iBike Day 1: Some surprises about my usual training route.
06-28-07, 08:27 AM
#1
Chases Dogs for Sport
Thread Starter
iBike Day 1: Some surprises about my usual training route.
Today was my first training ride with the iBike Cadence. It offered me a few surprises . . .
1. The BIG HILL on my ride isn't where I thought it was. Although I knew I had a lengthy uphill section -- sloped enough to slow down my average speed substantially -- I had no idea how BIG the hill really is. It dwarfs the rest of the ride by a few hundred feet. Next time out, with the new information, I'll change my approach to "THE BIG HILL."
2. The universally-feared steep hills on my training route aren't 20%+ as the long-term area riders seem to think. They're 14% and change. Still pretty steep -- and most area riders avoid them -- but not exactly the Alps. Most of the hills are in the 6% to 11% range. (Will paving even stick to a 22% grade?)
3. For me, the difference between me and the pros is not peak power. The difference, clearly, is duration. I pulled some surprisingly serious numbers in the hills -- and especially when that pack of snarling dogs gave chase -- but my lack of duration is what makes me slow. Time to shape my training to turn my peaks into mesas.
All in all, I have already found the iBike Cadence to be a valuable training tool. I didn't use much of its potential today during the ride -- mainly just monitored slope and power -- but it loaded more data into my computer than I can quickly digest.
This is good stuff!
1. The BIG HILL on my ride isn't where I thought it was. Although I knew I had a lengthy uphill section -- sloped enough to slow down my average speed substantially -- I had no idea how BIG the hill really is. It dwarfs the rest of the ride by a few hundred feet. Next time out, with the new information, I'll change my approach to "THE BIG HILL."
2. The universally-feared steep hills on my training route aren't 20%+ as the long-term area riders seem to think. They're 14% and change. Still pretty steep -- and most area riders avoid them -- but not exactly the Alps. Most of the hills are in the 6% to 11% range. (Will paving even stick to a 22% grade?)
3. For me, the difference between me and the pros is not peak power. The difference, clearly, is duration. I pulled some surprisingly serious numbers in the hills -- and especially when that pack of snarling dogs gave chase -- but my lack of duration is what makes me slow. Time to shape my training to turn my peaks into mesas.
All in all, I have already found the iBike Cadence to be a valuable training tool. I didn't use much of its potential today during the ride -- mainly just monitored slope and power -- but it loaded more data into my computer than I can quickly digest.
This is good stuff!
06-28-07, 05:35 PM
#2
A Little Bent
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Struggling up a hillside in Vermont, USA... ..........................................
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I am eyeing some kind of power meter...
The wife is not to keen on the cost of a PowerTap...
I would like to know how the iBike works out for you...
The wife is not to keen on the cost of a PowerTap...
I would like to know how the iBike works out for you...
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