridging, chasing or attacking? Or do you a plethora of OPTIMAL CADENCES in your quiver?

After your initial attack, you need to settle and sustain. HR can help with the timing and wattage can help you meter the effort so you can stay away (unless you're a Fred then nothing short of divine intervention will help you)

I can't remember ever using cadence in a race. +1
I'd rather know how much longer a crit will go, how many km's to go in a RR or have an idea of my HR so I don't blow up after an attack... I've usually got a good idea of what my cadence is though... give or take a few RPM.

OK. Lets think about this. I've flatted. I'm lucky enough to get a quick wheel change. Now I need to chase on. Do I just go as hard as I can and hope I don't blow up before I catch back on? Or, do I guestimate the time gap and sustain an average wattage that will get me back on within a certain amount of time using a wattage I know I can sustain for that time? Measured effort all the way for me. If you blow up here your race is certainly over. If you work too much, you may have little left for later.

The same applies to being off the front. I see guys attack in a race only to watch them stall, dangle and die. No need to chase. They'll be back in a few. I don't even need to know who they are. I just need to watch them and I can see which category they fit into: Fred or Threat.

After your initial attack, you need to settle and sustain. HR can help with the timing and wattage can help you meter the effort so you can stay away (unless you're a Fred then nothing short of divine intervention will help you).



Cadence? Cars have rev counters for shifting and so you don't blow the engine. Hardly the same thing.

I can't remember ever using cadence in a race. I use cadence for certain interval workouts and, in conjunction with HR, SPD and Wattage to make calculations about shifting and efficiency in terms of generating power (this is an involved process so I won't go into it). If you can't tell that you are spinning too fast or too slow, you really need to put in some more time on the bike until you do. This is a fundamental skill. Fun-da-men-tal.

And what is OPTIMUM CADENCE really? Why is it OPTIMAL? Perhaps because that is where you can sustain a certain wattage/speed within a specific HR zone? So how did you calculate this OPTIMUM CADENCE? I bet you used a computer. Is this OPTIMUM CADENCE the same for climbing, sprinting, bridging, chasing or attacking? Or do you a plethora of OPTIMAL CADENCES in your quiver?

I guess you don't really understand cadence and you don't understand engine rpms. Everyone has a an optimal cadence, lets say for someone its 100-110 for steady riding ((not sprinting) and I am not saying that is everyone's optimal cadence, I'm using it as an example)). If that person stays in that range, he maximizes performance. Similarly, a car makes max HP at a certain RPM range, thats why racers always drive by the tach, to make sure they are in the max hp range for all speeds.

And yes, most of the time my cadence is by feel, but every once in a while in a race, I do look at the cadence to make sure that my percieved cadence is in synch will reality. Sometimes its off by 20 rpms, usually when I am going hard I think my cadence is too low, I see I am overspinning, get up a gear or two and maintain speed or even accelerate slightly with less effort.

Finally, are you really saying that if you fall off the back, you are going to look at your watt meter to get back on? Pull out the scientific calculator and figure out "hmmm... I'll dial it up to 600 watts for 7 minutes and cover a distance of 800 meters"? Dude, you fall of the back, you LOOK UP AHEAD to see if you are catching the pack, and you go into your fastest time-trial mode until you catch them. Your time trial skills dictate your effort, not the power meter.

Ever see a tour rider use a power meter to get back on? Thank you.

I guess you don't really understand cadence and you don't understand engine rpms. Everyone has a an optimal cadence, lets say for someone its 100-110 for steady riding ((not sprinting) and I am not saying that is everyone's optimal cadence, I'm using it as an example)). If that person stays in that range, he maximizes performance. Similarly, a car makes max HP at a certain RPM range, thats why racers always drive by the tach, to make sure they are in the max hp range for all speeds.

There was a recent study (I'll look for it later) that shows this is not true. Wattage doesn't change for varying RPM, within a reasonable range. Mentally, if you believe it does, then it can though. So, knowing your cadence can actually slow you down.


Finally, are you really saying that if you fall off the back, you are going to look at your watt meter to get back on? Pull out the scientific calculator and figure out "hmmm... I'll dial it up to 600 watts for 7 minutes and cover a distance of 800 meters"? Dude, you fall of the back, you LOOK UP AHEAD to see if you are catching the pack, and you go into your fastest time-trial mode until you catch them. Your time trial skills dictate your effort, not the power meter.

Ever see a tour rider use a power meter to get back on? Thank you.

I've got a PowerTap coming up, and this is one of the few in-race plans I have for it (EDIT: for bridging/attacks). There is an efficient pace to bridge, and a power meter can help you dial that in without overcooking. It's certainly not for everyone, but I have a propeller hat under my helmet. :D

Scientific calculator? Slide rule dude ;)

Ever see a tour rider use a power meter to get back on? Thank you.


no, they usually use a Team Car or two.:)

I guess you don't really understand cadence and you don't understand engine rpms. Everyone has a an optimal cadence, lets say for someone its 100-110 for steady riding ((not sprinting) and I am not saying that is everyone's optimal cadence, I'm using it as an example)). If that person stays in that range, he maximizes performance. Similarly, a car makes max HP at a certain RPM range, thats why racers always drive by the tach, to make sure they are in the max hp range for all speeds.

Actually I think it's more like you don't understand how much you don't understand.

Lets stop talking about NASCAR and talk about bikes. Adrian Karsten is still an idiot.

I've never seen any pro or elite rider use cadence outside of a few limited training functions. Cadence is something a novice rider has to master and then move on. Once you find that optimal cadence it becomes second nature and something you never need to think about after that.

Cadence is something you can control but it is a useless number without corresponding information like SPD/WATTAGE/HR and TIME. It is useful during training. For example, if I tell you I am spinning at 86 RPM it means nothing unless I also say I am producing X watts and my HR is Y at that cadence. I can then raise or lower the cadence (or shift gears) and recheck those figures. "Oh," he says, "I see that by raising my cadence here, in this gear, on this type of terrain, my HR goes up and so does my wattage. Knowing my HR zones I can determine that I can maintain this effort for Z time."

THIS is useful information that is done during training. In a race there is often no time to make these observations or calculations. If you have used your computer to train this way and internalize this information then all you need to do is occasionally glance down at your wattage and HR to make sure you are where you want to be. Cadence will just be there. No need to monitor it.


And yes, most of the time my cadence is by feel, but every once in a while in a race, I do look at the cadence to make sure that my percieved cadence is in synch will reality. Sometimes its off by 20 rpms, usually when I am going hard I think my cadence is too low, I see I am overspinning, get up a gear or two and maintain speed or even accelerate slightly with less effort.

You mean you can't tell the difference between 100 RPM and 120 RPM without consulting your computer? Like I said before, you need to put more time in and this will become second nature.


Finally, are you really saying that if you fall off the back, you are going to look at your watt meter to get back on? Pull out the scientific calculator and figure out "hmmm... I'll dial it up to 600 watts for 7 minutes and cover a distance of 800 meters"? Dude, you fall of the back, you LOOK UP AHEAD to see if you are catching the pack, and you go into your fastest time-trial mode until you catch them. Your time trial skills dictate your effort, not the power meter.

What are yo doing 800m off the back? My guess is that you just got dropped. Tell me how cadence is going to help you here. You got dropped at you optimum cadence so how is it going to get you back on?

I'm talking about chasing back on after a flat or a crash. The gap will be A LOT more than 800m meaning the effort won't be a good hard sprint. It will be measured in minutes. Lots of them. Very often you won't even see the group anymore and you're really chasing the caravan. As I mentioned earlier, this information is learned and mastered during training and then applied during a race. No need for the math.

It's interesting that you mention TT. What do you think TT skills are? They are the epitome of measured effort. Do you think pro TT riders just go as hard as they can until they are finished? You mentioned the tour, GC riders know exactly what kind of wattage they need to hold on each part of the course to get the time that they want. How do you think they arrive at this data? Cadence?


Ever see a tour rider use a power meter to get back on? Thank you.

There are more races than the tour. Really. And to answer your question. Yes.

Finally, are you really saying that if you fall off the back, you are going to look at your watt meter to get back on? Pull out the scientific calculator and figure out "hmmm... I'll dial it up to 600 watts for 7 minutes and cover a distance of 800 meters"? Dude, you fall of the back, you LOOK UP AHEAD to see if you are catching the pack, and you go into your fastest time-trial mode until you catch them. Your time trial skills dictate your effort, not the power meter.

So, what is optimum cadence again?

So, what is optimum cadence again?

Varies with each person and it varies with the type of race. Hour record is set at a cadence around 100. Flying 200 meter at a cadence over 160. In general, in long events you have a lower cadence, shorter events a higher cadence.

As far as individuals go, you have the Lance Armstrongs that pedalled at a higher cadence and the Ullrichs that mashed a big gear slowly.

If you use a computer to measure cadence, you can quickly determine what cadence works for you in various situations, time trialing, sitting in the pack, sprinting, and then use it to make sure you are within the range that is best for you.

Varies with each person and it varies with the type of race. Hour record is set at a cadence around 100. Flying 200 meter at a cadence over 160. In general, in long events you have a lower cadence, shorter events a higher cadence.

As far as individuals go, you have the Lance Armstrongs that pedalled at a higher cadence and the Ullrichs that mashed a big gear slowly.

If you use a computer to measure cadence, you can quickly determine what cadence works for you in various situations, time trialing, sitting in the pack, sprinting, and then use it to make sure you are within the range that is best for you.

im guessing u didnt read the posts above

There are more races than the tour. Really. And to answer your question. Yes.

Just to back you up, I'm pretty sure Landis ran a Power Tap at some point in the tour.

I remember either hearing about it or reading about it. I can't specifically remember though so I could be wrong.